Naivety of the Nativity

Beginning with the birth of Christ, one cannot help but picture the serene greeting card Nativity scene that has become the normal depiction of the circumstances behind first-century obstetrics. Unfortunately, this was indeed not the case with Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph. For the sake of decency, we allow ourselves to be completely naive and oblivious to the truth behind Christ's entering the mortal world. Mary, being young (speculated as being in her early teens), put herself under great scrutiny and ridicule by volunteering her body to conceive what, in the eyes of the early Jewish community and by today's standards, would be an illegitimate child. Unlike today's norm, this acceptance, then, could bring an early and untimely death for young Mary. It would be correct to say that Mary was the first to accept Christ. How cool is that? Secondly, there is Joseph. In my opinion, Joseph probably had to defend the honor of his family until either his death or that of his adopted Son. First was the humiliation and feelings of doubt in the trustworthiness of his future bride. Secondly was his consent to remain betrothed to Mary, though facing the shame of a pregnancy that could not be explained.

When the census came around and the journey to Bethlehem was necessary, Joseph did not have to bring Mary, especially in her fragile, pre-delivery state. It was probably necessary , however, to get Mary away from the small town way of life that was so stricken with controversy.

So after nine months of awkward explanations, our Savior was born under the most humiliating of circumstances possible as if to change the preconceived concept of favoritism. From the beginning, as it would seem, Christ had not been dealt the best of hands. Born into poverty, later a refugee out of Egypt speaking the trader's language of Aramaic, it seemed very unlikely that this was the Messiah the Jewish race had been waiting for as prophesied by those of the days of old. But He was!

So as you busy yourselves with the labors of the Christmas season, don't simply remember a manger scene. Fast-forward 33 years to the reason why He came. To die on a cross. To forgive me. To forgive you. Remember His gift of atonement; His blood. Remember the cross.

Are You Living or Existing?

Sometimes as I'm dozing off to sleep, I have the greatest thought provoking messages. I am currently on a 48 hour shift at the fire department and am incredibly tired, however this seemed too good to sleep on. As I was drifting to sleep; thinking; meditating on the day's events and passages I had read, the tones went off and we had to respond to a call. Now, almost two hours later, I am writing this because I will not be able to sleep until I do.

The question I pose is the title of this entry: Are You Living or Existing?

Picture yourself at the Grand Canyon. It is a beautiful and majestic site to behold. The terrain has been perfectly sculpted for our viewing pleasure by the Colorado River.

Now the canyon, in all of its splendor, well, just sits there. It is stagnate and mute; existing. The river, on the other hand, is flowing. It is moving and yet still cutting away at the rocky crevices. It is living. I use this analogy because this is the expression of many "Christians" today. They exist in the knowledge of Christ yet refuse to live for Him. In Matthew 28:18-20, Christ commissioned us to "Go":

• Not just to church to absorb sermon after sermon only to forget about it before the ball-game starts. We know more lyrics to songs, statistics of athletes, and what's coming on the television for an entire month than we do God's holy Word. cf. Romans 2:13
• And subsequently not just to study His Word in its literal, historical, and grammatical context (hermeneutics) without ever practicing and applying them to our everyday lives.

Jesus said, "Go":

• make disciples
• baptize [disciples]
• teach [disciples]

It is time to begin living for Christ and not just existing by His grace. Here's a few questions one may ask themselves to see whether they are living or existing for Christ.

• Are you praying?
• Are you testifying the love, grace, and mercy that was given to you with others (i.e., your testimony)?
• Are you excited of the gift that was given to you?

Additionally, a very important consideration is if your acceptance of Christ to be Lord and Savior over your life was truly genuine. Did your lifestyle change? Did it remain changed?

Scripture says that it is not for us to judge, however we are to remain diligent in the recognition of other believers by the fruit they have and continue to produce (Matthew 7:15-16; 20). Otherwise our ranks may be infiltrated by a formidable and determined enemy that is hell-bent (pardon the pun) on our destruction.

So what fruit have you produced? What fruit do you bear? Are you living for Christ by the application of His Word in your everyday life and practices or are you merely existing in a knowledge of Him?

-blessings

ONE WAY

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=13CE6F6CE99ADEB3

How incredibly disappointing. This is how I felt after watching the above video. Now I can only speculate as to what President Bush's motives were when he made this statement. Either he truly believes that Christians and Muslims do worship the same god or he needed a political answer to keep everyone happy. Either way, it's wrong!

