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Friday, June 17, 2011

Psalm 74

"Remember Your congregation which You have purchased of old, the tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed-- This Mount Zion where You have dwelt." (Psalm 74:2)

I took particular note this month of my reading of Psalm 74.  If you have any knowledge of Kristallnacht which took place on November 9 & 10, 1938, throughout Germany, I recommend that you read the whole of Psalm 74.  It is like a daily newspaper report of the carnage-- "The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary....They seem like men who lift up axes....And now they break down its carved work....They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.  They said in their hearts, 'Let us destroy them altogether.'  They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land."  Bonhoeffer marked November 9 beside this verse in his Bible.  Our text is not sermonic, cutesy, Sunday School stuff.  

The complexities of our text, "Your congregation," and, "the tribe of Your inheritance," can be debated endlessly, but our Lord Jesus Christ is not finished with Israel.  In fact, He told his disciples, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  No one knows fully what this will mean, but before this occurs, another catastrophic persecution will come on all those who will stand with the Jews and Israel; our Lord Jesus warns us of it; the Bible as a whole prophesies of it; and current events are affirming it.  

In, "the last days," all members of the Church of Jesus Christ will have to make decisions just as the German Church of the 1920s through the 1940s.  I hold to Psalm 110, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power."

"Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting placeThey set up their banners for signs." (Photo of German Cathedral)

"Christian" Leaders Giving Nazi Salute

(Highlight and drag the above site to your search bar to see Kristallnacht video)

Father, in Jesus' Name, for grace and strength to, "Having done all, to stand."  Amen.
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Video of "Last Album from Auschwitz" at:      http://www.apf327.blogspot

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

Thursday, June 16, 2011

God's Laws Are Not the Problem--I'm the Problem

"This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2)

This is obviously a rhetorical question.  Can I suggest, though, that we hear by faith, but walk by obedience, obedience to the laws, the commands of Jesus Christ.  Jesus never, ever offered suggestions.  He always offered humanity commands, and these commands, "are not grievous;" they bring us out of the bondage of the rebellion of our sin and disobedience.

The reference to the law in Romans speaks of, "the righteous requirement of the law."  This, "righteous requirement," was fulfilled in Jesus Christ so that it then might continue to be fulfilled in those who follow Jesus, "who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit."  The law was never the problem.  It has always been you and me----- "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Notice, this is present tense, not past).  As a Believer in Jesus Christ, I must never, ever forget this.  

Too many in evangelicalism have spoken of the law over the years as though it were the culprit in man's dilemma, not man himself.  God never did anything bad.  He is good and He can only do good.  Jesus never spoke disparagingly of law, only of breaking the law.  
I have had people say to me over the years, "You are trying to bring me under the law."  It always has been those who wanted to live apart from any constraint who said this.  People like that seem to think that the Kingdom of Heaven, the Government of God is a sort of lawless kingdom.  Now I know the evangelical in you is probably saying, "But I am not saved by the law."  No, we are saved by grace and kept by grace.  But in His grace is His "Law-Word" which keeps me from, "the sin which so easily ensnares us."  I never knew a person who "fell" who obeyed the "Law-Word" of God.  A person always "fell" because he neglected the grace in the Laws of God.

Now, take a deep breath, get out of that evangelical cliche-catch-word world and search the Scriptures.  Perhaps there will be a new love and appreciation for the laws, the commands of the Living Triune God.  Commands are not an Old Testament phenomenon.  The New Testament is based solely on commands.  "Oh, how I love Your law!  "It is my meditation all the day." 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I realize that when I speak of grace and law as opponents, I am really just fighting You.  May that never be my life.  Amen.
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Read of the Growing Wave of Anti-Semistism in America-- Type   apf327.blogspot
in your search bar.  It should come up, Woody Barnette's Blog.  Click on that and you should receive it.

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

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Only Reading Selected Texts Will Keep One From Trouble

"....Before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision." (From Daily NT Reading--Galatians 2:12)

Our text reveals that the Early Church saw the reverse of what happened to the Jewish Community from the Gentile Church in succeeding years.  Here we see that the "Messianic" Jews separated themselves from the "Completed" Gentiles.  Today's Messianic congregations can be a perpetuation of this, though Gentile Believers justify the separation in that the Jews suffered so much over the centuries from Christian Gentiles.  None of it is a fulfillment of John 17, "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us that the world may believe...."-- or Ephesians 2, "For He (Jesus) Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity...."  Then there is what some have called the most segregated hour in the week, Blacks and Whites, even Native American Believers, meeting separately.  Now the Whites are usually blamed for this, but my experienced has taught me that prejudice is not limited to White folk.  Of course we must also contend with the Catholic/Protestant prejudice, as well as the list of Protestant denominations--- "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone... first."

The truth of the matter is that all this reflects that we are lords of ourselves though we claim that, "Jesus Christ is Lord."  I have heard, and no doubt will continue to hear, justifications, theologies, and reasons, but there is something in the species that just has to go one up on others, e.g., "We have discovered a great Biblical truth which you seemed to either have forgotten or never knew.  I know when you see the light, you will be as us."  Many years ago I actually had a Greek Orthodox priest say this to me.  I have also heard such prejudicial statements from people who think they are the ones who know and understand how to really worship. 

There was a love song in the 1950's which said, "If you loved me too, what a wonderful world this would be."  I wonder if this could be a new motto for the Church of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, in Jesus' Name, we all have our "reasons" for what we do.  I pray they will always be Yours.  Amen.
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An Almost Unbelievable Article on Obama Appointment: 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

Monday, June 13, 2011

"All Day Long...All Day Long"

"Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.  My adversaries pursue me all day long....But God will shoot them with his arrows....He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin...." (From Yesterday and Today's Psalms Readings, Psalm 56-65, NIV)

This is life--- "All day long....all day long."  Now this may seem depressing, but only to those who do not realize that, "the battle is not yours, but God's."  

Our enemies are driven by a commander who knows no rest, no days off, no vacations, no, "Well, I've been in this fight an awfully long time.  I think I need a rest."  Jesus tells us that even though, "....a man...sowed good seed in his field;..while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares...."  This is historic, basic military tactics.  Most major military attacks throughout history took place, "while men slept."  Someone once said that war was days of endless boredom broken by moments of shear terror.  The problem is that those days of endless boredom are days when the enemy is just regrouping for another offensive. U. S. Grant once said that "in every battle there comes a time when both sides believe they are losing; then he who presses the attack wins."  Paul said, "I press on," the word for, "press," is a military term

Now this is maybe not want you wanted to hear on a Monday, or any day.  But we are at war and the war has been raging from the Garden to this moment.  We are exhorted in Scripture to, "run this race with our eyes fixed on Jesus."  Strong's says that the word translated, "race," here means "conflict, contention, fight."  Too many when they hear the word, "race," think of some footrace we used to run in the playgrounds as children.  This is not that kind of race.  This is an, "all day long....all day long," "conflict, contention, fight"-------------------- "race."

The good news for you and me today is that even though our enemy intends to, "topple me from my lofty place," our Lord Jesus Christ will, "shoot them with His arrows....He will turn their own tongues against them."  Don't fight His battles.

Father, in Jesus' Name, keep me ever mindful that, "the battle is not [mine]," but Yours.  Amen.
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Please pray for the DC Prayer Mission, this Wednesday, June 15

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

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