Emmanuel

"God..." ok, stop and think about that... "God..." --- and then --- "... with us." How amazing is this Jesus, this Emmanuel!

Bought with a Price

Imagine you find a car that you want to buy. You go to the dealer and tell him that you want to buy it. The dealer comes back and tells you that the price is one million dollars! One million dollars for a car? Andy, you've lost your mind... But, that's the price. If you want the car it will cost one million dollars. Anyway, you love this car so much that you consider it worth the price.

So, there you go, even though the car is not nearly worth a million dollars, you buy this car for that price, and go to the dealer to pick it up. You sign all the paper work and get the license plates, and you're ready to go. You finally get the keys, the anticipation is over, and you start the car up, and begin to drive... life is good.

But then, you realize that there's no steering wheel in the car! You go back to the dealer and ask him about it. He tells you that you did not pay enough to get the steering wheel too! What?! A million dollars for this cheap junker of a car, and that's not enough money to get the steering wheel too?

I Corinthians 6:20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Ok, now imagine that the car is really pretty much worthless. The car doesn't have a steering wheel; there are no tires on it; the engine has 350,000 miles on it, and hasn't run in a couple years; the hood doesn't latch; the doors are barely hanging on; and it leaks all the fluids you can imagine.

Yet, someone comes in, and pays WAY more than one million dollars to buy the car anyway.

That's us.

God loved the world so much, that He paid a price that is just invaluable. He gave His only begotten Son. Why? To buy, to redeem, this old clunker, called Andy.

What does Andy do in return?

"Sorry, God, You didn't pay enough to have the steering wheel too."

... really? ...

just a thought

Shameless Advertising

I've been working a side job for a few months now with a couple of guys from church. They are pretty decent graphics designers, and with my technical help with websites, we've got a pretty good thing going.

Anyway, today we launched our new website at www.FesyukDesign.com

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

No thoughts involved.

Stop the Blasphemy!

I got one of those awesome forwarded emails the other day (I hate 99.9999% of forwarded emails, but sometimes they do give me a blog post idea!). I've received this one before as it has circulated around the Internet a few times. It is the one that says that "In God We Trust" is being taken off of our coins in the US.

The truth of the matter is that the new dollar coins did have "In God We Trust" taken off the front and back, but put on the edges, along with the year. So, it wasn't taken off of the coins, but it did cause enough of an uproar, I guess, that new ones are to put it back on the front or back. You can read more about it here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/dollarcoin.asp

Here's the thought of the day. I think that we as Christians should start a petition about this. We should stand up for what's right. We should not let these things go on! Look at what our government is doing - having strayed so far away from our founding fathers!

So, yes, I think we should start a petition. We need to tell the government that they MUST stop making up coins that say "In God We Trust" on them.

You probably want to stop... go back and read that last paragraph again. That wasn't a typo.

"In God We Trust?" Can anybody, honestly say that the United States trusts in God? This is a vain thing that our government puts on the coins nowadays. We, as a nation, are not trusting in God anymore. Why should we as Christians allow the secular government to use God's name in vain? It's blasphemy!

Ok, I'm not going to start a petition or nothing, but really, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and unto God the things that are God's.

Just a thought...

Jesus

What do you think of when you think on Jesus? I mean, of all the different characteristics, positions, functions that Jesus is, which of them comes to your mind when you "picture" Jesus?

Do you see Him as the meek and lowly man that when He was punched, He did not punch back? When He was spat upon, He did not revile nor open His mouth?

Do you see Him as the great Mediator, the great High Priest, that when man approaches God (unable to do so on their own merit), He pleads to the Father on man's behalf? Man's Surety standing before the throne?

Do you see Him as the overthrower of the moneychangers' tables in the Temple, coming in with a whip, a whip that He made for the occasion, with the intent of driving them out of His Father's house?

Do you see Him as "Big Brother," since one day the Christian is destined to be conformed to His image?

Do you see Him as Baby Jesus, Who had to have His mother and Joseph run for their lives away from the wicked King Herod? A helpless babe, dependant upon two poor humans.

Do you see Him as the King of kings who will come one day, in a flame of fire, with a sword drawn, with His garments soaked in blood, to enforce righteousness?

Do you see Him as the all-forgiving One; Who, regardless of what your sins were, will cast them as far as the east is from the west; Who loves you unconditionally; Who, even when believers sin, He still has their sins covered?

Do you see Him as getting upset, or grieved, when His believers sin? Not approving of that sin, and ready to execute the Father's correction as needed?

He is all of these things, and way more. He is love and mercy, yet He is true and holy. He hates the WORKERS of iniquity, yet He died for His enemies nonetheless. He is willing to forgive, but He does not simply overlook. He will come with a vengeance to punish sin, yet He provides a way to escape it.

Are you willing to go through this life with a limited view of Jesus? Will you just grasp onto one of His attributes, or one of His positions, and ignore the rest? I am understanding more and more why it is so important to read His word - it is so we can get to know Him better. I don't want to be stuck with such a narrow view of Jesus. I want to know Him more and more.

