What Should We Then Do?

As Christians, what are our responsibilities to God, to His Word, to His Son and to each other?

1. We need to know the Scripture. We don't have to memorize a whole bunch of verses, although knowing some in context would help. We need to know what the Bible is about and what it teaches about what it is about. The Bible is about God. It is His revelation of His character, His love fore His creation and His plan for its redemption.

When we read scripture, we need to discern its deeper, ultimate meaning. It is not helpful to quote many verses on a given subject, draw a conclusion about some attitude of God and form a faith system on them. That's what heretics and cults do.

For instance, if I read 2 Kings 9:24 "Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders." I cannot conclude that I should use a bow and arrow to shoot somebody. Nor does it mean that if I want somebody dead, if I use a bow and arrow it's OK. That's ridiculous, right?

Well, the Scripture says it and so if I am to follow Scripture I must do what this passage says, mustn't I? No, you mustn't. That is out of context.

How about Deuteronomy 21:15, "If a man has two wives and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons..." That means I can have more than one wife (as long as I don't want to be a deacon, since 1 Timothy puts the Kibosh on that). The Bible says it, so I can do it.

What we really need to do is to discover how these verses (and all of the other verses of Scripture) reveal God's character. How do they relate to His love for His creation? What do they tell us about His plan for our redemption? If you cannot find the answers to those questions in the Scripture you are reading, you are misinterpreting it.

Go back to school, dump your previously learned mistaken concepts and learn what the Bible is really about. Otherwise, forget it.

2.  We must see people the way God sees them. Without Christ He sees them as lost. With Christ He sees them as saved for eternity. This should be our passion. We must care about them the way Christ cared for us. He died for us. Are we willing to die in order to propagate the gospel?

What about the tribes in the deepest Amazon who have never heard about Christ?

What about them? Why haven't they heard? Have you told them about Jesus? If not, why not?

We have Internet, radio, TV, airplanes, boats, cars, trains and a myriad of other ways we could be reaching them to tell them about Jesus. Why haven't we? Weren't we told to do so?

3. We should have a passion to train new Christians. They are His babes, and He has charged us with the responsibility to help grow. Do you think "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." is a reference just to physical children? Does it not apply to those who are just now saved, who know only the milk of the Word?

We should also have a passion for further training for those who are more mature in Christ. They need and want to grow, too. Don't worry. You will never train them in everything they need to be trained in, even if you started tomorrow and kept on until they die. There is ALWAYS more to learn to do for Christ.

4.  We should encourage membership in a local church. It is good to become a part of the family known as the "universal church," but to be effective ministers for Christ (and you DO know that you are a minister for Christ, don't you? If not, you need to get some of that training I was talking about in the section 3), we need to plug in to a local congregation.

You might think you can worship God anywhere, and you can. But you won't. You might think you can serve God anywhere, and you can. But you won't. Besides, the Word of God extols corporate worship, and you can't do that by yourself, no matter where you are.

5.  We must be leading people to serve in the local church (this also goes back to number 3). Christianity is not a spectator sport. People who are committed to being involved will be able to fill the needs of the church. We need to involve people in leadership, in music, in Bible teaching, in A/V ministry, in children's ministry and any other place there is a need.

6. People need to be led to take part in worship. We meet on Sundays for the very reason of worshiping God and celebrating the resurrection of His Son. Sunday worship should not be a time when we perform, either for ourselves or for the pastor. We should be celebrating Christ. Otherwise, we might as well go back to the Old Covenant way of doing things and forget about being religious.

7. We must call leaders who understand the true meaning of the Word of God, who are committed to serving Christ and His church and who set an example of dependability that people can follow. We must choose leaders of right doctrine. We must select leaders who plan for the advancement of the Kingdom of God in the church. We must find leaders who can coordinate and evaluate the functions of the church.

8.  We must invoke and follow the Holy Spirit as He gives us proper interpretation of the Word, as He leads us to effective leadership, as He gives us compassionate hearts and as He leads us to giving the best we have for our King.

Those are some of the things we must do as Christians and as members of the Body of Christ.

Are you a "Godian" or a Christian?

Most people (including many pastors) who think of themselves as Christians make a distinction between God and Christ, often without realizing it. They speak of God, especially when reading or teaching from the Old Testament, as a sort of deity similar to Allah or Buddha only greater.

Let me be clear. God is not merely superior to Allah or Buddha, He is God and they are not. Allah is an evolution of the fabled moon god and Buddha was just an Asian philosopher. God is the sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator of all that is. Jesus is His equal, and is a part of Him.

You see, God the Father is not Jesus, He is not the Holy Spirit, but He is God. God the Son is not the Father; He is not the Holy Spirit, but He is God. God the Holy Spirit is not the Father; He is not the Son, but He is God. To speak of one as noninclusive of the other is blasphemy and heresy.  

God manifests Himself Biblically in three persons, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but as only one God. He always has, does now and always will. He was present in three persons in Genesis 1:1; He was present in three persons in Revelation 22:21 and He is present in three persons now.

The function of the Holy Spirit is not to do things for us, but to point us to Christ. The purpose of Christ is not to perform miracles for us, but to intercede for us to the Father. The Father is referred to as the "Godhead." That includes Christ and the Holy Spirit.

When we close our prayers with the phrase "in Jesus' name," we are not just tacking an incantation on the end of our prayer, we are reaffirming that Christ is the one in whom we trust for our salvation and who brings us into right relationship with the Father; an eternal relationship.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him (Christ) to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8-11)

That triune God made covenants with His chosen people, Israel. There were seven of them, collectively referred to as the Old Covenant. They were: the Edenic Covenant, the Adamic Covenant, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, the Palestinian (Land) Covenant and the Davidic Covenant. 

Those covenants applied to Israel, not to Christians (whether Hebrew or Gentile). Christians have no relationship to God through the Old Covenant. Their relationship to God is through, and only through, the New Covenant, who is Christ.

When we preach or teach from the Old Testament (which is the record of the Old Covenant), we are preaching and teaching from the section that applied to the nation of Israel. That does not mean that it does not apply to Christians, but it applies to Christians in a very different way.

Hebrews 8:13 tells us that the Old Covenant is obsolete. Do you believe the whole Bible or just the parts you like? If you believe the whole Bible, you must accept Hebrews 8:13 and discover how it relates to the rest of Scripture. (If you don't accept Hebrews 8:13, which is a part of the Bible, you might as well throw the whole thing out, because if part of it is wrong, there is no part of it you can trust.)

The whole point of the "Hall of Faith" (Hebrews 11), as the logical conclusion of Hebrews 4-10, is that the Jews of the Old Covenant are saved the same way Christians are saved: by faith in Messiah (Christ). It was not their faith in Godianity that saved them. The Jews were saved by their faith in the coming Messiah. Gentiles and Messianic Jews are saved by faith in the Christ of the New Covenant (a concept Jews would readily understand). 

Every word, phrase, verse, chapter and book of the Old Testament is about the Christ of the New Covenant. When we preach or teach from it, we MUST discover and relate HOW that section applies to the coming New Covenant, or we miss the point, in effect, lying about its meaning and application.

For instance, the story of David and Goliath is not the story of good over evil. It is not the story of "one person plus God equals a majority." It is not the story of God enabling David to defeat Goliath with a stone. The story of David and Goliath is an Old Testament picture of how God would overcome sin (the Philistines) through His Christ of the New Covenant.

If one reads the story apart from the context of all Scripture, that will never be the point of the story. But when it is read in the context OF Scripture, it can have no other meaning.

So! Are you a "Godian" or a Christian? If you are a "Godian," you are lost. You need to come to Christ, the person who is the New Covenant. You must place your faith in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary. Only He can cause you to "...rise up on wings as eagles" and enable you to enter Heaven for all of eternity.

SALVATION - THEN WHAT?

In the minds of many Christians, after one is saved there are still plenty of rules to follow. There are lists of DOs and DON'Ts and Old Covenant principles to follow.

