Have I Changed?

"Because they do not change therefore they do not fear God." (Psalm 55:19c)

So I guess I know how much I have, "changed," by how much I, "fear God."

Father, in Jesus' Name, Oh, for such a change.  Amen.

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I will be meeting with Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons and others tomorrow afternoon at 17:00

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

"David Left HIs Carriage...And Ran Into the Army"

"And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army...." (1 Samuel 17:22, KJV)

I have been reviewing Ken Burns' epic work, "The Civil War."  After Grant's victorious, yet costly battle at Shiloh, his superior, jealous of Grant's achievements, relieved him of command.  Grant decided to quit.  His friend, William Tecumseh Sherman, "talked him out of it."  Sherman told him, "You could not be quiet at home for a week when armies are moving."
There is something of this nature in the disciple of Jesus.  "When armies are moving" anywhere, he cannot "be quiet at home for a week."

Our text reveals the heart of a warrior.  While others were running from the battle, David, "ran into the army."  You cannot keep a warrior out of a fight.  Yet David's motive was not a fight.  Frankly, that's all some religious folk want.  Rather, David told his brothers who accused him of impure motives, "Is there not a cause?"  And it was, "the cause," the purposes of His King Jesus which motivated and drove David.

My dear Follower of Jesus Christ, the battle is raging in the earth, and, there is a battle very near you.  I pray for this reality to be in you and me today----------- "You could not be quiet at home for a week when armies are moving."

Father, in Jesus' Name, deliver me from desiring quietness.  Amen.

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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

"What Manner of Man Is This/"

"Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world....Again, the next day, John....said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!'"

You know as well as I do that the appearance of Jesus in the First Century Roman Empire was not something you and I would have taken with much less surprise or wonder.  Nor would we have reacted much differently than Moses when he saw the burning bush and heard God's voice, or the people who said to Jesus, "Who is this Son of Man?"  We have millennia of history, the Bible and for most reading this, a Christian based nation.  We have had generation after generation of Church History, rituals, icons, songs, books, etc., to help us form an "acceptable image" of Jesus.  But I want you for a moment to consider what the ones who were there when John uttered our text may have experienced. 

"Behold the Lamb of God."  Okay, we worship, praise, and preach great sermons about Him.  But on that day in the wilderness, everyone probably looked at Jesus, not some Olympian god like build, just perhaps a common looking 145 pound, 5' 8" middle eastern Jew.  Anyone of us could have said, "Do you mean that man standing over there?  Wait; isn't that the carpenter from Nazareth?  Are you crazy?  That's Joseph and Mary's boy."  Those were reactions of people who were no less "spiritual" than you or I.  

The paintings over the centuries have perhaps done a lot to cause our Lord Jesus to "stand out" too much in the crowd.  After all, if Jesus were so "spiritual" looking when He first appeared among men, John would not have had to introduce Him.  People probably walked by Jesus many times with not a clue as to Who He Was.  The reality of, "Immanuel, God with us," in a middle eastern Jew has been always foolishness to the Gentile and a stumbling block to the Jews.  Only, "the pure in heart," will, "see God."  

Sometimes I hear people speak of our Lord Jesus as though, "Oh, yea, of course I understand it all, and if I would have been alive in the First Century, I would have responded so differently."  Perhaps, but the key is, How are we responding today to this "great mystery?"  I shall never forget the great statement of Oswald Chambers, "Beware of always trying to be profound.  God became a baby."  And we could say, Then a small boy, then a teen-age adolescent, and then a young adult.  And He did this all so that, "they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent," and, "that we may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth."  

Oh, Lamb of God, I want to know You, not some painting, some evangelical, charismatic, new age version, only You, only You.  Amen.

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News, Commentary:   www.apf327.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

"Preach the Word" Because, "Your Words Have Upheld Him Who Was Stumbling"

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

I probably know John better than any book in the Bible because when you are young that is usually the book you read the most.  Every time one goes through the Bible there will always be those "familiar" portions which you can summarize yourself.  Our text is such a passage.

Alarms do not go off for most in the world system or even some in false religions when they encounter the first two thirds of our text, "In the beginning," and, "was with God."  It is the last phrase, however, which creates the, "stumbling block," and accusations of, "foolishness"--------------- "In the beginning...the Word...was God."

This coming Sunday I am meeting with people who do not believe this.  In fact, some of the religions they represent are violently opposed to this.  The group is called "Pittsburgh Interfaith Initiative."  They will be meeting approximately every six weeks so that a person from each religion may present that religion's beliefs.  When my "turn" comes, I plan to not give statements of faith, or some personal summary of Evangelical/Charismatic Christianity, but to present them with the words of Jesus directly from the Gospels, e.g., our text.  Who knows?

Father, in Jesus' Name, I concur with Job, "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling;" may I witness to no other words.  Amen.

