Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am not a Biblical scholar. All my posts and comments are opinions and thoughts formulated through my current understanding of the Bible. I strive to speak of things that can be validated through Biblical Scriptures, and when I'm merely speculating, I make sure to note it. My views can be flawed, and I thus welcome any constructive perspectives and criticisms!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Luke: Jesus on Idolatry, Money, and Humor

Notes & thoughts from Sunday sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke

Luke 18:18-30
Jesus is not JUST a good teacher. When the rich man called Jesus a good teacher, Jesus rebuked him. We need to realize that Jesus is not just the best amongst us. He is in His own category. He is the God-man. ONLY Him is Good! No one is good except God alone!

The rich man said he has followed the Commandments down to the T. However, Jesus' response implies that the rich man was only checking things off, that he did those things as a matter of following through the motion but not as a matter of the heart. The rich man may therefore APPEAR do all the "right" things, but when his heart is not in the right place, it doesn't matter if he follows all the Commandments down to the T! Because when one's heart is not with God, that can be argued to be the greatest sin of all! Did Jesus not advise us that the most important Commandment is to love God, our Father?

Thus, Jesus is changing the rich man's "God" because Jesus knew that the rich man worshipped the wrong God: the rich man worshipped money, a form of idolatry. The man could not let go of his idolatry of money and status. Jesus thus told him that salvation and eternal life is not about money or status but about the God who loves us all and who will give us eternal life.


Idolatry

 
1. It consumes our lives.
We get so attached to it, we can't think of doing anything else. For example, getting good grades, earning high dollars, buying million dollar homes, owning a Porsche, etc.
 
2. It makes people manipulate God to offer idolatry.
This resonates very well with Hal Lindsey's Bible study that I posted a few days back. Lindsey mentioned the rise of the Prosperity Gospel, where many people (including pastors!) are telling the world that if you believe in God, you will be rich; if you believe in God, you will succeed; if you believe in God, your loved ones will not die from cancer; if you believe in God, you will never be hurt. Etc., etc., etc.! Dear friends, if this is your view of Christianity, expect to be disappointed. We need to realize that God has a plan for all of us, and this plan has been foretold thousands of years ago by prophets such as Daniel, Isaiah, and John. We, as Christians, are here to do God's work but most importantly, to maintain an open dialogue with God and to remain faithful in Him. We are NOT here to have God work for us! To have God glorify our lives! Who are we to expect such things? Jesus, the perfect Son of God, had to die on the cross to atone for our sins so that we may be righteous again to enter the Kingdom of God. We are therefore here to glorify God, not the other way around!
 
3. Once we obtain the idolatry, we become consumed by the maintenance of the idolatry.
For example, getting good grades, having a baby, buying a dream home/car, etc. becomes our idolatry. We then pray to God to help us achieve those things. Instead of opening the ears to hear and the eyes to see, we get blinded by our own selfish wants and needs and start thinking those things are the treasures that we need to obtain in life. We thus become deaf and blind to the work of God, and it's just a slippery downhill slip from there.

4. If we lose our idols, we become destroyed and devastated. For example, parents who idolized their children. Here, don't think of idolizing as what teenagers do when they hang pictures of their favorite pop singers on their walls. Here, idolize means the parents allow their entire world to revolve around their children. They do everything they can to make sure they attend the best of schools and get the best of things. And when the children finally grows up and leaves the house, they get devastated. We hear about this as "empty nest syndrome." They become devastated because the leaving of their idol has left their heart empty. And because during all this time, the parents spent all their energy "idolizing" their children, they failed to maintain their relationship with one another, and so, it is not uncommon to see marriages fall apart once the children leave the "nest." Worse, because the parents have been so focused on their children, they failed to maintain their personal relationship with God.

When Jesus told the rich man to give up his riches, the rich man said he was grieved. Jesus said He was grieved, too, because Jesus was suppose to be the man's treasure! Not money!

Money

We don't have to be rich to have money as our idol. When our thoughts are consumed by money, money is our idol. Money is not the root of evil. The LOVE of money is the root of evil! And whatever comes between us and Jesus, that is our idol, and we need to get rid of it. The value of our lives should never be about the "stuff"! It should be all about our heart! We need to always remember the greater war between God and satan and the fall of mankind. Through Jesus, we are redeemed, and we have a choice to make: eternal life or death. So what do you choose? Love of stuff or Love for Jesus?

