A Half Century Ago

On June 6, 1960 three of us in this picture graduated from Reynolds High School, home of the Tigers! The oldest looking (second from left) graduated in June of 1959--50 years ago. Although, our lives have gone in different directions, we have remained close friends through the years. Last night (2/6/209), some 13 of us gathered at the Grits Cafe in Forsyth to eat and fellowship. Afterward, we moved to the home of Brer, aka Lamar and Carey Russell for desert. We had a blast! You should have been with us! It would have made your study of theology much more interesting![l-r: Hollis Goodroe, Brer Russell, Gene Brunson, Mac Goddard]

God's Choice in Election

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? In my opinion, it is impossible to read the Scriptures without realizing that God chose His elect. Yes, I know that there are many, who will disagree with me; nevertheless, “Here I stand; I can do no other,” to use the words of Martin Luther. There is simply too much evidence for me to believe otherwise: (1) “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the days” [Mark 13:20; NASB; emphasis added]; (2) “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; . . .” [John 13:18a; NASB; emphasis added]; (3) “You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . .” [John 15:16a; NASB; emphasis added]; (4) “. . . and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” [Acts 13:48b; NASB; emphasis added]; (5) “. . . just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world . . .” [Ephesians 1:4a; NASB; emphasis added]; (6) “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation . . .” [2 Thessalonians 2:13b; NASB; emphasis added]; (7) “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved . . .” [Colossians 3:12; NASB; emphasis added]; (8) “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those . . . who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father . . .” [1 Peter 1:1-2a: NASB; emphasis added]; (9) “. . . to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son . . . and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” [Romans 8:28-30; NASB; emphasis added]. Indeed, there is simply too much evidence for me to believe anything less than God’s sovereign choice in election.
The question before us, however, is this: Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? In other words, from our vantage point, it would seem that God had some reason for choosing His elect, and my question is, did He simply choose those that He foreknew would choose Him? Did God take a long look down the corridors of time and see every person who would comprise the human race, and in seeing them, know (foreknow) who would choose Him and who would not, and simply choose those that He knew would eventually choose Him? Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election?
You think about this and I will continue on the morrow—

God Causes . . .?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5; NASB).

Friday, February 6, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
We live, as if we can somehow avoid, change, even eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of God’s foreknowledge, of His predetermined plan for our lives—we really do. Not only that, it appears that we honestly think it is in our best interest to do so! Furthermore, many honestly believe it would not have been fair for God to have preplanned our lives, as His doing so would have reduced us to mere puppets. In other words, for many it is fine for God to have foreknowledge, even perfect foreknowledge, but it is NOT fine for His prescience to have any influence over the events that happen in our lives. After all, He has given us “free will,” or so we are taught (and it feels so good to believe that, that we do!).
Take this for example: In His foreknowledge, God knew that John Doe would break his leg by stumbling over his lawn mower on July 10, 2008. Obviously, if God knew in advance (even before the foundation of the world!) that this event would take place, then it took place, just as He foreknew it would. Surely, no one would have a problem with this! The problem comes, however, when someone even hints that God’s foreknowledge determined this event, and it comes because we do not want even to think that anyone, even God, has this kind of control over our lives. To say that He allowed it, is one thing; to say that He caused it, is quite another, and it is because it eliminates any control we might think we have over our lives! To be sure, when we realize that His plan for us is contrary to what we desire for our lives, many (if not, most) of us begin doing whatever we can to avoid, change, even, sometimes, eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of His foreknowledge! Of course, the way to accomplish this is simple—have enough faith! After all, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains!
Even so, I do have this question: If it is true that God allows ONLY that which He (He, not we!) deems best, His ultimate good, to come into our lives, why, pray tell, would we want to do anything to avoid it? Why would we want to remove a “mountain” that He has placed, or allowed to be placed, into our lives for His glory and for our good?
As I said yesterday, coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. To be sure, it is one thing for me to say that I trust God; however, it is quite another for me to truly trust Him. Oh, I can talk-the-talk, but walking-this-walk, well, it is too difficult for me. I’m a weenie!
Having said all of that, I leave you with this question: Did God’s foreknowledge determine His choice in election? You think about this and I will continue on the morrow-

Trust in the Lord?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5; NASB).

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Continuing on from yesterday. I think it is safe for me to assume that most of you will agree that nothing happens in this universe unless God permits it—the good, the bad, and the indifferent (if there is such thing). Furthermore, I think it is safe for me to assume that most of you also believe that God has perfect foreknowledge, i.e. He knows exactly what He will permit to happen, when He will permit it to happen, how it will happen, where it will happen, and who will be affected by its happening. Moreover, I think you will agree that He permits nothing to happen unless He considers it “good” that it happen, not necessarily the act itself, but the events that surround the act. In other words, I think you will agree that He permits nothing to happen that would fall outside the parameters of Paul’s declaration that “ . . . God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28; NASB; emphasis added). Even so, it seems to me that most Christians sincerely believe that they somehow have the power to avoid, prolong, change, or eliminate the what, when, how, where, and who of God’s foreknowledge.
I will be the first to admit that there are times when avoiding or prolonging or changing, even eliminating what is obviously God’s plan for my life, seems like the only sane thing to do, especially for someone, such as I, whose pain threshold is rather low, who doesn’t even like to be inconvenienced. However, when I step back a bit and take another look, I always have to ask myself this: Why am I attempting to skirt around what is, obviously, God’s plan for me? Why do I want to avoid what He desires for me? Whatever my selfish reason might be, I must hasten to tell you that the most foolish thing a Christian can do is to attempt to avoid that which God has predetermined for his life. My attempting to do so can mean ONLY one thing: I really do not trust God. Well, let me adjust that just a bit: I do trust Him, but I trust Him to do what He deems best for me, not what I deem best for me.
The truth is this: Coming to that place of compliant surrender to His sovereign, predetermined plan for my life, is no easy task; in fact, I cannot do it. Even after 60+ years as a Christian, there are still many occasions in my life, when I catch myself futilely trying to manipulate around what I know is His best for me. Thankfully, He keeps on loving me, nonetheless!
Be patient with me, though, because I am old, and I am doing the best I can! Under-stand? I thought you would. (=:

Clarity or Trust (part III)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Hopefully, you gave yesterday’s perspective some thought, and are now ready for this one. Before I begin, however, I do want to make this comment: Some of you indicated in your responses that you thought Jesus “bizarre behavior” was due to the fact that He did not know what His Father was doing, that He did not know the what, when, how, where, and why of His Father’s plan for His life. In other words, His humanity trumped His deity, and, consequently, He was doing what any reasonable person would do; He was trying to dodge the unexpected and terrifying “bullets” that were so often fired at Him. In my opinion, this is far from the truth; admittedly, however, His behavior certainly prompts us to think this way. In my mind, the answer is simple: Jesus was very careful, very selective, in choosing the collateral battles He fought and for good reason—He would not be, nor did He want His followers to be, distracted from the significance of His reaching the cross at the “right time.” Everything else about His life was secondary to that mission—everything.
Sadly, the church has chosen to make the cross secondary, even tertiary, even qua-ternary to everything else, especially its theology. The truth is, the cross has become nothing more than a shiny, gold or silver (even wooden) symbol that some folk wear around their necks. What these crosses symbolize is far-removed from the true significance of the cross, which, now that I think about it, is probably why people wear them. To be sure, there is nothing about the cross, the one upon which Jesus died, that is appealing to man’s flesh—absolutely nothing.
Regardless of how it might appear, Jesus came not only to do His Father’s will, but also to do it at the “right” time—nothing more, nothing less—and He would not be distracted from that mission. Tempted? Absolutely! Distracted? Never!
Now, to move on. Actually, I raised this question, not because I am so concerned about Jesus’ “bizarre” behavior, but because I am so concerned about our bizarre behavior, our doing everything we possibly can, in order to avoid God’s sovereign, predetermined plan for our lives. If we cannot avoid it, altogether, then let us at least be late for the show! To be sure, we do NOT always know the what, when, how, where, and why of His plan for our lives, but we are very good at anticipating the very worst scenario (worst, according to our desires!) and when we do, we are just as quick to begin to attempt to manipulate around what we do not want to face, especially if it involves a cross. Interestingly, Jesus carried out His “bizarre” behavior, in order (steadfastly) to make His way to the worst of the worst—the cross; we, however, carry out our bizarre behavior in order to avoid what we perceive to be the worst of the worst (of course, for us this changes daily, even more often), which, interestingly, always proves to be His very best for us. His predetermined plan for our lives is nothing short of His very best for us—every time and always.
Not to worry, as He will keep us on His schedule, just as He kept His Son on His schedule! I appreciate what the songwriter had to say: “He makes all things beautiful in His time!”

