CHRIS'S COMMENTS

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #19

2009-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS November 11th, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #19

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3:18-25

This passage is all about relationships. For most of us, we have no problem with these verses except for verse 18. Of course, the problem is the little word "submit".

First of all, before I get into this discussion I must refer you to Ephesians chapter 5: 22-24. This passage in Ephesians deals with the same thought as verse 18 of Colossians Chapter 3.

Here are some things that we must notice about these verses in both books:

1. We must notice the words "as is fitting in the Lord".

2. We notice too that husbands have an equal responsibility to "love their wives". To understand what "love" is we must look at 1 Cor. !3 and especially verses 4 and 5.

3. If we exchange the word "respect" for the word "submit", we don't have as much of a problem with V. 18.

What has added to the problem is that the word "obey" has often been included in the marriage vows. When I was married I deliberately chose to keep the word "obey" in my vows, because the way I saw it was that no-one was forcing me to take this vow. It was my choice to put myself under my husband's authority and I had no problem with that because I know my husband loves me and is a committed Christian. Nor would he be unreasonable in his leadership.

A good marriage cannot have two heads. Each partner should exercise his own gifts and be aware of the other's gifts. Marriage is an equal partnership but it is inevitable that some decisions will have to be made that both partners will not agree upon. A wise, Christian and loving husband will consider all that his wife says. He should not be a despot. But eventually someone has to make the decision. It is then that the husband takes the responsibility. In addition the wife must be careful not to manipulate her husband with words or favors, (as many wives can, and do) to make him see things her way.

I once saw a two headed snake in the San Diego zoo. We were told that it would not survive very long because of the conflict of interest in the two heads. That is quite an illustration of what can happen in a marriage with two heads!

I must make this proviso. This description of the husband and wife's relationship, outlined in these verses is applicable to those with an ideal or nearly ideal marriage. Is there such a thing? No! Yet like everything else we do in this life, as we struggle to do God's will, so it is in marriage. Each partner must strive to put God's will first, and sometimes, in the struggle, less than ideal circumstances arise. The best piece of advice we ever received was given to us at our wedding. It was: "Remember you are marrying a sinner". Neither of you is perfect! Your marriage will not be either. But like everything else, put the Lord first in your life. If your partner makes what you think is a wrong decision, remember, he/she is responsible for the decisions he/she makes. You will not be held responsible for the wrong things your partner does. Make sure you keep yourself in the Lord's will -- part of which is to respect your husband. And husbands are to make sure that they love their wives "as Christ loves the Church". That is quite a standard!

"And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men". (V. 23)

Sadly, I also have to add that if there is physical danger or abuse towards you or your children, then that goes further than what I have to say here. Seek professional, godly counseling as soon as you can. It need not be costly. Many pastors today have had some training in marriage counseling. That is the place to start.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #18

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS November 4, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #18

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3: 16,17

The times we live in today are so different from those of the Colossians. Today we are bombarded with noises of every kind from cars, trains, and planes to all kinds of electronic buzzes and beeps. It seems as if we cannot live without being in communication with others by texting, tweeting or telephoning. If we believed in evolution I think humans would be born with a telephone at his ear or finger tips! Even my computer can't keep up with it all as it shows in these notes that 'texting' is not a word. So verse 16 is a very appropriate word for our times. So much of what we say or discuss is of little consequence in our world. Paul is exaggerating here when he says we should be always "teaching, admonishing.... singing psalms, songs and spiritual songs". Obviously we can't do that all the time and I'm sure Paul didn't do it all the time. Yet the message is that this is what we should primarily be using our voices, minds and hearts for. If we did this more, there would be no room for hurtful 'off the cuff' remarks, cutting words, or unnecessary criticisms. It disturbs me that not only our young people, but mature adults have their hearts and minds totally preoccupied with their thoughts, needs and plans. It may seem innocent enough, but I wonder where the time for listening to God is.

The Bible talks a lot about meditation and some religions make it of prime importance. Sometimes we as Christians feel stressed about the idea of meditating and wonder how to do it. It is very simple. We just need to sit somewhere quietly and think about the Lord, our lives and what we have been hearing or reading about God. The Holy Spirit will guide our thinking without us having to do anything but just give God our full attention. If one of your children or your husband says "I want to talk to you about something, " you would find a spot to listen and talk back and forth. That's all we are doing when we are meditating. The point is, you would MAKE time to communicate with that loved one. Do you stop for a cup of coffee during the day, or take a moment to let you meal go down, or put your feet up? That's the time to get away from the TV the newspaper, the telephone, the hurly burly rush of the day. There IS time in our day, but we must MAKE that time for our own sake as well as for the Lord.

Paul also says we should let "the Word of God dwell in us richly". It's getting close to Christmas and we all know what rich foods are. We used to get an especially good and rich Christmas cake every year from some friends. It was delicious, and because I like cherries, I would pull out all the rich fruit I could find in my slice of Christmas cake. The Word of God is like that Christmas cake. It has some wonderful, rich, life enhancing truths in it. When you meditate, you can dig into a chapter or a few verses and pull it apart to find the rich fruit that is in there. Try to figure out what the writer was trying to say when he wrote those verses. Who was he writing to? What kind of people were they? What were their problems and their needs? Then look at your own life and see how the writer's words might have something to say for your life. You don't have to spend hours and hours doing this, although that would be a wonderful blessing if we could find the time. But a few minutes here and a few minutes there, read some verses of the Bible and talk to the Lord about them. I like to watch birds and take photographs. I have my camera and my binoculars handy in the house and where ever I go. Our Bible should be just as handy -- ready to pick up at a moment's notice.

Verse 17 could be a wonderful start for doing some meditating. What does it mean to do things in the Name of Jesus? Well, start by asking, what does it mean if you do something in your own name or in the name of the business you work for, or in the name of your family? This is not hard to comprehend. So ask yourself what things do I do in the name of Jesus? How can I do everything in His Name? Is that even possible? Maybe we can't do everything every day because we are not strong enough as Christians, but can we do more?

Both the verses we have looked at today mention doing things thankfully. Don't we feel good when someone has cared enough about something we've done, to say thank you? That's part of our meditating, just being thankful -- not just saying it, but feeling it. A thankful attitude will carry us through the most difficult of times -- mainly because we know that difficult times will pass, we are not alone and our future is with the Lord.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #17

2009-11-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS October 28, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #17

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3:12-15

I am not going to get into the doctrine of election from this verse, as I don't think that was the subject Paul intended to raise. What he is trying to impress upon the Colossian Christians is that as Christians they were chosen by God to be set aside for holy purposes to be used by God, much like the various equipment in the Tabernacle. That is, they were to be used for holy purposes only. They were especially chosen for the work to be done in the Tabernacle. They were sacred and holy.

I have a set of 6 very fine, cut glass, crystal, water glasses. The kind that 'ding' when you tap them! They were a wedding present and in all these fifty years of marriage I only bring them out at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Amazingly, they have survived. They are special to me because of who gave them to me and because of their value. I didn't want them to become common place or misused by using them for every day things. For example, I sometimes use a glass for water when I am painting with water colors. I certainly wouldn't use my cut glass for that. In that sense we are elect and chosen of God for special purposes.

But not only that, Paul tells us that we are beloved by God as well as chosen and holy. We are much more important to God than my water glasses are to me!

In order to increase our value and service to God, Paul lists a number of qualities we should be developing. These are the opposite of the list he gave us in verse five which were the qualities that should be put to death. Among these new qualities is "tender mercies" or it could be translated as pity or empathy. It is the opposite of being hard hearted, unfeeling or even arrogant. In these days of so many people in need, it is easy to pass by and leave them for others to take care of. Meekness is another quality that today can be misinterpreted. It means gentleness. This is not the quality that would allow a Christian to be walked on or used, but, as one commentator suggests, it is the quality that finds the happy medium between too much and too little anger. There is a strong element of self control implied.

These qualities listed are for us as Christians to adopt, along with that most important quality, forgiveness. All these temperaments are then to be bound together with love, "the bond of perfection". Sadly, today the word love has been so overused that it has little meaning for us. The Beatles sang "All you need is love", but today love has become almost synonymous with sexuality. If not so, it has been made common place with the unthinking response of "Luv you!" as we wave goodbye or hang up the phone. God's love is so much more. I can't help going back to what the Lord has been teaching me in the past year or so -- forgiveness. You can't love someone you don't forgive. God's love is all bound up with forgiveness. It means being willing to restore a relationship that has been broken -- even if that person is not willing to forgive you. God loved us, even when we were still sinners and didn't love Him. In churches where there has been acrimony and even a split, we have to search our hearts for forgiveness of others as well as seek forgiveness for ourselves, in order that God's love may reign.

It is not nearly so important whether the person you forgive is willing to forgive you. It is important that you be willing to forgive them -- and then, perhaps the hardest part of all -- love them, as Christ loves us -- because He first loved and forgave us.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 16

2009-10-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS October 21, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #16

Paul now turns from the discussion of theological issues which were causing conflict in the church at Colossae to sound, practical, basic Christian living. Theology is necessary and good, but if that theology doesn't lead to a change in the way a Christian lives his life, it is empty. This is where James' verse "faith without works is dead". True faith produces a changed life, a life which is lived on a day to day basis, "seeking (and doing) those things which are above."

First, it is out with the old and in with the new. The old ways are the way we lived as the "sons of disobedience". The list of sins in verses 5 and 8 are not new to we who have been committed Christians for many years. We have probably been struggling with some of them for a long time. We don't really need to be told what the things are which come between us and God. But they should never be so common place to us that we cease to be shocked by them. Sin is sin. Evil is evil. The fact that sin is more visible now in the world than it was 50 -100 years ago tends to make us treat it more lightly because it is more familiar. But small sins grow from fundamental evil. Uncontrolled passion, evil desire and covetousness are the foundation for many, many sins which fill our newspapers, televisions and movies -- not to mention much that is now found on computers. It may be only a mild gluttony, anger, or desire at first, but the more we down-play sin -- the more comfortable we get with it -- the further and deeper we are sucked into it. Paul says put these things to death. Eliminate them before they control us. It is the little things that we let slip by that become our downfall and incur the wrath of God.

How often do we hear about the wrath of God? It is real and it is devastating. Because we don't talk about it doesn't make it less real. We as Christians are forgiven for our sin but we should still be ashamed and mortified by the very sins we commit. If we are not, then when will we ever make an attempt to overcome them?

Covetousness is the desire to have more. It is displayed in the person whose whole life is dominated by the desire to get things or have things. These things then replace the desire for God and in this way they become idolatrous.

Two very common sins that are almost completely overlooked by today's world are blasphemy and filthy language. The phrase, "Oh God!" or, "God!" is used countless times a day yet it is taking God's name in vain and appealing to His Name with absolutely no thought of Godwhatsoever. Blasphemy is taking something of God's and demeaning it to the point that it is of no consequence. Another way of thinking about blasphemy is to call something sacred, evil; or something evil, sacred. That is certainly done today just for the shock value alone, if nothing else.

Filthy language is so prevalent it is used in almost every TV program and movie available to us today. I remember rebuking my son many years ago for using filthy language and his response was, "But I can't help it. Everyone at school says it and it just comes into my mind." That was thirty years ago. How much more is that true today. If we deliberately expose ourselves to sin it will dominate our lives.

So Paul tells us to be renewed in knowledge -- change the knowledge that we have acquired in our old ways -- and become the new man who is created in His image.

Some reading today's notes may consider this approach to be old fashioned and out of touch with the times. It certainly is, because we need to be out of touch with the old ways of evil knowledge and work daily at being renewed in our minds and spirits. Remember, it was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that brought this world into the state it is. In God's new world the knowledge of Evil will be eliminated.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #15

2009-10-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS October 14, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #15

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2:18 - 3:4

There is a freedom in being a Christian that the Old Testament believers never experienced. The Old Testament (or Promise) was all tied up with "the Law". The many Laws of the Old Testament were a necessity because they were -- and are -- a basis for understanding what is right and what is wrong; revealing just how holy God is and how abhorrent sin is to Him. The Ten Commandments clearly state the basics of right and wrong. Without these clear statements it would be up to man to decide what is right and what is wrong. Sadly, this is what is happening today. There are so many conflicting opinions at to what is right and wrong. So we as Christians realize that as sinners we need God's clear direction in the role of morality and ethics.

