Musings;07/25/08, Moving Minutiae, by John.

Musings;07/25/08,Moving Minutiae

We've reached that point in our move when minutiae become quite important. The placement of furniture comes first. Then, small repairs on things damaged in the move, things that we must use. After that, with aching muscles and numb minds, we begin with minutiae. Where are the bathroom scales? What did we do with the copy paper? What cabinet are you putting the plates in, and where is the coffee? (Very important to me). All of these little things pile in and the minutiae begin to look like mountains! Actually, not the heaviest, but the most time consuming part of moving is wrapped up in getting all the things placed where they will do the most good, not be in the way, and will be fairly presentable to the eye.

We are in that process, and all of it seems to repress our spiritual activities, but does it? Well, it certainly can, but it should bring out our resourcefulness. We should recognize it as part of our daily Christian lives.

I've always tried to be ready when someone has an emergency, or some other important need. Sometimes those things happen in my study time or quiet time. Sometime they happen during family time. We should be close enough to the Lord to overcome the loss of those precious moments, and our families and friends should be ready to help with everything that lands on our busy schedule.

Life is full of things we think of as minutiae, relatively unimportant. What moment of the day does not belong to the Lord? What action of our lives can we divorce from the Spirit of God? When we step off the narrow road that leads to salvation making a side trip into sin, and we are out of God's will. Perhaps during those times, some believe we should not expect the Spirit's leadership, but He will lead! That's one of the things He came into our lives to do, and He does not stop just because we wander off the path to glory! He leads us back into the way, maybe with a heavy hand, but sometimes with a gentle prod in the right direction like the "still small voice" that spoke to Elijah.

We can rebel against His leadership, and I'm sure all of us do at times, but no matter how far we go, there will be a turning point. We call that repentance. When we turn toward God seeking His face and confessing our sin, He will be right there! He is omnipresent, a big word saying there's no place you can go that God is not. When you turn from yourself, you will be facing God no matter what direction that may be.

David stated the situation well in Psalm 139: 7-10. It says: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

I find I must welcome the minutiae of life because in every tiny item God is there with me, and He works it out for my, or someone's good. Ray Palmer wrote the words to "My Faith Looks Up to Thee," a hymn we sing. The first verse says, "My faith looks up to thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine! Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly Thine." That includes all minutiae.

Musings;07/21/08, How important is Food, by John.

Musings:07/21/08,How Important is Food?

Romans 14:12,13 says, "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or an obstacle in your brother's way." Paul quotes the Old Testament all the way through Romans, but he is also aware that we are under a new covenant, and he is aware that the Jewish Christians of his time were hanging on to their old tradition.

When you think about it, isn't it hard to stop believing something we have done for years and years is right even when it is proven wrong? Tobacco use is a case in point. Personally, I've eaten a few members of the nightshade family all my life, such as tomatoes and eggplant, but some time ago I was told they could intensify arthritic pain. I believed it, but I said, "That's doubtlessly true for some people, but not me!" I was emphatic about it. Years later, I suffered from arthritic pain, and one of my friends reminded me of the truth about the nightshade family. I decided to give it a try. It has been hard to cut out tomatoes and Irish potatoes, but I've done it as best I can. Voila! Most of my pain has subsided! But it is not easy to leave those things alone! Something inside me says, "Oh! Those tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants have got to be good for me!"

Many early Jewish Christians did not buy meat in the "shambles" because it might have been offered as a sacrifice in idol worship. It was unclean by Jewish teaching. Paul stepped beyond the law when he said, "I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself." Anyone going by the Old Testament teaching concerning food will call many of today's food unclean. For instance, shrimp, clams, catfish, ham and sausage, even lamb and mutton slaughtered in any way but the Hebrew kosher way.

If you go to the earliest admonition, prior to the Law, you find Genesis 1:29 which says, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." That would make everyone vegetarian. The Bible has to be understood in its entire context.