Clarity or Trust (part II)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen” (He-brews 11:1; NASB; emphasis added).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
In following up on yesterday’s perspective, my question is this: In light of the fact that Jesus trusted His Father, even His predetermined plan for His life—absolutely, unequivocally—how do we explain His bizarre behavior? On the one hand, we know that Jesus was fully God and, consequently, He knew what God was going to do, when He was going to do it, how He was going to do it, where He was going to do it, and why He was going to do it; this cannot be denied. On the other hand, Jesus was fully man; albeit, a man, who unlike every other man, perfectly trusted His Father. Even so, His will was often in opposition to His Father’s will (“For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38; NASB; emphasis added); “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet, not My will but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42; NASB; emphasis added). To say that another way, Jesus did not allow His being God, to strengthen in any way His being a man. In fact, He was tempted, just as we are, yet, and thankfully, He never sinned (“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15; NASB; emphasis added).
Before I go any further with this, I do want to make this disclaimer: Although Jesus was fully man, He did NOT bear the seed of Adam; otherwise, in our new birth experience, He would have simply passed those sinful seed on to us, and, consequently, He could not have been our Redeemer, He could not have rescued us from sin and death because He would have been a sinner Himself.
In my opinion, we sometimes place so much emphasis on Jesus’ Deity, that we forget His humanity. Somehow, we do not seem to be able to enough make room in our belief systems for Jesus to have been a real, honest-to-goodness man; One who struggled to overcome temptation, just as we struggle; One who did not always easily submit to God’s will. In the end, then, we have a very difficult time explaining His aforementioned “bizarre behavior”!
You think about this and I will continue on the morrow-

Clarity or Trust (part I)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen” (He-brews 11:1; NASB; emphasis added).
Monday, February 2, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Although the Scriptures make it very clear that God is sovereign—in charge and in control all the time and every time—there are several passages that depict Jesus behaving as if He believes otherwise. Take a look at the following examples:
“But the Pharisees went out, and counseled together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to make Him known” (Matthew 12:14-15; NASB). Is Jesus attempting to run away from His enemies? Does He really believe that God is sovereign?
“And the Pharisees went out and immediately began taking counsel with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. And Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed: . . .” (Mark 3:6-7; NASB; emphasis added). Again, has Jesus somehow forgotten that His Father is in charge and in control, every time and all the time? Does He believe that His enemies can somehow thwart God’s plan for His life?
“And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him” (John 7:1; NASB; emphasis add-ed). What is going on? Is Jesus afraid that those who were seeking to kill Him could somehow overpower His Father? Has He forgotten that His father is omnipotent?
I must hasten to say, that in all of my reading, I have never read any Biblical scholar who even acknowledged, much less attempted to address, the significant issue of these passages—Jesus’ apparent lack of trust in His Father and in His sovereignty. In these passages (and others), it is very difficult not to conclude that Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God, the man to whom all authority had been given is making every effort to avoid those who would try to kill Him before His appointed time. It is as if He believed they had some kind of power over Him, a power that could override the predetermined plan of the Sovereign God, a power that could somehow alter God’s predetermined time for His crucifixion.
This is, to say the least, intriguing because I know-for-certain that He knew that nothing, nor anyone could alter His appointed time to die—“at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6b; NASB). YOU THINK ABOUT THIS AND I WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW.

Attracting the Masses or God's Elect?

Thursday, January 30, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The Scriptures are rather clear regarding God’s calling for Paul (the apostle): “ . . . he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Having read that, I am assuming that this means that his assignment was to spread the good news of Jesus (the Gospel!) throughout a major part of the world and to quite a diverse group of people.
After a careful reading Paul’s writings, it is obvious that my assumption is correct, as he traveled miles and miles and miles, over land and sea, doing just that he was born to do. However, he had a very strange way of doing it. To say the very least, he would have failed “Evangelism 101” in anyone’s modern-day seminary. It appears that he did everything possible to discourage people from buying-in” to his cause, rather than doing what he could to encourage people to join his cause! It seems to me that, at the very least, he could have told them what a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous life they could have, if only they would invite Jesus into their hearts. This was not to be; in fact, he did just the opposite.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of god, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:16-18; NASB; emphasis added). Yes, indeed, if God had called me to “win the world for Jesus,” to bear His name to the multitudes, this is precisely the approach I would use. Yea, right!! I can hear the invitation now: If you will just invite Jesus into your heart, I can promise you a lifetime of incredible, gut-wrenching suffering, but, not to worry, because the suffering you will be called upon to endure cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed to you in the sweet by-and-by! Come on down—confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being con-formed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11; NASB; emphasis, added). This one should really get the job of evangelism done; why, I cannot imagine a more effective invitation. I can hear it now: If you will just give your heart to Jesus, I can promise you that you will not only suffer the loss of all the things you have gained, you will suffer the loss of everything, and count all of the loss as dung! I can also promise you that you will be blessed to join in the fellowship of HIS sufferings, even be conformed to HIS death! Come on down! Walk the aisle! Confess, repent, and seek forgiveness!
I could go on and on, but I will stop here, however, before I do, let me remind you that Jesus’ modus operandi was worse than Paul’s ever thought about being—much worse!
My question: Why does the church think it must turn the offensive gospel into some-thing less offensive? Why does the church think it is acceptable to present the gospel to the masses in a way that will attract them? Why does the church think it must remove the stumbling stone, the rock of offense, from the gospel? Does it not know that that stone, that rock, is Jesus? A better question: Where did the church get permission to turn the offensive gospel into some fairy tale that guarantees health, wealth, happiness, prosperity, and suffering-free living? It does NOT have that permission!
Yesterday, one of my church members, responding to one of my perspectives, said this: You always bring us back to the cross. I responded to him with this: You just handed me the highest compliment I have ever received, as a preacher. I meant that be-cause I sincerely believe the church needs to bring her people back to the cross—the offensive, rugged cross—sermon after sermon after sermon.
The church has never been called to tell people how to live a better life; instead, it has been called to preach the offensive gospel! It has never been commissioned to “do whatever it can to attract the masses”; instead, it has been commissioned to offend the masses with the glorious truth of the Gospel.
Religion attracts the masses and offends God’s elect; the Gospel offends the masses and attracts God’s elect. Go figure-

Instructions or The Good News?

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
To be sure, the Pharisees were zealously committed to the Scriptures (the part they had!) but they missed the point: THE BIBLE IS NOT AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR HOLY LIVING! Regardless, the Jewish leaders were fully persuaded that the Bible was their “Handbook to Happiness!” They had (in their opinions!) correctly interpreted the Law (of Moses, aka The Ten Commandments); consequently, all their followers had to do in order to please God, to be happy, to live a “blessed” life, to avoid the penalty for sin, to have eternal life was to read and, then, obey the instruction manual. How simple could it get? As a test, try obeying the 210 Rules for Keeping the Sabbath Holy, that they had to obey. On second thought, go back and read the book of Leviticus and just try to understand the rules, forget about trying to obey them! Let me know how you do.
So much for the Pharisees. What about the typical, modern-day Christian? Oh, to be sure, we are zealously committed to the Scriptures, and like the Pharisees, we (for the most part) sincerely believe that we will find not only eternal life in them, but also happiness, blessings, prosperity, health, et al. Interestingly, this is the very thing that Jesus was at-tempting to correct for the Pharisees, so maybe we, too, should pay attention. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life” (John 5:39-40; NASB).
Folks, when we reduce the Bible to life’s instruction manual, we trivialize it into nothing more than “good ideas for better living,” making man the central character, rather than Jesus. Yes, the Scriptures contain many good instructions for our lives, instructions that, when followed, can make an incredibly positive difference in our lives. Consider these as examples: “Pray for your enemies”; “Owe no man anything but to love one another”; “Judge not, that you be not judged”; “Be kind to one another”; and “Do all things without grumbling”.
Now be honest: Of all the sermons you have heard, how many were crafted in such a manner, as to present the Bible as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living? How many times have you heard something similar to this, as you listened to a sermon: Obey these three principles and your marriage will improve; or obey these five principles and you will be financially free; or obey these seven (perfect number) principles and your children will make you proud. I am betting that most of what you have heard (with the possible exception of “revival week”) falls into this framework. Of course, you have to find out the “hard way” that following the principles does NOT always produce the promised result.
Until the Holy Spirit allowed me to see the Scriptures as the revelation of Jesus, the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I saw them as THE instruction manual for better, even holy, living; consequently, I read them, studied them, and preached them to that end. How often I have wished I could somehow “undo” the damage I did, especially to those who were on the receiving end of my study and preaching.
When, however, He allowed me to see that to which I was blinded, the Scriptures came alive to me; for the first time in my life, they were making sense to me. I realized that I had had the “cart before the horse”! I realized that what people needed to hear was not how to live a better life; instead, they (we!) needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, IT is the power of God for salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification)—to the Jew first but also to the Greek (Gentile)!
For some reason, the church today seems to think that once the Gospel is preached and believed, it is then time to give instructions on how to live the Christian life. Sadly, even the “gospel” is often preached in terms that communicate this tragic and false message: Becoming a Christian and, then, living a life that is pleasing to God will guarantee a better, happier life, in the here and now. In my opinion, this is tragic! Why? Because it is NOT true! Ask Paul!
In my opinion, The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be preached often, as in very often, not only to the lost, but also (and especially) to believers! Why? Because it is so easy to be manipulated into using the Bible, merely as an instruction manual, and losing sight of this fundamental truth: God has a much higher dream for my life (and yours) than mere happiness in the here and now. His dream for me is that I find ultimate fulfillment in the Person of Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Scriptures, even the Gospel. I must be reminded that Jesus is the main character in the Scriptures, the One who came, not to give me a book of instructions, but to rescue me from sin and death!