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News, Commentary:  www.apf327.blogspot.com

 

"When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

"The Word of the LORD"----- And the Ridiculous

(This is nothing new, just a new name for the attempt to eliminate the sole Supremacy of, "the Word of the LORD [Jesus Christ]"--Beware, it's coming to a "theater near you.")

"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." (Psalm 33:6)

The only "Big Bang" in history was the sound of, "The Word of God," declaring and bringing Creation.  All the pseudo-scientific theories of man concerning creation, which are just pathetic attempts to eliminate God and His "Law/Word" from human life, are just pagan, idol-worshipping gibberish.  Every human on the Earth from the beginning of time has had the opportunity to hear, "the word of the LORD," and experience in some way, "the breath of His mouth."  I believe this (See Romans 1).    

The psalmist here, in one sentence, declares that Word of Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit were the agents of creation, "the word of the LORD," and, "the breath of His mouth."  This is truth; what anyone does with Him Who Is Truth is their salvation or condemnation, Heaven or Hell, Life or death, forgiveness or, "The Lake of Fire."  Oh, Earth, make the saving choice today.

"The Word of the LORD...the Breath of His Mouth," sustains me, keeps me, saves me, heals me, preserves me, upholds me, sorry, I know you get the point.  Join me today in hearing and breathing deeply of, "the Word...and Breath of His Mouth."

Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for the ridiculous so that those who are, "pure in heart," can, "see [You]."  Amen.

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Read new articles and an article by Robert Kennedy on his visit to the Land of Israel in 1948 at: www.apf327.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

This Relates to Today's Devotional

Holiday of the Torah Begins Tuesday Night 

by Hillel Fendel 

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot is set to begin Tuesday night – lasting for its one Biblical day (from sunset to the next sunset) in Israel, and two days in the rest of the world. 

Shavuot (Pentecost, Feast of Weeks), as well as Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot (Tabernacles), are the three pilgrimage festivals on which Jews are bidden to visit Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of people are in fact expected to arrive at the Western Wall throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, though the Biblical commandment to visit Jerusalem on these days applies fully only when the Holy Temple is built. 

The current custom of gathering at the Wall for the holiday began spontaneously on the Shavuot holiday of 1967 (5727), which followed the Six Day War and the liberation of Jerusalem by only a few days. Realizing that masses of people would descend upon the Wall and its narrow walkway, the authorities razed the old buildings within 100 meters from the Wall in order to make room. It was the first holiday in 1,900 years in which throngs of Jews congregated at the Western Wall.

The holiday of Shavuot marks the Jewish People's receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai 3,323 years ago. It also marks the day after the 49-day Sefirat HaOmer counting period, which begins on the Passover holiday. The counting denotes the fact that the ultimate purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the Jewish People to receive the Torah and begin its national/spiritual existence as the People of the Book.

Features of the joyous Shavuot holiday include:

* remaining awake all night to study Torah; known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot.

* the bringing of the Bikurim (First Fruits) to the Holy Temple (temporarily suspended, until the Temple is rebuilt); greenery is placed arund the home and synagogue to recall this.

* the time of the wheat harvest;

* the public reading of the Book of Ruth for several reasons, among them: Ruth accepted Judaism as the Jews did on the holiday, the story takes place during the Shavuot season, and King David, her descendant, died on Shavuot.

* a wide-spread custom of eating dairy foods on Shavuot, as the Torah is compared to "milk and honey under the tongue". (for more reasons, see our Shavuot dairy recipe) 

In Israel, Shavuot is a legal holiday. There is no public transportation; schools, offices and most stores are closed; newspapers are not published.  

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2

"If You Remain Silent"--- BUT HE WON'T

"To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.  For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit." (Psalm 28:1, NIV)

The only, "deaf ear," in the relationship is ours.  Our Lord Jesus Christ, is always speaking.  His very Name, "The Word of God," reveals that the Eternal One is the Ever-Communicating One.  What Glorious love and saving power--- "God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity"!  

The psalmist was fearful that if the Word of God remained silent, he would, "go down to the pit."  But no fear, David, the, "voice of the Lord [Jesus Christ]," is life now, life eternal, ever speaking.  Every time David read or heard the Torah, he was hearing the Glorious, Powerful, Loving, Beautiful, "Word of God," the Voice of Him Who Alone Is, "My Shepherd, I shall not want."  

The Words of Jesus ring throughout the universe continually, "I am The Resurrection and The Life....I Am...The Life."  Life, the intended Life which the Blessed Trinity revealed during the Creation of the heavens and the earth, is only in Jesus Christ; it is nowhere else.  So today, if you and I just continue to, "run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus," we will never be without what so many erroneously call "a fresh word from the Lord."  Every Word in the, "God-Breathed," Scriptures is fresh, "new every morning," because they are Words of the Resurrected, Living Lord Jesus Christ, Word of Our Father, healing and delivering and saving and preserving and keeping safe and comforting and direction-giving and life sustaining------ and------- and............

Father, in Jesus' Name, You Are all the "fresh" I need.  Amen.

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New Articles at:   www.apf327.blogspot.com  

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2