Recently I have been studying the missing verses in the ESV such as Acts 8:37. Also why the ESV does have Mark 16:9-20 in brackets and listed as not in some of the earlier manuscripts. I'm going to look at the Mark 16 reference at this time.
The Codex Sinaiticus is dated between c.330-360AD and is called a "complete" new testament, the oldest ever found. As I started trying to look into this matter of whether these verses should be considered part of the New Testament or discard them I came across a reference of Irenaeus in one of his apologist books (Against Heresies Book 3 ch. 10.5) quoting Mark 16:19. The troublesome part of this is the fact that Irenaeus died in 202AD. If the codex mentioned above were the oldest and best manuscript how is it Irenaeus is able to quote this scripture if it was added after 330-360AD by some good meaning but uninspired author? I understand that Irenaeus isn't an inspired author either, but he did quote one.
I am still of the opinion that the Textus Receptus is the better manuscript and older as shown in this case isn't particularly better. That being said I am not willing to throw away my ESV yet. I enjoy the language I'm just going to have to include Acts 8:37 and Mark 16:9-20 and some other things also that aren't found in the "complete" Codex Sinaiticus. I think we should probably stop using that word complete.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
What's most prevalent in this world?
All around us there is an anti-God system and it's being carried out by people that have been deceived. Work within this system to bring about change to God. Do not be isolated, but be insulated from this world.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Who sent you?
Dusty idea is have we forgotten who sent us?
Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. (John 7:16)
Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. (John 7:16)
Jesus is explaining to the Jews in the temple that the things he was saying and teaching were what his Father had sent him to teach and say. Jesus had a purpose and you could recognize who sent him, if not before the cruxifiction and resurrection, certainly during and after those events. This is an example for us today. If you find yourself supporting a doctrine or teaching not taught by Christ, who sent you? When we teach do we have the same attitude that Jesus had? Can we say, "my teaching is not mine but his that sent me?"
If we're going to be Christ-like we need to adopt his attitude found in John 7:16. If you decide to carry out the great commission as it is called, will you do what Christ commissioned you to do?.
"The Gospel" is an over used term that has lost its original meaning through misuse. It's misuse includes things that Jesus never taught. Perverting the gospel isn't a new thing though...
"The Gospel" is an over used term that has lost its original meaning through misuse. It's misuse includes things that Jesus never taught. Perverting the gospel isn't a new thing though...
I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another gospel only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
(Gal 1:6-7)
Paul explains again the good news or gospel to the Christians at Corinth.
Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;
(1Cor. 15:1-4)
Back to the point of this blog, what instructions did Christ leave us? If we are to follow his example of John 7:16 then we need to find out what he said to do. We need to have the doctrine of him that sent us, not our own. Not what we think it ought to be. Not what makes sense to human beings.
Back to the point of this blog, what instructions did Christ leave us? If we are to follow his example of John 7:16 then we need to find out what he said to do. We need to have the doctrine of him that sent us, not our own. Not what we think it ought to be. Not what makes sense to human beings.
What greater sway can we have than Jesus' own words, and what words could we hear that would be powerful enough to preempt His will?
And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
(Matt 28:18-20)
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.
(Mar 16:15-16)
and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
(Luke 24:46-47)
The first Gospel sermon was preached by Peter in Jerusalem. Here is the record of what the hearers of that sermon asked and what Peter's answer was.
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
(Acts 2:37-41)
Looks like Peter taught what he was sent to teach. We can see who sent him, can other people tell who sent you, when what you teach is placed along side what Christ told us to teach?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Open letter to the congregation
I didn't write this and I don't know the source for it. But it conveys very well the dusty idea that what God wants may not be what man likes best, especially during worship. Progressiveness isn't necessarily moving forward. Story of Nadab and Abihu is located in Leviticus 10:1-6. Read that first to get the full meaning.
An open letter to the congregation of Israel from your humble servant/priests, Nadab and Abihu.
Brethren, It is with the utmost humility that we inform you of a change of worship practices in your normal sacrificing. Be assured that we are bringing about this change only after much prayer and study.
We have recently concluded an in-depth study of the Law as delivered by our brother Moses that covered 400 days. (We might note that is ten times the length of time it took the Lord to impart this Law.)
We have decided to bring about a change in the type of fire used in worship. We are aware that there is a standing tradition of using only one source of fire, but we, as holy priests, do not feel obligated to blindly follow tradition. Numerous polls of our worshipping clientele indicate the overwhelming opinion that they do not care where we get the fire used for their sacrifices just as long as the service is conducted in a respectful and meaningful way.
We were in agreement with this growing majority, as we cannot see how a change in fire will affect anything in the least about our sacrifices. The animal is still properly cooked, the incense burned. We are of the mind that were we to secretly substitute a different fire it would be impossible for any of the worshippers to know a change had taken place.
Besides all this, we became aware of the fact that nowhere in the Law does the Lord forbid the use of what some of our detractors have referred to as “strange fire.” We feel that the lack of such a restriction was meant to give us freedom. For those who disagree, we would ask you to show us any place in the Law that tells us we cannot do something the Lord has not seen fit to condemn.
We also wish to point out that the congregation of Israel is the only religious group in the known world that willingly limits itself to only one kind of fire. We have become the laughingstock of the land of Canaan and have been ridiculed openly by many groups. This “only one fire” self-righteous policy has alienated us from everyone else. We believe this change will open up many fellowship opportunities.
Now, to set the minds of some of you at ease, we will continue to offer a traditional service using the old-fashioned fire as well as this progressive service with the new fire. As a matter of fact, we may occasionally use the old fire in our progressive service for special feast days. In this way we hope that our older citizens are still comfortable even though they dogmatically insist on a worship style which is declining and we believe to be stunting our growth.
Consider the freedom this new practice affords us! We will no longer have the expense of maintaining a constant fire in one location. This will also make it possible to appeal to a younger audience as we discover more entertaining ways to “light the fire” of our assemblies. (We hope you caught the little play on words there!)
For those who still oppose the use of new fire, we ask you not to be judgmental of new ideas. We also hope you will not use this change as a excuse to divide our people or stir up trouble within the congregation. We remind you that this has been well thought out and the majority of elders have signed on with us. It is true we have not included our father Aaron in this deliberation; but we were well aware of his tradition-bound views and still plan to leave him in charge of doing the traditional service anyway. We also have not consulted Moses, but his humility is well known and we are confident he will want to uphold the majority decision in this effort to improve our worship.
We are very much looking forward to our first new fire service. We hope you will make a special effort to be present to witness a new age of enlightenment in the church of Israel. We know God will be watching and we anticipate that his joy over seeing his people take a great step toward throwing off the burden of binding tradition will be an electrifying experience.
See you there. Bring some extra barbecue sauce, for we think this new practice is going to spread like wildfire!
For freedom’s sake!
Nadab & Abihu, DDLP (Doctors of Divine Law and Progress)
P.S. After the successful changeover in this part of our worship, future plans include the ordination of women priests, inter-idol fellowship activities with the various pagan groups nearby, and a special service called, “It doesn’t have to be Passover to celebrate Passover anymore.”
Brethren, It is with the utmost humility that we inform you of a change of worship practices in your normal sacrificing. Be assured that we are bringing about this change only after much prayer and study.
We have recently concluded an in-depth study of the Law as delivered by our brother Moses that covered 400 days. (We might note that is ten times the length of time it took the Lord to impart this Law.)
We have decided to bring about a change in the type of fire used in worship. We are aware that there is a standing tradition of using only one source of fire, but we, as holy priests, do not feel obligated to blindly follow tradition. Numerous polls of our worshipping clientele indicate the overwhelming opinion that they do not care where we get the fire used for their sacrifices just as long as the service is conducted in a respectful and meaningful way.
We were in agreement with this growing majority, as we cannot see how a change in fire will affect anything in the least about our sacrifices. The animal is still properly cooked, the incense burned. We are of the mind that were we to secretly substitute a different fire it would be impossible for any of the worshippers to know a change had taken place.