Humor

How did Jesus rebuke the rich man? Jesus used humor! Jesus said it would be easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than to get the rich man to Heaven. Jesus is using this tactic to tell the rich man to lighten up, to stop taking himself so seriously. The riches that the rich man could not let go, those are just things! Riches don't go with us die! Jesus was telling the rich man, "Money is your idol. Let's face that, and help you through it!" Jesus teaches with love. He rebukes us with love. And often times, He uses humor to make hard truths easier to bear. So, we can certainly see here that Jesus is a great teacher. But, He is not JUST a great teacher. He is God.We should not make the same mistake as the rich man and deny Jesus' Godliness. It is not following the Commandments that will grant us salvation. Salvation is a Gift from God. It's already ours for the taking. But we need to take it, and to do so, our hearts need to be in Christ!

How do we figure out the idols in our lives?
1. Follow our money
2. Find what's not funny to us. (That is, things that when we are asked to let go, we get really uptight and can't even joke about it.)

The rich man had become a slave. He didn't own his riches. His riches owned him. And so, this story is not just about money. It is also about discovering one's own idol.

Is Jesus your treasure?

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Prophets to the Gentiles

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler

We covered Jonah, Nahoum, and Obadiah.
Conflicts between Edomite and Israel began in the womb with Esau and Jacob
The Book of Obadiah is about these two brothers
This book has two messages:
1. Justice of God demanding vengence on Edom/Esau (Obadiah 1-16) and victory of Jacob over Edom (Obadiah 17-21)
2. Dangers of pride and arrogance: Judgment against Edom is quoted more often than any other judgment in the Old Testament

Sins of  Edom that God is punishing, listed in Obadiah 3-16

 
1. Pride (Proverb 6: the number one of the 7 things that God hates is pride)
2. Confederacy against Israel
3. Violence
4. Rejoicing in plight of Judah
5. Looted Judah
6. Hindered Jews from escaping

End time implications

Ezekiel 38-39

God himself intervenes Magog's attempt to conquer Israel
This passage alludes to the use of nuclear weapons and describes Israel as a nation in peace without wall (There is a wall there today, suggesting near the end of times, Israel will have peace)

Events that are setting up for Ezekiel 38

- Arab-Israel conflict
- Iran gaining nuclear power
- Oil discovered in Caspian sea

Immediate neighbors of Israel were not mentioned in Ezekiel 38

Where are the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and Saudi Arabians?

Psalm 83

This passage describe events that need to precede Ezekiel 38
It suggests that the only way for the world to know God is only through judgment

Who are the Edomites today?
- The Edomites of today are the Islamic people; the people against Israel are not Arabs but Muslims
- Today, Israel is surrounded by the Islamic countries that are trying to wipe them off the face of the earth. But, this isn't the scenario painted in Ezekiel 38, which paints Israel in peace
- Ezekiel 38 suggests that there will be peace and prosperity in Israel before the ill-fated attempt of the Islams to destroy Israel
- Israel then defeats the Edomites followed by God's judgment on the Edomites

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Revelation: The 7 Churches

Bible Study with Dr. Hal Lindsey

The Seven Churches
Revelation 2-3

7 = completion, perfection
Church = everyone who is in the body of Christ (not the building!)

Why these 7 churches?
- They represent 7 literal churches and 7 symbolic churches
- Each church has certain characteristics applicable to understand the 7 church ages; Jesus spoke of warnings and solutions, especially for pastors/leaders of the church
- Things Jesus mentioned about each church can also be applied to certain individuals, so we should be able to glean from the lessons
- These 7 churches also allude to the 7 stages of church history in chronological order


1 John 5:45
The overcomer is who that believes that Jesus is the Son of God

1st church: Ephesus 33-100 AD
- Flaw: Knowledge without love and the filling of the spirit
- They had knowledge but they lost their first love (i.e., God) and did not count on the Holy Spirit to guide, teach, and lead them.

2nd church: Smyrna 100-312 AD
- Flaw: Persecuted poor but rich--These people built glamorous churches and so they are outwardly rich. However, how close a person or a group of people is to God is not related at all by how glamorous the buildings are. Remember, the church is the people in Christ, not the building. To be close to God is to be close to God at HEART. And so, the church of Smyrna was rich on the outside but poor on the inside.
- Constantine made the church a part of the government... and then it's all down hill from there.

3rd church: Pergamum 312-590 AD
- Flaw: Compromised with the world system

- The Roman Catholic church developed during this era, establishing a hierarchy that came between God and the believer. Christians, we need to read and know our Bible. Because if we do, it will be clear to us that no one comes between any individual and God. God wants each one of us to have a direct and personal relationship with Him. To have to communicate with God through a hierarchy of priests and bishops, that is wrong!

4th church: Thyatira 590-1517 AD
- Flaw: The church becomes a counterfeit, a whore church

- Spiritual idolatry rose with the establishment of the roman catholic church:
 

1. False teachings and doctrines--people could no longer look up scriptures for themselves, leading to false doctrines
 

2 Timothy 4:1
God instructed us to preach the Word and the Word only. Not on rituals or theories or customs. God warns that when the Word of God is not preached, people will be led astray.
 

