I just heard an awesome sermon on the topic of "Who is Jesus Christ"; I even got to be the opening act(I read the Scripture from Mark 8: 34-38 which was the text).
Basically, our youth minister asked three question as related to the passage. They were:
1) Who do men(others) say that I(Jesus Christ) am?
2) Who do you(listeners-in this instance, his disciples) say that I(Jesus Christ) am?
3) Who do you(finger pointing at you) say that I(Jesus Christ) am?
Men have a number of opinions as to who Jesus is. Some say that He was John the Baptist; and some say that He was Elijah; and still others say that He was one of the prophets.
Simon Peter stated that Jesus was the Christ. The coming promised Messiah of God.
But, here is the key question. Who do YOU say that Jesus is? Remember, even the demons believe that Jesus is the Christ of God, and fear. But, He is NOT their Lord and Savior. They know who He is, and from whence He came; but He is not THEIR Lord and Savior. Knowing the facts about Jesus is not the same as knowing Him experientially. They can fear Him and realize that there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved; but they do not have the intimate knowledge of what God has done for them personally through the name of Jesus. That is what each of us has to experience individually. We are not saved because our parents were or because we go to a certain church. We are saved because we KNOW Him-He is OUR Savior and Lord-it is personal.
The thing is: only the Holy Spirit can open our minds-our souls, if you will. Without His drawing us to God, we CANNOT come to Him on our own. Only then can we actually experience what God is doing. I believe that this is the reason that it is stated that we will shine like stars in the heavens-there are actually very few believers in contrast to all the people who have ever lived. There will be many believers; but the percentage of all those who have ever lived who are believers is small.
Anyway, it is who Jesus is to you-the Jesus you know through your own life experiences-what He has done in your own life that is important-not what you read or believe-but what you KNOW that matters.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Gardener extraordinaire
I come from a line of gardeners-at least, I think I do. In one census, my great great grandfather listed his occupation as 'commercial gardener'. So obviously, it must be in my genes?
I remember that my grandmother(granddaughter of said commercial gardener) did lots of stuff with plants-and it seems like she had lots of house plants. And two of her daughters(my aunts) always seemed to have a lot of plants scattered around their houses. Plus, my uncle(brother of said aunts) was big in the day lily world. Even though he has been dead for several years, if you go online you can still find his patented day lilies for sale.
Unfortunately, my purported green thumb seems to actually be brown. I either water plants too much or else try to wean them off of water entirely. Most do not survive in our house too long. I plant trees-after a year or two they become sticks. My Colorado blue spruce lasted two winters-but it turned brown this spring. Hybrid elm, which is supposed to be fast-growing, is now just making my life difficult when I have to mow around its lifeless stub.
Today, I decided to do some more work in the garden. Got it mostly tilled(tiller was brand new last year)-then the tiller decided to die on me(like the plants)! Refused to start again. I pulled the starter cord one time too many and threw my back out. Now, I am sitting in my recliner hoping the Tylenol does its magic. Hopefully, my gardening is not over for any extended period of time. I still have to mow almost 3 acres of lawn every week for the rest of the summer and it is early June.
Oh, to emphasize my further ineptitude-I have a second tiller-one of those little ones that have the very high speed-it won't start-don't know what I have done to it.
And my chainsaw-I have trees which need trimming-brush that needs to be cut up-won't start.
And my new weed eater-same story.
I also have an older pick-up truck-the only way I can keep the battery from running down is to unhook the battery cables every time I turn it off. Replacement part plus repair will cost far more than the value of the truck.
It really doesn't make much difference whether the engine is old or new-it seems to develop health issues. Just like my plants. So, I am thinking that mayhaps; gardening skills and mechanical ability are related-but not necessarily transmitted through our genes. Both have certainly bypassed me.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Stupid Americans
How stupid have Americans become?
Seems like a fair question to me. Just read a news article on Yahoo! concerning a rape in India. Apparently, some American woman went to visit some friends; then at about 1:00 a.m. decided to return to wherever she was staying to spend the night. She started walking, but then hitched a ride(I assume it was not in one of those pedicabs) with three men whom she did not know. End result: she was raped.
First question for me is, "Why was a lone woman out that late anywhere in the world-not just in India?" Common sense dictates this is not a good idea. No matter where you are, a woman by herself away from the confines of a safe haven after dark is not the best situation-no matter what the feminists would have you believe. Not to say that a man by himself would not also entail certain risks.
