From Jim McGuiggan.... ON BEING A PRESENCE

ON BEING A PRESENCE

A dear friend of mine heads up a thriving business which in reality is a combination of businesses and at lunch one day a while back I asked him if what he did was mainly to administrate and see that everyone did their job. My question was poorly phrased and his response broke the bounds of the question with its richness.

He said he worked at being “a presence” and that is precisely what he is in his company. He is more than an administrator and an advisor who often has to make decisions and set precedents that go against what some employees might think are warranted. He is more than a leader who determines specific policies without explaining all to his work force. He’s the visible force of the company; he embodies its spirit and heart. Even when he isn’t there, he’s there, and his vision is what shapes the direction in which the company moves forward.

Even the employees who don’t know him at a personal level to any marked degree are influenced by the “spirit” of the company for which they work and the spirit is embodied in my friend who provides “a presence” there. His presence has so shaped the firm that when they become a part of it they enter within the sphere of his influence and are affected by his vision of things and by those around them who are also affected by that vision; a vision that’s made visible by how he goes about being what he is in the workplace. I don’t believe nor do I wish to believe that all the companies in the area are crooked; that isn’t my point; but because he is a presence there I know one company I can do business with and be sure I’m getting fair, honest, courteous and satisfying treatment.

Millions of us believe we see that truth at work on a cosmic scale in the person of Jesus. We hold him to be Lord and we claim he makes decisions and determines some policies but we believe that that truth is only one facet of what we think about the Lord Jesus. As my friend is “a presence” in his company so Jesus is “a presence” in the world. 1 Peter speaks of those who haven’t seen Jesus but says of them. “Still you love him.”

My friend isn’t Jesus [there’s only one Jesus!]. I need hardly tell you that humans being humans his numerous employees at some time or another and in some way or another surely mistreat the clients—that’s life as we know it but where his spirit prevails for his company that won’t happen. I’d insist that my friend’s presence in his company is shaped by Jesus’ presence in the world and that he is, in that respect, a servant of Jesus Christ as a agent of change for good to the human society.

Not everyone goes along with the spirit of Jesus [do I need to tell you that?] but even the brilliant though confused Bertrand Russell toward the end of his life confessed that if the world was to get any better we would need to look to the spirit of Jesus Christ and his way in the world. While more needs to be said about Jesus than Russell would have allowed, Russell was right on target. My friend’s company can’t be all it can be without his “presence” and the world can’t be all it can be without the presence of the Lord Jesus who shapes the vision and the behaviour of people beyond his own peculiar People.

The point I began with was illustrated just a couple of weeks later when I had some work done and went to pay for it and the invoice was adjusted. My friend’s trusted employee and colleague chuckled as he completed the adjustment. “Don’t want the boss to think I was gouging you,” he said. Bearing in mind that a presence was there I couldn’t help saying, “That’d never happen here.”

One day when Jesus returns to right all wrongs and when as compensation he ”restores all the years the locusts have eaten” to all those who have been ceaselessly oppressed, in a world made new someone, somewhere, will smile and say, ”Let me adjust that bill. Don’t want the Boss to think I’m gouging you” and the answer will come back, ”That'd never happen here.”

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.

From Mark Copeland... A Warning From The Wilderness (Hebrews 3:7-19)

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"

                 A Warning From The Wilderness (3:7-19)

INTRODUCTION

1. In the previous study, we considered "The Supremacy Of Jesus Over 
   Moses"...
   a. Jesus was superior, not in faithfulness, but in His person and 
      service
   b. Moses was a servant in the house of God 
   c. Jesus, however, is the builder of the house, and serves as the 
      Son over the house!

2. In He 3:6, the writer to the Hebrews affirms that "we" are the house
   of Christ...
   a. Referring to the church, which is the house of God - 1 Tim 3:15
   b. For in Christ, we are now "members of the household of God", and
      together with the faithful saints of old (including Moses) we are
      now "fellow-citizens" in the commonwealth of Israel! - cf. Ep 2:
      11-22

3. Yet our status as the "house" is conditional!
   a. "whose house we are IF we hold fast...." - He 3:6
   b. We must hold fast "the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope
      firm to the end."

4. The need for steadfastness explains the exhortations in this 
   epistle...
   a. We saw the first exhortation in He 2:1-4, regarding the danger of
      drifting
   b. Now we come to the second exhortation, regarding the danger of 
      departing from the living God - He 3:7-19

[To warn against the danger of departing, the writer appeals to...]