Besides all this, we became aware of the fact that nowhere in the Law does the Lord forbid the use of what some of our detractors have referred to as “strange fire.” We feel that the lack of such a restriction was meant to give us freedom. For those who disagree, we would ask you to show us any place in the Law that tells us we cannot do something the Lord has not seen fit to condemn.
We also wish to point out that the congregation of Israel is the only religious group in the known world that willingly limits itself to only one kind of fire. We have become the laughingstock of the land of Canaan and have been ridiculed openly by many groups. This “only one fire” self-righteous policy has alienated us from everyone else. We believe this change will open up many fellowship opportunities.
Now, to set the minds of some of you at ease, we will continue to offer a traditional service using the old-fashioned fire as well as this progressive service with the new fire. As a matter of fact, we may occasionally use the old fire in our progressive service for special feast days. In this way we hope that our older citizens are still comfortable even though they dogmatically insist on a worship style which is declining and we believe to be stunting our growth.
Consider the freedom this new practice affords us! We will no longer have the expense of maintaining a constant fire in one location. This will also make it possible to appeal to a younger audience as we discover more entertaining ways to “light the fire” of our assemblies. (We hope you caught the little play on words there!)
For those who still oppose the use of new fire, we ask you not to be judgmental of new ideas. We also hope you will not use this change as a excuse to divide our people or stir up trouble within the congregation. We remind you that this has been well thought out and the majority of elders have signed on with us. It is true we have not included our father Aaron in this deliberation; but we were well aware of his tradition-bound views and still plan to leave him in charge of doing the traditional service anyway. We also have not consulted Moses, but his humility is well known and we are confident he will want to uphold the majority decision in this effort to improve our worship.
We are very much looking forward to our first new fire service. We hope you will make a special effort to be present to witness a new age of enlightenment in the church of Israel. We know God will be watching and we anticipate that his joy over seeing his people take a great step toward throwing off the burden of binding tradition will be an electrifying experience.
See you there. Bring some extra barbecue sauce, for we think this new practice is going to spread like wildfire!
For freedom’s sake!
Nadab & Abihu, DDLP (Doctors of Divine Law and Progress)
P.S. After the successful changeover in this part of our worship, future plans include the ordination of women priests, inter-idol fellowship activities with the various pagan groups nearby, and a special service called, “It doesn’t have to be Passover to celebrate Passover anymore.”
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Accuser's Role
The dusty idea we want to examine on this post is the role Satan plays in the scheme of things.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
(Jas 1:12-15)
Temptation is a subject that has been sometimes misunderstood.
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. (Gen 22:1 KJV)
Do these two readings from James and Genesis contradict each other?
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1Co 10:13 KJV)
Isn't it great that God knows how much you can take when it comes to temptation. He knows us better than we know ourselves, or are willing to admit to. I know I feel that way 99% of the time, give or take 1%. He knows how much we can carry around, or lift. He knows our capacity. Went to my doctors office this week and they've built a brand new building. I noticed they had an elevator there with a sign on it, "Capacity 1500 lbs." How did the manufacturer know that elevator could only safely lift 1500 lbs. At some point the elevator had to be tested. At some time during the proving of this elevator someone had to put 1500 lbs on it to see if it would handle it when it received that much weight. You don't really know how much temptation you can handle for sure until you are tested or proved by God. Some of us probably can't take very much, way below our capacity. God expects you to at least carry your own capacity. Using this illustration of the elevator, would you expect the elevator to perform 100% of the time when it is within it's capacity of 1500 lbs.? Of course you would and God expects us to be able to carry our capacity of temptation. God may allow 1500 lbs of temptation to get on you and stay on you, but you see that's within your limit. According to 1 Cor. 10:13 he will make a way for us to bear the temptations if we look for the way out. You see even in the most righteous people we may know of, or heard of, an internal civil war is going on. We don't need to get temptation confused. There are two kinds of temptations, the tempting like Abraham endured at God's hands and the tempting that Satan, our accuser uses on us.
When God tests us, He's trying to see if we will let the good things he has put in us come out. He never tempts us with evil. When Satan tempts us he's not trying to get us to do evil for evil's sake, he's trying to prove you have evil in you and you're willing to let it out. Satan is the accuser of mankind. His name in Hebrew "ha-satan" literally means the opposer or the accuser. He likes nothing better than pointing to us and accusing us of the sin that does so easily beset us. Jesus is our advocate on one side and the accuser points to us from the other side.
So we see the readings at the first of this post from James and Genesis do not contradict each other. The crown of life we are seen receiving in James 1:12 is exemplified in Genesis 22 when Abraham is tested of God. So we see what the accuser's role is, just as men and women, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all have their roles.
How does Satan play out his role?
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2Co 11:3 KJV)
So we see the readings at the first of this post from James and Genesis do not contradict each other. The crown of life we are seen receiving in James 1:12 is exemplified in Genesis 22 when Abraham is tested of God. So we see what the accuser's role is, just as men and women, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all have their roles.
How does Satan play out his role?
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2Co 11:3 KJV)
Two words we need to focus on in this verse. Those words are "any means". What are the "any means"? Well the any means for you and I and everyone else is probably different. Whatever your desires are, that's Satan's means to tempt the evil out of you.
For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. (1Th 3:5 KJV)
Almost identical two words here in this passage. Paul writes that the tempter uses "some means" to tempt us. Using our greatest desires as bait to entrap us.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (Jas 1:14 KJV)
For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. (1Th 3:5 KJV)
Almost identical two words here in this passage. Paul writes that the tempter uses "some means" to tempt us. Using our greatest desires as bait to entrap us.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (Jas 1:14 KJV)
We're going to take this from a fisherman's point of view. Does it make any difference what kind of fish you want to catch as to what kind of bait you want to use? Of course it can make a difference. Satan has a hook with your name on it and he knows what kind of bait it takes to entice you. The worm that is on the hook may not be bait all the time. In fact the worm off of the hook and out there for the fish to eat is a blessing from God. For an example, last December 25th was a Sunday and we saw groups of people proclaiming Christianity cancel services because of Christmas. People wanted to open presents, travel, be with families and just generally enjoy the day without having to go to church. Were these things inherently wrong in themselves? No, it's not wrong to open presents, travel and be with families, but when Satan puts that worm on his hook and dangles it in front of you, it entices you and brings about sin. We need to know the difference between blessings from God and bait on a hook.
Desire is amoral, it comes with this body. The desire itself is neither right or wrong. You see if you are led by desire you become a creature of instinct. A dog for instance, if it has a notion to do something people would consider private, a dog doesn't care who's watching no matter what he's doing. The dog is acting on instinct. If you get to acting on instinct alone (If it feels good do it) you will have no discretion at that point. Have you ever seen and heard people get loud and curse and make movements with their bodies as if no one was around, (watched any TV lately) or at least they didn't care who was around. These people have started acting on instinct alone, as brute beasts (Jude 1:10).
The acting upon a desire is where Satan dangles his bait and hooks you and sin results and if left unchecked spiritual death results.
Satan is patient, he doesn't care so much if he gets your fast, as long as he gets you good. If you break the line or break a hook, Satan has plenty more.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
II Timothy 2:15
Dusty idea is that we have to study to gain knowledge of God's Word.
In my lifetime I've noticed a trend. It's possible that it's been there longer than that but I wouldn't know. I hear people saying that they feel like the scriptures in the Bible mean this or that. Like the Holy Spirit is moving through them in some physical way to help them understand or even give new meaning to the Word of God. It's like these people are saying the Word of God is too hard to understand. I need divine help in reading and understanding the Bible.
There is a chain of authority in life. We understand it in our earthly lives. In a business setting there are several types of positions. First there are the owners. The owners wouldn't be characterized as laborers, they own the business and if you want to receive the pay or rewards you have to follow the rules and work hard. The owners are in a class all by themselves by shear virtue of being the owners, creators of the business the workers are engaged in. Then next in the chain of authority are the workers. This includes everybody else from managers to laborers. Then the unemployed. The unemployed aren't working for the company, so there is no reward or payment coming to them.
We should also understand in our spiritual lives there is a chain of authority found in the Old and New Testament. Genesis 1:1, in the beginning God created... There you have the owner, all authority naturally goes to the owner of anything. We're the managers (Christians, Overseers, Elders), and laborers (Christians). People that aren't working for God are unemployed, no reward.
