tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50492024222954256892024-02-07T22:35:00.612-06:00It's In There SomewhereRonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.comBlogger430125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-3209913970776499592012-12-28T11:44:00.001-06:002012-12-28T11:44:14.283-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / 1 John 2
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<span class="s1"><b>The Darkness</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">So often we read the Word and it is speaking directly to us; yet, we deflect its impact by thinking this is for someone else. Even as you read this, and I write it, the sense arises that “This is something someone else needs to hear.” Hear this.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Surely you know someone to which this applies. You probably are even thinking of a name right now. Is it yours?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The World</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This brief passage which includes verses 15-17 has fascinated me for a very long time. The “World” referred to here is the system in place by which the fallen world operates. It has given us greed, war, porn, exploitation, celebrity, and countless other things that are, at best, poison pills.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is based on three principles: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. These are the only three things on which it is based. These are the elements used to entice Eve in Eden. These are the same three things used to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. And these are the same three things used to draw us away and against God the Father. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is </span><span class="s2"><u>all</u></span><span class="s1"> that is in the world. Everything else we know is either one of these three dressed up in different clothes or it is the Kingdom of God. This is important information because the very deceptive spirit of Antichrist is in the world.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Antichrist</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Antichrist is to be embodied in a person who will be revealed near the end of this present world. This is usually as far as we go with our understanding about Antichrist. There is more. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Antichrist doesn’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere. The whole world has been being prepared for his unveiling for centuries. This prep has been carried out by the spirit of Antichrist which John tells us (1 John 4:3) is already in the world. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Here is what you need to know. The spirit of Antichrist works to get humans to deny the unique position of Jesus Christ as God’s Only Son who died for our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification. Any “teaching” that draws you away from this acknowledgement of Christ Jesus is founded in the spirit of Antichrist.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Children of God</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus. We need you. The world is in a desperate state. Humanity is oppressed. Creation groans. May You hear our cry and come quickly and may we be unashamed at your coming.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-21387664370415601902012-12-21T10:20:00.002-06:002012-12-21T10:20:58.386-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / Matthew 2
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<span class="s1"><b>Timing</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Intelligence, strength, talent, beauty… these are all important and useful items but they can all be trumped by timing. All of the strength in the world won’t help you to hit a baseball if your timing is off. You may be the most beautiful but that doesn’t matter if you aren’t the one standing in the waiting room when the director yells, “I need a red head, now!” You can have great intelligence but it really doesn’t take great intelligence to buy low and sell high. That takes timing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Magi and the Star</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">First of all I need to mention that the Magi did not visit the baby Jesus in the manger. It’s OK for artists to take license with this because it is true to the heart of the story; it just isn’t true historically. According to the Scripture they actually came to see the toddler in a house. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is also highly unlikely that Jesus was born on December 25</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1">. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that shepherds don’t keep their flocks out in the fields at night during winter. However, December 25</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1"> may not just be a random date and the reason goes far deeper than the claim that it simply displaced the pagan mid winter festivals. I would encourage you to see the movie <i>The Star of Bethlehem </i>or visit the website <a href="http://www.bethlehemstar.net/"><span class="s3">http://www.bethlehemstar.net/</span></a> for more information about this date.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Magi saw an event in the heavens that convinced them that a great king had been born among the Jews. They set out on a journey that required several months and were led by the star (and the prophet Micah) to where the child actually was. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Think About This</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is not an attempt to unravel the mystery of the star. (See <a href="http://www.bethlehemstar.net/"><span class="s3">http://www.bethlehemstar.net/</span></a> to do that.) But let’s just take the story at face value and consider what it means.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The universe is like a giant clock. We don’t know all of its mysteries, or likely even more than a tiny fraction of its mysteries, but there are some things we do know. We do know the physical laws which govern the movement of the starts and planets. This is what enables us to send a rocket into space on a journey requiring months or years and still we can manage to calculate exactly where it will need to be in order to arrive at the same point in the vastness of space to intersect a heavenly body moving at great speed. By these laws we can calculate where the heavenly bodies will be in the future and likewise we can determine where they were in the past.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This means that when God send His Son into the world He didn’t just go, “Oh! A star! I need a star to announce this birth. Poof! Star be!” No, actually He would have needed to make preparations a little sooner. According to the latest scientific reasoning He would have needed to plan this over 13,700,000,000 years sooner in order for the heavenly event to occur that caused the Magi to make a long dangerous journey to see the new King. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Right Time</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Paul says in Romans 5:6, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Of course. God always does things at “just the right time.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Furthermore, Jesus uses this idea several times in John’s gospel saying, “The right time foe me has not yet come.” Like Father, Like Son.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-79108651480135940602012-12-14T13:44:00.001-06:002012-12-14T13:44:36.176-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / 1 John 1
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<span class="s1"><b>First Person</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Much of the Bible is written in the first person. It is somewhat curious that in his gospel John never refers to himself directly but by the pseudonym “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. Nevertheless, there can be little doubt that he is reporting first hand. In his first epistle John seems to be referring to his earlier writings and his ministry as he shares his life. “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">John also states the reason for sharing his experiences; for sharing the gospel. “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We share the gospel because we want others to become part of the family to which we belong. This isn’t so that the family might grow stronger and our side will win. Our side is going to win regardless of who does or doesn’t join up. We want them to be with us, with the Father and Son, so that joy may increase.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>God is Light</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Noel Stookey (“Paul” of Peter, Paul, and Mary) wrote a song many years ago titled <i>The Means are the End</i>. That song has stuck with me not only because is has a catchy melody but also because it contains a great truth. In a culture where we have largely bought into the notion that in order to combat evil we may occasionally have to (in the words of Dick Chaney) “embrace the dark side”, let it be clearly stated that such a concept is unmistakably ungodly.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Read this sentence out loud: “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It is a lie to think that we overcome darkness with darkness. All that does is create more darkness. As John wrote in his gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Light is the only thing that defeats darkness.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>What, me sin?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Some people practice the delusion that once we become Christians we no longer commit sins. This is an asinine idea on too many levels to innumerate but even more importantly it is a deadly dangerous idea for three specific reasons.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b><i></i></b>“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Such an idea removes truth from our lives.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b><i></i></b>“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” Such an idea causes us to value our knowledge above God’s and causes us to be incapable of functioning in the clear light of His Word.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b><i></i></b>“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I am not trying to unravel the mystery of our salvation here. I don’t think we have to get “saved” over and over, but I do believe that to walk in righteousness requires a life of confession and cleansing. No cleansing without confession. No confession without the realization that I have sinned.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="s1">At least this has been my experience in the first person.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-27788989964244157572012-12-06T16:29:00.000-06:002012-12-06T16:29:02.506-06:00Week 49 / 2 Peter 3
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<span class="s1"><i>“God gave Noah the rainbow sign;</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>No more water but the fire next time.” </i>- Negro Spiritual</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>“By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire.”</i> - </span>2 Peter 3:6-7a</div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Fire Next Time</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We are in the first week of December, 2012. If the Mayan Calendar prognosticators are correct this is the world’s last month. This isn’t the first time that predictions of the end of the world have gained notoriety. Some such predictions have come from within the church while others have come from outside of Christendom. So far they have all been wrong.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The world as we know it will end, but we have a problem.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Problem</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We have literally lost track of how many times the prediction has been wrong. The cry, “Wolf!”, has gone out so many times that many people are numb to it. It is easy to understand why, upon hearing such dire news, the typical response tends to be, “Sure, yada yada yada yada…”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The world as we know it will end, but how can we know anything about it with so many wrong warning going forth?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>This One is Different</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Actually, it isn’t all that hard to distinguish the bogus from the genuine. The Bible consistently warns about false prophets and misleading prophecies. Peter even alerts us to the fact that people will become so numb to news of the end that they will scoff when they hear it. They will even forget the flood; an event so significant that rumors of it persist in almost every culture. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Here is a sure fire give away that an “end of the world” prediction is false: “If they set a date you may be certain that this isn’t from God.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus said that no man knows the day or hour. Peter says here that the day of the Lord will come like a thief. Jesus also said that He would return at the hour when He is least expected. I don’t know when the end will come but I now when it won’t come: 12/21/12.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The world as we know it will end, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it is a glorious thing because it will be replaced by a new heaven and new earth which, instead of being a cruel fallen world will be the home of righteousness. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">When will it happen? At the right time. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The important question isn’t “When”, “Who will be ready”.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-22344152406911984622012-11-29T16:31:00.003-06:002012-11-29T16:32:31.222-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / Hebrews 11<br />