I. THE EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS (7-11)

   A. ISRAEL HARDENED THEIR HEARTS...
      1. The quotation in verses 7-11 is from Ps 95:7-11
         a. In which the Holy Spirit warned Israel not to be like the 
            fathers in the wilderness
         b. A warning which the Hebrew writer found just as necessary
            in his day
      2. In the wilderness, the Israelites had...
         a. Hardened their hearts in rebelling against God
         b. Tested (tried) God with their lack of faith
      3. This they did many times during the forty years of wandering,
         but especially...
         a. At the beginning, with the incident at Massah ("tempted") 
            and Meribah ("contention") - cf. Ex 17:1-7
         b. Toward the end, with the incident at Kadesh - Nu 27:14; 
            cf. 20:1-13

   B. THEREFORE THEY DID NOT ENTER GOD'S REST...
      1. God became angry with that generation in the wilderness for 
         their persistent rebellion - e.g., Ps 106:13-33
      2. So God swore that they would not enter His rest - cf. Nu 14:
         22-24,26-35
         a. Of those over the age of 20 when they departed from Egypt, 
            only Caleb and Joshua entered the promised land
         b. The rest (of which there were 603,548 men) died in the 
            wilderness!

[Because of hardened hearts Israel departed from God which led to 
rebellion.  In turn, they fell short of the Canaan rest that had been 
promised them.

With "A Warning From The Wilderness" fresh on their minds, the writer
then exhorts his brethren by warning them of...]

II. THE DANGER OF DEPARTING (12-14)

   A. THERE IS A NEED TO "BEWARE"...
      1. A believer can develop "an evil heart of unbelief"
         a. Remember that the recipients of this epistle were "holy 
            brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" - He 3:1
         b. The warning against developing a heart of unbelief presumes
            a real possibility
         c. Thus a "believer" can become an "unbeliever"!
      2. Unbelief is produced as one is "hardened through the 
         deceitfulness of sin"
         a. Sin is deceitful...
            1) Promising pleasure, power, and prestige
            2) In the short term that may be true, but such things are
               "passing" (temporary)
               - e.g., He 11:25; 1Jn 2:17
         b. Because of its deceitfulness, it is easy to become 
            "hardened"
            1) I.e., to be stubborn and not heed the Word of God
            2) It happened to Israel, and it can happen to us!
      3. The consequence of unbelief is "departing from the living God"
         a. As one grows in unbelief, so they drift away from God
         b. While a believer remains in fellowship with God, an 
            unbeliever can only depart further and further away from 
            God!

   B. THE SOLUTION IS TO "EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY"...
      1. This is how a believer avoids becoming an unbeliever!
      2. Through mutual edification on a daily basis, we can prevent 
         the "hardening" that comes from sin's deceitfulness
      3. An important part of such exhortation is our assembling
         together - cf. He 10:24-25
         a. Which should certainly involve our assemblies on the first
            day of the week - e.g., Ac 20:7
         b. But with a need for "daily exhortation", should we be 
            content to limit our assembling to one service a week?
         c. If we have the opportunity to assemble more often, 
            shouldn't we?
      4. Even if it is only by phone, we should seek to "exhort one 
         another daily"!

   C. OUR PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST IS CONDITIONAL...
      1. Once again we see the conditional nature of our participation
         with Christ
         a. We are the house of Christ "...IF we hold the fast the
            confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."
            - He 3:6
         b. We have become partakers of Christ "...IF we hold the 
            beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end," - He 3:
            14
      2. What about the security of the believer?
         a. The "believer" does indeed enjoy the assurance of his 
            salvation
         b. But we have seen that a "believer" can develop "an evil 
            heart of unbelief"; i.e., become an "unbeliever" - He 3:12
         c. When a "believer" becomes an "unbeliever", what promises of
            security and salvation there may be to the believer are no
            longer applicable!
         -- Thus the many warnings to remain faithful, including that 
            of our Lord's - Re 2:10

[The danger of departing from God is so great, that the writer of 
Hebrews returns to "A Warning From The Wilderness"...]

