Christianity's Commandments.

Webers_Home · Aug 25, 2009

.
304) 1Tim 4:7 . . Have nothing to do with the worldly fiction of withered old women.

NOTE: Paul isn't speaking of action comics and/or pulp novels that can be purchased at venders like Barnes & Noble and Borders; but rather, of the religious traditions that the seniors of every generation customarily pass down to the young; thus perpetuating heathen, pagan beliefs and practices. The USA's Native American folklore would be a good example of this. When a Native American becomes a Chris-tian, the Bible's God expects them to disown their spiritual heritage, and let it go.

305) 1Tim 4:7-8 . .Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

NOTE: while it's fascinating to study the religions of various cultures, there is nothing of real value for a pastor to gain in doing so besides the satisfaction of his curiosity. A Chris-tian pastor should forget about those dead religions and invest his limited time, energy, and resources to mastering his own God's doctrines.

306) 1Tim 4:11 . . Command and teach these things.

NOTE: is the congregation exempt from items 304 and 305? No.

307) 1Tim 4:12 . . Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.

NOTE: there is nothing a young-ish pastor can do to stop some members of his congregation from despising him for being younger than they are, but there is plenty he can do to prevent their attitude from dictating the spirit of his ministry. Like a man once said: You can please some of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time. So then, please Christ, and leave the attitude adjustments to the Almighty.

308) 1Tim 4:14 . . Focus upon the public reading of scripture, and to preaching and teaching.

NOTE: there are scholars who specialize in debunking cults and isms; for example Walter Martin, whose excellent work The Kingdom Of The Cults should be in every Chris-tian's collection. However, it is not a pastor's responsibility to debunk cults and isms nor is it in the best interests of his congregation to do so. His responsibility is to read the scriptures aloud, and to preach and to teach because by dong so, his flock will grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Bible's God (c.f. Eph 4:11-16).

Public reading was necessary because of the scarcity of Bibles in those days. All of them were hand-written, and none were mass-produced like now.

Scripture in those days would have been pretty much limited to the Old Testament since the New Testament's canon had not yet been compiled. The Old Testament is very important because it is impossible for believers to obtain a full understanding of Jesus' mission and purpose without a comprehensive knowledge of the Old Testament.

†. Luke 24:44-45 . . And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

†. 2Tim 3:15-17 . . The holy scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

†. Rom 15:4 . . For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

309) 1Tim 4:15-16 . . Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

NOTE: is it too much to ask of a pastor to practice what he preaches?

310) 1Tim 5:1 . . Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as though he were your own father.

NOTE: Kids today have no respect for their elders. There's probably nothing more humiliating to a parent than to be treated like dirt by their children— except maybe to be treated like dirt by a spouse.

Americans have the right to a trial by a jury of their peers. Well, a child is not a parent's peer; he's not even the parent's equal let alone his peer. Parents are not children's peers; no, parents are their betters, not their peers. It's a thoughtless, wicked dunce who treats their parents with no more respect than one of their college beer buddies.

I was in a Sunday school class one morning where a young fellow substituted for the regular teacher. After practically every sentence during his lecture, the fellow would pause, tighten his lips, turn down the corners of his mouth, squint his eyes into narrow slits, and look around the room as if he were angry with everybody, and better than half that room was older than he was. I don't know about the rest of the group, but as a man easily twice his age; I really resented those reprimand-ish glares.

311) 1Tim 5:1 . .Speak to the younger men as you would to your own relatives.

NOTE: if a pastor is accustomed to speaking to his own relatives with the corners of his mouth turned down while squinting his eyes into narrow little slits, and tightening his lips; then he needs to enroll in a sensitivity school and learn what the word courtesy means.

You know, I seriously suspect that some pastors forget the people in their congregations are actually their siblings in God's family. If you were around the dinner table in God's home, with the Father right there in the place of honor; would you dare speak to one of His kids in a curt tone of voice? I don't think so.

312) 1Tim 5:1-3 . . Speak to the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

NOTE: the Greek word for purity is hagneia (hag-ni'-ah) which means: cleanliness; viz: chastity

Webster's defines chastity as: abstention from unlawful sexual intercourse and/or purity in conduct and intention

Pastors are in an advantageous position for meeting women and opportunities for trysts abound; as the news media often attests. That's just what every church needs is a pastor who uses his position as a means to flirt with chicks.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 26, 2009

.
313) 1Tim 5:3-4 . . Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, her kin should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

NOTE: this is a good principle; which, if put into law in the US, would save American tax payers multiplied millions of dollars in welfare payments. A woman's Chris-tian offspring have a sacred obligation to provide for their aging ancestors: the ones unable to support themselves.

†. 1Tim 5:8 . .Those who won't care for their own kin, especially those living in the same household, have disregarded what we believe. Such people are worse than infidels.

314) 1Tim 5:5-7 . .The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame.

315) 1Tim 5:9-10 . . No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

NOTE: there are unprincipled individuals out there who love nothing better than taking advantage of a church's good nature, and its desire to be helpful. Following Paul's directive is a good way to avoid being victimized by one of them.

316) 1Tim 5:11-12 . . As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.

NOTE: the Greek word for widow in this section is chera (khay'-rah) which doesn't necessarily mean a woman whose husband died. It simply means a woman that's lost her man; either by divorce or by death.

The "first pledge" is a woman's wedding vows. If a married Chris-tian woman doesn't want to live with her husband; fine: don't. But if she divorces her husband in order to take up with a different man; that's not fine; no, that's totally wrong.

The one exemption to the rule is unfaithfulness. If her estranged husband begins sleeping around, then their vows are void and she is free to take up with another man.

†. Mtt 5:32 . . I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of unlawful sexual intercourse, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Is that a double standard; implying that only husbands have the right to dump their spouses for the cause of unlawful sexual intercourse but that wives are stuck with adulterous spouses? No, of course not. There are no double standards. If adultery is wrong for wives, then it is just as wrong for husbands. Nobody is exempt.

†. Heb 13:4 . . Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept chaste, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

The word all in that verse is not gender-specific. It means the whole amount just like it says; viz: both spouses.

The Greek word for adulterer is moichos (moy-khos') which means: a male paramour.

Webster's defines a paramour as: an illicit lover; viz: a boyfriend.

Illicit is defined as: forbidden; unlawful.

So you can see that Mtt 5:32 is not a double standard at all. Either spouse's lack of chastity is sufficient cause to void marriage vows, and frees the wronged member of the couple to remarry.

While we're on this subject, I would like to recommend a book written especially for spouses who have been victims of unfaithfulness.

Love Must Be Tough
by Dr. James Dobson
ISBN 1-59052-355-5

317) 1Tim 5:14 . . So I will that younger widows marry, have children, manage their homes, and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.

NOTE: a young-ish woman still has a pretty good supply of active hormones, and a very lively libido that needs an outlet. This is just a fact of life and all the religion in the world is not going to change it. A few women are okay with celibacy, but not all that many are. Even women that some men might evaluate as "frigid" will melt in the right man's arms, so don't be too quick to write them off.

Anyway, unattached ex-wives need to really give some objective thought to the future. Can they really live out the rest of their lives without a man in the house? Have to be brutally honest here because this is pretty serious stuff.

†. 1Cor 7:8-9 . . Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

If an ex-wife is pretty sure she'll crack up and/or develop a case of nerves from living alone for the rest of her life; then I highly recommend she become active in one of the single's groups at her church. If it doesn't have a program for singles, then find another church that does. There's an old rule that goes like this: If you want to meet a man, then you have to go where there's men. That's pretty much de facto.

Another danger of an ex-wife living too long without a man is promiscuity. Women who've lived with a man know what they're missing, while virgin girls do not. Desire has a way of building up to unbearable levels in an ex-wife and just about the time it does, along comes a really great guy who gets a little too close. That can be a difficult moment. It's for this very reason that Paul discouraged couples from avoiding each other for too long a time.

†. 1Cor 7:4-6 . . So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control.

318) 1 Tim 5:16 . . If any believing man or woman have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.

NOTE: it's awful to think that a religion based upon love, has to command its adherents to take care of their own kin.

But in all fairness, I should point out that Paul's directive only impacts believing widows, not unbelieving, because a Chris-tian church has zero obligation to support ex-wives who fail to meet all the requirements of a "widow indeed" as per the above numbered items in this message.

What we're talking about here are primarily Chris-tian widows. So if the ex-wives among your relatives are say, Atheist, Agnostic, Muslim, Buddhist, Bahái, Hindu, or Mormon et al; then don't even think about asking your church to help support them.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 27, 2009

.
319) 1Tim 5:17-19 . .The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the scripture says: "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain" and "The laborer is worthy of his hire."

NOTE: the elders are deacons with seniority; viz: those with the most experience.

Considering the small sizes of most of the ancient Chris-tian churches, and the fact that most met in private homes rather than in the auditoriums of church campuses like they do today, I seriously doubt Paul meant compensation strictly in the form of a salary.

However, if a senior deacon's duties and responsibilities are such that they preclude his holding down a job at the same time, then it is only right that the congregation support him in any way they can. I mean, after all, if his service to the church is invaluable, then by all means do whatever it takes to keep him on staff where he can devote all of his time and energy towards your church's good (that is; if you feel your church is a worthwhile endeavor).

I was employed by a sheet metal shop back in the 1980's that moved to a facility with brand new concrete floors that practically had mirror finishes. Management came out and threatened to fire anybody who positioned metal objects on the floor without placing wooden cribbing under them to protect the finish.

I was aghast. There were highly skilled craftsmen in that shop who had been making a profit for that firm for better than twenty years; and they were to be fired for a trivial infraction?! That sheet metal shop was being managed by fiscal morons who saw skilled labor as only expendable commodities rather than take into consideration the value of that labor's contributions to their business' success.

The focus of this particular directive is not so much compensation anyway, but rather; support; and there are ways to support a valuable deacon besides money.

†. 1Cor 9:7-16 . .What soldier has to pay his own expenses? And have you ever heard of a farmer who harvests his crop and doesn't have the right to eat some of it? What shepherd takes care of a flock of sheep and isn't allowed to drink some of the milk?

. . And this isn't merely human opinion. Doesn't God's law say the same thing? For the law of Moses says: Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain. Do you suppose God was thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn't he also speaking to us? Of course he was. Just as farm workers who plow fields and thresh the grain expect a share of the harvest, The Lord's workers should be compensated by those they serve.

