Path of Life Christian Academy
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Nov. 23, 2009
The Cross and the Nature of God
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1, New King James Version)
Jesus always was and always will be. He is the Word of life (See JOHN 1:1 and JOHN 1:14) He is that eternal life who was with Father from all eternity, and was manifested in the flesh to us, in order to fulfill the law and take the consequences of our sin upon Himself, so that we can enter into His presence and have fellowship with Him and with each other as His children. Knowledge of what He has done for us will bring us to a point of true joy. However, many people gravely misunderstand exactly what He has done, and so misunderstand the nature of God.
Jesus revealed the nature of God, that there is no darkness in Him. That He is pure light, pure goodness, pure love. It is this purity, this holiness, that destroys what is ugly and evil in His presence. Light abolishes darkness, it eliminates it. We are full of all manner of sin and darkness, hatred, lust , and covetousness. If we try to claim otherwise, we are calling God a liar, and deceiving ourselves. So since we are full of darkness, we cannot enter into His full presence on our own. His absolute pure, unfiltered radiance, pure love, and pure beauty would destroy us. This is the reason for the cross of Christ.
The cross is perhaps one of the most misunderstood events in the Bible. Many people are under the impression that God the Father was so angry over our sin that He had to take it out on someone, and so He took it out on Jesus in much the same manner as someone who is so angry at someone that they can only calm down enough to forgive if they first kick the dog to vent their anger. Yet God does not tell us to forgive that way, He does not tell us to forgive others by venting our anger on an innocent victim. Surely, God is not asking of us that which He is incapable of doing? No, this is a misunderstanding, not only of the cross, but of the very nature of God.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are ONE. Three persons, yet just one God, they are one in essence. This is a mystery which we can not fully understand, but which we must keep in mind to even begin to grasp what took place on the cross.
The cross is not an incident of God looking at our sin, and becoming so angry that He looked around, saw Jesus, and said, "Either you pay the price for these people or I will destroy them!" Jesus Himself is God (See COLOSSIANS 2:9), every bit as much as the Father and the Holy Spirit are God, the three persons of the trinity were in complete harmony when God decided to do this. So God did not look outside of Himself and find someone to "take it out on", rather God looked within Himself, to sacrifice of Himself, for our good.
Knowing that imperfect, sinful human beings full of darkness could not stand in the presence of His pure light, He made a way for our cleansing. And that way was a rending of the very heart of God. First, Jesus laid aside that glory, in order to walk among us, then when was Jesus hanging on that cross, He said, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34) At that moment, the Father and the Son were were separated. The Godhead itself, until that point existing throughout eternity in perfect unity and harmony, in complete togetherness, was torn apart, and for the first time the Son knew what it was to separated from the the father. Just as all of us are born with a sinful nature, separated from being able to experience the full presence of God, unable to have fellowship with Him, so now the Son took our sin upon Himself, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that He became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, so for the first time He had the stench and filth of sin upon Himself, and the Father looked away. In that moment, violence was done not only to the Jesus, but against the Triune nature of God.
Exactly what happened is somewhat of a mystery beyond our comprehension, but we do know in that time, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are one, were torn apart from each other. Our language fails to express how this provided our cleansing, and our minds could not fully grasp it even words were found, but somehow this rending of god not only forgave our sin, but cleansed away the very stain of it from our souls so that we could enter into God's presence.
Just as our sin was placed on Jesus, destroyed on the cross, and then left behind in the grave when He rose again, His righteousness is placed upon us when we receive Him, this enables us to enter into the Holy light, the pure, full presence of God, and not be utterly destroyed.
Heaven is the place where we will experience the full pure, unfiltured presence of God, a place where no evil or sin exists, or can exist. It is pure light, pure joy, pure love.
Hell is the place for everything that cannot be in His presence. A place separated from God and His love. Hell is the absence of God and all that He is. No good thing exists there, no joy, no light, no love. Only hatred, sadness, pain, and utter loneliness and regret, there is nothing in hell that is in any way desirable. Yet people choose it.