I truly believe that the President is a Christian. However, as a man in his influential position, he needs to carefully and prayerfully examine God's Word before making such statements that would cause others to stumble.

There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ! John 14:6 firmly states, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus didn't say that He was a way, He said He was the way. Additionally, no one comes before God except through Him; not Muhammad (Islam), not Buddha (Buddhism/Hinduism), not the false doctrines of Joseph Smith (Mormonism), L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology), and Charles Taze Russell (Jehova's Witness).

Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus,...

There are not multiple roads to eternal salvation. There is only one. One road; one Savior.

I Wish I Could Say I'm Surprised

Families of Fallen Utah Highway Patrol Troopers Fight Atheist Group Over Roadside Cross Memorials

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311956,00.html

There are a number of things that bother me about this particular group; atheism aside. In the story published by Fox News the group's lawyer, Brian Barnard, was quoted as saying,

"The use of those crosses constitutes and endorses Christianity. Although it's an acknowledgement of the death of these troopers, it is also an endorsement of Christianity." Additionally he stated, "There's no question at all that these highway patrol troopers should be honored. We should all pause and thank them. But that can be done in a way that does not emphasize religion."

If Mr. Barnard and the group he represents feels that the families of the fallen troopers are breaking the First Amendment, it only makes sense that Arlington National Cemetery is next. You see, each headstone is issued by the government and bears the symbol of religious affiliation of the person buried. Wouldn't this be considered the same? If the headstones are issued, then that means that taxpayers have footed the bill. This is not even the case in regards to Utah.

I'm quite confused over this, in my opinion, a frivolous lawsuit.

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a national religion by Congress or the preference of one religion over another, or religion over non-religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment

Again I use Arlington National Cemetery as an example. Let's count all the symbols of the headstones and find out the cross:Star of David ratio so we can see the government's preference of religion. Which I might add, is against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment as stated above.

I certainly pray for U.S. District Judge David Sam who is ruling this particular case. I pray that God would give him proper discernment, peace and comfort in his decision.

Truth vs. Opinion

Pope says other Christian denominations not true churches

This was the title of a news article placed on Yahoo. I encourage you to follow the link and read for yourself http://www.yahoo.com/s/623434 . I'm not going to get into a denomination battle, for there are many that follow a distorted view of Christianity and hide themselves behind their church's beliefs. What it comes to is following Christ. The etymology of the word Christian is simply the religion of Christ. Therfore, a Christian is a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ. Regardless of what denomination you may claim, if you have a personal relationship with Christ, in that you have confessed your sin to Him, invited Him to become Lord of your life and changed your lifestyle so that you live in a manner worthy of the title, it doesn't matter what church you go to as long as the church preaches sound doctrine (e.g. the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, true word of God). Acts 10:34-35 states that "God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." What seperates the Roman Catholic Church from the "un-true" churches is that they (I) refuse to acknowledge the primacy of the Pope along with many other man-made statutes.
-----------------------------------Opinion-------------------------------------
The papacy has been enveloped in controversy and the abuse of power since its beginnings. Read the history. Many of the popes have followed a personal agenda that best suited themselves - not God's. This is a move by Benedict that appears to fall in the same category.

Challenge Everything - Pt. 2

Some questions have arisen as to biblical support for women in leadership positions within the church. Please understand that I do not support the ordination of women in the realm of pastoral ministry. That is, I do not advocate women pastors, rectors, priests or the sort. Some may not like this statement, however I have not found any Scripture that reinforces the act of ordaining women. Let it be known that this posting is by no means exhaustive.
The very denial of women in leadership positions within the ministry, however, is not scriptural. This is not an opinion, this is a fact.

Old Testament

Exodus 4
Zipporah - The circumcision of Moses' son (either Gershom or Eliezer) seems strange. Moses neglected God's command in his duty to circumcise while in Midian. Because of this act or failure to act, God was going to kill Moses perhaps by illness. Zipporah intervened by circumcising her son (it is unknown which) with a flint rock. It was by this blood substitution that she saved her husband's life. It seems that she was reluctant in her decision to perform this act and it is even speculated that her remark calling Moses "a bridegroom of blood" was derogatory showing that she did not favor the rite although her performance of this the act of redemption saved her husband's life and restored him before the Lord.

