It is strange how we can read the same scriptures time and time again, but suddenly, a new thought will occur that we had never thought before. I knew that the ark, the tabernacle, and the temple, were designed to show us many things about our Lord's church which would come under a totally new covenant.
When Noah was told how to build the ark, God was very clear that it was to be built according to his pattern in measurements and materials. Noah had never seen such a strange thing, and this must have brought much ridicule upon him. Still he did exactly as God told him, though it took him a hundred years to complete the task and to call upon mankind to repent and come into the ark.
Again when Moses oversaw the construction of the tabernacle, he followed in every detail, how it was to be built, and the materials to use, right down to the greatest detail.
Solomon's temple, eventually replaced the temporary tabernacle. It was a permanent building, built to last, but every detail in its construction was given by God. And the plan was followed.
Looking, back, we see that had Noah not followed every detail, the human race, along with all animal life would have been totally obliterated from the earth. We would not be here. God knew what would be needed, and he designed the perfect plan for Noah to use. The purpose of the ark was to save mankind.
The tabernacle was to be a foreshadowing, a picture, and a divine plan for the church. It too, would be for the salvation of all mankind. It too, would be rejected by most people, but that does not change the perfection of the plan.
Both the ark, and the tabernacle, came to be, because of God's great love. God loves those who are faithful to him, and Noah was faithful. If he was not a man of great trust and faith, he would have given up long before the hundred years of preaching, without even one convert, and the hard labor to build something so strange in the eyes of those all about him. Everyone thought it strange when a man built an ocean going yacht in his backyard in Johannesburg, some four hundred miles from the ocean. In the end, he had to have it moved by a huge "eighteen wheeler" If I recall right, it was damaged in transit. That seemed strange, but Noah was building the equivalent of a passenger liner, many miles from water. Both cases were a test of faith, and both men passed with flying colors.
I was reading Hebrews, chapter nine the familiar description of the tabernacle. "For there was a tabernacle made: the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid roundabout with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. And the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." Thus is described the basic layout of the tabernacle, omitting the huge laver, and the altar outside, as well as the incense altar next to the curtain which separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The full details are given in the original instructions found in Exodus 25 and chapters following.
I knew the symbolic significance of the burnt altar, representing the final blood sacrifice of Christ Jesus, the laver, representing the cleansing of the priests before they entered the holy place to care for the showbread, the candlestick and the prayers at the altar of incense. I recalled the significance of the diving curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies which contained the ark, containing the Law of Moses. These things are basic, but what are they a picture of, and who is involved in each area?
The altar outside represents the death of Christ for all mankind. Some will accept, and some will reject. The giant laver represents baptism when we "put on Christ", and become a part of his body, the church, The Holy Place represents the church. Only the priests could enter the Holy Place. But now, Scripture speaks of Christians as being saints, and a Holy priesthood. They have direct access to God in prayer as they did in the tabernacle. They partake of the bread and the wine of the communion, and they are enlightened by the receiving of the word. In the tabernacle only the high priest ever entered the Holy of Holies, representing heaven, the dwelling place of God Himself. Even he was only able to do so once a year, but here is the thought that I realized. The veil was torn by God at the crucifixion of Christ, and Christ precedes us into the very presence of his Father God. We have access as far as the altar of prayer, and we can converse with the Lord there, but we can also see and know what lies ahead, for that is revealed in the last chapter of the book of Revelation. "Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God, But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:" Hebrews 9:2-7.
There are certain things that we dare not change. Cultures differ, different personalities will express themselves differently, but these are of God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. They must never change.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
THE WORD:
THE SWORD OF LIFE
The book of Hebrews contains a wealth of information to guide us in our Spiritual growth. I am choosing one of its most difficult passages for today's consideration, so please do not expect a scholarly presentation. One can get in over his depth so easily with this text, but that is not the message I want to show here. I recall a friend and colleague who did just that. He realized in the middle of his sermon that he was over his depth.
As you may know, I do a weekly newsletter entitled "Searching the Scriptures with Bob." That is also the overall title of one of my blog sites where this is also available. A portion of the sidebar of that each week is a daily reading guide for that week which will result in your reading the Bible through in one year's time. However, reading the Bible, unless you also make it a part of your life, guiding your activities every day, is not going to help you all that much. Satan is far more knowledgeable of the content of scripture than any of us are likely ever going to be. He is a master of quoting it out of context, twisting it, and misapplying it. Your only answer is to make it a part of your daily life so that you know the context, the meaning, and can use it against falsehood. You won't be able to do that unless you read it. You can use a different version every year.