In the New Testament we are told that the Law was like "our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ". The Laws of the Old Testament enabled us to recognize sin in all its shades and therefore understand and appreciate the full forgiveness we now have, because Jesus paid the penalty for us. If we go back to observing the old laws, we make our obedience to them a requirement for salvation. We will have lost our freedom in Christ. This is not a freedom that says it's okay to sin now that Christ has forgiven us. On the contrary our freedom is in CHOOSING NOT TO SIN because we now clearly know what sin is.

Paul is explaining here that in order to be saved there are no more requirements or laws that demand our obedience. He lists some of these requirements that the Judaizers and the Gnostics were trying to impose on the new Christians: the worship of angels, certain dietary laws, touching unclean things, humility which is actually being vain about how humble you are, physical neglect such as beating yourself or denying yourself the necessities of life. Paul says that these things may have the appearance of wisdom but they are self-imposed religion and false humility.

The only 'requirement' for salvation is to recognize that I am a sinner and so I need forgiveness. Even that is not a requirement, because if we will not acknowledge that we sin, then salvation is not even necessary (because we don't think we have anything for which we need to be forgiven).

Moving into chapter three, Paul immediately turns the readers away from the maze of what they as Christians can do or not do. He simply says, "seek those things which are above", where Christ is. Christ was raised from the dead, leaving the realm of sin behind. As Christians, our old life of sin is now dead and forgiven, and our minds should be set on 'things above'. This doesn't mean that we will no longer sin, now while here on earth. Our salvation is still being played out. It is a process that has a sure and certain conclusion. Just as when you drop something, you know it will hit the ground. It will not stop in mid air, turn around and go back to you. So it is with our salvation. Nothing can stop the process now. We have been forgiven. Our life is hidden with Christ in God. But the completion of our salvation will be at the conclusion of time, when Christ comes again. Then we will appear with Him in glory -- never to sin again.

In the mean time, "set your mind on things above" and live today knowing that the victory over sin has already been won. In this period of time, from your salvation until He comes again, "as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #14

2009-10-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #14

Not my Wisdom….. October 7, 2009

Colossians 2: 8-17

Paul, ever vigilant for the health of his churches reminds the Colossians not to be taken captive or enticed by the empty philosophies of men. Two of the heresies that were beginning to make inroads into the church at Colosse were the Gnostics and the Judaizers. The Gnostics had the beliefs that there was something very special that needed to be known about becoming a Christian and only those with this special knowledge were worthy. Just knowing Jesus Christ and His forgiveness was not sufficient. Similarly, the Judaizers insisted that in order to become a Christian the Gentiles had to become a Jew first, and that meant going through the rite of circumcision.

Both these beliefs demanded more than “Jesus only”. Many of today’s cults do the same. They add more to what the Bible teaches about Jesus. The Mormons have the Book of Mormon, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have their writings by Judge Rutherford; the Christian Scientists have their writings by Mary Baker Eddy. Sadly, even the old Roman Catholic church insists that in order to reach Jesus we must go through Mary or one of the saints to get His attention. Yet the Scriptures say specifically “there is only one mediator between God and man: the man Christ Jesus.” We rejoice because since Pope John 23^rd Roman Catholics are now able to read the Scriptures for themselves and many, many are coming to know and understand what salvation really is, including, some priest and nuns. They know that our sins are forgiven by Jesus and that the Bible is the only Word of God. To be a Christian is not to believe the Bible plus something else. It is the Bible alone which is the Word of God and Jesus who is the “word made flesh”.

In verses 11-17 Paul deals with the matter of circumcision. Circumcision was a rite that God instituted many hundreds of years before as part of the Covenant He made with Abraham. The Covenant had four parts to it and it was in effect until Jesus came – (the Old Covenant or Testament).

God promised Abraham he would have 1) as many descendents as the sands of the seas, 2) his family would be prosperous, 3) he would inherit the Land (of Israel) and 4) through his descendents all the families of the earth would be blessed (through the Savior, Messiah, Jesus Christ.) This is all clearly detailed in the book of Genesis several times. At one point when God renewed the Covenant with Abraham He instituted the rite of circumcision for all Abraham’s descendents. This was to be like a badge or physical sign that the Jews were God’s holy people. It meant that whenever a Jewish man wanted to have an intimate relationship with a Gentile, the Gentile woman would know immediately that he was a Jew and that what they were about to do was wrong in God’s sight. It was wrong, not because the Gentiles were a lesser people but because it meant that the Jewish man was linking directly with a non-believer and that could and did despoil the holiness or separateness of the Jewish people. It was ordained by God that the Jews were to remain holy and separate in order for His plan of salvation to be preserved and propagated down through the centuries. If the Jews lost their separateness by intermarrying with non believers their faith would quite naturally be mitigated and even lost because of the influence of the non believer in the life of any child conceived.

Paul compares the rite of circumcision in this passage to the rite of baptism which is now the new mark of the believer under the New Covenant or Testament. He explains that baptism is symbolic of the new believer having his sins washed away by immersion into the water and being raised from the dead and being made alive again by being raised up out of the water. Paul emphasizes this act of salvation by stating that our sins are nailed to the cross (with Jesus) and that by doing this publically as He did, He has made “a public spectacle” of Satan and his powers, triumphing over that which would try to make His sacrifice of no effect. Because of this, Paul says, don’t let anyone dictate to you what you may do or not do in order to be a Christian. We only do what Christ has told us in the Scriptures. That is all that is necessary – nothing more.

In the next verses he continues to define those things which others would put upon us, in much the same way as the Judaizers and the Gnostics did in the days of the early church. We will continue to look at these verses more closely at our next Bible Study.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #13

2009-10-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS SEPTEMBER 30th, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #13

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2: 6-7

Verse 6 assumes we have received Christ and therefore should be careful "to walk in Him." However before we talk about walking in Christ, let us look for a moment at "receiving Christ". The obvious understanding of this for we who are "born again" Christians is that we have asked Christ for forgiveness for our sins and have also asked him to reside in our hearts. But to take this a step further let's look at the word "receive". Sometimes becoming a Christian is made so casual that it is almost like joining a club. However the word ":receive ' has the implication of receiving and entertaining a guest. When we receive a guest in our home we welcome them at the door, take care of their needs, put them in a place of honor even. We are then always conscious of their presence with us.

When we think of receiving Christ in this manner, it makes His presence with us far more important and significant than just a casual acceptance. If Christ "lives in our heart by faith" then we should always be conscious of Him and honor Him in all that we do. We are constantly in His presence. That should make all the difference to everything we think and do. He is our constant companion. He is always with us guiding us and teaching us, and we are always with Him, honoring Him and putting Him first.

By doing this and giving full recognition to the idea of receiving Him, then we will more easily be able to walk in Him. Walking in Him is a part of receiving Him. Then as we walk in Him, conscious of His presence we will become rooted in Him and established in the faith.

In our back yard we have a large fir tree. Many years ago, my husband found the first little shoot of this tree only a few inches tall in the front yard. He carefully nurtured it and potted and repotted it until finally he planted it in the ground. It is now taller than the house -- probably forty foot tall. We were concerned that this tall tree might be blown down one day in a winter's storm, but a gardener looked at it and said that it had a good deep root system and was pretty safe. By comparison, our neighbors across the street planted a Queen Palm on the grass verge. It grew well and also became nice and tall. Sadly it was not long before that palm tree was blown down. The difference is the root system. A palm tree has a shallow root system. It could not survive the trials of the weather.

So we must develop a deep root system if we are to survive as a Christian. To do this we must spend time with the Lord and in His Word. These are the nutrients that enable us to grow, and these things establish our faith. It is difficult to have faith in something you don't know very well, so as Christians we must develop that relationship with Christ that encourages our faith. The more we know Him, the better we trust Him. We need to listen and assimilate what good teachers, who teach from the Bible, teach us and follow what God tells us.

If we do this, a life of faithfulness, peacefulness and thankfulness will follow. It will not necessarily be a life without difficulties, but with the Lord Jesus Christ received as a guest in our lives, we will overcome the difficulties that Satan throws at us. Then, eventually we will overcome them forever!

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #12

2009-10-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Not My Wisdom... September 23, 2009 COLOSSIANS #12

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2:1-3

(First, I apologize for the long wait for these notes. If you were at Bible Study last week, there were printed copies available, but somehow after I had printed them the original on the computer vanished. I have tried every way I know to post them on this blog, but have finally had to resort to re-typing them. Bible Study notes for September 30th will be posted in the next day or two).

Paul is actually writing to a Tri-City area made up of Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis. They were quite similar as cities. One of their similarities is the fact that Paul had never visited any of them. None of them had actually seen Paul or heard him preaching. Others had been sent there by Paul to do the work for him. This troubled Paul, because like many great leaders he probably felt that if he didn't do it, it may not have been done properly. But the information that Paul received was that these churches were doing pretty well under the circumstances. Nevertheless, he wished he could have been with them because he wanted to be sure that they were staying encouraged and that they might"be knit together in love." This love for one another was an important ingredient for the early church, as it should be for us today. For a church to stay strong and grow in the knowledge of Christ, (note, not necessarily in numbers), they needed to be united in their love for one another and for God. A divided church is a weak church and plays right into the hand of Satan. Satan loves to see Christians quarreling, nitpicking and gossiping among themselves.

Again Paul directs these Christians towards the riches that are available to them -- the knowledge and the mystery of God. To the average person this hardly seems like worthwhile riches , but to the Christian, the knowledge and understanding of God, the Father and the Son is a rich mystery greatly to be desired. In fact we are earnestly exhorted to seek this mystery of "Christ in you, the hope of glory".We are told it brings pleasure and joy beyond bounds, for then we have the full assurance of the fact that God knows what He is doing, with us and with the world we live in. For it is in Him that are hidden"all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Many people spend their whole lives seeking their treasure, whether it is wealth, fame, power and even knowledge. And "where your treasure is, there will your heart be". Knowledge on its own is not enough, it needs wisdom to rightly determine what to do with that knowledge. All the other kinds of fortunes or treasures we seek will never bring us the satisfaction, peace of mind, confidence and assurance that God's wisdom gives us.

I watched a program on TV the other evening about the Beatles. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. For all the wealth, fame and popularity they achieved in the sixties and seventies, they have no more now than they had back then. They fought among themselves, one was murdered, one died from serious health problems and by their own admission, at the height of their popularity even their music was declining in quality and brought them no satisfaction. The two that are left can hardly be said to be the most envied people in the world. They had their glory days. Now they have only memories. They can't take it with them. Already teenagers are asking "Who are the Beatles"? Their only chance of living forever is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

So it is with us. No matter how much or how little we do with our lives the only real future we have is to be found in what we do with the Lord Jesus Christ. We truly need to have "all the riches" and "the full assurance of understanding" and the knowledge of the mystery of God...the Father, the Son" and the Holy Spirit We must earnestly and faithfully pray for this while here in this life. This is all that matters. It is salvation and growing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #11

2009-10-03T20:32:00.001-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS September 16, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #11

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 26 - 29

Now we come to the precious kernel of what Paul has been trying to say in the previous verses. All the magnificent truths he has been describing are layers wrapped around this central jewel -- a mystery which has lain hidden for centuries, but now has been brought to light -- revealed especially "to His saints", the believers in Jesus Christ. At exactly the right moment in time God has done what He planned to do from the beginning, that is, to reveal this mystery not only to His people but to the Gentiles of all people! That mystery is part of the "riches of His glory".

Don't miss the extravagant language Paul is using here, the kind of language he has been using throughout the previous verses. He uses extreme words to describe the act of salvation in verses 19 through 26: " reconciliation... alienated... enemies... holy... blameless... irreproachable... grounded and steadfast. There is nothing wishy - washy about this great salvation. Yet now as he comes to the crux of the matter -- the mystery, Paul can only describe it as the "riches of the glory". And what is it that is so richly glorious? It is the secret now revealed : Christ in you, the hope of glory.

