Reminds me of a programming book "Perl In A Nutshell". :-)
I took a break from reading through kings to skim one of the gospel accounts. I thought it would be interesting to through and see a big overview of what Jesus talked about while he was here on earth. Here are the key points as I saw them in a nutshell:
1) There is good news for the underdog. Jesus came for us. After all, he came to seek, find, and restore the lost. He didn't come so much to seek and find the stubborn hard-hearted people who refuse to believe him no matter what.
2) We have to see our own sin. We have to come before God in humility and repent of our sins. That means agreeing with God and turning away from sinful behavior and turning toward him. That means getting crap out of our lives that cause us to sin against God.
3) God's Word matters. He wants us to keep it. Judgment will come. The righteous who keep it will be rewarded, while the wicked who do not will be punished.
4) God, however, doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to turn to him, and the invitation is there for all people. Even so, many will not accept it and turn to him.
5) We need to believe in, and we need to believe, Jesus. We need to follow him. We need to trust him. We need to recognize his divinity.
6) Jesus came to suffer and die for us, paying the price for our sins that we cannot pay on our own.
7) We need to love God above all else and love others very much. We need to put him and his kingdom first.
8) The expression of that love is more than a feeling. It's actions. We need to do something tangible to show God's love to others.
9) The motives behind our actions are extremely important. God cares about the heart.
10) Jesus is coming back and we need to be ready. He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Until he comes, we need keep his commandments, point others to him, and be wary of those who will pull us away from him.
There is much more to say than that, but that is the overview. If we get these and keep God's Word, we do well.
Grace and Peace friends!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Solomon's Blessing
I was reading through 1 Kings and came across one of Solomon's public blessings. I love how much truth is jam packed into this little bit of time and wanted to share.
First, here it is altogether:
"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." - 1 Kings 8:56-61
Now let's break it down to see what Biblical truth Solomon echoes in his blessing, and see what we can apply in our own lives and petitions to God. I think a lot. Solomon was a pretty wise guy you know. Much wiser than me, so I bet I miss something.
1) "Praise be to the LORD,"
Always a good idea to start out with praise for God. Whatever good it was, guess what? We didn't do it. All him.
2) "who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."
God always keeps his promises, period. If we think he hasn't kept a promise to us, it either wasn't a promise from God, or we didn't understand it.
3) "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us."
An echo back to the time of Moses where he encouraged the people, telling them not to be afraid or discouraged, because God will never leave them. Nor will he leave us. If we're apart from God, we did something to cause it. Figure it out. Fix it. In my life the barrier has always been sin in my life, failure to stay in the Word, or failure to connect with God in prayer. Typically those all go together.
4) "May he turn our hearts to him,"
I love this. It doesn't say "may we turn our hearts toward him" because that isn't going to happen. His Spirit moves like the wind. In my experience, it wasn't me who decided to look into Jesus and follow him. No. It was him drawing me to himself little by little, until I came to believe the Bible was true and knew that Jesus was who he claimed to be -- the savior of the world. Only in recognition of my terrible condition and the impossibility of doing anything about it on my own could I really cry out to Jesus to save me. And he did! He pulled one of those inside-out, new-creation, new-heart deals on me. I don't regret it.
5) "to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers."
Duh. I don't know why people are so deaf to this sometimes. Even Jesus said it. "If you love me, obey my commandments." This is not a burden, but a blessing to us. If its a burden to us, we need to go back to #4 here -- if our hearts are turned totally toward God, how hard could #5 be? Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden light." Yeah, we all fall down. We all get convicted when we do. That's not the issue. When that happens, we repent, and we're restored. The issue is living in habitual willful sin versus living a godly life. That's not some monastery or priest thing -- that's just walking with the LORD every day. Keep our thoughts continually on him and we're golden.
6) "And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night,"
God hears all prayers!
7) "that he may uphold the cause of his servant"
And he's got our back!
8) "and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need,"
This so reminds me of the "Lord's prayer" because of its focus on daily needs. We don't just come to the LORD when we're in a pickle. Maybe we do, but we shouldn't. It's a daily thing. It's a dependence thing. Learning that dependence on God in all things is huge. It's a life long lesson too.
9) "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other."
Oh, oh oh! Here's a kicker. This isn't about us just getting taken care of and looking all goody two shoes and stuff. This isn't just about get right with God and we're done. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. Now we are supposed to be a light to the world. Little lights all over the place pointing people to Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said? "Do good works before men so they may tell you how awesome you are." No! "Do good works before me so they may glorify your father in heaven!" That whole glorifying God in all we do thing again!
10) "But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.
No lukewarm here. No half-in, half-out. No one foot in the world and one foot in God. Like the guy in the Fireproof movie said -- "You have to be all in." Weekly church seat filling doesn't cut it. Being a "cultural Christian" doesn't cut it. Checking religious things off the list doesn't cut it. This isn't about religion; this is about a relationship with God. He wants the best, not the rest.
I love these nuggets in the Word. Grace and Peace friends!
First, here it is altogether:
"Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." - 1 Kings 8:56-61
Now let's break it down to see what Biblical truth Solomon echoes in his blessing, and see what we can apply in our own lives and petitions to God. I think a lot. Solomon was a pretty wise guy you know. Much wiser than me, so I bet I miss something.
1) "Praise be to the LORD,"
Always a good idea to start out with praise for God. Whatever good it was, guess what? We didn't do it. All him.
2) "who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses."
