tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67469044147524646872024-02-20T01:44:49.639-06:00Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Using faith in Christ to love my God, my brothers, and my neighbors.Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-4207902702308358112008-08-03T14:18:00.001-05:002008-08-03T14:24:59.701-05:00By Our Love Pt.2<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">By Our Love Pt.2</span></strong><br />There are many ways to serve one another in love, and one of the greatest aspects of this service is <strong>discipleship</strong>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">A Commission</span><br /></strong><br />After being resurrected from the dead Jesus told the women at the grave to tell “His brothers to go to Galilee” and Jesus would meet them there. When they arrived at the place Jesus told them to go, Jesus was there, and it’s here that Jesus gives His disciples a message in <strong>Matthew 28:18-20:</strong> <br /><br /><blockquote><p align="justify">“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."<br /></p></blockquote><br />To many this is known as “the Great Commission”. Before we can totally understand discipleship and how it’s one of the greatest expressions of Christian love and service, we have to understand what a commission is. A commission is by definition <em>“authority granted for a particular action or function”</em> or for us military folk <em>“a document conferring authority issued by the president of the U.S. to officers in the Army, Navy, and other military services, and by state governments to justices of the peace and others.”</em> In military terms (terms I’m used to), a commission is when the President (who is the supreme power in the military) gives some of his authority to the people who work for him, in order for them to carry out his purposes, under his name. In the same way, Jesus is commissioning his disciples, who have spent 3 or more years with him at this point, to go out and make disciples of all nations in His stead, and under the Authority of His Name. Now, you can only give a commission if you have the authority to do so, and Jesus obviously has such authority, and he declares this upfront “All authority in the universe has been given to me…” Do you see what Jesus is doing here? He has all power, all authority, and can do ANYTHING He chooses with it. He could disciple the whole world by Himself, and yet He chooses to let his rag-tag group of disciples, who just 3 days earlier abandoned Him, do it in His Name. And that’s how a commission works. And this commission has been given not just to the disciples, but to all the Christians. Notice the last command Jesus gives in <em>Matthew 28</em>. He tells the disciples to “teach them everything I have commanded you”. He has commanded the disciples, among many things, to make more disciples! That means, the disciples taught their disciples to make disciples who taught their disciples to make more disciples and so on all the way down the years to you and me! So we have a commission from Jesus Himself, by His power and in His Name, to make disciples of all nations and to teach them everything He has taught us.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Why is this type of service considered love?<br /></strong></span><br />To answer that question, we need to look at the ministry of Jesus and how <em>He</em> discipled His followers. Jesus’ training of His disciples consisted of several ‘phases’. The first phase was the invitation to follow. Take a look at Matthew 4:18-21 and you’ll see an example of Jesus bringing those he would disciple under His wing. Nothing fancy, nothing incredible, simply a humble request to come and walk as He walked. Beyond that, He promised to make them able to ‘fish for men’, meaning, find and make even more disciples! Now, observe the types of people Jesus was choosing to have follow Him. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and later with Saul of Tarsus, He even chose a Pharisee! People from all walks of life and all different backgrounds, but they all share something in common: they’re not the people you’d expect the Messiah to choose. We’re talking the poor uneducated work-horses of those days (fishermen), the people who the public considered the greatest sinners (tax collectors), and the religious hypocrites! This goes to show you that you don’t know who God is going to place in your life to pass on what you have learned, so keep your eyes open because it could be anyone. You shouldn’t discriminate or hold someone back from being taught about God just because they aren’t like you, or don’t see things eye to eye with you. In fact, I’d argue that the people who rub us the wrong way the most are the people God wants us teaching to and learning from the most. It’s humbling really.<br /><br />The next phase of the discipleship of the disciples was walking and talking with Jesus, or the ‘following’ phase of discipleship. It’s here where the learning and imitating happens. For more than 3 years Jesus poured His life and teaching in to His disciples. Not only did He teach them by words, but by His actions as well. It is this type of commitment that we have to have to the people who God places in our lives to teach and train. Let’s look at John 13:1-20 and see one of Jesus’ final lessons to His disciples. Here it is obvious that Jesus has loved His disciples to the very end of his ministry and beyond, and He demonstrates this by a metaphorical physical action. The washing of someone’s feet was one of the greatest acts of servitude one could bestow upon another, in fact, most of the time the servant of the household would wash the feet of the guests. Here however, Jesus who is Lord of all becomes that servant to show His disciples just what it meant to serve. If He was their Teacher, Lord, Master, then they would do what He has been doing. What Jesus had been doing all along was teaching them what they needed to know so that they could teach and train others to be just like Jesus.<br /><br />The last phase of discipleship Jesus used we’ve already mentioned, it’s the Commission. It’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s where the person we’ve trained puts all of that training in to practice, finding others to teach what Jesus has taught us. It is the epitome of what Paul said to Timothy in <strong>2 Timothy 2: 1-2</strong>:<br /><br /><blockquote><p align="justify">“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”<br /></p></blockquote><br />Devoting your life to serving someone, teaching them what has been taught to you, and showing them the way to carry out the Commission Jesus gave to them, is one of the greatest acts of love imaginable. It’s an act of service and love that keeps growing and growing, as the people you touch get to touch more and more people. So carry out your commission!!<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">But How?<br /></span></strong><br />Many people wonder “what do I teach someone?” and “how exactly do I do it?” but the answer is already in your commission. <strong>Everything</strong>. Everything pertaining to Christian life and godliness, which is to say, <em>walk the way that Jesus walked</em>. He spent time studying the Word of God (Luke 2:45-49<br />Matthew 4:4), Praying (John 17:1, Matthew 14:22-23), in Fellowship (Luke 22:14-15, John 15:13-17), and in Witnessing (Matthew 4:19). This is what we need to pass on to the people God entrusts to us. But we need to take our commission from Jesus and go out and seek those lost sheep, seek the people God has already prepared for us to meet, invite, teach, and ‘commission’ them by sending them out.<br /><br />By acting out this love in to other people’s lives, other Christians and the world alike will know we are Jesus disciples. That’s how they’ll know we’re Christians, by our love.Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-23758753402727167572008-07-25T22:19:00.003-05:002008-07-25T22:23:46.554-05:00By Our Love, Pt.1**I haven't blogged in forever, with no excuse other than I'm too lazy to type, but I'm going to try to get back to posting my Bible Studies again, so here we go!