Two Pharisees

 

This is from my Amplified Bible, published in 1958. I really did like John 18 from this version:

He who believes  on Him - who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him - is not judged (he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation; he incurs no damnation).  John 3:18a

This is the Amplified Bible today from Biblegateway:

Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation] John 3:18a

And from e-Sword:

He that believeth on him is not condemned: (John 3:18a KJV)

Finally, from e-Sword, the King James version with Strong's Greek Numbers:

He that believeth (G4100) on (G1519) him (G846) is not (G3756) condemned (G2919) (John 3:18a)

Here's G2919 - do you see the "condemned" that translators used:

• 62919
• κρίνω
• krinō
• kree'-no
• Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

Two different Pharisees came to understand Jesus and His message.  We meet the first one in John 3. Nicodemus was a ruler - a leader and authority - among the Jews, and he had questions. Jesus had answers - among them:

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (John 3:9-10 KJV)

Both Nicodemus and Saul were Pharisees - one came to Jesus for answers, Jesus came to the other with blinding light and commands:

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Acts 9:5-6 KJV)

Nicodemus is mentioned only in John - chapters 3, 7, and 19 - when he assisted Joseph of Arimathaea in placing Jesus in the never used sepulchre. Saul - as Paul - permeates the New Testament.

Which one are we?

Are we the one who believes in God, but doesn't know the Savior personally? Maybe we do come asking questions, then saying we don't understand the answers. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus would have almost the same teachers available in Jeruslem that Saul had. They would have studies the scriptures - written down by scribes for centuries, subject to changes, words, punctuation, readability, all the things that are possible results in the old "Gossip" game children played.

I remember the story of an early computer translation test from English to Russian and back again. The quote used comes from Matthew 26:41, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." It returned as "The wine is good, but the meat is spoiled."

What I want you to see is that for millennia, the Bible remains sufficient when you study, research, and pray for God's word to be openly understandable. The Bereans heard the message from Saul - after his life was so changed that he was called Paul. He gave his life over to what God planned for him to do.

Nicodemus' questions brought us one of the most beautiful chapters that most of the world has heard, read, or repeated these verses:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

Paul's work in the book of Acts, as well as his letters to the churches, tell of how he testified to kings and commoners what he and the Bereans found in the Old Testament that led them to live and write the New Testament, as inspired by God:

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, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV)

I have a question for those who do not believe: "Would you please take time to pray and seek God for what the Bible offers mankind, and what it means for you?" And, another question for those who do believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind in God's planning: "To whom are you explaining why you believe this?"

 

That photo shows how much better our digital cameras are today. It was taken at the turn of this century (wow! Amost quarter of a century ago!) and after years of storms and winds, no replacements. That's a sign of good workmanship. My husband built it because we had a new gymnasium/fellowship hall on the left, and our sanctuary and classroom building on the right. We also had a beautiful young lady in a wheelchair that needed to go across. Our children were all involved in pouring the concrete. I have a beloved photo of them pouring concrete for the ramps.

Now, let me ask you - What is "church"? Which building? Is the pass through part of the church. It might surprise you that the Greek word translated "church" in our New Testament dose not refer to any of the buildings involved in our church meeting. Here's the Strong's definition from e-Sword:

G1577

ἐκκλησία

ekklēsia

ek-klay-see'-ah

From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.

Total KJV occurrences: 115

 But it's a bit deeper in Blue Letter Bible online:

Outline of Biblical Usage [?]

1. a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly

   1. an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating

   2. the assembly of the Israelites

   3. any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously

   4. in a Christian sense

      1. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

      2. a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake

      3. those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

      4. the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth

      5. the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

There is no part of a "church" in the above photo. However, all the people involved in building that pass through are a part of the church because they fit under 1.D.ii. At one time both my husband and I, and our three children were a part of the congregation that meet in the buildings, a part of a congregation of baptized believers of Jesus, Christ, Son of God.