Jesus - what a name! what a God - the only true God.

Just a thought...

Bible Verses About Dying Young

For some reason, the title of this post is a very frequent search phrase that comes to my blog. Certainly, that has to do with me linking to Shannon Young's blog. Even still, it seems there are a lot of people on this world wide web, that are searching for what the Bible says about dying at a young age.

I can't imagine what a person that searched for that is going through. Perhaps they are looking for comfort for a friend or family member that was lost, or perhaps there is a terminal disease that they are faced with. I can't imagine going through something like that.

What does the Bible say about it? Paul desired to be absent with the body and present with the Lord, and even though he wasn't a young man, that thought can through. Oh, how awesome it would be for a young person to be so fixed on Christ that he wasn't concerned about the life of this body, but just desired to be present with the Lord!

What advice is there about dying young? I am reminded of a quote by Jim Elliot (Missionary to Ecuador that was murdered by the people he was trying to reach at age 28), when writing in his journal during college: "Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus."

Jesus died at an age younger than He should have. I am 32 this year... that means, next year I will be the age that tradition records that Jesus was when He died. (A though for another day: Will I have accomplished as much as He did when I get to be His age?!) Jesus had a full life, but not a long life.

Just a thought...

Stupid Bird

Proverbs 1:17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

I used to really have no idea what the point of that verse was in the middle of Proverbs. It is right in between the sections that warn the reader to avoid hanging with bad people, and the part that says that these bad people will get their reward.

Then finally I think I figured it out. The net, is the warning that is given, that God will judge sin. If you fellowship with those enticing sinners, then you're going to end up getting in trouble. The warning is put out there, right in front of you! There is a trap - a net, if you will - that is laid. But if the net is set out right in front of you, then it shouldn't work, right? You should just fly right around it, right? It's vain to set the net while the bird is watching.

But, you know what, I'm afraid that this world is full of stupid birds. The trap is set; it is even set right in front of our eyes, but we still fly right into it. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not - they lay wait for their own blood.

Don't be a stupid bird.

Just an aviary thought...

Dehumidifier

Hello, again, everyone, it has been a while - where have you all been?! :)

So, my wife decided that she wants to move into a house that will give us some more space. It doesn't matter that she's 8 1/2 months pregnant, or that since we're selling our house, people will be coming by to see it - while my parents and brother & family are in town staying with us... but, anyway, that's what's going on in my life right now.

Our basement... ok, Our cellar... because of the location of our house, kind of on top of a hill, has never had a problem with water getting into it. We have a sump pump, but it is sitting on a shelf down there. Well, even though water doesn't run into our basement, the basement always seems to be a damp place. I wish I were more like my basement...

Today's Thought, which I think may be tied into my inconsistency with blogging, has to do with dryness. I have been going through a dry spell in my life in regards to spiritual matters. I am still active in ministry; I still am performing all the duties that I have committed to; but, my intimacy with my God, my abiding in Christ, my praying without ceasing - has been very dry of late. What is it?! Why do these times keep coming up?! O wretched man that I am!

Taking the principle found at the end of Romans 7, where Paul asks: "who shall deliver me from the body of this death," and we know his answer: "through Jesus Christ our Lord." However, the problem that I have constantly, the typical Laodicea problem, is that I think I am fine. I think I can handle life all by myself. Things are going great, and I think that it is not that important to rely on and communicate with God as much.

Oh wretched man that I am!

I am praying that I will sanctify the Lord better in my heart, and as a result, hopefully I will have more thoughts to post on here. If not... would you pray for me? Seems a strange post to make here, but that's where I'm at.

Oh wretched man that I am, but Oh, what a merciful God He is.

Just a thought...

The Independent God

"It is evident, by both Scripture and reason, that God is infinitely, eternally, unchangeably, and independently glorious and happy: that He cannot be profited by, or receive any thing from, the creature." -- Jonathan Edwards

I have a new gadget on my iGoogle page, that is Christian Quotes Past and Present. This one came on there today, and I thought I would comment on it. I love Jonathan Edwards, ever since I did a report on him in an Institute class a while ago. My thoughts on this quote:

The principle of what he is saying is that God is not made better by anything that we do for Him. God does not become more powerful if He has more people serving Him. God does not become less powerful if He has fewer people doing His will. He does not learn or know more things when we pray to Him. He does not improve when we praise Him more. He does not need us. God is already perfect in every way!

Here's the thing, we can take that idea and throw everything away, knowing that our actions aren't going to make God any better. Or, we can look at His independence, and realize that in spite of it, He still loves us and works through us! What a privilege that we can serve this absolutely perfect God, even though He doesn't need us to. He wants us to.

I will disagree with Edwards in a point. He says that God does is "independently glorious and happy." That is true, in that He does not need us to be happy. However, it is not true, in that, our actions do bring joy or bring sorrow to God. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; we can grieve the Holy Ghost; He is pleased when children obey their parents. Our actions do affect the happiness or grief of God - for the Bible tells me so.