Watch Me, Jesus, and You Will Be Proud!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Why is it so difficult for us to realize that we simply cannot please God, try as we might? Maybe it is because most church-goers have been thoroughly taught that it is their responsibility to live in such a manner, as to please God. To be sure, they have been given the list of things to do and to avoid doing that make pleasing Him possible. Of course, this list varies according to the paradigm out of which the teacher teaches. Admittedly, to the casual onlooker, this sounds both reasonable and feasible, even honorable. Sadly, I know many long-time Christians who have spent their entire Christian lives striving to do the “right” things and avoid the “wrong” things, in order to please God. Most even believe they are doing a pretty good job at it! Really!
Sadly, a “pretty good job” is not nearly good enough, not even close; in fact, it doesn’t even warrant a second glance from God! First runner-up is simply a loser according to God’s system of record keeping; it makes no positive impression on Him whatsoever. I might add, Jesus never did appreciate self-righteousness (which is exactly what our attempts at pleasing God are!). Please allow me to set the record straight: God’s standard is perfection, and nothing short of that is acceptable—never has been, never will be! “There-fore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48; NASB). Remember? The Lamb had to be without even so much as a blemish! So, if you think you are going to please God by your behavior, you might do well to remember His standard.
If this is your mission, you are in good company, as this is precisely what Israel had in mind. “And all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’” (Exodus 19:8; NASB)! If you have any knowledge of the Scriptures at all, you know the rest of that story! Actually, the Pharisees were pretty good at doing what these Jews promised, but as you know, they flunked the test—miserably (read Matthew 23!). Paul said this about himself: “. . . as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:6; NASB; emphasis mine). Hey, that is “perfect,” BUT it is perfect self-righteousness, which in God’s view is as offensive as a woman’s dirty menstrual rag (strange how we seem to adore what He finds offensive)! Listen to Paul’s next statement: “But whatever was gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (vs. 7). Hmmmm . . . that sucks, well it does for those who think they are doing a good job.
To add insult to injury (obviously, without us knowing it!), Jesus came along and said this: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35; NASB). As if that were not enough, He also said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12; NASB; emphasis added). And we came along, read this, and said, “Wow! This simplifies everything; I can do this! Now, I can please God! Hallelujah! Watch me, Jesus, and you will be proud!”
As you might imagine, Jesus didn’t stop with this; instead, He continued with these encouraging, warm, fuzzy, creative words: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for His friends. You are My friends, IF you do what I command you” (John 15:13-14; NASB, emphasis mine). Love others, as He loves us? I do not think so! Not even close! Honestly, now, unless you are a narcissist, you have to admit that being Jesus’ friend “ain’t no piece of cake”; in fact, it is completely out of our reach!
The fact is this: we desperately need a Savior, aka Jesus! Without embracing His finished work, we do not have a snow ball’s chance in hell (pun intended!).
In the end, Christianity is not about our bragging on ourselves; instead, it is altogether about bragging on Jesus—the author and finisher of our faith! Go ahead and GET OVER YOURSELF!
Listen up! If you have been born of the Spirit of God (His doing, not yours!), then you are already pleasing Him, not because of what you might do, or might not do for that matter, but because of what He has done for you! God takes great pleasure in Jesus, not because of what He does or does not do, but because He is His Son, the One in whom He is well-pleased!
Please, stop talking about what you are doing for Him, and, instead, talk about what He has done for you!

Enough about Us; Let's Talk about Him!

Monday, January 26, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
The following is a quote from a book I am reading, a book that I highly recommend that you read: “The church exists in order to change the subject from us and our deeds to God and His deeds of salvation, from our various missions to save the world to Christ’s mission that has already accomplished redemption. He sends us into the world, to be sure, but not to save it. Rather He sends us into the world to witness to Christ as the only Savior and to love and serve our neighbor in our secular vocations. Evil lies not outside us but inside; it is salvation that comes from outside ourselves. Nothing the church does extends, completes, or fulfills Christ’s all-sufficient, once-and-for-all, completed work of living, dying, and rising for sinners. So enough about us! We are the sinners He saves, not the redeemers He inspires. That is the content of our witness, which is why we are heralds of the Good News rather than mere purveyors of good advice” [Michael Horton, “Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church” (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 141].
How could I ever forget the day I realized that God had not called me to “win the world for Jesus,” but to merely (and simply, thankfully) preach the Gospel? Prior to that moment, I was fully convinced that every additional “notch” I added to the spine of my Bible made a huge impression on God; consequently, I was busy “MAKING converts” and, thus, adding names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Tragically, I was devoting almost all of my energy into carrying out a task that was not mine. Until that incredible moment in my life, Christianity was about what I could do for Him, not about what He had done for me. Talk about deception!
As you might imagine, because I was convinced that I was called to “win the world for Jesus,” I was also convinced that I had been called to tell those I won how to live a much better life, aka the Christian life. The truth is, every preacher/teacher I heard in those formative years of my life was fully persuaded that Jesus came to be a role model, a role model that, if followed, would result in a truly blessed and prosperous life. You can guess the fruit of that mindset: a long list of “dos” and “don’ts” that were gleaned from not only the Ten Commandments, but also from the life of Jesus. There were a few problems: (1) no two Christians had the same list, which made things difficult to say the least, but, rest assured, I was convinced that MY list was The Correct List; (2) hypocrisy was prevalent be-cause I had to pretend that I was actually obedient to my certified-correct list!
How great I am, how great I am! Lord, I am more beautiful than silver; Lord I am more costly than gold! Come Holy Spirit, You need me! I love to tell my story of unseen things above, of me and my glory . . .! My faith looks up to me, the lamb of Calvary! ‘Tis so sweet to trust in me, just to take me at my word! Sound familiar?
ENOUGH ABOUT US!! LET US TALK ABOUT HIM!

God's Stimulus Plan!