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<span class="s1"><b>Faith</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This chapter is generally considered to be the definitive word on faith. It plainly defines faith. It gives examples of faith by introducing what many call the <i>Faith Hall of Fame</i>. It gives us insight into what faith does, and doesn’t, mean for our lives.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is a short blog so I obviously cannot go into great detail about any of this but here are some brief random observations about there three areas.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Definition</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Two brief observations here. Faith starts with hope. Hope is not some sort of inferior type of faith. It is the starting point for faith. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Faith concerns the invisible. That makes faith a very big topic indeed. Astro Physicists estimate that the visible universe makes up only about 3% of matter. This does even start to take into consideration the impact faith has on such other invisibles as love, worry, conflict, the future… etc. We are so taken with the visible world that it is easy to lose track of how very insignificant and transient the visible is compared to the invisible.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Hall of Fame</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Most of the names mentioned in this list are fairly obvious to anyone somewhat familiar with the Bible. Here are three brief observations.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Abel presented a better sacrifice by faith. What does that mean? The Bible doesn’t specifically answer this question but I have pretty good idea. On the day Adam and Eve sinned God killed an animal to give them clothes but more importantly to allow them to live. Animal sacrifice was instituted that day and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Cain and Abel must somehow have been taught this. Abel believed. Cain had a “better” idea.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Abraham was enabled to sacrifice Isaac because he believed that God could raise the dead. I have alway been attracted to Genesis 22 and the story of Abraham offering Isaac because it is such a beautiful and powerful picture of God the Father and Jesus the Son. Here the writer of Hebrews even tells us that Abraham was able to do this because he thought Isaac could be raised from the dead! This is exactly the same reason that enabled the Father to allow Jesus to be sacrificed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Rahab was a resident of Jericho and a fairly minor character in the Old Testament pantheon; yet, she is included in this list and also mentioned by James as an example of faith. At first glance what she did doesn’t seem to be very noble. Basically she committed treason against her city. Ah, but when you read why she did what she did things come into focus. This is what she said: </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1">““I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”</span></blockquote>
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<span class="s1">Everyone else in her city apparently knew the same facts she knew but she was the one whose faith led her to believe, “… the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>For Us</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">There has been a lot of “logical” but weird teaching on faith come out of the USA the last few decades. Logical? Yes, but in a carnal sort of way that is foreign to the people on this honored list.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Without faith it is impossible to please God. But what kind of faith are we talking about here? We are talking about a faith that sees the invisible. This is a faith that looks beyond this world and sees the one to come. Yes, our faith can indeed impact this present world and circumstances, but more importantly it impacts us and how we view things and live our lives. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I personally don’t trust a faith that it too focused on this world and its “things”, its stuff. The world and its stuff is not worthy of this kind of faith. The one thing all of these had in common was that regardless of the exploits they did they still did not receive the reward of their faith in this world. How could they? How can we? This world doesn’t have the capacity to fulfill the object of hope which produces godly faith. Regardless of what happens in this world, or what some would teach us to focus our faith on, we should remain mindful that the real goal can only be described as “something better”. Don’t settle for less.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-33093756225066097622012-11-21T15:42:00.003-06:002012-11-22T08:03:27.546-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / Hebrews 7<br />
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<span class="s1"><b>Miraculous</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">The Bible is such a wonderful surprising book. As most of you know the Bible is actually a collection of books written by some 40+ authors over a period of 1200+ years. Were it a single book written by a single human author it would be a marvel of intricate coordination. Since it was written over such a long period by so many different writers from such diverse backgrounds and circumstances the coordination of its themes and teachings is nothing short of miraculous. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Melchizedek</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This passage before us today brings together three separate passages from widely different streams as it talks about a little known character named Melchizedek. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Genesis 14 was written by Moses (c. 1500-1200 B.C.) and it describes Abraham’s rescue of his nephew Lot. The end of Genesis 14 tells how Abraham was met after the battle by a priest named Melchizedek. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and brought out bread and wine. Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of all that he had.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Psalm 110 was written by King David (c. 1000 B.C.). It is considered to be a psalm about the Messiah and it contains one of the most unexpected prophecies imaginable. The Lord tells Messiah that He will make Him a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Understand that Melchizedek is mentioned no where else in the Old Testament except for these two passages written some 200-500 years apart. In the interim the Priesthood of Aaron was established by the Law of Moses. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Why would David declare that Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Aaron? This is especially perplexing when you consider that Melchizedek was a very minor character (in the theatre the role would be considered a “walk on”) and a character who was not only not an Israelite but not even descended from Abraham!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Hebrews 7 unravels this mystery that was so deep it hadn’t really even been seriously considered by the teachers of the Law.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Mystery Revealed</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The answer is actually quite simple once it is explained.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Messiah could not be a priest after the order of Aaron because: </span></div>
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<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>The order of Aaron already had men serving as priests. They were all mortal and as such subject to sin and more importantly, to death. Therefore, there were regulations for succession set down for this priestly order.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>The order of Aaron served as priests for the Law of Moses which did not really have the power to cleanse from sin.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Those who served after the order of Aaron were from the tribe of Levi; however, Messiah was to come from the line of David which meant that He would be from the tribe of Judah.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="s1">Melchizedek was the perfect archetype of the priesthood of Messiah because:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>We know nothing about the origins of Melchizedek, nor about his death. Therefore, if not literally, he is certainly theoretically immortal.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Because he blessed Abraham he was actually considered to be greater than Abraham. This could not be said of Abraham’s decedents from the tribe of Abraham’s great grandson Levi.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Because he came before the Law of Moses he could also be said to supersede the Law.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="s1">Jesus is the answer to the puzzle. He was from the line of David but He was also to serve as a priest. Though His mother’s line is known He had no biological earthly father. Moreover, having been raised from the dead He lives forever. From everlasting to everlasting He is eternal. (Some actually believe that Melchizedek was in fact a pre incarnate appearance of Christ.) He Himself claimed this when the Jews sneered in John 8, “Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?… You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!” To this Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Moses wrote this seeming footnote to the rescue of Lot by his uncle Abraham. Over 200 years later David wrote a truly puzzling prophecy connecting Melchizedek to Messiah. Over 1,000 years later the writer of Hebrews explains the mystery in the light of Jesus’ life. Miraculous!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">(A note to those who claim the tithe is not for Christians. No, we are not bound by the tithe as a law; however, we are children of Abraham since he is the father of all who believe (Romans 4:16). Melchizedek is the archetype of Christ in the worship context; even going so far as to introduce the elements of the Lord’s Table in the bread and the wine. Abraham, who represented us, tithed to Melchizedek, who represented Christ. Ignore it if you want but it looks pretty plain to me.)</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-3802294933567039572012-11-17T09:46:00.000-06:002012-11-17T09:46:01.000-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / Hebrews 4
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<span class="s1">Every year on the last Sunday our church hears a sermon on the importance of reading the Word. All are encouraged to read the Bible all the way through in the coming year. The idea to promote this at least yearly (it is certainly referenced several times through out the year) started as a result of a sermon given by a high school friend of mine back in 1975. He outlined the benefits of reading the Word and challenged all present to commit to daily reading of Scripture. I responded to that challenge and the results were profound in my life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">While my friend David drew from various passages to explain the benefits of consuming the Word I believe that the twelfth verse of this chapter really encapsulates the essence of what having the Word in you will do.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1">For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="s1"><b>Living and Active</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Word of God is living. This is why I can encourage people to read it again and again. Virtually every time you read the Word something it says new, something for today. Our lives change and we are constantly at different places in our journey. The Word speaks to all of those places. It speaks to where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. When we pick up the Bible the agent of the Holy Spirit is engaged and He causes things to he highlighted and revealed that we were unable or unprepared to see on a previous reading.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Simply put, the Word never grows stale. It isn’t like watching reruns on TV.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Double Edged Sword</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">A double edged sword is a metaphor for something that cuts both ways. The Word is certainly that. It can bring great conviction or great comfort. It can bring doom or deliverance. It causes brokenness and makes whole. This is a truly dangerous book.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Therefore, it is important to not approach the Word in a presumptive mode. If you go into the Word looking for “proof texts” for your personal prejudice you will likely find something that you can bend to your bias. Many have done this and used it as justification for everything from war to slavery to greed. However, if you approach the Word with humility and allow it to speak to you the result will be to reveal your personal prejudice and banish your biases, because…</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Heart Surgery</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This sharp double edged sword penetrates. It brings division between those things that are of the spirit and those that are merely sourish. More to the point it judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. It will reveal things in my heart that are opposed to God and encourage those things that are truly righteous. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">This can be an unnerving experience at times; yet, it is an experience that we should embrace. As the next verse tells us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” We tend to think that God doesn’t see as long as we aren’t thinking about the fact that He does see. It is much better to allow the Word to judge us now than to wait and be judged when all will be revealed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This isn’t simply a judgmental exercise by any means. In fact, judgement is certain whether we read the Word or not. It is in the Word that we discover light and grace. It is here that we find out that we have a High Priest who can sympathies with our weakness. It is here that we are told about the Throne of Grace to which we can approach with confidence to find mercy and help. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Bible is a double edged sword. Use it carefully. Use it daily.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-68753614703579833332012-11-09T15:37:00.002-06:002012-11-09T15:37:21.913-06:00Fifty Two Weeks / 2 Timothy 3