Where have we come up with this belief system that all people are basically good? Mankind is evil-we are a fallen race, thanks to our first ancestors. Sin is the lifestyle of unregenerate mankind-male and female. We are basically an evil race, sometimes with a bent toward good; not a good race with a bent toward evil.
Second, if these people were the friends of the woman, "Why did they allow her to set out for her room(hotel, whatever) by herself at 1:00 a.m.? They were evidently locals-could they not persuade her to stay or offer her a ride home? There must be more to this situation than the information which was reported in the media. Kind of like the adage that 'friends don't let friends drive drunk'. These friends should have been concerned about the welfare of their 'friend'.
Third; "If you have any regard for your personal safety, why in the world do you climb into a vehicle with men you don't know?" That is an invitation for trouble. I would think that the woman in question is fortunate to be alive.
In summary, why was the woman(I am not calling her a lady) out alone in a foreign country in the first place? This was the root cause of her difficulty. Whether she needed male protection(anti-feminist ranting here) or not-it would have been prudent to either go with friends or to refrain from traveling alone-so, I reiterate-"How stupid have Americans become?"
Seems like a fair question to me. Just read a news article on Yahoo! concerning a rape in India. Apparently, some American woman went to visit some friends; then at about 1:00 a.m. decided to return to wherever she was staying to spend the night. She started walking, but then hitched a ride(I assume it was not in one of those pedicabs) with three men whom she did not know. End result: she was raped.
First question for me is, "Why was a lone woman out that late anywhere in the world-not just in India?" Common sense dictates this is not a good idea. No matter where you are, a woman by herself away from the confines of a safe haven after dark is not the best situation-no matter what the feminists would have you believe. Not to say that a man by himself would not also entail certain risks.
Where have we come up with this belief system that all people are basically good? Mankind is evil-we are a fallen race, thanks to our first ancestors. Sin is the lifestyle of unregenerate mankind-male and female. We are basically an evil race, sometimes with a bent toward good; not a good race with a bent toward evil.
Second, if these people were the friends of the woman, "Why did they allow her to set out for her room(hotel, whatever) by herself at 1:00 a.m.? They were evidently locals-could they not persuade her to stay or offer her a ride home? There must be more to this situation than the information which was reported in the media. Kind of like the adage that 'friends don't let friends drive drunk'. These friends should have been concerned about the welfare of their 'friend'.
Third; "If you have any regard for your personal safety, why in the world do you climb into a vehicle with men you don't know?" That is an invitation for trouble. I would think that the woman in question is fortunate to be alive.
In summary, why was the woman(I am not calling her a lady) out alone in a foreign country in the first place? This was the root cause of her difficulty. Whether she needed male protection(anti-feminist ranting here) or not-it would have been prudent to either go with friends or to refrain from traveling alone-so, I reiterate-"How stupid have Americans become?"
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Holy Bible Numbers chapter 5 verses 11-31. How is this inspired in today's world?
The Adultery Test
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'If any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, and a man has intercourse with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is undetected, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act, if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has defiled herself , or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself, the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring as an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of memorial, a reminder of iniquity, "Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord, and the priest shall take holy water in a earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water...
I don't even want to type the rest of this statement out-it goes on for another, like 14 verses-read it for yourself if you want to see the yea or nay outcome of this test-did she or didn't she?
My problem is: what is the correlation between not following Biblical dictates and today's radical feminism: single mothers raising children by themselves, women and men cohabiting without the benefit of marriage, homosexuality, etc.?
Obviously, we; American society, and the world in general, are ignoring the clear commands of the God of the Old Testament. I might suggest that this commandment was solely for the Israelites to whom it was addressed, and not for 21st century Earth. Is that correct? By that logic, the Ten Commandments, which most societies honor(not because they consider them necessarily sacred, but because they set moral parameters that a society needs to abide by to survive) can be ignored with impunity. But we ignore the Ten Commandments at the peril of civilization-without a moral compass, we will descend into savagery.
To be fair, the woman accused of adultery was the subject here-the man is not mentioned. However, this was just the TEST for unfaithfulness-PUNISHMENTS for both the man and the woman who engaged in adultery are covered other places in the OT.
I have questions here-no answers. But, I do have beliefs.
Technology has given women a sexual freedom which they never possessed at any time in our past. With that freedom, we see the accompanying breakdown of the family. Men do not stay with women, because they can find another woman who will give them what they want(free sex) without the commitment of marriage. Why should a man commit to one woman when he can find another who will give him the same satisfaction with no strings attached? Men are short-sighted that way!
