tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50768237763968128072024-03-23T03:16:02.666-07:00Pastoral Ponderings of an Energetic ExegeteUplifting thoughts, notes of encouragement, and exegetical insights from God's Word of a young man following God's call into pastoral ministry.Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-40543455226738198372024-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T23:01:42.050-08:00Some Thoughts About the King James Bible<p>Is the King James Version the only true translation of the Bible which can be trusted? Have all of the modern translations available today intentionally taken words and verses out of God's Word to maliciously change its meaning? Are you not reading God's Word if it is other than a KJV? Can the Bible you have be trusted? Such are questions which often come up in discussions on this Bible translation. But are they really true? </p><p>It is my goal in this post to seek to answer such questions by evaluating the history of the King James Version, the real debate between it and modern translations which leads to the differences of the two, how to understand the supposed "missing verses" in the modern translations, look at a few of the clear additions found in the Greek text the KJV is based on, and what the translators of the KJV themselves thought about their translation and others. You may be surprised at some things you find out in our study of this together. Before we go further, let me state as carefully and clearly as I can that it is not my intention to belittle the King James Version or those who prefer to use it over other translations. Only to address the questions often asked regarding it and the newer translations fairly to help those who struggle with whether or not they can use another translation other than the KJV or if something is wrong for them to do so.<br /></p><p><b>It's History</b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>1</i></b></span><b> <br /></b></p><p>Perhaps it would be good to start with<b> </b>the history of the KJV translation. It may surprise you to learn that it was not the first English translation made. Actually, there were over half a dozen ones which predated it. John W<b>y</b>cliffe is credited with producing the first full complete Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate translation in 1382 and 1388. (Whether he did the translation himself is unsure but he at least certainly oversaw and supported it if he didn't.) About 160 years later, William Tyndale translated almost the complete Bible into English from its original Hebrew and Greek so that the common ployboy would be able to understand Scripture better than the corrupt priests of the day. The Mathews Bible, Coverdale Bible, Great Bible, Bishop's Bible, and Geneva Bible were all English translations which followed Tyndale's. Some of them sought to complete Tyndale's edition which he was never able to finish on account of his death. (The Coverdale Bible was made up of what Tyndale had been able to translate from the Hebrew and Greek and Miles Coverdale's own translation of the rest from Latin and Germany Bibles while the Matthew's Bible used some of Tyndale's unpublished work to complete what he had started.) The Church of England at the time sanctioned the Bishop's Bible as the only Bible they could use while the Puritans preferred the Geneva Bible. Since the Puritans viewed the Church of England as being too close to the Roman Catholic practice and appearance, they wanted nothing to do with anything associated with them. That includes the Bishop's Bible which was their official Bible. When King James I came to power in England, he wanted to put an end to the division between the two groups and be rid of the Geneva Bible due to his detesting of the Puritan Bible for its notes claiming that the government did not have authority over the church and that the church had the right to defy tyrant leaders. So, the King convened a conference. The result of which was the commissioning of a committee to begin work on a new English translation modeled after the Bishop's Bible with little altering of it as necessary and consulting the other major English translations of the time, including the Geneva Bible. The translation was complete seven years later and was named in honor of the king. Hence, why it is known as "The King James Bible." It may also be surprising to you that the new translation at first was not well-received. There wasn't a lot of interest in it and quite of bit of criticism of it. In fact, the Pilgrims would not take it with them on their journey to America but chose the Geneva Bible instead. It wasn't until the publishing and importing of the Geneva Bible was banned that the selling of the KJV took off. <br /></p><p><b> The Real Debate</b></p><p>The big debate between the KJV and modern translations really is over two types or families of manuscripts. The word "manuscript" comes from two Latin words meaning "to write by hand" and refers to the handwritten copies we have of the Greek New Testament. While we do not have the original books or letters the apostles and their associates wrote (the autographs we could call them), we have thousands of copies of copies of copies of them. The manuscript used for the King James Version is called "the Textus Receptus," Latin for "received text." This Greek edition was put together by a man named Erasmus in the 1500s using 10-12 Greek manuscripts available to him at the time. However, since then, older manuscripts or copies, dating much closer to the originals, have been found. For instance, in the mid 1800s (300 years after Erasmus compiled his Greek text from the manuscripts he had), a man by the name of Lobegott Friedrich Constantin von Tishendorf (Talk about a mouthful! It must have been fun for his parents when he got in trouble as a child!), discovered some manuscripts at a monastery which dated back to the fourth century, much closer than the ones Erasmus knew of at his time. (Too much is often made of the fact that von Tishendorf initially discovered a number of leafs of the manuscript in the waste basket ready to be used to be burned in the fire. While it is true that is where he first found them in the monastery, it must also be mentioned that those were just leafs off the end of the manuscripts which were molding. That's the reason they were going to be burned. It wasn't the entire manuscript. Furthermore, the monks there changed their tune about burning them once von Tishendorf realized what they were and warned them not to burn anymore. And when he returned years later to look for more ancient manuscripts and showed a monk there a copy of the Greek translation of the Old Testament he had purchased, the monk went back to his room and brought out a full and intact manuscript containing much of the Greek translation of the Old Testament as well as the complete New Testament carefully wrapped in a red cloth. It wasn’t discarded at all. This should not be a reason to dismiss this find and its accuracy in preserving the text of Scripture.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>2</i></span>) (For those who are really interested in this, the manuscript is known as "Codex Sinaiticus" due to the monastery it was found in being located on Mt. Sinai.) Another important earlier manuscript, called "Codex Vaticanus," dating back to the middle of the fourth century, was housed in the Vatican Library in Rome since sometime before 1475 but no one was granted access to it to study it until 1889-90. This was over three hundred years after Erasmus' edition of the Greek text known as the Textus Receptus. There has also been so many papyri of different portions of the New Testament we have found now which date back to within a century or so from the writing of the originals. It is truly amazing that the Lord has, in His providence, had such fragments survive all these years to this day! We now have so much more than the 10-12 Erasmus was able to use in his day. Comparing all of these with each other proves tremendously helpful in discerning what the original would have said.<br /></p><p>The thought is that these older manuscripts would be more accurate than the majority of the ones later due to them being "closer to the fire" we could say. The more that a text is copied over time, the greater likelihood of mistakes occurring to it. It's sort of like the telephone game where you stand or sit in a row and whisper a statement in the person's ear next to you who in turn whispers that same statement to the person next to them who then will whisper it to the person beside them all the way down the line to the last one in the row. The longer it goes, the more you can be sure that things are going to get reworded or a word or two changed in the sentence. No matter how careful each of them were in telling it and seeking to get it right. If you asked the fourth or fifth person in the row what was said, it probably would be more accurate than what the last person tells you. (Trust me, I have seen how this goes with a prayer chain where one person calls another with a request and by the time it gets to the end of the chain the wrong person might have been reported to have died or the person who had a torn shoulder has wound up in the hospital in intensive care not doing well at all.) It is these earlier manuscripts which have been compared, combined, and evaluated together to create what is known as "the Critical Text" which serves as the basis of the modern translations rather than the Textus Receptus of the KJV.</p><p>Some have tried to dismiss the two major ancient manuscripts I mentioned of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus due to the former being associated with the church father Origen who had some questionable theology and the latter for its connection to the Vatican. However, neither are reasons to discount these manuscripts no more than one should the Textus Receptus for similar reasons. After all, while Erasmus spoke out against some of the wrongful practices and teachings of the Catholic Church of his day, he did not join Luther and the other Reformers in joining the Protestant movement but remained Catholic. I don't think that these are reasons to throw out any of these manuscripts. And the Vatican has housed all kinds of religious texts throughout history that have no Catholic influence on them whatsoever.<br /></p><p><b>What About Those Missing Verses? </b></p><p>This leads us to the discussion of those verses which are in the King James Bible but appear to be missing in the modern translations. Passages such as Matthew 17:21; Acts 8:36, and 1 John 5:7-8 just to name a few. What accounts for them not being there? Is it a malicious attempt to alter the text of Scripture and remove parts of God's Word? Absolutely not! These newer translations are not intentionally taking or leaving anything out at all<b>. </b>It's just that these verses are not found in the older manuscripts which we now have. It very well could be that a well-meaning scribe wanted to clarify a verse and so they wrote a sentence right above the verse as a note about it. Eventually, as the text got copied by another scribe, it wound up becoming a part of the text itself as a separate verse. The fact that the older copies closer to the original source do not have them leads the translators to believe that they must have been added sometime later throughout the process of copying. In many cases, it appears that a scribe took a phrase mentioned somewhere else in the
Bible, perhaps even earlier in the same book he was copying and inserted it to
the text. This explains why there are certain phrases not found in a
specific verse in the modern translations but are present in them in
another place when they occur. The scholars who worked on these newer translations do<b> </b>not view themselves as <i>removing </i>anything from the Bible but rather <i>restoring </i>the text to its original by not including what they perceive to be scribal additions. It is important to realize that the standard in translation should not be the King James Version itself or any other translation for that matter but the Greek text which we have the copies of with the manuscripts. The question is not how do these modern translations compare with the King James but really how best do they reflect what the manuscripts say and indicate the original said. The goal should be discovering and displaying what the original inspired word of God is. Not how close it is to an earlier English translation which didn't have all the manuscript evidence we possess today. In fact, where one of the verses in the KJV is not present in the modern translations, you should notice a note somewhere at the bottom of the page or in the margins acknowledging it and stating that it is not in the oldest and better manuscripts we have found. (In case you have ever wondered what that meant, now you know. You're welcome!) If there were such a conspiracy to get rid of certain passages or teachings in the Bible, you wouldn't think that the new translations would even acknowledge their existence, would you? It would instead be out of sight and out of mind to be forgotten about but this is not the case we see at all. They not only point out the verse or word in question but provide the explanation as to why they chose not to include it in their presentation of the text. This also will explain why the last part of John 8 and the ending of the Gospel of Mark are put in brackets in modern translations. They are indicating that they are unsure if they actually belong in the text since they are not found in those older manuscripts.<br /></p><p>It is important to note that out of all of the different variations between the King James with the Textus Receptus and the modern translations with their Critical Text, not one major doctrine or teaching is effected! You read that correctly. Someone reading the NIV, NASB, or ESV will learn of salvation being by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, that Jesus is God, the truth of sin, the necessity of repentance, and the reality of heaven and hell. People can attest to being saved after reading a KJV or any of these modern translations. They are still reading God's Word which God's Spirit uses to save and sanctify His people. (It was a "Good News Bible: The Bible in Today's English Version" that was the first full Bible I received from Weekly Religious Education (WRE) in Elementary School that was instrumental in the start of my journey of faith and understanding the Lord and what He has done for me. I don't believe that I was lacking due to it not being a KJV. The moving to a NASB and now the new LSB came in my maturing in my walk with the Lord and desiring to get much more serious in my study of His Word.)<br /></p><p>Sometimes it is claimed that modern translations are intentionally taking out Christ's divinity due to the many places where it only says "Jesus" and not "the Lord Jesus" or "the Lord Jesus Christ" in them. You may have even seen the chart which lists the verses in the NIV that only has the name Jesus and not His fuller title where the KJV does. If it is the case that there is some sort of conspiracy to deny or downplay Christ's divinity in these modern translations, then they really have done a horrible job of it since Christ's divinity is still found throughout these modern translations. While the complete title, "the Lord Jesus Christ," is found 86 times in the KJV, you will read it a total of 64 times in the NASB and 61 in the NIV.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>3</i></span> No one will come away from reading any of those translations and not see that Jesus is divine. In fact, there are some places where these newer translations based on the older manuscripts actually have a clearer statement of Christ's divinity where the King James does not. Take John 1:18 for instance. In the King James it reads, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." But notice how modern translations indicate explicitly that the Son is God Himself. The ESV, NASB, and LSB all have "God" in place of "Son" while the NIV and CSB say "the one and only Son, who Himself is God." The person reading these newer translations in comparison to the King James actually would have an easier time seeing Jesus' divinity in this verse. Of course, the reason for the difference between them comes down again to the different manuscripts used by the translations. Those ancient manuscripts which have been found have "God" instead of "Son" in the verse. Another example is Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1. The wording of the King James in both verses make it sound as if Paul and Peter are speaking of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ as two separate objects. However, almost all modern translations make it more clear that they are talking about one object, Jesus, who is both God and Savior. The NASB, NIV, and ESV all word it as, "the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" or "Christ Jesus." This case is not due to any differences in the manuscripts used but rather a better understanding of a rule of Greek grammar discovered in the late 1790s, 179 years after the KJV was first published.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>4</i></span> I'm sure if the translators of the King James would have known about this rule when they were undergoing their translation work that they certainly would have rendered the verse to resemble that which we find in just about all of the more modern translations, even the New King James Version. All this should put to rest the argument that these newer translations diminish Christ's divinity in any way. Not only is that not the case but in some places they wind up communicating it even clearer.<br /></p><p>As for why the expansion of Jesus' name appears so often in the KJV could be on account of the desire of a copiest to honor and glorify his Lord by writing out the more fuller title when coming across only His name. This has been referred to as being "an expansion of piety."<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>5</i></span> I personally find myself wanting to say "the Lord Jesus Christ" when speaking of Jesus in my sermons for much of the same reason. I have become so accustomed to this that sometimes it doesn't feel right if I don't say His name as such. I don't think there is anything sinister in wanting to add to the text in doing so for these scribes but a sincere longing to respect and praise the One whose word it is.<br /></p><p><b>Clear Cases of Scriptural Additions and the End of Revelation</b></p><p>We have talked about the apparent omissions made by the modern translations in comparison to the KJV only to find out that they are because of their absence in the older manuscripts they used in their translation. Now, let's discuss some of the clear <i>additions </i>that are actually found in the Textus Receptus that the KJV is based on. Again, it is not my desire to bash the KJV or dissuade anyone from ever using one. Only to fairly present the facts regarding the translation and evaluate it based on such. When we look at the Greek text Erasmus put together and compare it with other ancient manuscripts we have found, it is clear that he included some additions to the text that more likely were not originally there. Some of which even have an interesting backstory. We will look at just three of them as well as what he did with the end of the book of Revelation.<br /></p><p>Let's start with 1 John 5:7 and the three witnesses in heaven which are only found in the KJV and not in any of the modern translations. While this would be a powerful witness to the biblical doctrine of the Trinity laid out in one verse, when compiling what would become known as the Textus Receptus, Erasmus found no Greek manuscript that contained it. The verse was, however, in the Latin translation. Since he didn't see it in any of the Greek copies, he did not include it in the first edition of his Greek text. Among pressure to put it in future editions, Erasmus vowed that if someone could bring him one manuscript which had the verse in it that he would be sure to add it. The story goes that a little bit later a friar came to him with such a copy with the ink still running! It had been prepared just for him on the spot! Reluctantly, but true to his word, Erasmus placed the verse in the next edition of the text, and due to the King James using it as the basis of their translation, it remains there to this day.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>6</i></span> <br /></p><p>In John 5:4, we've got the note of the angel who would go down to the pool of Bethesda to stir the water and how anyone who went into the water afterwards would be healed of any sickness they had. This is probably one of those instances where a scribe's note wound up working its way into the text as it was copied. He may have wanted to clarify why people were there waiting for the water to be moved by providing background to the Jewish mindset about it. Basically, it was a study note to help the reader understand what was going on that got mixed into the passage itself. In fact, some manuscripts we have which include this verse have asterisks around the verse to indicate that the scribe who copied it either suspected it to be an additional note not originally a part of the text or that he recognized it not to be in other manuscripts.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">The verse is not found in the two oldest manuscripts we have of John's Gospel.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>7</i></span> <br /></p><p>And then there is Acts 8:37 with Philip's instruction to the Ethiopian eunuch to believe in order to be baptized and the eunuch's confession of faith. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the theology of the statement itself as it agrees with everything else the Bible teaches regarding baptism. It always follows faith in Christ. (I am an unapologetic Anabaptist in this matter.) However, the verse is only found in a few later manuscripts and not the earliest ones or the majority of them.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>8 </i></span>Erasmus included it from the Latin translation and due to him finding it in the margin of just ONE Greek manuscript.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>9 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">It may have originated from a scribe's desire to imply faith needs to be present before one is baptized. </span> <br /></p><p>The end of the Textus Receptus' book of Revelation contains words which are not found in any other Greek manuscript. This is because Erasmus only had one Greek copy of the book of Revelation and it was missing the last leaf of it with the last six verses of the book. So, what does he do? He just translates those verses from the Latin translation into Greek. It didn't come from any Greek text at all<span style="font-size: small;">!</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>10</i></span> <br /></p><p><b>The King James Translators on the King James Version</b></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Perhaps the most interesting thing about the whole King James debate is that the translators of the KJV actually today would be on the side of those who advocate for modern translations rather than the ones in the KJV Only camp. This is seen in their own words as articulated in the lengthy preface and word to the reader they wrote for the 1611 edition of the KJV. They actually didn't claim their translation to be perfect or inspired but readily acknowledged that all English translations, even the very weakest or smallest of them, not only contain the Word of God but are the Word of God, even though there are imperfections within the translations themselves. You can read it from them for yourself. (And if you find yourself struggling with some of the old English and specifically some of the words they used, know that is one reason why modern translations are needed today and why even more will be needed down the road in the future as language continues to change and develop.) <span style="color: #006699;">"</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">Wee doe not deny, nay wee affirme and avow,
that the very meanest [weakest or smallest] translation of the Bible in English, set foorth
by men of our profession (for wee have seene none of theirs of the
whole Bible as yet) containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of
God.</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> . . </span><span style="color: #0b5394;">No cause therefore why
the word translated should bee denied to be the word, or forbidden to
be currant [circulated], notwithstanding that some imperfections and blemishes may
be noted in the setting foorth of it.</span><span style="color: #01ffff;">.</span>"</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><i>11</i></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><i> </i>Only that which has been written by the Apostles could be considered to be perfect or infallible. <span style="color: #0b5394;">"</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">For what ever was perfect under
the Sunne, where Apostles or Apostolike men, that is, men indued with
an extraordinary measure of Gods spirit, and priviledged with the
priviledge of infallibilitie, had not their hand?</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>12</i></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006699;"> </span>And, of course, none of those working on these translations were an apostle in the same sense of those granted the privilege of writing the New Testament Scripture and there is no evidence in the preface that they considered themselves as such. Clearly, this is distinguishing the apostles and their writings from them and their translation of them.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span>They did not dismiss the translations which had come before them either and did not want them forgotten. "<span style="color: #0b5394;">And to the
same effect say wee, that we are so farre off from condemning any of
their labours that traveiled before us in this kinde, either in this
land or beyond sea, either in King <i>Henries</i> time, or King <i>Edwards</i>
(if there were any translation, or correction of a translation in his
time) or Queene <i>Elizabeths</i> of ever-renoumed memorie, that we
acknowledge them to have beene raised up of God, for the building and
furnishing of his Church, and that they deserve to be had of us and of
posteritie in everlasting remembrance</span><span style="color: #006699;">."</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>13</i></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: #006699;"> </span>In fact, they saw themselves not to be producing a new translation as much as improving on the English translations which had already been made. As they put it, "</span></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: small;">Truly (good Christian Reader) wee never thought from the
beginning, that we should neede to make a new Translation, nor yet to
make of a bad one a good one . . . </span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: small;">but to make a
good one better, or out of many good ones, one principall good one,
not justly to be excepted against; that hath bene our indeavour, that
our marke</span><span style="color: #006699; font-family: times; font-size: small;">."</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>14</i></span><span style="color: #006699; font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">They only wanted to make good translations previously made better. </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span>Exactly what pretty much every new translation states as its goal today.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span>They thought th<span>ose who did previous translations would thank them for their work:</span><span style="color: #006699;"> </span><span style="color: #006699;"></span><span style="color: #006699;">"</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">Yet for all that, as nothing is
begun and perfited at the same time, and the later thoughts are
thought to be the wiser: so, if we building upon their foundation that
went before us, and being holpen by their labours, doe endevour to
make that better which they left so good; no man, we are sure, hath
cause to mislike us; they, we persuade our selves, if they were alive,
would thanke us.</span><span style="color: #006699;">"</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>15</i></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span><span style="color: #006699;"> </span><span>I would think that these very ones would thank modern translators who with more manuscripts than they had available at their time, can translate even more accurately than they endeavored to do and to make better the good that they have done. They go on to write that they should not be faulted for any revisions made in their translation. (Remember that it was basically a revision of the Bishop's Bible in comparison with the other English translations of the time.) "</span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: small;">For to whom ever was
it imputed for a fault (by such as were wise) to goe over that which
hee had done, and to amend it where he saw cause? Saint <i>Augustine</i>
was not afraide to exhort S. <i>Jerome</i> to a <i>Palinodia</i> or
recantation; the same S. <i>Augustine</i> was not ashamed to
retractate, we might say revoke, many things that had passed him, and
doth even glory that he seeth his infirmities. If we will be sonnes of
the Trueth, we must consider what it speaketh, and trample upon our
owne credit, yea, and upon other mens too, if either be any way an
hinderance to it.</span><span style="color: #006699; font-family: times; font-size: small;">"</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>16</i></span><span style="color: #006699; font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">With that being the case, how could they object to men later revising their translation work if there were somethings they missed with it?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Their goal was to make God's Word accessible to the people in their own speech which they could understand. <span style="color: #0b5394;">"Now what can bee more availeable thereto, then to deliever
Gods booke unto Gods people in a tongue which they understand? Since
of an hidden treasure, and of a fountaine that is sealed, there is no
profit, as <i>Ptolomee Philadelph</i> wrote to the Rabbins or masters
of the Jewes, as witnesseth <i>Epiphanius</i>: and as S<i>. Augustine</i>
saith; <i>A man had rather be with his dog then with a stranger</i>
(whose tongue is strange unto him.)"</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #006699; font-family: times; font-size: small;">"But how shall
men meditate in that, which they cannot understand? How shall they
understand that which is kept close in an unknowen tongue? as it is
written<i>, Except I know the power of the voyce, I shall be to him
that speaketh, a Barbarian, and he that speaketh, shalbe a Barbarian
to me</i>. The Apostle excepteth no tongue, not Hebrewe the ancientest,
not Greeke the most copious, not Latine the finest. Nature taught a
naturall man to confesse, that all of us in those tongues which wee
doe not understand, are plainely deafe; wee may turne the deafe eare
unto them. The <i>Scythian</i> counted the <i>Athenian</i>, whom he
did not understand, barbarous: so the <i>Romane</i> did the <i>Syrian</i>,
and the <i>Jew</i>, (even S. <i>Jerome</i> himselfe calleth the Hebrew
tongue barbarous, belike because it was strange to so many) so the
Emperour of<i> Constantinople</i> calleth the <i>Latine</i> tongue,
barbarous, though Pope <i>Nicolas</i> do storme at it: so the <i>Jewes</i>
long before <i>Christ</i>, called all other nations, <i>Lognazim</i>,
which is little better then barbarous. Therefore as one complaineth,
that alwayes in the Senate of <i>Rome</i>, there was one or other that
called for an interpreter: so lest the Church be driven to the like
exigent, it is necessary to have translations in a readinesse.
