Number Eight

“Thou shalt not steal.”

The command against stealing is yet another that seems obvious but there is more to it than meets the eye. We are aware that theft, larceny, robbery and any such activity is against this instruction from God. Those of us that go to church have heard on a nigh weekly basis Malachi 3:8-11. Commitment to returning tithe is a vital part of building faith in God. We have multiple examples of the patriarchs returning tithe (Genesis 14:20; 28:22; Deuteronomy 14: 22; Hebrews 7:5,9) and God fulfilling His promise to bless them. The tithe is a fixed amount – ten percent – however; we are also admonished to give a liberal offering (Numbers 29:39; 2 Corinthians 9:7) for different purposes such as, building and sustaining the church (Exodus 36:3-7; 2 Kings 12:4-14) or helping the widows and orphans among our numbers (1 Timothy 5:16). Neglecting these is a clear act of robbing God. God could easily send what is needed from heaven to fulfil His work, but as a tool for our salvation we are called to sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

However, we can be guilty of stealing a wide range of things beyond money, such as, stationery supplies from work, other peoples’ time, or even the affections of others. These are more subtle and we often don’t consider the real repercussions of these actions. Supplies from work may seem trivial but the smallest act of unfaithfulness is indicative of one’s character. The life of sin occurs gradually, beginning with the small indiscretions, which stand as excuses for larger ones. Scripture admonishes us to be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8) because there is an enemy working solely for our destruction.

What of time? How often do we steal time, by being late, or unprepared or just forgetting an appointment? We steal God’s time when we neglect the true purpose of the Sabbath. We also steal God’s time when we neglect prayer and study. He gives us 24 hours in a day and 7 days in the week. He asks specifically for one 24 hour period at the end of the week, but, as with tithe and offering, for our sake, He asks us to give a bit more willingly, that He can give us strength to sustain us each day (Psalms 55:17, Psalm 119:164, Daniel 6:10). Many of us neglect daily devotion for selfish reasons – 30 minutes more sleep, 1 hour more television – or because of improper planning – food needs the be prepared, children need to be dressed, household chores need to be done. Sometimes we even get all of these things done but because of intemperance in our work and rest we sit to read or kneel to pray then wake up 1 hour later not gaining anything from the time we should have spent with God.

We also steal time from each other. With the office supplies we steal time from our employers, spending work hours socializing with co-workers, or scrolling through social media. Being chronically late for work or appointments or unprepared for class or presentations, all these steal a bit of a person’s time and life. In scripture we have been promised prominence and great responsibility if we are diligent in our work (Proverbs 22:29). However, there is an even graver theft, with eternal consequences is, every time we neglect to share a word of hope with someone we take away time they could have had knowing their Saviour (2 Timothy 4:2).

As we discussed in the previous post, interpersonal relationships are a part of God’s will for our lives. Marriage was created by God for our benefit and it is His will that we participate in this institution. However, initiating a relationship outside of His will is to our own detriment. Some individuals act insidiously to gain the affection of others alienating them from their families. Many feel the desire to be in a relationship and oftentimes neglect principles and responsibilities to achieve this goal. Some relationships result in rifts between an individual and his or her family because the chosen partner does not share the same foundational values. This is stealing of a most treacherous form. Though we are admonished to leave father and mother and cleave to spouse (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5) we still have a responsibility to those who gave us life and supplied us with our guiding principles (Exodus 20:12, Mark 7:9-13). When engaging in such long-term relationships it is vital that we know who we are, where we stand and honour the will of God in the attachments we form.

In Love

Number Seven

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14

None of the commandments brings with it such notoriety among church people as this one. This particular topic is avoided in the most creative ways by the church, and in so doing many lives are left in ruins. The term adultery is understood as ‘sexual relations of a married person outside of his or her marriage’. However, when taking the Biblical perspective this commandment encompasses any intimate relationship outside the covenant of marriage. Clearly if we love we will not dishonour our marriage – before or after it occurs – our bodies – which is the temple of God (1Corinthians 3:16) – or our God because He created marriage for our benefit and for us to experience the oneness of love that exists in the Godhead. There are many ways and countless reasons why we fall short of this command, I will address a few that may or may not have crossed your mind.

Fornication – the detriment of countless young lives and the subversive rot of many marriages – unlawful sexual relationships before marriage. Engaging in premarital sexual activity is taken extremely lightly in our current society whether in secular or religious communities. Human beings were designed to pair up and engage in sexual activity. God himself said ‘it is not good for man to be alone’ (Genesis 2:18, 23-25) and when He created a partner for the man He instructed them to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:28). However, with everything good that God created the devil has seen fit to corrupt it. The natural desire, to share one’s life with another, that God has given to us as human beings, the devil has inspired us to act on outside the intended context. We convert the fulfillment of these natural desires into gods in the place of the one true God. Therefore, by transferring the focus we should have in developing a relationship with our Creator, to satisfying our need for companionship or our physical urges, we convert what is to be a loving relationship into lustful encounters.

Many theologians speculate as to Adam’s motives for eating the fruit, saying that ‘he loved Eve so much that he gave up paradise for her’. If we study this scenario fully we will know that his act was not out of true love for her. God instructed them that if they ate of the tree they would die (Genesis 2:17). If Adam was acting out of true love his priorities would have been straight and obedience to God’s instructions would have been paramount in his course of action. Adam acted out of lust and self-interest. He prioritized the gift rather than the God who gave the gift. Similarly, we prioritize companionship over the God that designed companionship, to our own detriment. A relationship formed without the foundation of love for God will not last. Because of the nature of the sinful human heart (Jeremiah 17:9) the only reliable aspect of any human relationship is when it is rooted and grounded in a love for our Creator. Without allegiance to God we end up with hurt feelings, broken hearts, disrespect, abuse, broken marriages and damaged children, who without Christ, end up repeating the cycle.

Divorce is yet another outgrowth of disrespect for the marriage covenant. It may be caused by adultery or it may result in adultery. Marriage was designed by God to be life-long (Mark 10:9). Therefore, it should not be entered into lightly. Fervent prayer, study and a humble spirit are vital before making this commitment. Many, because of a need to fulfill selfish desires, haughtily enter marriage not understanding the idea of becoming “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5, 6). The scriptures instruct us not to attach ourselves to people that are not like-minded (Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14). However, we obstinately rush on, marrying individuals that don’t share our beliefs about spiritual, mental or physical life. Then, the honeymoon ends and steady stream of little quarrels begin. Some escape this “living nightmare” physically by leaving or engaging in adulterous relationships. Others choose the mental escape encouraging friendships with someone who “shares” his or her spiritual, mental and physical life values. This too is adulterous. Sharing intimate thoughts outside your marriage is just as hurtful and damaging as sharing sexual acts outside the marriage and many times leads to physical infidelity.

Most professed God-fearing individuals declare proudly that adultery is an acceptable excuse for divorce citing Matthew 19:9. This is true adultery is the only “sanctioned” reason for divorce, however, we tend to skip over verse 8; which emphasizes the point that divorce is not a part of God’s plan and the only reason Moses allowed it was because of the ‘hardness of our hearts’. Now, as God-fearing heaven-goaled individuals, are we really to engage in something that appeases a hardened heart? I heard a sermon once in which the term contract and covenant were contrasted. In a contract if one party breaks their side of the agreement the contract is voided. However, in a covenant if one party breaks their vow the agreement remains and a remedy can be agreed upon to recover the covenant. In our society we treat marriage as a contract, the solemnity is lost and genuine commitment is gone. We only engage in it for what we can get out of it and when we feel slighted we escape. But the escape is never good because separating what was once “one flesh” will always cause damage and leave scars. Furthermore, we learn from Christ’s words that remarriage after a divorce is adultery (Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11, 12). It would behove us to think cautiously before embarking on these relationships.

