Well, it’s a typical southern afternoon, hot, humid, and we’re waiting on the rain which has been promised later this afternoon. Things on the porch are pretty simple. It always has been, that’s why I like it so much. Couple of chairs, some good friends and some conversation that doesn’t have to really go anywhere. It’s just some time you spend together and fellowship and it  beats being alone. We have talked before and shared with you before that pondering is really the thing to do nowadays with the temperament of most people and most subjects that usually come up. When you ponder all you gotta do is just open your mind up talk about a few things, it’s nice because facts doesn’t really matter all that much and you’re not really looking for a solution. You’re just talking about life in general. Once I get off the back porch and get in the house I’m pretty much like everybody else. As far as my home is concerned we have a lot of the technical advantages that have taken place over the years to make life a little more comfortable, one of them of course is the is the Internet. It is the way us lesser informed folks get the answers we need…don’t know it…Google It! Well past couple of months I’ve had some technical difficulties here in the house. We lost our dryer of 12 years. I remember when they used to last at least 20, but that doesn’t happen anymore. I think my wife’s computer an iMac after 10 years decided that it was tired and needed a rest, so we retired it. I think someone told the folks at Apple that I was having trouble with my iPhone…you guessed it, it died and went home, wherever that might be. That brings us to today’s Ponder. What does an 82 year old geezer need with an iPhone? Ponder on that for a few moments, there are times that we wander from room to room and we wonder why we’re in the room we’re in. As I’ve gotten older I’ve also noticed that if my wife asked me who is that you were talking to I always answer her simply by saying “oh you know what’s his name.” Just ponder on this for a second. I know how to answer the phone if it rings and I know how to use the Starbucks app on the phone. That’s pretty much all I can do with this thing. After a little practice, I actually learned how to use the contacts to call somebody if I needed to speak with them, but I could only do that because my daughter loaded the contacts on the phone for me and then showed me how to do it. Oh yes, I learned how to read the news but that’s depressing and I can advise some of you, if you’re thinking about it do not get involved with the games they stick on those phones. It’s a no win and it’ll drive you crazy.

So as unreasonable as it may seem, the Ponder for today is really very simple. What does an 82 year-old geezer need with an iPhone? I’ve been told there is a less expensive phone available for us geezers, it’s called a cricket, but I don’t like bugs… take care. Be sure to join us next week on the porch.

jk  

What happened at Pentecost? We really do not know. We do know that the disciples did have an experience of power of the spirit flooding their very beings that they had never had before.  Luke was not an eyewitness to this. We find a very good account of what happened that day in Acts chapter 2:1 – 31 now to use a term that I have become rather fond of there are a lot of rabbit trails here when we start talking about how many people were in that room and who were they and where were they from. The best count that I can get in studying different commentaries and theological writings are there were 120 people in that upper room in Jerusalem, so it was pretty well crowded. Only 11 of those people were the apostles. The rest were disciples of Christ. The way Luke tells the story, the disciples had suddenly acquired the gift of speaking in foreign languages, but there are two reasons why and that is not likely one of the them that I found reasonable enough to to share with you today. It is that probably it was only necessary to speak a couple of languages. The crowd was made up of of Jews and converts, Gentiles that had accepted the Jewish religion and the Jewish way of life. But the hard part of the thing that makes the most sense is  almost all Jews spoke Arabic, and even if they were Jews of this version from a foreign land, they would speak the language which almost everyone of the world spoke at that time… Greek. There are a lot of different roads and explanations that we could go into here, but the basic and very simple fact was that the power of the Spirit was so great that It had given the disciples a message that could reach every heart. Without getting too deep into this, everybody has an opinion, of course, and many writers differ in what they believed happened in that room. There was in the early church a phenomenon which has never completely disappeared, and it was called speaking with tongues you can read it in Acts 10:46 and 19:6. Also Read 1Corinthians 14. What happened was that someone in a moment of extreme ecstasy begin to pour out a flood of unintelligible sounds in no really known language and many people believe that to be inspired by God. In later writing, we find that the apostle Paul was not a big fan of such. He believed if someone were to walk into the church at that particular time they would think that everybody was crazy. The only reason I shared this with you is it is interesting to note that when you really look at this or at least when I look at it very closely, there were only two languages that needed to be spoken and that was Arabic or Greek because most of the people in the world spoke those two languages.  William Barclay in his Daily Bible Study series puts forth the opinion that perhaps Luke became confused when writing about all of this and he confused speaking with tongues to speaking in foreign languages, but as we said earlier, what happened here was this mixed crowd was hearing the word of God in a way that struck straight home they understood what was being said because the power of the spirit was such that the disciples were able to deliver that message and reach every heart. 