God always keeps his promises, period. If we think he hasn't kept a promise to us, it either wasn't a promise from God, or we didn't understand it.
3) "May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us."
An echo back to the time of Moses where he encouraged the people, telling them not to be afraid or discouraged, because God will never leave them. Nor will he leave us. If we're apart from God, we did something to cause it. Figure it out. Fix it. In my life the barrier has always been sin in my life, failure to stay in the Word, or failure to connect with God in prayer. Typically those all go together.
4) "May he turn our hearts to him,"
I love this. It doesn't say "may we turn our hearts toward him" because that isn't going to happen. His Spirit moves like the wind. In my experience, it wasn't me who decided to look into Jesus and follow him. No. It was him drawing me to himself little by little, until I came to believe the Bible was true and knew that Jesus was who he claimed to be -- the savior of the world. Only in recognition of my terrible condition and the impossibility of doing anything about it on my own could I really cry out to Jesus to save me. And he did! He pulled one of those inside-out, new-creation, new-heart deals on me. I don't regret it.
5) "to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers."
Duh. I don't know why people are so deaf to this sometimes. Even Jesus said it. "If you love me, obey my commandments." This is not a burden, but a blessing to us. If its a burden to us, we need to go back to #4 here -- if our hearts are turned totally toward God, how hard could #5 be? Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden light." Yeah, we all fall down. We all get convicted when we do. That's not the issue. When that happens, we repent, and we're restored. The issue is living in habitual willful sin versus living a godly life. That's not some monastery or priest thing -- that's just walking with the LORD every day. Keep our thoughts continually on him and we're golden.
6) "And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night,"
God hears all prayers!
7) "that he may uphold the cause of his servant"
And he's got our back!
8) "and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need,"
This so reminds me of the "Lord's prayer" because of its focus on daily needs. We don't just come to the LORD when we're in a pickle. Maybe we do, but we shouldn't. It's a daily thing. It's a dependence thing. Learning that dependence on God in all things is huge. It's a life long lesson too.
9) "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other."
Oh, oh oh! Here's a kicker. This isn't about us just getting taken care of and looking all goody two shoes and stuff. This isn't just about get right with God and we're done. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world. Now we are supposed to be a light to the world. Little lights all over the place pointing people to Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said? "Do good works before men so they may tell you how awesome you are." No! "Do good works before me so they may glorify your father in heaven!" That whole glorifying God in all we do thing again!
10) "But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.
No lukewarm here. No half-in, half-out. No one foot in the world and one foot in God. Like the guy in the Fireproof movie said -- "You have to be all in." Weekly church seat filling doesn't cut it. Being a "cultural Christian" doesn't cut it. Checking religious things off the list doesn't cut it. This isn't about religion; this is about a relationship with God. He wants the best, not the rest.
I love these nuggets in the Word. Grace and Peace friends!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The LORD Is My Drop Shield
Both of my daughters have memorized Psalm 23 as part of their scripture memorization in AWANA. Since I don't ask them to do things I wouldn't do myself, I learned it as well, and am glad I did. It is a beautiful piece of scripture that tells eternal truths about God using shepherd (and other) imagery, starting "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want..."
Today we like that kind of imagery I think, because of what it conjures up in our heads. Green hills. Fresh running water. Peaceful animals. Blue skies. Stuff like that. Yeah. We're not shepherds. The people of David's time -- the shepherd-turned-king who wrote it -- probably would have had a different picture. Less nostalgic, more real. And very meaningful as it took something very familiar in the culture and relayed truth about God with it.
Awesome.
I'm more of a gamer. Under "best game ever made" I have filed Wonderboy, Boulderdash, Baldur's Gate 2, Crazy Taxi, Gran Turismo 3, Starcraft, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii. And now, Halo: Reach. Best game ever made. Something to be careful with lest posts about "false idols" and "redeeming the time" are warranted. God first, others second, and so on. Unfortunately I think I put sleep last. Oops.
Anyway, back on task here.
The LORD is my sprint loadout. When I just can't go anymore under my own power, he lifts me up and carries me along.
The LORD is my armor lock. When Satan sticks me with his plasma gernade, the LORD lets me withstand it, knocking the enemy on his butt so I can counter with the energy sword of the Word.
The LORD is my jet pack. When I can't get from A to B on my own, even though I know that's where he wants me to be, he provides the means.
The LORD is my drop shield. When the storms of this life are coming in fast and heavy from all directions, he surrounds me, protects me, and heals me -- getting me through the storm better than when I came into it.
The LORD is my motion tracker. He shows me the good and the bad, allowing me to make the right choices.
Shall I go on? The LORD is awesome. Enough said! :-)
Grace and peace, friends.
Today we like that kind of imagery I think, because of what it conjures up in our heads. Green hills. Fresh running water. Peaceful animals. Blue skies. Stuff like that. Yeah. We're not shepherds. The people of David's time -- the shepherd-turned-king who wrote it -- probably would have had a different picture. Less nostalgic, more real. And very meaningful as it took something very familiar in the culture and relayed truth about God with it.
Awesome.
I'm more of a gamer. Under "best game ever made" I have filed Wonderboy, Boulderdash, Baldur's Gate 2, Crazy Taxi, Gran Turismo 3, Starcraft, Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii. And now, Halo: Reach. Best game ever made. Something to be careful with lest posts about "false idols" and "redeeming the time" are warranted. God first, others second, and so on. Unfortunately I think I put sleep last. Oops.
Anyway, back on task here.
