"For the LORD (EloHim, Yahweh) your God is a Jealous God..."

Can you ever remember a time when your mother warned you about taking a certain course of action? "Don't go over there to play, there are bad weeds there!" But, so-and-so was playing over there last week and nothing happened to him, you said to yourself. So off you go to play in the weeds. Only a few hours later you are itching and scratching your legs because there was poison ivy mixed in with the weeds. "If only you had obeyed me," your mom later says, "you wouldn't have to suffer like this." And she puts gobs of stuff on your legs to help reduce the itching. Or, "don't go across the street to so-and-so's house - there's something funny going on over there/I haven't met the parents yet." But so-and-so goes to your school and you played with him or her at recess. He/she is o.k. Your mom just doesn't know him/her like you do. So off you go across the street and play with so-and-so. You have had fun. Your mom wasn't right this time! You keep on going over there and playing with so-and-so in the yard and all is great. One day it starts to rain just as you all were getting your game on and so-and-so says come on - dash into my house so that we don't get wet. You hesitate for a second because you hear your mother's words in your head, but then again, you're getting soaked and it is easier to go into his/her house than go way across the street to your house. When you get inside, it is kind of dark, and smells of funny smoke. Some guy is chillin' in a chair looking at TV and when he hears you all running into the house, yells some very pithy foul language at the two of you for making noise. Your friend does say bad words from time to time, but you have never heard anyone say what the guy said, nor the threats he made to you if you made any more noise. He looks like the kind of person who would do what he says. You tell your friend that you've got to go home and, um, do your homework (you just make up anything at that moment), and run out of the house and when the door slams you can hear the guy cussing. 

Scary stuff.

Well, the above may not have exactly been your experience. But I can almost guarantee that you, someone of your acquaintance, or even someone in your group of siblings or extended family have had something kind of close to that. I can think back to some of my childhood and adolescent years when I wanted to be independent of my mother's judgment and rules. I thought that some of them were kind of out there, or that she couldn't understand how things were 'nowadays'. So when I finally began to take the Bible seriously, I couldn't believe how much I could see real life in it and episodes that mirrored some of the things that happened to me! The stories and principles were like right now, instead of old timey stories for bedtime. I saw those little scenes of a wise and experienced person giving sound advice so that people could have victory and success in their lives, and saw it being played out over and over and over again in the lives of the people who lived in the nation of Israel. And over, and over again even when the God who made all the universe, who could see into every nano-molecule, gives warning after warning about the consequences of certain behaviors and activity, the children of Israel dis it, and wind up getting in big trouble. Each and every time - it might vary in the amount of time each time the problems start due to disobedience, but they always come. And each time, the disobedience impacts not just the ones doing the disobeying, but also their children and grandchildren. [Exodus 20:3-7; Deuteronomy 4:1-40; 6:1-19]  

So how did these 'Bible people', these Israelites, get started? We all know the story about the Exodus from Egypt, with Pharoah and the 10 plagues and all of that, but how many of you know the backstory - the story behind the story? Why was a nation of Jews living in, of all places, Egypt? Why did God have such an interest in them? Was He God only of the Jews? Why would God tell the Israelites to move out of Egypt - the only place they've known for all of their lives, and go mostly on foot into a land a few hundred miles away that they have never lived in, and then to war against the folks who were living there so as to make it their home? (some people today will call what happened a kind of genocide and call God a murderer) So, is God guilty of wrongdoing? Why would this God, this Yahweh, have the Israelites traipse through the desert and wilderness for years instead of going directly to the land of Canaan? Who were the Canaanites and where did they come from? Why did God want them destroyed?

These are hard questions - especially for those of us who do not know the true God, His character, and especially his sovereignty. We seldom get a full picture of the LORD God -  EloHim, Yahweh - in every Sunday corporate worship experience, but we get enough sometimes to be curious about who He really is and why He made the statement above? Like your parents - and moms are usually the more vociferous when it comes to household rules - He has a right to direct our lives and provide boundaries and guardrails to help protect us and to enable us to thrive. He wants all of our worship, that is, our obedience (which is the foundation for worshiping God). He is still a Jealous God, i.e., He rightly deserves every creature's worship, obedience, service - He does not want to share with idols or other so-called gods. And yet, like the youths pictured above, we do it - ignore God anyway when it looks like we can't get our 'play on'. And then we have to suffer the consequences.