"The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.
The sword was the basic weapon of warfare of that era of history, and continued to be so for many years. It continued to be so right up to fairly recent history. It was, and is, a weapon of destruction; mostly used against a single person at a time. His emphasis is on how quick, how powerful, and how devastating it is; how thorough it is. He speaks of the joints, and the marrow. That thought takes my memory back to my childhood, when I watched my mother take a live chicken nearly every Sunday, and methodically reduce it to a stack of severed parts separating the wing and leg joints. At one time, years later, I did the same with domestic rabbits. You learn where and how to cut it up through doing it. And you expect to make mistakes while you are learning. With the chicken, pity the person who breaks the wish bone in preparing it for the cook. My mistake with the rabbit was that I prepared one for a friend and returned it to him much too soon. I should have placed it in the refrigerator for a while first. It still twitched as the muscles cooled down.
Thus it is with the word. It is capable of helping us in many ways, but we have to read it, understand it, and make use of it. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it certainly helps, thus, as I am coming to the end of the year, I have every intention of repeating the Bible reading guide of my newsletter again next year.
The word is a discerner of "the thoughts and intents of the heart." If you know the word, you will know where a false teacher is headed even before he gets there, and what his intentions are even before he reveals them, or even if he never tells you. You will recognize that he is dropping a word or changing a word here and there or perhaps changing the punctuation. A false teacher will often say Jesus Christ is a prophet or even a god, but scripture says he is God, John 1:1. Not a god, but God. Not only that, but he was "in the beginning with God." And all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." There, you have the answer to the origin of the whle universe. I read in my computer headlines this week of the explosion of the Comet Holmes. As the wise men of the East read the heavens and followed the star to Bethlehem to find the new born king, let us note this new and growing light of the heavens and remember that this is one of the signs that he shall return soon.
The book of Hebrews contains a wealth of information to guide us in our Spiritual growth. I am choosing one of its most difficult passages for today's consideration, so please do not expect a scholarly presentation. One can get in over his depth so easily with this text, but that is not the message I want to show here. I recall a friend and colleague who did just that. He realized in the middle of his sermon that he was over his depth.
As you may know, I do a weekly newsletter entitled "Searching the Scriptures with Bob." That is also the overall title of one of my blog sites where this is also available. A portion of the sidebar of that each week is a daily reading guide for that week which will result in your reading the Bible through in one year's time. However, reading the Bible, unless you also make it a part of your life, guiding your activities every day, is not going to help you all that much. Satan is far more knowledgeable of the content of scripture than any of us are likely ever going to be. He is a master of quoting it out of context, twisting it, and misapplying it. Your only answer is to make it a part of your daily life so that you know the context, the meaning, and can use it against falsehood. You won't be able to do that unless you read it. You can use a different version every year.
"The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.
The sword was the basic weapon of warfare of that era of history, and continued to be so for many years. It continued to be so right up to fairly recent history. It was, and is, a weapon of destruction; mostly used against a single person at a time. His emphasis is on how quick, how powerful, and how devastating it is; how thorough it is. He speaks of the joints, and the marrow. That thought takes my memory back to my childhood, when I watched my mother take a live chicken nearly every Sunday, and methodically reduce it to a stack of severed parts separating the wing and leg joints. At one time, years later, I did the same with domestic rabbits. You learn where and how to cut it up through doing it. And you expect to make mistakes while you are learning. With the chicken, pity the person who breaks the wish bone in preparing it for the cook. My mistake with the rabbit was that I prepared one for a friend and returned it to him much too soon. I should have placed it in the refrigerator for a while first. It still twitched as the muscles cooled down.
Thus it is with the word. It is capable of helping us in many ways, but we have to read it, understand it, and make use of it. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it certainly helps, thus, as I am coming to the end of the year, I have every intention of repeating the Bible reading guide of my newsletter again next year.
The word is a discerner of "the thoughts and intents of the heart." If you know the word, you will know where a false teacher is headed even before he gets there, and what his intentions are even before he reveals them, or even if he never tells you. You will recognize that he is dropping a word or changing a word here and there or perhaps changing the punctuation. A false teacher will often say Jesus Christ is a prophet or even a god, but scripture says he is God, John 1:1. Not a god, but God. Not only that, but he was "in the beginning with God." And all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." There, you have the answer to the origin of the whle universe. I read in my computer headlines this week of the explosion of the Comet Holmes. As the wise men of the East read the heavens and followed the star to Bethlehem to find the new born king, let us note this new and growing light of the heavens and remember that this is one of the signs that he shall return soon.