Translation it is that openeth the window, to let in the light; that
breaketh the shell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aside the
curtaine, that we may looke into the most Holy place; that remooveth
the cover of the well, that wee may come by the water, even as <i>Jacob</i>
rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, by which meanes the
flockes of <i>Laban</i> were watered. Indeede without translation into
the vulgar tongue, the unlearned are but like children at <i>Jacobs</i>
well (which was deepe) without a bucket or some thing to draw with: or
as that person mentioned by <i>Esau</i>, to whom when a sealed booke
was delivered, with this motion, <i>Reade this, I pray thee</i>, hee
was faine to make this answere<i>, I cannot, for it is sealed</i>."</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><i>17</i></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006699;"> </span><span>With
such a desire, would they not welcome newer translations with the same
goal as their own once language changes and such are necessary in order for the Word to be understood? The translators of the KJV themselves might not have as much of an issue with newer more modern translations than some do today! In fact, it appears from reading their reasons and defense for their own translation that they would welcome such as long as it would correct any mistakes of theirs and make an even better translation following their improvement of went before them.<br /></span></span></p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p>Now, in light of all this, do I think that you should get rid of your King James Bible if you regularly use such? Not at all. You are free to read and study from that translation should you choose. But I also don't think that it is right to say that someone MUST only read and study the KJV and no other translation. No one should be made to feel guilty with their NIV, ESV, CSB, NASB, or LSB or think that they in any way are not reading a translation of God's Word for their benefit. Nor would I want to place a stumbling block on a new believer with them having to figure out a bunch of words that we don't speak anymore or to have them confused since some of the words like "gay" and "terrible" no longer mean the same thing they did in Elizabethan England at the end of the 16th century. Many of the concepts they will encounter will be difficult enough for them as it is. They do not need language itself to be a barrier. I am thankful for the rich heritage of the KJV and how the Lord has used it to convert sinners and conform saints into the image of Christ as well as the modern English translations He has just as much used to do so too. May He continue to do so all for His glory!<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>1</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> Summarized from Mark L. Strauss, <i>40 Questions About Bible Translation </i>(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2023) 205-219.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>2 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Bruce Manning Metzger, <i>The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration Second Edition </i>(New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1968) 42-44; James R. White, <i>The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust the Modern Translations? </i>(Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009) 56-57.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>3 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>White, <i>The King James Only Controversy</i>, 76.</p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>4 </i></span>This rule is known as "The Granville Sharp Rule", named after the man who
discovered it in his study of the koine Greek language. The rule states
that when there are two nouns that are not proper names describing a
person and are connected with the word "and" with the first noun having
the article "the" but not the second one, the two nouns must be
referring to the same person; White, <i>The King James Only Controversy</i>, 335. </p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>5 </i></span>White, <i>The King James Only Controversy,</i> 72. </p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>6 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Metzger, <i>The Text of the New Testament, </i>101; White, <i>The King James Only Controversy, </i>100-102.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>7 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">White, <i>The King James Only Controversy, </i>200 n.11.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>8 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Strauss, <i>40 Questions About Bible Translation, </i>233. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>9 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">White, <i>The King James Only Controversy, </i>110.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>10 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Metzger, <i>The Text of the New Testament, </i>99-100; Strauss, <i>40 Questions About Bible Translation, </i>233. </span> <br /></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>11 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">"King James Version Original Preface (1611)," <i>Together We Teach. </i>URL: http://www.togetherweteach.com/TCB/kjvpreface.htm</span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>12 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>13 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>14 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>15 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>16 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>17 </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">Ibid.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></p><p><b>Works Consulted</b></p><p>Carson, D. A. <i>The King James Version Debate: A Plea for Realism. </i>Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>House, 1979. <br /></p><p>Metzger, Bruce M. <i>The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions. </i>Grand Rapids, MI: Baker <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Academic, 2001.</p><p>_______. <i>The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration Second <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Edition. </i>New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1968. <br /></p><p>Strauss, Mark L. <i>40 Questions About Bible Translation. </i>Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2023.<b> </b></p><p>White, James R. <i>The King James Only Controversy<b>: </b>Can You Trust Modern Translations? </i>Minneapolis<b>, </b><span> </span><span> </span>MN: Bethany House, 2009.<b> </b><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-66772311655199919482024-02-02T06:06:00.000-08:002024-02-02T06:08:34.271-08:00Should A Christian Attend a So-Called Gay or Transgender "Wedding"? A Response to Alistair Begg's Recent Counsel<p>Popular preacher Alistair Begg of Parkside Church near Cleveland, OH with the radio ministry, "Truth for Life," has caused no wee bit of controversy in the past two weeks with an interview he had done a few months ago for a book he has written on the "Sermon on the Plain" of Luke 6. (Only a "storm in the teacup" according to him.) In that interview, he recounts counsel he had given to a grandmother pertaining to her attending the transgender wedding of her grandson. (It's unclear whether this is a case of the grandson identifying and presenting himself as a girl marrying another guy or marrying a guy identifying as and pretending to be a girl or vice versus. Just that this certainly would not be an ordinary wedding of a man who lives as a man marrying a woman who lives like a woman.) After asking her if the grandson knew where she stood on the issue on account of her faith, he shocks her (as well as many of those listening to the interview) by telling her that she should go and even bring a gift. The thought being that such would catch him off guard and not fuel the perception that Christians are so critical and judgmental. It would be a way to maintain the relationship the grandmother has with the grandson. The purpose in sharing this incident was to demonstrate how we need to find radical ways of loving our enemies as Christ has called us to. (The full interview can be found <a href="https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/christian-manifesto-interview/">here</a> with a transcript so that the account at the end can be seen in context.) Following significant push-back, Alistair addressed the issue in a sermon on Sunday evening to his church on Luke 15 with the parable of the prodigal son entitled "Compassion vs. Condemnation." (You can listen, watch, or read the message in its entirety <a href="https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/compassion-vs-condemnation/">here</a>.) In it, he basically argued that the counsel he gave was in accord with the compassion of Jesus eating with sinners rather than the complaining of the Pharisees who had a problem with that. It is implied that those who are taking issue with it or disagreeing with his counsel fall on the side of the Pharisees with their lack of compassion according to him.<br /></p><p>I love and appreciate Alistair Begg and have greatly benefited from his ministry. He is one of my favorite living preachers and I typically listen to two or three of his sermons each week. My congregation certainly knows his name because a quote or illustration from him often will work its way into my sermon. I have been to his Basics pastor's conference at least twice and came close to meeting him three times. (I chickened out going up to him or saying something to him each of those times.) His many years of faithful preaching of the Word is commendable in a time where such is becoming more and more rare. But I cannot agree with the advice he said he had given to this grandmother who had written into his ministry to go ahead and attend her grandson's transgender wedding.</p><p>What makes Alistair's advice so problematic is that the very nature of a wedding is that of affirmation and celebration. By attending such, you are giving visible approval and support to the couple and their union. No one is a mere spectator at such an event. Everyone is expected to stand in honor of the bride as she makes her way down the aisle, to smile and cheer when the couple share that special kiss, and to shout and clap when they are announced as Mr. and Mrs. for the very first time. The service really doesn't allow for someone to be a neutral part of it who doesn't join in the celebration it entails. In fact, the traditional words of the service from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer even has the pastor say towards the beginning of it that if there would be any reason someone could give why the two should not be married, they are to speak now or forever hold their peace. Attendees have also been called "celebrants;" those who are there to celebrate the union they are witnessing. How can a Christian attend what clearly goes against God's good design without giving any verbal or public indication that they object to such on the basis of God's Word? Would they not be obligated to speak up in some way to bring God's truth to bear on the situation? Wouldn't sitting there quietly with a gift for the couple on their lap be an implicit way of affirming that which they cannot affirm? A so-called homosexual or gay "wedding" is anything but a wedding as God has defined such. Following His officiating of the very first wedding in the Garden, He stated clearly that it was to be only between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24) which Jesus points out that we should understand being a union only separable by the death of one of the two (Matthew 19:4-6). How can we go to something modeled like a wedding which would not be considered one in God's eyes but is actually rebellion to Him? Texas Pastor and blogger Dan Phillips has said it well when he tweeted (or X'ed?), "<span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"><span>Given
that there is no such thing as a marriage of two men or a marriage of
two women- so take that away- then what is this occasion that the
grandmother is being asked to go to?
It is just a celebration of perversion, and it's just a celebration of
two people promising each other that they will never repent of the sin
that will send them to hell." That really puts it into perspective!</span></span> <br /></p><p>It is never loving to affirm or go along with sin in any way. And the most loving person to ever walk on this earth, Jesus, never did that. He is the perfect balance of grace and truth (John 1:14). While Jesus did spend time and eat with notorious sinners, He never participated in their sinful practices, condoned their sin, or joined them in something which would be an abomination to God or go against His Word. We can be sure that the discussion He had with them during such was the same message He gave to all. He would have called them to repent rather than being a part of a service seeking to bless that which God cannot bless since it is rebellion to the union He wisely and rightfully designed us to have. In fact, that is exactly what He did when eating with tax collectors and other well-known types of sinners in Levi's house. When the Pharisees complained there of His eating with such sinners, He states, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:29-32). Jesus' compassion is seen in His confronting the rich young ruler's idolatry and calling him to give up his stuff to follow Him (Mark 10:21) and in calling the woman caught in adultery to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). Not in attending something pretending to be a marriage when it really is not or participating in two people pledging to continue in an union God describes as detestable and unnatural.</p><p>Attending the so-called gay or transgender wedding ceremony of someone as a way of showing love to them actually will wind up sending mixed signals and create confusion, even if it has been made clear what the person thinks about the wedding due to his or her faith. I can't say that I have issues with the lyrics of Taylor Swift's songs, the way she dresses when she performs, and what she promotes and then show up at every single one of her concerts provided I had the money and time to do so. If I did, you would question just how genuine my issues with her actually are. Or, if I was greatly disturbed over the way a certain restaurant fixed their food and what they put in it, yet I continued to choose to eat there instead of other places, you would have to wonder how disturbed about it I really was. If we proclaim that a homosexual relationship and transgender identity is sinful and then show up at a service celebrating such a union, doesn't it cause some sort of question about our convictions or downplay at least what we have spoken? Rather than being a good witness by going to such a "wedding," we will instead wind up hurting our witness and our conveying of the seriousness of the matter. After all, this is no small thing. Homosexuality is included in the list of the practices which characterize those who have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and will be going to hell unless they are saved and repent (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). It is called an abomination which is one of the strongest words God could use to describe such (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). The most loving thing we could do is not show up at the "wedding" but stay away to demonstrate our disapproval on the grounds of Scripture since we view this as something damning for those who practice such.<br /></p><p>I understand that Alistair is concerned about what the grandson will think of the grandmother and what not attending the wedding may mean for their relationship moving forward but shouldn't the greatest concern be about honoring God? Sometimes our obedience to Christ will wind up causing division even within our families. Jesus Himself alluded to this when He said that "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daugther-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household" (Matthew 10:34-36). While we certainly should not go out of our way to damage such relationships, we cannot compromise for the sake of avoiding the difficulty we know will ensue on account of being faithful to our Lord.</p><p>And there really is no easy way to convey our love to someone identifying as LGBTQ. They have accepted the lie that their sexuality is the grounds of who they are so that to refuse the preferred sexuality or gender of their choice is to refuse them as a person. This is unfortunate since we are so much more than our sexuality and it is limiting to make that comprise our identity. And it is possible to love someone yet not affirm and support certain choices and decisions they make. Our love for someone will lead us to do so if those choices and decisions are damaging to them and continues them on a path away from the Lord and under His judgment. Rather than compromise our convictions shaped by God's Word and convey something different than we are seeking to say to our LGBTQ loved one by going to a celebration of their union, we need to continually reiterate our love for them and how nothing will change that. And it is on account of our love that we cannot support or affirm them in their sin. It will take patience and much prayer to work to convince them of this. I remember a couple I talked with a number of years ago who shared in tears their struggles with conveying their love for their lesbian daughter. They were clear where they stood on her relationship and had ground rules for her and her girlfriend whenever they came to visit in their home. But they were equally clear in affirming their love for her regardless. They told me that it took time but she did come to eventually understand that they very much did love her and that their refusal to affirm her relationship wasn't due to them not loving her.<br /></p><p>Despite being the careful exegete he is, and he is one I often look to to see how he handled a certain verse or passage of Scripture in my own study, Alistair seems to miss the point of the parable of the prodigal he used to justify his counsel. The issue with the Pharisees wasn't that they refused to celebrate Jesus spending time with sinners but that it was a refusal to celebrate the repentance of lost sinners who had now been found. Those who once were spiritually dead but have been given new life in Jesus. After all, the one common thread of the three parts of the parable (notice Luke refers to all three as being a parable singular rather than parables plural) is the rejoicing over the finding of something that had been lost. First, it was a lost sheep, then a lost coin, and finally the climax being the lost boy. And the older brother in the story not joining in the party for the returned prodigal who clearly represents the grumbling, murmuring Pharisees is not chastised by the father for refusing to celebrate the younger son in his sinfulness but in his repentance. It is not being Pharisaical for a Christian to refuse to go to a wedding celebration which is an acknowledgment and celebration of a sinful union God has never sanctioned. It would be though to refuse to go to a baptism of someone who once was LGBTQ in their lostness but by grace are no more as they have been found by Jesus and given new life in Him evidenced by their repentance of that sin as well as others which once characterized them. I believe Alistair uncharacteristically completely missed the mark on this and pray that he rethinks both the counsel he has given and the justification he has made for it.</p><p>Overall, what Alistair has said is shocking to me as it appears to go against everything he has taught on the subjects of sexuality and marriage the past 40 years. He has been crystal clear that both homosexuality and transgenderism are sins that one must repent of and how there is no salvation for those who identify as and practice such outside of Jesus Christ just as there is no salvation for any other sinner. Also, he has emphasized the sanctity and uniqueness of the marriage ceremony, not even allowing those whose marriages he officiates to write their own vows. His reasoning being that it loses the powerful act of unconditional commitment devoid of any feelings or emotions communicated in the traditional vows established by the Book of Common Prayer. I fear that this is a case where he himself has left his "grandfatherly" emotions take precedent over the truth of Scripture. (At the end of Sunday evening's sermon, he did concede that "if I was misguided in any way, it was I allowed my grandfatherly hat to take over.") Again, something uncommon for him. As Alistair himself likes to say, "The best of men are men at best" and this recent kerfuffle he has caused with this unwise counsel has proved that. I still very much love and appreciate Alistair and his ministry but am certainly disappointed with this counsel which was unwise at best or misguided. Praying for Alistair!<br /></p><p>Lee Smith<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-10539040244880498922024-01-31T07:50:00.000-08:002024-01-31T07:50:25.165-08:00The Privilege of Service<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
has been said that in the church today we have 20% of the people doing 80% of
the work. And, unfortunately, that all too often appears to prove to be true in
most churches. But Biblically, it shouldn't be that way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul describes
the church as being like a body made up of different parts which all contribute
to the work of the whole in 1 Corinthians 12. Every member has an important
role to play and the body would be hurting if one or two of the members aren't
working. No one is insignificant and not necessary. Many of us have experienced
a broken bone or some issue with a part of our body that caused it not to work
properly. Didn't that effect what you were able to do? Things are much more
difficult if you don't have the sense of smell in your nose, you cannot use
your right arm, or you have the pain of a broken toe, causing you to limp
around. Can't you accomplish more and do things better when all parts of your
body are functioning properly? Well, the same is true in the church. The church
body is hurting and not as effective in its work if some members choose not to
serve as God has designed them to. Don't think that just coming on Sunday and
sitting through the service doesn't have any effect on anyone else in the fellowship
or on the congregation as a whole. It absolutely does! Just as every member
needs the church to help him or her in their growth in Christ, the church needs
every member to fulfill the mission Christ has given it. The Great Commission
to make disciples of all the nations is far too much for only 20% of the people
to do. All hands are needed on deck for its success.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
how great of an encouragement it is for us to know that each and every one of
us have a specific place in the fellowship with a distinct role that God has
designed for us to play within it. No one, including you, is part of our family
by accident or doesn't belong here. Not only do you belong a part of the
family, you have been chosen by God to do something within it! In fact, He has
given you a specific gift to enable you to do whatever it is that He wants you
to do. To be the foot, the hand, nose, ear, or eye of the body we could say.
That's the point of vv. 4-11 of 1 Corinthians 12. There is no reason for us not
to be serving in some capacity. (Even those who physically are not able to do
as much on account of age or other circumstances still are just as much an
important necessary part of the fellowship with a special role to play. In
fact, I know that many of our shut-ins who may not be able to serve on any
committees or make it out here for anything spend much time on their knees
praying for the work of the church. I really can't think of anything greater
that they can do than that! That serves as the backbone for all that we do together
as a church holding us up. And we certainly need for it to continue.) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Bible reading plan that I have been following this year currently has me in
Nehemiah (as well as Genesis, Matthew, and Acts) and something I read this time
in that book really jumped out at me. In Nehemiah 4:6, where it is reported
that half of the wall around the city of Jerusalem had been built by the
people, it states, "and the people had a heart to work." This
construction occurred in the midst of great discouragement coming from the
words of Sanballat and Tobiah who were striving to put an end to the Jews work
of restoring the city (vv. 1-3) and is remarkable for how fast they were able
to get so much accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. The reason
for such came from the willingness of the people to do the work necessary to
get the job done. How much more could the church do today if all of its members
similarly "had a heart to work?" And why is it that so many don't?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
think it ultimately comes down to forgetting the privilege it is to serve and
the One who, as our Master, served us. When you think about it, God does not
need us to do His work. He is more than capable to do it all in His power and
strength on His own. But how amazing is it that He chooses to include us in
that work all for His glory? That we have the privilege to serve in His church
and to be a vessel for Him to work through to contribute to the growth of
fellow believers and the addition of the number of the church in our
evangelistic outreach. We should not view service in the church as not
something we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have to </i>do. Rather as something
we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get to </i>do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
we have a Master who Himself modeled such service to us. Who humbled Himself to
do the work of the lowest slave in the household and wash His disciple's feet
(John 13:5-17). In fact, the very reason He came was not to be served by us but
to serve us by laying His life down for our salvation. As He said to His
disciples, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). With such great
service to us, how can we not be moved to want to serve each other in the
church in return? To follow Him in His remarkable service? I have shared with
you before this powerful quote from C. T. Studd which conveys how Christ giving
His all for us should serve as the motivation for us to give our all in service
for Him. In giving up a very successful athletic career and giving away his
vast fortune, he said, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no
sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." There is nothing
greater than spending and being spent in doing gospel work in the life of the
church for the One who is worthy of it and gave His very own life for us. To
contribute to something of eternal value that will last far more than just the
coming generation or so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
the 20% doing the 80% of the work in the church may be a reality today, it
doesn't have to be. At least if we don't continue to allow it to be so. How are
you using the gifts that God has given you in service to His church right now?
What are some opportunities in the church available for you to serve at the
moment? If you don't know what your spiritual gift or gifts may be, the best
thing to do is to take advantage of any of those opportunities and get serving!
Since these gifts are designed to build up and benefit the church, you will not
discover them outside of service in the church. No evaluation form or book can
help with this or direct you. I know of many who have found out the gifts God
has graciously given them to enable them to serve where He has designed just by
stepping up to serve where there was a need. Unknown to them at the time, it is
exactly the place the Lord wanted them and had already equipped them for. They
would have never found that out had they sat back just asking the Lord what
role He would have them to play in His body and would have continued to miss
out on the blessing to be used by Him for His work if they had done so. God
will make it clear to you what He has equipped you to do for His people to
honor and please Him as you faithful seek to serve in whatever areas are open
for such. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let's
each figure out together what role the Lord would have us to play in His body
and get to work at doing such with the help of His Spirit which He has so
graciously given! Wouldn't it be great if it could be said about Mt. Joy that
we have 80% of the people doing 100% of the work? Or even 100% of the people
doing 100% of that work? It's possible if we all faithfully seek to be obedient
to the Lord and use His gifts His Spirit has bestowed to us. May the Lord make
it so!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ serving along with you,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-36039761327388536162023-12-22T09:14:00.000-08:002023-12-22T09:22:38.528-08:00Why Our Family Doesn't Do Santa Claus<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Let me begin this post by saying that what follows is my wife and I's personal conviction regarding how we handle Santa Claus with our children. We recognize and respect that other believing parents may come out with a different perspective than we do on this matter. Ultimately, each family must act according to their own convictions and not go against such. I find that it is helpful for me to write out my convictions and understanding of Scripture to aid me in better articulating them. I am with Augustine who said, <span class="quote_sign" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">“</span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.</span><span class="quote_sign" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">”</span></span></i><i> If nothing else, it will allow people to better understand why we aren't following the popular route with Santa Claus in our household and to avoid any misunderstandings which may arise.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">It is always interesting whenever someone asks our oldest son, John, if he is ready for Santa to come or if he has been good for Santa to bring him something. Usually, the response is a "deer in headlights" look. Not because John doesn't know who Santa Claus is of course. He has seen him in cartoons and movies as well as part of decorations and people dressed up like him at the mall. But we have chosen to present him to our kids as a made-up character like Spider-Man, Bluey, or Mickey Mouse. Not as a real man who actually comes down the chimney every Christmas Eve that will only give gifts to those who have been good enough to deserve it. The reasons for this is because we want to avoid three things with our kids. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">First, we want to <i>avoid lying. </i>We see no way around the fact that to present Santa Claus and all the mytholog<i>y </i>that goes with it as real when it is not would be in essence a violation of the ninth commandment. Even though it may seem like harmless fun, we recognize that we would still be bearing false witness to our children to speak of Santa as if he is an actual person who does the things the movies and songs says<i> </i>he does when the fact of the matter is that<i> </i>it is not so. Our desire is to be seen as honest and truthful to our kids in everything we say to them. Now, we certainly want to tell our children about the real St. Nicholas the myth or legend has been based on who was a champion of trinitarian orthodoxy.<i> </i>During the debates and church councils over the details of Scripture's teaching on the Trinity, he valiantly stood for the truth of who Jesus is according to His word. A few accounts have that he punched the heretic Arius who denied that Jesus has eternally been God in the face! He didn't "deck the halls" but he very well might have "decked the heretic". (My wife suggests I wait until the boys get older to include that detail.)<i> </i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">We also want to <i>avoid confusion. </i>Santa has a few characteristics which are very similar to Jesus. He is "all-knowing" or "omniscient." ("He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you are awake. He knows if you've been bad or good.") The fact that he can get around the world all in one night indicates that he is close to being omnipresent, "all-present", being everywhere at the same time. And he has been around so long that it makes it seem like he has eternally existed. Actually, many people's view of Jesus resembles Santa Claus more than it does the Jesus described for us in the Bible. They think that He only blesses them or gives them the gift of salvation if they have been nice and not naughty. (Sinclair Ferguson has pointed out that many today actually have a <a href="https://www.ligonier.org/posts/do-you-believe-in-a-santa-christ" target="_blank">"Santa Christ"</a> they believe in in the place of Jesus Christ.) But the glorious truth of the gospel is that Jesus gives the gift of salvation He has accomplished to those who rightly recognize themselves to be nothing but naughty due to their sinfulness and look to Him for that salvation. Emphasizing Santa giving gifts only to those who deserve it and that our kids must continually work to be good to earn such can easily translate to them thinking that they have to do the same for Jesus which can lead to a mindset of works righteousness. (Which is our natural default setting anyway with "grace" being a foreign concept.) We don't want them to equate Jesus with Santa in this regard in any way.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">There is a concern as well with the confusion which could occur with presenting a fictional character such as Santa Claus alongside the factual person of Jesus. Such can blur the lines of the truth if talk of Santa at the North Pole is placed on the same plane as Jesus as a baby in the manger without any distinguishing between the two events. (Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus" demonstrates this well with the line towards the end of the song that always makes me cringe, "Let's give thanks to the Lord above, 'cause Santa Claus comes tonight.") And once a child learns that Santa isn't real when a number of years he was presented as he was, what makes them think that Jesus should still be seen as real since He was taught to them to be just as real as Santa who wasn't? Perhaps we can be accused of overthinking this, and maybe we are, but it is an important factor we have considered in making our decision not to do "the Santa Claus thing" with our children. And, obviously, this has not been the case for probably most children whose Christian parents presented Santa as real right next to Jesus. But the possibility leads us to pause in doing so.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">Finally, we want to <i>avoid distraction </i>as well. An unlikely theologian once sang, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPqQWRYRlMI" target="_blank">"Jesus gets jealous of Santa Claus sometimes this time of year."</a> Ultimately, we want our kids to get more excited about Jesus having come to earth to save sinners than they are about Santa Claus coming to town. It is so easy for Santa Claus with his bag full of temporary presents to overshadow Jesus with the much greater and lasting gift of Himself and the salvation He accomplished for those who believe in Him. For Jesus and His birth with all that entails to be pushed to a sideshow of the season rather than the main event He deserves to be. Regardless of what you do with Santa Claus in your house, be sure that he always takes a backseat to Jesus in your celebrations. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">Some may say that it ruins the fun or magic of the holiday for the kids not to imagine Santa with them. However, our response to that is that true joy and something greater than any kind of make believe magic is found in Jesus so that a Christ-centered Christmas without all the fabricated reality of a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer would not be lacking for our kids in any way, shape, or form. Our oldest is still very much excited about the presents he will receive on Christmas morning, even though he knows they will be from us and other members of the family. That doesn't rob him of any of the joy of what he is going to get. And we are working to remind him that all of these lesser gifts serve to remind us of the greatest gift of all he can have with Jesus once he repents and trusts in Him as his Savior and Lord. Instead of seeking to be a "Grinch that steals Christmas," we're just wanting to be a Linus who points to what Christmas is all about and limiting a major distraction from that point in our culture.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">And don't worry. We've already have had to have the conversation with John that it is the responsibility of other people's parents to tell them that Santa isn't real in their own timing. Not his to correct them. It took an argument that he told us broke out with him among some of his friends over the matter for us to realize we needed to do so before he sought to go out and set it straight for others so to speak. (It looks like he is inheriting his dad's "matter of fact" way of presenting things. Watch out world and I'm sorry!)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.69);">You may not find yourself in agreement with us and our reasoning here and think us to be strange or crazy. That's okay. I am discovering that there are a lot of things we do that appear weird in the culture we live in. But this is where we come down on the matter as we seek to honor the Lord and exalt Christ at the season of year where we specifically set aside time to focus on His incarnation and birth. As I wrote in the little disclaimer at the top of the post, it is up to every parent to decide what they are going to do with Santa in their home. This is where we come down to it and why. We respect others who take a different approach. But don't be surprised when our kids may look at you strangely when you start asking them about a fat man in a red suit entering our home on Christmas Eve night with a sack full of goodies to put under the tree or if they are going to put out cookies and milk for him before bed that evening. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas celebrating the coming of our Savior and what He has done for all who believe in Him no matter what you may do with Santa who really cannot be avoided completely this time of year.<br /></span></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-79563061805729882452023-11-28T15:30:00.000-08:002023-11-28T15:47:07.914-08:00Mythbusters: Christmas Edition<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
was a show out a number of years ago called "Mythbusters" where they
would examine popular sayings and things done in movies to see if they were
true or just a myth. Over the years, the story of Christ's birth has become
conflated and exaggerated with things twisted and added to it in our songs and
popular portrayals. So much so that we can sometimes find it hard to separate
the biblical facts from popular fiction. And the last thing we should want is
to get an incorrect view in our heads of what took place that first Christmas
night. I want to look with you at a number of the most common assumptions which
have been made regarding our Savior's arrival in light of what Scripture
teaches. If you would like, you could call this, "Mythbusters: Christmas
Edition." Let's put some of these elements of the Christmas story to the
test of God's Word.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No Room in the Inn? </i>How many times have
you heard about the cold-hearted inn-keeper who could not, or would not, find
any room for Jesus? He is pictured at the doorway shaking his head
"no" and pointing Mary and Joseph away from there. And the countless
sermons which have been preached about how we should not be like Him but
instead to make room in our hearts for Jesus? However, the only problem with
this is that there probably wasn't an inn-keeper. Because it wasn't an inn they
were turned away from. The Greek word used for this place in Luke 2:7 is not
the one typically for an inn but a guest room in someone's home. (In the parable
of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 where Jesus speaks of the Samaritan taking
the man ambushed and beaten by the robbers to an inn, a different word is used
in the Greek. This same word though is found in Luke 22:11 regarding Jesus
instructing His disciples to ask for the guest room of the man's house for
holding the Passover meal.) It was common during a census in that day where one
would have to travel back to their hometown for relatives in the area to host
them in their homes. More likely, this was the home of one of Joseph's
relatives who unfortunately had all of their guest rooms filled up by others
who needed a place to stay while in for the census. The best that they could do
was to have them stay in the cave next to the house with all of the animals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here's
another myth to bust by the way. The idea that the birth occurred in a stable.
