Sometimes God is subtle. Other times not so much. :)

I wonder if God is trying to tell us something here?  Equating murderers with busybodies.  :)

1 Peter 4:15(NKJV)

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 

That Puts It In A Different Light

Ezekiel 18:4(NKJV)

    “Behold, all souls are Mine;      The soul of the father     As well as the soul of the son is Mine;     The soul who sins shall die.

Wow, I had never thought of it that way before.  The soul dies!

Talk about a life guiding Scripture!

1 Peter 4:11(NKJV)

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.

Isn't that a great Scripture?  If you are going to minister to people, do it with the abilities that God supplies.

Think about what that is saying.  You don't have to wait until you have graduated divinity school to minister to God's people.  We can get started right now, with the abilities that God has given us today!  Pretty cool isn't it?

So what does that mean?  I'll give you an example.  A little over 4 years ago God prompted me to start this blog.  My initial response was just like Moses.  "Sorry God but I think you have the wrong guy." 

Well God can be very persuasive (sometimes with a 2x4 upside the head :) and so I started the blog.  I have no special training other than having let the Holy Spirit lead me through the Bible repeatedly over the years.  But because I was obedient to God, God supplied me with the skills to carry out the mission.  Pretty cool.

This also illustrates the hidden secret of that passage.  If we minister, God will ALWAYS supply the skills for the role He has chosen for us!

But do you know where all of this starts?  It starts with accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Have you done that yet?  If not why not do it right now?  Would you like God guiding your life too?  Then just ask Jesus to take over.  Have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Does God refuse to hear some prayers? Pt. 2

Here is another verse to back up the verses I used the other day.  More proof that God doesn't hear and answer the prayers of evil doers. 

1 Peter 3:12(NKJV)

    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.” 

Who's prayers does God open his ears to?  The righteous.  So by extension that would mean that God doesn't open His ears and hear the prayers of the unrighteous. 

Sure is different from what is taught by those who believe in Kumbaya Jesus isn't it?

Quite the opposite take on the vine isn't it?

One of the things that I look for in my Bible study is the symmetry between the Old Testament and the New.  For me at least, it is important to back up what I believe are Biblical principals with references from the OT and NT when ever possible.  Seems to add credence to the claim in my opinion.

That is why I found this next section a bit unusual.  Not doctrinally challenging or anything, just unusual.

Unusual from the standpoint that I can't remember often seeing conflicting allegories.  In the NT Jesus is described as the vine; and that is a good thing. 

John 15:1-6(NKJV)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

As you can see Jesus is the vine.  It goes on to make the distinction between good branches and bad branches, with the bad branches being burned.

Now read the verses from Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 15:1-7(NKJV)

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 

“Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? 

Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? 

Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? 

Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 

and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. 

LOL, wow, quite the opposite take on the vine isn't it?  I realize that different points are being made here.  It is just that I don't often see the conflicting uses of an allegory like that.  Using the image of the vine to both describe Jesus (Good) and the Israelites who are about to be banished to Babylon (Bad).   

Now I'm not reading anything into this.  It's probably just a quirk of style and nothing more.  It just made me chuckle!

Does God refuse to hear some prayers?

I used to think that God answered all prayers but the more I study the issue the more I become convinced that God does refuse to hear some prayers.  I'll offer a couple of Scriptural references to support that view.  Here is the first one.

Lamentations 3:44-45(NKJV)

    You have covered Yourself with a cloud,     That prayer should not pass through.

    You have made us an offscouring and refuse     In the midst of the peoples.

This seems to indicate that God at time puts up a shield so that some prayers don't pass through.  Now why would He do such a thing?  Doesn't He love everybody? 

Those are good questions.  I believe God does live everybody but God is not an enabler.  What am I talking about? 

We all know enablers.  People who put up with bad behavior in others and then always kowtowing to those people.  Continually bailing them out and helping them not face the consequences of their bad choices or behaviors. 

I am always puzzled by the folks who outright reject God but then turn around in their time of need and expect God to help them.  God seems to address this issue in these next verses.

Ezekiel 14:6-8(NKJV)

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 

For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 

I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

I may be wrong but here is what this seems to be saying to me.  Those who separate themselves from God by rejecting Him who then look for help from God are just out of luck.  As I've said over and over, God isn't OK with being rejected.  It's not live and let live.  Oh no.  Scripture tells us quite clearly that those who reject God are declaring themselves enemies of God.