In finding our spiritual authorities we find God giving his Son Jesus all authority in heaven and earth Matthew 28:18, Phil 2:9-11, 1 Peter 3:22. So the authority was passed over to Christ. Christ gave authority to the apostles John 17: 6, 18, Matthew 28:18-20. They were inspired through the Holy Spirit. What they wrote was authorized by God. No authority has ever been given to anyone else as a chain of authority, Matthew 19:28, 1 Corinthians 4:9.
So the gold standard remains the Bible. Written by the apostles and inspired men. No matter what vision or revelation someone is claiming to have. No matter if you have a pastor that tells you God was speaking to him or the Holy Spirit is speaking to him in a certain way, outside the Bible. The Bible is the final authority. The apostles aren't here anymore. That's why the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15 to STUDY to show thyself approve a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If the Holy Spirit is going to come and give you what the Bible says miraculously why did all the authors of the Bible waste their time? There is no miraculous revealing to people of what the scriptures say. We have to study to gain that knowledge. We can pray for wisdom, but if we never crack open a Bible we'll never have the knowledge.
1. Know who wrote the Epistle/Book/Letter.
2. Know who it was written to.
3. Know why it was written to them.
4. Put scriptures and doctrine in its proper context.
5. Read all scripture in the proper context of all these things. This point CANNOT be over stressed.
Someone might say, "Do you really mean that God would allow me to be taught by a false teacher?" Yes, God will allow you to be taught by a false teacher. Cherry picking verses from the Bible to prove a point is a major flaw in Bible interpretation. An open mind and a closed Bible at the same time can be a dangerous thing. Revelation 2:2, Jesus was writing through John to the church at Ephesus. They had tried teachers in their midst and found him to be a liars. Did God allow the church at Ephesus to have false teachers come and teach a false doctrine? Yes, He did and expected them to check what these teachers said with what had been taught by the apostles, the golden standard.
In my lifetime I've noticed a trend. It's possible that it's been there longer than that but I wouldn't know. I hear people saying that they feel like the scriptures in the Bible mean this or that. Like the Holy Spirit is moving through them in some physical way to help them understand or even give new meaning to the Word of God. It's like these people are saying the Word of God is too hard to understand. I need divine help in reading and understanding the Bible.
There is a chain of authority in life. We understand it in our earthly lives. In a business setting there are several types of positions. First there are the owners. The owners wouldn't be characterized as laborers, they own the business and if you want to receive the pay or rewards you have to follow the rules and work hard. The owners are in a class all by themselves by shear virtue of being the owners, creators of the business the workers are engaged in. Then next in the chain of authority are the workers. This includes everybody else from managers to laborers. Then the unemployed. The unemployed aren't working for the company, so there is no reward or payment coming to them.
We should also understand in our spiritual lives there is a chain of authority found in the Old and New Testament. Genesis 1:1, in the beginning God created... There you have the owner, all authority naturally goes to the owner of anything. We're the managers (Christians, Overseers, Elders), and laborers (Christians). People that aren't working for God are unemployed, no reward.
In finding our spiritual authorities we find God giving his Son Jesus all authority in heaven and earth Matthew 28:18, Phil 2:9-11, 1 Peter 3:22. So the authority was passed over to Christ. Christ gave authority to the apostles John 17: 6, 18, Matthew 28:18-20. They were inspired through the Holy Spirit. What they wrote was authorized by God. No authority has ever been given to anyone else as a chain of authority, Matthew 19:28, 1 Corinthians 4:9.
So the gold standard remains the Bible. Written by the apostles and inspired men. No matter what vision or revelation someone is claiming to have. No matter if you have a pastor that tells you God was speaking to him or the Holy Spirit is speaking to him in a certain way, outside the Bible. The Bible is the final authority. The apostles aren't here anymore. That's why the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15 to STUDY to show thyself approve a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If the Holy Spirit is going to come and give you what the Bible says miraculously why did all the authors of the Bible waste their time? There is no miraculous revealing to people of what the scriptures say. We have to study to gain that knowledge. We can pray for wisdom, but if we never crack open a Bible we'll never have the knowledge.
1. Know who wrote the Epistle/Book/Letter.
2. Know who it was written to.
3. Know why it was written to them.
4. Put scriptures and doctrine in its proper context.
5. Read all scripture in the proper context of all these things. This point CANNOT be over stressed.
Someone might say, "Do you really mean that God would allow me to be taught by a false teacher?" Yes, God will allow you to be taught by a false teacher. Cherry picking verses from the Bible to prove a point is a major flaw in Bible interpretation. An open mind and a closed Bible at the same time can be a dangerous thing. Revelation 2:2, Jesus was writing through John to the church at Ephesus. They had tried teachers in their midst and found him to be a liars. Did God allow the church at Ephesus to have false teachers come and teach a false doctrine? Yes, He did and expected them to check what these teachers said with what had been taught by the apostles, the golden standard.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
THE Mistake
There's a big event coming up.
What did you think of when you read that?
Well, if you're a big sports fan you might have thought of any number of things that might be coming up. The Super-Bowl, World Series, World Cup Soccer, maybe a big concert event like Bonnaroo. Maybe you're getting married soon, or have a child on the way.
The big event that no one will miss is the Judgment Day.
Dusty idea is that the judgement day is the greatest event of your existence and what takes place there is everlasting. (2 Peter 3:7-12) (Matt. 25:31-46)(I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
If you ask people what event they are looking forward to within the next year you'll get a lot of answers. If you think for one minute we're not an event driven society, look around you. We also strive for what we term Higher Education so we can attend an event called graduation. Do we have the wrong focus on what event is the most important? How would you decide what the most important focus should be on?
Something that is going to last forever should probably take center stage over something that isn't.
While I understand we need some focus on education, I would still maintain that it shouldn't be our main focus. If education gets in the way of serving God or doing his will, the education focus just needs to suffer.
Sports is something of a temporary nature even for the avid watcher. You name the sport it doesn't matter. When you leave this life or the end comes, sports is over. Music is the same way, no matter how much music you listen to or concerts you attend when time ends, its over.
Marriage is temporary and is only for this world Luke 20:35 says that the people that obtain heaven "neither marry, nor are given in marriage." Marriage ends at the end of this world or at death. There are a lot of things we could talk about being temporary and are just here while the earth stands. I don't have the time or the space to list them all. I list these so you can get the tone of what I'm trying to say.
Not having the end of time as the main event you are preparing for is THE eternal mistake. If you've ever wondered what the mistake is you just can't afford to make, this is it.
Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things that are above, and not on things that are on earth." (ESV)
What did you think of when you read that?
Well, if you're a big sports fan you might have thought of any number of things that might be coming up. The Super-Bowl, World Series, World Cup Soccer, maybe a big concert event like Bonnaroo. Maybe you're getting married soon, or have a child on the way.
The big event that no one will miss is the Judgment Day.
Dusty idea is that the judgement day is the greatest event of your existence and what takes place there is everlasting. (2 Peter 3:7-12) (Matt. 25:31-46)(I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
If you ask people what event they are looking forward to within the next year you'll get a lot of answers. If you think for one minute we're not an event driven society, look around you. We also strive for what we term Higher Education so we can attend an event called graduation. Do we have the wrong focus on what event is the most important? How would you decide what the most important focus should be on?
Something that is going to last forever should probably take center stage over something that isn't.
While I understand we need some focus on education, I would still maintain that it shouldn't be our main focus. If education gets in the way of serving God or doing his will, the education focus just needs to suffer.
Sports is something of a temporary nature even for the avid watcher. You name the sport it doesn't matter. When you leave this life or the end comes, sports is over. Music is the same way, no matter how much music you listen to or concerts you attend when time ends, its over.
Marriage is temporary and is only for this world Luke 20:35 says that the people that obtain heaven "neither marry, nor are given in marriage." Marriage ends at the end of this world or at death. There are a lot of things we could talk about being temporary and are just here while the earth stands. I don't have the time or the space to list them all. I list these so you can get the tone of what I'm trying to say.
