Sound Bites?

The accuracy of the Word starts with the 'big picture' as a framework. The whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation gives the 'big picture' and points to Jesus Christ as the way to God.

My husband gave me a great analogy when we were discussing an aspect of the Word this morning. Compare the knowledge of God to  the knowledge of baseball.  Each little rule of baseball doesn't make it baseball. It is the the overall description that defines baseball and each little part of the game makes up the whole.

When I talk to people about God's Word and someone says something I don't understand, I have to look at what I know about God from the whole Word and see if it fits. We don't know everything in the Bible but even after a short time looking at God's word we get the idea of God's concept of love.

Politicians are great examples of isolating just what they want you to believe. Just check out the current election cycle. Sound bites can be an example of downright lying. We sure would not want to do this for God.

In my blog on Context and Forgiveness (context) I wrote about the context of forgiveness in Matt 18. There are many other examples of godly concepts being taken out of context. The reason why God says something where he says it is pretty important. When people take a verse and laud it to the sky to prove a point, check the context. They may be right, but they might be very wrong. Whole denominations have evolved using verse points. Remember chapters and verse numbers were added to the Bible by men.

God is the leading authority of Himself. We are the leading authority on ourselves. It is our choice to take Him at His word in His context.

Jesus Jones?

Recently I was involved in a conversation with a whole group of people about what they believed about God and Jesus Christ. As I listened to the conversation, I could tell there were several people in the room that really loved God. When people say the name Jesus Christ utilizing both names, I love it. This group referred to him that way all the time. I love to tack Christ on the name Jesus because that is what God made him. On earth he was known as Jesus, a man at whom all the evil in the world was thrown. He died and God raised him up as The Christ. I celebrate that. I'm thankful for that.

This morning my husband was on the phone with someone whom he called to get a question answered about dog food. During the course of the conversation, he found out that the person had attended the school where we taught. So he asked her what her last name was and he recognized the name. A last name identifies a family. (Look what about.com has to say about the surname Jones: "A patronymic name meaning "son of John," the given name John deriving from the Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning "Jehovah has favoured." The surname Johnson also comes from this.)

The name "Christ" added to Jesus identifies the family or household of God. If you go through the uses of Jesus in the New Testament after Acts, it is always combined with Christ (mostly), Lord (fewer times in regard to being born again) and both as Lord Jesus Christ. Rarely is it is found alone. One of these refer to 'another Jesus'. There are lots of people named Jesus in the world but only one Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What is in a name? Jesus Christ says it all.

True Election

Recently, I have come to the conclusion that my favorite news channel is not a trusted source of information that I thought it was. Call me naive if you want, I deserve it. We are in the flurry and scurry of the lead up to an election and I have never seen so much twisting and turning and political maneuverings as I have seen on all the news channels. The world can be quite vitriolic most of the time when it comes to power and control. It is absolutely cruel and it drives a very distorted view of leadership. This just at the nomination stage, it is just going to get worse and more ruthless.


This is just a small sampling of what Jesus Christ took on in his life and he took it all on - lies, twistings, attempts at manipulation and downright viciousness. In the book of John, Jesus Christ answers the Judeans that were questioning him:

If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. (John 10:37-38)

What a great quality of humility. It is too bad most of the the 'talking heads' and politicians don't value this quality. Paul imitated this same quality when under fire from people who claimed he was weak when he said:

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. (II Corinthians 10:17-18)

I definitely will vote in the coming election. I am thankful to live in this country and am thankful for its founding principles, but whether there is an elephant in the room or a donkey (where did they get these symbols?) I will vote for freedom of religion, a strong military, and financial stewardship. This nation will be blessed as each one of us does our part in believing, prayer and loving God. It is God that will care for us and we should never forget that and that is who we glory in.

Exercise of Authority

Eugene Peterson (The Message) in his introduction of II Corinthians says:"Because leadership is necessarily an exercise of authority, it easily shifts into an exercise of power. But the minute it does that, it begins to inflict damage on both the leader and the led. Paul, studying Jesus, had learned a kind of leadership in which he managed to stay out of the way so that the others could deal with God without having to go through him. All who are called to exercise leadership in whatever capacity—parent or coach, pastor or president, teacher or manager—can be grateful to Paul for this letter, and to the Corinthians for provoking it."