III. THE EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS REVISITED (15-19)

   A. ANOTHER APPEAL IS MADE...
      1. Quoting again from Ps 95:7-8
      2. The Hebrew writer applies the quotation to Christians
         a. They need to "hear His (God's) voice" - remember He 1:1-2;
            2:1-4?
         b. That is, hear with a desire to hearken, for they too can 
            easily harden their hearts "as in the rebellion"

   B. THE NEED FOR CHRISTIANS TO BELIEVE, AND OBEY...
      1. In the case of the Israelites, who was it that rebelled?
         a. All those who came out of Egypt (save Joshua and Caleb)!
         b. Though led by Moses, they still rebelled!
         -- We may have been delivered by Christ from the bondage of 
            sin, but rebellion is still possible!
      2. In the case of the Israelites, with whom was God angry forty
         years?
         a. Those who sinned
         b. And who died in the wilderness as a result of their lack of
            faith
         -- If we become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, 
            shall we escape judgment?
      3. In the case of the Israelites, who did God not allow in the 
         promised land?
         a. Those who did not obey!
         b. Those who developed unbelief!
         -- Shall we enter our promised rest if we disobey through 
            unbelief?

CONCLUSION

1. When the apostle Paul related some of the same experiences of Israel
   in the wilderness, he wrote:

   "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were
   written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have 
   come." - 1Co 10:11

2. It is for our own admonition that we have such warnings as that 
   found in our text...
   a. For the deceitfulness of sin is just as strong today
   b. For the hardening of one's heart is just as dangerous today
   c. For departing from God is just as possible today
   -- Thus the potential for falling short of our promised rest is just
      as much a reality for us as it proved to be for the Israelites in
      the wilderness!

3. That is why we need to "exhort one another daily"...
   a. To encourage one another to remain strong in faith - He 3:19
   b. To encourage one another to remain strong in obedience - He 3:18
   -- Have you exhorted your brother or sister lately?

Finally, did you notice how "faith" and "obedience" were used 
interchangeably in these last two verses?  These terms are not opposed
to one another, for in fact Paul himself wrote about "obedience to the
faith" (Ro 1:5; 16:26).  Faith is dead unless there is obedience (Jm 
2:17,26), and so those who truly believe will obey.

That is why Jesus can be described as "the author of eternal salvation
to all who obey Him" (He 5:9).  Have you obeyed Jesus by obeying His
gospel? - cf. Ro 10:16; 2Th 1:7-8; 1Pe 4:17

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... Pregnancy, foolishness and male "knowledge"

I chuckled when I read this today.  I suppose someone was trying to be "cute" and impart "knowledge" concerning the gentle sex. Even though there is some truth in some of the things above, there is more humor than truth.  No, perhaps the word humor could be better replaced with folly- you know, the "wisdom" of a fool.  And so, I come once again to the Scriptures for an associated concept...

1 Corinthians, Chapter 3

 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.  19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”  20 And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”

I am unsure as how to best express this so I will just take a stab at it... men do not understand women (and we never will). To say otherwise is foolishness. Like so many things in this world we think we "know" things and know nothing. Remember being told that margarine was better than butter or that coffee would stunt your growth. And what about all those medicines advertised on TV that have LONG descriptions of harmful side effects? Today, I am going to focus on simplicity and start with my own perception of what I should really know. I think I will begin with the Bible...

From Jim McGuiggan... Political and Religious Correctness

Political and Religious Correctness

It would appear that everyone wants to be gracious (or at least, polite) and with that as now established fashion, doctrine becomes irrelevant or close to it.

Of course we have those who seem to live for debate—for them every disagreement is a life or death matter; it must be so, don’t you see, because that’s what gives them the opportunity to show the brilliance of their logic as they prove with geometrical certainty that one seemingly small error leads to another and that to another until the entire gospel edifice is at stake. These people have not vanished from the earth—far from it. In fact though their number may be smaller than decades ago their voice is even shriller and their logic is even more sharply honed. The widespread feeling that doctrine doesn’t matter at all feeds this class and often creates it because, though we might not bother to act on it, in our bones we all believe that ideas have consequences and that what we believe matters. For some, then, what we believe is the only thing that matters—and so extremists are born and nurtured.

Over against those among us who live to debate there are those who insist: “The only thing that matters is attitude, lifestyle and sincerity; oh, and yes, faith in Jesus as the Christ, God’s Son. Given these, the rest is a matter of fine-tuning at most or a tedious waste of good time and energy.” You hear this kind of talk everywhere.

Nobody believes it in science or medicine, systems of justice, social questions (abortion, embryonic research and such) or even, so it appears, in politics. Passionate people in their thousands gather to shout fiercely that so-and-so must not be allowed to get to be president or prime minister, that such-and-such a group mustn’t be allowed to gain power. These thousands don’t profess to have all the answers to all the major questions but they work on the proposition that “the truth is out there” and we should work toward it for the good of all (especially for our own good).

