This raises a question in my mind.

I have always found this strange because it appears to be at odds with other Scripture.  Take a look.

Mark 4:10-12(NKJV)

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 

And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 

so that      ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,     And hearing they may hear and not understand;     Lest they should turn,     And their sins be forgiven them.’” 

Now compare that to this passage.

1 Timothy 2:3-4(NKJV)

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 

who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

If God wants all to be saved and know the truth then how come God had Jesus speak the truth so that many couldn't understand. 

I have no idea what the answer is here but will keep an eye out for it in the future.

Even Jesus Had Contingency Plans Sometimes

If find this interesting.  Even though Jesus knew that God had His back, Jesus occasionally made contingency plans just in case.  I think we can learn from that.

Mark 3:7-12(NKJV)

But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 

and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. 

So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 

For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 

And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 

But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

Things that sound "Christian"…but aren't!

One of the things that amuses me is when Christians post things that sound "Christian"…but aren't.  I wonder if they ever take the time to think through what they are posting.  Here is what I saw yesterday that made me laugh.

"War is never the answer"  Really?  Have you read your Bible.  War actually is the answer.  The final answer.  Here is what I am talking about.

Have you ever heard of the War of Armageddon and the 2nd Coming of Jesus?  Let's start with these verses from Revelation.

Revelation 19:11-21(NKJV)

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 

His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 

And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 

Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 

that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 

And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Notice that the reign of Christ is ushered in on the victory of war.  The reign of Christ does not come peacefully.  In verse 11 it specifically says that Christ "makes war".  So if war was never the answer, why would Jesus make war? 

The fact is, according to Scripture, war not only is the answer some times but it is vital for God's plan of Jesus coming to power.  So are the people who say that "war is never the answer" saying that God is wrong and they know better than God does?

I'll bet many of you never thought of it that way do you?  :)

 

This surprised me!

It's not often that I am taken by surprise by something I read in the Bible.  But today is one of them.  I'm sure I've said this before but one of the things I love about studying God's word is the way that the Holy Spirit guides us to notice different things at different times of our life.  That is so cool!

Here is what I am referring to today.

Amos 5:13(NKJV)

    Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,     For it is an evil time.

For some reason I had it in my mind that we need to always stand up for right and oppose evil no matter the personal cost.  This Scripture seems to say otherwise.  To me it is saying "Hey dude, sometimes it is smarter to keep your mouth shut.  You know, pick your battles and all that stuff."  Hmm.

As I reflect on that I am reminded of something in the New Testament and you know my belief that any theory gains strength if I can find it supported in both the Old and New T.  Well in the New T there was more than one occasion where Jesus snuck away from a confrontation rather than face it right then.  Jesus knew that the time had not yet come.  In other words He was picking His battles as well.

So there you have it in my opinion.  And just to add one more thought I will bring up Ecclesiastes where it says there is a time for this and a time for that.  The timing is not the same for everything!

I so love studying God's word!!!

LOL, talk about setting the bar low!

Matthew 5:20(NKJV)

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

God has a great sense of humor doesn't he?  The Pharisees had a hand in getting Jesus killed so it doesn't seem to me that their righteousness is very hard to exceed.  :)

What??? :)

Every now and then I run across something that just makes no sense to me what so ever.  Here is an example.

Matthew 11:18-19(NKJV)

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

LOL, what the heck does that mean? 

Sometimes the message is in what Jesus didn't say!

I hate to sound like a broken record but let's take yet another look at the question of whether Christianity more closely resembles capitalism or socialism.

By now you know my method.  Look for confirmation of a concept in both the Old T and the New T.  I also give additional weight to the words of Jesus himself.  I find that sometimes part of the message is in what Jesus didn't say.  Here is an example.

Matthew 25:1-10(NKJV)

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 

Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 

but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 

Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 

And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 

But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

What is the main concept of socialism?  From each according to his ability to each according to his need.  Many believe that that is the message of Christianity as well.  So let's take a look at these words of Jesus from within that frame of reference. 

As you can see Jesus starts the story by telling us that half of the virgins were wise and the other half were foolish.  Now the wise being wise, they came prepared with oil for their lamps.  When the time came to light the lamps, the foolish girls didn't have any oil. 

According to socialist doctrine the wise should have shared their oil with the foolish since the wise had the ability to plan ahead and now the foolish had a need.  But is that what Jesus said?  Nope!  Here is what Jesus said in this situation. 

"But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ " 

In other words go get your own.  Not my problem that you didn't plan ahead.  Those were the words of Jesus. 