There are only two options for the eternal soul, one is heaven, in Holy Presence of God, bearing the righteousness of Christ which has been given to us as a free gift, and the other is hell, apart from God and all that is good. When a person rejects God and His solution to the problem of sin, they are, by default, choosing hell. There is NO third option. It would be foolish for a cancer patient, after his doctor tells him that there is a cure, to become angry that there is only one cure available. The logical response would is to be overjoyed that one is available, and to take it without hesitation. Yet people reject Christ, and become angry that there is not another solution to the disease of sin.
There is no question that we have all sinned, the Bible is clear on that, and if we deny it we call God a liar. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness, He offers cleansing, He offers to cover us in His own righteousness since we have none of our own. We are offered this greatest gift, and the only question remaining is, will we accept it?
Lord, I thank You that You have shown me my own sin, and brought me to the point of being willing to confess it, and agree with you that I am a sinner incapable of cleansing myself. I thank You for the gift of salvation through Christ. I ask Lord, that if there are any who read this who do not know You, that you would use it to speak to them, and draw them to Yourself. Amen
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:1-9, New King James Version)
Scoffers abound in these last days, they call the Bible an ancient book that has no bearing on our lives today. They laugh and say that it has been so long since Jesus lived on earth, and that if He was going to return He would have done so already. They scoff at us Christians for continuing to put our faith in Him and in His promise to return. They claim that the earth has continued on as it is now from the beginning. They refuse to believe in the creative power of God. They willfully ignore all evidence that does not support their view. They ignore overwhelming EVIDENCE OF A GREAT FLOOD and FOSSIL EVIDENCE INDICATING THAT LIFE APPEARED SUDDENLY, ABRUPTLY, in complex forms. They ignore the COMPLEXITY OF A SINGLE CELL, and they ignore the scientific concept of IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY.
They do all of this willfully, it is not that they can't believe, it's that they won't believe. Harvard University Biochemist Dr. George Wald admitted to this when he said,"When it comes to the origin of life there are only two possibilities: Creation or spontaneous generation. There is not third way. Spontaneous generation was disproved one hundred years ago, but that leads us to only one other conclusion, that of supernatural creation. We cannot accept that on philosophical grounds; therefore, we choose to believe the impossible: That life arose spontaneously by chance!" (George Wald, "The Origin of Life", Scientific American May 1954.) So they laugh and call Christians irrational, they say that Jesus has been gone to long and we are foolish to watch and wait for Him, and all the while they knowingly ignore mountains of evidence against the very base of their theories, and choose to embrace what they know is a scientific impossibility.
But God is not mocked, and neither is He late. Things are happening right on His time schedule, 2000 years is not a long time to Him, after all, in comparison to eternity what is 2000 years? He isn't taking this long because He has forgotten, rather He is giving humankind time to repent. He is giving time for us to fill ourselves up with our wickedness to the point that we are sick of it, and turn to Him. Many are turning to Him, and many others continue to fill up their iniquity to their own judgment.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:10-18, New King James Version)
Although God is patient, and although He waits to give us time to repent, He will not wait forever. He will return, at which time the chance to repent will be gone, it will time for judgment.
We Christians need to keep in mind that this earth will not last forever, it and all the sin and sadness on it, are temporary. We need to live our lives focused on eternity, in obedience to God, with our eyes on His Kingdom. Looking forward to the time when He makes a new Heaven and a new Earth, one without sin or all of the sadness, sickness, hatred, strife, and death that sin brings.
We must live for God, not for our own selfish desires and dreams. We need to become living sacrifices, aware that we are here to bring God glory, aware that we exist for Him, and not He for us. We need to realize, that while God does love us, while He does desire to bless us and give us joy, He doesn't exist for that, He doesn't exist in order to please us, we exist in order to please Him.
We need to keep in mind that the suffering of Christ is our salvation, we did not earn it, and have no reason to boast.
We need to study diligently, and guard against false teachers who twist scripture. We must look at all scripture in context and in light of what the rest of Scripture teaches. We must examine all teaching in the light of God's word. We need to apply God's word steadfastly and pray, and "grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Lord, I thank You that You love me, even though You are not obligated to at all. I thank You that You have given me Your word, even though You did not owe me a thing. I thank You that forgive me even though I don't deserve anything from You. I pray Lord that You will take me and form me into the person You created me to be. I pray that You will do what You want with me, and that I will not get in the way. I give myself to You Lord, do Your will.