We can't take an early statement and overlook a later one. Neither should we take the later one without understanding earlier ones. That requires a lot of study, prayer and contemplation for sure. We can't always depend on what someone else says is true. I John 4:1 says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." That's true for spirits, and it is also good for others things. My dad used to say, "Son, don't buy a pig in a poke!" Most people don't realize that the old cloth bags were called "pokes," but they were. If you bought an animal covered up with a bag, you could be buying a hound instead of a pig! I think he and I were looking at used cars the last time I remember his saying that to me.

Paul stated the eternal security of the believer in Christ many times, so in verse 15 when he said, "Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died," he did not mean the person would be eternally lost. Obviously, he meant his spirit would be broken, his resolve to live for Christ would be weakened, and fellowship between them would be destroyed.

I suspect we would discover that most denominationalism among Christians is the result of seemingly important, but in reality, petty decisions based on tradition. I wonder if the Methodist Church would have started if John and Charles Wesley had been fully accepted by the Anglican Church? Campbell and Stone started a new church movement, and then they parted company over the use of instrumental music in worship. Right or wrong, we get so set in our opinions of right and wrong that we overlook the first clause of verse 15: "If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love." Ah! There's the secret! We must act in love to please God and live at peace with each other! Sounds like "The Golden Rule," doesn't it? And it is an application of it. To treat others like you want to be treated requires that you love them like you love yourself!

When we stand before God, all that wasn't the result of our godly love is trash! Love one another is the essence of Biblical commands. In our daily diet, many old foods are good for us. Some aren't. When a dietary truth surfaces, we should pay attention to it. If others don't, that's not grounds for our hating them. New foods, (are there any?) are not necessarily bad, but they may be. Oprah has a "new" belief system. Being new doesn't make it good, but we need to love her just the same. Scientology has held many, if not all, of those same beliefs for years. None of them are new. (Maybe we'll address that another time). Thinking for yourself is good, but it can get you into big trouble if you don't include the only real God who led the Hebrews and further revealed Himself in Jesus. You omit history in your thinking when you leave Him out, and that's always a mistake.

Maybe I'll try those nightshades again, and I'll see if the pain returns. I'm not afraid to find out the truth.
M

Musings:07/18/08,On the Shelf by John.

Musings:07/18/08, On the Shelf?

I read from I Kings 17-19 this morning. So many wonderful sermons have been preached from the various parts of these chapters, "The Winged Waitresses of the Lord," is one I remember really well. "The Brook Dried Up" was another I enjoyed reading. Another that I heard in person pictured Elijah as God's chosen man who failed and was of no more use to God. The preacher said God placed him on the shelf for the rest of his life. His point was that we must constantly go forward, or God will shelve us, and we will stagnate.

I'm sure there is a modicum of truth in that, but it smacks of the way of the world, and it caused me to wonder how many times I have preached my own message and failed to deliver God's. I know it is impossible to leave all our prejudices behind when we step into the pulpit, but we must be ever so careful to follow the Lord's Spirit! I ran across another sermon preached years ago by a minister in England. I think his name was Robertson. It was the time when women started wearing their hair in buns and beehives. It infuriated him. He was sure it was against nature! He preached from Luke 17:31, "Top Knot! Come Down!" He used "Knot" instead of "not" (from the passage), left out eleven words between "top" and "come down." He completely misused the Scripture to make a selfish point about the fashion fad of the women of that day.

Let's get back to Elijah. He was not shelved! He discovered that as strong as his faith in God was, it didn't cover being unafraid of Jezebel and Ahab. He rationalized his position because he knew he was going to face God. (All of us are!) When God asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (19: 13), Elijah knew he was in a place God had not sent him. His reply included six points. 1) He had been very zealous for the Lord. 2) The Israelites had rejected God's covenant. 3) They broke down God's altars. 4) They killed God's prophets. 5) He was the only one left! 6) And they were trying to kill him!

God answered, but did not read him the riot act! He told him to go back the way he came. (That's repentance). He had three other things to do: 1) He was to anoint Hazael king over Damascus. 2) Jehu king over Israel, and 3) Elisha as the prophet to succeed him. God then simply added that He had 7,000 who had not knelt down to the idol Baal.