They say, "If you don't believe it, just read James. It is nothing more than a book of rules for Christian living, right?"

WRONG.

James is a description of the lives of those who have come to Christ. It is not a list of how Christians SHOULD behave, it is a revelation of how Christians relate to Christ. Christians listen and serve, they love the brethren, they demonstrate their faith in deeds, speak kindly toward one another, make wise decisions, submit to God, live for today and are patient prayers who are comfortable in their faith.

James points to, and only to, the Lord, Jesus Christ. It's not about us, it's about Him.

People who combine Old Covenant rules with New Covenant freedom (not license) have a Biblical name. They are called "Judaizers."  Theirs is no gospel at all. It is the "different gospel" of Galatians 1:6-10.

"Well, what about the Old Testament heroes? Didn't David sin and didn't God give him a 'second chance?'" I hear you ask.

That is a very sophomoric and un-Biblical reading of the life of David.

Of course David sinned. We all do. That is not an excuse for sin, it is just who we are. That is why we (David and us) need Christ. Without Christ we will die in our sins and will spend eternity in Hell.

David was saved the same way we are saved; through faith in Christ. His was a faith in a coming Christ, ours is faith in the Christ who has come.

Those who preach "the God of the second chance" denigrate the gospel, unless they explain that the second chance is not another chance to be good, but is the new life in Christ that transforms and renews our minds.

Manasseh's disobedience and despicable behavior  in 2 Chronicles 33 does not illustrate God's second chance, it illustrated the depravity of man and therefore his need of Christ.

Nothing in the Bible is about the people in the Bible. The people are used to illustrate truths about the character of God. The Bible is not about us, it is about Him.

From word one to the last "Amen" of the Book of the Revelation, the Bible is about God's character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption (Christ).

Jesus did not say, "If a person accepts me and follows the rules he will be saved and will please God." He said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32) He also said, "The Son of Man must be lifted up." (John 12:34)

Since He has been lifted up from the earth (on the cross and at His ascension), it is Jesus who draws us to Himself. And if we are saved, we are saved by, and only by, His life, death, burial and resurrection.

There is nothing more. If Christ is not enough, He died in vain. If there is some "second blessing," as it is practiced in some churches, Christ is not enough and He died in vain. If Christ is not enough and we need to adjust our behavior ourselves to please God, He died in vain.

Jesus does not need the help of certain kinds of worship, certain kinds of music, certain kinds of prayers, certain kinds of offerings or certain kinds of praise. He is sufficient in-and-of Himself, or He is not sufficient at all.

So, after salvation - then what?

After salvation - Jesus. That's all. Jesus.

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. There's just something about that name.

Why would we preach anything else and pretend we're "preaching the Word?"

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Lord of Eternity-Fernando Orgega

Song of Songs-The Song of Solomon-The Bible Study

The Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption. Many people are quick to proclaim the Bible as God’s word, and it is. Some will tell you it’s about Jesus. But when it comes to the Song of Songs (also called the Song of Solomon), they fall all apart, not knowing how to deal with it.

The Song of Songs (SOS) is very intense, and seems at least a bit racy, if not almost pornographic in some ways. But that’s only if you do not look beneath the surface.

I have read many commentaries about SOS that treat it like a treatise on love and marriage here on earth. I’ll tell you this, if you need such a treatise, there is none better.

When I was a young man, my cousin and I used to work those 1,000 piece puzzles. We had a self-imposed rule that if you touched a piece of the puzzle without knowing where it fit, you were charged one point. When the puzzle was finished, the one with the most points lost. We both learned to solve puzzles.

If I were to present you with a math problem like this:

    3                          y

 + x         AND      +2           AND the total of both equals 14,
    7                          z                                                                                                         

would you be able to find the missing numbers? The answers would be 4; 5; and 7 respectively. That’s the only combination that would work. If you don’t like that solution or try to insert some other values, the equation just won’t add up.

The same is true with any part of the Bible, including the SOS. The answer is always Jesus. Any other answer and the “equation” won’t add up.

What happens to the Song of Solomon if you plug in Jesus and His relation to His Bride, the church? It becomes not a discourse on boy/girl relationships, and far more than an earthly love story, but a revelation of the way Christ loves His church.

I can hear the theologians from all over the globe gasping in disgust as they read this re-hash of an old idea. That’s OK. They’ve been wrong before, and they’re wrong about SOS.

Do it like this and see what happens. Let “Beloved” equal the church, let “Lover” equal Christ and let “Friends” equal the heavenly hosts. When you do that, the book becomes much more than an ancient love song. It becomes much more than a portrayal of God’s perspective on the romantic and sexual love between a man and woman. It springs to life like no other love story in all of history!

As Solomon saw his bride as beautiful, so Christ sees His Bride (the church) as beautiful. As Solomon sees his bride as irresistible, so Christ sees His Bride as irresistible. As Solomon saw his bride as worthy of his love, so Christ sees His Bride as worthy of His love because of his grace.

As Solomon compares his bride with the beauty of womanhood, the unbridled power of Pharaoh’s horses, the rarity of precious gems, the strength of cedars, the fragrance of perfumes and flowers, the grandeur of mountains and the sweetness of the vineyards, so is Christ’s Bride to Him.

The response of Solomon’s bride to him is analogous to Christ’s Bride’s reaction to Him.

In my mind, the whole book of the Song of Solomon speaks of God’s love for His creation and His preparation of the Bride of Christ for the unparalleled wedding feast that is to come.

Every time I read it, I am more breathlessly waiting for that day.

If you know Christ, you're His Bride and the feast will include you!

Now, let’s study the book. This week we’ll look at chapters 1-4. Next week we’ll look at chapters 5-8.

Song of Songs – The Bible Study

1. Some think The Song of Songs sets forth the glory of wedded love; It sets forth the heart of a satisfied husband and a devoted wife.

2. Others say it sets forth the love of Jehovah for Israel. The prophets spoke of Israel as the wife of Jehovah.

3. I believe it is a picture of Christ and the church. The church is the bride of Christ, a familiar figure of Scripture (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 21).

4. I also think it depicts the communion of Christ and the individual believer. The soul’s communion with Christ is here set forth.

No matter the interpretation, The Song of Solomon tests the spiritual capacity of the reader.

Chapters 1 – 4

Chapter 1

Verses 2-6 – The bride (church) reviews in her mind the meeting with the shepherd (Messiah). As a church we should constantly anticipate being with our Lord. Verse 5: She was sunburned, that is, the church must be found working outside of the confines of its brick and mortar. Verse.6: She was forced by her brothers to keep the vineyard. The world seeks to control the church.  Her “own vineyard” was her own beauty. The world is our vineyard and we need to be working in it.

Verse 7: The shepherd she met did not seem to have any sheep. From the beginning, Christ was anticipating His church They are His sheep. Verses 9-17: The church is to be in love with her shepherd, Jesus, the Christ (Messiah).

Chapter 2

Verses 1-7 – Here is a “vision” of the palace (heaven) that will be ours when we go to live with our shepherd. Verse 1: The church is like the flowers of the land. Verse 2: The bridegroom  (Christ) points out the difference between His church and the world. Verse 3-7: The bride speaks of her love for the bridegroom. Any relationship of the believer to Christ must rest upon His love for the believer and the believer’s love for Him.

Verses 8-17 – The return of the bridegroom after a trip abroad. That is the time of the rapture, when Christ returns for His bride. The bride’s happy anticipation of his return should be the attitude of the believer toward the return of Christ.

This is the highest spiritual expression of any relationship with Christ. It is the high note of the Rapture, the catching up of the believer to be with Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This section puts into the lovely language of poetry the meaning of the Rapture.

Chapter 3

The bride dreams of the bridegroom while he is away. She seeks him at night and is found by the watchman. Is this not what we should be doing as the Bride of Christ? At last, she finds the bridegroom. Christ, in all of his glory, is pictured entering Jerusalem with his bride. WHAT A PICTURE!!

