4/30/18

A Storm is Coming??? by Gary Rose





https://www.facebook.com/Gods411/videos/10156212816695763/UzpfSTEwMDAwMTM5NDc0NTE2MjoxNzczMjM4NjA2MDY1OTQ3/



(Click on the "A Storm is Coming???"/load the web address into your browser)

My former dog Buddy was afraid of thunder storms. He would tremble violently and run to hide somewhere in terror. Only prolonged hugging would reduce the trembling, but not stop it.  Pal (my current dog) will hear the thunder and the wind and ask (in his own doggy way) to be next to me; for him this is enough!

Neither dog would even come close to the action of the eagle in the video. They are what they are. People are like that to; some are brave, others cowardly. 

Cowards are a dime a dozen, but heroes...  Read the following passage from the book of Acts and marvel!!!


Acts, Chapter 14 (World English Bible)
  1 In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.
  2 But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.
  3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
  4 But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
  5 When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,
  6 they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.
  7 There they preached the Good News. 

  8  At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked.
  9 He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,
  10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.
  11 When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
  12 They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.
  13 The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.
  14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out,
  15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them;
  16 who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
  17 Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” 

  18  Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.
  19 But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 

  20  But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.
  21 When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,  
(emphasis added vss. 19-21)

 

The Jews from Antioch and Iconium hated what Paul was preaching so much they stoned him for dead. Paul survived and went back into the city, preached The Good News!!!

He had just been stoned and he went back into the city; to the very place where he almost died. From there he went to Derbe and continued to preach The Good News!!!

Like the eagle in the video, he used his situation and to rise above any storm that might come his way!!! He kept on doing what God wanted him to do!!!

Do we ???


NO?, then perhaps we are not close enough to our master?

4/27/18

"THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS" Their Faith, Love, And Hope (1:2-3) by Mark Copeland


               "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS"

                  Their Faith, Love, And Hope (1:2-3)

INTRODUCTION

1. As noted in our previous study, the beginning of the church in
   Thessalonica is recorded by Luke in Ac 17:1-10...
   a. On his second missionary journey, Paul and his companions had 
      just left Philippi
   b. Traveling through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they arrived at 
      Thessalonica
   c. Paul immediately located the synagogue and used their Sabbath 
      gathering as an opportunity for evangelism
   d. For three weeks he reasoned with the Jews, converting some and a 
      number of prominent Gentiles
   e. But unbelieving Jews soon caused a disturbance, forcing Paul to 
      leave

2. We also noted that the epistle commonly called 1st Thessalonians...
   a. Was written not long after Paul had left Thessalonica
   b. Probably from Corinth, sometime during 50-52 A.D.

3. What was the church in Thessalonica like?
   a. Without Paul, did the young church survive?
   b. Had persecution discouraged the new converts?
   -- These were some of the concerns that prompted Paul to send 
      Timothy - cf. 1Th 3:1-6

[Timothy brought back news that was certainly encouraging, and in
Paul's opening remarks in this epistle we learn about "Their Faith,
Love, And Hope."  First we notice that Paul is thankful to God for...]

I. THEIR WORK OF FAITH

   A. THEY HAD A WORKING FAITH...
      1. In other words, a faith that was alive! - cf. Jm 2:20,26
      2. Their faith was likely centered in the person of Jesus Christ 
         - cf. Col 1:4
      3. It was likely prompted by love - cf. Ga 5:6; Jn 14:15
      -- In his second letter to them, Paul would remark about how 
         their faith continued to grow exceedingly - 2Th 1:3

   B. WHAT ABOUT OUR FAITH...?
      1. Is our faith a living faith?
         a. A faith manifesting itself in obedience to the word of God?
         b. Or are we like some who believe, but do not obey Jesus?
            1) Such as some of the Jewish rulers who believed in Jesus
               - Jn 12:42,43
            2) Such as the demons who believe, but only tremble - Jm 2:19
      2. Is our faith strongly centered in Jesus Christ?
         a. A faith produced by the word of God? - cf. Ro 10:17
         b. A faith that leads to life in Jesus Christ? - cf. Jn 20:
            30-31
      -- If our faith is like that of the Thessalonians, then it too 
         will "grow exceedingly", evidenced by our faithful service to 
         the Lord!

[Paul was also thankful to hear of...]

