The ramblings of an addled mind.
One of the arguments that some Bible critics make is that it mentions unicorns — which we all know are mythical creatures and therefore the Bible must be a book of myth and legend, not fact. And indeed the King James Bible does talk about unicorns:
It is the assigned task of every true Christian: followers of Jesus, to diligently study the Word of God. Listening to a sermon on Sunday mornings is not “studying” the Word. This may prove enlightening, but God desires to speak directly to each of His children and He does that through Bible study.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (NKJV)
The King James version says it more directly: Continue reading “A Prayer of Preparation for Bible Study”
The pastor of the church my wife and I attend passed away this afternoon. This possibility was a prime topic of discussion at this morning’s services. There were many teary eyes. But as we contemplate the death of a Christian brother or sister, are tears appropriate?
Grief is a natural reaction anytime someone close to us passes away. We grieve mostly because we miss that person. Depending on the relationship between us, that feeling of loss can have devastating results in our life — if we let it.
Generally speaking, we grieve because *we* feel loss; making the feelings self-centered. There are a myriad of circumstances that make that statement less fitting: Continue reading “When Christians Die”
In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells three parables involving the loss and recovery of precious items. One of those is the story we know as the parable of the prodigal son. Before we begin it is important to understand something about servants in the Jewish household in the time of Jesus.
There were three types of servants employed by Jewish estates. The first was a bondservant: which was treated like a family member, they ate with the family, dressed well, and were given responsibility to conduct the affairs of the estate. Bondservants hired household servants, who also lived in the home, but ate separately and were not treated as family members. Household servants were the cooks, maids, personal attendants, gardeners, etc for the family; doing the bulk of the day-to-day work of the estate. Hired servants or hired men, were per-Diem workers brought in on an as-needed basis and paid their days wages at the end of each day. Typically a full-day worker would be fed at mid-day. These workers helped at harvest time or to accomplish some major task. They were disposable workers.
Although most Bible translations do not use the word “prodigal” (which means “reckless or wild spending”) this title has become common for this parable. Whether we refer to him as the prodigal son or the lost son, it is unfortunate that we look to the younger son as being the topic of this story; for indeed Jesus intended it to be about the gracious and forgiving father. He was using the parable to illustrate why He was associating and eating with sinners, a practice that incensed the Pharisees.
A rich man had two sons. The younger son demanded his share of the family wealth. This was an audacious demand! He was, in effect, telling his father “I wish you were dead”, because family fortunes were not normally distributed until the father was dead or close to it. This one was very much alive. This had to hurt the father. Continue reading “Points to Ponder On the Prodigal Son”
In Luke 14: 26-33 Jesus is telling the throng of people who were following Him around to count the cost of discipleship. They were claiming to be devoted to Him but He knew their motivation.
By this time the crowds had seen Him heal many hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who had been diseased, crippled, or demon possessed. He had raised a child from the dead. He had fed thousands of people from what amounted to a sack lunch. And He stood up to, and confounded, the Pharisees and Scribes. There was talk among the people that this man, Jesus of Nazareth, was their long awaited Messiah: the one who would, according to their tradition, throw off the manacles of Rome and restore Israel as the preeminent nation of the world. But He would soon dissuade them of that notion. Continue reading “Counting the Cost of Discipleship”
Sometimes life as a Christian is a mountain-top experience: life is going our way and it is easy to be content and at peace. Other times we encounter difficulties and we may ask God, “Why am I going through this?” We may wonder if we are being tested or even punished.
Personally, I have a hard time accepting that God needs to test us to see if we are ready to move to another level. God is omniscient: meaning He see’s everything, not just now but past and future as well. As such, He knows us better than we know ourselves. Why would He need to test us? Further, I cannot find anything in the Bible that says we are being “tested”, as in an examination to determine our knowledge of a subject or proficiency in a sport, when we encounter difficulties. But that does not mean there is not a purpose behind it. For in fact, even God’s own Son was subjected to trial. Continue reading “When Led Into the Wilderness”
I have, on occasion, been taken to task by someone who claims that the King James Version of the Bible is the only valid Bible; that the modern language translations are, at best, erroneous and, at worst, heresy. They claim that the KJV is written as Jesus spoke, we HAVE to stay with that version. To which I must reply, “Are you nuts?” Here is why I must ask that: Continue reading “The Language of Jesus”
In Matthew 23 Jesus launches into a verbal assault on the Pharisees and scribes: the religious leaders and lawyers (interpreters of The Law) of the nation of Israel. He calls them hypocrites (several times) and blind guides, saying they would strain out a gnat and swallow a camel: meaning that they pick at details but ignore the main concept of faith. His most striking analogy, however was to call them ” whitewashed tombs “: painted and pleasing to the eye on the outside, but full of death and decay on the inside. Continue reading “Whitewashed Tombs”
Prayer is a Christian’s most powerful means of effecting change in our own life, the life of those around us, and in the world. Having said that, there are some caveats to bear in mind.
Most importantly, when we pray we must have a right standing with God. We cannot expect God to heed our requests if we are living in rebellion to Him.Each of the four gospels tells about the ministry of Jesus, but each comes at the story from a different angle, being aimed at a different audience, and for a different purpose.
Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as Jesus walking along the sea shore encountering a group of fishermen cleaning up after a night of fishing, and shouting, “Follow me!” Peter, Andrew, James, and John immediately abandon their boats and nets and fall in behind Jesus – seemingly without a clue of who Jesus was or why they were going with Him.
Luke goes into much more detail, starting with Jesus going home with Peter (then called Simon) for a meal and healing Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. In a later incident, Jesus was teaching one morning along the sea shore where these four fishermen were mending and drying their nets. He asks Peter to take Him in his boat out a short distance from shore so He could speak without the crowds pressing in around him. Peter complies. Afterward, Jesus tells Peter to let his nets down for a catch. Continue reading “Stepping Stones”