Bible messages that can't be changed #4

Dusty idea this time is Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. This is a dusty idea topic to itself, but we're going to access this message from the Bible in verses that some people would like to change or erase from the Bible.

John 17:2 - As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

In John 17th chapter we see that Jesus has been given power over all flesh. Does it matter what color people are? Does it matter about the social status? Does it matter if you're male or female? Does it matter what religion you're claiming to believe in? Does it matter if you believe in God or his Son? Jesus has all authority no matter how much some people don't like that idea.
John 14 Jesus gives us the final say on the entire matter, he is the way, he has the truth, and without him there is no life, now or in the judgment to come. You can't get to God except through Jesus and thats a message that can't be changed.

Everything God is.....

We're gonna resume messages that can't be changed but for a brief interlude, something I wanted to do for myself if no one else. Dusty idea is that God is more things than love. He is certainly love, he shows us on a continuing basis. We heard a sermon at church recently that held that God's main attribute is holiness. I agree with that, but here's other things the Bible says, "God is".

God is witness - Gen. 31:50
God is not a man - Num. 23:19
God is a consuming fire - Deut. 4:24
God is a merciful God - Deut. 4:31
God is one LORD - Deut. 6:4
God is a jealous God - Deut. 6:15
God is he that goeth over before thee - Deut. 9:3
God is God of gods - Deut. 10:17
God is he that goeth with you - Deut. 20:4
God is thy refuge - Deut. 33:27
God is with thee - Josh. 1:9
God is he that hath fought for you - Josh. 23:3
God is my strength and power - 2 Sam 22:33
God is mighty - Job 36:5
God is terrible majesty - Job 37:22
God is angry Ps. 7:11
God is forever and ever Ps. 45:6
God is the King - Ps. 47:7
God is known - Ps. 48:8
God is judge - Ps. 50:6
God is mine helper Ps. 54:4
God is for me - Ps. 56:9
God is my defense - Ps. 59:9
God is my salvation - Ps. 62:7
God is the God of salvation - Ps. 68:20
God is the strength of my heart - Ps. 73:26
God is a sun and shield - Ps. 84:11
God is greatly to be feared - Ps. 89:7
God is the rock of my refuge - Ps. 94:22
God is Holy - Ps. 99:9
God is pure - Prb. 30:5
God is righteous - Dan. 9:14
God is able - Mt. 3:9
God is come - Mt. 12:28
God is at hand - Mk. 1:15
God is preached - Lk. 16:16
God is within you - Lk. 17:21
God is nigh - Lk. 21:31
God is true - John 3:33
God is a spirit - John 4:24
God is glorified - John 13:31
God is revealed - Rom 1:18
God is manifest - Rom 1:19
God is blasphemed - Rom 2:24
God is eternal life - Rom 6:23
God is faithful - 1 Cor. 1:9
God is wiser than men - 1 Cor. 1:25
God is stronger than men - 1 Cor. 1:25
God is not the author of confusion - 1 Cor. 14:33
God is one - Gal. 3:20
God is not mocked - Gal 6:7
God is my record - Phil. 1:8
God is not bound - 2 Tim. 2:9
God is light - 1Jn 1:5
God is love - 1Jn 4:8

Bible messages that can't be changed #3

Dusty idea again is that the Bible can't be changed or altered to fit "modern" times.

Romans 1:16-17 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written the just shall live by faith.

In Romans 10:1-4 Paul talks about how the Jews had a zeal of God but not according to knowledge, and went about trying to establish their own righteousness instead of God's. This is not talking about the character of God, but how God made men righteous. According to Romans 1 above the righteousness of God is found in the gospel. So whatever God considered right he put it in the Bible.
If it's not found in the Bible it's not right. Where does that leave all the creed books in the world? The Baptist Standard's Manual, The Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal), The Book of Discipline (Methodist), The Book of Mormon? Where does that leave the koran and any other book you might come across thats not the Bible?

This message from Romans can't be changed by writing another book. We have one book, The Bible, in which the righteousness of God for man exists.

Bible Messages that can't be changed #2

Decided to change the name of these numbered posts to something that made more sense. Of course the dusty idea here is Bible messages can't be changed by men to suit what they want to believe.

Mark 9:1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." (ESV)
Matt. 16:28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (ESV)

These are a two parallel verses found in the Bible that pre-millienialists would like to have removed from the Bible. They believe Christ is going to set his kingdom up for a thousand years after he returns. Jesus' words are in direct conflict with this doctrine. Christ's own words say that there are people standing around him when he says this that will still be alive when the Kingdom comes. It came on the day of pentecost and it did come with power Acts 2:1-4.