. .We have planted good spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask, in return, for mere food and clothing? If you support others who preach to you, shouldn't we have an even greater right to be supported? Yet we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than put an obstacle in the way of the Gospel.

. . Don't you know that those who work in the Temple get their meals from the food brought to the Temple as offerings? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it Yet I have never used any of these rights.

. . And I am not writing this to suggest that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge. For preaching the Gospel is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn't do it!

So then, valuable senior deacons deserve support, but beware that your method of doing so results in your church losing its reputation as a public service and instead, takes on the appearance of a religious racket. It seems that money tarnishes everything it touches.

But let's say for example, that one of your church's senior deacons is a retiree trying to survive on Social Security and a diminished 401K. He'll be a lot more effective towards your church's good if the congregation, whatever it's size, pitches in to help him make ends meet; and the outside world surely won't blame your church for doing so unless of course they're as callous towards the needs of a senior citizen as the bottom of a soldier's boot.

But beware that your church doesn't overcompensate senior deacons to the point where they can afford to drive a Cadillac Escalade, wear a Rolex, and own an expensive home in an up-scale district. That will really make the Christ of Chris-tiainty look bad, and actually work against the Gospel's propagation.

320) 1Tim 5:19 . . Do not accept an accusation against a senior deacon but before two or three witnesses.

NOTE: It isn't required that two or three witnesses accuse the senior deacon, but that the accuser do so in the presence of two or three witnesses. The witnesses are not there to testify against the deacon; no, they are there to testify against the accuser in the event it's discovered that he's the perpetrator of a slander.

†. Mtt 18:15-16 . .If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

321) 1Tim 5:20 . .Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

NOTE: once it's discovered that an accuser's allegations are libelous, then it's time to get up in front of the entire congregation and expose him for the cheap goods he really is. This is where the testimony of the aforementioned two or three witnesses comes into play.

A roast of this nature can be a very humiliating experience for a church member, and when the others see how it goes, they'll think twice before making spurious allegations against senior staff members.

322) 1Tim 5:21 . . I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

NOTE: The Greek word for angels in that verse is aggelos (ang'-el-os) which is an ambiguous noun that doesn't always indicate a celestial being. It simply means a messenger; which can be anybody; both men and spirits; e.g. Mtt 11:10, Luke 7:24, Luke 9:52, Jas 2:25, Rev 1:20-3:14.

Anyway, I seriously doubt that very many modern Chris-tian pastors are following Paul's instructions in regards to spurious accusations against senior deacons. They probably find it much easier to just ignore them rather than comply with the mandated procedure for roasting the slanderers in their midst (as if any of this is ever optional).

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 28, 2009

.
323) 1Tim 5:22 . . Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily

NOTE: Nowhere in the New Testament have I found either permission, or a directive, for corporeal punishment; which is a criminal justice procedure best left up to the law (Rom 13:1-5).

The laying on of hands is a common colloquialism identifying the procedure for accepting new members into a local congregation. Today we call that "the right hand of fellowship". All the churches I've attended in my Chris-tian experience have had some sort of membership process which includes a profession of faith, a pastor's indoctrination, water baptism, and a public introduction to the whole congregation (or at least whatever number's in attendance at the time.)

324) 1Tim 5:23 . . No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

NOTE: In the days prior to the proliferation of antiseptics, inoculations, Rx medications, and a host of other mass-produced chemical remedies; wine was an important first aid treatment for just about everything from indigestion to open wounds (e.g. Mrk 15:23, and Luke 10:34).

325) 1 Tim 6:1-2 . . Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against. And let those who have believers as their masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but let them serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.

NOTE: we addressed this directive in msg #66 items 199 and 200.

It should be noted though that it is very easy to fall into the habit of taking advantage of one's employer when they're a fellow believer. I've heard that Masons look out for each other but Chris-tians should never impose upon a fellow believer in that manner. Give your Chris-tian employer the respect and obedience due his position; and give him a full day's work for a full days' pay without grousing and stone-walling just as if he were a Simon Legree rather than a fellow sibling in God's home. People are watching, and they pick up on things like favoritism and fraternization.

326) 1Tim 6:2 . .Teach and preach these principles.

NOTE: a pastor should teach and preach these things even when his congregation doesn't want to hear them. He should never let the voice of his flock be the voice of God.

†. Acts 5:29 . . Peter and the apostles answered and said: We must obey God rather than men.

†. Gal 1:10 . . Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

327) 1 Tim 6:3-6 . . If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness; he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved minds and deprived of the truth.

NOTE: look around you at the average discussion taking place on Chris-tian threads. What do you see? You see a morbid interest in controversial questions; and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction. And why is that? Because some do not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness.

Chris-tian forums are the armpit of the internet— cesspools of apostasy, heresy, humanistic theories, and universalism where everyone's a Chris-tian if they say so.

328) 1Tim 6:8 . . And having food and raiment let us be content therewith.

NOTE: the Greek word for content is a bit difficult. It's arkeo (ar-keh'-o) which means: to ward off, and/or to avail. It's often translated sufficient. In other words, when good is adequate, it isn't necessary to pursue better.

Madison Avenue's mad men make their living by convincing consumers that better is always the best choice. No, it isn't. You can easily get by on something that's less than best. Technophiles especially are constantly falling victim to new upgrades of electronic products. I remember when Apple's second generation iPhone was introduced, techies lined up for blocks to get one even though their first iPhones were still working just fine!

†. 1Tim 6:6 . . Godliness with contentment is great gain.

The desire to have more and/or to have better, is a mark of covetousness; which the Bible's Christ listed right up there with evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, and blaspheme (Mrk 7:21-23).

329) 1Tim 6:11 . . But you— O man of God —flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

NOTE: pop quiz: Do you consider yourself a man of God or a man of the Devil?

The Greek word for flee is pheugo (fyoo'-go) which means: not to walk away; but rather, to run away. That's what Joseph did when the queen of all desperate housewives— Potipher's better half —ripped off his clothing during a failed attempt to seduce him (Gen 39:7-20).

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 29, 2009

.
330) 1Tim 6:12a . . Fight the good fight of the faith.

NOTE: Some Chris-tians are passive and just can't bring themselves to be aggressive in any manner whatsoever. But we're not talking about aggression here. According to Eph 6:10-18; the fight of faith is chiefly defensive rather than offensive.

The first Greek word for fight in that verse is agonizomai (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) which means: to struggle; literally to compete for a prize. This is the kind of fighting seen on the field of competitive sports.

The second word for fight is agon (ag-one') which means: a place of assembly; viz: a field of competition like the Olympics.

The object of a Chris-tian's fight is not so much conquest, but rather, a prize. In Paul's day athletes won wreaths. In our day, they win medals and lucrative contracts as product spokesmen.

†. 1Cor 9:24-26 . . Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Paul's not saying that only a super saint can win the gold. He's saying that Chris-tians should fight the good fight of faith as if only one Chris-tian can win the gold. When the competition is that fierce, athletes really put their hearts into it.

331) 1Tim 6:12-13 . .Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good profession in the presence of many witnesses.

NOTE: eternal life is the current possession of every genuine believer. Note the grammatical tense of the "have" verb in the passages below. It's in the present tense; not future.

†. John 3:36 . . He who believes in the Son has eternal life

†. John 6:47 . .Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

†. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message and trust in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from Death into Life.

†. 1John 5:13 . . I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Believers then, are in absolutely no danger of retribution. And why is that? Because eternal life is a kind of life that cannot die; therefore, it is invulnerable to the wages of sin.

†. Rom 6:23 . . For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.

According to God's testimony as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to eternal life; Chris-tians without eternal life are, in reality, quite Christless.

†. 1John 5:11-12 . . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the life, does not have God's son.

In addition, Chris-tians not in the right-now possession of eternal life, have not yet correctly dined upon Jesus' flesh nor correctly imbibed his blood.

†. John 6:54 . .Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

So then, why would Paul encourage Timothy to "take hold of the eternal life" if he already had it? Because all forms of life exhibit a nature particular to the form of life; viz: bats have a bat's nature, coyotes have a coyote's nature, earthworms have an earthworm's nature, and koala bears have a koala bear's nature. In the same manner, eternal life is the life of God (1John 1:1-2) ergo: God has a God's nature. So then, it is possible for believers with eternal life to exhibit the nature of God.

†. Gal 5:22-25 . .The fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance . . if we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit.

But although eternal life is a gift (Rom 6:23) it requires some personal initiative on the believer's part to take hold of it while he's down here passing the time as an earthly being.

†. Rom 8:12-13 . .Therefore, brethren, we are debtors— not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by The Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

332) 1Tim 6:13-15 . . I charge you in the sight of God— who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession —to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NOTE: and what command might that be? Answer: The entire epistle; and Paul was not fooling around about this as if compliance with his directives are optional. No, they are mandatory— just as mandatory as the Ten Commandments were in the Old Testament. Believers won't go to Hell for non compliance; but they will sure as thunder follows lightning forfeit any and all prizes they might have won by doing as Paul says.

†. 1Cor 3:13-15 . . Everyone's work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be spared, but only as one escaping through the flames.

The picture there is of believers leaving this life with absolutely nothing to their credit that honored Christ. It's like a family suddenly wakened in the middle of the night with their house so badly on fire that there is scarcely enough time for them to exit the building. Their entire life's collection of mementoes, furniture, paintings, valuables, photographs, clothing, and such, go up in smoke and they escape with nothing but their lives and the clothes they wore to bed. Their persons survive, but everything else is ruined.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 30, 2009

.
333) 1Tim 6:17-19 . . Command those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

NOTE: I once heard it told about a certain famous industrialist that died and when his surviving relatives were assembled to read his last will and testament, the press wasn't allowed inside to hear the reading. So when people began filing out to go home, newsmen asked them how much the old gentlemen left. They replied: he left it all. In other words, the industrialist took none of his wealth and property with him when he crossed over to the other side.

Since wealthy believers take nothing across with them either, then it behooves them to appropriate some of their means for The Lord's interests and thus earn themselves a prize for generosity on the other side. Not only is generosity to be rewarded on the other side; but this one too as Paul said "that they may take hold of that which is life indeed".

I pointed out in msg 105, item #331 that all believers have eternal life right now while they're still here passing the time waiting for their demise. But the nature of eternal life (a.k.a. the fruit of The Spirit) isn't active in every believer; no, it's only active in the righteous ones.

†. Eph 5:8-9 . . For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: for the fruit of The Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth

The fruit of The Spirit is highly motivational; viz: if believers want to "take hold of that which is life indeed" then they simply have to make up their mind to straighten up and fly right.