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<span class="s1"><b>Are You Ready for Some Prophecy?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This chapter has always caught my attention because the Apostle Paul lays out a prediction about the future which is both bodacious and accurate. It is bodacious because it doesn’t equivocate. He lays out a clear direction in which he states the world is going and then he gives specific examples of the earmarks of that direction. It is accurate because… it is exactly right.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Evolution is a buzz word, at least in North American culture, these days. There are different types of evolution. The type that causes such a stir concerns biology and the origins of mankind. Another type of evolution, which perhaps should be even more important to Christians, is social evolution. Regardless of one’s opinion regarding human origins no one can deny that change (or evolution) is part of the human experience. This evolution must conform to one of three forms: random, upward, or downward. In other words, either things (on a macro level) are getting better or getting worse or none of the above.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Obviously there is a bit of randomness involved since clearly there are periods and places where things have gotten better and conversely where they have gotten worse, but we are talking about the general trend over centuries and over the globe in general.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Paul leaves no doubt in which direction he believes the world is headed. In spite of technological advances, in spite of almost universal education, in spite of the spread of “civilization” he gives the following description of the “last days”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="s1">Wow. I know that things vary from culture to culture but even considering such nuances this is a disarmingly accurate description of the 21</span><span class="s2"><sup>st</sup></span><span class="s1"> century on planet earth. This was written almost 2,000 years ago. If this doesn’t make you stop and think then I will have to conclude that you just don’t want to stop and think.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Are You Ready for Some Scripture?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Paul finishes this chapter with a famous pronouncement concerning the Scriptures. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="s1">The Scripture is the absolutely essential requirement in the preparation of a godly person. Yes, the Holy Spirit is also required and certainly the example of other believers can be useful, but anyone who gives short shrift to the Scriptures is at best deficient and at worst a charlatan. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Furthermore, all Scripture is God-breathed. This means that man didn’t invent it. Paul wasn’t making a clever guess when he wrote about conditions in the last days. And here is the real point: if the inspiration behind the Scriptures knew how to describe 2,000 years in the future then it just may be that everything else in this book is true as well? That’s my take anyway. </span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-49109520010403558242012-10-26T11:09:00.001-05:002012-10-26T11:09:08.527-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / Colossians 2<b>All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge</b><br /><br />Almost everyone desires wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is of little value (perhaps even anti-value) without wisdom so wisdom is the greater of the two but both are quite valuable. <br /><br />The scriptures say that “all” of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. How do we get them? No dis on school but they can’t be gotten just from school. No dis on books and study but they cannot be gotten just from books and study. The foundational essentials in getting wisdom and knowledge are to have an encouraged heart and be united with others in love.<br /><br />An encouraged heart comes from turning our focus away from the world and onto God. Being united in love requires relationship with others and not just some others that we like a whole lot. Unity in love is only words until it is tested by conflict and the opportunity for offense. Only those who have these two things are able to plumb the depths necessary to grasp all of the treasures of knowledge and wisdom to be found in Christ.<br /><br /><b>The Spin</b><br /><br />It didn’t take long for me to learn that anything, anything, and anything can be spun to make it sound right. You don’t even have to lie to perform such a spin. All you have to do is come from a different perspective.<br /><br />The world has a perspective that is literally forced on all of us from birth. It easily leads to “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world.” According to this perspective the cross was a disaster. A great teacher and innocent man was denied justice and cruelly cut down at the beginning of His promising prime. In other words, if there is a God and if Jesus was His Son then unfortunately he failed. How sad.<br /><br />The Christian perspective is that the cross (followed by the resurrection) was a total victory by which we are saved. “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”<br /><br />Which is right? It totally depends on where your perspective is coming from. If you believe the first take you are no Christian. If you believe the second take you are a Christian. If you think the truth lies somewhere in between you are simply confused.<br /><br /><b>The Big Spin</b><br /><br />Ah, but there is one other perspective - religion. <br /><br />Isn’t the Christian perspective religion? Technically, yes, but in reality it is more of a relationship than a religion. We gather to worship, not because there is a prescribed way to worship and appease our god, but because we love our God and grow deeper in Him through worship with others who love Him as well. We tithe not because it is required and will keep Him from being angry with us, but because it is a reflection of His generosity toward us and a means of breaking free from slavery to the world’s grip on our lives. <br /><br />Religion has a powerful tendency to interpose itself between us and this relationship with God. It tends to create requirements that God did not establish and that, if adhered to, deceive us into thinking that we are somehow better or more pleasing to God than those who do not follow our particular path. Beware! This is essentially the basic principles of this world dressed up in religious garb with religious makeup applied. Not only do they not draw one closer to God they also don’t have any power to shield us from the snares of the world.<br /><br /><b>And Finally</b><br /><br />Verses 20-23 are virtually inscrutable in the King James Bible which I was brought up with; otherwise, we might have taught a few things differently. When I finally read them in a version I could understand they changed my life. <br /><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.</i> (KJV) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their selfimposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. </i>(NIV)</li>
</ul>
<br />Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-37465407899941998922012-10-19T17:40:00.003-05:002012-10-19T17:40:32.370-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / Colossians 1
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<span class="s1"><b>Faith and Love from Hope</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I first became attracted to this chapter back in the mid 1970’s. There was a lot of hyper faith teaching going on then (I guess there still is) and it was not unusual to hear the word “hope” used in a derogatory manner. It was as if a Christian using the word “hope” had denied the faith. The implication was that hope was sort of an inferior brand of faith. This just didn’t sit well in my spirit. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In fact, hope and faith are two different things. Not only is hope not an inferior form of faith it happens to be the prerequisite for faith. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Obviously you can’t even have faith until you have hope. In this chapter Paul commends the church at Colossie for their faith and love which “spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven”. It is impossible to have a good healthy faith without a good healthy hope. When our hope is based on what is stored up for us in heaven then faith and love become a natural flow.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This truth first caught my attention, but there were even greater glories waiting just a few sentences later.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Christ Supreme</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Verses 15-20 comprise a wonderful pean to the marvelous supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>The very image of God.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>The Firstborn over all creation and the One through whom the universe, visible and invisible, was created.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>All creation was not only through Him but also for Him.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>He is the force that holds all things together.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>All of the fullness of God dwells in Him.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Through Him all things are reconciled to God.</span></li>