With the understanding that intimate relationships outside marriage is adultery; and the knowledge that marriage is the union of one man and one woman (Mark 10:6-9) then what of homosexual relationships? This is clearly in opposition to the seventh commandment. This form of aberrant relationship is diametrically opposed to God’s intent for human relations; He calls it an abomination (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:27, 28; 1 Corinthians 6:9). God designed that one man and one woman should unite and procreate in the image of God, however, our society is now bringing homosexuality and all related classifications (LGBTQ+) into “normalcy”. But these practices will never be acceptable to our Creator. It is not His will and is in direct violation of His immutable law.

We all struggle in some degree with this particular commandment; we are physically designed to desire companionship. However, as with all physical needs it is our duty to rein in our minds and bodies, dying daily to selfish desires and allowing Christ to live in and through us (Matthew 5:28-30; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Corinthians 15:31; Galatians 2:20).

In Love

Number Six

“Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13

This commandment seems straightforward; morally, ethically, logically, and legally obvious. However, as with all of God’s utterances, because our minds are clouded by sin, there are some things that we miss. The obvious part of this command is that we are not to take the life of another person. Some versions of the Bible translate this “You shall not murder” (NKJV). This particular translation seems limited due to the varied definitions our society has for different types of killing. All killing is bad whether justified or not. Taking the life of a fellow human being takes a toll on a person. Ask anyone who has served on a battlefield or committed manslaughter. Something in their mind changes. However, I would like to focus on a few aspects of killing that people tend to overlook: self-murder by fork, murder by words, and does God really kill?

Suicide by fork: In church this past week the speaker gave testimony of her healing from cancer when she changed her diet and mindset. The Bible clearly states how God originally expected us to eat, scientific research has been done demonstrating that this is the ideal diet for the human body, and yet we disregard it. The speaker used the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14) to emphasize the point that the simple acts of eating well and living by faith we think hard to do yet we’d rather take medication or endure some extreme procedure to get well. Everyday we disregard the laws of nutrition, exercise, hydration, temperance, rest, and faith in God yet still expect to maintain good health. This is an affront to God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17). God promised that if we would adhere to His commands He would protect us from the diseases He placed on the Egyptians (Exodus 15:26). As we now know many of the diseases we face are diseases archaeologists have identified in ancient Egyptian mummies. It is time for us to think and make a conscious change to a simpler, faithful way of life.

Death by words: Growing up there was a chant we use to say as children – “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Oh how wrong and misguided this statement is! The rampant increase in suicides among teens, and young people, associated with social media, is clear evidence of the fallacy of this sentiment. 'The pen is actually mightier than the sword.' While on Earth Jesus amplified the Law explaining that the thoughts and attitudes we have are forms of violating these Laws (Matthew 5:21, 22). Gossiping and slander are clearly identified in Scripture as a source of death and God will judge those that spread death with their tongues (Ezekiel 22:9, Leviticus 19:16; James 4:11).

Does God really kill? There is a new theory going around that God doesn’t really kill anyone. The first time I heard it I had a visceral reaction, then I started to think about it. It sat in the back of my mind for a few years then I heard it again from another source. As Bible believers our source of answers to all questions is Scripture. Scripture says that God is the Creator. The fourth commandment clearly identifies this as such and that this is the reason He is deserving of obedience (Exodus 20:8-11). Through the bible we also come to understand that God’s Law is a rendering of His character (Psalms 18:30; 19:7; Galatians 5:14; 1John 4:8, 16), by this some are of the opinion that He will not kill.

However, as one preacher said, ‘God has a track record’. The flood (Genesis 7), Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), the firstborns of Egypt (Exodus 11), the destruction of the Amalekites (1Samuel 15), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) all are examples of God, himself, or through angels or His human servants killing. So if we believe the Bible is truth why is it so had to accept that the Creator can and will destroy? This brings us back to definitions, generalized killing and specific murder. Murder is a premeditated act borne of malice. Throughout the Bible we see that this is were God takes offense. Jesus compared ‘being angry with our brother without a cause’ to killing. In the time of ancient Israel there was recourse for those that killed accidentally, or in defence of oneself or another (Numbers 35:11-34).

The fact is, this idea that God will not kill is a dangerous lie. Zephaniah 1:12 warns of judgement on those that adopt the complacent belief that God is disinterested and innocuous. The Lord is our Judge. Built into His law are consequences and the consequence of breaking His Law is death, plain and simple (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). And as Judge and the One against Whom sin is committed He is the only One with the right and the power to ultimately kill. His word is sure, His track record is real, and He is not to be trifled with. Scripture declares that He will perform what is termed "His strange act" (Isaiah 28:21). The final death will be done in defence of all creation, because sin cannot rise a second time.

In Love

Number Five

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

This command is the first that addresses our relationship with other human beings. Fittingly it addresses our relationship with the first human beings we’ll ever know – our parents. Many people have – what is termed – “complicated relationships” with their parents. However, let’s explore what the parent-child relationship ought to be. God gave us parents, who, through their wisdom of prior experience and years of greater knowledge should, in kindness, teach us truth and duty and to remove foolishness and indolence from us. (Deuteronomy 6:6,7; 11:18,19; Proverbs 22:6, 15; Ephesians 6:4). As children we are to obey them, because our care has been entrusted to them by God (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20).

Simply put, parents are to provide for their children and children are to respect their parents. (2 Corinthians 12:4; Proverbs 30:17) However, in our sinful world interpersonal relationships are never simple, especially the parent-child relationship. This initial human interaction defines to a great extent our understanding of God and dictates how we interact with other people. Parents are sinful human beings and therefore, if they are not in constant communication with our Heavenly Father, inconsistencies will arise in their actions. Enoch’s walk with God began after Methuselah was born. The love he had for his child made clear the love God has for us and this inspired the close connection he maintained with God until God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24)

Our Saviour came to this world as a baby and grew up like all of us do. At a very early age He knew who He was and what His purpose was on Earth. However, He did not attempt to hasten the process He lived obediently with His Earthly parents until He was fully grown (Luke 2:46-52). Which then brings us to our relationship with our parents in adulthood. The dynamic shifts slightly and yet not that much. We are still subject to our parents just not in the same way. At this point some of us are parents ourselves. So how do we honour our parents in adulthood?

This brings us back to the, so-called, “complicated” parent-child relationship. Some parents did such a thorough job of influencing their children that in adulthood the child can’t make a decision without the parent’s approval. Others are so lax and free that the child can’t depend on them for advice. When properly raised, an adult child should be able to stand on their own two feet, making wise choices and knowing when to ask for and how to receive advice (Proverbs 22:6; 1 Kings 2:1-4; 3:7-9). They will also be firm in their convictions and committed to their purpose not allowing themselves to be distracted or controlled by the desire to please their parents (Matthew 12:47-50; Mark 3:32-35; John 2:1-5).