Judges 4
Little is known of Deborah (whose name means "honeybee"). Deborah served many roles which included: leader, prophetess, & judge. She was the wife of Lappidoth (meaning "torch"). Some may mistakenly link her with Barak (meaning "lightening") as her husband. Barak was charged with leading 10,000 men to battle with Sisera (Canaanites) but refused unless Deborah accompanied him. Because of this very act, God granted the victory to Deborah rather than Barak. Now why God chose a woman to lead politically and militarily is unknown. However what is known is that God's plan will not be frustrated. If a man refuses his scriptural duty to act and lead, God will choose another - women included.

New Testament

Acts 9
Tabitha (Dorcas ~ "gazelle") was considered a disciple (mathētria [mä-thā'-trē-ä]) - female disciple/pupil
- from the root word mathētēs (mä-thā-tā's ) - a learner

Acts 16
Wayne Blank
Lydia was originally from Thyatira (where one of The Seven Churches of Asia were later located), but was a resident in Philippi, in Greece, when the apostle Paul travelled there. Although she is mentioned only briefly in the Scriptures, she holds a prominent place in Bible History - Lydia is the first recorded Christian in Europe to be converted by Paul, and her home became the place where the subsequent first church (the literal Biblical meaning of church is called out ones, the people) in Europe gathered to worship.

These are just a few of the examples of how women can teach men within ministry. I cannot think of a better example than Beth Moore. Some denominations do not accept the teachings of women for they feel that they (women) are exhibiting authority over men. This can even go as far as women singing solos. I do not see how. God created both man and woman. He gave us all the ability to think and educate ourselves. How is it not edification of the Body of Christ (church) when a woman has a biblical perspective on topics not otherwise thought of by men? When I wrote a brief thesis on women's roles within the ministry (please see the link to various theological papers - Women's Roles in the Ministry) using the letters of Paul to Timothy as a backdrop, I considered extra-biblical texts as well as the Bible. Now the Bible is the end-all, be-all when coming to a conclusion. Though, to get a hermeneutically (hermeneutics is the art and science of biblical interpretation) sound thesis, one must consider the context of why something was written, to whom it was written to, when it was written, where it was written, and what was written (who, what, where, when, & why).
I hope this gives a better understanding as to why I have come to my conclusion.

-blessings

Is God Capable of Hate?

Last night I watched the last few minutes of 20/20 which interviewed Shirley and Tim Phelps on the reasoning behind their personal crusade of hate (http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3812344&page=1). Something that struck me was one of their many ridiculous signs that stated, "God hates you!" Which brings me to the question, "Is God capable of hate?" This is by no means going to be an easy question to answer and will most certainly take many postings. However, I believe that with all that is happening in the world around us, it is a question that must be answered. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. So if God is love, how is it possible that He hate His creation? As His creation, Christ (God) told us that our purpose is to love in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, Luke 6), not hate. So what example are we to follow? By loving His creation, aren't we loving our Creator?
Let's begin with an interpretation of the word hate as found in the original Hebrew text. The Hebrew word for hate comes from sane'. Ironic as it may seem, the correct pronunciation is sah-nay. Sane' means to hate, be hateful and is attributed to both God and man. If we stop here, the question is answered with an emphatic, "Yes!" But it's not that easy. You see, the dilemma is in itself, a paradox. Does God hate the person, the person's actions, or both?
The passage of Scripture I will be discussing today is found in Proverbs 6:16-19. These verses speak of five (5) actions and two (2) persons the Lord hates.

1. arrogant eyes (vs. 17)
2. a lying tongue (vs. 17)
3. hands that shed innocent blood (vs. 17)
4. a heart that plots wicked schemes (vs. 18)
5. feet eager to run to evil (vs. 18)
6. a lying witness who gives false testimony (vs. 19)
7. one who stirs up trouble among brothers (vs. 19)