The LORD is my sprint loadout. When I just can't go anymore under my own power, he lifts me up and carries me along.
The LORD is my armor lock. When Satan sticks me with his plasma gernade, the LORD lets me withstand it, knocking the enemy on his butt so I can counter with the energy sword of the Word.
The LORD is my jet pack. When I can't get from A to B on my own, even though I know that's where he wants me to be, he provides the means.
The LORD is my drop shield. When the storms of this life are coming in fast and heavy from all directions, he surrounds me, protects me, and heals me -- getting me through the storm better than when I came into it.
The LORD is my motion tracker. He shows me the good and the bad, allowing me to make the right choices.
Shall I go on? The LORD is awesome. Enough said! :-)
Grace and peace, friends.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Would Not or Could Not?
So I've been reading through the Bible straight from Genesis. I'm at 1 Kings now. Things have been up and down for the Israelites. I know what's coming. It's not good. More disobedience. A split kingdom. Kings leading Israel down a moral sewer. Judgment. This is not new. It's been a roller`coaster ride for them ever since the were led out of Egypt.
More interesting is that God knew this kind of madness is what was going to happen. He's not taken by surprise. Yet he still gave them the promises with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience anyway. He even told them through his servants this is what you're going to do and what's going to go down. He offered choice despite knowing what would be foolishly chosen.
A question came into my mind. Is this a would or a could? Would the Israelites obey? We know the answer, generally, no. But what about could? Could they even obey? I don't mean that from some kind of fatalistic position where God is controlling them like robots. Nothing like that. But, still, could they? I say maybe no. "What, you're nuts! They made their free choice!" Hear me out. Paul's argument about the purpose of the Law came to mind -- to reveal what sin is -- not knowing what coveting was until the Law said not to covet for example.
So here's my argument.
They could not obey God because they were sinners. But God knew this. So why demand it? Perhaps to teach them to depend on him. That seems like the real choice. Not to follow what God says on our own power, but to say "God, I can't do this on my own, I need you to help me do it." I say we can't obey God without trusting in God and depending on God, and neither could they.
Take it a step further. I would also argue that they couldn't fully depend on God either. Sure, they could depend on him some -- some more than others at various times. But sin still got in the way. Big time for many, as most didn't seem to get that whole dependence thing down. Over time, it ruined the nation. What was once a people hand picked by God with him as their king turned into a mess of dead ritual and empty works. Not good.
In comes Jesus. Number one, he came to be a sacrifice for that blasted sin thing, paying the price once and for all. But he also came to be an example. And what an example he was! Here was someone who lived a life completely dependent on God. Both human and divine, he was the only one who could do it. After his ministry, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension back into heaven, he sent -- and continues to send -- another wonderful gift to believers. Those who believe have God's Spirit living in them.
So as believers, we're good to go now, right?
Well, as far as salvation is concerned, yes -- but I argue that we are experience the same kind of very long lesson all over again, with a twist.
Here's my argument to that end.
We can't obey God fully because we are sinners. Period. Even with God's Spirit we are still sinners. We're just not slaves to sin. We don't revel in it. We don't want to sin, but quite often we still do it. Don't believe me? Check it out. If the greatest commandments are boiled down as "love God with everything you've got" and "love your others as yourself" then guess what? Not doing that is a sin. There is no way anyone loves God and loves people that much all the time. Ain't gonna happen. But, still, God told us to do it.
Why?
Same thing. To teach us dependence on him, despite the fact we cannot be fully dependent on him this side of eternity. The ability is not the point, but rather proper perspective -- trusting God and relying on him for the strength to be obedient to him.
With such perspective we pray different prayers. Lord, help us to see our sin and turn from it. Lord, help us not to sin against you. Lord, help us to love you more. Lord, help us to love others more. Lord, help us to keep your Word and never deny your name. Lord help us, Lord help us, Lord help us.
To me, that's what faith is all about.
I might be off in the weeds, but I don't think I am.
Grace and Peace friends.
More interesting is that God knew this kind of madness is what was going to happen. He's not taken by surprise. Yet he still gave them the promises with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience anyway. He even told them through his servants this is what you're going to do and what's going to go down. He offered choice despite knowing what would be foolishly chosen.
A question came into my mind. Is this a would or a could? Would the Israelites obey? We know the answer, generally, no. But what about could? Could they even obey? I don't mean that from some kind of fatalistic position where God is controlling them like robots. Nothing like that. But, still, could they? I say maybe no. "What, you're nuts! They made their free choice!" Hear me out. Paul's argument about the purpose of the Law came to mind -- to reveal what sin is -- not knowing what coveting was until the Law said not to covet for example.
So here's my argument.
They could not obey God because they were sinners. But God knew this. So why demand it? Perhaps to teach them to depend on him. That seems like the real choice. Not to follow what God says on our own power, but to say "God, I can't do this on my own, I need you to help me do it." I say we can't obey God without trusting in God and depending on God, and neither could they.
Take it a step further. I would also argue that they couldn't fully depend on God either. Sure, they could depend on him some -- some more than others at various times. But sin still got in the way. Big time for many, as most didn't seem to get that whole dependence thing down. Over time, it ruined the nation. What was once a people hand picked by God with him as their king turned into a mess of dead ritual and empty works. Not good.
In comes Jesus. Number one, he came to be a sacrifice for that blasted sin thing, paying the price once and for all. But he also came to be an example. And what an example he was! Here was someone who lived a life completely dependent on God. Both human and divine, he was the only one who could do it. After his ministry, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension back into heaven, he sent -- and continues to send -- another wonderful gift to believers. Those who believe have God's Spirit living in them.
