Sometimes as christians we find ourselves at odds with the world around us. There is a natural dislike of the christian faith but one area of this behavior puzzles me; why do we often see those in authority state their opposition to telling the story of Jesus Christ? If ever a story needed to be told this is one for sure. There was a time that we christians had the world for our stage. Sadly that is not the case in the world today. While preparing a Sunday school lesson I encountered these verses and with the attitude toward the teaching and sharing the word of God in our day, I found them to be instructive. I refer you to Acts 4: 1-12. Peter and John have just healed a lame man in Jesus Christ’s name. (chapter 3) The Sunday school lesson concerned miracles. I read on into Chapter 4 and found that Peter and John were now being called on to explain their behavior. Now I found in these verses a great lesson to be applied to “Christian Self-Defense” Considering some of the ways that the secular side use to lessen the influence of christian values, we are finding the faith constantly on defense. If we are to go outside the walls and to the lost, hurting and those in need of hope, this attacking the message and those who bring it, must be dealt with. It must also be noted, that sadly here lately these attacks are coming from within the faith as well.

The priests and Sadducees are incensed at the apostles’ teaching, and put them in prison. There was the number of those who believed. This type of influence could be threatening to the Sadducees, whose whole system was now in danger by the preaching of the resurrection of Christ; for they believed not in the immortality of the soul, nor in any future world. These made a common cause with the priests, etc., to suppress the evidence of Christ’s resurrection, and silence the apostles. (Adam Clarke Commentary)

They are arrested and held overnight in jail.The next day they are called before the council of all the elders and rulers and asked to explain their actions. They were most concerned by what authority did these men teach and by what power and in whose name did they do this? They are confused by Peter’s answer and it serves only to harden their hearts. Still an even bigger problem for them was that so many saw the healing as it happened, the man was known well to those people and was frequently at that gate begging. They had standing among the people an irrefutable proof that a miracle had occurred for which they had no answer. All they could do was to command them not to preach in the name of Jesus.

Here we see very vividly both the enemy’s attack and the Christian defense. In the enemy’s attack, there are two characteristics.

First, there is contempt.

They consider Peter and John ignorant and uneducated in the application of the Law and having no real ability to understand its meanings and as such, they have no ability….. to deal with such matters. While not all people of learning are given to such behavior it is a common tactic among some to resort to academic and professional snobbery. They fail to see that this is not a matter of academic or professional standing but rather a matter of the heart. Peter and John have the love of Christ in their hearts, a strength that does not require academic attainment or professional status.

Second, there are threats

We as Christians know that such things are of this world, they will not survive, but the things of God last forever.

Just as Peter and John had certain defenses, today we of the Christian faith do also. They had the defense of an unanswerable fact. That the man had been cured, it was impossible to deny. The most unanswerable defense of Christianity is the individual Christian. Make no mistake that the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Christian commitment to live a Holy Life in service to Him and all people is also an unanswerable fact to the power of our faith. They had the defense of an utter loyalty to God. If it was a question of choosing between obeying other people and obeying God, Peter and John were in no doubt as to what course to take. Would Our faith today sustain such a decision? Lastly they had the defense of a personal experience of Jesus Christ. Their message was not something that they had simply heard from others. These men had been with him and had heard his voice, seen the miracles and knew the resurrection to be true. Consider this…we sometimes overlook the fact that through the Holy Spirit we too have had a personal experience with Christ. We know with unshakable fact, that salvation through Jesus Christ is real and we are willing to stake our lives on it.

Words are not enough. Peter and John refused to be silenced as they continued to take the word to the people. God’s word is a map to where we need to go. Take the GOOD Way…..we are not there yet.

Life is Good

jk

 

I always get a bit nervous when I step out of the Pew. What do you believe is the mission of the church? I believe that it is to share the word, tell everyone about Jesus Christ, minister to the lost, the hurting and the needy. To worship in a way that raises a joyful noise unto the Lord and welcomes all to the table. I am sure there are many of you who could say it better. The Church has always been the moral compass of our society. Christian beliefs can be found throughout our founding, Constitution, laws and daily dealings among our people. The church and christianity always had a place at the table. Sadly that is not the case here in 2018. Nuff about that at this time, there is another whole blog in that statement. Over the years the church has become involved in caring for the needs of God’s people in many different ways. From community to state, to nation, christians by way of the church have fed the hungry, provided clothing and other needs for the homeless even in some cases shelter from the elements. In all situations the church has reached out to God’s people when no one else would. It is inevitable because we are mortals subject to failure that there would be a fervency, a real emotional driven vigor that at some point we might overstep the need, or even redefine or expand the scope of the need; and that brings me to today’s question.