**<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">By Our Love, Part 1/2</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><br /><em>*Hypothetical Story*<br /><br />Imagine you are at your work, wherever that is for you. You and a co-worker are attempting to collaborate on a task given to you by your Boss. However, in the process of working on this task, there has been much disagreement on exactly how you should go about achieving the goal, or even the specifics of what that goal is. Because of this, not much work is getting done at all. Worse than that, the ‘disagreeing’ has degenerated in to full fledged in-fighting, name calling, and general nastiness. The jist of the fighting is “my method is better than your method and if you don’t follow my method maybe you’re not even supposed to be here” and the like. Now, in walks the ‘new guy’, he has been hired by the Boss to work with the two of you to accomplish the task. When he comes in the first day, he sees you fighting, calling each other names, being completely childish with each other, and worst of all, trashing each other’s methods and ideas about the task. How is this person going to react? A couple ways actually. One of them would be to not want to be involved with the two of you at all, perhaps he’ll quit. After all, if the two of you are destroying each other, why get involved in the first place. Perhaps he’s thinking his ideas will be crushed underfoot as well. Or, maybe he’ll get involved in the fighting, saying his ideas and methods are best, and also not focus on the ultimate goal as well, accomplishing just as ‘much’ nothing as the two of you. Either way, it’s not beneficial at all, and nothing is getting done.</em> <br /><br />This is a metaphor for how Christians act towards each other and the consequences it has. And we do it all the time. The new guy might be a new Christian, or someone who God is drawing to Him, but it works all the same. Our lack of love for one another drives them away, or drives them in to sin with us. Let’s talk about changing this situation some, shall we?<br /><br /><em>John 13: 34-35<br /></em>Jesus said that we would be known to each other and the rest of the world by our love for one another. But it seems today that there is a lack of understanding of what it means to love one another, and how that is actually accomplished. Jesus didn’t say that people would see our doctrinal perfection and know that we’re Christian. He also didn’t say that we should let our internal struggles concerning who’s right and who’s wrong on non-essential issues shine before men, so that when they see how well we fight with each other, they’ll glorify God. He said to love one another as He loved us. When we see such a statement, we naturally ask, “What is love?” and the Apostle John tells us:<br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to<br />lay down our lives for the brothers.”</em> 1 John 3:16<br /><em>“In this is love,<br />not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the<br />propitiation for our sins.”</em> 1 John 4:10<br /><em>“And now, dear lady, I am<br />not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that<br />we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to<br />his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk<br />in love."</em> 2 John 1: 5-6<br /></blockquote></em><br />We also might ask “How do we love like Jesus loved?” If we take a glance at the pattern of Jesus’ life on Earth, the answer becomes clear: To love one another like Jesus did is to be a servant to one another. Much freedom has been given to the Church in this regard, but what happens when Christians use their freedom in Christ to set up roadblocks of legalism against their brothers and sisters, bringing them back in to bondage once again? <br /><br /><em>Galatians 5: 1-15</em><br />Here we have a startling situation: The Church of Galatia has been influenced by a group known then as the “Judaizers”. They were suggesting a certain heresy, that to be fully Christian, and enter in to God’s Grace, you must be circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic Law. Paul spent most of his letter to the Galatians explaining that Christ has set us free from the burdens of the law, which no one can keep anyways. If you get circumcised to ‘obey the Law’, then Christ is of no value to you because our relationship with Jesus is contingent upon faith in Him; you would essentially be rejecting God’s Grace in Christ. Well apparently this teaching was causing division among the Christians in Galatia, and they had begun fighting with each other and going in different directions. They were destroying the unity they had in Christ, because they were devouring each other. It is here that Paul warns us to watch out, and to instead live by the Spirit, not by the flesh which brings division, destruction, and the opposite of love for one another. So when we use our freedom to create more rules, more laws, we create slavery for the very people Christ freed from slavery. We devour our brothers, and instead of serving them, we make them serve a new master.<br /><br />So how do we love one another? We already said it was by service, but how does that happen? In <em>Matthew 20: 25-28</em>, Jesus gives us the rule of thumb for service in the Kingdom of God. In fact, in this, He essentially shows us the difference between the system of the human world, and the Kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus explains how the human authorities use their power as a means to self-gain, and indulgence in to power. Basically, these authorities use other people as stepping stones to their own greedy aspirations. However, Jesus tells us that this cannot be among Christians who are not citizens of this world, but of God’s Kingdom. And it’s here that we learn what love means: it means service before self. Jesus here uses Himself as the greatest example of this love, in that while He is the greatest of all, and could have been served by all, He instead was the biggest servant of all. Paul says this again differently in <em>Philippians 2: 5-8:</em><br /><br /><em><blockquote><em>“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being<br />in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,<br />but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in<br />human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself<br />and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”</em></blockquote></em><br /><br />What does Scripture say is the greatest love? John 15:13<br /><br />There are many ways to serve one another in love, and one of the greatest aspects of this service is teaching and discipleship. We’re going to talk about the specific ins and outs next week.<br /><br />Grace and Peace,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-34513757372510282192008-04-18T00:35:00.003-05:002008-04-18T00:38:02.013-05:00Birfday and schtuffSo I just had my birthday on the 17th, which was like...35 minutes ago here. Now it's the 18th. I shall celibrate it not being my birthday anylonger. When I left for work this past morning, I forgot it was my birthday until wifey told me so. I got nice presents. And a cake. Beckett, one of my beagles, at some of it....boy was I mad. We went to a AAA ball game....caught Josh a foul ball...he loved the game.<br /><br />Amen<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-65106647944402389852008-04-04T17:50:00.005-05:002008-04-04T18:08:31.737-05:00"Savior, Redeemer, Conqueror..."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmR1qpmRaI8oYu7b1MdhZvDHG8Q-Sm2M0ru4R9CG1GdV9xHvki1K__QmG_a328S1yJyznzL221hMrOFomIUiQZ0hDUJuEcozsDB_65fINqhsXzjhTrxAmEZjrxBHyhKcp4HIYkyemF9Y/s1600-h/Jesus.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185526466452377714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmR1qpmRaI8oYu7b1MdhZvDHG8Q-Sm2M0ru4R9CG1GdV9xHvki1K__QmG_a328S1yJyznzL221hMrOFomIUiQZ0hDUJuEcozsDB_65fINqhsXzjhTrxAmEZjrxBHyhKcp4HIYkyemF9Y/s320/Jesus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">J</span></strong><span style="color:#000000;">ust as you realize you’re hopeless and crushed,</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">E</span></strong><span style="color:#000000;">ven hell and death were not quite enough.</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">S</span></strong><span style="color:#000000;">avior, our Redeemer, He conquered them all,</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">U</span></strong><span style="color:#000000;">ltimate love He gave and He took our Fall</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">S</span></strong><span style="color:#000000;">avior, our Redeemer, He conquered them all.</span><br /><br /><br />Grace and Peace,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-24478751717318454612008-03-29T11:42:00.003-05:002008-03-29T14:11:18.209-05:00Graduation, Teamwork, and LoveI recently spent the last six weeks in a military school known as "Airman Leadership School". This is a school that Air Force members are required to attend and graduate from prior to becoming a Staff Sergeant; a Non-Comissioned Officer for you non-military folks. The purpose of the school is to teach Airmen who are becoming Non-Comissioned Officers how to supervise other Airmen, take care of them, mentor them, and grow them as professionals and individuals.