It would be so easy to just pass over these few words yet they are the grains of gold in the treasures of the universe. With the coming of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts chapter 2, God is now no longer just with us, but He is IN us. As Jesus said to the disciples "He dwells with you and will be in you." He also says, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in me". God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is the great mystery that has now been revealed. God in all the riches of His glory dwells in us, is available to us -- his wisdom, love, teaching, correction, grace.... and so much more. This is the very nub of our salvation. Because we are now reconciled to God, He is now in us and as close to us as we will allow Him to be. We are not alone. He has not deserted us. Amazingly, He has made his home with us in our hearts, to dwell with us forever.

How great a salvation is this! It is given to us so freely and bountifully, yet it was so costly to God. Full salvation is so much more than just believing. We need to deeply ponder upon what we were and what we have now and why it is ours. We must never consider our salvation lightly, like joining a club, or going to church. This is the perfect place to stop and re-read chapter one again, slowly and carefully, examining each word and pondering the statements. It took Paul all of chapter one to help us understand what it means to be "born again". It will take us a life-time to assimilate it.

This was Paul's task, to teach every man with all wisdom just what this salvation is. He declares that this is his task, that he is striving and laboring in, in order to "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #10

2009-09-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS September 9, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #10

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 22-25

Verse 21 from last week continues on into verse 22, continuing the thought of being reconciled to God. It explains that our reconciliation with God was brought about by the actual physical death of Jesus Christ. His death and our reconciliation brings an amazing gift and privilege with it, for us. Christ can now present us holy, blameless and irreproachable in His sight. Look at these three descriptions here. Paul is so awed by this fact that he has to use three words to describe what our present status is before God. We are holy, blameless, irreproachable... guiltless, perfect, sinless, worthy, pure... more than words can convey, to describe how we were to what we are now. This is not because of anything we have done for ourselves but only because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

But Paul has to catch himself for a moment. These words can only describe a believer's standing before God. He is writing to many people and he does not know if they are all believers. The only way we can know if we are a believer is if we are actually steadfast, grounded in the faith, unmoved by the outward obstacles in our lives; in other words, if we persevere to the end. Someone who calls himself a believer and then turns his back on God or doesn't continue in the faith was probably not a believer in the first place. A forgiven Christian will maintain his trusting relationship with God. He will make mistakes, sometimes serious ones, but he will not, and cannot sever that relationship of being an adopted son -- a son who has been born into the Father's family through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What an unimaginable gift this salvation is. We cannot move away, we DARE NOT move away for without the Lord there is no reconciliation with God. In Paul's mind, everything he has lived for and will live for, is to preach this ultimate gift of salvation to every creature under heaven. There is nothing else worth having in this life, if we do not have this.

For Paul, this mission of his, to preach the gospel to every creature, has meant physical and mental anguish for him that is still ongoing even as he writes. But these outward sufferings of his mean nothing to him in comparison with what Christ suffered. In fact Paul considers what he is suffering is simply a part of how much Christ suffered for Him. He rejoices to be considered worthy enough to share in Christ's sufferings. He considers it a privilege in God's economy that he should have been called to be a suffering minister of God by preaching His word, because In so doing, he is fulfilling the very word, desire or command of God -- that His Word should be preached to all nations.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #9

2009-09-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS September 2, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #9

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 19-21

These three verses contain the essence of the gospel in a nutshell.

Verse 19 assures us that Jesus is fully and completely God because "it pleased the Father that all the fullness should dwell" in Him. Our salvation rests on Jesus being completely God and therefore completely perfect. As such He is the only sinless, perfect sacrifice that could be made for us. If He Himself inherited sin then He would have been dying for His own sin. We would have no sinless sacrifice available that would be eligible to die for our sin. But He is fully God and therefore completely sinless. He is the only sacrifice that qualifies as effective for our sin.

Elsewhere the Bible tells us that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." Every other person or animal on this earth is tainted with sin. But Jesus Christ is sinless. His blood was not tainted with sin and therefore He is the perfect sacrifice that was needed. When He died on the cross as the pure sacrifice, the forgiveness that came with the shedding of His blood was then immediately available to all those of us who accept and believe that His sacrifice was made for us. If we don't believe that, then the forgiveness is not effective for us, because we have not acknowledged our sinfulness and the need for forgiveness.

Verse 20 explains clearly that everything on this earth and in heaven needs to be reconciled with God -- needs to be forgiven. The reference to things in Heaven is referring to the angels who fell into sin along with Satan. ALL things need to be reconciled and to make peace with God. The ONLY way for this to happen is to accept the sacrifice Christ made for us, because this is the way God Himself has established for our sins to be forgiven -- that is, through His blood.

Paul reminds us and his readers that we who are now believers were once "alienated" from God, and were His "enemies", not only in our acts but also in our minds. Out of our hearts come the evil things that we do. When we think evil we will do evil. We cannot entertain evil in our minds and not act upon it and think that that is O.K. God wants to cleanse, forgive, and reconcile every part of what we are. What we think is what we are, we cannot separate the two. Yet God has forgiven us for everything that we think and everything we have done and all that we are. It is a full and complete salvation.

What a great salvation is this! We are now reconciled to God. We will wrestle with our sin nature until Jesus comes again and we are given that New Nature that is sinless. It is a struggle because now we know what is right and we want to be living in a reconciled manner. But until we get rid of our sinful nature and have it replaced by our New Sinless Nature, we will continue to wrestle. The victory has already been declared. The reconciliation has been done. Now we wait for the completion of our salvation, the New Creation, when we ourselves will be without sin and the world around us will no longer be affected by sin. WHAT A GREAT SALVATION IS OURS!

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #8

2009-08-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS

Not My Wisdom...

August 19th, 2009 Colossians Notes #8

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 18

In the previous verses Paul has declared that Jesus created everything -- heaven, earth, thrones, dominions, powers. He asserts that all things were created for Christ. In V. 18, Paul specifically draws his thoughts to the Church; the church that is on the earth and in the heavens and that is under mankind's authorities. He makes it quite clear that in the midst of all these entities there is the Church which is the body of Christ, and that He, Christ, is the head of this body -- His redeemed and forgiven ones.

On a human level, the body cannot function without the head. The head, the mind, the brain, is the communications center where all the instructions for the other parts of the body originate. If for any reason some part of the body is unable to receive or send communications to the head, then that part of the body fails to function properly or doesn't function at all.

Recently I have been having neurological tests because my left arm, my legs and feet are not functioning properly. The first thing the doctors have to do is to see if those parts of my body are receiving the correct, and full directions from the brain. The instructions are transferred along nerve pathways to the necessary parts of my body. If the nerves are damaged, pinched or have some kind of defect this could account for tripping, falling, dizziness, numbness or other things.

You and I are part of the body of Christ. If one of us is not communicating properly with Christ our head, how can the church function properly? If we are fighting or working in conflict with one another, we cannot do what the head tells us. If we pick, point and needle one another, we are harming the Body of Christ. If we are so caught up with how we want our part of the body to function, we cannot do what Christ, our head wants us to do. There must be trust, peace, respect unselfishness and love between us. We who are members of Christ's church must function in harmony and unity with one another. We cannot tell another part of the body (I'm not talking about denominations here but individual Christians) what to do or what is wrong with them. The head will tell them that. It is not our place to take over from Jesus Christ. It is not our task to make someone feel guilty, even. This is the task of the Holy Spirit.

What we need to do is to be very sure that WE are in full and correct communication with Jesus Christ. That is easily said but it is not easily done. Our human nature, Satan and earthly desires come in and make that line of communication fuzzy or even overcome it to the point where we cannot hear God speaking to us. Sometimes we are so busy doing what we think is right that we have not heard Christ tell us what really IS right. The only hope for a happy and healthy church is for each part of the body to walk with Christ and do His will.

The last line of V. 18 tells us that He, the head of the body, must have the preeminence. We are to put Him first and we are to give glory to Him. What does it mean to give glory to God? I'm not sure I can explain it fully, yet I can't help but think that His children walking and talking with Him in close fellowship, must surely give Him glory. It must make His heart blossom with joy.

If you are a parent you must know what it is to long for your grown children to return your love and to spend time with you. Our Golden Wedding Anniversary comes up in October. We have already celebrated early by going to Norway. (We didn't want to go there in the winter!), but now as the actual date approaches, will we do anything more?

Well, yes. Our simple request is to have both our sons with us for that day and we will take a family photograph. It is a couple of years since we have all been together. We want no parties, no gifts, no big celebrations. We will have a celebratory dinner and enjoy one another's company. What a blessing!

Surely this must something of what God wants from us -- just to enjoy being with Him.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAY #7

2009-08-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS August 19th, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #7

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 16-17

Verse 16 makes it very clear that Jesus Christ is not only in authority over all creation, but He is the creator of all things. John's Gospel chapter 1 verse 3 states this very clearly "All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made." That is an all inclusive statement. This claim made by the apostles and in particular by Paul here in V. 16 is stated so clearly because Paul was aware that there were those in the Colossian church and other places also who called themselves Gnostics. They did not believe Jesus Christ to be fully God and therefore they did not believe that Jesus created the world and all that is in it. Jesus is THE WORD of GOD and it was the WORD of God that created. If we look at Genesis chapter 1, we read over and over "then God said...". And when God 'said' , that was His Word that came out of His mouth that did the creating.

The nearest way that I can explain this truth to you is to say that if as I spoke to you, the words coming out of my mouth could somehow take shape and form and become a person standing beside me, that person would be me. They are my words that have come out of me; out of my heart, -- my thoughts and feelings. Nobody else would say, think and do things quite as I do. My words are an expression of me. So Jesus Christ is a complete and express image and physical form of God's words. Thus all things are created by Him, because God spoke them into existence.

As the Creator of all, He has created into existence, all principalities and powers thrones and dominions. No-one is allowed into power, unless God allows Him to be. Even Satan had to ask permission from God to torment Job. Job had no idea what had gone on in heaven between Satan and God and his state troubled him enormously, to the point that he thought God didn't care about Him. But God has His purposes for even allowing evil to exist. We don't know why, or what God's greater purpose is, just as Job did not know. Yet Job did not curse God. He anguished over his situation, yes, but he did not deny God. It probably was not until Job got to heaven that he knew about Satan's challenge to God. If he had known before all the calamities came upon him, it would have been no challenge to Job's faith and no great victory for God in His battle with Satan.

Why is evil on the earth? We do not know why. Why do bad things happen to good people? We do not know that either. But we do know that there are spiritual battles between God and Satan going on all around us in this world -- and in our lives also. We must grasp on to God all the more strongly when these things happen that we don't understand and TRUST Him, because He knows all things and we cannot even begin to know. But "we know whom we have believed" and one day we WILL know.

In verse 17 there is an implicit picture of what would happen if God took His hand off the world. Before He created the world, everything was in a state of CHAOS. (Genesis 1)

If God were to remove His hand from all that He has created, the world would go back into being in a state of chaos -- not just life without rules, rhyme or reason, but it would truly be 'God forsaken'. It is unimaginable to us because no matter how much we ignore God and treat Him with Great disrespect, God is still keeping a tight hold on all the things that are worthy of Him. In Romans chapter 1 we read several times that "God gave them up..." He gave up on some of mankind and left them to their own devices. They spiraled down into an abysmal darkness. It is chilling to think of what this means.

Hard times are not the time for us to give up on God. He will not give up on us if we cling to our faith in Him.

I take a breath here and think, "That's easy to say". But will I do what I am telling you? Only by God's grace, strength and mercy. I could only do it through Christ "who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #6

2009-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS August 12th, 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #6

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 13-15

The power of darkness is all around us in our world today. Darkness or evil has always been with us but it has not been so openly accepted as it is today. Our grandparents would be horribly shocked by what we see and hear and sometimes experience in comparison to what they were exposed to. This is not to say that all kinds of evil has not always been there. It has. But as mankind has multiplied, so evil has multiplied because mankind is inherently evil. That is not a popular statement to make today, but it is what the Bible teaches. Not only is evil more prevalent today, it is more intense and more accepted -- often under the guise of open-mindedness and tolerance. A wolf in sheep's clothing indeed!