Nov. 13, 2009
False Teachers
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. (2 Peter 2:1-3, New King James Version)
In Old Testament times there were false prophets who claimed to speak for God, but in reality spoke for their own political, social, or financial gain. So it is no surprise that the church also has its share of false teachers, who claim to speak for God but teach things not of Him. Verse two says that these false teachers even deny the Lord. Upon a casual reading, one might think that false teachers blatantly and openly deny that Jesus was the Messiah, but if they did that it would be obvious that they were false. False teachers tend to to be much more subtle.
The Greek word translated as "deny" is "arneomai". It can in some cases mean "to openly reject or oppose" but its primary definition is "to contradict". So these false teachers are contradicting the Lord who died to purchase their right to become children of God. The word can also mean to "refuse", which would indicate that many of these false teachers know the truth. They know that they are teaching what is false, and they don't care. They know that what the Lord would have them to do, and yet they refuse Him. These wolves in sheep's clothing covet, and therefore use the office of teaching for their own gain.
This a sad and gravely serious thing, these teachers are bringing destruction upon themselves. What is even more heartbreaking, is that many have followed them and many more will follow them. This is so tragic, not only for those who come to the church seeking to learn of God, and instead end up getting ensnared, believing and following theses false teachers, but it is also tragic for the unbelievers who never even seek to learn of God because when they look at the church all they see is this division, greed, and self seeking.
God sees this, and He has been patient, giving them time to repent, but His judgment will not be idle forever. Their destruction is coming. As they lead many down the path to hell, they are earning for themselves a great and horrible judgment.
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:4-22, New King James Version)
God has always judged the proud, haughty sinner who refuses to see his own sin and repent of it. From the angels who sinned and were cast out of heaven, to the people before the flood who became vile, to Sodom and Gomorrah, God has always judged blatant unrepentant sin. Whether it is lying, stealing, murder, or sexual sin, all sin comes down to idolatry and pride. When we knowingly commit any sin, we make ourselves and our own desires into a god whom we serve. Convincing ourselves that we know better than God, we put ourselves on the throne that belongs to God alone. God does not take that lightly, it must be judged. We can either turn to Christ who took that judgment for us, turn to Him accept His gift, or we can continue to put ourselves on the throne, thinking that we can somehow save ourselves.
God will bring strict judgment on false teachers, because they are hindering those who desire to know God. They are leading others astray, they are messing with God's people, and God will not tolerate that. They presume to know better than God, presume to know more than the apostles. They seek to fulfill their own desires and live according to their own will.
They are proud, boastful, and speak evil of "dignitaries". It isn't exactly clear who or what these dignitaries are. If you cross reference to Jude 8-9 it seems that they were supernatural beings of some sort. One thing that is clear is that these false teachers are arrogant, speaking authoritatively about things they do not understand or have authority to speak about. They are self-assured and proud, trusting in themselves.
Like Balaam, they seek their own good, not the good of God's kingdom or God's people. It would seem from verse 14 that they also are full of lust, teaching licentiousness. They appeal to people's flesh and encourage them to sin. They promise freedom but bring people into bondage to sin. It is evident that no true rebirth has taken place in their lives. Like a pig that has been washed up, perfumed, and decorated with ribbons but is still a pig inside and will go back to wallowing in the muck as soon as it can, these teachers have not truly been transformed. They are not new creations and so they return to their old selfish ways. The knowledge they gain of scripture only serves to dress up their sin, and hide it under a guise of religion, and also serves to condemn them for rejecting the truth they know.
They are causing harm to the Lord's people, and God will judge them very harshly. God does not like it when someone tries to mess with His children. He has shown this repeatedly throughout scripture. One example is found in Exodus, where we see God's judgment on the nation of Egypt because they are enslaving and mistreating God's people and refuse to stop when God warns them repeatedly. God also desires to show mercy, if only these people will repent. Just as showed mercy to Saul of Tarsus, even though Saul was murdering God's children. When the Lord showed Himself to Saul, Saul repented. When the Lord revealed Himself to Pharaoh, Pharaoh hardened. If false teachers continue to lead people astray even after the Lord has clearly shown them His truth, God will judge.