From the rest of the account it is obvious, Elijah also mentored Elisha. The fact that Elisha had as much, if not double, the power Elijah possessed was probably directly due to his training. God does not put people aside who have put their trust in Him. We are children of God, joint heirs of God with Christ! He made us, remade us, and can remake us again into the image of His Son Jesus. We may despair momentarily because of our lack of faith, our failures, or the looming certainty that our enemies will overcome us. It will not last! We will regain our confidence that God is in control and always be. Rebels can not stand against Him! I constantly rejoice because of the young people who, during the past 61 years, have given themselves wholeheartedly to the Lord. Most of them are serving Him now. I'm retired, but like Elijah, not on the shelf! I'm awaiting my Lord's command.

Musings, 7/10/08, Spiritual Baptism, by John.

Musings;7/10/08, Spiritual Baptism

This morning, I picked up my Bible and it happened to be opened to I Corinthians 10. My eyes fell on verses 1,2, "For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea."

The word "baptized" caught my attention, as it never had before. I knew King James was responsible for the English language having the word. When the translators were working on the New Testament, they wrote him a letter telling him that the Greek word, ἐβαπτίσθησαν, meant "they were immersed in water," and that did not fit The Church of England's method of baptizing. He wrote back telling them to bring the word into English and give it the meaning they wanted. They did.

Regardless of how various Christian groups practice baptism, these two verses tell us that it is symbolic. The Hebrew children did not get wet when they crossed through the sea; yet, Paul considered them baptized in the sea. That was symbolic.

Jesus referred to the actual baptism Christians receive in Acts 1: 4,5: "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'"

Spiritual baptism does not require water. It does not require any earthly administrator. It does require a person's acceptance of Jesus as His Lord and Savior.
Jesus does all the saving, and the Holy Spirit is the seal that secures us for eternity. Ephesians 1:13,14 says: "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." It's obvious to me, that seeing salvation as this depicts it, and seeing baptism as this reveals it to be, should remove most of the hindrances to fellowship with people of different denominations.

I began my ministry in the Methodist Church. When some people were saved, we baptized them in a stock pond belonging to one of the members. The next day, the Baptist pastor called on me, and he asked, "Where did you get the authority to spiritually baptize someone?"
I was floored by the question, and I asked, "Do you spiritually baptize people?"
He said, "Of course!"
I asked, "Where did you get your authority?"
He said, "The church!"
I said, "So do I!"

That dear man left quite upset, but he and I became friends after a time. At that time it was true that the Southern Methodist Church did not allow immersion. My church did, and the next year the whole conference approved immersion as an alternate form of baptism.

It seems to me that Christians constantly look for things to divide us rather than unite us. I personally believe each church should be independent, and at the same time willing, ready and able to help any other church when help is needed.

We don't need physical unity, but unity in the Holy Spirit. We need for the fruit of the Spirit to be evident to anyone visiting our services, meeting individuals in our churches, or even studying our history!

I baptize by immersion, not because I have to, but because as a witness to what has already happened in the life of that believer, immersion gives the best picture of leaving the old life of sin and entering a new life of service and love. It also shows that we are trusting in Jesus to save us, not some high-sounding ritual or physical organization. Can't we truly be brothers and sisters in Christ rather than enemies? I do hope we can.

Musings, 7/08/08, My Reason for Writing, by John.

A person responding to one of my musings has caused me to do some serious thinking about Jesus, the Bible and salvation by grace through faith in Christ. I have no doubts about the reality or correctness of my views. For the most, they've been tried for more than 60 years without any serious changes, and my views are fairly consistent with the patriarchs.

How is it that some people can read the Bible and not believe it? I found myself in that position many, many years ago, but I grew up and my faith developed with age. How is that some people can read the Bible and not feel the Holy Spirit tugging at their heartstrings? My sensitivity to the touch of His guidance and the words He gave me developed with time also. How is it that anyone who claims to know God doesn't recognize that he is the God of real love, the true light of the world? If He presents Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, why can't some people just receive that? Why do some try to picture our God as some sort of grotesque, hideous creature instead of the wonderful, majestic God of the Hebrew Scripture Who is bathed in His Own wonderful lovely light?