Everyone who does believe John 3:16-18 will be happy to tell you about Jesus and their eternal life. They've made a commitment to Him to follow in His steps, even if it takes the same path. That's part of following the most important commandments:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40 KJV)

There is a lot of work for everyone of us to keep those two commandments. Yet doing so, we are working within "all the law and the prophets." Christian was the label given to people in Antioch, not by their fellow believers, but by non-believers who recognized they were different. Christians should be different because they are in the world but not of the world. One of the things Christians are to do is:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

Thus we gather - for some on the Sabbath, for others on the first day of the week to worship our rison savior. For centuries it has been a tradition to call the building where the congregations meet a "church." I don't have a problem with that, along as it is understoon that people who look to Jesus as their savior are the true church, the body of Christ:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5 KJV)

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12 KJV)

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:12 KJV)

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17 KJV)

Teach Thy Children

Do not save/use this graphic - it has a copy right

Doesn't she look studious? She is. I know this young lady, and while I wasn't much of a teacher, she is excelling in her studies. It is a blessing to know her, and her family. For awhile they lived just a few miles down the road. We've had the pleasure of dining with them, enjoying the pleasure of their hospitalitiy. Her mother participated in all of our Ladies events and traveled with us to retreats. Their hospitality was well shared and their company was uplifting.

This is a family who believes:

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 KJV)

Her father dedicated his life to sharing the gospel, the good news that Jesus was born, was Christ, was crucified, and is risen! The family's children just got a bit more of the rest of the story, which is how to honor and serve with those who love the Lord.

She, as all other PK's (preacher's kids), also discovered that Christians are the same as other people - they make mistakes. PK's find that their parents are very good at owning up to errors and correcting them. Any parent that does that is extra helpful to their child. It is always a blessing to others when errors are corrected, especially by the people who make them.

Spiritual Christians are much better at than that what can be termed "carnal Christians." There are times a person thinks being a Christian is a label applied for attending church services. It's not. A carnal Christian has been defined by Paul:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 KJV)

Carnal Christians as described keep doing things that people who are not believers continue to do. Here Paul lists envy, strife, divisions - which in the Amplified Bible is described as:

For you are still (unspiritual, having the nature) of the flesh - under the control of ordinariy impulses. For as long as [there are] encying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and more like mere (unchanged) men?

We need to go back to other verses, beginning with:

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24 KJV)

Jesus spoke those words to a Samaritan woman He met at a well. Actions with our body do not always show what is in our mind, our thoughts, the spiritual part of us. We need to be changed from impulsive actions that do not reflect the reality of our worship of God with our heart, soul and might. The flesh comes easily. The spirit must be sought and taught, as again Paul wrote in Romans 10:8-17, and sums up with:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

That faith is an absolute necessity for believing God's salvation is needed and given:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

In Romans 10 Paul explains to us tht someone must be sent to teach/preach, and someone must hear/learn. That graphic above shows a young woman who purposed in her heart to learn. I know that she has been given the teachings of Jesus, I also have witnessed her faithfulness in action as well as her testimony to serving the Lord. I do admire that faithfulness at her age, and pray the young people in my own family would do as well.

The book she is studying here is not the Bible. She is as dedicated to learning skills and career choices for her future. She has a future and is preparing for it. She also has an eternal, spiritual future and is as spiritually prepared as she is academically. I encourage both for all young people. It's much easier to "find yourself" if you've already found Jesus as Christ, our Savior. Ask me - I'll share more good news of Him. Read your Bible, all you need is a desire to learn with a prayerful spirit seeking God and truth.

The Really Good News

 

Image by Freepik

It's good to look to Strong's definitions of Greek words used in the New Testament. In an English Bible, gospel is used often, and the word is applied to the first four books together as The Gospels. In Greek, Strong's:

εὐαγγελίζω euangelízō, yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo; from (G2095) and (G32); to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel:—declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

Those same roots give us the title of people who do announce the gospel, which certainly is good news:

εὐαγγελιστής (G2099) From εὐαγγελίζω (G2097)

-a bringer of good tidings, an evangelist

the name given to the NT heralds of salvation -through Christ who are not apostles

 Evangelize really does mean to bring good news. The angel's appearance in Luke is definitely speaking as an evangelist today of good news for all mankind:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good (G2907) tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11 KJV)

The problem often is that people see an evangelist as a person who is full time dedicated to telling people about Christ. A good many of them are full time, but this is also a part-time work for full-time Christians.

There are so many was of sharing the gospel, that really good news, with a wide range of people. I've shared it simply by asking people to come to our church. I cannot think of a church sponsored event we've held that doesn't include at least a moment of prayer plus touching upon the good news that Jesus is interested in every one of us.

For me, the really good news is that Jesus was born, lived as any person, taught His doctrine for three years, defined Himself as God, died in a single event, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected, appearing for forty days to those who knew and loved Him. That story was part of the prophesies that Judaism had carried through centuries, and that Christ's followers (first called Christians in Antioch) preached the first century.