Not having the end of time as the main event you are preparing for is THE eternal mistake. If you've ever wondered what the mistake is you just can't afford to make, this is it.
Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on things that are above, and not on things that are on earth." (ESV)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
How Fossils Form
Science News January 28, 2006
New science for dating fossils. Dusty idea is over 200 years old, that fossils don't have to be millions of years old. The link above goes to a report quoting the article from Science News magazine. Direct quote from Science News, "That information may lead to more-accurate interpretations of the fossil record and reveal new views of ancient creatures and their environments." Article written by Do-While Jones, link goes to a page on his website.
New science for dating fossils. Dusty idea is over 200 years old, that fossils don't have to be millions of years old. The link above goes to a report quoting the article from Science News magazine. Direct quote from Science News, "That information may lead to more-accurate interpretations of the fossil record and reveal new views of ancient creatures and their environments." Article written by Do-While Jones, link goes to a page on his website.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Becoming sensitive to sin
Dusty idea today is we should seek sensitivity to sin. Dusty ideas took a break while I was gathering information for a Bible class I was trying to teach during the winter quarter. I'll try to get back on track with a post from time to time now.
Have we allowed this culture and society to soften our responses to the sins we encounter? The prevailing problem I see around me in today's society and culture is the lack of a "sin allergy". People just don't have that allergic reaction to sin that was once prevalent in the American Society. It's hard for me to express how important I think this topic is right now. Immorality is rampant. We are bombarded with immorality, nudity, premarital sex, adultery, casual sex, lewd dancing, drinking alcohol in excess, and people in general just going pleasure mad. There is also vile language, lack of respect for elders, and parents. All this from a box we brought into our house and most of us pay money to watch, TV.
The movie industry has sought to desensitize us to sin. I have encountered people on occasion that will tell me that this movie or that movie is OK to go see because it's rated PG, or PG13. Let me say that these movies aren't rated by God or the Bible. This is a man made rating, from the people that are trying to desensitize you to the likes of harlotry and homosexuality. I've been told that just merely knowing what you're going to be going to see and deciding that it isn't going to affect you is sufficient to combat this kind of desensitizing. This doesn't fit well with something I call the "Two Ways".
There are two directions to look at with any situation. There's the way God's wants us to take then there's something else. You pick the something else. If it's not going toward God it's the wrong way. The longer we look down the wrong path and the longer you look in that direction the more its going to become the "norm". Example of this would be as follows. Someone has made us mad in some way. Instead of deciding to handle this God's way we decide to sit and stew and think about how we didn't like that. We keep thinking about this and looking at it from the revenge perspective. Soon the longer we look at it from the revenge point of view, the more that seems the normal thing. Same way with watching evil being played out, vile language and the like. The more we put ourselves in the same area, on purpose, with this type of behavior the more it will desensitize us to sin.
If you are trying to be like God you need to love what he loves and hate what he hates. If God hates it you don't need to be around it.
Have we allowed this culture and society to soften our responses to the sins we encounter? The prevailing problem I see around me in today's society and culture is the lack of a "sin allergy". People just don't have that allergic reaction to sin that was once prevalent in the American Society. It's hard for me to express how important I think this topic is right now. Immorality is rampant. We are bombarded with immorality, nudity, premarital sex, adultery, casual sex, lewd dancing, drinking alcohol in excess, and people in general just going pleasure mad. There is also vile language, lack of respect for elders, and parents. All this from a box we brought into our house and most of us pay money to watch, TV.
The movie industry has sought to desensitize us to sin. I have encountered people on occasion that will tell me that this movie or that movie is OK to go see because it's rated PG, or PG13. Let me say that these movies aren't rated by God or the Bible. This is a man made rating, from the people that are trying to desensitize you to the likes of harlotry and homosexuality. I've been told that just merely knowing what you're going to be going to see and deciding that it isn't going to affect you is sufficient to combat this kind of desensitizing. This doesn't fit well with something I call the "Two Ways".
"Two Ways"
If you are trying to be like God you need to love what he loves and hate what he hates. If God hates it you don't need to be around it.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Satanic Lie #2 - Victim
It's a dusty idea that I'm responsible for myself and no other person or group of people can make you do the things you do.
Satanic lie # 2 - You are and will always be a victim. To be pitied and accommodated by everyone you come in contact with. You're the wounded one and everyone needs to cater to you. Your every whim needs to be accommodated, and if its not everybody is going to know it.
In John 5, the man at the pool of Bethesda, was asked if he wanted to be made well. I've often wondered about that question. Some people might consider that a silly or rhetorical question. Of course I want to be healed! Is that what the man would say? He didn't just say "yes", he started with reason or excuses why he hasn't been healed yet. Some people don't want to be healed, that would stop the pity party, so Jesus asked him if he wanted to stop the pity party, stop getting the attention and follow him and serve others. Some people are in need of being healed by Jesus in a spiritual way. And a lot of us have been healed from sin and are still laying at the gate. As long as we can lay at the gate and be a victim of whatever it is we've been healed of spiritually, we don't have to get up and walk and take our share of the load. If we stop being a victim what would we be? Some of us don't understand what we'd be, because its never occurred to us that we might not be a victim any more.
Satanic lie # 2 - You are and will always be a victim. To be pitied and accommodated by everyone you come in contact with. You're the wounded one and everyone needs to cater to you. Your every whim needs to be accommodated, and if its not everybody is going to know it.
In John 5, the man at the pool of Bethesda, was asked if he wanted to be made well. I've often wondered about that question. Some people might consider that a silly or rhetorical question. Of course I want to be healed! Is that what the man would say? He didn't just say "yes", he started with reason or excuses why he hasn't been healed yet. Some people don't want to be healed, that would stop the pity party, so Jesus asked him if he wanted to stop the pity party, stop getting the attention and follow him and serve others. Some people are in need of being healed by Jesus in a spiritual way. And a lot of us have been healed from sin and are still laying at the gate. As long as we can lay at the gate and be a victim of whatever it is we've been healed of spiritually, we don't have to get up and walk and take our share of the load. If we stop being a victim what would we be? Some of us don't understand what we'd be, because its never occurred to us that we might not be a victim any more.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Satanic Lie #1 - Repentance
It's a dusty idea that that little voice in the back of your head that you call common sense sometimes is really just the devil talking to you.
Satanic lie #1: You can't change. There's no use in you repenting of the things you want to stop doing. You're just going to do them again and you've said over and over again, "This is the last time I'm ever going to do this." You just wound up doing it again. Don't go up there and try to say you can stop, then you'll just be lying to God.
This is a lie, you can change and God can change you. Even while you are doing the things you do and think you have your closest friends and dearest relative tricked. They know you need a change in your life.
II Corinthians 7:10 - For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (ESV)
True repentance has to be motivated by how you offended God. Not by how you were found out or who found you out. If you repent based on who found you out and how you offended other people, you will more than likely just find a more clever way of doing it so as not to be found out the next time. If you repent because you have offended God, then you'll understand that God is everywhere and sees everything. There's no where to hide or no way to cleverly stop God from noticing what you're doing.
What works repentance is "I have offended God and I need to change of my own free will and stop doing what offends God, because I want to." It can't be because my wife, my children or my parents want me to stop and I don't really want to. That isn't repentance, that is trying to stop doing something that I really want to do and I don't want to get caught by my family again.
Luke 13:3 - Unless you repent you will all likewise perish......
This is a lie, you can change and God can change you. Even while you are doing the things you do and think you have your closest friends and dearest relative tricked. They know you need a change in your life.
II Corinthians 7:10 - For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (ESV)
True repentance has to be motivated by how you offended God. Not by how you were found out or who found you out. If you repent based on who found you out and how you offended other people, you will more than likely just find a more clever way of doing it so as not to be found out the next time. If you repent because you have offended God, then you'll understand that God is everywhere and sees everything. There's no where to hide or no way to cleverly stop God from noticing what you're doing.
What works repentance is "I have offended God and I need to change of my own free will and stop doing what offends God, because I want to." It can't be because my wife, my children or my parents want me to stop and I don't really want to. That isn't repentance, that is trying to stop doing something that I really want to do and I don't want to get caught by my family again.
Luke 13:3 - Unless you repent you will all likewise perish......
