But Seriously...

ears...

2010-11-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

My ears hurt today. My right eye hurt yesterday. My back hurts constantly. My shoulders will hurt until im dead. I dont feel the scars anymore though, and they've taught me the most. We dont naturally grow new limbs, but we do scar. Thanks Jesus.

Please...

2009-05-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

I know there are those out there who don’t believe in any god let alone my God. I’ve heard them say so many times, that people who believe in God are just trying to give themselves something to look forward to. In a way they’re right, although probably not the way they think. I am looking forward to something. You see, my mind can only begin to comprehend the thought of an after life. I believe in it, yet I can't totally wrap my mind around the idea of it. I can however comprehend faith, hope and love in a world that desperately needs redemption.

You see, my heart of stone is no more, and although I have a long way to go, I have to stop and thank my God that I’m not who I was. Who I was, was of this world. I thought the world was fine the way it is. I didn’t believe the world needed any change. I was fooled into thinking things were, "OK". I was the worst of all. I watched the news like everyone else. I know the problems we face, but I never wanted to put a face to it. Hunger, murder, rape, war, disease, abortion, adultery, divorce, age… the list goes on and on but the truth is each of these “words” carries a million faces. And each of those carry a story. We’ve conveniently categorized tragedy into simple “words” in order to desensitize peoples stories. To me, this brings reality and urgency to the “words” and truth about our existence. The truth is things aren’t going very well.

So yes. Yes I am looking forward to something. But what that is, is bigger than me. And I pray that He redeems us all. Worst of all, me.

Praise Him...

2009-04-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ive always loved this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpVsF4W8V2Y

Not gone yet...

2009-04-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you know that im not ready to let this blog die just yet. I dont know when or what ill put in it but I do want to say that I thank God for you all. My friends, and family. God has always been faithful in my life and you all play a role in that. He is amazing beyond all words. And I wouldnt want my God any other way.

A gods Tables…

2008-05-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to the Jars of Clay song “Jealous Kind“. I love that song, and for some reason it hits my heart and soul differently every time I listen to it. Well today these lyrics blew me away.

“You know I've been unfaithful
Lovers in lines
While you're turning over tables with the rage of a jealous kind”

I was heartbroken by these lyrics and all I could do was repent. All I could say was, I am sorry Lord. I felt like a fool. I felt broken. I felt embarrassed. I felt exposed.

Jesus’ frustration and rightful anger exposes us all and I was ashamed.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Let’s just say that when He turned over tables and chairs, they probably weren’t empty. Anyone could read this and easily pass over the particulars of the scripture. Lets think about the context in which Jesus came to the temple after literally weeping for Jerusalem the day before (Luke 19: 41). His heart was already broken for Jerusalem. And then to come into the Temple, to find the things he did was more than any man could bare. As a parent its not like you can compare this to leaving your teenage kid alone for the weekend, and upon coming home you find people partying in your house. No, I would compare it to going away for the weekend and coming home to find your spouse, The person you love the most in your life, in bed with the devil. That’s the slap in the face we’ve bestowed upon our Savior. We’ve reduced His sanctuary to a cheap assembly line of fast and easy offerings where we don’t even have to leave our comfort zone to repent.

The temple had turned into a one stop shop for sin and burnt offerings. How it got so bad as to sell the objects of offerings (pigeons) in the Temple isn’t so hard to understand with our history I suppose. They even sold one of the cheapest ways to offer repentance to Him. Generally two pigeons were acceptable if one could not afford a lamb or goat offering. Pigeons. To make it worse, the market in the temple created a breeding ground of thieves and decay. Interesting how the scribes were enraged by Jesus actions isn’t it? I’m sure their cut didn’t have anything to do with it. Or their anger through shame, which in reality is just a complex version of pride. Gods call to burnt and sin offerings had become hollow and false in the halls of the temple.

We have even found a cheap way to mainstream repentance. It has lost its meaning and became even less than an obligation. I suppose spitting on the Cross would be cheaper. Phlegm costs nothing.

Yet even through this, the incalculable glory and grace of Jesus bursts through, in the next versus. What He does is not only forgiving, but is proof of His everlasting loyalty and unbreakable covenant to us.

14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

Jesus holds His covenant to us like an unbreakable rod even though ours to Him is like a fragile broken twig, as He faithfully, mercifully and in grace, heals His wayward children. And even to this day through His death by our hands, He has offered us a forgiveness we will never deserve. Even though we ran from Him, turned our back to Him, beat Him to a bloody pulp and even worse, said we never knew Him. I wonder how that made Jesus feel. He has been faithful in cleansing us with his perfect blood. We are all in danger of doing the same. Cheapening the perfect atonement for our sins. Only this time its not a couple of pigeons. It’s the blood of Christ.

I am not strong enough to sacrifice my only child. I could not bare the thought. It sickens me, and because I am not my perfect God, I could never present a good enough argument to have to do so. But I thank my God that He was able to crush His only Son for my iniquities. I still find myself running from the very blood that covers me, I use dirty rags to try and wipe away that blood. I’m wondering if I will ever learn.

We still go to church on Sunday, then on Monday we find it impossible to forgive our coworkers, neighbors, strangers, government, friends and families. We like to hold on to their wrongs because it gives us power over them some how. Or so we believe. It comes down to specks and logs.

Above all, this song and the scriptures have convicted me and called me to repentance. I pray that it does for you also. Its gotten pretty easy to say I’m sorry hasn’t it? I’m finding that the easier it is to say “I’m sorry or thank you”, the less I am apt to mean it. And it crushes me to know that I am capable of this same kind of apology and thanks to my Savior. For more reasons that I can possibly put on paper, Lord I’m sorry that I cause you to turn over tables in you own Temple.

Coat Drive...

2007-12-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know. I have been conducting a Coat Drive with my daughters local Elementary School as well as the City of Lathrup Village. I believe that God has worked absolute miracles and has truly glorified His wonderful and perfect name in every way during this wonderful outreach to those less fortunate. The Lord spoke to me after revealing to us that close friends were unable to provide some winter items for their family for the season. I put my money where His mouth is, stopped talking about serving and did what the Lord asks of all of us.

He has taught me that talk is so very cheap and that serving is a blessing He bestows to both the servant and the recipient. Glory be to our Lord and King!

COATS: 247
SCARVES: 44
HATS: 115
SNOW PANTS/ SUITS: 32
BOOTS: 33 PAIRS
GLOVES: 111 PAIRS
SWEATERS/ SHIRTS: 23
SOCKS: 12 PAIRS

617 TOTAL ITEMS distributed to Coalition On Temporary Shelter in Detroit and the Detroit Rescue Mission!!!

Thank you Jesus for your continuous blessings!

OOH ISAIAH...

2007-11-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how things written come to pass. And the prophesy lives in us through the Spirit

ISAIAH 52:12-15, 53:1-12

12. For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13. Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14. As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15. so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.

53:1. Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2. For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3. He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4. Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5. But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6. All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8. By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9. And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Let us never forget the One whos' sacrifice saves us from ourselves.

But Seriously... Sermons Destroying Christianity?...

2007-10-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

I was distressed today after reading what I considered a very angry blog titled "Are Sermons Destroying Christianity?".

Let me preface by saying that no approach to Christianity is perfect, save Jesus teaching the Gospel Himself (In a literal not just Spiritual sense, for all of you philisophically theological geeks who would normally call me on the broad statement). With that said let us be cautious in speech when refering to the Bride of Christ. And let us remember that it is the content through the Holy Spirit of God, not the weekly structure that reveals Christ. Are there better ways than a weekly sermon to relay the Gospel? Sure. Are they all reasonable answers to an age old question of sermonizing and discipleship? No.

The author of the blog stated this, "I really hate sermons. They are ineffective, unbiblical, impersonal, condescending and extremely destructive." I believe that generalizing is a very dangerous thing, especially when referring to Sermons. He does however admit that he was referring to weekly sermons, although I believe that again, structure plays very little importance in the Kingdom when comparing it to the content. I believe that sermons have the potential to be all of the above. But not as a rule. Im saddened that the Church has let this man down.