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
This morning, I read Psalm 96 and was blown away, especially by the last three verses: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming; for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psalm 96:11-13; emphasis mine). BE GLAD, REJOICE, ROAR, EXULT, SING FOR JOY because He is coming! Wow!
You know, it really concerns me that so many church-goers sincerely believe the false teaching that “God helps those who help themselves.” What they are really saying is this: If you do not do your part, then do not expect any help from God! Now, I can understand this mindset, when it comes to welfare; but for the life of me, I cannot understand it, when it comes to the gospel.
As you know, our welfare system is broken, and it is because the US congress has promoted a system that says, “The less you do, the more help we will give to you.” Now, I am very much in favor of helping those, who really need help; however, I have long-since been fed up with giving “entitlements” to those who have no intentions of ever doing anything. In my opinion, they are “entitled” to nothing—absolutely nothing. I might add: this nation is overpopulated with those who fit into this category. Again, in my opinion, every welfare office should have a placard hanging over the door that reads: “If You Aren’t Willing to Work, Then Do Not Waste Your Time by Crossing This Threshold!” And while I am on this subject, there is a way—a very good way—to eliminate much of the cost of welfare: Require that welfare recipients be alcohol and drug free (random blood tests will save billions!). Oh, I forgot: this would violate their “rights”!
Where am I going with this? Unless there is a major turn, and I do mean major turn, in the direction our government is heading, we will soon be a socialistic nation. Unless, something drastic happens—soon—the US government will control every aspect of our lives. At the present moment, this might not seem important, but it is very, very important! Ask those who have had to live under such dire circumstances, and you will find that, well, just ask.
What about those who truly cannot help themselves? Then by all means, let us do whatever is necessary to provide for them, and let us do so with love and compassion. What an incredible privilege that would be, and what a difference it would make in the US Treasury coffers—positive difference! But for those who simply want to be parasites, leeches, and vermin, who spend all day, every day, trying to figure out how to get something for nothing, well, I will keep that to myself!
Interestingly, however, when it comes to the gospel, this is the tack God took: If you think you can save yourself, then plan to do so without My help; however, if you plan to trust Me to save you, then trust Me to do everything. If you think you can help Me save you, then plan to do so without My help; however, if you plan to trust Me to save you, then trust Me to do everything. Interestingly, God does NOT make any attempt to help those who at-tempt to help save themselves; instead, He leaves them completely alone (see Adam & Eve!) to fend for themselves.
On the other hand, to the helpless and hopeless, to those who are very aware of their desperate need for a Savior, One who does EVERYTHING, this is His Word: “Consider the lilies of the field . . . “.
Just for the record: My hope is NOT in the US Government; not in the new administration; not in the “stimulus plan”; instead, it is in the God of Creation, and in His Son, Jesus Christ—the One who died for me because I could do nothing to help myself! I couldn’t believe, I couldn’t choose, I couldn’t behave, I couldn’t ask, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t crawl, I couldn’t follow, I couldn’t do anything—I was dead, and dead folk do nothing! Thankfully, He did not raise the dead; instead, He brought into existence a new creation, one who is alive to Him!
This is God’s stimulus plan and it works for me: “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming; for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness”!
Jesus is coming again and He is coming without reference to sin! “. . . so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await him” (Hebrews 9:28).

Oops! Sorry, I was so long-winded!! Well, not real sorry, but somewhat sorry.

Set up!

Friday, January 23, 2009
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Today, I spent some time with a couple in my flock, and what a time we had. They are both 80 years old and truly love Jesus. When I walked into their den, I began to hear the familiar music of the Gaithers. My friends were sitting at their kitchen table, not three feet away from their small TV, glued, as it were, to the picture and, especially, to the music. Instead of interrupting, I sat down and joined them. Soon all three of us were crying, as we listen to David Ring speak these words (my version of them): “If you don’t like the way I am, be patient, as I am in the oven and God is in the kitchen, cookin’. One of these days, when He finishes cookin’, He will open the door of that oven, pull me out and say, ‘Well done thy good and faithful servant’” (In case you don’t know, David has Cerebral Palsy!)! Anyway, when he finished speaking, he began to sing this hymn (please read the words carefully, even sing them, if you will): There is coming a day, when no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky, No more tears to dim the eye, All is peace forever more, On that happy gol-den shore, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear, No more sickness, no pain, No more parting over there; And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be!
When you are sitting with two people who are 80 years old, have been married for over 63 years, who have one foot in heaven and the other on a banana peel, and really love Jesus, and they call you “pastor,” well, let me say it this way, the Holy Spirit set me up for quite a time! In those precious moments, my mind was not pondering predestination, election, choice, grace, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Calvinism, Arminianism, or sanctification; instead, I was basking in the fruit of the glorious fact that I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; I, even I!
These words are still ringing in my heart: When He takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be. And forever I will be, with the One who died for me! My, my, even the thought that One would die for me!! I dare not ask, “Why?”
I guess I just want you to know that I am very thankful that the Holy Spirit set me up today and, in doing so, reminded me of His indescribable gift. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. All His doing!! Hallelujah!

Questions, Questions, and More Questions!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Because of the responses to my recent perspectives, I have been spending an unusual amount of time answering questions: some from believers who, having no agenda, just want to know truth; others from believers, who are out to prove that “they are right and I am wrong”; and others from believers who, for the most part agree but are having a difficult time “putting off the old” and “putting on the new”. Amazingly, I am also receiving many responses from people who are in full agreement, and actually encourage me on! In either case, I trust that the dialogue will continue. It is my determined purpose to respond to your questions in a way that will encourage the dialogue, not discourage it, but it is not always easy to accomplish that, due to the nature of the thesis (opinion) I might be offering, especially when it involves election, predestination, choice, and grace.
Having said that, I can make this one observation: It is very difficult for Christians to relinquish control. For obvious reasons, it is very difficult for those of us who live on planet earth even to consider the possibility that God is God and He can, therefore, do whatever He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases—all without any input from any of us. For some reason, we are fine with His being God, as long as He thinks the way we think and acts in ways that do not offend us. In fact, most denominational doctrines have been built around our attempts to fit God into our world view, rather than our fitting into His world view. In the end (and in the middle, too!), this means that God must also believe what we believe, not the other way around. As you know, we are quite adamant about this, as is evidenced by the division that exists between believers, rather than the unity that should exist.
No, I am not implying that Buddhists and Muslims and Hindus and Christians should be unified around theology, but I am implying that Christians should realize that what we have correctly identified as truth, is so infinitesimally small in comparison to the whole of truth, that there is plenty of room for all of us to be wrong, very wrong, and there is certainly enough room for us to live together in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace. In other words, we should be able to discuss the most difficult of theological matters without becoming enemies, without judging one another, without distancing ourselves from one another, and (especially) without the fear of being rejected.
In other words, I really want to encourage you to ask questions, state your beliefs, argue with me, challenge me, jump up and down with me, and I want you to do so because, well because when Truth finds you, you will be glad you did.

A Couple of Calvinists

Dear Fellow Travelers,
For some of you, I have (of late, at least) been pushing the proverbial “envelope” pretty far, and you have reacted (in love, of course); on the other hand, there are those of you who have been most comfortable, even encouraging me to continue. Truthfully, I enjoy the dialogue, especially when someone is sincerely searching for truth. On the other hand, I really don’t mind the “attacks” that come because I know that truth will stand on its own two feet; thankfully, I do not have to defend it. I really am too old to take on that project!
It is sad, however, that many people are so convinced that their belief system is absolutely, positively correct, that they cannot fellowship with those who disagree with them. It makes me wonder if they realize just how prideful that stance really is; after all, God is The Creator and The Sustainer of this universe. In light of that fact, I have the strong feeling that not one of us has even scratched the surface, when it comes to knowing theological truth. To be sure, this writer is well-aware of his ignorance, and the older he becomes, the more he realizes just how little he knows. Thankfully, the older I become, the more I realize that it is really OK for me to know little, and it really doesn’t disappoint God because He already knows it. Imagine that!
Anyway, yesterday I had lunch with a dear friend, a comrade in theology (he is every bit as Calvinistic as I am; maybe even more so, if that were possible!), and we had a great time. He is better read than I am, but I can almost keep up with him, most of the time. His working knowledge of the Scriptures is far above most folk that I know, (yes, including me, which really isn’t saying much!), but most of the time, I do know from whence he cometh and can, therefore, continue the dialogue.
Now, you have to understand this: We both bleed Calvinism. I know that some people bleed “red & black” and others bleed “blue & gold” and some don’t bleed at all, but we bleed Calvinism. Truth is, neither of us like to be placed in such a pigeon hole, but doing so in the moment simplifies my making my point, if you know what I mean by Calvinism. If not I will help you. Do you remember the acronym T U L I P? Well, again, if you don’t, I will help you: Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistible grace; and Perseverance of the Saints. Just to set the record straight, some prefer Definite atonement but that ruins the acronym! (It is the foundation of the Baptist doctrine but they don’t know it!)
My Point: Although both of us are well-aware of our ignorance and our need to be teachable, iron does sharpen iron, especially when there is love and freedom! Because I love him and because I have the freedom to do so, I want to ask you to pray for my friend, as he listens to that still, small Voice.