Monday, November 5, 2007
THE SWORD OF LIFE
THE WORD; THE SWORD OF LIFE
The book of Hebrews contains a wealth of information to guide us in our Spiritual growth. I am choosing one of it's most difficult passages for today's consideration, so please do not expect a scholarly presentation. One can get in over his depth so easily with this text, but that is not my purpose here. I recall a friend and colleague who did just that. He realized in the middle of his sermon that he was over his depth.
As you may know, I do a weekly newsletter entitled "Searching the Scriptures with Bob." That is also the overall title of one of my blog sites where this is also available. A portion of the sidebar of that each week is a daily reading guide for that week which will result in your reading the Bible through in a year's time. However, reading the Bible, unless you also make it a part of your life, guiding your activities every day, is not going to help you all that much. Satan is far more knowledgeable of the content of scripture than any of us will ever be. He is a master of quoting it out of context, twisting it, and misapplying it. Your only answer is to make it a part of your daily life so that you know the context, the meaning, and can use it, truth against falsehood. You won't be able to do that unless you read it. You can use a different version every year.
"The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
The sword was the basic weapon of warfare of that era of history, and continued to be so for many years. It continued to be so right up to fairly recent history. It was, and is, a weapon of destruction; mostly used against a single person at a time. His emphasis is on how quick, how powerful, and how devastating it is; how thorough it is. He speaks of the joints, and the marrow. My memory goes back to my childhood, when I watched my mother prepare a chicken for our Sunday meal nearly every week. She methodically reduced it to a stack of severed parts separating the wing and leg joints. At one time, years later, I prepared domestic rabbits for cooking in the same way. You learn where and how to cut it up through doing it. And you expect to make mistakes while you are learning. With the chicken, pity the person who broke the "wish bone" in preparing it for the cook. My mistake with the rabbit was that I prepared one for a friend and returned it to him too soon. It still twitched as the muscles cooled down. I should have placed it in the refrigerator for a while first.
Thus it is with the word. It is capable of helping us in many ways, but we have to read it, understand it, and make use of it. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it certainly helps, thus, as I am coming to the end of the year, I have every intention of repeating the Bible reading guide of my newsletter every year.
The word is a discerner of "the thoughts and intents of the heart." If you know the word, you will know where a false teacher is headed even before he says it, and what his intentions are even before he reveals them, or even if he never tells you. You will recognize that he is dropping a word or changing a word here or there. A false teacher will often say Jesus Christ is a prophet or even a god, but scripture says he is God, John 1:1. Not a god, but God. Not only that, but he was "in the beginning with God." And all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." There, you have the answer to the origin of the universe. I read in mycomputer headlines this week of the explosion of the Comet Holmes. As the wise men of the East read the heavens and followed the star to Bethlehem to find the new born king, let us note this new and growing light of the heavens and remember that this is one of the signs that he shall return soon.
. .
The book of Hebrews contains a wealth of information to guide us in our Spiritual growth. I am choosing one of it's most difficult passages for today's consideration, so please do not expect a scholarly presentation. One can get in over his depth so easily with this text, but that is not my purpose here. I recall a friend and colleague who did just that. He realized in the middle of his sermon that he was over his depth.
As you may know, I do a weekly newsletter entitled "Searching the Scriptures with Bob." That is also the overall title of one of my blog sites where this is also available. A portion of the sidebar of that each week is a daily reading guide for that week which will result in your reading the Bible through in a year's time. However, reading the Bible, unless you also make it a part of your life, guiding your activities every day, is not going to help you all that much. Satan is far more knowledgeable of the content of scripture than any of us will ever be. He is a master of quoting it out of context, twisting it, and misapplying it. Your only answer is to make it a part of your daily life so that you know the context, the meaning, and can use it, truth against falsehood. You won't be able to do that unless you read it. You can use a different version every year.
"The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
The sword was the basic weapon of warfare of that era of history, and continued to be so for many years. It continued to be so right up to fairly recent history. It was, and is, a weapon of destruction; mostly used against a single person at a time. His emphasis is on how quick, how powerful, and how devastating it is; how thorough it is. He speaks of the joints, and the marrow. My memory goes back to my childhood, when I watched my mother prepare a chicken for our Sunday meal nearly every week. She methodically reduced it to a stack of severed parts separating the wing and leg joints. At one time, years later, I prepared domestic rabbits for cooking in the same way. You learn where and how to cut it up through doing it. And you expect to make mistakes while you are learning. With the chicken, pity the person who broke the "wish bone" in preparing it for the cook. My mistake with the rabbit was that I prepared one for a friend and returned it to him too soon. It still twitched as the muscles cooled down. I should have placed it in the refrigerator for a while first.