Two of the best examples came from Paul. I've written about his testimony before Agrippa recently, and a couple of times in the past years - that is most definitely telling a specific person what Jesus meant to Paul's life. A huge change from a Pharisee condemning Christians to an evangelist speaking of that change to a man who literally held the life/death decision for Paul. The second example is in Athens, where Paul spoke so close to where Socrates was condemned to death. There Paul shared the gospel with people who spent a lot of time thinking about a wide variety of subjects. 

Some of his hearers at Athens mocked Paul, while Agrippa closed their meeting as almost persuaded. Others in Athens wanted to hear more, and some believed.

"Believing is a matter of the will. A man does not believe without being willing to believe."

C. H. Spurgeon 1834-1892

We have control over whether we believe what the Bible says, or not believe even a portion of it. There is no denying the words in the Bible have been preserved for thousands of years, even though written on destructible papyrus by men who passed it down from generation to generation. Those who truly believed we should follow this:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7 KJV)

If a person listens, they will understand there is a choice to be made. They may have heard more times than not from people who made the choice to head down the wide path that sounds easy, instead of listening to:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 KJV)

What I've written here is evangelizing - sharing the good news that God uses a specific plan to provide people an eternal life with Him.. It begins the moment John 3:16 is read, understood, and chosen. It continues as an education in speaking with God through prayer and worshipping Him in fellowship with like-minded believers in Him.

If you don't mind, would you (anonymously if you wish) Comment as to where you are on sharing that good news?

Things I Don't Remember, and Things I Do

I ran across this post of mine from September, 2012. I had completely forgotten the subject matter, and can't remember what prompted this topic. In fact, as I read from years past, I can remember more about what we had done, than what I wrote.

October 2010 my husband and I made our last trip to his home town, to visit his brother and family. It was a good visit, got a lot of genealogy information and visited a number of places we hadn't been. By the time we saw them again in May, 2011, at our home, Beloved Husband was show symptoms hard to explain - and we were seeing specialist after specialist. That September he was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis - click on the link and you will learn more than I'll tell you about that autoimmune disease. It took from January to September to get the right test, and the right diagnosis.

By September, 2012, Beloved Husband had been in ICU for two MG crises and one instance of sepsis. However, by then treatment had brought him through all that and symptoms were close to under control.

Looking back now, I can praise God for His excellent greatness in providing us hope as we rollercoastered between 2011 and 2012. I  can confine it to that year, either. God has the capability to see us through everything that comes our way. I could make a list of specific times/items/heartbreaks in our lives, but those aren't important to you. How God works in your life is very important, especially to you.

So, look back over ten years. I can name specifics that affected the world as a whole, but what do you remember about finding God working in your life? Be serious about it, and share in Comments if you wish us if you found things you didn't remember among the things you do.

Are you able to rejoice? I was, and I still am. God be with you when you need Him most. Every day.

From September 11, 2012:

Have you ever looked around to see that everyone – yes, every other person in the whole world – seems to have more?  Not that they all have everything, but each one has something that we either need, want or could put to good use. We see a lacking in our lives.

The media is filled with people losing jobs, losing homes, unable to provide. A family flees fire or flood, leaving their home to possible destruction. They saved valuable memories as well as their lives. Crops are failing in one spot because of drought, in another because of too much rain. Stories abound about those who have lost, but overcome.

We look toward our lack – and rejoice:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Why?

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 KJV)

That alone is a wonderful thought – in spite of all we lack, we rejoice in the Lord.

But, I fell in love with the last line when I pictured God as the chief singer on my own, personal stringed instrument.  I know, I know – that’s not what Habakkuk was thinking when he wrote it.

I hear the touch of wind against leaves, creating music to match that of the birds on branches. The slap of raindrops on a variety of surfaces, echoing with thunder. The sound of waves against the shore, never ceasing, ever changing. The music God creates in nature soothes us, causing us to listen for that still, small voice.

I see God’s hands working in our lives, bringing forth beautiful music on the strings of our heart. Bringing from the stillness within us music we never thought of ourselves.  Yes, He is the chief singer, the creator of all that causes us to rejoice. 

Doesn’t matter what we lack, He provides what we need and enriches our lives with what He has created. 

We rejoice, in the Lord.

Job's Wife

 

Gaspare Traversi, Job mocked by his wife

Job has always been interesting to me. Reading that book as a child, I did not get the same message from his friends that I do after years of reading, praying, and living through some inexplicable life events that would fit "Why do bad things happen to good people," even when I didn't personally know the person affected.