2. Priest-craft: more and more power was given to the priest; the priest thus became the stumbling block between God and His people. He became the dispenser of God's salvation, that if people don't go to them, they will not receive salvation. NO! Jesus gives us salvation! Not man!

3. Idols

Deuteronomy 4:16
Warning against astrology and against worship of images, no graven images
 

John 4:23
We are to worship God in spirit and in truth through the guidance of the holy spirit. We are never to come to God through images--be it of Mary or some saints. That is idolatry!
 

4. False mediators

1 Timothy 2:5
There is one God and one mediator, Jesus.

5th church: Sardis 1517-1750 AD
- Flaw: Orthodoxy without the filling of the Spirit

- Theologically correct but spiritually dead. Dead orthodoxy

6th church: Philadelphia 1750-1900 AD
- No flaw!

- This was a period of time that saw the revival of evangelism and missions. Great men of God developed during this period. Furthermore, eschatology (study of prophecy) became an important study.
- This period therefore recovered the literal understanding of the Bible, including the Book of Revelation.

7th church: Laodicea 1900 AD-Rapture
- Flaw: Characterized by compromise and apostasy
- This period of time doubts the verbal inspiration of the Bible
- This church was defined by its external wealth: It had a wealthy banking center and was well-known for its medical school.
- These people think they are wealthy and well-off, but Jesus told them they were very poor, spiritually poor. Jesus gave it no accolades, because this church had no fervor for God.

- This church felt that they have no need for any help, that they are perfectly fine on their own. They think, "I'm rich. I'm wealthy. I'm in need of nothing."
- We are in this era. Many churches today are just going through the motions, not daring to stand up for Christ. These churches measure their own success by how "pretty" and magnificent its building is. But, wealth is not a measure of faith! And this gave rise to the Prosperity Gospel: if you believe in God, you'd be rich! All this is the curse of Laodicea, which all began when people started questioning the verbal inspiration of the Bible. The ENTIRE Bible is inspired by God. If people start picking things here and there to be only the verbal inspiration of God, then who gets to decide which passages are and which aren't? Read the Bible. All authors state very clearly that everything they write, it is the product of God's inspiration.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Revelation: Introduction

Bible Study with Hal Lindsey

Background
- The Book of Revelation is written around 160 AD, near the end of the reign of Caesar , who wanted to stamp out evangelism.
- The Temple in Israel was no longer standing, suggesting this Book was written after the Romans destroyed Israel.

Book of Revelation
- It is a book that focuses on the unveiling of who Jesus Christ really is
- It is a book of prophecy
- The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ

Daniel 12:4
Book of prophecy was to be remained concealed or encrypted until the end of time. The fact that we can now understand the Book is supporting evidence (amongst others) that we are nearing the end of time.

- Since 1948, when Israel regained independence, the countdown to the end of time began.
- The reason why the Book of Revelation cannot be understood until the end of time is because the Book was written to become more clear with the unfolding of current events. As the events predicted unfold, these events therefore provide the clues needed to understand prophecy.

Revelation 1:19
- John, a first century man, was brought to the future by God to bear witness to the Word of God, the testimony of Jesus Christ. The things he saw was therefore extremely foreign to him, and as we read on, we will see how he does his best to describe the futuristic things that he saw.
- John was told to write about...
1. Things which he's seen
2. Things which are: the Church age
3. Things which shall happen after these things (meta tauta = after these things): after the Rapture, about the Tribulation and the War

Revelation 4:1
Starts with "meta tauta" (After these things)
The sentence begins and ends with "After these things"
John was then raptured to heaven to see the future, which is our present time ( God said, Come up here! And John was in heaven--very much like the way we will be caught up with Christ when we, the church, get raptured)

Meaning of Numbers:
1 = perfect unity
2 = division
3 = perfect harmony
5 = grace
6 = man, man was created on the 6th day
7 = perfection and completeness
8 = resurrection

Sources of Revelation
1. God
2. the Holy Spirit: the implementer, the one that makes things happen
3. Jesus Christ: the faithful witness

2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is God breathed

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Luke: How do we become righteous?

Notes and thoughts from Sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/luke
 
There are two ways people gain righteousness, but there is only one correct way.

Luke 18:9-12
Method 1: Righteousness by works

In this parable, Jesus first spoke about a Pharisee who prayed about HIMSELF, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get."

Back in those days, the Pharisees were a group of very religious people. That is, they were very set on following the Laws, such as fasting and donating. However, Jesus said this man prayed about himself and ultimately denied him as righteous. Why?