I believe that sermons can be very effective. Just listen to Edwards, Piper, Driscoll, Luther. Wonderful Pastors with the Spirit of God pouring out of them. Or should we learn from their books but pretend they dont speak in front of the pulpit on a weekly basis. I believe that sermons are also biblical. In todays society we are more calculated in our speech and not so "on the fly", but scriptually Jesus and the Apostles preached regularly, even in the synagauges, and only a handful of times were you given any idea of the times or days they were spoken. Not to mention the more than likely thousands that are not in scripture. We can not assume that these men led by the Spirit of God only taught in the synagauges where scripture quotes it. As far as impersonal, condescending and extremely destuructive leads me to believe that the author has a personal bias against weekly sermons due to some bad experiences. I however do not. Would this author feel the same way if Jesus were standing at the podium each and every week at the same time on Sunday, or can we infere that Christ has led His Spirit to do it for Him.

If it comes down to content, lets talk content. But do not relate all sermonizing to empty pastoring. Sermons play a definitive roll in Christs Church. I believe it is scriptual and I do believe that it is a wonderful tool God has given us. One of many.

I agree that there are a million and one problems in the Church, however I believe that posts like that further segregate and do not build up the Church of which Christ is the cornerstone. I believe the corrections should be in the attitudes and messages given. Many messages (not all) are empty of Gospel and full of self help rhetoric. That, I would consider not scriptual. Not the manner in which the gospel is delivered to us. We should focus our attention more on destructive sermons, not sermons being destructive to Christianity.

The below link is the post which im referring to. I was distressed by much of the post but opted not to write about evrything. I believe that the author makes some good points however thay become back burner to what should in my opinion be a non issue.

http://jeremypryor.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/are-sermons-destroying-christianity/

Casting Crowns... East to West

2007-07-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on the radio the other day, so I did a google search and found it on youtube. The song is on their new album and has not been released yet but you can hear it on WMUZ. Just wanted to share it with you all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6zdihmwy1M

Thank you Mr. Wildstrom......

2007-06-01T02:27:00.000-07:00

I met Henry Wildstrom today. Some of you may wonder who he is. Some of you might not care. Thats OK. I didnt care before yesterday either.

I was working when I was dispatched to Twelve and Southfield at the BP gas station. The call was to assist an elderly citizen who appeared to be confused. The caller was afraid he was going to wander into traffic.

As I arrived I saw the elderly white male at the corner and met with the caller. He stated that he was afraid that the elderly man was confused and was going to get hit by a car. I nodded in agreement at the caller and walked over to the elderly man.

The weather was particularly hot and sunny (probably close to 90 degrees). The man saw me coming and began talking in a very thick accent that I wasnt quite able to make out. He told me that he was waiting for the bus and that he had had just picked up his free prescriptions (tucked neatly under his right arm)from the store down twelve mile. He said that he was trying to get to Northland Mall and he showed me a bus ticket that expired at 2pm. I looked at my watch. It was past 12:30p. I explained to him that there was no way he was going to make it to Northland and back before his ticket expired. He had been waiting for a bus that wasnt coming for way too long. There was no bus stop where he was standing (As a matter of fact there isnt a bus stop in the entire city). The man looked disappointed as he wiped sweat from his brow. He related how hot it was. The man was exceptionally sharp for his age. I asked to see his ID. Born 1917. 90 years old. Very sharp for 90. I asked if I could give him a ride. He seemed relieved and again mentioned something about the heat. I let him sit in the front seat.

When we pulled out of the gas station I stated that I noticed he had an accent and I asked him where he was originally from. He told me he was from Germany. WOW. A 90 year old German! I couldnt wait to ask more questions. He told me about how he left Germany 60 years ago, when he was 30. 1947. As you all may or may not know im pretty interested in history and the military so I asked him if he had been in the Army back then. He said "no". "Its complicated". From personal experience I had knowledge that all German males are required to serve in the military, so I asked him about it.

He looked away and muttered in his thick accent "It was difficult, with my family". Then he looked at me for the first time since our meeting and he locked eyes with me. He looked at me in a way that stabbed my heart and I could instantly see pain and anger at the same time and he said in his thick German accent, "I was with my family in the Ghetto Amsterdam. It is bad memories. I do not want to talk about it." He turned away. A German Jew. A holocaust survivor. what could I say about my ignorance. I didnt know. He didnt blame me. I suppose had I waited for 3 more minutes I may have gotten the hint when I dropped him off at the Jewish Community Senior Living Center off of Ten Mile.

In the end, the reality of the situation is that 60 years later, even I could feel the pain he still experiences from the mere thought of his past. Thats when I realized how amazing God is. God puts certain people in very precise situations. We may not always know why. But He does.

Its amazing how we suffer as humans. Its tragic. On the other hand I feel Gods comfort in those times. I suppose I will always be amazed at how God works. How I can learn from people like Mr. Wildstrom. In his misery I learn to love Jesus even more. I often think about some of the things ive seen. The tragedy in living. The eternity of death. Unblinking eyes staring at me. You wait for them to blink but they dont. Ive seen piles of bodies stacked higher than me, with wives sobbing, sifting through them with a piece of cloth over their nose to cut down on a stench you cant cover with a piece of cloth. They were looking for their husbands. Ive seen worse than these things. Its not that I do not want to talk about them its just that I dont. Because the things I see are the things God wants me to see. Like Mr. Wildstrom, God wants us to see things so that others dont have to. So I thank Christ for entrusting me with these memories. They not only bring me closer to Him, they bring Him glory beyond words. Thank you Mr Wildstrom, for sharing your fear, sorrow and anger in a simple stare. And thank you Jesus for Mr. Wildstrom.

KIRK out...

2007-05-14T19:53:00.001-07:00

I was compelled by Mike to watch the Kirk Cameron debate on the internet. I’m not sure what to say about the debate except that it was full of emotion on both sides, negative and positive. I will say this, there were big questions and few answers to either argument. I assumed this would be the case., so let me throw my perspective into the mix.

Everyone has their “God” story to tell, but I can honestly say mine was a poor example of an awe inspiring turn to Christ. At one time I was a “Christian”. And at one time I was an “atheist“. I mocked God, and continuously debated against his existence. To be honest I was never particularly proud of anything I did during that time or before it. “Christian” or “Atheist”. I’ve learned that calling yourself a “Christian” no more makes you a Christian than holding a baseball bat makes you a baseball player. As a matter of fact I would go so far as to say that most “Christians” do little more than hold the bat. I was no different. On the other hand I wasn’t a very good “Atheist” either. I’m fairly good at debate (Which actually means I have the gift of Bull Shit). I learned that you can convince yourself of just about anything. Its true. Human emotion is based largely on past experiences, but has the potential to be biased and twisted depending on your own earthly desires. And anyone who is a better Bull Shitter than yourself has an opportunity to tune that process. On a personal level I learned that Satan is a better Bull Shitter than me. But lets imagine for a moment that truth is out there. Is truth something that can be twisted? Sure it can. But truth cannot remain twisted. Truth is revelation that stands the twists of time and earth.

In the end the debate over the existence of God isn’t very important. Anything that I say scientifically about the existence of God can be refuted to one degree or another. And vise versa. On the other hand, please remember one thing, Proof is different than theory. And I urge all those reading to remember that. It comes down to the wittiest player on the chess board. I believe more than ever that the game result is a pat on the back for the side with the biggest words.

And it is my opinion that science is more theory than fact when it comes to questions of existence. I believe that our existence, now, in this place is worth more than any theory of how it all began . I do not believe we are random or mistake. And I fully believe that the feelings we experience, sadness, happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, excitement bear more on the testament of morality and the existence of Jesus than any science. These are the memories that we ultimately carry with us. Its not the picture, it’s the feeling the picture gives you. All the material joys in the world satisfy temporarily. But memories and feelings last forever, and they have the most profound of impacts on who we become. I believe these bear great witness to the existence of Jesus. I do not believe our feelings, desires and memories are the result of a genetic mistake. But a reminder that our conduct on this Earth plays more of a role than how we got here.

As my best friend (an Atheist) once related to me, “You can‘t argue faith“. He‘s right. Mine is unshakeable. You can only question the means in which I came to my faith. This in the end does very little to change it. My faith is my Truth and my Truth is my faith. They are intertwined. I do not rely on science to prove the existence of an Almighty Creator. I rely on the Gospel of Christ. I look to what I know as His creation. You may dispute the words but the message is clear and perfect to me. Maybe in the end that’s why we sound so uneducated to secular society. We use Jesus’ Spirit to guide our lives, not earthly science. And in return the world turns a blind eye and deaf ears to the Gospel. It is my belief that Jesus is a more logical explanation of who we are, and why we are here than someone else’s faith in their science or god. I believe He has revealed that to me. I also believe that not all will receive this message. This battle will rage continuously.