But in religion everything is pretty much a matter of what each individual thinks and ignorance, even chosen ignorance, even flat refusal to hear what the Bible seems clearly to say, must be accepted and acceptable. I almost said “excused,” but that would suggest that there’s something wrong with an individual asserting his “autonomy”. The one “wrong” in today’s climate, is daring to require people to believe certain truths if they are indeed to be Christians. But a fine-spirited and socially useful agnostic, whatever else he is—as he will tell you himself—is not a Christian.

Less radically but just as forthrightly we’re told that we mustn’t bind creedal views on anyone; we mustn’t insist that they believe this or submit to that if they already “believe in Jesus as Saviour.” To do otherwise, we’re told, is said to nullify God’s grace. All that’s required is faith in Jesus and the rest, while some of it will need to be worked out because it generates serious pastoral concerns and hinders a good reading of the biblical witness—the rest has nothing to do with a person’s salvation in Jesus.

As proof of this we have Paul, enraged by conservative Jews at Antioch. These people were binding the Torah on Gentile converts and Paul blisteringly condemned it as worthy of anathema (Galatians 1—2). We’re to learn from this, we’re told, not to bind anything on anyone except faith in Jesus for that alone is essential.

But scripture and life aren’t that simple and in the very texts used to say we should bind nothing on people but faith in Jesus as Saviour Paul called a curse down on these who would propagate the view just mentioned because it was false to the core.

Still, the people he called down destruction on were people who passionately believed in Jesus as Saviour so it would appear that even those who have faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord can take a theological position that earns heaven’s anathema. To put it much too crassly, in essence, Paul said to people who had passionate faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour: “Believe the gospel I preached to you or be damned!”

He thought that a particular view of Christ’s work nullified the death of Jesus (Galatians 2:21).

An increasing number of preachers who should know better are now saying that requiring believers to be baptized “into Christ” is an “add on”—the very thing that we mustn’t do. The very thing, they tell us, that Paul forbids us to do in Galatians 1—2.

The Paul who wrote such scathing words against believers in Jesus had himself been baptized unto forgiveness of sins (Acts 22:16) and in Galatians itself (3:26-27) he speaks of union with Christ in terms of a believer baptism. He doesn’t appear to think a faith union with Christ that’s entered in baptism is an “add on” requirement. Over and over again some people tell us that to call for baptism as the NT way to take on us Jesus’ name is adding “creedal requirements” in addition to “salvation by faith”.

But if that were true Paul threatens believers in Jesus with divine excommunication in chapters 1 & 2 and then in 3:26-27 does what he curses them for.

Maybe it’s best just to take the texts at face value and believe that Paul, in chapters 1 & 2, was denouncing what God had not called for, what God had in fact excluded, and that in 3:26-27 he simply took for granted what God had called for (called for it in Paul and everyone else).

A few years back a man, whom I judge was as weary as we all are at times with too much debating and too little warm, eager obedience, wrote a book calling us all to be more open in our fellowship with evangelical churches of whatever hue since ignorance is prevalent in all churches.

A reviewer trenchantly reminded the author that since it's true that ignorance prevails in all the churches the author had no good reason to limit fellowship in Christ to “evangelicals”. Why not include the fringe groups that believe in Jesus as Saviour though they hold fundamental error about Jesus, his person, his work and his purpose? 

Many people belong to this church or that simply because it was good enough for their parents (or the Queen of England) and it’s good enough for them. Churches often stand apart from each other for evil reasons (bitterness, arrogance, stubbornness, personality clashes or thwarted ambitions) but sometimes standing apart is inevitable because, in the end, we must call it as we see it and we don’t all see it alike. God knows how to judge the character and depth of error even when we can't so we should happily leave that to him while we proclaim what the Bible seems clearly to teach with passion and graciousness.

If because we’re shaped by the Hebrew—Christian scriptures we oppose homosexuality as an acceptable behaviourable choice we’re often accused of being homophobic. Sometimes when we criticize Jewish views we’re said to be anti-Semitic or when we castigate the greed often generated by the free-market we’re said to be Communist or dangerously Socialist. We exclude some people from a place in the NT elect for one reason or another and we’re called sectarian, hardhearted and graceless. Choose your own illustration. Accusations like this get us nowhere and they certainly don’t nurture courtesy and fairness. Maybe we’ll just have to stand our ground, call it as we see it while, by God’s grace, we continue in a spirit of obedience to pursue truth as it’s found in Jesus. Meanwhile we’ll continue the dialogue praying for movement in whatever direction it needs to come from or head to.