Because the Pharisee didn't do any of those things for the glory of God. He did those things so that he can show off how deserving he was of God's glory. Well, the problem is, no man DESERVES God's glory! No matter how much he has done, no man will ever do enough to be good enough!

Here are some of the problems with the idea that righteousness can be gained/earned through human works:
1. It is man-centered, not God-centered [Look what I did! Look how much I have sacrificed! Look what I have suffered! Do I not deserve God's compassion?]
2. It compares us to someone other Jesus, when we were taught to be like Jesus [I'm better than him. At least I don't do that. Instead of, There is no way I could ever be as righteous as Jesus. There is no way I can ever measure up to Him.]
3. It is based on our performances reestablishing our own worth [I did this, so I must be good.]
4. It focuses on the external and not on the internal [I have given all this, I have accumulated all this, I have accomplished all this. Instead of, I love, therefore I do things out of love.]
5. It is based on the idea that God is not the judge. People are. [The Pharisee prayed in public so that the people can hear of the great thing he has done to be declared righteous. Not by God. But by the people. The Pharisee was seeking approval from the people, not God!]
6. It ultimately leads to pride. [I did this, so I am better than everyone else!]
7. It causes contempt, not compassion [I don't do this. People who do this are therefore disgusting. Instead of, We are all sinners, and we all have own inner battles. Let us help each other overcome our sins. In fact, this parable specifically addressed this in the beginning: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable"!]
8. It offends God.

Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean,and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

Philippians 3:8
Paul said, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

Simply put, God's view of our works of righteousness is that it is offensive and disgusting. 

There is a reason why we cannot return to Heaven or to be in the presence of the Lord. This is because we have sinned, and we are no longer perfect. We may think we can work hard to earn our way back to the Lord, but how do imperfect beings become perfect? How do unrighteousness beings gain righteousness?

WE DON'T!
Jesus did all the work for us! When He died for our sins on the cross, He said, "It is finished." The work that is needed to be done for our salvation has ALREADY BEEN DONE. Jesus did it all. And ONLY Jesus could do it because He was the ONLY perfect man.

And so, it is extremely insulting to think we can ever do it better than Jesus. It is extremely offensive to think we can add to the work that has already been accomplished perfectly by Jesus. Is is extremely proud to think we can be good enough without Jesus Christ!

And so, Jesus talked about a tax collector in the same parable.

Method 2: Righteousness by Gift
Luke 18:13-14

Jesus said, "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The tax collector of back when is like loan sharks of our day. People who we do not equate with high moral values. People who we think of as monsters who would pray on those who are already down. Yet, Jesus said this man went home justified before God. Why? He preyed on the weak and extorted from the poor. He certainly did not religiously fast twice a week and definitely did not donate a tenth of his earnings. So, why was he justified? Because the tax collector showed true repentance. He knew he was not good enough to march right up to God and expect redemption. He knew there was nothing he could ever do to deserve anything good from God. And so, the tax collector prayed for God's mercy.

And that is the greatest Gift of all: God's mercy.

If we demanded justice, we would deserve death and eternal suffering. We do not deserve anything but that! But the good news is, Jesus offers us His mercy freely and openly. He willingly took our sins and gifted us with His righteousness. All we need to do is extend our arms and ask for His mercy. To ask Him not to give us what we deserve (for He is a Just God), but to give us His mercy (for He is a Loving God). He DIED on the cross for us, just so He could remain both a Just AND a Loving God. That is just amazing. To think we can ever do anything remotely impressive, to think we can ever add to that great feat... that is just ungraciously proud.

So, how do we become righteous?

Through Jesus Christ.

1. We should compare ourselves to Jesus and the Word of God
2. We should despise, not celebrate, our sins [The Pharisee was extremely proud, and his prayer exploited his sin. Worse, it also showed how he was celebrating his sins!]
3. We need to humbly repent to God
4. We need to receive God's Grace and place our faith in Jesus Christ [That is, we need to trust that Jesus has done all the works for our salvation. We cannot count our own righteousness--Do we honestly believe we will never falter? But we can count on Jesus. And we should.]

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus is our righteousness!

We are indeed saved by works, but NOT by our works! We are saved by JESUS' works! Jesus takes our sins and makes us righteous! If God can be impressed by our works, then we need to keep performing to make sure we never disappoint Him. But that is not how God works. God loves us. And He loves us for who we are. And He wants us all to be back Home with Him. And to do that, He sent us Jesus to shepherd us Home.

Does this mean works is not important?

No!

James 2:26
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

We need to realize that we do works not to earn righteousness. We do works because we have been gifted righteousness!