I believe that without a strong male presence in the home we see an accompanying rise in homosexuality. Young men with a strong female presence in the home, and no counterbalancing male influence yield to dark side lusts to indulge in homosexual behavior. The tendency is there in a small percentage of males, and with no man around, coupled with the societal acceptance, they are embracing this deviant behavior in frightening numbers.
I have not considered the case of lesbianism, but suspect the increases we have seen are due more to the laxness of our society than to the absence of the father from the home.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'If any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, and a man has intercourse with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she is undetected, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act, if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has defiled herself , or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself, the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring as an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of memorial, a reminder of iniquity, "Then the priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord, and the priest shall take holy water in a earthenware vessel; and he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water...
I don't even want to type the rest of this statement out-it goes on for another, like 14 verses-read it for yourself if you want to see the yea or nay outcome of this test-did she or didn't she?
My problem is: what is the correlation between not following Biblical dictates and today's radical feminism: single mothers raising children by themselves, women and men cohabiting without the benefit of marriage, homosexuality, etc.?
Obviously, we; American society, and the world in general, are ignoring the clear commands of the God of the Old Testament. I might suggest that this commandment was solely for the Israelites to whom it was addressed, and not for 21st century Earth. Is that correct? By that logic, the Ten Commandments, which most societies honor(not because they consider them necessarily sacred, but because they set moral parameters that a society needs to abide by to survive) can be ignored with impunity. But we ignore the Ten Commandments at the peril of civilization-without a moral compass, we will descend into savagery.
To be fair, the woman accused of adultery was the subject here-the man is not mentioned. However, this was just the TEST for unfaithfulness-PUNISHMENTS for both the man and the woman who engaged in adultery are covered other places in the OT.
I have questions here-no answers. But, I do have beliefs.
Technology has given women a sexual freedom which they never possessed at any time in our past. With that freedom, we see the accompanying breakdown of the family. Men do not stay with women, because they can find another woman who will give them what they want(free sex) without the commitment of marriage. Why should a man commit to one woman when he can find another who will give him the same satisfaction with no strings attached? Men are short-sighted that way!
I believe that without a strong male presence in the home we see an accompanying rise in homosexuality. Young men with a strong female presence in the home, and no counterbalancing male influence yield to dark side lusts to indulge in homosexual behavior. The tendency is there in a small percentage of males, and with no man around, coupled with the societal acceptance, they are embracing this deviant behavior in frightening numbers.
I have not considered the case of lesbianism, but suspect the increases we have seen are due more to the laxness of our society than to the absence of the father from the home.
Monday, May 27, 2013
The few, the proud, the chosen...
There should be no pride here, I suppose--for I am talking about the chosen of God. See, I believe in election or predestination, if you will. So the elect have no reason to be proud-they are chosen of God. It is nothing which they have done that causes them to be the "elect". It is by Divine choice.
Scripture tells us that the numbers of those who are saved are small. Mt. 7: 13-14 states: "Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." This gives no indication as to how many 'few' or 'many' are, but the actual numbers will be small. Jesus says that he is: the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. So any of the many who try to get to heaven by some other route will be met with destruction. We are to seek Him while He may be found-and to keep on seeking until we find Him.
I guess the part which I do not understand is that we are to seek Him, but He is the one who gives us the desire to seek-He is the one who saves. He is the one who has elected the saved ones from time immemorial-so we actually do not have free will; it seems we have only the illusion of free will. It is God who saves-but He is also the one who puts the desire to seek Him in our hearts. None that are His will NOT accept Him; conversely, I do not see how any that are not His will even seek Him. If He has given you the desire to seek Him-you will find Him. If you do not have that desire, then you are not going to seek Him, and you will not find Him. Seems like a Catch 22 there someplace-but only the elect will be saved, and they will be the only ones who actually seek Him!
What else can I really say? There will be people from all walks of life-probably people from all over the world who are in the kingdom of God. It will be to the glory of God that these few, all of which He has predestined are saved--and no others--showing His power and omniscience to have known this since the foundation of the the world.
God also states that none of those which He has given Jesus, except the one destined for perdition(i.e. Judas Iscariot), can be taken out of His hand-thus the security of the believer. If God has got you(through your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior) he ain't a gonna lose you. That is something worth knowing. Hold on to this promise.