He is basically referring to the transition from I Corinthians, where the apostle Paul confronts many unbiblical practices in the Corinthian church, to II Corinthians where he talks about his own authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ. There may have been some criticism levied him as a result of the directness of I Corinthians.  Maybe a little of "Who are you to be the boss of me?" Paul wasn't trying to exert some kind of power over them in teaching them the Word, but he did have the authority from God to teach.  There is a great deal of difference between having the authority to teach and exerting power over someone. There are great lessons of leadership in II Corinthians. Paul had the lessons of the leadership of Jesus Christ, a servant, an under rower, grace giver (II Timothy 2:1-2), a frontrunner in the true sense of the Word. The power of God that both showed was power that built up, encouraged, comforted, and empowered to do the same for others. I am looking forward to delving into II Corinthians from this point of view.

Here's a start:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort (link); Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (comfort or consolation is used many times in II Corinthians)

Happy Holydays Everyday!

Santa Claus is not the same as God. Santa Claus is fictional. Santa is a likable character (red suit, fluffy white beard, cherry colored cheeks etc), but that is what he is, a character. He's a fictional do-gooder that most everybody likes because he's the great giver (Ho, Ho, Ho!) and that's the way we fashioned him. Can Santa make a a pine tree? Did Santa figure out how to provide electricity to make the colored lights glow? Yet, we, without realizing it, make good ole Santa into a god of sorts. However, there's no need to worry, he's a type of 'idol-lite' that soon disappears only to make way for the cute little easter bunny (colored eggs and lots of candy). It all fits under the label of 'frivolity' (maybe).

What about God? Yes I have heard that certain topics are off limits in "polite company"(Santa and the easter bunny are not on this list). Who made that rule? I can understand politics, sex and religion (organizational Christianity) falling into that category but we should not feel that way about God.

Let say two people buy a Ford pick-up. They both like their trucks. Wouldn't they have something in common to talk about? If a third person approaches them asking them how they like their truck, wouldn't they talk about their trucks. What if one answered, "I have my own thoughts on it" and and then didn't say anything? Wouldn't that be weird?

For those who know how real God is, it is pure joy to continue to get to know Him and the great path of His son. Everyday on that path is exciting and totally fulfilling! Sometimes the tiniest thing He does in our lives makes us want to shout out about it, despite whatever 'polite' rules' in society legislate. Society ain't in that great of shape!

We certainly don't make God into what we want Him to be.  That is nothing short of idolatry. We look to His Word expecting to receive good sound thinking and then we know for real because we see it happen right before our eyes as we apply it:

"He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" Hebrews 11:6b

The word 'holiday' comes from the word 'holyday'. So don't worry about being 'politically correct' when you say 'Happy Holydays', but make sure it's plural so that it applies to everyday of the year.

Ho! Ho! Ho! 

Have a great New Year!

Lessons of knitting ... :)

Recently I started knitting again. I guess that is the Granny thing to do. (Actually I enjoyed knitting when I was in my thirties.)  I found an easy pattern for children's mittens and got out my 'knitting made easy' book and tackled the job. It took just a little time reviewing the basics and I was on my way.  Occasionally the pattern called for a little detour that I had to figure out how to do but my 'knitting made easy' book came to the rescue even though it was an old book.

There are things in knitting that are a little tedious. Counting stitches is boring to me but it keeps frustration at bay and in the long run it pays off and adds to the beauty of the finished product. The pattern in my mitten project wasn't readily seen right away, but the farther I got into the project, I could see how it all fit together. There is great satisfaction when the inkling of success starts to appear and you  realize it is a mitten after all!

I had never made a 'thumb' before and that was fun and quick. Making different shapes adds functionality to the project and makes it interesting. (My grandkids need thumbs in their mittens!)  Of course it helps to read the directions carefully so you don't have to rip the whole thing out and start all over again. In the beginning I ripped stitches out a lot, but then I figured out  I did not have to be that drastic and learned a great method  to carefully fix a stitch that looked out of place in the scheme of things.

In a metaphorical way, life, like knitting, requires focus, adjusting, enjoyment and endurance. God has written a 'life made easy' book but utilizing it takes focus and practice.  It helps having a few 'youtube' videos (the example of Christ, others in the Bible and of course the lives of old friends who live the word) to provide examples in action. Lessons in life are not all learned at once but start out with little projects that are mastered over time. What totally amazing patterns emerge as time and seasoning are allowed to reveal the great goodness of God in our lives. Yes there are dropped stitches, tangled knots and distraction mishaps, but

But let patience (endurance) have her perfect (maturing) work, that ye may be perfect (mature) and entire, wanting (lacking) nothing. James 1:4

Have a wonderful week celebrating the holidays with your family and friends!