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<span class="s1">There are glories here richer than a clear night sky. There are mysteries here that cannot be explained from our frame of reference. There are beauties here beyond comprehension. One thing is clear: Christ is over all and we are justified in bringing everything into submission, not to man made church dogma, but to the true lordship of Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Christ in You</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">As breathtaking as this marvelous description of Christ is we find it followed up by something even more incomprehensible, if that were possible - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. This mystery is filled with glorious riches. In fact, “mystery” almost seems too feeble a word to describe this truth: Christ in you the hope of Glory. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now there is a hope on which to build a lasting faith.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-66643204635821631762012-10-11T11:26:00.006-05:002012-10-11T11:26:45.236-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / Philippians 2<b>Like Christ</b><br /><br />Two thousand years ago a literal revolution occurred in Western thought and culture. This wasn’t some mere change of government or puny fall of an empire. This was a massive upheaval in how millions of people looked at life and its values.<br /><br />Prior to Christ the culture of both the East and West was dominated by an Honor/Shame mentality. Regardless of any other elements in one’s life the overriding factor that made a life of value was public honor. The greatest disaster that could befall a person was public shame and humiliation. <br /><br />Christ totally stood this conventional wisdom on its head.<br /><br /><b>The Crucified God</b><br /><br />There was no greater public shame that one could endure than to be crucified on the cross. Some have likened it to being sent to the electric chair today, but that comparison isn’t even remotely close. I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say that being stripped naked and publicly displayed to die a slow torturous death where anyone and everyone was allowed and encouraged to ridicule you and add to your misery at their pleasure is the electric chair raised to the Nth power.<br /><br />Along comes Christ into this Honor/Shame society at the point on earth where Eastern and Western cultures intersect. He not only teaches and promotes humility by publicly and privately placing others first; He also dies the most humiliating death ever devised by mankind with the result that His followers consider Him to be first place above all others. Almost as stunning is the fact that for almost two thousand years cultures covering vast portions of earth’s population buy into it. <br /><br />Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:<br /> Who, being in very nature God,<br /> did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,<br /> but made himself nothing,<br /> taking the very nature of a servant,<br /> being made in human likeness.<br /> And being found in appearance as a man,<br /> he humbled himself<br /> and became obedient to death—<br /> even death on a cross!<br /> Therefore God exalted him to the highest place<br /> and gave him the name that is above every name,<br /> that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,<br /> in heaven and on earth and under the earth,<br /> and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,<br /> to the glory of God the Father.<br /><br />From our perspective we can’t really start to appreciate how absolutely revolutionary these words were and are. <br /><br /><b>Still Changed?</b><br /><br />Have these words lost their power? Has the example of Christ faded in the hearts and minds of even His followers? <br /><br />The old “me first” Honor/Shame mentality never did completely die out. Today those of us in the West are seeing a startling marginalization of the impact of Christ’s humility. While virtually all will still give lip service to this value of life very few will order their lives to conform with it. I’m not talking about extreme cases of giving all to help others. Those still happen from time to time. I’m talking about the small everyday choices we make. I’m talking about what our actions say makes a life of value. <br /><br />God was serious when He took the One who was willing to let the most go to take the station of the least and exalted Him to the highest place above all others. He is still serious about this. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”<br /><br />Jesus was also serious when He said, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-6036191944120117342012-10-05T10:17:00.002-05:002012-10-05T10:17:13.714-05:00Fifty Two Chapters / Ephesians 4
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<span class="s1"><b>A Worthy Life</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Paul starts this great chapter by encouraging us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. What does such a life look like? Just look at the nouns: humble, gentle, patient, love. It makes every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is a life rarely seen, endorsed, or promoted in the Western church. (I don’t know the Eastern church well enough to comment but hopefully they have held more closely to this scriptural injunction.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>So Who are Church Leaders and What are They For?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Much has been made of the so called “five fold ministry”: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. There is no great mystery here, no deep magic in these terms. Not everyone is called to be one of these. Some would teach otherwise but clearly these servants exist to serve a larger body and if everyone is one of these then there is no larger body left to be served.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Let me just call it like I see it. I certainly can be wrong but I firmly believe that I am right about this observation in many cases. Some place great emphasis on these “offices” because they love to be respected and admired and what better way than by having a “title”. This is just human nature, but it’s not the Holy Spirit. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Even worse are those who use these titles to prey on the human nature of others. “Come join our ministry and reach your God given potential! You too may be a prophet, or an evangelist, or…” You get the idea. In fact, the more you give the more likely you are to hold one of these “offices”. Isn’t that exciting? Like shooting fish in a barrel. If you don’t think that sine do this then you don’t believe the warnings the New Testament writers give us about the wolves that will come in among the flock.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">These are legitimate “gifts” given to the church. Those who actually are these gifts don’t have to advertise it or tell you in order for their gift to function. More importantly, they only exist for the church, not the other way around. They exist to help the church reach its goal which is first and foremost to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ: mature, unified, strong in the knowledge of Christ. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Furthermore, they are no more important than the least member because it is only as each part does its work that the fullness of Christ is attained. The “leaders” must be the servants of all or they are not pointing to and modeling Christ at all.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Not Like the World</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Paul closes this chapter with instructions about how to “no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking”. To many this means… it’s really hard to say what it means. To a few it is about a legalistic set of rules that distinguish “us” from “them”. I’ve been there and done that and I can tell you first hand that doesn’t work. (The scripture agrees on that point.) </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Yes, Paul does give some guidelines here about speaking truthfully and not stealing, and the like. They are good guidelines, but the truth is that all of us choose our favorites and ignore the ones that don’t suit us. I think the real key can be summed up by the last verse. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This sounds very much like a life “worthy of the calling we have received”. We may or may not be called to one of the ministry leadership positions in the church but we are called; we are called to live this verse. If we will live this verse we will certainly be distinguished from the world by living a life worthy of the calling we have received.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-59685287847972737512012-09-27T22:00:00.002-05:002012-09-27T22:00:25.155-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / Galatians 5
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<span class="s1"><b>Faith Expressed Through Love</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">The main thrust of Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia was the fact that they were drifting away from the gospel and following strange teaching. The teaching they were being seduced by was one of law. While it is often the case for people to be drawn way by teachings that lead to loose living and immorality it is equally possible to be led in the other direction. The big attraction with this teaching is the sense that “I’m doing something to earn God’s favor.” Compared to the cross this is a blasphemous notion and Paul reserves some of his strongest rhetoric for this error.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">He sums it up in this chapter with the pithy statement, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Love without faith is a futile exercise. Faith without love is a sham. Faith expressing itself through love is the life of Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Entire Law</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This isn’t the only place where Paul makes this point. Love totally fulfills the law. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Love is the power to obey. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to the cross because” I love the Father and do exactly whatever He tells me to do.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Love is the fulfillment of the law toward others. If you love someone you will not kill them or lie about them or steal from them. You will not be envious of them because you will rejoice in their success. You can make a list of rules and keep them without an ounce of love in your body, but to love is to completely transcend lists.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Fruit of the Spirit</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Paul speaks here about the fruit of the Spirit. This is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is resident and active in a person’s life. He mentions nine things; or does he?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. There are nine things on this list but since Greek did not have punctuation we really don’t know if there should be a comma or a colon after the word “love”. I believe it should be a colon and here is why. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1 Corinthians 13 is the famous chapter on love. In verses 4-7 Paul describes love and an examination of that description shows that it compares closely with these eight qualities listed after “love” in Galatians 5. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions joy. 1 Corinthians 13 says “love rejoices in the truth.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions peace. 1 Corinthians 13 says love is not easily angered.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions patience. 1 Corinthians 13 says love is patient.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions kindness. 1 Corinthians 13 says love is kind and not rude.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions goodness. 1 Corinthians 13 says love does not delight in evil.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions faithfulness. 1 Corinthians 13 says love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions gentleness (humility). 1 Corinthians 13 says love is not boastful or proud.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Galatians 5 mentions self control. Since every quality mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 is a choice rather than an emotion it is easy to see that love requires self control.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Faith expressed through love. The law fulfilled through love. The fruit of the Spirit is love. This is the true Christian life.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-54398839741446730812012-09-21T00:07:00.002-05:002012-09-21T00:07:58.451-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / 1 Corinthians 15
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<span class="s1"><b>First Importance</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Everything God has to say to us is important. There are some situations when some words are particularly important for that day and the Holy Spirit will magnify those words for us on those occasions if we will allow Him to. Still, not all doctrine is created equal. The Gospel trumps the Law; not because the Law is no longer relevant but because the Gospel is the fulfillment of the Law. Concerning the Gospel the following trumps everything else: Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. Other things are important but this is of first importance.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Resurrection</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Everything hinges on the resurrection. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Christ’s resurrection sets Christianity apart from all other belief systems. This is simply the most audacious claim ever made. This is the most important claim ever made. This is the claim on which everything rises or falls in our faith. If Christ was not raised then nothing else He did or taught, or that His followers did or taught, matters. If Christ was not raised from the dead the discussion is over and we should just rock out because we are all only going to be worm food anyway. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">But Christ was raised from the dead. He physically appeared to many witnesses. These witnesses conformed their lives to this truth and ultimately gave their lives for this truth. This wasn’t a difficult decision for them because they knew that since Christ had been raised from the dead that meant that we too would be raised from the dead! Life doesn’t end here. In fact, for those who put their faith in christ life is eternal. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>So How Does This Work?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This chapter reveals some wonderful insights into the resurrection.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Our present bodies are merely like a seed. We really can’t imagine what we will be like in the resurrection. You can’t look at a grain of corn and imagine a corn stalk unless you had already seen one. Likewise you can’t look at an acorn and picture an oak or a grain of wheat and conceive of a tall green stalk of wheat. In the same way we really can’t imagine what the resurrection body will be like, but we do know four things about it.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>It is imperishable. Our present bodies are perishable indeed. We can work out and diet and spend money of cosmetic surgery but we cannot stop the perishing process. This will not be an issue with the resurrected body. That body will never diminish.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>It is glorious. No matter how beautiful or athletic or talented we are in these bodies there are still things and times when we are, quite frankly, just a bit disgusting. Even the grandest bodies among us are subject to dishonor. The resurrection body is something else, something glorious.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>It is powerful. Pump iron all you want, ounce for ounce you will still never come remotely close to being as strong as an ant. At our very best we are still relatively puny. The resurrection body is not weak, but powerful.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>It is spiritual. We tend to think of the spiritual as being somewhat flimsy, wispy, and insubstantial. In fact just the opposite is true. The material world is made up of atoms. Every atom is made up of a nucleus with electrons zooming around it. Different atoms have different configurations; however, all atoms have one thing in common - they are mostly made up of empty space. Everything you see in the material world is insubstantial. The invisible (to us) spiritual world is the solid, lasting, and real.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom because it isn’t substantial enough for the Kingdom. But the day is coming when the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. On that day there will be the glorious taunt, “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-61037616390126562012012-09-15T11:41:00.000-05:002012-09-15T11:41:00.905-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / 1 Corinthians 13