Just as surely as God has always been ready to judge unrepentant, intentional sin. God also has always been ready to deliver those who know Him. Those who know Him and admit their sin to Him. Those who deal with their sin His way. He has always been ready to overlook sin when a heart is repentant, and to provide a way of escape to those who belong to Him.
God is a protective Father, he has no tolerance for those who harm His children, especially that harm has eternal implications. These teachers abound in today's church, to the point where one has to always check everything that is being taught and comparing it with scripture. They are often gifted speakers, that can move the emotions of the hearers, but their words are great swelling words of emptiness, and lure away those who are seeking to know God.
While this chapter is sobering, there is also cause for great joy. Knowing that God is our loving father, and is watching out for us. We can rejoice, knowing that He can deliver us out of temptation (VERSE 9), and can give us the wisdom to recognize these false teachers (JAMES 1:5), and knowing that it is He who can keep us from stumbling.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
(Jude 1:24-25, New King James Version)
Lord, I thank You that You are watching out for Your children. I pray for those who are deceived, and sincerely believe falsehood, I pray that You would open their eyes. Also Lord I pray for those who are knowingly teaching what is false, that You will bring them to repentance before it is too late . I praise You Lord that You have forgiven me all my sin, I praise You that you guard my steps and protect me like a loving Father. I thank You Lord that every time I stumble You pick me up, and set me back on the right path. Lord, I thank You for salvation, I thank You for Your word, and I thank You for Your love, which I do not deserve. Truly to You be all the glory Lord!
Nov. 10, 2009
How I've Been Doing
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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Long time readers of this blog will recall that last October I posted an awesome TESTIMONY OF THE GRACE OF OUR LORD, in which I described a bondage that lasted 20 years, and how I was set free from it.
It has now been about 15 months since I was set free, about 13 since writing that TESTIMONY. So I thought it was time for a small update.
Over the past 15 months, I have grown a lot. Even though I was saved before that 20 year bondage began, because of the chains of guilt and shame that hung on me all the time, I never was really able to grow spiritually as I should. That is not to say there was no growth, there was some, but in certain areas I was stunted spiritually. So in many ways, I have been like a brand new baby Christian over this past 15 months, the main difference being that the 20 years I spent in church, I learned a lot of Bible and lot of doctrine, so in those areas I was not as immature. However, even a lot of the doctrine I knew, had only made it into my brain and not my heart.
So I spent the past 15 months discovering how immature and selfish I really was. More times than I care to count, I found myself being obsessed with what I wanted, what would make me happy, what I wanted to do. I discovered that I cared far too much what others thought, and tried so hard to be liked that I drove some people away. Satan tried to get me to sink back into guilt and self-condemnation. In addition, Satan threw plenty of temptations my way, I escaped from some and gave into others, but always my Lord brought back into fellowship and used the the stumbling to teach me. Satan has also tried very hard to distract me from the task of growing in the Lord and learning of Him.
God however, has not let me go. He has given me the grace to continue after Him. He has kept me from sinking too deeply into guilt, He has rescued me from serious temptations, and taught me to flee from others. He has upheld me.
I went through a time when anyone who knew me, could tell I was acting like a selfish child, but God brought me through. He has granted me growth in many areas, and I trust that He will continue to nurture me to maturity in the areas where I am still like a babe in Christ.
In all, God has been awesome.
One of the things that God wanted me to do, was to finish polishing the written form of my testimony and give it to my pastor, who asked for a copy to give to people. I got so distracted that I forgot to do so, until tonight.
God is good. I am still free. Even in my times of struggle I do not have the strangling burden I used to carry. My worst days in the past 15 months have, in many ways, been better than my best days in the 20 years before.
Just thought I'd let everyone know.