<br /><br />Thankfully, by the grace of God, and the attentiveness of my wife during long hours, I graduated. But it wasn't easy.<br /><br />I found that many things the USAF wants it's supervisors to be like are very similar to what Jesus Christ calls His disciples to be like in spirit and in actions. Without compromising any of the official material I learned while in class, here are some of the similar AF/Biblical principles that I picked up on, in no particular order:<br /><br /><ol><li>The Air Force wants us to have open two-way interpersonal communication with one another. Like between peers, and between supervisor and subordinates. Jesus wants us to have open communication lines with each other as well, like when a brother sins against you, tell them personally (Matt. 18:15), or that we're to teach, admonish, and build one another up in the Lord (Col. 3:16; Eph. 4: 15-6, 29), or that we must be patient and bear with one another in love (Eccl. 7: 8-9; Gal. 5: 22-23; 2 Tim 4:2; Eph. 4:2-3), and ultimately that we teach those who are ours (our brothers and sisters who need training and discipleship in this case; or in the AF's case, those who we supervise as NCOs) everything that Jesus has taught us to do (Matt. 28: 20). It's in following these principles as a Air Force supervisor, and more importantly as a Christian who must train others up in the Lord, that you can have wonderful and fulfilling personal communication with others. Communication where both people speak openly, discuss wrongs and rights that have happened, admonition to greater heights, bear with each other patiently with humbleness and compassion, and teach them to follow the things that you have had passed on to you.</li><br><li>Jesus told Christians to make disciples, to train our "replacement" as it were, and that every student when fully trained will be like his teacher (Matt. 28:18-20, Luke 6:40). The Air Force would have it this way too, where a supervisor shows his/her subordinate the ropes, teaches them what he/she knows, trains the subordinate to be like the themself, and then when the supervisor leaves, the Airman is fully trained and modeled like his/her supervisor. Paul said to his disciple and spiritual son Timothy: <blockquote>"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." 2 Timothy 2:1-6.</blockquote> By Timothy teaching what he learned from Paul to other reliable people, it would ensure that the information that needed to be learned and adhered to would be disseminated reliably and properly. Paul had trained his replacement, so he could move on and be used elsewhere, and was instructing Timothy to do likewise with other reliable people. This is the constant ongoing process that allowed the Church to grow so rapidly early on, and it's the same process that if used properly in the AF would allow for well adjusted and prepared Airmen to do the job when it's their turn to supervise and lead. If we're following Jesus, and training, instructing, and teaching another Christian to be like us, then who are they following ultimately? Jesus. When that individual is fully trained, who should he look like? You. And ultimately the person that you were taught by. And so on and so on, all the way back to Jesus.</li><br><li>Teamwork. Teamwork is defined as a "cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause. " Everything revolves around teams and teamwork in life. The Air Force itself is one giant team effort, broken down in to smaller team efforts in Groups, Wings, Squadrons, and offices. That goes for the other military services as well, who all happen to work together as a team to form the fighting unit known as the United States Armed Forces. Everyday at work, civillian or military, we work in teams in order to accomplish common goals. Without the French Fry cooker at McDonald's, little Suzie doesn't get her happy meal, because you don't give out happy meals without french fries. He's an intregal part of the team, without which the team does not function as well and accomplish it's goals. Wars are won and lost based on how well people work in a team together. Diseases are cured, people are saved (physically and spiritually), new things are discovered about our world, all most often because of teamwork. Do you think working as a team is important yet? You should, because the very internet you're using right now for leisure time, or study time, is predicated upon a series of servers around the world working in unison, supported by technicians who are working as a team to keep the internet from completely crashing to the ground. Maybe if we lost a few of those technicians, a few of those servers, the effect wouldn't be so terrible. But, could you imagine if everyone out there was a soloist, and everyone had their own internet? If no one spoke to each other, coordinated with each other, or had a common goal? The internet certainly wouldn't be as popular as it is today. Without teamwork the Air Force's mission doesn't happen, and without teamwork, the Church's mission is a faliure. I think this Scripture sums it up for both the military (metaphorically speaking) and for Christians: <blockquote>"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.<br />Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has<br />arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.<br />If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many<br />parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.<br />Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Cor. 12: 12-27.</blockquote> Teamwork is like a body, and each body has different parts for a different purpose. Sometimes the parts (jobs, etc) that we think are the least honorable, the weakest, or least important, are more honorable, stronger, and important than we assumed. Without all of the body working in unison, it might die, it will probably fail at the task at hand, and it most certainly will not be as effective as it could have been with all the parts working together. Teamwork is essential to any mission, and without it, the Church will be ineffective in sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world. If we're always at each others throats, then we've already maimed the Body we're a part of. This brings me to my next point...</li><br><li>Jesus Christ said "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." He also said "Love your neighbor as yourself..." and "Do to others as you would want them to do to you.". Jesus also made it a point to have us understand that as Christians the summation of our entire existence was love. When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus replied " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' We must love God, and love others as if they were us, our very own selves. No one wants to truly mistreat themselves, slander themself, hate themself, hurt and break themself. No human truly wants to be cut down, stolen from, hated on, cursed, or lied about by others. If this is so, then why do we treat others in such a way as this? We must put others <em>before</em> ourselves. We must consider others' well being before our own, look out for their interests before our own interests, and we must look out for the team and it's goals before our own selfish desires. By learning what service before self means, we learn what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God. Not like the world who "...lord their authority over their subordinates", crushing people under the foot of their power. Instead we must be like Jesus "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2: 6-8. What an example of servant leadership! Though He was God and could have done anything He wanted, He chose to put on humanity and came in to this world to serve us and not force us to serve Him, but showing us service by His example, so that we would want to be like Him. And being humble and meek, and ultimately though it was the worst imaginable thing that could happen to God, He went to a Roman cross to die for our sins. And that my friends, is love. Unimaginable, frightening, all-powerful love. And it's because "He first loved us, that we now may love" that we can know the depth of love, and what it means to have compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and service to others before ourselves, because of Jesus' example, and Jesus' sacrifice. If we're always cutting each other down with our words, even with God's own Words, how is that helpful to teamwork, to teaching, or to good communication? How is that love, if we treat others the opposite of how we KNOW we want to be treated? If you cannot put others before yourself, you cannot lead. Period. Hit the showers, call it a day, go home and learn what Jesus meant when he said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as [Me] the Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matt.20: 25-28.