Thus it is with the word. It is capable of helping us in many ways, but we have to read it, understand it, and make use of it. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it certainly helps, thus, as I am coming to the end of the year, I have every intention of repeating the Bible reading guide of my newsletter every year.
The word is a discerner of "the thoughts and intents of the heart." If you know the word, you will know where a false teacher is headed even before he says it, and what his intentions are even before he reveals them, or even if he never tells you. You will recognize that he is dropping a word or changing a word here or there. A false teacher will often say Jesus Christ is a prophet or even a god, but scripture says he is God, John 1:1. Not a god, but God. Not only that, but he was "in the beginning with God." And all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." There, you have the answer to the origin of the universe. I read in mycomputer headlines this week of the explosion of the Comet Holmes. As the wise men of the East read the heavens and followed the star to Bethlehem to find the new born king, let us note this new and growing light of the heavens and remember that this is one of the signs that he shall return soon.
. .
Saturday, November 3, 2007
MARCHING ORDERS
"PREACH THE WORD"
Paul, in writing to his frequent associate and fellow worker, gave what could be called his last marching orders. These were appropriate not only for Timothy, but for all of us. We are fighting the same battle against Satan. Our task is the same, no matter how intense the battle should become. God told Noah to preach a message of repentance for a hundred years to all who would listen, while he was building the ark. God knew that the only ones who would believe would be Noah’s own family, but he gave the opportunity to all. The earth was to be destroyed by the flood then. Today we are living in days when “they shall not endure sound doctrine”, and we face the final destruction of the earth, not by gradual warming and melting of the ice caps, but by fire. I recall the statement of a Charismatic Pentecostal evangelist, several years ago, who said “I don’t preach doctrine.” This year’s horrific wild fires in California should open our eyes of that event to come, certainly they are a graphic warning, yet I have not heard one word mentioning that fact. As Jesus said to the apostles, “teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you,” Matthew 28:20, so we must also do. Jesus said, “teach them,” and to Paul “preach the word.” It is the same command passed on to every new generation.”
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:1-8.
The quick, the dead, and his Kingdom. Notice that he separates those of his kingdom, from those who are living, and not living at the time of his coming to judge. Why is it that those of his kingdom are separated from the others? Is it not perhaps because they have been caught up to meet him in the air? These are the ones who have heeded the charge and have been preaching the word. In John 1:1 we have noted that the “Word” was with God and the Word was God and the Word had a part in the creation of all things. The word was Christ. We are to be preaching Christ and what he has taught us. Whether people believe it or not is not the question. In fact, we know that most will reject it, but that is not our basis for preaching, just as it was not with Noah. We are told that they will not endure sound doctrine, and will prefer little stories instead. Paul calls them fables. A fable can be an illustration but not the content of thr whole message as is sometimes heard.
Not everyone is going to like the evangelist, especially if he is the bearer of bad news. Read the prophets of the Old Testament days. Sometimes the kings they were told to carry a message to, were violent in their rejection. One had his scroll cut into pieces and thrown into the fire as it was read, Jeremiah was thrown into an abandoned cistern, Elijah fled for his life from Jezebel. I, myself, was cautious as I collected my mail at my post office box after I received a threatening letter in response to tracts I had distributed in the Oriental Plaza of Johannesburg. The box could have been watched. Christians can “endure afflictions” in any period of history.
Paul was able to say of himself, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Are we able to say the same? If we are, we are also able to say with confidence, “there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Let us look forward to that day with confidence.
Paul, in writing to his frequent associate and fellow worker, gave what could be called his last marching orders. These were appropriate not only for Timothy, but for all of us. We are fighting the same battle against Satan. Our task is the same, no matter how intense the battle should become. God told Noah to preach a message of repentance for a hundred years to all who would listen, while he was building the ark. God knew that the only ones who would believe would be Noah’s own family, but he gave the opportunity to all. The earth was to be destroyed by the flood then. Today we are living in days when “they shall not endure sound doctrine”, and we face the final destruction of the earth, not by gradual warming and melting of the ice caps, but by fire. I recall the statement of a Charismatic Pentecostal evangelist, several years ago, who said “I don’t preach doctrine.” This year’s horrific wild fires in California should open our eyes of that event to come, certainly they are a graphic warning, yet I have not heard one word mentioning that fact. As Jesus said to the apostles, “teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you,” Matthew 28:20, so we must also do. Jesus said, “teach them,” and to Paul “preach the word.” It is the same command passed on to every new generation.”