But don’t you get weary of what appears to be the fad of recantation and long for bold proclamation? Don’t you grow tired of the “niceness” that appears to want to please the religious consumer and wish for men and women who take a stand on what the scriptures say with plainness? Isn't "religious correctness" sometimes as sickening as political "correctness"?

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Supremacy Of Jesus Over Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6)

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"

               The Supremacy Of Jesus Over Moses (3:1-6)

INTRODUCTION

1. We have seen that the writer to the Hebrews sought to encourage 
   faithfulness to Jesus by illustrating His superiority...
   a. Over prophets - He 1:1-3
   b. Over angels - He 1:4-2:18
   -- Both of which were very important to the Jewish people

2. Highly revered also by the Hebrews was Moses...
   a. The author of the first five books of the Old Testament
   b. The deliverer, who led them out of Egyptian bondage and to the 
      promised land
   c. The Law-giver, through whom God revealed so much of the Jewish 
      religion

3. If the writer was to be successful in encouraging his brethren to 
   remain faithful to Jesus...
   a. He would have to compare Jesus with Moses
   b. He would have to illustrate "The Supremacy Of Jesus Over Moses"
   -- This he does, especially in He 3:1-6, which serves as the text 
      of our study

[In the first verse, we note the...]

I. THE CALL TO CONSIDER JESUS (1)

   A. TO WHOM THIS CALL IS GIVEN...
      1. The readers are described as:
         a. "holy brethren"
            1) I.e., brethren who are sanctified, set apart for a holy
               purpose
            2) Cf. what was written in He 2:10-11
            3) It is to the brethren of Christ that these things are 
               being written!
         b. "partakers of the heavenly calling"
            1) They had come to share in the call from heaven
            2) This "calling" was the call of the gospel
               a) For that is how God calls us - 2Th 2:13-14
               b) It is a call to glory - 2Th 2:14; 1Th 2:12
      2. Clearly the original recipients were Christians!
         a. Some commentators try to reason that they were not, because
            of the warnings found throughout this epistle
         b. But it is evident they were, which is why we need to give 
            earnest heed to the warnings!

   B. TO CONSIDER JESUS AS APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST...
      1. How is Jesus an "apostle"?
         a. The word means "one sent"
         b. Just as Moses was sent by God, so was Jesus, as foretold by
            Moses and the prophets that followed! - Ac 3:22-26; cf. 
            Jn 7:16
      2. How is Jesus a "high priest"?
         a. That is one of the important themes of this epistle
            1) Introduced in He 2:17
            2) Expounded upon in detail later in He 4:14-7:28
         b. He has made "propitiation" (an appeasing sacrifice) for our
            sins, through offering Himself on the cross - He 7:26-27
         c. He continues to intercede on our behalf - He 7:24-25
      -- Thus Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest "of our confession"
         (i.e., whom we confess as Christians)

[As we now note the actual comparison  of Jesus with Moses, we are told
that...]

II. JESUS IS GREATER IN HIS PERSON (2-4)

   A. THE ISSUE IS NOT ONE OF FAITHFULNESS...
      1. Jesus was faithful to the One who appointed Him - cf. Jn 17:4
      2. Moses likewise was faithful - cf. He 11:24-29; Num 12:6-8

   B. JESUS IS GREATER BECAUSE HE IS THE BUILDER (CREATOR)...
      1. Jesus is worthy of more glory, just as one who builds a house
         has more honor than the house itself
         a. Jesus is the builder
         b. Moses is part of the house itself
         -- Implying that what Moses did was in service to the work of
            the Son!
      2. Once again the author declares the deity of the Son as the 
         Creator of all things - cf. He 1:2c,10; 3:4

[The comparison continues as we note that...]

III. JESUS IS GREATER IN HIS MINISTRY (5-6)

   A. MOSES WAS A FAITHFUL "SERVANT"...
      1. We have already seen that issue is not one of faithfulness 
         - Num 12:6-8
      2. Moses' task was to testify of things to come, which he did 
         faithfully - e.g., Deut 18:15-19; cf. Lk 24:44

   B. JESUS IS A FAITHFUL "SON"...
      1. Moses was simply a servant IN the house, Jesus is the Son OVER
         the house
      2. Not only did Jesus do the work He was sent to do (Jn 17:4),
         but He was given authority over all the things of God - cf. 
         Mt 28:18; Jn 3:35; Ep 1:22

CONCLUSION

1. How is Jesus superior to Moses?
   a. Not in faithfulness, but in person and service
   b. Moses was a servant in the house of God; Jesus is the builder of
      the house, and serves as the Son over the house!
   -- Indeed, Moses points us forward to Jesus (cf. Deut 18:15-19); for
      one to forsake Jesus in an attempt to go back to Moses alone is 
      to frustrate the desire of Moses himself!