No Contingencies!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
The truth is most believers cringe even at the thought that God would exclude anyone from the opportunity of being saved (justified by faith). As a result, the overwhelming majority of those who call themselves Christians believe (1) that Jesus shed His blood for everyone; (2) that God extends the invitation for salvation to everyone; and (3) that it is up to the individual to choose whether or not he/she will accept it and, thus, experience justification by faith. Unfortunately, there is a significant problem with this mindset: it places the onus for justification on man, not on God, and it allows for man by his choice to determine the efficaciousness (the power to produce a desired and positive result) of the sacrificial blood of Jesus, not blood itself.
Allow me to place this example on our “table of discussion”: Jesus shed his blood for our beloved John Doe and extended the offer of salvation to him. John, however, repeatedly refused to accept the invitation, and he, eventually, died and went to hell. At this point, we must face a couple of theological conundrums: (1) the blood of Jesus was not efficacious for John Doe, which, to say the least, is puzzling and confusing, or (2) the efficaciousness of Jesus’ blood was in John Doe’s choice, not in the blood itself, which is just as puzzling and confusing; in fact, both are completely unacceptable. The sacrificial blood of Jesus is ALWAYS efficacious, contingent upon nothing—absolutely nothing!
Now, IF we are going to conclude, like most, that Jesus shed His blood for everyone and IF we are going to conclude that God extends His invitation for salvation to everyone, and IF we are going to conclude that it is up to the individual to choose whether or not to accept God’s invitation, then we must also conclude (1) that everyone is Heaven bound (no one is going to hell), or (2) that God is, somehow, the victim of man’s choice. Obviously, neither of these conclusions is acceptable Biblically.
Listen carefully to this passage from the ministry of the early church: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48; emphasis mine). Who believed? As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed! Who appointed them? Go figure!
If that doesn’t convince you, consider this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:3-4; emphasis mine).
Indeed, you have a choice, but it is confined to the parameters of God’s providence, and for that you should be forever grateful; otherwise, you would be forever damned be-cause you would never choose Him. Remember this? “I chose you; you did not choose Me!”

One or the Other!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Today, I want to take a brief detour from our study of Hebrews 10, in order to clarify something that some seem to fail to understand and that “something” is this: From the Garden of Eden until the return of Jesus, there have been and will continue to be only two kinds of people—the redeemed and the rest.
Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone belongs to the family of God, i.e. not eve-ryone is redeemed, far from it. Thankfully, it is not my job to judge who is in His family and who is not, but this is for certain: some belong to another family, namely, the family of Adam. The truth is this: all of us are physically born into Adam’s family and, thus, have his seed in our loins; however, as the result of Jesus’ vicarious death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, some of us die and are born again into the family of God—altogether His doing—and now have His seed in our loins, which makes us His children!
Furthermore, belonging to His family is by invitation only—His invitation, not an altar call, even an intense one—and believers, in spite of their desires, do not cause Him to adjust His list of invitees. He prepared His list of invitees before the foundation of the world, and He did so without our influence. Obviously, this tells us much about the manipulative schemes of evangelical evangelism! If anyone could have talked God into adding some of His friends to the list, Paul could; however, even he could not get it done (read Romans 9:1-5). Oh, yes, I know what you are thinking (quoting!): “Whoever will may come” and “Whoever believes in Him might have eternal life”! Unfortunately, you are placing the emphasis on the “whoever” and not on the “will” and the “believe”.
You see, when we were in Adam’s family, we were dead to God and, consequently, it was impossible for us to “will” (desire) to come to Him, just as it was impossible for us to believe in Him. Dead is dead, and dead neither wills nor believes, especially in that to which it is dead! So, we can say that “whoever wills may come”; in fact, we can say that “whoever wills WILL come, no doubt about it; however, we must quickly add that only those who are on God’s Invitation List can “will” to come. Of course, we must also quickly add that even those cannot come, until He moves them from death to life! At this point, they do have a choice, but only ONE choice—to live in Christ as a member of God’s redeemed family, with all of its benefits and privileges (and they are many).
You (whomever you are!) are either one of God’s elect or you are not, and there is nothing you can do about that—period. Strangely, if you are not, you have no desire to do anything about it, anyway! If you are, I can almost promise you that this “perspective” has stirred your emotions.

A Better Way of Life?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Who deserves the most severe punishment? We all do!!—every last one of us—which is why we do NOT want God to be fair. “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (you and I) are all under sin, as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one (this includes you and me, especially me); there is none who understands (why can’t we get this?), there is none who seeks for God (so much for the ‘seeker-friendly’ mentality that pervades the church today); all have turned aside, together they have become useless (gosh!); there is none who does good, there is not even one (eliminates you and me, even the Pope!)’” (Romans3:9-12; parenthetical comments, mine).
You see, the poor, old chap who was stoned to death for picking up sticks got what he deserved because he fell into the above category, not because he violated one of the Ten Commandments. He, like you and I, was born in Adam—a sinner, who could not make it on his own, especially, if doing something as benign as picking up sticks would cause him to fail the test for righteousness. You see, his birth was his problem, NOT his behavior. He could not please God by keeping the rules because keeping rules does not please God—never has, never will. It is only Jesus, who pleases God, and, thankfully, He pleased Him in your behalf, i.e. IF (and only IF) you are one of those He chose for redemption.
It is obvious to me (and I have been around the block a time or two!) that the mes-sage of the church today (sadly!) is that Jesus came to show us how to live a better life, to be an example for us to follow, to help us improve our ability to obey the Ten Commandments. Folks, this is NOT why Jesus came, not even close! The message of the gospel is not what most seem to think; it is not “if you obey God, He will bless you with health, wealth, and wisdom”! Listen up! Jesus came because God knew that were incapable of righteousness on our own! He came to accomplish for you what you not only could never accomplish on our own, but also what you did not desire (and could not desire) to accomplish on your own, or with His help for that matter. He came to create a new creation in Christ Jesus, not a remodeled version of a corpse (we are born into the world dead to God!). As an embalmer, I “remodel” corpses all the time, but, inevitably, when I finish, all I have is a dressed-up dead man (or woman). Trust me, God did much more than that for His elect! He gave us the very life of Jesus!!
By the way, if you are one of those who believes that Jesus came to show you a better way to live your life, you are also one of those who tramples underfoot the Son of God and regards the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and insults the Spirit of grace.
Please give this some thought--

Who Deserves What?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Continuing from yesterday: In light of our foolish desire for God to be fair, who deserves the most severe punishment, those who pick up sticks on the Sabbath, or those who trample underfoot the Son of God, and regard the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and insult the Spirit of grace? Yes, I know—the latter, not the former, as he was punished far beyond any semblance of fairness. Why in the world would a loving God want to dole out such harsh punishment, for such a minor infraction? (The answer to that is important!)
Let me “modernize” my question with this: Who deserves the most severe punishment, the cashiers that work at Wal-Mart on Sunday, or the church-goers, who judge the cashiers for working on Sunday? Careful!
Now listen up: there is not one, single thing in the Bible that tells us not to work at Wal-Mart on Sunday—nothing, nada, zilch; however, there is much that tells us not to judge one another. The church, however, never says much about judging (I wonder why!), but it is constantly preaching the dangers of failing to keep the Sabbath Day holy! Will we ever learn that the Sabbath in no longer a day of the week, but the Person of Jesus? Hmmmm-
Let me put a slightly different twist on my question: Who deserves the most severe punishment, those who teach that our keeping the Ten Commandments is an essential part of our justification and sanctification, or those who teach that our keeping the Ten Commandments has nothing whatsoever to do with our justification and righteousness? Re-member: throughout church history, heretics have never been treated very kindly, so be careful how you answer!
One more time: Who deserves the most severe punishment, those who teach that it is our responsibility to faithfully use our energies to win the world to Jesus, or those who teach that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and leave the “winning” to Him? I will tell you this: the former group is much larger than the latter—much larger!
Now, in the above, I have given you some examples of “trampling underfoot the Son of God,” of “regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant,” and of “insulting the Spirit of Grace.” Can you identify them?
Finally, which group deserves the most severe punishment?

Yes, I will continue this on the morrow!!