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Coming In, To and After Christ
Last Sunday I was sitting in a men's leadership class and the question was asked, "Why have so many people missed church recently?" Why don't people get involved? Why do the 20% do 80% of the work? I think I know at least part of the answer as to why.
Luke 14: 16-27, - 16But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
25Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.(ESV)
Three levels of invitation in the reading above. Come in, not just an invitation to church, Christ invites you to come in to hear about him. He invites all to come in. This means if they don't look like you, they're still invited. If they are tattered up we invite them to come in. This means if they're men and they got earrings in there ears, eyebrow, lip or tongue they're still invited. This means that if she's the fastest thing on the block and wearing her shirt so tight that all the men are looking strange, she's still invited. We seem to have decided that the church is suppose to attract good people. The church is suppose to attract ALL kinds of people as well as vulgar, despicable and downtrodden. We exert a lot of time and energy making sure the right kinds of people are at church. It is not your or my job to screen people coming to church. It's not your job to screen who comes to Jesus. Jesus invites everybody to come in. This is not our church. This is the first kind of invite that the Lord presents to people. Everybody is excepted to come in to Jesus. In the reading above (v.23, 25) we can see people had "come in" to Jesus and were following him. All kinds of people some looking for a miracle, some just to see what he would do next, and some to hear his message. Some I am sure were just thrill seekers and with this many people you know some were just there to socialize.
Jesus had all these people come in to him, but Jesus is not in the business of leaving people like they are. Starting in v. 25 thru 26 Jesus turns to the people that have come in and lets them know if they are going to come to him they're going to have to change. All these people that were thinking Jesus was accepting of them, and he is, now see that discipleship is going to cost them something. If you are going to "Come to" Christ there has to be a change in your primary relationship on this earth. Your primary relationship on this earth has to be Jesus Christ, not children, or parents, or spouse, or baseball, or football. I had to kind of add that in because sometimes these things are above families as well. If your primary relationship is Christ all the family relationships will be taken care of. Jesus has raised the standard of being his disciple to all this crowd to see who would still follow. He's going to thin this crowd, because when Jesus seeks to change you a lot of people resist, want to compromise, and just plain refuse.
I have said all this to try to make the point that our churches are filled with people that have come in, but have refused to come to Jesus.
The disciples that have "come after" Jesus have taken this a little deeper. They'll have to check to see what's going on in the Kingdom before they decide what they're doing on a Friday night. They're the kind of people that will have to check to see what the kingdom is like and if it exists in that town where the new and better job is. The kind of people that will move closer to their church than their job. They can't accept a better job somewhere that wants them to work three Sundays out of a month if they can't get to church sometime on the Lord's Day. When you come after Jesus you'll lose friends, and possibly some family as well. That is unacceptable to a lot of people. You'll thin the crowd around you just as Jesus did. Jesus doesn't intend for you to take up your cross and come after him unless you're willing to be hung on it. Thats what a cross is, something you carry until it carries you.
Why do 20% do 80% of the work? About 80% of the people have just come in and are content to stay there. We have to find a way to get people to come to, so their primary relationship can be Jesus and then begin the process of coming after.
Luke 14: 16-27, - 16But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
25Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.(ESV)
Three levels of invitation in the reading above. Come in, not just an invitation to church, Christ invites you to come in to hear about him. He invites all to come in. This means if they don't look like you, they're still invited. If they are tattered up we invite them to come in. This means if they're men and they got earrings in there ears, eyebrow, lip or tongue they're still invited. This means that if she's the fastest thing on the block and wearing her shirt so tight that all the men are looking strange, she's still invited. We seem to have decided that the church is suppose to attract good people. The church is suppose to attract ALL kinds of people as well as vulgar, despicable and downtrodden. We exert a lot of time and energy making sure the right kinds of people are at church. It is not your or my job to screen people coming to church. It's not your job to screen who comes to Jesus. Jesus invites everybody to come in. This is not our church. This is the first kind of invite that the Lord presents to people. Everybody is excepted to come in to Jesus. In the reading above (v.23, 25) we can see people had "come in" to Jesus and were following him. All kinds of people some looking for a miracle, some just to see what he would do next, and some to hear his message. Some I am sure were just thrill seekers and with this many people you know some were just there to socialize.
Jesus had all these people come in to him, but Jesus is not in the business of leaving people like they are. Starting in v. 25 thru 26 Jesus turns to the people that have come in and lets them know if they are going to come to him they're going to have to change. All these people that were thinking Jesus was accepting of them, and he is, now see that discipleship is going to cost them something. If you are going to "Come to" Christ there has to be a change in your primary relationship on this earth. Your primary relationship on this earth has to be Jesus Christ, not children, or parents, or spouse, or baseball, or football. I had to kind of add that in because sometimes these things are above families as well. If your primary relationship is Christ all the family relationships will be taken care of. Jesus has raised the standard of being his disciple to all this crowd to see who would still follow. He's going to thin this crowd, because when Jesus seeks to change you a lot of people resist, want to compromise, and just plain refuse.
I have said all this to try to make the point that our churches are filled with people that have come in, but have refused to come to Jesus.
The disciples that have "come after" Jesus have taken this a little deeper. They'll have to check to see what's going on in the Kingdom before they decide what they're doing on a Friday night. They're the kind of people that will have to check to see what the kingdom is like and if it exists in that town where the new and better job is. The kind of people that will move closer to their church than their job. They can't accept a better job somewhere that wants them to work three Sundays out of a month if they can't get to church sometime on the Lord's Day. When you come after Jesus you'll lose friends, and possibly some family as well. That is unacceptable to a lot of people. You'll thin the crowd around you just as Jesus did. Jesus doesn't intend for you to take up your cross and come after him unless you're willing to be hung on it. Thats what a cross is, something you carry until it carries you.
Why do 20% do 80% of the work? About 80% of the people have just come in and are content to stay there. We have to find a way to get people to come to, so their primary relationship can be Jesus and then begin the process of coming after.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Book of Life
Dusty idea is the Book of Life doesn't have permanent entries in it. We don't have any trouble understanding what the Bible says, we just need to stay within the confines of the scripture.
I know there's a segment of Christendom that comes at salvation from the standpoint that's its permanent. Can't do anything to lose it. If you are truly saved you won't ever sin to the point of being able to lose it again, because God knows what you're going to do and predestines you to eternal salvation. Even before you are born God knows what you are going to do.
God is omnipresent, he can and does know what you will do. He doesn't make the choice for you though. It's still YOUR choice. You still have to obey the gospel of Christ.
I have asked about scriptures that support the doctrine of once saved always saved. I haven't had a lot of luck finding where this doctrine comes from except on the Internet. Scriptures to substantiate it.
1. John 3:15-18 ... so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (NASB)
There is no doubt that you must believe that Jesus is the Christ. John 8:24 says that if you don't believe that Jesus is the Christ you will die in your sins. When you rightly divide the word of God you have to consider the whole new Testament. When the statement is put forth that you have to believe to go to heaven it is completely accurate. This is what this verse is telling us and nothing else. To say this is the only defining activity in the New Testament is to say there was a lot of time and paper wasted on the rest.
2. John 10:26-30 ... But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
This is another verse put forth in support of the doctrine of once saved always saved. Jesus has healed a blind mind in the temple. In verse 22 of this chapter the Bible says that "At that time...", so what is about to take place is very soon after the parable of the good Shepherd. He explains that the ones that are of his flock hear his voice and they "follow" me. Follow is a word that requires continual action. You must keep following Jesus' words to be a follower of him. Then no man will be able to prevent you from being saved. You will be the only one that can prevent yourself from being saved.
3. Romans 8:38-39 ... For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Another verse in support of the once saved always saved doctrine. Pretty straight forward verse here. Nothing created and not even death can separate someone that is "following" Christ from the love of God found in Jesus. Again only one that can separate us from God is us. You may want to know how I know we're the only one that can separate us even after we've obeyed Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
As I've stated before in this article, combining the Bible together to get the complete message we see that all the verses above if taken as OSAS doctrine, then the message to a Church that Christ built in Revelation 3 isn't true. Read it closely, pick any translation you care to. In verse 2-3 if they don't wake up and remember what they have received and heard and strengthen what remains, they will die. In verse 5 if the Christians don't overcome this they will have their names ERASED from the Book of Life. They will have run the race in vain and lost their eternal salvation. In verse 4, there are a few people that have not "SOILED" their garment of white. They had garments of white and now they don't. Think people....these are Christians that John is writing to. If these Christians didn't wake up they were going to lose their salvation.
