κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading His remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk.
We’ve all laughed (or felt disgusted) at people seeing the
face of Jesus on toast, in a water stain on a door, or in a clump of kudzu
hanging from a telephone pole.Many people see the face of Jesus in the photograph displayed on the web
pages below.The story behind the photograph may or
may not have actually happened; it is likely to be merely an urban legend.Some never see the face, just blobs of
black and white.One person
pointed out that this is the way the world is: Jesus is always here among us,
some see Him, some never will.Once you see Him, you will always see Him.
"Translating the gospel for young people amounts to entrusting them with matches, for it gives then access to holy fire, which puts the church at risk; what if young people ignite the church?" Kenda Creasy Dean, university professor, Presbyterian youth minister.
In yesterday’s post on the Rich Young Ruler I said the it
was possible that he was a member of the Sanhedrin.The word is often translated as “council,” and when
presented as “Sanhedrin” is a direct transliteration of the Aramaic word and
the Greek word synedrion.The word seems to have begun in
Greek and then passed into Aramiac and, in Greek, means “together” and “seat,”
so, “to sit together.” The Greek speaking Jews called it the gerousia, “the
Assembly of the Ancients.”
The Sanhedrin was a council of judges who ruled in matters
of a strictly Jewish nature.The
Romans held all real political power.
Jewish tradition says that the Sanhedrin began with Moses
and his council of seventy elder (Numbers 11:16) but the first undisputed
mention of the gerousia is in The Antiquities of the Jews, (XII,
iii, 3) by Josephus, in his discussion of the reign of Antiochus
the Great (223-187 B.C.).
The incident in which the Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus what
he must do to gain eternal life is familiar to many Bible readers. (Matthew
19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)None of the gospel writers explains exactly who the young man was and
none tell what became of him after he left the encounter with Jesus.
1.He was a Jew because he declares that he knows
the Commandments and has kept them all.
2.He was a young man, probably in his twenties or
thirties.Neaniskos νεανίσκος (“young man”)
3.The man is described as very wealthy.The words sphodra σφόδρα (“great,” “much”) and
plousios πλούσιος (“rich,” “wealthy”) are used.
4.He was either a Pharisee or a follower of the
Pharisee party.The Sadducees did
not believe in life after death.
5.He is said to have been an archon ἄρχων (“leader,” “official,”
“administrator”). This may imply
that he was a member of the Sanhedrin.
6.He was not a hypocrite; he observed all the
commandments.He really wanted to
know how to gain eternal life.He
did not like the answer he received.
The young man had a works-based idea of salvation, “what
must I do … ?”and Jesus knew
it.Jesus gave the man a
task which he could have performed.The task pointed out the one stumbling block for the man: his refusal to
give up his control of his own life, his refusal to submit to God. He loved his position and his power
more than he loved Jesus.He
worshipped a different god.(Exodus 20:3)
Several comments with varying insights and viewpoints on the
Rich Young Ruler.
Be very careful to screen the movies you let your children
watch. Just because a film is
labeled as a “children’s movie” does not mean it is actually a fit film for
them to see. Children do ingest
the ideas and worldviews of the things to which they are regularly
exposed. Just think of how quickly
they pick up and begin to use “bad words” from adults.
Catch That Kid (2004) is a remake of the 2002 Danish film,
Catch That Girl , and is an almost scene to scene copy of the original film. Both are billed as “kid-friendly”
thrillers.
Catch That Kid stars Kristen Stewart (b. 1990, California,
USA) who was thirteen at the time the film was made. Stewart is best known for her role as the young daughter in Panic Room (2002) and in the
Twilight Saga films, as Bella Swan, a human teenager who falls in love with a
vampire who was born in 1901 and made into a vampire in 1918.
The plot of Catch That Kid is actually quite simple. Thirteen year-old Maddy (short for
Madeline) is a talented young rock climber whose father suddenly needs a
terribly expensive experimental surgery
for which the family has no resources. She recruits two thirteen year-old eighth-grade boys (both
of whom love her, of course) to help her rob an impregnable bank using their
computer and mechanical skills.