But God has moved us (we who have asked His forgiveness) out of the power of darkness and into His kingdom. Darkness may still have power over us, as long as we give place to it in our lives. But the more we are filled with the "knowledge of His will" and the power and desire to do His will, the further we move ourselves away from the power of darkness and move further into the "Kingdom of the Son of His Love". This journey will not be completed until we are in His presence in heaven, but it is a natural and inevitable consequence of our being redeemed through the forgiveness we have been given.

As born again, forgiven believers, we have all that we need through the power of the Holy Spirit to continue our journey through this life until we are safely in heaven with Him. In one sense our salvation is being "worked out" while we are still in this world. In another sense our salvation is a complete here and now experience, because without question, it has been completed by Jesus Christ, when He died and was raised again. We are on a journey but there is no doubt as to our destination and the fact that we shall indeed arrive there.

These next verses (15-19) are thought by some to have been a hymn sung by the early church. The words are a deep and heartfelt exaltation of who Jesus Christ really is. He is, says Paul, "the image of the invisible God". We cannot see God or know God unless we see and know Jesus Christ. He is the manifestation, the One who can be seen in the flesh, of the One who is invisible -- God the Father. If you want to see God, look at Jesus Christ. If you want to know God, then know Jesus Christ. They are one and the same.

The next phrase in verse 15 can be confusing, but it is not necessarily confusing if we continue to read through to verse 18. This is why we should be careful about taking a verse or phrase out of context. Paul says that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation and in verse 18, He is "the firstborn from the dead". You may automatically think of the widow's son whom Elijah raised from the dead, or Jairus's daughter, or even Lazarus. But Paul is not using the words "first born" as meaning He (Jesus) was dead and is alive again. He is referring to Jesus as having all the rights, privileges and rank of the firstborn son. As one commentator has said, these words refer not to order but to rank. In fact Lazarus and the others who were raised from the dead, all died again at a later point in their lives. But Jesus is alive forever more!

Verses 16 and 17 show His rank as the Great Creator and more. They clearly state Who He is and what His status is. We will look more closely at these verses at our next study, but as we read we must remember that verse 15 does not stand alone. Verses 16 and 17 expand upon the statement in verse 15.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #5

2009-08-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 5th 2009 Colossians Notes #5

Not My Wisdom...

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 11,12

In order to be pleasing to Him and fruitful as well as increase in the knowledge of God (V.10), "we need to be strengthened with all might" -- that is, His might, because we cannot do it through our own strength.

Some of us are strong and confident people by nature. But if we try to please the Lord in our own strength; if we think we can make ourselves perfect by simple determination, we will be disappointed. Our sinful nature and Satan's workings are simply too strong for us. Others of us give up before we even start, because we think it is too hard for us. We know we are weak. But God's power and might are there for us to call upon -- "His glorious power", no less.

This puts us all on the same level. We all have the same resources -- God's glorious power. This power entails perseverance and patience. We cannot give up. We know that the Christian life is a battle but God has given us his resources to fight the battle. Patience is needed with ourselves and with others. No-one is any better or worse than we are ourselves. We cannot abandon God because we don't become the person we want to be in a moment in time. The battle with ourselves is long and tough, but we are always learning. When we make mistakes or difficult times come upon us, God simply uses these times to teach us something new. If everything always went well for Christians, then everybody would want to be a Christian, but for the wrong reasons.

Perseverance is another part of the journey. We must finish what we have begun. Running the race is good but finishing it is essential. As Paul has said elsewhere, in order to win the prize we must persevere to the end. Obstacles, disappointments, weakness, fear -- all these and more will keep us from continuing to the end.

But God gives us joy to continue in this longsuffering. James says "count it all joy when you fall into various troubles". It would be helpful to read James chapter 1: 2-10 in connection with these verses. James and Paul are saying the same thing. The words "think thankfully" have been important to me in recent days. When we think thankfully, we can rejoice, when we rejoice we can overcome by calling upon His power. At the end of it all, if we are faithful, we will be partakers of His inheritance which is being kept for us.

The Father has qualified us for the inheritance which is to come. He qualified us by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay our penalty. All we need to do is acknowledge that we owe the penalty and accept Jesus' payment for us. This is our salvation: Forgiveness for our sin, paid for by Jesus.

What is the inheritance? Every promise of blessing in the Bible will be fulfilled. The more we know God the more we will know His blessings. The blessings are so great and so many we can only begin to know them while here on earth. Try reading the Scriptures and as you read make notes of the blessings God has promised those who are true and faithful to Him. It is a life's work to account for all of them. We will know and understand what His will for us has been all along.

The greatest blessing of them all will be that we will then know God in the fullest and most complete way, even as we have striven to know Him while here on earth.

Rest assured that God, who is preparing a place for us, is also preparing all the blessings He has promised us. Our part is to do His will and increase in the knowledge of Him.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #4

2009-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS JULY 29th 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #4

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 9,10

The next few verses are some of the most significant in the New Testament. Significant, because they outline qualities that are essential to the victorious or faithful Christian life.

First Paul prays for the Colossians (and us) to "be filled with the knowledge of His will."

So often it seems that Christians find it hard to know what is the will of God. I remember being told that if I wanted to know the will of God about something I had to do three things:

1. Pray for God to show me

2. Read the Scriptures to see if I can find an answer there and

3. Ask advice from an older and wiser Christian.

These three things are right and good, but being filled with the knowledge of His will means so much more than this.

In order to know His will we need to know Him. In order to know Him we need to know the Scriptures and in order to know the Scriptures we need the Holy Spirit to teach us the meaning of His word and to bring it to our remembrance. It means making our will, His will. THIS IS A LIFE TIME'S WORK. It means being immersed in the Scriptures, taking time to meditate or think about them and to assimilate them into our lives until we have become so familiar with them that our knowledge of God and doing His will become as automatic as breathing. Now THAT is a tall order!

Why is it so difficult? First because by nature we want to do our own will. We think we know best. We like what we want to do. So OUR OWN WILL is a problem. Second, we are so weak and easily tempted. We have a sinful nature that drags us in the wrong direction. We are but dust. Thankfully, "He knows our frame." It is so easy to sin and so hard to do what God wants. Third: Satan is going about "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." You don't think Satan is going to let us get this close to God without making many determined efforts to dog our footsteps, do you?

So the first thing we have to deal with is the DESIRE to do God's will. Pray for this as you have never prayed for anything else. Even when you don't feel like it, pray for it. Have your friends pray for you to have this desire, because when you WANT to do God's will, only then can you actually DO His will. Then He will give you the strength to overcome your weaknesses and He will restrain Satan from tripping you up.

We need the knowledge of His will to be accompanied by His wisdom and understanding. We can't simply step off a precipice into the darkness and say we are doing God's will. We need to have His wisdom to discern what is His will. Rarely is it written in black and white or spoken audibly. We must have the spiritual wisdom to be able to discern what God would have us do. Where do we get that from? Look at the end of verse 10 -- "by increasing in the knowledge of God".

That's why I say it is a life time's work. It will take more than one lifetime to know God. He is so great, how can we ever fully know Him? But by seeking (wanting) to do his will we will begin to "walk worthy of the Lord", be "fully pleasing to Him" and be "fruitful in every good work". (V. 10)

It sounds so simple. Just know God, know His will and do it. But I say again, it takes a life time to get it right!

It's not too late to start right now.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAY #3

2009-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS JULY 15th 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #3

COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1: 1- 8

Paul begins this letter as he does with all his letters, stating that it is he, Paul who is writing. But he adds one more important fact, and this he does in most of his letters. He states that he is an "apostle of Jesus Christ" .Paul always has to make this distinction because there were those in the early days who questioned his 'apostle-ship'. An apostle is one who had lived and worked and accompanied Jesus during his time on earth. Paul doesn't in fact qualify under that criteria, but he always maintains his right to the title of apostle because he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and it is believed that he spent some years in Arabia soon after his conversion experience being taught by the Lord. He was in no doubt about his calling and as we can see in the Acts of the Apostles, neither were the other apostles.

He addresses his letter to the "Saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colossae" and opens with the familiar salutation of grace and peace. Both of these qualities were greatly needed by these early Christians. Persecution was beginning to arise and everyone knew what the Romans could do, especially if aroused by the Jews.

In his letters, Paul always mentions how he prays for the saints, especially in this circumstance because he had recently heard from Epaphras about the small church in Colossae. Though Paul never visited them, he is moved to pray for them, perhaps more diligently and passionately because now he had heard specifically about their faith, love and hope. (Cf. 1 Cor. 13) Such faith, love and hope is theirs because they have heard and accepted the word of the truth of the gospel -- this same gospel which is now (as today ) being preached throughout the world and bringing forth fruit. Such grace (the undeserved favor of God) is theirs because of the faithfulness of Epaphras, their faithful minister who now is with Paul in Rome reporting to Paul about the believers in Colossae.

Imagine: the believers here are just a small church in a city which is the least significant of the three main cities in the area -- Laodacea and Hierapolis and Colossae. Yet we have in the verses which follow one of the greatest prayers for believers in the New Testament.

How blest they were to have Paul praying for them and how blest are we if we apply to ourselves the prayer that follows in the ensuing verses.

Colossians Chapter One is probably my most favorite chapter in the Bible. Would that I could assimilate and put into practice all that these words imply!

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS

2009-07-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

JULY 1, & JULY 8th 2009

Not My Wisdom... Colossians Notes #1 & 2

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS

Written to the Colossians by Paul in approx. 60 A.D. Paul was in Rome under house arrest and under guard. He had a number of his fellow servants visit him and stay with him during this time. (See the last chapter of Colossians).

Colossae was one of three cities, closely located to one another in the Lycus River Valley; Laodicea and Hierapolis being the other two. They were located in a geothermal or volcanic area under the shadow of the Cadmus mountain range. The area was and is highly volcanic with a high intensity of calcium (chalk) in its water. In the Laodicean area in particular this gave rise to strange calcium deposits and rock-like formations over the land. Thermal pools and springs were in abundance and the area was popular for medicinal treatments. It could be compared to Yellowstone, places in Idaho and even Carlsbad, where the mineral waters are famous.

The cities were located about one hundred miles east of Ephesus, in a wider area known as Phrygia, known to the Romans as Asia. Several severe earthquakes hit the area during the first century (and later) which demolished the cities. Yet they were wealthy and thriving cities and were able to rebuild themselves without aid from the Roman government. The land in the river valley was especially fertile and sheep were farmed which had beautiful, black, glossy coats, making for a much sought after wool and cloth.

Colossae was the weakest of the three cities, eventually being bypassed by the eastern trade route, while the other two cities prospered. Today there is only a tell or earthen mound where the city of Colossae stood and it has not yet been excavated by archeologists, although the Australians are making plans to do so.

The problems in the church at Colossae

The church was small and consisted mainly of Gentiles, although there were many Jews who had settled in the area. It was founded by Epaphras who also served as its leader for many years. Epaphras also spent some time in Rome with Paul and it was likely he who reported to Paul about the areas of concern which this letter addresses. We have no record that Paul ever visited Colossae.

The heresies were numerous in the church at Colossae, but were only just arising and not intense enough to provoke Paul's strong rebuke. But nevertheless they had the potential for divisiveness and the leading astray of the faithful. So his approach was to emphasize the correct Christian teaching, By so doing, the wrong teaching and doctrine was clearly illustrated.

Gnosticism was at the bottom of many of the problems. To put it simply (though Gnosticism itself is not really a simple belief), for our purposes we can say that essentially Gnostics believed that anything that had its roots in the spiritual was good and anything that had to do with the body or fleshly realm was evil. This belief strikes at the root of Christian belief that states that Christ is 100% God and 100% man -- a seemingly impossible contradiction.

Gnosticism itself gives rise to other heresies and these were what were troubling Paul.