Borrowing from last weeks blog, we are also hearing a lot about another hot button issue of the day. Sanctuary or Refuge, is there a difference or is the end result the same? What is the meaning of, motive for and responsibility of, “Sanctuary Cities” in the world of today? For clarity Merriam Webster writes…

Sanctuary, a consecrated place: such as the ancient Hebrew temple at Jerusalem or it’s holy of holies. It could also mean the most sacred part of a religious building (such as the part of a Christian church in which the altar is placed) or the room in which general worship services are held a place such as a church or a temple  for worship. Or it could be  a place of refuge and protection, a refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled and hunting is illegal or the immunity from law attached to a sanctuary. 

Refuge, by definition the word can mean, shelter or protection from danger or distress, a place that provides shelter or protection or something to which one has recourse in difficulty.

From here on that which was simple becomes a proliferation of meanings according to the situation in which the words are used. Would you be surprised to know that sanctuary cities  in the Bible were for different purposes than these today, in fact, they were not referred to as such. Sometimes mistaken meaning or clever use of terminology can become the tool of those whose goal is not to help but instead to aid in pushing an agenda or political ambitions and platforms. I have spent a great deal of time trying to honestly inform myself about the issue of illegal immigrants and during that time I have discovered that the word illegal is not PC when discussing this issue. Words are powerful and can unite or pull apart, in this case I have to say illegal is a proper and factual description of  the status of the people involved in this issue. The sanctuary cities, same-gender issues are hot button issues that distract from the mission of the church by appealing to emotions and hijacking the faith to use as a platform. 

Sanctuary or Refuge?

I believe it fair to say that the “cities of refuge” that we read of in Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19, do not in any way represent the characteristics of our present day sanctuary cities. According to Pastor Stephen Russ the claims made by the many churches involved is that they do function similar to the “cities of refuge”  found in the Old Testament. I agree in full with his assessment, they do not. I feel it is the classic hijacking of the scripture and  misunderstanding of the written word, in an attempt to add creditability to their agenda. Here from his article:

What are cities of refuge?

In both Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19, we find God instructing Moses to establish six cities as “cities of refuge.” If a man committed involuntary manslaughter, meaning he accidentally killed someone, he could immediately flee to one of these six cities. These cities were necessary because of a common practice where the offended family would appoint someone, often a brother of the deceased, to be the “avenger of blood.” (https://www.theologywithoutapology.org/single-post/2017/05/19/Sanctuary-Cities-vs-City-of-Refuge)

To better understand this issue I encourage you to read his entire post at the above link. Like all hot-button issues in the world today, they thrive on emotions, misinformation in the way they are presented and our, you and I, being uniformed. While I believe that enforcement of the law is important, we as Christians are commanded to love one another. The use of this situation, which by the way, is the fault of our government to deal with it and always kicking the can down the road while looking for an acceptable political solution, continues to divide us as a nation, and is troubling.

So we have learned that the word sanctuary can be used to describe different situations. The word refuge in OT writings, in no way resembles the sanctuary cities we are now dealing with. I can’t speak for you but as for myself, I have learned that Law, Politicians, and agendas alone will not answer this issue. So again I leave you to work it out. Will close with this thought….. Do not mistaken the scriptural meaning of sanctuary or refuge  as a way to disregard the laws of this land. We must separate secular inadequacies, turn to God and seek His wisdom. 

Thanks for coming by.

Life is Good

jk

Below is the contact information for Pastor Russ.

Pastor Stephen holds a Bachelor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Theology, from Golden State Baptist College (2006-2012). He was ordained to preach on March 25, 2012, at the North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, CA.You can find him on Twitter – @StephenRuss, or email him at sruss@boekeroadbaptist.org.

July 1, 2016, I posted a blog entitled “Looking For The  Good Way.” These are not the best of times for the church. In these days the church finds itself marginalized by a culture of changing morals, social debate and the sudden realization that living a Holy life is not compatible with the needs of this new society and its “Way.”  There are many things that are not compatible with biblical teaching. Of course we could cite the “poster child” of today’s social dilemma for the church and many other organizations…same-gender as a civil right, the holy grail of society’s call to action. I do not wish to make this a one or two issue thing. Sin, I believe is any thing that separates us from God. Now we all know that we as Christians often like to cite scripture to bolster our view. It has always kinda struck me that our list often mirrors our Church doctrine and we have a system that tends to list the few we acknowledge in order of seriousness.  I call that “Anti-scripture-mentalism”. I do not know if that is a word, I view it as a condition. I got to looking around the internet and sure enough there is a list! Here is the URL and a caution. Not everything we read should be taken as Gospel. This list contains 667 sins, all with scriptural reference. 

http://www.wogim.org/sinlist.htm

Consider this, some time after God had spoken to the need for living a Holy Life, and laws had been passed to the people, some time later the Jewish Nation was able to add to these about 613 “laws and instructions”  that explained how to live and what not to do to avoid breaking the law. There was no way, you sin you pay. Then along came Jesus and through him the miracle of forgiveness became possible. Sin is a complex thing…. for society.