It was typical back then for the animals to be housed in a cave next to a
person's home. Don't think of Jesus' first earthly accommodations being a nice
size modern day barn with a roof and door. Picture a dark, damp, smelly cave
instead. Even more of a humble scene of our Lord's entering into this world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Lord Jesus No Crying He Makes? </i>We
sing every Christmas of Jesus' birth which took place "away in a
manger" where there was "no crib for a bed" and about how
"the little Lord Jesus no crying He makes." I highly doubt this was
the case. Usually, a newborn baby isn't that quiet. You can expect him or her
to cry. I remember at first thinking that something must be wrong when our
oldest son was born because he didn’t really cry shortly after the birth.
However, later on in the day, I started to wonder if something was wrong
because he seemed not to ever stop crying! The author of Hebrews tells us that
Jesus became like us in every way with the sole exception of not sinning (2:17;
4:15). Jesus wasn't born without crying but without sinning. The Son of God
became a teeny tiny baby and grew and developed just like we all have but
obediently in every area of His life (Luke 1:80; 2:40). And that growth and
development would include crying, especially shortly after birth. Let's be
careful not to minimize Jesus' humanity in focusing on His divinity. (There
weren't any "radiant beams from His holy face" either. He would have
resembled any other baby at the time.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hark! the Herald Angels SAY?</i> Another
Christmas Carol we love to sing, and my personal favorite I might add, is
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing." This is probably the most
theologically deep and accurate older hymn of our Lord's birth. The writer,
Charles Wesley, really did his homework! But when you read Luke's Gospel
concerning the angels appearing to the shepherds that first Christmas night, you
don't find it telling us that this multitude of angels were SINGING "Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is
pleased" but SAYING it (2:13). While it is certainly a possibility that
these angels were indeed singing these words, Luke doesn't explicitly say that.
We don't know for sure. Praising and singing do go together but the Bible shows
us that there are more ways of praising God than just singing to Him. That is
one among a number of them. Of course, "Hark! the herald angels say"
doesn't rhyme as well with "glory to the newborn king." (Please know
that I am not trying to ruin or pick on any of your favorite Christmas Carols.
I only want to be biblical and bust any of the myths which may be communicated in
them, passed on down through the generations. Don't worry! I will still join
you in singing this one loudly this month.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> <span> </span><span> </span>While we're on the angels, isn't it interesting that in just about every Christmas play and pageant, they are portrayed by girls instead of boys? Yet, every angel we ever encounter in the pages of Scripture has male pronouns. And the only ones we have the names of are masculine ones; Gabriel and Michael. Maybe women just appear to be more angelic than men do. (I won't go any further with that!) And don't get me started with the little cute cherubs and their tiny exposed bottoms. I don't have any idea where they came from but I know it wasn't from Scripture!</span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mysterious Wise Men. </i>Perhaps the
group associated with the Christmas story who takes the cake for the most myths
developed about them would be the magi or wise men. Much of this is due to the
beloved Christmas Carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." First off,
we are not sure that there were only three of them. There may have been many
more. The text of Matthew 2 doesn't specify any specific number. Just that they
were magi plural and brought three gifts. It is hard to imagine that just three
of them would have caused as much of a stir as described. And I have no clue
where the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar came from to call them but it's
not from Scripture. For that matter, nothing is said about them being kings
either. The word "magi" means "great or powerful ones" and
often alluded to those with a high status or influence. These ones probably
were astrologers who studied the stars and tried to interpret the future by
them. That's why they take such a special notice to this unique star that
showed up which others may have just passed over in their causally gazing into
the night sky. They made it their practice to examine the stars. The group
would not have had crowns on their heads but their eyes on the sky. "We
unspecified number of astrologers of Orient are" would be quite a mouthful
to sing though.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
when it comes to their arrival, just about every single manger scene gets it
wrong. The magi would not have been there at the same time as the shepherds. In
fact, they would not have been at the manger at all. Matthew doesn't say that
they came to the cave to find the baby or infant but "into the HOUSE"
where "they saw the CHILD" (2:11). It probably was a good year or a
year and a half before the magi arrived to meet Jesus. We know that it had been
close to two years from when they first noticed the star and talked to King
Herod about it to when the king realized that they weren't coming back. Hence,
why he ordered all the male children two years old and under to be slaughtered
(v. 16). So, Jesus would have been one or one and a half at the time of their
visit and well out of the manger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Truth of Christmas.</i> We could also
talk about how Mary did indeed know <span style="background: white; color: #050505;">her
baby boy would save our sons and daughters, that He came to make us new, and
that He would ultimately deliver her because the angel told her so and due to
her knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures which prophesied such. And that
there was no little boy who showed up that night playing</span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">"pa rum pum pum-pum" on his drum</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">. </span><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">But the
truth about Christmas is that God the Son entered our world through the birth
canal of a virgin, came to earth to save His people from their sins just as He
had promised many, many, many years ago. There was light entering into our
darkness. There were shepherds hearing the news of the angels and seeing the
true Lamb of God born that men may have eternal life through His freely giving
of His life as a substitute sacrifice. There was hope for the worst of sinners
and such a hope that remains today. And that is what we celebrate not just this
month but the whole year through. No myths to bust there!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Love in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor Lee</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-27666143341054455202023-11-22T20:01:00.000-08:002023-11-22T20:01:28.496-08:00Giving Thanks to God for Being God<p><span style="font-size: medium;">In Exodus 34:6-7</span>,<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> God lays out for
Moses and us who He is. Moses had asked God in the last chapter to show him His
glory. And God promised to make all His goodness pass before Moses and to
proclaim His name to him. All these characteristics listed here comprise God’s goodness.
And what makes this passage so powerful is that it is God defining God. C. S.
Lewis has said that the best one to tell us about God would be God Himself. And
that’s exactly what He does here in the most comprehensive way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, it is typical for us at Thanksgiving to focus on
what God has given us. All of the many blessings we can stop and take the time to
count. To express our thanks and gratefulness to God for those blessings. And
it is good and right for us to do so. But what about giving thanks to God for
being Who He is? For these characteristics which are displayed in His actions?
I am struck by the fact that Psalm 100, which is referred to as being “A Psalm
of Thanksgiving,” calls us to “Enter [God’s] gates with thanksgiving and His
courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness endures forever and His faithfulness, generation to
generation.” We are encouraged to give thanks and bless God’s name for His
goodness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness. All characteristics of His which
define His very nature.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">So, what I encourage you to do today, which may be a
little different than what you typically do each year, is to specifically
reflect on these characteristics of God He proclaimed before Moses and why we
should be thankful for such. In hopes that this will further move us to give thanks to
God for being the great God He is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Giving Thanks for God's Mercy</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The first thing God says about Himself to Moses in His gracious declaration to him is that He is COMPASSIONATE. The word is similar to that which is used of a mother's tender concern and care for her child. It is showing pity to someone in a miserable and weak condition, even though he or she doesn't deserve it. Exactly what God does in choosing to save those who recognize themselves to be in a miserable state of sin and cry out to Him to save them through the perfect sinless life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of His Son. He shows such pity and compassion in not giving believers the punishment and wrath they deserve but having that fall on His Son instead in their place. Basically, anything we receive from God other than His judgment and wrath is His mercy towards us. Let's give thanks for God's mercy!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><b>Giving Thanks for God's Grace</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The second thing God says about Himself to Moses is that He is GRACIOUS. Grace is unmerited favor. It is being given something one does not deserve. Of course, the greatest gift of all God has given believers is their salvation. Something which is impossible for us to earn, no matter how hard we may try. In fact, we give God every reason not to save us by our sinful thoughts, desires, and actions. What great grace God has shown us in sending His Son to experience the punishment which we deserve for our sins but He did not. And to credit His very righteousness to our account though we contributed absolutely nothing to it. All so that we could become His adopted children and live with Him for all eternity. None of which we deserve on account of our sinfulness and rebellion. Let's give thanks for God's grace!<br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Patience</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The third thing God says about Himself to Moses is
that He is PATIENT, longsuffering, or slow to anger. In Hebrew, this is
literally, “long of nose.” The picture is of an animal like a bull whose
nostrils flare whenever it gets angry. It takes a while for God to demonstrate
His anger. For His nostrils to flare up so to speak.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the most amazing things in the Old Testament is
how patient God continues to be towards His people. How long He delays His wrath when
they deserve it on the spot. Even today, He continues to show such patience in
waiting to bring about the full weight of His wrath until the return of His
Son. This gives more opportunity for people to repent to avoid His wrath. Let’s
give thanks to God for His patience!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Love</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The fourth word God uses to describe Himself to Moses
is LOVINGKINDNESS. This refers to His loyal love and commitment to His people.
How He has devoted Himself to the good of those who belong to Him. And that
good is not physical health, wealth, and prosperity but coming to know Him and
being made more like His Son. We see the greatest display of God’s love with
the sending and sacrifice of His Son. The giving of the One of highest and
infinite value and worth to Him for our salvation. Choosing to show such love
to us before we ever loved Him. There is no greater love we have experienced than
this. Let’s give thanks for God’s lovingkindness which “endures forever”! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Truth</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Not only does God say He is abounding in
lovingkindness but also in truth. He can be trusted. He won’t say one thing and
mean the opposite. We don’t have to worry about any “fake news” coming from
Him. He is not a politician. Everything He says in His Word is true. This is
certainly the case with all the many prophecies of Jesus. They either have
already taken place or will take place without any doubt. You can bank on it. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The Bible describes God numerous times as being a
rock. He is a firm foundation for all who trust in His Son. All because He
abounds in truth. Let’s give thanks for God’s truth!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Faithfulness</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The “keeping lovingkindness for thousands” speaks of
God’s faithfulness. He always keeps the promises He has made to His people. He
will continue to show His loyal love to His people throughout the centuries.
Even when we are unfaithful to Him, He will never be unfaithful to us. A good
picture of this is with the prophet Hosea and Gomer. Although Gomer was unfaithful
in her marriage to Hosea, God had Hosea continue to go after his wife and even
purchase her back from slavery. God will never give up on His people but
continue to pursue and bring them back to Him. If our salvation depended on our
faithfulness, we would have no hope of ever being saved. But thankfully, our
salvation depends on His ever reliable faithfulness. Let’s give thanks for God’s
faithfulness!</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Forgiveness</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">David says Psalm 32:1-2, “How blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man whose
iniquity the LORD will not take into account, and in whose spirit there is no
deceit.” That blessing is only possible because God is a God “who forgives
iniquity, transgression, and sin.” For the one who comes to Him in repentance and
with faith in His Son, He will not hold their sins against them any longer. He
will not even bring them to His mind. All of their sins have been taken away
and placed on Jesus instead. Just like the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement
who was sent off into the wilderness never to be seen again, Jesus has carried
away our sins for them no more to be seen by God. He was sent to be the perfect
sacrifice to truly cover our sins and satisfy God’s wrath. The debt we owed Him
for our many sins against Him has been canceled. We can sing, “My sin-not in
part, but the whole-is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the
Lord, praise the Lord, O, my soul!” We have a hard enough time to let go of the
wrongs that others have done against us. And the wrongs that we have done against
God are far greater than anything anyone has done to us. But He is willing and
eager to forgive everything we have ever done against Him and will ever do</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s
give thanks for God’s forgiveness!</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Giving
Thanks for God’s Justice</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">We live in a world full of injustice. All we have to
do is turn on the news to be reminded of that. People are defrauded, done
wrong, and in many cases, some even appear to get away with murder. The most vulnerable
are attacked and taken advantage of. Isn’t it refreshing to know that we have a
God who is just and will always do what is right? That justice is seen with His
declaration that “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the
iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and
fourth generations.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">This characteristic of
God should be horrifying for an unbeliever who refuses to repent. It means that
they will get exactly what they deserve from God which is His righteous wrath.
But for the believer, it is an encouraging characteristic of God as it ensures
him or her that any justice which they have been denied here on this earth will
be met. He never will do us wrong but only right. When Jesus returns, all
wrongs will be made right. Let’s give thanks for God’s justice!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">As you count your many blessings that the Lord has given you this Thanksgiving, don't forget to take some time to give thanks to Him for being the great God He is. For His compassion or mercy, grace, patience, lovingkindness, truth, faithfulness, forgiveness, and justice. Everything we have is because those are each true about Him. <br /></span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-30208293002278478512023-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:002023-10-20T12:14:31.288-07:00The Best Thing We Can Do for Israel<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Right
now, understandably and necessarily, our attention is being directed to Israel
with everything that is going on over in the Middle East with their fight
against the Palestinian terrorist group known as Hamas. The things this group
have been doing is horrendous and too vile for me to even mention. This whole
conflict leaves Christians here in the US with a bunch of questions. How do we
understand all of this in light of the Bible? Are we witnessing the unfolding
of biblical prophecy at this very moment? What relationship does the Israel of
today have with the Israel which was once known as being God's people? Are they
still considered God's people? And what can and should we do for then at this
time?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First,
I think that we need to be careful not to get too excited and not be quick to jump
to any conclusions that this serves as any direct fulfillment of biblical
prophecy. Jesus said that "you are going to hear of wars and rumors of
wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is
not yet the end" (Matthew 24:6). Such are just the beginnings of birth
pains, not the birth of the end itself (v. 8). "Wars and rumors of
wars" have been a reality in our world since our Lord uttered those words.
And those prophecies of what is to come were never given to us so that we could
map out everything which will lead to our Lord's return or to find out where we
are in that timetable but to encourage us that all of history is marching
according to God's plan to that moment when the Lord will return to defeat His
enemies, reward His saints, and consummate His eternal kingdom. That Jesus will
win in the end, right all wrongs, and bring us back to the bliss of the garden
where we will have close unhindered fellowship with Him. We are not to be
sitting around with all of our charts seeking to lay it all out with our eyes
on the skies but be busy serving Him doing what He has commanded as we eagerly
await His soon coming. Furthermore, what may appear to be connected to a specific
biblical prophecy at this moment may not five or ten years from now. There has
been so many things pointed to throughout history that people were once so sure
had to be the playing out of this or that particular passage in Scripture which
turned out not to be. In fact, no one would even dare claim such today about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
it comes to Israel and its relationship as God's people, Paul states in Romans
9:6 that "they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel." He
means that not every physical Israelite can be counted as being a part of the
Israel which is considered to be God's people. Having Jewish blood and being
able to trace your linage back to Abraham does not automatically make one a
part of His people and a recipient of the blessings and privileges of the promise
He gave to Abraham. Paul goes on to demonstrate this by pointing out that both Ishmael
and Isaac can claim to have Abraham as their father. However, only Isaac is
considered to be part of His people and not Ishmael (vv. 7-9). The same is seen
with the twins, Esau and Jacob. God graciously chose Jacob to be a part of His
people while leaving Esau outside of it. And it wasn't because of anything they
had done or one being more righteous than the other since God made the choice
before they had born to do anything to be judged on. It was simply because of
God's choice to show mercy (vv. 11-13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Earlier
in the letter, Paul says that the true Jew is the one who is not one outwardly
marked by being physically circumcised by the hand of man but who is one
inwardly marked by a "circumcision of the heart" brought about by the
Holy Spirit (Romans 2:28-29). This "circumcision of the heart" refers
to being "born again" with the result of being made a new creation in
Christ (John 3:3, 5; Galatians 6:15). In the first three chapters of Romans,
Paul labors to argue that both Gentiles and Jews alike are sinners in need of
God's saving grace revealed in Jesus. In chapter 1, he focuses on the sins the
Gentiles are handing over to on account of their exchanging the worship of God
with the worship of idols. Then in chapter 2, how the Jews are no better with
their own violations of God's law. This leads to his conclusion that "there
is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:22-23). Both Jews and Gentiles are in the same boat and need rescued
with the only possible Rescuer being the Lord Jesus Christ. God has always had
a remnant within the nation of Israel of those who truly belonged to Him. But
it became clear in their unbelief that many of those a part of the nation did not
belong and thus were outside of His people. They were only outwardly a Jew but
not inwardly one. And therefore were no different than an unbelieving Gentile. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Galatians
3:28-29 tells us "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free man, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to
promise." It is those who believe who can count themselves a true
descendant of Abraham. Not those of physical descent or with his blood. The believing
Gentile then is more of a descendant of Abraham than the Jewish unbeliever. God's
people consists ONLY of repentant believing Jews and Gentiles. The only Jews
today part of the nation of Israel who can rightfully claim to be included in
the number of God's people are those who, by God's grace, have repented of
their sins and come to Christ in faith for forgiveness of those sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
is a dangerous teaching out there today that says we do not need to evangelize the
Jews. Even that we shouldn't bother with such. The thought being that they are
already all God's chosen people so it is not necessary to. A number of years
back, I saw an interview that Pat Robertson had with Michael Eisner, then CEO
of the Walt Disney Company. Eisner asked Robertson if he would go to hell
because he rejected Jesus to be his Messiah and Savior. Talk about the perfect
gospel opportunity! But Pat blew it! Instead of telling Eisner of how Jesus
died and rose again for the sins of those who repent and trust in Him, he
showed him Romans 11:26 in the Bible that "all Israel will be saved" following
the fullness of the Gentiles being brought into the church and told him that he
was okay then. Basically, that he had nothing to worry about. While I don't
deny that verse and understand it to indicate that a revival will occur among
the Jewish people at Christ's return, it clearly can't be saying that all Jews
are fine in their current state and will go to heaven regardless of their faith
in Jesus. Because there is no salvation without repentance and faith in Christ.
No name under heaven by which men must be saved other than Jesus Christ (Acts
4:12). No salvation found outside of Him. Paul's very practice and prayers went
against this mindset. When he went into an area, he first preached in the
synagogues to share the gospel with the Jews (<span style="background: white; color: #202124;">Acts 13:14, 14:1, 17:1-2, 17:10, 17:16-17, 18:4, 18:19, 19:8,
28:17</span></span>) and prayed with a strong desire for their salvation
(Romans 10:1). He magnified his ministry to the Gentiles in hopes that the Jews
would be moved by jealousy seeing believing Gentiles possess what was
originally given to their forefathers and extended to those Gentiles by grace
(Romans 11:13-14).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
in light of all of this, what should we do for Israel in regards to this
current war with Hamas? The best thing we can do is pray. Certainly to pray for
an end to the violence and for justice to be brought about upon the
perpetrators of this conflict. But even more so we need to pray for the
salvation of the unbelieving Jews as a far worse fate awaits them than what
they are experiencing now if they continue to refuse to repent and turn to
Christ in saving faith. They will undergo an eternity of God's wrath without
His grace and mercy. For that matter, we should pray for the unbelieving Palestinians
as well. Our greatest concern must always be people's souls and where they will
spend eternity. Let's be sure that such a concern is reflected in our ongoing
prayers regarding this present conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-12313603138775322602023-09-26T14:11:00.001-07:002023-09-26T14:11:34.803-07:00How Now Shall We Live?<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in 1999, Charles Colson wrote a
book entitled, “How Now Shall We Live?” It’s a good question and one which many
of us may find ourselves asking at this very moment as well. We live in a
society that is growing more and more antagonistic towards Christians. One
which is tolerant of just about everything except for anything relating to
Christianity and the Bible. A culture that goes actively out of its way to promote
the very things God hates. A world where in many ways we are not accepted and
respected for our beliefs and everything appears to be topsy-turvy from the way
it should be. How now shall we live in such a world? What is the Christian's
role and responsibility here? Thankfully, God has not left us on our own to
figure this out but tells us in His Word how we are to view ourselves and our
citizenship here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One thing we need to keep in mind in
our living down here is that as believers we have a dual citizenship. Not only
are we citizens of this earthly kingdom in the locality of Westmoreland or
Fayette County, PA or wherever you may be as you read this but also Christ has made us citizens of His heavenly
kingdom. Paul reminds the Philippians that "For our citizenship is in
heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body
of His glory, by His working through which He is able to even subject all
things to Himself" (Philippians 3:20-21). The way that Scripture describes
us is as being "aliens and strangers" in this world (1 Peter 1:1;
2:11; Hebrews 11:13). We are no different than the Israelites in the Old
Testament in their wilderness wanderings not being able to truly call any place
they pitch their tents home, waiting for the day when they would actually
arrive home to the Promised Land which would be their permanent possession. As
the old Gospel song put it, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin'
thru." We shouldn't "feel at home in this world anymore." We do
not belong here and are no more than a pilgrim who has set up his tent in this
place temporarily. So we should guard against getting too comfortable here and
living as if we are going to remain for eternity. One day our earthly
citizenship is going to end and all we will have is the greater heavenly
citizenship. When I was in seminary, I actually had two different addresses in
two different places. There was the address of my school where I stayed for
classes in Lanham, MD and the address of my parents. I had no intention of
being there in MD more than the three years necessary to finish my degree but
was planning to go back home to my parents in Harrisonburg, VA as soon as I was
done there. This impacted how I lived in Lanham as I was careful not to settle
down, always remembering that it would not be my permanent address. Knowing
that our permanent residence is in God's heavenly kingdom should likewise
impact what we do in our temporary residence here on earth. Are we living as if
heaven is our real home and permanent citizenship or as if this is? Does it
appear to others that we are seeking to stay here forever and ever or that we
are those pilgrims just passing through here on route to the Promised Land to
come? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And as citizens of God's heavenly kingdom
while here on earth, we have a mission. Jesus could not have been much clearer
in articulating it. His marching orders to His church right before leaving
earth was to "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
keep all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). Notice that He did
not say that we are "Christianize" the nations, making it our effort
to transform them into a Christian society with Christian laws but to make
Christians out of the nations. To go out and evangelize and disciple those from
every tribe, tongue, and nation that God will draw to His Son through the
gospel message. All our focus and energy cannot be directed to electing the
right politician to the White House, Governor's Mansion, or hall of Congress or
to ensure that the proper laws are passed. Such would take us away from proclaiming
the gospel which alone can save repentant sinners and serves as the sole means
to accomplish the mission Jesus has called us to. Alistair Begg says it well
when he warns, "<span style="background: white; color: black;">Whenever that
which is central—namely, the gospel—becomes peripheral, then that which is
peripheral inevitably becomes central—whatever you want to use as the
issue." <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
you look at the church in Acts, we do not find them doing everything they can
to take over the Roman Empire at the time and turn it into a "holy Roman
Empire." (Later Christians did indeed attempt to do so and the results
were disastrous. The Roman Empire was Christian "in name only" and a
lot of very "unchristian" things were done in the name of Christ
which was horrendous.). Instead, we see their focus and aim being the preaching
of the gospel so that more souls could be added to the number of the church by
God's sovereign work through the Word. However, as a by-product of their
faithful gospel witness, society was changed by more and more people becoming
Christians. They could be described as turning the world "upside
down" (Acts 17:6). Idol makers and fortune tellers were going out of
business due to people no longer going to them on account of their new faith in
Christ and the new heart they have been given by the Holy Spirit which did not
desire such anymore (Acts 16:16-21; 19:24-27). If we really want to have a more
"Christian" society, that will only come by producing more Christians
in the society. In fact, I wonder if the reason secularism is on the rise today
and there are more of those now who identify as being a "none" on
surveys when it comes to any religious or church affiliation is due to many
churches today becoming so preoccupied with political involvement and
transforming the state where the gospel has been sidelined for such a cause.
