John 16:25-33

faithfulness/loyalty/perseverance vs. cowardice...

John 16:25-33

25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively*, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me* and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."* 29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31 "You believe at last!"+ Jesus answered. 32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered,* each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.* In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome* the world."

*16:25 = Mt 13:34 - Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

*16:25 = Jn 10:6 - Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

*16:27 = Jn 14:21, 23 - Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

*16:28 = Jn 13:3 - Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

+16:31 Or "Do you now believe?"

*16:32 = Mt 26:31 - Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

*16:33 = Jn 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

*16:33 = Ro 8:37 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Jesus was faithful...He was honest about who He was, what He was about, what He intended to do, what God would do with and for and through Him, and every promise He made, He saw it through...we have no reason to doubt His spoken word (His teachings as recorded in the Bible) or His Word (the Bible as a whole)...we therefore have no reason to NOT step out in faith and cling to Him...our confidence should be complete and straitforward, as there is no concievable way for Him to fail us...Jesus is God, God is love, love never fails = you can count on His promises...

Hebrews 10:19-23

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

God, on the other hand, has every reason imaginable to doubt US...

Mark 14:50

50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.

everyone deserted him and FLED...not just walked away and peeked over their shoulders to see if everyone was okay, but fled, ran for their lives, did everything possible to distance themselves from Him and His work, "nope, not me, i don't know the guy!"...how often we do that when confronted on issues of faith...it's quite disgusting when you think about it...every time the going gets rough, we drop God and all association of Him for our own reputation...so we can impress mortals humans whose opinions and thought on us will not last...we turn our backs on an eternally complete and truthful God to make nice with shifting immature people who would turn from us just as easily as we turned from Him...

but he loves us anyway...

would you keep a friend around who treats YOU the way YOU treat God?...

would you die for them?...

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

interesting thought here regarding missions and the like:

1 Corinthians 9:19-27

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone,* to win as many as possible.* 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.* To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law* (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run* in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body* and make it my slave so that
after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

*9:19 = Gal 5:13 - You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

*9:19 = Mt 18:15 - If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

*9:20 = Ac 16:3 - Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

*9:21 = Ro 2:12, 14 - All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,

*9:24 = 2Ti 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

*9:27 = Ro 8:13 - For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

in verses 20-23, Paul says that he would become like the people he was trying to reach, assuming their appearance and attitudes to better understand their situation and to make the gospel more accessible to them through his living their lifestyle and pointing out how it applies to them personally...really, this makes perfect sense, and it causes one to wonder where it all got lost over the next few hundred years...

i wonder why the various crusaders, Inquisitors, missionaries & such all carried such an attitude of moral superiority when exploration and transporation allowed for a greater spread of God's message?...that whole concept would seem to be kinda pointless...and sadly, it continues in various forms today...

why can't we find ways to connect with people today in ways that they understand and that they will be open to while maintaining the standards of our faith and the life of Christ-like humility we are called to?...

anybody?...

Hebrews 2:9-18

only 4 days behind...haha! ...

Hebrews 2:9-18

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor* because he suffered death*, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,* should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says,

"I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your
praises."+

13 And again,

"I will put my trust in him."+

And again he says,

"Here am I, and the children God has given me."+

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity* so that by his death he might destroy* him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil*--15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers* in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest* in service to God, and that he might make atonement for+ the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.*

*2:9 = Ac 3:13 - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.

*2:9 = Php 2:7-9 - but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

*2:10 = Ro 11:36 - For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

+2:12 = Psalm 22:22 - I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.

+2:13 = Isaiah 8:17 - I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.

+ 2:13 = Isaiah 8:18 - Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

*2:14 = Jn 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

*2:14 = 1Co 15:54-57 - When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

*2:14 = 1Jn 3:8 - He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

*2:17 = Php 2:7 - but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

*2:17 = Heb 4:14-15 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

+2:17 = Or and that he might turn aside God's wrath, taking away

*2:18 = Heb 4:15 - For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.