2. Speaking of the house of God, of which Jesus is the builder and over
   which He presides...
   a. The writer to the Hebrews affirms that "we" are the house of 
      Christ
      1) Speaking of the church, which is the house of God - 1 Tim 3:15
      2) In Christ, we are now "members of the household of God", and
         together with the faithful saints of old (including Moses) we 
         are now "fellow-citizens" in the commonwealth of Israel! 
         - cf. Ep 2:11-22
   b. Yet our status as the "house" is conditional!
      1) "whose house we are IF we hold fast...." - He 3:6
      2) We must hold fast "the confidence and the rejoicing of the 
         hope firm to the end."

Therefore the need for steadfastness, and the reason this epistle is 
filled with exhortations to that end!  Indeed, the next exhortation 
begins in verse 7, which we shall examine in our next lesson ("A
Warning From The Wilderness").

Is your faith wavering?  Then heed the words of this epistle and...

      "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession,
      Christ Jesus".

As you contemplate His person and His ministry, it should help you hold
fast to your confession of faith!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... You say... God says...

I remember being a young boy and helpless in the face of tyranny; but God helped me. Then as a young man, not yet 21, with three small children, I felt overwhelmed by responsibility, but God made a way. Then, in my early 50's, when faced with godless opposition in the workplace, a friend said to me- "Gary, it seems that everyone who is against you fails." Now, I am old and faced with all the problems of advancing years.  Yet, somehow, I have never felt more blessed in my life. So, when I look at the chart, I can see my own doubts, fears, concerns and yes, downright stupidity in stark contrast with the plain truth from God. So, as I continue to advance along my continuum of being, I find solace in the following passage from the Scriptures...

Luke, Chapter 1

 5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.  7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.  8 Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division,  9 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  10 The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 

  11  An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.  13 But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  14 You will have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth.  15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.  16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God.  17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.” 

  18  Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 
  19  The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

Later on in the book of Luke, Zacharias was disciplined for his unbelief by being unable to speak until he pleased God by naming his son John.  But, his son (John the Baptist) was one very special blessing to a very aged couple!!!  Who says that just because someone is old that God cannot work through them? If it can happen to Zacharias, it can happen to me- and more importantly- IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!!  Over and over God has worked in my life and will continue to do so- if you can not say that, then do whatever it takes to seek and obey God!!!  A good place to START would be to review the chart and determine this very day to take God more seriously!!!  Make no mistake, long before you read this, I will be doing the same thing!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... STUBBORN OUNCES

STUBBORN OUNCES

You say the little efforts that I make

Will do no good;

They never will prevail

To tip the hovering scale

Where justice hangs in balance.

I don’t think

I ever thought they would.

But I am prejudiced beyond debate

In favour of my right to choose which side

Shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight.

Bonaro Overtsreet  

When we self-confessed sinners [self-confessed because God has opened our eyes] oppose “the world” [1 John 2:15-17] and its powerful allies and attempt to set prisoners free we’re not making a futile, pointless gesture and much less are we appealing to the goodness of a “world” that enslaves and crushes, a “world” that is the Glorious God’s enemy.

We align ourselves with God—clay pots, fragile and vulnerable, with no claim to moral superiority—and offer ourselves as God’s instruments to promote and bring to fulfillment God’s glorious enterprise in Jesus Christ. It's in people like us that God invests the gospel treasure that an impoverished and oppressed humanity needs so desperately. That's all the NT elect have to offer—a Message, good news. Nothing else! Not medical advances or social reforms or scientific breakthroughs however fine they might be. We offer nothing but the wisdom and power and righteousness of God embodied in the Lord Jesus and we do it in the humiliation of preaching [1 Corinthians 1:18, 21-25].

That can’t be a blunder and it can’t be an act of blind stupidity for God himself would have it that way. The now glorified Lord Jesus chooses again the way of humiliation as he did in his pre-exalted ministry.

Our eyes are fixed on God’s self-disclosure in and as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who is himself the justification for the very existence of humans! Who is himself the embodiment of God’s eternal war against all that enslaves and narrows and robs and humiliates.

Our stubborn ounces are thrown onto his scale and because of Him we’ll discover one day that they weighed as much as worlds!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.