Can't Have It "Both Ways"

"....Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom; those who have turned back from following the Lord, and have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him." (Zephaniah 1:5, 6-- Today's Minor Prophet Rdg)

Our text is in a pronouncement of judgment.  This heinous practice of, "....worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom...," has been a practice of religious people from the beginning.  One passage says, "They feared the Lord, but...."  If my life style does not begin and end with, "They feared the Lord," I might as well forget, "....feared the Lord," and, "worship...the Lord."

This is why I say things such as, If a person claims to be, "born again," but votes for Democrats," I doubt his, "born again," status.  The Democrat Party stands for so many things contrary to Jesus Christ, His Church, His Kingdom.  How can I claim to, "know the Lord," and approve of those who advocate the murder of the unborn, which is in the Democrat Platform, as well, as promotion and applauding of homosexuality.  Moreover, what about business practices, the way we treat our families, etc.?  If Jesus Christ is my Lord/King and Savior, then Jesus Christ reigns in every aspect of my life.

I know that some believe I am too much of an "inspector."  I should just get on with life and let others get on with life, raising hands, "worshipping," doing missions, feeding the poor, etc., aka, get over it.  I'm sorry; I've tried.  But is that what we really want?!?  The way of peace in our lives, the way of harmony in the Church is, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."  It's all "connected."
 

Father, in Jesus' Name, Let Your Light continually shine on/in me, so I can see.  Amen.

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* If you want to know what a Hillary presidency would look like:   jhs58.blogspot.com
* Prayer reminders:

Woody in California:  September 9-18

Barnettes in Berlin: October 4-27

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.'"

Hebrews 12:2

"It Makes No Sense"-- So?

"Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit."  (1 Corinthians 12:3)

In other words, no one can really do anything without the indwelling Spirit of the Living Triune God.  Words may come out of a person's mouth, but no one can live, "Jesus Christ is Lord except in the Holy Spirit."  1 Corinthians 12:1 tells us that the chapter is, "....about the gifts of the Spirit."

I heard a pastor of a very large southern congregation preaching about, "the gifts of the Spirit," the phenomenon of Pentecost in Acts 2, speaking in tongues, well, you get the picture.  He was rationalizing Biblical passages about speaking/praying in tongues.  His "exegesis" was not only ludicrous, he was actually mocking those who accept and participate in the "practice."  Either he is wrong or I am.  Either I can't read or he can't read.  I can tell you one thing.  This is something out of which no man can talk me. 

It was December 30, 1969.  They had taken Stephen down for tests.  I could tell from our GP's tone and expression the day before that it was something serious.  I was scared.  I looked for a place to be alone and pray and all I could find was a phone booth, you read correctly, a phone booth.  All I could do for the next 5 hours was pray, "with/in the spirit," yes, that awful, ridiculous-to-some "type" of praying where you don't know what you are saying in your mind, but, "....out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."  How can you possibly "beat that"?  Yet for too many people, if it does not "flow' out of the brain, it cannot be any good, of any use.  Well, I could "understand" nothing that day.  I did not, "know how to pray...."  I had no words.  What I did "have," or rather Who had me, was our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.  I am still "pressing on" today, not because of my intellectual grasp of life, but because of the wonderful indwelling presence of the Blessed Trinity. 

I once read a commentary on Acts 2 by a highly respect Dutch Greek scholar, who wrote a commentary around 1900.  This was before Azusa Street, before the establishment of the Pentecostal and Assembly of God denominations, before the "charismatic renewal."  He wrote that the construction of the Greek text reveals that the miracle of Pentecost was not that the disciples were speaking in the languages of those who heard them.  The miracle was that the disciples were speaking in unknown tongues, and the Holy Spirit enabled them to hear in their own languages, "....How is it that we each hear them in our own language (dialect) in (into) which we were born?"

Here is what I say to the naysayers:  "What is the conclusion then?  I will pray with/in the spirit, and I will also pray with/in the understanding.  I will sing with/in the spirit, and I will also sing with/in the understanding."  Glorious.

Father, in Jesus' Name, only You are my, "understanding."  Amen.
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* Please put a "sticky" on your frig as a reminder to pray for Sarah and me on our Berlin Mission, October 4-27.  Since our flight is early, we will be staying near the airport on October 4.