In the end I believe science has done a dismal job of proving that God does not exist and equally, “Christians” have done a dismal job of proving that He does. But the Gospel of Christ will stand the test of time.

Lamentations...

2007-05-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has never read Lamentations I urge you to do so. It is easily one of the saddest books in the Bible and a tragic gathering of poems used to describe our sinful transgressions and Gods just wrath on His people. While reading Lamentations a picture came to mind that horrified and saddened me beyond words. I pictured a small infant being held by its mother, with eyes closed in pain from hunger and thirst, to weak to move or open its eyes as I read, "The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of it's mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them" (4:4).

It also tells of a steadfast faith in the Lord despite an an unbearable punishment. And regardless of the affliction and pain of Gods fury and disappearance because of our sin, it describes a hope in an almighty Creator who continues to love despite wrong done to Him. It describes God as merciful and faithful; (3:21-24)

21. But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23. they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Let us learn from Lamentations. Enjoy and let the Spirit of an almighty God fill you in every way at all times for His glory alone.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

2007-02-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

If I were to stick strictly to the plan, I would be blogging about “Jesus is Love” right now. But “Jesus and the Holy Spirit” has been on my mind lately so I guess I should talk about it. First off, this study has given me a whole wonderful understanding of the Holy Spirit through Christ. I am eternally indebted to Him for understanding and boldness in His name.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “helper“. I’m not sure how the translation came to be, as the term “helper’ in today’s society tends to reflect someone who may throw input your way when you need a last minute idea for that meeting with the boss, or might assist you after times become difficult, or perhaps that last nudge that puts one over the top of some trivially difficult situation. Either way a “helper” tends to be someone that is needed on a part time basis, not always present unless called upon, and that still does not always mean that what ever help that is given will be accurate and helpful. As a matter of fact when I think of a “helper” the first thing that comes to mind is a underachieving young assistant with too much mousse in their hair, on some overdramatically high paced time ticker, chasing down an expensive cup of coffee for some powerful money hungry tycoon fellow who’s too lazy to get it himself. And maybe I watch too much television. Either way, our idea of a helper is altogether temporary and fallible to human error.

I believe that The Holy Spirit as Christ’s promised “Helper” is quite different, and not only a cohesive member of the Trinity but the continuance of Christ’s work here on Earth. The Holy Spirit was ordained by Christ, but not given freely until His ascension to heaven. (John 7:37-39) It is the unbreakable bond between ourselves and Christ. The Holy Spirit, promised to us by Christ as an internal holy gift from the Father remains with us eternally, and dwells forever in us (John 14:15-17). And for those that love Christ and keep his word are loved by God, and therefore The Spirit dwells within them (John 14:24).

Christ promises Himself to us as followers and servants to the Father with manifestation of Himself in us (John 14:21). This wonderful gift from Him, impresses on our hearts the will to do His will. He instructs us that the Spirit teaches us all things and brings remembrance of all that Christ has taught (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit reveals God’s Truth in us for the continuing the glory of God. It gives power to the things our hearts are not inclined to. There are things that the Spirit is responsible for in us that we alone could never achieve. Examples of this living testament are numerous in prayer, peace, grace, patience, love, humility, forgiveness, humbleness, servitude and much more. It gives us power to do the will of God and make His glory known to all. The Spirit gives us peace, for the Spirit is peace. It also gives us strength that our hearts will not be troubled nor afraid (John 14:27) as is spoken to the Apostles.

To be Baptized with the Holy Spirit is an emersion in God’s holy union and power. The Holy Spirit is spoken of as a holy power (Acts 1:8) that enables one to witness to the glory of God on his behalf. The Holy Spirit, Empowers (Acts 2:4, 20:28), Comforts (Acts 9:31), Assures (Acts 15:28), Loves (Romans 5:5), Hopes (Romans 15:13), Teaches (1 Corinthians 2:13), Sanctifies (Romans 15:16), Joys in (Romans 14:17), and Compels towards (Acts 13:4), and for those that believe in Him and repent of sins shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Thus the Holy Spirit is interwoven in a believers heart, not sprinkled upon us like rainwater in a storm of petition.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to speak with conviction, boldness and certainty, the truths of the Gospel of Christ (Acts 4:8, 4:31, Acts 7-Stephens speech and stoning, Acts 13:10, as well as others, too numerous to note). I do not apologize for spilling into Acts and Romans concerning the Holy Spirit as a great deal is learned about the Holy Spirit from them.

The Holy Spirit helps us live out the gospel by assisting in the transformation of, and creating in us a new person, as the old has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). For who could will good, and the glory of God if not empowered by the Holy Spirit? Remember that this gift is to be used not sparingly, but boldly for the glory of Christ. This gift is the power given to you by God, and its power is without restraint or boundaries. It is a precious holy gift individually crafted to each, not a blanket for all proclaimed “Christians”, and with it reveals gifts, of faith, hope and love.

Jesus is God

2007-01-13T23:51:00.000-08:00

I guess when it came to writing a segment on “Jesus is God” I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. Mountains of books have been written on the same subject, and here I am trying to wrap it up in a short blog. At least Ill try to keep it in the parameters of the Gospel of John as I have already given my word. But please don’t throw stones if I stray slightly here and there to other scripture.

I was thinking about the statement “Jesus is God”. What is it that makes Jesus, God? How do Christians draw this conclusion, when no one else who has access to the same material does? Am I somehow smarter ?…dumber ? Have I done something they couldn’t? Did I hear something they wouldn’t? I don’t believe so, however I do believe that the difference between someone who follows Christ and someone who does not is a lack of the following things. Now let me preface this by saying that it is my firm belief that there are those called by God, and those who are not. This in no way means that someone who Jesus chooses to reveal himself to is somehow better than someone he does not reveal himself too. It is only my intention to explain a life changing blessing and describe the differences between someone whose life is changed because of Christ and someone’s life who is changed because of the absence of Christ. Both people are affected by Christ in very different ways, but both are affected. In Romans 8:5 “5. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The first reason many distrust the existence of Jesus as God is the lack of knowledge of a superior and all powerful God. Some will die, never understanding the power of, or knowing the existence of Jesus Christ. People will go to Hell for eternity simply because they never knew or once, in a whisper denied Jesus Christ. Some will call “UNFAIR” at this statement. My challenge to you is that you scream unfair, and you whine for justice on an earthly parallel. You scream equal rights to all. You scream and scream and scream, yet what have you done besides scream. You complain about things you have no control over just to hear yourselves grumble, while sitting ignorantly without the slightest clue about redeeming a society you admit is lost. Its disappointing that you scream and still you sit at home and watch the torment of the earth, with the suffering of so many, griping your couch in protest while accomplishing nothing. You cry about unfairness but you do absolutely nothing to change it in yourselves. It is not unfair that many will suffer eternally, it is undeserved that some of us wont. You refuse to see the darkness in your own heart as a sign of things to come. Some claim that they want nothing to do with a God who causes people to go to Hell, as if your opinion (and that is all it is), is more important than the claim of the one who has created you. So your opinions shape your god, because the idea of your heaven is much better than the biblical reality of Hell. My reply would be that you lack the understanding or refuse to admit the state of your own heart that does only wicked things continually. The last good thought you had or deed you’ve done was indeed, a selfish one.

The second is in conjunction with the first, That is, lacking the ability to comprehend something that is much greater than ourselves and mankind as a whole. There are many brilliant scholars throughout the world that simply lack the ability to believe in anything greater than themselves. They have literally capped their capability to believe beyond themselves. I assure you however that Gods ability to reveal himself to others is altogether possible, and when it happens, if it happens, your life will change eternally. Pride is a terrible waste of human progression. We find it easy to trust that Plato, a man who lived and wrote the “Republic” four hundred years before Christ ( having only seven known manuscripts in the world, the oldest is a copy made 1200 years later) was a real person. His works are an acceptable teaching tool in schools today. Or perhaps the Oort Cloud, a theoretical cloud invented to explain the reason comets never die out. We are a society that twists and bends with theory to create an illusion of fact. We are a people who need something to believe in. That wiring Saves and condemns everyone who has ever lived. John 8:39, “ 39. They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40. but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42. Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47. Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

And third is faith, faith that God is who He says He is. Our Faith, rested on Jesus Christ conquers all tragedies, calamity, sickness and disease, natural disasters, or extreme emotional traumas. He is the answer to every question, and every problem ever known. It is faith in Christ in which I rest everything on. But before faith, the Truth must be revealed to you. Without any of these elements and the revelation, who could ever proclaim Christ as the savior? As it is written in John 5:38 “38. and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40. yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41. I do not receive glory from people. 42. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Believing my words. Is it ever that simple? Just believing the words of someone else? Sometimes it is, if that person is someone you trust. However, many relationships have been destroyed out of miscommunication and distrust of spoken words. The above scripture isn’t about just words though. They are about the words spoken by someone the Jews trusted immensely, Moses. These writings never reflected a he said, she said mentality. They were not mere words.