So as believers, we're good to go now, right?
Well, as far as salvation is concerned, yes -- but I argue that we are experience the same kind of very long lesson all over again, with a twist.
Here's my argument to that end.
We can't obey God fully because we are sinners. Period. Even with God's Spirit we are still sinners. We're just not slaves to sin. We don't revel in it. We don't want to sin, but quite often we still do it. Don't believe me? Check it out. If the greatest commandments are boiled down as "love God with everything you've got" and "love your others as yourself" then guess what? Not doing that is a sin. There is no way anyone loves God and loves people that much all the time. Ain't gonna happen. But, still, God told us to do it.
Why?
Same thing. To teach us dependence on him, despite the fact we cannot be fully dependent on him this side of eternity. The ability is not the point, but rather proper perspective -- trusting God and relying on him for the strength to be obedient to him.
With such perspective we pray different prayers. Lord, help us to see our sin and turn from it. Lord, help us not to sin against you. Lord, help us to love you more. Lord, help us to love others more. Lord, help us to keep your Word and never deny your name. Lord help us, Lord help us, Lord help us.
To me, that's what faith is all about.
I might be off in the weeds, but I don't think I am.
Grace and Peace friends.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Tale Of Two Gangsters
Today I want to talk about some gangsters. Yeah, gangsters. Two of them in particular.
The first is Mikey Cohen. More than a half century ago, Cohen was involved in all kinds of bad stuff and hung around all kinds of bad people. But then later in his life he met Billy Graham at one of his gatherings. He made a public confession of Jesus Christ there. Awesome! But wait. He kept being involved in all kinds of bad stuff and still hung around all kinds of bad people.
What's up with that?
Some Christians confronted him about this. He responded that no one told him he had to change his lifestyle -- there's Christians football players and Christian politicians, so why not Christian gangsters? If he had to give up his lifestyle, he was out, fuhget-about-it!
I think he missed something big there.
Fast forward a couple of decades to our second gangster, Michael Franzeese. Talk about a Saul to Paul story! He went from big shot in the Colombo family -- making more money for a crime family since Al Capone -- to born-again Christian and motivational speaker. It wasn't a big tent revivial that God used here, but a dancer named Camille Garcia. He goes around today sharing his transformation with church congregations and also speaks to professional and student athletes about the dangers of gambling. I've seen his testimony on a DVD from when he came to speak at a church here in San Diego, and what a story he has to tell.
Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but consider that a big wig in the mafia breaking with the family usually has nasty side effects -- death, for example. He risked his life to put away the only lifestyle he knew for something greater, service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly Mike #2 had a much different encounter with Christ than Mike #1.
Again, what's up with that?
I can't answer anything about why one person was truly changed and one was not, but I can make this observation:
When you are really saved, really born again, really a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, guess what? You're changed. Completely. From the inside out. The Bible calls you a new creation, for the is exactly what you are.
So what can we learn from this?
First, I think it says something about the superficial and the emotional. Yeah, sure, man, I don't want to go to hell! Sign me up for the Jesus bus! Okay, but how's your walk with the Lord 10 years later? 5 years? 1 year? 1 month?
Second, I think it says something about evidence of faith. When we have real faith in Christ, we put him first. He's "Lord" not "Some dude". If our lifestyle is more important than serving Christ, we've got a problem. If anything has wrapped around our hearts and taken over our lives, it has become our god. We have to guard against that. I know this first hand. There are things in this life I enjoy that I get really really into -- I must be wary not to let them become idols in my life.
Finally, I think it says something about the power of God. But don't get me wrong here, I'm not knocking Billy Graham and his methods. I'm not knocking anyone's methods. My point is that no matter how much enthusiasm and money is piped into something, no matter how good the intellectual arguments are, no matter how much Christians love a program or an event -- nothing, absolutely nothing, takes the place of the Spirit of God working in the heart and mind of the unsaved person.
God has to do the work from inside to effect real change on the outside -- anything that starts from the outside in is bound to fail, period.
Praise God for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and his Spirit living in all believers!
Grace and Peace friends.
The first is Mikey Cohen. More than a half century ago, Cohen was involved in all kinds of bad stuff and hung around all kinds of bad people. But then later in his life he met Billy Graham at one of his gatherings. He made a public confession of Jesus Christ there. Awesome! But wait. He kept being involved in all kinds of bad stuff and still hung around all kinds of bad people.
What's up with that?
Some Christians confronted him about this. He responded that no one told him he had to change his lifestyle -- there's Christians football players and Christian politicians, so why not Christian gangsters? If he had to give up his lifestyle, he was out, fuhget-about-it!
I think he missed something big there.
Fast forward a couple of decades to our second gangster, Michael Franzeese. Talk about a Saul to Paul story! He went from big shot in the Colombo family -- making more money for a crime family since Al Capone -- to born-again Christian and motivational speaker. It wasn't a big tent revivial that God used here, but a dancer named Camille Garcia. He goes around today sharing his transformation with church congregations and also speaks to professional and student athletes about the dangers of gambling. I've seen his testimony on a DVD from when he came to speak at a church here in San Diego, and what a story he has to tell.
Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but consider that a big wig in the mafia breaking with the family usually has nasty side effects -- death, for example. He risked his life to put away the only lifestyle he knew for something greater, service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Clearly Mike #2 had a much different encounter with Christ than Mike #1.
