Our Walk with Jesus

Strange Bedfellows

2010-02-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

I had requested a prayer for salvation for noted Atheist Christopher Hitchens. I am familiar with him from various YouTube videos.

He seems to be a well spoken man of logic and reason. His atheist viewpoints are the ones I disagree with (obviously), but he arrives at them by a reasonably well thought out route.

As is always the case, people who try to explain away Christianity (and all religion really) behind a fortress of logic....well, they are missing the point, aren't they?

GOD gave us a brain. GOD allows us to make our own choices (how many of you want someone to love you because they had no choice? didn't think so). Ultimately, GOD has the right to bless or discipline or punish whomever he wants. We are his creation. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your attitude and behavior, GOD is just. Thank goodness that his grace (i.e. "unmerited favor") has given us access to his supernatural love and power. He has provided a way for us to grow, in him, and all we need to do is ask and be obedient.

The whole point is....GOD made us and we are his children. We have a spark of intellect and a spirit. He is the one who gave it to us.

Now then...Humanists (like Christopher Hitchens) who believe everything we need is within us and the world would be perfect without religion are correct to a very small degree. I believe that, as children of GOD who were created in his image, we have some some powers that the animal kingdom doesn't possess.

We have "Will Power". We have a mind. We have emotions that motivate. All these things add up to having a "soul". Not a spirit, but a soul. They are two different things. (Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.)

So, to an extent, we have the power to shape the world around us and bend it according to our own motivations, whatever they may be. This is where the similarities between religion (Christianity to the point of this discussion) and humanism end. The entire wealth of GOD..indeed, adoption into his kingdom..is available through Jesus. Trying to build your own life is one thing, but to lead the world based solely on your own will power, is quite frankly a losing proposition...ending ultimately in the final loss, the eternal kingdom of GOD. And for what? What benefit did you receive for rejecting GOD in favor of humanism? The ability to sin without conviction, perhaps?

The whole point of this post is this.....Christopher Hitchens and I agree on a great many things, but we are WAY off the mark on Christianity. He argues from a stance of NOT believing the bible, determined to not accept anything outside the realm of the "natural", and can't accept that Christianity is anything other than the hopeful wishes of deluded people who don't want everything to end when they die.

The difference between that stance and the reality of the body of Christ is that we believers have a testimony. That testimony provides a witness to Christ. "Yeah....it didn't make sense to me either, except then GOD revealed himself to me"...and such like. People may not believe an ancient book, and ignore the miraculous spiritual prophesy that came to pass hundreds of years after it was written (the Book of Isiah), but when Jim Bob down the street has his life transformed and starts being blessed everywhere he goes, then his neighbors might begin to ask about his change. Then, he witnesses. The sad part is, we in the Church have gotten so bad about reading the bible, living "right", and providing a witness....the lost world is subject to comparing us to other religions and listening to the people who force their voice upon them (if they represent us or not).

I've gotten WAY off point here. The amazing thing about a humanist like Hitchens and a Christian is that he is ALSO anti-abortion. Since he believes we humans are so great, he thinks we have a responsibility to protect a "future citizen".

Talk about Strange bedfellows.

From Adam to Jesus....from 1 Chronicles and Matthew

2009-12-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan,[a] Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah,[b] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath,[c] and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah,[d] Kittim, and Rodanim.[e]
8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta,[f] Raama,[g] and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 11 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 13 Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.[h] 18 Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg,[i] for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 20 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal,[j] Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, who is Abraham. 28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife[a] of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.[b] 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon,[c] and Amon begot Josiah. 11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Christ Born of Mary

Timeline of New Testament....I added to this

2009-12-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

90 - 160 A.D.
All the New Testament has been written, but there is almost no sense of a closed collection.
How the New Testament Became the New Testament

During the first and second centuries A.D., the only "Scriptures" available to the Church, were those books we know today as the Old Testament. Gradually, certain letters and books became circulated throughout the known world. It began to be evident which of these were inspired by God. Over the next few centuries, certain books were gradually accepted, while others were rejected.

160 - 250 A.D.
There is an awareness of a collection of inspired writings, and the phrase New Testament is first used. (added to the gospels Acts through 1st Timothy, as well as Titus, 1st John, and Jude)

250 - 325 A.D.
All of the letters of Paul are now accepted.

325 A.D.
The council of Nicea (added Hebrews and Revelation)

325 - 397 A.D.
In 367 A.D., Athanasius first lists the current number and order of the New Testament books. In 397 AD, at the council of Carthage, the collection of the New Testament is finally closed. (added James, 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John)

More old testament overview

2009-12-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament
How the Old Testament Became the Old Testament
There is an old saying that the Church does not decide what the Bible is; it discovers what the Bible is. This distinction is essential. The process of the Bible becoming the Bible, took place as the Church recognised that certain books and letters were "the Word of God", whereas other pieces of literature were not. However, the Old Testament became the Old Testament in a slightly different way.

The Jews never used the phrase "Old Testament", since they only had one collection of Scripture. This was called the TANAK. The TANAK derived its name from the first letters of the three types of writings. We referred to these writings above: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings.

This collection of writings was written between about 1500 B.C. and 400 B.C. Around 200 B.C., a group of 70 Jewish scholars translated the TANAK into Greek, since Greek was the language of the day. This effort took 70 days, and the resulting Greek translation of the TANAK was called the Septuagint (meaning "70"). However, the Septuagint included seven books that were not part of the TANAK. These books are known today as the Apocrypha.

Around 90 A.D., another group of Jewish scholars met at the Council of Jamniah, and decided to include only the 39 books found in the original Hebrew collection. They excluded the books of the Apocrypha, which were entirely written in Greek. The collection of the Old Testament was now closed and finalised.

Old Testament Overview
Today, Christians tend to categorise the Old Testament into five sections:
The Law
History
Psalms and Wisdom Writings
Major Prophets (called "major" only due to the length of these books)
Minor Prophets
However, Judaism simply categorises them into three sections:
The Law
The Prophets
The Writings
Whichever way you view the books of the Old Testament, there are 39 in all. Here is a summary of each book in the Old Testament, under the five headings of law, history, psalms and wisdom writings, major prophets and minor prophets.

The Law
Genesis
This word means "beginnings", and in many ways, Genesis sets the foundation for the rest of the Bible.
Exodus This word means "way out". The book describes the rescue of God's people from their slavery in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus The name of this book comes from the Levite family, one of the 12 families of Israel. The Levites were the priests of the nation, and were responsible for the law between God and the people, as well as between the people themselves. This book contains detailed laws for the nation.
Numbers
This book is, as it sounds, a book of numbers. There are some historical stories, but it is mainly records of the families of Israel.
Deuteronomy
This words comes from the words deutero, meaning "second", and nomos, meaning "law". The book is mainly an address from Moses to the people of Israel, outlining the law to them, before they entered the land of Canaan.