Chapter 4

Here we have the love song of the bridegroom. This is the expression of deep desire and strong passion. Compare verse 7 with Ephesians 5:25-27. It is impossible for the believer to know (verses 9, 10) how much Christ loves him (Revelation 2:4). Verse 16: The response of the bride (the church) should remind us of Isaiah 53:11.

Does this approximate your feelings for Christ? Is He your beloved? Are you intimate with Him as Solomon was with his beloved? When we call ourselves “the bride of Christ,” are we aware of all that entails? Does it motivate us to be totally immersed in His will for us?

When Will the Church EVER Learn Its Freedom in Christ in ALL Areas?

The theme of Galatians is "Freedom In Christ." Christians like to claim that freedom when it is convenient for them. At other times, they prefer the legalism of the Old Covenant. Nowhere is that more evident than in the area of giving. Many churches and preachers insist on being bound by the Old Covenant concept of tithing.

Is it curious that at no point in Paul's writings is the tithe put forward as a guideline for giving (refute that if you can)? In fact, no New Testament writer either encourages "tithing" under the New Covenant or presents it as the normative or even occasional practice of the church. Yet many of our churches assume that this is the accepted New Testament standard. Those churches either do not believe in the New Covenant (who is Christ) or are too fearful to accept its teaching.

Under Mosaic Law, Israel was commanded to give a tenth of its crops, herds, flocks and the fruit of its trees to support the Levites, who had no inheritance of their own (Leviticus 27:30-32; Numbers 18:21-24). The tithe was to compensate the Levites for the work that they did while serving at the tabernacle.

Abraham gave a tithe, and he was "pre-Law." But he was not required to tithe. He was, however, a part of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant has been rendered obsolete (either that or Hebrews 8:13 is untrue - in which case we will have to decide which parts of the Bible ARE true).

(Side Note: For this post the term "Old Covenant" is used to collectively refer to the Edamic Covenant; the Adamic Covenant; the Abrahamic Covenant; the Noahic Covenant; the Mosaic Covenant; the Palestinian Covenant and the Davidic Covenant.)

Jesus refers to the Pharisees' custom of tithing even herbs of the land (such as mint, anise and cumin) while neglecting the weightier matters of justice and love of God (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). He was talking to Jews, not His followers.

The guidelines for giving that Paul puts forward are in accord with a Covenant of the Spirit not with a Covenant of the Letter (2 Cor 3:6). The standard proffered by the New Covenant is a higher one than a tithe. It is 100%, not 10%. Paul instructs the Corinthians that they are to set aside a sum of money each week "in keeping with" their income (literally, "however one has prospered").

Jesus had high praise for the widow who contributed two small copper coins to the temple treasury. She gave that which provided for her daily necessities: "all she had to live on," (Luke 21:4), while the rich contributed out of their surplus. And while the Pharisees may have given 10 percent, proportionately, the widow put in more than all of them combined (Luke 21:3).

In the final analysis, the key to giving lies in the attitude of the heart. In 2 Corinthians 8:12 and 9:7, Paul characterizes the attitude that God finds acceptable.

It must be a willing gift: if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable (2 Corinthians 8:12). It is not the amount that counts with God. If a readiness to give is present, then the gift is gladly received, whether it be large or small.

The gift must also not be offered "reluctantly" or "under compulsion" - literally, "with pain" (2 Corinthians 9:7).

The offering that God finds acceptable is one that has been cheerfully given (9:7; hilarosour English term "hilarious"). The cheerful giver is one who is happy to give and gives gladly and gives as much as is possible.

In the Body of Christ, those who possess a surplus who are in a position to meet existing economic needs. This is clear from 2 Corinthians 8:14, where Paul envisions the Jerusalem church's surplus providing for the Corinthians' lack at a future point.

In the wilderness of Exodus it was God who ensured the needs of the people. Under the New Covenant, God has given the responsibility to each believer.

When will we learn?

Probably never.

ARE YOU A COMPETENT MINISTER OF THE NEW COVENANT?

“He (God) has made us competent as ministers of a NEW COVENANT – not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” ( 2 Corinthians 3:6)

To what is Paul referring when he uses the term “letter?”

To some it makes no difference. They just keep on sanctimoniously continuing in doctrines that belong to the Old Covenant and are too steeped in religiosity to trust in or commit to a New Covenant. They stubbornly cling to teachings they received as children or as babes in Christ and would never trust themselves with a New Covenant. They lack faith in Christ to be the New Covenant.

When using the term "letter," Paul is speaking about the Law of Moses, the essence of the Old Covenant. You can test that with the context of Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Hebrews) 

The passage that follows (2 Corinthians 3:7-18 and all through 2 Corinthians, chapter 4), considered in the context of the words used, the verses they are in, the book they are in, the Testament they are in, the Covenant they refer to and the Bible as a whole, is a call to be STEEPED in the New Covenant.

Why do some pastors just throw these parts out? Is it because they do not conform to their distorted habit of walking with one foot in the Old Covenant and one foot in the New Covenant?

Consider Hebrews 8:13. Following a magnificent discourse on the New Covenant and its High Priest, Jesus, we read, “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one OBSOLETE and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

Does this mean that the Old Covenant is obsolete? Exactly! That is exactly what it means. But those who hate people who pick and choose Scripture, elect to ignore this passage, again because it does not conform with what they have heard all of their lives.

In many cases, preachers preach as though Scripture is a series of behavioristic rules and regulations designed to help us be good in God’s eyes. News flash! You cannot be good in God’s eyes by doing the things Scripture “requires” of Christians. You can only be good in God’s eyes if He sees you through the advocacy of Jesus Christ.

If that’s the case, what does one do with books like James, which has always been preached by most as a “guide for Christian living?” The answer is: YOU STOP PREACHING JAMES LIKE IT IS A “GUIDE FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING” AND START TEACHING IT AS A BOOK THAT DESCRIBES THE HEART-CHANGE THAT RESULTS FROM A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH CHRIST, THE ONE WHO IS THE NEW COVENANT!

Most preachers are MUCH too LAZY to do that. They just take the book one verse at a time as if each verse is just a New Testament proverb about being a wise Christian. That it is not. By its own testimony, it is a book about Godly wisdom coming from above, not from the techniques of the world. It is consistent with the concept of the New Covenant being written on our hearts.

If you are saved, you are a creature of and must be committed to the New Covenant. If you are not committed to the New Covenant, you are not saved. You might think you are saved. You might even “feel” saved. Maybe you had an experience that you think was a saving experience. But if you are not aware of and committed to the New Covenant, you are not saved.

You would be well served to admit your stubbornness, repent of bad preaching (preaching a lot of Bible verses and calling it Bible preaching), and receive the blessing of the New Covenant (Christ), whose gift is eternal life and whose Law (love God and others) is written on our hearts.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-This One's with Me-Newsong

A Study in Proverbs-Treasure Mother

The book of Proverbs was written (for the most part) by Solomon to his son. Far from a hodge-podge of “wise” sayings, it is the advice Solomon gives his son as he grows up in body and in faith in God. Solomon presents each subject in groups and in different ways at different stages of his son’s life.

He repeats each subject several times throughout the book. Each time he approaches a particular subject, he goes deeper into it because the son is  growing older and is able to understand more and more about each subject.

When we are born again, we are babes in Christ, just like Solomon’s son was a babe in the beginning of the book. Like his son, we are supposed to grow in our faith until we are mature in our faith as noted in Romans, 1 Corinthians and other books of the New Testament. With each stage of growth, we will understand more about the indescribable gift we have in God’s grace to us in Christ.

Proverbs 31 was written by Lemuel. The name Lemuel means "he belongs to God." Any time you see the suffix "el" in a an Old Testament word, the word has something to do with God. Some scholars think "Lemuel" was Solomon's mother's pet name for Solomon. You can think what you want about it.