II. THEIR LABOR OF LOVE

   A. THEY HAD A WORKING LOVE...
      1. A love that was not in word only, but in deed and truth! - cf.
         1Jn 3:18
      2. Their love was likely directed toward their brethren in Christ
         - cf. Col 1:4
      3. Paul would later commend their brotherly love - 1Th 4:9-10
      -- In his second letter, Paul would remark about how their love 
         continued to "abound" - 2Th 1:3

   B. WHAT ABOUT OUR LOVE...?
      1. Is our love in word or tongue only, or in deed and truth?
         a. Do we "walk the walk"?
         b. Or do we just "talk the talk"?
      2. Is our love directed toward our brethren in Christ?
         a. Which is a mark of true discipleship - Jn 13:34-35
         b. Which is an indication of spiritual life - 1Jn 3:14,18-19
      -- If our love is like that of the Thessalonians, then it too 
         will "abound", evidenced by serving one another in love - cf.
         Ga 5:13

[Finally, we note Paul's gratitude for...]

III. THEIR PATIENCE OF HOPE

   A. THEY HAD A HOPE THAT GAVE THEM PATIENCE...
      1. A strong hope is that which gives one patience - cf. Ro 8:25
      2. Their hope was likely focused on what was laid up for them in 
         heaven - cf. Col 1:5
      3. Peter referred to this hope as an inheritance "incorruptible 
         and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven 
         for you" - 1Pe 1:3-4
      -- Paul would later encourage them to wear this "hope" as a 
         helmet - 1Th 5:8

   B. WHAT ABOUT OUR HOPE...?
      1. Do we have a strong hope?
         a. A hope that comes from reading the Scriptures? - Ro 15:4
         b. A hope that spurs us to be diligent, living holy and godly 
            lives? - cf. 2Pe 3:10-14
         c. A hope that prompts people to wonder why we have it? - cf. 
            1Pe 3:15
      2. Is our hope focused our "inheritance" laid up for us in 
         heaven?
         a. That city whose builder and maker is God? - He 11:10,16; 
            13:14
         b. The new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness 
            dwells? - 2Pe 3:13
         c. Which is beautifully described by John? - Re 21:1-7
      -- If our hope is like that of the Thessalonians, then we too 
         shall let it be a "helmet" protecting our minds from the 
         distractions of this world which is passing away! 
         - cf. 1Jn 2:17

CONCLUSION

1. This "triad" of faith, love, and hope is a common refrain of Paul...
   a. He wrote of them in his epistle to the Colossians - Col 1:4-5
   b. Also in his first epistle to the Corinthians - 1Co 13:13
   -- But he likely first wrote of them in this epistle to the 
      Thessalonians

2. While they do not constitute all the graces to be found in 
   Christians (cf. Ga 5:22-23; 2Pe 1:5-8)...
   a. They certainly are among the most important - 1Co 13:13; Col 3:14
   b. Where found, the others will likely follow

May the remarkable faith, love and hope of the church of the
Thessalonians, who were but recent converts, inspire us to grow in our
own faith in Christ, our love for the brethren, and our hope for the
inheritance reserved in heaven!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

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“The First Day of the Week” by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=2022

“The First Day of the Week”