Again, what's up with that?
I can't answer anything about why one person was truly changed and one was not, but I can make this observation:
When you are really saved, really born again, really a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, guess what? You're changed. Completely. From the inside out. The Bible calls you a new creation, for the is exactly what you are.
So what can we learn from this?
First, I think it says something about the superficial and the emotional. Yeah, sure, man, I don't want to go to hell! Sign me up for the Jesus bus! Okay, but how's your walk with the Lord 10 years later? 5 years? 1 year? 1 month?
Second, I think it says something about evidence of faith. When we have real faith in Christ, we put him first. He's "Lord" not "Some dude". If our lifestyle is more important than serving Christ, we've got a problem. If anything has wrapped around our hearts and taken over our lives, it has become our god. We have to guard against that. I know this first hand. There are things in this life I enjoy that I get really really into -- I must be wary not to let them become idols in my life.
Finally, I think it says something about the power of God. But don't get me wrong here, I'm not knocking Billy Graham and his methods. I'm not knocking anyone's methods. My point is that no matter how much enthusiasm and money is piped into something, no matter how good the intellectual arguments are, no matter how much Christians love a program or an event -- nothing, absolutely nothing, takes the place of the Spirit of God working in the heart and mind of the unsaved person.
God has to do the work from inside to effect real change on the outside -- anything that starts from the outside in is bound to fail, period.
Praise God for salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and his Spirit living in all believers!
Grace and Peace friends.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Blind Obedience?
You know there's a lot of misconceptions about God. One in particular is regarding obedience. There are those who might say that blind obedience is a bad thing. That listening to a bunch of rules because God's Word says to do them is stupid, and that we should think for ourselves.
Well.
First, its not a bad thing. If God says to do something, we ought to do it -- for no other reason than God said to do it. He's the creator of the universe and of all mankind. He made it, he made us, and therefore he gets to make the rules. You can't argue with him. His stuff, his rules.
Now, you can argue that the Bible is not the Word of God, but that is a whole different can of worms. Suffice to say, that the main reason many people deep down reject the Bible as the Word of God is not because of some great logical argument or evidence, but rather that they don't want to be held accountable to God for not listening to what he says. If you can rationalize away the Bible then you can go make up your own god and your own ideas about what this god wants. In effect, you make yourself God. That's a tradgedy.
But back on target, to blind obedience.
Despite the fact that blindly obeying God is a correct thing to do, the Bible doesn't leave us blind anyway! Check it out:
Genesis 4. The Lord asked Cain was he was angry and told him that if he does what is right, he will be accepted, but if he does what is wrong, sin is crouching at the door ready to get him. God doesn't just say "don't be angry" -- he gives Cain a reason. Can just doesn't listen.
Exodus 20. The ten commandments. The Lord gives a command to honor parents so the children may live long in the land they are going to get. Again, God gives a reason.
Leviticus 20. A bunch of laws. The Lord tells the people to keep them so the land will not vomit them out and because the people have been set apart from the other nations. Again, God gives a reason.
Deuteronomy 28. Moses' recap of the events that took place in the past 80 years or so before he died. He tells the people that if they folow the Lord's commands, he will set them high above all the nations on the earth and lists various blessings that will come on them. Again, a reason.
Let's skip to some New Testament stuff.
Matthew 26. "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 10. "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present ago and, in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 12. "Whoever acknowledges me before me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God."
John 15. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Revelation 3. The letters to the churches. To those who continue to follow Jesus to the end -- "I will give the right to eat from the tree of life." "He will not be hurt at all by the second death." "I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." "I will give him the morning star." "I will never blot out his name from the book of life." "I will make a pillar in the temple of my God." "I will give the right to sit with me on my throne."
Reason after reason after reason.
No, not every single commandment of God is explained with a reason. That would be silly. We're supposed to TRUST God. Just like our children are supposed to TRUST us as parents. We know better, and there are many things that are way over their heads. Even more so with us and God. But this isn't blind obedience. This is obedience with a purpose behind it. Joy. Peace. Honor. Power. Glory. Eternal life. And yes, avoidance of the wrath to come for those who do not heed God's Word.
We should obey God simply because he is God, and we love him, and we trust him. As a BONUS he throws in all this other awesome stuff too. Yet, somehow, we stiff-necked human beings often thing we know better or that there is a better deal? Shame on us.
Grace and Peace
Well.
First, its not a bad thing. If God says to do something, we ought to do it -- for no other reason than God said to do it. He's the creator of the universe and of all mankind. He made it, he made us, and therefore he gets to make the rules. You can't argue with him. His stuff, his rules.
Now, you can argue that the Bible is not the Word of God, but that is a whole different can of worms. Suffice to say, that the main reason many people deep down reject the Bible as the Word of God is not because of some great logical argument or evidence, but rather that they don't want to be held accountable to God for not listening to what he says. If you can rationalize away the Bible then you can go make up your own god and your own ideas about what this god wants. In effect, you make yourself God. That's a tradgedy.
But back on target, to blind obedience.
Despite the fact that blindly obeying God is a correct thing to do, the Bible doesn't leave us blind anyway! Check it out:
Genesis 4. The Lord asked Cain was he was angry and told him that if he does what is right, he will be accepted, but if he does what is wrong, sin is crouching at the door ready to get him. God doesn't just say "don't be angry" -- he gives Cain a reason. Can just doesn't listen.