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:1-8.
The quick, the dead, and his Kingdom. Notice that he separates those of his kingdom, from those who are living, and not living at the time of his coming to judge. Why is it that those of his kingdom are separated from the others? Is it not perhaps because they have been caught up to meet him in the air? These are the ones who have heeded the charge and have been preaching the word. In John 1:1 we have noted that the “Word” was with God and the Word was God and the Word had a part in the creation of all things. The word was Christ. We are to be preaching Christ and what he has taught us. Whether people believe it or not is not the question. In fact, we know that most will reject it, but that is not our basis for preaching, just as it was not with Noah. We are told that they will not endure sound doctrine, and will prefer little stories instead. Paul calls them fables. A fable can be an illustration but not the content of thr whole message as is sometimes heard.
Not everyone is going to like the evangelist, especially if he is the bearer of bad news. Read the prophets of the Old Testament days. Sometimes the kings they were told to carry a message to, were violent in their rejection. One had his scroll cut into pieces and thrown into the fire as it was read, Jeremiah was thrown into an abandoned cistern, Elijah fled for his life from Jezebel. I, myself, was cautious as I collected my mail at my post office box after I received a threatening letter in response to tracts I had distributed in the Oriental Plaza of Johannesburg. The box could have been watched. Christians can “endure afflictions” in any period of history.
Paul was able to say of himself, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Are we able to say the same? If we are, we are also able to say with confidence, “there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Let us look forward to that day with confidence.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
WHAT ARE YOU SOWING BROTHER?
Galatians 6:7-10
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
The logo or icon of the Bible Society in South Africa is the picture of a man sowing seed by hand. This is the same as the word picture Paul used in his letter to the Galatians. He wanted all to know that we get back what we give out. We are all aware that we do not plant wild oats and reap wheat. “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” I we spend our life seeking earthly rewards, that is what we shall reap, and only that. What does the wealthy farmer take with him when he comes to the end of life? We start with nothing and we end the same way. The ancient Egyptians filled the graves of their Pharos with every thing they believed it possible that they would need in an after life, but those things, resplendent with gold, have now ended up in the museums, along with a dried and dusty mummy. Such is the destination of any life that is set on material earthly things. The body decays and the wealth is dispensed.
But, there is a better alternative. “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” He has a more lofty purpose in life. His eye is set on spiritual things, not material. All that we have that is material belongs to God. He made it all. We are but stewards, slaves mind you, entrusted to use these things for a short period of time. Even as the master of a slave is responsible for everything his slaves needed, thus God will provide for all that we need; perhaps not all that we want, but all that we need. Jesus made this clear when he said, “in my Father’s house are many mansions,” or places as some versions word it. God does, and will supply, and in heaven one is not still a servant, but a brother or sister and an heir of God’s. God will not provide for his own family that which will fall apart in the first hundred years or grow old and tattered. He will provide for eternity, even as he provided for the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, everything, water, food, and clothing and shoes that did not wear out until they reached their destination, the Promised Land.
God has a better plan. He will care for the needy though their brothers and sisters here; not directly as the manna fell in the wilderness and was harvested every morning. God wants those who he blesses with much, to assist those who are lacking, “especially them who are of the household of faith.” That is the idea behind the benevolent ministry of the church. Today’s believers have grown lax and leave this to Social Security. Unfortunately it is a fact that the poor, who have spent a lifetime earning the minimum wage or even less, have built up a very low level of investment over the years and their Social Security income is far below the “poverty level” and pushed lower every year by the required Medicare deductions. Those are the Medicaid patients and the homeless.
As far as I know, virtually all of our Benevolent Societies, orphanages, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and retirement centers are forced to turn these people, whether “of the faith” or not, away for lack of funding. This is the responsibility of the church. Missionaries should not have to operate food kitchens for Christians who are in need.
Let us look to what we are doing, and also to what we are neglecting. It isn’t only in India and Ethiopia that there are needy and hungry Christians. They are everywhere, even in our American churches if we look carefully.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
The logo or icon of the Bible Society in South Africa is the picture of a man sowing seed by hand. This is the same as the word picture Paul used in his letter to the Galatians. He wanted all to know that we get back what we give out. We are all aware that we do not plant wild oats and reap wheat. “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” I we spend our life seeking earthly rewards, that is what we shall reap, and only that. What does the wealthy farmer take with him when he comes to the end of life? We start with nothing and we end the same way. The ancient Egyptians filled the graves of their Pharos with every thing they believed it possible that they would need in an after life, but those things, resplendent with gold, have now ended up in the museums, along with a dried and dusty mummy. Such is the destination of any life that is set on material earthly things. The body decays and the wealth is dispensed.