</li></ol><p>These principles and more are what I learned about the Air Force at Airman Leadership School, how they want us to be as supervisors, as leaders. Jesus wants us to walk as He did, and wants us to live in Him, in these traits, following His example. It is no surprise to me that the good leadership qualities the Air Force has determined for us to follow are congruent with what Jesus Christ has commanded all Christians everywhere to do. It's no surprise that the Air Force, the greatest example of military Air Power and teamwork in the world, would take a page from the Master Himself on leadership, and service. It's no surprise to me that Truth, no matter who it comes from, ultimately finds it's source from the God of all Truth who told it to the world first. </p><p><em>God, thank you for what You've taught me, thank you for Jesus' example; for showing me what service really means, and what unconditional love really looks like. For showing me how to communicate well, teach well, work with others as a team, in harmony, and love others as I want to be loved; like how You loved me first. Thank You for putting me in a job that expects me to do all these things, and that allows me to shine Your Light in to a sometimes dark place. Thank you for the responsibilities you've allowed me to have, in the Church, and in the Air Force. Please help me to serve others, as you have served us. Let me be like you; let me be a Son of the Most High God, let me be like You who brings the sun upon the good and the evil, who loves unconditionally, always and forever. Amen.</em></p><p>Grace and Peace,</p><p>Joe</p><p> </p>Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-86172918522374097902008-03-29T11:40:00.001-05:002008-03-29T11:42:20.510-05:00What Do Homosexuals Hear?Following a conversation with some of our Bible Study folks last night, I thought this was a very timely blog post over at internetmonk:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/what-do-gays-and-lesbians-hear-test">http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/what-do-gays-and-lesbians-hear-test</a><br /><br />Read it and consider seriously.<br /><br />Grace and Peace,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-59762064126635343062008-01-27T23:57:00.000-06:002008-01-28T00:11:47.899-06:00Set Me Free<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMu-ULapzYd3oqdr3F5au2dsnEoVcUFjlr09yeObQgEHoC8tjG0aNX3_qr_756XiS6p6qidKHdfEpVfrusrk4A-GdTDb7s565qKijC4t6IFAJ4QDTaQ9-3MwUKpQ-xxvChyLROu0QCe0/s1600-h/in+prison+s.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160406119482991090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMu-ULapzYd3oqdr3F5au2dsnEoVcUFjlr09yeObQgEHoC8tjG0aNX3_qr_756XiS6p6qidKHdfEpVfrusrk4A-GdTDb7s565qKijC4t6IFAJ4QDTaQ9-3MwUKpQ-xxvChyLROu0QCe0/s200/in+prison+s.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It hasn't always been this way </div><br /><div>I remember brighter days </div><br /><div>Before the dark ones came </div><br /><div>Stole my mind </div><br /><div>Wrapped my soul in chains... </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Now I live among the dead</div><br /><div>Fighting voices in my head </div><br /><div>Hoping someone hears me crying in the night </div><br /><div>And carries me away... </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Set me free, of the chains holding me </div><br /><div>Is anybody out there, hearing me? </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Set me free... </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Morning breaks another day </div><br /><div>Finds me crying in the rain </div><br /><div>All alone with my demons I am </div><br /><div><em><strong>Who is this man that comes my way?</strong></em> </div><br /><div>The dark ones shriek </div><br /><div>They scream His name </div><br /><div><strong><em>Is this the One they say will set the captives free? </em></strong></div><br /><div><br /><strong><em>Jesus, rescue me</em></strong> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As the God man passes by </div><br /><div>He looks straight through my eyes </div><br /><div>And darkness cannot hide... </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><em>"Do you want to be free? </em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em>Lift your chains, I hold the key </em></strong></div><br /><div><strong><em>All power on Heav'n and Earth belong to me!"</em></strong> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em>"You are free </em></div><br /><div><em>You are free </em></div><br /><div><em>You are free..."</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>~Written by Mark Hall of Casting Crowns</div>Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-81838035433066041242008-01-22T16:28:00.000-06:002008-01-22T16:58:58.152-06:00Relevance<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3La06fH10DImWI6rEdFvm15ykv5Pm-b7QFt3YrJL03ifHbkmcBtg0ti2rgr992C7BK3OhPMzY0HUutVxAFN37RkJ1JPse3oQYIZv0ixxbZ3F7UgLz2fSDqAsjOtLENQXjxq4Covqes0/s1600-h/newsboys.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158439212588670322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3La06fH10DImWI6rEdFvm15ykv5Pm-b7QFt3YrJL03ifHbkmcBtg0ti2rgr992C7BK3OhPMzY0HUutVxAFN37RkJ1JPse3oQYIZv0ixxbZ3F7UgLz2fSDqAsjOtLENQXjxq4Covqes0/s200/newsboys.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My friends Jason, Thomas, and I were having a conversation in the car the other day, and from my side of it it goes something like this:<br /><br />I believe God will use circumstances, cultural norms, likes/dislikes, and etc.. of a person's life in order to draw them near to Him. If that means hard Christian rock music, because that's the type of stuff he/she likes, then God can use that. Why not? If the Calvinists really believe God is totally sovereign, then why wouldn't He, if He can do whatever He likes? "Because the Bible said be not of the world blah blah blah" (translate: "don't do anything I don't like!!") or "why would God need to use something other than Himself to save a person...(translate: "I like putting God in a box and limiting Him to only what I like Him to do")?" is what I normally hear. But I say "For Godso loved the WORLD..." Is God against Himself or something? Love not the world...' but 'God loves the world'? I think many Christians' idea of what is "the world" is screwed up. That's a study in and of itself.<br /><br />Anyways, is God still totally Sovereign even if He uses his <em>servants</em>, or even non-believers (it happens in the Bible) to accomplish His purposes in the world, whether it to be to save someone, train someone, or help someone? <em>Of course</em>. Since we're human, wouldn't God, transcendent beyond our lowly 3-dimensions, use human-looking, human viewpoint, human things, human words, and <em>human-form</em> in order to communicate, command, teach, and save us? If you had to communicate with a 2 dimensional being, how would you do it? You could either smash your finger through the 2D plane (like a piece of paper) and destroy his universe with your extra dimensional physicality, or you could become like him, put yourself in to his form, and communicate that way. Now think of how smart God is, and how God could do it, and how He did do it. You can't discount the human-factor in God's work on Earth. God gave us the greatest example possible, by becoming like us, to save us. <em>Sound familiar?</em> And look at the Old Testament, how did God appear/communicate with the prophets? He became like things they could comprehend, understand, assimilate, wonder at, and relate to. Ultimately something in <em>their</em> dimension, relating on a human level (think: Burning Bush, The Angel of The LORD, the three men visiting Abraham, etc etc) . That's the greatest example of being "relevant" in order to communicate and connect, in my opinion.<br /><br />Why did God choose to do it that way, why couldn't he just have killed Himself in Heaven and say "you're all saved!"