Exodus 20. The ten commandments. The Lord gives a command to honor parents so the children may live long in the land they are going to get. Again, God gives a reason.
Leviticus 20. A bunch of laws. The Lord tells the people to keep them so the land will not vomit them out and because the people have been set apart from the other nations. Again, God gives a reason.
Deuteronomy 28. Moses' recap of the events that took place in the past 80 years or so before he died. He tells the people that if they folow the Lord's commands, he will set them high above all the nations on the earth and lists various blessings that will come on them. Again, a reason.
Let's skip to some New Testament stuff.
Matthew 26. "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 10. "No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present ago and, in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 12. "Whoever acknowledges me before me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God."
John 15. "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Revelation 3. The letters to the churches. To those who continue to follow Jesus to the end -- "I will give the right to eat from the tree of life." "He will not be hurt at all by the second death." "I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." "I will give him the morning star." "I will never blot out his name from the book of life." "I will make a pillar in the temple of my God." "I will give the right to sit with me on my throne."
Reason after reason after reason.
No, not every single commandment of God is explained with a reason. That would be silly. We're supposed to TRUST God. Just like our children are supposed to TRUST us as parents. We know better, and there are many things that are way over their heads. Even more so with us and God. But this isn't blind obedience. This is obedience with a purpose behind it. Joy. Peace. Honor. Power. Glory. Eternal life. And yes, avoidance of the wrath to come for those who do not heed God's Word.
We should obey God simply because he is God, and we love him, and we trust him. As a BONUS he throws in all this other awesome stuff too. Yet, somehow, we stiff-necked human beings often thing we know better or that there is a better deal? Shame on us.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Overflowing
If you've ever seen the movie "Office Space" you might remember the bit about flair. This waitress' boss was always getting on her to put on more "pieces of flair" -- junk she had to pin on to her outfit to look, well, I don't know, nuts? She met the boss' requirement, 15 pieces. Randomly chosen. She didn't like the flair and she didn't care what things she pinned on. Then there was the other waiter who went way above the requirement. He looked like a pin trader table at Disneyland. The boss really didn't like that the waitress only did the bare minimum and really loved that the other dude went all out.
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
What's this have to do with anything?
Replace the boss with God, the waiters with us, and flair with our works.
Bare minimum doesn't come from the heart. Its working hard enough not to get fired. Its banging out the paper and tweaking the font size so it fills the five pages. Its being on the field/court but not really in the game. Its also showing up late to church, mouthing words to the songs, texting during the message, and speed reading the Bible just to get the "Christian life" checkboxes checked off. That's crap, and it doesn't honor God.
Let's take a look at some good stuff in God's word that is the opposite of "bare minimum" -- overflowing!
Check out Exodus 35 and 36 where the offerings were brought in to build the tabernacle. Peoples hearts were moved so greatly, and they brought so much stuff, that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing stuff! Pastors use that a lot to make a point about generous giving, saying that it was the first time and the last time people gave too much. That's overflowing!
Check out 2 Samuel 9. That's where I'm at in going through the Bible right now and what prompted this post actually. Back in 1 Samuel 20 David made a promise to Jonathan to not cut off kindness from his family. Jonathan was Saul's kid -- the Saul who kept trying to kill David. Then David later became king. What did kings in the ancient world do? Wipe out the others who would be a threat. David could bare-minimum-fulfilled his promise to Jonathan just by not seeking out descendants of Saul and allowing them to live. But what does he do? He actively seeks out descendants of Saul and finds Mephibosheth, restores lands to him, orders Saul's previous servants to work the land and provide for him, and allows him access to the royal palace -- inviting him always to his table.
Mose and the Israelites, cool. David, cool. But dude, let's talk about Jesus! How about Mark 6, feeding the five thousand? Jesus just didn't give these guys a PB&J and squeeze box OJ so they were still hungry. At the end of the account it says the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. That's a lot of leftovers, and it means the people there were stuffed! They got more than enough to eat.
But that's not where God's giving stops. You want to talk about overflowing? What does God do? Sends his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We don't deserve that. We didn't earn that. We can't ever repay that. But that's not all. When we follow Jesus, he gives us the kingdom. What?! I'm not a smart man and into all the nuances of Revelation, but I can read at the end of chapter 3 where it says "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." This is the creator of the universe talking here, and he's going to let his people sit on his throne? Woah. That's pretty freaking awesome. We don't think so sometimes because we're thick headed and just don't GET it, especially me!
Oh, and just before that bit about the throne, Jesus was talking about spitting out the lukewarm deed doers from Laodicea out of his mouth. Those "bare minimum" dudes.
Yeah, we don't want bare minimum. We want overflowing. When we sing. When we learn. When we teach. When we serve. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, make it excellent, and make it overflow. It pays back a thousand fold. So, if we don't have overflowing joy, then I must ask -- do we have overflowing actions that returns joy? We should!
Grace and Peace friends
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What Does It Mean To Glorify God?
In response to the statement "we're here to glorify God" I have had it said to me that God is not vain. That is true -- and such a response comes from a misunderstanding of what it means to glorify God.
Let's clear it up a bit.
My own definition is "to make God look so awesome and so good like he really is". And the reason for it? Because he's the only one who deserves it!
He's the one who made the universe. He's the one who made people. He's the one who reached down into humanity to reveal himself to use through his creation, through his prophets, and ultimately through the person of Jesus Christ. He's the one who waits patiently for people to come to him. He's the one who changes hearts and minds and transforms lives. He's the one who brings peace and joy. And he's the only one that did and does these things!