What is sin, are there varying levels according to seriousness? Actually it is very simple. Anything that separates us from our God is a SIN. 

My plan is very simple.We must quit judging other people, stop paying attention to their way and seek the way to Jesus Christ. We must seek “Where The Good Way Lies.” Well, it took us a long time to get here, but Jeremiah has as good a way as any.

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)

The word of God is very much with us, even in these days. From the labour of those he ordained and called so long ago to those who labour in the fields of this day, seeking souls for the kingdom. Make no mistake, sin will be punished but there is hope and mercy in the love God has for his people and our advocate, His only son Jesus Christ. We will not find the good way looking at or for the sins of others. The blog this day concerns a people, and a nation that have abandoned the faith and no longer seek the good way.  God called Jeremiah at an early age to the office of a prophet :   

Jeremiah 1:10

 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to break down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”

In Jeremiah we read about rebellion and sin, covenant redemption and humanity. We also are brought to the understanding that rebelling against God has consequences which will not be postponed indefinitely. In Jeremiah 6: 10-15 God is angered by this constant rebellion and it is plain that redemption will happen only after judgement. I wonder how long it will be for us as a nation and people to get to that point? The sad fact here is that the people of Jeremiah’s day could have turned from sin and avoided destruction. The greatness of Jeremiah can be seen as he walks “Where The Good Way Lies.” These were difficult times for Jeremiah as he went about serving God. Our fate could be the same as Judah if we fail to walk the good way. Pogo, a popular comic strip some years back had a quote in one of its panels “we have met the enemy, and they is us.”  Remember Jeremiah 6: 16   … “But you said, We will not walk in it.”  So the question of the day is, will we say no in our day. If we want to know about God, we must walk in the good way. It is here where the knowledge of God and His will exists.There is no way we can make it up as we go along. We must seek the old paths and be instructed in what God revealed long ago in his word. Where do we find the ancient paths, where the good way lies? 

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

16 All scripture is inspired by God and[a] profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

It is through god’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit that we will find where the good way lies. It doesn’t stop there. We need to share with family, friends, anyone who will listen. We must again walk the ancient paths. It is important to absorb and learn from God’s word and then walk in it. 

Luke 11: 28

28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

James 1: 22

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

This is the path that will allow us to truly find rest for our souls. We continue on the path in,

Psalm 16: 11

 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Knowing God’s plan and purpose is for our salvation, that’s his way.  

John 14: 6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.

Now we know the way! Jesus is the truth….the only way to the Father. Jesus is the reality of salvation, now and eternally.

We are at a crossroad, which way will you go? 

2 Peter 1: 5-11

5 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; 11 so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Titus 3:8 

The saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men.

As we walk along this good way we will find that strength and courage, knowledge and prudence, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness and charity are some of the things we might want to take along with us. You will find the way in your soul, nurtured by the word of God and the acceptance of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior. We the people, the Church, are at the crossroad, which way? It is found on an old and ancient path…

 2 Chronicles 7: 14

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Will you choose to “Walk Where The Good Way Lies?”

Life is Good

jk

 

 

 

 This has been a two year journey filled with hope and at times a quite sadness that tugs constantly at my heart. This is really not about theology. A short definition of theology is sufficient for this subject. 

(the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially : the study of God and of God’s relation to the world)

It is about God’s word and my interpretation of it. It is important that I stress I have arrived at this point through prayer and honestly seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. My views stated here are those of a layman who has sought a path out of the turmoil within my church. To be fair I must say that I am responsible for part of that turmoil, which at first I dismissed as a resistance to change. Truth is it would have been much simpler if that were the issue. Theology, that’s something else, such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical explanation or interpretation of a text, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake Christian theology in order: … to facilitate reforms in the Christian church. Now that brings us to…church doctrine- 

“The written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group, Religious doctrine, creed, gospel.”

Now I believe it reasonable to say not all of us believe the same about everything, it is after all what makes the world go round. The basic Christian beliefs that Jesus Christ is the Son of the one living God and the only way to salvation is through him, well that stands most everywhere. Most all of us accept the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and it can be found in most church doctrines. So what has led me to this  turmoil and a two year journey to find peace among the turmoil?