But, there is a better alternative. “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” He has a more lofty purpose in life. His eye is set on spiritual things, not material. All that we have that is material belongs to God. He made it all. We are but stewards, slaves mind you, entrusted to use these things for a short period of time. Even as the master of a slave is responsible for everything his slaves needed, thus God will provide for all that we need; perhaps not all that we want, but all that we need. Jesus made this clear when he said, “in my Father’s house are many mansions,” or places as some versions word it. God does, and will supply, and in heaven one is not still a servant, but a brother or sister and an heir of God’s. God will not provide for his own family that which will fall apart in the first hundred years or grow old and tattered. He will provide for eternity, even as he provided for the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, everything, water, food, and clothing and shoes that did not wear out until they reached their destination, the Promised Land.
God has a better plan. He will care for the needy though their brothers and sisters here; not directly as the manna fell in the wilderness and was harvested every morning. God wants those who he blesses with much, to assist those who are lacking, “especially them who are of the household of faith.” That is the idea behind the benevolent ministry of the church. Today’s believers have grown lax and leave this to Social Security. Unfortunately it is a fact that the poor, who have spent a lifetime earning the minimum wage or even less, have built up a very low level of investment over the years and their Social Security income is far below the “poverty level” and pushed lower every year by the required Medicare deductions. Those are the Medicaid patients and the homeless.
As far as I know, virtually all of our Benevolent Societies, orphanages, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and retirement centers are forced to turn these people, whether “of the faith” or not, away for lack of funding. This is the responsibility of the church. Missionaries should not have to operate food kitchens for Christians who are in need.
Let us look to what we are doing, and also to what we are neglecting. It isn’t only in India and Ethiopia that there are needy and hungry Christians. They are everywhere, even in our American churches if we look carefully.
WHY DO THE GOOD DIE YOUNG?
We have all wondered why children and “good” people often die young. Even, perhaps, we have blamed God and felt that this is very unfair and unloving that this should happen.
If God were so loving, should not the evil be punished by a short life, and the children all live to an old age? Actually, that is often the case. Sometimes we forget that God knows the end from the very beginning. He knows how we shall end, just as he knew that Jesus would die on the cross for the sins of all mankind even before he sent him to become our savior. Thus, we read that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God knew, but still he sent him because he loves us all.
However, I recently read a scripture in Isaiah 57:1-2 that affirmed something that I had long felt to be true.
It reads: “The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest 1n their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.“ The phrase I have placed in bold type, just popped out to me, and it makes all the difference in the world. For affirmation, I also looked it up in the NIV versions, which simply states it even more clearly in more modern English. “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly, enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
We were three brothers. My older brother was five years older than I, and my younger brother was five years younger. Jackie Allan lived for only two days. It seemed so very unfair and unloving that he should die so young. He had been born with a birth defect. His survival would have changed all of our lives. Five years later our farm and much of our furniture was sold and my father left for good. Mother probably could not have survived with two sons at home to raise alone. My older brother had left home years before, so we started with me mowing lawns at first and mother doing laundry, ironing, and house cleaning for others. God was aware of all this, and Jackie was safely back with him, well and loved. He was “taken away from the evil to come.” Mother has now joined him, and I look forward to that reunion to come at the time God has chosen.
God, who knows all that will or can happen to us, who knows the end from our very beginning, had a special task for me that he did not have for Jackie, and it was not there on that farm. By hind-sight, I see afterward more than I did as it unfolded. We all can if we stop to think about what has happened to us along the way. God had a purpose for each of us. We shall live and serve as long as we continue to enter the doors that he opens before us. For me: 1. We left the farm. That had served its purpose. 2. We made two important moves. First to a small town where the Lord’s church became very central in our lives, then moved to a small city where a larger faithful church continued to be a guide and strength. These two churches were to become the backbone of our prayer and financial support over many years to come. 3. I enlisted in the Navy, changing my outlook and purpose in life, and building self confidence greatly. This also paid for my education. 4. I enrolled in a new Bible School and God brought my future wife and I together there. 5. We went to Africa as new missionaries. There formation and work doors continued to open throughout the years. God was at work. Even in my retiring at the age of 72.
