This is an interesting chapter and as usual the truth lies within the Scripture. There was a misconception that the time of Christ’s coming was at hand. The people are warned of a falling away from the faith and told of the revealing of the Anti-Christ, followed by the notice of his destruction and that of those that follow him. Second Thessalonians is only three chapters, 47 verses and 1022 words. Small book with a big message. I will break it down as we go beyond the words and find the comfort of the covenant and the security in the steadfastness of faith powered by our prayers.

Christians can make mistakes , a good Christian will set them straight and be careful to suppress them, making our words and actions compatible with God’s word and the teachings of the Apostles. Our adversary is one of cunning, looking to do mischief, even sometimes by perverting the very words of Scripture to gain an advantage. Paul writes to correct a problem of time concerning the coming again of Christ. He gives some solid advice…People may make mistakes about the time but the coming itself is certain. The cross, resurrection and the coming again of Christ, has been the hope and faith of all Christians in all ages of the Church, hope and faith were cornerstones of the Old Testament saints. It is promised that all believers will be gathered together, and be happy and blessed in his presence forever. It is noted here that all must believe of the certainty of the second coming and it is a danger in mistaking the time and the truth of the thing itself. False doctrines have always muddied the water creating waves of uncertainty. Paul writes of some things to look for first. There will most likely be a falling away from the faith, giving the Anti-Christ the opportunity to do his thing. Sin is wicked and encourages sin and wickedness in others. Sin is certain destruction and is the instrument he uses to destroy many others, both body and soul. God was in the temple and he is here this day in the Christian church but so too is Satan. He has many names but his soul intent is to disrupt, discredit and usurp God’s authority. 

Corruption of doctrine and worship comes slowly and  usurping of power is sometimes even slower, usually a gradual process. The next characteristics of this time was the, superstition, idolatry, bigotry, persecution…all these promoted by a pretended zeal for God and his word. These things were in progress even while the Apostles lived, people pretending to love Christ but were truly opposed to hm. We do find in this chapter the fall and ruin of the anti-christian state declared. It will fall because in due time the word of God and the Spirit of God will prevail against this evil and it will fade away in the brightness of Christ’ coming. There were many things being done, presented to the people as signs, wonders, visions and miracles but they were pretended, they were false. Those who engaged in these things did not love the truth and  embraced that which was not true. God leaves them to their own devices and sin follows them and with it comes the judgements and eternal punishments in the hereafter. Before I move on I want to make sure that there is none of the  misunderstanding  as Paul found in his day, that prompted this letter. Below taken in its complete text from “Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary” 

These prophecies have, in a great measure, come to pass, and confirm the truth of the Scriptures. This passage exactly agrees with the system of popery, as it prevails in the Romish church, and under the Romish popes. But though the son of perdition has been revealed, though he has opposed and exalted himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; and has spoken and acted as if he were a god upon earth, and has proclaimed his insolent pride, and supported his delusions, by lying miracles and all kinds of frauds; still the Lord has not yet fully destroyed him with the brightness of his coming; that and other prophecies remain to be fulfilled before the end shall come.

 Apostasy (/əˈpɒstəsi/; Greek: ἀποστασία apostasía, “a defection or revolt”) is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one’s previous religious beliefs.^[1] One who undertakes apostasy is known as an apostate. (Wikipedia)

Paul makes note of the fact that while many are falling away from the faith, great joy and comfort can be found in the fact that there is still a remnant through the grace of God, who still persevere and we rejoice with those who count themselves to be among that number. The Scripture that follows leaves no gray area of thought as to its meaning or intent. The saints are preserved because God has loved them forever, from the beginning of the world. Faith and holiness are joined together and the same may be said of holiness and happiness. The gospel, the word of God calls to us and strengthens us through the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. When the sinner is confronted with the truth and relies on Christ, he is able to love and obey him, the Holy Spirit fills the heart and God’s mercy is abundant in their life. Consider this….We have no other source of certain proof of anything more than the Apostles left us with…contained within the Holy Scriptures. We must stand fast in the doctrines taught by the apostles, and reject all additions, and the pressure of culture change and the agendas of societal change for the sake of special agendas.

This chapter ends on the importance of prayer. Prayers directed toward God the Father, to our lord Jesus Christ. The love of God found in his son Jesus Christ will sustain our faith and like a well in the desert of our trials strengthen our thirst for his presence in our lives…The saints have good reason for hope through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will persevere in the reading of the word, understanding the word, the works and ways of God will prevent us from wavering in the faith and remove the doubt from our minds and we will no longer be strangers to the joys of faith in our walk with the Lord.

Life is Good

jk

We live in a world that today values convenience highly. We love the ability to do things that require minimum effort and little difficulty, things that come easily and fit into our schedules and don’t interrupt our plans. Sometimes religion requires our time at inconvenient times, in some cases serious efforts on our part and can at times be difficult. Back in the day there were buzzwords or phrases that had become part of our natural jargon  and were a heads up to what’s coming. I certainty do not put these next words in that group, in fact, I believe they are often not given the weight they deserve. Faith and Discipleship… both to be effective must be understood and both are not a causal acknowledgment of a trait or personal attribute… They are not at our convenience and require acceptance of responsibility so that they become a natural part of our daily lives.