Everything I was taught in Sunday school, what my parents taught me and the doctrine of the church  has formed my faith. I am soon to be seventy-five and the years of examples of the Saints of the church are aways on my mind. Of course among the examples there is always the traditions passed from one generation to the next. It had become a comfortable place to be, with the church being the center of my life. I never saw it coming, the turmoil that has led me on this journey. To me there would always be new ways to do things as the church struggled to keep up with the always changing secular and societal changes in the world around it. Now it must be understood that while the years have brought me to this place I am now at, I have always been a work in progress with no date of completion. However years of study, seeking the Spirits leadership has convinced me that one thing never changes. The word of God as found in the Bible, it is the one constant in this world we live in. The word of God, in it “I raise my Ebenezer, my stone of help.”

 It is difficult having something taken from you but I have discovered it is even more so giving something up because of personal convictions and beliefs. There is always the possibility that you may be wrong, or honestly confused. As I have arrived at this place late in life I am seasoned by many poor decisions balanced by the blessing of being able to learn from them, and of forgiveness for my transgressions. Infallibility is not and never will be in the DNA of a Christian. So why is this confession of mine so difficult? Personal beliefs and convictions for most of us change over the years, that I can understand and accept. What I was not prepared for was the blatant efforts of some in the church to find a way around not only God’s word but also church law as written in the Book of Discipline. Even more disturbing was the fact it was influenced by societal change in its view toward same-gender issues, to the point there were some within the church willing to look beyond the word, to allow the church to meet the changing morals of society at large. Our Christian faith is unique, it comes to us through the very voice of God, which comes to us in Jesus Christ. It must be transmitted to other people through those of us who know him.  

A recent morning devotional pointed out that as human beings we are prone to seek out information that supports our opinions and positions. I find myself guilty of this. My journey started years ago but it wasn’t until a few years ago I truly accepted the salvation of Christ and the forgiveness of my sins and understanding that forgiveness required repentance. I must change my way of living and do all I could to grow in the faith. I came to the belief that seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit was necessary for my journey of seeking to know the truth through God’s word. For thirty years in the Methodist church I saw a deliberate trend to associate scripture with various social agendas. Sunday school lessons became a tour of the current social issues that were common in the day. I pushed most of these aside and concentrated on studying the word, praying for guidance and becoming more and more involved in the church. I do admit that I feel strongly about the time people spend trying to find a way around the word to forward certain agendas or rationalize their behavior. I will not get into a scripture quoting contest because that is part of the problem. The pulling of and the using of scripture, many times taken out of context to advance beliefs or in some cases a position. To me the least arguable social cause of these days would be the same-gender issue that at this very moment threatens to spilt the Methodist Church. 

In the Bible, the written word of God, nowhere will you find any verse supporting such behavior. My feelings had become so strong that I became obsessed to the point of distraction and losing the reason for my journey. You see it is God’s will that we love all people. For me the old cliché, “love the sinner, hate the sin” was more about convenience and less about my Christian duty. I chose to leave the Methodist Church for many reasons that over the years I had allowed to become a distraction, which in a sense is a sin. Do I recommend others take this path? No I do not. My behavior was such that I was doing a disservice to my God, my family and my church. I had to get back to the word and learn why I believe what I do. God’s word must be the foundation for all I do and believe. I will always love the Methodist Church and I do miss all the people I went to church with over the years. Had I grounded myself better in the faith I could have withstood such drastic action. 

So I close on this note…… There is no wiggle room in Scripture. Marriage is between man and a woman. We must remember that same-gender practices are just one of many human failings that are sinful in the eyes of God. I just cannot accept that

“Those whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder.” 

The God I serve would never sanction or approve sin…..period.

As point of reference that is still in the United Methodist Book of Worship. (page 137 in my copy) There are also two other options as to the marriage service itself.  As far as I am concerned you may marry anyone you wish but I do not accept what is an abomination in God’s eye to ever be with his blessing or approval. I would also like to state that there are more than one issue involved in my decision. The lack of leadership from the “church” to deal with this for so many years, allowing this division to grow and kicking the can down the road to avoid the eventual confrontation is indefensible. The steady decline of Lay participation and input is also regrettable. There is much to celebrate in the Methodist Church  and I pray that it will find a way to respect God’s law as written and passed down from the patriarchs and prophets and has been taught all these years. Would I advise you to leave the church? No, I would not. I will always regret that I was not strong enough to find peace among the turmoil. I have so far been able to write this without pulling the usual verses to make a point. To me it is simple……  To me my faith is fed by God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit….. In this I find peace amid the turmoil.

Life is Good

jk