I would point out also that Jesus didn't condemn the actions of the wise either.  That is what I mean by part of the message is in what Jesus didn't say.  So it would seem to me that the actions of the wise were moral…and Christian. 

For Three and For Four

I started reading Amos today and found this word pattern interesting. 

Amos 1:3(NKJV)

Thus says the Lord:      “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four,     I will not turn away its punishment,     Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.

All through the 1st chapter that pattern is repeated.  "For three….and for four".  In each case it seems to me that God is saying "you've pushed me too far.  I was willing to overlook the other stuff and let it slide but not now.  You've gone too far."

Now contrast that with the New Testament where it says we should forgive our brothers 7 times 70 times or something like that.

Here is what I get from that.  I believe it is telling us that we should be long suffering and forgiving to all….up to a point.  But in both cases, Old Testament and New, Scripture indicates that there is a limit.  And remember one of my principals of Bible study is that I look for a confirmation of a belief in both the Old and New. 

So how do we know where that limit is?  That is a tough one isn't it?  We all know people who like to test our good nature and if we get tired of being walked on we are accused of not being very Christian.  Want to know why that works on some people?  In my opinion it is because they don’t know their Scripture well enough.  God tells us that it is our responsibility not to let others fool us.

For me it seems that there are two types of forgiveness at work.  There is the casual forgiveness where we may be slightly offended by something someone said for example but it is a minor thing so we just ignore it and let it slide.  And then there are the major things that require an apology before we are willing to forgive.

In both cases though I think it comes down to a heart issue.  Most of us can tell if someone is truly sorry or if we are being played.  I believe the Scripture above tells us that it is morally acceptable to say enough is enough if we are being played.  Make sense? 

"Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears….."

That is a funny thing for a pacifist to say isn't it?

Joel 3:10(NKJV)

    Beat your plowshares into swords     And your pruning hooks into spears;     Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”

Once again we have a passage in the OT that seems to contradict those who think Jesus is a pacifist.  If you believe as I do that God and Jesus are always in agreement then this passage once again backs up my contention that Jesus was not a pacifist. 

The passage above is telling God's people to arm up and get ready for war as they return from their captivity in Babylon.  A pacifist would not be arming for war.  So either we have a disagreement between God and Jesus or we have proof that Jesus was not a pacifist.

"…then many will be offended…"

The Bible simply amazes me.  How it predicts so many things that will happen.  These particular verses are talking about the end times. 

One of the things in our modern times that I have always found puzzling is this feeling among many that they have a right not to be offended.  Well imagine my surprise when I found that the Bible even predicted this issue and made specific mention of offended.  Interesting. 

Matthew 24:9-14(NKJV)

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Wow!

Is God's mercy automatic or does it require repentance first?

Interesting question isn't it?  What prompted the question was this verse.

 

Matthew 23:23(NKJV)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 

We often say things like God is a God of justice and God is a God of mercy.  The conflict I see there is that if God gives his mercy to those who have not repented, how is that just?  Personally I don't think God gives His mercy without the person first having to repent.  I could be wrong but I just can't think of any Scripture that tells of God doing that.

I did however find this Scripture which I think backs up my belief. 

Matthew 23:37-39(NKJV)

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 

See! Your house is left to you desolate; 

for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

This in my opinion seems to be God saying "I'm out of here until you come around to my way of thinking.".  God will always take you back when you repent and appeal for mercy but I don't believe He will force His mercy on anyone.  It's that whole respect for free will thing that God is so big on!  :)

God can really make me chuckle sometimes!

Daniel 10:3(NKJV)

I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Does that mean he ate crappy food for three weeks?   :)   I think it is the odd details that get thrown in here and there that really make me laugh. 

Letting God Lead!

As I have said before I think personal testimony is the best way to lead people to Jesus.  So I'd like to share a little testimony about letting God lead.

I have been letting God lead for a long time and God shared a bit of revelation knowledge with me recently that was pretty eye opening and at the same time demonstrated God's great sense of humor.  I'll try to keep this short.

To begin with I am a control freak.  Big time control freak.  So letting God lead to this extent was a big struggle early on.  I have come to really enjoy it now but it took a long time to be comfortable with it.

Now I'm not talking about just letting God lead in a big picture sense.  That part was easy.  It was learning to let God interrupt and redirect MY well-ordered day.  That was the hard part.  I'd make a list of what I needed to accomplish for a successful day and I wouldn't be more than 1 or 2 items into the list and God would come along and just totally reorder it for me. 