Arrogant eyes suggest pride. Pride is incredibly destructive for man elevates himself above God which is a form of idolatry. A lying tongue is a perversion of God's intended creation. God created mankind in His own image which includes honesty. John 14:17 reminds mankind that God is truth. Violence against those whom are Innocent is also hated. This particular verse could be used loosely in favor of the death penalty but that in another argument for another time. In the beatitudes, Jesus spoke of the thought of adultery as being one and the same as the action itself. If the heart plans wickedness, it is the same as carrying it out. Next, is feet eager to run to evil. Eagerness to sin is rebellion towards God.
The remaining two refer to persons rather than actions. A lying witness is in direct violation of God's ninth (9th) commandment. Keeping this law helps maintain stability in a society by protecting individuals' reputations. Brothers refers to Christians, therefore this is aimed at those already part of the Body. Intentionally making trouble for others is hated by God.
Although these last two examples found in Scripture refer to people, it sounds like God hates the action more than the person. I look forward to any feedback on this subject.

Challenge Everything

Recently I took a promotion exam to become a Driver/Operator for the fire department. The way it works is that after taking the test, you come and review your test and then challenge the questions you missed if you feel they were answered correctly. Then you return and review all the challenges made by the other firefighters to see if you need to counter-challenge them. You see, if you answered a particular question correctly and it gets challenged, you have the potential of losing points that could secure you a promotion. In the end, all challenges/counter-challenges go before a Civil Service Commission where all attend to state their individual case before the commission. With all this said, upon counter-challenging some 6-12 questions, I have definitely learned more in trying to prove another wrong regarding the exam.
Much is the same when it comes to spiritual matters. For the longest, I was a firm believer in men and only men leading ministry. I felt that from the writings of Paul to Timothy, Scripture was very clear in that a woman is to remain silent. It wasn't until I began to research this topic in order to solidify my position that I learned how incorrect I may be. I'm not quite sure what position I would take now, but it certainly isn't grounded.
The point of all of this is that whether you are certain or not on a particular doctrine, question it; question yourself as to why you believe what you believe. The Bible is a treasure chest waiting to be opened and it will certainly overwhelm you with it's results.
Please see the link for Various Theological Papers for more information on the subject of Women's Roles In the Ministry.

Praise In the Storm

As some may have noticed, I did not update the blog yesterday. Mainly from exhaustion, I crashed early (8:00 pm). You see, my wife and I have been renovating a 100 year old house and now it is time to paint the exterior. I began with hopes of finishing before lunch because we had made a substantial investment in a heavy duty paint sprayer. Well, I learned (the hard way, naturally) that the primer we had purchased was too thick to run through the sprayer. After fighting and coaxing the sprayer for about an hour I finally gave in and picked up an old-fashioned paintbrush. Two hours later, I had a quarter of one wall finished. After eating lunch, I went down to the local hardware store to get some paint thinner with the hopes of thinning the primer out so I could run it through the sprayer. Instead of thinner, the store owner suggested that I simply use water of all things. I returned home and tried his odd, yet simple advice and you know what...it actually worked. I finished both floors of the entire house by 5:00 pm!

So what have I learned through all this? Well, first I learned how to give praise to God even though things weren't going my way (Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart). There are many people in this world that do not have a home to paint. Secondly, seeking wise counsel can make a task much simpler (Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel). Should you ever find yourself in a position to where nothing seems to be going right, keep in mind that God has been and is always in control.

A Work-in-Progress

Today I have been able to add some elements to the blog. This will be a work-in-progress to make the blog not only interesting, but somewhat entertaining as well. Similar to this blog is one's own spiritual life. We will never be finished. That is, until we find ourselves before our Creator. When it comes to spiritual matters, regardless if you are a new Christian or a lifelong 'saint,' we will never have it totally figured out. Those that claim to are only kidding themselves. I have much to share in regards to knowledge, but I will always have twice as much to learn.

What Is Perpetual Christianity

Perpetual Christianity is not just a random act. Just as the name implies, it is an everlasting state of being; something that endures forever; everlasting. Is this really something that a human being can attain - to live as a Christian (Christ-follower) 24/7? The answer is no. Only one person in history has been able to do this. His name is Jesus. So now what? If we cannot be like Him, should we simply give up? Again, the answer is no. Having the desire to become more like Christ is a goal all should strive for. It is the goal of this blog to not only share moments of my life with others, but to help others in their individual walks of spiritual maturity. I will not always have the answers, and my writings will only demonstrate the opinions of my culture, up-bringing, experiences and the limited amount of knowledge I have gained up to this point. I do not mind debate, rather I encourage it.

in His loving grip