oddly, the thing the jumps out to me first of all is that fact that Jesus was made "a little lower than the angels" (v9)...keyword, LOWER than the angels...meaning the human spirit is a lesser spirit than the angelic spirit...the human form is not as brilliant or as powerful as the angelic form...but for some reason, God created humanity in His own image, and desired connexion and fellowship with this creation...who knows when and where He created the angels?...it doesn't really matter, because even if He had some kind of discourse or connexion with the angels, He still wanted US!...and even when we slipped, even when we committed the SAME ACT THAT EARNED LUCIFER HIS EXPULSION FROM HEAVEN!!! THE VERY SAME ACT OF PRIDE AND WILLFULNESS THAT RESULTED IN THE MORNING-STAR BEING CAST FROM THE CELESTIAL HOME OF GOD!!!, He still cared enough to send a Savior who would be lessened, humbled by His existence as a human to act as a death-double for our entire race...to make sure that the sacrifice would fully realize the conditions of God's justice and righteousness and holiness, Jesus had to be completely and fully man...

wow...

and we take it for granted...even among Christians, we let this become something we fail to marvel at...we let it become a rote statement of our religion, but we forget that it is one of the most basic principle of our FAITH...

guilty as charged here, too...don't think that i'm ranting against all "other" Christians...i've slipped into this mentality of comfort regarding the absolute shrunkenness of Jesus' Spirit as he became fully human...

it's absolutely mind-blowing, and we just kinda - get over it...

let's not...let's remember...let's allow ourselves to be fully cognizant of the shift that God instigated from the blood sacrifice and yearly intercessors to a single perfect specimen, slaughtered...

as through perfectly created Adam from God's hand sin entered, so also through perfectly created Jesus from God's own self sin was conquered...

let's remember this...

amen...

Psalm 33:1-5

well well well...for those sticks in the mud who don't think that anyhting other than an organ ought to be played for God on Sunday mornings, here's a bit of instruction from the book of Psalms:

Psalm 33:1-5

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD , you righteous;
it is fitting* for the
upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;*
the earth is full of his unfailing love.

*33:1 = Ps. 147:1 - Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

*33:5 = Ps. 11:7 - For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

hmm, let's check these points shall we?...we are told to "sing joyfully" (v1), praise him with the harp (v2), & the ten-stringed lyre (v2), SHOUT for joy! (v3)...

it's believed that King David wrote this Psalm, and David was known as a great harpist...that's how he got a spot in the previous king's (Saul's) court as shown here:

1 Samuel 16:15-23

Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him." Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

so David already knew that instruments and songs of praise were great to use in the service of God and pleasing to God...here we see David commissioning music for worship at the temple:

1 Chronicles 25

David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals...The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision...Jeduthun...who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the LORD...Heman...through the promises of God to exalt him...[had] fourteen sons and three daughters. All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD , with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives-all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD -they numbered 288.

so David had a 288 member Praise & Worship team...cool!...this is highly spiffy, and i think it only solidifies the postition that music as a tool for worship can be contemporary or classic as long as it's being used to focus everyone's hearts and spirits towards God and reaching that connexion to Him & with Him...

5 Days Behind

man, oh man...

i've got 5 days worth to post, and i'm still working on 'em...i'll be caught up by week's end, though...

i hope...

James 3:1-12

for someone like me who aspires to be a teacher (and not just a teacher, but a writer of curriculum), this is some heavy stuff...let's take a look...

James 3:1-12

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble* in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man,* able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.* 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.* Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire,* a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person,* sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.* 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.* 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt+ water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

*3:2 = 1Ki 8:46 - When they sin against you-for there is no one who does not sin-and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;

*3:2 = Mt 12:37 - For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

*3:3 = Ps 32:9 - Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

*3:5 = Ps 12:3-4 - May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips-who is our master?"

*3:6 = Pr 16:27 - A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

*3:6 = Mt 15:11,18-19 - What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

*3:8 = Ps 140:3 - They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. Selah

*3:9 = Ge 1:26-27 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

+3:11 Greek bitter (see also verse 14)

dude!...we who teach (v1) will be judged more strictly!...not only are we going to be held responsible for our own personal conduct, but also for the conduct of those we teach...those we pass knowledge to...naturally, what they do with that knowledge is their choice and is for them to settle with God, but if we the teachers are giving them the wrong information to begin with...if we're filling minds with ideas that don't line up with Scripture or that resist the movings of the Holy Spirit, we are going to be judged for that!...

that's scary!...