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<span class="s1">This is probably the most widely known and loved complete chapter in the New Testament. It likely rivals Psalm 23 for the most popular chapter in all of Scripture.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>What is Love?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">If you are familiar with this chapter at all you know that verses 4-7 contain the ultimate definition of God’s love. The Greek word here is “agape” and it was basically adopted by the New Testament writers to describe the love which God has for us and which He intends to flow through us. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I won’t go into these defining characteristics here because you are likely familiar with them already; however, I do want to point out that each of the terms or phrases used to describe love is a choice. There isn’t an emotion in the entire group. Therefore this has nothing to do with how we feel and everything to do with what we choose. Anyone can make these choices, though in truth they can only become reality in our lives as we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>What Compares to Love?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Nothing. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In a day where “faith” is touted as such a wonderful and powerful elements in the Christian life it is important to remember that without love faith is: nothing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In a day where the gifts of utterance, tongues and prophecy, are esteemed highly by many it is important to remember that without love these things are: nothing.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Even for those who strive to serve others giving away their resources and their very selves it is important to remember that without love we have gained: nothing. (This may seem impossible but consider that at times we are motivated by a desire to win the admiration of others by touting what we do, or we may even be motivated by that warm glow received by condescending to the “little people” below us. This isn’t love.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Nothing often looks like something in the eyes of man, but in the eyes of God nothing is: zip, zero, nada.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>What Can Love Do?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Anything.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Love never fails. There are times when it looks as if love has failed. The greatest example of this (in every way) is the cross.</span><span class="s1"> The cross was the greatest victory in all of time and space. It was also the greatest act of love in all of time and space. That is no coincidence. That is an immutable law. Love never fails. </span><span class="s1">Always remember that love </span><span class="s2">never</span><span class="s1"> fails. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Love is greater than faith and love is greater than hope. The fruit of the Spirit is love. The mark of a disciple is love. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">God is love.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Did I mention that love never fails? (Just checking to be sure we are paying attention.)</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-8346052466722471622012-09-07T11:19:00.001-05:002012-09-07T11:19:32.268-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / 1 Corinthians 12
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Fundamental Church Stuff</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">As a pastor I find the books of 1 & 2 Corinthians to be essential in understanding the workings of the local church. The chapter before us is one of the most fundamental of these essential chapters.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Part One</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The first half of this chapters deals with the gifts and activity of the Spirit in a body of believers. I know that there are theories that try to explain away the miraculous activity of the Holy Spirit in our day but frankly these notions are both ridiculous and dangerous. They are ridiculous because they are based ion some of the most tortured interpretations of scripture imaginable. They are dangerous because they assume that we no longer need the activity of the Holy Spirit in the church. In fact, without the activity of the Holy Spirit there is no church regardless of what you call your organization.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Here are a few observations regarding these spiritual gifts.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>They do not belong to the believer. They belong to the Holy Spirit and He distributes them as He sees fit.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>They are for the common good. This presupposes a community rather than an individual activity. The only exception to this would be to consider cases where the individual being strengthened leads to more effective service to others.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>The difference between “wisdom” and “knowledge” is easily explained.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Knowledge is knowing a fact you did not know before.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Wisdom is knowing what to do or how to correctly interpret information.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>All of these gifts are supernatural. Therefore, the gift of “tongues” isn’t the same as “Fun With Spanish” or buying a copy of Rosetta Stone.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Part Two</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The second half of the chapter is about the body of Christ which is a term used to describe the Church; both the Church Catholic and the local assembly of believers.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Here are some observations about the body of Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>We are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. This is not to dismiss the importance of water baptism (which many believe is the point at which baptism into the Boys takes place) but we must be mindful that while man can perform outward rituals only the Holy Spirt can truly place us in Christ.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>No one person, or particular group, has it all. Without the beautiful fruit of humility in our lives we are all subject to the outlandish deception that we always know what is best and our way is the best way. Even a cursory reading of this chapter blows that notion to smithereens. </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<ul>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Regardless of what part of the body you may be you are still a part of the body. You belong and are needed.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>No part of the body can say to another, “I don’t need you.” We are often tempted to think that the body would be better off without certain members or groups but such thinking is wrong.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>Those parts that seem weaker or less important are actually of vital importance. What are these parts? Children? A church doesn’t last long without them. Women? There are many who would consign women to a second class status in the church but I promise that a church could exist longer without men than without women. The poor? Without them a church would quickly degenerate into an elitist social institution. Unfortunately, there are many examples of this.</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b>We are all connected. I may not agree with the theological nuances and methods of a certain group of believers but if they fall and hurt I fall and hurt whether I know it or not. If they succeed then I succeed whether I know it or not. I understand that there is certainly a line that once passed over denotes such apostasy as to no longer be considered a part of the body, but that line is not nearly so easily reached as we often assume.</span></li>
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<span class="s1">This is fundamental stuff for life in the body of Christ. It is essential information for pastors but valuable meditation for all believers.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-67018212056879453202012-08-31T11:15:00.001-05:002012-08-31T11:15:28.498-05:00Fifty Two Chapters / Romans 14<br />
<b>Life Changing</b><br />
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This chapter is one that will literally change the life of anyone who actually “gets it”. I know it changed mine.<br />
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I grew up in a setting where a lot of things were taboo. Obviously alcohol and tobacco were on the list. Make up and ear rings (for women) were also excluded as were women’s pants. Mixed bathing (going swimming with someone of the opposite sex who wasn’t an immediately family member) was off limits. Movies and many sporting events and for sure dances were no go. There were other things but these were the highlights.<br />
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The other side of the coin contained a number of things that were considered to be acceptable. Racism was not only accepted but usually applauded. (This wasn’t just about blacks but extended to almost all non European groups and ironically, especially Jews.) Gluttony was generally celebrated. Judging others was elevated from a mere pastime to an art form. I was in my 20’s before even suspecting that a Roman Catholic could possibly be saved and well into my teens before any Baptists were allowed into the family of the Faith.<br />
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The Holy Spirit had already set me bumbling and stumbling along the path to enlightenment which finally prepared my heart to actually read a chapter I had “read” many times before; Romans 14. The whole chapter is powerful but what blew me away was verse 4: “Who 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.”<br />
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Wow! Not only is it not my job to determine who is pleasing to the Lord and who isn’t, I am really and truly commanded to steer clear of assuming that position. I knew this already, I really did but I guess I thought Jesus was joking when He said, “Don’t judge unless you want to be judged… It’s easier to see the speck in your brother’s eye than to see the plank in your own eye.”<br />
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I have no trouble believing that Adam and Eve are real historical characters or that Jonah was indeed swallowed by a great fish, but “Don’t judge”? Surely we aren’t supposed to take that literally! But then again, maybe we are?<br />
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<b>Things vs People</b><br />
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Paul’s main point here is that people matter more than things. What you eat and drink, what you think about the proper way to worship, or whether or not you observe and celebrate certain special days: all of these are nothing but things.<br />
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Obviously there are certain actions that are contrary to God’s Word: murder, adultery, theft, dissension (oops, sorry about that), idolatry, and so forth. The point is that there are a lot more grey areas than like to acknowledge. Furthermore, even with those who are caught in the not grey areas our default position is supposed to be mercy, not judgement. Why? Because that is what we want for ourselves and those we love. (Those last four words were strong. You might want to read them again.)<br />