While parents are no longer to have full control of their adult children, these children do still have a responsibility to care for their aging parents. An unholy practice carried out by the ancient Jews, known as Corban, allowed individuals to shirk this responsibility of caring for their parents because their money was promised to the temple (Mark 7:9-13). As Mary’s eldest child, Jesus was primarily responsible for her care. While hanging on the cross He did not shirk this responsibility. He made provision for her by charging her care to John, the beloved disciple (John 19:26, 27). In our childhood our parents change their entire way of living to care and provide for us, it is only right that when they become dependent that we care for them.

Because we live in a sinful world some individuals don’t have the blessing of living parents, or committed parents, or even caring parents. How do we cope with those existences? Sometimes we are provided guardians who act as parents. They require the same honour as if they gave us life. But, what of those with the unkind, ungodly parents? Scripture tells us to obey our parents in the Lord: because it right (Ephesians 6:1). Therefore, when you are a child do as your parents command as far as it is pleasing to God and trust in Him to work our your circumstances for good (Romans 8:28). In Ephesians 6:2 we learn that honouring our parents is the first commandment with a promise attached to it. The promise is long life in the Land God has prepared for us in this life and in the life to come.

Despite the varied flawed experiences we have with our Earthly parents we have the assurance that we have a dependable, Heavenly Father who cares for and provides for us. Who, if we would yield to Him, will provide us with the knowledge, wisdom and discipline we need to have long life with Him in this life and in His kingdom (Matthew 6:1-13; Hebrews 12:5-11).

In Love

If it Were Possible

Given the current social, political and moral climate in which we live, there is a quote, attributed to Nelson Mandela, making the rounds. “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Taken as it was meant this is a lovely quote with a positive message to inspire better behaviour. However, when we take a closer look at it this is a very dangerous sentiment for a Christian to buy into.

Truth: Human beings are not born hating each other. This can be seen in the way most children play with each other. They share everything they take people as they come without probing deeply into differences. ‘We’re all 5-years old let’s run through the yard until we pass out’. As human beings we learn differences as we grow and the adults in our lives teach us how to value each difference. This is either done overtly by the use negative speech in describing different groups of people or subliminally by physical or reflex reactions to individuals of different groups.

Truth: Human beings can learn to love. This is a word I have taken great issue with, as you have read in the past, and on which I am focused on trekking through the 10 Commandments. It has been used, misused and abused to the point that most people have no understanding of the true meaning. As Christians we know this is why Jesus came to Earth and died, so that we would have the example and opportunity to learn what is and how to love. The wishy washy sentimentality we attribute to love does not hold water. Love, while positive and uplifting requires hard choices and difficult experiences in this world of sin.

Fallacy: “…love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” This statement is categorically untrue and followed to its logical end, is very dangerous. This statement assumes that human beings, at our roots, are basically good and will choose to do good if left to our own devices. This has been demonstrated, in millennia of human activity and corroborated by God, in His word to be categorically false. The Bible makes it clear that the we are “shaped in iniquity”, the human heart is “desperately wicked” our natural inclinations are to be “children of wrath”, and especially in these times when human existence becomes like the days of Noah again (Luke 17:26), our minds are set on evil continually (Psalms 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:3; Genesis 6:5).

With this understanding we know that we cannot depend on ourselves to do what is right. Our ‘righteousness are as filthy rags’ (Isaiah 64:6). This is why we required a Saviour. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to guide us constantly. Our natural inclinations are toward evil and hate, not good and love. As Bible believers we need to be hyper-cautious in these last days. The Bible says that the deception of these days will be so great ‘if it were possible the very elect would be deceived’ (Matthew 24:24). We need to be sober and vigilant at all times (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8). Let us not be like the 5 foolish virgins, let us allow the Holy Spirit to fill us that we may be able to discern pure complete truth from grievous error (John 16:13).

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Number Four

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11

This is a loaded commandment encompassing many related aspects of our lives. This is the longest of the commandments and the only one urging us to “remember”. The imperative to remember implies that it is possible to forget this day. God has asked us to “Remember the Sabbath day” informing us that there is only one. Then it goes on to describe this day so that we may be able to successfully identify “the day”.

The narrative of the command them shifts to bring us the description of this day. We are instructed to do all our work for six days. Then on the seventh day we are to rest because it is our Lord’s Sabbath. If the God of this commandment is my ruler, commander and Lord then I’ll keep His Sabbath Holy. Then the passage goes on to list all who are not to work making it expressly clear that as His servants we nor anyone nor anything under our power is to work on this day.

Finally, the commandment lets us know why. God will always tell us why. God created this earth in six days (Genesis 1). After His six days of creation He carved out one more twenty-four-hour period in which He did no more work. He blessed that period of time and He declared the day to be holy. Because of who God is He wants to share this time with us. So He asked us to remember this time, forget all our labours and cares, on that day, and spend the time with Him.

With that breakdown of the fourth how do we remember this day? Well on the basic front all work is to stop, if you are employed you don’t go to work on this day, and if you are a student you put away the books on this day. If that is where it ended this would be the easiest commandment to keep – you just don’t do anything. But there is more, a state of mind is involved. We are to keep the day “holy”. But as sinful beings we lack the capacity to do so. This is where we must learn to submit ourselves to God that He will give us the ability to keep the day Holy (1 Peter 1:16).

As a professed Sabbath-keeper, fellowshipping with other professed Sabbath-keepers, I have found that though we have identified the seventh-day and are committed to the seventh-day that we are notorious for trampling on the seventh-day Sabbath. Jesus declared that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day (Matthew 12:12). And with that instruction we seem to have opted to all our good works on the Sabbath only. With that the Sabbath then ceases to be a day of rest and by the end we are tired and the Sabbath is no longer a blessing to us but a day burdened by “good deeds”. We ought not ignore someone in need on this day, but we ought not plan to do every good deed, we neglected during the week, on the Sabbath day either. We have six days to do all our work and that is not limited to self-serving work but includes Christ serving work as well. Every day we are to have joy in doing the things of God and all we do should be done to His glory (Psalms 1:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 7:22).

Another major shortcoming we have, regarding the Sabbath, is how we view it. Some of us have come to regard the Sabbath as a day of amusement and selfish pleasure. In Isaiah we learn that God did not design the Sabbath for this purpose (Isaiah 58:13, 14). We are not to turn the day into a self-gratifying pleasure seeking day. For those of us who limit or activity on the Sabbath day and find ourselves, as we ought, in church (Leviticus 23:3) there is another subtle plague. We participate in the planned service then we come together in fellowship and start talking. And our conversation may begin innocently on the sermon we just heard and then drift to all the things that are happening at work, in the news, and in the lives of the people around us. None of it is said to bring glory to God. As Bible believing commandment keeping people we need to ever vigilant about how we treat God’s holy day.

This commandment is of particular importance as we come to the end of the world. This commandment declares who God is, the reason for His claim of authority, and His dominion. The fact that the vast majority of the God’s creation has been made to forget His day will be of particular importance as we proceed to the culmination of this earth’s final struggle. Therefore, as Sabbath-keepers it has never been more vital for us to be intentional in how we fulfill this command.