The result being less believers in the upcoming generations in our nation. We
have lost them because we have failed to reach them with the gospel due to
being too busy with other things. (I confess that this is speculation on my
part but we do have to ask if the church's preoccupation with impacting the
society other than with the gospel has any role to play in this.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now, does all this mean that we
should disengage ourselves completely from the world and not be concerned with
voting for the next president or governor or support the passing of certain
laws which would be in accord with God's law revealed in His Word? Absolutely
not! In his letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah
instructs them to "Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into
exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its peace you will have
peace" (Jeremiah 29:7). Here is a model for us in our exile in this modern
day Babylon. We are to do what we can to "seek the peace" or welfare
of the city and nation we live in and pray for it and its leaders, especially
for their salvation (1 Timothy 2:1-6). That will entail us voting for the
lesser of two evils (which is pretty much our choices anymore) who would better
benefit or do less harm to the nation and support those laws that would protect
the people in the city and promote righteousness. But to do all this with the
mindset that it is all for a temporary kingdom with the greater need being what
comes afterwards. To not make any of it be the all and end all, treating the
next election as being of any greater consequence than just for the here and
now whereas those who don't know Christ will suffer God's righteous wrath in
hell for all eternity if they do not repent and place their trust in the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. Clearly, that must always take precedence for us and be the
main thing we are about. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, how are we now to live?
Primarily by proclaiming the gospel and making sure everyone we rub shoulders
with knows of what God has done for Christ for all who believe in Him and
secondarily by doing what we can to "promote the peace or welfare of the
city" and pray for it. The day is coming when we will not "need this
house no longer, we will not need this house no more" and we must always
live with that in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-57205149139870400672023-09-07T06:15:00.000-07:002023-09-07T06:15:30.735-07:00The Importance of Having Children in the Worship Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHX8dVNgruJRflq0qdz20m9Ldikiptjonv_MQzkd2ei6FBIePFi4w020hoz06v_N9exH_cWWO5sbama87rcYhGTQjI_OHajhvZb6SlnL5BkqYFzriCLp-42rhzdEJh3BnXKnmFpDggFeSnjIOtdZMJNBUa4e6RlQmJMtTqCqz_Td2ZZdSskmNADirZsFe/s1080/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHX8dVNgruJRflq0qdz20m9Ldikiptjonv_MQzkd2ei6FBIePFi4w020hoz06v_N9exH_cWWO5sbama87rcYhGTQjI_OHajhvZb6SlnL5BkqYFzriCLp-42rhzdEJh3BnXKnmFpDggFeSnjIOtdZMJNBUa4e6RlQmJMtTqCqz_Td2ZZdSskmNADirZsFe/s320/IMG_1241.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0PhZw6zBKC1_8UVbQZ2ET5bNZNjHrfzn0j5Rqlx6sPCh4tzKdBT_0JP_M7C0327a7V-t_WCkOgIWRoZD_TdNKkNU7V6acpEHZV7yIc8sUEiiwzAZZX_RMKo-fNDL_mWazwKakIjfTaqkS-BDh7Hy-LFL52lTyOmRRyV88rfYth6sLPDWPu-QK6QFX2a-/s960/IMG_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0PhZw6zBKC1_8UVbQZ2ET5bNZNjHrfzn0j5Rqlx6sPCh4tzKdBT_0JP_M7C0327a7V-t_WCkOgIWRoZD_TdNKkNU7V6acpEHZV7yIc8sUEiiwzAZZX_RMKo-fNDL_mWazwKakIjfTaqkS-BDh7Hy-LFL52lTyOmRRyV88rfYth6sLPDWPu-QK6QFX2a-/s320/IMG_1483.JPG" width="240" /></a><br /><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the greatest noises we hear on a Sunday morning
currently at Mt. Joy is the sound of the children who are with us each week in
the arms of their parents or squirming in the pews. I never tire of hearing the
cries, coos, fusses, and occasional little chatter of the littlest ones among
us. And I am becoming more and more convinced as time goes on that the best
place for children on a Sunday morning is in the worship service with their
parents. They will gain far more from that and learn the rhythm and patterns of
worship than they would if they are taken out of the service into a separate
place away from what all is taking place. I have noticed the kids we are
blessed to have in our congregation hold the hymnal while we are singing (and
in some cases sing along with their own words), hear a hearty “amen” from one
of them after the prayers, and even have another give a prayer request! They
are learning to worship by participating in the service with their parents. And
while much of what they hear may go over their heads, they will grow into these
truths and come to understand them the more that they are exposed to them. In
fact, they will learn these truths quicker due to the earlier familiarity with
them. I am amazed when my wife will tell me that our oldest perks up during the
sermon occasionally and excitedly tells her something he recognizes from the
sermon or knows, especially when it appears that he is not paying attention at
all. Our oldest not too long ago, turned and looked at my wife excitedly
saying, “Daddy is talking about ‘David and Goliath’!” when I had referenced
this story in the message as an example.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And, trust me, I know that it is
hard to get and keep a small child sitting in the pew for the entirety of a
worship service, especially if you might have one that is hyperactive and
struggles with sitting still in general no matter where you may be or take him.
There are some days we are just happy to get our oldest to stay in the pew!
(And my kids have it the worst because they have to sit through daddy’s
preaching. They probably feel that they hear enough of that at home!) But just
as we need to work and teach our kids to behave and sit in a restaurant or a
grocery store, we can and should do the same in church. The rewards and
dividends are too great to neglect this. And I do believe that God will bless us
in our efforts as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today in several churches many
people are quick to desire to drop their children off in some room and then
come to worship without having to worry with them. They want the children to be
“out of sight” and “out of mind” in the worship service. That’s sad really. We
shouldn’t want to deprive children of the blessing of being a part of the
worship service where they are exposed to the rich truths of the hymns that we
sing. Where they can witness the adults worshiping. Where they can hear what
God is saying to them from His Word during the sermon. This is one reason I no
longer am in favor of having a Jr. Church for the kids while the service is
going on. It would rob them of what they would learn from both what they hear
and see taking place. It also will make it more difficult to acclimate them to
sitting through the entire service later when they outgrow the children’s
church. But if all they have ever known is being in the pew for the duration of
the time of worship, it will, eventually, become second nature to them each
week. Much more so the earlier a child has to do this. Of course, the nursery
is available should the smallest of the kids get really fussy and need to be
taken out. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
absolutely love what Al Mohler has said about the importance of having children
in the worship service. “We should, in church, welcome the wiggling and the
squirming. And we should hope that what is happening is that the Word of God is
reaching those hearts in ways those children do not even recognize. They are
speaking as children. They are thinking as children. They are reasoning as
children. But the Word of God can reach where we cannot go.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
is evidence in Scripture that God has intended children not to be separated
from their families in the regular worship service as well. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have you ever
noticed that Paul addresses children specifically and directly in Ephesians 6:1
regarding their obedience to the fifth commandment? Since these letters were
originally intended to be read to the whole church gathered together for
worship on a Sunday morning, he obviously expected the children to be sitting
there with their parents as it is being read. He doesn’t say, “Parents, be sure
to tell your children when you see them later that they are to obey you in the
Lord.” No, he points the finger right at the children. He is hoping that their
ears will perk up as they are listening to the letter being read. That they
would have been listening to all of the letter up to this point. They would
have been in the assembly with their families. Likewise, Moses commanded in the Old Testament that at the end of every seven years at the feast of tabernacles, all of the nation of Israel were to gather together to hear the words of the law being read (Deuteronomy 31:10-11). He specifies that that includes "the men and the women and little ones and the sojourner who is within your gates" (v. 12). <span>The young children weren't relegated to another place for a lesson of their own but were to be there with the rest of the community to benefit from listening to God's Word as well "so that they may hear and so that they may learn and fear Yahweh your God and be careful to do all the words of this law" (v. 12). </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span> </span><span> I, myself, am a product of being brought to church at a very young age, carried as a babe in arms. We pretty much were there whenever the church doors were open for something. Some of my earliest memories was hearing my pastor preach, standing to sing with the congregation, and putting my dollar in the offering plate when it came around. </span></span><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">And while much of what I heard I did not understand at first, around nine I began to pay more attention to the sermons and something started to stir in my soul as the Holy Spirit was using that to instill saving faith in me.
I still remember my dad pulling me down the aisle, sitting me on the
sink in the bathroom, and giving me a stern talking to (a few times
even more than just a talk) for misbehaving in church. And now I never
want to leave the church building! In fact, I pretty much live there! Things might have been very different for me had I not had that foundation of church attendance every Lord's Day morning from before I can even remember. It was an indispensable part of my spiritual shaping and development.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Something parents can do today to encourage their kids in worship is to
communicate to them in both words and actions how important such a time is. If
you tell your kids that they will not understand the preacher and that the
worship service will be boring for them, it will turn out to be a
self-defeating prophecy. They will more likely not come to see this time as
special and significant for them. If all a child ever hears is that
Chuck-E-Cheeses is the last place you would want to be and is no fun
whatsoever, they are not going to want to go to Chuck-E-Cheeses. Likewise, if
you tell them something similar about the worship service, don’t be surprised
when they don’t want to go. (Of course, there will not be a natural desire for
them to hear God’s Word and be a part of the service as that results from the
new birth. You can’t change their heart but you can instill in them the
significance of corporate worship.) Do they see an excitement and enjoyment in
you to be with God’s people and to worship Him through the singing of songs,
prayers, and attentiveness to the Word? Never forget moms and dads that your
children are always watching. And they can tell whether you are being genuine
or not. Let’s be sure not to neglect having them in worship each Sunday morning
to help develop in them an understanding of the gospel and the transformative
power of the Lord Jesus Christ in hopes that the Spirit might use that, along
with your faithful instruction at home, to bring them to faith in Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Love in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pastor Lee</span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-2780669578761672592023-07-26T08:11:00.000-07:002023-07-26T08:11:16.945-07:00True Conversion<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is true conversion and how do we understand it? This change from an unbeliever to
a believer. The change from someone who once was separated from Christ on
account of their sin to someone who becomes His beloved child, adopted into His
forever family. The change from being on the broad road to hell to having the
full assurance that one will spend an eternity in heaven. How does such a
change come about? And what are the characteristics that can be expected of
those who have underwent this kind of change? Does this change take place by
raising a hand, praying a prayer, or walking down an aisle in response to an evangelistic
message? Or does none of those things have anything to do with a real
conversion to Christ from idolatry and sin? It is quite possible that there are
many today who think that they have been converted who have yet to be. Or
others who are but fail to recognize the significance of what has happened to
them. My goal in this article is to look with you at what Scripture tells us
about true and real conversion to clear up any of the misunderstandings and
misconceptions regarding it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>True Conversion Results From Being
Born Again. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before anyone can be converted, they first
must be born again by God's Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus that "unless one
is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). He of course
was not talking about a physical birth as it is impossible for someone to climb
back into their mother's womb and go through the entire birthing process all
over again as Nicodemus himself realized (v. 4). Instead, this refers to a spiritual
rebirth. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which has been born of
flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit" (vv.
5-6).What Jesus speaks of here is a radical heart change. The prophet Ezekiel
described it as God removing the stubborn rebellious heart of stone from those
chosen to be His people and giving them a heart of flesh desiring to be
obedient to Him in its place (Ezekiel 36:26). In order for someone to turn away
from their sinfulness and embrace Christ for their salvation, their desires
need to change. Sin must become bitter to them for Christ to be seen as sweet.
An example I like to use is with different flavors of ice cream. If you would
put before me a bowl of strawberry ice cream and a bowl of chocolate ice cream
and asked me to choose between the two of them, I will always choose the
strawberry over the chocolate. Why is that? Simply because I do not like
chocolate ice cream at all and strawberry is my absolute favorite. And the only
way you could get me to turn from choosing strawberry ice cream to choosing
chocolate would be to change my tastes for them. Chocolate ice cream is going
to have to taste a lot better to me and strawberry not be as appealing. Such an
inner change of taste or desire is what happens in the new birth which leads to
someone no longer desiring the sin like they once did but now having a desire
for Jesus which wasn't there before. And that leads them to leave the one and
pursue the other. The only way one can be converted outwardly to make a
decision for Christ is for him or her to be converted inwardly with a change of
heart and nature brought about by the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">True Conversion Involves Repentance.</i>
Repentance is a turning away from sin and whatever someone may have been trusting
in for their salvation. It has been described as being like an “about face” in
the military. When soldiers are heading one direction and their commanding
officer yells that phrase, they halt and turn around to face the opposite
direction. In repentance, one turns around and faces the opposite direction of
sin and idolatry. While one is not saved or converted BY their repentance, no
one is saved or converted WITHOUT repentance either. It is a grace that the new
birth results in. In fact, twice it is said to be a gift that God grants (Acts
11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25). Everything regarding our conversion is God's work and
not ours. It is His Spirit who causes us to be born again and also enables us
to repent and believe. No one would ever be converted without Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">True Conversion Involves Faith. </i>The flip
side of repentance is faith. We can only receive Christ in faith with empty
hands. Repentance is the emptying of our hands of trusting in anything or
anyone else for our salvation so that we can trust in Christ alone for it. And
this faith is not simply a mere belief in the facts of the gospel and Jesus but
an appropriation to make it your own. It is not believing that Jesus actually
died in place of sinners for their sins but that He died in YOUR place for YOUR
specific sins. It is such a firm confident trust in Jesus as doing all that is
necessary to accomplish your salvation through His sinless life,
substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection that you will base your
whole life on it and act on it. We know that Peter truly believed that Jesus
was both able to make him walk on the water as He was doing and that Jesus
would do so because he got out of the boat (Matthew 14:28-29). Had Peter not
really believed that Jesus both could and would do that, he never would have
even dipped one toe on the water but would have remained in the boat. And you
may have heard me before use the illustration of Charles Blondin, the Frenchman
who became famous back in 1859 for walking across a tightrope 160 feet above
Niagara Falls several times between Canada and the United States. He did this
once on stilts, another time on a bicycle, once in a sack, and one time he even
carried a stove across and cooked an omelet. One day he came across on the
tightrope pushing a wheelbarrow blindfolded. He asked the crowd if they
believed that he could carry a person across in the wheelbarrow while
blindfolded. The entire crowd enthusiastically shouted "yes."
However, when he asked for a volunteer to get in the wheelbarrow for him to do
so, not one of them did, revealing that none of them had the confidence that
Blondin could actually do it for them. They really did not believe it. Faith
and repentance are the first breaths of the new birth which the believer continues
to inhale and exhale throughout the rest of his or her life. Both are essential
components and characteristics of conversion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">True Conversion Results In a Difference. </i>True
conversion to Christ from sin and idolatry is not something that people should
have to guess at. It will not be a private matter. In fact, it cannot be. The
change brought about within will work its way out into the living of one's life.
It will be seen in a changed and transformed life. It will be evident to
everyone who knows him or her that the believer is not the same person he or
she was. They are different. A new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>To tweak the popular children's ditty,
"If you are converted and God knows it, your life will surely show
it." This can be seen with Zaccheus, who very uncharacteristic of a man
known to be a cheat and extortioner, chooses to give half of his possessions to
the poor and to pay back four times as much to those whom he had wrongfully
taken from (Luke 19:8). Or perhaps with the most dramatic conversion in history
ever recorded, the apostle Paul, who after Jesus met him on the road to
Damascus, went from being a fervent persecutor of God's people to the most ardent
missionary the church has ever known. Neither one of these men were the same
men they were before. There was no question that some sort of change had taken
place within them. No one could deny such. They had been converted by God's
Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
is true conversion. <span style="background: white; color: #050505;">Not raising a
hand, praying a prayer, or walking an aisle but being born again by God’s
Spirit and evidenced by a life of repentance, faith, and change by that same
Spirit.</span> I hope that that is a description of what has happened to you.