1. The Gnostics believed that if Jesus were God, then he was not fully human but more like an angelic emanation from God. Some believed that he left no foot prints where he walked.

2. If Jesus were indeed fully man and had an earthly body, He could not be God because he was contaminated by evil. This led to the belief that Jesus had no part in the creation of the world.

3. The emphasis on the spiritual powers led to much emphasis on demons, the supernatural and the beginnings of angel worship or the need for an intercessory angel. This was fed by the volcanic disturbances in the area which were not fully understood by the people of that day. (c.f. Archippus and the Archangel Michael).

4. Emphasis on the spiritual also led to the growth of excessive legalism, self denial, and mysticism, which in turn led to the growth of a 'spiritual elite' who seemed to have special access to God or special knowledge and powers -- the 'super spiritual.' Human wisdom and rationalization also became part of the 'elite'.

5. The emphasis on legalism gave footing to the Judaizers who believed that Gentiles first had to become a Jew before they could become a Christian, which meant they had to observe laws, feast days and ceremonies to become a Christian.

6.Those Gnostics who were impressed by the idea of humanity being inherently evil, only cared for the spiritual, and therefore had no reluctance to indulge in fleshly sins, because only the spirit mattered. This led to gluttony, self indulgence, gaining of riches and sexual immorality.

All of the above were trends which perhaps were not fully rampant in the whole church at Colossae, but they eventually became more deeply entrenched and defined as decades and centuries passed. Indeed many of these tendencies became full grown heresies and still dog the Church of Jesus Christ today.

An Interesting Legend from Colossae:

"....Still more famous are the springs which St. Michael is said to have drawn from the rock at Colossae (Chonae, the present Khonas, on the Lycus). The pagans directed a stream against the sanctuary of St. Michael to destroy it, but the archangel split the rock by lightning to give a new bed to the stream, and sanctified forever the waters which came from the gorge. The Greeks claim that this apparition took place about the middle of the first century and celebrate a feast in commemoration of it on 6 September (Analecta Bolland., VIII, 285-328). Also at Pythia in Bithynia and elsewhere in Asia the hot springs were dedicated to St. Michael."

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Please note that the final notes for the Epistle to the Hebrews have not yet been posted. They will be available soon.

WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2009

2009-05-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #15

…Not My wisdom…

Hebrew Chapter 8: 6- 13

Now the writer to the Hebrews turns to the New Covenant. Having outlined the inadequacies of the Old Covenant, he quotes from Jeremiah 31. How different is this covenant!

The old one was written on tablets of stone and repeated to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and others over the centuries. The Old Covenant had four parts to it:

1. That There would be many descendants of Abraham.

2. That they would be wealthy and blessed.

3. That God would give them their own land in which to dwell.

4. That all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through Abraham’s line. This refers to the Messiah who was/ is a direct descendant of Abraham.

By contrast, the New Covenant will be written in our hearts. In fact, if we have already accepted that Christ’s sacrifice was indeed for us; that our sins have been forgiven, then the Holy Spirit dwells within us and He writes God’s laws on our hearts. We know what is right and wrong and when we are not sure, God, the Holy Spirit is there to guide and direct us.

The Old Covenant was not fulfilled completely and immediately. In fact, it was more than 4,000 years before Christ came. Our land in which we shall dwell for ever, and where we will be abundantly blessed both physically and materially, is the New Heavens and the New Earth. We are still in anticipation of the complete fulfillment of this. When Christ comes again, we will be a part of the fulfillment of this promise.

In the mean time, we are to prepare ourselves for the time when we will dwell with Him. Our time on earth is a preparation. He allows us to go through many different kinds of experiences in order to transform us into the people He would have us be. It is vital that we spend our time here on earth learning about Him, Who he is and what He desires of for us. The Holy Spirit is given to us to protect, guide, teach and convict us during this time. Then when we have been molded into the people He wants us to be, He has a future mapped out for us in the New Heavens and New Earth. He has tasks for waiting for us for which we have been uniquely prepared.

So, right now we should be exercising and developing our gifts, digging deeper in to Scripture to know more of Him. We need to feed and nourish our roots as Christians. The more we are fed, nourished and mature in Christ, the more He can use us in the Age to come.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #14

2009-05-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday May 3, 2009

Not My Wisdom....

Hebrews Chapter 7:20 - 8:6

The last verses of chapter 7 explain in what ways Jesus is much better as our High Priest than those who came before. For me, the really outstanding point of these verses comes in verse 27. There is no question that Jesus is a much better High Priest because He is eternal, unchangeable, He is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" and now has taken His place above all mankind by residing in heaven at the Father's right hand.

But in v. 27 the writer shows how Jesus' sacrifice was so much better, because He offered up Himself as the sacrifice -- not a lamb, a bullock or a goat. No greater sacrifice could be found because He fulfilled all the requirements for both sacrifice and High Priest. So His sacrifice was better, more fitting and complete so that He could save "to the uttermost those who come to God through Him." What more could we ask and what more could He do? This is the heart of the Gospel.

Now our great High Priest not only sits in heaven with the Father, but He is ministering there. That means He is serving God -- and us, by interceding for us with the Father. He knows us by name and He goes before the Father naming us as worthy to enter heaven, because we have acknowledged His sacrifice, made on behalf of us. This is our Redeemer who has paid the bill -- our debt. High priests also gave gifts as well as made sacrifices. Our lives are His gift to God and the New Covenant He has made with us, is His gift to us.

Because we are on earth and bound by time, we tend to think of everything on earth as being reality. Everything spiritual is in shadow for us. But here we are told quite specifically that true reality is in heaven. The new High Priest, the New Covenant, the new Heavens and Earth and the new Temple are all the reality.

In one sense, all that is on earth and that has happened on earth, is like a rough drawing. When I paint a picture, I draft out in pencil what I want in it and where everything will be. Then I fill in the objects and background with some flat color -- a base for what is to come. If you looked at the painting at that stage, you wouldn't think much of it, because it lacks so much. But then, bit by bit I fill in the details, depth of color and shadows, and the picture begins to take on a recognizable shape and definition. We think we on earth are in reality. Thank goodness we are not! As I get older, I find my self thinking 'well I'm glad I will not live to see some of the future on earth' -- unpleasant, harmful things that seem to be heading our way.

But the New Heaven and the New Earth await us. Sparkling, brand new, not tainted by sin, a reality that has far more substance than where we live now. We cannot comprehend what this future will be like because we have never experienced anything like it before. But it will bring us the greatest joy, exhilaration and true satisfaction that will fill us to overflowing. It will be God's gift to us. How we will praise Him for what He has done for us!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 28, 2009

2009-05-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 13

.....not my wisdom....

Hebrews 7: 1-19

In this passage, the writer to the Hebrews continues a long and detailed comparison between Melchizedek and Jesus. We may ask ourselves why this matters. Perhaps it does not matter to us so much, but it certainly mattered to the Hebrew Christians. They were being persecuted for their faith in Christ, and it was so easy for them to simply deny Him and trust in their old ways of daily sacrifice. So it was imperative that the Christian Jews should know why the old ways of sacrifice were no longer valid or effective.

At the root of the problem is: 'by what means do we have access to God?' In the beginning Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. Then sin entered into the world. Through Moses, God set up the Law, sacrifices and Levitical priesthood. By making the necessary sacrifices the priests of the tribe of Levi hoped to make a way for man to be in God's presence. Through the Law and the many, many sacrifices that were required to atone for their many, many, daily sins the Hebrews realized that there would never be enough sacrifices made. In addition, even the priests were not good enough to make the sacrifices, since they had to make sacrifices for their own sins.

So the writer sets up the comparison of the old order of the priesthood (the Levitical order) with the new order of the priesthood, that of Melchizedek:

1. To be a Levitical priest of the old order, genealogy was of prime importance. As the years went by, character and spirituality ceased to matter. Many of the High Priests as well as the regular priests were exceedingly sinful, yet they still carried out their priestly functions. But their sacrifices were not sufficient or effective enough to bridge the gap between sinful man and a holy God.

To be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, genealogy didn't matter because no one knew who he was or where he came from. He had no beginning and no end. He was, in a sense, Eternal. In addition, character was of supreme importance because the name Melchizedek means Righteousness, and he was King of Salem, which means Peace. All these qualifications belong to Jesus Christ -- the priest after the order of Melchizedek.

2. Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. In fact, the writer makes it clear that in so doing, it was also the Levites who gave tithes to Melchizedek because "they were still in the loins of Abraham." (They were yet to be born). Tithes are, of course, given from the lesser being to the greater being. Thus Melchizedek's order is superior to the Levitical order.

3. Since there is now a new priestly order, we also have a new High Priest, who is not only worthy to carry out the sacrifices, but whose sacrifice is given only once because it is sufficient and effective for all who will accept it.

4. There is now also a New Covenant to replace the old covenant God made with Abraham. See Chapter 10 :7-10 for what this covenant entails. We will have more to say about this another week.

Soon there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth as a result of the New High Priest's work and the New Covenant. Praise the Lord!

2009-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY APRIL 22, 2009

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 12
.....not my wisdom....

Hebrews 6: 9-20

The writer to the Hebrews changes his tone in these verses from one of warning to one of encouragement. He tells the Hebrew Christians that he is confident that he will see the fruits of salvation in their lives. He assures them that God will bless them because of the concern, good works and support they have shown, in the name of Jesus, towards their fellow Christians. Nevertheless, he still urges them to maintain this demeanor to the very end and to hold on to their hope (which is sure and certain) to the very end of days. Then they will, because of their faith and patience in continuing their good works, inherit the wonderful promises that salvation brings.

He then turns to the matter of promises and oaths that God made to Abraham. To us this is disconcerting because it seems as though he is changing the subject. But he isn't. He is still referring to the promises that are ours because of salvation. He is emphasizing the fact that these promises -- this hope -- is sure and certain to be fulfilled because God originally made the promise to Abraham and then later confirmed his promises to Abraham with even stronger emphasis, this time by making an oath with Abraham. Since God does not change (immutability), His promises do not change and even more certainly His oath will never be broken. So the hope we have in our salvation will without any doubt be fulfilled. Today we take an oath on the Bible. But God swears by himself because there is none greater on which to swear. However, for their part, the Hebrews must continue in the faith and good works they have shown since they were first saved. At that time they fled for refuge to God and still today in this time of persecution, they must continue flee to God, who is their (our) safe, firm and steady anchor holding them safe in the storms of life raging around them.

As a convincing last comment here, the writer reminds the Jewish Christians that Christ as the 'forerunner' metaphorically speaking, entered into the Holy of Holies tearing apart the veil in the temple that separated man from God. Because of His sacrifice, now, today we can come before God without fear of judgment for our sinfulness. Jesus replaced the old High Priest who had to continually make sacrifices, none of which were sufficient or effective. But Jesus' sacrifice was completely and totally effective to cleanse our sins once and for all and so make us worthy to stand in God's holy presence.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 11

2009-04-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY APRIL 15, 2009

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 11
.....not my wisdom....
(There were no classes from March 25-April14)

Hebrews Chapter 6: 4-8

This short passage is probably known as one of the most difficult to understand in the New Testament. Many scholars far better than I have struggled -- and disagreed with one another, while trying to understand what the writer to the Hebrews means.

To cut to the bottom line, the major question this passage raises is -- can we lose our salvation?

I'm going to start by stating what I believe is the answer to that question and then go back and look at the verses themselves.

I believe that Scripture teaches that we cannot lose our salvation. We may certainly back slide, but those who are truly 'born again' will eventually return to the Lord. Those who don't return to the Lord were probably not Christians in the first place. But how do we know they were not Christians? We don't know and we can't know. Only the Lord knows. But they could be compared to the soils we read about in the parable of the sower.

It is ironic that the first three verses of this chapter urge the Hebrew Christians to leave behind them the endless discussions and debate about the 'elementary principles of being a Christian, only to raise a whole other debate in the next three verses.