It is at this point that we get out of the room and hit the road. You see the people in the streets heard  all this commotion and they begin to gather are a large crowd.They accused these people of being drunk and Peter of course set the crowd straight by telling them exactly what was happening. His message was so powerful that it is said over 3000 people became Christians on that day. There is so much material available to share with you, but it turns a blog into a thesis and that’s not what we’re going to do. After Pentecost, the apostles empowered by the Holy Spirit, begin their missionary journeys, spreading the gospel and performing miracles they went out to establish communities, guided by the spirit and continue to share their faith building the early church. So this is a very important day and an important time in the early church. It’s the birth of the church. It’s our birthday some people say.This marks the beginning of the churches growth and spread among believers, they were  devoted to the apostles, teaching fellowship and prayer. Let us take a moment to look at six important parts in summation.

-we have the missionary journeys the apostles, including Saint James and Saint Peter embarked on these missionary trips traveling throughout Judea, Gaza, and other regions. They preached  the Gospel, healed the sick, and converted many people.

-this period of time was a time of great growth for the early church. The spirit empowered the apostles to establish and nurture the early church which quickly grew from 120 believers to thousands.

-it is here we see the importance of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The spirit continued to guide the apostles and other believers in influencing their decisions and their actions.

-there are a couple of traits that we would like to share with you. These believers devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, which we have come to know today as Holy Communion.

-they shared their possessions and resources to help those in need demonstrating their commitment to each other and to the Gospel.

-after this initial going forth following Pentecost, the church entered into what we can sometimes refer to as ordinary time. It’s the time of season focused on the life and teachings of Jesus and celebrating various feats and Saints throughout the year.

When we consider the fact that this was over 2000 years ago, when the church first began to form in some sort of order it will expose us to a wealth of information. Next week the Pew is going to take a look at the early church. The early church also known as early Christianity refers to the period of Christianity from its origins to the first council of the Nicaea, 325 AD. This is the period of time that the church began to spread out from the mideastern Mediterranean through the Roman Empire and to most of the known world. This Sunday, Pentecost Sunday for many churches is so very important because it was brought about through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, followed by  the infilling of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus had promised  and it’s spread to going forth, preaching and organizing the believers  throughout the known world at that time.

Life Is Good

jk    

Tomorrow, June 7 marks the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving British, Canadian, and U.S. troops landing on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy. The invasion, code-named Operation Overlord, marked a turning point in the European theater and ultimately led to the liberation of Western Europe.

Landing on five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches, along with thousands of ships and aircraft in a supporting role. The invasion faced significant challenges, including heavy German fortifications, strong winds, and the potential for enemy counterattacks. …(Reference AI has been fact checked.)

My dad served in the old Army Air Core which soon became the US Air Force. He served his country for 30 years. We gave much in life and goods to the people of Europe and in return only asked for ground for our dead to be buried. Omaha Beach gets much attention and on that day at least over 2000 American soldiers lost their lives in the landing and taking of the that beach alone. Me and my friends sit on my back porch in peace and comfort today. Tomorrow June 7, we will remember those who made that possible.