If not, I pray that the Spirit of God works in you to become born again and
that you would repent of your sins and place your faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ alone for your salvation. And that such will be made evident in your
life. Let's celebrate the conversion that God sovereignly brings about in the
lives of His people.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-36998283007429299202023-06-30T07:07:00.001-07:002023-06-30T11:25:33.150-07:00Weak Egalitarian Arguments for Women Pastors<div><span> </span>Over the years, I have written a good bit on the proper roles that God has wisely designed men and women to have in both His church and the home. Roles which differ and beautifully compliment each other in such a way that they cannot be interchanged or flipped. God has clearly defined in His Word what is a man and what is a woman and the way the two genders are to relate to one another and serve in His world. Some politicians and Supreme Court justices who appear to be confused on this issue just need to read the Bible. Unfortunately, this confusion can also be found in the church as several congregations and denominations take their cues from the world in this area more than they do the Word of God. Perhaps this is seen best with the growing acceptance and practice of women pastors. At this point, I have addressed two of the main passages that speak directly to this issue; <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2016/09/women-in-ministry-and-1-timothy-28-15.html" target="_blank">1 Timothy 2:8-15</a> and <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2022/04/on-women-keeping-silent-in-churches-and.html" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 14:34-35</a>, as well as <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2015/07/dealing-with-deborah-judge-and-role-of.html" target="_blank">the case with Deborah as a judge</a> and <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2012/07/egalitarianism-homosexuality-and.html" target="_blank">the possible connection with the acceptance of and argument for homosexuality</a> which we are seeing play out in a number of cases now. I have even laid out <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2019/05/why-i-am-complimentarian.html" target="_blank">the reasons I hold to the complimentarian view</a> and <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-indispensable-place-of-women-in.html" target="_blank">how women have an indispensable place in ministry</a>. (It is one of my pet peeves when it is said that if a woman cannot be a pastor that they are either being denied the privilege to serve in ministry or limited in how they can serve. That would only be true if ministry was nothing more than being a pastor when clearly it isn't.) For a while now, I have desired to evaluate the major arguments often presented in an attempt to make the case for women pastors and show why I find them to be lacking. This blogpost is intenm.ded to do just that.</div><div> </div><p><span> </span>It seems that this is an issue that I have had to continually deal with throughout my ministry. I just can't get away from it. It created such a stir in both my licensing and ordination interviews that I wondered if the ministry commission of a former district of my former denomination would even license or ordain me. I wound up going back and forth with a number of pastors on those committees about this. I remember once being part of a ministry training event where I was partnered up with a female pastor for a project. I intentionally did not make her position an issue but focused on our task at hand. However, she kept going on and on about how not everyone accepted her as a pastor and then kept pressing me on what I thought about the matter. In such a case, I was drawn in, so to speak, to the controversy again. My understanding of the Bible's teaching on this issue even led to me losing a teaching opportunity I had been offered for a class on systematic theology for pastors and anyone who wished to join. I had already begun planning out the lessons and topics when the lady in charge discovered that I was on a "trusted teachers" list by a group in the denomination who held to the same view as me when it comes to the position of women pastors. This brought about all kinds of questions directed towards me about my view and basically being told that I could not say anything about it, even if I was asked. All of the controversy it generated led me to withdraw from accepting the opportunity. And I have had more discussions and debates concerning the issue, both online and off, than I can even count. All of this has resulted in me studying and restudying this issue, considering the arguments offered by the opposing side. But, try as I may, and I have tried, I just cannot find any of them convincing at all. They seem to be an attempt to get around the plain reading of Scripture when it comes to the proper roles of men and women in God's good design. Allow me now to demonstrate that to you in looking at the most common of the arguments typically presented to make the case that a woman should be able to serve as a pastor just as much as a man can.</p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>The first ones instructed to tell of the empty tomb were women. </i>I'll start with what appears to be one of the most common arguments given for women to preach and serve as pastors which I view as being the weakest. I am really surprised at the number of people who use this argument. Many of which in my opinion ought to know better. Anyway, the argument goes that since the very first ones who were told to proclaim the message of the empty tomb were the women who arrived to discover it that Easter morning, it then supposedly follows that women must be called to preach the gospel. After all, those ladies were given the charge to share the good news of the resurrection. However, it wasn't an ordination service that the angel conducted for these women. Nothing is said about them "feeding Christ's sheep" or "tending to His lambs" as Jesus commissioned Peter for serving as an elder or pastor (John 21:15-17; 1 Peter 5:1). There is no indication that they were called to preach behind a pulpit to a mixed group every Sunday morning or serve as the primary leaders in the church. These women were simply told to do exactly what every Christian should; to share the gospel with everyone. Rather than serve as a strong case for women to preach and pastor, it shows us that every Christian woman, just like every Christian man, is to be an evangelist in the sense of making the good news of the empty tomb and its implications known to all. To apply it to more than that is to read something into the context that is not there.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Paul's words in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 were limited to the cultural situation at the time. </i>Another popular argument used to get around the plain teaching of Scripture on this matter regarding women being pastors and preaching is to claim that the two texts which directly address it are ONLY referring to a cultural situation at that time occurring in specific churches. That it was not something universal for all churches at all times. The two passages attempted to be dismissed in this way are 1 Timothy 2:12-14 where Paul makes it clear that a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man (v. 12) and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 that "women are to keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak" (v. 34). The problem with arguing that these instructions were limited to situations in Ephesus where Timothy was serving and Corinth where his letter was written is that Paul does not say or even imply that. While we cannot deny that factors in the churches of Ephesus and Corinth certainly influenced Paul in addressing this issue, he makes it clear that the reason for the prohibition of women publicly teaching and having authority in the church stems not from the problems in those churches but from God's Word itself. He does not say that a woman must not teach or exercise authority over a man in 1 Timothy 2 because it would stop those women from spreading their false teaching as some like to claim. That's not anywhere in the text at all! Instead, he points to the order of creation with God making Adam first followed by Eve (v. 13). The implication then is that this prohibition goes back to God's design with His creation of men and women. Men were made to lead and women to serve as their helpers or helpmates in carrying out the mission of glorifying God. The mention of the woman being deceived and not Adam may reflect the man stepping out of his leadership and protective role for the woman which led to her deception (v. 14). After all, it sounds as if he was there the whole time the snake was tempting Eve with his lies and he did and said nothing (Genesis 3:6). The issue is going against established gender roles. If women were participating in the official pastoral teaching and preaching ministry in the church there in Ephesus, this is why it is wrong and Timothy must confront it. Likewise, in the Corinthian passage, Paul says that the women are not permitted to publicly speak but are to subject themselves to male leadership "just as the Law also says." It was because of what "the Law", which was shorthand for the first five books of the Bible (referred to as the Torah to the Jews) says. Not because of what was going on, though that is why he needed to remind them of Scripture's teaching on the matter. The women at the time must have went beyond prophesying (reciting God’s Word given to them) and also gave the interpretation and explanation of it, which would put them in a place of teaching and exercising authority over the men in the congregation. Paired up with the 1 Timothy verses, Paul must be thinking of Genesis here as well with the creation of the different sexes and their complimentary roles. That makes it applicable to every church in every time. And if that isn't enough to convince you, notice that Paul states in 1 Corinthians that this teaching is the case "in all the churches of the saints" (v. 33) and that the women are to keep silent "in the churches" (v. 34) and not just the church of Corinth. As the first argument winds up reading more into the text than is there, this one ignores what is actually said in the text.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Deborah, Esther, Priscilla, Phoebe, and prophetesses as case studies of women in ministry leadership. </i>Typically, whenever it is said that the Bible limits the function and office of pastor to qualified men<i>, </i>someone will bring up the names of Deborah, Esther, Priscilla, Phoebe, and the prophtesses mentioned throughout Scripture who all appeared to have some sort of leadership role. There are a few things we need to realize about these ladies greatly used by God. First, none of them served as a pastor of a church or in an official leadership position of the church. Deborah was a prophetess and judge which served more as a political leader of the day. And even then, she asked a man, Barak, to lead the troops in battle (Judges 4:6-7) and when he insists that she go with him (v. 8), she tells him that he will be humiliated with the honor going to a woman and not him (v. 9). Esther was a queen who did not carry the authority her husband had over the kingdom. In fact, she could not even just casually approach him without risking death (Esther 4:11; 5:2). As for Priscilla, it is important to note that she ministered alongside her husband, Aquilla, and that in a private setting and not a public one (Acts 18:26). In fact, she is never mentioned apart from her husband (Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19). I have no problem understanding Phoebe to be an official deacon or deaconess of the church with her reference as a "deacon" or "servant" in Romans 16:1. Keep in mind that there is a distinction between the office of deacon and elder/pastor in the New Testament (see 1 Timothy 3) and that a deacon is not required to have the ability to teach as the elder/pastor is. (While v. 2 specifies that an elder must be "able to teach," such is not mentioned at all in the list of qualifications given for a deacon (vv. 8-12)). Now, regarding the number of prophetesses we find throughout the Bible, an interesting difference can be observed of them from their male counterparts. For one thing, in the Old Testament, they appear to have more of a private ministry in contrast to the prophet's public one. We don't see them proclaiming any revelation they received out in the open to a crowd for everyone to hear. Rather, people came up to Deborah for her judgment (Judges 4:5) and Huldah for a specific word of the Lord (2 Kings 22:14-20). And in both cases, the name of their husbands are given. The only prophetic activity we are told about Moses' sister, Miriam, who is identified as a prophetess, is her leading the WOMEN in worship following God's victory over their Egyptian pursuers. As will be discussed further below, the New Testament does not equate prophesying and preaching or teaching. (I am indebted to Kevin DeYoung for these helpful insights.) <br /></p><p>Many of those women often pointed out as examples of women leaders are exceptions that prove the rule rather than disregard it. They do not set the standard for women serving in official authoritative teaching capacities in the church. We have to even ask just what a Deborah is doing there in the time of the judges. The only woman serving as a judge in light of the rest of them being men. Instead of us seeing that as being a right role for her to have been in, we probably are supposed to view it as further evidence of things being wrong during that time in Israel's history. After all, the whole point of the book is summarized at the end that "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). These are things that take place when everyone does what is right in their own eyes instead of what is right as defined by God's Word. It is a very dangerous thing to try to normalize for the church today much of what is recorded to have occurred in the book of Judges. After all, we certainly shouldn't take Jephthah's foolish and rash vow as justification to make anything similar today (12:30-40), Samson's womanizing ways be an example to follow (13-16), or to hide in the bushes to steal women as the tribe of Benjamin (21:20-23), right? And I don't even want to think about the horrendous situation regarding the priest's concubine and what happened there in comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah (19). (A far more comprehensive and detailed examination of the case of Deborah can be found <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2015/07/dealing-with-deborah-judge-and-role-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) A closer look at each of these cases reveals that none of them actually were one that indicated a woman teaching or exercising authority over men in the context of the church being normative.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Junias as an apostle?</i>Another case that sometimes is thrown out as evidence that a woman can serve in a main leadership role in a congregation is the issue of Junias spoken of in Romans 16:17. But what is said about this individual actually leaves us with more questions than answers. For one, we are not sure whether this is a man's name or a woman's. The form of the Greek name really could indicate either gender. (It has been compared to the English names, "Chris" and "Pat" which by themselves cannot tell you if the person is a "he" or a "she" since they could be a boy's name or a girl's name.) The fact that the name is given coupled with the clear male "Andronicus" may mean that this one serves as his wife such as is the case of "Priscilla and Aquila" but it doesn't have to be. It could be like "Paul and Silas" mentioned together as partners in ministry but not marriage obviously. Also, it is not clear whether the Greek should be translated that these two were "outstanding AMONG the apostles" or "outstanding TO the apostles." Basically, were they apostles themselves who stood out in comparison to the others or the apostles considered them to be outstanding? You can see that modern translations go both ways. With so much ambiguity about this person and what is said about him or her, it is best not to build a strong case for women to be pastors and preachers based on it. It just is not clear that he is a she who also is an apostle. Junias may be a very valuable faithful servant of the Lord who the apostles appreciated and acknowledged and nothing more than that. (Which of course does not devalue or downplay their importance in the work of God's kingdom. Much of what needs to be done in the church is accomplished not by pastors behind the pulpit but by the everyday ordinary members faithfully using the gifts that God has given them to build up His body.) Such would serve as a very shaky foundation for an argument in favor of women pastors.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Jesus and Paul's elevation of women.</i> It is said that with Jesus and Paul's clear elevation of women in their ministries, certainly they would be in favor of women serving as pastors today. Now, it is indeed true that both Jesus and Paul elevated the value and status of women in comparison of the culture of their day. Jesus had female disciples (but not apostles) who followed Him and He even allowed Mary to sit at His feet to learn from Him (Luke 10:39). Something that was not permitted of women in His day. Of course, one of the daily prayers of the Pharisees was "Thank God that I am not a gentile, a woman, or a slave." Paul both acknowledges and commends female servants in the church. But in their rightful elevation of women, they did not elevate them outside of the good design that God had for them as seen in His creation of man and woman. For instance, Jesus intentionally chose 12 MEN to serve as His apostles who would lead the church. Paul clearly indicates that the leadership role of elder in the church is limited to men both in their function of authoritative teaching (1 Timothy 2:12-13) and in their character qualifications (3). (I remember a chair of a Search Committee tell me once that he would be open to considering a woman to be called as the pastor of their church as long as they could find one who met the qualification of being "the husband of one wife." They never would which is exactly the point!) I would argue that Jesus and Paul elevated women more than churches today do who have a woman pastor because to place and support a woman in a role God has designed exclusively for men and not for women would not be to elevate her as a woman but really lower her to be more like a man. A lot of this debate factors into what God calls a man and woman to be. Gender confusion in one sense is not a new thing. It has been an issue in the church for a number of years since the beginning of the ordination of women. <br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Galatians 3:28. </i>If there is one verse used as a prooftext for women being pastors, this would be it. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This is often taken to be the lynchpin of the justification for the position. In fact, it is mentioned in the argument as a way to redirect from the teachings of 1 Timothy 2-3 and 1 Corinthians 14 or treated as the lens through which those two passages must be viewed through. The problem is not found in the verse itself, of course, but with its being taken out of context and isolated from the rest of Scripture's teaching pertaining to the good distinction that God has designed for gender. First, Paul clearly is not intending this statement to be taken to mean that in Christ all ethical, gender, and social distinctions no longer exist. That there is no difference whatsoever between Jewish and Greek Christians, believing men and women, and saved slaves and their masters. They are all equal in Christ with none of them being greater or more important than the other. However, there are still crucial distinctions among ethnicity that being united to Christ does not terminate. I can tell stories from being in seminary with those of a different cultural background than me who spoke and did a number of things that seemed foreign to me and which many things I had said and did were just as much to them. We also did not look alike, having been given a different shade of skin. Yet, in light of the clear differences between us, what united us together was Christ. All the differences took a backseat to that. Our shared unity in Him transcended any ethical differences that set us apart. And the same one who wrote this verse also wrote Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:5-9 and Colossians 3:18-4:1 which speak of the different roles husbands and wives have in relation to each other as well as slaves and their masters. Their unity in Christ does not erase those distinctions. It just emphasizes the togetherness of those with such distinctions. <br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>A Necessary Consequence of Pentecost Ministry. </i>Another passage used in reference to support women preaching and serving as pastors is Joel's prophecy in chapter 2 verses 28 and 29 of his book. The argument goes that the prophet predicts a coming day when both the sons and daughters of the people shall prophesy and with Peter indicating in his sermon in Acts 2:16-21 that this spoke of what was the people were witnessing occur on the day of Pentecost with the apostles speaking in tongues, we are now living in the time when women are not only allowed to preach today but have been called to it. They are the "daughters" to which the prediction mentions. However, a closer look at this prophecy reveals that the emphasis is not on both men and women prophesying but the Spirit being poured out on all believers who are a part of God's covenant people. In fact, the point is made twice at both the beginning of v. 28 and again at the end of v. 29 that God will "pour out My Spirit," serving as bookends of the section so to speak. What is in the middle just further elaborates this outpouring to be irregardless of gender ("sons and daughters"), age ("old men and young men"), and status ("male slaves and female slaves"). It is connected with Moses' earlier wish in Numbers 11:29; "Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them." This was said right after the Spirit of God came upon the elders and they began prophesying, but only momentarily (v. 25). Two men in particular had the Spirit remain on them and continued to prophesy, leading Joshua to ask Moses to restrain them (vv. 26-28). This prophecy of Joel expresses God's intention for Moses' wish to become a reality which it did after the Holy Spirit's outpouring on the day of Pentecost and now where men and women in Christ are equally filled with the Spirit immediately at their conversion and following. The prophesying and dreaming of dreams and visions were associated with God's Spirit being upon the prophets (Numbers 11:26; 12:6; see also the number of times the prophets write what they "saw" down in their books). So, rather than this predicting that women would be granted the role to preach alongside men, it simply states that the day is coming when God's Spirit will be upon all those in His church. I think that Joel would be shaking his head and saying "You're missing the point" to those who, as well meaning as they are, use this as a prooftext for women to behind a pulpit preaching.</p><p>Furthermore, the idea of prophesying and preaching are two different concepts in Scripture. Two separate Hebrew words and two separate Greek words are used for them. And they are never used interchangeably. Prophesying always refers to delivering a direct word revealed from God while preaching is heralding someone else's word that wasn't directly revealed to you. No one prophesies a new word from God freshly revealed directly to them today but they do preach the revealed word already given directly to the prophets and apostles. I don't get up each Sunday behind the pulpit and deliver something God revealed specifically and directly to me the night before that morning. Instead, I seek to explain and apply what God has already said as revealed in His Word. I herald His Word but not prophesy it. I think that it is problematic to equate prophesying with preaching as the Bible clearly doesn't but maintains a distinction between the two.</p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>That is just Paul's opinion and not Jesus' command. </i>One attempt to dismiss the clear teaching of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 regarding the service of women in the church is to emphasize the fact that Paul prefaces his statement on the prohibition of women teaching or exercising authority over a man with the words "I do not allow" or "I do not permit" and claiming that this is merely the apostle's opinion he writes. It's not something that Jesus commanded or would necessarily agree with. I see two problems with such an argument. First, it ignores the fact that this is an "apostolic" prohibition. It is not just anyone writing this but one of Jesus' own apostles. One who has been sent out with His authority and moved along by His Holy Spirit to write down His very words (John 14:26; 16:12-14; 2 Peter 1:21). This cannot simply and conveniently be relegated to being his opinion that can be dismissed. No more than anything else Paul, Peter, John, or Jude write. In a very real sense, we must understand all of the words of the Bible to be "red lettered" and understood of conveying the very words of Jesus Himself since the apostles wrote with His authority by His Spirit and it was His Spirit who inspired the prophets before Him (1 Peter 1:10-11). A second problem I notice with this argument is that it serves as a slippery slope to get around a lot of other teachings from the letters of the apostles people may not like. In fact, it is used to skirt Scripture's condemnation of homosexuality for instance. How many times are texts like Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 thrown out by proponents of this perversion because they were written by Paul and not said by Jesus? It is the exact same argument! That's why I have pointed out <a href="https://energeticexegete.blogspot.com/2012/07/egalitarianism-homosexuality-and.html" target="_blank">elsewhere</a> that there is a connection between the acceptance and promotion of women pastors and that of homosexuality. Usually, but not always thankfully, those who get around Scripture's teaching on the distinction of gender roles in the church and the family wind up also affirming and promoting homosexuality. You are not going to be able to find a denomination today that ordains homosexuals that sometime in its past did not also ordain women. If anyone knows of a rare exception to this, please let me know.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>Another case of slavery?</i> It is often claimed that this is a case like slavery where the church has been in error in misunderstanding what Scripture says on the issue and applying it to support or prohibit what Scripture actually does not. The first thing that needs to be pointed out here is that there is a difference between the slavery Scripture speaks of and that which characterized our nation's past. For one thing, the type of slavery referred to in both the Old and New Testaments was not based on one's ethnicity or shade of skin. Jews would have Jewish slaves and Gentiles gentile ones. Also, in some cases, someone would voluntarily serve as a slave in order to work off a debt that was owed. It was not a permanent position. They could buy their own freedom or a relative could purchase it for them. In fact, the Old Testament law called for a year of Jubilee after six years where all the slaves had to be released (Exodus 21:2). There were even slaves who had such a good master and were treated as part of his family, sitting at the table for meals, and having a nice room in the house that they chose to remain with their master for the rest of their life, leading to a provision being made for that (vv. 5-6). Such certainly is a far cry from the trans-Atlantic slave trade where those with darker skin tones were kidnapped and forced into service and treated as being less than human. The Bible unequivocally condemns that. Kidnapping was forbidden carrying the death penalty (v. 16) and masters were to be punished for killing their slaves (v. 20) and the slaves were to be set free should their master damage his eye or knock out a tooth (vv. 26-27). To equate American slavery to that which is regulated in the Bible is to attempt to compare apples and oranges. The two are not the same.</p><p>We also should recognize that the Bible never condones or commends slavery. It regulates it at best and teaches how having Christ in one's life transforms the relationship slaves and masters have with each other (Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:22-4:1). Paul even encourages a slave to become free if the opportunity presented itself though generally everyone should remain in the condition he was in when he was called to salvation (1 Corinthians 7:20-22). Likewise, he called for Philemon to receive his runaway slave, Onesimus, back "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother" (Philemon 16).</p><p>Finally, we need to realize that while there were misguided ones in the church who poorly attempted to justify American slavery with these Scriptures which were not discussing the same thing, it was Christians who led to the abolition of that slave system. We see that with the persistent efforts of William Wilberforce in England. A closer look at Scripture's teaching on slavery will condemn the past practice of it in our nation just as an examination of what it says about women serving as pastors will condemn the present practice of that. </p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>The evident gifting of certain women for ministry. </i>Many times, the evidence given for the justification of women serving as pastors or preaching is the undeniable gifting seen with certain women for the task. It is presented that to limit the office and function of pastor to that of a man would be to limit the service of women with the gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon them. The position which I argue for does not in any way deny that particular women may have been given certain gifts of speaking or teaching. Nor does it call into question their ability to do such. However, they are to use those gifts in the context in which the Lord has called them. We absolutely need women to be gifted to teach their children and perhaps other children in the church. Where would the church be without the ladies faithfully serving as Sunday School teachers to our children and youth as well as in our Vacation Bible School and other children's ministries. Also, in an informal way, the older women are to teach the younger women in the church "in sensibility: to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be slandered" (Titus 2:3-5). Of course, a woman can teach such much better than any man because they not only have the head knowledge of the subjects but the experience of seeking to faithfully practice it.<br /></p><p>Just because a woman may have the gift of teaching does not mean that she must exercise it behind a pulpit. There are a number of other areas within the church by which a woman may teach that does not involve teaching or having authority over men. And the only way that this would limit a woman in using her gifts would be if preaching served as the exclusive means of teaching in the church which it does not. It is just one place among many to teach. There are so many other opportunities for women to use their God-given gifts other than being a pastor or preaching to a mixed audience.<br /></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>The positive and edifying experience of women pastors. </i>In several of my discussions with people on this topic, I have had it brought up to me someone's very positive experience with a woman pastor. How she has helped them so much to grow in their spiritual life and the blessing they received from her sermons. Surely, this must indicate that they are exactly where God would have them to be doing what He would have them to do. How could someone say then that they are in rebellion towards God and His Word? The major issue here is that this is an appeal to experience as the authority in the matter and not what the Word of God itself says. And experience is never a reliable testimony that should ever trump Scripture. Instead, we are always to seek to understand our experiences in light of the teaching of Scripture. We do not start with our experience and search the Scriptures to justify it but rather start with Scripture and ask how are we to understand and interpret our experience as well as what to do with it. I remember a number of years back participating in a community ministerial service with other pastors in the neighborhood where one of the women pastors gave the message. I was actually greatly edified and encouraged by it, with it being just the message I needed to hear at the time. Later that day, I reflected on why that was the case. Was it because this woman was doing what she was called to do as a pastor and I have just been wrong in my understanding of these things? But then, how could that harmonize with Scripture's consistent indication of God's intention for women to serve in other areas of the church instead? The thought hit me that it wasn't the woman's preaching that impacted me but the Scripture she preached in that service. What had a made a difference at that moment had nothing to do with her but everything to do with God's Spirit working through His Word as He always promises to do. I would have received the blessing I did regardless of who did the preaching because the blessing did not come from the preaching or the preacher but the Word proclaimed. It should be said that one's experience with a woman pastor should never dismiss or question what God clearly has said in His Word. <i><br /></i></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i>This position considers the Bible's teaching on women as a whole and not just one or two verses. </i>I've had it said to me several times that this position under consideration takes the Bible's teaching on women as a whole whereas my position only considers one or two verses. Those verses usually being the 1 Timothy 2:12-17 and 1 Corinthians 14:35-36 addressed above. This is a case of what is called a "strawman fallacy" in reasoning where someone distorts the other view in order to easily tear it down and defeat it. It is compared to building a straw man that they can better light on fire to dismantle. The problem of course is that it is not true that those of us who argue that Scripture limits the office of pastor or elder to men only base it on just two verses. As I hopefully have made clear in the presentation of my position, I hold to my view not only on account of the words of one or two passages in Scripture but the principles, patterns, and practice of it in its entirety. The principle of male leadership is taught in those two verses as well as in regards to the marriage relationship elsewhere, it is clearly implied from the order of creation of man and woman and what is said about them in Genesis 2, the pattern is seen in men being called to lead and women to serve as their helpers under their leadership throughout the Bible, and the practice with Jesus intentionally choosing 12 men to be apostles in leading the church and elders to be men with the specific qualifications being given. Rather than this being limited to two verses, I would argue it encompasses the whole from Genesis 2 in God's different creation between the sexes to the teaching of the proper gender roles in both marriage and the church.</p><p> <span> </span>There certainly could be more arguments made to examine but these are the most common ones I have interacted it with in my discussions and debates with others on this issue. Hopefully, you can see what I do not find any of them persuasive at all. I will continue to study this issue of the intended role of women in the church and consider the opposing arguments. However, there has to be some more convincing arguments than these to get me to change my view. I am open to them being made. I will keep sticking by Scripture on this even though it goes by the culture which has influenced the church. "Here I stand, I can do no other . . . "<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-1467424468034890612023-06-21T08:14:00.000-07:002023-06-21T08:14:55.088-07:00Do You Want a Decapitated Jesus?<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
number of professing Christians today appear to want a decapitated Jesus. They
desire to have His head apart from His body. The Bible tells us that the church
is Jesus’ body with Him serving as the head of it. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And
He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all
things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in
all.” So, in essence, to claim that you want Jesus but have nothing to do with
His Church is to attempt to cut Jesus’ head off from His body. It is equivalent
to accepting someone’s head but rejecting their body. It would be like going
around with a severed head in your hands. An image that is very disgusting and
repulsive. Something that none of us could ever imagine doing. Yet, that is
exactly what one attempts to do if they neglect being a part of the church that
Jesus gave His very life for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course, it is impossible to sever Jesus’ head from His body. To separate Jesus
from His church. He even identifies Himself with the church. We see this with
His words to Saul/Paul when He confronted him on the road to Damascus. “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Notice He did not ask, “why are
you persecuting My church?” Instead, it was “why are you persecuting Me?”
According to Jesus, to persecute the church is to be persecuting Him. Whatever
is done to the church is ultimately done to Him. That is how closely connected
He is to the church. This is communicated as well in the illustration of the
shepherd separating the sheep from the goats at Christ’s return in Matthew
25:31-46. Remember that the primary evidence there of whether one is a sheep or
a goat comes in how they treated Jesus’ people. It will be the sheep who fed
Jesus when He was hungry, gave Him drink when He was thirsty, showed
hospitality to Him when He was a stranger to them, clothed Him when He was naked,
visited Him when sick, and came to see Him when in prison (vv. 35-36). Upon
asking when they did this, Jesus will tell them, “Truly I say to you, to the
extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, the least of them, you
did it to Me” (v. 40). Who are Jesus’ brothers which He refers to here? Not His
biological family but His spiritual one. Not the Jews but all believers (both
Jew and Gentile) who are following Him as disciples through faith in Him. He
made this clear to His own mother and brothers when they came to see Him
earlier as recorded in Matthew 12:46-50. After being told that they were there
to speak with Him, He points to His disciples and declares that they are His
mother and brothers (v. 49). On the other hand, those who neglect His people
(His true mother, brothers, and sisters), Jesus will tell them to depart from
Him to the eternal fire of punishment as they show themselves to be goats who
did not belong to His flock (Matthew 25:41-46). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t miss the point of
this! The evidence of having a relationship with Christ is seen in your
relationship to His people. What does it indicate then if you claim to have a
relationship with Christ but have nothing to do with His people? If you neglect
being with His people and serving them on a regular basis? John goes so far as
to say that if you do not love (which is an action word involving commitment,
not a feeling or emotion) your brother who you have seen, then you cannot say
that you love God who you have not seen (1 John 4:20). And “brother” there
specifically refers to a brother or sister in Christ. A fellow believer that
everyone who is united to Christ through faith in turn is united to.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You can’t have the head
without the body. To reject the body is to reject the head. Other illustrations
that are used to portray Jesus’ close inseparable connection with the church as
His body also show us this. You can’t have a building with a foundation but no
house built upon it. There can be no marriage with only a groom but no bride. A
shepherd rightly cannot be called a shepherd without sheep for him to tend to. Jesus
and the church is a package deal. He does not give the option of having Him
without being a part of His church. It is not like when you are buying a car
and are presented with this protection plan you can also purchase, an extended
warranty, and a lifetime service plan with the dealership where you are free to
choose to buy one but leave the others. Or just to get the car without all of
the additions. You are not obligated to accept them all. That’s not the case
when it comes to Jesus and the church. The New Testament knows of no such thing
as a believer who is not some way connected and actively participating in the
life of a local congregation. It teaches that every believer is a part of
Christ’s body, the church, and has each been given certain gifts by His Spirit
to be used in the church. To sit that out and not to use such gifts would be to
be disobedient to the Lord and working to separate yourself away from Him.