But recently a friend added to her blog thoughts - or conversations - about Job's wife - as she asked: "Where Was Job's Wife."  His wife does show up in a number  of paintings, and there are innumerable citations about her on the web. The above painting could be the "thousand words" of :

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. (Job 2:9 KJV)

There is no doubt about the meaning of her words. A look at Job 2:9 in any translation confirms her words were not filled with kindness. For the longest time I looked no further. While the majority of women in the Bible are names, she along with some others only get a description as being a wife, mother, or sometimes their sin.

Take a moment to look at the descriptions before this scene. She was the mother of ten children. It appears they all got along. How often do our children get together on their own:

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. (Job 1:4 KJV)

Job/s first chapter tells us about what he lost. There, as a reflection of the times, is no mention that his wife lost all of those things listed in Job 1:13-19, too. However, there is no mention of Job's home being destroyed. Was it, as his son's is described, four cornered? Could it have been a tent? Job had herds, did their homes move with their oxen, sheep, camels, and asses?

If so, it would have been the wife's responsibility to see to their home - their meals, their foodstuff, their pots and pans, their cooking utensils, their bedding, their pillows, the very fabric of their home were it tents instead of buildings. For a large family, there would have been servants, for whom she was responsible. When they packed for moving, everything would have been managed by Job's wife.

Now, her husband is on the ground:

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (Job 1:20-21 KJV)

Next we learn Job is covered in boils and the words recorded from her lips are:

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. (Job 2:8-9 KJV)

Neither she nor any other woman is mentioned again until the last chapter, but I like to feel this painting reflects how she tended to her husband as he suffered:

There is no other mention of Job's unnamed wife. Even at the end of the book, where we find that he received a double portion of all that was lost:

So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. (Job 42:12-13 KJV)

There is no indication, in this book at least, that those ten children were borne by another wife. That wasn't the point, the lesson, from Job's story.

Part of his story is the doubling of his loss in oxen, sheep, camels and asses. But not his children. 

For me, it is confirmation that those children were where God wanted them to be, where the family would be doubled when Job and his wife's time to join them arrived. In heaven, Job would have twenty children - fourteen boys and six girls. Eventually, living as Job taught and lived his own life, there would be others, many he got to see before he died:

After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days. (Job 42:16-17 KJV)

I have no desire to make that 140 years, but I have been blessed to see son and daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, along with the continuation of great-great-grandchildren raised to believe the Bible, with God's promise that there is more than what we see here in this world. Perhaps in the next I can know more about Job's wife:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV)

What To Do As A Christian

 

There are so many people who will tell you what Christians cannot do, but Paul did a good job of telling Christians what to do in his letter to the Church at Philippi. Let's take a look there, and a couple of other places:

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 

 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 

 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, 

     whatsoever things are honest, 

     whatsoever things are just, 

     whatsoever things are pure, 

     whatsoever things are lovely, 

     whatsoever things are of good report; 

if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

After we do all that - just four simple verses - here's Paul's results:

Philippians 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

Of course, there are other verses that are just as specific.  Look at 1Thessalonians 5:16-22:

1 Thessalonians 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 

  5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 

 5:16  Rejoice evermore. 

 5:17  Pray without ceasing. 

 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

 5:19  Quench not the Spirit. 

 5:20  Despise not prophesyings. 

 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 

 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil. 

Again, the results are found in a single verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Isn't it amazing that beyond believing that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, living a Christian life is very positive? Every single one of those verses offer positive attitudes, actions, and results. Nowhere in there are damaging actions to any individual. For a non-Christian to turn down listening to a Christian's witness because Christianity wants to make so many changes in their lives - which of these items would you NOT want to be a part of the lives of people around you.

There are many more verses - a very good many to be found printed in red in "red letter Bibles," indicating that the words were spoken by Jesus. Such as:

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:12-15 KJV)

Each of my blogs tells readers of heavenly things that I have never seen. I hope they also read about my own questions, answers, and experiences God's inspired word has offered me. That is the primary focus - Bible reading, learning, questioning, seeking, then making your own, personal choice that is being offered. 

Know that while every Christian will at some time not live up to God's standard, they continue to strive. Anyone who does not strive to change is missing something in their spiritual life. That's why Paul also included:

Brethren, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:25 KJV)

That's always a request I make, too.

Learning To Love Everyone

 

That looks a bit brighter in my hand - it's the book we are studying in our Sunday School. We were on lesson 20 last week, "Learning To Love Everyone (Roman 12:9-21). I won't cover the full four pages of reading and reference checking, but will try to get across the second two pages.

First two pages are pretty easy, verses 9-13. Those cover how to get along with other Christians. That's not too difficult because we're working toward the same goals. We want other people to know just how different the Christian life is. We want to share what we are looking forward to as well as what God has done to our lives and the lives of Christians we've known and look forward to seeing again.