334) 1Tim 6:20-21 . .Turn away from godless chatter and the opposition of science— falsely called knowledge —which some have professed, and in so doing have wandered from the faith.

NOTE: not all science should be categorized as "false knowledge" as most of the sciences are pretty accurate. But there is abroad today a blend of science and religion called Theistic Evolution and/or Evolutionary Creationism (a.k.a. Chris-tian Darwinism) which is a concept that assert that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. In short, theistic evolutionists believe that there is a God, that God is the creator of the material universe and (by consequence) all life within, and that biological evolution is simply a natural process within that creation. Evolution, according to this view, is simply a tool that God employed to develop human life.

Theistic evolution essentially rejects the testimony of Gen 1:26-27 that Man is a special creation rather than a product evolved from a lower genre of life. Gen 2:7 testifies that the Bible's God manufactured Man directly from the dust of the earth; rather than from the organic tissues of life already in existence. In point of fact, Man was a corpse until the Bible's God himself personally infused Man with the spark of life; so that Man's human life was not transferred from a lower order of life, but given to him directly from the Bible's God.

Physicist Steven Weinberg feels that religion is an enemy of science. He is wrong. Religion provides answers to the questions science cannot answer. Religion gives meaning and purpose to human existence; which would otherwise languish in science somewhere between a farce and a tragedy. Science and religion are not enemies; no, to the contrary, science itself reinforces religion.

Galileo believed that science and religion are allies rather than enemies— two different languages telling the same story; a story of symmetry and balance. Science and religion are not at odds; no, in reality, science is just simply too young to understand.

The Big Bang, for example, was once a widely accepted explanation for the origin of the cosmos. But now, that theory is steadily losing popularity as the theological idea of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) is looking better all the time as inflation theories increasingly suggest the universe emerged from no tangible source.

Dr. Robert Jastow, founder of the Goddard Institute for space studies at NASA, in his book: "God And The Astronomers" said: Strange developments are going on in astronomy. One of these is the discovery that the universe had a beginning. And that means there has to be a Beginner. The scientist has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak, and as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Like Galileo said; science is simply too young to understand. It's actually still pretty wet behind the ears. Take for example the science of geology (one of Leonardo Davinci's favorites). In the History Channels' series on How The Earth Was Made, geology does an excellent job explaining how the earth came to be the planet as we know it today; except for one tiny little detail: the origin of Earth's water. Geological scientists readily agree that there is just too much of it on Earth to have come here from outer space soaked in meteorites, comets, and asteroids.

The amount of water indigenous to planet Earth is just amazing. The hydrosphere, in the form of the oceans, covers approximately 70.8 percent of the surface of the earth. At the ocean's deepest surveyed point, the Challenger Deep— located in the Mariana Islands group, at the southern end of the Mariana Trench —the water's depth is over 11,000 meters; which is about 6.8 miles; viz: 36,000 feet. That depth corresponds to the cruising altitude of a Boeing 747. At that altitude, probably about all you're going to see of the airliner without straining your eyes is its contrail.

If the Earth's crust were to be smoothed out so that there were no mountains nor valleys nor basins for the oceans, and all the ice melted, it would be covered with water to a depth of over 8,000 feet. The origin of Earth's incredible amount of water perplexes geologists to this day; but ironically, earth's water plays a major role in geology's explanations; which I personally believe are credible explanations— but whence the water?

†. Gen 1:1-2 . . In the beginning; God created the heavens and the Earth. And the Earth was formless and empty— darkness was over the surface of the abyss, and The Spirit of God moved upon the waters.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 30, 2009

.
335) 2Thss 3:6-10 . . In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it.

. . On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

NOTE: It's far more honorable for a believer to work at McDonald's than loaf around the house all day waiting for that big break. These days, a lot of over-qualified people are out of work; not because there are no jobs out there, but because they're unwilling to take something below themselves.

Unemployment insurance doesn't qualify as a job, nor was it really ever intended as a source of income. It's intended to keep people afloat only until they're able to generate their own support— not by hand-outs or by entitlements; but rather, by either entrepreneurial enterprise or gainful employment.

336) 2Thss 3:11-13 . .We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

NOTE: some might not think that holding down a job qualifies as worship but it certainly does. Working for a living is categorized as "doing what is right". So then, since the fruit of The Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth (Eph 5:8-9) then working for a living is merit-worthy.

337) 2Thss 3:14 . . If anyone does not obey our commands in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.

NOTE: there is always a self righteous little cadre of ethics police in every church who constantly bleat that it is wrong to judge others; citing, of all things, The Lord's own words.

†. Mtt 7:1-2 . . Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Would but that wicked little cadre continue past the first verse of The Lord's testimony they would see that it's not judging per se that's wrong; but rather, it's judging with a double standard that's wrong.

†. Mtt 7:2-5 . . For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother: Let me take the speck out of your eye —when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Judging is okay as long as it's performed within the bounds of "righteous" judgment.

†. John 7:24 . . Judge with righteous judgment.

However, ostracizing a church member has to be done through the proper channels; in other words, via a board of supervisors as per the principles of Mtt 18:15-18. (see also msg 103, items 320 and 321)

338) 2Thss 3:15 . .Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

NOTE: church mandated punishments are for the purpose of discipline; viz: child rearing. So then, when supervisors (pastors and/or deacons) ostracize a fellow believer, the congregation should keep in mind that the errant believer is one of their own: a sibling in God' home. So wayward believers shouldn't be permanently excised from fellowship as if they were a cancer. They aren't a cancer at all; no, they're just naughty kids who deserved a whipping. (cf. 2Cor 2:6-11)

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Aug 31, 2009

.
339) 2Tim 1:8 . .Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord

NOTE: Webster's defines ashamed as: humiliated, mortified, disgraced, and/or embarrassed.

Everything Jesus ever taught is "testimony" that is; all of his teachings, preaching, comments, remarks, and lectures will be used as evidence either by the defense to get people into Heaven, or by the prosecution to put people behind the bars of Hell.

†. John 12:48 . . He who rejects me, and does not receive my sayings, has one who judges him: the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

How is it that Jesus' words are evidence? Answer: Because he never spoke for himself; no, he was an ambassador who spoke for his superior.

†. John 3:31-34 . . He who comes from heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard, of that he bears witness; and no man receives His testimony. He who has received his testimony has set his seal to this: God is real. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God.

†. John 12:49 . . For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a mandate, what to say, and what to speak.

Timothy was ordained a minister by the laying on of Paul's own hands (2Tim 1:6). At that moment, Timothy became an ambassador for Christ. So then, he became responsible to speak for Christ just as Christ was responsible to speak for God.

That is a very heavy responsibility, and any minister who shirks his duty, or tones down his message out of fear of humiliation, mortification, disgrace, and/or embarrassment; is going to regret it.

340) 2Tim 1:8 . . Join with me in suffering for the Gospel

NOTE: Suffering for the Gospel doesn't necessarily include martyrdom. The more common forms of suffering are privation, humiliation, threats, hunger, loss of friends and family, ostracizing, ridicule, mockery, harsh criticism, insults, intimidation, name calling, demeaning comments, ugly remarks, slander, teasing, harassment, bullying, unfairness, prejudice, intolerance, disassociation, and betrayal; in other words, the kinds of stuff that really get you right down in the gut.

Suffering because of the Gospel is, believe it or not, a sacred privilege.

†. Phlp 1:29 . . For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

When pastors suffer for Christ, they're actually suffering because of him— he's the one to blame for it. Identifying one's self with Christ can be hazardous.

†. John 15:20-21 . . Remember the word that I said unto you? the servant is not greater than his lord? If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not Him that sent me.

BTW: the Devil and his invisible minions are always at work secretly pushing the buttons of people all around pastors; and the very ones pastors really have to look out for are the people under them running their own churches.

An Evangelical Lutheran Church minister named Rev John H. Beck recently completed a three-year study of church conflict; and his findings are not comforting. According to an article in the Aug 24, 2009 edition of the Oregonian in Portland OR: the issues that cause congregational conflict are typically 1) a pastor and his staff not getting along, 2) a board wanting to take a different direction, and 3) two strong-willed people getting into it and others in the congregation taking sides.

What's going on there? Well, that's not too hard to figure out is it? The Devil is pushing the buttons in those churches while The Lord is outside banging on the door trying to get somebody's attention to let him in.

341) 2Tim 1:13-14 . . Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

NOTE: a pastor who marginalizes the pastoral epistles of first and second Timothy might just as well mothball his collar and go get a job selling insurance because I guarantee you he's just treading water and making no more headway for The Lord than a mixed up man walking downhill on an up escalator.

342) 2Tim 2:1 . . Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

NOTE: I just named several thorns in the flesh that pastors can expect from people around them. However, they need not be crushed by those thorns if they find some way to obtain the strength to endure them. Some men are just naturally rocks of Gibraltar and no matter what somebody throws at them, they can't be discouraged. But even Gibraltar-pastors are still only human; and every man has his breaking point.

There used to be a Country Western song going around with some interesting lyrics in it— a very emotional song about a boy's dad whom the lad once thought invincible.

Unbreakable walls …break.
Unbendable steel …..bends.
Unsinkable ships …...sink.

People in 1914 thought the Titanic was unsinkable; but to everyone's amazement, the ship went to Davy Jones on its maiden voyage.

A pastor who thinks his own strength is sufficient in serving his master, is going to discover that the time will eventually come when he's going to have to swallow his tough-guy pride and reach out to God in order to keep going.

†. 1Cor 10:12-13 . .Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 1, 2009

.
343) 2Tim 2:2 . . And the things you have heard me say (in the presence of many witnesses) entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

NOTE: Paul's instructions were given to Timothy "in the presence of many witnesses" indicating that his instructions were never intended to be privileged information for the eyes-only of an elite category of super saints. The things he taught were done so publicly rather than deep inside a secret chamber whose access was restricted to a special class of believers.

I also suspect that Paul sand-bagged Timothy. By instructing him in the hearing of witnesses, Timothy could never fall back on the tiresome old excuse of saying "I didn't know I was supposed to do that." Well, witnesses would certainly testify that he did know what he was supposed to do because they themselves heard Paul tell him with their own ears.

It's a wise church that fully understands a pastor's duties, attitudes, and responsibilities just in case a time comes when they need to hold his feet to the fire; especially a complacent pastor. If a church doesn't know what a pastor's duties, attitudes, and responsibilities are, then there's no way they can know whether or not they're getting their money's worth. In my opinion, an ignorant church is a church stocked with prey.