Jesus has stressed time and time again that it is the heart that is the most important. The act of carrying out religious acts and following the laws are meaningless when our hearts are still bathed in its sinful nature.

However, when we sincerely seek mercy and redemption, we allow the Holy Spirit to enter us and to guide us. We allow God to work within us, to lead us toward righteousness. We therefore change because of God's work in us. Doing the right thing therefore becomes a product of great inner joy and not a list of duties.

This is a very different mindset from wanting to do things to impress others. The motive from this is self-serving and prideful.

There is nothing wrong with being a good person. But no matter how great of a person we think we are, we need to realize that we will never be able to measure up to Jesus. We need to stop thinking that we can rely on ourselves to get back to God (think, Adam and Eve), and pray for God's guidance. Let Him show us the way and shine through us. Let Him purify us from within and out!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Jonah


Bible Study with Dr. Chuck Missler

The Book of Jonah eludes to Jesus' resurrection, and Jonah's account is authenticated by Jesus.

Matthew 12
Luke 11
Jesus speaks of Jonah and confirms Jonah's experience as a historical event, i.e., Jonah survived for the 3 days he was inside a fish. Scholars may argue about the historical fact of Jonah's account, but if Jesus Himself confirms the event, that ought trump anything that comes out of any scholar's mouth.

Jesus doesn't mention many prophets. In fact, Jesus speaks of only 4 Old Testament prophets;
Elijah
Elisha
Jonah
Isaiah

There are 3 elements that make up the good news of the Gospel:
1. Jesus died for our sins
2. Jesus was buried
3. Jesus rose again on the 3rd day

Echoes of these elements are found throughout the Old Testament and refers to Jesus' resurrection:
In < 1 Corinthians 15 >, Paul speaks about the Gospel "according to the Scriptures". What are the Scriptures? They are Scriptures of the Old Testament:
1. Jonah and the big fish is the most obvious reference to Jesus' resurrection simply because Jesus pointed to it.
2. < Genesis 1 >: New life begins on the 3rd day
3. Abraham's offering of Issac involves Issac being dead to him for 3 days until his death was substituted by a ram.
4. < Joshua 2:15 >: Rahab the harlot led the two spies down by a cord through the window. The word "cord" in Hebrew can also mean pain, sorrow, or travail. In < Joshua 2:18 >, when the spies told Rahab that she and her family can escape through the same cord, they used a different Hebrew word for cord, and that word could also mean, hope. When the spies left, Rahab told them to hide in the mountains for 3 days before going on their way. The interesting thing is, the first cord representing sorrow and pain and the second cord representing hope is separated by 3 days. This is the mystery level of the Bible that relates to Jonah's 3 days in the fish and Jesus resurrection on the third day.

In addition to alluding to the resurrection of Jesus, the account of Jonah also revealed several important points:

1. Jonah, in the process of telling the people of Nineveh to repent, he also led Gentiles to God. In fact, this is one of the many examples that show God has always had a plan for the Israelites and the Gentiles (as opposed to saving the Gentiles only because the Israelites rejected salvation).

2. Jonah was very reluctant to preach to the people of Nineveh because those people were rivals of his country. Jonah believed they deserved to be wiped out by God and did not wish to warn them as God instructed them to. It took 3 days inside a big fish to get Jonah to repent, and even then, God was like, so go, Jonah, get on with it. And so Jonah did. And to his surprise, the people of Nineveh repented! And Jonah was mad! He was so mad, he would rather die. But God said to Jonah (Jonah 4:10-11), "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" God's plan to save His children exceeds our foresight and understanding at times, and it is very easy for us to get overly emotional just because God's plan clashes with our selfish plans. In Jonah's case, his love for his country exceeded his love for God. There is nothing wrong with being a patriot, but we need to remember that as God's children, our duties are to God first, ourselves second.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Hannah, an inspirational mother


Sermon by Pastor Matt Jensen

Genesis 1:26-28
God made Adam and Eve in His image and instructed them to fill the earth with children that are to be His image-bearers, reflections of God's glory. But, sin entered the world. We now can no longer accurately reflect God's glory.

1 Samuel 1

Hannah was barren, badly misunderstood by her husband (Elkanah), badly treated by Peninnah, badly misunderstood by Priest Eli who thought she was crazy when she was actually just praying her soul out to God. Worse, Hannah remained deeply distressed for many years.

Hannah cried out to God from her pain. Her prayer wasn't a negotiation, like, "If you do this for me then I will do this for you." No, her prayer rose from her finally understanding her place in the world. She knew she was a servant of God and understood that if she were to conceive, her child will be an image of God. In this process of her reaching out to God, she placed her full trust in God. She was able to go home and eat once again--because she knew God would take care of her, even before God proved it to her that He would! Her faith in God was so great that she dedicated  her son to the Lord as promised, despite that at the time the Temple was led by corrupted men, such as Priest Eli and his sons.