The plot is thickened because Maddy must also babysit for her one year
old brother on the night of the robbery.
The movie is touted as a fun “kid-friendly thriller” and it does
have thrills and suspense.It also
has plot holes, logical inconsistencies, silly slapstick level humor, and
glosses over or skips entirely legal consequences which would be caused by the events
depicted.It also contains a
science fiction element with technology not yet available and especially not
available in 2003.What this
all means is that the events in this film could not actually happen. The children would have been captured, injured, or possibly killed.
Several of the reasons why this film is inappropriate for
children include:
1.Number one, the children rob a bank, committing
a major crime.One of the boys
opines, “I wonder if we can finish the eighth grade in prison.”
2.The children engage in mild profanity.
3.The children lie to adults to manipulate them
and obviously enjoy doing so.
4.Maddy manipulates a bank executive to steal his
access codes.In doing so, she
commits theft of intellectual property.
5.Maddy lies to both of the boys to get them to
help her.She tells each of the boys that she loves him, manipulating his emotions.
6.Maddy has to babysit her one year old brother on
the night of the heist.Since she
cannot just leave him at the house, she takes him along on the robbery, thereby
exposing an infant to great danger.
7.Maddy’s mother lies to keep the three twelve
year olds out of trouble.
The film seems to teach children that, as long as everything
works out well in the end, it is acceptable and even smart to lie or to steal or to endanger an innocent.What you want is more important than
what is right.The glorification
of the self, the essence of this fallen world, the essence of sin.
"... when churches focus on keeping young people active for Jesus, we may forget to teach them how to be present with Jesus." Kenda Creasy Dean, youth pastor, university professor, Presbyterian.
It is possible to become so busy for the church or even "for Jesus" that one becomes fixated on the business of being busy. The activity can become an idol, distracting us from God. We cannot earn God's favor, it is a freely given gift. The activities are not wrong, and may even be productive, but more pleasing to God is obedience and what the simple Brother Lawrence called "the practice of the presence of God."
Messianic Prophecies is a recurrent segment in this blog. To see links to several other posts, click here.
Old Testament:
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not
nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of
Sheth.” Numbers 24:17
New Testament:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalemand
asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in
the east and have come to worship him.”Matthew 2:1-2
In ancient times, stars and comets were often believed to be heralds of important events. Stars were also seen as symbols of royal power. ....................................................... To see other posts about Messianic prophecies in the Bible, go to the Labels list at the bottom of this page. The labels are in alphabetical order. Click on "Messianic Prophecies."
At some time during their
lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.
Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the
person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Readers are encouraged to suggest persons
who should be included on this list.This is a recurring segment in this blog.
Bernard Acworth: (b. 1885, England – d. 1963) Writer,
biologist, submariner, creationist. Evangelical.
Catherine Howard: (b. ca. 1518 - 1524, England –d. 1842;
aka: Katherine, Katheryn, Kathryn, “a rose without a thorn”)The fifth wife of Henry VIII, King of
England.In order to marry wife
number six, Henry had f=her executed for treason and adultery. Roman Catholic.
Edward Jonathan Giddings (b. 1831 – d. 1894) Writer. Author
of American Christian Rulers (1890).
Peter Maurin: (b. 1877, France –d. 1949; aka: Aristide
Pierre Maurin) Roman Catholic social activist.With Dorothy Day, was a co-founder of the Catholic Worker’s
Movement (1933).
William McKinley (b. 1843, Ohio, USA – d. 1901) President of
the United States (1897-1901).He
was assasinated by an anarchist. Methodist.
Here is a video of the queen of gospel music, Mahalia jackson, singing the song, "Amazing Grace."