Verses 1-9 - In these verses, the writer is recalling what his mother taught him. Notice that up until now the book has been about what the father (Solomon) was teaching his son. Now the son (Solomon?) recalls what his mother had said.

The gist of verses 1-9 is an intense warning about the company the young man should keep, and how to be a good leader. She admonished him to avoid alcohol (to keep his mind clear), to help the poor, to be fair and to defend those who need his leadership.

Verses 10-31 - Here is the familiar passage about choosing a good wife. Remember, as he was growing up, Solomon's son was introduced to the importance of choosing a good helpmeet. Each time Solomon brought it up, he went into further detail about it. Now the subject is dealt with in great depth. He lists the qualifications he should look for in a wife:

She respects God. She is not lazy. She is not proud. She works hard. And she is glad to work. She is generous to poor people. Her husband can trust her. She studies carefully. She has learned to be wise. She teaches. She uses her money wisely. She is loyal. She has many skills.

A good wife will age, as we all know, but her devotion to her values and to God will not wane.

So who can live up to that standard? the answer is no one. So what, then? Then Christ. He, living through her, can make her what He wants her to be. And even though she will never be perfect, she will be perfect in God's eyes because of Christ.

The most important thing for a woman is to know and love Christ. She must place her trust in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary.

So must you.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!

Miracles

If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you know that Jesus' first miracle was at Cana when He turned the water into wine. Why did He do that? Was He showing off? Was He demonstrating His ability to do "magical" things? Was He letting everybody know that if they just trust Him He will do great things for them?

None of those is the reason. The passage tells us why He did it. In 2:11 we read, "This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory..."

The miracles were not about the events themselves. Nor were they about the subjects of the miracles. They are not promises to us that He will perform the same types of miracles for us. They were done to show that Jesus is God. That claim is what incited the Pharisees to kill Him.

When Jesus said to His mother, "Dear woman why do you involve me?...My time has not yet come," What did He mean?

Preachers have twisted and turned this phrase "every which way but loose," and still seemed unable to grasp what He was saying. This is one of the few miracles Jesus did that was not followed by an attack from the Pharisees. They weren't at the wedding because it was not to their advantage to be there, and the Pharisees were very opportunistic people.

Jesus' time had not yet come because the Pharisees were virtually absent from the wedding. The time for them to recognize Jesus' claim was still a bit into the future.

You see, when Jesus performed His miracles, the Pharisees recognized their meaning immediately, and they did not like what they recognized.

As John tells us, Jesus was in the beginning with God and Jesus WAS God (John 1:1). The Pharisees were not after Jesus because they were afraid of losing their power. The were not after Jesus because they thought He aroused the people against them. The Pharisees were after Jesus because they knew that through His miracles He was claiming to BE God. That, to them, was heresy of the highest order and worthy of death.

Jesus' second miracle came after He had proclaimed who He was as recorded in John 4. It was the healing at the pool of Bethesda. That miracle was followed by an inquiry by the Pharisees about who had healed the man. This marked the beginning of His time.

From then on, after most of His miracles, the Pharisees made accusations against Him. They then began to search for Him, to try to get Him to stop His miracles and to intimidate Him. When that didn't work, they began to threaten Him. Finally, they even began to set out to kill him. Eventually, they did.

God still provides miracles. He does not, however, provide a miracle every time one is asked for in faith, nor does he hand them out willy-nilly. If He did, they would not be miracles. When He provides a miracle, it is for the purpose of His own glory. It is not for the person who receives the miracle, it is for God.

We need to come to grips with and to realize that nothing is about us. Everything is all about Him. When we come to that understanding, we are more able to focus on Him, praise Him and to be content in every situation. Then we will discover how to rest in Him. We will see that Jesus, in and of Himself, is enough. We need no more; no second blessing, no second filling, and no miracles.

Is Everything You Were Taught Correct?

What ideas were ingrained in your mind when you were a child or began to grow as a Christian?

Were you taught that the church building is "God's House?" It isn't, you know (except in the sense that it is a building dedicated to God. His house on earth is our hearts.)

Were you taught that God is up in Heaven looking down on you, trying to catch you doing something wrong? He isn't, you know.

Were you taught that if you do enough good things they will outweigh the bad things you do and tht will cause God to accept you into Heaven? It won't, you know.

Maybe you were taught that the Bible was written so you would have a guidebook for living in a way that pleases God. It wasn't, you know.

Were you taught that the New Testament is built on the Old Testament? It isn't, you know.

Were you taught that the church is a building where people gather to worship? It isn't, you know.

Were you taught that God has given a list of Laws that good Christians follow to make Him happy with us? He didn't, you know.

 Were you taught that the Old Testament and the Old Covenant are the same thing? They aren't, you know.

Were you taught that the Jewish practices outlined and required in the Old Testament apply to Christians today? They don't, you know. (Yeah, that's right, they don't. Christ fulfilled every single one of them on our behalf. Then He put His New Covenant Law in our hearts.)

Were you taught that there is one proper interpretation but many applications of the Bible in people's lives. That's not true, you know. The Bible is not a group of laws, rules, philosophies or sayings that we must follow, it is God's revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption. It is not about you at all, it is about God.

Were you taught that sin is a list of things that you fail to do or do wrongly? It isn't, you know.

How many other doctrines and religious ideas can you think of that you were taught wrong about?

Were you taught that sin is any word, deed or thought that is not directly in the center of God's will, therefore we are hopelessly sinful outside of Christ? On that you were taught well.

Were you taught that the only way to please God enough to gain eternal life is to recognize that you are a sinner, repent of that sin and place your trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary? On that you were taught well.

How Do We Form Biblical Doctrines?

Suppose you made a list of everything the Bible has to say about prayer, praying and prayed, as well as any and all related topics. You’d then be able to make a pretty accurate statement about the Biblical doctrine of prayer, right?

Wrong.

What you would have is a list, nothing more. You would not have context, meaning or proper application, all of which are essential to forming a Biblical doctrine. You could take your list and twist it one way or the other and draw many different conclusions. That’s what cults, heretics and false teachers do.

The proper way to arrive at a Biblical doctrine of prayer would be to read the Bible as a narrative, taking references to prayer as they come, in the context(s) of the word used, the verse it is in, the chapter it is in, the book it is in, the Covenant in which it is applied and the Bible as a whole.

For those who like “topical” preaching, don’t worry. As you read the Bible narratively, every topic you can possibly imagine will be addressed in context and its proper application will become apparent.

It is trendy and popular to use the phrase, “Let the Bible interpret the Bible.” That would be true if properly applied, but it is usually used to make the teacher’s particular point or the preacher’s particular theosophical agenda. Often the context of one section of scripture does, indeed, support the context of another, but not outside of its context.

You can’t say, “God blesses obedience and curses disobedience” outside of its proper context and application. Under the Old Covenant, that was the case. Under the New Covenant, however, obedience comes from the Word of God being written on our hearts and our disobedience is covered by the blood of Christ.

That does NOT condone disobedience. Paul wrote that we should not sin more so that we could experience more grace. In fact, he said, “God forbid.” Instead, Paul encouraged us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts in such a way that we would not even WANT to stray from God’s will. In a given situation we would know what is right by our focus on how the Holy Spirit is leading.

It is impossible to be focused on Christ and the leadership of His Holy Spirit and to do something outside of God’s will. Behaving outside of God’s will occurs when we lose our focus. When Paul admonished us to pray without ceasing, that is exactly what he was writing about. To pray without ceasing is to keep our minds and desires focused on Christ in every situation.

The doctrine of giving is another doctrine in which context is essential. Under the Old Covenant with the Jews, the Law required a tithe (10%). Under the New Covenant, in Christ, the requirement is 100%. Why would a Christian under grace allow a Jew under the Law to give more than the Christian under grace? That is a disgrace to grace. This is not about Old Testament vs. New Testament, it is about the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

According to Hebrews 8:13, “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one OBSOLETE; and what is OBSOLETE and outdated will soon disappear.”