What Punishment Do We Deserve?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Although I have read this verse many, many times and taught it’s meaning to a host of people, it still affects me like few others: “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29; emphasis added; NASB)?
As you know, the author is contrasting the punishment these sinners deserve with the punishment the Jews actually received when they disobeyed the Law (not only the Ten Commandments, but also all of the interpretations the Jewish leaders imposed upon them). For example, each of you remembers the story of the man who was caught picking up sticks on the Sabbath, and, as the result, was condemned to death by stoning (please read Numbers 15:32-36). In my mind, this was a rather harsh sentence for such a minor infraction; however, God was his judge and this is what He had to say: “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp” (vs. 35).
Hopefully, you already see this; however, just in case you missed it, I will make it evident: When one is living by the Law, grace is scarce, as scarce as hen’s teeth. It would be quite a stretch to even imply that God was being gracious to this chap! The fact is this: He got what he deserved!
Yes, I know you are asking how could he have deserved such a harsh sentence for such a minor infraction, but let me remind you that in God’s economy there are no minor infractions—none whatsoever! Oh, we think we want God to be fair, especially, if He is going to judge us, but please believe this: you really do not want Him to be fair. Should He decide to be fair, every one of us would wind up in hell, and we would be receiving exactly what we deserved.
Now, this is our question: In light of our desire for God to be fair, how much worse punishment do you think those deserve, who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, and have regarded the blood of the New Covenant as unclean, and have insulted the Spirit of grace, as compared to the punishment the man who picked up the sticks received?
Please give this some thought, and I will continue tomorrow-

Insulting the Spirit of Grace!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yesterday, I promised to continue what I started, so here goes. As a reminder, here is the text: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (vss. 26-31).
First, it is very, very important that we accept the sacrifice for sins that Jesus made in our behalf; otherwise, we will live in the fear of that terrifying expectation of judgment, to which the author of Hebrews refers, and rightly so. Yes, most Christians will quickly say that they accept His sacrifice, but the fact is most do not. Herein lies the deception: they accept His sacrifice but only as partial payment for their sins, adding not only their futile attempts at keeping the Law, but also their own confessing, repenting, and asking for forgiveness, in order to complete the “deal.”
Now listen up! There is NO “deal”—period! God does not make deals; He is not in the used car business. Here is the fact: When we add anything to the finished work of Jesus, we are refusing to accept His sacrifice for our sins; thereby, trampling underfoot the Son of God AND regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified (made holy), not to mention, INSULTING THE SPIRIT OF GRACE!
Here is another fact: In the days of the Old Covenant, anyone who set aside (disobeyed) the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Since that is true, how much more severe punishment do you think those deserve who are trampling underfoot the Son of God, AND regarding as unclean the blood of the covenant by which we were sanctified (made holy), AND INSULTING THE SPIRIT OF GRACE? The answer is rather obvious! A much more severe punishment is warranted—very much more!
Stop making things so complicated and so self-centered; instead, simply, accept His sacrifice for your sins, adding nothing, as it is perfect and complete, completely satisfying God’s requirement for our justification, sanctification, and glorification!
Remember: GRACE says we do not get what we deserve! Hallelujah!

Terrifying Expectation?

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yes, there is another “strange doctrine” that Hebrews 10 clears up for us and it is this: If, after receiving the good news of the gospel, you should continue willfully sinning, you can certainly expect to burn in Hell’s furious fire; after all, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hand of the living God. This is a “strange doctrine” indeed—even heretical!
OK, let us be honest: if this “ strange doctrine” is true, then every last one of us should rush out an purchase a high-tech asbestos suit because we are headed for that furious fire, like a loaded freight train, going downhill without brakes—even worse. Come on guys and gals—fess up! Every time we disobey God (which is often!), we do so willfully! Listen, we need our Savior—all day and every day! Without the benefit of His finished work, working in our behalf, we would be in serious trouble—very serious—but thanks be to God, that benefit is perfect and complete. We, therefore, never again need to live, even for a moment, in the terrifying expectation of God’s wrath—never again!
This is what the author of Hebrews says about this (listen carefully, or you will miss it!): “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God’ (vss. 26-31).
Now, with that I am going to make a simple comment, encourage you to give it some thought, and continue this tomorrow: The author of Hebrews is simply reminding us that there is but one sacrifice for our sins, and if we reject that sacrifice, there is no other; consequently, in our effort to find one, we will find ourselves living in that terrifying expectation of judgment, and being cast into that furious fire. [NOTE what he did NOT say!]
I will add this: There are many, many church-goers who, because they reject that one Sacrifice, live in that terrifying state 24/7!

Cease Striving and Enjoy!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Yes, I know it is Saturday afternoon and many of your are watching a football game; however, I do want to get one more “Hebrew’s clarification of strange doctrines” in before the day is done. This is the strange doctrine: Confessing, repenting, and asking God for forgiveness are essentials for the believer’s continued sanctification [Please note that I said this is a strange doctrine, as in erroneous, false doctrine].
You see, this is another of those man-centered doctrines that places the onus for the believer’s continued sanctification directly upon the believer, rather than where it belongs—upon God. Yes, they do have a place but that is for another perspective, and, just for the record, their place is probably not what you think.
Anyway, if confessing, repenting, and seeking forgiveness are our means to continued sanctification (righteousness), then we really do not need Jesus, unless, of course, we take the position that righteousness is the result of both of us making our respective contributions, which is the epitome of heresy. The fact is this: we have nothing to contribute, absolutely nothing, that could even hint at assisting in our being justified, or in our continued righteousness. I find it incredible that most (well, many) believers readily confess that justification is accomplished by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone, but few act as if that were true, regarding either their justification or their sanctification. The mentality is typically this: I must do my part, so God can (will) do His part. Talk about self-righteousness! Whatever happened to grace?
This is what the author of Hebrews has to say: “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . . . For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin” (vss. 10, 14-18).
The fact is this: Jesus did far more for us than most of us have been willing to accept, and, consequently, we live far-short of the abundant life He died to provide for us. Guilt rules and reigns, and in an effort to rid ourselves of it, we confess, repent, and seek forgiveness from the God, who has already not only forgiven us, but also raised us up with Him and seated us in Christ at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Why not stop striving to become what you already are—as righteous as Jesus is righteous—and begin to enjoy the more abundant life that He died to provide for you?

Behold the Lamb of God!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Another of the “strange doctrines” that Hebrews 10 clears up for us is this: We must continually be reminded of our sins and of our sinfulness; otherwise, there will be no repen-tance, and our behavior will continue to deteriorate.
Obviously, I cannot speak for you but I can tell you that by the time I was 12 years old, I had heard enough sermons, that reminded me of my sins and of my sinfulness, to have been more than convinced of both. To say the least, I was a very sin-conscious Chris-tian, who had no idea of the righteousness of God in Christ! By the time I reached my 15th birthday, I was fully persuaded that one of the things that marked me as a “good Christian” was my extreme consciousness of my own sin and of my sinfulness. Of course, the fruit of this “strange doctrine” was a very judgmental teenager, one who was quick to see the sin in the lives of others, as well as their sinfulness, and eager to point out both.
As you might imagine, I spent most of my time not only repenting of my sins, but also trying to coerce others into doing the same. In other words, the “altar call” was my best friend, as it gave me plenty of opportunity to do both.
Actually, I would have made a very good Jew, as I would have loved the Day of Atonement. Think about it: Once a year the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat, thus atoning for the all the sins of Israel for the previous year. He would then figuratively place these sins upon the head of a scapegoat, and another would take the scapegoat and the sins, as far into the wilderness as he possibly could, to lessen the chances of their return! Of course, this was the day of days for the Israelites because the burden of their sins was removed. BUT!
That’s right—BUT! This was an incredible day, BUT it was short lived because the very next step was a step of sin-consciousness, and, sadly, it continued until the next year and the next Day of Atonement. “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year” (Hebrews 10:3). Truthfully, there isn’t much difference between the way I lived my Christian life and the way the Jews lived their Jewish lives, and that is a sad documentary.
There is good reason for this journey in futility and it is this: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Incredible, we know this and, yet, we continue to live, as if the blood of bulls and goats (actually our repentance!) can take away sins. Listen up: There is but ONE cure for our sin problem and it is NOT our repentance, nor is it our sin-consciousness, nor is it anything BUT the blood of Jesus! End of sentence! “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”! No more con-sciousness of sin; instead I live in the consciousness of His righteousness, imputed to me!

No More Sin Consciousness!

Dear Fellow Travelers,
As you remember, in my last perspective, I noted that Hebrews 10 puts to rest many of the “strange doctrines” that seem to permeate the church, and I offered several exam-ples, that I trust were meaningful to you. Today, I want to point out another of these “strange doctrines” and offer the Hebrews 10 clarification. Hold on to your seat!
This is the “strange doctrine”: God did His part by sending Jesus to die for our sins, paying the penalty in full; as a result, God, graciously, imputed His righteousness to us. We, however, must do our part by striving to live holy lives, i.e., by consistently improving our ability not only to keep the Ten Commandments, but also all of the interpretations of them, that the church imposes. When we fail to “measure up,” which is often, our resulting sin-consciousness (guilt) is God’s way of bringing us back in line (repentance), and, thereby, preventing our losing His imputed righteousness.
As most, if not all, of you know, many of the preachers of the church have taken on the responsibility of being sure that this doctrine is propagated by preaching sermon-after-sermon that is specifically designed to heighten the listener’s awareness of his/her sin-consciousness (guilt). The rationale is this: Making believers feel guilty is the most effective way to get them to repent and turn from their sins. Guilt will always bring them to the altar!
This is the Hebrews 10 clarification: “For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sin” (Hebrews 10:1-2; emphasis, added)? Hmmmm-
Thankfully, there are those who are seeing the truth and beginning to tell their lis-teners the good news: Jesus did His part and our part and, then, sat down, not because He was tired but because God’s plan of redemption was finished. Having once been cleansed, there is NO MORE SIN CONSCIOUSNESS!
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NASB; emphasis added).
I wonder how this will affect preaching? To be sure, many preachers will be without a message!