Scripture tells us that the numbers of those who are saved are small. Mt. 7: 13-14 states: "Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." This gives no indication as to how many 'few' or 'many' are, but the actual numbers will be small. Jesus says that he is: the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. So any of the many who try to get to heaven by some other route will be met with destruction. We are to seek Him while He may be found-and to keep on seeking until we find Him.
I guess the part which I do not understand is that we are to seek Him, but He is the one who gives us the desire to seek-He is the one who saves. He is the one who has elected the saved ones from time immemorial-so we actually do not have free will; it seems we have only the illusion of free will. It is God who saves-but He is also the one who puts the desire to seek Him in our hearts. None that are His will NOT accept Him; conversely, I do not see how any that are not His will even seek Him. If He has given you the desire to seek Him-you will find Him. If you do not have that desire, then you are not going to seek Him, and you will not find Him. Seems like a Catch 22 there someplace-but only the elect will be saved, and they will be the only ones who actually seek Him!
What else can I really say? There will be people from all walks of life-probably people from all over the world who are in the kingdom of God. It will be to the glory of God that these few, all of which He has predestined are saved--and no others--showing His power and omniscience to have known this since the foundation of the the world.
God also states that none of those which He has given Jesus, except the one destined for perdition(i.e. Judas Iscariot), can be taken out of His hand-thus the security of the believer. If God has got you(through your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior) he ain't a gonna lose you. That is something worth knowing. Hold on to this promise.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
23 May 2013-Assurance of salvation and necessity of baptism
I have recently made fb comments about assurance of salvation and necessity for baptism. I can probably be more open about my beliefs here.
If one believes the Bible, which I do, then I feel we can indeed be assured of our salvation in our own minds. Not to say that anyone else can know for certain whether you are saved-it is an individual relationship between God and man-one on one. Your church cannot tell you if you are saved-it can only tell you what you must do to be saved. You must work out the relationship with God yourself. And ultimately, God is the one calling you into the relationship-you seek Him-but He is the author of the seeking.
But how can one know for certain if he is saved? How do you get that blessed assurance; the peace that passeth understanding? These are questions which are central to the issue of eternal security of the believer. The rock solid conviction that if I die tonight I know that I will be with God in heaven for eternity.
First things first. You need to have made a one-time commitment; one that you can REMEMBER--infant baptism will do you no good here-you will not remember that time when you were baptized. It is the conscious decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior-the renouncing of personal sin, confession of those sins-the acceptance of Christ's once for all sacrifice of his body on the cross to save you that turns the trick. Without that memory, there will be doubts--nay, without that memory--without that event occurring, there is no salvation. You must make that commitment at some point in your lifetime-otherwise, you are destined to an eternity(forever and forever and forever and forever) separated from God-roasting in the proverbial HELL, as it were.
Next, you should follow our Lord into the waters of baptism-again, infant baptism just gets the kid wet. He or she did not make a conscious decision-so his body just got a washing-but nothing SUPERNATURAL happens just by the act of baptizing a baby. Baptism is an action of surrender-of identification with the Lord Jesus. It is saying: I am getting wet because my Lord has commanded me to do this-I identify with all believers who have gone before me-I hereby accept Jesus as Savior and yield to His lordship in my life. These are decisions a baby cannot make for himself-only a person who has enough maturity to realize that he is a sinner can make these decisions.
However, baptism IS a work that we can do-so, an individual can be baptized-yet not saved. Does God need your help to save you? If HE does, HE is a pretty small god. No, God can do it all-Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was adequate-and if it were not so, then no sacrifice could be adequate to save you from your sins.
The Old Testament saints were not baptized-yet who can deny their salvation? Abraham believed God, and it was counted(reckoned) to him as righteousness. This was before Abraham was circumcised-and no where is it mentioned that Abraham was baptized. Hence, it was the obedience of Abraham, not any work(circumcision or baptism) which he did that gave him salvation. The rest of the Jews who followed Abraham, up until the time of Jesus, were saved by the same belief. The visible display of said salvation was the circumcision of the males-the females were not circumcised(but who can deny their salvation as well), but the circumcision(precursor to New Testament baptism) did not save them. It was a visible display for all to see that this individual belonged to God-that He had become obedient to the Divinely ordained religious system.i.e. Judaism.
Many in our world today believe that you must be baptized to be saved-hence, infant baptism and the consideration by others that it must be performed for salvation. Wrong! It is a work that you can do to help God. And an Almighty God DOES NOT need your assistance. If He did, He would NOT BE almighty-and thus not worthy of our worship. And as He does not change; if baptism or circumcision were not required for salvation in the Old Testament-they are not required in these latter days.