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There is only one person whose actions I can control and that person is me. So, here are the take aways:<br />
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<ul>
<li>If I know something I do is going to create problems entering the kingdom for the person I’m with I don’t do that thing when I’m with them. (This is not hypocrisy, this is love.)</li>
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<li>If I believe a person is doing something that will prevent them from entering the kingdom, but it is a questionable matter (anything that is merely my opinion) it is not an issue between us.</li>
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<li>If I know someone is doing something that will keep them out of the kingdom (anything clearly specified by God’s Word) I should warn them but not judge them. </li>
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<b>Two Valuable Definitions </b><br />
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This chapter also gives us two extremely valuable definitions for kingdom life.<br />
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What is the “Kingdom of God”?<br />
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The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.<br />
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How do I know when a grey area is sin?<br />
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“Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”<br />
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You can only know for you.<br />
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-16743314120064581252012-08-24T10:49:00.002-05:002012-08-24T10:49:47.296-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / Romans 8
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<span class="s1"><b>Centennial Park 1975</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I made an adult decision to follow Christ in the early Spring of 1975. At that time my life was a mess. I wasn’t involved with a criminal crowd but I was involved with a godless crowd. Most of my friends were in the Nashville theatre community and after deciding to follow Christ I felt it was imperative that I get out of that environment. God had other plans.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One of my best friends in the theatre was C. B. Anderson. He was a fine actor and director but we were a bad influence on each other. When I told C.B. That I was leaving the theatre he pulled a fast one on me and gave his life to Christ. C.B., his wife, and three sons all came to the Lord. Suddenly instead of spending our spare time in questionable pursuits we now begin to spend time reading the Bible together.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I will never forget that day in the summer of 1975 when we sat down in Centennial Park in Nashville and decided to read the book of Romans out loud to each other. C.B. Would read a chapter and then I would read a chapter. After he read the first chapter I was disappointed because it was so good I was sure I should have taken the odds instead of the evens. By the end of the seventh chapter all that had faded away as we were both overwhelmed by all of the chapters. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Then came chapter eight.</b> </span></div>
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<span class="s1">If God was watching (and of course He was) He must have smiled as we came upon some of the most magnificent prose ever written. I could delve into some of the take aways from this chapter but I honestly don’t know where to begin. This chapter could easily fill a lengthy book so virtually anything I could add in a mere blog post would seem quite feeble. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Do this. Read this chapter out loud. Read it like you mean it. Read it like you really believe it. Prepare to be overwhelmed, for…</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you… Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ… I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us… And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Read it out LOUD.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-2399941917281370492012-08-17T14:28:00.001-05:002012-08-17T14:28:20.057-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 21
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<b>Gone Fishin’</b></div>
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<span class="s1">I love how genuine this chapter feels. The action here takes place sometime in the first six weeks or so after Jesus was raised from the dead. The disciples have seen Jesus raised from the dead. They saw him in the flesh and even ate with him. So, what do they do now?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus appeared to his disciples within the first 10 days or so after the resurrection. Perhaps three or four weeks at now gone by. Sure, He rose from the dead but now things were getting a little tedious. So, Simon Peter does what comes naturally he decides to go fishing. Six other disciples sign on as well and off they go.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus appears to them standing on the shore after they have fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus tells them where the fish to be caught. This is where the genuine feeling of this chapter really kicks in the high gear.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">First of all the rider says that they did not recognize Jesus. This is very curious. If I were making up a story I would leave this part out. To me this admission says that this story was not made up but actually happened. I don’t know why they didn’t recognize Jesus. Perhaps he appeared in a different form looking like someone else? It does make sense to me in a poetic way because we frequently see Jesus and fail to recognize him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once John realizes that it is Jesus he tells Peter. Peter puts on his coat and jumps in the water to swim to shore. I don’t think I would put on my coat to go swimming. But it sounds very genuine in the context of someone who was extremely excited about news they had just heard.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The boat was about 100 yards from shore. The number of fish in the catch was 153. The nets were not torn. All of these details add up to something that has the taste of reality about it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Do You Love Me</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In this chapter we have the famous occasion where Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” We can’t help but see the similarity between this and the three times that Jesus denied Peter. We need to understand that Peter did not need to proclaim his love for Jesus three times in order to make up for having denied Jesus three times. This was not about penitence. Peter was already completely forgiven and completely reconciled. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I believe Jesus asked Peter this question three times for Peter’s benefit. By the third time Peter answered part of his answer included an admission that Peter and his own strength was not perfect. On the night that Peter denied Jesus he had confidently declared that he would never deny Jesus that he would even be willing to die before he would deny Jesus. Jesus had told Peter after that confident declaration that he would in fact deny Him that very night. Now Peter humbly acknowledges that Jesus alone knows what is really in Peter’s heart.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Feed My Sheep</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus gives Peter a command by which Peter can prove his love. “Feed my sheep.” Our love for Jesus is not proven by how sincerely we sing, or how long we pray, or how dedicated we are building up an institution. Our love for Jesus is only proved by how well we take care of those he cares about.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>What About Him</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus informs Peter of the way that he is going to die. Peter had earlier said that he would lay down his life for Jesus so I suppose you could consider this encouraging now that Jesus is telling him that in fact this what he will do.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Peter sees John following behind them and asks, “What about him?” Jesus answers, “That’s not really any of your business. You can only take care of what has been given to you.” In fact Jesus said, “If I don’t ever want him to die that has nothing to do with your destiny.” What wonderful tremendous wisdom is included in that reply.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Of course, people being what they are, this reply started a rumor that John would never die. How silly we are. Jesus didn’t say that John would never die and it is clear from this that John was under no illusions that Jesus had to return in his lifetime.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">He may return in my lifetime or he may not. But when he does return my prayer is for two things: I want to be found faithful in feeding his sheep and I want to recognize him.</span></div>
Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-83442071000355253442012-08-10T14:53:00.001-05:002012-08-10T14:53:16.572-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 17<br />
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<span class="s1"><b>The Lord’s Prayer</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The “Our Father” is the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. John 17 is the true Lords prayer. This is by far the longest of Jesus’ prayers that we have on record. This is also the prayer He prayed on the night in which he was betrayed. Since the Holy Spirit saw fit to leave the record of this important prayer we can assume there’s some very significant information in here for us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Because this is only a blog I am going to pull just three nuggets from this goldmine and examine them.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Eternal Life</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When I was a child I used to wonder about eternal life. I would sit in the back seat of my parents car on long trips and try to imagine what eternal life might be like. The best I could do was to simply muse the words, “live forever never stop never stop never stop.” As a child that seemed like a pretty good alternative to death. Now that I am an adult and have seen the misery and tragedy the strike so many peoples lives I understand that death sometimes appears to be a friend. I can see that the notion of eternal life being simply an unending continuation of this life may not always be an attractive idea.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So why is eternal life supposed to be such an alluring concept? </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Eternal life does contain the concept of being without him but it is so much more than that. The essence of eternal life is to know God. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">If you have ever been in love with someone who was also in love with you then you know the magnificent joy of life when that person is around. Now, imagine that that person is God. Imagine that that excitement and joy grows richer and sweeter over time instead of diminishing. Imagine that you will never have to be separated, it will never have to stop. Now, you are starting to imagine eternal life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Word</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A few weeks ago we looked at Chapter one of John’s Gospel. “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…” it was always explained to me that the Bible is the written Word of God and Jesus is the living Word of God. Of course this is a deep ministry, but at the very least we can assume that what would be true about the written Word would generally also be true about the living Word.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One example of this would be Psalm 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” This isn’t the only passage that refers to the written word in terms of being light but it is one of the most famous passages to that effect. Therefore we should not find it surprising to hear the living Word say in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">One of my favorite passages about the written word is found in Isaiah 55:11, My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” I can’t help but think of this passage every time I read Jesus’ prayer and hear him say, “I have finished the work you gave me to do.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Unity</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In four different verses (11& 21-23) Jesus prays for our unity. He mentions unity among the believers more than anything else in this prayer.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I called unity the forgotten Christian imperative. We live in such a divided polarized society that unity is frequently despised much less considered to be a worthy virtue in and of itself. Of course we cannot sacrifice the core doctrines of our faith for the purpose of unity; light and darkness cannot walk together. However, too frequently we elevate doctrinal nuances and even things so trivial as political positions to the place of being the boundary lines which define our unity. These things are of substantially less importance than unity itself.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus had good reason to pray for our unity. He believed that if we walked in true unity the world would know that He had been sent by God and that God loved them. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone knew those two things in their heart of hearts.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus Christ alone is the boundary line to define our unity, the rallying point around which are unity must be built. If we will do this then we will know Him and the world will know Him. And the result will be Eternal Life.</span></div>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-50949227133792817242012-08-04T12:32:00.004-05:002012-08-04T12:32:53.559-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 13<br />