Paul's directive in this matter was also a practical consideration as nobody resides forever on this earthen globe. Pastors die; that's just a fact of life. And they also get diseases like dementia, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. It's a wise pastor busy training his replacements so that all his knowledge and experience isn't lost to future church generations. Abraham was commended for this very thing.

†. Gen 18:18-20 . . For I have chosen Abraham, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of Yhvh by doing righteousness and justice; in order that Yhvh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.

A good example of the result of neglecting to train reliable men in "all the things you have heard me say" is the church of Laodicea described in Rev 3:14-20.

According to Col 2:1-2 and Col 4:13-16; the Laodicean Chris-tians were at one time solid believers. But between the time of Paul's writing his letter to the Colossians, and John writing the 3rd chapter of Revelation, the church meeting in Nymphas' home somehow went dead. It was still Chris-tian in name, yes; but it no longer followed The Lord.

The Laodicean church had all the trappings of a Chris-tian church; except for one salient feature: the Christ of Chris-tianity wasn't a member. It was literally Christless. The Lord is depicted outside banging on the door of that half-baked church trying to get somebody's attention to let him in. Not a single member of that church was one of his people, not one; no, not even the pastor.

344) 2Tim 2:3-7 . . Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs— he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, and the Lord give you insight into all this.

NOTE: If there's one thing you can say about a front-line soldier it's that he does not dine upon gourmet food nor sleep in luxurious accommodations, nor even get to bathe all that often. His clothing is nothing to brag about either as it's designed for crawling on the ground rather than sitting behind a desk in an air conditioned office.

Combat soldiers are very focused. They have but one solitary goal, and that's to accomplish their mission while doing their level best to stay alive. Soldiers dodging bullets, ducking shrapnel, and looking for trip wires and snipers, are not distracted by Wall Street, the real estate market, universal health care and/or the civil rights movement.

The "rules" of athletic competition are not so much its gaming regulations, but the training and discipline required to be a winner. One hard and fast rule among athletes is: No pain, No gain.

A "hard working" farmer won't be the first to benefit from his work unless he works hard. Crops don't just grow on their own; no, somebody has to get out there and break up the fallow ground with a plow; then harrow it, and plant it; and afterwards; harvest the crops.

Soldier, athletes, and farmers are all three pretty good illustrations of an effective pastor's attitude, focus, and responsibilities.

The most colossal failure at pastoring that the twentieth century produced was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I truly believe that if he had stayed in the pulpit and complied with Paul's directives as per the epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy instead of getting involved in politics, Dr. King could have easily, and effectively, served Christ and his sheep another thirty-five years instead of getting himself shot to death as a political activist when he was only 39 years old.

Was Dr. King a martyr? Well, if he was, it certainly wasn't for Christ. No, it was for his political agenda. Dr. King totally marginalized his pastoral responsibilities as per the epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy. He put duty to the color of his own skin first, and duty to Christ second. That was a very bad move for a pastor.

†. 1Cor 3:10-15 . . By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

. . If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

I don't admire Dr. King one bit; no, I pity the poor man because when all's said and done, he's going to smell like he was bought at a fire sale. (c.f. msg 49, item #161 and msg 105, item #332)

Soon one life
will be past.
Only what's done for Christ
will last.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 2, 2009

.
345) 2Tim 2:8 . . Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel

NOTE: it may seem difficult to comprehend but there are literally millions of Chris-tians who refuse to believe that David is Jesus' biological grandfather. Yes, they want Jesus' biological ancestry to start, and to stop, right there with his mother even though the Bible's God has been careful to provide the world with a chain of relatives in Jesus' blood line tracing him all the way back to Adam— from Mary, to Mary's father Eli, to Nathan, to David, to David's father Jesse, to Ruth's husband Boaz, to Rahab's husband Salmon, to Judah, to Jacob, to Isaac, to Abraham, to Noah, to Seth, and finally to Adam.

Disbelief in Jesus' human ancestry is due to the success of satanic influences.

†. 1John 4:2-4 . . By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Not only is the spirit of antichrist in the world, but it's also in the largest Chris-tian denomination in the world— 1.2 billion strong. Many adherents of this denomination insist that the baby Jesus was implanted in his mother's womb so that she played the role of a surrogate rather than that of a true biological mother; thus cutting off Jesus' genetic connection to Eli; Mary's biological father. Not only does this denomination cut Jesus off from Adam, but cuts off his mother too by insisting she was a special creation. In this denomination's mind, Christ has no biological grandparents and the blood that ran in his veins wasn't David's but rather, it was actually nobody's.

On numerous occasions, Jesus identified himself as "son of man" which literally means "son of Adam". That title was neither new nor unique in Jesus' day. God addressed the prophet Ezekiel as "son of man" on at least 93 occasions, and Daniel at least once. In every case, the Hebrew word for man is 'adam (aw-dawm') which is the proper name of the human race God created in the beginning (Gen 1:26-27, Gen 3:9, Gen 5:2).

Jesus cannot be a son of man without being a son of Adam; that's just the way it works in the Bible.

Somebody will no doubt object and say the Bible speaks of Jesus as the "new" man, the man from Heaven (1Cor 15:45-47). Okay then, if Jesus is a new man, then how can he be a son of man? The Greek word for son is huios (hwee-os'); which means: kinship; viz: having relatives: a descendant.

Huios implies ancestry. A "new" man has no ancestry just as the old man Adam had no ancestry. Adam was nobody's offspring; but Jesus was clearly David's.

†. Rom 1:3 . . Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh

The Greek word for seed is sperma (sper'-mah) which means: something sown, i.e. seed (including the male "sperm") by implication: offspring.

Sperma is the word from which Webster's gets the word sperm which is defined as: the male fecundating fluid; viz: sperm, and/or a male gamete

That's about as explicit as the Bible can make it that the New Testament's Jesus was a full-blooded human being genetically, and biologically, related to David; and subsequently to Judah, and to Judah's grandfather Adam.

†. Heb 7:14 . . It is evident that our Lord descended from Judah

†. Rev 5:4-5 . . And one of the elders said to me: Stop weeping; behold! the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.

†. Rev 22:16 . . I am the Root and the offspring of David

NOTE: the Root to which Jesus referred was revealed in the Old Testament.

†. Isa 11:10 . . And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

The Lion of Judah is there too.

†. Gen 49:8-10 . . Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down to you.

. . Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?

. .The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his knees until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

I appreciate this creates difficulties for some people regarding the matter of original sin and Adam's fallen nature; but I'm not getting into that right now as it isn't pertinent to Paul's directive.

Paul is ordering every pastor within earshot of this message to keep in mind that the Bible's Christ is David's biological descendant; and according to the apostle John, refusal to do so puts pastors in bed with the Bible's devil who would like nothing better than to disconnect Christ from the current cosmos; subsequently disqualifying him as a valid sacrifice for the sins of the world. And why is that? Because according to ancient Biblical culture, a redeemer has to be what's known as a ga'al (gaw-al'); a kinsman. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the book of Ruth. Disconnecting Christ from the current cosmos makes him kin to no one, not even to his own mother. But the Bible declares quite clearly that its Jesus is kin to not only Abraham, but also to every one of his Jewish posterity.

†. Heb 2:16-17 . . For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren

You would think that Jesus' Adamic ancestry would be a given in Chris-tian circles; but no, it isn't. To this very day, people passing themselves off as Jesus' followers, and as beneficiaries of his crucifixion, still challenge his natural blood line. They're okay with him being a son of God— but a son of Adam? No.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 3, 2009

.
346) 2Tim 2:14 . . Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God's name to stop quarrelling over trifles. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.

NOTE: One of the most humorous religious scenes I can remember in a Hollywood movie was from The Name Of The Rose with Sean Connery and Christian Slater.

Roman dignitaries came to a monastery where Connery was investigating some mysterious deaths and a meeting of the minds was assembled to reach a resolution on a serious theological question; which was this: Did the Christ own the clothes that he wore or not? (chuckle) Over half the world at any given moment is on it's way to Hell and eternal suffering and that's what they chose to discuss?

Well, needless to say, the discussion turned into bickering wherein nothing was resolved. Tempers flared, shouting ensued, feelings were hurt, and people were alienated over the issue— a rather trifling issue. Don't laugh. Modern churchians fight over issues just as superfluous and insignificant as Jesus' clothing.

347) 2Tim 2:15 . . Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

NOTE: Some folks construe "rightly dividing the truth" as a mandate to keep the Old Testament completely separate from the New. But that's not even close to what Paul is saying at all.

Paul was a blue collar worker: he fabricated portable shelters for a living (Acts 18:3). The Greek word for rightly dividing is orthotomeo (or-thot-om-eh'-o) which means: to make a straight cut as opposed to a crooked cut, or a cut that misses the line and yields a piece that's either too long, too short, or the wrong contour; thus resulting in a tent whose pieces won't join properly when it comes time to sew them together. The results? A distorted tent and a black mark for the craftsman.

The intent is not one of severing the Bible in half and throwing part of it out; but to be accurate in its interpretations and applications so that the whole Bible fits together perfectly, like a well made armoire instead of a hastily constructed rabbit hutch.

Pastors who relegate the Old Testament to the status of a non-essential, are not yet journeyman Bible students; no, they're apprentices: they lack the skills necessary to piece the Bible all together and make everything fit; thus they're stalled at a rudimentary level in their perspective of the New Testament's Jesus. Their Jesus is an unfinished Jesus: an entry level version appropriate for a child's mind, but much too fundamental for an adult's.

348) 2Tim 2:16 . . Avoid worldly, empty chatter; for it will lead to further ungodliness

NOTE: religions based upon human reasoning will always fall short of pleasing God because the Bible's custodian is not the men who wrote it; but rather the God who inspired it. I hear people ask all the time: Why would God give us something as wonderful as the human mind unless he expected us to use it in understanding the Bible?

I'm not saying people can't use their minds. But one thing everybody has to realize is that the 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue housed within Man's bony little skull passing for a mind is inadequate for keeping up with the superior logic of the mind of God. In point of fact, God's logic registers as absurdity in the mortal mind.

†. 1Cor 2:10-16 . .For who among men comprehends the thoughts of a man except the human spirit which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one comprehends except God's spirit. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might comprehend the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by The Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But an earthly man does not accept the things of God's spirit; for they are absurd to him, and he can't make sense of them, because they cannot be discerned by the mortal mind.