(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the
triangle.Instead,click on the title line in the picture
and the video will begin .When the
video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)
I cannot stress this enough; NEVER ACCEPT INFORMATION JUST
BECAUSE IT IS PUBLISHED IN A BOOK OR ON THE INTERNET!Not everyone is a careful researcher and many jump to
unwarranted conclusions without thinking things through to their logical
conclusions.But, watch this:
(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the
triangle.Instead,click on the title line in the picture
and the video will begin .When
the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this
blog.)
The names are Adam, Seth, Enosh,
Cainan, Manaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh, Lamech, and Noah.
1This is the written account of Adam’s
line.
When God created man, he made him in
the likeness of God. 2He
created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he
called them “man.a”
3When
Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image;
and he named him Seth. 4After
Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5Altogether,
Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
6When
Seth had lived 105 years, he became the fatherb
of Enosh. 7And
after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons
and daughters. 8Altogether,
Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
9When
Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10And
after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons
and daughters. 11Altogether,
Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
12When
Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13And
after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other
sons and daughters. 14Altogether,
Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
15When
Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16And
after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other
sons and daughters. 17Altogether,
Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
18When
Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19And
after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons
and daughters. 20Altogether,
Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
21When
Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22And
after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and
had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether,
Enoch lived 365 years. 24Enoch
walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
25When
Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26And
after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other
sons and daughters. 27Altogether,
Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28When
Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29He
named him Noahc
and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused
by the ground the Lord has cursed.” 30After
Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31Altogether,
Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32After
Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
I did a few quick searches on the Hebrew language origins of
these names and here is what I found:
ADAM:of the
ground, taken out of the red earth, man, mankind
SETH: appointed, substituted (as in the substitution of Seth
for the murdered Abel)
ENOSH: mortal, frail, feeble
CAINAN: fixed, possession, dwelling chamber
MAHALEEL: praise of God
JARED: a descent, going down
ENOCH: consecrated, dedicate, train up
METHUSALEH: man of the javelin, man of the dart, man of the
spear, his death shall bring,he
shall die, it shall be sent
LAMECH: of uncertain derivation, strong, conqueror,
destroyer, despairing, (There seems to be much disagreement and discussion over
the meaning of this name.)
Noah: rest, comfort
Sources:
Easton, Matthew George, “Biblical meaning for ‘Cainan’ in
Easton’s Bible Dictionary,”bible-history.com-eastons; 1897.
The other day as I was going to work, I saw a clown
walking into the Children’s Hospital.She had on a garishly frilly red, white, blue, and green patchwork quilt
dress and a straw hat topped with a large plastic flower.In her right hand was a small children’s
metal Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox.It was obvious that everyone was noticing her.How could they not?
The clown was one of the many volunteers who visit the
ailing children at Children’s Hospital.She, like the other clowns, had to overcome her discomfort at drawing
attention to herself by appearing in public in ludicrous clothing.She, at least, would have the comfort
of knowing that the people who were looking at her understood why she was doing
this.
Christians who strictly adhere to the biblical
understanding (worldview) will often be thought to be odd, backward, or
unsophisticated when they do not conform to the prevailing customs of their
surrounding culture. Sometimes they will be accused of being fools, or worse,
“haters.”As I have stated before,
we really are different and they really do not understand.
Some believers, such as Isaiah, Hosea, John the Baptist, Francis
of Assisi, Procopius, Basil Fool for Christ, John the Hairy, Grisha, and many others have carried out seemingly
ridiculous actions to draw attention to the faith.Some, like the Yurodivy (Holy Fools) of Eastern Orthodoxy, have intentionally carried the idea to what many would consider to be extreme.All of these people have been aware
that they are perceived as “strange.”They value the opinion of the Lord more than they value the opinions of
man.
Are you willing to be viewed as strange?Are you willing to be a Fool for
Christ?