As the story behind the story unfolds and we get answers to the above questions, we'll get to see why this is so and what was going on those thousands of years ago that still impact our daily lives and serves as warnings still for us today.

Tease for next time... 

The Israelites had now experienced a great time of growth and prosperity and had gained considerable victories in the land to which God had brought them. They were living large. Their 'modern times' were in full swing! Modern housing - they no longer had to live in tents. A marketplace close to their settlements, social activity and times of celebration. The 'latest' in fashionable clothing, meaningful work - this was living! There were still Canaanites living nearby who for some reason did not get removed from the land - some were kind of nice and kept their properties up and sometimes you would come across a marketplace that the Canaanites owned or visited. They looked different from the Israelites in some respects, and dressed and lived differently. They definitely worshiped differently ... 

Infant Baptism or Pedo-Baptism -- My Short Statement

Many Anglo-Catholic based denominations - Protestant Episcopal, Anglicanism, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc. - and other Christianized religions readily promote the tradition of infant baptism. Personally, I do not believe this practice to be Biblical. I do know that Bible scholars are on both sides of the fence about this. I will never say, and please understand me clearly, I will never say that a person's baptism is invalid - I am not a judge, otherwise I would need to question my own baptism. However, and this is based on Bible doctrine and on the Gospel - baptism does not save you. I will say it again: Baptism - no matter what the age of the person - does not save you. John the Baptist baptized scores and scores of persons in the Jordan River - his baptism was not salvific, rather, it was an acknowledgement by those being baptized that they needed a savior who would take their sins away. The water of baptism does not wash sins away. Yet, baptism is one of two sacraments that Jesus required for followers. He only requires 2 - baptism and the Lord's Supper. Each of these sacraments are symbols or representation of the new relationship with Christ and the Father, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit - they in and of themselves do not have saving power. A person, whether an infant or elderly person being baptized, cannot through the ministrations of the priest or other religious professional be saved. Jesus said that "no one can come to me unless the Father draw him." It is not until God initiates and authors the faith within a person can that person come to a saving knowledge of Christ and profess his or her belief in him, ask for forgiveness for rejecting Christ and for all one's sins, and commit to accepting and obeying Christ as Lord. In my experience I've not known a baby or toddler who is able to do that in and of themselves. Jesus commanded that his followers make disciples of people and then baptize them as they profess belief in the Lord. Discipleship followed by baptism, a public acknowledgement that the person has come to a saving faith and knowledge of Christ, and has made Jesus their Lord. It is God who adopts that person into His family - not a priest, minister, or other religious professional or group of people.

I did say short, didn't I? In another post I'll provide the exact scriptures or in the meantime you can use your own concordance or explore the two views on baptism online.

A Nation's Destiny

Not rewriting history or seeing a sanitized version of it - the United States has always had problems since its founding. The European settlers and Englanders seeking a freedom for worship, expression, and land ownership brought their ideals with them - good and bad. In many cases their desires displaced native inhabitants and wreaked havoc with the natural resources. The penchant for increasing power, prestige, and wealth among some of the early 'landed' families became a conduit for the evil terror of slavery that tore the moral fiber of the country - for it was an attitude and practice that permeated throughout all the colonies - not just the southern part. Many leaders of that time - political and religious - could not assertively speak out on the demoralizing effect on the country that the slave institution had, since many of the more prominent leaders were themselves slave holders, including some Quakers. The gaping wound would not be healed quickly, and its festering condition was rampantly infectious. When a people can justify wrongdoing as beneficial for society and such justification becomes accepted and acceptable, permanent damage happens. Yet even with a number of persons taking sides against slavery and mistreatment of the native inhabitants of the land, there were still large numbers claiming rights to properties for which they had no right. We've had many trials and many errors in this country, which involved much sacrifice on the part of many, in order to determine it to be one nation under God. Its premise has always been shaky, still at the peak of America's existence, the majority of persons in the country considered themselves Christian or averred belief in God. Yet, it is my country with all of its wounds and I am blessed to live here and to find and enjoy some freedoms that are still intact..