This is precisely why proprietary catechisms such as Rome's are so dangerous. Way too much of their contents are based upon human reasoning rather than clear-cut Bible revelation; which Paul says leads to "further ungodliness."

349) 2Tim 2:19 . . Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.

NOTE: the wickedness he's talking about are religious beliefs based upon human reasoning. A big no-no.

350) 2Tim 2:22-23 . . Flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce debating.

NOTE: the young are especially susceptible to human reasoning (and debating) and it really shows its ugly head when they get into college under the influence of worldly professors.

In a particularly humorous episode of the HBO series The Sopranos, Tony's son AJ is introduced to the concepts of existentialism by a teacher at school, and begins to question the purpose of life and the existence of a supreme being. When AJ asserts that God is dead, his mob dad Tony responds (in so many words): "You're still gonna kiss up to Him even if He is dead."

The Greek word for pure is katharos (kath-ar-os') which means: clean (as renovated e.g. a clean rug as the result of using a Kirby vacuum).

Another way to look at this is to think of yourself as a factory-manufactured automobile. You like the model, but its lines are not really as aesthetic as you'd like. So you take it over to Foose Design Inc. in Huntington Beach CA and contract with Chip Foose to take the ugly out of your car. What you'll get back from Chip and his team of master auto builders is a thing of beauty, a work of art; a really "clean" car. All the ugly will be gone.

Webster's derives its English word catharsis from katharos; which means: purgation. Purgation is what bulimics do right after they eat something so they don't gain any weight (or nourishment) from their food.

Well, some of us have chubby minds. We need to drop some of that weight and replace the fat with muscle; viz: we need to be thinking right instead of thinking wrong all the time. This hails back to msg 77, item #225.

†. Phlp 4:8 . . Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is clean, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

351) 2Tim 2:24a . . And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome

NOTE: One day I was working out in the garage and a Mormon missionary came up the driveway with a trainee in tow. When I asked him his business, and discovered they were Mormons, I told him I do not discuss religion with Mormons.

He asked me what my religion was and I told him. His attitude, and his physical posture, changed in a remarkable way. He stood up really straight, put his shoulders back, clenched his fists, narrowed his eyes into slits, tightened his lips, and turned down the corners of his mouth into a frown. I could see he was setting himself for a fight.

He asked, no, he demanded, that I witness to him. But I held my ground and told him to continue on down the street where he would likely find somebody willing to discuss Mormonism with him. He did not like my reply. And when he became persistent, I went into the house and left him and the trainee standing there.

Don't, no, never fight with people over religion because it'll just turn into a slugfest and nothing good will come of it.

352) 2Tim 2:24b-26 . . The Lord's bond-servant must . . be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them a change of heart leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the Devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

NOTE: what Paul spoke of there is a category of demon possession that gets very little press these days. It doesn't make people foam at the mouth nor fall on the ground quivering like a bowl of Jell-O in a California earthquake registering 8 on the Richter scale. It's a silent killer like high blood pressure. It can't be detected by scientific instruments like oscilloscopes, X-rays, or CatScans; nor does our intuition serve to spot it like some sort of dark world radar.

People don't usually get the creeps when demons are present because they have no effect upon the five natural senses of taste, touch, hearing, sight, and smell. Demons are covert; they're like dark matter— we know it's out there somewhere; we just don't know where, nor how extensive its influence.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 4, 2009

.
353) 2Tim 3:12-15 . . And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

NOTE: the "sacred writings" upon which Timothy cut his teeth are of course the Old Testament's collection; which Paul affirms are useful for wisdom.

Timothy was very fortunate to have a mentor with whom he was familiar. Most of us have to settle for Bible teachers and preachers with whom we never get a chance to associate and thus know very little about them in a personal way.

Paul not only practiced what he preached— Timothy could see that for himself —but Paul also exemplified what the grace of God can do for a man who otherwise would have been Timothy's mortal enemy. Had not the grace of God transformed Paul, he would have found some way to arrest Timothy and have him prosecuted for being a Chris-tian.

†. Acts 22:3-5 . . I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

†. Phlp 3:4-6 . .Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church

†. 1 Tim 1:12-17 . . And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

. .This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

A pastor's life really ought to be a testimony. Just because they have a degree from seminary doesn't make pastors credible, no, not at all. What real good has their knowledge done them? How has it repaired them and improved them as a human being?

†. 1Tim 4:15-16 . . Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

I would rather be led by a pastor with a police record; and/or one who's gone through a bitter divorce, been a victim of child abuse, or struggled with drugs than one of these shiny little do-gooders coming out of modern seminaries. Give me a pastor with a past: one that God had to fix before he became of any real use to Christ. Give me a transformed man: a trophy of grace; empirical evidence of the Gospel's power to change lives.

354) 2Tim 4:1-2 . . I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus— who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom —preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

NOTE: Preaching and teaching are areas where pastors must take the initiative. They can't wait until their boards take a vote on it. No, the pastor's vote is the only one that counts because left to themselves, congregations (and boards) are just like any other flock of moronic sheep: they're prone to wander.

†. 2Tim 4:3-4 . . For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to fiction.

Webster's defines fiction as: something invented by the imagination

According to Peter, the Bible did not originate in somebody's imagination, but rather, by means of inspiration.

†. 2Pet 1:20-21 . . Above all, you must understand that none of the prophetic documents ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.

Inspiration can be thought of as propulsion resulting from the wind's force upon a yawl's sails.

The Old Testament Hebrew word for prophet is nabiy' (naw-bee') which just simply means: an inspired man. Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:50-51) and Abraham was a prophet too (Gen 20:7). The prophets not only spoke about God, and for God, but more importantly they spoke from God.

†. 1Thss 2:13 . . And we will never stop thanking God that when we preached His message to you, you didn't regard the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very expressions of God— which, of course, it was.

Any pastor that cannot preach to his congregation as if he were God himself speaking, needs to sit down and shut up.

†. 1Pet 4:11 . . If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God

Prophecy is part prediction, part history, part principles, part precepts, and part instructions. Together, those five aspects combine to make up the Old Testament's law. By definition, the entire Old Testament is God's law.

Where the Bible says God created the heavens and the earth; that's law. Where it says Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery: that's law. Where it says Job scratched himself with a shard of broken pottery: that's law. Where it says the walls of Jericho fell down flat: that's law. Where it says Ruth married Boaz; that's law. Where it says Samson carried away the gates of a city: that's law. Where its says Cain slew his kid brother Abel: that's law. Where it says Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem: that's law. Where it says Daniel was in a lions' den: that's law. Where it says a big fish swallowed Jonah: that's law. Where it says the young David slew Goliath: that's law. Where it says Noah built an ark to survive a world-wide flood: that's law. Where it says God intends to destroy the current cosmos and manufacture an entirely new one: that's law. Where it says one of Christ's ancestors was born of incest: that's law.

The entire Old Testament is just as much chipped in stone as the Ten Commandments and every bit of it is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2Tim 3:16-17)

†. Rom 15:4 . .Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction that we, through patience and the encouragement of the scriptures, might have hope

355) 2Tim 4:5a . . But you; be discreet

NOTE: Webster's defines discreet as: using good judgment, caution, and prudence. In other words, have the good sense to avoid religious teaching invented by the imagination; and stick with the Bible.

†. Prv 4:2 . . For I give you good doctrine: forsake not my law.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 5, 2009

.
356) 2Tim 4:5b . . endure hardship

NOTE: some of the aspects of hardship are adversity, mischance, misfortune; danger, hazard, peril; affliction, trial, tribulation; drudgery, toil, travail; discomfort, and distress.

The lives of Christ's pastors are not supposed to be a piece of cake. If they're doing their jobs in a way that pleases the Lord, pastors will take it in the chops. Hardship comes with the turf; it's a given for Christ's effective pastors.

Aloneness is a part of that too. Nobody really cares to sympathize with somebody when they're at the top of the food chain. Pastors comfort others, but who comforts the pastors? Hardly anybody; and for good reason.

As much as pastors might like to fraternize with their congregations, it just doesn't work. I, for one, feel uncomfortable around pastors and prefer they kept their distance. It is just impossible for me to regard them as a peer even though, by rights, I'm just as much one of Christ's siblings as they are and one of the Father's precious little adoptees same as them. Pastors and I are equals around the table in God's home; but it doesn't matter. There's a cultural abyss separating us. Pastors in America are celebrities, the elite— they're in the pulpit and they chair the church's board, while I'm in the pew as just another skull in the gene pool; a nose to count for church attendance.

357) 2Tim 4:5c . . do the work of an evangelist

NOTE: the Greek word for evangelist is euaggelistes (yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace') which means: a preacher of the gospel.

Here in America, we typically think of evangelists as guys like Billy Graham and Louis Palau. But according to Paul, pastors are supposed to be evangelists within the walls of their own churches; before their own congregations, rather than on the road.

My Protestant wife begged and cajoled her Catholic father to accompany her to a Baptist church back in the 1970's before we met. On that particular Sunday, of all days, the pastor spoke about money; especially giving it to support the church and its programs. My father-in-law's reaction? He said afterwards: "Baptists are no different than Rome; all they care about is money." He never went back.

Paul labeled pastoral evangelism as: fulfilling their ministry. (2Tim 4:5d)

358) Titus 2:2 . . Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

NOTE: the Greek word for older men is presbutes (pres-boo'-tace) which means: an old man. Presbutes is different than presbuteros, which is a church officer; viz: a deacon (1Tim 5:17).

I used to get my watches serviced by an aging repairman at a local mall until the day finally came when I could no longer tolerate his manners. He was around seventy-five years old, cantankerous as can be, and perpetually cross. I often felt like asking him if he ever gave any thought to his future. You know, heaven is a place of peace. A hateful man like that repairman would not only never fit in there, but it wouldn't be fair to the others to permit him in their world.

Cantankerous can be defined as: habitually ill-humored, irritable, disagreeable, bearish, cankered, cranky, cross-grained, dour, morose, sour; crabby, cross, crusty, huffy, petulant, prickly, snappish; dyspeptic, ill-conditioned, thin-skinned, complaining, and ill-natured.

A Chris-tian man in old age really ought to be a pal and a role model for the younger ones rather than somebody they fear and dread.

359) Titus 2:3-5 . . Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, keepers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

A lot of older women are man-haters. I'm sorry but there just simply is no place for that in Chris-tianity. It dishonors the Bible's God.

While we're on the subject of encouraging younger women to love their husbands; I should recommend a very pertinent book on the subject.