It is true that God does not need us in order to be happy. However, He has chosen to tie His happiness with His creation's actions. We have the ability to bring pleasure or to bring grief to the Almighty, Independent, Eternal, Creator God of the Universe.

I think we ought to work on the bringing Him pleasure part. He is so worth it!

Just a thought...

Disappointed with Forgiveness?

Mark 2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Mark 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

It's a familiar story. Jesus was becoming very famous among the people, and they could hardly get to Him any more because of all the people. Well, these four men came carrying a loved-one to Jesus, because they knew that He could heal him. There was absolutely no doubt in their mind that He could heal the palsy in this man.

They demonstrated their faith by bringing this guy down in his bed, through the roof to get to where Jesus was! (Glad it wasn't my house!) They went through all this work - getting through the people, opening up the roof, after having carried this guy from where he lived. All of that, they did, just because they believed that Jesus could heal their friend.

Then, they finally arrive; they get to where Jesus was. They get His attention, and Jesus looks over at them, after they had finally completed their mission. Their friend was about to get up and walk - they knew it!

"Son, thy sins be forgiven thee..."

"Um, Jesus, 'thy sins be forgiven thee'? That's not why we brought this guy to You. You see, he's paralyzed; he can't get up off this bed. He needs to be healed... Ok, now you're talking to these other people about whether or not You are Who You say You are... You've missed something here, Lord..."

(What? That's not in your version? Strange. Anyway...) I wonder if the four men were a bit disappointed at Jesus' first action in the situation. They came to get their friend healed, and Jesus was more concerned about the guy's sins.

Hmm... how often are we more concerned with the physical issues of life, and when Jesus addresses something else instead... do we get upset? Are we so caught up with our friend's palsy not being healed that we fail to rejoice in the fact that his sins were just forgiven?! Sometimes, like in this story, the friend will be healed, but if he's not, are you happy with what Jesus did for him? Or, would you think He missed the point if He didn't do what you wanted?

Just a thought... (with pictures today!)

Miss California - way to go

No, I did not watch the Miss USA pageant on TV! But, foxnews.com has an article about Miss California. She was asked about whether she believed in gay marriage or not. Her answer:

We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised.

I'm going to forgive her for being soft, "I think that I believe..." and instead give her credit for speaking up against the sin of homosexuality. What I want to focus on is one of the responses of the co-directors of the pageant:

"As co-director of the Miss California USA, I am personally saddened and hurt that Miss California believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman," said Lewis in a statement. "I believe all religions should be able to ordain what unions they see fit. I do not believe our government should be able to discriminate against anyone and religious beliefs have no politics in the Miss California family."

I believe she meant to say that religious beliefs have no place in the Miss California family, or that politics have no place in the Miss California family. Sounds like she was trying to say that Miss California should not have said what she said. But, HELLO, she was asked that question by one of the pageant's judges! If it's not supposed to be a part of it, then why is the judge asking the question!? Was she just supposed to lie? Not answer the question? Turn into a spineless sheep and follow the judges lead?

Well, I know nothing about Miss California other than what she answered in response to that question, and I'm glad she stood up for what she believed. Who would have thought that Miss California of all places would have held that position?! And California turned down Proposition 8 too... hmm... maybe they're not AS far gone as I thought.

Anyway, just a thought... (no pictures!)

The Moveable Ways

Proverbs 5:6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

Looking at this verse in Proverbs, which is talking about the "strange woman," I had a couple of thoughts on it that I wanted to share. While the specific context is referring to the strange woman, the principles can be applied to any temptation from the devil.

The verse says that her ways are moveable. They don't stay the same; they are ever changing. We can be sure that, although the root of the temptations end up being the same, Satan does not attack in the same way. One day he might be tempting you with laziness by giving you a way out of getting some work done that you should do. The next day he might tempt you, when you don't have much work, to do nothing at all. The ways of the strange woman don't stay the same - that would be too easy for you to identify and stay away from them. They are moveable.

Another way I apply this verse, is that when I am on the "way" to her house, it is moving. I think of those bridges that are at some of the parks. You know, the kind that move and go back and forth as if you were on a big rope bridge. When you're walking across that bridge, your mind shifts from simply getting to the other side, to trying to keep your balance and not fall down. Well, the "bridges" you get on while following the strange woman are the same. She doesn't want you to have time to stop and think, and meditate on what you're doing. Instead, she shakes the bridge from the other side, so that you're too distracted to realize that the path you're on is the path to hell (Prov 5:5).

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Let's walk circumspectly, identifying her ways, and at all times, let's not get distracted but keep our eyes focused on the will of the Lord.

Just a thought...

Brotherly Love?

Do you know that you're saved?

Some religions would teach that you can not know for sure that you are saved. That basically you need to live your life as good as you can, and at the end of the day, hopefully, for your sake, you have done good enough.

The Bible teaches that you can know that you are saved. In 1 John 5:13, John tells us that he wrote these things so that those that believe on the name of Jesus could know that they are saved. The apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost seemed to think that we could know that we're saved.