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith (pi’stis) is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

How important might that be. The disciples who were the closest to Jesus during his ministry here on earth were at times not sure who he was and struggled at times understanding his teachings. We sometimes over think faith, there have been all kinds of courses and articles written as to what and how faith is necessary in our Christian walk… but the best answer is in God’s word… Here again the scripture that in a few words says it all.

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith (pi’stis) is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

 My thought is that faith is important because it is the engine of  our discipleship. What is a disciple?

Webster’s definition of a disciple is “a pupil or follower of any teacher or school.” A true disciple is not just a student or a learner, but a follower: one who applies what he has learned. The Biblical view is much the same. A disciple is someone who has chosen to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and loves and follows him. But…there is a caveat here, they must accept the responsibility of applying what they have learned from their teacher who is now their Lord and Savior. This discipleship is now one of service.

Luke 9

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

1When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Being a true disciple means accepting the charge to go forth and proclaim the gospel (the Good News) to the world. Once more we emphasize the fact that a disciple is one who applies what he has learned. A true disciple will ask, “What would Jesus do?” Discipleship means you are committed to going out and sharing the Good News with the non-believers. You believe that the mission of a good disciple is to love all people, to teach, share and stand out, you are called to be different. You are firm in God’s word, you fellowship with other believers, remaining steadfast and dedicated to the Lord and investing in the work of the Lord among all people. What is the cost of Discipleship? The simple answer is ….your very life. There is no shortage of Scriptures that can be applied to this question. Here is but one of many. 

 Luke 9 23-26ESV 

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

 To be a true disciple we must understand what is required of us. We must also consider the cost of discipleship…Christ made that clear in many different scriptures. There is a great book that makes plain the cost…

The Cost of Discipleship is a book by the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, considered to be a classic of Christian thought. It can be found in paperback or on line.

Life is Good

jk

Pulled this from a few years back…”Those who refuse to learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them.”

Looking Back……the day we were one…

11SundaySep 2016

Posted by John Kurt Carpenter in Uncategorized

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I had prepared and uploaded my blog for today but I set it aside late last night. I can’t get past tomorrow, September 11 or as it has become simply 9-11. There will be many words today, few will be able to capture the impact in loss of life and the realization that our enemies now had the ability to bring the horror of war to our soil. Here are a couple of things I take away from that day.   Death is never an easy thing to cope with and I don’t hold much with the advice that “things will be better in time; every day it will get a little better.” Don’t believe that, I believe we just learn how to live with it or for lack of a better term tolerate the loss. Like everyone else I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Been fifteen years now and I still can close my eyes and see those people jumping from the towers. Now after all these years’ history is slowly being rewritten in that many films have been edited to remove those pictures. Why is that important? To me it is important because while I can’t say what was in their mind at that time, I prefer to believe in that moment of extreme despair they chose how they would die. First take away, how much easier is it for us who only have to choose how to live.

One of the first things that happened after it was determined that this was not a terrible mishap but was indeed a deliberate attack, was a no fly order issued for the whole country. All flights except those of military origin were grounded throughout the USA. I remember standing outside at work that afternoon and the next few days and looking up at the sky above. My second take away was that those contrails left by planes were absent from the sky. How odd it seemed. Just as a room becomes quite, no one speaking, their absence marked the silence of the skies. It was as if I was waiting to see something there that would tell me everything was going to be alright. My third take away is perhaps the one that is most imprinted on my mind and heart. As the towers fell the dust and debris of this awful destruction blotted the sun from the sky and blinded all those trapped by it. Everyone was covered to the point that there was no way to distinguish skin color or ethnicity, all were caught in a world of gray horror, dependent on the help and mercies of those closest to them. Somehow the need to take or offer a hand, to cover and shield another from the debris, to offer self in defense of another was the most striking thing I saw. We came together as a people, there was no time to shout USA, USA as would be heard much over the next few days. This may not make sense and I stand to be corrected. I believe on that day we were Americans all and in that moment we all became God’s children. (Matthew 22:39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

There is no way I could ever put to words the sacrifice of NYFD or Police, EMS or the hundreds of medical and civilian responders, there are no words that could do honor to their sacrifice. So how or where do we go from here? As a nation and a people we need to return to the good way, we need God and there is only one way…..

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

My deepest respect and gratitude to those who died, survived and sought to go in harm’s way on that terrible day. Good folks gave their lives on that day and good folks gave their lives for over 20 years in Afghanistan and now once more we are facing some of those who brought 9/11 to us. May God have mercy on our nation…

jk

I have really had to wrestle with myself…forgive…at this moment in time it is almost impossible for me to do that. I call myself a Christian and then the reality of that is while I do have a choice, the God I serve leaves me no wiggle room on this. It is here that the picture of the cross and the image of our Savior hanging there, for all who have sinned…you see, Christ said your sins are forgotten. I have been reading what the Bible says about forgiveness and I discovered that this thing of forgiveness to be complete requires we forget the sin also.