In Love  

Number Three

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

This is another commandment that people tend to gloss over. Most relegate it to not using bad language or using God’s names simple to express exclamation. While these are accurate it goes beyond that. To probe this, we must have a functioning definition of the word ‘vain’. The book of Ecclesiastes expounds greatly all the things that are vanity but today I will choose Merriam’s and Webster’s definition. For our purposes the dictionary defines vain as an adjective denoting something as “having no real value”, “marked by futility or ineffectualness” or “foolish, silly”. Apply these definitions to Solomon’s plight in Ecclesiastes and we understand why he is described as being depressed. But that’s a topic for another day. Today we are looking at the commandment.

Working with these definitions of the word vain let’s see how that would or could apply to our daily use of God’s name. We know God as many names: Jehovah, Jesus, Holy Spirit, The Almighty, Alpha & Omega, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, etc. I could go one and on. My favorite, because I think it encompasses all is attributes is, “I AM”. How do we use God’s name every day? The two major ways we are expected to use God’s is in prayer and in how we identify ourselves. We pray to God the Father in Jesus’ name (Matthew 6:9-13). We identify ourselves as Christians – followers of Christ (Acts 11:26).

Now how could we possibly take God’s name in vain by praying? Jesus gave us instructions on how to pray, we ask of the Father and we call on His name as our reason for asking. But are there other instructions on how we should pray? One major flaw in the way we pray is highlighted in Mark 11:24. Jesus said: “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” When we pray do we genuinely believe that God will fulfill our request? Or do we doubt and go out and do things in our own strength? Another point in this passage ‘whatsoever things we desire’ does this mean that if I desire something detrimental to myself that God will give it to me? As was said in the previous post, God will not contradict Himself. So what desires are these that we should be requesting of Him? Psalms 37:4, 5 instructs us to ‘take delight in God and commit all we do to Him and He will give us the desires of our hearts and bring us success’. Therefore, when we pray in opposition to God’s will or if we pray and don’t believe that He will supply we take His name in vain because we then render Him ‘ineffectual’.

We live in this world and classify ourselves as Christians – followers of Christ – but do we genuinely know what this name entails. To be a follower of Christ means that we live our lives the way He did. He is the pattern by which we make our choices. What would this look like? Well as previously stated Jesus came to this earth to be our example. The example He left was that He kept His Father’s commandments and He admonished us to do the same having love for each other despite the response we would surely receive (John 15:10-27). But in this world people carry the name Christian but choose to blend in with God’s enemies in the name of ‘peace’. For centuries, albeit millennia, God’s people have fallen prey to this deceptive desire for peace. Living in opposition to the “prince of this world” (John 12:31; 16:11) and our propensity to sin will result in strife (Matthew 10:34). However, God’s people, because of a desire to fit in (1 Samuel 8:5) and bring ‘peace’ through human means, have repeatedly caused us to give in to actions that are not of God misrepresenting His Name. By this, rendering His Name as “having no real value”, or “foolish”.

The bible tells us that a good name is rather to be chosen than gold or riches and we also learn that God’s name alone is excellent (Proverbs 22:1; Psalms 148:13). God responds when His name is called by His people (Genesis 4:9-12; Exodus 6:5; Judges 3:9; Revelation 6:9, 10). The things God speaks will be accomplished (Isaiah 55:11) because His excellent name is being challenged in this life. We are to respect His name because the power that is behind it is far beyond anything we can imagine.

Love

Number Two

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20: 4-6)

This is quite a curious commandment for current times. Some churches have dropped it completely from their Decalogue and others don’t see much application in their own existence. Most people don’t make idols for worship any more, do they? And what of the section that says “any likeness of any thing”; we make likenesses all the time. This is now especially proliferative with the introduction of the “selfie stick”. The command begins “Thou shalt not make”. Does this prohibit artistic sculptures, painting, photography, videography, and other forms of art?

Let’s think back to an event recorded in the Bible. The children of Israel were on their sojourn through the desert and they began complaining against God and Moses about not having bread and water. As punishment God sent fiery serpents among them that bit them and killed many. The people realizing their sin came to Moses begging for God’s forgiveness and interception. Moses went to God with the people’s request and God instructed Moses to make a graven image of a serpent and place it on a pole. When the people looked at the image of the serpent they would live (Numbers 21:5-9). Now did God instruct Moses to break His commandment in making this image of a serpent? James 1:13 reminds us that God cannot be tempted with evil and neither does He tempt us to do evil.

So how does this event jibe with the Law? When reading this command, we realize that the issue is worship: ‘bowing down and serving’. God did not instruct the people to worship the serpent, only to look at it (as an act of faith in God’s healing power). Earlier in the Israelite’s journey through the desert they made a golden calf and were bowing down to it and worshiping it and engaging in all manner of degradation and evil in service to the calf. This ignited God’s anger resulting in severe punishment (Exodus 32:1-8). And what of the brass serpent Moses made? Well, as is human nature we like tangible things and over the years the people began to worship the serpent. So during one of Judah’s times of reformation king Hezekiah destroyed the serpent (2 Kings 18: 1-4). God made a point of not showing any likeness of anything when He delivered the commandments, orally, so as to ensure no one would make the mistake of creating any thing to worship as Him (Deuteronomy 4:14-24).

In our lives we prostrate ourselves and live is service to various things: blocking out hours of our lives for TV programmes, movies and other forms of amusement, spending exorbitant amounts of money on art, music, entertainment, fashion, etc., we worship at the shrines of knowledge, power and influence. Our self-manufactured achievements have become our graven images. The primary focus of our time, finances and physical strength are the ways most of us ‘bow down to and serve’ likenesses of things in our world we’ve created for ourselves.

In this commandment we learn something about the nature of God. He identifies Himself as being jealous. Typically, we identify jealousy as a negative emotion, mostly because we confuse it with envy. Envy is wanting something that belongs to someone else. Jealousy is desiring something that is your own. God created us for the explicit purpose of worshiping Him. All worship belongs to Him because he is the I AM – He has all power, knowledge, wisdom and is all thing to all people all the time. As a result, this is a particularly serious commandment due to the consequences directly associated with it. The consequences transcend generations. That alone ought to inform our choices but along with the consequences there is hope. God always gives us hope. If we choose to obey Him, no matter what happened in the past and what our inherited tendencies are, He will show us mercy.

In Love

Number One

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:2, 3)

When the average person thinks about the first commandment we automatically go straight to the, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”, leaving out the why. However, I have found the ‘why’ to be the anchor of this command. God has asked us to obey His commands and understanding that He made us to be logical creatures, He knows that in order to obey we need a motive. The purpose for ancient Israel to have only one God is that this is the God who freed them from slavery. He heard their cry in Egypt, chose a messenger, performed great miracles on their behalf and set them free. (Exodus 1-14).

So the question now is, ‘why should I have only one God?’ This is the beauty and the genius of God; the answer remains the same: He is the God that has brought us out of bondage. To this you may ask ‘when was I in bondage? I’ve never been a slave to anyone’. Some of your ancestors may have been, but short of being a victim of modern day slavery (human trafficking) not many of us know what it is to physically be in bondage. However, God transcends the physical into the spiritual and the fact is we are all in spiritual bondage (Romans 6:20). After the fall of our first parents, every human being is under the chains of sin. We know that sin is the breaking of the Law (1 John 3:4) and the consequences for breaking the law is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). We are, in ourselves, incapable of doing what is right (Psalms 51:5; Lamentations 5:7). If we of our own strength do something considered right, it remains inadequate (Isaiah 64:6).