Next question: HOW do you know that you are saved?

John said you can know, and he says that he wrote "these things" so that we could know. So, what are those things?

Well, if you peruse the book of 1 John, he goes through a variety of different ways how you can KNOW for sure that you're saved. A quick side note: Understand that John is not telling you how to GET saved in 1 John. He is telling you how to KNOW that you ARE saved. It is an important distinction.

Anyway, something that just didn't set very well with me at first was something found a couple of times in 1 John - things that John says you'll know you're saved if... And one of the things he says was - that ye have love for the brethren.

1 John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1 John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1 John 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

I can understand the other principles taught throughout the book, that if we are born again, that is, if we were born of the Spirit, having the Holy Ghost living in us, that we will be changing due to His working in us... I can get that.

But, it sticks out to me that God says that one way to know whether you're saved or not, is whether or not you love the brethren. He seems to put some pretty heavy weight on that characteristic of a person - I mean, I guess that is how people will know that we are His disciples if we have love one for another.

Just a thought...

Today we Celebrate the Moon god

I don't think I've ever done this before... Today, I am actually going to recant my last post. Friday, I posted on how using the word Easter was a horrible thing to do, and how that everyone that does it is dying and going to Hell. Ok, maybe I didn't say it that strong, but you get the point.

Anyway, I was thinking on it some more over the weekend, and I have to come to you today with a different perspective. Today, is the celebration of the "moon god." Did you know that? Tomorrow it's not the moon, but a god associated with Mars. The next day, it's not as certain, but probably a god associated with Mercury. The next day (which will probably give away what I'm saying) is the celebration of the god Thor. Yup, that day is "Thor's day." If you don't get it yet, so that real fast 10 times: "Thor's day."

Yeah, the names of our days are actually named after pagan gods in English. They actually come from the 'gods' of the same people where we get 'Eastre.' Yet, I have no problem calling this moon day, Monday. When Friday comes around, and I call it that, I am not celebrating Frigga, the Germanic goddess of married love. Saturday, I will not even be thinking about Saturn at all. Nor will I put much thought into the sun on Sunday - unless it's sunny out, then I might.

So, here's what I'm saying. The Venerable Bede, an Old English Christian around 700AD, was the historian that tied "Eastre" with the time of the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Most other languages use Pascha or something like that (the word translated Passover normally in the KJV). What he wrote was this: "Eostur-month, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival." At his time (1300 years ago), the month was formerly named after that goddess.

So, 1300 years ago, the Old Old English word for that season was Easter. In fact, if you look at pre-1611 English translations of the Bible, the word "Easter" is used when talking about the Passover almost exclusively. It wasn't until the 1611 when Pascha was translated Passover instead of Easter (with 1 exception). You know what, like Mike and Matt said in comments yesterday, when someone says "Easter," they're really not thinking about any gods whatsoever - only the God of gods. I'm still not sold on the idea of the eggs and bunnies, but maybe I could be persuaded on that as well... who knows?

So, anyway, enjoy your celebration of the Moon god, and we'll talk to you again on Tyr's Day.

Just a thought...

Happy "Easter"?

This post may be controversial... but since when has that stopped me from posting?!

I want to avoid a long post like yesterday's, so that hopefully people will actually read it. So, to the point: Is it ok for Christians to refer to this coming Sunday as "Easter"? Also, is it ok for Christians to practice the traditional "Easter" activities, like coloring eggs, chilling with the Easter Bunny, and stuff like that? I am going to try to answer these quickly, and if you have any disagreements or discussion points, I would answer more thoroughly in comments.

Ok, the name "Easter" comes from an Anglo-Saxon word "Eastre." This was the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess during the Spring time. The tradition has it that this goddess was either another name for, or simply a similar goddess to Queen Semiramis. This queen is supposedly the wife of Nimrod. God says:

Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

I know, I know... that's Old Testament. However, we look at what God says in the Old Testament and we learn about Him. We learn from that verse that He does not like people talking about other gods, even mentioning their name. I can not believe that God is happy when people call the day, in which His Son rose from the dead, conquering death and hell, after the name of a pagan goddess. I just can't accept that. So, No, we Christians should not call this Sunday "Easter." How about we use "Resurrection Sunday" instead? Say that to your lost acquaintances, and you'll have opportunity to start a spiritual discussion - be prepared!

Ok, how about the practices associated with Easter? I mean, yeah, Eastre is recognized by Christians and non-Christians as the fertility goddess. The rabbit is known for its exceptional breeding capabilities, and the egg is also a symbol for fertility in pagan religions. So, we talk about the Easter Bunny, and we color eggs - both symbols associated with the goddess Eastre, which we already learned we're not supposed to even talk about... I really just have a hard time believing that God would be pleased when Christians participate in those activities.