God has a plan for each of us, and he opens the doors and nudges the reluctant along all the way. In the case of Saul of Tarsus, Jesus said that he was “kicking against the goads.” With me it was more gentle “nudges” that I enter the doors he opened, but the result was the same. God formed us with love, for a purpose, and he guides us along to that goal.
He know from the beginning whom among us will respond, and who will not. He knows if added years will make a difference. And, if we finish our task on earth early, he like the gracious employer he is, will say, “You are finished, Take the rest of the day off.” I will return for you. Let us look forward with confidence for that “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
God’s will be done!
If God were so loving, should not the evil be punished by a short life, and the children all live to an old age? Actually, that is often the case. Sometimes we forget that God knows the end from the very beginning. He knows how we shall end, just as he knew that Jesus would die on the cross for the sins of all mankind even before he sent him to become our savior. Thus, we read that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God knew, but still he sent him because he loves us all.
However, I recently read a scripture in Isaiah 57:1-2 that affirmed something that I had long felt to be true.
It reads: “The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest 1n their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.“ The phrase I have placed in bold type, just popped out to me, and it makes all the difference in the world. For affirmation, I also looked it up in the NIV versions, which simply states it even more clearly in more modern English. “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly, enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
We were three brothers. My older brother was five years older than I, and my younger brother was five years younger. Jackie Allan lived for only two days. It seemed so very unfair and unloving that he should die so young. He had been born with a birth defect. His survival would have changed all of our lives. Five years later our farm and much of our furniture was sold and my father left for good. Mother probably could not have survived with two sons at home to raise alone. My older brother had left home years before, so we started with me mowing lawns at first and mother doing laundry, ironing, and house cleaning for others. God was aware of all this, and Jackie was safely back with him, well and loved. He was “taken away from the evil to come.” Mother has now joined him, and I look forward to that reunion to come at the time God has chosen.
God, who knows all that will or can happen to us, who knows the end from our very beginning, had a special task for me that he did not have for Jackie, and it was not there on that farm. By hind-sight, I see afterward more than I did as it unfolded. We all can if we stop to think about what has happened to us along the way. God had a purpose for each of us. We shall live and serve as long as we continue to enter the doors that he opens before us. For me: 1. We left the farm. That had served its purpose. 2. We made two important moves. First to a small town where the Lord’s church became very central in our lives, then moved to a small city where a larger faithful church continued to be a guide and strength. These two churches were to become the backbone of our prayer and financial support over many years to come. 3. I enlisted in the Navy, changing my outlook and purpose in life, and building self confidence greatly. This also paid for my education. 4. I enrolled in a new Bible School and God brought my future wife and I together there. 5. We went to Africa as new missionaries. There formation and work doors continued to open throughout the years. God was at work. Even in my retiring at the age of 72.
God has a plan for each of us, and he opens the doors and nudges the reluctant along all the way. In the case of Saul of Tarsus, Jesus said that he was “kicking against the goads.” With me it was more gentle “nudges” that I enter the doors he opened, but the result was the same. God formed us with love, for a purpose, and he guides us along to that goal.
He know from the beginning whom among us will respond, and who will not. He knows if added years will make a difference. And, if we finish our task on earth early, he like the gracious employer he is, will say, “You are finished, Take the rest of the day off.” I will return for you. Let us look forward with confidence for that “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
God’s will be done!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
ANOTHER GOSPEL?
LET HIM BE ACCURSED!
Galatians 1:3-9
“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As I have said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
The meaning of the word “Gospel” is simply “Good News,” and the source of this good news in the New Testament, is augmented by the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. For example, there are many prophecies of the Messiah to come in the Old Testament and these are fulfilled in the New Testament many years later. The book of Matthew was written with the Jewish nation particularly, in mind. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus. This is vital for Jewish readers. The Birth of Christ, the virgin birth, and many activities of Christ, which had been prophesied many years before, are carefully recorded in Matthew. These weave into the account many facts of vital importance to them, and lead up to his sacrificial death, his burial, and his resurrection in payment for the sins of mankind. The good news is that God sent His own Son who died for our sins, and who showed his divinity by raising from the dead on the third day. These points are brought out in the teaching of the Apostles.