? You know, save Himself the "trouble" of incarnation, coming to earth, living in the confines of 3D, feeling pain and suffering, temptation, abandonment, all the human woes, including a terrible horrible death. Why did He use sinful and evil humans to kill Him, ravaging politics that would warp His message, jealousy, false religiosity, imperial death penalties, in order to kill Himself for our sins? Is there a message to us in all of that? If we're to be like God, to reflect our Master, is there a message in the Cross, on the level of fundamentally showing how God relates to mankind, beyond what we normally think of when "The Cross", or the Incarnation of the Son comes to mind?<br /><br />Besides all of this, don't you find it odd that the Bible is written in such a way as to suggest that we, as believers, must live in such a way as to influence the darkness around us? What about being a lamp on a hill? Why tell us to act a certain way, to be like our Master, to say certain things, unless it actually had an impact on unbelievers? Why"...make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (Titus 2:10) if it has no actual effect on the unbelievers turning towards God? If being relevant within the culture God's put us in is useless in bringing about salvation among people, then why all the fanfare to just as much in the Bible?<br /><br />The more and more I read, the more I realize that there is something to being 'seeker sensitive', to relating to someone on terms they might understand. Can God work in that? Are we willing to say He won't? How scary a thought that'd we tell God what He can and cannot do. How small and weak a God do we dare make God out to be? I just wasn't spiritually sensitive to it, and rejected it outright (which was probably because of my preconceived notions on how everything had to fit inside my nice little systematic box of theology/evangelism methods). Why is it portrayed in the Bible like God uses US to make a difference, if that's not the case? I think this is just how God chooses to operate, through sinful men. Sure He reaches down and rips a man's old heart out, giving him a new one, sure He can do that. But more often than not, is that how God works? Look at your own life, look at the conversion of everyone you know. Look at conversions in the Bible. Was it as black and white as we'd like it to be? "I heard this sermon, and I was saved immediately." Or can you see God using different things around you, perhaps over a period of time, different people, different songs, different pictures, stories, sermons, circumstances (think about: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" 1 Corinthians 9:22), to draw you near to Him, and save you? I don't think anyone would deny this, but do we believe it? Why does the Master think we can be like Him, if it was to no effect in His plans?<br /><br />"A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Luke 6:40<br /><br />This was the goal of following a Rabbi, a "Teacher". It was to be like Him. You wanted to be JUST LIKE Him, do things His way, follow in His footsteps. Is it possible? If Jesus said it was, why doubt?<br /><br />I have to believe I can actually be like Jesus, and that He believes I can be like Him, that I can actually make a difference, and that God can actually use me, or what good am I actually doing? Then I actually have to go out and <strong><em>DO SOMETHING</em></strong>. The Kingdom is something we <em>do</em>, it's something we <em>live in</em>, and living is an <em>action</em>. If you're not alive, what are you doing?<br /><br />Just some thoughts...<br /><br />Grace and Peace,<br /><br />Joe</div>Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-11942254084919092072008-01-02T22:01:00.000-06:002008-01-02T23:10:49.521-06:00RemezTonight I <a href="http://christianresearchnetwork.info/2008/01/02/whats-your-hermeneutic/#comments">stumbled</a> upon the name of a style of Biblical teaching, and consequently a method of interpretation, that I've seen for a very long time in the Scriptures, but didn't know the name of. It is called "Remez".<br /><br />Jesus used this style of rabbinical teaching over 30 times in the Gospels, and his Apostles followed suit in the Acts and Epistles. It is a method of teaching where the teacher 'hints' at additional meaning of what he or she is saying, by 'hinting' at other parts of Scripture (usually the Old Testament).<br /><br />If we want to understand as much about our Teacher Jesus as we can, then we must understand this method of teaching which He frequently used. One used even at the Cross.<br /><br />And it is to this end that I invite you to watch this video, which details one of the greatest examples of "Remez" that Jesus used.<br />Enjoy! <a href="http://media.gospelcom.net/ibs/ibsdirect/streams/streams2.wmv">"Remez and Psalm 22"</a><br /><br />Grace and Peace,<br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-47020650872578576692007-12-29T00:19:00.000-06:002007-12-29T00:40:36.041-06:00Long Time No Postee<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCm5HGhq8Ir_HLy3_BQS1I_XGkqJCO9oYNMRpF4-sZjw8P9amWK7MRQXS3jQ8RHYqkS4bZZPgz2CCCNO-lanb8xzXJ-MT4cSXXAFZKTv0t4ve788PoaDY-WOSr9YMBxlEJSeyuKsIpTcc/s1600-h/sunset_at_n_pole(s).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCm5HGhq8Ir_HLy3_BQS1I_XGkqJCO9oYNMRpF4-sZjw8P9amWK7MRQXS3jQ8RHYqkS4bZZPgz2CCCNO-lanb8xzXJ-MT4cSXXAFZKTv0t4ve788PoaDY-WOSr9YMBxlEJSeyuKsIpTcc/s200/sunset_at_n_pole(s).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149280673299955714" /></a><br />Merry Late Celebration of Jesus Christ's First Advent! And a happy new year to boot, ladies and gentlemen.<br /><br />I wanted to share something, it's a comment on a forum I found, and my reply. <br /><br><br />I think the comments speak for themselves<br /><br />It's a touching example of how far we all have come, through faith in Jesus Christ.<br /><br /><blockquote>"<strong>Some Guy:</strong> Evolution is real and it exists today. Scientists have proved so many things. The Big Bang is real and it happened so many years ago and Christians believe that some God created the universe. That is just rubbish and there is no evidence to prove that God exists especially before the world was created nothing existed just nothing. Even I considered becoming a Christian but Christianity is false! A lie! Atheism is the only way the only hope we have."<br /><br><br /><em>[Not my full comment]</em> "<strong>Joe C:</strong> ... Let me try your method with your own words ok? =)<br />“Jesus Christ is real and He exists today. Scientists have proved so many things. The Creation account is real and it happened so ‘many’ years ago and Atheists believe that nothing became something and exploded and then formed in to an amazingly complex system of order all by itself, far surpassing, infinitely, anything any humans have ever DESIGNED. That is just rubbish and there is no evidence to prove non living chemicals ‘evolved’ in to human beings over time, especially since nothing existed before God created it, just nothing. Even I considered becoming an Atheist but Atheism is false! A lie! Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY– THE ONLY HOPE WE HAVE."<br /></blockquote><br /><br />What hope do we have outside of Christ?<br /><br />Can everything from nothing, moving towards nothing, really be hope?<br /><br />Of course not, but then again, I've come a long way to realize this. And I'm not so sure it was on my own either.<br /><br />Goodnight,<br /><br />Joe C<br /><br /><br />P.S.-- GO PATS, BEAT THEM GIANTS!!! 19-0!!Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-16718494774505758632007-12-04T23:45:00.000-06:002007-12-05T00:02:05.710-06:00A wonderful song<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNtD7cwR2Ihai9_xcefNzvwhwZyuTSHfOpJMuT1o5xv3MBWa16fE9iAw5W0-5-VVIGdDlzphqmUxDD3aaJMwSx-mlasP5cIBWZ6XrFuBQsqXccL5UE4uvC659joV1hXU1jB-IcroSabs/s1600-h/calvary-jesus_hands_nailed.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNtD7cwR2Ihai9_xcefNzvwhwZyuTSHfOpJMuT1o5xv3MBWa16fE9iAw5W0-5-VVIGdDlzphqmUxDD3aaJMwSx-mlasP5cIBWZ6XrFuBQsqXccL5UE4uvC659joV1hXU1jB-IcroSabs/s200/calvary-jesus_hands_nailed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140363518300544178" /></a><br /><br /><br />Who said Contemporary Christian Music wasn't God-honoring and edifying?