“We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in
Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are
despised.” 1 Corinthians 4:10
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For
it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians
1:18
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe.”1 Corinthians 1:21
“If I could only love the most righteous person in the world
as much as the Creator loves the most wicked person in the world.”Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol
Meshulam Zusha (1718-1800) was born in Galicia and would, in
modern terms, have been of the Polish nationality.He was known for his extreme piety and his highly emotional
prayer life.He is
considered to have been one of the great Hassidic rabbis along with his equally
revered brother, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk.
Many people understand that Jesus died for the sins of the
world.What they often fail to
realize is that Jesus died for them individually.The Bible says that the angels rejoice when one sinner
believes.The price paid for
that one sinner was the most valuable thing in the universe.
We hear it almost every day, on television, in movies, on
the radio, from adults, from children.“Oh, my God!” used as an exclamation of surprise.OMG used as an abbreviation or shortcut
in texting and e-mails.It is used
by many people who never give God another thought.The name of the Lord is used in a casual, thoughtless
manner; a practice which many Christians consider to be blasphemous.
Historically, the Jews have had a deep reverence for the Name of God. In much
Jewish literature God is written as G_d. Christians sometimes seem a little too "familiar" with God. We are allowed, as individuals, to approach Jesus Himself without the need for intercessors. This does not mean that Jesus is our "buddy." He is The Word of John 1:1.
The reverence for the name of God
is even the origin of the name “Jehovah,” which is a well-intentioned
error.Jews placed the vowel
points for “Lord” (Adonai) onto the name JHWH, making the name unpronounceable
in Hebrew. Jewish readers would substitute the word “adonai,” “my lord.” Most
scholars believe that the mistaken pronunciation as Jehovah was adopted by many
Christians about the year 1100 AD/CE.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Exodus 20:7
The phrase, “a drop in a bucket,” is an idiomatic saying
which speaks of an insignificant, overwhelmed thing.Something too small to make any sort of difference to a
situation.The phrase, “a drop in
the ocean” has the same meaning.
The first use of the phrase is believed to have been in
Isaiah 40:15.
“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance:
behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.” Isaiah 40:15
Biblical gardens are themed collections of plants that are
specifically named in the Bible.The collections may illustrate biblical stories, demonstrate the look of
biblical times, or simply collect as many of the varied plants as
possible.Some of the holdings are
in otherwise secular settings.
Below is one of my short stories, in this case a 266 word micro-story entitled The Elevator.
We often fail to recognize opportunities when they are presented to us. How many times have you said to yourself, "I should have said ..."? This is frustrating, but when the opportunity missed is one in which the Gospel could have been presented the situation is not only frustrating, but tragic.
THE
ELEVATOR
Hospital
elevators are lonely, anonymous places. People don’t really see each other
there.
When
I got on the elevator on the eleventh floor, I immediately saw the massively
obese white man with a stubbly three-day old beard.His knit shirt fit very snugly and his vulgarly exposed navel
was an enormous gaping cavern in which a small dog could have hidden. He was a
nascent heart attack.
I
tried not to stare, but his labored breathing wouldn’t let me ignore him.He had the pained wheeze that extremely
fat people get, as if just standing up was a struggle.He sounded as if it would kill him on
the spot if he ever were forced to run.
“What
floor?”
I
said, “One.”
The
fat man’s stubby finger pressed the button.
“Six.”
I
turned around; the voice had come from behind me.
The
well-groomed black man was tall and handsome. I hadn’t noticed him as I entered
the cabin ... perhaps because of the fat man.
“Six.”
The
fat man didn’t move.
“Six.”
Nothing.
“Six.”
I
realized what was going on and, in a flash of anger, my hand flitted over to
the button panel and pressed number six.I thought about confronting the fat man, but I hesitated.I knew he wouldn’t care what I said and
I wondered if the black man would be embarrassed.
When
we got off the elevator, the fat man waddled off to work on his heart
attack.The black man never said
anything. He quietly got off the
elevator and vanished into anonymity. I went to my car, unhappy with myself.
Reading and commenting on this blog is open to anyone. We do not all have to agree with each other. No profanity, no hostile attitudes, just open adult discussion.
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