Early in church history, there began to rise up men who were preaching “another Gospel.” This began to take place even while the Apostles were still living and preaching. Paul struggled with these false doctrines in many of his letters to the churches. Since he was evangelist to the Gentiles, he was deeply concerned by pressures from certain Jewish Christians who felt that it was necessary for any convert to the gospel, to first become a Jew, then accept the Christ. In effect this would mean that Christianity would be a branch of Judaism. Such believers were called “Judaisers.” We should praise the Lord that Paul wrote those letters, which make up a large portion of the New Testament. In dealing with problems, he sets the example for doing the same in the church of today. He dealt with moral problems, in excessive use of alcohol, in lying, in tongues, gossip, and many other basic problems of humanity.
Not all false prophets are charlatans, preaching godly morality, but personally blatant womanizers, alcoholics, or liars. Others preach a “God wants you to be rich” or “a name it and claim it” message, when the very opposite is often the emphasis of scripture The message is that we can not serve both “mammon,” wealth and God. Jesus pointed out that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. What he meant is that we have to make a decision. Do we want to be rich in this world? or do we want to be Christians and rich in heaven’s blessings eternally?. Wealth can not be the goal of our lives. We can not seek wealth at the expense of honesty and truth. Read the “get rich schemes” on the web. They all promise great wealth, but always at the sacrifice of truth and honesty. If God blesses us, we have greater responsibility, for our true riches are revealed by where our heart is. In Christianity there is always the temptation to manipulate our worship services, as I have observed in Africa where even in the pre-service prayers which begin quietly but gradually increased in tempo and volume until they filled the building by what sounded much like a “Gregorian chant.” In the meantime, the band was doing the same, starting modestly, but building in tempo guaranteeing a throbbing headache at its peak. The apparent center of those services comes with the healing service and the altar calls near the end.
In contrast, the heart and center of Christian worship is prayer and the observance of the Lord’s memorial table. Leave Christ out of worship, and it is false. We pray through a living Lord and remember his death burial and resurrection at our weekly assembly in the body of Christ, the church.
Galatians 1:3-9
“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As I have said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
The meaning of the word “Gospel” is simply “Good News,” and the source of this good news in the New Testament, is augmented by the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. For example, there are many prophecies of the Messiah to come in the Old Testament and these are fulfilled in the New Testament many years later. The book of Matthew was written with the Jewish nation particularly, in mind. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus. This is vital for Jewish readers. The Birth of Christ, the virgin birth, and many activities of Christ, which had been prophesied many years before, are carefully recorded in Matthew. These weave into the account many facts of vital importance to them, and lead up to his sacrificial death, his burial, and his resurrection in payment for the sins of mankind. The good news is that God sent His own Son who died for our sins, and who showed his divinity by raising from the dead on the third day. These points are brought out in the teaching of the Apostles.
Early in church history, there began to rise up men who were preaching “another Gospel.” This began to take place even while the Apostles were still living and preaching. Paul struggled with these false doctrines in many of his letters to the churches. Since he was evangelist to the Gentiles, he was deeply concerned by pressures from certain Jewish Christians who felt that it was necessary for any convert to the gospel, to first become a Jew, then accept the Christ. In effect this would mean that Christianity would be a branch of Judaism. Such believers were called “Judaisers.” We should praise the Lord that Paul wrote those letters, which make up a large portion of the New Testament. In dealing with problems, he sets the example for doing the same in the church of today. He dealt with moral problems, in excessive use of alcohol, in lying, in tongues, gossip, and many other basic problems of humanity.
Not all false prophets are charlatans, preaching godly morality, but personally blatant womanizers, alcoholics, or liars. Others preach a “God wants you to be rich” or “a name it and claim it” message, when the very opposite is often the emphasis of scripture The message is that we can not serve both “mammon,” wealth and God. Jesus pointed out that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. What he meant is that we have to make a decision. Do we want to be rich in this world? or do we want to be Christians and rich in heaven’s blessings eternally?. Wealth can not be the goal of our lives. We can not seek wealth at the expense of honesty and truth. Read the “get rich schemes” on the web. They all promise great wealth, but always at the sacrifice of truth and honesty. If God blesses us, we have greater responsibility, for our true riches are revealed by where our heart is. In Christianity there is always the temptation to manipulate our worship services, as I have observed in Africa where even in the pre-service prayers which begin quietly but gradually increased in tempo and volume until they filled the building by what sounded much like a “Gregorian chant.” In the meantime, the band was doing the same, starting modestly, but building in tempo guaranteeing a throbbing headache at its peak. The apparent center of those services comes with the healing service and the altar calls near the end.
In contrast, the heart and center of Christian worship is prayer and the observance of the Lord’s memorial table. Leave Christ out of worship, and it is false. We pray through a living Lord and remember his death burial and resurrection at our weekly assembly in the body of Christ, the church.
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