Hannah's story is a great inspiration that teaches us all about what we should do when we are waiting in pain.


Hannah's story also teaches us that parenthood isn't about what we want but about serving God. Parents have the mission to fill the earth with God's image. And when we seek parenthood, we need to realize that as a part of our greater mission in life: to serve God and to display His glory.


Casting Lots

Bible Study by Dr. Chuck Missler

Instances of casting lots documented in the Bible:

Jonah 1:7
Sailors cast lot to determine who was responsible for bringing on the catastrophic sea storm

Proverb 16:33
Casting lots is thought as a way God would communicate to tell the people where the problem lies

Joshua 7

The people of Israel cast lots to determine the sin of Achan

Joshua 15

Cast lot to divide the land

Numbers 26, 34

Cast lot to assign inheritance

Judges 1

Cast lot to select men for expedition

1 Samuel 10

Cast lot to elect King

1 Samuel 14
:42
Cast lot to determine sin of Jonathan, Saul's son

Acts 1
Cast lot to elect replacement for Judas

Leviticus 16

Cast lot to choose which goat to be the scape goat

1 chronicle 5

Cast lot to select the 6 cities as cities of refuge

After the Pentacost, there is no longer any documentation of lots be cast. Conservative scholars believe this is because people learned that our faith should not be placed in the chance of lots.


Thursday, May 5, 2011

Grey's Anatomy and Homosexuality


I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy, and I've been following the show since its pilot.

This week (Season 7, episode 20), Arizona and Callies (both women) are getting married, and that's brewing quite a storm on Grey's Anatomy's Facebook page.

As Christians, we all know that the Bible states it very clearly that homosexuality is a sin:

Levitcus 18:22
Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

Genesis 19
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the residents were barbaric--including their men's determination to group-rape the male visitors.

And of course, we all know how things turned out for the people of Sodom and Gommorah.


So... as a crazy fan of the show, I have recently been pondering, is it right for me to keep supporting the show? Am I sinning by being okay with this lesbian joining, even if it is all just fictional? After all, doesn't the Bible tell us that we sin just by having unclean thoughts?

To be honest, I have no answer for that.

But, at least I can be totally honest with myself. I know that I sin all the time, despite my best efforts. And when I'm tempted, I can either ignore it and stick up my nose at it or face it directly. Well, I prefer to face it directly because there is no running away... especially when God sees all anyway :)

I am for sure a 110% heterosexual. It's always difficult for me to watch intimacy between the same sex. In fact, when Grey's started casting homosexual story lines, I didn't like it at all. But I've watched the fictional relationship between Arizona and Callie grow, and the love that shines through is pretty breath-taking. And though I still have this guttural feeling that strongly resists homosexuality, I have to say that Arizona and Callie are my one and only favorite lesbian couple. Watching them kiss brings a smile to my face.

What is wrong with me, right?!

Well, like I've said, I'm still pondering, and I still don't have an answer.

But here's what I have so far:

In an earlier show (season 6, episode 5), there was a powerful conversation between Callie and her father, who tried to "pray away the gay". The conversation culminated with Callie shouting, "Jesus is my savior, not you! Jesus is my judge, not you! And Jesus would be ashamed at you for judging me!"

That's some powerful stuff for me because it reminds me that we were told to first love God and then to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus taught us that these are the two most important commandments (Matthew 22:36-40)!

We weren't told to judge or to turn our backs from those who do not follow God's Way. No, we were told to love our neighbors. Period. Not just the devout Christian neighbors, but also the not-so-perfect Christian neighbors, and certainly non-Christians!

We weren't told to judge, but we were told to rebuke our fellow brothers and sisters (Luke 171:10). Judging and rebuking are not the same. Judging is giving out a sentence, in a very matter-of-fact way. Guilty. Period. It allows no room for the person being judged to make any changes. Rebuking, on the other hand, is telling the person that what he/she is doing is not right in God's eyes. And in the process, help the person find his/her way to the Way. Jesus reminded us that we need to rebuke as many times as needed to lead those straying back to the Path. Rebuking sounds like pointing our fingers at the sinful person and strongly chastising him for his faults. But, we should learn from Jesus, right? Jesus rebuked many, but He always did so with such love and tenderness. He would graciously point out the sins of the people and lead them toward salvation.

It's always so, so, so easy to judge. But to rebuke with love, that's what we were taught to do, and it's still something I'm working on.