Unity Defined By God

Ephesians 4: 4-6
1. one body - I Corinthians 1:12-13
2. one spirit - Romans 8:11

3. one hope - I Thessalonians 4:13-17

4. one Lord - Romans 10: 9-10

5. one faith - Romans 2:25-26

6. one baptism - Acts 1:5

7. one God and Father         

Ephesians 1:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Abba, Father

Has the thought of God ever brought up fear in your mind?  Do you ever worry about whether you are really living for God?  When people think this way it becomes a very real fear and can be quite painful. ( I know because at various times in my life, I have experienced this)  Oftentimes it seems that the only recourse is to not think about it and that's what many people do. God becomes one of those topics not mentioned in polite company. 

A fear of God can develop through ignorance and lack of good instruction. There are all too many avenues to learn about God. You have to find instruction that is about God's Word, which helps you to be able to read it for yourself. It is in really delving into it's pages, along with full acknowledgement of His care in one's prayer life, that one comes to a secure and steady knowledge of God . We have access to God. He committed himself to print, we have holy spirit available to guide us and we have the example of His son, Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption (huiothesia (link) ,properly translated 'sonship'), whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

The Word is healing. It calms and soothes an anxious heart. It annihilates fear and sets us free from the sort of bondage that tries to control our thinking. A couple of days ago when I was having a 'wild and wooly' day. I'm sure you've had them too. Jesus Christ had plenty of them. I  plumped up my pillows on my bed with a cup of 'joe' and opened to where I had been reading in Romans. One verse led to another and before I knew it I was energized and refreshed. That just doesn't happen to me when I read ordinary books.  God's word contains life!

"Abba" is an endearing word. It is like when a child says 'Daddy'. We have that kind of access to God. 

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

What God wanted all along is a personal relationship with us! There is absolutely nothing to fear!

Thankful for The Mystery

The mystery  is the great topic of the church epistles written by Paul.  Very few people really understand it completely. It is not nearly as hard to understand as it is to put into practice. Yes, it is "Christ in you" ( Romans 8:16-17, Ephesians 3, Colossians 1:27),  but what does that mean in practical living?

In Ephesians 1:18 and 19 God says:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

And there is a lot more where this comes from! What does it mean?  It says that the believer can see and know and utilize the power that God has given us.  Imagine that! If God has enlightened our eyes, and given us all this power, why don't we use it? We don't because we haven't dared to believe it! Many things in the world talk us out of it. The world is all too ready to offer alternatives to believing God. We have not been taught how to practically live it.

When I was first learning how to read the Bible for myself,  I had a wonderful friend that loved to teach the Word.  One day I asked him about something I was having a problem with and he told me he knew how much I loved God's Word and that I needed to check in with God as to how to handle the problem. (Hey! listen, I had been raised behind the altar rail in the pews and still had somewhat of a stained glass idea of religion. My friend had at one time been there too and he was an expert on how to get out of that mindset) It was a huge turning point in my approach to God. I truly began to get real answers for myself.

It starts in Romans in realizing what has been actually been accomplished for us that none of us really deserved. That includes everybody! (Mother Teresa, the Dalai Llama, even the apostle Paul are no exceptions)  Romans is the book that when we get finished reading and assimilating, we are extremely thankful. Next, there are so many things brought up in Corinthians that help people to see how to live that thankfulness and not get caught up with things that pull people down. Natural man is pretty self-centered and seeks his own remedies for fear. The culture very quickly tries to explain human nature away and make excuses for that fear.

This precious thankfulness is further protected by the book of Galatians when man attempts to outdo God in perfecting his own practice of religion. Man sets up his own levels of accomplishment and in the process pushes God aside to watch. It is brutal to others who have not reached man's estimation of what is required. God makes it plain in Galatians in clear, straightforward grace. Believing pleases Him. Sometimes people get so wrapped up with the "Believing is action" performance mentality that they forget that believing starts with 'God so loved the world'! We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19).