but scary also is the possibilities of what the tongue can lead into...i don't know that i've started fires (v6) or spread poison (v8), but i've recognized in my own mouth and speech a tendency to talk myself up (v5)...sometimes not directly, but through implication...and also i have a bad habit of talking down to people, speaking to them as inferiors (v9), as if they are less than me...when i catch myself, it's terribly embarrassing...i know i'm being worked on, but still sometimes i wonder how people can stand to carry on conversations with me...

and as arrogant as it may sound, i hope to affect more children with my curriculum than just the ones i come into personal contact with in a classroom setting...i hope that the books i write and help develop become widely used for educating young minds in how to think & how to recognize the reality of God and how a relationship with God through Christ is required for a full and complete life...i fervently pray (and ask for prayer), when it comes time for me to make a contribution to the scads and scads of educational information out there in the world, that the Holy Spirit will guide me and my writing to create something that will reflect Him in such a way that the students and educators that use them will understand who God is and what He's about...

Psalm 84:5-12

just a prayer and a thank you note...

Psalm 84:5-12

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.+

7 They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;

listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Selah

9 Look upon our shield,+ O God;

look with favor on your anointed one.

10 Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

the LORD bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

12 O LORD Almighty,blessed is the man who trusts in you.

+84:6 Or blessings

+84:9 Or sovereign

oh, Lord that we may trust you as the psalmist does...that we may lift up our eyes to you in times of need and recognize your sovereignty and your mighty strength...let us be blameless before you, washed in the blood of your Holy Son...

thank you for that which you've given, and for the heart that shapes ours...your model heart that yearns for us, and that we surrender to for alteration, for syncronizing with the Living God...for changing us into your image, that we may reflect you better...

thank you...

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

good news...more catching up today (i'll have it done by week's end, i'm sure!), and i finally got the CD's of the Summer Refreshment i promised...the transcriptions/commentaries are on the way!...

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by+ one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free,*--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged* the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.+ 27 Now you are the body of Christ,* and each one of you is a part of it.

+12:13 Or with; or in

*12:13 = Gal 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

*12:13 = Col 3:11 - Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

*12:18 = 1Cor12:28 - And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

+12:25-26 = Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

*12:27 = Eph 1:23 - which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

*12:27 = Eph 4:12 - to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

*12:27 = Col 1:18, 24 - And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Now I rejoice in what was
suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

*12:27 = Ro 12:5 - so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

the body is a unit...disparate pieces put together into a single entity that exists as something altogether greater than any of the individual pieces on their own...so it is with Christ (v12)...the baptism that we all share, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior: this binds us together into a greater whole than any of us could hope to be as individual believers...

that there are divisions in the church is almost frightening in a way...i mean, when you look at all the churches out there today who all proclaim Christ as Lord and all follow Scripture...when there is no real doctrinal difference between them...when the only cause of division is the details (music, versions of the Bible, etc)...these sources of strife are difficult to swallow...when brothers in Christ call each other "heathen" because of the translations of Scripture they read, there's something deeper going on there...are we letting our pride get in the way of God's plan for His body?...

if someone is telling you that you aren't a true follower of Christ because you don't raise your hands during worship, that's wrong of them to say, and it certainly does not negate your salvation...and if someone tells you that all men who are true believers must have no facial hair, again it is wrong for them to make that statement, and it doesn't make a man a pagan for growing a beard!...(v18) God has arranged the parts of His body, just as He arranged the parts of YOUR physical body...each part has a different role to perform, and none of them cna properly fulfill that role without interacting and being a part of the whole unit, the whole entire body...

and just as we hold dear those parts of our body that are not to be paraded around in public (v23), so then should we also take special care of those people in the body who seem on the surface to be less than honorable...God has ordained that ALL are of worth...ALL are of value...and ALL are essential for the proper functioning of the unit...we are to share in the joy of our brothers and sisters (v26), and we are to share the burdens of sorrow also...

in actively seeking His will...and in obeying with joy...and with this connectedness and interaction, may we fulfill God's purposes for us...

Matthew 7:21-27

a little short today, but there's catching up to do, so:

Matthew 7:21-27

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'* will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.* 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'** 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

*7:21 = Mt 25:11 - 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

*7:21 = Jas 1:22 - 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

*7:23 = Ps 6:8 - 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.