Kurt

Most of you will remember a TV show called The Price Is Right… The closest contestant to the price wins it. In today’s world for many of us the price ain’t right. The wife took me out for coffee, you know I love my Starbucks and it also nice to get out of this wheel chair, leave the house… it kinda makes me feel like I am still in the game. We stoped at the Farmers Market while we were out and that’s when this price thing hit me. Green onions, $3 a bunch… may I qualify that by adding …a small bunch. Tomatoes 3…three count…$5. I am not going to bore you with a long list of items and cost, I will just assure you I thought I was was at a high end grocery store. The days of the farmer having a small vegetable stand on the side of the road are gone. I know change happens and one thing I really miss is that ole country store, on some less traveled road…You know the kind I am talking about. Old wood porch, three or two steps up, just high enough for an ole dog to crawl under to stay cool and dry or in some cases just die. There was always an old chair of some kind or a box or two to sit on. I wondered why they were always on the edge of the porch. After a few visits I found out why. If you were chewing tobacco you didn’t have to get up to spit. You entered  through a battered old screen door full of holes and if you weren’t careful you would trip over or run into that old Pickle Barrel. I was a city boy that loved the old way and I got me a pickle and all I can say is it sure gave a new definition to Pucker up. Now some but not all these stores had an good ole boy’s delight. A fried baloney sandwich. Yes Sir!! The real good ole stuff. A log of baloney cut to the thickness you want, on some good ole white bread and either a large thick slice of onion or a slice of red tomato. Pick you a soda out of that old chest box, put your coin in, slide it over and pull it up. You could do all that for less than $2. 

So Ponder This…some where along the way we lost our youth and those good ole days…Those coming along behind will age but will they have or take the time to make their own good ole days?

Kurt

Just don’t do it, the don’t here would be sin. There are some things that aren’t immediately recognized in these verses. At the beginning of these verses a crowd has has gathered to hear Jesus speak. There is a woman in the crowd that exclaims “blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast that nursed you.” The blessing, of course, was directed towards mother of Jesus, Mary. Jesus responds by simply saying that true blessings come to those who hear and keep God’s word. The true blessings of God are not received through a biological connection. It is much more than that, and Jesus emphasizes here that the true blessings come from following God’s teachings. This one verse alone emphasizes one or as many as five key elements that we need to retain. The verses contain recognition of Mary’s role. It is also a recognition of Jesus’s teaching on true blessings, and obedience and faith are considered a path to blessings in this life. The first two verses of this series refers to the above when we get to versus 29–32. We find the Jesus is dealing with a generation that’s seeking a sign of some kind. I think we find here also that Jesus is facing a generation unwilling to repent and listen to his message. Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, Jesus, the son of God shall be a sign to the people of this generation and as we know in further study, the people would reject Jesus. The Jews were God’s chosen people, and with that designation also came great privileges. Two things here that we might recognize right off is that being the chosen people and having these special privileges, they still turned away from Jesus rejecting him, and their  condemnation was even worse. We today find ourselves in a situation where many of us reject Jesus Christ as a savior our God and fail to repent and accept salvation, forgetting that privilege and responsibility, always go hand-in-hand. There are two privileges that we have as people of the faith and one of those, of course is the Bible. That privilege did not come without cost. There was a time when it was death to teach the  Bible. There were many people that were put to death simply because they possessed it and read God’s word. There is no book which cost so much as the Bible and we find ourselves today allowing it to be placed in a category of simply a classic, a book of which everyone has heard but no one reads it. Possessing a Bible even in our world today in some places is an absolute privilege. We also have the privilege of worshiping as we see fit, and that two is a very meaningful privilege. We can say of that privilege that it like the Bible in some places  it has caused many people to be put to death. The privilege of  having both the Bible and freedom to worship what we believe to be true carries with it a great deal of responsibility. Today right now, if we neglect those blessings which we we have, we too, will be under condemnation just as the Jews were.

So as we close today, please consider this. Though this may be confusing or hard to understand the truth is religion, faith and walking in a Godly manner is not about what you don’t do, it is more about what you do do. Are we doing the things that our God expects from us? About that title… Just Don’t Do It. The don’t of course being sin. We will all fail because no one is without sin, but God has provided us with a mediator Jesus Christ. Through the blood of Christ on the cross, we will receive salvation by accepting him and living as he would have us live. Life itself is a message to those that follow.