But hope came in the form of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:10). God came to earth in human form and lived the perfect life as an example for us (John 15:10), then sacrificed Himself in our behalf (John 10:15-18) to free us from the desire to (Romans 6:18) and the condemnation of (Romans 6:23) sin. Thus, we can now live lives of joy, free from the bondage of being chained to sins that hurt and destroy and with the faith that our debts have been paid (Romans 8:1).

As a result, we can personalize the first commandment to say ‘He is the Lord my God, who freed me from sin and saved me from eternal death, I will have no other gods before Him.’

With Love

The Ten

The Ten Commandments are a vital yet significantly misunderstood set of precepts spoken by the voice of God and written by His own Hand (Exodus 20:1-17; 31:18). Their adherence is emphasized continuously throughout the Bible. They are God’s standing principles that govern His universe. Yet the people on Earth professing to be His followers make a point of deemphasizing their importance. The implementation of these ten Laws are a manifestation of true Love (2 John 1:6). Christ did say, “If ye love Me keep My Commandments” (John 14:15). They are the definition of Love (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:36-40). We cannot keep them without Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) and we cannot Love without keeping them.

Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments as Love for God and Love for our fellow men. The fact is if we truly Love God we won’t put anyone or anything in His place. We won’t worship anything that we created. We won’t misuse His name. And we will spend the allotted time He designated with Him. If we love our parents, we’ll honour them in what we do. If we love our fellow men we won’t kill them, we won’t cheat on our spouses or break up a family, we won’t steal and we won’t lie or mislead. And if we genuinely love, envy of other’s successes will not exist in us.

People tend to look at these principles as burdensome, but if they are approached with the correct Spirit it is clear to see that their obedience is the only way to love and be fit for a perfect kingdom. Without them sin would not be a thing (1 John 3:4). If there was no sin, there would be no need for a Savior. Therefore, it behooves us to take a closer look at these Words from God and decipher how they apply to our lives. For the next few posts I’ll focus on each one, identifying some of the ways we drift from there adherence without even noticing.

I pray that the Holy Spirit guides my writing and your reading.

With Love

Grace

Many of us who grow up in the faith have a major struggle – accepting God’s grace. I was in a discussion today, in which I had to explain this mental dissonance. As a believer in the Bible I know that God’s grace is sufficient to justify and sanctify me (Acts 20:32; Romans 3:24; 2 Corinthians 12:9). However, the inability to accept this comes when the sins I have committed are classified as “small”. My sins have not been considered major errors to those around me and therefore the grace that is presented to justify me doesn’t seem relevant. My mind is filled with all this Biblical knowledge and I carry the burden of living up to this responsibility (Luke 12:48) without a tangible understanding of God’s grace to help me do so.

This is the conundrum that leads to legalism, a plague upon those of us raised on Biblical truth. It was the downfall of the Jewish nation (Matthew 23:24). This belief that my sins are not great enough to be covered by Christ’s justification, or that I am somehow unworthy because more is expected of me, skips a major step in the path to Glorification. It also adds the pressure of believing that I am expected to obey God’s commands in my own strength. As this is an impossibility a cycle of futility and frustration ensues. This has led to the disillusionment of many of my predecessors and contemporaries. I have heard the complaints but it never really sunk in until I had to vocalize it and I was told that I sound like pastors' children. There is a pressure for which the cure was not adequately emphasized.

This has also lead to another plague in the church “cheap grace”. This teaching promotes the idea that justification will cover all sins and we never have to change. This fallacy is leading many to destruction. Scripture clearly states that the law holds (Matthew 5:18). And that by grace through faith we can “establish the law” (Romans 3:31; 6:15; 7:7; Galatians 3:21).

Another symptom of not accepting Christ’s grace is pride. Pride, in the perception that we did not commit any sins great enough to require Christ’s justification. Pride in the knowledge we have acquired. Pride in the idea that my sins are not as bad as yours (2 Corinthians 10:12). The humility of accepting Christ’s justification is a requirement for His service. Only when we realize that ALL our sins, however small it may seem to us, placed Him on the cross, and that anything “righteous” that we do in our own strength is worthless (Isaiah 64:6) can we arrive at the level of humility necessary to serve.

This is why God sent Moses to be a shepherd for 40 years. Moses grew up knowing what his purpose was, and was ready to start a revolution in his own strength. So God sent him to Midian to learn from where the strength for his purpose would come (Exodus 2, 3). This is the pride that Jesus fought every day of His mission here on earth. Like Moses, Jesus knew who He was and what His purpose was. When Satan came to tempt Him in the wilderness Jesus gave him the answers we need to have – “It is written…”. When His disciples tried to make Him their earthly king He removed himself from the premises (John 6:15) and went to pray. He prayed constantly day and night because He knew that in His human form that was His only source of strength. The grace that forgives us is the grace that sustains us. Jesus never sinned but He knew that the only way to maintain sinlessness was grace from the Father.

As we are expected to share faith in Christ’s grace with others we need to experience it in full for ourselves. We all have sinned. We all are justified by Christ’s grace. We will all experience sanctification through this same grace. To be successful in our task ahead we need to humble ourselves and accept God’s grace to sustain us. Then and only then will we be able to share it with others, because we have lived it.

Humbly

The Body

Many people over the years have questioned the justice of Israel loosing Ai when Achan stole the “Babylonish garment, the gold and the silver (Joshua 7). After all are we not all individually responsible for our own actions? (Deuteronomy 24:16, Revelation 22:12) Why would the sin of one man affect a whole nation of people? Well there are a number of Bible events that bare out the reason for this. The essence of it is that ‘we ARE our brother’s keeper’. The converse of Achan’s story can be seen in Genesis 18, when God informed Abraham that He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for them. And God said He would not destroy these cities if He could find as low as ten righteous individuals. Unfortunately for them there weren’t even five righteous in those two cities.

God is interested in the corporate as well as the individual and the individual’s actions towards the corporate is vital to the salvation of the individual (Hebrews 10:25). Daniel, of whom no sin was recorded in the Bible, prayed to God for the forgiveness of his own sins and the sins of all of Judah (Daniel 9:9-19). When Jesus returns He is coming back for a body of believers a church without “spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27). How is this meant to be achieved, verse 25 and 26 tells us that He gave Himself for the church that it might be sanctified.

So since Christ did what was necessary to produce a pure church what part do I have in this? God has given us a mandate to spread the Gospel, the good news of His sacrifice in our behalf (Matthew 28:19, 20). However, if the church is corrupted this mandate cannot be accomplished (James 1:8, Matthew 6:23, 1 Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9). Before Pentecost Jesus instructed the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). In that time, they confessed and cleared up all sins among them brining themselves into “one accord” (Acts 1:14; 2:1). Only then could the Spirit of God be poured out, empowering them to fulfill Jesus’ commission to spread the Gospel to the whole world (Acts 1:8).

We as a body would like to accomplish this final work to bring sin to an end. This was the initial purpose of this movement – to gather the group prophesied to preach the three angel’s messages and complete Christ’s mission for us (Revelation 14:1-12). In neglecting this primary task of preparing ourselves (tarry till endued), and going off on our own to do as “the other nations”, and corrupting ourselves with selfishness and temporary living like Esau (Genesis 25:29-34), we are now wholly unprepared for the task at hand. As followers of Christ we need to share in His desires, we need to possess and practice His yearning for each other’s salvation.