What has concerned me in particular is that our nation has been incrementally moving itself away from God over the last one hundred fifty years - a progression that has been reflected once again in the moral decline of our society. (with all of the challenges we have faced one would think those would drive us to God) The founding fathers, despite their many imperfections and some outright sins, nevertheless honed out a society that purported a faith in the Almighty God of the Bible: The Father Jehovah, the Son Jesus Christ, and a Holy Ghost Triune God. They pointed to God's Word as a book of authority and the benchmark or touchstone for morality that God has divined for His human creation. Interestingly, at a point where it seemed that the country's independence was well established and declarations of the country being of God and founded on God (see origins of the anthem "My Country Tis of Thee" by Samuel Francis Smith which he wrote in 1831. The song served as one of the de facto national anthems of the United States (along with songs like "Hail, Columbia") before the adoption of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the official anthem in 1931), the terror of slavery and its byproducts had expanded and demoralized the thinking of federal leaders and key political figures of the time. That wayward thinking would soon fan the flames for the great conflagration the nation would see - the War Between the States.

Prior to the War, Abraham Lincoln is noted, along with many voices of his day, as pointing to the enslavement of individuals as a pariah to a society that believed in God and called itself Christian. Other moral inconsistencies in a country that was called Christian were pointed to often enough from platforms in newspapers, in state houses, and from pulpits. Again - all confirm what God has said about our sin nature - that it is inherent in all of us, and that we can deceive ourselves to our own detriment about our perceived 'goodness', which can be as elusive as each breath we expel. As discourse on the societal ills heightened, Christian revivalism took place - a great "awakening" of Christian values, of what was God's will for the nation and citizens therein, which led to some of the social reforms notable in the 19th century. When you look at hymnal writing during those years, you discover the richness of faith being expressed in them about God, who He is, what He has done, and how we should respond. Yet even then, the invasive weeds of the Enlightenment movement, of the Transcendentalism movement, the Utopian movement and other isms had begun to thicken and take root. (Louisa May Alcott's bent was towards transcendentalism, and the Utopian concepts; she interjects some of the isms into her famous works as those works were highly biographical.) The disciples of the movements explained away God as a distant, self-absorbed cosmic being whose interest in mankind was merely speculative, and that through the innate goodness of humanity a society could thrive and be built up through its own good works and determination. There are still religious persons and persons of high intellect today that advocate such beliefs as true - especially the part about humans having innate goodness and being able to serve as masters of their own souls. Influential citizens began espousing such beliefs, in many cases, turning their noses up at the God of the Bible in preference of a god of their own devices.

As the 20th century commenced, the moral pulse of the country was strong - at least on the surface and in public behaviors for large parts of the national society. However, the carnal freedoms and presumed rights that were intrinsic to the new isms began to wear away at those moral foundations and even at the pretense of them. The world wars blew up much of what we determined to be moral, or at least altered that sense for a lot of society. If nothing else, they certainly confirmed for Christ followers the Bible's teaching that the god of this system was influencing the minds of persons towards physical and spiritual destruction as prophesied. Further, the fallout from those wars was a steady erosion of the sensibilities of moral good, serving to deeply shadow much of Biblical Christianity, and suffocate much of the established traditional Christianity with which the country had originally identified itself. America thereafter slowing began creeping towards becoming a pluralistic society.