If one believes the Bible, which I do, then I feel we can indeed be assured of our salvation in our own minds. Not to say that anyone else can know for certain whether you are saved-it is an individual relationship between God and man-one on one. Your church cannot tell you if you are saved-it can only tell you what you must do to be saved. You must work out the relationship with God yourself. And ultimately, God is the one calling you into the relationship-you seek Him-but He is the author of the seeking.
But how can one know for certain if he is saved? How do you get that blessed assurance; the peace that passeth understanding? These are questions which are central to the issue of eternal security of the believer. The rock solid conviction that if I die tonight I know that I will be with God in heaven for eternity.
First things first. You need to have made a one-time commitment; one that you can REMEMBER--infant baptism will do you no good here-you will not remember that time when you were baptized. It is the conscious decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior-the renouncing of personal sin, confession of those sins-the acceptance of Christ's once for all sacrifice of his body on the cross to save you that turns the trick. Without that memory, there will be doubts--nay, without that memory--without that event occurring, there is no salvation. You must make that commitment at some point in your lifetime-otherwise, you are destined to an eternity(forever and forever and forever and forever) separated from God-roasting in the proverbial HELL, as it were.
Next, you should follow our Lord into the waters of baptism-again, infant baptism just gets the kid wet. He or she did not make a conscious decision-so his body just got a washing-but nothing SUPERNATURAL happens just by the act of baptizing a baby. Baptism is an action of surrender-of identification with the Lord Jesus. It is saying: I am getting wet because my Lord has commanded me to do this-I identify with all believers who have gone before me-I hereby accept Jesus as Savior and yield to His lordship in my life. These are decisions a baby cannot make for himself-only a person who has enough maturity to realize that he is a sinner can make these decisions.
However, baptism IS a work that we can do-so, an individual can be baptized-yet not saved. Does God need your help to save you? If HE does, HE is a pretty small god. No, God can do it all-Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross was adequate-and if it were not so, then no sacrifice could be adequate to save you from your sins.
The Old Testament saints were not baptized-yet who can deny their salvation? Abraham believed God, and it was counted(reckoned) to him as righteousness. This was before Abraham was circumcised-and no where is it mentioned that Abraham was baptized. Hence, it was the obedience of Abraham, not any work(circumcision or baptism) which he did that gave him salvation. The rest of the Jews who followed Abraham, up until the time of Jesus, were saved by the same belief. The visible display of said salvation was the circumcision of the males-the females were not circumcised(but who can deny their salvation as well), but the circumcision(precursor to New Testament baptism) did not save them. It was a visible display for all to see that this individual belonged to God-that He had become obedient to the Divinely ordained religious system.i.e. Judaism.
Many in our world today believe that you must be baptized to be saved-hence, infant baptism and the consideration by others that it must be performed for salvation. Wrong! It is a work that you can do to help God. And an Almighty God DOES NOT need your assistance. If He did, He would NOT BE almighty-and thus not worthy of our worship. And as He does not change; if baptism or circumcision were not required for salvation in the Old Testament-they are not required in these latter days.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
O, when the saints...
The loss of my mother in January seems to have been the harbinger of a very difficult 2013. Since then my world has lost Catherine Fouts, Marvel Brown, Edgar Moore, Donnie Poor, Dwight Evans, Patsy Evans, Doc Russell, Aunt Betty...
All of these people had an impact on my life or on the lives of friends and family. So many were members of my church; and although most were no longer active, their loss does affect our body of believers.
It seems that we are having a parade of the saints of God entering heaven. God is giving each of them a special moment of recognition as He calls them home.
These had lives well lived, but their departure is not noted by our culture. God knows them even if their life is neither little noted nor long remembered by America. These are the ones whom history ignores-but they impact our world for the better: one encounter at a time. Life is really about these folks and the lives they live, rather than the rich and famous.
All of these people had an impact on my life or on the lives of friends and family. So many were members of my church; and although most were no longer active, their loss does affect our body of believers.
It seems that we are having a parade of the saints of God entering heaven. God is giving each of them a special moment of recognition as He calls them home.
These had lives well lived, but their departure is not noted by our culture. God knows them even if their life is neither little noted nor long remembered by America. These are the ones whom history ignores-but they impact our world for the better: one encounter at a time. Life is really about these folks and the lives they live, rather than the rich and famous.
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