Why would God waste time listening to and fulfilling the prayers of His enemies?  An enabler might do that, I don't believe that God does. 

Now does that mean God will never again hear their prayers?  I don't believe so.  The way I understand Scripture, those who are willing to apologize to God and accept Jesus will be welcome back with open arms.  But those who think they can just call on God after they have rejected Him may be a bit surprised at God's response. 

“Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! "

So much of what I read in Ezekiel, while being about Judah going into captivity, seems to describe so much of what I see going on in America today.  Check this out and I'll share a thought or two.

Ezekiel 13:3-14(NKJV)

Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 

O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 

You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 

They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 

Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD. 

“My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

“Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar—

say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 

Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’”

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 

So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

Now take a look at this story.

http://www.lifenews.com/2015/10/15/catholic-priest-methodist-and-episcopalian-clergy-blessing-abortion-clinic-a-perversion-of-the-bible.../

Could these people who claim to be representing God find out some day that they were precisely the people God was talking about in the Scriptures above? 

Why is the book of James in the Bible?

Let me be very clear that I acknowledge that God is in control and the Bible is His book.  I just don't understand why the book of James is even in the Bible.  It seems to contradict so much of what the rest of the Bible says. 
 

Take these verses for example.

James 4:9-10(NKJV)

Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

When we accept Jesus we should lament, mourn, weep, and be gloomy?  That will make God happy?  That is what God wants us to experience when we accept Jesus?

That doesn't square with a lot of what I read in the Bible.  How about Romans 5:3-5?

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

God tells us to take glory or be joyful even in our tribulations and yet James tells us that we need to be gloomy to please God.  Who you going to believe?

Or how about this one?
 

Proverbs 16:20(NKJV)

    He who heeds the word wisely will find good,      And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

Here is an article that lists 21 Scripture quotes about being happy.

http://www.jollynotes.com/2013/05/02/bible-verses-about-being-happy-joyful-cheerful-being-happy-with-what-you-have-being-happy-for-others-enjoying-life/

Oh well, another one of those things to ask God about when I get there.

Mercy triumphs over judgment. Really? I don't think so!

 

James 2:12-13(NKJV)

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
 

While mercy is an important and Godly thing I think the statement "Mercy triumphs over judgment" is scripturally wrong.

How can I say that?  Because while God is willing to extend mercy to all who call on the name of Jesus Christ, in the end those who don't call on Jesus will be judged!

God will not grant mercy to those who refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior.  Judgment will win out for those people! 

Isn't James guilty of the very thing he accuses others of?

Partiality...what does it mean?

partiality

1. the state or character of being partial.

2. a favorable bias or prejudice:

the partiality of parents for their own children.

3. a special fondness, preference, or liking (usually followed by to or for):

a partiality for country living.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/partiality>

In other words, don't favor one side over the other.  Treat both sides equally. 

So lets take a look at what James has to say.

James 2:1-9(NKJV)

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 

For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 

and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 

have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 

But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 

Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”  you do well; 

but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 

Seems to me that James is biased against the rich.  He only has negative things to say about them.  In essence it seems that all rich are conniving, thieving, schemers who are worthy of nothing but contempt.  

That sure isn't Scriptural, unless you think God rewards those he favors with evil.  Do you think that?  What am I talking about?  God made Solomon the richest man in history at the time he was alive.  God did that as part of God's testament to His own greatness.  Is James suggesting that  God had evil intentions by creating another evil rich person? 

 Isn't showing partiality to either side sinful?

I want to touch on one other thing as well.  What do you think God means when referring to the poor in this sentence?

Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 

Do you think this means the poor get to go to Heaven whether they believe in Jesus or not?  Or is it just possible that there was a different meaning to poor here? 

I'll leave you to ponder that one. 

Isn't that just another way of saying "glory in your tribulations?"

Many of you know that Romans 5:3-5 is one of my foundational verses.  It's God's success formula.  I have also written about my belief that it is preferable to find multiple Scriptures to back up a point of view.  Well here is one that affirms Romans.
 

James 1:2-4(NKJV)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 

knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

Isn't that just another way of saying "glory in your tribulations"?

Too cool!

Covetousness

Hebrews 13:5-6(NKJV)

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

So we may boldly say:      “The Lord is my helper;     I will not fear.     What can man do to me?” 

1 Timothy 5:21(NKJV)

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. 