A Few Clarifications

Dear Fellow Travelers,
Admittedly, Hebrews 10 is one of my favorite chapters, and it is because it put to rest so many of the “strange doctrines” that seem to permeate the church. Take this passage for example: ‘“Behold I have come to do Thy will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vss. 9-10).
Clarification #1: Jesus came to do His Father’s will, i.e., to give His life, as the only acceptable sacrifice, in order that we might be made holy, through His imputed righteousness; He did not come to show us how to live better lives, so we could, eventually, measure up to the Law’s requirement.
Clarification #2: Contrary to popular belief, through His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, Jesus took away the first covenant [the Old Covenant of Law] and established another; namely, the New Covenant, a new and better covenant, with better promises (see. 8:6). In other words, we do NOT live under the Old Covenant of Law; it has no jurisdiction over us [be thankful that it doesn’t!], never has, never will. So get over it! We do not need 10 commandments (or 20 for that matter!); instead, we need the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us!
Clarification #3: Holiness is not something we achieve (acquire); instead, it is something He acquired for us, and freely gave to us—no strings attached. We have been sanctified, not by our works or efforts at better behavior, but through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Please do not attempt to dilute this by adding, “Yes, but . . .” There is no “yes, but!” Your behavior has no more to do with your being holy than the color of your hair have to do with your appetite. Remarkably, a pig is a pig because of his birth, not because he wallows in slop, eats acorns, has a curly tail, and makes good pork chops. You are holy because of your birth (your second birth into Christ Jesus!), not because you read the Bible every morning, fast every Tuesday, give to the poor on Friday, memorize Psalm 119, refrain from sex before marriage, and refuse to drink booze.
Clarification #4: The offering of the Body of Christ is of far more importance than the church seems to realize, as is evidenced by her continued efforts to manipulate people into behaving according to someone’s set of rules, and thus living more holy lives, rather than, simply, encouraging people to rest in His finished work!
Grace lavished,
Mac

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Good golly, Miss Molly; this is the last day of 2008 and I ain’t near finished—not even close! I mean, heck, the clothes are still hangin’ on the line; the hogs ain’t been kilt the yards ain’t been swept; the cemetery ain’t been cleaned; the barn ain’t been painted; the pigs ain’t been cut; the wood ain’t been chopped; the fence ain’t been mended; the soap ain’t been made; the eggs ain’t been gathered; the hay ain’t been kevered; and of all things the cow ain’t been milked, so we ain’t got no milk, cream, or butter. Shoot, I ain’t hardly got time to finish by the end of the day. I shore am glad that someone else done figured out that “what don’t get done today, will still be there a waiting tomorrow (although I do feel sorry for the cow)!” I shore hope the sun will be a shinin’; otherwise, I ain’t never gonna get all caught up!
Even so, I am trusting that, during 2009, you will not allow all the stuff of life to distract you from the simplicity and purity of knowing Christ, whom to know is eternal life; that you will find yourself consistently resting in His finished work and, thereby, avoiding spiritual burnout; that you will have ears to hear what most miss—His still, small voice—and, thus, be clued-in to what really needs to be heard; and that you will have eyes to see what many cannot see—the miraculous truth of the one True Gospel—and, thus, not be deceived by the well-intentioned religious, who would rob you of the joy and freedom of knowing Him!
I have truly enjoyed writing these perspectives this year and, even more, I have appreciated all the comments you have made (both positive and negative!), but most of all, I appreciate you and your love and friendship!

May He continue to bless your life with the riches of His lavished grace,

Mac Goddard
12/31/08

Confused? Missing the point?

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 [CHRISTMAS EVE!—a bit sunny and 470],
Maybe the entire universe is confused! As I sit at my computer, thinking about what I want to say to you today, it suddenly dawns upon me that I am watching a most unusual happening: there are about 50 robins pecking around in my backyard, looking for worms. Folks, this ain’t springtime; it’s Christmas Eve and 470F!
As if that were not enough, as I watch the robins, I also watch as a golfer walks to the edge of the small lake on #16, to approach his ball. In order to hit it, he has to stand in the edge of the water and he does (he can only be my friend, Travis; no one else loves golf that much)! Folks, this ain’t springtime; it’s Christmas Eve and 470F!
Today is Christmas Eve and that means that tomorrow is Christmas Day, and unless I am confused (which is entirely possible!) this is the time we (Christians) celebrate the Birth of our Savior, aka Jesus; however, the part of the population I can see is just about as confused as the robins and the golfers. Yes, I realize that not everyone “celebrates” His birth the same way I might celebrate it, but Robins in December seems a bit strange to me. Surely, golfers standing in water in December is more than a bit strange (well, for everyone but my friend, Travis).
Yesterday afternoon, I took my granddaughters from our house to their paternal grandmother’s house in Byron, via Gray, which meant that I was privileged to travel the highways for quite a spell. Trust me on this: it seemed that everyone was taking somebody someplace and they all chose the same time I chose to make the trip. In other words, the traffic was horrendous!
As you might imagine, I was in no hurry, as I just don’t hurry much anymore, espe-cially at Christmas. At this point in my life, I am designed more for comfort than I am for speed, or so one of my friends told me, so I was just tooling along, enjoying Sydney and Caroline, as we sang various Christmas songs—celebrating Christmas—and wondering why everyone was in such a rush to get someplace. Didn’t they know it is Christmas?
Later in the evening, Annis, Michael and I decided to go out to eat, as no one wanted to cook, and Annis needed to pick up something at one of the stores at the new mall. Eating was a piece of cake, but EVERYONE in Georgia had gathered at the mall (or so it seemed) and EVERY ONE of them was in a HURRY to do what they apparently did not want to do, in the first place (or so they acted!)—buy Christmas presents for people they apparently didn’t even like.
I don’t know for sure, but it surely seemed that they were missing the point, aka confused, as to what this season is really about, namely Him, not us! Maybe the entire un-iverse IS confused! Slow down! Take a deep breath! Celebrate Jesus!

The Forerunner of Jesus

Saturday morning, December 20, 2008 [cloudy and 670],
During this Christmas season, let us not forget John, the son of Zacharias and Eliza-beth; you probably remember him as John the Baptist (although I don’t remember reading anything about him ever joining a Baptist church!). Actually, it is probably a bit more accurate to call him John the Baptizer, but, then, that will probably make all the Baptist folk angry, because some of them really do think he founded the Baptist church. Oh, well—
Call him whatever you choose, but this is the truth of the matter: God was rather emphatic that the folk call him John: “And it came about on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. And his mother answered and said, ‘No indeed; but he shall be called John.’ And they said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.’ And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet, and wrote as follows, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished (Luke 1:59-63).
In case you have forgotten, this is what Gabriel (the angel) said to Zacharias prior to the aforementioned meeting: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while he is yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17; emphasis, added).
Sometimes (all the time, really!), it is best to stop arguing and fussing and making excuses and to simply do what God says do—even if it doesn’t make any sense. Heck, I have no idea why it mattered so much to God that this child be named John; as far as I am concerned, He could have named him Zacharias (at least it would have made more sense). Actually, I would have been completely satisfied with “Little Bo Peep,” or even John Calvin, but the fact of the matter is that He wanted Him named John, and that is enough for me.
If you will go back and read the third paragraph, you will readily see that God had a very specific and quite wonderful purpose for John; I mean, this is awesome! Were it not for the last sentence, one could confuse him with Him! There was, however, this one drawback: “And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel” (Luke 1:8; emphasis, added). Why would God want this handpicked “John” to live in the desert, eating locusts and wild honey and wearing leather skins, for such a long time, prior to his actually doing all those important things? Hmmm, I thought you would want to remember him during these days!

He Touched My Friend!