As we wind our way to reach Ephesians, the groundwork in Romans, the weeding of Corinthians and the rock removal of Galatians helps our hearts to readily receive the unlimited supply that the big heart of God offers us without reservation. God has always been faithful. The problem is not with God; it is in man's heart where the problem lies. We could blame it on someone else like Adam. ("Why wasn't he thankful in Eden?") Adam was Adam; but Jesus Christ opened a new door for each of us.  We have nobody to blame. Thankfulness starts with each of us individually and it turns everything around!

Joseph the Prototype of the One To Come

A significant portion of Genesis is devoted to the life of Joseph. It the story of family, government, investment and prosperity in a down economy, relationships, discretion and everything else that life presents today. It is no wonder that God lays out in the very first book a great example of life at its fullest. The greatest lesson of all is Joseph's life with God. He is in a sense a prototype of Jesus Christ.  We can learn much from studying the lives of the men and women that God highlights in the Bible. They show us each individually pieces of what the ultimate life of Christ embodied.

Joseph's life was by no means easy, but it was full of success. Most everyone knows the story of how his brothers threw him in a pit and he was captured and taken  to Egypt and ended up at the right hand of Pharoah to handle all his business (prototype alert - who is at the right hand of God?).  Pharoah was not a right-winged Israelite, but he could recognize that the spirit of God worked in Joseph when Joseph's brother did not. Imagine that!

Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

Joseph was good at what he did and the whole country of Egypt thrived even when the the world was in famine. Joseph respected and listened to God.  It was more than just obedience, it was love,  respect and thankfulness for all God can do. I imagine Joseph had great human qualities but it was God that was the wind in his sails. He was human just like us. He experienced hurt and injustice throughout his life. In forgiving his brothers, he listened to God so as to bring about change, restoration and help for them.

Forgiveness can be slow. It can take time, not because God is dragging His feet, but because the humans involved may be slow in believing. God can work at lightening fast speed if we let Him. Joseph wanted his family restored immediately but it became a developing story because of human lack of understanding and receptivity. So he trusted God to help him with the timing. God will do that for us too when we rely on his wisdom and grace. Sometimes God has to teach us to move on in some cases for our own well-being. Regardless, God has our best interests at heart.

Egypt got the benefits of God because Joseph obeyed God. Pharoah listened to Joseph. He realized it so much so that he acted on what he recognized and respected Joseph and the God that he represented. God desires the best for everyone including Pharoah and the Egyptians. Today everyone can have the spirit of God residing in his own heart because of what God provided through Jesus Christ.  That is amazing! We are coated with amazing technicolor spiritually as we move through life and its ups and downs. As we respect God and as we recognize the work of His son, Jesus Christ, we realize the spiritual side of life down to the smallest details through the three 'R's' of the divine life: recognizing, realizing and respecting. 

Maturity

Newborn babies receive milk from their mothers. It is food that has already been digested, filtered and repackaged in an easily digestible form for those whose digestive systems are immature and are not fully ready to receive solid food and break it down for themselves. Solid food has to be introduced later gradually as the young infant's system is able to break down complex chunks of food and utilize the nutrients for growth.

Paul speaks about the symptoms of immaturity in the body of Christ  throughout the book of  I Corinthians:

I Corinthians 3:1-3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk (link-milk- gala), not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? (NIV)

To grow up in Christ takes time, the Word, and practice. In Romans, God shows us the beautiful wholeness we have in Jesus Christ. What God wrought in Christ is the foundation of our believing and as we believe we have the completeness and assurance that only God can give. The wisdom and understanding of God's heart is given to us and we become more and more seasoned in that assurance. We exhibit that confidence in our relationships with others. We grow up.

In Corinthians, we can read about the failure to practice that which has been set out in Romans. It is a reproof epistle, so things like, quarreling, jealousies, following one man over another, division and several other things are addressed. If we look at Christianity today, we cannot help but wonder what God thinks of so many denominations, non-denominations and organizations who claim to be the body of Christ. Honestly, religion seems very divisive. We all recognize this.

The subject of growing in maturity in God's word is a topic in Hebrews 5:12-14:

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 (link- meat - trophe) 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.

When we get to the place where we take on the responsibility to work the Word for ourselves and not just sheepishly (baa!) accept somebody else's pre-digested material without even thinking about it, we grow. It is not wrong to have teachers, but not to the end we become spiritual hitchhikers and passively accept infant pablum. As we practice the Word in our lives we learn to exercise discretion and biblical perception in handling life's situations. That is when we, ourselves, become good teachers.