But the second two pages are very important to those who may not have experienced God's love as expressed in John 3:16. Some people are vocally anti-Christian, others simply do not wish to discuss beliefs. There are scriptures that help us reach out with our own love to share His, and our desire to open discussions. Paul was descriptive in verses 14-21.

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:13-21 KJV)

It is up to us to be hospitable, which can be difficult for an introvert. I hope you will believe that description fits me - I'm not one for party throwing, and am much more comfortable with couples or small groups. Sadly, since retirement that does not give me much opportunity to sit and talk with strangers. Happily, when I do and mention church activities, almost everyone responds kindly. I've been blessed by having only a couple of people I need to "bless and curse not," and I find it fulfilling to pray for them.

It is also easy to "rejoice with them that do rejoice"! Oh, there are happy days!! Yet sorrow comes and we "weep with them that weep." Our community wept, and helped, during the loss of Athena Strand, a beautiful seven-year-old. Oh, yes, we wept. And, we prayed. As a church and a community we experienced "the same mind one toward another." Yes - we prayed that the man arrested will understand the crime will affect him, too.

Which brings up forgiving - under the most unforgivably painful circumstances. It would do harm to us to "recompense ... evil for evil." We are commanded: Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV) while at the same time "live peaceably with all men."

Revenge is destructive to peace, thus knowing God said: "Vengeance is mine: I will repay." The opposite for us is to respond with the love that God shows us in our own sinfulness. What we are to do comes from Proverbs 20:22b: "wait on the Lord and He will save thee."

The one thing we can do that might convict a person of their own guilt works better than it sounds:

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Romans 12:20 KJV)

Not real coals - ever!! But maybe a twinge of understanding that guilt can bring feelings of shame for words or actions. Shame can bring conviction, which can bring contrition, which can bring the faith needed to accept Jesus, along with the love and eternal life offered.

That lesson closes with the promise we can love the difficult and the totally unlovable because God provides the means and strength to obey:

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:16-21 KJV)

This Sunday we begin Lesson 21, Roman 13:1-7, "where God reveals what our attitude toward government should be." A clue comes from Jesus' own words:

Matthew 22:21  They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Mark 12:17  And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

Luke 20:25  And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

Notes For Taking Notes

 

Notes taken from the lectures of Herman Mark, 1929

by Georg Bredig (1868-1944)

My own notes that prompted this blog are no more readable than those above are to me. September 6, 2020, Billy Thompson taught our Sunday School class, the one we joined following Covid-19. Billy followed workbooks available to classes, and I started saving those - but I have no idea which class book we used September 6! Therefore, this note I took has little context:

Spiritual Maturity

Check your appetite: v 1-2 If we are still taking only milk, we are not maturing (i.e. only John 3:16 without v18!!)

Now, since I may not have a greater biblical knowledge base than some of my readers (go ahead, find where we were studying before reading further) and others already know where this is headed, let's take a look at verses one and two in 1 Corinthians 3:

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 

Paul knew the church at Corinth were not only new to beliefs in Christ, they were for a good part, new to Judaism, with its Laws that had both been followed and broken for centuries before. Corinth had a completely different set of rules and personal beliefs. F. B. Meyer Bible Commentary must have had that in mind as the author requests our own self-examination:

He is a babe who needs to be fed with milk, little and often, because unable to digest solid food. He is a sectarian, throwing contempt on those who do not belong to his own school of thought. He allows himself to be infected with jealousy and strife. Let us test our Christian life by these symptoms. Where are we?

It does take getting to the "meat" of issues, including why we make our own statements regarding controversies encountered in modern societies that differ by creed as well as country. To say "that's what the Bible says" is insufficient unless we know:  1) why it is in the Bible; 2) who said it in the Bible; 3) why was it necessary when it was said and is still necessary today. These issues that are divisive among mankind must be investigated to determine why they exist, and how are they to be addressed.

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

Carnal, as used here, is shown in Strong's translation as "pertaining to flesh, that is (by extension) bodily, temporal, or (by implication) animal, unregenerate, fleshly." As in opposition to what is spiritual and/or godly. It is easily understood that as new Christians, it would take a bit to become knowledgeable as to the differences from when we did not know Christ to after we've been learning of Him.

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9 KJV)

How many of us, when asked about our beliefs give a denomination's name? Why do we not do as those in Antioch?

Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:25-26 KJV)

This is part of the "meat" - followers of Christ should consider themselves Christians. My faith is based on God's promises of the Messiah for the Jews, the promised blessing for the world told to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and the promise to King David there would be a continuation of his kingly line. To believe all that also means we believe in God. The difference is, Christians accept the prophecy fulfillment of Jesus' life, death, and the number of people who confirmed His resurrection. 

Each Christian denomination is based on those fundamental items. Yes, I have heard and read of church priests, pastors, and leaders who cannot accept those fundamentals, yet continue to serve in their chosen denominations. To me that is regrettable, but does not erase the common belief among people who do profess to be followers of Christ.

Can we, based on the biblical writers, accept that while some denominations may house, or even support, carnal Christians without question, they may also include spiritual brethren who believe we are laborers together with God? If so, we can get down to the fundamentals of believing Genesis 1:1 and John 3:16-18, Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, praying together:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:21 KJV)

Prayer

 

By Albrecht Dürer -1508 - Public Domain

This is probably one of the most well-known drawings, copied in multiple ways. Yet it holds such beauty for me in the simplicity of a drawing that is appreciated over 500 years after Durer sketched it. It becomes personal for each of us as we see something of ourselves in it. For me, it's the little finger on the left hand, though it is my right that will not lay flat along its length.

The physical description of prayerful people through the Bible is often different from the simple folding hands and speaking to God. Every human religion recognized through mankind's history has utilized an act of communication with their sacred being(s). It is safe to assume that is true pre-history, too. Across the ages, mankind has sought such communication, and the majority have experienced an answer. 

Jesus' example of prayer is easily recognized:

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15 KJV)

If that's not quite right for you, perhaps Luke's version is more familiar:

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (Luke 11:2-4 KJV)

However comforting it us to us, we are also given some guidelines, and told not to do it repetitively:

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8 KJV)

We also have an advocate when we pray:

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:25-27 KJV)

We can know what we are called to do, and still feel we don't know how to do it, nor do we have the funding to accomplish what needs to be done, but we must always be seeking God's will. We must have the patience to seek God's will, and to accept it when it is revealed. 

Psalm 51 is a prayer. An open to the public prayer of a sinful man who has been made to realized how, when, why, with whom - and whom against:

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. (Psalms 51:4-6 KJV)  ...  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. (Psalms 51:10-13 KJV)

Jesus prayed for something He knew God would not grant:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39 KJV)

John 17 is a prayer, too. Jesus prayed for His disciples, for you if you believe, and for me because I do:

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:14-21 KJV)

Ours may never be written in a book, but it is noticed in heaven:

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Revelation 5:8 KJV)

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. (Revelation 8:3-4 KJV)

Please join in with a few moments of prayer for those who worship our Lord, that they might be as one, and that the world may believe that God did sent Jesus to have us believe.

Slices of Milk Explained With Love

 

Back in 2010, I wrote:

Again, I was grateful for e-Sword and it’s Strong’s!! Strong’s H2461 found in 1 Samuel 17:18 where the ten slices of cheese come from the Hebrew chalab, “milk (as the richness of kine) - + cheese” and I can see the ten slices of cheese made from the richness of milk, remembering the smoothness of the best I’ve tasted.

That was about a line from the book "Ben-Hur," the character thinking of David, whose father sent him on an errand:

And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. (1 Samuel 17:17-18 KJV)

That took place between the biblical description of Goliath, and his death at the hand of David. In that I Samuel chapter, we learn that four sons went to the battle, but one was sent back to tend sheep in Bethlehem. One author, Lewis Wallace, a soldier himself, knew that the Hebrew word "chalab" could be either milk or cheese.

That's a very good reason for learning all you can about the Bible, but it's not necessary to be fluent in both Hebrew, Greek, English, or any other language, to know the meaning within the verse. Since milk cannot be sliced in its liquid form, we know the word "cheeses" is correct in this verse.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1 ASV)

I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. (1 Corinthians 13:1 GNB)

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1 DRB)

ThoughG1437 I speakG2980 with theG3588 tonguesG1100 of menG444 andG2532 of angels,G32 andG1161 haveG2192 notG3361 charity,G26 I am becomeG1096 as soundingG2278 brass,G5475 orG2228 a tinklingG214 cymbal.G2950 (1 Corinthians 13:1 KJV+)

Some of the above use "charity," others translate "love.' KJV+ includes Strong's numbers - the one in question is G26, used 116 times in the New Testament:

Strong's #26: agape (pronounced ag-ah'-pay)

from G25; love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast:--(feast of) charity(-ably), dear, love.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon: agapē

1) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence

2) love feasts

Greeks had other words that English translates into "love":

Eros is a concept in ancient Greek philosophy referring to sensual or passionate love, from which the term erotic is derived.