Life is Good

jk

Trying to find something to share on the back porch sometimes becomes rather difficult. But then I remembered just the other day of a lady and you’ll know who it is, Dolly Parton a country music entertainer from around Sevierville, Tennessee, who has built a tremendous recording and entertainment empire. However, in all that success and everything that she has enjoyed, she’s always remained very much one of us so to speak. The donations she’s made to charitable projects and her hometown to education and children are absolutely amazing. With all that in mind, it will be rather strange I guess but the thing I remember the most today sitting around, thinking about Dolly Parton, was her saying one time that it takes an “awful lot of money to look this cheap.” She is known for her flamboyant makeup and clothing, Wigs and down home persona. She created an image that is really very, very hard to forget. On the other side of that is the undeniable fact that her talent in singing, songwriting, and story telling through her song lyrics is brilliant. So how does that tie in with this fine lady and us on The Porch?…Dolly, you said  “it takes a lot of money to look this cheap”…. Well Dolly, take it from a bunch of old Geezers “It takes a lot of money to be this old.” I am now in my eighties and biblically speaking that is a blessing…so few of us have such longevity. I ask you to consider this…my medication list is almost two pages long. Last year I tore my knee up so bad it cannot be repaired. I had one surgery but it failed, so now I am unable to walk without mobility aids. I have had two open heart surgeries in the last 20 years and spend a lot of money on health care needs related to those operations. I have developed Type Two diabetes which requires a regimen of medications and dietary disciplines. I could go on but I am now at the point where what does it matter? Some of us here on The Porch have lived beyond our biblical life expectations…we have been blessed. In all these years God has always provided me with the means to continue this life journey…Believe me…it costs a lot to grow old. So if you can, pause a moment and Ponder the Alternative.

Yes indeed! Life is Good

jk

I will start with these three scriptures first. You can click on the underlined scripture to read it as we go.(Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:33–34; Matthew 25:35). First off God expects us to obey the laws of government. We can rightly say that those who have entered into the United States by any other means than those approved by our laws, have done so illegally. Romans 13:1–7 makes it plain that God expects us to obey existing laws. There is nothing in scripture that is against a sovereign nation having immigration laws. Now I say that this warrants a justified conclusion that illegal immigration is against God’s will….from a  Christian perspective  that would be a sin. There is  no consideration as to the whether law is fair or not. There is nothing in scripture that argues for or against open or closed borders. One last thought about Romans 13:1–7 , this scripture gives the government, any government the authority to punish lawbreakers. There are those who would who argue immigration laws are unfair, unjust, and even discriminatory and scripture does provide an avenue to consider…Acts 5:29 for those of that opinion. The word of God leaves little wiggle room…It is what it is. Three things…

Immigration– coming to live permanently in a foreign country

Law– system of rules that govern behavior in a system or country

Christian Perspective–a view or position taken in relation to our calling and God’s will. I can find no biblical solution to the illegal immigration problem we have but two things do stand out in my mind. First and most important…don’t do It. Second…obey the law, that is God’s will for us who believe. God’s law binds us to obedience to HIM and those He has installed into positions of leadership…that biblical. Keep this in your mind and heart…

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:13–16).

Life is Good

jk

Sources…gotquestions.com      Bible NIV

Welcome, missed last week but we made it back this week! Pull up a chair, box or crate and let’s Ponder. I got one for you this week…Austerity…this might be a little above our pay grade, as they say…But I will add this definition to help us along…Austerity measures are government policies designed to reduce public spending and increase revenue, typically implemented to address budget deficits or economic instability. These measures often involve cuts to social services, public sector wages, and government programs, as well as tax increases. 