I know there's a segment of Christendom that comes at salvation from the standpoint that's its permanent. Can't do anything to lose it. If you are truly saved you won't ever sin to the point of being able to lose it again, because God knows what you're going to do and predestines you to eternal salvation. Even before you are born God knows what you are going to do.
God is omnipresent, he can and does know what you will do. He doesn't make the choice for you though. It's still YOUR choice. You still have to obey the gospel of Christ.
I have asked about scriptures that support the doctrine of once saved always saved. I haven't had a lot of luck finding where this doctrine comes from except on the Internet. Scriptures to substantiate it.
1. John 3:15-18 ... so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (NASB)
There is no doubt that you must believe that Jesus is the Christ. John 8:24 says that if you don't believe that Jesus is the Christ you will die in your sins. When you rightly divide the word of God you have to consider the whole new Testament. When the statement is put forth that you have to believe to go to heaven it is completely accurate. This is what this verse is telling us and nothing else. To say this is the only defining activity in the New Testament is to say there was a lot of time and paper wasted on the rest.
2. John 10:26-30 ... But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
This is another verse put forth in support of the doctrine of once saved always saved. Jesus has healed a blind mind in the temple. In verse 22 of this chapter the Bible says that "At that time...", so what is about to take place is very soon after the parable of the good Shepherd. He explains that the ones that are of his flock hear his voice and they "follow" me. Follow is a word that requires continual action. You must keep following Jesus' words to be a follower of him. Then no man will be able to prevent you from being saved. You will be the only one that can prevent yourself from being saved.
3. Romans 8:38-39 ... For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Another verse in support of the once saved always saved doctrine. Pretty straight forward verse here. Nothing created and not even death can separate someone that is "following" Christ from the love of God found in Jesus. Again only one that can separate us from God is us. You may want to know how I know we're the only one that can separate us even after we've obeyed Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
As I've stated before in this article, combining the Bible together to get the complete message we see that all the verses above if taken as OSAS doctrine, then the message to a Church that Christ built in Revelation 3 isn't true. Read it closely, pick any translation you care to. In verse 2-3 if they don't wake up and remember what they have received and heard and strengthen what remains, they will die. In verse 5 if the Christians don't overcome this they will have their names ERASED from the Book of Life. They will have run the race in vain and lost their eternal salvation. In verse 4, there are a few people that have not "SOILED" their garment of white. They had garments of white and now they don't. Think people....these are Christians that John is writing to. If these Christians didn't wake up they were going to lose their salvation.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Eternity has begun
Dusty idea is that our bodies are finite and then the body dies. We have a soul right now within us that will live on forever. Since it will never die, eternity has began for us all, we will just transition at death.
Part of the problem in this world is that the devil has somehow convinced people that this is it. This is as good as it gets. Quite frankly its not that hard to convince people that this is it, because our mortal bodies die. We watch them die and go in the ground, or have an urn that someone's cremated remains are in. We drive by graveyards, they're in every community. It looks like a very final thing. In fact to people still living on the earth it never changes, once you die, you're just dead, from a worldly point of view. To the person thats not spiritual, or the natural man, same as a carnal man, the idea that the spirit lives on is foolishness.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
We are not a temporary body that has a soul and then the body dies. We are an eternal soul that is in control of a very temporary body and then we live on. With this truth in place, what do you think people should be concerned with? Things of the body or things of the spirit? Body is temporary, spirit is eternal. This is the definition of a no-brainer. If all you are concerned with is this world and pleasures, and how much fun I can have before I die. How much money I can make. How many rules can I break and how much shock value my actions can have. That's not being spiritual.
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 NASB
If you have taken no real, serious thought about your eternal situation, you need to stop analyze your actions, are they spiritual? Snap your fingers,...... even if you live for 100 years, your life is that snap of the fingers compared to eternity. Only that snap was too long and too loud.
Part of the problem in this world is that the devil has somehow convinced people that this is it. This is as good as it gets. Quite frankly its not that hard to convince people that this is it, because our mortal bodies die. We watch them die and go in the ground, or have an urn that someone's cremated remains are in. We drive by graveyards, they're in every community. It looks like a very final thing. In fact to people still living on the earth it never changes, once you die, you're just dead, from a worldly point of view. To the person thats not spiritual, or the natural man, same as a carnal man, the idea that the spirit lives on is foolishness.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
We are not a temporary body that has a soul and then the body dies. We are an eternal soul that is in control of a very temporary body and then we live on. With this truth in place, what do you think people should be concerned with? Things of the body or things of the spirit? Body is temporary, spirit is eternal. This is the definition of a no-brainer. If all you are concerned with is this world and pleasures, and how much fun I can have before I die. How much money I can make. How many rules can I break and how much shock value my actions can have. That's not being spiritual.
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 NASB
If you have taken no real, serious thought about your eternal situation, you need to stop analyze your actions, are they spiritual? Snap your fingers,...... even if you live for 100 years, your life is that snap of the fingers compared to eternity. Only that snap was too long and too loud.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Good to go...
Dusty idea is we have to keep gaining knowledge, seek to save that which is lost and become more spiritual.
There is a thought process that says just as soon as we have repented, confessed Him before men and contacted the blood of Christ through baptism, we're "good to go". At that exact moment we may be, but being spiritual isn't something we can gain from a static position.
1 Corinthians 3:1 - Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.(ESV)
You mean when you become a Christian you're still worldly, carnal? According to the apostle Paul we've just started the spiritual learning experience. We have the rest of our lives, however short or long that is, to strive to become Christ-like. Since we can't ever be perfect then the striving is the key it seems. If you were baptized and the blood of Jesus cleansed you and you fell into the "satisfied" category since that point in time, is that striving? If you haven't advanced in working for the Lord since that time, it's time to start to becoming a more mature Christian.
Back to our verse, Paul is addressing people that should have already been on the meat of the word instead of the milk. They were still mere infants and had probably been in the Lord's church for years. Does that describe you?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)
Luke 19:10 - For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.(ESV)
If we're to obey God and emulate Christ, we're gonna have to seek to save the lost. About to make my politically minded friends and brethren upset probably. Seeking to save the lost governor's seat in your state doesn't come under this heading. Politics generally causes strife even among brothers and sisters in Christ. Less time on the political trail and more time finding people lost without hope in a dying world, that will accept the word. You know God didn't ask us to be soil analysts, just sow the seed. In the parable of the sower, he sowed everywhere. The sower didn't check the ground first. He just sowed the seed, it was up to the ground to allow the seed to grow. Threw that in for free.
There is a thought process that says just as soon as we have repented, confessed Him before men and contacted the blood of Christ through baptism, we're "good to go". At that exact moment we may be, but being spiritual isn't something we can gain from a static position.
1 Corinthians 3:1 - Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.(ESV)
You mean when you become a Christian you're still worldly, carnal? According to the apostle Paul we've just started the spiritual learning experience. We have the rest of our lives, however short or long that is, to strive to become Christ-like. Since we can't ever be perfect then the striving is the key it seems. If you were baptized and the blood of Jesus cleansed you and you fell into the "satisfied" category since that point in time, is that striving? If you haven't advanced in working for the Lord since that time, it's time to start to becoming a more mature Christian.
Back to our verse, Paul is addressing people that should have already been on the meat of the word instead of the milk. They were still mere infants and had probably been in the Lord's church for years. Does that describe you?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (ESV)
Luke 19:10 - For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.(ESV)
If we're to obey God and emulate Christ, we're gonna have to seek to save the lost. About to make my politically minded friends and brethren upset probably. Seeking to save the lost governor's seat in your state doesn't come under this heading. Politics generally causes strife even among brothers and sisters in Christ. Less time on the political trail and more time finding people lost without hope in a dying world, that will accept the word. You know God didn't ask us to be soil analysts, just sow the seed. In the parable of the sower, he sowed everywhere. The sower didn't check the ground first. He just sowed the seed, it was up to the ground to allow the seed to grow. Threw that in for free.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Real Peace
Dusty Idea is the real peace that can be obtained in this world is not about this world. It's not a peace of wars and things. It's the peace that Jesus brought and is available to every man now.