Let me answer the first argument that will be made against me: "But, Andy, you celebrate Christmas, and that's all associated with Santa Clause, and the date used is the date of a pagan festival..." First of all, it still is called "Christmas" meaning "the birth of Christ." Christ is preached whether in pretence or not, so I'll rejoice (Philippians 1:18). And I understand that the date we celebrate is the date of a pagan festival. But, we don't know the date He was born, so why not try to compete with a pagan festival to try to get it to disappear (by the way, it seems to have worked!). And, Santa Clause... Unlike some zealous preachers would say, Santa is not just "Satan" with the letters mixed around. Santa actually means Saint in most languages, and Santa Clause specifically comes from the Dutch: Sinterklaas, which means Saint Nicholas. I have no problems with Nick. I understand the Roman Catholics have made more of him than he would have of himself, but historically, he seems like a pretty nice guy - so do Valentine and Patrick by the way.

So, I don't think I'm being two-faced about "Easter" vs. Christmas. I just think it would be well-pleasing to the Lord if we were to put away the pagan name for the day that Christ rose from the dead -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- and truly call it something that is at least Christian.

I failed... I made this longer than I wanted to... sorry!

Just a thought...

It Was Thursday

Now, I know that this really doesn't matter. It's not that big of a deal. I can still have Christian fellowship with you, even if you erringly disagree with me... But the fact is that the Bible really points to Jesus having been crucified on Thursday of that week, not Friday - and not even Wednesday.

Ok, some givens:

• The Jewish day started at sundown - around 6:00pm
• The day after the crucifixion was a sabbath day
• Jesus was risen from the dead by Sunday

The traditional day for the crucifixion is Friday. That is, because the sabbath day was the next day, and the sabbath day is the 7th day of the week, then He must have been crucified on the 6th day of the week which is Friday.

However, Leviticus 23:32 demonstrates that when the word "sabbath" is used in the Bible it does not exclusively refer to the 7th day of the week, but rather it can mean the beginning of one of the feasts. Jesus was crucified on the Passover, which means the very next day was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The first day of that feast was one of these sabbaths (Leviticus 23:7).

Ok, so the Bible does not say that He was crucified on Friday, only that He was crucified the day before a sabbath. So, let's see what it says about when He rose from the dead.

Matthew 28:1 says that in the end of the sabbath (this would be the weekly sabbath), as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (proof that we're talking about the weekly sabbath here), that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb (Matt 28:1). The earthquake came and the angel rolls the stone away. Jesus had risen from the dead. It could be He rose at that very moment, or that He had risen a little bit earlier, but by Sunday at the break of dawn, He was no longer dead -- Hallelujah!

Next, let's look at how long Jesus was in the grave. First, we find Jesus prophesying about rebuilding the temple (they thought He was talking about Herod's temple, but He really meant His body). He said that if they destroyed this temple, He would rebuild it in three days. Ok, that's a good start. He also compares His time in the earth to the time that Jonah was in the belly of the whale: Matthew 12:40: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Can Friday work?!

If Jesus was crucified on Friday, I can understand saying "Friday, Saturday & Sunday - there, three days." However, Jesus was more specific and said, "three days and three nights." If we take that any part of the 6:00 am to 6:00 pm is the day, and any part of 6:00 pm to 6:00 am is the night, we can't fit three of each in the time that Jesus was in the earth. Friday (before sundown) He is put in the tomb, so we have Friday day (1 day). When sundown hits, that's Saturday night (1 night). When the next day came, which was the 7th day sabbath it was Saturday day (2 day). When the sunset and it became the first day of the week, we have Sunday night (2 night). Well, Jesus rose before the dawn of Sunday day, but even if He did wait until after sunrise, we're still short a night! I don't see how Friday is possible, if we're going to take Jesus exactly.

Some will say that He was crucified on Wednesday. This allows more time to get the three days and three nights. Wednesday He's crucified before sundown, so that night, Thursday night is the first (1 night). Then the next day comes, which Wednesday people will say is the sabbath of the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (1 day). That night comes, Friday night (2 night), and the next day, Friday day comes (2 day). The following night (3 night) and day (3 day) are Saturday, and the weekly Sabbath. Sunday night comes, and before Sunday night finished, He rises from the dead - thus giving three full days and three full nights. I can buy this... with a couple of problems.

Why didn't Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come on Friday to see the sepulchre? I understand if they couldn't go on the sabbath day, but Friday wasn't a sabbath either way. It was in-between the two sabbaths if there was a Wednesday crucifixion.

Also, if Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, then how can the men walking on the road to Emmaus say, when talking about Jesus being crucified, "...and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done." Today is the third day? If Wednesday was the day of crucifixion, then Thursday would be the first day since it happened; Friday would be the second day since it happened, and Saturday would be the third day since it happened. But, Jesus was walking with the men on the road to Emmaus, making it Sunday. Only Thursday (or Friday) makes the statement make sense that "to day is the third day since these things were done."

So, if we look at all the Scriptures involved, it seems pretty straightforward that Jesus was crucified on Thursday. But, is this something worth arguing about?! Is it something that should distract people when there's bigger battles to fight?! No, it's not. So, just agree with me, and let's move on!

Just a thought...