It would seem to me that we must bear in mind that these Jewish Christians were undergoing great persecution at this time, along with all other early Christians. For them it would be so easy to return to their Jewish rituals of acknowledgement of sin and making sacrifices, still maintaining their belief in God, but renouncing Christ, and therefore possibly saving their own lives from the persecution.

The writer's sub theme in the book of Hebrews is 'hold fast', don't look back. This is what the writer is urging the Hebrew Christians to do. He sets up a straw man, so to speak, a hypothetical situation, in which he shows that it is impossible for someone to fall away after having experienced the blessings of being a Christian, and then expect that he could return again and again (just as the Jews did with their constant rituals of sacrifice) because that would be like crucifying Christ over again and again and exposing Him to open shame. It would be as though Christ's sacrifice had not been adequate to do away with sin once and for all. This would be contrary to all that the writer had been trying to say in the first five chapters. Jesus is better (more adequate) than angels, better than mankind, better than mortal high priests and better than Moses. Now he is maintaining that Jesus' sacrifice is better than any other sacrifices, because He has taken care of sin, past, present and future, once and for all. There is now no way the old sacrifices would ever be sufficient.

There are a couple of lessons that particularly apply to us today that can be drawn from this passage:

1. It is much more important to make sure of our own salvation than to worry about whether a backslider will return to God, or whether he was actually not a believer in the first place. We must leave that to the Lord.

2. We must endeavor to hold on to our faith in the Lord, no matter what the circumstances -- good or bad. God does not guarantee us a bed of roses. Bad times will come, for some worse than others. But "God is good all the time; all the time God is good" " We have an anchor steadfast and sure," (v.19) that holds us steady and safe in the storms of life. There must be no looking back to the old ways of finding comfort. The Children of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt when they first met hardship in the wilderness. This is not for us. We are urged to hold fast and faithful no matter what comes our way.

Easily said, but not so easily done! Knowing God, knowing the Scriptures and staying close to Him will bring us through the hard times to the wonderful promise of Heaven on the other side.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 24, 2009

2009-03-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 10
.....not my wisdom....

Hebrews Chapter 5: 8-14 & Ch. 6:1-3

There are three main lessons for us in this passage today.

1. The words in v. 8 "He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" can be confusing. Jesus didn't have to learn to be obedient, He was already obedient because He was sinless. Yet He learned how hard it was to be obedient when He had the sins of us all placed upon Him.We know only too well what obedience and disobedience are and what they can result in. Jesus was faced with the strongest of temptations to be disobedient when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He did not want to go through what lay in store for Him -- the humiliation, the anguish, the pain -- and being separated from God. But His response to this immense temptation was "nevertheless, not my will but your will be done". So in that sense, Jesus learned about obedience. (Note: It is not sin to be tempted. It is sin to FALL into temptation.)

In the next verse the writer uses the phrase "having been perfected". Again as we have seen in previous verses these words do not mean he was imperfect before and is now perfected. They mean that Jesus, by becoming a man, going through temptation, suffering as mankind suffers, is now the perfect One for the position of High Priest AND the perfect sacrifice which would forever be acceptable to God.

2. In verses 11-14 the writer to the Hebrews rebukes the Christian Jews for not having grown in their knowledge of God. They should have been ready to be teachers and leaders but they were not. They still needed to be retaught the fundamentals of being a Christian.

I love the way the writer puts his finger right on the problem: it is by using and exercising their knowledge of God that they grow and mature. These Christians were not mature enough to discern good and evil because they hadn't used and learned the knowledge God has placed before them. They were lazy Christians!

3.From verses 1-3 0f chapter 6 it would seem that these Christians had returned to the Jewish (and Greek) cultural love of debate and discussion - chewing over and over again what what they already knew. Like a dog with an old bone they tried to get every last scrap out of the basic things that they had been taught, instead of looking for fresh meat. These wranglings were over repentance, faith and works. Issues to do with the basics of salvation. Then there was the discussions of the various 'washings' or baptisms that the Jews and Pharisees still held to; the laying on of hands and various rituals that were so much a part of the Jewish culture. In addition there was the endless speculation of the resurrection of the dead, an issue which had divided the Pharisees and Sadducees for decades. Finally the events at the end of the world was fodder for more speculation and debate.

The writer wants these Christian Hebrews to move on from those somewhat divisive or elementary issues and " go on to perfection" or maturity in Christ. There is nothing wrong with learning about these topics, but when they become the overwhelming preoccupation of Christians, the things which really matter, (the things which are edifying), are neglected.

Satan rejoices when he can get us side-tracked into arguments and debates. He is defeated when we exercise spiritual muscle that builds a mature, healthy Christian. We can do that by knowing God, not just knowing ABOUT God. We know God by knowing Jesus Christ. We know Jesus Christ through the power and revelation of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 9

2009-03-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday March 17, 2009

...Not My Wisdom...

Hebrews 5: 1-7

Jesus is our Great High Priest -- better than any who have gone before because:

1. He has been appointed by God

2. He did not need to offer a sacrifice for His sins as other High Priests had done, because He is sinless.

3. Having become man, He suffered all the intensity and pain of temptation as we have.

Christ was not High Priest after the line of Aaron, but after the line of Melchizedek. Melchizedek appears in the Scriptures only once: in Genesis 14: 18-20 . We know very little about him except that he was a priest of the Most High God and that Abraham gave tithes to him.

The comparison here between Christ and Melchizedek is meant to show that Christ was most definitely of a different order from Aaron whose descendants showed themselves to be inadequate as High Priests.

Melchizedek came from God, accepted the tithes from Abraham and presumably went back to God. In fact, he may even have been an Old Testament appearance of Christ Himself. We are not told this specifically but the fact that Abraham offered tithes to him could be an indication. Also, since God Himself has no beginning and no ending, so Melchizedek appears to have no beginning and no ending, as far as we the readers of Scripture are concerned.

The Psalmist makes this comparison referring to the Messiah as a priest after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4)

Verses 7 and 8 of chapter 5 continue to assert the fact that Christ Himself suffered here on earth, as no others have done. This was particularly when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed and almost begged God to save Him from the agony He was about to go through. The writer of Hebrews describes Him as crying vehemently and with strong tears. We don't use the word 'vehemently' often these days, but it means earnestly, fervently, heatedly, passionately. We cannot understand the depth and intensity of Christ's suffering because He has one quality which we do not. He was sinless and we are not. We suffer when we arefound guilty of something. Christ suffered so much more because he bore ALL our sins and He was innocent.

God heard Christ's prayers we know because He sent an angel to strengthen Him. But Christ still had to go through the physical and emotional agony.

This is our Great High Priest by whose suffering we are saved from death and punishment and by whose resurrection we can be SURE we have a place waiting for us in Heaven!

Praise be to our Most High God!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 11, 2009

2009-03-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 8
......Not My Wisdom......

Hebrews Chapter 4:14-16

The writer to the Hebrew Christians moves on to make yet another comparison. This time he makes the point that Christ is greater, or better than the High Priest.

The High Priest at that time was probably the most important person to the Hebrew people. He was the head of the Jewish faith and head over the Temple and those who worked there. (The Levites and priests).

The original High Priest was Aaron who was appointed by God. He certainly wasn't the best High Priest because the moment Moses turned his back he had the Children of Israel worshiping the golden calf. But he remained in that position until the day he died.

Later High Priests were not much better and eventually the position became merely a political one. When the Children of Israel went into captivity, for all but a generation afterwards until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the High Priest was the representative of the Hebrews and dominated by which ever nation was in power over his people. The position of High Priest became a coveted one because he could manipulate the political power.

The main role of the High Priest as told to Moses by God was to make sacrifices for the people's sins. He alone could go into the Temple (or Tabernacle, as it was called in Moses day). There were two rooms in the temple. The first one was the Holy Place and it had three items in it: The Table of Showbread, the Golden Candlestick and the Altar of Incense. The heavy veil or curtain behind the Altar of Incense divided the Temple into the two rooms. The second room, the one behind the curtain, was the Holy of Holies. In it was the Ark of the Covenant.

There is much that we could study about the Temple and the articles in it, but will have to do that another day. For this passage in Hebrews, we mainly need to know that only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people.

The writer to the Hebrew Christians reminds his readers that the High Priest had to make a sacrifice first for his own sins before he could sacrifice for the people's sins. But Jesus was without sin, therefore he was a better High Priest. The old High Priests were tempted and fell into sin, but Jesus, though he was tempted just as much as any of us, did not fall into temptation.

Just as the High Priest was allowed once a year to go through the heavy veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, Jesus "passed through the heavens". The old High Priest prayed for forgiveness for the people, but the sacrifices had to be made every day as well as on the Day of Atonement.

Our Great High Priest (Jesus) made the sacrifice with His sinless life and this sacrifice was totally effective, once, forever and for all. In fact, at the moment He died, the curtain in the temple in Jerusalem was ripped apart from top to bottom, showing that God accepted His sacrifice and there was no more reason for the old High Priest to continue to offer sacrifices.

In fact about 40 years later the Temple was totally destroyed by the Romans and has never been rebuilt.

Christ's sinless life, and His effective sacrifice means that we can now come boldly into God's presence. We do not have to fear God's anger or punishment for our sins. Jesus, our Great High Priest has made everything right with God, for us. He made the perfect and completely effective sacrifice, forever and for all who believe.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 4TH, 2009

2009-03-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 7
...Not My Wisdom...

Hebrews Chapter 4

If you read straight through Chapter 4 of Hebrews without any help, you might be puzzled as to what the writer is trying to say. It seems more complicated than it is because the writer was schooled in classical Greek and here he is using a technique which involves taking apart and studying the many shades of meanings of the word 'rest'.

Since we are not Greek or Hebrew scholars we can be more direct in determining what he has to say. The writer is thinking of the word 'rest' in three different ways. First he uses it as a description of what the children of Israel did after they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. They entered into the Promised Land. This was like taking a period of rest instead of continuing to battle the elements and difficulties of their wilderness wanderings. The writer compares this time of rest to when Christians are released from this world's difficulties and will enter into heaven. But we can't take this analogy too far because all those who originally left Egypt were not allowed to enter into Canaan because of their disobedience and unbelief -- and that included Moses! So we have to take this reference to Canaan as Heaven only insofar as being released from a difficult life.

The second reference to 'rest' compares God taking His rest on the Seventh Day, after having finished His work of creation. God did not take a nap or sleep on the seventh day, so this is not the kind of rest that is referred to here. God simply finished His work allotted to those six days and continued on to other things. He did not then return to Heaven because He was already there.

Back in chapter three, the writer quotes David's Psalm 95, where David also speaks of 'rest'. Referring to the Children of Israel not being allowed into God's rest, David warns his listeners that if they harden their hearts and rebel as the Children of Israel did 'way back in Moses' time, they would not be allowed into God's rest, which in this case, David means Heaven. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews says that there is still a rest available to the Christian believers. In Heaven, believers will be released from this world's difficulties and trials; they will have finished their tasks God has given them. But they will only finally enter into Heaven if they do not harden their hearts, rebel and be disobedient. If they do this it will only prove that they are unbelievers without saving faith. Notice that from chapter 3, through chapter 4, the writer says emphatically, three times:

"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..."

That is really the message the writer wants his readers to understand. They cannot be rebellious, unbelieving and disobedient and still expect to get into heaven, because true believers would not deliberately continue on with their rebellion. So beware not to fall into this kind of disobedience, because God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We may fool other people, but we cannot fool Him.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2009

2009-02-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 6

NOT MY WISDOM...

HEBREW CHAPTER 3, VERSES 1 -19

Having made the argument in Chapters 1 and 2 that Jesus is better than (greater than) the angels and not only better than man but much better qualified to make the atonement for our sin because of His sinlessness, the writer to these Hebrew Christians then proceeds to show them that Jesus is better than even their most revered ancestor, Moses.

But he moves into this topic carefully, with tact and graciousness. He does not disparage Moses or diminish the status of the Jewish faith. He simply points out that although Moses was a great and faithful prophet , Christ Jesus is worthy of even more glory than Moses, first because Moses was only a servant of God's household, ( yet a faithful one), but Jesus is the Son of the household -- that is the owner's Son. But the writer doesn't stop there, he states that the Son In fact built the house. (Verse 3). Because of that the Son has more honor than anyone in God's household. Then astonishingly, the writer identifies the Son as God Himself. "He who built all things is God" (verse 4).