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

All four gospel accounts reveal how Jesus rose (and His tomb was found empty) “on the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1; cf. 20:19). Years later, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church commanding them to make regular contributions “on the first day of the week” (1 Corinthians 16:2; or “on the first day of every week”—NASB, NIV, RSV). Luke recorded in the book of Acts how Paul, while on his third missionary journey, assembled with the Christians in Troas “on the first day of the week” (20:7). The phrase “the first day of the week” appears eight times in the most widely used English translations of the New Testament. Based on this reading of the text, along with various supplemental passages (e.g., Revelation 1:10), Christians assemble to worship God on Sunday. Upon looking at the Greek text, however, some have questioned the integrity of the translation “the first day of the week,” wondering if a better wording would be “the Sabbath day.”
Admittedly, a form of the Greek word for sabbath (sabbaton or sabbatou) does appear in each of the eight passages translated “first day of the week.” For example, in Acts 20:7 this phrase is translated from the Greek mia ton sabbaton. However, sabbaton (or sabbatou) is never translated as “the Sabbath day” in these passages. Why? Because the word is used in these contexts (as Greek scholars overwhelmingly agree) to denote a “week” (Perschbacher, 1990, p. 364), “a period of seven days” (Danker, et al., 2000, p. 910; cf. Thayer, 1962, p. 566). Jesus once used the term “Sabbath” in this sense while teaching about the sinfulness of self-righteousness (Luke 18:9). He told a parable of the sanctimonious Pharisee who prayed: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” (18:11-12, emp. added). The phrase “twice a week” comes from the Greek dis tou sabbatou. Obviously Jesus was not saying that the Pharisee boasted of fasting twice on the Sabbath day, but twice (dis) a week (tou sabbatou).
According to R.C.H. Lenski, since “[t]he Jews had no names for the weekdays,” they “designated them with reference to their Sabbath” (1943, p. 1148). Thus, mia ton sabbaton means “the first (day) with reference to the Sabbath,” i.e., the first (day) following the Sabbath (Lenski, p. 1148), or, as we would say in 21st century English, “the first day of the week.”
After spending years examining Jewish writings in the Babylonian Talmud, Hebraist John Lightfoot wrote A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, in which he expounded upon the Hebrew method of counting the days of the week. He noted: “The Jews reckon the days of the week thus; One day (or the first day) of the sabbath: two (or the second day) of the sabbath;” etc. (1859, 2:375, emp. in orig.). Lightfoot then quoted from two different Talmud tractates. Maccoth alludes to those who testify on “the first of the sabbath” about an individual who stole an ox. Judgment was then passed the following day—“on the second day of the sabbath” (Lightfoot, 2:375, emp. in orig.; Maccoth, Chapter 1). Bava Kama describes ten enactments ordained by a man named Ezra, including the public reading of the law “on the second and fifth days of the sabbath,” and the washing of clothes “on the fifth day of the sabbath” (Lightfoot, 2:375; Bava Kama, Chapter 7). In Michael Rodkinson’s 1918 translation of Maccoth and Bava Kama, he accurately translated “the second day of the sabbath” as Monday, “the fifth day of the sabbath” as Thursday, and “the first of the sabbath” as Sunday.
If the word sabbaton in passages such as Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, and Acts 20:7 actually denoted “the Sabbath day,” rather than “a period of seven days,” one would expect some of the foremost Bible translations to translate it thusly. Every major English translation of the Bible, however, translates mia ton sabbaton as “the first day of the week.” Why? Because scholars are aware of the Jewish method of counting the days of the week by using the Sabbath as a reference point.
Finally, consider the difficulty that would arise with Jesus’ resurrection story if sabbaton was translated Sabbath. “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first Sabbath (sabbaton), they came to the tomb when the sun had risen” (emp. added). Such a rending of sabbaton in Mark 16:2 would be nonsensical. The Sabbath was over, and the mia ton sabbaton (“first day of the week”) had begun. The passage is understood properly only when one recognizes the Jewish method of reckoning weekdays.
Just as second century apologists Justin Martyr (ca. A.D. 150) spoke of Jesus as rising from the dead “on the first day after the Sabbath” (Dialogue..., 41), and equated this day with “Sunday” (“First Apology,” 67), so should 21st century Christians. That Jesus rose from the dead “on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:9), and that Christians gathered to worship on this day (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; cf. Justin Martyr, “First Apology,” 67), is an established fact. Sunday is the first day after the Jewish Sabbath—the “first day of the week.”

REFERENCES

Danker, Frederick William, William Arndt, and F.W. Gingrich, (2000), Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press).
Justin Martyr, (1973 reprint), Dialogue with Trypho, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Justin Martyr (1973 reprint), First Apology, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
Lenski, R.C.H. (1943), The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg).
Lightfoot, John (1979 reprint), A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).
Perschbacher, Wesley J., ed. (1990), The New Analytical Greek Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson).
Rodkinson, Michael, trans. (1918), The Babylonian Talmud, [On-line], URL: http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm#t06.
Thayer, Joseph (1962 reprint), Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan).

“Our God is a Consuming Fire” by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1376

“Our God is a Consuming Fire”

by  Kyle Butt, M.Div.