<br /><br><br /><strong>Casting Crowns – East To West</strong><br /><br><br />Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness <br />The chains of yesterday surround me <br />I yearn for peace and rest <br />I don't want to end up where You found me <br />And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight <br />I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west <br />And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned <br />But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way <br /><br />Chorus:<br />Jesus can You show me just how far the east is from the west <br />'Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up in me again <br />In the arms of Your mercy I find rest <br />'Cause You know just how far the east is from the west <br />From one scarred hand to the other <br /><br />I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin <br />Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in <br />Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way <br /><br />Chorus:<br /><br />I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light <br />I need Your peace to get me through <br />get me through this night <br />I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals <br />I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me <br />You're holding on to me <br /><br />Chorus:<br /><br />Just how far, east is from the west <br />Just how far, one scarred hand to the other<br />You know just how far, just how far east is from west <br />Just how far, from one scarred hand to the other<br /><br />Be blessed...<br /><br />Love and Grace,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-67368590062370078752007-12-03T23:10:00.000-06:002007-12-05T00:09:29.972-06:00Why I love football, and hate cable<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79s0t-q3BtNUjzv9rCQcxu0jUmTZDUdH04-jzYxDWft2Vu200euE-_eeTm-GJzftxAWHHy22Ld6D7-N5h1gKe_AzxdkntIiJNHChIJUzS-U4JLE0vepCGasr67BXiygtVsSlApaF4v7g/s1600-r/brady-full.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU2c0JYUPb7TL1JZFkpTTVhDcFT_BjxBOaSoBxvkDxOERUo4cyjnNp9vUmIMEZAcxdxKw9hP32orPEglRAL_uMoVK8pe7kFyBDQty5kv6nNl4pk9vXwvkqDrUd2Uxyvbgn8nyRa0KtWY/s320/brady-full.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139988391561944194" /></a><br />Monday Night Football, you all know about it, most of us watch it (even if you're not in to football, what else is on at 10pm Monday besides the late news?). But this season, it's been on ESPN, a cable sports network. I am a huge New England Patriots fan, my wife and I originally coming from the Boston MA area, and NE just played their second Monday night game of the season, tonight.<br /><br />Now here's my dilemia: I do not have cable. I'm a cheapy; unwilling to pay 50$ a month for something I'll hardly ever use, and will most likely be a huge distraction to me serving God to boot.<br /><br />So, you can imagine how I might feel, with the Patriots going in to MNF (Monday Night Football) 11-0, going for the perfect season, and coming up against the lackluster Baltimore Ravens. Not very excited, afterall, The Pats were picked to win over lame-o Baltimore by 20 1/2 points!! (You can't really get a half point in football, but you know, statistics and all). <br /><br />So then why am I writing this? Because turns out, the game was close. So close, we're talking down to the last seconds. With the Patriots trailing. <br /><br />When the game first started, I booted up the play by play gamechannel on ESPN, to see what plays were being made since I could not watch the game on TV. The game quickly turned in to a close touchdown for touchdown game, and I began to regret not having cable. I knew, just knew, this was going to be a close game. A game the Pats COULD lose.<br /><br />Which is saying a lot, considering they've smashed 9 out of 11 teams they have played so far. Last week, when my son was being born (literally, to the moment), the Pats barely squeaked by 31-28 over the injured and losing record Philadelphia Eagles, to my great happiness. This helped my wife push better, by the way, thanks Tom Brady.<br /><br />So this week, we were hoping the Pats would go back to their smashing-fest over this weakened and messy Ravens team. Not so.<br /><br />The Game was TIED at the half. TIED. And by the end of the 4th, with 44 seconds left in the game, the Pats were down by 4 points.<br /><br />I was left 'watching' the game, on a refreshing computer screen that told me what had happened after each play.<br /><br />I hate cable because it keeps fans like me from seeing the greatest games of the seasons, that are supposed to be blowouts!!! How can you be on the edge of your seat watching a slowly refreshing computer screen? I WAS. How much more for those who could watch the game.<br /><br />Thank the Good Lord that Tom Brady is a clutch player. And after 2, count them 2, 4th down conversions near and in the red zone, Brady hit his receiver for 6 points (and then the extra). Pats up by 3. Like...30 seconds left.<br /><br />Baltimore makes a bunch of penalties, and then tries to march down the field to get in Field Goal range to tie, and can't do it. Time runs out. Pats squeak by, by only 3 points, again. Whew.<br /><br />What a ridiculously close game, I can't believe I missed it. If the Pats don't get their act together, they won't be the Steelers (9-3) next week. And they're good.<br /><br />But hey, Brady is clutch.<br /><br />In other news, we gave Josh a (victory) bath (his first) after the game. He liked it. WHOOOO!<br /><br />Okay, -end mindless football dribble-<br /><br />Grace and Love,<br /><br />Joe<br /><br><br /><strong>**UPDATE**</strong><br />It has just been brought to my attention that the final Patriots game of the season, where the Pats will hopefully be clinching a perfect 16-0 season, will be aired December 29th, on a Saturday night, on the...NFL Network. The problem? Most of America DOES NOT GET THE NFL NETWORK. When I say most, I mean 70,000,000 Americans "most". The cable companies don't even carry it, so I couldn't get it even if I wanted to. It's Satellite only. This is football blasphemy, ladies and gents.<br /><br />Those greedy money mongers. If Jesus let us know when He was returning, I bet the Network Television guys would charge 'every eye' money just to see Him come!!! Infuriating.Joe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-59119578228320651642007-11-28T20:37:00.000-06:002007-11-29T01:04:47.861-06:00Guilty by association, w/ show-biz<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgkHy8yU40qcvmiPOvrCMblTCMwp-z3fC8xM5mZSjDppuob18TlI-EGnRnyuctz1LMc-B7YTzdxxqNix0tixH_xfJBRuwiWJy6ak8JDiLUs6UQ7eWk4tfRGIs7BrBZN1K7ZIifxWm2-U/s1600-h/josh1small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgkHy8yU40qcvmiPOvrCMblTCMwp-z3fC8xM5mZSjDppuob18TlI-EGnRnyuctz1LMc-B7YTzdxxqNix0tixH_xfJBRuwiWJy6ak8JDiLUs6UQ7eWk4tfRGIs7BrBZN1K7ZIifxWm2-U/s320/josh1small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138112666802282882" /></a><br />First of all, the three or four of you goonies who read my lovely blog should congratulate my wife and I. On Sunday @ 1044pm, my wife gave birth to our first child, a son. We named him Joshua, after our Savior, Joshua, er...you know Him as Jesus. Too bad everyone else and their mother (what??) is named Joshua in America. Hey, my name is Joe, there's a pattern here. Ya think? So I'm a Dad now, and to celebrate the birth of my first child, I'm giving up sleeping at night time! =)<br><br />So, I'm going to take a break from the previously discussed subject matter below and move on to a different target for now.<br /><br>On <a href="http://www.christianresearchnetwork.com">Christian Research Network </a>an article has been posted discussing some "Hollywood stars" who 'read their Bibles' everyday.<br /><br>Normally this would seem like some very benign news, however per usual with this website, this 'news' is turned in to an opportunity to tear down apparent brothers and sisters in Christ, and curse them with our words, instead of commending something most Christians would consider a 'good thing' (Bible reading).<br /><br />Look what was said on CRN about these people:<br /><blockquote>"Christian Post tells us about some celebrity "Christians" who read the Bible. CRN reminds you that the Pharisees, whom the Lord referred to as "children of the Devil," read the Bible every day as well"</blockquote><br />Now the implication that they're making is obvious: that because these people are celebreties, they cannot possibly be "Christian" because they're too much 'of the world' (nice broad strokes there...paint a broad picture...)(I think driving cars and having clothes is 'too much like the world', if you ask me, lol.) <br /><br>First of all, the author sets up a false ditchomy. He compares religious hypocrites, who are believing in a works-based righteousness religion, to <em>professing Christians who declare they read their Bibles daily</em>. Is that a fair comparison? This is like comparing apples and oranges. The author has juxtaposed a situation from 2000 years ago including different surrounding circumstances, a totally different group of people, and a completely different understanding of religion, on to a modern situation where people who profess Jesus as Savior, say they read their Bibles daily. Completely ridiculous, totaly disimilar situations. Terrible comparison.