So this is a reminder that to follow Christ, to be called a Christian requires that we emulate Christ, become more like him everyday….I thought I had found a solution to the problem…I forgive….but I forgot to forget

This Christian thing…It ain’t easy. Read Romans 12, it is only 21 verses. Join us again in the Pew tomorrow eve for our regular From The Pew Blog.

Life is Good

jk

• 

Ecclesiastes is a book that is many things too many different people but seems to hold a majority of thought, or consensus, that most believers find to be baffling and to some even wrongheaded. From the get-go there were strong efforts to exclude it from the list of sacred books and even now it has a very small place in liturgical practice. In Jewish liturgical practice it is of greater use only because it is one of the five scrolls that are read at the festivals. It is said that this book encourages conversation because of its grasp of the truth. That, however is quickly walked back by those who say its value is it serves as a dark background against the shining light of the gospel. There is a wealth of information available about the book of Ecclesiastes, extensive and easily available. The one question that is asked in most commentaries….Who wrote Ecclesiastes or better yet who is Qohelet in Ecclesiastes? This question after all this time has not gained a solid acknowledgement that it was Solomon. Is he Qoheleth, the teacher and in turn the Preacher? 

We return this week to the book of Ecclesiastes and specifically the 12th and concluding chapter of this book. The text of this chapter addresses the youth throughout the creation. 

We are reminded that we are not our own. We were made to be happy but this is only true when we live our lives for him. Not only has God created you he also preserves you, feeds you and clothes you and in difficult times he upholds you. You have been made as being able to know, love and serve him. You have been given the privilege to enjoy him in his own glory for ever. Even when you had chosen to undo that relationship, he sent his Son to redeem you through the cross and his blood shed for you. But God has even more for you. He sends the Spirit to enlighten, persuade and to led you away from childless endeavors, keeping you from trifling and sinful pursuits. In our youth memory is strong and unrelenting. In this time in our lives it is easy to remember our creator, our loving and affectionate Father but through the perversion of sin it seems in our youth we come to the point where we forget and remember any other thing better than God. We  remember the kindness of others and even feel gratitude for it but what of our Father in heaven? There is no one who can give us the benefits of a relationship with him. From the Father came our body and soul, our eyes to see, ears, tongue, hands and feet. With our eyes we can see the beauty of his creation, hear the word of salvation, the tongue allows us to speak to his goodness and with our feet to carry us forward we can raise our hands in celebration of our service to God who calls us to serve his people. How can we forget HIM?  

In our youth we are susceptible to the evils of this world. You could say we are at times in some ways drawn to them, resulting in the corruption and misery that accompanies them. Remember him in thy YOUTH. In our youth we have the power to be more active and vigorous in our endeavors. Faith, hope and love at this point in our lives could be a thing of great joy. It is now in our youth that it will be easier for us to believe, hope, pray, love, obey, and bear our cross, then it can be in old age and the those infirmities that weaken body and determination. Even in your youth there is no certainty of life. Today is yours, tomorrow may not be. Youth also has no promise of old age. While you have your youth and health hear the call of your God. If you do not heed that call you may find that sin will encroach on your heart every moment that goes by. Give your heart to your creator early and it will serve you well in the years you have. There is much to be said about old age and some things are harsh but reality is the part of the Preacher’s book of life. Evil habits gain strength over time and the infirmities of time press down on our bodies and minds. The cold fact is that our hearts can become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. There is little time left to repent and even less inclination to do so. There is nothing of this world that can ease the burden of sin. Words of truth are always valued and have worth. The truth of God’s words often annoy those who would shy away, often causing a negative reaction as they seek to reject the good way. To fear God and keep his commandments makes a man whole. Fear where there is no love has no redeeming power. We are to have a fear of God but by his gracious love for us as a child of God, we are in awe of his presence and that which he gives us in this life. There are many distractions in this life but we have only one task to be mindful of… Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is all that concerns man.

And in Conclusion….

Verse Ecclesiastes 12:14. For God shall bring every work into judgment — This is the reason why we should “fear God and keep his commandments.”

The following is from Adam Clark Commentary and is public domain.

1. Because there will be a day of judgment.

2. Every soul of man shall stand at that bar.

3. God, the infinitely wise, the heart-searching God, will be judge.

4. He will bring to light every secret thing – all that has been done since the creation, by all men; whether forgotten or registered; whether done in secret or in public.

5. All the works of the godly, as well as all the works of the wicked, shall be judged in that day; the good which the godly strove to conceal, as well as the evil which the wicked endeavoured to hide.

This, then, will be the conclusion of the whole mortal story. And although in this world all is vanity; yet there, “vanities will be vain no more.” Every thing, whether good or evil, will have its own proper stable, eternal result. O God! prepare the reader to give up his accounts with joy in that day! Amen.

Life is Good

jk