And yet isn't that exactly what the whole Social Justice and Socialist Christian movement is all about?  Favoring one group over another is showing partiality and wanting to take money from the rich who earned it and give it to the poor who didn't is nothing if not covetous and it certainly isn't being content in what you have.

The rich giving to the poor of their own free will is a good thing.  Christians who demand that government take from those who have and give it to those who don't in the name of social justice are is an entirely different situation and which I don't believe is backed up by Scripture. 

"And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, ..." Wow, did God really say that?

I've written in the past that we should look to God for our examples of how we should react to different situations.  One of the areas we fall short of as a country in my opinion is the way we fight wars.  We are way too cautious.  Look how God does it!

Ezekiel 6:3-5(NKJV)

and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 

Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 

And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. 

And what did they do to make God so mad that He was even willing to personally kill the Israeli children?

They worshiped other Gods. 

Hmm…….Seems to me that there is a lot of that going on in this country today!

By faith a young adult proudly declared "I am a Christian"...and died!

I think everyone has heard Hebrews 11:1 before but it is just the beginning of what I call the faith chapter.  Here is a little bigger excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Hebrews 11:1-10(NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 

for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

God places a premium on faith.  It is the key to His plan of salvation.  This chapter goes through and takes note of many in the Bible who have demonstrated exceptional faith.  I would like to ad a few more to that list.

Last week a mentally ill  gunman killed several people at a college in Oregon.  It is reported that he went down the line and asked people what religion they were.  If they answered Christian they were killed.  If they answered any other faith they were allowed to live.

Imagine the faith that would have taken to stand there and proudly proclaim your faith knowing that it will cost you your life.  Jesus warned that we would be required to give up our lives to keep them but I doubt if many thought that He meant that literally.

I commend those young people for demonstrating such Biblical size faith and testimony.  Thank you!

Satan loves to twist Scripture!

I ran across a few verses that I found interesting.  It is amazing how easily Christians are misled because they don't know Scripture.  And the sad thing is, Scripture tells us that they will be held accountable by God for allowing themselves to be led astray.

One of the memes that makes the rounds on Facebook goes something like this.  "If you are using the Bible to hurt people you are using it wrong.".  It certainly has a forgiving Christian ring to it doesn't it?  But is it Scriptural?

The people throwing that meme around are usually doing something that the Bible calls sinful and they don’t' like that being pointed out so they throw up the "using the Bible wrong" meme to deflect that criticism.    
 

Now as I have written in the past, the Bible quite clearly tells us that one of the uses of Scripture is for correction.  People don't like being corrected and they may even be hurt by it but as you can see, that is not "using the Bible wrong" as they would try to get you to believe. 

But after the Scripture I found today I see that it is even more insidious than that.  Take a look.

Ezekiel 3:16-19(NKJV)

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 

When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 

Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

See what that is saying?  When we are aware of something and we don't bring it to their attention and then they are later condemned to hell, this Scripture says their blood is on our hands and we will be called to account.  If however they do warn the other party then we are in the clear.

See how diabolical that meme really is?  If Satan can silence Christians by getting them to believe that meme then Satan gets two sinners for the price of one. 

Eww, that's gross!

I've often said that inside every man there lives a 12 year old boy trying to get out.  How else do you explain some of the silly stuff that us guys do?  The Bible tells us that we are made in God's image so maybe that is where that trait comes from.  Maybe there is just a bit of the 12 year old silliness in God too!

Ezekiel 4:9-12(NKJV)

“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 

And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 

You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 

And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

I mean come on!  We're talking about the God of the known universe here, maker of heaven and earth!  Threatening people that they are going to have to cook their food over people poop?!!!!!  Really???  :)

And then a couple of verses later God relents...a little.

Ezekiel 4:15(NKJV)

Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

OK you can cook your food over cow poop instead of human poop, that makes it better doesn't it?  Can't you just see God's inner 12 year old snickering about that!  (And please don't think I am being sacrilegious.  I believe God has a great sense of humor.)

Man, Paul drives me nuts!!!

I have such a hard time with Paul.  So much of what he says seems to be in contradiction to what God and Jesus Himself said.  Here is an example

Hebrews 8:7-13(NKJV)

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 

Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

As I recall one of the tenants of the Christian faith is that of an infallible God.  Yet Paul's first question calls that belief into question does it not?  Isn't Paul in essence saying that the first covenant from God was faulty?  If so then doesn't that call into question whether God is infallible or not?