* Read of a woman whom I do not trust at all at:   jhs.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.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Fwd: Devotional, 8/24/2016

"And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain."  (2 Peter 1:18)

I had a "picture" today that on that day in human history, "on the holy mountain," stood, "the carpenter's Son," and the fisherman.  I wish I were an artist.  Yes, Jesus was, "transfigured before them," but when they left that mountain, Jesus still looked very much like, "the carpenter's son," and though in Jesus, "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," Jesus still reminds us, "Yet I am among you as one who serves."  Jesus is God, "among you."

Everyone is the "product" of someone's testimony.  Yes, I know of those who claim that the Lord just "appeared" to them, but if this is the case, I guess I must say, At least 99.99% of humanity which has received Jesus as Lord/King and Savior did so because of the faithful witness of others.  Such is our text.  I know that yesterday's text was from the same chapter of 2 Peter, but every quarter when I read this great testimony of Peter, who was an,"eye witness[] of His Majesty," it is just blessing upon blessing.  Peter was telling the world that even though there are atheists, agnostics, cynics, he was there with Jesus, "on the holy mountain."  I have to say it again, "The carpenter's son," and the fisherman were there, "on the holy mountain."  I believe the fisherman's testimony. 

Whoever is reading this may be tempted from time to time to succumb to the puny arguments of know-it-alls.  God help me that I never be so stupid.  The fools around us over our lifetimes who have spouted off their own "wisdom" and "insights" will boldness were not there and did not hear, "this Voice which came from Heaven...."  Peter was.  Now, who are we going to believe?

This may seem to be a devotional "below" some because they are of the, "I know that I know that I know," religious superior.  To them I say what the Bible warns us of, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."  In the university and graduate school, every day was an attack upon Peter's assertion.  My weapon was my "chooser."  I chose to believe Peter.  Other chose to believe, well the others.

At least three times in the Book of Isaiah, "The Word of God," Jesus, tells us, "You are My witnesses."  We are the, "witnesses," who are bastions against the seductive lies of the Devil and his crowd.  We have the privilege, as did Peter, to pass on to our generation the reality, in a very real sense, "We were with Him on the holy mountain."

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* The enclosed photo is of Sarah and me with Lillian.  Aol sends photos which don't always come through in a normal way. 

* Article on Islamic fighters coming through the Southern Border of the US:  jhs58.blogspot.com
* 2016 Berlin Mission: October 5-27

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.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Sent from my iPhone

"What's That In Your Hand?"

"The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them." (1 Samuel 17:3)

....and they just, "stood," and, "stood," and, "stood," translated, They did absolutely nothing.

This is the famous passage about the encounter of the Philistines and the Jews, culminating with the battle between the Philistine giant and the Jew, David.  Our text is from my reading of a few days ago, and I know I have commented on it several times before.  But the "bears-repeating" applies here.  There were any number of men that day who could have slain the giant.  Judges 20:16 tells us of, "seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair's breadth and not miss."  This was not uncommon in the ancient Middle East.  One historian writes, "In skilled hands a sling is a very accurate and effective weapon."

The sling was a "weapon of choice" among shepherds.  It was light weight, and ammunition was readily available, especially in the land of Israel.  Yet the scene in 1 Samuel 17 is quite pathetic.  Two massive armies facing each other for days and days, and doing nothing.  The giant began coming down into the valley floor for a number of those days and taunting the Jews to a one on one match up of fighting men.  None of the Jews took the challenge, none, that is, until a young lyre-playing shepherd showed up.  David in essence said to some of the men, "What is going on?  Don't you know that many of you can take this guy with your slings.  You've used them to protect your flocks against powerful animals.  Why not against him?"  And, yes, no doubt that he would add, "The Lord our God is with you."

I have often said that 1 Samuel 17 is a classic Biblical "type" of Jesus and His Church, Satan and his "church."  1 John 3 tells us that Jesus, "....destroyed the works of the Devil," and Colossians tells us that Jesus did it, "through the blood of His cross."  Furthermore, the the Gospel narrative goes on to tell you and me, "the works that I do shall [we] do also," as in, "the gates of Hell shall not prevail against," the Church.  The problem historically is that most have awaited some "David" to show up, when we are all "called" and "equipped" to "take on" and destroy much of the "kingdom of darkness."  Stop the hero worship; stop the only-the-big-name-wonderful-people-can-do-this.  What our Lord Jesus said to Moses, he continues to say to you and me, "What is that in your hand?"

Father, in Jesus' Name, I receive Your grace to get into the valley floor and do battle.  Amen.

 

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.'"

Hebrews 12:2