Following the world wars - especially World War II, during the late 1950s and the 1960s, a new mindset was descending, and the concept of a nation under an Almighty Holy God, especially among the younger generation, was being seen as the equivalent of a hoax, or at the minimum - part of the framework of society that needed to be changed. The pluralism - the multiple gods and belief systems, subtle at first, had begun to influence how society generally perceived itself, its environs, relationships, and future. The ubiquity of that influence was even more deceptive, produced an amoralistic culture that set its on floating right and wrong standards, and which is carnal and narcissistic. The backlash of this free thinking, free acting cultural changes hit the Church. Churches began to cease being the center of activity for many communities, and one of the more influential and wealthy established churches in America - the Protestant Episcopal Church - began to lose its long-held influence over society and politics, membership, and subsequently, its wealthy stalwarts.

Society has so moved away from the tenets of Biblical Christianity that it is politically improper to refer to our country as one nation under God in the 21st century. Legal movements have already discarded the Bible from public schools, along with public prayer. It is hard to believe now that there was a time even in the 20th century when many public school classrooms began each day with the pledge of allegiance and the reading of a passage from the Bible book of Psalms. The liberal free-thinking promoted by the well-entrenched isms has emboldened many 'good citizens' to demonstrate and call for elimination of any mention of Christ, corporate or public prayer, or to point to Christianity as a dominant faith or belief system except to include it in a laundry list of societal dependencies or other traditional belief systems within the polyglot of religious identities now teeming in the nation. The modern high school student can read all about it in social studies, right after a session in the science classroom on how life evolved from simple celled creatures. Some so-called Christian churches, including traditional Protestant and evangelical churches, in order to keep up with the new wave of belief-isms, and to refill pews, are teaching that when Jesus said that He alone was The Way, The Truth, and The Life that he was talking only to Christians or persons who wanted to identify with Jesus, and that there is another way and opportunities for obtaining salvation and finding the truth within other religious systems and programs. They advocate interfaith worship activity to help foster unity through 'diversity,' (breaking the greatest commandment) and openly support as righteous behaviors that Holy God has long ago declared sinful and requiring repentance - not reward (breaking the second great commandment)(Matthew 22:35-41).

Thus, the national agenda has succeeded in redefining life apart from God and His Word, which Word says that God forms life in the womb (Psalm 139), so that now it is legal to kill that life in the womb by calling it a nonviable fetus and inconvenience. There is movement afoot to expand on the ability to abort life from the womb at later stages of pregnancy when the 'fetus' becomes viable. The agenda has provided the schools the leeway to teach solidly that the Bible's teaching of creation is impractical, nonsensical, and unproven, so that schools can point to other theoretical beginnings stemming from various evolutionary beliefs. It took more than 100 years following the Emancipation Proclamation to legally make aspects of civil and political society open to persons of non-Caucasian skin color - to legalize persons of color, and this despite the 'higher thinking' of the culture's isms. Unfortunately, the law can only regulate certain behaviors but not the degenerative thoughts and internal beliefs of individuals, which the higher thinkers will consider an infringement. The evil nature of sin that permeates the society and has rampaged shockingly in the last fifty-plus years has exalted greed, self-pleasure and fulfillment in every aspect of human existence to a god-level which dominates and influences the movement of today's national agenda.

Most recently, the deception that the immoral acts of a person should be legitimized and protected legally as a civil right has been one of the offshoots of the deep-rooted sinful condition of our society in this country and another nail in the coffin of a demoralized nation. These are the same thought processes that legitimized slavery as a civil right of landowners and caucasians. It bears no resemblance to the establishment of legal rights of persons of color; their legal rights were deserved not based on behaviors they chose to act out, but on the fact that they are human. The law had previously declared them not human, but property. The turning over of the slave and accommodations laws that denied people equal rights under law was among the last few acts of a Christian conscience. The culture of the 21st century would have its way to declare homosexuality and the practice of it as a holy act, one protected by the Constitution - which is far distances from where the original writers of the laws of the land fell. The influence is so keen that the delineation between moral and immoral within our society has become illegible in parts and transient in other parts. It makes one wonder, doesn't it, why folks get in such an uproar when prominent citizens commit adultery and fornication - why aren't those behaviors sanctioned as well? Aren't they just as holy as homosexual coupling if they are done 'in love'? What else will our society in its free thinking and free acting declare as holy, or at the least, acceptable, in the future?