The above examples are noted to describe the inability of man to believe that Christ was the Son of God, that He was indeed God. Now before someone takes offense, remember that we all put our faith in something, whether its science, ourselves, or God. There are incredible things that occur everyday with no clear explanation, or events that have taken place with scarcely one witness, but we believe they have happened because we put our faith in it. Even without clear and convincing evidence. Take for example a court room in which a man is on trial for murder. It takes but one witness to the crime, even with a lack of any physical evidence to sway a jury into believing that a man committed murder. It happens. When only one witness can put a man to death for murder, why is it that we need so much more evidence for other things, simply because we can not see them with our eyes. This is where the Gospels come in to play. Even strong oppositions to Christ were unable to claim them as fictional writings. Historians praise their historical accuracy (whether they dive beyond the historical into miracles or not). They were not written as fiction, They were not written as an eccentric play or poem. They were written so that there would be clear evidence of Christ. But in the end it comes down to the revelation of Christ, those who believe the Gospels are a lie, will continue to believe it a lie.

There were two things to draw from in communicating the Word of God over 2000 years ago. That is word of mouth and writing. This is because the original event took place in a time when oral traditions was an acceptable and necessary way of relaying factual information. Even textual manuscripts of scripture was a rare and unusual thing. Today’s technology did not predate the crucifixion so although technology can produce copies of Biblical scripture it can not take the place of it. We have to go with the evidence presented before us. We can not lean upon original video footage, computers, media, sound recorders, cameras, or The Gospel Blog of John, as such things did not exist. There were only a few ways to transfer information over two thousand years ago, and one was by word of mouth. It may be hard for someone in today’s society to believe or understand such a rich oral tradition. Technology and media sensationalizing has made us a distrustful people when it comes to gathering factual information by word of mouth. We see the media for what it is and we like it. We want to be sensationalized to keep us from going into a factual coma. When stories have become fictional along with the movies we see in theatres. We even spice up true stories to make them watch able. Has it become impossible to believe in people as the best source of history, or have we become lost in a technological frenzy of partial truths and 30 second clips?

This brings me to my next subject on discussing Christ as God. By remaining strictly in the Gospel of John I want to discuss a few things that would show proof of the supremacy of God if observed in today’s society. That being a reliable and trusted witness to the events of Christ. We need to stop looking at the Bible as a story (which was never its original intention) and start looking at it as an eyewitness account, as this was why it was written. But above all, you must first believe this man who wrote the Gospel of John was a reliable witness before other accounts in it are taken as truth. I can not sell you on the idea of his reliability, I can only tell you the man appears forth write, by no means mentally unstable, but well educated. You have to ask whether his motivations were selfish, or not. Was his account believable by today’s standards? Keeping in mind that this writing came at a time when Christians were murdered for their beliefs. And persecution was not impartial, but it was instantaneous. To me its not that he had so much to gain (which was nothing), but he did have much to witness about. Him as well as the others that bear witness about Christ.

I put John on the witness list. A man I believe to be sane, relevant to the situation on the account of Christ and at times embarrassingly honest about the apostles. To an impartial jury, he has an obligation to witness what he has seen and heard, right? Just as that same impartial jury has an obligation to weigh the evidence presented. After all, this was an acceptable and reliable custom two thousand years ago, and still is today that no one could make bold claims of truth without having some proof or witness to the event. This is what we call bearing witness. Someone who witnessed the event. There are people who bear witness to the miracles of Christ and to Christ himself. When we ask our selves is Jesus God, we must dive into the scriptures that introduce such a bold claim and understand the context in which they were written. In the Gospel of John this is very important as the author himself bears witness to the Life, death, resurrection and works of Christ. In John 20:30, “30. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31. but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Also John 21:24, “24. This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. I think it is important to note that the author states that the world could not contain the books that would be written about Jesus (referring to the things he had done). At first I believed this to be an exaggerated claim until it hit me. Anything worthy of script regarding Jesus would indeed fill canyons. Were talking about Christ. Everything the Lord did was holy at all times. This would have made every action worthy of script. Every heart beat, every sigh and every blink of the eye. You see, we eat because hunger motivates us to do so, Jesus ate out of motivation for the glorification of the Father. He ate, slept, breathed, walked and preached for the Father. He did all things at all times for the Father. This to me is a stand alone example of Jesus as God, for who that walks the earth has ever done all things to and for the Father for his glorification. I certainly fall short. My selfish heart would never allow me to do for others at all times like Christ did for the Father. Only God could achieve such an unselfish act of glorification.

Without too much digression I would like to return to the previous. There were many throughout the Gospel of John that bore witness to Christ. John the Baptist boldly bore witness about Christ as the Son of God, as it is written in John 3:25, “25. Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27. John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30. He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Even a man born blind and healed by Jesus bears witness to the miracles of Christ and his revelation of Christ as God. John 9:24, “24. So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25. He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26. They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27. He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28. And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30. The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34. They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

These are not stories of prosperity, wealth and fame. These are accounts of Christ. Their story brings glorification to someone besides themselves. Do you believe that these stories brought a dime to any who told them? They were written and told in secret hundreds of years.

The final subject on Jesus is God is indeed the greatest and understandably the most difficult to believe. Again, like the author of the Gospel, what do I have to gain by telling you of the works of Christ? I have gained nothing monetarily, nothing in regards to fame. I gain nothing but the joy my soul feels in Christ. For His glorification and His redemption of a brutal people. The greatest work and witness to Christ as God is His death and resurrection. Beyond all the miracles He performed and wise words He spoke. Defeating death is what truly makes Jesus, God. There are several references to the death of Christ, the Gospel of John being no exception. I will however spare the witnessed event as either you believe it or you do not. I will however give you scripture that refers to the resurrection of Christ. The greatest example of Jesus as God and the cornerstone of my faith in Jesus. John 20:5, “5. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7. and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9. for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10. Then the disciples went back to their homes.” Then John 20:11’ “11. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14. Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16. Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17. Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. 19. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

John even speaks of an unbelieving apostle who witnessed Christ resurrected. Chapter 20:24, “ 24. Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28. Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29. Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And after all these Jesus had regular conversations with others such as the apostles in John 21, revealing himself to Simon Peter as well as talking to the Apostle that Jesus loved (often referred to as John).

Lastly the Apostle Paul bears witness to the death and resurrection of Christ as God. Going so far as to claim that several hundred people (500) were witness to Jesus after the resurrection and some were even still alive at the time he wrote of it! In 1 Corinthians 15:3-11, “3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5. and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”

I never meant for this to become a biblical history lesson for the unchurched. This is scripture. I haven’t made it up. I didn’t alter it. It says what it says. It stands alone and its claims are bold. Life changing to some. These are the scriptures that teach Jesus as God. There are others. Different writers with the same intentions. To bring glory to God. This is His story. These are His people. This is His plan. His words. His life. His death. His resurrection. His grace. His justice. You have no say in it. Your thoughts and opinions will not sway Him. Your beliefs will not weaken Him. His power stands alone. He needs no one. He relies on no one. Everything is His to do what he pleases. Satan will not take it. Satan can not steal it. This is because Jesus is God. He is the Messiah. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He comes to redeem through His power and grace and no one, not one can stop Him.

Jesus is Man...