*7:23 = Lk 13:25-27 - 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' 26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' 27 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

anything can be nothing...let's say that one more time, anything can be nothing...your religion can be nothing...your baptism can be nothing...your prayers, your bowing, your groveling, your evangelism, your observances, your hand-holding, your sacrifices, your good works, your charity...all these things and anything else you SAY, anything else you DO, anything else you HAVE or BUY or OWN or PRACTICE...these - are - NOTHING!...they are as nothing without a personal relationship with the Living Son of God, Jesus Christ...

there are so many people in the church today who think they're part of the family, but they're not...they're a lot of show and a lot of spiritual buzzwords, but ther's no life-changing effects that stem from being grafted to the Vine...there is NOT any joy in Worship, there is NOT a connexion in Spirit...there IS a lot of play-acting...there IS saying what people want to hear...there exists even those who are so blinded to their own distance away from the path to God and righteousness that they can't even recognize that they're headed in the wrong dierection...

and they're going to be turned away from the flock when the Shepherd calls...

so what can we as believers do about it?...what opportunities are given us, what doors are opened for us to take advantage of this situation and launch wave upon wave spiritual grenades into people and places?...how many times does God show us they way to focus His marvelous light into the darkness of those who say but do not act...those who have works but not faith...have we been been doing what the Word SAYS?...what might it say, i hear you ask?...let's take a look:

James 1:22-27

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

i have blogged on this passage before, and you can read it here...bear in mind that it's from a much narrower, more personal persprctive, but no less relevant for that...but to continue, are we as believers obeying our Father's Holy Will?...are we as children of God taking advantage of this?...have we as the Bride of Christ been using these chances to further the Kingdom?...are we working as afterlife real-estate agents and encouraging rapport with the Holy Spirit?...are we as believers showing people the Way to eternal life through our Lord and Savior?...

are we presenting the facts of the case, which are undisputed?...

let's not wait until the Prosecution rests, people!...

Isa 40:25-31

still behind...

i'm in a class studying the nature and purpose of Worship...will post thoughts on that soon...

Isa 40:25-31

25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:*
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD ;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting* God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.*
29 He gives strength to the weary*
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

*40:26 = Isa 51:6 - Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.

*40:28 = Ps 90:2 - Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

*40:28 = Ps 147:5 - Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

*40:28 = Ro 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

*40:29 = Jer 31:25 - "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."

let's start with: "who is my equal?" (v25) says the Holy One, He Who has named the stars...He calls them by name!...who is equal to God?...no one among us, that's for sure...we have scientists who have names for most of the stars, but i don't think they'll come when he calls...on the other hand, when God speaks, nature listens (V26) He who brings out the starry host one by one...imagine that...He calls them out one by one...d'y'know how many stars there are out there?...a lot more than i can call out before suppertime...but God is so vast and completely outside of the space-time restrictions He imposed upon creation that He can call out every star, by name, and expect it to obey...with his power & strength (v26) not one of them is missing!...would we notice if several stars were missing?...somehow, i think not...

what a mighty God that even with the incredible amounts of space between the stars and the seemingly eternal void outside of our atmosphere, it's all in the palm of His hand...just a puff of smoke...a flash in the pan...the very ground we walk upon is a t-shirt about to wear out...an old sheet worn through...yet the promise of salvation, the sacrifice made to allow us a pathway to righteousness and to the Throne of God...that promise will stand for all time...beyond all concepts of permanence...and when Time itself has reached the point where it ceases to be Time as we know it, that promise will be fulfilled, completely and totally...and the Holiness and Righteousness of God will continue on...in His everlasting Love for us, in His infinite Mercy towards us, He desired a re-connexion with His creations...the God who cared enough to do all of that didn't do it all for show...He most certainly cares about you...

so why then do we complain when things get tough that God's dropping the ball?...why then do we whine that God's not paying attention to my needs! right here! right now! what i want!...what i think i need in my life!...what i think i should have to nourish my spirit!..."God, you're not looking out for me!"..."God, you're not giving me ___."..."God, you're not making ___ do ___, but you should because she needs to repent!"...do you really think you know what's best for humanity...or what goes on inside God's mind?...so you really think He can't handle your situation?...(v28) the Lord is Everlasting!...before the mountains were born, you are God...before you brought forth the earth and the rest of creation, you are God...from infinity until eternity, you are GOD...He's been since way before we were...and He'll continue to be after we've stopped being...that's just the way of things...He's God (v28) His Divine will brooks no contradiction & and it's not like you could place limits on Him...put Him in a little box...'fraid not, buddy...His ways and means are out past the limits of what our feeble little corporeal brains can comprehend...