We as a people believe we are right in owning ourselves as masters of our fates, as the supreme judge of our behaviors and beliefs - which always leans towards what makes us feel good or seem to feel right, and that those rights are inalienable and deserved by virtue of being an American. Many churches feeling the pressure to conform have made their congregations places where the new American attitude rules, as long as it is sprayed with a cheap Christian perfume - which scent lasts all of 45 minutes if that long on a Sunday. Some churches/denominations or representatives of those churches and denominations (including Protestant Episcopal, Presbyterian, ECLA, and other evangelical institutions) have led the rally away from a Holy Almighty God of the Bible to a weak, inopportuned, and compromised god of their own creation which bows to the will of the people. The new ruling by the Supreme Court of sanctioning same sex marriage has been blatantly hailed as righteous by both traditional and evangelical religious leaders, who are offering to open their doors to welcome wedding ceremonies to sanction the new 'civil right.'

A nation's destiny: The moral condition and place where we find our own country are the same conditions and status that brought God's wrath on the nations of Israel, Judah, and even their enemies round about them. (The Bible prophets Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Habakkuk - to name a few were burdened to declare the destruction of the nations - to prophesy of their destiny, because of their choice to live independent of God in their own demoralized cultures.) These same conditions and status will receive the final outpouring of God's wrath as foretold in the letter of Revelation. That is not an ism, it is not some church fairy tale to make people behave. It is historical truth and solid prophecy.

The above statements lead to the questions, Is the God of the Bible as detached as many would like to believe? Does the depiction of the 'god of love' that is mouthed by those self-satisfied religious leaders really describe the Bible's God and Creator of heaven and earth? Isn't belief in a moralistic god and an ancient book called the Bible an old-fashioned perspective, so that a person believing in such things is out of step with the times and a fool to accept those things? Surely, no one with any sense, or a college degree, can bow down to such nonsense? If, then, modern society is right, then the God of the Bible in whom many still believe is foolish, and we are fools to worship and serve Him. That was the apostle Paul's conclusion as he discussed God's salvation plan. His premise - outlined in 1 Corinthians 15 - was that if any of what God's Word says is true, is somehow not so, then we are to be most pitied. In that chapter he deliberates on the Gospel of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ - the foundational doctrine of Christianity. This is a basic tenet of Christianity: that because we are helpless and hopeless because of our sinful condition, that there is no innate goodness by which we can save or elevate ourselves, that God the Righteous Judge must intervene in order for us to become restored to life and to God. Therefore, it was God's plan to sacrifice His Son on our behalf to have our sins atoned for so as to satisfy His righteous standard, and to make The Way possible or available for all. The holiness of God - something incomprehensible to nonbelievers - is such that He cannot abide or have community with a sinful people - by their unregenerated nature they are spiritually dead to Him. His holiness demands a righteousness that we ourselves cannot impart to ourselves. His holiness demands that we deserve death - in fact it is the wrath of God that we deserve because our sins separate us from God. Hence, the need for a savior, even though it was humankind who revolted against God. He still loves His creation, and determined a redemption plan to restore the original design for living under His kingdom.

Modern churchgoers bathed in the new postmodern Christianity inundating the Church find this basic Bible truth highly offensive. It goes against every fiber of their self-idolatry. If it is not true, if the way God describes and reveals Himself to us is not true, if indeed He is not holy or has changed from a holy God to a weak and bullied cosmic Santa Claus or slot machine who means no more than good feelings and being nice then we, too, are fools along with God. If it is not true, then what hope do we have? What then is the purpose of this life? How do you explain so many religions and belief systems? What is truth? What is your answer?

Partnering with Christ

When you think of it, that seems a bold, presumptuous statement for a human to say, that “we are partners with Christ”. However, it did not originate with humans, but from the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 3:12-14 (NRSV) tells us: “ ¹² Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.” (compare Revelation chapters 2 and 3).

For those of us who are partners with Christ, we did not become so because we went out of our way to do this. No – the Holy Spirit came to us seeking us out to join in this unique relationship with Christ. In John's Gospel, chapter 4, Jesus reminds us that our relationship is a spiritual one, and that our lives should be lives of worship in spirit and truth (not just a thing we do once a week in a building).