Many young, twenty-something Chris-tian women today, are the daughters of mothers who, as younger women, were feminists in the 60's and 70's. While many of the daughters would never claim to be feminists themselves, they are, nevertheless, living in a modern woman's world reshaped by feminist activism, and their minds are subconsciously influenced by feminist thinking whether they agree to it or not. For that reason, I strongly urge junior misses and young twenty-something Chris-tian women, with every bit of power of persuasion at my disposal, to read a very pertinent book that just might save them wasting the very best years of their life, and/or making family life and motherhood so unbearable as to make them wish they'd never done it.

What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us
By Danielle Crittenden
ISBN 0-684-83219-4
ISBN 0-684-85959-9 (paper back)

Let me caution all you younger ladies and junior misses out there about something: life is not a do-over. You have only one reputation, and you have only so many years of youth and vitality to work with, so you've got to make every effort to get things right the first time. Botch those years with poor choices, and you cannot go back and re-do them. Never. Take it from a man of 65+ years; the age of 32 comes along a lot sooner than you ever expected. Why did I pick 32 years? Because right about then is when the aging process starts to kick in and your body begins to die. If you arrive at that age, and still feel you're missing something, then you will be in serious trouble, I kid you not.

The "Mothers" in the title of Danielle Crittenden's book, refers to feminist mothers who, by now, have discovered to their dismay that feminism has not only failed to make women happier, but it has only served to make them whiners; and cheap, self-centered, and immoral— it has kept them on hold in perpetual adolescence, and rendered them insecure and a whole lot more unfulfilled; primarily because the desire to be pursued and courted, to sleep with someone they love as opposed to someone they hardly know, to be certain of a man's affection and loyalty— these are deep female cravings that didn't vanish with the sexual revolution; nor were those cravings assuaged by marginalizing family life for careers, power, the glass ceiling, and the pursuit of independence and individualism.

†. Pro 1:32 . . the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

There is today a growing problem among the wives and mothers of industrialized nations coming to be known as Hurried Woman Syndrome (HWS). The women inflicted with this syndrome simply have too much on their plates and actually resent their own husbands and children for wanting time with them. The result is that HWS women are not happy; no, they are stressed to the point where it is impossible for them to be happy. They're angry, irritable, hostile, and impatient: and of course their husbands and children are not happy either; consequently the homes of HWS women are living hells instead of cheerful havens of support, encouragement, sympathy, and love.

Whether it be a shacked-up home life, or one in the sphere of matrimony, feminism does not produce affectionate homes held together by unity, love, devotion, trust, faithfulness, and self sacrifice; no, au contraire, feminism produces political homes infected with individualism, independence, irresponsibility, selfish ambition, and divisions of labor.

Feminists' children often receive very little, if any, meaningful nurturing from their own biological mothers. A large quantity of feminists' children obtain much of their nurturing from day-care providers, baby sitters, au pairs, and nannies.

Women who deny their children a mother's companionship that kids so deeply crave when they're growing up, in order to pursue a career, are often appalled by their children's indifference, even hostility, when they seek their company as old women. During a conversation with an immigrant woman from Sinaloa, it was told me that women in Mexico without children are as good as dead because children are a woman's old age security in a country where poverty is wide spread, and social programs are scarce. Well; here in industrial America— the land of plenty, the land of abundant entitlements, opportunities, and social programs —a women who denies her own young children their mother's companionship, had better be prepared to go into old age a largely ignored individual.

Continued >>>

Webers_Home · Sep 5, 2009

.
Role Modeling +

†. Mtt 10:39 . .Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The biggest road block to feminists becoming true disciples is Jesus' gender. You see, at the heart of feminism, is the drive to be independent of males. Yet the very lord and master of Christianity, the supreme male in the universe; demands death to a woman's self interests, and submission to his domineering control.

†. Lk 14:26 . . If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children brothers and sisters— yes, more than your own life. And you cannot be my disciple if you do take up your own cross and follow me.

In Jesus' day, crosses were for executions. So when Jesus told his disciples to "take up their own cross" it meant stifling their own way; viz: it was a call to abandon self interests, and follow The Master's leading.

†. Rom 12:1-2 . .Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is— His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Many a young Chris-tian woman is under the false assumption that just because she's female that eo ipso makes her an expert on love. Nothing could be farther from reality. Young women are typically self absorbed and a total ninny at loving a man. The books below make it very clear just how clueless they really are at it.

For Women Only
By Shaunti Feldhahn
ISBN 1-59052-317-2

The Proper Care And Feeding Of Husbands
By Dr. Laura Schlessinger
ISBN 0-06-052061-2

One of Whitney Housten's best songs is titled: I Wanna Dance With Somebody. In the lyrics, Whitney says: I wanna dance with somebody who loves me. Isn't that interesting? Why didn't Whitney say she wants to dance with somebody she loves rather than somebody who loves her? It's because while the average women wants to be loved; she simply cannot believe that men have feelings too, and that they would like to be loved by somebody.

I can just about guarantee that many young Chris-tian women reading this don't have a clue how to love a man. Why? Because they've grown up in a modern world shaped by years of feminist activism, along with aggressive movie and television female role models who carry guns, abuse men, put their careers first, sleep around, are grossly insubordinate, poor team players, and break the law; (not to even mention the women in sit-coms who treat men like silly dunces who can't even tie their own shoes without their mommies; and the androgynous women in modern business and politics who exhibit more testosterone than their male counterparts).

In their minds, women are a protected species and men are fair game for assault and battery and every ugly remark in the book; and now somebody is going to have to de-program all that and start with them from scratch and teach them a thing or two about the male mystique. That job is not up to me, no, I'm a man. It's up to women: older women who've been around the block a time or two.

†. Titus 2:4-5 . . Older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

Paul's mandate runs 180° counter to modern feminism's self-aggrandizing attitude that homemaking is oppressive and demeaning to women; which is obviously an attitude that denigrates the word of God instead of honoring it.

Loving a man rarely comes natural to any young woman; Chris-tian or otherwise makes no difference. Abusing men is what comes natural rather than loving them. The average young woman, regardless of her religious affiliation, is in a defensive posture; she's self confident, self centered, and very good at annoying men.

Would they try to become a dental assistant, or an investment banker, or an accountant without training? No. Then what makes young women think they can love a man without training? I do not encourage younger women to seek training from others their own age because young women their own age are just as clueless and probably all that they'll end up doing is banding themselves together to construct yet one more little fortified village consisting of whining, criticizing, and laying all the blame on men.

Marriage is not a fortified village consisting of you and your female friends' angst-driven whining and criticizing. Not even close. Marriage devalues your female friends; and scrapes them off if necessary because in the adult world, marriage is a unified front consisting of just two people: you and your man. Marriage is not for children and scatterbrains; no, it is for grown-up women; and I'm not talking about years of life; no, even 35 and 40 year-old women often fall short of being grown-up. Their association with men is on no higher a level now than when they were a 17 year-old, self absorbed brat in high school.

When young Chris-tian women refuse to listen, and balk at investing time in learning how to love a man, then the odds are in my favor that their marriages will be unhappy even before their first child enters kindergarten; and how old will they be then? How much of their youth will they have squandered simply because of their self confidence that they were a big girl and could handle it?

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 6, 2009

.
360) Titus 2:6 . . Urge the younger to be sensible

NOTE: the Greek word for sensible is sophroneo (so-fron-eh'-o) which means: to be of sound mind, i.e. sane, (figuratively) moderate.

The word for younger is neos (neh'-os) which means: new; viz: youthful.

We're not talking about underage kids here; but rather, youngsters who've reached the age of reason and accountability. Nobody should expect people under the age of adolescence to be sensible; especially in this day and age when the new 21 is something like 26 nowadays in America.

Young people can't do anything in moderation. They're impulsive, brash, crazy, prone to silliness, self centered and self conscious, and spend money like it grows on trees. The iPod generation, in my opinion, consists of a good number of slow bloomers who need a little extra time to mature. When parents hound them to do otherwise, it eventuates in a violation of the commandment below.

†. Eph 6:4 . . Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

The Lord is a shepherd who's got enough brains to avoid pushing his herd so hard that the lambs get wore out and can't keep up, subsequently rendering them vulnerable to predators.

There's an awful lot of young people out there today with metal stuck in their faces, and tattoos on their bodies taking ecstasy, smoking pot, joining gangs, using meth, shoplifting, and missing school because their parents broke their spirits and literally raised them to be rebellious by refusing to let them grow up at their own pace.

Many years ago, before I was even interested in having a family of my own, there was a cartoon in the newspaper comics called Rick-O-Shay. Rick was sheriff in a small town out in the olde west. Well, he had a son that was a bit immature and Rick was concerned the boy was never going to amount to anything and he didn't know what to do about it. So, while he was complaining about his son to his good friend Hipshot Percussion (a local gunfighter) Hipshot interrupted and gave Rick some very good words of wisdom. He said (in so many words): Instead of frettin' about turning your son into someone you can admire, why not instead try and find out who he is and go with that?

Relentless criticism and ridicule, unreasonable expectations, zero sympathy, and disapproving everything they think, say, or do are the surest ways I know to ruin a kid's attitude and drive them far, far from home and God. If your kids are fed up with you, then they are going to be fed up with everything you stand for and the same goes for pastors. So lead young people; don't drive them. Follow Paul's directive to urge young people to be sensible with a little sanctified common sense of your own.

361) Titus 2:7-8 . . In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that those who oppose us may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say.

NOTE: you know, that's just what every young person really needs in their lives— a hypocrite. Youth pastors have an enormous responsibility to live the kind of lives that young people can respect. If they cannot look up to their pastor, then they will most certainly look down; and quite possibly suffer permanent disillusionment too. Like the old saying goes: When the sheep go astray, the lambs are sure to follow.

362) Titus 2:9-10a . . Bond slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering;

NOTE: a bond slave is someone who has sold themselves into slavery for any number of reasons. But the one feature I would like to dwell on is pilfering because this is a serious problem for employers here in the USA.

The Greek word for pilfering is nosphizomai (nos-fid'-zom-ahee) which means to squirrel something aside for one's self: viz: embezzle; which Webster's defines as: to appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use.

Embezzling isn't limited to strictly money; no, it's also the misuse of an employer's property such as office materials and office equipment, and/or shop materials and shop equipment; including water and electricity.