<br /><br>Let me draw a true comparison of what the author is doing here so you can see the ridiculousness of this type of comment: Say there was this group of people who for some ungodly reason I really didn't like very much, and I said to you: "These people talk about the Jewish people all the time", and then immediately afterwords I say "Now remember that <em>HITLER </em>talked about the Jewish people a lot too..." You would then say to yourself, following along with my retarded implication, '...oh so these people must be evil like Hitler too.' That is exactly like the set up that has been distastefully done here. Apparently these people are <em>not </em>Christian because hey, the Pharisees read the Bible everyday too, just like them! (I'm a Pharisee too then, according to that weird comparison, by the by...) Oh and they were assumed to be false christians beforehand because hey, they're part of Show-biz. "Surely nothing good could come from" Hollywood! Guilt by association. How merciful and compassionate.<br /><br>Anyone can make the case that Martin Luther, The everything-but-worshiped 16th century reformer, is just as evil as Adolf Hitler because he's from Germany also. Using this logic, it's perfectly reasonable to say that 'Carrie Underwood' is a 'child of The Devil' because she's in Hollywood. See the picture that's been painted here? <br /><br>Besides, what is even the point of 'reporting' on this 'news item'? Just to spit venom at Christians, as if our own lives were not full of sin as well?<br /><br>Now it's obvious that the whole flair of this article is to point out that these people are <em>not </em>Christians because they're in show-biz and some of them have done questionable things (what Christian saved by GRACE, hasn't? Has the author of this tirade against these Christians done anything sinful, ever?), or been in questionable movies. The point is also being made that you can say you read the Bible all you want, but some Middle eastern religious hypocrites from the 1st Century read the Old Testament every day, and they were 'damned', therefore if you're in a career field that is deemed 'the devil' by CRN, you're just like those Pharisees. Makes sense, right? I work in the Military, and many would say I'm evil too, just because of my job. I must not be a Christian, they would say, because I'm part of an 'evil organization' that 'kills people and breaks their stuff'. But I assure you by God's Grace alone that I am a Christian. Perspective and personal conviction is everything, but when you elevate that conviction to a position where you can do God's Judgment for Him, then you're a legalist.<br /><br>They don't even <em>know</em> a meager 1% about the people they just condemned to hell. "By their fruits, you will know them.", said Jesus, sure, but CRN doesn't even know a fraction of a fraction of these people's lives and their walks (or lackthereof) with the Lord. How can you make a discernment on such little information? How can you act as God to them? You cannot. These people might have problems, shortcommings, and sins in their relationship with God, but fortunately for them, we're not saved by what we do. And I'll bet the author of this article on CRN has JUST as many sins before God as they do. Not the same sins maybe, but sins are sins, and equally terrible before God. So who are you to judge your brother to hell? Aren't you glad you're saved by Jesus' Works, and not your own, sinner? Perhaps these Christians who have been sworn at and torn down by the authors words (see Ephesians 4, for the real definition of 'swearing' and 'cursing' at someone), should take the same standard the author has used here against the Hollywood Christians, and use it against and use it on the author from CRN. I'll bet they come out looking just as bad as the Hollywood guys do, just as I would too. But then again, if they did that, it wouldn't be very Christian of them, would it?<br /><blockquote>"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done."</blockquote><br /><br>People, listen carefully, a man or woman is saved by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Jesus Christ and His finished Work alone. Perfection on our part is <em>not required</em>. Jesus was, and still is, perfect for us. I'm trusting in <em>that</em>. <br /><em>If only </em>CRN followed and showed that they actually believed in the 'solas' they so adimantly profess and claim to love all the time.<br /><br /><em>Si Solus...</em><br /><br />Grace and Love to all,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-26983036251719485192007-11-24T11:39:00.000-06:002007-11-24T12:21:53.070-06:00Is God the Judge?I have heard a few times in the last few days that neither God the Father, or Jesus Himself will judge the unbelieving. Instead the point has been made that Jesus own <em>words </em>judge men. Let's evaluate this. We'll also look at whether this changes anything concerning the judgment, punishment, and eternal destination of these people.<br /><br /><blockquote><p>For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son<br />of Man. "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are<br />in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will<br />rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself<br />I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek<br />not to please myself but him who sent me. John 5:26-30</p></blockquote><br />So Jesus has been given authority to judge because He's Human. Rather, the perfect Human being, being both God and Man. Also, this could be a throwback to Daniel 7:<br /><br /><p><blockquote>"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a <em>son of man</em>, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. <em>He was given authority, glory and sovereign power</em>; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will<br />never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 <p></p></blockquote>Jesus said something interesting at the end of Chapter 5 which I think is relevant here: <blockquote><em>But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set</em>. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, <em>for he wrote about me</em>. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"</blockquote><br />So Moses judges these Jews? But wait...how can Moses have that authority? But notice it's what Moses wrote...in which these Jews trusts are, that will judge them. They're being judged <em>according to what they know</em>. The problem for them becomes that Jesus is written about by Moses and the Law, and if they really believed what Moses had said, they would believe in Jesus. But as it stands, because they think they know Moses words so well, and choose to ignore them concerning Jesus, Moses will judge them. See how that works?<br /><br />In the next post, I'll be looking at what Jesus says concerning His Words and His Judgment, and we'll see if Jesus Himself judges, or if His Words do.<br /><br />Grace and Love to All,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6746904414752464687.post-70799410418539133242007-11-23T13:36:00.000-06:002007-12-08T00:13:07.672-06:00How much Doctrine?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since this is my first post in the raging sea that is known as 'the blogsphere', I figured I would use my first post to sling a stone at a "Goliath" of subject matter: Doctrine. Let's look at some Scripture first:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><blockquote><p><i>“Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.<br />Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, <strong>some men joined him and believed</strong>, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them." Acts 17:22-34</p></blockquote></i><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><p><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br />How much Christian Doctrine must one believe at the time of their salvation? We're so quick to say to a person with whom we are sharing our faith..."Sir, believe this, this, and most certainly this...let me tell you of the predestination of the saints, let me tell you of the sovreignty of God, the hypostatic union, justification, sanctification, let me tell you of the doctrine of ______, oh and please do not forget _______, you must believe these things!"