Moses' task as a witness or prophet was to show through the events of his life " those things which would be spoken of afterwards" -- that is, the things which would be said, shown and done by Jesus. We know that the Feast of the Passover instituted by Moses at God's command, is a vivid picture of the death of the spotless Lamb, (the Lamb of God). The Lamb's shed blood sprinkled on the doorposts illustrated how the blood of Christ frees His people from death.

In another place, God told Moses to raise up a brass serpent on a pole because the people were dying from fiery serpent bites. Once the brass serpent was raised up, the people had only to look at it and they were healed. Jesus Himself spoke of this incident, telling his listeners that He would be raised up (as on the cross) like Moses raised up the serpent, implying that those who look to Him would be saved from death. (John 3:14).

These are just two of many examples in the life of Moses that directly link Jesus and Moses. Moses performed the tasks God gave him. Jesus fulfilled the meaning behind those tasks.

The writer then renews his warning to the Hebrew Christians not to fall away from embracing that which they have believed. The Children of Israel in Moses' day persistently rebelled against God, even though He cared for them daily and performed many miracles among them. Because of their unbelief and hardened hearts, all those who left Egypt with Moses died in the wilderness, (except for Joshua and Caleb). They did not receive God's promise: "The Promised Land". In the same way, if the Hebrew Christians in New Testament times hardened their hearts in unbelief and rebellion they could not be saved from death or receive the promise of eternal life.

NOTE:
It is interesting to me, that when the writer of this letter quotes from Psalm 95 in verses 7-11 of this chapter, he prefaces it by saying: "...as the Holy Spirit says: ..." and then he quotes the Psalm. It is obvious from this, that the writer considers the Old Testament, including Psalm 95, to be the Word of God, spoken by the Holy Spirit. They are not just words written on paper by some ancient psalmist.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS #5

2009-02-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hebrews Chapter 2, verses 11-18 ...Not my wisdom...

Part 0ne:

In the earlier chapter and verses of Hebrews, the writer argues strongly that Jesus is 100% God and as such, He is far better than mankind and better than the angels -- but better for what?

He is better -- in fact, the best, and the only One, who is/was fully qualified to hack His way through the jungle of life on this earth and emerge unscathed into the glorious clearing and enter through the gateway into heaven itself. He led the way and we must follow if we are to be with Him. He is most qualified because all others on earth are tainted with sin. Jesus was tempted just as we are but He did not fall into temptation. Because of this, as perfect man (and 100% God) He made the payment for our sins, so that we could follow behind Him and enter into heaven also.

More than that, the writer tells us that Jesus will not be ashamed of us, but will be proud to call us brethren -- his brothers and sisters,-- because we trusted in Him. In front of God the Father, He will declare our right to be in heaven with Him.

We are still struggling through the jungle, but we are following the track that He has cleared before us. We WILL make it. We know we will, because the writer tells us that the thick, thorny barriers of the jungle that Satan has placed as barriers before us have been done away with. The barriers of sin, death and the devil, have been removed. They have been overcome by Christ. Sin and death and the devil are still all around us, and Peter tells us that Satan is like "a roaring lion going around seeking whom he may devour" But He cannot devour us, because we have already put our trust in our worthy Guide and Leader. All Satan can do to those of us who trust in Jesus, is snap at our heels like a snappy little dog, trying to trip us up.

Will death overcome us at last? No, it will not. Only the empty shell of our body will die. But we, the real, true person that we are, will go to be with Christ in Heaven leaving behind our empty body, like a spent shell-casing.

Does Satan seem to be winning the battles in this world? He is not. He is throwing at us all that he has, in absolute frustration. For Christ has destroyed Satan and his end is near.

That's why Paul says, "O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?" The answer is "Nowhere!" We do not need to fear death or the grave. Jesus has done away with them.

PART TWO Hebrews 2: 5-18

I would like to keep my comments quite brief, so I opted for putting a second part to these verses from Hebrews, because I could not move on to next week's study without commenting on another aspect taught in these verses:

While Jesus is definitely 100% God, He is also 100% man. How can He be 200% of something? That doesn't seem to make sense. Nevertheless both aspects of Jesus' character are clearly taught in the Scriptures. We know this as part of the doctrine of the Trinity, and evangelical Christians accept this doctrine as Truth. Unfortunately, it is not the purpose or place for these comments to explain this doctrine here. Nevertheless, I do want to comment on Jesus's humanity, for the writer of Hebrews makes it an important point.

The fact is, that because Jesus is 100% man, He knows what it is like to be human. He knows what it is like to be tempted, because He himself was tempted and battled with temptation (without falling) throughout His time here on earth. The writer tells us that because Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted, He knows what WE feel like. If you are going through some difficult times, or are suffering pain, or have fallen into temptation, be assured Jesus knows how you feel, because He is human too (yet, I must add, fully God).

What a blessing it is to know that however much we suffer here on earth -- being tempted, being misunderstood, being lied about, feeling pain, (emotional or physical pain), Jesus understands it all! No one here on earth really knows what we are going through, but Jesus does.

For me, that is a most comforting truth. I make mistakes, I do what I shouldn't, I have good intentions that go awry, yet Jesus knows why I do these things and more than that, He knows my heart. I can't help sinning, (though with God's help I try not to), because I am a sinner. But I am a forgiven sinner -- weak and unfaithful as I am. God knows. He forgives and He strengthens. All I have to do is stay close to Him.

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS # 4

2009-02-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

...Not my wisdom...

Hebrews 2:5-9

The first three chapters of Hebrews are really part of an argument that the writer is making. He begins in Chapter 1 by making the point that Jesus is so much better than the angels. Well, of course we all know that, but to the Hebrew Christians of that day, it was important that they be reminded of this fact. Some of the Jews had quite a complicated set of beliefs about who or what angels are and what they do. We know this from what we have discovered from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Hebrew Christians had been strongly influenced by this thinking. Since they were going through a time of great persecution (it was the time of Nero and the burning of Rome) it was a temptation for them to down play the role of Christ as God hoping that they could sidestep the persecution. But there is no escaping the writer's strong argument that Jesus is much more than just an angel and though He became fully man, He is so much better and more than man. He was/is the only man who was exactly perfect to do what was necessary to restore mankind to what they were before sin entered the world.

I am so impressed with the fact that the writer uses Old Testament Scriptures to prove his points. Just as Jesus rebuffed Satan at the time of His temptations in the wilderness by quoting Scripture, so the writer is doing here. He quotes more than 15 verses of Scripture in only one and a half chapters.

Surely this is an example to us of how we can fight temptations in our own lives.

But we have to KNOW Scripture in order to USE Scripture.

That doesn't mean we have to memorize reams of verses, tho' when we were young many of us did so and that was a good thing and I certainly don't disparage it. But I think we need to become so familiar with Scripture by our constant reading of it, that we absorb it into our lives. Then the Holy Spirit can remind us of things we have read and learned when we need to be guided, encouraged and comforted -- which is most of the time!

The best reason of all for knowing and absorbing Scripture is because the Scriptures are the Word of God. John tells us that "the Word became flesh" (that is, Jesus Christ who is the Word,) then the more we know Scripture and include it in our lives the more we know Jesus and include Him in our lives.

What a wonderful thought that we can have Jesus's comforting, guiding and encouraging presence with us!

Know more of Scripture; know more of Him!

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS

2009-02-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

NOT MY WISDOM... #3

Hebrews Chapter 2:1-3

This letter was written to the Hebrew Christians, so when the writer says we should be careful not "to drift away" or "neglect" our salvation, he means that we who have experienced salvation -- the forgiveness of our sins -- should be careful. If we neglect our husbands, wives or children, our relationship deteriorates. They still remain related to us, but we are no longer close to them and our love for them diminishes.

So it is with our Lord Jesus Christ. If we neglect Him, we will drift away and our relationship with the Lord will suffer. Since we are already saved, does it matter if we do not stay close to God?

Yes, it matters a great deal, because as the writer explains here, God has already set into motion a spiritual law. That law is that "every transgression reaps a just reward". But haven't we been forgiven for our sins? Yes, that is true, but if we continue to transgress or sin deliberately or neglectfully, there are inevitable consequences that will take place in this world.

An obvious example would be that if we as Christians deliberately committed adultery, ignoring God's command not to do this, then the natural consequences can be anything from the breakdown of the family, our children's lives being affected, hurt feelings, emotional scars, sometimes shame and a bad reputation.

Yet there are many other ways in which we can ignore, neglect or drift away from God other than the obvious ones outlined in the Ten Commandments. Gossip, lust, gluttony, spitefulness, are all part of drifting away from our salvation. So is not talking to the Lord, not reading His Word, not fellowshipping with other Christians, not counting others better than ourselves, not doing good when we know we can, not caring for the poor, the sick or the lonely... the list goes on and on.

Truly God has said, what we sow we shall reap.

The writer to the Hebrews therefore URGES us not to neglect the Lord. We must do good for the Lord's sake and our salvation's sake. For if we want to be blessed, then we must bless. If we want GOD to bless us, then we must bless Him.

God urges us to nurture our relationship with Him, not neglect it by drifting away.

Verse 4 ( an explanation of a verse that is a little complicated):

The writer to the Hebrews says that our Salvation was told to us by the Lord (Jesus) and we (the writer and the apostles) can testify to that fact, for they heard Him. In addition God proved that what they heard was true by performing signs wonders and miracles for them and through them, by means of the Holy Spirit.

NOT MY WISDOM #2

2009-01-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

Are you discouraged about the world around you and even with yourself?
See what God has to say about Himself, the world and you and I.

According to the writer to the Hebrews in chapter 1 verses 1-3

JESUS CHRIST....

...has spoken to us in these last days as recorded in the Bible

...was appointed heir of all things because everything belongs to Him

...made the worlds (or ages) past and present and all that is or was in them.

...is the image of God, because He is God Himself

...upholds all things. Nothing will fall apart anywhere because he holds it all together

...purged our sins so that we may be saved from the penalty of sin

...sat down at the right hand of God, where He now is keeping everything under His control

Verses 4-14

He is greater than angels, saints and mankind because He is God's son and the angels are commanded to worship Him and only Him.

He holds the scepter of power and sovereignty

He has loved righteousness and hated lawlessness

He has been anointed KING

He laid the foundations of the earth

He will do away with it all and it, and we, will all be changed

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD THAT WILL BE!

WISDOM FOR WEDNESDAYS

2009-01-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

NOT MY WISDOM......

HEBREWS CHAPTER ONE, VERSES 1-3

I came across these words in the Bible the other day that I think puts the contents of this ancient but wise book in a nut shell. The writer to the Hebrews says that although God has spoken to mankind in the past in many different ways and at different times using the prophets and their forefathers, God has recently spoken to us again. This time he has spoken to us through His son, Jesus Christ.

He says that God appointed Jesus to be the one who makes all things in the universe and He in fact possesses them. Even more importantly he says that from Jesus shines out all the glory of God.

We need to take a breath here and try to comprehend what that means. The glory of God is so much more than we can really comprehend. But if we want to know about God's glory, we have to know Jesus Christ.

But that's not all the writer says. He says that Jesus is the "express image" of the person of God. Just as a photo of me or a reflection in a mirror of me is actually me, so the express image of God means that Jesus is actually and exactly God. You can't separate them.

The writer has yet more to say about Jesus. He says that Jesus Himself "purged our sins". Purged just means, he got rid of the unpleasant, wrong and harmful things in us -- that is, our sins.

After doing that, the writer to the Hebrews said that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God -- in the place of power -- the One whom we can see and know. God is Spirit but Jesus is the Spirit of God and though we can't see and touch God in His spirit form, we can see and know and touch God in His human form -- Jesus Christ.