So, when you formulate a doctrine, be certain that it is really a Biblical doctrine, and not your own private interpretation of Scripture.

Preaching the Gospel/Bible?

Some pastors seem to think that if the read a lot of Bible verses and make comments on them, they have “preached the Bible” or “preached the gospel.”

Often they preach on some topic or another and then tag the sermon with a non-descript “invitation,” that nobody knows why or how to respond to.

That’s not preaching the Bible. That’s not preaching the gospel. That’s not even preaching. That’s just filling time.

Paul wrote, following his failed excursion into philosophy at Athens, “I have resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified…” (1 Corinthians 2:2). He didn’t say, “I have resolved to know not much more than Christ and Him crucified. He said, “I have resolved to know NOTHING but Christ and Him crucified. What does NOTHING mean? Does it mean “something,” “a little bit” or does it mean “NOTHING?”

Suppose a preacher takes a few Scriptures from the Old Testament, maybe one of the famous stories like Daniel in the lions’ den, David and Goliath, Joshua and the walls of Jericho or any of the other great stories, and reads them. Then suppose he reads about obedience and how “God blesses obedience and curses disobedience.” Then suppose he tacks on the gospel at the end. Has he preached the Bible? No, he has not.

The problem is that many preachers treat the Bible as though it is a bunch of unconnected, unrelated stories, rules, regulations and wise sayings. It is not.

The Bible is the most remarkably consistent, intertwined and amazing books ever written.

First of all, it is written by God. He used 40 different authors over thousands of years who wrote 66 books, each of which relates to every one of all of the others! That is astonishing!

What a total shame to not demonstrate in every sermon how the Bible is all about God’s character, His love of His creation and His plan for its redemption. What message could possibly be more powerful, more relevant and more important for any human being to hear?

Preachers wake up! Stop cherry-picking Scripture to put together a sermon that fits your agenda or your “theosophy.” Cults do that! Let’s not let the Word of God be treated like some legalistic bunch of do’s and don’ts.

Neither let us use Scripture to show how bad the church is or how bad some practices in the church are. The church is the BRIDE OF CHRIST!! Stop doing that! The church is not bad. The church is good! There might be some people who need Bible study, training or growing, but the church is GOOD. Get that through your backward thinking, legalistic heads!

Come on, preachers. Study before you speak. Find the gospel in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Stop taking the lazy way out in sermon preparation. Start finding Jesus in every verse of the Bible. He’s there! You just have to find Him there! Do it!

Don’t tag your sermon with a quick invitation. Make your message lead up to a great, positive, compelling and inspiring invitation. Make Jesus the whole point of your message. Make every word of your message be designed to introduce people to Jesus and to inspire those who already know Him.

If you don’t think He is worthy of that, you need to revisit your own salvation experience!

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-King of the Nations-Graham Kendrick

A Study in Proverbs: Moral Purity

This section of Proverbs takes us back to Solomon’s son’s late elementary age. Here he is a boy who is beginning to get an idea that there is a world “out there” that he needs to prepare for. He is counseled to remember the instruction of his father.


Chapter 5:1-23  

Verses 1-2 – The young boy is counseled by his father start thinking about the future.

Verse 3 – Here begins Solomon’s discourse about hanging around with people who are physically pure. He is also advised to be physically pure himself.

Verses 4-11 – The use of the term “adulteress” may refer to more than just fallen women. Israel is often referred to as having been adulterous. She just couldn’t seem to remain faithful to God. To a great extent, Israel looked just like the picture Solomon painted in these verses. The end result is that Israel would rue the day of her unfaithfulness.

Verses 12-.14 – Solomon recognizes that a boy this age is beginning to question and even reject his father’s admonitions. He advises the boy once again to pay attention.

Verses 15-17 – These verses tell the young fellow to stay faithful to himself, his friends and to his wife, whoever she turns out to be. Solomon says, “Drink water from your own cistern…” Then he prays for his son.

Verses 18-20 – He says find a worthy wife and love her completely.

Verse 21-23 – Solomon concludes this section with a reminder that his son cannot hide from God. Therefore he should focus his faith on him, thus avoiding dying due to his lack of being disciple to God.


Chapter 6:20-25

Verses 1- 5 – As we begin chapter 6, we find Solomon’s son at about high school age. He is testing his fledgling wings and is about to make some life-long decisions. He is advised to be careful about pledges and to be ready to honor those he makes. Solomon tells him that if he runs into trouble, he is to do whatever is morally responsible to free himself from that trouble.

Verses 6-15 – He is once again warned to set objectives, goals and action plans for himself, like the ant. He is to be careful about his peer choices in order to keep from being deceived by the world’s ways.

Verses 16- 19 – As he gets to know the Lord, he will find that there are seven things to avoid: 1) arrogance; 2) lying; 3) shedding innocent blood; 4) wicked schemes; 5) rushing into evildoings; 6) bearing false witness and 7) stirring up trouble among brothers.

Verses 20-26 – Notice how much more in depth Solomon goes with his admonitions. He spends more time on the principles he has previously laid out. As he speaks of his teaching, he encourages his son to listen up and allow the principles to guide him.

Verses 27-35 – Once again the topic is women, specifically immoral women. He is warned about them, admonished to stay away from them and encouraged to choose his company wisely. Notice that 8 verses are dedicated to the subject this time. Why? Because the young man is about to “go to college.” He will be beyond his father’s direct control.

All of this is about being wise and righteous. In the end, all wisdom and all righteousness comes from, and only from, Christ. These are the principles Christ will write on your hearts when you turn to Him in faith, believing in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary.

Wherever Your Church Is, It Is Where It Has Been Led and Where You Have Allowed It to Be Led

Is your church growing? Is it shrinking? Is it maintaining the status quo? Wherever it is, it has been led there by the pastor, the staff and the lay leaders.

If your church is growing, give praise to the Lord for leadership that knows where it is going and knows how to get there.

If it is shrinking, pray that the Lord will inspire the pastor, staff and lay leaders to have an awakening as to what has to be done to turn it around.

If your church is maintaining the status quo, it is stagnant. It is Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22).

A church might well remain "small" and not be stagnant. If it is baptizing many and spawning a lot of new works, it is being the church God wants it to be.

God has given us a blueprint for growth in His Word. His blueprint is organization and order.

The Word of God is filled with organization and order. In Genesis He organized the order of creation. In the universe He organized atoms, molecules, moons, planets and stars. In Numbers He organized the tents of Israel in the shape of a cross, such that Balaam could not curse them. In Kings He organized the building of the temple. In Nehemiah He organized the building of the wall of Jerusalem.

The fact of Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection for the salvation of those who would place their faith in, and only in, his finished work at the cross of Calvary was ordered and organized from before the beginning of time.

God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. God is a God of order and organization. If you follow some other kind of God, you don't follow God at all.

Evangelical, Missional or What?

There is a whole “arm” of the Christian church that believes today’s church has to be “missional,” “trendy” and that “evangelicalism” is passé, or at least not the main issue.

As if you care what I think, let me tell you. I think the church must focus on, and only on, Christ and His finished work at the cross of Calvary. If He is not enough, nothing else will be.

I think the church should be evangelical, ministerial, missional and relevant. By “relevant,” I mean gospel oriented. There never has been, is not now and never will be anything irrelevant about the gospel. The gospel message is the only one the church has. It will “attract” those whom the Holy Spirit stirs.

I believe the church should spread the good news, minister to its members, serve the community in Christ’s name, and preach the eternal relevance of the gospel.

That’s it.

New Covenant Theology?

Jesus is the New Covenant personified. About that there can be no doubt. He is so identified in Scripture, especially in Hebrews (a book written to Jews to help them understand that Jesus is the Messiah fulfilled).

So, what is New Covenant Theology?