2006-12-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

My dog Kaiser is truly mans best friend. We bought him as a puppy when he was only six weeks old, however we had gotten to known the breeders pretty well and had visited him even before he was old enough for us to bring him home. Ally (my daughter) was just four years old at the time. With his eyes just opened, he was the only all black Dane in the litter, his floppy ears as big as his enormous paws. He was truly awkward and terribly clumsy (a foreshadow of the years to come). But even at that age he loved being close to us. We waited in anticipation of him weaning from his mother so that we could take him home. The early part of his life was trying, to say the least. We found that he is a very sensitive dog and actually experiences separation anxiety when we leave. But when he’s with us he finds comfort in being close. Over four years later and still his greatest comfort is his closeness to us. He spoons us during naps and at night, and takes every opportunity to be with his family. Giving us sad eyes when its time for him to get down off the bed. Not so much because he was comfortable, but because he couldn‘t be close to us. He races clumsily to the door at our arrival, even if I’ve only been gone 30 seconds. His excitement when we come through the door is so passionate its almost dangerous. Bucking and snorting like a bronco with a small stuffed animal present for us in his mouth, he wags his tail fanatically. He absolutely loves us. His loyalty far surpasses even ours for him. Ally nimbly ducks and dodges past his wet kisses quite often while playing a game of tag or fetch with a stuffed animal. It looks pretty funny when Kaiser outweighs the master (Ally) by 100 pounds. But they play so well together and usually end it with a hug and kiss by both of them. We almost lost him a few years ago to bloat which is a dangerous condition for dogs. The saddest thing was watching him wither away with those sad brown eyes staring at us, too sick to move most of the time. But we stuck with him through thick and thin regardless of the monetary cost. He’s worth every penny and is healthy as an ox now. Our family absolutely loves him. So your probably wondering why I’m telling you about one of my best friends of four years? Well, today at one in the afternoon we will be permanently surrendering him to an animal rescue, as we are unable to have multiple pets in our condo. We didn’t have the heart to tell my daughter until just yesterday evening. There is absolutely no way to describe in writing the sorrow and anguish I saw in her eyes as tears uncontrollably ran down her face. She instantly needed comforting. This is her first true loss of someone she loves so much. It literally broke my heart to watch her suffer, and I cried. I cried out of agonizing sadness for Ally and my wife. It is very difficult to watch those we love so much, suffer so badly. If you haven’t experienced this type of sorrow yet, you have not lived long enough.

As humans, there is something in sorrow that allows us to engage in it with others. There is an affectionate interaction we feel toward one another. We share in others sorrow, making it our own. And in compassion, we offer strength, and healing to those grieving, even in the midst of our own sorrow. It is our ability to knowingly and actively love, comfort and show empathy that makes us human.

But why all this? Why the long, sad story? Why the story about some stupid pet that you’ve never even met ? Why should you care about a 9 year old kids broken heart? Or her dad that loves her more than words could express? There are two words in the Bible that give authority to mans overwhelming sorrow filled experiences. These two words make up the shortest verse in scripture, however they speak the loudest about Christ as fully man. John 11:35, “Jesus wept.“ Just as you have wept, and I have wept, Jesus wept. He felt an overwhelming compassion for those He loved. Truly we can all relate to pain and misery, grief and tremendous suffering. So can Jesus, our Father who sees the sorrow and anguish in our hearts. Our Father, who loves us more than words could express. Jesus wept.

Originally I had prepared to give some deep theological thought to this post, commenting to “Jesus as man“. I however was not prepared for what God had in store for me with the news that the rescue could take my friend so much sooner than I expected. Then to see the pain my daughter was going through literally broke my heart, and it was then that I realized theology and study meant so little. Because the truth is “Jesus wept,“ And we instantly knew how each other felt…

The Word became flesh…

2006-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

I’ve recently finished my own study of the Gospel of John. I’ve taken notes, read into and tore apart this amazing Gospel and emerged with one thing; “1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.“.

I knew before I started writing this that there was absolutely nothing I could put on paper or a flat screen monitor that could enhance or add to this Gospel. It speaks for itself in every way. It is only my responsibility to relay to you the truth it reveals. It would be impossible to tell how long it might have taken for the author to write the above scripture. But what’s amazing to me is its completeness. It was as if he could have stopped writing at that point, and well into the early morning, put down the beaten and well used wooden quill he wrote with, and wiped his exhausted eyes. Then after long moments of staring at the flickers of burnt orange that danced around the clay hardened room he sat in, would extinguish the lamp that gave off the subdued glow of the room and went to sleep. It would have been complete. But he did not. He continued, and probably spent countless nights doing the same. The Spirit was truly in this man who wrote to bring witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The authorship of the Gospel is uncertain, however there are many references that indicate that the authorship is truly that of the Disciple John, son of Zebedee. Some would dispute, I however weigh what I read and infer from the Gospel itself. In the Gospel it makes mention of the author in chapters 20-24 referring to the one “whom Jesus loved”, and also in union, (referring to the author) “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.” This is strong evidence that the author was in fact the same man who not only wrote, but witnessed the life of Jesus first hand. Keep in mind that this Gospel remains above all things a testament to Jesus Christ, and the exaltation of both Him and God.

In the following posts I will discuss five main points I took from the Gospel of John and have separated into topics, the first, Jesus is Man, secondly, Jesus is God, Third, Jesus is Love, fourth, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and lastly, Jesus is glorified.

Prefacing these points I want to say that you will find an overwhelming overtone regarding Christ as the exalted Son of God. Hopefully you will also come away with an understanding that Christ’s glorification is to be above all, of utmost importance in our lives, As we disappear, He will become known. We do not worship a weak god. A god that cannot sustain on his own, but relies on our existence for his happiness, acceptance and expression. A god who creates us to fulfill a void or ego problem in his life. Christianity has heard enough Dr. Phil sermons of a needy god whose “strength” is in his acceptance of our short comings. We worship a self sustaining God who’s glorification is not found in our acceptance of Him, but rather our love and obedience in Him. For what does God see in us to be proud of, sin? No works of our own will ever exalt God. It takes God to glorify Himself.

Pride and Prejudice...

2006-11-20T22:40:00.000-08:00

I can not and will not tolerate the hypocrisy of the Christian Church for one moment longer… Look for a moment at what is going on in “our” Christian Church… Read the news, watch T.V. and see the reality of “our” Church. The Church we have claimed for our own and proudly boast of its miniscule successes.

You that preach of love, tolerance, and relevance in hues of gray. You that preach to the lost, more lost than the ones you preach to. You that believe that Christ emerged from the Church . You will know that Christ will not tolerate being a byproduct of His own creation! Ephesians 2:20-21, “20. built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21. in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.“ And Colossians 1:17-18, “17. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” You fools of the pulpit to twist the Word of God, turning repentance into acceptance, abominations into embracement and the Word of true love into weakness and frailty on a broken Cross. You that make the cross, one of balsa wood, an easy burden and a waste of time. With simple prayers, and petitioned gifts of self righteousness and indulgence. You have made nothing, and learned nothing of sin, but have welcomed it as a character flaw surrounded by acceptance and rot. You are the most proud, the most prideful of ALL these! You speak with forked tongues and two faces. Conceit and Pride has built Your church. Sermons reduced to politically correct “messages” of self help garbage, trickled with sporadic flat scripture. Are you not creating your own religion from Gods Church? One that is a living example of embarrassment and disgrace? Repentance, reduced to a childlike defense of worldly excuses? You have little time to heed the words of Job, and his words to Almighty God, stating in Chapter 42:5-6, “5. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6. therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

You say we welcome those who do not know Christ with open arms, and when they arrive you spoon feed them worldly opinions of man made self relevantism and lies, spitting in the face of Christ and His lost. You no longer call yourselves or others to repentance, only acceptance. Satan has fooled you long enough, hear the words of Christ, Matthew 4:17”…“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.“

You say that because people suffer, they deserve better! Because there is evil and broken heartedness we must either lock the Christian doors and turn a blind eye to it, or grab popcorn and watch the sickening fall, without the least attempt of Rescue! Oh, but how you will BOAST of the attempt! You watch death and suffering with a telescope and throw weak prayer towards it as if God never allows such things in a rose colored universe. Then you grumble to Him about bitter disappointments and unfulfilled prayers. There is GREAT evil and suffering in the world! You are the coward who knowingly refuses to change it, “for the beast is much greater then I“ you sneer. You weak souls of disbelief and unfaithfulness. Your lack of faith causes your blindness and murders the lost, like sheep to the slaughter. We have not changed the world, I say we have scarcely scratched its surface with our dull nails. You believe you have done enough, when such a phrase has NEVER existed! You have filled seats in an empty church, while their hearts remain outside. Your end is the refusal to take responsibility for the sins you so proudly bear, then accept those with the same. Who among us is truly saved? and be careful as you mock the question with masked grins of content and confidence, for it is proclaimed by Christ himself, (Matthew 7:21-23)21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23. And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Question this heart Christ gave you. Let us return, no, run to Absolute Truth. Let us race to the Supremacy of God, not ourselves. Let us be humble and open to the reality of the Scriptures. Let us prayerfully accept the hard truth about the things that dishearten us and look towards Christ with trust, that his plan is better for us than our own. It is perfect regardless of whether we understand it or not. Our salvation hangs on it. Let us finally know Love through Him. I pray that Christ will NEVER find me so proud and prideful as the Christian Church, and if so to change this vile heart I possess. I question today’s Christian Church as one where absolutes are no longer absolute and scripture is reduced to red letters and unprayerful bias. 1 Corinthians 2:5, “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Weighed and Measured...