My last job before retiring was as a civilian employee for the US Army Corps of Engineers in the Portland Oregon district. It was against the rules for us to even take anything out of a dumpster, or use a battery charger to jump-start our cars, or even to so much as pump up a low tire on our cars with the air produced by a government air compressor. We were not supposed to use the computers for surfing the web or composing personal e-mails.

Everything on the facility where I worked was US Government property, including the trash, and could not be used in an unofficial capacity without first obtaining special permission. Violators were subject to prosecution for Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.

Unofficial use of office computers alone is costing employers multiplied thousands of hours of wages and benefits paid to employees who are online during the work day for personal reasons. The most outrageous case I heard of at work was a lady downtown in the district office who was caught conducting her Mary K Cosmetics business via a US Government computer.

Those are things from which Chris-tians are ordered to cease and desist.

363) Titus 2:10b . . but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our savior in every respect.

NOTE: the Greek word for adorn is kosmeo (kos-meh'-o) which means: to put in proper order; viz: decorate

When women buy a pretty new dress, they usually get things to go with it; things we call accessories; like a purse, shoes, stockings, necklace, earrings, and/or a watch and a bracelet. In the old days, women usually bought some gloves to go with their new dress too— thus they create an "ensemble" which gives them a complete look rather than an unfinished look as if they just threw the dress on to work around the house or run down to a nearby 7-11 store.

Well, a Cris-tian who's a Chris-tian in label only is like a pretty dress without accessories. In point of fact, they are quite basic: just a house dress.

364) Titus 2:15 . . These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

NOTE: there's really nothing a pastor can do to prevent people from blowing him off, but it is in his power to not let negative people dissuade him from his duty.

I have been often criticized for posting comments on Chris-tian message boards that nobody reads or responds to. But I told my opponent that everybody has an audience of at least "1" and that 1 is God. Be faithful to God, and He will be faithful to you. Don't ever "let" anyone make you feel like a moron in what you're doing for Christ.

†. 2Tim 4:1-2 . . I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus— who is to judge the Living and the Dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom —preach the word; be ready whether it's convenient or inconvenient: reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and with doctrine.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 7, 2009

.
365) Titus 3:1 . . Remind your people to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.

NOTE: There's always somebody who objects to that command by pointing out that America's Declaration Of Independence contains a clause that reads: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them: a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

I'm not going to tell American Chris-tians that they have to choose between Titus 3:1 and the DOI. Let their consciences be their guide on this issue. All I can say is; tackling tyranny and despotism is dangerous business and puts believers at risk of violating 2Tim 2:3; which says: No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs in order that he may please his commanding officer. (msg 109, item #344)

†. Rom 13:1-7 . . Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well.

. . The authorities are the ministers of God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong. So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.

. . Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid so they can keep on doing the work God intended them to do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and import duties, and give respect and honor to all to whom it is due.

Have all governments really been placed in power by God? Yes, they have; even the bad ones.

†. Dan 4:17 . . This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes, and sets up over it the basest of men.

It was the basest of men that hauled Chris-tians into arenas to be mauled and devoured by lions. Should Chris-tians have rebelled? No, it was their sacred duty to die unjustly by the fangs and claws of lions.

†. Phlp 1:29 . . For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake

What about all the Chris-tians serving as German guards under Hitler during the Holocaust? This one's easy. They were (either knowingly or inadvertently) assisting Yhvh to carry out the threats of Deut 28:15-68.

You know, if Yhvh would bring upon His own people something as horrible as the Holocaust, what do you suppose He has in mind for those of the world who are not His people?

†. 1Pet 4:17 . . For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

366) Titus 3:2 . . malign no one, be un-contentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

NOTE: the Greek word for malign is blasphemeo (blas-fay-meh'-o) which means: to vilify; specially, to speak impiously

Webster's defines vilify as: to lower in estimation or importance, and/or to utter slanderous and abusive statements against

Vilification is a clear violation of Phlp 2:3, which reads: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (msg 72, item #214)

Should I consider Bernard "Bernie" Madoff as better than myself? (chuckle) No. It isn't slanderous to say the man is a crumb when he's been clearly proven to be one. What we're talking about here are innocent victims of vilification rather than those deserving of it.

367) Titus 3:8 . .This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds.

NOTE: see msg 118, item #361

368) Titus 3:9 . . Shun foolish controversies, and genealogies, and strife, and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

NOTE: the law in question is Moses' covenanted law.

†. Rom 4:13-16 . . It was not through commandments that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by commandments are heirs, then faith has no value and the promise is worthless because law brings retribution. But where there are no commandments; there is no transgression of commandments. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace, and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring— not only to those who are of the law; but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.

†. Gal 5:4 . . For if you are trying to make yourselves righteous with God by keeping commandments, then you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's kindness and generosity.

†. Gal 2:21 . . I am not one of those who treats the kindness of God as meaningless. For if we could be spared by keeping commandments, then there was no need for Christ to die.

†. Gal 3:21-22 . . If the commandments could have given us new life, then we could have been made right with God by obeying them. But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.

†. Rom 3:20-24 . .Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing commandments; rather, through commandments we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from commandments, has been made known, to which Judaism and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are pronounced innocent free of charge by his kindness and generosity through the ransom that came by Christ Jesus.

One of the foolish controversies I would highly recommend that believers avoid is the Roman Church's roster of so-called apostolic successors. Don't even go there.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 8, 2009

.
369) Titus 3:10-11 . . A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

NOTE: the New Testament Greek word for heretic is hairetikos (hahee-ret-ee-kos') which means: a schismatic; which is someone in your very own church who causes dissent, rebellion, division, discord, and disharmony.

Heretics are not outsiders; no, a true heretic goes to the same church you go to and professes to believe and practice the very same religion that you profess to believe and practice; viz: for Catholics, a heretic would be a professing Catholic who openly disagrees with Rome, and attempts to persuade other Catholics to join their cause in reforming the Church.

Webster's defines a heretic as: 1) a dissenter from established church dogma; especially one who disavows a revealed truth, and 2) one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine; viz: a nonconformist.

I am an ex-Catholics and I oppose Rome. However, I don't fit the definition of a heretic. I'm actually what's known in Chris-tian circles as an apostate; viz: a defector; which Webster's defines as a person who forsakes one's cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology. Heretics don't usually defect; but remain inside to foster insurrection: to undermine, to bring about reform, to weaken, and to cause division. Every church has its fair share of heretics and they can be very disruptive in Sunday school.

The Greek word for reject is paraiteomai (par-ahee-teh'-om-ahee) which means: to beg off; viz: deprecate, decline, and shun. In other words, don't give heretics the time of day, nor even be seen with them.

370) Titus 3:14 . . And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

NOTE: the pronoun ours obviously excludes the heretics. They don't need to maintain good works since they're essentially tares rather than wheat and nothing they do in Christ's name is merit-worthy.

†. Mtt 7:22-23 . . Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you. Depart from me, you that work iniquity.

That passage doesn't target atheists, nor Hindus, nor Muslims. No, it targets people professing to have done many wonderful works in Christ's name; viz: it targets Chris-tians— and not just your average rank and file pew warmers, no, but rather, it targets outstanding Chris-tians like Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, and Carlos Manuel Rodriguez: the cream of the crop; the celebrities of the Christian world; renowned for their accomplishments, their piety, and their dedication. It is to many of them that Jesus will say "I never knew you." Why? Because they were heretics.

Someone is sure to protest with: How can you possibly accuse those three people of heresy? I didn't. Mtt 7:22-23 targets Chris-tians like those three rather than those three in particular.

371) Titus 3:15 . . Greet them that love us in the faith.

NOTE: heretics are of course excluded from the group that Paul labeled "them that love us in the faith". Paul didn't say hello to them; no, only to those whom he identified as "ours" in item #369 since his orders are to shun heretics.

372) Philemon

NOTE: In the little communiqué to his friend Philemon, Paul went to bat for a runaway slave named Onesimus. By all rights, Philemon could legally put Onesimus to death; but as Onesimus' fellow believer, and his sibling around the table in God's home, Philemon was bound by a higher sense of duty and association.

Onesimus ran away before he was converted. Had he been a Chris-tian, he would have been mindful of item 199 (Eph 6:5-8) item 245 (Col3:22-25) item 325 (1Tim 6:1-2) and item 361 (Titus 2:9-10a).

Now that Onesimus was a fellow believer, Philemon was obligated to comply with item 201a (Eph 6:9a) item 246 (Col 4:1)

You know, I keep using words like "obligated" but though that word is appropriate, it shouldn't have to be emphasized because Chris-tianity is supposed to be a religion of devotion rather than obligation to duty.

†. John 15:12 . . My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Moses' law commands people to love others as themselves; but Jesus commands believers to love their fellow believers with the same love with which he himself loves them. That being the case, it must have been very easy for Philemon to let bygones be bygones and welcome Onesimus back into his home.

When Onesimus became Philemon's fellow believer, the nature of their association took on a whole other dimension; viz: every one of the commands that I've posted on this thread since June, in regards to believers associating with one another, came into play at the moment of Onesimus' conversion.

He and Philemon would never again relate to one another the same as before Onesimus' conversion. Where once Onesimus and Philemon were merely fellow men; in Christ they became kin, and both will one day sit side by side, shoulder to shoulder as equals around the table in God's home.

†. Phlm 1:15-16 . . For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; not now as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 9, 2009

.
373) Heb 2:1-4 . .We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

NOTE: that commandment is unusual in the New Testament in that it wasn't written to Chris-tians, but rather, to potential Chris-tians.

When studying a difficult epistle like Hebrews, it's extremely important, for an accurate understanding of the letter, to first determine who wrote it, and to whom the author mailed it.

The author, unknown either by name or gender; was obviously a Jew because he's identified by the use of the pronouns our and us since it was to the Jews' forefathers that the prophets spoke.

†. Rom 3:1-2 . .What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

†. John 4:22 . .You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is of the Jews.

Next, it's important to determine the target audience. Few people write letters and send them nowhere unless they're maybe a little touched in the head. So this letter was intended to communicate with somebody. According to Heb 13:22. the audience wasn't to just one recipient; but to a plurality.

†. Heb 13:22 . . Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.

Just exactly how many are indicated by brothers is impossible to determine. The recipients may have been even as few as two. A plausible scenario is that the author, in his activities as an evangelist, traveled to various places throughout the Roman empire, and would eventually end up in a local Jewish synagogue. Jesus did it that way in Israel (Mtt 4:23, Mtt 9:35, Luke 4:16), and Paul did it that way later (Acts 15:21, Acts 17:1-4).