History
Joshua
This book describes how Israel entered the "promised Land", Canaan, under the leadership of Joshua. It includes those occasions when Israel didn't do what God told them to do - and the consequences of their actions.
Judges Once Israel had entered the land of Canaan, their leaders were called Judges. This book describes the successes and failures of Israel, as they cycled through times of peace and war with neighbouring countries.
Ruth
The book of Ruth is a short book, set in the time of the Judges. It shows how a woman from the country of Moab is welcomed into the family of Israel. It is a reminder of God's original command to Israel, that they should be a light to the rest of the world.
1 Samuel
This book is thought to have been written by the prophet Samuel. It covers the time from Israel's first king, Saul, until Saul's suicidal death.
2 Samuel
This book continues where 1 Samuel left off. It covers events from the installation of David as king, until David is old and close to dying.
1 Kings
This book begins by following the line of kings through David. When David's son Solomon dies, a power struggle takes place between Rehoboam, Solomon's son, and Jeroboam. The nation of Israel is then split into two separate nations. Two families, Judah and Benjamin form one nation, while the remaining families form another. The book follows the fortunes and failures of the kings of the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah).
2 Kings
This book continues where 1 Kings left off. It covers the history until both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah have been taken into captivity, by Assyria and Babylon, respectively.
1 Chronicles
1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are quite similar to 1 Kings and 2 Kings. However, there are important differences. 1 Chronicles begins by tracing the line of David from Adam, through to David's descendants at the exile of Judah. It contains other historical records, and then focuses on the life of David, from the time he becomes king, until his death.
2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles selects historical material from the reign of Solomon, through to the last king of Judah before its exile. Whereas the two books of Kings swap between the northern and southern kingdoms, the books of Chronicles focus exclusively on the kingdom of Judah. (Jesus is a descendant of the family of Judah, so emphases like this are designed to prepare the reader for Jesus).
Ezra This book describes the return of the Jews from exile. persia had conquered the kingdom of Babylon while the Jews were in exile, and so it was the persian king who allowed them to return. The book, with the priest Ezra as main figure, focuses on the temple being built.
Nehemiah
This book focuses on the building of the wall of Jerusalem. It also provides various lists of people. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the persian king, and it is he who returns to Jerusalem to oversee the completion of the wall.
Esther This book describes the "meteoric" rise to fame and power, of Esther, a Jew living in Persia during the exile. Esther becomes queen, and due to her influence, prevents the Jews from being destroyed. The word "God" is not found in the book of Esther, and this has caused some to wonder why it is in the Bible. Nevertheless, the book shows how God has always been protecting his people from complete destruction.

Psalms and Wisdom Writings
Job
This book is one of the world's greatest writings on the subject of pain and suffering. Unbelievable tragedy afflicts Job, his family, and his possessions. After questioning God about what he has done, God asks Job a few pertinent questions. The book explodes the popular myth that good things always happen to good people, and bad things always happen to bad people.
Psalms
This is a collection of 150 psalms. A psalm is basically a piece of poetry designed to be sung with music. The psalms are often the favourite book of people, because they express the whole range of feelings towards God. The cry "How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" is heard with "I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me".
Proverbs
This is a collection of wise sayings, or proverbs. It has an emphasis on how life should be.
Ecclesiastes
The title of this book means "Teacher". It has an emphasis on how life really is. The book is a poetical record of the exploits of King Solomon, who tried everything life could offer him, and concluded that "everything is meaningless!" The end of the book offers his perspective on how to live life successfully: Fear God and keep his commands, for this is the whole duty of people. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Song of Solomon
This book is a poem concerning Solomon and his love for the woman who will soon be his wife. Due to the sometimes explicit nature of the writing, people have often seen this book as an allegory. However, the book should be taken literally. It shows the importance God places on real love, and on a continuing passion between husband and wife.

Major Prophets
Isaiah
Isaiah's name means "God saves". Isaiah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to remind Judah of the special relationship they had with God as members of His covenant community.

Jeremiah
Jeremiah's name means either "God establishes" or "whom God appoints". Jeremiah wrote to the nation of Judah before and just into the exile. He is often called the Weeping prophet, due to him weeping for the fate of his people, and also because he is thought to have written Lamentations. His purpose was to expose the darkness of Judah's sin, along with the piercing brightness of God's word.
Lamentations
This book is a collection of poetry written after the fall of Judah. It has only five chapters, but was placed after Jeremiah, since Jeremiah was believed to be its author. His purpose was to show how the curses predicted in Deuteronomy 28 had come to pass.

Ezekiel
Ezekiel's name means "God strengthens". Ezekiel wrote to the both the nation of Judah and Israel during the exile. His purpose was to show the glory and perfect character of God.

Daniel
Daniel's name means "God is prince". Daniel wrote to the nation of Judah, as well as to non-Jews in Babylon, during the exile. His purpose was to show that regardless of what happens in the world, God is completely in control.

Minor Prophets
Hosea
Hosea's name means "salvation". Hosea wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to show how the curses of Deuteronomy were coming to pass, as well as ultimate restoration to Israel.
Joel
Joel's name means "Yahweh is God". Joel wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to focus attention to the Day of the Lord, when justice would be complete.
Amos
Amos' name means "burden-bearer". Amos wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to show that although God would punish Israel for rebelling against him, he would preserve a small group of people who had not rebelled.
Obadiah
Obadiah's name means "servant of the Lord". Obadiah wrote to the nation of Edom. His purpose was to declare that Edom would be judged by God for its constant hatred towards Israel.
Jonah
Jonah's name means "dove". Jonah wrote to the nation of Israel before the exile. His purpose was to remind Israel that they were to bless the nations of the world. If any nation turned away from evil and turned towards God, God would forgive and restore.
Micah Micah's name means "who is like God?". Micah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show that God was fair in disciplining Judah, since Judah had turned from God.
Nahum Nahum's name means "comforter". Nahum wrote to the nation of Assyria. His purpose was to announce the fall of Assyria, and to comfort Israel that God was in control.
Habakkuk
Habakkuk's name means "embracer". Habakkuk wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show that God was always fair in dealing with evil, even if his ways were different to the ways of people.
Zephaniah
Zephaniah's name means "protected by God". Zephaniah wrote to the nation of Judah before the exile. His purpose was to show the coming judgment on Judah because of its disobedience to God.
Haggai
Haggai's name means "festive". Haggai wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to arouse the leaders and people of Judah from their spiritual apathy, and encourage them to continue building the temple.
Zechariah
Zechariah's name means "God remembers". Zechariah wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to motivate the people to spiritual renewal, and motivate them to rebuild the temple, by showing them God's plans for their future.
Malachi
Malachi's name means "messenger of God". Malachi wrote to the nation of Judah after the exile. His purpose was to put the finger of judgment on the nation, and to motivate the people to return to God with all their beings.

Brief History of the old testament

2009-12-01T03:59:00.000-08:00

I don't care for the tone of this, but it helps form a timeline for studying the old testament.

The Book

The Bible (from biblos, Greek for 'book') is the basis of two great religions, Judaism in the Old Testament and Christianity in the New Testament. In each case it brings together a group of documents to tell the story of the founders and early followers of the religion. In doing so it also explains their beliefs. The conventional sources of historical evidence (archaeological remains, written documents) provide few traces of the Old Testament story and none at all of the events described in the New Testament. Yet in the Bible the early Jews and Christians provide an account of themselves which is unparalleled, among religious groups of those times, in its wealth of detail.The books of the Jewish Bible are believed to have been written over several centuries, beginning in the 10th century BC - by which time the Hebrews are settled in Canaan, or Palestine. But in many parts the scribes are writing down a much older oral tradition. It is thought that some of the events described may go back as far as the 18th century BC. The holiest part of the Bible for Jews is the first five books, known as the Torah ('instruction' or 'law' in Hebrew). In non-Jewish sources these books are sometimes called the Pentateuch ('five scrolls' in Greek, from a translation done in Alexandria).

Genesis, the first book of the Torah, begins with a resolutely monotheistic story of the creation and goes on to provide a series of myths which can be echoed in other religions - the fall of man into a state of sin through disobedience (Adam and Eve eating the apple), a great flood which sweeps away the whole of sinful mankind except for one small group of survivors (Noah and his family), and the emergence of different languages (God's punishment for man's presumption in building the mighty tower of Babel, which almost reaches to heaven). With the entry of Abraham, Genesis reaches the story of the Bible's own people, the Hebrews.bkh -->Abraham's people: 18th - 13th century BCIn Genesis Abraham is the patriarch of a nomadic tribe. The story has him moving through Mesopotamia (from Ur to Harran) and then down into Canaan - a land which, God promises, his descendants will inherit. Many tribes move with their flocks among the settled cities of Mesopotamia and Palestine. No doubt several, from time to time, have charismatic leaders long remembered by their descendants. There is no reason to doubt that a figure such as Abraham exists, and scholars put his likely date at about 1800 BC. What makes him significant is the idea of his pact with God, by which God will help Abraham's people in return for their fulfilling God's law. This is the covenant at the heart of the story of the Hebrews.-->-->bkk -->Abraham's grandson is Jacob, whose story provides the origin of the tribal division of the Hebrews. When God renews the covenant with Jacob he gives him a new name, Israel. Jacob eventually has twelve sons, from each of whom a tribe descends - the twelve tribes of Israel. In Genesis the sons of Jacob cause his family to move to Egypt - first by selling one of their number (Joseph) into slavery there, and then by moving south themselves in a time of famine. People called habiru feature in Egyptian records. They have been identified by some scholars with the Hebrews, but there is no firm evidence to prove the link.bkl -->Moses and ExodusIn Exodus, the second book of the Torah, the religious identity of the Hebrew tribes is firmly established through the leadership and inspiration of Moses - as he brings them north towards Canaan, escaping from a state of slavery in Egypt. It is to Moses that God reveals his name (from the burning bush), saying 'I Am Who I Am'. This gives him a name written with four Hebrew letters, YHWH, meaning 'He Who Is'. God's name is later considered too holy to be spoken, but with its vowels added it is Yahweh. In Christian versions of the Old Testament it becomes written as Jehovah.-->-->bkn -->God also reveals to Moses the ten commandments. If the Hebrews obey these laws, God will favour them as his chosen people and will bring them into the promised land of Canaan. This pact is a renewal and development of the long-standing covenant between God and the Hebrews. It now becomes literally the centrepiece of the Hebrew religion.

God, in Exodus, tells Moses to engrave the laws upon two tablets of stone and to place them in a wooden chest covered in pure gold. This chest is the ark of the covenant. As the most sacred object of the Hebrew cult, it will eventually be housed in the inner sanctuary of the temple at Jerusalem.bko -->In Exodus and the three remaining books of the Torah, the Hebrews are wandering in the Sinai desert under the leadership of Moses and of his elder brother Aaron, later seen as the prototype of the Hebrew priesthood.

he third book, Leviticus, is priestly material - largely given over to listing the proper details of ritual and sacrifice.

The fourth, Numbers, describes something of the social and political structure of the tribes on the slow journey north towards the promised land.

Deuteronomy is an amplification of God's law for his people. At the end of Deuteronomy Moses glimpses the land promised by God to Abraham, but dies before he can enter it.bkp -->The Torah: 1000-400 BCThe five books of the Torah, made up of passages composed at various times from the reign of David onwards, are amalgamated and amplified by the priests in about 400 BC. They attribute all five books to Moses, inspired by God. The underlying purpose of the priests is to reinforce the identity of the Jewish community after the return to Jerusalem. In this they succeed beyond all possible expectation. The Torah becomes, and remains today, the centre of Judaism. The most sacred part of a synagogue is the ark containing the Scrolls of the Law. Reading from them, in a cycle which completes the Torah each year, is the heart of the liturgy.-->-->bkq -->After the five books of the Torah, the Old Testament consists of material which can be classed in three categories. There are historical books, continuing the story of the children of Israel; prophetic books, in which the prophets (in effect preachers) castigate the Israelites for their sins and warn them of the wrath of God to come; and poetic works, ranging from the devotional (Psalms) to the more literary (Song of Solomon). In Jewish Bibles the warnings of the prophets are interspersed with the history, of which they are indeed an important part. In the Christian arrangement the prophets are kept to the end, after the poetic books.bkt -->

Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings: 11th - 8th century BC
The historical books of the Bible begin with two, Joshua and Judges, which describe the attempts of the Hebrews to enter the promised land. In spite of the resounding story about the walls of Jericho falling down when Joshua (the chosen successor of Moses) marches round them, the texts make it plain that the move into Canaan is a long and fiercely contested process - with the various tribes achieving their own small victories and glorying in their own local heroes. The most famous of these heroes is Samson, a great slayer of the people who are the Hebrews' main rivals for this land of milk and honey. They are the Philistines.The peak of the Israelite achievement is described in the two books of Samuel. These tell how the tribes of Israel finally unite against the Philistines. Samuel, a combination of priest, prophet, soldier and politician, anoints Saul as king and thus creates the Israelite monarchy. Saul's success is limited, and it is not until the throne has been usurped by David that the monarchy in Israel is secure. It then seems to go into a steady decline, from Solomon onwards (as described in Kings). Even so, David's dynasty will rule for 400 years. And moral decline has certain attractions, as a theme, for the stern prophets.bkz -->

Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel: 8th - 6th century BCThe message of the prophets is a constant one. The threats facing Israel are the direct result of the failure of the people and of their rulers to live according to God's commandments. The disasters, when they come, will be God's punishment. But by the same token there is hope. The Israelites are, after all, his chosen people. If they repent and mend their ways, he will again protect them. Among the three major prophets, Isaiah preaches in the 8th century when the threat is from Assyria; Jeremiah pronounces doom in the early 6th century, when the enemy is Babylon; and Ezekiel, in exile, comments a few years later on the same disasters, after Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians.A variable text: from the 5th century BCAfter the return from Babylon the priests in Jerusalem are determined to establish a definitive text of the Bible. Scrolls are exhibited in the Temple forecourt, against which other manuscripts can be checked and corrected. Yet over the centuries the text becomes increasingly subject to change for a purely practical reason. The original version shows only the consonants. To help in the study of the Torah, schools add vowels and accents to give assistance when reading aloud. This allows ample opportunity for variations to creep in.

Masoretic text: 9th century ADThe problem is not finally resolved until a major effort in the 9th century AD by Jewish scholars in Jerusalem and in Baghdad (the successor city to Babylon) results at last in consensus. Their agreed Hebrew Bible becomes the standard for all subsequent manuscript copies, and thereafter for printed versions. As guardians of the biblical text these scholars are called Masoretes. The authorized version is known as the Masoretic text. Meanwhile the Hebrew Bible becomes the first body of sacred scripture to be translated - in the form of the Septuagint, for the Greek-speaking Jews of Alexandria. And it acquires a new and influential identity as the Old Testament, prefacing the New Testament of the Christians.

My new favorite passage

2009-06-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

I really like this passage. I like that the father didn't have to get the boy healed through his own prayer. I'm encouraged that, while the disciples couldn't heal him, Jesus could do it. And, Jesus pinpointed why they couldn't heal the boy. Unbelief. Jesus also identified that particular demon, and said that he could only be removed through prayer and fasting.

Jesus gave us a road map, didn't he?

A Boy Is Healed

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic[c] and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief;[d] for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”[e]

2009-03-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

There is something I want very badly. I will not rest until I get it. I will not quit. I am doing a good work, and will not come down.

I wish I could blog about it, but I gave my word I wouldn't do it. Instead, I want to declare to the world that I will not surrender. I will not accept anything less than victory. It is the most important goal I've ever had in my life.

The bible says that GOD gave each of us "the" measure of faith. So....it's GOD's faith. GOD had to give to each of us the measure of faith we are using in order to believe in him. Can we get additional faith? Well, the bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of GOD.

So, I will not stop seeking GOD about this thing that I want. GOD said that if we would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek his face, and turn from our wicked ways, then he would hear us and heal our land.

Although I am nothing of myself, I am more than a conquerer in him. If I am a child of GOD, and a joint heir with Jesus...then I am, by definition, a prince of the King of Kings.

I don't care what I have to do or where I have to go to get this thing I want. If the devil has what I want.....then he had better run. If he hides it, even in his heart....there will I rake for it.

2009-02-17T03:47:00.000-08:00

I don't care what the doctor says. He may give us facts, but Jesus gave us the truth. By his stripes we are healed. My son's stunning recovery will be a witness to the awesome power of a living GOD. People won't be able to deny GOD when they see my son...who so many are ready to label autistic....turn and speak clearly...and by speaking, communicate....and by communicating, learn.

He jumps. That is supposed to be a sign of the autism spectrum. I'm wary of catch all phrases.

GOD gave us brains in order for us to think. We have time to do therapy...and doctors who can help. He has provided us with physical tools, as well as the assurance of supernatural healing.

I do not accept that my son will have a handicap due to autism. He will live a life just as normal as I have lived...with the potential to do so much more.

The doctors haven't labeled him as autistic. From what I've heard, it's almost a formality. I'm putting my faith and trust in GOD...and I know I have Jesus sitting at the right hand, making intercession for us.

Praying for an elderly grandmother to live forever is one thing. Praying for the healing of a 2 year old is something else.

GOD.....I'll preach. I'll become a missionary if you lead me to do that. I'll do whatever you want. I know you have already healed him....we just need to access it.

I have a great testimony that I've had for almost 12 years. I'm ready for a new testimony. Let my son's healing be a new testimony.

I'm asking that he be made well. All miracles are easy for you...assuming we aren't holding you back. Do not let us hold you back from acting in a profound way on our behalf. I repent of sins of ommissions and sins of commission. I repent of my unforgiveness. I'm going over people in my head to forgive.

I want to hear the good report from the doctor. Collins needs it, I need it, and kristin needs it.
I see progress myself already....but there are still some questions about him. YOU answer them, please GOD. Complete my little family, and make us whole. You haven't let me down before. This one is something that has literally caused me to miss sleep.

I give you my son. I submit my life to you. Have thine own way, Lord. Thou are the potter, I am the clay. I will shout your glory from the rooftops. I will do it already. I will do it now. GOD is going to fix this problem. I'm just waiting to see it in the physical world.

23 minutes in Hell

2008-09-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

There is a pretty famous preacher in Gainesville, Ga. His name is Jentezen Franklin. He has a big church, and preaches 3 times on Sunday, and then flies to Orange Co. California and preaches there every Sunday night. He has 1400 people there on Sunday nights.
I've heard him a few times on TV, and he seems pretty good.

There are a lot of stories about people with near death experiences that say they went to Heaven. There are a few that claim to have gone to Hell.

Jentezen Franklin had some video clips of man who claims that he went to Hell. I don't think it was a near death experience, I think he says GOD took him there just to see it and bring back his testimony. He told everyone who would listen. People begged him to put it in book form, so he did. It has sold 500,000 copies. I heard the man speak a little last night on Jentezen Franklin's show. It was video clips, he wasn't there live.

The man has a wild story. He said that he researched everything that happened to him in the Bible and has found scripture that explains it.

He said he knew he was deep in the ground. He said it was a place, and it was deep in the ground. He knew people were on the surface of the Earth. He could think of his wife and knew she was up there, and lamented that she didn't know where he was and what was happening. He said that GOD blocked the fact that he was a Christian from his memory, so he was partly confused.

He said he was in a cell. He said there were 2 demons, each about 13 feet tall. He said he knew they hated GOD. He said he could feel it. He also said it was dark. He felt so alone. He said he could feel the dark, that's how dark it was. Then, he felt the anger that the demons had for GOD directed at him. He said they hurt him. He said he had a body..not quite like the body we have now but similar. He said it has bones, and he felt one of the Demons break his bones with a huge claw that it had. He said it hurt, but his body wasn't torn. It just kept hurting. There was no hope of being saved by death. He said they drug him out of the cell towards a vast firey pit. All he could think of was his family...wanting them to stay out and worried about them. He said the heat from the fire was the most intense thing you could imagine, and the screams he heard was deafening. He said that even though the fire was tremendous, it gave no light. He said he could see faces of people in there. He said it was the most exhausting thing, and he was so thirsty and so hungry and so tired. More than anything...worse that the loneliness and the pain...was the hopelessness. There was no hope of escape.

Jentezen Franklin then returned and preached some more.

I had heard of this man's experience before. I almost bought this book back when Gracie and I went to a Christian Bookstore at Christmas time.

The man was a real estate agent, or something. He might still be, I don't know.
I don't know what to think of his story. I feel like a sucker for believing it out of hand. It's one thing if it was one of those near death experiences...where there were doctors who confirmed that the person was actually dead at one point. I've heard those stories too, about the people being resuscitated and come back screaming, and that the doctors and nurses could smell smoke in the room. Those seemed believable, because the doctors and nurses say that they were saved because of what happened.

The man was talking constantly. It was like he couldn't even take time to breath. There was no emotion, though. Maybe that comes from telling the story 100,000 times. He kept citing scripture that back up what he was saying....so I suppose even if I didn't believe him, I could believe the scripture and accept his descriptions as being accurate. Either way, it's a sobering story.

I'm going to go ahead and believe him and his story. Like I said, he kept citing chapter and verse of things that described his story. I believe the Bible after all.

There is another thing, too. Who knows what heaven will really be like, but I see it as being like Earth, only perfect. Jesus said his father's house had many mansions. Sounds like Love, peace, friendship, and good living.

After the Bible has been fulfilled, and time has ended, I would like to ask GOD if we can go save everybody and rescue them and get them out. One final act of tender mercy, from our Father in Heaven who has already given all to us.

Testimony: It doesn't make sense to doubt GOD

2008-07-16T15:24:00.001-07:00

How do you deal with doubts about religion? There have been times over the last few years where I began to feel creeping doubts about certain aspects of religion. I didn't have the conviction or the guts to start to question GOD, but there were some nagging questions that began to buzz around my head. Since then, my relationship with GOD has been solidified. How do you talk about the things of GOD to a man who is using logic and common sense to question it? The Bible said that Godly things are foolishness to man. In fact, even in the Bible, it discusses oppositions of science...to which it added "falsely so called". How do you talk about religion to someone who questions the Bible as being the final authority?