A Glorious Church

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

I know all the husbands get excited when reading Ephesians 5 and it says, "Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord." Then, we take a step back and are floored (hopefully) when we read, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church..." That is, in the way that Christ loved the church, so ought we to love our wives! Ok, I've got work to do.

But, as I was thinking on the verses following, a new perspective became strong in my mind. Why did Christ love the church and give Himself for it? So that He could sanctify and cleanse it - to make the church pure and holy, clean. Husbands, we ought to love our wives, by soaking them in the word (washing of water by the word). Which will cleanse them, make them holy (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3).

And the reason that we want to soak them in the word, and make them holy and without blemish - vs. 27 - that we can present them as glorious! Christ did it so that "he might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Husbands, as we love our wives and desire to have a sanctified and clean bride through the word, then what we are doing is making her glorious. She looks wonderful; she is admired; she is praised by those that see her.

Husbands, love your wives.

Of course, this post doesn't apply to me, because my wife is already as glorious as can be!

Just a thought...

Memorials

Well, I owe this day to Aaron Putney. You see, I woke up with this kind of like blurred vision that I get right before I am hit with a migraine. Now, when I get hit with a migraine, I'm laid up in bed for a solid 24 hours. Well, when Aaron and I were a part of a missions trip to Zambia about 4 years ago, I got my blurred vision and he introduced me to Excedrin Migraine medicine. I just pop some of those in when I get that, and the migraine is stayed off. So, even though I'm not 100% today, thanks to Aaron at least I have made it to work!

Anyway, thinking of that trip reminded me of a thought that I've had recently. You constantly see throughout the Old Testament that God was telling His people to setup memorials of great things that He had done in their lives. One example that comes to mind is when they crossed the Jordan River, they were to take 12 stones and build an altar to remember the crossing.

I think God would have us do the same thing in our lives. When He does a miraculous work in our lives in some way, I think He'd be pleased if we were to make something, or bring something around that would remind us in the future of the way that God worked. It also gives us the opportunity to share that with anyone else that asks about it - like our kids. I'm really not sure what kind of memorials would be good, but I think the principle is sound.

Just a thought...

The King's Daughters

Psalm 45 is a two-part Psalm. The first 8 verses are Messianic in nature, speaking of King Jesus, who is fairer than the children of men, has grace poured in His lips, is most mighty with glory and majesty, full of truth, meekness and righteousness, and is called "God" by the Father in vss 6-7 (this is quoted in Heb 1:8-9). What a great King we follow!

The second half of the Psalm is directed to "Kings' daughters." When I read that Psalm, I wish I were a little girl... Ok, that doesn't sound good, but let me explain! First of all, we all know that the King's daughter is a princess. What little girl wouldn't want to be a Princess to the King of kings?! The King greatly desires the beauty of them; the King's daughter is all glorious within.

What a great desire we as fathers ought to have for our daughters. That they would be the King's daughters. That is, until you look at verse 10 more carefully...

Psalm 45:10: "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;"

You're telling me that the daughter is supposed to forget her people and her father's house? You're telling me that I am supposed to be training up my daughters to forget their father's house!? Really, to forget me?! I don't like that thought at first glance. But that is what God wrote.

Fathers (and Mothers too), are you willing to actually train up your daughters to follow so whole-heartedly after King Jesus that they would forget their father's house? That's what the daughters are supposed to do according to Ps 45:10. I know that sounds difficult, but when we compare it to Luke 14:26 and Matthew 10:37, we'll find that that is the cost of discipleship.

My challenge for me today... Can I really purpose in my heart to train my daughters to follow Christ, knowing that may mean that they forget all about me?

Hmm... Just a thought...

Liquid Plumber

My sink had a clog in it recently. The water would not drain down very well. It would take a good couple minutes for the sink to drain after you ran enough to, say, shave or brush your teeth.

Finally, I got sick of it. I decided that I was going to do something about it. So, I went to the store and bought some Liquid Plumber. I followed the directions and poured the stuff down the drain, and then I let it sit. 15 minutes later, I was able to run water through it no problem!

I did it! I fixed my sink! I feel pretty good about my plumbing skills. I should go pro...

Now, you (at least, those of you that are critical) are saying, 'Andy, um, you just poured something into the sink. It was really the Liquid Plumber that fixed it - if anything, the creator of Liquid Plumber should be getting the credit here.'

That wasn't very nice of you to say, you critical person. Oh, but yeah, that's what I would have said! And we'd be right. I really didn't fix my sink's drain. All I did was pour the stuff that somebody else concocted into the sink.

Have you ever been there in a spiritual sense? Have you ever been on a spiritual high for something that has happened, and you start to take credit for it? Have you successfully witnessed to somebody else, and thought - 'boy, I'm a pretty good soul-winner.' That's like me saying, 'I'm a pretty good plumber.'

Let's be sure to give God His due. But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

Just a thought...

A Little Privacy Please

I miss blogging... It is a good discipline for me to post things here, so I find it profitable for me, and I enjoy hearing from both of you, my readers. It makes me really iron out some of the things that I think about. I pray that it is profitable for at least someone else too. Anyway, here we go again, with today's Lunch-Time Thought.