Nov. 10, 2009
A Godly Legacy
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:12-21, New King James Version)
Because of the barrenness we most certainly face if we do not AID and NOURISH those precious gifts God has given us, and because of the assurance of bountiful spiritual fruit if do, Peter wants to make sure that church is reminded to do this, not only while he is alive, but even after he goes on to glory. He wants to leave the church a legacy of Godly teaching, so he writes. God placed His own words in Peter's heart and then moved Peter to write them down. God used him to preserve His word for future generations. I wonder if Peter realized he was writing scripture, as later on he goes on to explain this same process of inspiration as it happened to the Old Testament prophets, I wonder if he was aware that it was taking place with him, right at the same moment? Regardless, praise God that Peter wrote down what God was placing in His heart, praise God that He preserved His word for all future generations of Christians.
Peter explains that he and some of the other disciples saw the majesty of the glorified Christ at the transfiguration, and heard the voice of God the Father declare Jesus as God the Son. (SEE MATTHEW 17:1-7). Therefore, Peter knows without doubt that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament, for Peter, it is not only a matter of faith, but a matter of sight.
Now Peter urges the church to heed those words of prophecy and to study the scriptures diligently until God's word transforms and their hearts and the light of Jesus Christ shines from them to everyone around them. To study and live by God's word until their own faith becomes sight.
Peter then reminds them that the prophecy of scripture did not come from men, but from God. He tells them that it "is of no private interpretation". tTe word that is translated "interpretation" also means "origin", so he is assuring them that Scripture was not made up by men, but rather came from God.
He will go on to explain about false prophets and teachers and the terrible judgment that awaits them. Peter is reminding the church that it is essential to check all teaching with the entire counsel of God's word, and ensure that it lines up. To do that we must be diligent students of His word.
Lord, I thank You for Your word, thank You that You have given us clear instruction on how to live for You. I praise You that You spoke through the apostles and prophets and moved them to record Your word, and that You have preserved it all these years. I thank You that Peter followed the urging of Your Spirit, and recorded the things You put on his heart, even though he may not have understood that You were using him to write Scripture. I pray Lord that You will help me to be a student of Your word, and I pray that Your glorious light will rise up within me and shine out to those around me. Help me to follow the urgings of Your Holy Spirit, and not to hinder or suppress that light. I know You have closed the book on Scripture, and not another word will be added to it, but You still have Your own purposes for each of us. Help me to walk in step with that purpose, even when I don't understand what it is. Help me Lord, to leave the legacy that You want me to leave. I pray that the light of Your Holy Word will shine out of my heart, and will illuminate my life.
Nov. 9, 2009
Spiritual Addition
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:1-11, New King James Version)
In Christ we have been given everything we need to live as God calls us to. We cannot claim that we don't have self-control, or patience, or anything else we need for Godly living, because if we are saved, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and if we have the Holy Spirit in us, we will have the fruit of the Spirit. That fruit comes to us by the divine power of God, through knowing Christ.
By this power we have been given the precious promises of God, and the ability to partake in the divine nature, that is we have been given the chance to one day be transformed into His image. Being set free from the depravity of this fallen world, we will one day be transformed into pure, undistorted images of God.
Because of these promises and assurance, we need to be diligent in making the most of what we have been given. We are told to "add" to the things we have been given. The Greek word translated "add" in this verse can mean "add" in the same sense it does in English, that is to contribute or fully supply something, but it can also mean to aid and assist, or to minister nourishment to something. So we are to aid, assist, and minister nourishment to all hose things God has given us which pertain to life and godliness.
We are like farmers who already have all things that pertain to farming and reaping a good harvest. The farmer may have land with rich fertile soil, a plow, plenty of water, sunshine, seed, and fertilizer, however he must put them to use if he desires a bountiful harvest. If the land is never plowed, if the seed is never planted, watered, or fertilized, he won't have a harvest. So we also must put to use these things God has given us, and nurture them to maturity. In doing so we will enjoy an increase, and abundance of fruit in our walk with our Lord.
We have been given faith, we must put that faith into practice to produce virtue. It is interesting that the Greek word translated virtue means "valor" and "excellence". So what does valor mean? The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines valor as "strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness : personal bravery". It is our faith, put into practice, that will give us this strength of mind or spirit, this personal bravery that we need to do what God has called us to do. Our faith in God tells us we don't need to fear, then this strength of mind and spirit will allow us to do all that God calls us to, and to do it with excellence.