First of all, there isn't any reason why man's logic has to disposed of when discussing Christianity. The bible said people would doubt, and that people would call Christians crazy. The secret to being strong in GOD is reading the Bible. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of GOD. The bible warns against being conformed to this world, telling you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The bible tells us to put on the "new man". We don't fit in, we're strangers in a strange land. The bible has accurately predicted the carnal man's mind, and his reactions to the thought of a Divine Jesus. The bible will prove him BECAUSE it says what man would think of Jesus. But, what happens when you don't believe the Bible anymore?

The people who question the Bible are the ones not spending time reading and studying it. I can speak that from PERSONAL experience, not from judging the walk of other people. People live their lives in the world and they don't spend time with God. They become weak and lose their way in life, and then start questioning Christianity. It's like a bodybuilder, who trains and eats a strict diet and tells everyone how he stays in shape. Then, he quits, and his body turns flabby. 2 years later, he says that the exercise and the diet doesn't work because he turned flabby, became weak, and he sees a lot of overweight people in the world. Obviously, he quit and became weak, ate junk food, and fell back. That didn't mean the diet and exercise was faulty, or that protein shakes are a myth. Who is he to tell us that weightlifting is pointless? If he was doing it, he wouldn't think it was pointless, because he would be a powerful man. If anything, the change in his life due to refraining from working out PROVES that it works. He didn't change because he kept doing what was working for him, did he?

Your mind slips back into the old ways, and your peaceful experience with God seems like a strange phenomenon that you can barely remember, instead of a life altering experience. Jesus talked about the word as being the seed...and some of it fell on rocks, and some in thorns, and some on good ground. Some grew, but collapsed because of the lack of roots. We cut ourselves off, with our eyes wide open...and we fill ourselves with worldly books, intelligensia, and entertainment. Then, we start looking at Christianity like it failed us in some way. It didn't hold up. It couldn't keep up. Churches hold much of the blame. However, Churches are filled with people...who ALSO don't read their Bibles...and the Churches are doomed to making mistakes. We're all flawed and we all make mistakes, but people hold Churches to a standard of perfection. The Church, as a whole, is sick. I don't know how much better it's going to get before the end times approach. However, there is a lot of good that Churches do, and a lot of comfort that they provide. There have been untold of millions of people who will spend an eternity in peace because of the people in Church. GOD didn't call us to take care of ourselves and let everyone fend for themselves. GOD is love. We are to act in love. We can discern the intentions of other people (people who are in churches) when looking at their actions through the prism of love.

Do some people in Church do things to be seen? Yeah. However, if you want to do something good, and you feel lead to do so and so, and you DON'T do it BECAUSE you don't want to be seen...then, that's not good either. We all need to relax and realize that we're not the judge, or the jury, and we're not in control. We've all got a walk to walk, and a lonesome valley to travel down one day. If God is leading somebody to buy someone in New York City a house....who am I to judge the man who serves God. Who are we to judge another man's servant? We can't see the big picture. We don't know what that man in New York is going wind up doing. We're not qualified to judge the gifts and actions of others.

Mature Christianity is reached (this is just me talking) when we've reached peace in our lives and understand our role in the world. I've gotten to the point to where I don't hold anyone higher, or lower, than myself. I don't hold anyone to a higher standard. Why? Because I have done things since I became a Christian that I didn't think I was capable of doing...pretty bad things. I love God, and I'm not perfect. I can't be perfect any more than the Jewish people of the Old Testament. We're all in this together. We need each other's help in the world. You can live a Godly life, and maybe even serve your purpose here on Earth, by walking on your walk with him and never going to Church. Personally, I believe GOD wants us to be active. He wants us to act when he gives us an opening. He wants us to know his voice, and to take action when we hear it. We cut ourselves off from GOD, and when we don't see him, we doubt his existence. I know GOD is good, and he's just, and he's more forgiving, and he's more loving, and he's smarter, and he's more wise....than I am. People die prematurely, and babies are stillborn, and people ask how a loving GOD could let that happen? I say, "I know GOD is more loving, compassionate, merciful, knowledgeable, etc...but if I were GOD, I would have saved that baby. I'm not GOD. I don't know why the baby died. I know, however, that GOD is in control. I know that baby's spirit is going to be taken care of, and won't have an opportunity to go to Hell. We should all be so blessed". If we consider that scenario from a logical point of view...the world works, too. The devil works, too. People drive drunk and get killed. People swim in the ocean and are bitten by sharks. I can purposely thwart the will of GOD for my life, and keep him out of it altogether. In the end, the sacrifice of Jesus will stand as a witness against us, instead of being for us.

As far as the Bible goes, the book of Job became a hard one for me. It almost didn't seem to fit what I HAD ALREADY DECIDED SPIRITUAL REALITY IS LIKE. The bible warned about adding and subtracting to it...and I wondered if someone was going to be in deep trouble for adding this book. However, I can't imagine why GOD would have allowed it to be in there when he didn't want it to be in there. Job is the oldest book in the Bible, and I believe it was divinely written that way to teach the people of the time. They needed it written a certain way. That doesn't make it any less significant. In fact, Job has become a stumbling block to people to question the Bible's authenticity.

When it's all said and done, we can't prove GOD to anyone. We can't prove the bible. We can't prove Jesus. There is one way for us to truly spread the word of GOD if someone can't believe the Bible......and that is through our testimony. You can convict someone in the courts due to testimony of other people. It's a logical means of proving someone that the judge didn't see.

I'm incapable of doubting GOD or the Bible in any way, because I was given a gift.

I've told almost everyone close to me the following story. I decided years ago to treat it like the gift it was, and so I take care of it. I keep it to myself...precious...until the times that GOD presents me an opening to share it. When GOD provides me with an opening and permission, I quickly rush in and tell my testimony as best I can. GOD can give us the gift of salvation through our belief in Jesus as son of the living GOD. Jesus said he is the resurrection, and the life. GOD gives us faith, and we can use it to believe in him. GOD gave me something very special to me. GOD gave me proof. Given my arrogance and doubting nature, I'm afraid I might have really needed this proof one day if the world had me down and I felt lost. If I didn't have it...I might have began to wonder (in my darkest and most fearful places) if GOD really exists, or if we're some kind of cosmic accident. Thank GOD, I can never let myself wonder. I have faith. Not blind faith, but proof that I can sink my teeth into when the going gets rough. I can never even let clouds of doubt float around my head because of the testimony that I'm about to share with you.

It was Summer of 1995. My freshman year at the University of Georgia had just ended, and I was working nights for C.W.Matthews....weighing out milling trucks at a quarry in a bad part of Atlanta. The pay was decent for the time, but there were a lot of hours to go along with it. There were periods of time where the trucks wouldn't come by very often, and I would become very restless. I began to bring an old portable TV and my Bible. I could watch old ECW wrestling really early in the morning on certain nights, but that was about it. It was hot and humid, and I wasn't very good at sleeping in the daytime, so I was frequently exhausted. Mostly, I read my Bible with my spare time. I was already a Christian, having been saved years earlier. I read my Bible every night, and prayed every night. My walk with GOD was stronger than it's ever been in my whole life. I was making money, and feeling good about my future. There is a certain peace you have when your walk with GOD is in a comfortable place...happy and wanting nothing. I was getting strong faith, as faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of GOD. I prayed for GOD to show me my path, and I told him that I was willing to follow wherever he would lead me. I was his son, and I asked him to speak to me. It was a precious time, looking back on it.