In an effort to bolster the idea that the punishment of the wicked in the afterlife will be annihilation, proponents of annihilationism frequently have focused on the biblical terms “consume” and “consuming.” Since the Bible does indeed say that “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), and since the words “consume” and “consuming” can, and sometimes do, refer to the annihilation of physical matter, then many annihilationists have asserted that God will annihilate the souls of wicked humans. Homer Hailey, in his posthumously published book, God’s Judgements and Punishments, has an entire chapter titled “Our God—A Consuming Fire.” In that chapter, he deals almost entirely with the Old Testament usage of the terms “consume” and “consuming.” Concerning these terms, he remarked:
The word needing a clear definition is “consume” or “consuming.” The English word is translated from so many Hebrew words, and the Hebrew words are translated by so many English words, that it is difficult to find a precise definition for “consume.” It is best therefore to learn its meaning from usage and examples (2003, p. 136).
Hailey then proceeded to the burning bush passage, in which Moses approached the bush that “burned with fire” but “was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). Hailey concluded: “In this instance, ‘consumed’ meant ‘burned up’ ” (p. 136). He then cited an example of a burnt offering being “consumed” on the altar (Leviticus 9:23-24) as evidence to suggest that “consumed” means to burn up.
After listing these non-human subjects of consumption, Hailey listed several Old Testament examples in which sinful humans are said to have been “consumed”: “Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. And let the wicked be no more” (Psalm 104:35); “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; in smoke shall they consume away” (Psalm 37: 20). Hailey also listed the rebellion of Korah, where God told Moses and Aaron to get away from the rebels “that I may consume them in a moment” (Numbers 16:21). And later in the same context, God sent a plague among the people in which God made the same comment about consuming them as He did concerning the rebels in verse 21.
When it came time to summarize his chapter, Hailey placed two columns at the top of the final page, one titled “What is Said,” and the other titled “What is Not Said.” In the “What is Said” column, he listed Hebrews 12:29, Numbers 16 and Deuteronomy 4:24. Then he listed the “means of consuming,” and recorded the Earth swallowing the rebels with Korah, the plague, and fire arriving from heaven. In the “What is Not Said” column, the entire text under the column is one line that reads: “That they all burn forever” (p. 139). He obviously was attempting to lead the reader to conclude that consume and consuming must mean annihilation.
Is it correct to understand that the biblical use of the words “consume” and “consuming” must entail that the souls of the wicked will be annihilated? Simply put, no. First, in order to conclude that the words imply annihilation, Hailey provided examples like the burning bush and the burning of an offering that do refer to the item being consumed—burned up completely. Conspicuously missing, however, are those examples in which the item that is consumed is not burned up completely. The Hebrew words translated “to consume” can mean any number of things, including: “to eat, devour, slay, to be wasted, to be destroyed, to feed, exterminate, to cause to cease, be accomplished, and exhaust, among others” (see “Akal,” 1999; “Kalah,” 1999). Are there examples in which the terms “consume” and “consuming” do not insinuate total incineration? Certainly. For instance, in Jeremiah 14, the Lord commented that He by no means would accept the idolatrous Israelites, and then stated: “But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence” (14:12). Would their being consumed necessitate that their bodies would be completely burned into nonexistence? The text answered that question when it stated that the bodies of those consumed would “be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them” (14:12). The consuming taking place in Jeremiah obviously did not entail a complete burning up, but instead a punishment of physical death in which the bodies of those who were consumed would still remain for some time to decay in the open streets.
Again, in Genesis 31:15, Rachel and Leah, in their discussion of their father’s behavior, commented: “Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.” Did they mean to say that their money had been burned and annihilated into nonexistence? No. Rather, it had been spent or wasted, and thus no longer was of use to them.
Genesis 31:40 serves as a final example of the various ways the word “consumed” can be used. In this text, Jacob describes the hardships he endured during his tenure with Laban.
In that discussion, Jacob stated: “There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.” Was Jacob completely burned up or annihilated during the day? Not in any sense. Interestingly, the same Hebrew word is used in Genesis 31:40 that is used in Deuteronomy 4:24—which was cited by Hailey, and from which his Hebrews 12:29 quote is taken. It is evident, then, that the words “consume” and “consuming” do not necessarily connote complete annihilation, but can, and often do, make reference to a state of waste and ruin, or, as in Jacob’s case, pain, suffering and hardship.
It also is interesting to note that, among the examples given by Hailey that supposedly imply the annihilation of those things (or people) which were consumed, are the individuals who were consumed in the rebellion of Korah in Numbers 16. Yet in the New Testament, Jude offered divinely inspired commentary on certain sinful individuals, stating: “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (vs. 11). Jude further commented that these sinners were “raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (vs. 13). Therefore, these sinners had “perished in the rebellion of Korah,” and yet their souls were not completely consumed or annihilated, but had a reservation in a place where there was “blackness of darkness forever.” From the New Testament commentary offered by Jude, it is evident that those consumed in the rebellion of Korah did not go out of existence altogether, but that their physical lives were ended and their souls awaited a punishment in darkness forever.
Once again, an appeal to incomplete word studies in an attempt to force the idea of annihilationism on the biblical text is speculative and unfounded, to say the least. The overwhelming evidence of Scripture explicitly states and implicitly teaches that the souls of the wicked will be punished in the fires of hell forever—without respite.