I hear people cry about how the government with its surveillance is an invasion of privacy. There are people that don't want our intelligence people in the US to have the ability to eavesdrop or monitor communications where they deem important, because then they might use it to watch what "I" am doing.

Well, frankly, I don't have a problem with it. I would rather have people watching what I'm doing if it means they are allowed to watch what people that want to hurt us are doing. Oh, but wait, that would mean that I would have to act appropriately so that I would not be embarrassed... is that all that bad?

Paul teaches in Ephesians 5 that I was "sometimes darkness." I did not like the light because my deeds were evil. But now, I'm exhorted to "walk as children of light" (vs. 8). He goes on to tell us not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and that it is a shame to even speak of the things done of them in secret (vss. 11-12). Again, we find that bad things are associated with darkness, so that nobody finds out! Then an interesting verse:

Ephesians 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Anything that makes manifest is light. Whenever my deeds are scrutinized, then they are in the light. I can't hide them. If I know that somebody is "invading my privacy" and watching my every action, then it is going to encourage me to stay clean.

Although, I suppose my philosophy is hypocritical, for I still do want to go to the bathroom in private!

Anyway, just a thought...

Following Joseph's Example

One of the verses that I chose to be a memory verse a couple years ago has really made me stop and think every time I read it: Genesis 41:38, "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?"

Joseph had just interpreted Pharaoh's dreams predicting the seven years of plenty followed by the seven years of famine. He showed himself to be a wise man, and Pharaoh recognized that Joseph was full of the Spirit of God. Do you catch that? The lost world, recognized that this man was full of the Spirit, and he wanted him to lead his country.

How many times does Joseph's example stick out to us? He ran away from temptation with Potipher's wife. He was forgiving when his brothers showed up after having sold him into slavery. He was a godly example.

What was Joseph's solution when Egypt was facing, or about to face, a tough economic time? If you don't remember, he taxed the people 20% across the board for all of their increase during the seven years of plenty. That sounds fair. That way, when the seven years of famine came, he had stored enough to be able to provide for the people of Egypt, and more, for all the people that came to buy food from them.

Ok... now that I've strung you all along long enough... What about Joseph's actions during the time of famine? The people of Egypt, whom he had taxed the seven years prior, came to Joseph, the government, and needed food - no problem, he sold it to them. Then, when they couldn't afford to buy the food any more, he took their cattle off of their hands. Then when the cattle was gone, he took possession of their lands. He made a deal with them that they could work the government's land, and keep the 20% tax going. It sounds like Joseph's actions were designed to improve governmental control over personal areas.

In politics, I am a conservative. I don't believe that we ought to support people that do not work (1 Thessalonians, Ephesians 4, etc.), which is today called welfare. I disagree with those that think it's ok to end a baby's life in the womb, and therefore disagree with a government that would be willing to let tax money be given to groups that encourage abortion. There are some ungodly things going on that I think displease God. In those areas, I would be willing to stand and fight.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most politically savvy guy around. However, big government, while definitely not American, is it really the Christian's place to stand up and fight against it? So, the government gets control of the car industry; they take control of the banks; they regulate the "free market" with minimum wages and other regulations. Yeah, it's un-American. History teaches that it doesn't work very well. But since this is not my kingdom, is that where I need to be fighting? Joseph, the man filled with the Spirit of God, used his wisdom and cunning to increase the government's control of goods and property, and to limit the rights of the people.

Alright... I'm ready... let the stones fly!

Just a political thought...

Modern Missions part 2

Friday's post was about the deputation process. Today, I want to talk about an idea of means of support for a missionary were they not to "do deputation."

This is a theoretical idea that I have here - not scriptural, but logical to me. What if the missionary's pattern was to work hard on finding 10 families on their mission field. The missionary goes and teaches them the gospel, baptizes the believers, and then teaches them to observe all things... like tithing. Were a missionary to find 10 families who would be obedient to God in all those steps, the missionary could be supported the equivalent salary as those to whom he is ministering.

I know, I know... we Americans couldn't live on the salary of some of the countries to where we go. We would need to have more than those people in order for us to live. Because we... well... um... we need more, right? I mean, because we're Americans we need more money to live on... um... huh.

Anyway, just another missionary thought

Modern Missions

Let me begin by saying that today's thought hasn't been fully formulated in my mind. However, it's something I've been tossing around for a couple days, so I want to get it out there... (Since, so few people touched my Assassins post, maybe this will have more interest.)

Modern Missions (at least, in America) generally works like this. A man surrenders his life to do whatever God would have him to do. He then will determine the "where." (I remember hearing a preacher down in Georgia say, "You do the 'what' until you know the 'where.'" It's a good charge.) Once he knows where to go, he'll usually start off by talking to his local church's missions director, whoever that may be. The next step is usually a survey trip. They go and see the field where they are interested in going, and begin to gather pertinent information. Then they return and begin the process called "Deputation."