(And, certainly, those who may not physically be able to make it out to attend
Sunday services can still maintain an active part in a congregation in other
ways. That should not serve as an excuse or justification for isolating oneself
from the body of Christ they belong to. Just a week or so ago, I had someone
who fits that description reach out to me about contributing VBS decorations.
They knew that they could not make it out to the church but it still was a way
that they could serve and be a part of things. Of course, if you can come out
and be more involved, there is no reason not to, especially in light of all
that Christ has done for us.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, do you want a
decapitated Jesus? His head without His body? I pray that if such has been the
case with you that His Spirit would open your eyes to see the importance of
being an active part of the local church and not just accepting Christ’s head
but also His body as well. Don’t try to keep carrying His severed head around.
Seek to love and serve Him through loving and serving His people. And for those
who may have drifted away from the church, if there is any way that I can help
you get back to being with His body here at Mt. Joy, please let me know. Let’s
not neglect Jesus through rejecting His bride, the church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-20848752654924894192023-05-31T21:44:00.000-07:002023-05-31T21:44:34.921-07:00Tackling Transgenderism<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
transgender movement has currently taken America by storm. There seems to be no
way of escaping it. Just about every TV show and movie has to have at least one
"trans" character. Those who identify as such are platformed and
celebrated. In the past two years, at least one of those deemed "woman of
the year" actually was a man who identified and sought to appear as one.
More and more companies are headlining transgender people in their commercials
and promotions. Transgender women (that is men who are choosing to identify as
women) are unfairly dominating women sports and girls are having to deal with
men in their locker rooms and public bathrooms now. Doctors and medical clinics
are performing so-called "sex change" surgeries on children who want
to be identified and seen as the opposite gender than what they are. Drag Queen
story hours are popping up all over the place. I even heard that the most
recent Country Music Awards featured a Drag Queen performance.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Such
a storm has come upon us fast as ten to fifteen years ago, the idea of a man
identifying as and transitioning into a woman or vice versa was unheard of.
Now, it is being presented to us as common place and natural. Who would have
ever thought that the Olympic gold medalist on the Wheaties cereal box, Bruce
Jenner, would later appear on the cover of Vanity Fair as a woman, calling
himself Cailyn? And it doesn't appear that this storm will pass anytime soon
nor that it will get any easier for us as believers as the culture more readily
embraces this and seeks to force everyone else to get on board with it as well.
More than ever, we need to understand what the Bible says about these issues
and how we are to handle this movement and, even more importantly, the people who
are caught up in it. This article is my attempt to help us do just that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let's
start with what Scripture itself says about transgenderism. The Bible is clear
that it is God Himself who has determined and defined the two (and only two)
genders that exist in humanity. Genesis 1:27 tells us that "God created
man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He
created them." These two genders have been designed to differ from each
other in a way that serves to compliment the opposite one. The differences
between the two of them are to be seen in the different roles and relationships
God has given them to live out. For instance, it is God's intention for men to
be the leaders of their family and His family the church (Genesis 3:16; 1 Corinthians
11:3; Ephesians 5:23). Women, on the other hand, are to be the helpers of men,
serving under their leadership and having a predominant role in bearing and
nurturing children in a way that men cannot (Genesis 2:18; Ephesians 5:22, 24;
1 Timothy 2:12-15). David acknowledges and praises God that the Lord
"formed my inward parts; You wove me together in my mother's womb"
and that he has been "fearfully and wonderfully made" by Him in Psalm
139:13. That would certainly include the physical make up of his body with the
specific chromosomes and hormones that determine his gender with the role he
was to live out as that gender. And that of course is not just true for David
but also for every one of us. Deuteronomy 22:5 specifically prohibits a woman
to identify as a man in her appearance and a man to do so as a woman. They are
to present themselves as the gender God has made him or her to be. The law even
goes so far as declaring that God sees those who do such as being an
"abomination" to Him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Transgenderism
is a perversion of God's good order. To go against the gender you have been
designed to be, whether that would be in identity or role, is nothing short of
rebellion against your Creator. It is in essence saying to God, "I want to
be who I want to be and not who You made me to be." The heart of every
sin, whether that would be abortion, homosexuality, or transgenderism, is
really the same. The desire to be in the place of God and determine things for
yourself instead of submitting to what God has said about you and the way you
are to live before Him. It all goes back to the Fall with the serpent's sly and
sinister temptation that the man and woman would "be like God" if
they ate from the tree that the Lord Himself had told them not to eat. They
wouldn't need to depend on God to tell them what was good and evil. They would
be like Him and know it for themselves. They could be their own God in that
sense, determining what is right and wrong on their own. That same Satanic lie
is exactly what those who identify as transgender are buying into when it comes
to their gender.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
the number of those identifying as trans growing, the likelihood of you
encountering someone who presents themselves as a different gender than the one
they have been given at work, in school, in your family, and in the community
is greater now than ever before. The question is, "How are we to interact
with them?" In many ways, you do not need to treat them any differently
than any other unbeliever. We need to keep in mind that their transgenderism is
merely a symptom of their lostness and rebellion towards God. In that sense,
they are no different than any homosexual you may come in contact with,
atheist, Buddhist, adulterer, liar, or religious person who has not been born
again and as a result not repented of their sins and trusted in Christ alone
for their salvation. You should show them the love of Christ and be sure to
tell them about Jesus, calling them to repentance and faith in Him. I heard Ray
Comfort one time talk about how we are to go about sharing the gospel with a
homosexual, a Jehovah's Witness, a Mormon, and a Buddhist. And you know what? The
message was exactly the same for each of them! It didn't change based on how
their sin manifested itself in their lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
it comes to a person's preferred pronouns, I don't think that we can use them
for a couple of reasons. One is that it would put us in violation of the ninth
commandment not to bear false witness (Exodus 20:16). To refer to a man as a
"she" is participating in a lie because that is not what he is. Also,
it doesn't help to affirm them in their sinful rebellion and will continually
encourage them to wrongly identify themselves as something which they are not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And concerning
children who are confused over their gender, we need to point them to the
goodness of God in designing for them to be the gender they are and not the
other. It used to be that those with what was called "gender
dysphoria," who thought that they were born into the wrong body, would be
counseled to help their brain reconcile with the biological make up of their
body. Now, our culture wants to do the opposite and seek to change the body to
match the brain, causing more damage for them than either is realized or cared.
One reason why so many teenagers are identifying as trans today appears to be
more due to peer pressure than anything else. Their desire to be accepted and
fit in leads them that direction. They see that those who identify as gay,
lesbian, or transgender are applauded and promoted in the culture today and
want that fanfare as well. They need to be directed to find true acceptance in
God through Jesus Christ instead of the fleeting eyes of the world.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
may be in the midst of this storm right now but we have all that we need with
Jesus and His Word to withstand it and help others who are caught up in it to
find their true identity in Christ instead of a sinful identity the world
encourages them to embrace. Let's seek to compassionately share the gospel with
those who identify as transgender and boldly proclaim the truth of what
Scripture teaches on this matter. Also, to display the goodness of the unique
differences of male and female in how we talk, live, and interact with each
other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-71643890119505989212023-04-28T08:55:00.004-07:002023-04-28T08:55:47.120-07:00Why Baptism is Important<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Baptism is one of the ordinances
that Jesus has called the church to continue to practice on an ongoing basis.
An </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ordinance</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is something that Jesus
has </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ordained</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> for the church to keep
observing until His return. Communion is another ordinance given to the church
as well. In His Great Commission right before His ascension to heaven, Jesus
commanded the church to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to keep all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Baptism is
a crucial component to our making of disciples and discipleship in general. If
a church is not baptizing new disciples and disciples are not getting baptized,
then, simply put, they are being disobedient to the Lord who says that we
should do so. Because of this, the Reformers went so far as to say it is only
where the Word of God is being preached and baptism and communion regularly
practiced that constitutes a church. Any group of people gathered together
without such taking place on a normal basis can be called anything else but not
rightly a church of believers according to God’s Word.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is important to stress that the
act of baptism in no way saves someone. Paul could not be clearer that our
salvation is fully and entirely a result of God’s grace alone and not dependent
on any work of our own whatsoever. He writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace
you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.” The thief on the cross is the
prime example of someone who makes it to heaven without ever having his head
dipped under the waters of baptism. All he had was faith and that was enough.
Nothing more was needed for him to receive the promise of being with Christ in
paradise. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Contrary
to Carrie Underwood’s song, there is not “something in the water” that changes
and transforms us. The change and transformation has already happened. What
transpires in the water just shows it. Baptism is a sign or symbol of our
salvation. It is an outward expression of an inward spiritual reality that has
taken place within us. We could call it a living parable or picture of God’s
grace in our lives. In the act, we publicly signify our being united with
Christ through our faith in Him. Paul points out in Romans 6 that our baptism
communicates our sharing in Christ’s death. “We were buried with Him through
baptism into death” (v. 4). The being dunked under the water visibly portrays
this. That we have died with Him, putting our old self to death, which is who
we were before Jesus came into our life. In coming up out of the water, we show
that we have risen with Christ to new life. (“so that as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life”) We are no longer the same person we once were. I heard about a rich
business man who was all about driving the fanciest most expensive cars
available and wearing the top of line suits that money could buy. His life
centered on material things. After coming to faith in Christ, he began going to
church and went up to the pastor to talk about being baptized. On the day of
his baptism, to his pastor’s surprise, he comes wearing one of those Armani
suits that he had been known for. The pastor told him that he didn’t want to be
baptized in that. It would ruin such a good suit! The man assured the pastor
that he absolutely wanted to go into the water with it on and that he was fine
if it messed it up. He saw that suit as recognizing his old life in sin that is
no more and was in his past now. He clearly understood the picture baptism is
designed to convey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When
it comes to who should be baptized, Scripture is clear on this point as well.
Only those who have been born again by the Spirit of God and as a result of
such are trusting Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. In every single case
of baptism that we have in the New Testament, we always see that baptism
follows faith. There is not one clear instance anywhere in its pages of someone
being baptized who was not a repentant believer in Christ. In Acts 2:41, it was
“those who had received the word” who were baptized. It was when the Samaritans
“believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the
name of Jesus Christ” that “they were being baptized” (Acts 8:12). Many of the
Corinthians we are told “were believing and being baptized” (Acts 18:8). This
is the reason why we do not baptize infants or even recognize those who were
baptized as such as ever having really been baptized. Babies do not have the
capacity to understand the truths of the gospel and exercise saving faith.
Therefore, they should not be baptized. I also think that a church should be
cautious when it comes to baptizing young children. We need to be sure that
they really do believe and are not just simply parroting their parents’ faith
or seeking to please them with it. That they have truly been converted and have
a real faith in Jesus all their own. It is wise to take some time to evaluate
to see such fruit demonstrated before moving forward with baptizing them. Much
harm has been done in baptizing some too soon who had not been born again where
they grow up thinking that they are okay due to the fact that they have been
baptized when they have yet to repent and truly trust Christ for their
salvation. And how many were baptized as a small child who have absolutely
nothing to do with Christ and the church today?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Baptism
was seen to be so important as an expression of one’s faith in Christ that it
is often coupled with the calls to repentance and faith. This is why when those
who had heard Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost and were “pierced to the
heart” by it asked what they should do in response to it were told to “Repent,
and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins” (Acts 2:38).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone
belonging to the church apart from being baptized or being baptized without
becoming an active part of a local congregation is foreign to the New Testament
yet unfortunately is all too common place today. That needs to change if
churches today want to be biblical in all that they do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Are
you a believer who has yet to be baptized? If so, what is holding you back from
it? Why do you continue putting off this essential proclamation of your faith?
Why don’t you want to follow Christ in obedience? If you need to be baptized, I
encourage you to consider attending the membership classes coming up to learn
more about it. Or if you have any questions about this, please talk to me.
There is such a beauty with baptism not in the event itself but in what it
conveys and every believer should desire to display their faith in this
tangible way. Those who have been baptized can look fondly over the memory of
that special day and the picture that it paints of what the Lord has done in
their life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-54608682300543002052023-03-10T06:38:00.001-08:002023-03-10T07:05:51.083-08:00Appreciation for John MacArthur<p>Next to my pastor and mentor, Ken Dolan, probably no one has had more of an impact on my spiritual life and ministry than John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA and teacher of Grace to You Ministries. In fact, it was Ken who first introduced me to John's ministry. He probably gave me a book or two of his which led me to begin to listen to his sermons. Immediately, I was impressed by how he refused to pull any punches but would tell it like it is and the Bible says. He wasn't concerned about being "politically correct" or sugarcoating the truth at all as many popular preachers can be today. (Which is why he can be such a polarizing figure at times. Some people cannot stand how straightforward he is with the truth and him speaking up against certain issues in the manner that he does.) I remember hearing him saturate his messages with so much Scripture referencing a number of them by memory and praying that God would help me be able to do the same one day in my own preaching. (I'm not sure that I am there yet but it is still an aspiration!) Some of those messages of his have stuck with me over the years. I remember as a lonely seminary student longing for a relationship someday being comforted by his exposition of 1 Corinthians 7 on singleness and marriage. The clarity he provided on the passage being exactly what I needed to hear at the time as I would be waiting on God's timing for another 6 or 7 years or so. Also, in seminary, a point he made that to truly be about God's glory is to rejoice in the blessing that God gives to another pastor and his church instead of yours. That cut deep at the time and greatly convicted me. Such a truth is brought back to remind me today when needed (which is more often than I like to admit). And probably, the sermon I have listened to of his the most, the one entitled "The Theology of Sleep" where he preached on the parable of the sower and how our job as pastors is just to "sow the seed" of the gospel, go to sleep, and let God take care of the rest. In my moments of great discouragement when I may not be noticing as much fruit from my ministry labors, I play that message and listen to it again.<br /></p><p>When his study Bible came out in the New American Standard Bible and was on sale while in college, I had to get it. I wound up cutting my theological teeth so to speak on his study notes. To date, I have now wore out two or three of them. A generous Christmas gift from the congregation where I was serving as interim pastor purchased the bulk of his New Testament Commentaries. (There were a few yet to be completed at the time which now I have acquired.) I continue to consult those commentaries whenever I am preaching something from the New Testament. They are so invaluable with the clear explanation of the text and practical applications of it. Many a time when I find myself stumped trying to figure out what something in the passage means, I can open the commentary to that page and read MacArthur's explanation and it finally makes sense. (And if not MacArthur, another John with the last name Calvin.) The Systematic Theology ("Biblical Theology") that he and the professors at his seminary put together quickly became my "go to" of the collection I have. It is by far the most thorough of all of them. It pretty much covers just about all that Scripture says on an issue and is just what you need when researching a topic. With all this said, I don't agree with MacArthur on everything. I would differ from him when it comes to the identity of the "sons of God" in Genesis 6, divorce and remarriage, and now view on the end times (eschatology). Nonetheless, I still value his perspective and know that he will make his argument backed up by Scripture to consider it.<br /></p><p>One of my desires for a while was to be able to hear him preach in person. (It is always better to hear and see someone preach in person than on TV, the computer screen, your phone, or on the radio.) I got so excited when I heard that a local church in Maryland not too far from my seminary was having "An Evening With John MacArthur" a number of years ago. I got a bunch of free tickets for me and my friends for it before I asked any of them to go. Boy, was I bummed when they had to cancel it because the publisher of John's latest book at the time required him to do something for it. I thought that might have been my only shot at seeing him. California is quite a distance away and probably not feasible for me to ever make it out to. But thankfully, in God's good and gracious providence, I wound up being able to go to the Together for the Gospel Conference (T4G) in 2014 in Louisville, KY, where he was one of the main speakers. I was finally could see and hear him in person. He presented himself as an elder statesmen just getting up behind the pulpit and preaching what Scripture says and what it means by what it says. More likely, it will be the only time I will have that opportunity.</p><p>There are two things in particular about MacArthur that have probably encouraged me the most in my view and philosophy of ministry. One is his faithfulness at one place for such a long time. At this point, he has been serving the same church for 54 years and still counting. In a day and age where most pastors remain at a congregation for no more than 5 or 6 years and then move on to another followed by another, this is remarkable. It led to me wanting to have a similar longevity in my own ministry if the Lord would allow such of course. To labor for a number of years discipling families and pouring into them. I actually toyed around with the idea of becoming a seminary or college professor while in seminary due to my love of biblical scholarship and teaching. But I didn't like the idea of having the students for only three or four years and no more. Not being able to follow up with them much after that. What I have witnessed MacArthur do was much more desirable for me. At over 11 1/2 years at this point I have got quite a ways yet to go!<br /></p><p>The second thing with his ministry that has greatly encouraged me in my own is his commitment to sequential expository preaching. That is preaching verse by verse through entire books of the Bible. In fact, God has granted him the privilege of achieving a feat that only a few have in history. Preaching through every single verse of the New Testament. (Though I do wish that he would preach more from the Old Testament. I try to give the congregation under my charge a healthy balance, alternating between preaching through a book from the New Testament and the Old. We need a robust understanding of the types, shadows, and prophecies of Christ there as much as we do the antitypes, substance, and fulfillment of Christ in the New.) MacArthur is actually the one who in a real sense showed me how to do this. I witnessed him do so week after week as I listened to his preaching. I may not have known that it was even possible to do that had I not come in contact with his ministry. Now, it has become my practice and I believe that it is the best way to ensure that I am proclaiming the whole counsel of God without neglecting any of the hard uncomfortable topics Scripture talks about.<br /></p><p>And while my oldest son was not named after him, it could be said that MacArthur is one of his namesakes. One of the main reasons he is called "John" is due to the meaning of the name being "God is gracious," acknowledging that God has been gracious to hear our prayer for him (his middle name "Samuel" means "God hears"). But also it was to honor the rich legacy of the numerous theologians who loved the Lord and His Word throughout the history of the church who were named John which would certainly include MacArthur but not be limited to him. (I believe that I have counted up to 30 at one point from John the Baptist to John Calvin to John Bunyan and John Owen to John Charles (JC) Ryle to John Piper and John MacArthur.)<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">John MacArthur has been sometimes called the Charles Spurgeon or John Calvin of our time and I would agree with that. In many ways, he has been fighting a modern day theological downgrade much as Spurgeon had in his day and has the tenacity of Calvin with the same steadfast unwavering commitment to verse by verse preaching through books of the Bible as the French Reformer. (Calvin was SO committed to verse by verse preaching that when he came back to Geneva after having been forced out three years prior, he actually began preaching on the verse he had left off on when he had left!) His impact and influence will be felt long after he is gone much like theirs still are as well. At 83, I know that MacArthur is nearing the end of his race with his ministry closer to being completed. But I will forever be grateful for the gift that God has given His church with his preaching and teaching ministry. I know that I am not the only one who can say that. I would not be the minister that I am today without it. Thank God for His using this flawed weak man to impact so many lives with the gospel and may He continue to equip him for His work to be done through him in however many more days He has appointed for him! To God be all the glory!<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-32782654594959661122023-02-21T12:23:00.000-08:002023-02-21T12:23:58.409-08:00What Revival Looks Like<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
has taken place at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY has a lot of people talking
about revival right now. For those who may not have heard, following a routine
chapel service on February 8<sup>th</sup> at the school, 20 students remained
there to sing, pray, and share testimonies stating that they felt prompted by
the Spirit to do so. A few hours later, the president of the college sent out
an e-mail encouraging other students to join this impromptu continuation of the
worship service. The number of students at the chapel service grew and kept
everything going. This has now continued for the past couple of weeks with
people from all over the country making a trip there to check out what is occurring
or to participate in it. Some are quickly claiming that this is a genuine work
of God being witnessed while others are expressing doubts and wondering if it
might be no more than a mere emotional frenzy. It is not my intention to weigh
in on that discussion here but I do think that it would be good for us to look
at what Scripture says about revival and what one looks like when God in His
good pleasure seeks to visit us with it.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Bible does not anywhere provide for us a clear definition for “revival” but we
do have a prayer for it in Psalm 85 and several examples of it occurring
throughout history. We witness some type of revival with the nation of Israel
specifically under the reigns of godly kings Asa (2 Chronicles 15:8-16), Hezekiah
(2 Chronicles 29-30) and young King Josiah (2 Kings 22-23), the returned exiles
following the reading of the law by Ezra and the Levites (Nehemiah 8-9), even
the wicked city of Nineveh in response to the preaching of judgment by the
reluctant prophet, Jonah, and perhaps, what has rightly been known as the
greatest of revivals on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 were brought to the
Lord in one day and the church continued to grow and thrive in the days afterwards
(Acts 2). In fact, it has been said that the entire history of the church in
the New Testament is itself an account of revival. In our own nation’s history,
we have what is referred to as “The Great Awakening” in New England influenced
by the powerful preaching of Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George
Whitefield. Basically, a revival appears to be a special work of God’s Spirit
where the sanctification or spiritual growth of God’s people is greatly
increased or heighted all at once and conversions of unbelievers are brought
about in a greater number than usual. I’ve heard it described as a time when
God accomplishes in a moment what He typically does in a much longer stretch of
time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
thing we notice with all of the past revivals that I have mentioned is that
they stemmed from the preaching of the Word of God. I pointed this out in the
list of revivals in the last paragraph. Revival broke out among the returned
exiles upon hearing the law being read and explained by Ezra and the priests
(Nehemiah 8-9) and the revival in Nineveh came as a result of Jonah’s preaching
(Jonah 3). Those 3,000 added to the church on the Day of Pentecost came right
after hearing Peter’s sermon and having their hearts pierced by the Word he
proclaimed (Acts 2:37). And I mentioned the preaching of Edwards, Wesley, and
Whitefield which fueled “The Great Awakening”. While it wasn’t the preaching of
God’s Word, the rediscovery of it in Josiah’s day is what led to the revival
that occurred then (2 Kings 22:8-10). There has never been and cannot be a
revival without the Bible. It is clearly the instrument that the Spirit of God
uses to bring one about just as it serves as the instrument through which He
always does His work. No one can be born again and brought to Christ without
encountering the word about Christ somehow (Romans 10:17) No one is able to
grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ without continually reading,
studying, and hearing the Word of God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another
thing we see about revivals is that they are all characterized by repentance.
There is a genuine sorrow over sin that leads to an “about face” to turn away
from it and live holy to the Lord. The moment that Josiah heard the lost book
of the law read to him, he tore his clothes recognizing how much he and the
people deserved God’s wrath due to their failure to be obedient to God’s Word
(2 Kings 22:11-13). The entire city of Nineveh was so serious about expressing
remorse for its sins that they even had all the animals of the kingdom fast and
wear sackcloth to demonstrate such (Jonah 3:7-8). Weeping ensued when the
exiles heard God’s law read to them (Nehemiah 8:9) and confession of their sins
followed (Nehemiah 9:1-3). A clear mark of a revival is such repentance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>People
recommitted their lives to the Lord as a result of the revivals as well. They
dedicated themselves to walk in obedience to God’s Word yet again, acknowledging
that they had been failing to do so. In the case of the revivals which occurred
for the people of Israel, this was demonstrated with a renewal of their
covenant made with the Lord (2 Chronicles 15:12-15; 34:31-32; Nehemiah 9:38-10:39).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
sure way to know if something is a work of God or not is who the focus is on.