New Covenant Theology is a technical term referring to a theological view of redemptive history. It is often contrasted with Covenant theology and Dispensationalism.

Proponents of New Covenant Theology maintain that the primary thrust of the New Covenant is the recognition of a promise-fulfillment understanding of Scripture. The Mosaic economy is viewed as a temporal, conditional covenant that has been forever replaced by the glory of the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3).

New Covenant Theology dates back to just after the so-called “reformation.” The last twenty-five years have seen a great resurgence of Reformed theology in Baptist circles. As a result, many within this camp have sought to develop a more clarified system of the covenants that relate back to older thought. John Reisinger, Jon Zens, Peter Ditzel, Fred Zaspel, Tom Wells, Gary Long, Geoff Volker and Steve Lehrer are parts of this camp. The writings of Douglas Moo,Tom Schreiner, andD.A. Carson on the relation of the Christian to the law reveal their sympathies with NCT. However they have not wanted themselves to be so labeled. John Piper also has many points of contact with this movement, but an article at Desiring God carefully distinguishes his position from the Covenant, New Covenant and Dispensational theological systems.

Frankly, I have some issues with some of the teachings of New Covenant Theology. I do not believe that the church is “spiritual Israel.” Nor do I consider myself “Calvanistic,” as many New Covenant theologians do. (Neither am I Armenian, by the way). Like NCT, I do believe that the Mosaic Law is fulfilled with the advent of Christ and the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 9:21). New Covenant believers consider themselves to be under the Law of Christ, which is a law written on the heart, not on tablets of stone. I agree with that.

The traditional Reformed hermeneutic of the law argues that whatever is not abolished in Christ continues. New Covenant Theology says that the entire Law of Moses has passed away and only remains in so far as it passes through the hands of Christ.

Personally, I would think of  it differently. I believe that the Law is as pure and holy as ever, that I am totally incapable of keeping any aspect of it and that Christ has fulfilled the Law on my behalf through his grace and mercy. Therefore, I am no longer accountable to the Law.

That is not license to sin. As Paul wrote, “God forbid!” It is license to follow what Christ has written on my heart in all areas of my life. It is total followship of Him. It is the recognition that it is not about me, it is not about you, it is ALL about Him.

You might disagree with me, and that’s alright. This is America. You have the right to be wrong.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Refiner's Fire-Brian Doerksen

A Study in Proverbs: The Social Graces

Chapter 20

By the time we get to chapter 20, Solomon’s son is a young person and it is time to speak with him about the issues he will be facing at this age.

Verse 1-3 – These verses are related to each other. Although it seems like there is no relationship between alcoholic beverage and a king’s wrath, there really is. Many killings, injuries, accidents and arguments are caused by alcoholic beverage. Even (maybe especially) those in high places make unfortunate decisions while under the influence of alcohol. Its use is almost always the result of peer or social pressure. Solomon’s son is advised to avoid its use.

Verse 4-17 – Once again Solomon addresses laziness, the inner being and faithfulness, this time in more depth and on a more serious level. He reiterates his call for righteousness and purity of heart. He deals with behavior and how ours should change as we mature. He also gives a deeper insight into riches, possessions and living a life of integrity.

Verses 18-23 – Here we hear Solomon’s advice regarding the various uses of the tongue: gossip, cursing, lying and cheating.

Verses 24-27 – Emphasizing the need to know God and to trust Him alone is a lesson a maturing person needs to learn. His reference to the lamp of the Lord (27) speaks of the light of the world, Jesus.

Verses 28-30 – Solomon teaches his son about love (again). He also contrasts youth with age and reveals that a maturing man is in control of himself, under God’s leadership.

Chapter 23 is directed toward his son as a young adult. Much of the same material is reiterated, as usual, in more depth as the son is more able to absorb and implement what he is instructed to do and to be. Having been taught to choose a wife carefully, he is now told how to raise his own children. He is again admonished not to imbibe in alcoholic drink. He is reminded to listen to his father’s recommendations born of experience. He speaks of faithfulness, a proper understanding of interpersonal relationships, good vs. bad company. Then he reiterates his advice about strong drink.

Temper, pride, covetousness, child rearing, discipline, following God, controlling one’s anger honesty and not doing things for the sake of recognition are all part of what chapter 29 of Proverbs addresses.

Chapter 31 was written, not by Solomon, but by an unknown oracle named Lemuel (Devoted to God). Some Scholars think the name is Solomon’s mother’s pet name for him. They think this was written to him by his mother. If so, she was giving him advice about women, wine and wise choices.

Generally speaking, a  man does not want his mother to speak to him on this matter of wine, women, and song. She starts out with the consequences of over imbibing. Kings are ruined, the way the poor drink to “drown their sorrows,” and that temperance will enable one to guide others and judge fairly.

She then turns the emphasis toward the marks of a woman worthy of being a wife. What a list it is! In fact, the list is so long and intense that one might be tempted to conclude that they are impossible to live up to.  One would be correct.

The only righteous we have, whether we are male or female, is the righteousness imputed to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, Christ.

Real Giving

Any Christian who would let a Jew under the Law give more than the Christian under grace is a disgrace to grace (a paraphrase of a statement by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers).

The Law required three tithes, or up to 30% of one’s income. Under grace, Christ demands 100%.

The poor widow was not commended for giving 10% of what she had; she was commended for giving ALL she had (that’s 100%, by the way).

The rich young ruler was not told by Jesus to go sell 10% of what he had, give it to the poor and to follow Jesus. That would not have bothered any Jew. He was told to sell ALL that he had, give it to the poor and follow Jesus (that’s 100%, by the way).

Every single one of the New Testament references to giving puts it in the context of giving what God has laid on one’s heart. That’s because the New Covenant (as revealed in the New Testament) is 100% a matter of the heart.

Why would any preacher ask a Christian to cut back to giving only 10% (or 30%, as the case might be)? Why would any church be so short-sighted as to teach giving 10% instead of 100%? Why would a church require anyone in leadership to cut back to giving only 10%? How spiritually ignorant is that?

If every person tithing would remove the financial burdens of a church, how much more would every person giving as the New Covenant instructs yield?

“Well, what about Malachi?” I hear you ask. First of all, Malachi is under the Old Covenant(s). Secondly, the grain silos in Malachi are not analogous to the church (where on earth did THAT idea ever come from? There is nothing anywhere in Scripture that even HINTS of that.). Thirdly, Malachi is about Israel, not about Christianity.

The Christians of the New Covenant (as recorded in the New Testament) pooled all of their available resources to make absolutely certain that anybody who had need was provided for. (For those of you tempted to equate that with Communism, remember, giving was voluntary, not required; and it had nothing to do with the government).

It is so sad that so many have been told so long that Christians should tithe because the Bible says we should, that they have come to believe it. The Bible absolutely, positively does NOT teach that Christians should tithe. It just does not. It teaches that Jews under the Old Covenant(s) should tithe, but not Christians.

Christians are directly instructed to give what God lays on their hearts to give, cheerfully and enthusiastically, up to and including 100% of everything they are, do and have.

Parenthetically, there are those who think they are Christians who are so shallow that they think the New Testament “builds” on the Old Testament. IT DOES NOT. The New Testament is the revelation of the New Covenant, which is built on and lived out on a totally different basis from the Old Covenant(s). The New Testament is the record of the coming of Messiah, who fulfilled every aspect of the Old Covenant(s') Law.

Christians should not give ‘till it hurts. They should give until it feels real good!

A Study On the Resurrection

This study is in the form of a quiz. The correct answers are below the quiz.