How do we do that?
We can praise and worship him. Not because of some "religious" requirement. Not because that's what we're expected to do. Not because of anything other than a thankful and joyful heart for all that God has done for us! Our prayers, our songs, our messages -- they all mean nothing if our hearts are not right. We are to love God with all our hearts, and when we do, we can't help but lift up his name!
We can do good works. Jesus told us when he said to let our light shine before men -- so that people see them and praise our father in heaven. You don't do good works just to meet people's needs. YOu don't do good works just because it makes you feel good. You definitely don't do good works to make yourself look good. Nor do you do them with a bad attitude. No, you don't good works because you're a sign, a billboard, a pointer. You're a big fat blinking arrow that points people to God. Think about it, what good is filling someone's belly or fixing their house going to do if they remain spiritually dead? Worthless. When you go out there in the name of Jesus to do good things, people see it, know why you are doing it -- and that changes lives for all of eternity. That's freaking awesome.
That takes care of Sunday and our outreach times, right? Ding ding ding, wrong. Now what I'm about to write, I suck at too at times. I don't do it all the time either. I don't think anyone does. That's because we're a stiff necked sinful people. It happens. Pay attention to it and it keeps you humble before a holy God.
It's more.
It's our whole lives. Our entire lives should be an act of praise, worship, and pointing people to the awesome God that made us and loves us. Paul wrote that in everything we do, we should do for the glory of God. Really, everything? Drinking orange juice? Yup. John Piper even wrote about that. Check it out here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-to-drink-orange-juice-to-the-glory-of-god
Can we do that completely? Yes, if we're totally sold out to Jesus. I don't think any man is totally sold out to Jesus. Chuck Smith often has said something about wondering how God would use a man that is totally, 100%, committed to him. I wonder that myself.
Really, I can knowingly glorify God, even if not perfectly, when I help people in need. When I give. When I teach. When I encourage. When I share the Word. When I stand up for the truth. When I study the Word. When I sing (well, in my way) praises. When I impart spiritual knowledge to my children. Those fall in the box of some sort of "typical Christian life".
But I can also glorify God when I do the dishes because my wife hates doing them. When I eat my lunch with a thankful heart. When I go to the store to pick something up for someone else. When I take out the trash as a duty and stop to check for stuff other people could use in there. When I play with my kids and soak in the joy that brings. When I go to work and work hard to support my family and have money to give. Those are day to day things that can adorn the gospel and glorify God when done with a right heart and motivation.
In those examples from my own life, know that I've screwed up every single one of those by having the wrong motivation and a bad attitude. Praise God for the conviction the Holy Spirit brings when that happens!
Know also that I don't think about glorifying God in some of the things that I do. I don't think about it when I play basketball and even less when I play Halo. I'm thankful for those things. I enjoy them. I like the mentally untaxing down time. Am I glorifying God in them? Maybe, but I'd chalk those up more to being yet another one of a billion who are not 100% sold out. I just don't know sometimes.
Even so, we learn and we grow. We are convicted and we change. Getting cleaned up is a lifelong process that doesn't end this side of eternity. As I have heard said, "imperfect action is better than no action." And right action to glorify God with all of our lives starts with an understanding of what that means and why he deserves it.
Grace and Peace
Let's clear it up a bit.
My own definition is "to make God look so awesome and so good like he really is". And the reason for it? Because he's the only one who deserves it!
He's the one who made the universe. He's the one who made people. He's the one who reached down into humanity to reveal himself to use through his creation, through his prophets, and ultimately through the person of Jesus Christ. He's the one who waits patiently for people to come to him. He's the one who changes hearts and minds and transforms lives. He's the one who brings peace and joy. And he's the only one that did and does these things!
How do we do that?
We can praise and worship him. Not because of some "religious" requirement. Not because that's what we're expected to do. Not because of anything other than a thankful and joyful heart for all that God has done for us! Our prayers, our songs, our messages -- they all mean nothing if our hearts are not right. We are to love God with all our hearts, and when we do, we can't help but lift up his name!
We can do good works. Jesus told us when he said to let our light shine before men -- so that people see them and praise our father in heaven. You don't do good works just to meet people's needs. YOu don't do good works just because it makes you feel good. You definitely don't do good works to make yourself look good. Nor do you do them with a bad attitude. No, you don't good works because you're a sign, a billboard, a pointer. You're a big fat blinking arrow that points people to God. Think about it, what good is filling someone's belly or fixing their house going to do if they remain spiritually dead? Worthless. When you go out there in the name of Jesus to do good things, people see it, know why you are doing it -- and that changes lives for all of eternity. That's freaking awesome.
That takes care of Sunday and our outreach times, right? Ding ding ding, wrong. Now what I'm about to write, I suck at too at times. I don't do it all the time either. I don't think anyone does. That's because we're a stiff necked sinful people. It happens. Pay attention to it and it keeps you humble before a holy God.
It's more.
It's our whole lives. Our entire lives should be an act of praise, worship, and pointing people to the awesome God that made us and loves us. Paul wrote that in everything we do, we should do for the glory of God. Really, everything? Drinking orange juice? Yup. John Piper even wrote about that. Check it out here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-to-drink-orange-juice-to-the-glory-of-god
Can we do that completely? Yes, if we're totally sold out to Jesus. I don't think any man is totally sold out to Jesus. Chuck Smith often has said something about wondering how God would use a man that is totally, 100%, committed to him. I wonder that myself.
Really, I can knowingly glorify God, even if not perfectly, when I help people in need. When I give. When I teach. When I encourage. When I share the Word. When I stand up for the truth. When I study the Word. When I sing (well, in my way) praises. When I impart spiritual knowledge to my children. Those fall in the box of some sort of "typical Christian life".
But I can also glorify God when I do the dishes because my wife hates doing them. When I eat my lunch with a thankful heart. When I go to the store to pick something up for someone else. When I take out the trash as a duty and stop to check for stuff other people could use in there. When I play with my kids and soak in the joy that brings. When I go to work and work hard to support my family and have money to give. Those are day to day things that can adorn the gospel and glorify God when done with a right heart and motivation.
In those examples from my own life, know that I've screwed up every single one of those by having the wrong motivation and a bad attitude. Praise God for the conviction the Holy Spirit brings when that happens!
Know also that I don't think about glorifying God in some of the things that I do. I don't think about it when I play basketball and even less when I play Halo. I'm thankful for those things. I enjoy them. I like the mentally untaxing down time. Am I glorifying God in them? Maybe, but I'd chalk those up more to being yet another one of a billion who are not 100% sold out. I just don't know sometimes.
Even so, we learn and we grow. We are convicted and we change. Getting cleaned up is a lifelong process that doesn't end this side of eternity. As I have heard said, "imperfect action is better than no action." And right action to glorify God with all of our lives starts with an understanding of what that means and why he deserves it.
Grace and Peace
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Deity Of Jesus Christ
Props to Mark Strauss tonight for prompting me to write this. Higher props to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for working in the hearts and minds of all believers!
Remember that Da Vinci Code movie? I guess it was a book first, but I saw the movie only. There's a lot of crap in it. Of course there is, it's a product of a godless industry. However there is one especially large piece of crap in it -- that argument that the church viewed Christ as human only until the Council of Nicea in the 4th century, in which he was "voted" to be divine -- by a narrow margin at that.
All bunk. One can look up what the vote was about and what the margin was to se that. But Dan Brown's nonsense or some council is not what this post is about. We have to go back before that, into the 1st century. What did followers of Christ write about him?
How about John? Chapter 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All thing were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
There you have it. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about Paul? Colossians 1, chapter 1. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him...For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell..."
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about the author of Hebrews, chapter 1. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power....And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Three different 1st century New Testament authors independently attesting to both the divinity and humanity of the God-man, Jesus Christ -- let alone the numerous indicators of this through Jesus' words as recorded in the gospel accounts. The conclusion, according to scripture, Jesus is God.
"Oh wait, what about..." others will say. This "Who is Jesus?" test is a good one to help answer the "Christian or non-Christian cult?" question. Here's the common two "what abouts" in the above passages:
First, "and the word was a god". This is what the Jehovah's Witness' translation of the Bible says. Go find a Greek New Testament and some impartial dude who knows Greek well and have him tell you. There should be no 'a' in there. It's a mistranslation made intentionally to fit the Jehovah's Witness' mission to prove to everyone that Jesus is not God. It's bunk and it's wrong. And guess what? Even that Bible is still littered with numerous indicators to the divinity of Christ.
Next, "firstborn". Uh, oh, Jesus was a created being himself, even though he created everything else? Well, no. "Without him was not anything made that was made." If he was created but also created everything, then he had to create himself. That's just stupid. :-) But that's not the end of the argument either. Firstborn is used to indicate status as well -- the most honored.
Grace and Peace friends.
Remember that Da Vinci Code movie? I guess it was a book first, but I saw the movie only. There's a lot of crap in it. Of course there is, it's a product of a godless industry. However there is one especially large piece of crap in it -- that argument that the church viewed Christ as human only until the Council of Nicea in the 4th century, in which he was "voted" to be divine -- by a narrow margin at that.
All bunk. One can look up what the vote was about and what the margin was to se that. But Dan Brown's nonsense or some council is not what this post is about. We have to go back before that, into the 1st century. What did followers of Christ write about him?
How about John? Chapter 1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All thing were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
There you have it. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about Paul? Colossians 1, chapter 1. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him...For in him all the fullness of God was please to dwell..."
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Not enough? How about the author of Hebrews, chapter 1. "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power....And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him.'"
There you have it again. Jesus as both divine and human, and creator to boot.
Three different 1st century New Testament authors independently attesting to both the divinity and humanity of the God-man, Jesus Christ -- let alone the numerous indicators of this through Jesus' words as recorded in the gospel accounts. The conclusion, according to scripture, Jesus is God.
"Oh wait, what about..." others will say. This "Who is Jesus?" test is a good one to help answer the "Christian or non-Christian cult?" question. Here's the common two "what abouts" in the above passages:
First, "and the word was a god". This is what the Jehovah's Witness' translation of the Bible says. Go find a Greek New Testament and some impartial dude who knows Greek well and have him tell you. There should be no 'a' in there. It's a mistranslation made intentionally to fit the Jehovah's Witness' mission to prove to everyone that Jesus is not God. It's bunk and it's wrong. And guess what? Even that Bible is still littered with numerous indicators to the divinity of Christ.
Next, "firstborn". Uh, oh, Jesus was a created being himself, even though he created everything else? Well, no. "Without him was not anything made that was made." If he was created but also created everything, then he had to create himself. That's just stupid. :-) But that's not the end of the argument either. Firstborn is used to indicate status as well -- the most honored.
Grace and Peace friends.
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