REFERENCES

Akal: 398” (1999), Logos Library System: Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Logos Research Systems: Bellingham, WA).
Hailey, Homer (2003), God’s Judgements & Punishments (Las Vegas, NV: Nevada Publications).
Kalahl: 3615” (1999), Logos Library System: Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Logos Research Systems: Bellingham, WA).

“Jesus Didn’t Condemn Homosexuality” by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1627

“Jesus Didn’t Condemn Homosexuality”

by  Kyle Butt, M.Div.

By and large, the American culture is aggressively promoting the sinful lifestyle of homosexuality. In the midst of such pressure, many people who call themselves Christians are caving in and accepting this perverted lifestyle in spite of God’s clear teachings against it (Butt, 2003). Just recently, the country singer Carrie Underwood stated that her Christian faith led her to support gay marriage (Nilles, 2012). In truth, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ could never be accurately understood to lead a person to conclude that homosexual marriage is moral (Miller and Harrub, 2004).
One of the most common arguments made in support of homosexuality is that Jesus Christ did not explicitly condemn the practice. Supposedly, since Jesus never stated specifically: “Homosexuality is a sin,” then His failure to denounce the lifestyle can be interpreted to mean that He approved of it. This reasoning is riddled with error.
First, Jesus explained to His followers that He did not have time to teach them everything they needed to know. He told them that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that He had taught, and would include additional teaching that He had not had time to cover. He told His disciples: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12-13). When we look to the inspired writings of the New Testament, we see the authors boldly and specifically condemning the practice based on the revelation they received from the Holy Spirit (Miller and Harrub, 2004). Thus, it is wrong to suggest that only the “words in red” are Jesus’ teachings. On the contrary, He foretold that more teaching would be done after His return to heaven due to the fact that the apostles “could not bear” all of it at the time.
Second, even if Jesus did not explicitly condemn the practice (though He actually did, as will be noted later), that certainly could not be used as evidence that He condoned the practice. For instance, where does Jesus explicitly state that bestiality is wrong? Where in the New Testament does Jesus state that polygamy is wrong? Where are the “words in red” that specifically condemn pedophilia? Are we to suppose that the Son of God condoned using crystal meth because there is not an explicit statement from Jesus’ mouth that says “do not smoke crystal meth?” The idea that silence from Jesus on a subject means He approved of or condoned the practice cannot be substantiated.
Finally, it must be considered that Jesus did, in fact, speak against homosexuality. On numerous occasions, Jesus condemned the sins of adultery (Matthew 19:18), sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9) and fornication (Matthew 15:19). These terms describe any type of sexual intercourse that is not within the confines of a marriage ordained by God. Jesus then proceeded to define exactly what God views as a morally permissible marriage. He stated:
Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:4-6).
By defining marriage as between one male and one female, Jesus effectively condemned all other arrangements, including but not limited to one man and two women, one woman and two men, three men and one woman, three men and three women, one man and one man, one woman and one animal, etc. You can see the overwhelming logic of such. For Jesus to have to explicitly condemn every assortment of genders and numbers would be absurd. When He defined marriage between one man and one woman, He clearly showed that such an arrangement is the only one authorized by God.
Several years ago a man named Cory Moore “legally married his 2004 Cherry ES-335” Gibson guitar (“Man Marries Guitar,” 2007). He said: “The day I got her, I just knew she was the one…. I know it seems weird, but I really love her—like, really love her, with all my heart. I just wanted to make it official” (2007). Are we to conclude that because Jesus never specifically condemned a man marrying his guitar then the Son of God approved of such? To ask is to answer. In 2006, 41-year-old Sharon Tendler married a dolphin (“Woman Marries Dolphin,” 2006). Jesus never said one word explicitly about refraining from marrying a dolphin. Does that mean His “silence” should be viewed as approval? Not in any way.
Homosexuality is a sin. It always has been, and it always will be. The inspired New Testament writers repeatedly teach that to be the case. Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit would bring to the inspired writers information that they could not handle at the time of His departing. In addition, Jesus did explicitly define marriage as being between one man and one woman. The ruse to suggest that Jesus approves of homosexuality because He never expressly condemned it cannot be sustained logically, nor can it be defended on any type of moral grounds. The person who presumes to claim to be a Christian, and yet supports homosexuality, misunderstands the teachings of Christ and needs to repent and stop approving of a perverted, destructive practice that Jesus condemns (Matthew 19:1-9).