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<span class="s1">Chapter 13 of John initiates of five Chapter set that is one of the most remarkable in all of Scripture. These five chapters contain an in-depth account of the time that Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room on the night that He was betrayed. This was now crunch time. What Jesus said and what Jesus did were the things that he considered to be the most important to leave with His disciples.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Servant</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first thing Jesus did was absolutely stunning. He washed his disciples’ feet. While this was instructive and symbolic it was also a literal task that needed to be done. It was usually done by the lowest servant.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What prompted Jesus to take the place of the lowest servant was the knowledge that he rightfully had the place of the highest power. This is totally contrary to the way the world thinks and unfortunately to the way that much of the church thinks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Those leaders who feel that they </span><span class="s2">must</span><span class="s1"> be served in that manual work is beneath them are the ones who in their heart feel like a usurper. They must be served so that everyone will know that they are in charge. Jesus could serve because he knew he was in charge. A man can only receive that which is given to him from above. God had placed all things under Jesus power therefore He had nothing to prove and was free to serve.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We would do well to know that Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Religious Extremism</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Simon Peter was always want to take things to extremes. Sometimes this worked out well but as a general rule it is not the right approach for a disciple to take.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">At first Peter refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. This represents the extreme which says, “God helps those who help themselves.” Why should we let God or make God do something for us that we can do for ourselves? Of course the fallacy of this kind of thinking is that it assumes we are capable of doing anything for ourselves. Jesus had said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Now Jesus is saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We should be willing servants, willing workers, but we need to understand that it is not our job to decide what needs to be done or how it should be done. It is our job to simply obey and if he says, “Sit and watch me work,” then it is our job to sit and watch Him work.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Next Peter goes to the other extreme. “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” This represents the attitude that if it is a good thing to sit and soak a little then it must be a better thing to sit and soak a lot. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. God rarely paints our lives with only one color. Our lives are made up of seasons and as we give our lives to God we give Him control over those seasons. Just because we know that something is a good thing, or even a great thing, doesn’t mean that it is always the best thing or even the right thing every time.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The New Commandment</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The old commandment was to “love your neighbor as yourself”. The problem with this command was twofold. It left open to interpretation the term “neighbor”. It also encountered the frequent problem of people who don’t actually even love themselves.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This new command trumps the old command by resolving both of these issues. The term “neighbor” was now changed to “one another”. “One another” is very easy to understand. If someone isn’t you then they are another.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I no longer am to love another the way I love myself. Now I am to love the way that Christ loved me. Big difference here. There was no limit to Christ’s love. No boundaries. No qualifications. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This is the new commandment and this is the only bona fide mark of a true disciple of Christ.</span></div>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-89876798560966764202012-07-27T11:49:00.001-05:002012-07-27T11:49:11.521-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 6<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The 5000</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There are only two miracles that are recorded in all four Gospels. One of them is the resurrection. The other is the Feeding of the 5000. We all know how important the resurrection is so that puts the Feeding of the 5000 in pretty select company.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">While all four Gospels mentioned the Feeding of the 5000 Gospel of John gives us by far the most information. The additional information John gives us mostly concerns the aftermath of this miracle. That is where we are going to focus as well.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Man Who Would Not be King?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first thing we notice is that Jesus withdrew from the crowd because they were going to come and make him a king by force. Although Jesus certainly was, and is, a king there are several things wrong with this notion of the people making Jesus their king. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We live in a democracy and are indoctrinated with the idea that the right to govern comes from the consent of those being governed. But this contradicts what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that all authority comes from God and that he raises up those who he is pleased to raise up. People they cast their votes but it is God who makes the selection. This does not mean that all rulers are godly or that they are righteous. This is simply an acknowledgment that all authority comes from God.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">There were three problems with the concept of the people making Jesus their king at this time. First, they did not understand what kind of King Jesus was our what it meant to have Jesus as their king. Secondly, if the people have the authority to make Jesus their king then they also would have the authority to reject him as king at anytime. Finally, it was simply not yet time for Jesus to be revealed as king.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus understood all of this but of course the people did not. All of this is evidenced by the extensive dialogue that John gives us between Jesus and people which took place on the day following this great miracle.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The Bread of Life</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">With the people found Jesus he told them that the only reason they were looking for him was because he had given them food. They were only seeking material things. They asked him how to do the work that God requires and Jesus gave them the Gospel, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Next the people asked one of the most ridiculous questions and all of Scripture, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?” The reason they were there was because Jesus instead over 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet here they are asking him to do a miracle. They even had a suggestion concerning what kind of miracle Jesus might too. Moses had fed people in the wilderness. Perhaps Jesus could do something like that? Of course Jesus had already done that and now it was time to move on.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus declared himself to be the true Bread that came down from heaven which a man making and never die. He pointed out that even though Moses had given bread to their forefathers all of them have died. This was something greater than Moses. This was bread that a man or woman could eat and never die.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Transubstantiation?</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus words about “eating his flesh and drinking his blood” we’re greatly misunderstood by the crowd of people that day. These words are still misunderstood by many to this very day. The fact that Jesus was speaking in a metaphorical sense and not a literal sense is born out by his words in verse 63 where he said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus was speaking in metaphorical terms because that was a spiritual dimension that most of this crowd were missing. He knew that as long as there are lines and their hearts were focused on material things they would not be able to accept the much higher spiritual things that he had come to bring. This is still true today. Christianity is a revealed faith. This is why Jesus repeated the remarkable words that he had said earlier that no one can come to him unless the father had enabled them. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">One does not become a Christian by anything so literal as participation in a particular ritual, even a sacred one. Being a Christian is simply about believing in Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent. This is the work that God requires. Those who are looking simply with the carnal mind will not stay. Those who follow Christ are those who realize that He alone has the words of eternal life.</span></div>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-32353092094174306122012-07-20T15:40:00.000-05:002012-07-20T15:40:17.075-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 4<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There is so much in this chapter that one could easily do a lengthy essay; however, this is a mere blog so I will just cover one aspect. First, some background.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The Samaritans</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Who are these Samaritans the Jews seemed to look down on so much? </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Shortly after king Solomon died the nation of Israel became divided. The real reason for this was Solomon’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. The Lord raised up enemies against Solomon and promised to tear ten tribes away from the House of David. This was accomplished because of the arrogance of Solomon’s successor Rehoboam in Judah and the leadership of Solomon’s enemy Jeroboam in the North. Ten tribes went with Jeroboam and only Judah and Benjamin stayed under the rule of David’s line. Thereafter the Northern Kingdom was known as Israel while the Southern Kingdom was called Judah. (Hence the term “Jews”.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Northern Kingdom of Israel went through several dynasties and lasted a little over 200 years before it was conquered and its people deported by the Assyrians. After the deportation people from other conquered areas were transferred to Israel by the Assyrians. These people brought their own gods and forms of worship; however, after a brief time the Lord sent wild animals among the people and they sought out information about how to worship the Lord in order to appease the “god of the land”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">There never was an official “return” of these deported Israelites and thus the idea of there being 10 “lost” tribes was born. When the people of Judah were deported 100 years later by the Babylonians they stayed and captivity some 70 years. After these 70 years were past the people of Judah were officially allowed to return to the land though the records indicate that only a small portion of them chose to do so. When the Jews returned to Judah the people of the North, some of whom were doubtless Israelites returned from the Assyrian captivity, tried to mingle with the returning Jews but the predominate attitude of those in Judah was to have nothing to do with those of the Samaritans and their mongrel worship practices.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Over 500 years had now passed and these attitudes had now hardened in racial prejudice on both sides; a prejudice that Jesus apparently did not share. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>If You Meet a Prophet</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Let’s skip to where Jesus tells the woman that He knows she has had 5 husbands and the guy she is currently living with is not her husband. This pretty much blows the woman away. How can this guy know these things? (We know it was a word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit.) She concludes that Jesus must be a prophet, and while this wasn’t a full revelation of who He was it was correct in as far it went.