</p><p>But when we look at Jesus Christ, and His Apostles, as they preach The Gospel, do we even see a fraction of the Doctrines we love so much and know to be true in the preaching of the Gospel to the lost?</p><p>Not really. </p><p>What? <em>Blasphemy</em>? No, of course not. We have to ask ourselves "what is the Gospel"? What needs to be preached among the human race? How simple <em>is</em> the Gospel anyways? Does deep doctrinal teaching come before, during, or after the Gospel is preached and believed?</p><p>Let's look at the verse at the beginning of the post. The Apostle Paul is in Athens, preaching to a bunch of guys who basically like to argue about philosophy and 'new ideas'. By the time Paul is finished preaching the Gospel to these guys, he's covered a lot, but generally he covers that there is One True God, He created everything, is all-powerful, God has nothing to do with man-made idols, God commands us to repent of our sin, has appointed a Man to judge the world, and proved all of this by raising Him from the dead. A lot of what Paul said was to break down the cultural divide between Jew and Greek. Paul was leveling a wrecking ball on Greek Religion, and addressing the problems with it compared to the Truth in Christ. To this end, he succeeds and is mocked, like usual. But look at the major theological points Paul brings up. He doesn't touch on the doctrines we consider SO essential to Christian belief, that we maul each other over constantly, condemn and damn each other to hell over. In Paul's dialogue here there's no diety of Christ, no complex soteriology, no systematic theologies, no hypostatic union, no Trinity, nothing to argue over on regeneration, justification, sanctification, or even WHY Jesus died. I don't see any of that in there, or in many of the sermons the apostles or Jesus preached to the lost.</p><p>Now before anyone reasons me a insane heretic, apostasy monger, man-lover, doctrine-hater on my first post (thus proving my point from above, ha ha), I do believe Doctrine for the Christian life is increddibly important, and I believe in what I would hope most Christians have believed in from the Scriptures for the past 2000 years. We get sound Doctrine from Scripture, which we should be studious about and hide it in our hearts. With that said, does that solve our original question of the ammount of Doctrine we must believe in before we're saved, or at the time of our salvation?</p><p>What I <strong>do</strong> see in Pauls discussion with the Greeks is essentially "Repent and believe". Which is precisely the Message that Jesus first began preaching, and continued to preach during his Ministry on Earth. But look at this example...</p><blockquote><p>He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house." Acts 16:30-32</p></blockquote></span>So right here we don't even see 'repent' being mentioned. I would think this is because you can't have saving faith <em>without</em> repentance, as it will always accompany Faith in Christ.<br /><br />Let's think about the thief on the Cross next to Jesus for a moment... I wonder what he believed in? How much doctrine did he know when Jesus Christ said to Him "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.". We know he understood Jesus was a King, and without sin, and undeserving of this death, but that's IT, is that all the man needed to believe to be saved? Some of us today, if this story was not in Scripture, and the Lord Himself didn't say "You're mine" to this man, we would look at this poor broken hearted thief and say "Well...he didn't make a positive confession of Jesus being...this this this this and this...so he's probably not a Christian". Hogwash. What we do know is this: The man was <strong>sorry for his sins, knew he was wrong, and knew Jesus somehow had the power to save him. </strong><em>He had repentance</em>. He surely knew of the surrounding events of the last few days, with Jesus entering in to Jerusalem, and his many speeches, and his ransacking of the Temple. And the Holy Spirit had pricked this man's heart. <strong>He knew who Jesus was, in part, and what he had been doing. </strong><em>He had faith.</em><br /><br />So I see the same thing happening here...."repent and believe", as what Jesus and the Apostles preached.<br /><br />So how much doctrine do we need to be saved?<br /><br />Repentance and faith in Christ. That's the Gospel at its very foundation. Take a look through the preaching of the NT and try to say otherwise. Impossible.<br /><br />Now, if we look at the sermon on the day of Pentecost that Peter gave to the Jews gathered, we see a long sermon about a Man who God has made Savior and Lord, and who was killed, and rose again from the dead by God's power. Not much doctrine there either, and then we see again...at the end of the sermon "repent..." We see the demand to believe this Gospel and repent and turn to this Jesus. When the people responded, they were baptized and included in to the Church. So what did these men and women believe WHEN they were saved? "Repent and Believe". We spend too much time fighting over the doctrinal nuances of the Gospel, which really aren't THE Gospel at all, but deeper aspects of it. We spend so much time worrying about these things that we forget to preach this, the SIMPLE Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here's what's 'necessary' to hear and believe when we're first saved:<br /><br /><br /></span><blockquote>"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the<br />Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to<br />the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve." 1 Cor.15:2-5<br /></blockquote><br />Simple Huh? Now, my final point in all of this: What happens AFTER this Gospel of the Kingdom is preached?<br /><br><br />I thought I'd never ask. Continuing on in Acts 2, after the sermon of Peter:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand<br />were added to their number that day. <strong>They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship</strong>, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:41-42</blockquote>So we can see what happens after the Gospel is preached and believed. The newbies of the faith devote themselves to what the Apostles teach/taught. That's where they are going to learn deep Spiritual Truths of God (Doctrines etc) and be obedient to them and accepting to them. This is what Christians do, not just a new Christians, but ongoing in our entire life long walk as well. They accept what comes from the Spirit of God because they have "the Mind of Christ", and non Christians cannot understand the deep things of God, because they do not have His Spirit.<br /><br />What about us today? Do we have the Apostles teachings? Of course we do, in the Bible, in the New Testament, even the Gospels (because the <strong>Apostles</strong> got their teachings from Jesus by personal contact or further revelation in visions, dreams, prayer, etc). That does not discount the Old Testament at all, which is what the Christian faith is completely founded upon, and what Jesus based much of His teaching on. We can learn and submit to doctrine from the Old Testament as well. But as with all things in Scripture, the truth must be correctly divided and used properly. Basically, I'm not going to go stone some children for being rowdy. Ha Ha.<br /><br />O_o;;<br /><br />So, let's keep deep doctrine where it belongs, to be used to mature and grow a Christian up in their faith, what a way to love each other as Jesus loved us!! But when we preach the Gospel, let's remember how simple it really is, and let us 'walk as Jesus did'. Let's not "add to His Words, lest he reprove us and show us to be fools". Let's not add anything to Jesus Christ's righteous work on the Cross, and His perfection for us. Repent and believe. A real conversion is that simple, and after, that person will want to know God more and more, learn His Truth, and share it with other Christians for edification, always remembering that Christ did the work to save us, and we reap that by Faith in Jesus and not ourselves.<br /><br />Now, I'm <em>not </em>talking about a 'minimum ammount of Doctrine' that all Christians will definitely believe in and agree on as they mature in their faith, that is a whole other Bible Study. I'm talking about what does a person 'believe on' when they are first saved. Make sure you understand my meaning in this post.<br /><br />Grace and Love to all,<br /><br />JoeJoe Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07680235721725643408noreply@blogger.com2