We worked a lot of nights at C.W. Matthews during that Summer. I believe Sunday night was the only night we had off. I got off really late on a Sunday morning one day, and I decided to make it to my church for service. I had just been up all night, but I decided I could wait another couple of hours before sleeping. I drove my old 1977 yellow Camaro from Atlanta to Clayton Baptist Full Gospel Church just outside of Waleska, Ga. The Reverend Keith Graham was our interim preacher. He was a powerful man of GOD, who had an authority like few people I had ever met. Not that I had talked to him much, but you could just feel the energy from the man. I slipped in the back right after church began, and really enjoyed the service. At the end, he was calling for people to come and be prayed for, and a few people had came up, but not a large amount. There was a song playing on the piano, as Brother Keith paced from one side of the church to the other, behind the pulpit, as we did our usual mediocre job of singing. He was walking and ducking his head down, almost like he was straining to hear someone speak (the Holy Ghost, as it turns out). Every so often, he would stop and go down to pray for someone. After a few seconds, he would walk back up to the front and continue pacing....listening. It continued like this few several minutes and we changed songs and continued our slow singing.

I remember thinking, "I wish he would pray for me...I wish he had something for me". I bowed my head, and prayed the following words...."GOD...please speak to me today"

BOOM!!! The instant I prayed it, I felt a surge of energy explode up through me, straightening my back and giving me a very warm sensation emanating through my chest and stomach. It was shocking. As soon as I felt the heat, I heard the words spoke into my head "Go up and have him pray for you". I didn't "hear" the words...it was like it was my own thought but I didn't think it and hadn't been thinking it before...and it was talking TO me. I stood there...dazed...stunned.... in disbelief. I couldn't make myself move, I was so shy and nervous. I didn't want to go up there all of a sudden. So, I fought it off. I started questioning it. I started wondering if it was my imagination. Slowly and gradually, the warmth faded away. The whole incident probably took 10 seconds. I was really perplexed, and decided that the incident was just ME wanting GOD to speak to me. I was determined NOT to just proceed forth out of my own desires...I wanted to be directed.

As the song continued, I prayed, "GOD, I'm sorry about that....please, speak to me today". BOOM!!! Just like before, I felt the tremendous warmth and the words "Go up and have him pray for you" spoken into my head. I was really stunned this time. I knew it had to be GOD, but part of me was still in disbelief. I waited. I questioned, and I waited. Finally, after a few seconds, the feeling went away. Again.

At this point, I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what to do. So, I prayed again. I prayed the same thing. I said, "GOD...please speak to me today". BOOM!!! The exact same thing happened again. Warmth, and the "Go up and have him pray for you". I was looking around, panicking. Brother Keith continued his pacing and praying, the congregation continued singing...while I was having a war back there on the back pew. This was the 3rd time in about 40 seconds that I had just experienced a supernatural sensation. Like the other times, I was too stunned. I let my fear hold my feet down. I was waiting for the warmth to quit. I was fighting off the holy spirit. I was grieving him. Like the other 2 times...I fought him off. The warmth went away. It had just happened 3 times in a row.

I was completely deflated and defeated. I was letting myself doubt GOD, but I knew deep down that it was the Holy Spirit trying to guide me. He was being clear, too. So many times, we think GOD is hard to follow and understand. Jesus said that my sheep hear my voice. We think he's hard to hear BECAUSE we don't listen. We don't read our Bibles and we don't sit and wait on him.

Anyway, I didn't know what to do. So, did the same thing again. I prayed, "GOD..please speak to me today". BOOM!! Just like the other times, it was warmth and heat, with the words "Go up and have him pray for you" spoken into my head. At this point, I was a quivering shell. I was openly disobeying GOD. I had gotten what I wanted. He was speaking to me. I doubted, and stood there, and didn't move. I knew it was GOD, and I refused to budge. Like the other 3 times, the heat faded away. 4 times in a row.

Brother Keith continued. I stood. The congregation sang. The piano played. I waited. I was almost scared to pray it a 5th time in a row. Fortunately, although I was disobedient....I was also stubborn. I prayed the same prayer, for the 5th time in a row. I said, "GOD..please speak to me today".

This time, the instant I prayed it...Brother Keith stopped dead in his tracks, and he peered into the congregation, and our eyes met. He pointed his finger at me and said, "Young Man". The congregation parted, as everyone turned to look at me and to stay out of Brother Keith's line of sight. I still remember seeing every one's face..shocked....maybe partly glad it wasn't them and partly wishing it was them. I froze. I was excited, but I froze. I thought I was about to be rescued. I thought, this is finally it. The other 4 things really WERE my imagination. When he spoke to me, with the authority of our heavenly father, it wasn't all happy with sunshine and rainbows. There was a little bit of a tone of chastisement in there.

Here is what Brother Keith said to me....

"Young Man...........the Lord told me to tell you that Once...twice....three, and yet FOUR TIMES...he spoke to your heart. His hand is on you. He has breathed upon you. You need to surrender, even if you don't understand. Jesus came so that you might have life, and have it more abundantly. GOD...I pray that you remove every doubt". He prayed in tongues for a few seconds, and then it was over.

With that, he continued his pacing. The next several minutes were a blur. I remember driving down the road, with my hands fixed on "10 and 2" and my mouth agape, reliving the whole episode as the realization was settling in on me.

No matter where I go in life, I take this testimony with me. I can never doubt GOD. I can never doubt that there is a GOD. Here are the things that I can swear to, here and for the rest of my life:

There is a GOD. He has a son named Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, to die for our sins...to pay the price that had to be paid in order for man to be forgiven. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Brother Keith's prayer has been fruitful. GOD removed every doubt. I can never let the world get me down and cause me to question my faith, even for a second. Because, I was blessed with this experience. It is fact, and it's just as true as the fact that I'm sitting here right now. If anyone reading this ever has a doubt, maybe even in a secret place that you don't want to admit you have, then take this story with you. I swear..it happened. Jesus is real. The Bible is real.

The whole thing is real.

Reminder....GOD is still on his throne

2008-07-11T00:59:00.001-07:00

We are all having problems, of varying degrees right now. If it's due to no money, gas is too expensive, politics aren't going the way you want, you're...oh, I don't know.....working nights for 2 weeks...then just remember:

Jesus told us to "Fear not, believe only".

Whatever problem you're going through, just think about it and then say, "GOD is still on his throne".

Good article

2008-05-13T13:40:00.001-07:00

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT...

LYING SIGNS AND WONDERS?

by Betty Miller

2 Thessalonians 2:8-11: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."

We live in an hour when there is an emphasis on things that are supernatural. Many movie, video and T.V. programs are delving into the supernatural. What does the word supernatural mean? It is referring to things that cannot be explained with a scientific or natural explanation. It is beyond the natural, a wonder that seemingly defies logic and is not explainable by the known forces or laws of nature. There are two sources that supernatural phenomenon can come from. Supernatural manifestations are actually things that have their source of power from the spiritual world. The spiritual world has two active powers in existence: God and His angels and the Satan and his devils (also known as fallen angels).