Thursday night, December 18, 2008 [warmer, PTL!],
This afternoon I visited someone who has lung cancer and is presently living in a rehab facility. He is trying to regain the strength that both the illness and the treatment have robbed from him. The mountain he is attempting to climb is much too high, every step leaves him almost breathless; yet, he looks forward to being released from this facility and returning to his home, where he lives—alone.
When I walked into his room, he had a visitor, but he interrupted their conversation to tell me that he had been meaning to call me, but just hadn’t done it, then he motioned for me to have a seat in his wheel chair. He obviously wanted to talk about something that was important to him. To be sure, I already knew that I was there by Divine appointment because of the circumstances that led me to him, so I sat down, waiting for the other visitor to leave, so he could say whatever he need to say. He didn’t wait; instead, he started right in with his story. Soon the visitor excused himself, and I think he did so because he knew that our friend had more to say than he was saying in his presence.
As soon as the visitor left the room, my friend got up out of his bed, took the several, labored steps necessary to reach his chair, and plopped down, looking directly at me. I knew he had something on his mind, a burden that he needed to release. He was fighting tears, as if men aren’t supposed to cry. Then these words came forth: I can’t tell you when it happened, all I can tell you is that it happened; I have truth in here (pointing to his heart), but I need to know how to pray; I need to know how to pray so that I am not sounding selfish. I knew what he meant, what he was asking.
I find it so sad that so many have been taught such erroneous things about God, things that say I am being selfish, when having been diagnosed with lung cancer, I am asking God for healing; things that say I am being selfish, when I am scared to death (not of death, but of dying), and I am asking God to take away my fear; things that say I am being selfish, when my life is completely out of my control, and I am asking God to bring some sense of hope and security to me.
As you might imagine, I told my friend not to worry about sounding selfish because God already knows that he is, and it doesn’t offend Him one bit. I told him to tell God whatever he wanted to tell Him, and He would understand. I told him to yell and to scream at God, if He needed to, and He would gather him up in His big arms and hug him. I told him to tell God that he wanted Him to heal him, that he really wanted Him to heal him, and God wouldn’t see it as selfishness, but as honesty.
Before I finished that piece of this conversation, I told him that most of my prayer life has to do with my getting to the place, where I desire His will for me, more than I desire my own will, and I told him that it was hard, very hard. Then, of all things, He asked me to pray for him. I mumbled something, probably something asinine, but I know God heard me and I know that He touched my friend! I really like it when He touches my friends!
Have I told you lately how blessed I am to be able to spend my life doing this? Talk about grace!

Be It Unto Me According to Your Word

Friday morning, December 12, 2008 [clear skies, and 470; too cold for me!],
To say the very least, these words of Mary should capture our attention : “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). On the surface, they might not seem like much, but the next time an angel leads you into a place where “angels, themselves, fear to tread,” try them on for size, and, then, let me know what you think.
This is the “where angels fear to tread” place that Gabriel (the angel) was leading Mary into: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God” (vs. 35). You think about this: Mary is a virgin, engaged-to-be-married, but a virgin, none-the-less—no hanky-panky, whatsoever (what a novel idea!); although she was probably looking forward to having a quiver filled with children, who would be the sons and daughters of the man to whom she was engaged, aka Joseph, she had no idea (none, nada, zilch!) that God had chosen her to give birth to, of all people, the Son of God (her “how can this be” question evidences this!) and certainly NOT before being married (As you know, in her day adulterers were not looked upon very favorably; to say the least her “political future” would be placed in serious jeopardy, not to mention that she would be stoned to death. Can you imagine her trying to convince anyone that this conception was, well, that it was Immaculate?); and, finally, she saw herself as God’s bondslave, which was a good thing—a very good thing—otherwise, she would have “cut and run” faster than a beagle hound chasing a rabbit through a sage field on a cold winter morning (Of course, running would have been futile because God had already made His decision and His decision always stands, regardless of how fast we run!). Yes, I can see why she would have “double clutched” with “how can this be” before she came through with these words that will live in infamy (Yes, I intended to use that word!): “. . . be it done to me according to your word.”
Oftentimes, the Lord leads us (maybe it is angels!) into places where “angels fear to tread,” places where we would NEVER volunteer to go, places we know we have no business being in, places that scare the wits out of us, places that move us so far out of our comfort zones, that we feel completely out of control, and when He does, it becomes OUR time to say, “Be it unto me according to your Word.”
Don’t think you will escape this, as Jesus Himself could not! Remember His words: “Not my will but Thine be done!” Need I remind you that these words did NOT come easily for Him, it took the sweating of blood, and, I might add, they will not come easily for you, but they will come; He will see to it!
I hope you will think about this-

The Seed of God

Wednesday afternoon, December 10, 2008 [raining cats & dogs!],
Listen carefully to these words, spoken by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary: “And behold you shall conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). Then, as you remember, she responded with, “How can this be, since I am a virgin” (vs. 34)? His answer was clear—very clear: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God” (vs. 35).
As you also remember, Gabriel told Mary of Elizabeth’s unexpected pregnancy: “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month” (vs. 36). I want to encourage you to read this entire story, beginning in verse 5 of chapter one, continuing through verse25, as I think it will be meaningful to you. Anyway, as you can see in verse 23, Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband, returned home, which is key in this story. Verse 24, unlocks the door to the secret: “And after these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant . . .” In other words, after Zacharias’ meeting with his angel, he finished his priestly duties and returned home to enjoy a bit of hanky-panky with his wife, hanky-panky that proved to be productive, much to his (and her) surprise!
I said all of that to say this: there is a significant difference between these two pregnancies: on the one hand, Elizabeth conceives as the result of hanky-panky (sexual intercourse!), but Mary conceives without any hanky-panky whatsoever! The seed (spermatozoon!), that produced the zygote that became the embryo that became John, came from old Zack; however, the seed (spermatozoon!), that produced the zygote that became the embryo that became Jesus, came from, well it came from none other than the Holy Spirit! Wow! Talk about threading camels through the eyes of needles!
Why is this so significant? Simple! This means that those who are born into the family of God are born without any of Adam’s seed whatsoever; instead, we are born with the Seed of God, the Holy, blameless, perfect, righteous, imperishable, sinless, eternal seed of God! No longer Adam’s kindred, but altogether children of God!
Now you give this some thought, especially if you are a preacher, but even if you aren’t a preacher, give it some thought, as it will bless you abundantly. If you do give it some thought but still cannot see the blessing, ask the Holy Spirit to take the blinders off your eyes, so you can see. I’m telling you, this is good stuff!

Nothing is Impossible with God!

Tuesday morning, December 8, 2008 [Sunny and 670!],
An angel came to Mary and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:30-33). And Mary thought, “Yea, right!” Then she said (probably before she thought again!), “How can this be, since I am a virgin” (vs. 34)? Then she thought some more: “I am not married, I have never had sexual relations with anyone; truth is, I am a virgin and proud of it. Something is wrong with this picture—terribly wrong! How CAN this be?”
The angel’s response makes it evident that he (that is correct, as every time the word “angel” is used in the Scriptures it is in the masculine NOT the feminine) came equipped with extra-sensory perception, i.e., he could sense the anxiety and fear in Mary’s heart, so he said to her (my paraphrase), “You haven’t heard anything yet! Listen to this: Your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived (past tense!) a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month!”
You know, sometimes God can come up with some outlandish ideas, ideas that make all of us nervous, anxious, and afraid, and these are two very good examples! I can understand why Mary might have been just a tad nervous, even anxious. In the society in which she lived, this could only go in one direction—DOWNHILL—or so she thought.
Then the angel reveals the punch line to Mary: FOR NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! As you remember, Jesus spoke these very same words to His disciples in response to His telling them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. I don’t know who was most relieved to hear them, Mary or the disciples, but I do know this: THEY ARE POWERFUL WORDS, WORDS THAT BRING FAITH—INCREDIBLE FAITH—THE KIND THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, THE KIND THAT THREADS CAMELS THROUGH THE EYES OF NEEDLES, AND THE KIND THAT ALLOWS FOR A VIRGIN TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE SON OF GOD! To be sure, His ways are not our ways, not even close, but aren’t we all glad, as in very glad!
Now, listen up: because nothing is impossible with God, it is entirely possible and highly probable that you will make it through this Christmas season without being distracted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus, the same Jesus who was conceived in a virgin womb, who moves mountains, and who threads camels through the eyes of needles. If my prediction is true, you can say on December 26, I have just witnessed a mountain-moving, miracle!

This is the Gift from God!

Friday afternoon, December 5, 2008 [sunny and still too cold for me!],
This is what Solomon had to say: “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. And this also is a grievous evil—exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So, what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger. Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift from God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart” (Ecclesiastes 5:13-20; emphasis, mine).
This is what Jesus had to say: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15; emphasis, mine).
He also said this: “Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these” (Luke 12:27; emphasis, mine).
I really wish you would take the time to meditate upon these passages, especially during these days of our lives.