We all sin one way or another. We see dust in other people's eyes and yet remain ignorant of the plank in our own eyes (Matthew 7:3-5). Since none of us are without sin, how can we rightfully judge one another? We should therefore help each other grow, and allow love to help us overcome our prejudices.

I have a strong guttural rejection to homosexual intimacy, but that doesn't mean I am going to shun homosexual people. In fact, I have many homosexual friends. I pray to God to soften their hearts so that they may be open to His message. And I pray to God to grant me an opening when I can share that message with them. I pray the same prayer for all my non-Christian friends, and I certainly pray for myself that I may remain vigilant in God's Way and never deviate.

The fictional love between Arizona and Callie is so real, it hurts to know that such a beautiful thing (in human eyes) is sinful to God. It makes me want to pray and ask, why can't it be okay? If the love between them is real, why can't it be okay?

I discussed this with my husband a while back, and he brought up a good point: God has an order for everything. In regards to the place of a man and a woman in a household, God also has an order (1 Timothy 2). Marriage is the start of a household, and in a household, the man is to lead while the woman is to support the man. When there are two men or two women in the "household", how is that suppose to work? True, one of the two can be the "guy" while the other be the "gal". You know, I'm not sure whether that would really be that easy to accomplish, but I've never been in a gay relationship, so I really can't speak from experience. But the bigger point is, God has an order for everything. Just as every body part needs to play its part and is equally important (the head can't function without the arms; the digestive system can't function without the small intestines, etc.), the house of God needs both men and women to do their part.

Here, we can get into a debate about "What about those who were born with male organs but feel feminine on the inside?" Yes, what about that. What about those who were born blind? Who were born with a cleft palate? Who were born with birth defects?

No, I'm not trying to equate homosexuality to genetic defects. What I'm trying to point out is the number of unexplainable events that life throws at us. I certainly don't have the answers. I don't know why things happen the way they do. But I do know that we were taught to place our trust in the Lord and pray for guidance to lead us through all difficulties. It is not about doing what we want (We've shown this leads to disasters time and time again... depicted especially well in the book of Judges); it's about trusting God enough to follow Him, even when we can't understand why.

We all have our own sins to deal with, and many are very difficult issues. But we are the only ones who can face them, and God is the only one who can provide resolution. Turning away from God because His Way doesn't please us doesn't help (check out the book of Isaiah and learn from the mistakes of the Israelites). And because many issues are difficult, we should be glad that we can depend on the gentle rebukes of our fellow brothers and sisters.

So, if I were Arizona's and Callie's friend, I would tell them how inspirational their love is (because Love is God, and genuine love is therefore amazing!). But, I would also find the best opportunity to talk to them about God.

Bible thumping never does anyone any good. I was Bible thumped for many, many years, and I can confirm that it only pushed me further away.

If, however, I can gently lead people to God, then God will do the rest. I know this because that was how I was led to God. My husband gently answered my questions and cleared up my misunderstandings. He never once judged me but always provided support and information. And it was because of my own thirst for more, I found the courage to turn away from my sins and to place my faith in God.

So, let us not judge. Let us rebuke with love, just as Jesus taught and showed us.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Jesus is Coming

Bible Study with Pastor Terry Gray
Revelation 22:7-21

The book of Revelation motivates us to Christian living RIGHT NOW.

Activities we should do while we await the coming of God:

1. Remain faithful to the written Word of God

- Rely upon the written word of God as the ONLY infallible source of divine revelation, the ONLY source of absolute truth--we are to defend that and rely upon it; "These words are trustworthy and true," as said by the angel
- Adjust our life according to the Bible, not twisting the Bible to fit our lifestyle
- Defend/guard/preserve the word of God, for "blessed are those who keep the Word of God"
- Do the Word of God: practice what we preach!
- Proclaim the Word of God

2. Be worshippers of God

Do everything unto the Lord

3. Be kingdom workers

- We are servants of God
- We are to be involved in kingdom work, and while we wait for the return of Jesus, we should: pray, be vigilant witnesses, take part in mission work/get the gospel out!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Jesus and the Coming of His Kingdom


Sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll

Who is Jesus?

- Jesus came down from Heaven (John 6:38-42).

- Jesus is more than just a good man (Mark 10:17-18). “No one is good but God alone,” said Jesus. Jesus is not just a good man, not just a good teacher. Jesus alone is perfect. Jesus alone is God. Jesus alone is good.  

- Jesus performs miracles (John 10:36-39). “If you do not believe my words, look at my works,” said Jesus. Jesus still works miracles today. Not only should we believe His words, we should also witness His works.

- Jesus is sinless (John 8:46). No one is perfect, we all have admitted at least once. Except me, says Jesus. Jesus alone is perfect. This is a staggering statement. No other leader in the world has the ability/right to ever made this statement.