1. Why did God choose Israel?
    A. Because the people of Israel were steady in their faith and dependable
    B. Because He is God and He gets to choose
    C. Because the rest of the world was so much worse than Israel
    D. Because the Jews were people of great character

2. What did God choose Israel to do?
    A. Show the world how to follow God
    B. Write the laws that would make people acceptable in God’s eyes
    C. Establish the appropriate hierarchy for religious structure
    D. To establish the line through which Messiah would be born

3. Why did Jesus “perform” miracles?
    A. To demonstrate that He was God in the flesh
    B. To impress the people so they would straighten out
    C. To show the Jews that He was smarter than they were
    D. To show people that their faith would be honored

4. How did the Pharisees respond to Jesus’ miracles?
    A. They were amazed and wanted to follow Him
    B. They were happy for the people whose lives had been touched
    C. They knew the Scriptures and recognized that Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of the prophesies.
    D. They were confused and wanted to know more

5. Why did the Pharisees want Jesus executed?
    A. Because they were afraid of losing their power
    B. Because they were generally nasty people
    C. Because they knew he claimed to be God and considered that blasphemy
    D. Because they were led by the Holy Spirit to have Jesus executed

6. What made the Pharisees think Jesus was committing blasphemy?
    A. Jesus made it clear that He claimed to be God
    B. Jesus behaved in an immoral fashion
    C. Jesus broke the Law of Moses
    D. Jesus was just too religious for their tastes

7. What characterized the trials Jesus went through before Herod, Pilate, the Chief Priests and the Pharisees?
    A. They were fair and just
    B. They were open to the public
    C. They adhered to the letter of the Law
    D. They were illegal.

8. Who did Jesus look like after He was scourged by Pilate
    A. He looked tired and sad
    B. He looked bruised and cut
    C. He was unrecognizable
    D. He was strong and unaffected

9. Why was Jesus placed in a borrowed tomb?
    A. His family was too poor to afford a decent burial
    B. It all happened so fast that the family had not had time to buy a tomb for Him
    C. Joseph of Arimathia expected to live a long time and didn’t need it.
    D. He was only going to need it for three days

10. What did Mary find when she got to the tomb?
    A. The stone rolled away
    B. An empty tomb
    C. An angel
    D. The grave clothes folded
    E. Jesus

11. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you?
    A. It is a great story and I like to hear it
    B. It seems pretty fanciful
    C. It stirs my emotions and makes me cry
    D. It is the most exciting story I have ever heard or read and it thrills me to know that Jesus’ resurrection proves          that His death provided me with eternal life, just like God promised from the very beginning.

Trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary, His resurrection and His soon return. That’s the only way to life abundant, free and eternal!

Answers

1-B
2-D
3-A
4-C
5-C
6-A
7-D
8-C
9-D
10-All of them
11-I sincerely pray that your answer is D

A Study in Proverbs: Maturity Learned

The book of Proverbs is about growing in faith. Soloman addresses his son with a pattern for growth from being a babe in faith to becoming mature. It is a narrative, not a chopped up mess of “wise” sayings. No verse can be applied out of its contex and order without missing its point and drawing false conclusions.

Proverbs Chapters 10 – The young boy is about the age of a grammar school student. He is told   about his relationship with his father (1), the value of money (2),  God’s righteous character (3), the importance of hard work (4), the need to practice God’s will (6), that you don’t need a good memory if you are honest (7), the importance of integrity (9), the importance of clean conversation (11),  and many other things, including the importance of love (12)

Proverbs Chapter 11 – The growing child is introduced to the principles of business (1). He is also given more intense instruction about pride (2), integrity (3), wealth (4), walking uprightly (5-6), the fate of the wicked as opposed to the righteous (7-8), the importance of clean conversation (9) and many other things, including learning to be kind to others (17)

Proverbs Chapter 13 – Here the young teenager is taught about following his father’s instruction (1 – against which young teens are apt to rebel), avoiding violence (3), being industrious (4), being truthful (5), growing in integrity, being responsible with money (11), following instructions (13), gaining knowledge (16), and running with the right crowd.

Proverbs Chapter 15 – Instructions and wisdom continue to be afforded the young man as Solomon reinforces the concepts of  being kind when he speaks (1-4),  the omnipresence of God (3), not spurning his father’s discipline (5), teaching others (6), the persuit of righteousness (8-11),  the importance of cheerfulness (15), understanding that fearing the Lord leads to knowledge and wisdom (16) and how love is better than hatred every time.

Notice the repitition of themes as the young man grows. Each time a subject is addressed, it is covered a little more thoroughly.

Proverbs Chapter 16 – Solomon goes over the same territory with his son, now a young man, this time spending a little more time on each subject and covering it more deeply. This young man is about to be ready for the MEAT of learning. He addresses love again (1, 6, & 9). He goes into more detail about wisdom coming from the Lord (16). Solomon addresses honesty and integrity (11), taking charge of one’s own conversation (21, 23, & 24). He speaks of the importance of self control. As a young man, he is going to have to exercise it more and more.

Proverbs Chapter 17 – Now Solomon begins to put the pressure on about peacefulness, wisdom, coveteousness, finances, arrogance, avoiding meaningless arguing (14, 19), being a good friend (17). He warns the young man not to be tempted with bribes (23),and once again, he tells the young man to control his mouth (28)

Proverbs Chapter 18 – The young man is schooled in the importance of selflessness and careful with his mouth (1-8), He teaches him about the strength of the Lord (10). He teaches him about humility, integrity, discernment, giving, tactfulness (19-21). He counsels him about making wise choices in a mate. He encourages him to be a friend to his friends.

Proverbs Chapters 20,22,25 & 26 – The lessons of self control are emphasized. Again Solomon speaks of honesty, riches, controlling the tongue, the character of God and His omniscience. He encourages faithfulness in love (6).  Our young man is almost grown (probably in his 20s or so).
Solomon begins to realy press all of the various issues. The young man is about to be on his own. He needs to learn the lessons of knowledge and wisdom through the fear of the Lord.

Again he instructs him about choosing his friends wisely (22:24-25). By the time we get to chapter 26, Solomon’s son has become a mature man. He is still in need of instruction, because we never reach a state of perfect maturity.

So, how are you doing in your growth with the Lord? Have you learned the lessons of Proverbs? Have you come to know the one who imparts maturity and wisdom, Christ, the Lord? As a church, are we helping people grow in the Lord?

A Little about the Law

If we are Christians, we are in the age of grace. If we are Christians, we are under a New Covenant with God.

Does that mean that for Christians the Law means nothing?

It does not mean that at all.

So what does it mean?

Let’s find out.

The first of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  There has never been a person (other than Jesus) who has kept that Law…never.

Under grace, has that Law been abolished?

The answer is, “No, it has been fulfilled in Christ.”

Does that mean we can have other gods before God?

No!

If we are Christians, we have recognized that Christ is Lord (Romans 10:9 & 10), and we have turned to Him in faith, trusting in, and only in, His finished work at the cross of Calvary. If we are Christians, we know Him. If we truly know Him, why would we want to put ANYTHING or ANYBODY ahead of Him? After what He has done for us, why would we want to give him second place or lower in our lives?

We wouldn’t.

If we want to give anything or anybody else first place in our lives, we need to reevaluate our relationship to God through Jesus.

Do you remember the song that went, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him and I do”? Well, that’s the way it must be with Christ. To know Him is to love Him. Conversely, NOT to love Him is not to know Him.

If you don’t know Him (and therefore love Him), you aren’t saved.

Meanwhile, back at the Law, Jesus proclaimed that He had fulfilled the Law. That means He has paid the price for our inability to keep the Law in-and-of ourselves. Our response to His fulfilling the Law, if we really realize what He has done for us, is to keep it in our hearts, just as Scripture tells us to.

Heaven Is for Real

Christians are often characterized as ignorant, “right-wing” red-necks who live in an imaginary world. The sad thing is, many who call themselves Christians are exactly that. They have been so steeped in the selective use of Scripture for legalistic lifestyles that they fall for anything.

In recent years they have manifested that tendency by falling for Hollywood’s portrayal of Biblical events. They have fallen for The Passion of the Christ. They have fallen for Noah. Now they are poised to fall for another, more insidious movie, Heaven Is for Real.