Matthew 10:34 - Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (ESV)
Christ continues on in chapter 10 of Matthew, following Christ isn't about having peace in this world. He says if we follow him, like he requires to be followed, we'll have enemies in our own households. Side note here, if you're loved by "everyone" including children of the devil(Acts 13:10), you're probably not doing something right. Christ says you will be hated for his names sake(John 15:19). If you're not being hated on by someone, you better check yourself out. You've probably compromised with the devil on something, and possibly only you know what it is.
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (ESV)
The peace that Christ brought isn't a peace like between governments. Christ brought the ability for us to have peace with God. To have our sins forgiven so we can be reconciled back to God. The peace that Christ left us with is peace with God almighty.
John 16:33 - I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (ESV)
Colossians 3:15 - And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:13-17 -13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (ESV)
We see in verse 14 above he is our peace, he is the Prince of Peace. He took the old law out of the way so Jew and Gentile could become one people in Christ and could be reconciled with God. Why did he take the old law out of the way? Simple, because it was in the way of everyone having salvation.
What was the price of peace? It took the pure lamb of God to be sacrificed on the cross. Hebrews 9:22 says without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. No one can be reconciled or get into a friendly relationship with God without the blood of Jesus. Some people say that the Church isn't important. When you say that you're saying that the blood of Jesus isn't important, because that's what it took to purchase the Church.
Then we have the people of peace, Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. All the children of God are peacemakers. If you are a member of Christ's church and are actively seeking to save that which is lost, you are a peacemaker when you strive to help other people have peace with God.
Matthew 10:34 - Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (ESV)
Christ continues on in chapter 10 of Matthew, following Christ isn't about having peace in this world. He says if we follow him, like he requires to be followed, we'll have enemies in our own households. Side note here, if you're loved by "everyone" including children of the devil(Acts 13:10), you're probably not doing something right. Christ says you will be hated for his names sake(John 15:19). If you're not being hated on by someone, you better check yourself out. You've probably compromised with the devil on something, and possibly only you know what it is.
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (ESV)
The peace that Christ brought isn't a peace like between governments. Christ brought the ability for us to have peace with God. To have our sins forgiven so we can be reconciled back to God. The peace that Christ left us with is peace with God almighty.
John 16:33 - I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (ESV)
Colossians 3:15 - And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:13-17 -13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (ESV)
We see in verse 14 above he is our peace, he is the Prince of Peace. He took the old law out of the way so Jew and Gentile could become one people in Christ and could be reconciled with God. Why did he take the old law out of the way? Simple, because it was in the way of everyone having salvation.
What was the price of peace? It took the pure lamb of God to be sacrificed on the cross. Hebrews 9:22 says without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. No one can be reconciled or get into a friendly relationship with God without the blood of Jesus. Some people say that the Church isn't important. When you say that you're saying that the blood of Jesus isn't important, because that's what it took to purchase the Church.
Then we have the people of peace, Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. All the children of God are peacemakers. If you are a member of Christ's church and are actively seeking to save that which is lost, you are a peacemaker when you strive to help other people have peace with God.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The benefits of hell
Dusty idea is that there aren't any benefits to going to hell. Depends on who you are. See, there is a type of person that will gain some benefits from going to hell.
Here is Psalms 50 starting with verse 16 we read about this type of person.
16But to the wicked God says:
"What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19"You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
Wow, right off the bat if you are able to Climb to hell you won't have the pesky Bible to read anymore. No one will be asking you to "study to show yourself approved". You won't have to worry about being asked to a Bible Class. You won't have to have any more awkward conversations with Christians about why you wouldn't be caught dead with that bunch of hypocrites or that bunch of people that won't let me be myself. You won't ever have to have any discipline or structure ever again. You've shed yourself of God and all his rules and regulations. You're FREE right?.....RIGHT!?? All that swearing and cursing you've been doing, you don't have to watch who's around at all now, not that some of you ever did. You don't have to worry about keeping lies in the little white category now either, just go ahead and make them big dark ones, no need to hold back now.
People that have been warming a church pew for years that make it to hell won't have to listen to that awful song leader anymore. You won't have to sing that hymn that you just hate. You won't have to feel guilty or embarrassed for not volunteering for something when it comes up. Those church members that you couldn't stand to sit around, you won't have to do that anymore either. If you don't enjoy going to church you understand probably most of what I have said here. Just keep in mind that the benefits of hell are everlasting. They're never going to end. Oh there are a few things on the down side, like no water, no light, no air conditioning.
Think about these benefits, after you die they're unchangeable. Is this really the retirement package you want after you leave this earth?
Here is Psalms 50 starting with verse 16 we read about this type of person.
16But to the wicked God says:
"What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19"You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
Wow, right off the bat if you are able to Climb to hell you won't have the pesky Bible to read anymore. No one will be asking you to "study to show yourself approved". You won't have to worry about being asked to a Bible Class. You won't have to have any more awkward conversations with Christians about why you wouldn't be caught dead with that bunch of hypocrites or that bunch of people that won't let me be myself. You won't ever have to have any discipline or structure ever again. You've shed yourself of God and all his rules and regulations. You're FREE right?.....RIGHT!?? All that swearing and cursing you've been doing, you don't have to watch who's around at all now, not that some of you ever did. You don't have to worry about keeping lies in the little white category now either, just go ahead and make them big dark ones, no need to hold back now.
People that have been warming a church pew for years that make it to hell won't have to listen to that awful song leader anymore. You won't have to sing that hymn that you just hate. You won't have to feel guilty or embarrassed for not volunteering for something when it comes up. Those church members that you couldn't stand to sit around, you won't have to do that anymore either. If you don't enjoy going to church you understand probably most of what I have said here. Just keep in mind that the benefits of hell are everlasting. They're never going to end. Oh there are a few things on the down side, like no water, no light, no air conditioning.
Think about these benefits, after you die they're unchangeable. Is this really the retirement package you want after you leave this earth?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Bible messages that can't be changed #5
Another message from God that can't be changed, written to the Church in Rome.
Romans 7:4
4Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God1. (ESV)
The old law, the law of Moses was the schoolmaster2 to bring the Jews to Christ. There are a lot of people that still want to keep some things from the law of Moses. Some people want to keep the instruments of music3. Some people are still tithing4. Tithing was money or goods paid to the Levitical priesthood. Some people want us to still observe the Sabbath Day. The ten commandments are still held up as something we are commanded from.
We need to decide if we're going to follow the law of Moses or the law of Christ5. The message that Christ has taken away the "ministration of death"6 or the "ministration of condemnation" is a message that can't be changed.
1. Other Ref. Colossians 2:10-14, Ephesians 2:15, Hebrews 10:1-10
2. Galatians 3:24
3. 2 Chronicles 29:25-29
4. Numbers 18:26
5. Galatians 6:2
6. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9
Romans 7:4
4Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God1. (ESV)
The old law, the law of Moses was the schoolmaster2 to bring the Jews to Christ. There are a lot of people that still want to keep some things from the law of Moses. Some people want to keep the instruments of music3. Some people are still tithing4. Tithing was money or goods paid to the Levitical priesthood. Some people want us to still observe the Sabbath Day. The ten commandments are still held up as something we are commanded from.
We need to decide if we're going to follow the law of Moses or the law of Christ5. The message that Christ has taken away the "ministration of death"6 or the "ministration of condemnation" is a message that can't be changed.
1. Other Ref. Colossians 2:10-14, Ephesians 2:15, Hebrews 10:1-10
2. Galatians 3:24
3. 2 Chronicles 29:25-29
4. Numbers 18:26
5. Galatians 6:2
6. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Which Church did Paul try to destroy?
Have a few questions while I'm working on the next dusty idea.
