Don't Tell Anyone...

I was talking with a missionary friend of mine. We were talking about the stories in the book of Mark that we are going through in Homiletics Class. A theme that has come up a couple of times is this: Jesus heals someone and tells them not to say anything, yet they always seem to not be able to contain themselves.

It's interesting that these people just were not comfortable if they were not sharing the fact that their life had been touched by Jesus. They were only satisfied when they shared what Jesus did for them.

And then there's us. We have been touched far more than just being healed of a fatal disease, or of having our legs given strength to walk. Jesus touched us in such a way that our eternity has changed: The hope of eternal life, with an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, passing from death to life, being quickened, made alive... Yet we need to be begged to share that with others.

Jesus healed us in a far greater way than physical healing. He then tells us to go out and tell others. And our response will be... to be determined.

Just a thought

Filled with all His Fulness

Ephesians 3:19 is one of my memory verses today, and it says, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." The context is that Paul gets on his knees before God for a few purposes, some of them: to know the love of Christ, and that they would be "filled with all the fulness of God."

There are a couple of phrases in the Bible that kind of make me cringe a little. That is, I read them, I believe them to be true, but the implications are mind-boggling. A couple of examples:

• 1 Thessalonians 2:12: Paul exhorted them: "That ye would walk worthy of God..."
• 1 Peter 1:4: Christians can be: "Partakers of the divine nature."

Not to get into those ones today, but I think Ephesians 3:19 might be up there.

To be filled - If you're full of something, you don't have room for anything else. With all the fulness of God - All that He is, His fulness, is what we are to be filled with. What God is made of: Righteousness, Holiness, Love, Mercy, Longsuffering, Patience, Justice, Compassion... All of those things we are to be filled with.

But also, we are a habitation of God. God inhabits His children, through His Spirit (Eph. 2:22). We are to be filled with all of Him. Filled with His Spirit, walking in It/Him... Without any room for anything else.

To be filled with all the fulness of God. I thought about another thought that I was thinking about, but was just too overwhelmed with this verse that I had to change it.

Just a thought...

The Road to Greatness...

I often hear messages on the road to greatness being the road of humility. As Matthew 20:26-27 says, "...whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:" The preaching usually goes something like this: You have to be willing to clean the toilets if you want to be the leader, the pastor for example. You don't just come in and say, I'll run the show - instead you do whatever is needed of you. That is how you achieve greatness - God will exalt you...

Then last night, I heard a message from Mark 9, and as I was reading the passage it says this, "...If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all..." But wait a minute... I thought that if I were to humble myself, then I would be exalted and be first. I just had to start out low. But what this verse in Mark is saying is: if you desire to be first, you will be last.

The message I think is being portrayed is this. Humble acts do not make you humble. They may have a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility (Col. 2:23), but I believe they actually demonostrate that it is not real humility. Humility is not just being willing to do the dirty work to "climb the corporate ladder" (though that principle is a good one to follow for secular matters), but rather real humility is content at always being last.

God chooses to use those that are humble for His purposes. He does promise to exalt "in due time," not necessarily when you want or expect, but when He ordains. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. True humility does not say, I will humble myself so that I may end up being first, but rather humility says, I will humble myself so that somebody else may be first.

Just a thought...

Obedience of Faith

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
(Romans 16:25-26)

[deep voice] Faith... the final frontier...

Oh wait, that's something else. Never mind.

Paul says in Romans 16, that the gospel went out to all nations by the commandment of the everlasting God, predicted and foreordained by God according to His holy prophets, made known in these last days, (See, I can make really long sentences like Paul too!)... But all of this was for the purpose of: Obedience of Faith. I think that's a little bit of an obscure term.

We think of Obedience as an action, or a work. When we do what someone tells us to do, we're being obedient to that person. Faith, on the other hand, is not an action, not a work. So, what's the concept being portrayed here?

Well, I think of two things. Probably the most exact and true to the purpose of the text is this: We are supposed to be obedient to God by exercising faith. God's commandment, according to I John 3:23, "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ..." God's command is to believe, and when we are obedient to that command, it is called the obedience of faith.

I also think there's another implication or meaning in the phrase, obedience of faith. I believe it is suggesting that not only is faith the result of obedience, but that faith will be the driving force of obedience. That is, faith, from the heart, will motivate us to obey God. Mental faith will just have us answer all the questions right, and know what to say in whatever situation we find ourselves, but when you believe from the heart, then your life will demonstrate that faith through obedience.

At least that's the way I understand it. You know, it's Just a Thought...

Unwinding...

I'm humbled at some of the things that God has been using me for in my life. Friday night I had the privilege of teaching a few combined Home Bible Studies on the topic of Calvinism. And then Sunday I had the privilege of addressing the Sunday morning services, as a deacon, regarding the new building and its finances, etc.

Anyway, today I am unwinding a little bit from being in front of everyone, and I can just hide at work... I praise God for His grace. I am what I am by the grace of God.

For those of you that missed it Friday night, I have put the audio recording of the night, and a PowerPoint 2007 file containing the slides I used, up on the ObserveToDo.com website at:

http://www.observetodo.com/content/sermonsessays/AndyHinds/AndyHinds-Calvinism.asp

Any and all feedback/questions/disagreements is welcome on this post today... Except for Barone, you can't point out all of my "uh's" in the lesson. Ok?!

News Story

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/31/funeral.protest/

Not much to say today... I'm actually not sure how to respond Christian-ly to this one. You know the "Baptist" church that goes out and protests military funerals, saying that God is judging America by killing its soldiers because of the homosexuals? Well, that church lost a court case in Maryland, and is now required to pay some 10 million dollars. That's what the CNN News Story is above.

Maybe the judgment of God is not killing American soldiers, but having the government (His executor of judgment) heavy fines against them. Homosexuality, Sodomy, whatever you want to call it, is a sin, but at the same time, so is lying... being uncharitable... pride... fornication... All of those things have been accepted in America today too. There are right and wrong ways to go about it.

Anyway, just a thought...

Happy All Saint's Day

Forgive me... I let you all down again... Yesterday was Halloween, and I failed to make one single post on the subject. My apologies... Maybe I can try to make it up.

Yesterday was Halloween and all, and we, in our little town of Greece, had a public school student that dressed up like an ancient Egyptian "queen." The only problem was that the school specifically said no costumes at school on Halloween. This girl protested saying that they were prohibiting the free excercise of her religion.

You see, this girl's mom is a practicing witch. Together, they practice 'wicca.' Halloween is their holy day (holiday), and her belief is that she is to portray herself as somebody that she was in one of her former lives. She refused to change her clothes as instructed by the school, and the girl and her mother brought in their local high priestess of witches (I'm sure I'm wrong on the official title, but you get the point), to protest with the school administration.

Here's the deal, I'm happy about this. Just like I'm happy about the new pope... (Here's where you're saying, "Huh?")

Halloween is a witch's holiday. Let's not be confused about that. Perhaps the origin of the name, and of the holiday comes from something else, but today, there is no more Christian practice associated with Halloween. It is a wizard's and witch's holy day.

What does this have to do with the pope? Well, this pope is really Roman Catholic. He is making clear that there is no salvation outside of the Roman Catholic Church, etc. He is making it clear, that there are differences. Now, we don't have to be confused about the Roman Catholic Church and say, "Oh, it's not as bad as we were taught, just ask people." Most 'people' would not have held to the strict Roman Catholic teachings, and their old pope didn't say too much about it. This pope, he speaks up. Let there be no confusion.

Halloween is a witch's holiday. Let there be no confusion.

What communion hath light with darkness?

Just a thought.