As always, there is hope. When we trust and obey God there is always hope. He has promised to take full control of His final work. Painful, nerve-racking things will occur (Ezekiel 9) but Christ has promised that His church will be safe. His obedient followers will be protected and vindicated (Revelation 7). I urge us all to take heed, give an account for ourselves and each other in brotherly, Christian love. Be humble, take good Biblical, Christian, counsel from wherever it may be found (Isaiah 8:20). God has a way of sending us messages in unexpected ways.

Hopefully 

The Word

I was in a discussion last week in which the inspiration of the Bible was put into question. I stated, as I previously have in this blog, that prophecy is the external anchor on which we can hang the validity of the Bible. Power changes predicted centuries before they occurred in patterns that could not be intuitively foreseen is striking (Daniel 2, 7, 8; Revelation 12, 13, 17). However, beyond power transfers, the Bible offers practical advice on health, foods that are good to eat and those that are not (Leviticus 11), civil structures that are reasonable and efficient (Exodus 18:13-27; Acts 6:1-7; 1Timothy 3), life skills on how to respond to conflicts (Proverbs 15:1, 26:4, 5) to name a few. All externally demonstrated to be truth.

In the conversation I was asked if I believe that there are beings at a level higher than human beings but below God. I said “yes” with the scripture Psalms 8:4, 5 and Hebrews 6:6, 7. So the individual asked if the Bible could then have been inspired by one of these intermediary beings. I responded “No, because created beings can’t tell the future” supported with Deuteronomy 29: 29 and Revelation 19:10. The retort was ‘why not human beings make “good predictions” all the time. My response was “God doesn’t make ‘good predictions’ He says what He sees and no created being has this power” (Isaiah 46:10; Revelation 1:8, 22:13). At this point my interrogator admitted to not believing the Bible to be true, thereby rendering the conversation futile.

A bit more was said beyond this but this summary of the conversation illustrates my point today. I was taught growing up that the word of God is our sword (Ephesians 6:17), specifically a “twoedged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God is listed as a part of our armour in defense against the “wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6: 11-20). If I was in this conversation a year ago my response would have been very different. My immediate response would have been to become defensive – this attitude is of no help to anyone. But as I study more and learn to yield more and more to the Lord I have come to realize, like Jahaziel said to Judah and Jehoshaphat, that ‘the battle isn’t mine, it is God’s’ (2 Chronicles 20:15). So in order to fight it His means of defense is required.

After Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness and Satan came to tempt Him at His weakest most vulnerable time His only defense was the word of God (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). He was tempted in all the areas we are tempted: Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eye, and the Pride of life (Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 2:16). That last area is particularly insidious because when we come to a point of knowledge or strength, pride can take over and we, like Samson, forget where our strength comes from. This is why daily devotion and prayer is vital to the survival of a Christian. Without our daily, hourly, constant connection with the Father (1 Thessalonians 5:17) we put ourselves in dangerous territory.

My petition is that we all study the word of God. To paraphrase a well-known preacher: ‘Know what it says, know what it means and know where it is found’. It is our only defense and source of hope in the times ahead. We all need to get to the place where our reflex response to any challenge is the word of God. It is the solid rock on which we will find our safety. (Psalms 89:26; John 1:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:5-8)

Faithfully

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

I searched the definition of this proverb and found this meaning: “Extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it.” Anyone who has siblings, is married, have roommates or has worked in a dangerous industry such as a laboratory, construction or as an electrician can attest to this saying. There are thoughtless things that you would do to someone with whom you’re close that you would never do to a stranger or someone you’re just getting to know. Those with dangerous jobs, how many times have you eaten, put on lotion or worn sandals into your lab, or manipulated live wires without full protection or drivers using one hand on the steering wheel. It is human nature. We get comfortable with a situation and with that comfort we get careless.

This also happens in our spiritual lives. Some of us were born and raised hearing scripture, we know the dos and the don’ts, the rights and the wrongs backwards and forwards and sometimes we become careless. The account of Uzza in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13 illustrates this very well. Following various military incidents, the Ark of the Covenant was in the house of a man called Abinadab, who had two sons: Uzza and Ahio. Following a military victory King David decided that the Ark needed to be returned to the Sanctuary. He had a brand new cart built and placed the Ark in the cart and had a procession to bring the Ark back to the Sanctuary. The oxen that were pulling the cart had a misstep and Uzza put out his hand and touched the Ark to stop it from falling. This action angered God and Uzza died instantly.

There were multiple failings in this event, the means David set up to carry the Ark was improper – The priests were to carry the ark with the staves made specifically for it (Exodus 37:1-9). The other was Uzza’s action. The Ark was in his house for a long period of time. All that time he was aware that he should not touch it, God’s presence is in the Ark and sinful man was not to touch the Ark. Then in a moment of absentmindedness Uzza let his reflexes take control, over his understanding – resulting in his death.

We as Christians do the same thing all the time. We have all this knowledge and understanding and in a moment of inattentiveness we try to “help God” by disobeying His clear commands. We try to make the church services or activities better by doing things through human methods, somehow convincing ourselves that the ends will justify the means. Believing that, because God wants to save people and we know how to attract people, our methods will be acceptable. Abraham made the same mistake of “assisting God” – leaving the world in crisis. The early Christian church did the same thing “baptizing” pagan practices sinking the world into 1260 years of darkness – from which know we are barely recovering.

We are now living in a time that requires absolute vigilance (1 Peter 5:8). Our natural propensity for sin requires that we always be on guard, we cannot for one moment trust our reflex responses. God has given clear specific instructions on how His work is to be done and from this we cannot deviate. We cannot allow ourselves to be made complacent by the knowledge we have. That knowledge must be put into practice and must be our only guide. Our senses, feelings and reflexes cannot be trusted (Proverbs 16:25). Human senses will be flawed until we are caught up and transformed at Jesus’ second coming (1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

In Faith

Walking it Back

Repentance is a truly hard thing to do. Once you’ve made a stand and declared something to be right and realize you were wrong it is rough to “walk it back”. But if salvation is our desire we MUST repent (James 4:10). In church we’re studying the Holy Spirit, and in reviewing the lesson for this week some things came clearer in my mind that I need to share. The Holy Spirit serves multiple purposes He convicts us when we are wrong (John 16:7, 8), He purifies us (Matthew 12:28), He remakes us, He teaches us (Luke 12:12), He gives us gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-12) with which to bear the fruits (Galatians 5:22,23) God requires of His people (Luke 13:7).

While studying I came across this passage that elicited some concern: Hebrews 6:4-6 says, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

I and many of my fellow believers have had varying degrees of “falling away”, some more adamantly than others. I have great concern for us because I don’t want this passage to be applicable to any of us. We were spoon-fed scripture from before birth and different things happen in our lives that caused us to reject God’s commands. Then one day we reach a point of self-examination and decision, do I keep doing what I’m doing or do I walk it back. Most of us choose to keep going because someone along the way caused us to believe that forgiveness is not possible, but if we learn anything from the parable of the prodigal son, we can do just that.

Truth, things will not be what they use to be. Some people that “never strayed” will treat us with suspicion. We’ve misspent most or all of our inheritance, but our Father is merciful and has made a way of redemption. God promises that if we will humble ourselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our wickedness then He will hear, forgive and restore us (2 Chronicles 7:14). However, we must TURN from our sins, we must be prepared to call evil what it is (Isaiah 5:20). We cannot expect to be accounted with the people of God and persist in evil.