Bible Messages that can't be changed #1

Dusty idea is that messages from the Bible can't be changed. Try to keep this short, but I don't know if I can..

I would first like to illustrate what I mean by messages that can't be changed in the Bible. If something is changed in the Bible God has to change it. Whatever has been delivered to us from the apostles is what we have to work with  (Jude 3). A prime example of God having a message delivered and not changing it would be Naaman the Syrian in II Kings 5. He was told to go down and wash in the Jordan River 7 times. He couldn't go anywhere else even after he asked if he could go to another river in Damascus. God didn't change his mind about where Naaman needed to go and he's not going to change his message for us today.

One of the messages found in the Bible that a lot of people would like to see removed or changed.

Mark 16:15-16, And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned.
Might be the number one verse in the Bible that people would like to see gone or changed. But it's been there a long time and it'll be there after you and I are long gone. I can't change it, you can't change it and your pastor can't change it. The great commission includes baptism to contact the blood of Jesus, it's not outdated, and can't be updated to just accepting Jesus in your heart and you're saved without baptism.

More to come...

Church vs. Politics

Duty Idea this time is pretty dusty. The idea that Christians don't really have time to do politics. Before my brothers and sisters go to getting on me let me explain. I have found it very hard to try to verbalize how I feel about politics, the governing of this world. I was studying old Christian writings by an author named Origen from a book titled "Contra Celsus". I don't know that all of what Origen had to say would be palatable, but I do agree with his stance on Christians in the political arena.

Celsus was very anti-Christ, in the book Celsus urges Christians to "take office in the government of the country, if that is required for the maintenance of the laws and the support of religion."  Origen's response was this, "But we recognise in each state the existence of another national organization founded by the Word of God., and we exhort those who are mighty in word and of blameless life to rule over Churches. Those who are ambitious of ruling we reject; but we constrain those who, through excess of modesty, are not easily induced to take a public charge in the Church of God. And those who rule over us well are under the constraining influence of the great King, whom we believe to be the Son of God, God the Word. And if those who govern in the Church, and are called rulers of the divine nation--that is, the Church-- rule well, they rule in accordance with the divine commands, and never suffer themselves to be led astray by worldly policy. And it is not for the purpose of escaping public duties that Christians decline public offices, but that they may reserve themselves for a diviner and more necessary service in the Church of God--for the salvation of men. And this service is at once necessary and right. They take charge of all--of those that are within, that they may day by day lead better lives, and of those that are without that they may come to abound in holy words and in deeds of piety; and that, while thus worshipping God truly, and training up as many as they can in the same way, they may be filled with the word of God and the law of God, and thus be united with the Supreme God through His Son the Word, Wisdom, Truth, and Righteousness, who unites to God all who are resolved to conform their lives in all things to the law of God.

This helps me understand that Christians are working with an international group that was founded by our Lord on Pentecost through the words of the apostles from the Holy Spirit and the overseers have all they can do to guard or watch out for the Church of Christ, the Church Jesus bought with his blood. They didn't have time in the New Testament to get into political affairs. I think if we take care of what our King wants us to he'll take care of the rest.

Read 1Cor. 1:16 , God is already in control of political things, lets work in the world for the King through his Kingdom.

If you rec'd a email notification of this post, it's not because I think you needed it, I just added some more email addresses to the notification list.

Climbing your way to Hell

The dusty idea is that hell is a place that is very easy to go to. Please read the rest of this post to understand where I'm going.

There are a bunch of people climbing there way to hell everyday. Well, why do I say climbing since most people usually talk about descending into hell? It's because you have a lot of obstacles to climb over to make it into hell. If you have Godly grandparents you have to climb over them, Godly parents also. You have to climb over Christians that are trying to convince you to become a Christian. You have to climb over Gospel preachers. You have to tell the Father that His plan is something I'm not willing to consider. You have to tell Jesus that his blood simply isn't that important. Whatever reason you have to keep climbing is more important than his own blood. You have to tell the Holy Spirit that his efforts in bringing about the holy scriptures over hundreds of years through the prophets and the apostles is of no value to you and its something you're just not ready to study and examine. You also have to set aside and overcome the call of the blood stained hill of Calvary, the invitation of the bride and the Spirit, ignore the suffering Jesus did, God's love for you. Walk over, set aside, circumvent, by pass, go around, look over, the blood of Jesus, he tasted death for every man. You have to walk over Mount Calvary, the blood that ran into the dirt and rocks. You have to climb over the greatest sacrifice that ever happened. If you can circumvent all of that, you deserve your reward.