Phileo is to love, approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend.

That helps in figuring out why there are different words in different versions of the Bible. I like how the Amplified Bible defines the word "love" in 1 Corinthians 13:1: [that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such *as inspired by God's love for and in us] with the * noted: Some ancient authorities so read.

It helps us understand how people look at a single word, it's meaning to them, how it fits in the sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc. When we hear/read someone's opinion that God is not love, that all the words in the Bible that says so are lies, we have answers. The love of God is expressed from Genesis to Revelation, but best said in:

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16 KJV)

Or:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

Both of those verses were written with the "agape" love in Greek. Where we use the English word "love" for such awesome things as "I just loved that new album," we should work toward using "love" for life changing events, not so easily dropped into conversations.

Word have meaning, and beginnings. The use of words shows either an appreciation for their meaning, or a disdain for their lack of meaning. I find this very important in a worldly culture where the word "woman" is so politicized that not even a prospective Supreme Court Justice in the United States of America will not attempt to express a definition. 

Be aware of changes in words. Look for the root beginnings of words - where they belong in our lives, our culture, especially when formed in our mouths or retained in our minds.

Fellowship

 

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine

 and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, 

and in prayers. (Acts 2:42 KJV)

That graphic is a small group among a much larger group of women atttending our Ladies Meeting, and working together in a game. That's something we do for fellowship. There is food - each woman brings part of the buffet, and there is a Bible lesson. We do open and include prayers for others. That's an organized fellowship in a church.

Twice a month a group of ladies meet for coffee. There may be as few as four, but usually 16, not the 24 on the e-mail list. It's not a church meeting, it's just a small fellowship and breaking of bread (in a bakery, of course) and there is no leadership, no doctrine teaching/questions. That's an unorganized fellowship of church members, but not the same as the one above.

Both are thoroughly enjoyed by the participants, but one fits the biblical application of Christian fellowship. That's why we also adhere to:

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 KJV)

Our church has several weekly meetings for both doctrine and fellowship. One that meets weekly is organized by the church, but is a Bible college offering of a full four-year diploma of Bible study. It's not part of our program, but for several years has been a full classroom, not only with students from our church, but from other nearby cities.

Sundays offer us three separate sessions: Sunday School, Worship service, and evening Worship. A friend once asked why we went back Sunday evening, "Do you think you sinned enough to need a second service?"

While she was being facetious, such a comment gives an opportunity to say: Going to church services does not take care of sinfulness on anyone's part. Jesus' death on the cross covered all my sins, for the rest of my life. When I do sin, I believe it grieves our Lord and a commitment on my part to not repeat the error for which I deeply regret. 

There are multiple reasons for attending these three Sunday services, including learning more about the Bible and how to apply what God inspired writers to share with us. Reading the Bible gives us a familiarity with it, introduces a wide variety of characters in educational situations. Indepth studies gives us the opportunity to learn from people who have made this their lifelong study, helping us discern where there are misunderstandings, or outright erroneous interpretations.

These services, and the Bible study on Wednesday nights also offer fellowship. Every person in the sanctuary has a reason for being there - from "My parents made me come," to "I need to talk to someone." Interacting with them, finding a common prayer need, that's fellowshipping, too.

Jesus was fellowshipping when He sat down to the Passover that last week of His life as a human. The observed the memory of leaving Egypt, and shared the meaning of God's plan for Jesus. The bread representing His body, the wine representing His "blood shed or many for the remission of sins", the "new testament, which is shed for many," and the "new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." John, on the other hand, takes chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16, to tell us what Jesus said that evening, then He prayed as chapter 17 begins:

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:1-4 KJV)

Every man in that room heard Him, but left off fellowshipping that very night. Peter followed the crowd, and denied Christ three times to three people who pointed him out as a follower of Jesus. The others aren't mentioned again, until Jesus places the care of His mother in the hands of John. Three days later, though they rejoiced and began fellowshipping again, because they were given physical evidence that Jesus was risen. Share their joy as they fellowshipped in John 21:1-12.

As we fellowship with like-minded believers, we can share what He has done in our lives. There is joy in hearing that a fellow Christian has had a prayer answered. There is shared sorrow when we hear there is a serious need for prayer with health issues, or other life problems. We share our time and our love for our fellow man.

Please. Come fellowship with us, or others closer to you - or long distance as the world wide web allows us.