REFERENCES

Butt, Kyle (2003), “Homosexuality—Sin, or Cultural Bad Habit?” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=7&article=1239.
“Man Marries Guitar” (2007), http://www.messandnoise.com/discussions/865688.
Miller, Dave and Brad Harrub (2004), “An Investigation of the Biblical Evidence Against Homosexuality,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=557.
Nilles, Billy (2012), “Carrie Underwood Reveals She Supports Gay Marriage,” http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2012/06/11/carrie-underwood-supports-gay-marriage-christian/.
“Woman Marries Dolphin” (2006), http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/woman-marries-dolphin/2006/01/01/1136050339590.html.

“I, Not the Lord, Say...” by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=2075

“I, Not the Lord, Say...”

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Q.

What did the apostle Paul mean by the statement, “But to the rest I, not the Lord, say...” (1 Corinthians 7:12)? Does this phrase indicate that what Paul subsequently wrote was uninspired?

A.

Considering how many times Paul claimed to write and preach by inspiration of God, it is irresponsible to conclude that he was denying inspiration when addressing marriages between Christians and non-Christians (1 Corinthians 7:12-16). Earlier in this letter, Paul noted that while in Corinth, his preaching was “not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (2:4-5). Paul contrasted human wisdom with the wisdom and power of God, and declared that he had the latter. Later, in this same epistle, Paul wrote: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (14:37, emp. added; cf. 7:40). Paul also claimed inspiration in his other epistles (Galatians 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:8,15). Even Peter alluded to Paul’s writings as being a part of Scripture, and thus inspired (2 Peter 3:15-16).
When Paul wrote that he (rather than the Lord) was addressing a particular marriage relationship, he did not mean that he was speaking without authority from God. He simply meant that he was making application of marital truths that the Lord did not specifically expound upon while on Earth. Jesus most certainly was the Master Teacher (cf. Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:46), but He obviously did not specifically address every subject under the Sun. Thankfully, through His inspired apostles and prophets, more specific truths and applications eventually were revealed. Christians have every reason to believe that such truths originated with “the Spirit of truth,” Who guided Paul and the rest of the Bible writers “into all truth” (John 16:13).

Seek First The Kingdom of Heaven by Alfred Shannon, Jr.







Seek First The Kingdom of Heaven

 https://biblicalproof.wordpress.com/2011/03/page/3/


Riches turn to rust, nations crumble and fall, and the earth will be burned up. Don’t waste your time trying to make the world a better place to live. Spend your precious time trying to live in a place better than this world. Jesus didn’t come to this earth to save nations, or even the planet, but those who love him enough to serve Him. The creation belongs to God, but ours is to seek first the kingdom of heaven, and to seek, and save the lost.
Jam 5:1-3; Mt 24:35; 2 Pet 3:10-14; Jn 15:13,14; Isa 66:1; Mt 5:34,35; Job 12:10; Hag 2:8; Mt 6:33; Lk 19:10; 2 Cor 4:3; 2 Tim 4:2-5