Satan uses his supernatural "lying wonders and signs" to trap men into following him, while the Lord uses His miracles to lead men in a righteous path to follow Him. From the above verse we see that men can be deceived into believing a lie if they are deceived into accepting lying signs and wonders. The Church is experiencing a lot of miracles at this time, but along with the true miracles of God there are also false gifts of power, signs and lying wonders, that are not of God. How do we discern the difference so that we do not get caught up in something that is not of God which could lead us into error?

We can see that the devil is able to perform miracles as well as God by reading of a miracle that Satan's magicians performed and how God did a greater miracle in Exodus 7:9-12: "When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."

Most Christians want to receive those things that the Lord is doing that are miraculous, however some of the so called miracles of God are not coming from Him at all, but are glorifying men and not God. As Christians we cannot receive nor accept all miracles, signs and wonders just because the word "God or the Bible" is attributed as to being the source of those things. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

What should our role as Christians be in regard to acceptance of a sign, miracle or wonder? We are told to prove all things, not to reject them because they might be strange or new to us. However, we should not receive them either, until we first prove them. How do we prove things? All true Christians are in agreement that our standard is the Word of God, the Bible. God left us this Book as a reference, standard, or gauge so we could know whether something is good or evil, truth or error, right or wrong. (II Timothy 3:16-17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.")

Here are some questions we need to ask when proving things. Does the sign, miracle or wonder line up with the Word of God? Is God receiving the glory for this miracle or is a man or woman being exalted? Can you picture Christ performing this miracle? Does the miracle draw attention to Christ or to the man performing the miracle? Does this wonder cause you love and worship God more? What is the purpose for this miracle? The Lord does not perform miracles just to exhibit His power to men. He does them for specific purposes and reasons.

This is demonstrated by the account of Jesus' temptation of the devil to perform a supernatural feat so people would know He was God's son. Look at Matthew 4:5-7: "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

Here, Jesus refused to do a miracle just to demonstrate He had power. He called this tempting God. God displays His power, signs, wonders and miracles for His purposes. Here are some of the reasons and purposes in the Bible where the Lord demonstrates His signs, miracles or wonders. This is only a very small listing of miracles in the Bible:

(1.) Wonders of Apprehension (There are accounts of many men and women throughout the Bible who experienced supernatural happenings to them individually when the Lord called them for a special purpose.)

Moses at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3) In the presence of God He experienced God's requirement for holiness.
Saul on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9) In the presence of God, Saul was shown his rebellion.

(2.) Miracles of Provision (When God's people had a need that could not be met at the moment in the natural.)

Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:16-21)
Provision of the Manna to the Israelites (Exodus 16:35)

(3.) Miracles of Protection (God keeps His people with angelic protection when they are in danger.)

Daniel in the Lion's Den (Daniel 6)
Three Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3)

(4.) Miracles of Deliverance from Plotted Destruction (God sends angelic messengers to warn His people of danger and the way of escape.)

Joseph and Mary with Baby Jesus (Matthew 2)
Peter from Prison (Acts 11)

(5.) Miracles of Healing (God heals His people from all manner of disease and suffering through miracles.)

Healing of the Blind, Lame, Diseased and Sick by the Apostles (Book of Acts)
Healing of the Demonized Gaderene (Luke 8:26-39)

(6.) Miracles of Divine Revelation (God gives divine understanding of His Word and His plans.)

Jesus Reveals the Scriptures to His Disciples (Luke 24:45)
Daniel Receives Visions and Revelation from God (Daniel 10)

From these accounts of miracles, signs and wonders we can see that the purposes of God were performed. Some of the supernatural manifestations that are occurring in the present move of God do not come from God at all. They are from another source, the devil. Some Christians do not recognize them as coming from the devil as they quote having feelings of ecstasy in these meetings or feeling what they call the anointing or glory of God. There is a true feeling of the presence and the anointing of God however, some of what is happening is not of God. Many Christians live in a feeling realm with God and just go from meeting to meeting so they can "feel" good. God's true anointing and glory will cause men to change, not merely feel good. If you are in the presence of God's true glory you will begin to see your sin and repent and desire to do His will. God's true glory is a revelation of His nature and attributes.

One of our major faults as Christians is that we tend to listen to men on certain subjects instead of referring to the Book God gave us. We recognize that God gave us men to lead us into the truths of God, but our problem becomes who are the true men of God and who are the false ones that Christ warned us about? Sometimes we tend to evaluate men according to the size of their ministries, their popularity with men, or their endowment of certain gifts, etc. The true test should be to test them by evaluating their fruit according to Galatians 5:22-24: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

Not only are we to test or try the spirits in men, but we are to do the same with any supernatural manifestations that we might experience. Today, when the world is being exposed to so many false things we need to be careful not to expose our spirits to false dreams, visions, revelations, prophecies, voices, signs, miracles, wonders, etc. The Word of God definitely teaches that God can manifest Himself in any, or all, of the above things; yet we are not to accept everything that comes in the name of Jesus. We need to test or prove these also. One of Satan's greatest devices is to counterfeit the real things of God and come to us disguised as the working of the Holy Spirit.

One reason some people move too quickly to accept the things they believe to be God is that they are fearful of disobeying Him, and thereby angering Him. They do not yet understand the loving and patient nature of our Father. The Lord never minds us testing or trying things to see if He is in them. It is only when we put God on trial that we do wrong. If we come to Him with a humble and sincere heart, wanting to know the answer to an honest question, He is more than willing to reveal to us the truth about the matter. The only time we will not get an answer from God is when we approach Him rebelliously, demanding an answer from Him.

Many Christians are hesitant about proving or testing things as they tend to categorize this right along with "judging," and they have been taught they are to judge no man. Most of us are familiar with the Scripture in Matthew 7:1 that says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." If we look at only this one verse, and we are trying to judge a situation, we will feel guilty about making an evaluation. However, we should look at all the other Scriptures related to this one, so we know how we are to judge. Let us continue to read the rest of this Scripture, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 7:2-5).

Examining all these Scriptures, we see that Jesus is not saying we are not to judge, but rather how we are to judge. We are to judge mercifully and according to the Word of God.We need to humbly submit the thing in question to the Lord and ask Him to show us if it is of Him or if the sign or wonder is from the devil. We need to go to the Word of God and seek the answer in the Bible. If the sign is from Him it will bear witness to our spirit, we who have the Spirit of Truth within us will be able to witness to and hear that truth. If we are uncomfortable about a sign, miracle or wonder, this could be the Holy Spirit warning us to test this thing. If a service is reduced to a circus atmosphere with weird things that don't agree with God's nature, His gifts and His Word, it simply isn't our Lord. Some things just don't pass the test. 1 Corinthians 14:40 says "Let all things be done decently and in order."

Although things are different in certain services it does not mean it is not God however, you will have a witness in your spirit that this is of God if you are seeking God with your whole heart. Ask Him to show you the truth and be open to receiving all that is from Him. On the other hand, ask Him to show you when something is not of God so that you will not be deceived. I make it a practice to run everything through what I call "the Holy Ghost filter". I always ask the Lord to show me the truth about things. I trust the Lord to guide me and show me what is of Him and to change my ideas if they are wrong about something. I also expect Him to confirm to me when I am right about things. John 16:13: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

Why any man can preach......