Come to think of it, this penchant for all things Hollywood is not really new. The Ten Commandments was so well accepted as to cause people to think Charlton Heston really was Moses. Biblically, it was not all that accurate. At best it was marginally more accurate than many others.

At any rate, this new movie (based on the book of the same name) propagates the absurd idea that someone has been to Heaven and returned to report on the experience. This is nothing more than superstitious nonsense built on spiritual mysticism and vain imaginations.

If anyone actually HAD gone to Heaven and returned, their only reports would be of the majesty, excellence and glory of Christ. Instead they report about their good feelings, their happiness and how comforted they were. They report about having had fun, received special treatment, and how much more they understand than they ever did before. That would not be the focus of one who had entered Christ’s presence.

What does the Bible have to say on the subject?

John 3:13 says, ““No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” And John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time.”

Some of the Bible’s writers had visions of Heaven. None had near-death experiences. Paul and John fall into this category. Micaiah and Stephen had what seemed to be glimpses of Heaven, but neither described their experiences.

Lazarus died and John spent a chapter about the event without a word about Heaven, even after Jesus resurrected Lazarus. Both Elijah and Eutychus died and came back, but neither gave any description of their experiences, either.

Only three men wrote about what they saw when they glimpsed Heaven—and the details they gave were comparatively sparse (Isaiah 6:1–4; Ezekiel 1, 10; Revelation 4–6). All of them focused properly on God’s glory. None of them reported anything except fear and shame in the presence of God’s glory.

The issue is that “Christians” are far too unsatisfied with Christ and continually seek to add to or somehow verify their Christian experience. They soak themselves in superstition, secularism, spiritual mysticism and vain imaginations instead of focusing on the Christ of the Bible.

One who is saved will have a personal relationship with God through Christ and will need nothing more to confirm it.

The Proper Use of Scripture

IJohn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Many people have that verse as their favorite Scripture. They may use it as a source of comfort. They might consider it some sort of release to sin; being assured that there is forgiveness for them. For some people, every time they sin they “claim” this verse to soothe their conscience.

God does forgive. He has forgiven us in Christ. He sees us as perfect through the shed blood of Christ. But this is not the proper application of this verse. (The idea that there is only one interpretation but many applications is born of ignorance and is untrue. Scripture is not intended to be “applied” randomly and “as needed.”) The statement in John 1:9 is true, of course, but it is meant to be applied to the context of the entire book, not as a stand alone passage.

The verse in question is a part of a great dissertation by John, one who had seen Jesus with his own eyes as the one who created the entire universe, including mankind. It is not about us, it is about Him. It is John’s message about Him to us. In this book John is proclaiming what he has seen (Jesus) and what he has heard (Jesus message of the Kingdom of God).

Because the Scripture has been chopped up into chapters and verses (using the excuse that it is therefore easier to “find one’s way around in the Bible”), there is a tendency to ascribe to short parts of it that which is not a part of the whole. That’s an eternal mistake.

The book of John is about the magnificent salvation that has been made available to any person. In keeping with Paul’s message in Romans, John recognizes that we all sin. He also tells us repeatedly that in Christ, God has provided forgiveness for our sin because He is our atoning sacrifice. It is about the evidence God has placed in our hearts under the New Covenant (Christ) of that salvation.

He tells us in no uncertain terms that there is only one Christ. He says there will be others who claim to be Messiah (and some who just think they are Jesus, not even knowing who Jesus is), but that they are imposters. Those who are in Christ will immediately recognize the imposters because we have the Holy Spirit who gives us discernment. He tells us we can know teachers of false doctrine by the power of the Holy Spirit so we can test them.

John is concerned about teachers of false doctrine. He warns us about those who would lead us down the paths of heresy, legalism and religious behaviorism. He implores us to keep our focus on Christ alone. He tells us that the love of God for us causes us to love one another. That reflects what Christ said when asked about the greatest commandment (love God and love your neighbor as yourself).

He says, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,” a reminder that the New Covenant is written, not in stone or on paper, but in our hearts.

John concludes by telling us why he wrote the book. It was not to give us platitudes to live by, but to assure us of the nature of the one who was from the beginning: Christ, our Lord and Savior. He proclaims that if we continue to focus on sin instead of Christ, we are not saved and need to take a look at our eternal condition before God. But, he says, if we are saved, we will recognize and run from sin, keeping our focus on no other but Jesus. Jesus is the one true God and everything else is just an idol.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-In Christ Alone-Travis Cottrell

A Study in Proverbs Chapters 1-31

The book of Proverbs is about growing in faith. Soloman addresses his son with a pattern for growth from being a babe in faith to becoming mature. It is a narrative, not a chopped up mess of “wise” sayings. No verse can be applied out of its contex and order without missing its point and drawing false conclusions.

For instance, if you take Proverbs 16:16; 22:1-2; 23:4-5; 28:20; 30:7-9; 15:27; 21:6; 22:16;28:6, 8 and 24; 3:9010; 11:28 and 16:8 and conclude that they speak about general financial responsibility, you will being a disservice to the verses, the chapter they’re in, the book of Proverbs, the Old Testament, the Old Covenant and the Bible. Do you want to do such a disservice? All of those verses DO speak about financial matters, but they are neither designed nor intended to be dealt with apart from theit context.

Just because a Scripture verse contains a word that goes along with what the reader is trying to prove, does not mean that’s what the verse means. Without the flow of the narrative, not one single verse of Scripture can be properly understood, interpreted or applied.

Those verses are where they are because they are part of a narrative that reveals the stages of growth that occur when one fears the Lord: knowledge and Wisdom. Wisdom, in proverbs, is a picture (type) of Christ. The verses are where they are to be a part of the consecutive growth of a person’s walk of faith.

When you realize that the chapters used above (3, 11, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29), you begin to understand that they are grouped in such a way as to show the growth stages of Solomon’s son.

Does that mean that Proverbs does NOT encourage us to exercise financial responsibility? Absolutely not!

But Proverbe does so much more than that. Proverbs gives us a PROGRESSIVE look at HOW a person grows in wisdom. Proverbs starts off with the way a young boy (or young Christian) would look at the various elements of his stage of life. Then it proceeds to cover the same topics the way an older boy (perhaps a Christian with some years of Sunday School under his belt) would deal with the same issues. After that, Proverbs reveals the development level a young man (growing Christian) would deal with the temptations and issues of life. It then shows the same things for a young adult, then a maturing adult and finally an elder (mature person).

There are five indications of Christ in Proverbs: 1. Proverbs is Wisdom personified in Christ.
2. Proverbs is Wisdom fulfilled in Christ. 3. Proverbs is Wisdom exemplified in Christ.
4. Proverbs is Wisdom provided in Christ.  5. Every verse in Proverbs is about wisdom and righteousness as revealed in the life of the Lord Jesus.

Proverbs progresses like this: How someone young in the faith starts out life in the home (church). How someone young in the faith begins to grow up and moves beyond the circle of the home(church). How someone young in the faith listens to God’s law of mercy and grace, as he turns to his family in the faith (church). How someone growing in the faith remembers  the instruction of his father (church family) How someone growing in the faith. is counseled to live a pure life for the sake of his home(church family). How someone growing in the faith deals with conflicting world view. The characteristics of someone maturing in the faith.

In chapter 30, we find an oracle by an unknown sage (not Solomon, Agur) who warns the person young in the faith to subscribe to sound doctrine and not to go to ridiculous extremes or to grow weary in the faith. He warns the growing young adult that the world will pull at him from all sides. He encourages the one growing in the faith to recognize God above all others.

Proverbs wraps up in chapter 31 with a mother counseling her son (a young adult in the faith) to choose a life partner after he has matured enough to recognize what’s important in choosing a mate. He does not really want her to tell him what to do (isn’t that just like us), but she persists. The mother lays out what he should look for in a wife. She also lays out the things he must do and be in order to demonstrate integrity.