A Lesson From A Humble Ant by Ben Fronczek

http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?p=343

A Lesson From A Humble Ant

Sermon on the Mount – Part 1 (By Ben Fronczek)
Once upon a time out in a southern prairie, there was this huge colony of ants. In a somewhat isolate place their colony flourished for generations. They had been there so long and worked on their nest for so such a long time that there was a six foot tall mound of dirt on top of the ground and hundreds of feet of caves below. Now whether you realize it or not, most of the eggs that are laid by the queens grow up to become wingless, sterile females who are the “workers”. But every now and then a male comes along. In this particular nest a young male was born, and he was one good looking ant, (at least a lot of the other ants told him that he was). Even though he was small he was strong and was able to do his job quite well, and very fast. Seeing that he was so strong and moved quick, it was decide that he would be sent out of the nest to gather food.  As usual, he did this job very well, and gathered more food than any of the other ants. The other ants also notices that he was a fairly smart ant, and quite wise.
Eventually he thought that he deserved more recognition, he was strong, good looking, he did his job well, so he thought he deserved more.  He went to the foreman ant and demanded better lodging, and a higher position. But the foreman could not do anything for him and told him that he had to speak to someone higher up. So during his free time that ant went from the manager to the supervisor, to the boss, and even to the big boss ant and basically they all told him the same thing, ‘that they never had anyone make such a request and that they could do nothing about what he wanted.  He would have to go to someone higher up’.  So eventually, he made his mind up to go right to the top, he would seek an audience with the queen.  And why not, he was a good looking, hard working, and a somewhat intelligent ant.  Shouldn’t he deserve more?
Well the day finally came, his audience with the queen, his mother. Well, she was actually the mother of all the ants. Mother of thousands upon thousands of ants in that colony. She was very old, and wise, and she was so much larger than the little male ant. She looked like a giant compared to him, and she seem very busy. As the little male ant stated his case before the queen he almost felt that the queen was just too busy, ready to lay even more eggs. She said, “Yes I see that you are a handsome little things, and I heard that you have done very well at your job of collecting food for the colony, and now you say you want something more. Oh my, I’ve never had any other ant ask for more, a promotion per say. All of us ant are born with a
job to do and we simply do it, including me. My job is to bring more and more of you into the world and lay more and more eggs”.
She told him, “I think you need to talk to someone even higher up than me.” And the little male ant asked, “Is there someone with even more power and authority than you?”   And she responded by saying, “Oh yes my dear, you need to talk to our creator and our God. So go forth and find Him and He will help you understand what you need to know.”
As he left the queen and then left the nest, and began to scurry away from the ant mound he wondered where He could find the creator. He decided to go to the highest place he knew, to the top of the big old tree on the plain. It took him two days to climb to the top. After he reached the top he was amazed how far he could see. So much farther than he ever saw before. At the top of the tree, on one of the highest branches, he began to call out to the creator. Almost all day he waited and continued to plead for an audience with God to ask for more. And then at dusk the Lord came to him.
And so the Lord spoke to the little male ant and asked, “Tell me little fellow, what is on your mind.” And so the little ant proceeded to tell the Lord all that was on his mind; how because he was such a good worker, even quicker than most, and because he was so good looking, and even intelligent and wise,  he told the Lord how he thought that he deserved a better position in the colony, better accommodations and more.
And so the Lord God spoke to the ant saying, “So you say you are very intelligent and wise. Since you think this, I would like to show you something.”  And before he even realized it the little ant was began to move through the air somehow feeling like he was being carried by the hand of God. The great field he knew so very well quickly disappeared behind him. All of a sudden he began to see things that he could not even imagine. There were all kinds of huge animals, hundreds even thousands of times bigger than even the queen ant. More than he could ever have imagined. The Lord set me upon the a beautiful yet mighty beast called a horse that stood so very high compared to an ant, and it began to run began to run as fast as the wind.
And then as he moved away from the horse, up and up, all of a sudden he saw large buildings, so big that they boggled his little mind. Building that reached up and touched the sky. He thought that his ant mound was monstrous.  The Lord allowed him for a moment to place his feet on a sky scraper which was over 2500 feet high. He wondered how anyone could build such a monstrosity. And then he saw them for the first time, humans erecting one of those structures and then he began to rise again.
As the Lord lifted him higher and higher into the air all of a sudden he saw a shiny bird moving across the sky coming toward them. The wings did not move yet it traveled faster than any bird he ever saw. As the Lord brought Him closer he saw that it was not a bird but a huge flying machine filled with even more humans. He could barely fathom the size of that machine, not to speak of how they got it off the ground.
And then the Lord began to take him higher and higher now. All of a sudden it turned dark and the stars became brighter than he ever saw them before. He turned his head and looked back to see the planet earth leaving them behind. He never had any idea that he lived on a such beautiful blue ball. They were moving so fast the earth disappeared very, very quickly. He saw that there was more than just one planet, there so many, thousands, millions going around billions of stars. And as they exited out of our galaxy he saw that there were more glaxies, hundreds if not billions of them containing trillions of stars and planets. It was more than the little ant could fathom.
And then the Lord said, “I have shown you only a small portion of my physical creation, now I will show you more.” And then something happen.   He was in a totally different kind of place. I believe it is what one would call the spiritual realm. There was bright light that seem radiate love. And the sound of music and praise resounded everywhere and through everything. He heard many other wonderful sounds that he could not even imagine hearing. And the colors, nothing like he ever saw before. There were large and beautiful winged creatures, everything seemed solid yet transparent. It was sensory overload for the little ant. He saw thing so glorious it would be impossible for any earthly being to put into words, yet here he was. But it was too much. He closed his eyes, and then all of a sudden the music stopped, and when he opened his eyes he was again sitting in a safe place atop that tall tree close to his home.