You can be certain that God’s Spirit is involved if the emphasis is on Jesus. A
revival is always centered on Christ. Jesus says that the role of the Holy
Spirit is to continually point to Him. He seeks to testify of Jesus (John 15:26)
and glorify Him (John 16:14). <span class="x193iq5w">The Spirit has been
described as having a floodlight ministry, consistently illuminating the Lord
Jesus Christ, drawing attention to Him away from Himself. This is why the Holy
Spirit is more of a supporting character to Jesus as the main actor in the
Scriptures He inspired to be written.</span></span><span class="x193iq5w"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
supernatural signs and wonders take center stage and are what are talked more
about, then the movement being of God should be suspect. But if it is all about
Jesus instead, it is a good sign that the Spirit is working.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
fifth element of revivals that we see in the ones that God has brought about is
a reformation of life and worship. When such a work of God has taken place,
idols have been torn down and important practices that have been neglected have
been reestablished (2 Chronicles 15:8; 29:20-30:1-27; 2 Kings 23:4-24). There
is a notable difference in the lives of those affected. The effects of the
revival go much further than an intense worship service lasting for a number of
weeks. The returned exiles separated themselves from unbelievers they had
covenanted with (Ezra 10; Nehemiah 9:2) and the believers in Ephesus burned
their magic books (Acts 19:19). The community in which the revival takes place
is impacted as well. A silversmith in Ephesus could testify to this as he as
well as others dealt with loss in their business due to less people wanting to
purchase the idols that they had been making (Acts 19:24-26). It is due to the
revival occurring with the early church that it could be said that the
believers were “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
last thing that needs to be pointed out about a revival is that it is
determined and driven by God. In none of the accounts that we are looking at
was the revival planned or orchestrated by man. It wasn’t placed on the
calendar by the church or its leaders. There were no gimmicks or anything done
to bring it about. Just the presentation and proclamation of God’s Word which God
always uses to convict men of sin, convert unbelievers, and further conform
believers into the image of Christ. It was clearly and completely the work of
God to bless that in such an extraordinary way. Jonathan Edwards even described
what took place in New England in his day as being a “surprising work of God’s
Spirit.” It was certainly something that he never saw coming. In fact, I read
that one of the sermons that was so influential in that “Great Awakening” was his
famous “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” and the first time that he
preached it to his own congregation, there were little to no response. The
second time in another church had people literally hanging on to the seats in
front of them for fear of God’s wrath and judgment on account of their sins,
crying out before the message was finished, “What shall I do to be saved?”.
(And supposedly Edwards delivered the message monotone without much inflection
or emphasis at all!) What made the difference must have been the Lord Himself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
we certainly should long and pray for revival in our day, let’s not minimize or
neglect the ordinary work of God’s Spirit that occurs every Lord’s Day when His
people come together to praise Him and hear His Word proclaimed. We don’t need
to flock to a college hours away where a revival is purported to be taking
place to be revived spiritually. Such can and does happen every week, just not
on as large of a scale. And what God continues to do in our lives as we
participate in the means of grace such as praying, reading and studying Scripture,
corporate worship, attentively listening to the preaching of the Word, and
partaking of communion is just as important. And if the Lord would see fit to
grant a revival, it is more likely going to be through an extraordinary
blessing of the ordinary means that He uses. So, let’s be sure to continue to in
those as we wait to see Him do an ongoing work in our lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-41085619914076969762023-01-23T13:27:00.000-08:002023-01-23T13:27:40.414-08:00The Perilous Pattern of Sin<p> <span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Have you ever noticed that there is
a pattern of sin that Scripture presents for us? A common road that leads to
the falling into temptation and downward spiral. We first SEE something that
tempts us, that is followed by a DESIRE for it, and then we TAKE it to our
peril. Eve’s sin began with her SEEING that the forbidden tree was good for
food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and DESIRABLE to make one wise and
then she TOOK from the tree and ate (Genesis 3:6). Likewise, the sinful mixed
marriages of the godly Sethites and ungodly descendants of Cain all took place
when the sons of God SAW that the daughters of men were good in appearance; and
they TOOK wives for themselves, whomever they chose (Genesis 6:2). Clearly
implied in the text is that they must have DESIRED these ones for them to take
them as their wives. Achan’s sin was characterized by his SEEING the beautiful
mantle from Shinar and the shekels of silver and gold, coveting or DESIRING
them, and then TAKING them (Joshua 7:21). Samson SEES a woman in Timnah and
then asks his parents to TAKE her for him as a wife (Judges 14:2). Evidently,
he had to have a DESIRE for her in order to want to take her for his wife. For
David, his sin with Bathsheba began with SEEING the woman bathing and the DESIRE
communicated in inquiring more about her resulting in him having his messengers
TAKE her to him (2 Samuel 11:2-4). It is always the same pattern. One fixes
their eyes on something forbidden that develops a sinful desire for it which
eventually leads them to take it, committing sin.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Perhaps it should be emphasized that
what all these SAW was not sinful in and of itself but was sinful due to the
fact that it was something that God had forbidden them from taking. It was
something He expressly had indicated was off limits for them. The entrance ramp
to the road to their disobedience was setting their eyes upon that which God
had commanded them not to take. Keep in mind as well that Jesus says that
adultery actually takes place in the heart with the lustful look at one who is
not their spouse (Matthew 5:28). It has been said about our eyes, "At
these windows Satan throws in those fiery darts which pierce and poison the
heart."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With this being the case, how
careful must be with what we put before our eyes, especially those things which
we may be more susceptible to be temped by? Don’t think that such does not
matter or won’t have any effect on you. All of these sins started with an
extended look at something. While we may not be responsible for the first glance
at it, we certainly are for a continual fixation upon it. As Martin Luther put
it, “Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent
the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them
nest in our hair.” David would have done well to not have given Bathsheba
another look or thought. There would have been no adulterous affair then or
murder. He would have avoided horrendous sin and the pain which resulted from
it. In fact, the sin would have been stopped right there in its tracks. Matthew
Henry put it this way, "The way of sin is downhill; a man cannot stop
himself when he will. The beginning of it is as the breaking forth of water, to
which it is hard to say, 'Hitherto thou shalt come and no further.' Therefore
it is our wisdom to suppress the first emotions of sin, and to leave it off
before it be meddled with." There is wisdom in following Job's example to
make a covenant with your eyes not to look at that which God had forbidden (Job
31:1).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is more to the simple
children’s song than we realize that states “Be careful little eyes what you
see.” The journey from your mind to your hand is shorter than you’re thinking.
We need to guard our eyes and be very careful what they are directed to. Better
yet, we should seek to fix our eyes on Jesus and cultivate a greater desire for
Him to keep us from fixing our eyes on what God has forbidden and desiring it
to lead us into sin. When our gaze is upon Him, we cannot look upon sin long
but when our eyes our fixated on sin, we will not be able to see Him in His
glory and will follow down that road to the giving into that sin unless we turn
to look back to the Lord prior to. With the aid of God's grace, let's seek to
"turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full into His wonderful face" so
that the sins of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory
and grace" where we will not follow through the common perilous pattern of
sin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Love in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pastor Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-70914156589796642202022-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:002023-12-19T09:26:50.485-08:00The True Wonder of Christmas<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">People often talk
about the wonder of Christmas this time of year. The beauty and splendor of the
season. All of the lights and everything aglow. The sights of the decorations
and the smells of the food on the table. The spirit of gift-giving and being
together as a family. The twinkle in a young child’s eyes on Christmas morning
seeing the gifts under the tree. But the greatest and real wonder of Christmas
is found in the words of John 1:14. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,
full of grace and truth.” What really should bring wonder to us this holiday
season is the truth of the incarnation; God taking on flesh and becoming a man
without any way ceasing to be God. Adding humanity to His divinity.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Take a moment to reflect
on what this means. The eternal God became a mortal man. The Creator became
part of His creation. As Augustine simply stated, “Man's maker was made man.”
The infinite clothed Himself with finite humanity. The One who holds all things
together would be held in the arms of His mother. The One whom all things are
dependent upon became dependent upon others. The Sustainer of all things would
be sustained in the womb and at His mother's breast. The Bread of Life would
become hungry. The Fountain of Living Water thirsty. The One who fills all
space and time confines Himself to the single space of Mary's womb, then a
feeding trough for animals, Calvary's cross, and Joseph's tomb. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Divine Word cries without being
able to utter a word. The King of kings and the Lord of lords leaves His palace
of heaven to lay on a bed of straw. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The One who knows all
things increased in wisdom as He grew older. For that matter we could say that
the timeless One Himself could be spoken of as growing! The all-powerful One
becoming weary after a journey. The God who never slumbers needing sleep. The
One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills becoming One who had no place on
earth to lay His head. The One rich in glory becoming poor so that we who
recognize ourselves to be poor in spirit can become spiritually rich. The very
Author of life would die. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">Wow! Just let all
of that sink in! This truly is the wonder of Christmas! Mark Jones has put it
well, “The incarnation is God’s greatest wonder, one that no creature could
ever have imagined. God Himself could not perform a more difficult and glorious
work. It has justly been called the miracle of all miracles.” Who could have
ever invented such an idea? That the God of the universe would become a man.
And that He would become a man in order to save us from our sins and God’s
wrath that we so rightly deserve. To enter into this dark messed up sinful
world and undergo such inexpressible and excruciating suffering for the
salvation of us sinners. There really is nothing quite like it. As J. I. Packer
has said, “Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the
incarnation.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As
you go through this upcoming holiday season, be sure to make time to ponder this
deep truth that we celebrate. Don’t let it get lost in the hubbub and busyness
of things. You will want to do whatever you can to keep it central in all that
you and your family do. If you want to have a more worshipful Christmas, set
your thoughts on this. Keep coming back to it again and again to have a
reminder of it. The wonder of all wonders! God becoming man in order to live
the life of perfect obedience that we continually fail to live, die the death
which we deserve on account of our sins, experiencing the full weight of God’s
wrath, and rise again three days later to conquer death itself and ensure that
all who believe in Him will be resurrected as well after death. Could there be
anything greater for us to celebrate? Anything that could possibly top that in
importance? I cannot imagine anything.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Celebrating the glorious and wonderful incarnation
with you, <br />
Pastor Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-47045990141993737342022-11-03T03:56:00.000-07:002022-11-03T03:56:48.997-07:00Which Jesus?<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A lot
of people talk about Jesus these days as He is a popular fixture in our
culture. References to Him as well as portrayals of Him can be found in movies,
TV shows, advertisements, and books. It is hard to find someone who hasn’t
heard about Him or at least doesn’t have their own conception of Him. However,
with all that said, we need to be cautious not to assume that everyone who is
talking about Jesus is speaking of the same Jesus whom we trust and follow.
Rather than just blindly accepting that someone who speaks of Jesus or claims
to believe in Him has the right understanding of Who He is, we need to further
ask the question, “which Jesus?” It very well may be a false perspective of Him
which does not correspond to the truth of who He is as He has been revealed in
God’s Word, the Bible.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, Muslims have a Jesus that they
believe in but they view him as being a prophet just like Muhammad and that of
a lesser status than him. The Koran emphatically states that Jesus cannot be
said to be God’s Son and that he did not actually die on the cross but merely
appeared to. The idea is that he swooned from all the suffering and became
unconscious, being mistaken to have died. The Mormons view Jesus as being one
of a multitude of gods and the spirit brother of Satan who did not make full
atonement for people’s sins, leaving them with sins they need to atone for
themselves. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus is not the eternal God
but a created being, equivalent with Michael the Archangel. He is “a” god but
not “the” God. There is also the Thomas Jefferson Jesus that some people believe
in today. Our third president picked up scissors and literally went through the
gospels and cut out anything supernatural that occurred in it. He believed that
anything that could not be explained scientifically or naturally must not have
happened. What this left him with was Jesus being only a good moral teacher.
Not the sinless Son of God. And perhaps the most popular picture of Jesus out
there today is what I would call “the tolerant inclusive Jesus.” A Jesus who is
accepting of everyone as they are and being okay with whatever they want to do.
This Jesus does not call people to follow him exclusively or to repent. According
to him, we all are fine and don’t need saving. Just a little bit of guidance
and encouragement to feel better about ourselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
of these contradict the Jesus we encounter in the pages of Scripture who is the
sinless Son of God, God in the flesh, both truly God and truly man,
miraculously virgin born, really dying to atone for all of the sins of His
people serving as their substitute sacrifice, and victoriously rising from the
dead three days later to conquer death itself. And, as such, these groups
mentioned above all wind up believing and following a false Jesus who, of
course, does not exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now,
you may be thinking, “While I realize that there are all these differences
among these false religions and cults when it comes to Jesus, certainly you
can’t be saying that it’s not the same Jesus in which they are referring to.
They just got some of the details about him wrong. In the cases where he is
presented on the screen or in some other book or advertisement and it doesn’t
fully agree with the Bible, someone could still be introduced to Jesus even
with these faulty descriptions of him.” Well, let me use an illustration to
further communicate that these details in where they differ are so major that
it actually doesn’t make sense for us to say that they are still talking about
the same Jesus whom we know, love, worship, and follow. Suppose someone came up
to you and asked if you were familiar with the man, “Lee Smith”. You more
likely would probably say “yes” because you were thinking of your pastor who is
writing this very article right now. Yet, as the person goes on and begins to
talk about his pitching average and how they followed his career all the way
from the Chicago Cubs up to his retirement with the Montreal Expos, and have
all of his baseball cards, you would have to conclude that he is talking about
a completely different “Lee Smith” than the one that you actually know. (The
athletic ability or lack thereof of that one is nothing remotely comparable!)
Why? Because the details are so very different and contradictory to the “Lee
Smith” in which you are familiar that certainly you both cannot have the same
person in mind, even though it is the same name. Such is the case with any
portrayal or teaching of Christ which does not match up to what Scripture says
about Him. They are so vastly different that we cannot say that they are
talking about the same Jesus but have to recognize that it is another Jesus
altogether.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
reason this all matters is because the only Jesus who is able to save is the
real Jesus we read about in the Bible. The “no other name under heaven that has
been given among men by which we must be saved” is His name and not one of the
same name with different characteristics. Jesus even says in John 8:24, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therefore I said to you that you will die in
your sins. For unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” </i>The
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am” </i>ultimately is a reference to
God’s divine name “Yahweh” revealed to Moses back in Exodus 3:14. So, if
someone does not believe that Jesus is God as He claims to be with all the
characteristics of Him, they will perish in their sins. They cannot be saved.
Salvation is found nowhere else outside of the biblical Christ. Any so-called
Jesus different than Him will leave someone damned in their sin with no hope of
redemption. Hence, why it is essential that someone not only believes in Jesus
but that they are believing in the correct Jesus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
the next time that you hear someone talking about Jesus, or He is mentioned in
an advertisement, or is portrayed on your TV screen, be sure to ask the
question, “which Jesus?” and check to see if He matches up to the true Jesus
described in Scripture who alone can save. Don’t just assume that it must be
the correct Jesus. Watch and read with an open Bible in front of you to
evaluate it. And only receive the One found in those pages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With
my love in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-68645536913042351112022-08-09T14:53:00.001-07:002022-08-09T14:53:11.285-07:00What God Thinks of Abortion<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With the recent rightful overturning
of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, the debate over abortion has only
escalated. Everyone from the President to local lawmakers, to your
brother-in-law or neighbor down the street currently expresses an opinion
regarding this dreadful practice. What matters though is not what any governor
might think, how any president may view it, what any of those in Congress may
say about it, or even how a judge might rule concerning it, but how the God of
the universe views abortion. And He doesn't leave us guessing as to His
perspective on it. He lays it out clearly in His Word (contrary to an article
that I read over the weekend wrongfully claiming that the Bible basically says
nothing about abortion).<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Part of the debate concerning
abortion centers around whether or not a fetus can be described as a person. Is
it just a glob of cells or is s/he a living human being? The answer to this
question often will determine one's view on abortion. All of the evidence that
we are provided with in Scripture would lead us to conclude that the fetus is
nothing less than an actual human being created by God with a purpose that He
has designed for him or her. In Psalm 139:13 for instance, David acknowledged
that he was knit together in his mother's womb. The “me” in that verse shows us
that David understood himself to be a distinct person from that very moment.
God declared to Jeremiah that He had a purpose for the prophet before He formed
him in the womb (Jeremiah 1:9). Speaking of the sparing between Jacob and Esau
while in Rebekah’s womb, the author says that “the CHILDREN struggled together
within her” (Genesis 25:22). “Children” (literally “sons”) is plural of the
same term used to speak of a child which has been born as seen with us being
told that Eve “gave birth to a SON and named him Seth” (4:25). Those two
warring brothers are presented as being persons in conflict, not merely cells
bumping into each other. The unborn infant John the Baptist who jumped for joy
at the coming of Mary in light of the news that she was bearing the Lord is
referred to as being a "baby" (Luke 1:41) just as Jesus is described
as being after His birth (2:12, 16). This indicates that no distinction is made
between the child in the womb and one outside the womb. Both are identified as
being a “baby.” These show us that, according to God, the location and stage of
develop of a child doesn’t make a difference. And I think what takes the cake
in this whole argument is that according to the Old Testament law, if a
pregnant woman is hit and it harms the unborn baby inside her, the situation is
treated like it was the harm of a person (Exodus 21:22-25). The same law of
retaliation ("life for a life," "eye for an eye,"
"tooth for a tooth," etc.) applies to the baby injured or killed who
was inside the womb when his or her mother has been hit as it does to those
outside the womb. God seems quite clear that a fetus is certainly much more
than a "glob of cells." <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With this being the case, when it
comes to abortion, God clearly sees it as a violation of the sixth commandment,
"thou shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13); the intentional, deliberate
taking of a human life. In each of the Ten Commandments, we find that every
negative has a positive side to it. So, if the expressed negative here is not
to take a life, the implied positive part of the command would be to preserve
life. And since an unborn infant is a human life, this command calls for the
preservation and protection of that life rather than its premature death by
abortion. As God's law reveals a lot about Himself to us, this specific command
shows us the value that God places on each individual human life.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I pointed out in my newsletter
article last month, all human life is so valuable and precious to God that He
instituted the death penalty for those who take it. "And for your
lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and
from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made
man in His own image" (Genesis 9:5-6). God didn't say that man's blood
should be required if he sheds the blood of any animal but if his sheds the
blood of another man. In fact, He even requires a reckoning from "every
beast" that would kill a man. As His specific creation and a bearer of His
image, God values the life of man so much that any man who takes another man's
life actually forfeits his own. To God, it is no small thing to take the life
of any human being, regardless of the person’s size, location, or ability. He
or she is an image bearer of His and therefore has such value and worth that it
is a grievous crime to murder them. A crime so horrendous that it deserves the
most severe punishment possible.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And God has a special place in His
heart for those who are vulnerable and defenseless. This is seen in regards to
His continual care of widows and orphans; those who could not care for
themselves in ancient times and were left often without any earthly support and
protection (Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 68:5; 146:9; Jeremiah
49:11). He also commanded His people to look after such and chastised them for
neglecting them (Psalm 82:3; Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10; James 1:27). Surely
the unborn also fit the category of being vulnerable and unable to defend
themselves.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For further evidence of what God
thinks about abortion, we only need to read His commentary on an ancient
similar practice of the pagans. They would literally sacrifice their children
in the fire to their false god known as Molech (Leviticus 18:21). We are told
that this is an "abominable thing that the LORD hates" (Deuteronomy
12:31). When you come down to it, abortion is basically the sacrifice of a
child to the god of "choice" or "self." Isn't that exactly
what those who justify the murder of tiny babies in the womb claim to be the
reason why it should be permitted? That a woman has a "choice" of what
to do with what (in this case "who) is in her body. That she is in charge
of this living separate organism that is being housed inside of her and
therefore she has the right to decide whether to carry him or her full term. It
is all about her ("self") and what she wants depending on the
circumstances that she faces. That trumps any rights that the child could be
said to have. It really is not that much different when you think about it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
addition to that, Proverbs 6:17 points out that “hands that shed innocent
blood” are part of “six things which the LORD hates, even seven which are an
abomination to Him” (v. 16). You can’t get much more innocent than a precious
little child in his or her mother’s womb who hasn’t had the opportunity yet to
commit any crime. With abortion, it is as if the unborn child is receiving the
death penalty for things that he or she did not do. So, what then does God
think about abortion? In connection to the ancient practice of infant sacrifice
and being the shedding of innocent blood, we can conclude that God views such a
practice as being an abomination to Him.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While politicians, courts, and
others may debate the issue of abortion, God is clear where He stands. And with
Him being the Judge of the universe, His view is the only one that actually
matters. Unless the President and these lawmakers and government leaders repent
and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation that He offers, they will
face this Judge and have to answer for the blood on their hands. Oh, may they
heed the call of the gospel and experience the change that only Jesus can bring
in their lives before they have to meet this Judge and give an account! And may
those mothers who have aborted their precious little babies find forgiveness in
the One who graciously died for every sin of those who come to Him in
repentance and place their faith alone in Him.<br />
<br />
Love in Christ,<br />
Pastor Lee</span></p>
<p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-28762858268559049472022-07-07T05:27:00.000-07:002022-07-07T05:27:43.526-07:00Responses to Common Arguments for Abortion<p>The recent Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case which rightfully struck down the Court's previous ruling in Roe v. Wade has exacerbated the debate over abortion in our country. I continue to hear the arguments being made to justify abortion and find them all unconvincing. The reasons for which follow in my responses to five of the most common of the arguments typically made for the killing of tiny babies in the comfort of their mother's womb.<br /></p><p><b>Argument #1: A Woman Has the Right to Choose What She Wants to Do with Her Body</b></p><p>Response: The problem with this line of thinking when it comes to the issue of abortion is that the child in her womb is not a part of her body. He or she is not an appendage to the woman like an arm or a leg. In fact, the baby has his or her own life and body with a separate DNA and heartbeat. The baby may not even have the same blood type as the mother or be the same gender for that matter. I heard somewhere that the woman's body should recognize the baby as a foreign object but a hormone or something prevents the body from rejecting him or her and the T-cells (the immune cells which attack and destroy anything foreign) from attacking the baby. The child, being a separate being him or herself, just takes up residence in his or her mother's womb until the time of delivery.</p><p>In a real sense, with abortion, a woman is not choosing what she does with her body but that of another's. She in essence is taking away any choice the child inside of her could ever have. Perhaps, it should be questioned then just how "pro-choice" such a position actually is since one person's choice trumps another person's choice. In each and ever abortion, there is a boy or girl who has all of their choices taken away. </p><p><b>Argument #2: In the Case of Pregnancies Due to Rape and Incest, a Woman Should Have the Right to Choose to End the Pregnancy (i. e. Kill the Child Who Has Been Conceived) Because She Did Not Choose To Become Pregnant in the First Place and It Would Be Too Much to Expect Her Emotionally to Bear and Raise Such a Child, Knowing Who the Father is and How the Child was Produced.</b></p><p>Response: One evil act does not justify another one. While the rape and incest were clearly wrong and sinful, it is also wrong and sinful to murder. Both violate God's clear commandments. And just as it would be wrong to punish the woman for what has been done to her, the child should not be punished by death for crimes which he or she did not commit. It wasn't the child's fault for what had tragically happened to his or her mother. Now, you may say this is not viewed as a punishment for the child and really has nothing to do with the child at all. It is all about the mother and what she will have to go through if she continues with the pregnancy. However, like it or not, there is now another individual affected by what the mother does as a result of what has happened to her. She cannot choose to make a decision that has no effect on the child who has already formed and begun to develop in her womb. The child will be impacted by whether she goes through with the pregnancy or seeks to terminate it, destroying the life inside her.</p><p>While it very well may be difficult emotionally for a woman in such a situation, she can choose life for her child. Abortion does not, and should not, be an option for her. There are so many couples out there who would love to have a child and be glad to take care of him or her as their very own and several pregnancy centers and churches available to minister and help such a woman through a difficult pregnancy. And there are a number of times where a woman winds up falling in love with her child when she lays her eyes on him or her the first time and discovers that life to be a blessing, regardless of how it came about.</p><p>We need to keep in mind as well that, in the midst of the inexcusable evil that had been done, God still permitted the conception to occur and had begun to knit together a child in the womb (Psalm 139:13-14). And God, praise Him, specializes in bringing the greatest good from the worst of evils. As I previously mentioned, that child could wind up turning into a wonderful blessing for that mother or serve as the answer to the prayers for a couple who has been longing to have children but are unable to conceive.</p><p><b>Argument #3: In Situations Where a Child May Not Have the Most Ideal Conditions to Be Raised or Where He or She Will Face Difficulties Without the Greatest Quality of Life, An Abortion Could Spare Them From Such.</b></p><p>Response: We really have no idea what kind of life a child will wind up having and how he or she will turn out as a result of it. There is no crystal ball that we can look through to show us. Not knowing the future with any certainty, wouldn't it be best to allow the child the opportunity and right to live regardless of the circumstances which he or she may face? Shouldn't they at least be given a chance? How can such justify murdering them? Wouldn't it be better for us to focus on how we can work for them to have better conditions to grow and develop in rather than take their life with no opportunity to see what may happen? </p><p>I see this also as being no reason to kill someone. The same can be said for the elderly person who doesn't have what we may deem the best quality of life. Who are we to determine that? The giving of life and taking away of it is God's prerogative, not ours (Job 1:21; 12:10; 33:4; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6). And that is true of the child in the womb as well as grandma fast in bed in the nursing home.</p><p><b>Argument #4: A Woman's Life May Be in Danger With the Pregnancy and She Might Not Survive. An Abortion Could Save the Mother's Life.</b></p><p>Response: First, the aim of doctors and medical professionals are to do all that they can do to save BOTH the mother and the child in the case of something which may be life threatening to either one of them. And we live in a day and age now of such advance technology and knowledge that it is very rare where a child would have to be killed in order to save the mother from death. It is not a common occurrence at all and should not be used as an argument for the practice of abortion any more than the fact that some few children are born without clear genitalia would mean that someone can mutilate his or her body due to issues he or she has with the way that God created him or her. The occasional exceptions do not set the rule but prove it. Former U. S. Surgeon General Everett Koop once testified that "In my 36 years in pediatric surgery I have never known of one instance where the child had to be aborted to save the mother's life."</p><p> I have seen some women speak in favor of getting an abortion because they do not even want to risk their own life in the pregnancy. To put it bluntly, that is selfish and unloving. It is to place the concern of oneself over that of another. The very model for love that we have been given is that of the Lord Jesus Christ who willingly gave of His own life so that His people may have life in Him. Parents ought to be willing to lay down their own lives for their children, both figuratively and literally if necessary. In so doing, we demonstrate the love that Christ has for His church. In fact, abortion has even been referred to as the "evil reverse image of the gospel." "Instead of 'I'll die for you,' it says, 'You die for me.'"</p><p>And ectopic pregnancies, D and C where the baby has already died, and procedures for natural miscarriages where a heartbeat is not found are not considered to be abortions so they should stop being used as talking points in support of it. The outlawing of abortion has no bearing whatsoever for these procedures.</p><p><b>Argument #5: A Woman Should Not Have to Deal With An Unwanted Pregnancy</b></p><p>Response: Probably one of the most popular reasons for an abortion is due to the pregnancy being unwanted or unplanned. It is a convenient way to seek to undo what has been done. And while some may try to claim that abortion does not serve as a form of birth control, the very fact that so many men are seeking to have vasectomies right now and young women their tubes tied as a result of the Supreme Court's recent decision reveals otherwise. It often is a case of not wanting to take responsibility for one's actions.</p><p>A pregnancy of course can be prevented where a child who has been conceived does not have to be killed. And things always go best when one follows God's good and wise prescription to practice abstinence until marriage where the sexual relationship is designed to be a loving expression and symbol of the love and unity of a husband and wife. Furthermore, I think that every married couple ought to be open to the possibility of children and view them as a gracious gift from God to be embraced and loved rather than a burden to be avoided. As Psalm 127:3-5 puts it, "Behold, children are an inheritance of Yahweh, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with enemies in the gate." As a father of two boys currently, I can attest to the blessing they are to me and I would not trade them in for anything. I cannot imagine my life without them at the moment and they are definitely worth any sacrifice required. Personally, I say to you that you will be missing out if you choose not to have children or want to label them as an inconvenience.</p><p>And if every unwanted and unplanned pregnancy were ended, we would certainly be hurting as a society since it would have robbed us of a number of important figures who have made a difference in our history. Thankfully, due to moms who wisely choose life, we have been blessed by God's common grace by a number of men and women who the ramifications of their lives still can be felt today. Abortion not only robs a child of his or her life but also of the potential of what could be done in their life.</p><p>We also need to remember that with God, there really is no such thing as an "unplanned" pregnancy. (Please stop sharing that meme speaking of the one "unplanned" pregnancy that saved the world in reference to Jesus' birth. That birth was planned and orchestrated from before the very foundation of the world!) In God's sovereignty, He allows every conception to occur and so there must be a purpose for it. The question for us is whether we will accept His plan with the child or reject it. An unwanted or unplanned pregnancy according to us is never a reason to kill a child.</p><p>Try as someone may, there is no argument that can justify the murder of a small little child. God has not given anyone the right to murder the very one which He has fashioned and designed in the womb and which bears His image. There are no "ifs," "ands," or "buts" to this point either. Every life is a precious gift from God and should be received such. We are called to do all that we can to protect and preserve life, not destroy and end it. May God open up blind eyes to see the precious value and worth of every life that God has given.</p><p>Love in Christ,</p><p>Lee <br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-35509447252281178232022-06-25T07:41:00.000-07:002022-06-25T07:41:15.805-07:00The Sanctity of Human Life<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
focus for our Vacation Bible School ministry this summer is the sanctity of
human life. And in light of all that is going on in our culture today, I cannot
think of a more relevant and needed topic to be teaching our children. When it
comes down to it, at the heart of several things we are witnessing today
occurring in our nation is a blatant disregard and devaluing of human life. The
very reason the Supreme Court wrongly decided the Roe v. Wade decision nearly
50 years ago granting a legal “right” to an abortion and why so many vehemently
oppose the potential of it being overturned right now is simply because life is
not valued at its earliest stages of development. The life of the tiniest most
dependent child is not seen as greater than a mother’s choice of what to do
with him or her. This also accounts for the <span class="counter">421,483.4</span>
abortions which have already occurred this year as of this writing and the many
more tragically which will be added to that number</span>. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
rise of so many mass shootings that we hear about almost daily stem from, among
other things, a basic failure to value human life. No one is going to go into a
grocery store or a school to gun down people who don’t look the same as them or
young children if they are convinced that every life has value and worth. According
to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, on average there is 130
suicides per day. People not only don’t value the life of others but their own
life as well. And more and more states are seeking to legalize euthanasia or
assisted suicide. In a growing “culture of death,” even more so now we need to
be teaching our children and the kids in the community why every life matters
regardless of the location (whether inside or outside the womb) or its age,
size, shape, or shade of skin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
sanctity and value of human life can be seen in the very creation of man
itself. When God went about to make man, He created him in His own image
(Genesis 1:27). This sets us apart from any other of God’s creation. While we
may share some characteristics with those in the animal kingdom, only is man
ever described as being created in God’s image. In fact, this is something that
has not been said about the angels whom we were made just a little lower than
(Psalm 8:5). We are never told anywhere in Scripture that they in any sense
bear God’s image nor were designed to do so. Alone, out of all of God’s
splendid creatures, we have this privilege and that gives each of us inherent
value and worth. Even though that image has now been marred and distorted, it
still clearly remains (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). It is a distorted reflection
but a reflection none the less. Think of how you look when standing in front of
a busted mirror. You can still see your reflection in it but it’s not perfect.