2006-11-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is Jesus' prayer to The Father before his arrest. John 17

17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. [1] 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them [2] in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, [3] that they also may be sanctified [4] in truth.

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

During your time of judgement, Will Jesus argue your case on your behalf to The Father in the same way...

He loves me...

2006-10-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to love Jesus? To love a man you’ve never even seen? To love anyone for that matter? We say we do, but how do we explain it? How do we justify it to others? How do we express it to others? How do we testify to it? Is our love real? That is, are our intentions true to Christ or are they superficial and shallow? I go so far as to challenge your definition of love and what it means to you. Are your first thoughts to head straight to the Webster’s Dictionary, or to the Bible. Even in the Bible, there are different manners of love . There is shallow, transparent love of those desiring earthly things like possessions and power. Additionally, longing for anything but God. And then there is true love. Something much greater. Something that when desired and worked at changes you from the inside out.

It would be impossible to take even one word away from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, 13: 4-8 on the definition of love and still have it read as God intended, read it slowly and soak it in, “4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” The definition by Scripture is filled with actions and feelings that require the one who loves, to place effort in to love. To strive for…and although some of these things come easy to one and not another, the whole is a constant working that can only be reached through Christ, and is unattainable without him. For Christ is the above. He is Love. He is every descriptive word from that Scripture. The above definition may be a hard thing to swallow for those who believe in the concept of love at first sight. The reality is that love isn’t just an emotion. It is countless emotions together to serve the purpose of love. The result of these, is love. Some would argue, “Just leave love to the heart, or just leave love out of the eye of scrutiny. It’s something that just happens.” But can we afford this view of love? It seems to me this is a non confrontational way of saying we all have our own idea of what love is, so don’t intrude on an emotion. This is a dangerous ideology. There are several reasons for this. The first being simply, it contradicts scripture. Love is not what you make it or make of it. It is clear and exact and it comes to us through Christ. Secondly it puts you at the reigns of defining something God creates in you. It allows you to put your own perceptive definition of love into the small and insignificant one-dimensional world around you.

Now, if the Bible is clear on what love is, why do we find ourselves so far from it? Why do we find ourselves wanting? Judging by what Paul says, and if it were up to us alone we would fall short of love every time wouldn’t we? Love does not come naturally to our sinful nature. By the above definition it seems obvious that only through Christ could we truly love at all. But how does that happen? If we can only love through Christ, how can we love Christ, when it takes Him to work in us? Well, what better way to know love than from the one who created it, the one who will never fall short of it. Jesus puts love on our hearts. We have a misconception about love, that it should come easy, that we should stare starry eyed at it. That we “fall” into it. That the feeling alone creates unity and eternity. And although it is eternal, it is never that simple. Just look at a loving marriage. It may have started with fireworks but in time it has become mature, it is an endeavor, it has become far more rewarding because of the effort put into it. The payoff is much bigger than in the early part of a relationship. That’s how God wired us. He put it in us to love at all. He created you for it and it for you.. Love is not a choice and it doesn’t always come easy. Jesus when confronted on the subject of the most important Commandment states this in Matthew 22:36-40, "36. Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37. Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38. This is the first and greatest commandment. 39. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
40. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." This scripture is not an infatuated love. It is not a material love. It is a respectful, reverent love. It is not temporary, but eternal. Biblically it is the Law, and ALL the Law and prophets hang on those two commandments. Paul also wrote in Second Corinthians 5:13-15, “13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; If we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.. 15. And He died for all, that those who live shall should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” Christ’s love compels us. Who can resist it? I should think none. It is impossible to be accepting that Christ is the Truth unless he puts it in you. Unaided, we would run away from Him eternally. For example a piece of wood by itself does nothing but lie. It doesn’t give advice, or bathe, eat or pray. It is entirely incapable of doing anything but remaining a piece of wood. That is until I ignite in it a burning consuming flame that it was incapable of achieving on its own. It has now become something very different, so much so that all the senses are affected by it. So it is the same with the heart. It is incapable of love or decisions of heavenly divinity until Christ’s love ignites it. I guess you could say its an invitation you can not refuse. The thought of rejecting Christ’s invitation for love is hopeless. You can not reject the love of Christ, for he put it on you.

And it is impossible to accept first, then love. Few would argue with that. And for those who feel the choice is theirs to love in the first place, understand that your heart wouldn’t know love without Christ, It would forever be slave to sin. Sin knows no love. And absence of love is evil. The iniquity of mankind is a depraved company of immoral wickedness. And the world was so backwardly wicked and void of love that God sent his only Son as a sacrifice for the evil of all mankind. Not for some, not for most. All. That alone signifies the urgency for a Savior of the world. But Christ, the true definition of love and (in my opinion) the subject of Paul’s definition of love, lives the definition. He was the living example of love in every way. He showed us the ultimate act of love by crucifixion. And only through him, can we understand it and live it out.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 [NIV], “1. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10. but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We testify to love with His love.

What does he see?......

2006-09-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

What does an athiest or an evolutionist see when he stands on the top of a mountain top overlooking the multitude of fall colors and sprinkled evergreens beneath him, As far as his tiny eyes can see?

Tagged...

2006-08-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I just got tagged with these questions by MIKE EDWARDS.

1. One book that changed your life: The Book of Romans, Apostle Paul

2. One book that you've read more than once: The Dragonlance Trilogy. Nerdy Fantasy stuff I know, but some of the best books Ive ever read. Twice...

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: I know it sounds too easy, it would have to be the Bible.

4. One book that made you laugh: I like Mike Edwards pick. I never read anything funny...

5. One book that made you cry: The last book in the Dragonlance Trilogy. Sure its Fiction but you spend the first two books knowing characters only to have them die in the end. Also It was a non glamorous portrayal of bitter war and death. I loved it

6. One book you wish had been written: "Read My Lips, Christ's Literal Translation Guide", By Jesus Christ, Carpenter and Savior

7. One book you wish had never been written: The Koran.

8. One book you're currently reading: Desiring God, John Piper

9. One book you've been meaning to read: Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther

The Perception of Truth; The Truth about Perception...

2006-08-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

By Webster’s definition, to Perceive is to attain awareness, or to become aware of through the senses. The noun; Perception, defines as 1. The act of perceiving 2. Awareness of ones environment through physical sensation.

I love it when a dictionary term is defined by the same name it is supposed to define. That tells me that there are no decent definitions for the word being defined. However, even though the first definition of the word “perception” is defined as “The act of perceiving” it does go on to say, it is the “Awareness of ones environment through physical sensation”. This tells me something very important about the word, that is this, the word lacks any credibility to me in the human language besides a way to tell people how you (as an individual) come to understand and feel about something at a very particular moment in time. I’m not trying to completely downplay perception as a useful tool for awareness and insight., however all to often the word perception and truth are used synonymously with each other. And although I believe there are certain truths that accompany perception, the fact remains that perception alone is not a basis of truth.

Perception is, using our own experiences to formulate a truth about the world we live in, and more importantly the God who created it. Through our experiences (and lets be honest, stereotypes and biased teachings) we have figured out a way to describe our belief in something, and still have the ability to pull it off as truth. All by using the misconception of perception. And how we perceive things falls right in line with the truths we ultimately believe in.