The Holy Spirit is patient; He pleads with us daily. He desires to remake us into the character of Jesus and restore truth in our lives but repentance is the key (Acts 2:38). Today if you hear His voice do not reject Him (Hebrews 3:7,8) because rejecting Him will lead to the impossibility of return (Matthew 12:31,32 Luke 12:10).

In Hope

Know your Ally

At church this past Sabbath I had a very informative and thought provoking discussion with some fellow members. One of whom made the point that because in this life we are engaged in war – The Great Controversy – the strategy to utilize for victory is “to know your enemy”. I have been giving this tactic some thought for some time. I have been having this debate with other close associates, in this matter, for some time now. My theory is that the only way to truly know our enemy is to know who our Ally is (1 John 2:1).

Anyone who works with currency knows that the only way to be able to identify a counterfeit is to know every aspect of the real. Given the subtle, subversive nature of our adversary, this is the only true way to identify him. Matthew 24 describes such insidious deception that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) This should raise great concern in those choosing to follow Christ.

Isaiah 8: 20 states: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is not light in them.” Therefore, it stands to reason that being able to identify the ‘dark one’ we need to become deeply acquainted with “The Law” and “The Testimony” of Light. Now what are these things and where are they found? Simple answer: The Word of God in the Bible.

The extended answer: In a previous post I mentioned that 2 Peter 1:16-21 guides us to the evidence that the Bible can be trusted. Prophecy is given to boost our confidence in God’s promises. Prophecy is an anchor that any honest person – religious or non-religious – can hold onto and know that there must be truth in this Book. As evidenced with the wise men from the East. These were not devout men from the Israelite tradition, they were scientists in search of truth. They found the Hebrew scriptures that prophesied of a coming King, they saw the signs foretold and went in search of Him. Similarly, we can see events predicted for our times indicating the second coming of our King.

So now, because we have something solid to hang our belief on in the Bible, what does this book have to say about The Law and The Testimony. Scholars have identified hundreds of laws listed in the Bible, are they all The Law? Or is there a more comprehensive list. As it happens there is a more concise list in the form of the Ten Commandments. The Decalogue is listed and repeated throughout the length and breadth of the Bible. It existed from the Beginning was reiterated to the Israelites (Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:1-21; 6:4-7), by Jesus throughout His ministry (Matthew 5:17-18; 19:16-22; 22: 37-40), by the Disciples after He left (Romans 3:31, 1 John 1:6) and by many others in between. This is the Law we must know and live.

Then what is The Testimony? Exodus 31:18 lets us know that God’s law is His testimony written with His own finger. John 5:39 states: “Search the scriptures; for in there ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Revelation 19:10 also says “… The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. The very provisions given for us to know that the Bible is truth also show us where untruth lies. It is for us to choose to be diligent students (2 Timothy 2:15) of God’s word in order to arm ourselves against the enemy (Ephesians 6:14-20).

The Bible, in which we can anchor our faith because it is truth, testify of God, of Salvation, of the hope we have for a better existence. Therefore, any individual, power or system that speaks against, acts contrary to, or opposes, in any way (small or great), this Word is your enemy (Matthew 5:19-22).

Faithfully,

God’s Chosen People: Then and Now

In the Bible we learn that God chose Abraham to be the father of His chosen people, the people through which His promise of redemption would come (Genesis 18:18; 22:18). This promise was passed on to Isaac and reiterated to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). Following their time in Egypt the Israelites were lead to the Promised Land by God. On the way they were given charge of God’s immutable law, the Ten Commandments, and they were also given ceremonial laws and services, which were symbols of God’s plan for our salvation (Psalms 77:13; Hebrews 8:1-6). It was the responsibility of the Israelites to live out this example and share the hope of a coming Saviour.

However, Israel repeatedly “did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges). Time after time they got comfortable and forgot their purpose and adopted the ways of the neighbouring heathens. God raised multiple judges to help them every time they cried to Him for help, then they rejected God and demanded a King “like the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:5-7). So God granted them their request. And as has been the pattern they fell into apostasy again leading to the division of the nation and the “loss” of ten tribes and the captivity of the remaining two.

Despite the nature of His people, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. God made a covenant with David that his line would last forever (Psalms 89:3,4; 2 Chronicles 7:18) So He sent prophets to remind the Jews of this promise. Isaiah and Daniel outline all the signs that were to come announcing the birth of the Messiah and the nature of His mission (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; 53:3; Daniel 9:25, 26).

But after the Jews left Persian captivity they decided that this should never happen to them again so to prevent this they developed a religious group known as the Pharisees. The Pharisees were to be the keepers of the law and to ensure that everyone in Israel knew and obeyed God’s law. This all seemed like a good idea until the Pharisees decide the only way to keep God’s laws is to make more laws (Matthew 23:1-7). They forgot that God empowers us to keep His law because we cannot do it in our own strength. So they make God’s law tedious, this is also displeasing to God and they end up under Roman rule.

To keep the people loyal the Jewish leaders, misinterpreted the prophecies, that the Messiah would come to die, and told the people He would come to over throw the Roman rulers. This sent absolute confusion among God’s chosen people and when the Messiah arrived only a few people were prepared, Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:18-25), Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-45), Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38), and wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1-5). God then sent one final messenger, as promised, before Jesus began His ministry (Isaiah 40: 3). John the Baptist preached a message of repentance (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:1-3; Luke 3:3,4)

When Jesus began His ministry He had to correct the misinterpretation (John 2:19-21). Even until the day before He died His closest disciples didn’t fully understand that He came to die (John 18:10,11,36). It wasn’t until Jesus rose from the dead that they finally understood the prophecies (John 2:22).

And unfortunately ‘those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it’. Again, God has chosen a specific group of people to shine a light on His immutable law and to carry to truth of Salvation, found in the Sanctuary, to bring hope to a dying world, and we are failing. Like the Israelites we put aside the beautiful truth that we have because we want to be “like the other nations”. The prophets have laid out what is to happen before Jesus returns and like the Israelite leaders we modify it to suit our own ends. People are being lied to in order to attain perceived success. Greater numbers are being called into the church exposing them to half-truths and thereby imperiling their souls (Matthew 23:15; Revelation 12:15).

Jesus is coming soon. The signs are all there. This time He comes as a conquering King to bring rewards according to our works (Revelation 22:12). We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Our faith helps us to rely on God’s grace to overcome sin; the greater the sin the more grace we receive to resist (Romans 5:20; 6:14). And our faith in His power to help us reject sin and worship Him will determine our eternal reward.

I pray God’s courage on all who hear His Spirit to choose to obey His call to sound the alarm “ Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Through Faith

Bible vs. Tradition

A question that has become prevalent in my church lately is whether some of the things we teach as doctrine are Biblical or church tradition. Growing up I’ve always known them to be Biblical, but like most people raised in my church the way I was we don’t have the verses at the ready. A few of these are our stance on wearing jewelry, going to the theatre/watching certain TV shows/ reading certain books and even drinking alcohol. All my life I’ve known that these things were wrong but have only recently been challenged as to the Biblical reason. This challenge elicited an extreme response that was as a result of my own lack of knowledge. Knowing that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine… (2 Timothy 3:16) I set to studying. So by the grace of God I now have a more sure standing.