- Jesus is God (John 10:30-33). No other religious leader has ever made this claim.

- Jesus alone forgives Sin (Mark 2:5-7; Psalm 51:4).

- Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Jesus is exclusive. There is no salvation, no forgiveness of sins, no eternal life, no reconciliation with God without Jesus. However, Jesus is inclusive, too. Everyone is welcomed to pass through Him: Young and old, poor and rich, any religion, any cultural background… Anyone and everyone!


- Jesus was resurrected (Mark 8:31). Jesus’ vindication is His resurrection. Jesus is alive!

John 11:25-26
Jesus doesn't do funerals. He does resurrections.
No one can die in the presence of Jesus. The dead hears Jesus and raises up.
 
Jesus has power over death.
Death is tragic when it is perceived through the eyes of those without God, without Jesus. Death seems permanent without Jesus in the picture. However death viewed with Jesus in the picture is not scary at all. Jesus has control over death.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus defeated death.

The Coming of the Kingdom
Luke 17:20-37

- Jesus is the King (Daniel 7:13-14)
- Jesus would be king of all people.
- The kingdom would be nothing but good.

- The Kingdom of God is the people of God, living in the place of God, under the rules of God.
- Jesus comes the first time in humility. He comes to live as man, to live without sin as man, to suffer and die for us on the cross.
- Jesus comes the second time in glory. Jesus comes again to rule as King.

The Kingdom of God comes…
- patiently
- unexpectedly: we should therefore always be ready
- obviously: like lightening in the sky

How do we stay prepared? Jesus tells us to remember Lot’s wife:
She was turned into a pillar of salt because she longed for her past life in Sodom and Gomorrah. Her love for that past life surpassed her love for God. She longed for worldly goods, not God; for sin, not salvation; for death, not life. And so, the warning is, “Don’t look back, don’t long back, don’t go back.”

The Spirit of Masada



Notes from Bible Study with Pastor Perry Stone
Matthew 24:2
2 Chronicles 24:20-21
Matthew 23:35
Matthew 24:16
Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem
Fortress of Masada: Jews would rather die than to worship anyone other than God; there is no option to become slaves to other gods
In 1964, the scroll Ezekiel 37 was uncovered in the excavation of Fortress Masada.

Two 6-day wars that brought together Israel:
War of Jericho (described in Joshua 6)
6-day war of 1967

Masada (= stronghold, the highest point in the area) is mentioned twice in the Bible
1 Samuel 23:14
Psalms 61:2

John 8:32
The spirit of Masada is knowing who we are, knowing what we stand for, and always, always, always stand up for what we believe in.

The Mystery of the Sheepfold


Notes from Bible Study with Pastor Perry Stone

John 10:1-14

Jesus stresses that He is "the door of the sheep," the "good shepherd"
Back then, the shepherd acts as the door (because hinges didn't exist back then), and for the shepherd to make sure that the sheep stay within the pen, he would sleep in front of the opening)

Matthew 23:32-33
- Jesus will separate the goats from sheep (Goats don't listen to the voice of the shepherd, whereas the sheep does)
- Sheep and goat, as long as they are small in number, they are easy to handle. But once they get too big, the goats just don't listen and cause havoc. Similarly, when churches are small, there is no contention. When the churches get big, there are members that start acting like goats. That is, they test the shepherd. They don't listen, and they stir up contention.
- Sheep can't be penned in forever; they have to get out to get fresh water and food. Similarly, Christians, therefore, cannot be penned in by denominations. Christians need to share fellowship with all Christians. Christians may not share similar opinions, but we share the same core values (Jesus Christ is our savior; we are to love God first and to love one another second) and should therefore learn and grow together.

Psalm 23:1-4
Jesus MAKES us lie down in the green pasture (i.e., Jesus leads us out to get "fresh water," just like a good shepherd leads his sheep out for fresh food and water.)

Psalms 119:105
John 16:13
John 10:3-4
Sheep is afraid of the dark; as long as there is light, sheep is comfortable; when there is darkness, fear and chaos comes in; however, as long as the sheep can hear the shepherd's voice, there will be comfort. Similarly, Jesus is the shepherd, and we are the sheep (as opposed to the goats).

Psalm 23:5
"Get the fly eggs off your head"
Shepherds would take an oil-based mixture to rub it on sheep where the flies laid their eggs. The eggs would hatch and cause infection, making the sheep miserable. By rubbing the mixture on the wound, the shepherd comforts the symptoms and also kills the fly eggs. Following Jesus, we will have our sins wiped, and He will comfort us. Like sheep, we do not know the path. Like sheep, we need a good shepherd to guide and lead us. And that good shepherd is Jesus.