Now lets talk about truth for a moment. The Webster’s definition of Truth is as follows; “The body of real events or facts; Actuality”. And, an “Agreement with fact or reality.” True enough our perception of certain things can be based on real and true events. This is perfectly normal and acceptable as long as our perception leads to real truth and not perceptive truth. For example, When I was a young child in Elementary school I remember a certain mountain of a hill in the back of the school where recess was held. I also remember sledding down this mammoth every winter. At that time I perceived that hill as the largest and steepest hill in the state. You probably see where I am going with this. I visited the mountain twenty years later to find that what I once perceived as a mountain was no more than a hump of a hill with no more than a ten degree incline. I laughed to myself. Perception was no longer reality. I now see the hill for what it really is. So, As a child, was my perception of the hill, truth? I do not believe so. Truth was revealed to me later. Now, say I’m standing at the very same hill with my daughter. She may say to me “Look daddy at how big that hill is”. What now happens is that perception becomes an individual experience separated from truth. It is inconsistent. Perceptual truth is a very influential device. We look on it as the authoritative insight to our beliefs. Perceptive truth can be a very dangerous thing, especially in reference to God. There is hope. In John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” and John 1:17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. There is truth out there. We are no longer bound only by the memories and false perceptual beliefs of our own sinful minds. We have Truth in the Flesh, and he never changes, Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

It is my belief that Truth and Perception are far from the same thing and that perception, although at times based in truth, is still the deceptive factor of our black hearts. To many, our perception is without a doubt, our truth (or reality). The problem I foresee is that ones perception generally only applies to the individual. And in many cases perception lays way to deception. In Genesis 6:5 it states “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. This verse clearly states the intention of man from the very beginning of time in his sinful nature. Our ability to perceive things in the Light are diluted by the evils of our own hearts. We can not know Truth without God, only the perception (or our idea) of truth. This is because without Gods Word, our perception cheats us of Truth, for we no longer look towards God for it. We believe that we have found it in ourselves. We believe our experiences have taught us everything we need to know about truth. We make our own truths, in expectation that others are going to meet it. We dilute Gods word and trust in our own idolatrous thoughts. I quote Martin Luther, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”.

Often, how we want to see things affects our perception of it. Sometimes we want so badly to perceive something in a certain way that it clouds real truth and lays way to deception. A basic theological example would be the perception of God that, “Hey, I’m a relatively good person, and if God is all loving then I’m sure I will go to Heaven.“ Great thought, bad argument. It is clear from the Book of John 14:6-7, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also." And to know God is to Walk in the Truth, You perceive yourself as a relatively good person when the truth is you are a sinfully, black hearted wretch. “For the wages of sin is death; But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 6:23

The scriptures are pretty clear about how we must approach truth, In John 4:23-24, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”. If it’s truth your looking for, look no further than the Truth. John 31-32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.

Truth does not lie, and perception can not hide from it. In closing I urge you to seek the Truth. Not truth perceived, but truth. Let it be revealed to you.

"Trust in the LORD with all thy heart; and lean not to thy own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Delight in the Lord...

2006-08-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels."

Isaiah 61:10

Lord You are the only thing my soul thirsts for, the only end to the beginning and beginning to the end. You cast out all fear, pain, sorrow, worry, sadness and convict me the same. You are all directions, the left, and the right. You are forever forward as you are backward, the North, the South, the East, and West. You are all Glorious, and the only Salvation. You are the back, the front and all above. You are above all. You are above me, around me, under my feet and above the heavens that sing glory to Your name. Your voice sings to me softly and calls to me triumphantly. You are all Peace and all War. Your anger pours and Your justice is deserved. You are the King of all Kings. You are the Flesh and the Soul. You are every color from white to black and all in between. You are Mercy and Wrath. You have chosen and shaped. You are perfectly perfect. Never changing, You do all things perfectly and I can not praise you enough. Your Journey is perfect and Your plan is infinite. You are eternally loving and unspeakably beautiful. You are universal, controversial, the rock, the foundation and the endless universe. You are boundlessly rescuing, and endlessly patient. You are infinitely faithful, forever pleasing and Your plan is forever. You are everything and all things. Your grace spans eternity and beyond. You are Lord God. And I could not bow low enough.

Delight in the Lord.

I saw the light...

2006-07-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

A few months ago God showed me just how little my faith is in him. I’m sure most of us have had these moments and could stand to be reminded and encouraged that others suffer the same. It was late one night, and I had just gone to bed. As I laid there for a moment I began to look around the room. The strangest sensation came over me. Here I was laying in bed with the covers nearly over my head staring at the dark ceiling, and I felt as if I were watching an old time black and white television set. All architectural lines, edges and corners were fuzzy and speckled. The entire room was bathed in black and white, and no matter how hard I looked, no matter how many times I blinked, no matter how hard I stared, I could no longer see the brilliant reds, blues and greens I knew were there! They had been replaced by numerous hues of faded blacks and grays. Nothing but gray area. And the longer I watched the harder it was for me to imagine the colors that had once been there. It began to hurt my eyes. I felt in that short time like I might never see the clear images that once painted my room again. I felt claustrophobic. A strange as it sounds I inwardly began to panic. Everything my eyes saw was gray and old and I couldn’t escape this empty feeling. It was at that moment I heard a whisper of a voice saying “dave… I’m over here”. Following the voice my eyes drifted to the right past the covers that were covering the side of my face revealing the digital clock across the room. It was 1:52 in the morning. Sure the numbers are white as you read them now, but at that moment 1:52 am meant the most beautiful bright red I’d ever seen… At the moment where nothing was clear and everything was gray, God showed me that he still shines brightly above it all. I had little faith in even the smallest of experiences and God reveled himself to me.

So I guess it stands to reason that I may share another “Enlightening” experience here. Before bedtime tonight I was reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. I had read Romans in the past, but tonight it was as if I truly read it for the first time. For so long I toiled with the notion of free will and God’s plan. How were they connected. Calvinism? Arminianism? Anyism? Eitherism? Noneism? I liked John Calvins Goatee, but I respected John Wesleys colonial white wig. Who would I choose? Then something hit me tonight. I like to call it Scripture.

Romans 9 as well as the next few chapters hit me like a ton of bricks. Now this wasn’t the “Enlightened “ part yet but watch close. Romans 9:15-23, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?" 20 But who are you, a mere human being, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for disposal of refuse? 22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—”. Wow.

I read on to Romans 11:7-10, “What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day."9And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.". And without getting too far off the subject of sovereignty, Romans 11:22, “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off”.

And lastly Romans 14:1-8 , “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”. I believe this last part of scripture says more than just the lesson of passing judgment on one another. I believe it also confirms a personal relationship with Christ that interweaves the convictions of our own hearts with what Christ expects from each us as individuals. One man is convicted by God towards one thing while someone else another. We are not to judge that conviction as long as it is Christ honoring.

And these scripture together bring me to my “Enlightenment”. I had no sooner laid in bed that a realization hit me about Gods perfect plan. It is that it is perfect. That may seem easy but lets look at the facts. First, you couldn’t do it. Second, the intricacies of the plan would drive us to insanity trying to comprehend it. You see, God’s plan is a personal plan where each detail of our own life is a part of it, that comes together as a whole, using all of us to glorify his kingdom. Some he created to be evil (How could we know good if there were no evil) and some he created to bring great glory to himself with kindness and righteousness. The plan may have been created forever ago but know that you weren’t excluded. God took into account your prayers and faithfulness when he created you. I believe that when he created you he listened to your prayers for family and friends, nonbelievers and enemies. He also answered some of those prayers and disregard others to show you your selfishness and to reveal HIS plan at a later date. To some he gives his blessing and to others he shows his wrath. I believe we are all tools for God created by him, used in different ways to glorify His Kingdom, and to leave us in amazement at our own salvation. Where does our destiny lie. That decision means life or death. As easily as I rub two sticks together to create flame, the sticks quickly burn up, however they created a warming flame that enabled me to feed my family. The sticks were a tool. The content family, the end result. Never judge the Lord on his ways however. And to those who feel that I sugar coated a puppet like universe know this, a puppet can only stand with the help of present fingers. God’s plan has been in existence forever past as it is forever future. And the care he took to personally mold each and everyone of us in our journey through life is one of the greatest gifts he will every give you. Life. I don’t feel my freedom affected by that. I still have heavy choices to make and great responsibilities to bear. Trusting in Gods perfect plan is one of them. I am free to move about the stage free of strings that bind those like marionettes to sin. I believe God creates some to come to salvation and some to the gnashing of teeth, and that he may very well say of the latter, “I created him and love him, but he will never please me. This was his purpose.” So I suppose my “Enlightenment “ came at another strange time, and as I laid there in the dark I immediately looked over to the digital clock. It was 12:08 in the morning.

What does that make me...

2006-06-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

"You make everything Glorious, And I am yours... what does that make me..."

David Crowder Band

To the Dark Side...

2006-06-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

“For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.

