And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:49

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Bring The Kingdom Of Heaven To Earth

 I shared in earlier posts how when the results of the election took place, that I was done being so involved with politics. I was no longer willing to listen to the news anywhere near as much, or follow the events of the president as in the past. As one pastor said this past week at a conference, that he was on a "political fast" and so am I.

Anytime there are two points of view or more, there is a divide between those that hold those opinions. It seems that now more than ever there is such a hostile political divide. And while I recognize that fact, and I too have strong opinions, and even though I did not become a hermit and live in a cave, I determined to have only a casual interest in what is going on in the political world. I have tried to muffle my political opinion, and focus more on Spiritual matters, the results of which have been the subjects of the many recent posts.

As a Jesus follower, I have been trying to figure out what is my role is in light of the great emphasis on the division of political sides in the country. I recently began to work some of it out in my thinking, and shared some of my thoughts during breakfast at the hotel we were staying at during a church conference last week. 

My point was never to bring up politics except as a reference point, and yet my point was taken out of context and it upset someone to the point they left the table, not even knowing that I agreed with him politically. But I did not tell him that, because I was focused on trying to explain that I was working out a thought that perhaps Christians are called to spread the Gospel of another Kingdom that is not of this world, rather than trying to influence the kingdom of this world. 

I began wondering what would Jesus tell us to do in light of this volatile political climate... and I was going to say if He were here, (but really isn't He here... in us)? And don't we have the Holy Spirit as our teacher, who will lead us into all truth? Of course, that's true, so then does that mean it is our calling to become a weapon of political power to change who holds the Executive, and Legislative branches in Washington? That has been a huge part of the controversy over Christians ignoring the moral actions of the previous president, in order to enact his policies. Enough said. So what is the role of a follower of Christ?

 I have thought a lot about the time of Jesus when the Jewish nation was under rule of the Roman government! There was great political divide even then! There were the Herodians, the Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, and Essenes, and yet Jesus did not focus on the political, but rather the personal. Though He did say "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  That should be all we need to know about our political involvement. We are to be in this world, but not OF this world.

Of course during the time of Jesus, the Jews main focus was on the Messiah coming to set them free from the Romans! For the Messiah to rule like King David. That was even the main focus of the disciples during their three years, with Jesus trying to tell them differently. "My kingdom is not of this world..." said Jesus. What if Jesus told us the same thing, would that change our views on politics?  Being free from the Roman's was Judas' main reason for betraying Jesus. He was thinking to force Jesus' hand to start the battle and not to let Himself get captured! Is God wanting to use political power to enact His Kingdom in the earth? I think the answer is an obvious no, both then and now.

Before the Resurrection, the main focus of the disciples was to usurp the political power that held them in captivity, so what about AFTER the Resurrection? What did the disciples do after the Resurrection? What was their focus now? What was their mission now? What was their calling now? You see, the Romans were still in power from the time before the Crucifixion and for several years after the upper room experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. But what DID change was the mission of the disciples to now spread the news that Jesus is Lord, and Caesar is not! They were not called to fight the kingdoms of this world, but rather to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth! The good news wasn't then, and it isn't now to escape this world and go to heaven, but rather it is "Thy will be done IN EARTH as it is in Heaven." What makes us think we have a different message?

So what if we as believers, and followers of Jesus were to do the same thing? What if we as believers put much less focus on the earthly kingdom in Washington and more emphasis on our Heavenly Father's Kingdom in the earth?  I realized I had no influence on the election results. I am Canadian, and cannot even vote, and all we can really do as citizens is to vote the one into power that we think might be the best candidate, and in reality, it is our Heavenly Father who has the final say as to who is in the seat in Washington. Can someone steal an election and God not know about it?  And that was my point at the breakfast table.  And since that is the case, why not just trust Him to worry about that while we focus our attention on our mission to Bring the Kingdom of Heaven To Earth. 


Saturday, September 10, 2022

Now That You Know

 You don't know what you don't know. Seems obvious, But since you don't know what you don't know, then how is it that you can be held responsible for not knowing, unless it is reasonable to expect you should know. Such as the saying "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." But even if ignorance is no excuse, you still don't know what you don't know. 

Case in point: Yesterday I was trying to build a cement pad behind the shed. I had done all of the prep work, building a form, laying down a base of stone etc. I bought 10 bags of pre-mix concrete, I watched a dozen videos on how to make a concrete pad. So I was prepared. I was really anticipating doing a professional type job. But I didn't know what I didn't know, and while I knew it was going to be very labor intensive, I was not prepared for how labor intensive it would be. Also I did not make the mix wet enough, for fear of making it too wet, which was the major mistake. I did not find out that was the problem until I texted a friend this picture, who then called to tell me the mix was too dry! By then it was too late to fix. And so, it will serve it's purpose, but I am really disappointed with all the work I put into it, just that little extra information would have made all the difference in the results. 

So why am I telling you this? Because it got me thinking of how Christians especially think that when someone hears about how Jesus died on the cross to save them, and they need to love Him and trust him with their whole life like they did. They think that person is now responsible for accepting what they are told without question.  But in both cases, you don't know what you don't know. The person witnessing, and the one being witnessed to, are often both missing key information. Is the one witnessing giving the right information, and does the one being witnessed to have to trust they are being told the truth; and to believe in a God they know nothing about? Obvious room for doubt. Yet we are also informed that ignorance of the Truth is no excuse, and you will be held accountable for going to hell! But is that true?