We are also told add to knowledge to that virtue. So faith comes first, which gives rise to the valor we need to live Godly, then we need to tend to knowledge. By careful study of God's word, we will learn what we should do and how we should walk, this will give us the chance to nourish and encourage self-control in order to live by that knowledge. Self-control will require the use of our perseverance, because every day we will face many challenges to that self-control, and will need to keep going, and not give up. This will all aid and nurture godliness in our lives. We also need to nurture brotherly kindness and love.
If we don't nurture, nourish, and encourage that which God has supplied us with, we will experience lack, and we will find ourselves unable to keep our eyes on eternity, but rather will shortsightedly look only to the moment. We will not look back and remember our past, nor will we look ahead to our future with Christ. We focus on the present moment and what we want right now. We will even forget that we have been cleansed from our past sins, will forget that we are set free. If we forget that we are free from our past sins, we will find ourselves falling back into them.
We need to be diligent in all this, in order "to make our call and election sure". This is not to say that we are in danger of losing our salvation, or that our election by God is in question, rather it is to assure our own hearts as 1 JOHN 3:19 says, and to keep us from stumbling back into a lifestyle of sin and becoming useless to God.
If we do these things, we will not be unfruitful, we will not be useless to God and to His kingdom. Rather, we will enjoy a bountiful harvest of godly fruit.
Lord, the last thing I ever want is to be useless to you. I desire to serve you with my whole heart. I desire to be used of You to bring others into Your kingdom. Help me Lord to make use of all that you have given to me, to nurture those things and nourish them to maturity in my life, and therefore to enjoy a bountiful harvest of spiritual fruit, and to be of use to You for Your purposes.
Nov. 8, 2009
Leading and Following
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:1-7, New King James Version)
When it comes to authority, most of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle, with some people in authority over us and others below us in the chain of command. For example, a man is head of his home, but is under the authority of the church, the government, and of course God. The wife is under the leadership of the husband, but is in authority over the children, and even the child may find themselves given temporary authority over younger children. So all of us, men, women, and children need not only to learn to have a HEART OF SUBMISSION, but we also need to learn how to lead others in a humble way that honors God.
The first group of people Peter addresses are the elders of the church, but principles of leadership he gives to them can apply to any position of authority. They are to shepherd those under them. A shepherd cares for his sheep and always tries to do what is best for them, putting aside his own wants to do wthat will most help them survive and thrive. So the elders, along with others in authority, are called not to lord over those they shepherd, but rather to serve humbly by setting an example.
Extending this principle to others in authority, husbands should not "lord over" their wives and children and try to "lead the home with an iron fist", but rather should shepherd their families, instruct them and guide them with gentleness and humility, and be a living example of godliness. Mothers should likewise be doing so with their children, and teach their children to act in the same manner if they find themselves in authority. God will be the rewarder of those who live in this way.
We also should give deference to the one in authority over us. We should ALL willingly submit to each other with a humble heart, knowing that ultimately it is God we submit to, and knowing that it will be God who will lift us up.
Often, it is difficult to submit to authority because we fear losing something we want to keep, and it can also be difficult to take up authority because we fear losing the hearts of those we are responsible for. However, we can cast those cares upon Jesus, anything we are concerned with we can give to Him, knowing that He loves us and wants what is best for us.
Lord, help me today to lead when I am called to and to follow when I am supposed to. Help me to lead in gentleness and humility, and to seek Your will above all else.
Nov. 7, 2009
We Need Revival
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now
“ If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:7-19, New King James Version)
We are in the end times, it may be tempting to look at verse 7 and think that since it was so long ago that Peter said the end was at hand, he must have been wrong. However, he wasn't wrong. In the scheme of History, it wasn't really that long ago. We have been in the end times since Christ ascended, moving closer to His return each day, and each day the signs increase all around us, indicating that His return is imminent. He wants us to continue to live our lives, but always with the knowledge that He could return any moment.
Remain watchful, see the signs around you and talk to God about them, ask Him to help you understand their significance, ask Him for wisdom, and He will give it. Continue in love, hospitality and service to another, not grudgingly, not with a grumbling heart, but rather doing all for God's glory.