2008-04-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

I think I know the secret of how to know what to preach.

Study the Bible, and tell your church what you learned that week.

Mathew Chapt. 10

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Don't let tradition get in the way of the Bible

2008-04-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

We let learned religious tradition pry us away from the will of GOD. We all know examples of this. We get all caught up in the moment of running a modern church and get involved in superficial argument over the color of the carpet and the songs that will be played, and neglect one of GOD fundamental instructions.

(Matthew 22:39 (Whole Chapter)
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.)

If we were loving our neighbor as ourself, we would let them have the cream carpet when the rose color was clearly better. We would let them use the drum set even though it's not what we grew up with and enjoyed. If we stopped and remembered to LOVE, those fights wouldn't occur. Personally, I don't care for a lot of the modern conventional forms of praise. I prefer tried and true hymns. However, I can't let me own "stick in the muddedness" rob others as a blessing. Afterall, these people are praising GOD....perhaps I should be trying to emulate them instead of sitting back and removing myself from the service.

Romans 8:28:

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The above verse is often used to dismiss people who pray for things that we've learned, through tradition, NOT to ask for when praying. It's all working together for good, so why pray to get out of your dead end job or fix your marriage? Why don't you have faith in GOD, huh? The Kenneth Copeland critics use his ministry of seeking blessing as some kind of selfish act because you're NOT supposed to ask for things to be enjoyed.

Why would Jesus tell you to pray and ask for anything if it didn't matter if you did it or not?

Jesus talked about this in Matthew Chapter 15. They had practiced through the years that if someone was going to give something to GOD but wound up not giving it, you couldn't use it anymore. Not even, as Jesus pointed out, if it could help out your own parents. Jesus said that people let this tradition get in the way of following the 10 commandments in this particular instance. They weren't honoring their father and mother if they refused to use this gift (once intended for GOD but never given) to help out their parents.

This all goes back to the fundamental rule that should govern bible doctrine....the Bible needs to be the final authority. If it's not in the Bible, then you need to examine it before just treating it as the holy word of GOD in all instances.

Part of that chapter is posted below.

Matthew 15

¹Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

²Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

³But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

⁴For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

⁵But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

⁶And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

⁷Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

⁸This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

⁹But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

¹⁰And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

¹¹Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

¹²Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

¹³But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

¹⁴Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

¹⁵Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

¹⁶And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

¹⁷Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

¹⁸But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

²⁰These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Forgiveness

2008-04-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

What ever measure you measure, the same will be measured unto you.

The power of life and death is in the power of the tongue

As you sow, so shall ye reap

A lack of forgiveness is the most bitter poison anyone can take in themselves. It is poison. It will kill you. You would do well to quickly confess your unforgiveness and move on. Remember all the evil things you've done against the almighty GOD, and compare them with whatever little thing you're mad at your brother for...and decide if you think both of you should be held accountable for what you've done or if you want both of you to accept forgiveness.

Try to find someone to forgive when you pray. Even if it's your fault, if you have something against someone, then pray to GOD that you forgive them. Do it now before it takes years off your life.

Jesus

2008-03-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

We appreciate Jesus, and we accept him as Lord of our lives...but we don't usually take into account that he was a man. Son of GOD, don't get me wrong....but on Earth, he was a man.
The bible says he was in all ways tempted as us.

I will sometimes dread things coming up in my life. Certain business meetings, for example.

How would you like to be a young boy, and be told by angels something similar to the following:

You are going to have to live a perfect life. You can't fail. The devil is after you at all times. Everyone is watching.
When you're 33 years old, you're going to be stripped naked, humiliated, and brutally tortured in front of your family until you are dead. Then, you'll go to Hell for 3 days. If you decline to do this, all of your brother and sisters throughout time will go to Hell because they'll be no hope for them.

What can you say about that? That's HARD, brother.

Happy Easter, everyone. We all need to walk some straighter lines than we do.

Sermon from Matthew

2008-01-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

This can be a tough lesson. It's a hard thing to grasp. It's from Matthew, Chapter 7.

21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This passage will preach on Sundays, that's for sure. It's scared me too, more than once.
You read that and think, "If I don't do the will of GOD, then I'll go to Hell". I bet that's energized many Christians in the past. It should energize us, too.

I reread that last night. I became worried not only for myself, but for all my family. Are we doing the will of our father, who is in heaven? Are we in danger? I read and prayed.

I believe that it was revealed to me that taking that panic approach to your walk is borne out of the feeling of having to EARN your salvation. The whole point is GOD's grace saves you, and there is not anything you can do to earn it. In fact, THAT'S WHAT HE JUST SAID. Jesus just said in 7:22 that people will claim that they did great works in his name. It's obvious that the power of the blood and the name of Jesus will work in every situation, and is true and effective no matter what the spiritual status is of the people wielding it.

Those people thought they HAD earned their way into Heaven. The Lord will say, "I never knew you". Those people didn't make it in because they hadn't accepted Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only door.

Accepting Jesus and getting to know the Lord....THAT is the will of the Father in Heaven. The will of the father is that everyone be saved. Even common sense will tell us that GOD wants us to be saved. That is his will for our lives, and works alone won't save us. They didn't save the people Jesus just referred to, did they?

Jesus went on to say...

24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The name of Jesus will not bring us to shame. He is faithful. When you are saved, you are locked in. If (or when) you fall short, then you fall under his grace to complete you.

We need to honor his faithfulness with some of our own. Faith without works is dead. Now that we know our eternal security is secured...it's time to be soldiers and go about preaching Christ, and him crucified.

I slept very soundly last night.

Ezra's prayer

2008-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

Ever prayed this prayer?

Ezra was a devout man. He led a group of exile returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. Once there, he was spiritual reformer, and lived the rest of his life as a private citizen.

He called Israel to repentance after realizing that they had adopted many of the pagan inhabitants' practices. They had married pagan wives, and mixed the holy seed which would produce Jesus with the pagans...and that the rulers had done this more than anyone!!

He tore his garment and pulled out his hair and beard, and sat down astonished.

He prayed this prayer. This is from the New King James....

Ezra 9:6-7

And I said, "O my GOD, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.

Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day".

I felt like I could relate to Ezra...because there has been many times I felt to ashamed to even call out to GOD. I had used his grace for a hammock, and thought I sounded unbelievable asking for his help....over the same thing......AGAIN!!

Disclaimer

2008-01-14T13:48:00.001-08:00

I'm not a pastor. I'm not a preacher.....except in the broad sense because the Bible says we're all to be preachers. Sadly, I haven't even been much of a role model, either.

I'm a Christian. I feel an urge to do more for the Lord. As I grow, I'll use this blog to record things, and I invite comments, discussions, and refuting.

If I post something you disagree with.....even if you belong to a cult...then please take the time to let me know.

I'm no better than anyone else. I've got Jesus, and I'm willing to be obedient. We're all in this together. Let's draw strength from each other.

Please forgive the type-o's.

Genesis

2008-01-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go. This blog is hopefully going to allow me to do a few things:

A) Record thoughts and studies
B) Invite discussion
C) Encourage a sense of fellowship with others

We'll see how it goes.