Ok, I will add this…European Austerity and I might add to that  they don’t like it either. In simple porch vernacular cutting costs and doing away with wasteful spending says it best. Here in the USA cutting costs is red meat for the political class. They are either proclaiming the need to cut or pointing out how this will hurt so many people. Right now the present administration whom I am sure would not agree with my assessment are very much involved in a “European Austerity” type program…different name but the same principle. Someone once said that government benefits programs are for the most part a forever thing, they are looked upon as a “sacred cow” type of thing. You just don’t cut them. They seem to have a life of their own. So let’s make a distinction here… a benefit that aids and makes life better is quite different than waste, or that other word the political class tries to avoid…out right fraud and waste. One of the standing rules of Pondering is that we do not seek a solution to something…we just “ponder” …think about it a bit and clear our minds. So Ponder This… can Austerity survive Politics?

jk

This week, the Pew picks up on the eighth day after the resurrection. Eight days after the resurrection Jesus appeared again to the entire group and Thomas was present. Jesus told him to put his finger into the nail holes and the place his hand into his side where the spear had pierced him. John: 26–27. Thomas believed and responded “my Lord my God” John 20:28. This is also recorded by Paul in1Corinthians 15:5, he also noted that he was seen of Cephas, then of the 12.

Now, please keep in mind that most of these events that I’m sharing with you, have no certain date, but we do have the certainty that they are written and recorded within the gospel the word of God. So it was sometimes later, which is not really made clear, when Jesus met seven of his apostles and some disciples in Galilee, while Peter and the group were fishing in the sea of Galilee also called the sea of Tiberius. John 21:1–3.

After this occurred, we find in 1Corinthians: 15:6 that  Jesus appeared to more than 500 people. Jesus was seen by James and then all of the apostles. 1Corinthians 15:7.

As we have always experienced in all of our scripture, studies and references and commentaries, there will always be one or two points of  discussion, they are what I call fact based on theory. But at this point, I think it would be good if we pointed out that it’s probably about this time Judas went and hanged himself although some say that Judas was still alive at the time of the Ascension, but just removed himself from the other 11 immediately after Jesus was taken up.

While they were in Galilee, Jesus meets with the 11 disciples and speaks with them about what we term as the “Great Commission.”  Matthew 28:16–20 Mark, 16:15–18.

Jesus had showed himself alive by many infallible proofs and was seen for 40 days after his resurrection day. Acts 1:3 

 Again, speaking to the apostles and the disciples He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem, for the promise of the father, the Holy Spirit. They were to be baptized with our immersed into the Holy Ghost in a few days. Acts 1:4-5

40 days after the resurrection, we reach what is called by many of our churches, Ascension Sunday. Jesus leads the apostles out as far as Bethany, which is about 1 to 2 miles from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olivet. Luke 24:50 he raised his hands and blessed them. He was carried up into heaven in a cloud to be seated on the right hand of God. The apostles, of course were in a state of bewilderment but I would say great joy. Then there appeared to them angels and they addressed them as such. Men of Galilee we find this account in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50 – 51, Acts 1:11.

50 days after the Passover Pentecost, the appointed time had arrived, for Jesus had been glorified 7 to 10 days earlier at his ascension that was in John 7:39, Acts 2:1.

On that day at this time in that upper room, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues,   yet they all could understand what was being said. They spoke of God, the Father of Jesus Christ and they were empowered to go forth, to spread that message and to share with everyone the gospel of the resurrected Christ.

Life is Good

jk    

When we first read about the resurrection and we follow the scriptures best we can from the Sunday of resurrection until Pentecost, there are a lot of events that take place that we sometimes aren’t aware of. They happen so fast that we just kinda skip over them. After a decent amount of research on my part, I was able to find several websites I found this about the resurrection to Pentecost.  We found there were many differences of opinion, and we tried to put all of those together and look at it from the point of being accurate were scripture was concerned. Most of us are not theologians and so we have to read something and try to understand it to the best of our abilities, but what we’re going to see here are some theoretical suggestions based on fact from the Bible. So I encourage you to read these and if you have an objection to them then look elsewhere. But most of all allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and help you discern what it is we’re trying to pass on to you. After each event, I will list the scriptures from the Bible, where those events can be found.