That, in essence, is what the Bible is all about. God speaking to man, and we not listening. So He sends Himself in the form of Jesus, as a man, to get rid of our sins. Now He is in heaven waiting for us to acknowledge that we need to be purged and cleansed. When all of us who want to, have done this, He will come again and take us to be with Him where we can live together in peace and without sin.

"Wilberforce as an Evangelical Leftist"

2007-03-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

I was scanning blogs today to find something stimulating, worth reading and worth returning to, when I came across Prof. John Stackhouse's Weblog. The title above caught my eye (I've borrowed it for my title so you will know what to look for), and of course I had to reply, not realizing who Professor Stackhouse is. My husband enlightened me. He is the professor of theology and culture at Regent College, Vancouver, Canada. I think it was brash and bold of me to reply to someone of such stature, but I found out too late.

Anyway, for those who are as intrigued as I am by the subject of evangelical leftists, I have copied my reply below, and you can go to the professor's weblog to read his original entry.

March 31st, 2007 at 2:14 pm

You’re right about Wilberforce being a leftist evangelical of course, as were most of the many reformers in England of that day. I’ve been reading about the Earl of Shaftesbury and other evangelical reformers. John Wesley himself is often credited with having averted a “French Revolution” in England. However, these men and women directed their efforts towards horrendous injustices that were under their very noses and for which Britons themselves were responsible. When Britian acted then, she affected about one third of the world, because it came under the British Empire.

Today, so many of the horrors in the world exist under other regimes and are literally thousands of miles away. I’m thinking of Darfur, massacres on the continent of Africa, sex slavery in India, Thailand, Brunei, and much more. Not that none of these exist in America, but they certainly don’t exist to the extent and intensity of those in England in Wilberforce’s time. Trade Unions were started in England by evangelicals to combat the exploitation of the workers. But today’s supposed exploitation of the workers is minute in comparison to what was happening in England in the day of the reformers. Young children worked interminable hours in filthy and dangerous conditions in the mines and in the factories, climbing chimneys, working in brothels. Hospitals and prisons were a whole other area. Similar horrors exist in other nations today, but if America gets involved she is charged with trying to be the policeman of the world or having a hidden agenda of greed for oil.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth century the reformers dealt with national problems that had international connections. Today we face a whole different context — that of globalism.

It took Wilberforce twenty years to realize his goal and he had the prime minister, as his friend and had connections with the royal family and others of high renown. But basically he was a politician, as was Shaftesbury. Where are our politicians today, — men of character and integrity?

It seems to me that the urgent need for reform in America is in politics and the media, which propels the politicians. Instead of exporting anti slavery, today we export sleaze which degrades human life and is devoid of morality.

The social issues in America have been politicized to the point where it seems that the most evangelicals can do is donate, vote and pray.

I WENT TO THE MET - - SORT OF.

2007-03-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

I went to the Met last week. Well, not really -- but almost as good as, and some might say even better. I'm referring to the New York Metropolitan Opera. They were performing "The Barber of Seville" by Rossini. That took place in New York at the Met, but I was in San Diego. How could that be? By the miracle of modern technology.

This performance was live in New York City and broadcast live, in High Definition TV in many movie theaters around the nation. We were told that over 60,000 people were viewing that performance all in that same moment of time. I went with friends to one of the Edwards movie theaters in San Diego. It was actually performed live in New York, but seen on the large screen where ever available, simultaneously -- that's why we had to go at 10:30 am -- the time difference.

If you think opera is boring, this performance would prove you wrong. Of course the music and singing were absolutely outstanding -- that's why people go to the opera. But this time, with sub-titles, the wonderful close-ups, and the fantastic acting by the singers, it was better than being at the Met itself! Of course the well known Overture to Act 1 is always a highlight, but the orchestra played it with meticulous precision.

I won't go into too many details in case you who are reading are not opera fans. But I have to mention the brilliant, comical acting by John DelCarlo as Dr. Bartolo, the villain, and the absolutely amazing aria sung by Juan Diego Florez as Count Almavia in Act 11. The latter was literally a show-stopper! This was the first time I had ever seen this particular opera all the way through, so I was amazed at the length of this aria and the near perfection with which it was performed.

Figero himself, sung by Peter Mattei, could have stolen the show, but all the supporting artists were so great, that he was a star among stars.

If you ever get the chance to attend one of these performances, (and there will be more of them), don't miss it. You will find it spectacular, opera lover or not.

"AMAZING GRACE!"

2007-03-15T23:09:00.001-07:00

An amazing movie! We just returned from viewing it this evening. I went expecting to be assaulted by horrendous scenes of cruelty and suffering, accompanied by all too realistic sounds of torment and torture. I knew I'd have to close my eyes for half the movie. After all, how can you produce an effective movie about slavery without vivid realism to arouse disgust and anger?

How wrong I was! Masterful writing. Incredible acting. One of the truly great movies. At the end, not a dry eye in the house, but silence and nobody moved as the credits began to roll.

What a fighter for righteousness Wilberforce was! For 20 years he fought and was ridiculed; suffered defeat after defeat, and endured excruciating health problems. But God brought him to to the world for "such a time as this". Those were the days when England was great -- or rather, indivduals were: Wilberforce, John Newton, John Wesley, Elizabeth Fry, Florence Nightingale, William Carey, Robert Raikes and more. Men and women of conscience and conviction.

Go to see this movie. You will not regret it. It's a classic.

A DIFFERENT ASPECT OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

2007-03-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

About six months before he died, my highly successful, healthy and very intelligent father and I were sitting together on the floor talking to and petting his old dog, Shep. Poor old Shep was arthritic and had other medical problems. My father, who was only 68 at the time, said to me, "I don't know what I'll do when old Shep goes. I think I'll go too."

Sure enough, the day they took Shep to be put to sleep, my father had a stroke and died three days later.

The sadness is that he didn't seem to think he had anything left to live for except his dog. He was so capable and talented, yet he hadn't found anything else to make his life worth living.

Now I'm 69 and as healthy as was my father, with a cat I love dearly. But I have so much to live for, (if the Lord wills), and so much I still want to do for the Lord. I want to continue to use what gifts God has given me, for my own enjoyment as well as for that of others.

I believe the difference is that my father was, as he always said, a self made man. Now that man couldn't control his aging as he had controlled the rest of his life, there was nothing left for him to do. For him, success was only in what the world around him could see that he had achieved. Aging was failure.

That is a sobering thought, because aging comes to all of us who live long enough. There is so much more in Christ.

LIGHT, SALT AND TOLERANCE

2007-03-05T18:16:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to see Richard Cizik is getting called to order. I have had concerns about him speaking for evangelicals for several months. WORLD magazine was the first place I saw any question about what he has beeen saying, especially about global warming -- and now about over-population. That's a hot topic, which Cizik has been heard to describe as "too hot a topic" to deal with at the moment. Hmm! If not now, when?

Back in the fifties and sixties and maybe before that, the adjective 'fundamentalist' was tainted and Christians began to call themselves evangelicals instead, not liking the negative, intolerant connotations of 'fundamentalist'.

Now I see a distinct movement in the various media, branding evangelicals as fundamentalists, with all the negative extremist Islamic associations. There are those out there who would like to smear evangelicals as dangerous. No I'm not making this up. One blog I read says two things the writer hates are terrorists and evangelicals. They see us as intolerant and therefore liable to act dangerously on our 'intolerant beliefs.' I know hundreds of evangelicals, literally, and not one of them would I label as dangerous. They just have convictions.

It's that word 'tolerance' again. In today's world, tolerance is one of the most desirable characteristics to acquire. But Christians are called to be light and salt. Light reveals corruption and salt stings. We are also told to love our enemies. Being light and salt can be done graciously, while still maintaining our convictions.

POLITICALLY INCORRECT

2007-02-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

I've discovered that keeping this blog going isn't nearly so easy as the other one. It's not that I don't have any opinions or interesting things to say, but just when I get an idea, I re-think it, and then it's: "Hmm. Maybe that's not a good idea for a blog." It's the whole idea of committing one's thoughts to paper -- or in this case, to cyber space. I have second thoughts about being held accountable for what I say. But surely that's a good thing. Jesus had something to say about that.

Just recently I read about what must be one of the most politically incorrect events in the Bible. It's in the last chapter of Nehemiah, verse 25. Speaking of some of the Israelites, Nehemiah says: " I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair..."

WOW! Whatever made him do this? Did God approve? Nehemiah seems to thinks so, for only a few verses later he says, "Remember me, O my God, for good!"

But before you compare him to an extremist Muslim, read the whole story. These Israelites had inter-married with pagan women. This was the same sin that brought about Solomon's downfall and later was the reason the Israelites were taken as prisoners of war for 70 years in Babylon. Now, just as they are once again back in their homeland, settling securely into Jerusalem, Nehemiah discovers that his people are doing the very same thing. He had been laying his life on the line so his people could once again live in peace, and now this. I think we can understand his 'politically incorrect' reaction.

Are we talking here about interracial marriage as sin? NO! It is pagan women -- unbelievers that are the problem -- not to mention the unbelieving Israelite men who married them. The women brought into their husband's home, pagan gods and pagan practices, beguiling their husbands and raising their children in a pagan climate. I guess Nehemiah had reason for 'freaking out'.

Today we hardly dare call something sin, or evil, for fear of being considered intolerant. Remember when Reagan called Russia 'the evil empire'? That set up a few backs.

Just read the newspapers, watch the TV, go to the movies. There's plenty of evil in this country. I think we need some politically incorrect Nehemiah's to root it out. (Well, not quite in the way Nehemiah did it).

THE MEDIA RULES THE WORLD!

2007-02-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

The media has much to answer for.

Why don't they leave Britney Spears alone! The girl is having a mental meltdown and our media are there to record every pathetic step of the way. I know next to nothing about the girl but to torture and torment her the way our media does is as bad as anything going on in Iraq, because it could quite simply, exact the same ultimate price. They go for the jugular just to get their shot. Shameless!

Anna Nicole Smith. Now there's a sad, sad story. The media made her what she was ('though I know she is responsible for her own actions), but how much more she spiralled downwards, with their encouragement. She became caught in the nightmarish web of publicity seeking. Yes, she all but dug her own grave, no pun intended. But do we really need to know what is going to happen to her body? No, what we really want to know, or the media thinks we want to know, is what is going to happen to her money! Why is Fox News putting this out as news? Are they becoming just another network scrabbling for ratings? We need NEWS. Britney and Anna Nicole are not news. They are fodder for the press.

But then again, do we really want news? I don't read the Letters to the Editor anymore, because, in the name of tolerance, our newspaper seems to print any viewpoint no matter how venomously it is presented. I don't write letters to the editor any more either. I don't want to be among the ranters and ravers. Oh heavens! Can we really survive the projections of the pundits, the rhetoric of the recorders, the muck-raking of the mindless until November 2008?

And then there's Hollywood....but that's enough for now. I feel myself ranting.

ARE YOU CREATIVE?

2007-02-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

An open letter to the National Geographic Magazine:

Your magazine is full of the most beautiful and artistically pleasing photographs that have been chosen and created with enormous talent. Even those which have been created by Nature are presented in such a way as to enhance their innate beauty.

In the midst of all the debate about evolution and intelligent design, these photos scream at me: if evolution, when, where and how did human beings learn to create and appreciate beauty? How do they even know what beauty is? How can they define it? How is it that I can pick up some colored pencils and create a colorful, abstract design that no-one has ever created before-- truly an original?

Your magazine not only depends upon the intelligent and gifted photographer, but you depend on people like me who are moved by, and appreciate such amazing talent, and value the use of color and design.

Could it be that such creativity is produced by man because he is created in the image of God, the Great and Beautiful Designer?

INTRODUCTION

2007-02-17T16:20:00.001-08:00

Yes, my profile tells you about me, but not much. And anyway I am not the one I want to profile on this blog. What I hope to do is comment on thought-provoking events from a Christian world view. Sometimes it may arise from something I have read, or what someone has said, or even world events.

This is a blog primarily for evangelical Christians though others may be interested. But It exists not so much for debate, as hopefully, for enlightenment or a fresh viewpoint or understanding.

I will not post every day, but several times week. So keep visiting.