I have since learned to ask God's input when I first make up the list and I have also learned to just let God make the changes though out the day as He sees fit.  I no longer get frustrated by it.  In fact I marvel at it because when I sit back and just go with the flow as He directs it I have some really incredible days.  Things just seem to work out….like today.

My step mom passed away about a month ago and my Dad is a bit lonely.  He lives in another town and I go take him grocery shopping every two weeks.  Today I had my day planned to see a client on my way there at 10:00 and then see my Dad at noon.  Well my appointment ended sooner than I expected and I had extra time on my hands.  I asked God what we should do with it.  Guess what?  He had something in mind.

An idea popped in to my head.  Go to the senior center in Dad's town.  I know that a lot of times they serve lunch and there are a lot of seniors that go there and it would get Dad around people so he wouldn't be so lonely.  I went to where the senior center used to be but it wasn't there anymore.  God said go park at the beach and look it up on your phone. 

I did and found the address.  I punched the address in to the GPS but it couldn't find it.  I took the closest address I could find and headed out.  When I go there it wasn't the place so God said just keep driving down this road.  Pretty soon the building numbers had gotten so high that I was sure that I had gone too far so I decided to turn around in the next driveway.

When I got to the drive way that I was going to turn around in, guess what?  It was the Senior Center that I was looking for!  God is just so cool!  I got a tour and took some info to my Dad.  Looks like he is going to go there and check it out so that is good.

BTW, what was the revelation knowledge?  This week God let me in on a little secret.  Why does he screw with my schedule so much?  Because he knows that I am such a control freak.  LOL!!!  It is my "thorn in the side"  like Paul so that I am constantly reminded that it is God that makes things happen in my life, not me.  Pretty cool!

Honors in Heaven

Capitalism or socialism, which system more accurately reflects the teachings of Scripture, both the Old and the New Testament.  I know I have covered this in the past but this is one of my favorite passages that I use to answer the question.  Take a look and then I will explain.

Matthew 20:20-23(NKJV)

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

So here is my belief.  Scripture tells us very clearly that all who call on the name of Jesus are saved and get to go to Heaven.  But Scripture also tells us that our rewards in Heaven will depend on the amount of service we provided to God. 

So in other words each according to his/her effort, not each according to his/her need as socialism teaches. 

The reason I like this passage is that it is talking about bestowing honors in Heaven.  Honor meaning that some will get special treatment.  They will get special seating etc.  In other words they will be rewarded for the service that they provided to God. 

Notice that Jesus doesn't deny that some will get special treatment, in other words be honored.  What Jesus does do is acknowledge that some will indeed be honored in Heaven but that the honor is not Jesus' to give!

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men

 

Matthew 15:9(NKJV)

    And in vain they worship Me,      Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” 

I think there is a lot of this going on in the churches today.  That is why it is as important as ever to be in the Word seeking wisdom and knowledge so as to be able to tell the difference.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you!

Is Jesus Saying Some Should Be Shunned?

 

Matthew 18:15-17(NKJV)

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 

But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  

And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

I wonder what exactly is meant by that?  It almost seems like Jesus is saying that if these people won't admit fault and ask forgiveness then they should be shunned doesn't it?  Interesting.

Curious concept. Not quite sure what to make of it.

Read this passage and then I'll explain what I find curious about it.

Matthew 17:24-27(NKJV)

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 

Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

What I find interesting here is the flexibility and the reasoning of the flexibility of Jesus. 

I'm kind of stumbling around for a good way to put this.  I think of principals as being pretty rigid.  Not a lot of grey area.  And I think that it is admirable to stand on ones principals.  Yet here it seems to me that Jesus explains a principal but then says "but to keep the peace go ahead and pay the tax". 

The principal being that as heirs in Christ we are children of God and therefore are not liable for the temple tax, but go ahead and pay it anyway.

Interesting.  Something I am going to have to ponder.  I will offer a thought though.  One of the things you learn being married is to pick your battles.  I wonder if this is Jesus' way of making somewhat the same point? 

Hmm. 

Doesn't get much plainer than this!

I have written in the past of the fallacy of Kumbaya Jesus.  The belief by some that Jesus takes a live and let live attitude towards those who reject Him.  Here is the brutal truth in words from Jesus Himself!

Matthew 12:30(NKJV)

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Does it get much plainer than that?  Notice Jesus doesn't says anything like "he who rejects me is still a good guy and we can work together.".  Nope.  Jesus doesn't say anything even close to that. 

Jesus says very plainly, "He who is not with is is against me". 

Are you for or against Jesus?