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What would you do if you met a prophet, a real prophet. I’m not just talking about someone who had business cards made up advertising himself as a prophet, or a star of a “Prophet” TV show, but a genuine this-man-literally-speaks-for-God prophet? It is very likely that what most people would do is not too far off of what this woman actually did. Let’s argue religion.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">“Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” One of the major points of contention after the kingdom split was where to worship. Jeroboam was afraid that he would lose the people if he allowed them to go to Jerusalem to worship so he set up two major places of worship. One was nearby and the woman was essentially challenging Jesus over this point.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus took the conversation in a completely different direction with His answer. “Woman, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>What This Answer Means</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Jews were right about Jerusalem being where they should worship. They were also right about not mixing religions. Salvation is from the Jews and it was important that they remain as faithful as possible to the Lord, the One True God. However, they had gotten off track, as we so often do. They had taken these things and made them about racial issues and divisions that created isolation and exclusiveness. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">God’s commands concerning intermarriage had never really been about race. The only people He specifically forbid the Jews to intermarry with were the Canaanites and then He made it clear that the reason was because they would be drawn away to worship the gods of that land. Even then there were exceptions as evidenced by Ruth from Moab and Rehab from Jericho both being in the lineage of the Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus’ answer transcended the woman’s somewhat petty question. It isn’t about which race is best or who has the most pure doctrine (as important as doctrine may be). God is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>What This Answer Did</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Unburdened by the constraints of race, class, and religion a wonderful thing happened to this woman. She saw Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus’ answer immediately turned her thoughts to the Messiah who was to come. Once Jesus saw she was there He knew she was ready. Apart from His disciples this woman is the only person we have recorded to whom Jesus identified Himself as Messiah the Christ. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">She not only believed but she shared Him with others. There didn’t seem to be a lot of woo-woo going on here but the power behind her testimony was such that essentially the entire village came to believe in Jesus. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And the lesson is? If we were less concerned about being right and more focused on revealing Christ more people would see Him and be won. What a concept!</span></div>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-48823247595794980122012-07-12T17:46:00.003-05:002012-07-12T17:46:52.058-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 3<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This chapter contains the most famous verse in the New Testament; however, it contains a lot more as well. The first part of this chapter is actually set in the context of a dialogue between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Born Again</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Nicodemus was a great rarity: a religious leader with a vested position who was willing to see beyond the system that supported his position. He came to Jesus and declared that surely he knew Jesus was sent from God because of the miracles He performed. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus’ reply was shocking on several levels. “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” OK, “born again” is a striking term in itself, but the really striking part here is that instead of Jesus embracing the endorsement of this religious leader He instead informs Nicodemus that seeing miracles isn’t evidence of God’s approval. In order to really understand (see) the Kingdom one has to be something called “born again”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Nicodemus is taken aback. What nonsense is this? Being born again is a physical impossibility. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Exactly. Jesus isn’t talking about something physical. He is talking about something spiritual. You have to be born of both water and the Spirit. In the natural we are born of water as we live our first nine months in an aquatic state. When we come into the kingdom that requires a spiritual birth. Jesus also gives one of the fundamental principles of scripture here by saying, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The Golden Verses</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">John 3:16 is often called the Golden Verse of the Bible. Indeed, if it were all you knew about God it would be enough to save you. But all of these verses are quite rich.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">(John 3:14-17) <i>Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Jesus references the incident in the wilderness where Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole. Everyone who had been bitten by the plague of snakes and had the faith to just look at the bronze serpent was healed. Ridiculous? Yes. But also supremely simple and powerful. It was the prototype for how the Gospel works.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Gospel is very simply that God loves us. God gave His Son for us. If we will believe in His Son we will never die. Ridiculous? Yes. But also supremely simple and powerful.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus did not come to condemn us. It wasn’t as if we were going to be OK if only He hadn’t come. We were (are) already condemned. Jesus came so that we would not have to suffer the results of condemnation; He came so we could live forever and live on a higher plane.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>John the Baptist</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the second half of the chapter it is John the Baptist’s turn to shine. John’s disciples have gotten into an argument with an unnamed person about the need for ceremonial cleansing. Obviously this person had heard that salvation was now available through faith in Jesus and didn’t appreciate the need for the rituals as much as John’s disciples. They came complaining to John about this. “You endorsed this guy and now he is teaching this weird stuff and stealing your following!”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">John’s disciples were looking at things in a very logical worldly manner. John could see a bit better than that. He utters a remarkable reply and here are three points from his words.</span></div>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b><i>“A person can receive only what is given from heaven.”</i> Wow! Some are called to what seems to be much. Some are called to what seems to be little. The important thing to remember is that unless God gives it to you you won’t be able to keep it and even as you keep it you must remember that it is His and not yours</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b><i>“He must become greater; I must become less.”</i> I don’t even know what to add to that. No wonder Jesus said, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.”</span></li>
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<li class="li1"><span class="s1"><b></b><i>“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”</i> So, John understood the Gospel also. </span></li>
</ul>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5049202422295425689.post-88102339892237445992012-07-06T11:13:00.001-05:002012-07-06T11:13:22.553-05:00Fifty Two Weeks / John 1<br />
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<span class="s1">Over the next seven weeks it should become apparent that John is my favorite book in the Bible.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Word</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first eighteen verses of this chapter comprise a brief essay concerning “The Word”. The actual Greek word used here is Logos. The literal translation would be “discourse”, “reason”, or “wisdom”. It is the principle and force that created the material universe. The first chapter of Genesis informs us that the creation came into being when God spoke. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The idea that Jesus the Son is the expression of God the Father is reinforced often in the New Testament. Just how this all fits together in terms of divinity is a deep mystery hidden in eternity. Some try to dissect it but from our finite perspective I consider that a misguided enterprise. I find a comment C. S. Lewis made concerning this issue to be very useful. He said, in effect, “If you can imagine God with nothing to say then you can imagine the Father without the Son.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Entire books can be written on this brief essay, so I will restrain myself to one observation. The Word made us and came to us; yet, we did not recognize Him. When we do recognize Him and acknowledge who He really is something miraculous happens. We become God’s children. This is not to say that we become children by virtue of any of the natural material ways that children are brought forth. We become His children, His real children, His family. This happens solely because we recognize the Word. This is the gospel of Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Baptist and the Lamb</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">John the Baptist is one of the truly great men of Scripture. His greatness lies partly in his calling but the real fulfillment of his calling required a level of humility rarely seen. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">His rise to fame was meteoric to say the least. He simply came preaching repentance and baptizing with water and people seemed to stream to him from all around. Few would be able to resist the temptation to read their own press clippings and thus be drawn off track. John was one of the few. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">When the Jews asked him who he was they made some very flattering suggestions. The Christ? Elijah? The Prophet (about whom Moses spoke)? John did not take the bait. His answer was that he was simply a voice. The One they were looking for was coming after him and John wasn’t even worthy to untie His sandals.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">John the Baptist was the first to refer to Christ as the Lamb of God. What a magnificent revelation! This could only mean one thing: Christ was to be a sacrifice. No one was looking for Messiah to be a sacrifice, but John knew. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Clearly John did not figure this out on his own. He knew this the same way he was enabled to recognize the Messiah. The Holy Spirit showed him. John said, “I would not have know Him except that the Spirit came down and rested upon Him, and that was the sign I was told to look for.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>The Disciples</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">It seems that Jesus’ first disciples were John (the apostle) and Andrew. Furthermore, they were apparently disciples of John the Baptist whom he freely pointed in the direction of Jesus. “He’s the One you are really looking for.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Andrew is often called the first evangelist because it is recorded that he went and recruited his brother Simon. (For obvious reasons I prefer to think of John the Baptist as the first evangelist.) When Simon came to Jesus he was met with a prophecy. “You are simon (a reed) but you will be called Cephas (also Peter, meaning a rock).” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Philip was next. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Philip followed Him but he also went and got his friend Nathanael who uttered that famous line, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I have to smile every time I read about Jesus first encounter with Nathanael. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Perhaps there was nothing false in Nathanael but there was also not too much humility. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus tells Nathanael that he saw him under his fig tree when Philip went to him. This blows Nathanael away and he immediately declares that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel. Apparently Peter wasn’t the only impetuous one among the twelve. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The chapter closes with Jesus telling Nathaniel that seeing him under the fig tree was no big deal. Just wait. You are getting ready to see some real stuff in the very near future. True that!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>Ronniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109032209776256885noreply@blogger.com0