And then he heard the Lord speak and say, “Now little wise ant let me ask you a few questions. After seeing the other creatures on your world, the animals small and large, and the humans with their building and machines, where were you when I created them? As you left the planet so beautiful and blue seeing the untold number galaxies and stars did your wisdom help me create them? And when I created the unseen spiritual realm with all its wonders, let me ask you, how did I do it? And how do I hold it all together so that everything works with such harmony?  Tell me ol’ wise one, how and why I should honor you?”
The little ant on top of the tree all of a sudden felt very, very, very small. Less than a speck in the universe; small, trivial, and powerless in the presence of the One who created so much. What was he compared to those  beasts of field he saw, or compared to a planet, or stars or a galaxy of stars?
He told the Lord, “I did not know what I was talking about. I feel like less than a speck in the grand scheme of things my Lord. I am so sorry for thinking that I was so important to this world. Surely I spoke of things I did understand, thing to wonderful for me to know. You have shown me great wonders and now I feel like a fool and am sorry for being so arrogant.  I humbly bow before you.”  And then he bowed as low as an ant could bow.
And then the Lord said, “One day My Son stood on a large hill to teach those who would hear Him. He began His lesson by telling them something which is fundamental and needed by anyone who wants to learn more, and become a child in my kingdom. Jesus said,  “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
In other words, it is not the haughty, boastful and proud that will be happy and blessed by Me with true wisdom and life, rather it will be the humble individuals, those who are not puffed up and stuck on themselves.  The only way that the mighty horse that I set you on can be trained and taught is to break his spirit, because he is a proud animal. I hope that this has taught you something.
The ant returned to his home with a totally new perspective. Over time he did get a promotion but it was more because of his hard work and experience in his field. It was not because of his good looks or because of how smart he thought he was.
Another thing he noticed about the other ants in the colony, they all just seem so grateful for what they had. They never sought after more because they were simply thankful for what they had. He also learned to become thankful for what the creator had given him.  In the great scheme of things and considering what the creator had showed him, later he often though,     ‘Who are you little ant to demand anything?’
In Proverbs 16:15 it says, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”
Isaiah 2:12 says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.” NAS
James 4:6 says “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
In his last letter Paul wrote of the future, it may even be our present time, he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
From the very beginning of scripture to the end we see God’s intolerance for those who think they are some kind of big shot, those who think they know it all and deserve so much more than others. Rather we see God wants to bless those who are poor in spirit, those who have a humble heart.
And so what can we do to prevent us from falling into this trap.
There are people in this world who are a bit diluted and are trying to convince us that we deserve more. Just watch the ads on your television. You need, even you deserve a new car, and not just any car but rather a expensive designer car. And furniture, and a cruise, and the latest I-Phone, and I-Pad, and the list goes on. You just deserve it.
And don’t settle for what your parent had. Go for the gusto! You deserve it, you are smart, and educated, and good looking. Don’t settle for less. And that line of thinking has led to unrealistic debt and why I think there are so many today going around feeling depressed; because there are too many that don’t have the means to acquire what we are told people should have.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:3   Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
I can’t help but think that in many ways we are like that little ant who did not realize how small and obscure he was in grand scheme of things, compared to all creation, and compared to a God that can create and manipulate it all.
For example, in recent years whith help of the Hubble telescope, scientists have learned much about the universe which we live in. We are all familiar with our solar system and stars, and even a grouping of stars called a galaxy. But did you know this; that the smallest galaxies observed contain over a 10 million stars each? They probably each have their own planets circling them. Our own Milky Way Galaxy has an estimated 200 billion stars. Our closest neighboring Galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy contains an est. one trillion stars. And there are some larger galaxies out there that contain up to 100 trillion stars.  That a lot of stars and solar systems.
Now what really blows my mind is the fact that some scientists estimates that there are possible more than 500 billion Galaxies, and there is a design and order in each and every one of them. And that’s just the physical universe that we can see. What about that unseen spiritual realm, how vast is it? Nobody knows.
I often wonder, ‘Who do we think we are to make demands of God the creator, or even think that we are smart enough to doubt His existence.’
Paul said, Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Like the ant, God has communicated with mankind and has given us not only glimpses of His glory, but also what He desires from us, because He loves us. And it all begin with a humble heart; one not so full of self that we can’t see beyond our own nose.
Even though we are small compared to the vastness of all creation God has let us know that He love us and wants up to be part of His eternal realm. He loves us so much that He was willing to send His one and only Son to show us what he is like, he also sent him to deal with our impurity and sin, that is  if we would only believe in Him and accept this wonderful gift. But the choice is ours.
So my encouragement is this today: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.   Don’t let yourself become so proud, or arrogant that it blinds you to the truth. Come to appreciate what you have, and don’t worry about what you don’t have. If you are meant to have something down the road, you will get. In the mean time, be thankful and enjoy what you have today!
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566