Ephesians 2:1-10 outlines how we become partners with Christ. In fact, a description of that partnership is also in chapter 1, and in chapter 4. We are partners in Christ to do good works, as stated chapter 2, verse 10. Such works are defined by God in His Word so that we do not have to guess. Paul, through the Holy Spirit, also received the word at Romans 8 and 12 – which is a follower of Christ’s foundational doctrine for knowing one’s identity in Christ. Being in Christ conveys an immersion - a place of oneness. These verses also speak to those ‘good works’ that God has preordained for those followers and partners of Christ.

Just like wearing a badge does not make someone a policeman, neither does wearing the moniker of “Christian” necessarily convey that we are partnering with Christ. (see Jesus’ admonition at Matthew 7:21-23) Knowing God’s will for our ownselves by examining His Word and seeking His direction in prayer and, then, with His help, doing it is therefore very important towards growing in this unique relationship (John 15:1-5).  

Jesus encourages us throughout the scriptures that our partnership with Him is of high value to Him and the Father. That God moves us from death (what we deserve) to life in Christ (God’s unmerited grace), is a cause for celebration and a motivation to continue to build on our relationship in Christ. How can you not exult in knowing that you have been given the gift of eternal life, that God through the provision of the blood of Christ, has rescued you from darkness and an eternal death separated from God? Did you not know that God sees you as dead if you have not been saved by his grace? (p.s. baptism does not save you!!! Communion does not save you!!!! despite what many traditions teach - reread Ephesians 2:1-10!)

Choosing to accept God's invitation to partner with Christ is not limited to an age - older children through to old age have the same opportunity to walk in the spirit with Christ. God desires all persons to accept His invitation as He declares in John 3:16, yet as he notes in verses 18-20, there will be those who reject this life-saving gift: ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."

Consider today, while it is still today, this free invitation to share in Christ and enter into this unique relationship. The rewards are tremendous! 

I leave you with this prayer and blessing Ephesians chapter 1 given to those whom God has called and who has been brought into His spiritual family:

^“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵ He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸ that he lavished on us.” Amen

“If we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching, why aren’t His hands healing, why aren’t His words teaching…”

Well,

I was trying to watch The History Channel's epic "The Bible", bracing myself for the new testament dramas. Intellectually, I know that there are no pictures of Jesus that he sat for to have made, no likeness carved into stone or fashioned into clay. Yet, it still bothers me how the media and the movie makers depict Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. I think it is because the depictions are not logical, and may actually be deceptive.

Probably one of the reasons I like the movie, "The Nativity", is that there was sincere effort to cast the parts of Mary and Joseph with sensitivity to the Bible's story. They were Jews who could identify as their ancestor King David. Thus, they were of the tribe of Judah. Joseph was a full-grown man, with an income and means to make a living. Mary was still a teen - of marriageable age - any where from 15 or 16 to 18-ish, in keeping with Jewish culture of the first century.

To fulfill Scripture, the one who would become the Messiah, must be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), must be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5a), must be of the ancestral line of Jesse, the father of the great King David (Isaiah 11:1-2; Luke 2:1-7) - thus, be a Jew by heritage, would have as an ancestor the Great Abraham (Genesis 22:18; Matthew 1:1-2). His appearance would not resemble a character walking around with a halo over his head, with blond hair and blue eyes. He instead would have darker coarse hair, dark eyes, a dark beard, and his exposed skin may have reflected the ruddiness of one who was out of doors much of the day. Thus, he would not look different from his fellow Jews, would have been identifiable as a Jew (Isaiah 53:1-2); his features were ordinary. He was just a face in the crowd of other Jewish men who eeked out a living under harsh Roman rule. (compare Luke 2:21-52; 3:1) In order to accomplish the great purpose of salvation for which purpose he came, Jesus had to be Jewish. He was not European, Eurasian, Euro-Judean, nor did he claim Roman citizenship.