Galatians 1:13 - For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
Paul is writing to the Church in Galatia. He is bringing his past life in Judaism to their remembrance and how he persecuted the church violently and tried to destroy "it". This blog revolves around "it". "It" in this passage is called the church of God. In other passages we find church of the First Born, church of the Living God, and also the Churches of Christ. In our day and age there is confusion with denominations and what the Bible regards as "it". We're going to investigate that for a few minutes.
First off lets just start from scratch here and see who's Church it is. I can glean two things from Matthew 16:18 - And I say unto you, thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. No doubt here, its Christ's church, it belongs to him. If it belongs to him, why would a church be named after a man or a method? I can also see that it will last forever because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So it's Christ's and its gonna last forever. So we can see from this that Paul was persecuting the church that Christ built.
Next question before we can figure out what "it" is. On the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, there were about 3000 souls added to the church that day. Were they all put in the same church or divided out into 6, 7, 8, 20 or 1500 different churches like all the denominations we have out here today? Well lets see, we're gonna make some of you guys baptists, some methodists, some lutherans, some of you can be catholics. Does the Bible say anything like that? When the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Ghost earlier in the day were they all in the same church? They were the first converts to Christianity. The Bible doesn't say they all went out from that place and picked a street corner and started their churches. Acts 2:44 says they all stayed in the same place and had all things common. They were in the same church and had the same doctrine and they all spoke the same thing.
Now back to the original thought, what church did Paul try to destroy?
Take the pattern of your church (How, when, who you worship) lay it over the original pattern found in the New Testament and see if it fits. This would take some time and trouble, but isn't your eternal destiny and the eternal destiny of your family and children worth some of your time? If it doesn't fit, it isn't the church that Paul persecuted, it isn't "it". The "mourners bench" and "praying through" is that in the Gospel? See if you can find where an alien sinner was told to pray to get saved. You'll be reading till Jesus comes and you'll never find it. What about "tarrying for the Holy Ghost"? Find me anybody in the Bible that was sprinkled as a form of baptism, it's not in there. Do you have a woman preaching at your congregation, find that for me in the Bible. Are people in your congregation waiting for the "rapture"? Are you waiting for Jesus to return and set up a kingdom on this earth? If your church has a doctrine that includes any of this stuff it's not "it".
Galatians 1:13 - For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
Paul is writing to the Church in Galatia. He is bringing his past life in Judaism to their remembrance and how he persecuted the church violently and tried to destroy "it". This blog revolves around "it". "It" in this passage is called the church of God. In other passages we find church of the First Born, church of the Living God, and also the Churches of Christ. In our day and age there is confusion with denominations and what the Bible regards as "it". We're going to investigate that for a few minutes.
First off lets just start from scratch here and see who's Church it is. I can glean two things from Matthew 16:18 - And I say unto you, thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. No doubt here, its Christ's church, it belongs to him. If it belongs to him, why would a church be named after a man or a method? I can also see that it will last forever because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So it's Christ's and its gonna last forever. So we can see from this that Paul was persecuting the church that Christ built.
Next question before we can figure out what "it" is. On the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, there were about 3000 souls added to the church that day. Were they all put in the same church or divided out into 6, 7, 8, 20 or 1500 different churches like all the denominations we have out here today? Well lets see, we're gonna make some of you guys baptists, some methodists, some lutherans, some of you can be catholics. Does the Bible say anything like that? When the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Ghost earlier in the day were they all in the same church? They were the first converts to Christianity. The Bible doesn't say they all went out from that place and picked a street corner and started their churches. Acts 2:44 says they all stayed in the same place and had all things common. They were in the same church and had the same doctrine and they all spoke the same thing.
Now back to the original thought, what church did Paul try to destroy?
Take the pattern of your church (How, when, who you worship) lay it over the original pattern found in the New Testament and see if it fits. This would take some time and trouble, but isn't your eternal destiny and the eternal destiny of your family and children worth some of your time? If it doesn't fit, it isn't the church that Paul persecuted, it isn't "it". The "mourners bench" and "praying through" is that in the Gospel? See if you can find where an alien sinner was told to pray to get saved. You'll be reading till Jesus comes and you'll never find it. What about "tarrying for the Holy Ghost"? Find me anybody in the Bible that was sprinkled as a form of baptism, it's not in there. Do you have a woman preaching at your congregation, find that for me in the Bible. Are people in your congregation waiting for the "rapture"? Are you waiting for Jesus to return and set up a kingdom on this earth? If your church has a doctrine that includes any of this stuff it's not "it".
Saturday, September 18, 2010
What must I do to be lost?
Dusty idea is the idea that I might be lost. What is lost? It means that you have died in your sins, and you will go to Gehenna or hell as described by Jesus in Matthew the 25th chapter. You will be in outer darkness for all eternity.
Most people you see will tell you that when they die they want to go to heaven. Most people aren't making any preparations to go there though. It's like the person that wanted to be a doctor when they grew up, but didn't want to study anything in school. They want, and they hope, but without any preparation how many patients do you think they'll get as a doctor? I know some people have fake degrees and get by with things for a while or maybe never get caught playing doctor. I promise you your fake Christian degree isn't going to fool God. You're not going to duck and dodge or slip and slide into heaven on some kind of accidental thing that God somehow forgot about you. If you go to heaven it will be because you have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ1. It will be because you believe it2. Then you repented3 of sinful practices. You confessed4 Christ as the Son of God. Then you contacted the blood of Jesus through baptism5 (not infant baptism but an accountable age), which blood washed6 your sins away. Then you continued following Jesus, seeking to save that which is lost7. Converting people like you once were. Then The Lord wrote your name in the Lamb's Book of Life8. Then you worshiped right, worked right and walked right so it wouldn't be blotted out9.
One of the ideas people seem to have is that God is going to just go around saving random good people or good as the world defines good. There aren't any good people Mark 10:18. Ephesians 5:23 says that Jesus is the savior of the body, you have to get into the body to be saved. He will not save you outside of the body.
What is the body? It's the Church, Colossians 1:24 Paul says Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
Are you in the body? The title of this dusty idea was what must I do to be lost, well here it is: don't do anything listed above in red. Whatever you do don't do that, because it's the only thing that can take you to heaven.
1 Acts 15:7
2 Mark 16:16
3 Acts 2:38
4 Luke 12:8
5 Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, Colossians 2:12
6 Eph. 1:7, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5, Acts 22:16
7 Mark 16:15
8 Philippians 4:3, Revelation 21:27
9 Revelation 3:5
Most people you see will tell you that when they die they want to go to heaven. Most people aren't making any preparations to go there though. It's like the person that wanted to be a doctor when they grew up, but didn't want to study anything in school. They want, and they hope, but without any preparation how many patients do you think they'll get as a doctor? I know some people have fake degrees and get by with things for a while or maybe never get caught playing doctor. I promise you your fake Christian degree isn't going to fool God. You're not going to duck and dodge or slip and slide into heaven on some kind of accidental thing that God somehow forgot about you. If you go to heaven it will be because you have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ1. It will be because you believe it2. Then you repented3 of sinful practices. You confessed4 Christ as the Son of God. Then you contacted the blood of Jesus through baptism5 (not infant baptism but an accountable age), which blood washed6 your sins away. Then you continued following Jesus, seeking to save that which is lost7. Converting people like you once were. Then The Lord wrote your name in the Lamb's Book of Life8. Then you worshiped right, worked right and walked right so it wouldn't be blotted out9.
One of the ideas people seem to have is that God is going to just go around saving random good people or good as the world defines good. There aren't any good people Mark 10:18. Ephesians 5:23 says that Jesus is the savior of the body, you have to get into the body to be saved. He will not save you outside of the body.
What is the body? It's the Church, Colossians 1:24 Paul says Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
Are you in the body? The title of this dusty idea was what must I do to be lost, well here it is: don't do anything listed above in red. Whatever you do don't do that, because it's the only thing that can take you to heaven.
1 Acts 15:7
2 Mark 16:16
3 Acts 2:38
4 Luke 12:8
5 Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21, Colossians 2:12
6 Eph. 1:7, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5, Acts 22:16
7 Mark 16:15
8 Philippians 4:3, Revelation 21:27
9 Revelation 3:5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)