the really wild thing is that with all the power and might and majesty He shares that strength with His servants when they need Him...not just Creator but Sustainer as well!...God doesn't drop the ball!...we drop the ball sometimes, and we look at Him like "what's your problem?!"...just as a child can't consistently catch a ball at a young age, neither can we know enough to react properly during times of spiritual struggle...that's where we need to rely not on ourselves and our own understandings, but on the depth of wisdom that fountains from God...in those times when we require His sustenence (v29) He gives power to the weak!...(v31) those who hope in the Lord: His servants...His children...again in (v31) He will renew their strength...they will soar on eagle's wings...run without tiring...walk without fainting...

He will refresh you...when He could be out with all the stars...

Colossians ch1v19-23

a day behind, the format's changed, and i'm adding footnotes & more references...lemme know what you think...

Colossians 1:19-23:

19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness* dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood*, shed on the
cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of+ your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation*-- 23 if you continue in your faith, established* and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,* and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

*1:19 = Jn 1:16 - From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

*1:20 = Eph 2:13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

+1:21 Or minds, as shown by

*1:22 = Eph 5:27 - and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

*1:23 = Eph 3:17 - so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

*1:23 = Ro 10:18 - But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the endsof the world."

Paul writes to the church in Colossi that God desired to have continued blessings reside in Christ & that God desired to use Christ as the bridge between His own Holiness and mankind's unrighteousness...to bring peace (v20) through His shed blood...now let's think for a minute...to make peace you first need to be in a state of "not peace"...a state of conflict...and that's where Christians were & the unsaved currently are...we were & they are at odds with the Creator... we were & they are at war with the Most High… we were & they are enemies of GOD Almighty!...that's not a place i'd want to be...i've read the book of Revelations and i know what happens to God's enemies...not something i'd look forward to...we were alienated from God (v21), separated from God...due to and evidenced by: what?...evil behavior...our evil behavior...let’s take a look at some of the evil behaviors that God may be referring to here…

Romans 1:21-32

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were
inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

that is the kind of crud that shows us to be enemies of God...we may not practice these acts, and though we don’t explicitly encourage such behavior, we cover our PC behinds with garbage like “yeah, she’s gay - not that there’s anything wrong with that!”...bad news people!...there’s a lot wrong with that...sadly, we all just snicker when someone recites the PC catchphrase, and we all breathe a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to directly confront immorality...taking a stand on something is scary business isn’t it?...but these are the acts that declare and perpetuate a Christian’s past & an unbeliever’s present state of war on God...direct assaults against His will and His laws...open defiance of the statues He has laid forth and revealed through written Scripture and the Living Word, Christ...

but we were focusing on God’s desire for peace between mankind and Himself...His solution?...

v22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

reconciled by the death of a physical body...Christ’s perfect, sinless physical human body...by that single surrender of a life...which act to some at the time must have seemed on the surface & during the moment to be completely senseless and pointless...by the victory of His physical human body’s resurrection...by Christ’s death & life (in that order) we are spared...by Christ’s death & life we are presented Holy in the Father’s sight...Holy in His presence...alive in our own Spirit and alive in the Holy Spirit...without blemish, without stain...pure and blameless, free from any and all accusation...by that one act of releasing His hold on the mortal shell He filled, Christ bridged the gulf...He re-established communication...He paid the ultimate price and fulfilled God’s desire for peace...

This is the Gospel that we have heard...are we then, like Paul (v23), servants of it?...

Joshua ch6v1-5,v20

have you ever come across anyone in your life who refutes Christianity as a "myth"?...like our faith is equivalent to believing in the Greek deities of ancient days?...well, sad to say those folks are going to hell, but on a brighter note we've got this to think about from Joshua:

v3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. v4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. v5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." v20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

yeah, yeah, i can hear you all now: "we've heard the story of Joshua and Jericho 85 bajillion times from Sunday School and Vacation Bible School all the way up through youth groups and regular sermons!"...well, here's the kicker, folks...your heathen friends have these archeological facts to deal with...and (surprise surprise!) nobody other than Christians who care actually seem to know about this stuff!...