True, what Jesus actually looked like is a mystery to us. How tall he was, what was the distance between his hairline and eyebrows, how he wore his hair, how thick his lips were, what his ears looked like, how his voice sounded, or how his laugh sounded are not known to us. And, true, his looks, per se, do not weigh in God's purpose for the Messiah or Christ, yet his heritage did. He was born a Jew of the tribe of Judah into a royal line, into the Jewish culture of the first century in Judea, of a Jewish mother. All of these characteristics are vital to understanding God's plan of salvation. (John 4:22) As followers of Christ, it can be helpful to know just a little something personal about the Lord we serve. When we look closely at his life, then measure it against Scripture, we may find more clarity as we read the Gospel accounts - find a clearer understanding of certain things he said. We may also get a better perspective on the epistles written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by Paul and others in their discussion about Christ, about the law, about Jew vs. Gentile, etc.

I have a feeling that if this blog were actually read that there would be several persons who would disagree with the foregoing - in fact, some would say that of all the 'mullarky' I've penned in this blog, this is the most controversial! Which, well, would be understandable since from the time of the great painters and sculptors of Europe, portraiture of Jesus reflected a European heritage. That's what we grew up with; from my perspective, we lost so much truth as a result. I end with this thought: As an African-American woman, to be painted to resemble a European -- blond hair, blue eyes, pointed nose and thin lips - would be a distortion not just of my looks, but would give a false impression of my heritage and parentage, my culture. My story would look different, I would most certainly stand out in family portraits, as I would look distinctly different from the mother and father who bore me, and from the siblings also born to the same mother and father. The impact I would have and others would have because of me would give cause to pause - am I genuine? Well,     

How the Holy Spirit Works in the Lives of Believers - Women, Listen Up!

For many women, service is a part of their character. Many of us learn as little girls to serve others as part of a daily routine. Even some of us have been taught to perform various types of service in the church from a young age -- e.g., altar guild ministry, acolyting, hospitality initiatives, and others (we all have our own lists). Because of the ingrained programming of service, some of us then may miss, may not be aware, of God's call to service. It is a huge difference that too many churchgoers fail to recognize, and thus, there are those instances in some churches where 20% of the people do 80% of the work of ministries. Consider the following message I gave to members a while back on knowing who you are in the Lord:

We are many of us involved in various ministries at church. Many of us have come to know what God has called us to do in the building up of the church. 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4:11-13 share the types of ministry gifts that God has bestowed on individuals and on the local church. The ministry gifts on and in individuals do not happen when you sign up for church membership. They do not happen when a priest or clergy task you with an assignment. You don't get them as a result of going to meetings or classes. THE ONLY WAY WE RECEIVE INDIVIDUALLY THE MINISTRY GIFTS SPOKEN OF IN THE ABOVE SCRIPTURES IS THROUGH THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN AND ADOPTED AS SONS OF GOD. I can't say it any more plainly. The 'deposit' of the Holy Spirit in us - our guarantee from God of salvation - is the first gift of rebirth. From that point, the Holy Spirit operates within a believer and follower of Christ in a unique way that was preordained for Him to work, part of which is the bestowing of your personal ministry gift. Because many churches do not talk about the Holy Spirit, who He is and what He does in the lives of Christ's followers, so many churchgoers are ignorant of this part of their life in Christ if they have been saved. It is that call by the power of the Gospel and Holy Spirit working in us that God initiates our new life in Him - we have no power to do it ourselves.

The blessing of that calling is that God will enable us to do what He has called us to do. What He has called us to do has spiritual implications, and is outside of the natural -- therefore we cannot successfully respond to God's calling in our own strength. That is, we must do all things in Christ who strengthens us for the work we have been called to do.