Expect some level of persecution, it may come of in only in the form of mockery, or it may be full blown persecution by an evil government that wants to make it a "hate crime" to teach certain parts of the Bible, but all of us need to realize that some for persecution is to be expected. It is not unusual, but rather is a normal occurrence when one follows Christ in this fallen world.
American Christians have had it easy so far, our idea of persecution has consisted mostly of people laughing at us behind our backs, and perhaps in extreme cases to our faces. We might even occasionally get yelled at, or if you live in certain cities, beat up because you believe. But most of us have never experienced these things, for most of us, we fear ridicule and think that is persecution. However, government sanctioned persecution is coming to America, I believe that in the very core of my heart. It is very near as the world becomes more and more tolerant of all viewpoints other than Christian, and more and more intolerant of our beliefs. In many places in the world, places that have had free speech laws similar to those in the U.S. it has become illegal to read certain portions of the Bible out loud in Church, or to express publicly your belief in what those parts of the Bible teach. Our own country is fast heading down that same road. Soon, belief in the Bible will called hatred and bigotry, and teaching the Bible will be a hate crime.
It is coming, we may be able to delay it through the democratic process, we be able to temporarily fight it in the courts. Certainly God may see fit to delay it if we get on our knees and pray earnestly for revival to sweep this land. If we fast and fall on our faces before God brokenhearted, not only over the sin of unbelievers in our land, but over our own sin. Perhaps if we humble ourselves, confess our sin, and recommit to God as Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 1:5-11. Perhaps God will hear, and send revival, and delay the persecution that is heading our way. Either way, whether He grants us a reprieve or not, we must trust God, totally commit our souls to Him, trusting that He knows what is best. We must continue to do good and to walk with Him, doing all to His glory.
In some cases we need to repent of being more political than spiritual, and of being busybodies in other people's matters, and in other cases we need to repent of not using the freedom we have to influence our government, either way we must repent of not putting God first, and not travailing in prayer over the direction our nation is taking. Judgment begins in the house of God, the Church must repent of its materialism, its apathy, and its prayerlessness. Revival always begins with an awakened awareness of sin and repentance from it. Let the Church examine itself and ask God to search it and know it. Let the individual Christian look into the mirror of God's word and ask God to show us if there is any wicked way within us. Let us come to Him humbly repenting, not just in hopes of avoiding persecution, but in humility, in deep pain over having dragged Christ's name through the muck by our actions. Let us truly be sorry for having dishonored and disobeyed god. Let us come to Him humbly and repent.
Lord, I confess to You that in so many ways I have strayed from Your ways and Your word. In so many ways I have not been serious and watchful, in so many ways I have sinned and not served You with all my heart, have not loved You all my heart, mind, and strength. Lord, I implore You, I beg You, send revival. Let revival be sent to this nation, and let it begin within my own heart, right now.
Nov. 4, 2009
We Are Not Who We Were.
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Peter 3:18-4:6, New King James Version)
Christ's sufferings bring us into the very presence of God. Our servitude to our flesh has ended and we are made alive by the Holy Spirit to live new lives.
This same Spirit, in an act that remains somewhat of a mystery to us, is how Jesus went and preached the gospel to those souls in prison. Those Old Testament people who lived even before the establishment of God's covenant with the people of Israel, before even the flood, were now presented the gospel so that even though they had suffered the judgment of death on earth, they might have the chance to take part in eternal life. (verses 3:19 and 4:6)
Just as Noah and his family demonstrated their faith by going into the Ark, and so were saved, we by faith choose to take part in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and we demonstrate that decision with baptism. The act of baptism itself, the act of dunking our flesh into the water the water is not what saves us, otherwise taking a bath would have the same result, the death and resurrection of Christ is what saves us. It is the cleansing of conscience by His resurrection that we need, not just the cleansing of our flesh. Baptism is simply how we show our decision to take part in the resurrection.