I don't write this blog for personal pleasure or for any expectation of personal gain. I write it because God called me early in 1947 to preach the Gospel, and the Good News about Jesus is truly like a "fire in my bones." I have to speak them out! No choice! I understand what the Lord said in Jeremiah 23:29 "'Is not my word like a fire,' declares the Lord, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?'" Having been called, I have no right to stop! God told Isaiah when he asked how long he should preach, (Isaiah 6:11) "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken." The point was not until the job is finished, and it is not, and will not be finished before I go to meet the Lord.
There's a third reason for my writing. The love of Jesus makes it necessary. I'm not sure how much I loved people when God called me, but the first gift of the Holy Spirit to a believer is godly love. Galatians 5:22,23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." I love all of God's children now, and I love all who should be God's children but aren't yet.
I Corinthians 9:19 says, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." I don't put myself in the same category as Paul the apostle, but I am striving to fulfill his desire where people are concerned.

Musings: 7/2/08;Wisdom by JAH

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:6

What comes into your mind when you hear the word "wisdom"? It's an important word. It appears approximately 117 times in the Old Testament, and 60 times in the New Testament. That's about 177 times it is used in the Bible. (I counted them, but I may have missed a couple, or added a couple).

When I think of wisdom, the first thing that pops in my mind is a picture a Guru on a mountaintop in Tibet or somewhere completely apart from the world. Then my thoughts turn to men the world considers wise.

I think of the three magi visiting Jesus at his birth. I think of Solomon. He settled the argument between two mothers in I Kings 3 about a baby two women claimed as their own.

I think of Albert Einstein developing the theory of relativity, and his third grade teacher told his parents it was a waste of time to have him in school. He would never learn anything!

I think of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the German theologian, philosopher, music expert and also a medical missionary. Sounds like a wise man, doesn't he? He established a medical mission in Africa. He was highly respected all over the world. I didn't, and don't care for his theology, but I respect what he did. He himself respected all of God's creation so much that he would not even harm a fly. In fact, he hired a man to go about the hospital with a jar and a sheet of paper. He would slip up on a fly, put the open mouth of the jar over it, and then slip the paper under the jar. At that point, he carried the fly outside and turned it loose. (What a way to make a living!!!)

There are many, many lost men who should be praised for their accomplishments, but for whom we should also feel sorry because of their plight!
I Corinthians 3: 18 says, "Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise."

I don't think Guru's are really wise according to biblical standards. The men I mentioned were certainly wise in good ways, but perhaps a little eccentric in some ways as were Einstein and Schweitzer.

Do you think of yourself as wise? Maybe you should, and maybe you should not. Perhaps the question should be, where does your wisdom come from? Psalm 111:10; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

If your wisdom begins with God, it is definitely the best kind of wisdom. I Corinthians 3: 19 - 23 says; "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: 'He catches the wise in their craftiness;' and again, 'The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.' So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death of the present or the future--all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God."

If you want to be Biblically wise, you can be, James 1:5 says, " If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

We need to be aware that being wise can be hazardous to our health. Luke 21:15 says; "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." Jesus made that promise because He knew that we would get in trouble with the world if we really live for Him, and when it happens, He will empower us to be good witnesses to our enemies!

We naturally hope that doesn't happen at all even though we know it will.

In the meantime, we need to be more than aware that we can be wise now. In Acts 6: 3, the apostles told the church who they were to choose as deacons; "Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

Acts 6: 10 tells us they made a good choice with Stephen. "but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke."

In all of the deacon ordinations I've attended and taken part in, I've never heard anyone read and comment on those verses. I trust that we approve both ministers and deacons who are "full of the
Spirit and wisdom." It's important to God's kingdom for us to have the very best of His children in those positions.

At the same time, most of us who hold the position of pastor or deacon probably feel completely unworthy deep down in our hearts, and we have to constantly remind ourselves that God chose us. We aren't perfect, and "God alone can hit a straight lick with a crooked stick" as an old saying goes.

We begin to be wise when we put our trust in Jesus. That is the wisest thing anyone can ever do! After that we ask God for wisdom, not once, but over and over again. Think of Psalm 23: 5; "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Where wisdom is concerned, our cup overflows continually as God fills us with wisdom. It's up to us to use every bit of the overflow that we can.