How do you accomplish God's will in Christ? As believers, we have Christ living inside us in the form of the Holy Spirit. (please read 1 Peter 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 4:13,19; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 3:16-18) How do you know how to respond to the indwelling of God? Well, how does He speak to us? Through study and meditation of his Word, the Bible - the believers' handbook and authority, through prayer, and through circumstance. If you leave out the first two, it will be hard to discern the third one. When you leave out the first two, you will find your calling may begin to feel like a burden, or that it has become a routine duty - something on your checklist, something to satisfy your church membership or sense of doing good. When you don't do the first two regularly, the intimacy to which God is calling you to be in with him may escape you. When you don't do the first two consistently, it will be challenging to do God's will with joy. The sad truth is that there are those throughout Christendom who have been going to church for years and giving to the church in time and money and, yet, they have never known God because they will not do the first two things. (2 Peter 1:3-11, 20-21; Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6; Ezra 8:22-23; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 4:1-4; Hebrews 5:11-14; 6:1;Psalm 119:114; 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 10:23;1 Peter 3:15; Romans 15:4,13; Nehemiah 1:3-6; Matthew 26:41; Luke 6:46)

Ladies, I pray that the only true burden we have in our work for the Lord within the Body of Christ is the burden of desperately wanting to please God in fulling His purpose for us. He will help you do whatever He has called you to do, sometimes using your God-given natural talents to accomplish the work. Do not forget though: do your utmost to continue first to seek relationship with Him who has called us, rely on His strength, and allow God's Word to dwell in us richly as we do his will.

Blessings.

Partnering with Christ, part one

In a well-known preacher’s sermon I heard, he spoke about the circumstance concerning reaching out to the lost and encountering those who do not want to hear, or who would reject the kingdom message: He commented that in this country – i.e., the U.S. – it is hard to “go to hell”.  He was not affirming the country as a model of righteous culture. On the contrary, what he was speaking to is the difficulty to avoid hearing the Gospel proclaimed in this country. It is almost impossible to avoid it - it's nearly everywhere. On the radio, on TV, all over the internet, churches everywhere, Bibles and Gospel-themed literature in bookstores, and so forth. He said that a person would have to go way out of his or her way to escape hearing, reading, seeing the Gospel in some kind of communication. He added that it is also a dangerous thing to hear or otherwise encounter the Gospel and then turn it away or reject it, which is tantamount to rejecting Christ. Our very eternity is at stake.

The Bible foretold that there would be persons who would hear the Gospel and then dismiss it. Thus, it should not come as a surprise to hear someone respond to our efforts to share Christ that they don't want to hear that Jesus stuff, or for other objections to be raised. The Bible also noted that not only would persons reject it, some would even scoff at the message. “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’” 2 Peter 3:3-4.

"They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’  These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” Jude 18-19

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Nevertheless, we as partners with Christ in proclaiming the Gospel have been commissioned to go into all the world to make disciples first and  then baptize them when the power of the Holy Spirit initiates the faith that comes through the hearing of the Gospel to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD and repent of their past rejection of Him. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Note that we are not commissioned to partner with Christ only where persons like the message we bring them, or to limit our witnessing to those who are just like us. Nor are we commanded to first become polished speakers , to obtain impressive degrees, or go to seminary before we can engage in the kingdom work. No. As partners with Christ and sharers in the Gospel He desires us to receive Him and then tell others about the saving message, and for all of us to teach the Gospel through our actions, through Bible study, through preaching, through general conversation, through every means available – there were no ‘loopholes’ in the Great Commission! Yet, many persons who attend church regularly seem unaware of this responsibility although His calling is explicitly expressed in the Bible.

It also goes to follow that if we are not disciples ourselves, how is it possible to disciple others, per Jesus’ words – “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”? If, indeed, we have tasted the sweet truth of Jesus, and have failed to share it or even continue in His teachings and intentionally pursue His truth, we fall into the group of those who reject Christ. (Hebrews 6:1-6) If we refuse to open the Word of God, or refuse to live under its authority as a lifestyle, we refuse the Word of God, Christ, and subsequently follow our own selves, which is idolatry.

Yes, it is hard to “go to hell” because of the lack of opportunity to not go on that path - we actually have to want to do it! We have to intentionally choose to do so by rejecting Christ and the Gospel. So, how does one choose Christ? What is involved? Have you chosen Christ? How do you know?