This "Deputation" process is what I want to consider today. The purpose of deputation is to raise the financial support needed for the mission field, by presenting the work that God has laid on their lives to churches around the country. The missionary's desire is that those churches would decide to commit to helping the missionary, financially, on a regular basis. Once the missionary has enough committed churches to meet the financial needs that were calculated, then the missionary prepares to go to the field and begin the work. In the process, he also gains much needed prayer and, hopefully, encouragement from other believers.

Matthew 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Matthew 10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

Now, when Jesus sent out His disciples on the mission that He had for them, He did say to do the exact opposite. He wanted them to go, preach the gospel, and worthy recipients of the gospel there would provide the needs of His apostles. Of course, He also told them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils! So, I can accept the argument that I am taking this passage out of context, and that it shouldn't apply to modern missionaries.

(Can I add real quick here, that I have a lot of missionary friends, even my parents(!) that have gone through this same process. There is nothing anti-biblical about it, and I do not think they are wrong in doing it that way.)

I wonder what would happen if a missionary today tried it like Jesus did with His missionaries for that specific project. I wonder what would happen if someone just got up and went somewhere else preaching the gospel, and trusted that God would provide his needs - that the converts would be obedient to the message of the workman being worthy of his meat. What a reliance the missionary would put on God, and not on the money coming in from back home.

Maybe I can develop this thought some more in the upcoming days, but am I way off base in this line of thought?

Just a thought...

Assassin

Confessing my faults here... I am a fan of the Bourne Trilogy of movies. If you don't know, they are stories about a government assassin. I had a question for you: Could a Christian ever be right with God and have that profession? You know, those black ops guys that the government denies they exist, etc.

Well... why not? I mean, if an infantry person's task is to kill the enemy in front of him, because he is being obedient to the government (who has been given the "sword" to execute good for God's sake - Romans 13), that is excused as being ok. Now, when the same task is done in secret, but for the same goals, does that make it wrong?

hmm.... just a thought.

Vanity...

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

So, I was thinking of Vanity, and how full of themselves some people are. I heard about Oprah Winfrey's magazine, and how on each of her magazine covers, her face is always on there.

It seems to me that she wants to be the "star" of the show. Well, since it's her show, I guess that make sense.

Vanity, Self-Centeredness (nope, that's not a word, I checked), Pride... all of these things ought to have no place in the Christian's mind, like they are in the mind of the Gentiles.

Anyway, just a thought...

By the way, how do you like my new blog header?!

:)

Living or Walking?

Gen 5:7 - And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years...
Gen 5:10 - And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years...
Gen 5:13 - And Cainan lived after he begat Mahaleel eight hundred and forty years...
Gen 5:16 - And Mahaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years...
Gen 5:19 - And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years...
Gen 5:22 - And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years...

I posted a while back about how I was amazed that Enoch was faithful to walk with God for 300 years. But now I want to contrast what the Bible says about Enoch vs. the rest of his forefathers.
First of all, we notice that they all "lived." That's profound. They had breath; they walked around; they related with other people. They lived. We don't know much about their lives other than they procreated. However, Enoch did not just "live." Enoch did more than that; he "walked with God." His life was not wasted, but rather was spent in communion with God. What a great example.

Second, we notice the lengths of their lives. 807, 815, 840, 830, 800... that's how many years Enoch's forefathers "lived." Now, when we get to Enoch, we find that after he begat Methuselah, he only was around for 300 years. Why would God take him at such a young age? (I mean really, 365 years old is not that old!?) It reminds me of a quote from Jim Elliot (who, coincidentally, died on this date in 1956 (thanks Pastor Curran for the reminder), written in his journal:

God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus. (1948)

Are we willing to give up just "living" and actually spend our days on earth faithfully "walking with God"? And if that requires that God takes us earlier... are we ok with that? Jim Elliot recognized that the length of life was not as important as the quality of the walk with God. Enoch knew it too. Let's learn it.

Just a thought...

Giving In...

Ok, Fine, I'll give in to all the hype!

You should check out Barone's new blog site: www.PrayForItaly.com

I wonder what everyone's thoughts are on a missionary doing something like that. Is it a waste of time? Is it a good way to keep awareness up? What other thoughts do you have?

As always (Oh wait, I forgot that I hadn't posted in forever, and probably don't have any readers, let alone returning ones...), Anonymous posts are welcome.

Conceived of the Holy Ghost

Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Happy New Year, everyone! I have started my new reading plan today, and when I read this verse that last phrase jumped out at me: "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Now, I know Christmas was last week, and we all know the actual point of this verse is that Jesus was born of a virgin. But, it made me ask myself: What in me is conceived of the Holy Ghost?

I mean, I desire to do things for God. I desire to please Him. Mary was also a "good" woman. She was a faithful, pure (though not sinless), devoted follower of God. But, even still, the best thing in her life was that which was conceived of the Holy Ghost.

So, my desire is that this year, we will be driven by the Spirit, and that ALL (lofty goal?) that we do would be conceived and driven of the Holy Ghost.

Just a New Year's thought...