Usually a number of Jews in those synagogues (whom the Jewish author calls brothers) would take an interest in the Gospel and want to know more. I believe this epistle was sent to an unspecified group of those kinds of Jews. Where were they located? Nobody knows. The only thing about the location that's known for sure is that it wasn't Italy (Heb 13:24).

Moving through the letter, I believe at least three categories of Jews are addressed.

Chapters 1 thru 4:13 address nondescript Jews.

Chapters 4:14 and thru to 10:39, address a special group of Jews that I've labeled teetering Jews. Those were Jews who heard the Gospel, and interested in finding out more, but not quite convinced yet to follow Jesus whole-heartedly, and were in very real danger of turning completely away from the Gospel and clinging to Judaism.

Chapter 11, and thru to the end of the epistle, addressed Jews who were past teetering: they made a solid commitment, and were ready to begin living a serious, Christ honoring way of life.

My divisions of the epistle are no doubt rough hewn, but they do serve to help put the contents in perspective.

Getting back to Heb 2:1-4, I don't think the words drift away imply that people get saved and then later lose their salvation. No; it's more like a curious crowd that gathers around a soap box speaker, and little by little, man by man, boredom sets in— the audience begins dispersing and people move on to find something else to do. That would be akin to attending a Billy Graham crusade, and a month later totally forgetting everything he talked about.

You can ask evangelistic associations like Jews For Jesus and they will tell you, it takes a lot of hard, dedicated, persistent effort to convert Jews to Chris-tianity; hard effort with lots of prayer and follow-up because Jews have a very strong tendency to drift away from Jesus and cling to their Judaism.

Ignoring an angel is serious enough because they represent God and they speak for God straight from God's presidential palace.

†. Ex 23:20-22 . . I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready. Pay heed to him and obey him. Do not defy him, for he will not pardon your offenses, since My Name is in him; but if you obey him and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

The identity of that particular angel is a mystery. Another like it appeared to Moses in the desert and commissioned him to lead Israel.

†. Ex 3:1-2 . . Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed.

Those angels are of such a high authority, and put in such immeasurable trust, that they often speak not as themselves, but in the first person just as if they were God Himself. Point being, if angels, who are merely servants, speak with God's authority, how much more grave is it to ignore The Almighty's own kin who is higher in rank than they?

The people of Israel were warned to be wary of prophets. Even if a prophet's predictions came true, they were not to give in to that prophet if his teachings took them away from the God of their covenant.

†. Deut 13:2-5 . . If there appears among you a prophet or a dream-diviner and he gives you a sign or a portent, saying: Let us follow and worship another god whom you have not experienced, Even if the sign or portent that he named to you comes true, do not heed the words of that prophet or that dream-diviner. For Yhvh your God is testing you to see whether you really love Yhvh your God with all your heart and soul. Follow none but Yhvh your God, and revere none but Him; observe His commandments alone, and heed only His orders; worship none but Him, and hold fast to Him.

If Jesus of Nazareth had been an outlaw prophet or diviner, I could allow for his countrymen ignoring him and desiring his execution. But he represented their god, not another's; and the miracles were overwhelming. There is just no way a false prophet could do the things he did in that day.

†. John 9:30-33 . .The man answered and said to them: Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.

Not all of Jesus' nemeses, the Pharisees, were convinced he was a fraud.

†. John 3:1-2 . . Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said: Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.

Jesus walked on water and calmed storms. Many, many people had their health restored in Israel those days. In some passages the Bible says that among the crowds who thronged him were infirm folk, and he healed "every one of them."—blindness, leprosy, withered limbs, paralysis, and chronic bleeding were all in his repertoire of doctoring. If only he were here now to empty out the hospitals and mental wards.

He raised several people from the dead, and fed large crowds by multiplying small quantities of food stuffs— more than enough to feed them all; and all for free. He never charged anybody a single penny for his services nor did he attempt to profit from any of his miraculous abilities save for the time he helped one of his disciples catch a fish with money in it so they could pay the Temple tax.

No other prophet in Israel's history has ever come close to matching his abilities. Even if Jesus of Nazareth proves out to be a false messiah, no one can deny that he sure was good for the country while he was here.

†. Acts 10:34-38 . .Then Peter began to speak: You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, because God was with him.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 10, 2009

.
374) Heb 3:1 . .Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and High Priest whom we acknowledge: Christ Jesus

NOTE: the holy brethren are Yhvh's people— the nation that God promised to make of Abraham as per Gen 12:1-2, Gen 13:14-16, and Gen 22:16-18.

The Greek word for consider is katanoeo (kat-an-o-eh'-o) which means: to observe fully.

You know, giving Christ a cursory examination is going to lead nowhere. His purpose and his mission are just too complicated for that sort of half-hearted audience. Giving the Bible's Christ a brief once-over is just about as wise as investing in stocks without knowing some details about the company behind them; but that is just how Jews typically view Christ. "He's not Moses is he? No. End of discussion!"

A good number of modern Jews do not seek, nor have they ever sought Yhvh their God; no, on the contrary, Orthodox Jews today are in the minority. They number approximately 800,000 in ratio to an approximate total population of 5.5 million in the modern State of Israel. Which means that a meager 14.5 percent of modern Israelis are Orthodox. More than half of all modern Israelis describe themselves as hiloni (secular) viz: they are committed to no religion at all; let alone the faith of Abraham and/or the beliefs and practices of modern Judaism.

It gets worse. A measly 10% of the world's Jews are Orthodox. I'm not talking about an insignificant number of Jews. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, there were 12,753,500 Jews worldwide as of 2006. Ninety percent of those amounts to a whopping 11,478,150 non-Orthodox Jews!

Those non Orthodox Jews don't even bother to fully consider the religion of their sacred ancestors; so how are Chris-tian ministers supposed to get their attention to fully consider Christ? It's uphill all the way.

†. Mtt 13:15 . . For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and return to Me, and I would heal them.

375) Heb 3:7-11 . . So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said: Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways. So I declared on oath in My anger; they shall never enter My rest.

NOTE: no doubt there are lots of modern Jews who would say: Had I been out there with Moses in the desert, I would have been faithful and I would have entered the promised land when Yhvh said to the first time.

Sure, sure, it's easy to be faithful in hindsight. But where are the Jews today? The majority are hiloni; and of the Orthodox ones, they all reject Christ. Yes, there are some Chris-tian Jews but their numbers are so small that I wonder if they've even been tallied.

But didn't the Jews enter the promised land at the end of forty years? Yes, they did; but they didn't enter into the rest Yhvh labeled as "My" rest.

The typical sabbath day is a one-day affair. But the rest in which Yhvh resides is perpetual.

The seventh day is conspicuously different from the previous six days of creation. Each of them were bounded by an Evening and a Morning. But the seventh day is an open-ended day in that it's bounded by neither an Evening nor a Morning; which indicates that the Bible's God has never stopped resting from His creative activity.

The Lord's never-ending sabbath is an allegory for every believer's never-ending rest in the plan of salvation.

†. Heb 4:8-10 . . For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

376) Heb 4:11-13 . . Let us therefore be prompt to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

NOTE: No doubt hiloni Jews scoff at the fear of God. But they are getting by with nothing: there is nowhere to hide.

†. Job 7:19 . . How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Those 118 officers and sailors, who perished in the frigid depths of the Barents Sea aboard the Russian submarine Kursk on August 12th of 2000, no doubt thought they were all alone in the inky black below the surface; but Yhvh was right there on-site watching everything, hearing everything, and noting everything they thought, spoke, or did in their last moments which will be used by the prosecution in its case against them at the Great White Throne of Rev 20:11-15.

377) Heb 3:12-13 . . Take heed, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But implore one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

NOTE: Who were they who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those whom Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was Yhvh angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So then, we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb 3:16-19)

Belief is not only consent to a statement's truthfulness. No, Bible belief contains the element of trust; the absence of which led to the Jews' downfall in the Sinai. God told them to attack Palestine, but they didn't believe they were strong enough to do it. Well, that part was true; they weren't. However, Yhvh promised to be on their side. That part was true too, and had they been as convinced of that second part as strongly as they were the first, they would have been okay. But alas, they failed to rely upon Yhvh as a man of His word; and subsequently, they missed out on their one and only opportunity to enter into perpetual rest.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Webers_Home · Sep 11, 2009

.
378) Heb 4:1-2 . .Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had the gospel preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it wasn't mixed with faith in those who heard.

NOTE: in reading the Bible; it's always important to pay close attention to grammar and syntax. In this passage we're looking at, the pronouns us, you, we, they, and those do not refer to Gentiles; no, not at all. They refer to the author's fellow Jewish countrymen. This is, after all, a letter to Hebrews, not to the world.

Heb 4:1-2, contains a startling revelation. The Gospel, though good news, isn't really new news. No, the Jews of old were introduced to the gospel. They were informed that a Christ was coming. It's true their revelation wasn't as complete as that available today; but whatever details their revelation contained, it was enough to get them into Yhvh's rest had they accepted it.

†. 1Pet 1:9-12 . . Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

The Jews of old, and the angels too apparently, were given just enough information about Christ to wet their lips, but not the whole ball of New Testament wax. But it's not how much you know that counts; no, it's how you respond to what you know; and the Jews under Moses' leadership failed to respond in the manner Jacob did.

†. Gen 49:18 . . I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord Yhvh.

The Psalms too, are chock full of David's anticipation of The Lord's salvation. Those old-timers were a lot more savvy than we thought; but the Jews under Moses' command? Nope. They were duds.

379) Heb 4:10-12 . . Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disbelief.

NOTE: they say nobody's a total failure if they can serve as a bad example. Well; those Jews under Moses' command are that: a bad example.

†. 1Cor 10:1-12 . . For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

. . Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry. We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did— and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did— and were killed by vipers. And do not grumble, as some of them did— and were killed by the destroying angel.

. . These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Jews are some of the smuggest people on earth; they are so proud of their status as Yhvh's people. However, if the Holocaust proves anything at all, it proves that the chosen people don't really have all that big an advantage over Gentiles. If anything, their status puts them in very grave danger.

†. Amos 3:1-2 . . Hear this word that Yhvh hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

They say it pays to be connected. Well, in Yhvh's case, it's very dangerous to be connected. Those closest to God are often the first to come under His guns; and I'm not talking about collateral damage; no, I'm talking about the primary target.

†. Rom 2:9-11 . .Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no favoritism with God.

C.L.I.F.F.
/

Christianity's Commandments.

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads