Monday, March 22, 2010
Math
Math, thank heavens for it, because if you believe in the absolutes of math, you can believe in God...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Jesus doesn't love everyone...
Not in the manner that you might think he does. Only his flock. Considering that his flock is pretty large, this is not a small matter. However, considering how many are not included, this is more of a "not a small matter".
Food for thought.
Food for thought.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
The winds of war...
I have often wondered about the whole going to war predicament that we Christians find ourselves in. After all, you'll hear (or hopefully read) in the bible where Jesus tells us to offer up ourselves... “You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:38-39).
But I also read how, in the process of forgiving, you are to confront your transgressor: 15"If your brother sins against you,[b] go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[c] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Now the way I see it, if someone bumps you on a busy street, and begs pardon, forgive. If a thief breaks into your home and you call the cops, they catch the person and that persons apologizes, forgive him. You did right by calling the cops. Now if someone straps on a bomb and kills a hundred people, what do you do?
That's right, you send some well trained, fully armed folks over to the them that are doing the killing and try to talk things out. Now in natural discourse with a murderer, sometimes violence is the only language understood. However, if they ask for forgiveness then forgive them. After reading the bible, its not really that hard to comprehend.
There are more verses:
Was Jesus always peaceful?: John 2:14
Romans 12:17-21 & 13:1-4
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Are you ready to ROCK???!!!
I was reflecting on something I read in the Bible today, about...well, I can't really remember at this moment in time, but I was smart enough to jot down some notes on the thoughts I mused upon after closing the Good Book. What I was wondering is this: if we love money more than God, then we are not fully relying on God for our live now and after we die. This is a serious issue! No matter how much money God bestows on us, we cannot loose sight of Him and the gift of grace.
So that got me thinking about those of us here in the US, how we are the richest nation in the world and our individual role in all of this. (Though after you find out how much money we owe China, the whole "richest nation in the world" thing might seem a bit cliche') The question remains, are we too rich to understand that we need to be vigilant and ready to defend our faith at any given moment?
Do we know that even our poorest (according to the government) have it better than many in other countries. I am not even talking about war torn nations. Almost half of Brazilians do not own a fridge and China's billion or so are controlled by an elite of a few hundred thousand. Knowing this, are you ready to stand up for your faith? Or has our wealth as a nation blinded us to truly understanding what it means to fully rely on God, not just for our well being but for our national health as well? When you look at things in from this perspective, is there really a difference?
Talk to any hard line Christian and they will eagerly tell you that this nation is not on the right path and has been declining for quite some time. I am telling you that it goes even deeper...it is a direct reflection on our own values and concerns (or lack of).
So I ask again, are you ready to stand up for God, even if it means loosing everything...to gain everything when Jesus comes back for us? No one should be able to convince you that tomorrow will not hold an unpleasant surprise in store for me, you or our nation, or even the body of Christ when you really think about it.
So that got me thinking about those of us here in the US, how we are the richest nation in the world and our individual role in all of this. (Though after you find out how much money we owe China, the whole "richest nation in the world" thing might seem a bit cliche') The question remains, are we too rich to understand that we need to be vigilant and ready to defend our faith at any given moment?
Do we know that even our poorest (according to the government) have it better than many in other countries. I am not even talking about war torn nations. Almost half of Brazilians do not own a fridge and China's billion or so are controlled by an elite of a few hundred thousand. Knowing this, are you ready to stand up for your faith? Or has our wealth as a nation blinded us to truly understanding what it means to fully rely on God, not just for our well being but for our national health as well? When you look at things in from this perspective, is there really a difference?
Talk to any hard line Christian and they will eagerly tell you that this nation is not on the right path and has been declining for quite some time. I am telling you that it goes even deeper...it is a direct reflection on our own values and concerns (or lack of).
So I ask again, are you ready to stand up for God, even if it means loosing everything...to gain everything when Jesus comes back for us? No one should be able to convince you that tomorrow will not hold an unpleasant surprise in store for me, you or our nation, or even the body of Christ when you really think about it.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Just started prayer group...
Just started a prayer group, feels good.
I need to connect with God in every way, that is what praying is all about. Think about tithing. If we were to tithe with the time God gives us, that is 2 hrs 40 mins a day that we need to give back to Him. Praying is a good way to fill that.
A prayer group is the next step, getting out and helping others is another step... Sharing, caring and loving. We do not need a building to be the body of Christ, we need body parts. These parts connect through communication and the finest form of communication is prayer.
So pray, connect and live.
I need to connect with God in every way, that is what praying is all about. Think about tithing. If we were to tithe with the time God gives us, that is 2 hrs 40 mins a day that we need to give back to Him. Praying is a good way to fill that.
A prayer group is the next step, getting out and helping others is another step... Sharing, caring and loving. We do not need a building to be the body of Christ, we need body parts. These parts connect through communication and the finest form of communication is prayer.
So pray, connect and live.
Monday, February 22, 2010
TODAY IS THE DAY...
Just thinking how some days are harder than others.
Cried when I read a story in the paper about a son who bought his dad new mustang because the dad had sold a mustang to help the son through college. HAPPY
Heard some other stories about a boy had killed himself after telling everyone that he was lonely. SAD.
I am struggling with being out of work. SAD.
I am not struggling with the knowledge that Christ is my savior. HAPPY:)
Cried when I read a story in the paper about a son who bought his dad new mustang because the dad had sold a mustang to help the son through college. HAPPY
Heard some other stories about a boy had killed himself after telling everyone that he was lonely. SAD.
I am struggling with being out of work. SAD.
I am not struggling with the knowledge that Christ is my savior. HAPPY:)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Leave the poor alone...
Ok I have been reading a lot of Ann Coulter http://www.anncoulter.com/, and in the process Ann covers a lot of topics mostly ranging from liberals are godless, to liberals are traitors. I have also tapped into a couple of other conservative soapboxers.
In the process I realized a few things. First, I have really been thinking hard about how liberals have basically taken this nation away from us, rather those who started this nation. That being the hard core Christians that wanted to separate church and state in an manner that increased freedom, not handed freedom over to the state in a underhanded manner.
Second, the arguements laid out by the left are based in some basic, truths. First of all, we have to admit that when people were being abused by their bosses back in the nineteenth century, this fueled the unions and those in power to establish workers comp and other social programs that tend to put a crimp on free enterprise. Score one for the liberals. Yet in their zeal to help the proletariat, they completely ignored the minorities, including the Indians.
To keep things on track...the whole point of this post is to ask liberals a question that dives into the heart of their movement: Who says that being poor is an affliction that needs to be healed?
As a believer in Christ, I have had to come to the conclusion that Christ wants me poor, at least for now. And I willingly accept this. It does not help in certain situations like when my kids want to buy something or when my wife wants to plan that vacation that we have never had. And it certainly does not help when I want to get the best for my loved ones. Yet, I know that if I were to break from God's plan and go rob a bank, or cheat someone out of their hard earned money, I will loose a lot more in the bargain.
So, in relation to what I have been talking about, I really don't want my leaders to steal or cheat for my sake either! This is the basic problem in politics: "We need to help the poor!"
Despite anyone's beliefs, we as Christians should not allow our leaders to try to save the poor, this is God's domain. By that, I mean we as Christians should be making the need to help the poor obsolete in the political spectrum. Now if you don't know already, there are a lot of religious organizations out there doing a lot for the needy. So how do we get the government out the charity business? Vote, and communicate this to your elected officials. I would rather see the government conduct business similar to what the constitution calls for and have all the rest of that money wasted on "charity" spent on defense. After all we have a few folks out there who think that planes are for more than transportation.
God will make some of us rich, and some poor, some stupid and some brilliant. If you think about it, perhaps it might be a good idea to let him run things the way he sees fit. And if you really think about it, he had a strong influence on the birth of this nation and it might be a good idea to not step on his toes in that area either.
In the process I realized a few things. First, I have really been thinking hard about how liberals have basically taken this nation away from us, rather those who started this nation. That being the hard core Christians that wanted to separate church and state in an manner that increased freedom, not handed freedom over to the state in a underhanded manner.
Second, the arguements laid out by the left are based in some basic, truths. First of all, we have to admit that when people were being abused by their bosses back in the nineteenth century, this fueled the unions and those in power to establish workers comp and other social programs that tend to put a crimp on free enterprise. Score one for the liberals. Yet in their zeal to help the proletariat, they completely ignored the minorities, including the Indians.
To keep things on track...the whole point of this post is to ask liberals a question that dives into the heart of their movement: Who says that being poor is an affliction that needs to be healed?
As a believer in Christ, I have had to come to the conclusion that Christ wants me poor, at least for now. And I willingly accept this. It does not help in certain situations like when my kids want to buy something or when my wife wants to plan that vacation that we have never had. And it certainly does not help when I want to get the best for my loved ones. Yet, I know that if I were to break from God's plan and go rob a bank, or cheat someone out of their hard earned money, I will loose a lot more in the bargain.
So, in relation to what I have been talking about, I really don't want my leaders to steal or cheat for my sake either! This is the basic problem in politics: "We need to help the poor!"
Despite anyone's beliefs, we as Christians should not allow our leaders to try to save the poor, this is God's domain. By that, I mean we as Christians should be making the need to help the poor obsolete in the political spectrum. Now if you don't know already, there are a lot of religious organizations out there doing a lot for the needy. So how do we get the government out the charity business? Vote, and communicate this to your elected officials. I would rather see the government conduct business similar to what the constitution calls for and have all the rest of that money wasted on "charity" spent on defense. After all we have a few folks out there who think that planes are for more than transportation.
God will make some of us rich, and some poor, some stupid and some brilliant. If you think about it, perhaps it might be a good idea to let him run things the way he sees fit. And if you really think about it, he had a strong influence on the birth of this nation and it might be a good idea to not step on his toes in that area either.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
More on the Sabbath...
The Seventh-day Sabbath Was Made for Everyone
A multitude of Christians call God’s fourth commandment the “Jewish Sabbath.” But nowhere is this expression found in the Bible. The seventh day is called “the sabbath of the Lord,” and it is never called “the sabbath of the Jew” (Exodus 20:10).
Luke, a Gentile writer of the New Testament, often refers to things that were particularly Jewish. He writes of the “nation of the Jews,” “the people of the Jews,” “the land of the Jews,” and the “synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 10:22; 12:11; 10:39; 14:1). But he never refers to the “sabbath of the Jews,” although he mentions the Sabbath repeatedly.
Christ also taught that “the sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27). Adam and Eve were the only two people who existed when God actually established the Sabbath. There were no Jews in the world until 2,000 years later, so it was never meant just for the Jews. Jesus uses the term “man” in the generic sense, referring to all mankind. The same word is used in connection with the institution of marriage that was also introduced at creation. Certainly no Christian can believe that marriage was made only for the Jews.
A multitude of Christians call God’s fourth commandment the “Jewish Sabbath.” But nowhere is this expression found in the Bible. The seventh day is called “the sabbath of the Lord,” and it is never called “the sabbath of the Jew” (Exodus 20:10).
Luke, a Gentile writer of the New Testament, often refers to things that were particularly Jewish. He writes of the “nation of the Jews,” “the people of the Jews,” “the land of the Jews,” and the “synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 10:22; 12:11; 10:39; 14:1). But he never refers to the “sabbath of the Jews,” although he mentions the Sabbath repeatedly.
Christ also taught that “the sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27). Adam and Eve were the only two people who existed when God actually established the Sabbath. There were no Jews in the world until 2,000 years later, so it was never meant just for the Jews. Jesus uses the term “man” in the generic sense, referring to all mankind. The same word is used in connection with the institution of marriage that was also introduced at creation. Certainly no Christian can believe that marriage was made only for the Jews.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Bible alone...
When articulating an argument or theological position, we should base our points on scripture and support them with other inspired writings, not use the inspired writings to establish doctrine...
That's it, have a good day...
That's it, have a good day...
Friday, February 12, 2010
3 days to tear down...
I once had a conversation with someone, who, let's say didn't see eye to eye with me or God about a great many things (cool Star Wars line...)
The subject of the conversation was the issue of Christ's claim that he was the temple that was going to be torn down and rebuilt in 3 days. Just like many who heard Jesus make this claim, my buddy was skeptical. However, since most of us know that Jesus was referring to his death and resurrection, my friend was questioning the whole validity of the the time span.
"If Jesus died on Friday night and came to life on Sunday morning, that is nowhere near three days."
Now, I pointed out that Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday would count as three days, so there...but he was not moved. So I pointed out that there are some considerations that need to be accounted for: the Jewish day and night cycle of Jesus' time, vs. the cycle we use today. You see for us, a day is midnight to midnight. However, for the Jews in Jesus' time, this was different: the official day started at nightfall. This is significant.
When Jesus went to the Garden to pray on Thurs. night, that was the beginning of the prophecy, also the beginning of the first day of the prophecy. So on this day Jesus was captured, accused and sentenced to death. He was also put to death on the same day.
The second day, starting at nightfall on Friday night, he was already in the tomb and his disciples were deterred from attending to his body because this is also the beginning of the Sabbath. Now we know that sometime on Saturday night, Jesus was resurrected, but because the third day of the prophecy began at night fall on Saturday, Jesus was well into the final day of his prophecy when he came to life and saved us all from our sins.
So you see his prophecies are true and valid. I would like to note a couple of things that follow along with this incident. First, everything happened so that no Torah laws where violated, including Jesus and all his disciples resting on the true Sabbath and finally...I really appreciate what my savior did for all of us on that day so long ago...
The subject of the conversation was the issue of Christ's claim that he was the temple that was going to be torn down and rebuilt in 3 days. Just like many who heard Jesus make this claim, my buddy was skeptical. However, since most of us know that Jesus was referring to his death and resurrection, my friend was questioning the whole validity of the the time span.
"If Jesus died on Friday night and came to life on Sunday morning, that is nowhere near three days."
Now, I pointed out that Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday would count as three days, so there...but he was not moved. So I pointed out that there are some considerations that need to be accounted for: the Jewish day and night cycle of Jesus' time, vs. the cycle we use today. You see for us, a day is midnight to midnight. However, for the Jews in Jesus' time, this was different: the official day started at nightfall. This is significant.
When Jesus went to the Garden to pray on Thurs. night, that was the beginning of the prophecy, also the beginning of the first day of the prophecy. So on this day Jesus was captured, accused and sentenced to death. He was also put to death on the same day.
The second day, starting at nightfall on Friday night, he was already in the tomb and his disciples were deterred from attending to his body because this is also the beginning of the Sabbath. Now we know that sometime on Saturday night, Jesus was resurrected, but because the third day of the prophecy began at night fall on Saturday, Jesus was well into the final day of his prophecy when he came to life and saved us all from our sins.
So you see his prophecies are true and valid. I would like to note a couple of things that follow along with this incident. First, everything happened so that no Torah laws where violated, including Jesus and all his disciples resting on the true Sabbath and finally...I really appreciate what my savior did for all of us on that day so long ago...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
When the devil goes to war...
>>>
I have been thinking for awhile about the war in heaven, the one mentioned in Revelations (chapter 12). It seems that we have an incident that needs to be placed. Now the problem I have is this, we read that the devil spoke to God in the book of Job, right. So at this time our great Adversary had not been cast out of heaven yet, according to the text in Revelations.
So when did this great battle take place? I read today in Matthew (12:12) “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence.” At this time Jesus was still in the early stages of his ministry, and was addressing the issue of biblical references to John the Baptist. I found the violence remark to be very interesting, since it could have multiple meanings, yet when we look at the evidence it might also refer to the looming battle in heaven.
Now some folks think that the Adversary was cast out of heaven early on, but this does not make sense to me, Rev. 12:13…“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” The woman is considered the Church, the bride of Christ. Yet, when you read this particular verse, you find that our Adversary realizes he has been cast out of heaven after being defeated.
Ok…my point being that the only discussion about victory being complete is when we are discussing the event of Jesus’ death and resurrection. So this, I believe is the point where Satin reveals his plans for domination, along with the corruption of a third of heaven; “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”Rev 12:4 To me this clearly shows that Satan has made his move and was trying to kill Jesus early on, probably via the actions of Herod. So in failing to kill Jesus, Satan attempts to overthrow the Kindom and gets tossed.
Sounds logical to me.
I have been thinking for awhile about the war in heaven, the one mentioned in Revelations (chapter 12). It seems that we have an incident that needs to be placed. Now the problem I have is this, we read that the devil spoke to God in the book of Job, right. So at this time our great Adversary had not been cast out of heaven yet, according to the text in Revelations.
So when did this great battle take place? I read today in Matthew (12:12) “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence.” At this time Jesus was still in the early stages of his ministry, and was addressing the issue of biblical references to John the Baptist. I found the violence remark to be very interesting, since it could have multiple meanings, yet when we look at the evidence it might also refer to the looming battle in heaven.
Now some folks think that the Adversary was cast out of heaven early on, but this does not make sense to me, Rev. 12:13…“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” The woman is considered the Church, the bride of Christ. Yet, when you read this particular verse, you find that our Adversary realizes he has been cast out of heaven after being defeated.
Ok…my point being that the only discussion about victory being complete is when we are discussing the event of Jesus’ death and resurrection. So this, I believe is the point where Satin reveals his plans for domination, along with the corruption of a third of heaven; “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”Rev 12:4 To me this clearly shows that Satan has made his move and was trying to kill Jesus early on, probably via the actions of Herod. So in failing to kill Jesus, Satan attempts to overthrow the Kindom and gets tossed.
Sounds logical to me.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Very Uncomfortable...
I'm sure you have heard that the more uncomfortable the message (that you get from your pastor or preacher) the more it means that it's a message near and dear to God's heart.
After all, can you think of all the times the sermon covered going out and sharing the Gospel with your family, friends, neighbors, the whole world!!!
I am a bit ashamed to say this but, it occurred to me after a few years that I understood the call to spread the Word, but I had no clue as to how to go about DOING it. This stinks! I mean what the heck do I do? Now some will say that living the life of a Christian is one way of getting that message out there, and I do agree that you should live this way for a lot of reasons, mainly because God wants us to. But there are others ways to go about this.
I found a couple of nice sites that help: Using the Internet to create outreach web sites that can effectively reach non Christians... is one that is cool and I also read a few books on the subject.
But really what is being done to train the youth to do this? I have seen enough to understand that the Church as a whole is trying harder to simply get the kids to hold onto their faith as they approach adulthood to be able to turn out hard-core soldiers for Christ.
Why? Again I think it goes back to that old argument concerning music (and technology.) After all if we are still trying to convince the kids that Christian music is from the Adversary (devil), what hope do we have keeping them interested? Further, if we do embrace more modern forms of worship, are we simply pacifying the congregation with all that is pretty, gluing them to the pews while the world outside is literally dying for the Truth?
All the churches (from Baptist to whatever the last letter denomination is) should be training seed spreaders and soldiers, not pew fodder who are invariably keeping traditions alive over and above the mandates of the bible and are unable and unwilling to do what God calls all believers to do...
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV: Matthew 28:18-20)
After all, can you think of all the times the sermon covered going out and sharing the Gospel with your family, friends, neighbors, the whole world!!!
I am a bit ashamed to say this but, it occurred to me after a few years that I understood the call to spread the Word, but I had no clue as to how to go about DOING it. This stinks! I mean what the heck do I do? Now some will say that living the life of a Christian is one way of getting that message out there, and I do agree that you should live this way for a lot of reasons, mainly because God wants us to. But there are others ways to go about this.
I found a couple of nice sites that help: Using the Internet to create outreach web sites that can effectively reach non Christians... is one that is cool and I also read a few books on the subject.
But really what is being done to train the youth to do this? I have seen enough to understand that the Church as a whole is trying harder to simply get the kids to hold onto their faith as they approach adulthood to be able to turn out hard-core soldiers for Christ.
Why? Again I think it goes back to that old argument concerning music (and technology.) After all if we are still trying to convince the kids that Christian music is from the Adversary (devil), what hope do we have keeping them interested? Further, if we do embrace more modern forms of worship, are we simply pacifying the congregation with all that is pretty, gluing them to the pews while the world outside is literally dying for the Truth?
All the churches (from Baptist to whatever the last letter denomination is) should be training seed spreaders and soldiers, not pew fodder who are invariably keeping traditions alive over and above the mandates of the bible and are unable and unwilling to do what God calls all believers to do...
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (NIV: Matthew 28:18-20)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Recognizing Demon Possession...
Hmmm...
Matthew 4: 23,24.
Ok...I don't recall how many times I watched some show with contributing experts saying that in biblical times (an oxymoron at least), people must have confused epilepsy with demon possession. I began to think this too!
However if you read the above verse, we find that being possessed by demons is separated from epilepsy, other illnesses and disease! Wow...what a snow job! Some experts need to go back to school...
When you think about it, the bible and its contents are always under attack!
This is a short post, but the point is we need to read the bible, then read it again and again, praying that the Holy Spirit will open our minds to the truths that are under attack and preserve our spot in heaven.
Later...
Friday, January 22, 2010
Denominations...
Denominations...there are a lot of them in the Christian community. Each has their own way of looking at the who, what, when and where stuff in the bible and the relationship between God, Jesus and man (and women of course!).
However, have you noticed that the really big churches are non-denominational? Or is it just me?
Well I could be wrong and I don't really feel like doing the research, but the point I am getting at is this: When Jesus did what he did so long ago, he took what was primarily a social function of religion and changed it to a personal function. In doing so, he made it possible for anyone to be saved, not just the Jews. The evidence is in both the growth and power of the early church.
Then something happened that really sucked. The role of the church took on a political feature and became organized to the point that what was making the early church move and shake became drenched in ritual. Of course, for those who may not clearly understand what I am talking about here, I am referring to the Catholic church. Now, I am not going to bash the Church for this, everything happened a long time ago and what's done is done.
I am trying not to digress here, but my point is if we all are guided by the Holy Spirit, and all are believers, what is the point of different denominations? Had we simply accepted variations in our beliefs, yet retained our Christianity as a unifying point, how much stronger would the Body of Christ be. Instead we have people floating from church to church, finally accepting non-denominational churches for whatever reasons.
What I am picking on (sort of) is the fact that we have had a full blown Reformation and failed to bring the church (the BODY of Christ, that is) back to the basics that were so wonderful in the beginning. So that leaves me wondering if we should have a church on every corner, or should we have communities built around a central structure used for all the purposes of the body of believers. These centers could accommodate for worship services, social gatherings, outreach and other activities and services that a community might need.
Now I am getting a little personal here and too bad if you don't like it, but this might eliminate the division of the Body of Christ and at the same time allow for people to follow what God is placing in their hearts instead of dealing with condemnation from fellow believers. However the only way that all this would work is if everyone involved accept that there will be different forms of worship and different levels of contribution to the activities, trusting that the Spirit is moving in all who are involved and leave it at that. But I wonder how well that would actually fly in the face of reality and all those wonderful people out there that must have their drama?
Still it would be nice...
However, have you noticed that the really big churches are non-denominational? Or is it just me?
Well I could be wrong and I don't really feel like doing the research, but the point I am getting at is this: When Jesus did what he did so long ago, he took what was primarily a social function of religion and changed it to a personal function. In doing so, he made it possible for anyone to be saved, not just the Jews. The evidence is in both the growth and power of the early church.
Then something happened that really sucked. The role of the church took on a political feature and became organized to the point that what was making the early church move and shake became drenched in ritual. Of course, for those who may not clearly understand what I am talking about here, I am referring to the Catholic church. Now, I am not going to bash the Church for this, everything happened a long time ago and what's done is done.
I am trying not to digress here, but my point is if we all are guided by the Holy Spirit, and all are believers, what is the point of different denominations? Had we simply accepted variations in our beliefs, yet retained our Christianity as a unifying point, how much stronger would the Body of Christ be. Instead we have people floating from church to church, finally accepting non-denominational churches for whatever reasons.
What I am picking on (sort of) is the fact that we have had a full blown Reformation and failed to bring the church (the BODY of Christ, that is) back to the basics that were so wonderful in the beginning. So that leaves me wondering if we should have a church on every corner, or should we have communities built around a central structure used for all the purposes of the body of believers. These centers could accommodate for worship services, social gatherings, outreach and other activities and services that a community might need.
Now I am getting a little personal here and too bad if you don't like it, but this might eliminate the division of the Body of Christ and at the same time allow for people to follow what God is placing in their hearts instead of dealing with condemnation from fellow believers. However the only way that all this would work is if everyone involved accept that there will be different forms of worship and different levels of contribution to the activities, trusting that the Spirit is moving in all who are involved and leave it at that. But I wonder how well that would actually fly in the face of reality and all those wonderful people out there that must have their drama?
Still it would be nice...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Get over it...
Aside from the fact that there is no biblical mandate for a Sunday Sabbath, what's the big deal? After all, as long as we take one day a week to rest, that is all that God is really trying to do. However, if you really read Hebrews chapter 4, you can see that not only is there still an open discussion in the bible about the Sabbath, but it remains in place for all believers, not just the Jews.
I have read a lot of commentary on this subject, and there are a lot of folks out there that cannot stand the notion that the 7th day established in Genesis is the same day referred to in the big Ten, and is the same day that we are to honor currently, but if you couple all the information together, you still have to deal with the fact that the Catholic church assumes the full responsibility of make a change from the 7th day to the 1st day, and calling it "The Lord's Day". ( Click here for more on THAT...)
Additionally, all of the gospels assume that the Sabbath is in full effect even after Jesus' death and resurrection (Most claims put a general dating is possible and places the book of Hebrews as being written between 60 AD and 100 AD. This is some 30 to 60 years after Jesus' death and resurrection.) Finally, there is no biblical accounting for a revocation of the 7th day and subsequent assumption of the first day of the week as a "holy" day.
Why is this so hard to understand?
Perhaps the confusion comes in the form of observing the Sabbath, which takes on a different level of meaning when we figure in what Jesus did for the understanding of the Law (Torah). So now it's more personal and the punishment clause is based more on the leading of the Holy Spirit, rather than the determination of Mosaic Law. Still does not support any basis for a change in the actual day to honored. So please, get over it and enjoy the chance to obey a written directive found in the bible.
I have read a lot of commentary on this subject, and there are a lot of folks out there that cannot stand the notion that the 7th day established in Genesis is the same day referred to in the big Ten, and is the same day that we are to honor currently, but if you couple all the information together, you still have to deal with the fact that the Catholic church assumes the full responsibility of make a change from the 7th day to the 1st day, and calling it "The Lord's Day". ( Click here for more on THAT...)
Additionally, all of the gospels assume that the Sabbath is in full effect even after Jesus' death and resurrection (Most claims put a general dating is possible and places the book of Hebrews as being written between 60 AD and 100 AD. This is some 30 to 60 years after Jesus' death and resurrection.) Finally, there is no biblical accounting for a revocation of the 7th day and subsequent assumption of the first day of the week as a "holy" day.
Why is this so hard to understand?
Perhaps the confusion comes in the form of observing the Sabbath, which takes on a different level of meaning when we figure in what Jesus did for the understanding of the Law (Torah). So now it's more personal and the punishment clause is based more on the leading of the Holy Spirit, rather than the determination of Mosaic Law. Still does not support any basis for a change in the actual day to honored. So please, get over it and enjoy the chance to obey a written directive found in the bible.
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