I could easily list the verses that would stand against these – Jewelry: Jacob preparing his family before coming to God in prayer Genesis 35:4, God preparing to judge the Israelites after they engaged in idolatry Exodus 33:5, and Peter’s instruction for adornment 1 Peter 3:3; Entertainment choices: King David promising not to look at evil Psalms 101:3, and Paul’s instructions of what to keep in our minds Philippians 4:8; Alcohol: Solomon’s instructions Proverbs 20:1 and 23:31. However, there are scripture references used to support the use of jewelry, Rebecca receiving Isaac’s gifts, Joseph wearing Pharaoh’s ring, Jesus giving us crowns when He returns. Similarly, with alcohol and unhealthy entertainment I have heard the reasoning that in moderation it’s not harmful.

Let’s look at these one at a time: Jewelry. This is a major hang up for many people because they have become so comfortable with it and with pastors now telling them it’s ok my belief and practice elicits a major response. I won’t expound on the pagan origins of jewelry and the coordinating meanings behind this, this can be found out by anyone with the internet or a library card. I look at it from the Bible’s point of view. As prophecy believing people we know that we are currently living at the end of earth’s history which means the end of church history, the final church, Laodicea – A people judged. We are people that are to live in an attitude of constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If we as Bible believing Christians believe that God’s instructions, which has always been to remove jewelry, are constant, as He does not change (Malachi 3:6), why would He waver on this. We are living in a time of judgement. We as a people are being judged by our response to His mercy and following this judgement we will enter the Promised Land. Furthermore, in Ezekiel 28:13 we learn that Lucifer was covered with every precious stone. Human beings were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), His people were made to be clothed in light (Genesis 2:25, Revelation 12:1) but following sin He gave us covering that reflected His sacrifice (Genesis 3:21). When we cover ourselves in jewels we reject the image of God that remains in us and form an image to Lucifer. This is why my church believes and many others used to believe that we should not wear jewelry.

Entertainment choices: The Bible teaches that we should look to Jesus in all things because by beholding we become changed (2 Corinthians 3:18). Scientists have demonstrated that the things we listen to, read, and watch changed to way we think. This is how brainwashing works, the human mind does not loose it’s “sponge-like” properties after the age of seven. As a TV/Movie addict in recovery I can attest to the change in mood and thinking that occurs. It has been demonstrated that while passively watching a scene your brain believes that you are actually living the event, thereby changing the neural connections to suit this new experience. Because as Christians we believe that earth’s final conflict is for our beliefs, is it not prudent that we guard or minds from things that negatively impacts its function?

Similarly, with alcohol, consuming alcohol is known to damage various organs in the body including the brain. I find it flabbergasting that this is an issue among professed Bible believing Christians. I don’t have to list the evils that come from alcohol use. This is in the news and scientific articles every day. I have one verse that summarizes my sentiments on this and I will say no more anyone who has been touch directly or indirectly by the effects of this substance knows it is evil. 1 Peter 5:8 says: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. No honest person can justify the use of alcohol.

This is by no means a condemnation on those who wear jewelry, enjoy unchrist-like entertainment or drink alcohol. We all have shortcomings. This is why He died, to cover us from the things we did in ignorance and the catch us if we fall in knowledge. How we respond to this mercy will determine whether we receive His crown of life or smelt with the ornaments we place on ourselves. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17 He gives us all opportunities to learn His truth and every incentive to choose His Way. Today, in whatever means you may hear His call please respond (Hebrews 3:15).

By Faith

P.S. There are other seeming peculiarities that were held as doctrine at the foundation of my church (Health Message, Dress Reform, etc.); all with Biblical standing. As a faith founded in the Protestant tradition, Sola Scriptura, ‘this is where we stand and we will go no further’. In this year that we remember Martin Luther’s declarations let us not forget why he made those statements and what we will return to by attempting to erode the truth of the Bible.


Lord, I Want to be a Christian

Unlucky Charms

Influence

Preparation

In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus gave a sobering prophecy of what was to happen to ancient Israel and, I believe, to His end-time followers. He describes the most frightful events of wars, disease and poverty followed by the statement: “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:8 The first fulfillment of this prophecy was seen in 70ad when Jerusalem was destroyed. At the rate the world is going now we can see the signs of the second fulfillment.

As a result, many faithful students of the Bible and history are making preparations for this dreadful time, and as a result they neglect a vital part of the preparation. Insulating one’s self from society and preparing a farm house is not the answer. I am fully in support of country living and choosing one’s associates wisely (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). However, I also believe that God has placed us in specific circumstances to prepare us, as His followers. Neglecting a direct command to do good and share the word (Ezekiel 9:4) while embracing “…come out of her, my people” Revelation 18:4, brings to mind the command “…these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Luke 11:42 We are not to get caught up in the trappings of this world, however, we have a duty to our fellow man to ensure that he has heard the truth.

We have been entrusted with great knowledge of the future, but we are not to live there. We may know much of what is to occur, but we do not know what will be needed for that time, except to learn to obey His voice now so we can identify it then. Treacherous times are ahead (Matthew 24:24) and our only guard is the armour of God (Ephesians 6:11-13). Yes, God has given us the capacity to reason and to plan, but these skills are not our source of security in the dark days ahead. We are to put or full trust in God alone, because He alone knows what is to come. Right now we are to live for Him and be about our Father’s business.

Thinking about what is to come, reminds me of Israel in the time of Elijah the prophet. Elijah prayed that there would be no rain so that the people would turn away from Baal worship and back to God. Elijah was not insulated from the drought and famine that ensued. But, because he trusted and knew God, he was fed every day and was even able to be blessing to a family. God also provided for one hundred of His prophets during this time. (1 Kings 17-18)

No matter what situation we find ourselves in we are to always be about our Father’s business. In whatever vocation He has guided us we are to do all as unto Him. (Ecclesiastes 9:10; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23,24)

In Faith

The Why

I have been thinking about this question for a while: “Why do you believe what you believe?”. I and many Christians in the world have been faced with it and have come up with many different answers. I’ve given the generic answer, “Because of what God has done for me”. But to someone with no experience with God and the Bible, though it is true that God has done a lot, this answer tends to ring sanctimonious and a bit hollow. Another prominent response has been “Because I have made the choice to believe that the Bible is truth”. While I have made this choice, it’s not an answer to “Why”.

I was talking to a friend, who was raised in a believing family and has subsequently left the faith for Atheism, and the question came up. Because I was talking to someone who knows the things I know my reflex response was prophecy. The messages in the books of Isaiah, Daniel and Revelation most of which have come true and the remainder of which is yet to be seen. He attempted to rebut by bringing up world powers that existed before that were not mentioned in those prophecies. However this doesn’t make the prophecies any less true.

I haven’t really thought about it much since that conversation and reverted to my “I chose” response, but I was reminded of two passages of scripture that have sealed the response. First, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 Second, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaved we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1: 16-21

These passages reminded me, one, that all the answers to any question I may have come from the Word of God. His name after all is “I AM” Exodus 3:14. And two, there were people who saw Jesus during the 3½ years, there were witnesses to the Red Sea parting, fire coming down from heaven, and all the many miracles in the Old and New testaments. However, above these eyewitnesses God through inspiration has told us the history of the world. Daniel Chapter 2 summarizes and details were given throughout the book of Daniel and all the book of Revelation. And as the passage stated, none of these prophecies are subject to “private interpretation”. The Bible explains itself and anyone who desires to understand can read and understand with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So for this New Year, please “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Because, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Have a Blessed New Year!