Faith, Words, and Actions

 

Der breite und der schmale Weg ("the broad and the narrow road"), from 1866

By Charlotte Reihlen (Idee); Paul Beckmann (Ausführung)  Public Domain

Not 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. Many 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

Matthew Henry's Commentary addresses these verses:

There may be a seeming importunity in prayer, Lord, Lord: but if inward impressions be not answerable to outward expressions, we are but as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. This is not to take us off from saying, Lord, Lord; from praying, and being earnest in prayer, from professing Christ's name, and being bold in professing it, but from resting in these, in the form of godliness, without the power.  ...  That it is necessary to our happiness that we do the will of Christ, which is indeed the will of his Father in heaven. The will of God, as Christ's Father, is his will in the gospel, for there he is made known, as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: and in him our Father. Now this is his will, that we believe in Christ, that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, that we love one another.

What brings this to my mind is a mother's words about her son. "I don't agree with his life choices, but he's a good man. He does a lot of good in his community and has worked to make life better for others." I know she believes in Jesus as her Lord and savior.  I know she has shown her beliefs in her actions - attending worship services, actively learning through the Bible in Sunday School, serving others with meals, befriending the grieving family members at a funeral. Her actions speak loudly of her beliefs - just as her son's remain silent.

Even saying "Lord, Lord!" remain simply words if there are no actions accompanying them.  I started this with Jesus' own words about heaven, but James knew the lesson well and shared it:

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14-20 KJV)

Remember, as you begin to think that good works alone can offer eternal life with God:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:16-21 KJV)

Faith will bring forth fruit as good deeds - not to honor the man, though secular honor may well come. The good works must be done in God's name, for His glorification. When good deeds are done, they will be appreciated and the individual acclaimed. Without those good deeds being attributed to God's teachings and His will, those deads are dead with out faith, just as faith is dead without good deeds.

It came to me that this is a "meal" blog. Usually I share the gospel - the good news that God wants us to be with Him eternally and His plan is working. That's a "milk" blog - asking that people get to know God. Once you place your faith in Him, you should begin learning what He has in mind for your own ministry. We all have one. Part of toay, we'll look at the difference between "meat" and "milk" messages:

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:2 KJV)

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14 KJV)

We all need the "milk" messsages, the wonderment of discovery, the introduction to God's love and His plan for the world. Then we must put our belief into words, telling others what a tiny grain of faith has brought us. We can share that easily - but detractors will show up discounting your words and your faith. That's where what you learn as "meat" will give you answers to their questions as well as strength to continue in serious discussions.

What's your menu at the moment. Milk? Or are you ready to look deeper into scripture and find the "meat" in the Bible to grow in strength? I would appreciate any comments, but there's no need to answer the questions I ask. Letting God know your answers may be life changing.

Light and How We See It

 

NASA - Hubble - Explore Light

As you can tell, there is a line through this Hubble photograph, with a slight green line in the top quarter of the division. The screen capture was taken from NASA's site.  Hubble's photography depends on much more than our eyes can see. There are scientific methods to show what our eyes, nor telescope photography, cannot see. The above "...image of Mystic Mountain — a pillar of gas, dust, and newborn stars in the Carina Nebula — show how observations taken in visible and infrared light reveal different details of an object."  Credits to the screen capture and the quote: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)

We see the light God offers differently when we get to know Him and His works. God often appeared in the Bible as a light so bright that to look upon him would be damaging. As He said to Moses:

And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Exodus 33:17-20 KJV)

However, for me the best example of God being light comes with John's introduction to his gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (John 1:1-10 KJV)

Jesus called Himself:

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV)

And that would be true while He was with us:

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.  (John 9:4-5 KJV)

He could not be with us forever, here in this world. He knew, and shared with His disciples, what would happen, and why:

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. (John 14:28-29 KJV)

After three years of hearing Him, but through their own prejudices, they forgot that He had prophesied:

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:19-22 KJV)

We not only have the information the disciples had, we have the books many of them wrote, along with two millennia of mankind's interaction with belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and our savior from our own sinfulness. That's the good news, the gospel, the reality of living with the light of the world. That life is now reflected in us:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)

In the same way the moon reflects the light of the sun, we are able to reflect the light of God in our lives. And, just as this world can come between the light of the sun and there is only a partial reflection, our sin can lessen the light we wish to share with the world. We Christians have not reached perfection, though being as Christ-like as our faith, we continue to love and serve Him. As John says:

This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:24-25 KJV)

Those of us who believe and love Him continue to share the light, in deeds and words and writing.