So we will start with resurrection day. Early Sunday morning and angel came in wrote back the stone of Jesus’s tomb, the guards being fearful and couldn’t believe what they were saying. They just fell out or became dead. Matthew 28:2–4.

Mary Magdalene, marry, the mother of James and Salome came to the tune with spices they found the stone ruled away.  Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1–4, Luke 24:1–3, and John 20:1.

In the next event, we find the women entering the tomb and finding the angel within now Luke records that there were two of them two angels and and the Angels tell them Jesus has risen. He instructed him to go and tell the disciples and Peter and that he will meet them in Galilee. Matthew 28:5–7, Mark 16:5–7, Luke 24:4–6.

The next two events listed in the order that they took place was it Mary Magdalene ran and told Peter and John they’ve taken the Lord away and I don’t know where he is. John 20:2 then Peter and John run to the tomb and of course, John out runs Peter, but he waits for Peter before he enters the tune. It is written in some places at John believe after seeing the empty tomb of course, he was in a state of wonderment. After seeing the grave clothes in the empty tomb, John and Peter left and went back to where they were staying. Luke 24:12, John 20:3–10.

We encounter Mary Magdalene again, she was alone and weeping at the tomb. When Jesus appeared to her. She believed for a moment that he might be the keeper of the grave and she asked if he knew where Jesus’s body was. John 20:11–15.

It is at this point that Jesus revealed himself to her as he spoke her name and told her not to touch him because he is not yet ascended to his father. John 20:15–17.

Now the next two events as the other women were on their way to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen, Jesus appeared to them. They fell at his feet and worshiped him. Matthew 28:9 Mary Magdalene, and a group of women report to a group of disciples into the 11 that they have seen Jesus. Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:9–10, Luke 24:9–10, John 20:18.

I’m going to let this next one stand on its own. The disciples they didn’t believe that Jesus had risen with the exception of John who is said to have believed. Mark 16:1124:11, John 20:8.

Then Jesus appears to disciples on their way to Emmaus and he opens their understanding by speaking of Old Testament scripture to them about himself. They rushed back to Jerusalem to let the others know that Jesus is alive. Mark 16:12 

The two arrive late on Sunday evening and found the 11 and others who were with them and told them that they had talked with Jesus. Mark: 14, Luke 24:33–35. They of course did not believe these two men either. Mark 16:13.

Now,  that same evening. We’re still on Resurrection day now just after the report of the two from Emmaus Jesus appeared within the room and said “Peace be unto you.”

Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36, John 20:19. 

The men were afraid when they thought it was a ghost. Jesus told them touch me. They would see he was not a ghost that he has flesh and bone and he showed them his hands and his side. Then he ate some food with them to prove that he was not a ghost. Luke 24:37–43, John 20:20.

During that same evening on resurrection day, Jesus spoke with them and helped them to understand what was going on to the best that he could he spoke of Old Testament scriptures and told him that it would be in Jerusalem that they would receive the promise of the father and being filled with the power from on high. Luke 24:45–49, John 20:22.

There is one discrepancy that we will notice in this next event that Thomas was not with the apostles on this day, even though the scripture states that the two from  Emmaus had reported to the 11 on that evening that and Jesus ended up in the same room to proclaim his resurrection. John 20:24.

When Thomas did return to the group of disciples in the 11 apostles, they told him of the appearance of Jesus he did not believe he said he would have to put his fingers into his hands and then his hand into Jesus’s side before he could believe. John 20:25.

Next week, we will pick up on the eighth day after the resurrection and follow on through to the end of this timetable. So I do look forward to you joining us in “The Pew” next week. I want to be very plain. The source that I used for this information was from a website as follows iamfc.us we should be greatly indebted to the people who did this because this is the first actual events in sort of a time lapse that I’ve seen that are very, very plain and clear and can be followed through the Scriptures so we’re very thankful for that. See you next week.

Life is Good

jk