it's almost scary that when evidence supporting the infallibility of the Bible as a historical record is unearthed, people try to discredit it or simply ignore it and hope that it goes away...because if the Bible is true historically, they have to deal with it being correct in other things...like, Jesus really did say He was the Son of God...

so let's think about it...was/is Jesus the Son of God?...it's a yes or no question which leads us to further questions about who He really was, and sadly, the logic does not let us get any easy ways out, such as "oh, he was just a prophet of God", or "Jesus was just a good teacher", or "well, he was a nice man with some good social ideas" as some people like to claim...When Jesus made his claim to be God made into Flesh, the Sacrificial Unblemished Lamb for the Human Race, he either told the truth or he didn't...we'll start with negative...Jesus was lying...He made is claim, but it was FALSE...Jesus was not/is not the Son of God...

if he was lying, then that leads us to ponder WHY?...was it out of some malicious intent?...did He knowingly lie about his Godhood?...yes?...no?...again, for the sake of argument, we'll assume no, He did not lie out of any malicious intent...He made a false claim for whatever good intentions, and for some reason, He kept up the charade all the way through a FRIGGIN' EXOCUTION...that makes no sense whatsoever!...if Jesus' paternal claim was incorrect and He made it in error for good reasons, we still have to wonder what possessed Him to continue insisting upon the veracity of His assertion...sounds to me like he was a lunatic...just a crazy guy!..."I'm Moses!...no wait, I'm King David!...no, better yet I'm God's only Son!...and I'm here to save the world!...let me go out and get myself killed!"...what kind of madness!?...i don't know about you, but i'm not sure i'd like to follow the touchy-feely love-your-neighbor teachings of a certifiable nutcase...what other claims did he make that were out of left field?...

ok, that's one down...let's now assume that He DID know he was lying...He did it on purpose...He made these claims for fame, glory, martyrdom, to incite the Jews to revolt again the Romans...it doesn't matter what the agenda was...Jesus LIED about it, acted on that lie, suckered others to follow, got some of them killed too...that's really messed up...and again, He kept up the whole thing all the way onto a cross!...again, thouroughly tetched in de head...i'm surely not about to follow the teachings of a guy who purposefully and maliciously lied to people for whatever reasons, be they for good or ill...

so let's recap:
Jesus said "I'm the Messiah, the Son of God"...True/False? False...
did Jesus know His claim was False?...Yes/No?
Yes = that makes Jesus a LIAR!...
No = that makes Jesus a LUNATIC!...
either way, things don't look to good for the touchy-feelies who like Christ's "be nice to everyone, turn the other cheek" mentality, and yet fear anything else that has to do with His Divine Nature...

we'll start at the top one more time:
Jesus said "I'm the Messiah, the Son of God"...True/False? True...
that opens up a buttload of metaphysical worm cans that MUST be dealt with if you're going to make sense of anything in this world...and really, it's the only logical choice...i choose to believe it because it's manifestly True, but whatever your reasons, look into it, listen to that still small voice, and find the answers in Him and in His historically accurate Word...

we are now miles and centuries away from the original passage, but i got a head of steam, and this is what happens when i do...

Bonnie and...Charley?

wait, where's Clyde!?...

oh well...see Hurricance Charley tear up my home state!...

Matthew ch26v6-13

i had a dream the other night:

my maternal grandfather (who will be 89 this November) was in the hospital, and we all went to see him...he's a devout Catholic, and as far as i know, he's never truly accepted Christ...he wasn't doing too well when everyone visited, and i knew that SOMEONE had to witness too him before it was too late...but i didn't and neither did anyone else...a little while later, i found the courage to go back to his room and talk about Jesus as a Savior, not just an icon...as i approached his room, i saw my pastor coming out of there and he stopped me in the hallway to tell me that my grandfather had passed...i just kind of stood in shock for a little while...i looked up at Pastor John and told him what i had been intending to do...he told me that my grandfather had just been saved before his time was up...that's why Pastor John had been there...i asked him how he knew, and he replied, "your cousin Josh asked me to come see him"...that's about where i woke up...

Josh and i go to the same church, and we share this grandfather through Josh's dad and my mom who are brother/sister...why didn't i ask Pastor John?...why didn't i say something before?...it's bugged me ever since...

from Matthew:

v6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, v7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. v8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. v9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." v10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a
beautiful thing to me. v11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. v12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. v13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

why am i keeping all my perfume to myself?...