Because Christ died and rose again for us, and because we have symbolically taken part in that death, burial, and resurrection through baptism, we should no longer live in sin. When we decided to follow Christ, we decided to die to sin, this death is represented in baptism by our body being dunked under the water, just as a dead person is placed under the ground. However, we didn't stay under the water! We didn't just decide to die to our old life of sin, we were also making a choice to live anew for God! This resurrection to new life is represented by our rising back up out of the water, just as Christ rose up from the grave. So now, having died to sin and risen again to a new life in Christ, we should not live to please our flesh, but should live to do God's will.
Enough of our past lifetime was spent in sin. We now live a new life, who wants to waste time in this new life by walking in sin?
Those who knew us in our past life think it is strange that no longer live as we used to. They may speak evil of us, but we can rejoice because we know that we have life in Christ. Our judgment for sin is finished. The penalty has already been paid. So we can rejoice over that rather than be worried about what others say about us or do to us.
In fact, rather than hating them, we can pity them, for unless they choose in this life to judge their own sin and accept Christ's payment for it, unless they choose to begin a new life in Him, their sin will be judged in the next life, and they will have to pay their own penalty. We can pity that, because we too were deserving of judgment, no better than they, the only difference being that we have recognized that and have accepted the free gift of salvation.
So we should pray for them and try to live lives that point them to Jesus.
Lord, I praise you that you have given me new life in You. I thank you so much for this free gift Lord. I did nothing to earn it, could do nothing to earn it if I tried. I am saved, and can't become more saved or less saved by my works, praise you for that Lord, because surely I'd mess up and end up "less saved" if that were the case! However Lord, Your word does teach that my works matter, not in the sense of earning my salvation, but in the sense of glorifying You, and being used by You to draw others to Your Kingdom. Help me Lord to glorify You today in all that I do, all that I think, and all that I say. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Nov. 3, 2009
Always Be Ready
Posted in Faith Builders
JESUS IS COMING SOON! MARANATHA LORD!
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8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
“ He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:8-17, New King James Version)
Love should be the primary factor in our relationships to one another, this will show itself in the big ways like having compassion, but perhaps even more so in the small everyday things. Things like being courteous, showing manners, making that phone call if you're not going to be able to do what said you would do, or opening the door for the person who has their full. While small, "common courtesy" type of things, these very things are what is so easy to overlook, and are things that in today's world are becoming far from common. We need to practice these little, everyday things, not just because we were taught to, but because we are seeking to glorify God and shine His light.
We also should not be seeking to "get back at" others, but always to try to bless. The principle of doing good and blessing those around us is found throughout scripture, Old Testament and New.
If we live this way, always treating others with respect and courtesy, and always seeking to bless others, it is much less likely that anyone will hate us and try to hurt us, however if it does happen we at least have the blessing of a clear conscience, the knowledge that we are suffering for righteousness and not for our own sin. This will give us great hope through the trial of mistreatment, and will prompt questions from those around us. Questions such as how we continue to love those who treat us so badly, and how we endure such mistreatment with patience, and how we continue to have hope even in situations that seem hopeless.
Of course the reason for our hope is Jesus Christ and the fact that He died for us and purchased our salvation, and that He promises not only life eternal and abundant, but even promises additional reward for those who suffer for His name. Often I hear this verse (vs. 15) interpreted that we should study the Bible intently so we are ready to to give an answer, of course that is true, but in the context of this verse I think it is more about having a clean conscience and a good witness, so that we are ready to share whenever asked. If we live as God calls us to, we will always be ready to share this, never feeling that we need to hold back because our actions condemn us as hypocrites. Instead, with a clean conscience we can share Christ, knowing that we have lived out our faith.
Praise God for His awesome gift of salvation. May we do all we can to share this gift with others.
Praise you Lord that You have given me the gift of salvation and a true and living hope in You. Help me to live today in such a way that I will always be ready to share the reason for my hope.
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A record of our homeschooling journey (and my random thoughts), as we look to the Lord to show us the Path Of Life. We are a homeschooling family with a strong leaning toward the Classical and Charlotte Mason styles, but since we blend the two philosophies, along with whatever other ideas we like, we classify our homeschool as eclectic.
Legislative Action!
Tell lawmakers that you own your car and can decide where to have it worked on!
Our School Mascot
As you can see, my kids adopted a school mascot, feel free to feed him an apple or brush him by clicking on the button that says "more".
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