You may look kind of fuzzy. Maybe your eye looks out of place or your cheek is
hanging down. You can only see part of your ear or a piece of it. But it is
still you being reflected. As fallen creatures, we still reflect God’s image
though it’s a broken reflection. Also, there is something to be said about the
fact that God decided to create man last of all His creation, indicating that
we serve as the crown or capstone of all that He has made so to speak. He
decided that His creation was not complete until He had made man to bear and
reflect His image.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God
values human life so much that He forbids us from the unauthorized intentional
taking of a human life. That’s found in the statement of the sixth commandment,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You shall not murder </i>(Exodus 20:13).
And if we are not to take a human life, then that means that we are to do
everything possible within our power to preserve and protect human life as
every negative command has a positive side to it. We must value every life
because God values every life. As R. C. Sproul has pointed out, there is a real
sense that when someone strikes another human, that they are not only making an
assault against that person, but against God Himself, the One whose image the
person bears. Just as desecrating the American flag is seen as being an insult
to the nation, harming or hurting any human can be viewed as being insult to
his or her Creator.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
fact, God sees each human life as being so valuable and as having such worth
that He instituted the death penalty for the murder of it. In Genesis 9:5-6, He
says, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Surely I will require your
lifeblood; from every living thing I will require it. And from every man, from
each man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood,
by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man. </i>If
someone takes another man or woman’s life, they in essence forfeit their own.
Even an animal who takes a humans life is to be put to death (v. 5). That’s how
important life is to God!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And
perhaps the greatest worth and value we can see that God places on human life
is found in Him preserving it to redeem His chosen people out of it through the
life, death, and resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That even when
God brought about the flood of His judgment over all of mankind on account of
their wickedness, in grace He spared Noah and his family and brought about the
Messiah through his lineage. He has chosen to glorify Himself through the
salvation of men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation. To make them
His own and recreate them into the image of His beloved Son.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
we want to see an end to this “culture of death” all around us, then we need to
seek to cultivate a culture of life instead. One way that we can do this is to
begin teaching our children from the youngest of ages as to why every life
matters to God and is important to Him. In a couple short weeks, we have the
privilege to do just that with our Vacation Bible School outreach. And, of
course, ultimately we want the kids to find their full value and worth in the
Lord Jesus Christ and becoming an adopted child of God’s through faith in Him.
Please join us in praying for this ministry and seeking to help out in any way
that you are able. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-78157965800186853732022-05-25T07:47:00.002-07:002022-06-07T21:47:05.329-07:00Persistent Prayer<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How
often should we pray? How many times should we be in prayer for a specific need
or request? Is there a possibility of praying about something too much? Is that
a sign of us having a lack of faith that God hears our request and that He will
answer it or is it a demonstration of our faith that we are confident that He
will come through following all our petitions? These are all common questions which
typically come up about one of the most important aspects of our relationship
with the Lord; our talking to Him in prayer. And, of course, they are not
trivial matters at all but ones we certainly are concerned about as we want to
properly pray and honor the Lord with our praying to Him. So, let’s look then
at what the Bible says both of the timing of our prayers and the frequency of
them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First,
how often should we pray? The Scriptures give us no set number of times to come
before the Lord throughout our day to speak with Him. Instead, Paul instructs
us to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The idea is to be
continually coming before our Father to express our thanksgiving, praise, and
requests to Him. We are to, in essence, have an attitude of prayer, taking many
moments to speak with Him as reasons and needs arise. With this said, it is
also good to have a specific concentrated time set aside each day for prayer as
well as we witness with Daniel and his going to his window three particular
times every day (Daniel 6:10). A time when you intentionally say no to
everything else to spend quality time talking with your Lord. A time that often
is best coupled with the reading of God’s Word as it is in prayer we speak to
God and through His Word that He speaks to us. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">One thing that we notice
with Jesus in His earthly ministry is His continual practice of prayer. He
often would be found stepping away from the crowds to talk with His heavenly
Father (Luke 5:15-16). He arose early in the morning to go out where He could
be alone for the express purpose of praying (Mark 1:35). Every major event of
His life while on earth was marked by prayer beforehand. The Lord was praying
as He began His ministry after His baptism (Luke 3:21-22). He spent all night
in prayer before choosing the 12 disciples (6:12). It was after praying that
Jesus asked the critical question as to “Who do people say that He is” where
Peter receives the revelation that He is the Christ, the Son of God (9:18). He
was praying on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:28-29) and of course in the
Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion (22:39-46).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m
struck by the fact that if the very sinless Son of God, who has the closest
possible connection to the Father, spent so much time communing with Him in
prayer, how much more do we need to? Certainly, we (remember that includes me
too!) each could be praying much more than we do and should work with the aid
of His grace to discipline ourselves to improve in our praying without ceasing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, as to the amount of
times we should bring up a specific request to the Lord, you may be surprised
to discover that God basically tells us to pester Him with our needs. Not to
pray for them each one time but to keep coming before Him with them. There is a
sense where we are to not just come to the Lord in prayer without ceasing but
also to pray about specific issues without ceasing as well. Jesus commands us
to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who knocks
it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” commands
given here are in the present tense of the Greek, indicating that we are to
continually “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” regarding our needs before the Lord. It
could be translated as “Keep asking,” “keep seeking,” and “keep knocking.” Don’t
stop after one time but keep making the request of the Lord. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In order to teach His
disciples “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart,” Jesus tells the
parable of a judge who does not fear God or respect man and a widow who would
not stop bothering him with her requests for justice. This parable is found in
Luke 18:1-8. This widow just would not let up but kept coming to the judge. He
finally gives in to her and grants her request basically to get her off his
back and so that she would leave him alone. Jesus then makes the point that if
that is the case with a judge who could care less about anyone, certainly the
God who chose to make us His own will come to our aid and give us what we need.
As Jesus put it, “will not God give justice to his elect, who cry out to him
day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice
to them speedily” (vv. 7-8). This should encourage us to continually persist in
our praying with the confidence that God is going to come through for us in His
perfect timing as He sees fit. As I have heard it said, God will always answer
our prayers and when the answer does not match up to our specific request, we
can be sure that God answered the prayer the way we should have asked it had we
known all that He does. But He will answer none the less and do what is best
for us. We just need to keep coming to Him with the request and waiting with
anticipation for the answer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And don’t think that you
will be annoying the Lord with this continual coming to Him with whatever needs
you may have. A father doesn’t tire hearing from his children. And although we
may find ourselves frustrated and annoyed by the constant repetitive requests
made from our kids sometimes, especially when they are really little, keep in
mind that God is perfectly patient with us. And He delights to take care of His
children and meet their needs. It is another way that He is able to glorify
Himself in showing His power in granting our requests and how He alone is able
to meet our deepest and daily needs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">So, if you have found yourself
praying for the umpteenth time for that wayward son or daughter, a strained
relationship, that difficult marriage, or whatever else it may be, don’t give
up coming to the Lord yet again for it. He wants you to continue bring the
matter up to Him and trust Him to handle it. He will answer in His perfect
timing and in accordance with His wonderful will. It very well could be that
God intends to bring about the result after some more time spent on your knees
before Him. Don’t lose heart but continue to persistent in prayer!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-7086654775176696682022-05-25T07:43:00.000-07:002022-05-25T07:43:23.355-07:00Ordinary Significant Everyday Ministry<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
write this following a week of significant ministry. Now, you may be expecting
me to go on to talk about the number of visits that I have made both in homes
and in hospitals, the amount of people that I counseled, the Bible studies I
taught, and the sermons I preached. While all of those certainly are significant
ministry tasks, last week I actually did none of them. Instead, my week
consisted of helping my wife with things around the house as she recovered from
delivery such as doing the dishes and the laundry, spending time with our
toddler and helping him to adjust to the changes in the family a new baby
brings about, and feeding my newborn son, changing his diapers, and seeking to
calm him when fussy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
often think significant ministry is only that which is done in an official
capacity for the church. That if we are not serving on a specific board or
committee, being a deacon, teaching a Sunday School class, or delivering a
sermon, then we are not actually doing significant ministry in the kingdom. But
that is far from the truth. For the Christian, everything that he or she does
ought to be viewed as significant ministry for the kingdom of God (including but
not limited to the things that I listed above). Even ordinary mundane tasks
such as changing diapers or washing the dishes. This is because everything that
the Christian does should no longer be for himself and his own gain but for the
glory of God and our neighbor’s good. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians
10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God,” and in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.” Such an attitude transforms the ordinary tasks of everyday life
into extraordinary ministry opportunities by which to bring glory to God as we
seek to do them in excellence to please and honor Him. It changes our very
perspective. These are not simply things that have to be done and so I need to
hurry up and do them but ways that I can serve the One who loves me so much
that He gave His very life for me. He is pleased when I do every ordinary thing
in gratitude to Him and in accordance with His Word. And that makes the
smallest deed done on this earth significant.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nothing really should be
seen as “secular” for the Christian in his or her life but “sacred” since all
of the Christian’s life is viewed as being set apart for and devoted to God.
(That’s the meaning of “sacred” by the way. Something being set apart for and
devoted to God.) You may think that you work at a “secular” job but in essence
it is a “sacred” job for you because you realize that your ultimate boss is not
the one you report to on Monday morning but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who
will reward us with a far greater treasure than any financial reimbursement;
the inheritance of heaven itself (Colossians 3:23-24). You will want to do a
good job in light of such a truth. Ordinary tasks in marriage such as washing
the dishes and doing the laundry become sacred tasks when we keep in mind that
they are ways of serving our spouse and in so doing painting the picture of the
greater gospel relationship that the marriage union points to, that of Christ
and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). With such small tasks, we also can
demonstrate the great love which Christ has shown us in giving fully of Himself
for our benefit. These little everyday things can be big ways to love our
husbands and wives like Jesus as we give of ourselves for their benefit. As we
take up our cross and deny ourselves for their sake. Parenting transforms into
a sacred task with the mindset that our goal as parents is so much more than
preparing our children to be a polite respectful outstanding citizen or to find
a good mate but ultimately to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to live for Him. Each
day provides so many opportunities to both teach and present the gospel to them
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7). What a holy privilege to prepare these little ones for
eternity! Brother Lawrence was right in a sense that in many cases,
“Sanctification does not involve changing what we do, but in doing our normal
activities for God’s sake.” It may not change what we do but it certainly
changes how and why we do it. Now, the things are done with an aim to please
Christ and bring glory to God in the way that He has set forth for us in His
Word. There is a joy found in doing what we do, not because of the pleasure of
the task itself but due to Who it is we are doing it for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Martin Luther and the reformers really
emphasized that even the seemingly most mundane task, done in faith for Christ
and the glory of God is significant in God's eyes. In addressing how often the
world looks down upon some of the everyday routine tasks involved with a
family, he said the following about the perspective a believer has with them: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"What then does Christian faith
say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant,
distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all
adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, O
God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my
body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy
perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little
babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its
mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of
being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how
gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and
despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or
dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight. God, with
all his angels and creatures is smiling—not because the father is washing
diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So as you go about your
day today facing some of those ordinary mundane tasks, be sure to give it your
best effort because you are not doing them for yourself but for your Lord. Don’t
stick up your nose at them thinking that your time could better be spent doing
something greater. Seek to do such ordinary chores in gratitude to God for all
that He has done for you in Christ and to bring Him glory and praise. Well, I
have a little baby who needs to be fed and a toddler wanting my attention right
now. More significant ministry tasks for God’s glory!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5076823776396812807.post-22839133571259987982022-04-28T05:38:00.006-07:002022-04-28T05:38:29.252-07:00The Sufficency of Scripture<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many
within the church today will wholeheartedly affirm the Bible’s inspiration (it
being God’s very words), inerrancy (it containing no errors), and authority.
However, there does seem to be a doubt as to its sufficiency in several cases.
That it is all we need when it comes to the profession and practice of our
faith. While some would not claim to deny the sufficiency of Scripture, they in
essence do just that in their practice. This can be seen today by those who
continue to look for God to speak to them through some means other than
Scripture, indicating that they must believe that His Word is not enough to
guide and direct us. Something more or in addition to it must be needed. How
many today desire some sort of supernatural explosive encounter with God rather
than being content with His Word? A growing number of churches are adopting the
dangerous and divisive teachings of Critical Race Theory to address racism as
if the gospel cannot fully and completely be used to deal with the matter
itself. Again, the idea is that something else must be needed. Not too terribly
long ago, books purporting to be first or second hand accounts of people who
have been to heaven and back were jumping off the shelves, being promoted as a
way to conclusively prove that “heaven is for real.” Thus implying of course
that the witness of Scripture itself can’t ultimately do so. That such a
supposed experience is necessary to truly convince someone. And for years
several churches have sought various pragmatic ways to grow the church because
they obviously didn’t believe that a ministry centered on the Word of God alone
could do it. From car raffles to hosting a rock concert at an Easter service
(yes, sadly these are real examples!), some of these churches seem to almost be
willing to stop at nothing to try to get people into the doors, all the while
casting the one means that God has ordained to serve as the instrument to grow
His church to the side or at the least minimalizing it. Why would they ever do
these types of things? Simply because they are not convinced that the Bible
being taught, preached, and used in evangelism is sufficient to do it itself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
to deny the sufficiency of Scripture is to deny the testimony of Scripture
itself since it claims to be enough for us. Paul reminds young Timothy that it
is the “sacred writings” of Scripture “which are able to make you wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). He didn’t
say that it was these “sacred writings” AND something else that are able to
make you wise unto salvation but these “sacred writings” PERIOD. These “sacred
writings” ALONE. Furthermore, he goes on to write that “All Scripture is
God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been
thoroughly equipped for every good work” (vv. 16-17). The fact that the man of
God can be described as “having been thoroughly equipped for EVERY good work”
indicates that he is not lacking for anything that God has called him to do.
The very God-breathed words of Scripture provides him with everything needed
for the task. Not one good work is out there for him to do that Scripture has
not equipped him for. Likewise, Peter points out that the Lord’s “divine power
has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full
knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3).
The full knowledge of Him revealed in His Word has not granted us SOMETHINGS
pertaining to our life and godliness or even MOST THINGS but EVERYTHING. With
God’s Word, we have all that we need to place our trust in Christ for our
salvation and to live for His glory. As Charles Spurgeon so well put it, “This
weapon [the Bible] is good at all points, good for defense and for attack, to
guard our whole person or to strike through the joints and marrow of the foe.
Like the seraph’s sword at Eden’s gate, it turns every way. You cannot be in a
condition that the Word of God has not provided. The Word has as many faces and
eyes as providence itself. You will find it unfailing in all periods of your
life, in all circumstances, in all companies, in all trials, and under all
difficulties. Were it fallible, it would be useless in emergencies, but its
unerring truth renders it precious beyond all price to the soldiers of the
cross.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
you think about it, the apostles didn’t have nowhere near the technological
advancements which we have today and didn’t rely on any gimmicks. Yet, they
were described as having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The Lord
continued to add to His church through their preaching of the Word by the power
of the Spirit. The Word of God proved sufficient for the growth of Christ’s church
just as it will continually do today. The instrument that sparked the
Protestant Reformation was not the hammer Luther used to nail his 95 theses to
the door of the Wittenberg Church but the Bible he relentlessly preached and
taught from. Towards the end of his life when he was reflecting on the work of
reformation he had been a part of, he stated, "Take me, for example. I
opposed indulgences and all papists, but never by force. I simply taught,
preached, wrote God's Word: otherwise I did nothing. And then . . . the Word so
greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to
it. I did nothing: the Word did it all.” God’s Word is always sufficient for
every believer and minister of the gospel.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
sufficiency of Scripture even more so can be seen in the parable that Jesus
told of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. At the end of their lives,
the rich man finds himself in agony in Hades with Lazarus at Abraham’s bosom. What
is really interesting in this story is the interaction that the rich man has
with Abraham. He asks him to send Lazarus back to warn his five brothers of
this place of torment so that they would repent and not have to experience it
(v. 28). But Abraham tells him that “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them
hear them” (v. 29). Even when the rich man objects that surely if someone would
go to them from the dead, they would repent (v. 30), Abraham reiterates, “If
they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even
if someone rises from the dead” (v. 31). “Moses and the Prophets” was a
shorthand way of referring to the entire Old Testament as Moses served as the
human author of the first five books and the prophets much of the other. The
point here clearly is that God’s Word is enough to convince someone of the
reality of hell and heaven and the need of repentance and faith in Christ to
escape the former and to dwell in the latter. Not even someone having been to heaven
and back can convince anyone about the need for repentance. God’s Word alone
can do that and should they neglect that, nothing else will work. Such supposed
claims of those who have been to heaven and back are not needed to prove to
anyone that “heaven is for real” because we have God’s Word on the matter and
that is enough. If that is not believed, neither will any other testimony about
heaven be believed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
good news for us as believers is that we have been given everything needed for
our faith and life in the Lord. We are not lacking in any way nor do we need to
look elsewhere for God’s assistance. We have God’s Word and that is enough for
us. God has not sent us out with only a handful of equipment and we need to
shop elsewhere for the rest. It is all there for us in His all-sufficient Word.
Let’s be sure not only to profess that but also to live like it!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Love
in Christ,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Pastor
Lee</span></p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Http://blog.EnergeticExegete.com</div>Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11098631636350342299noreply@blogger.com0