Able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart… I was having a conversation with my brother the other day when the latest subject of my last Blog came up. I had explained a few things to him about it and related that I disturbed myself with some of the thoughts that whip through my mind at times. The kind of thoughts that are so fleeting they last less than a fraction of a second, but the picture stays with you long after. Mike looked at me with a serious tone and said “yeah, I call those dark thoughts.” I was caught off guard for a moment. It wasn’t as if I actually thought I was the only one who’s ever experienced “Dark Thoughts”. But I was more interested in the fact that a conversation had been sparked into an untouched taboo topic that everyone hides away in the psyche of their own hearts. I loved the term “Dark Thoughts”. But what I really loved was that Mike didn’t shake his head one way or another after my remark and render a silent acknowledgment of half understanding, half I don’t really care. This was a God moment.

“Dark Thoughts” come in all shapes and sizes don’t they? They can range from the obscene or rude to much darker. Sometimes truly horrifying. These thoughts are uncontrollable, sporadic and reckless. They seem to surface from the very edge of our subconscious mind and haunt us so quickly you might be left asking yourself had it been real. Did what I just picture in my mind really come from me? It is so cunning that when it’s over you often never think of it again, or you push it away with every fiber of who you are. Who you “Think” you really are. Why do we ignore these thoughts? Is it because they are so fleeting that they appear unimportant? I believe this ignorance is not only dangerous, but it takes us far from the heart of God. It is shown as early as Genesis, the intentions of mans heart. In Genesis 6:5, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. When we push these fleeting thoughts away as trivial, we not only ignore our sinful hearts, but worse, we refuse repentance.

I don’t believe that there are prerequisites to sin, such as forethought and action of the flesh, and to think “these” thoughts are harmless and insignificant is treading in perilous waters. It appears to me that not only is the thought sinful, but so is believing your hiding these thoughts from God, who (as you already read at the top of this Blog) already discerns the thoughts and intentions of your heart. Who are you truly deceiving?

We are so quick to dismiss these momentary thoughts as flashes of unimportance, when we are unable to control or understand them. We do that with most of the things in our life. We would much rather ignore than confront. Bury than repent. Jeremiah 4:14 says it perfectly, “Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” Repentance, not suppression.

Sin starts at the heart, not the flesh so do not ignore it, “For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.” Matthew 15:19. We must repent and seek God, even in the smallest of these thoughts.

POWER to the People...

2006-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

To those who hate long Blogs, this may not be the best one to have in your favorite places.

Have you ever found yourself wanting... Wanting, thinking about or desiring a position of importance prestige or POWER. I found myself doing just that the other day. I wont tell you what it was, however I can tell you that this desire for power was certainly not of God. That is to say, The desire or thoughts I had in no way glorified the Kingdom of God. And lets get it strait, I am not referring to lust I am referring to Power. I believe the two are very separate. And although part of my desire was for religious reasons, my heart was entirely wrong, even though in the end it would benefit the Kingdom. I don’t feel that power in and of itself is evil or sinful, however the heart that carries the power also carries a great responsibility to do what God desires.

This got me thinking, what does the Bible have to say about POWER. In the KJV the word POWER is used 260 times throughout the Old and New Testament. 260 times! Paul’s letters to the Churches alone account for 57 mentions of the word. Revelation, 32 times. So I decided to read each passage and categorize the use of the word. I basically came up with 7 categories as to why and how the word is used in the text. But first I must encourage anyone and everyone to journey the way I did, deep in the scriptures, to get a better understanding of ancient writings about things and situations that still occur today. We are so much a part of God’s plan. I feel that God used something that was black in my heart, that was not pure and turned it into a Godly opportunity to study the scriptures closer and deeper than I ever had. There are far more examples than just the ones I give below for each of the Categories. I am basically just trying to give you a taste.
1. GODS POWER - This is basically stating the obvious, but never the less it’s the most important category. I found more references to Gods Power than any other in the Bible

Isaiah 40:26 - Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these [things], that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that [he is] strong in power; not one faileth.
Jeremiah 10:12 - He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Romans 13:1 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

These obviously only name a few however Gods true power is evident in every crevice of the Bible.

2. EVIL POWER - This category finds mentions of Satan and his promise of power as well as earthly evils:

Luke 4:6 - And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luke 22:53 - When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 - Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders

3. POWER TAKEN AWAY BY GOD - Power of Earthly abilities, physics and possessions taken by God

Daniel 3:27 - And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
Zechariah 9:4 - Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
Ezekiel 30:6 - Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.

4. POWER GIVEN BY GOD - People or situations blessed with the Power of God by God

Luke 9:1 - When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases
Matthew 10:1
Ecclesiastes 5:19

I teeter back and forth with free will power from POWER GIVEN BY GOD and the next Category

5. MISC POWER - This is basically simple uses of the word such as power of decision and some free will.

Romans 9:21 - Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?1 Corinthians 7:37 - Nevertheless he that standeth steadfast, in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
1 Corinthians 9:4-6 - Have we not power to eat and to drink?
9:5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

6. AUTHORITATIVE POWER - Governmental powers

Luke 20:20 - And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
John 19:10 - Pilate saith unto him, "Speaketh thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?"

7. LACK OF POWER - We have no power, if not given to us by God

John 19:11 - Jesus answered, "You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin."

There you have it. There was a particular part of scripture that really threw me for a loop though regarding classification . It comes in ACTS 8:9-25 The story of Simon the Sorcerer. It is interesting to note that an entire group of people were fooled by the sorcery of Simon, they even held him in high regard as one with Divine power. The David Blaine of his time right…Specifically, this is the one and only time in the Bible (That I have read anyway… How do you like the disclaimer) that someone specific desires a power he does not posses. The power of God. Simon sought the power of God. He literally asks for it. He goes so far as to offer Peter money in exchange for the power of God. Even IF his intentions were originally good, it became very apparent that Simon saw the power of God at work and was jealous of the people who were empowered by God to use it. He had to have it. His sinful heart got the best of him. Of course Peter calls him on it telling him to repent, stating (NIV) “for I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

I was Simon. I am Simon.

There are words spoken by Paul, relating that basically he must walk humbly with the power of God. He recognizes the power given to him by God and does not want to abuse it. I believe the most powerful scripture written about POWER, isn’t about the use of power. I believe it’s about the preservation of power. It states this; 1 Corinthians 9:18 -“What is my reward then? [Verily] that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel“. That could be a prayer and a proclamation.

I know that God knows how to handle power. We on the other hand do not. Continuously in the Bible where power is not blessed by God it turns evil. When will we learn our lesson. We still honestly believe that we can come to power with something that is not blessed by God as if we “earned” it ourselves. We seek it for self worth and prestige. It is a lie and we deceive ourselves into believing that we will do good with our self made power, not of God. Paul speaks such truths about the Power of God. Power given by God and with a prayerful heart breeds Gods glory. 2 Corinthians 13:10 - “Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction“. That is the power to build up, not tear down.

In ending I want to say that the power of a gift from God is probably the most abused of all. We must be careful what we wish for and think about WHOSE house are we truly glorifying. Power is not evil. It is a tool that should be used to glorify Gods Kingdom, not our own.

PIMP my Cell

2006-05-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

OK, heres the deal. I no sooner started a Blog on some off brand site that I realized I could'nt get rid of the ridiculous Ads on the side of the page. The following post was one I had written after creating the old Blog. And having just started the Blog, I already found problems. The first is, to the right of the post was an Advertisement that stated PIMP my cell. What is this supposed to mean. What does it mean to "PIMP" my cell. Does this mean I should charge money for "my" phones services to dirty old men who dont get good service at home? The meaning of the word has apparently been lost. To PIMP means something good now. How did it go so wrong. In 30 years some 15 year old is going to come across the movie "Super Fly" (a 1972 wonder) on Turner Movie Classics and find humor in the fact that some Jive Turkey named KC wearing ridiculously oversized bell bottoms calls himself a PIMP because he manages prostitutes. Then in the Irony of it all this 15 year old will leaf through a Hustler magazine, light up a Marlboro and toss $30 bucks towards his now ex girlfriends abortion never thinking twice that hes already been PIMPED. But I suppose being the PIMP is always better than being PIMPED.

In the Beginning...

2006-05-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

OK. Due to an influx of off comments and interventions regarding a past post on Mikes Blog, I have been encouraged to start my own Blog. Well I hope your all happy. Now if you find yourself reading my posts it's on you. You'll have no one to blame but yourselves for diving into my thoughts and life. More to come... As soon as I figure how this thing works