I used to deliver gasoline to stations, and some customers needed to pay cash before we delivered, because if they did not have the money, it goes one way through the hose, and can't be taken back. I had customers that told me to trust them, and another driver remarked: "Trust you? I don't even know you!" And so when Christians ask us to trust God, many peoples response is the same, Trust Him, I don't even know Him. 

When I first became a Christian and began to think about it, I often wondered how it is that God could hide himself from people, and yet hold them responsible to believe and trust in Him, AND love Him, when they don't even know Him? I thought how unfair it was that Jesus would appear to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, and convince him beyond doubt that He was real, and yet hold everyone else to the same standard of belief without the same proof. Several times in Scripture, an angel would appear, and people would fall on their faces and believe, and yet, have you had an angel appear to you? Neither have I. 

If you are to believe that after death comes the judgment, and those who believed and said the "sinner's prayer" go to heaven, and those who did not, go to everlasting torture, (which I did for decades). The only reason I could explain that was that my faith and trust in God was an inside work of the Holy Spirit, which went beyond just brain power, and right into the heart of knowing without proof. but I also believed what I was being told, about God by those who I trusted without having the revelation of the restoration of all things.  

And that is the key information to understand and trust in God. That it doesn't come about by getting enough head knowledge, but only through the revelation of the Holy Spirit in everyone's lives. No exceptions. "You are saved by Grace, through faith and THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES, it is a GIFT of God. NOT of WORKS, lest any man should boast." The gift of God IS the faith to believe, which is given by Grace. So that you cannot even boast about your faith to believe. How do you think THAT would change the way you witness to others?

 The great part is that even if you don't accept what I am saying is the truth, and you think people are responsible for their own believing and trusting God, the truth does not depend on your believing me for it to be true. Truth is truth even if you believe it or not. The truth was I needed more water in the concrete mix, whether I believed I was right or not. Just truth alone does not set you free, but it is knowing the truth that sets you free. 

So now, since salvation depends on the work of the Holy Spirit, and not on your own knowledge: That it depends on the gift of faith from God to believe: That it will bypass your own understanding: Then even if you don't know what you don't know, your salvation is guaranteed, because it still depends on God, and not on what you know or what you don't know. So then, what about the Scriptures that tell us to believe? Simple. You will believe the same way everyone believes, by the gift of faith through the grace of God. What do you think about that truth Now That You Know?

 

Sunday, September 4, 2022

What's The Next Verse?

It is always a good thing to memorize as much scripture as you can. It can come in handy for many uses. It can provide comfort for ourselves or others, it can help when witnessing, it can be used as assurance of our faith. It can also help us understand doctrine. However, understanding correct doctrine can only come by keeping the verses in context. We have all the modern advantages of search engines and bible programs that provides unlimited study materials and versions and languages including dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew, and still when we quote things out of context, then we will misread what the Scripture is trying to say in any language!  

"And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the judgment." If you know this verse, and perhaps have quoted it, to others, and maybe even know where it is found in the bible, but you do not know what the next verse says.... then perhaps you have been a victim of using this scripture out of context like so many others I know, especially if you think it is talking about judgment after your mortal body dies!

If this is the first time reading my blog, then perhaps you should catch up with the previous two posts to get even the context of the subject of this post. Assuming you are now caught up, the verse is taken from Hebrews 9:27. But lets read 9:28 " So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

While we are at it, lets read a couple verses prior to gain more understanding of the context.
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Back to verse 28 In this case is the qualifier for verse 27 and is also part of the conclusion of the argument put forth by the writer of Hebrews. If we just take these two verses in context with the message of the cross, then we can clearly see that it is saying  Christ died in our place and took our judgment. Verse 27 is not talking about our future physical death,  but paired with "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life" and read with verse 28 which is not talking about a judgment that is yet to happen, it is explaining about a judgment that has already happened! This verse is all inclusive for ALL mankind in that Jesus brought about the death of the first man Adam on the cross, in order to raise up the New Creation Man. 

Now, some will get hung up by the word "many" in the verse 28 where it says: "...once offered to bear the sins of many.." but this is when Hermaneutics needs to kick in and to put this verse into context with the message of Scripture. In the first place, the word many does not indicate any particular number, and it does not indicate exclusion either. We often use the word many as in most but not all. There is no indication of that usage here, and in fact there is clear evidence it does mean all peoples. The whole world will be saved, because Jesus is the savior of the world! Jesus went down into death to conquer death, so that death no longer has any dominion over you. Jesus did not do an incomplete job and only die for some. "As in Adam ALL die SO ALSO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL be made alive! Pretty inclusive.

Don't get hung up on the rest of verse 28 either, "and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." There is no exclusion on how many shall look for Him, since EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord! And the verse saying he shall appear the second time.... does NOT make reference to some so called "second coming." I can attest to many times Jesus has appeared to me by His Spirit since I have been saved, not to leave out the first time He appeared to me unto salvation when I first believed! 

I hope now you can see how important it is to get to know your bible: read it, study it, get comfort from it, build your faith and knowledge and wisdom. Learn about God, and Jesus who is the express image of the Father. Memorize verses, so that it becomes a part of you, and as you do so, be sure to remember to read and find out: What's The Next Verse?