Kill Them?

So, here we are at a crossroads in our faith. Well, not really. But it IS a time to reflect on what we truly believe, and just how far we are willing to go to apply those beliefs in our lives. Open your Bibles to Deuteronomy 13.

Deuteronomy is the book most often quoted by Jesus. One could easily say it is foundational to the life of any Christian. Yeah? Well, chew on this:

“⁶If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, ⁷some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, ⁸you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. ⁹But you shall kill him." - Deuteronomy 13:6-9

Okay . . . so, do we go out and start killing people who don't believe like we do? It's right there in the Bible. One word - context.

In this text, God was giving instructions to the Israelites. They were about the enter The Promised Land. God also tells the Israelites later in Deuteronomy WHY He wants them to do this.

"Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 20:18

God hates sin. Remember the flood? That was because of sin. Paul tells us in Romans that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

Time and time again God told Moses, "you must purge the evil from among you." - Deuteronomy 17:7

So, why isn't this done today? In some U.S. states the punishment for killing someone IS death. But in other places it is not.

Look at the world we live in today. Sin is everywhere! Look at Jerusalem. There are people who "serve other gods" living there. The Al Aqsa Mosque is right there on the Temple Mount!

So, what am I saying? That we should go out and kill every non-Christian? No. But what I AM saying is this . . .

God will.

"⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 13:41-42

That was Jesus speaking.

Crumbs

"Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment." - Matthew 15:21-28

There are several directions one could go whilst studying this story. First, note that the lady was not Jewish. She was from Canaan. 

And note that Jesus said, " I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Interesting. What about us Gentiles?

We need to keep in mind that Jesus was Jewish and so were the disciples and ALL of the Israelites. As Paul writes:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." - Romans 1:16

I am a Gentile. Therefore I am one of the dogs eating the crumbs that fall from my master's table.

The world just watched the Pope's funeral. He was "a dog" just like I am a dog.

We see all the cardinals in their ornate red robes, looking so "religious," and I think about the tax collectors and prostitutes in Jesus' day. And the thief on the cross. All they had was their faith.

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." - Matthew 9:10-12

All "religion" is man-made. So are the means by which a new pope is selected. Think back to the book of Acts. They simply met in each other's homes. Jesus was their head. Compare that visual with what happens at St. Peter's Basilica when a pope dies.

Would Jesus have wanted that? Or would He have preferred something more like his donner at Matthew's house? Joseph of Aramathia and Nicodemus were the only ones that attended our Lord's funeral. Hmm.

Was the Canaanite woman the beginning of hope for the Gentiles? Or was this God's plan from the beginning? I for one am grateful to eat the crumbs that have fallen from my Master's table. So incredibly grateful.

Sinners

Headline: "Sinners tops Easter weekend at US domestic box office."

Seriously? On Easter weekend? Come, Lord Jesus!

The Disc Golf Pro Tour also thought it was appropriate to schedule a tournament, concluding on Easter Sunday. I boycotted watching it. What's going on in our country?

I believe it is because we have forgotten God in our society. God is sinking further and further down the list of important things to do. He has been replaced by entertainment and games.

When does the National Football League hold their games? Sunday. But they're not taking up enough of our schedule with just one day and time. They expanded to Monday Night Football, then Thursday Night, and Sunday Night. And when college football is done, they take Saturday too!

But that's just one greedy company. WE are the consumers. If we weren't "consuming," they wouldn't be providing.

The hidden headline about the Sinners movie is "Christians flock to watch horror movie instead of worshipping God." Thankfully, things are not that extreme. Yet.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it." - Joshua 1:8

God than goes on to tell Joshua that if he meditates on the words of His law, it will go well with him and he will prosper.

"For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." - Joshua 1:9

We never learn.

Our grandson has his first little league baseball tournament of the season this coming weekend. Sunday. The first two games are scheduled for Sunday morning, during worship time at church. Add in the 45 minute drive each way and the morning is pretty full. Speaking of Joshua . . . 

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15

The choice is ours. Whom will we worship? Is it OUR schedules, or the Lord's?

In Heaven?

People think that we immediately go to heaven when we die. Is that true? Well, what does the Bible say?

"For David did not ascend to heaven." - Acts 2:24

And this from Jesus . . .

"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man." - John 3:13

So, why do so many people say that their loved one, who just died, "is in heaven right now." Two reasons - their compassion, and, quite possibly, their ignorence.

Let's take a look at the teaching of Jesus - the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus, found in the Book of Luke.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried." - Luke 16:22

Abraham's bosom? Where's that? Hmm.

Have you ever heard of the word Sheol? It is "the place of the dead." Sheol is mentioned 63 times in the ESV Bible. Along with words like 'descended into' and 'went down.'

The Hebrew Bible describes it this way - "a place where both the righteous and the unrighteous dead go."

But the "Hebrews" don't know Jesus' or his teaching.

You remember the profit Samuel, right? When Saul used a medium to call Samuel from the dead, Samuel came up, not down from heaven.

"Then Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" - 1 Samuel 28:15

There IS such a thing as Christian Deconstruction  - "Christians" eliminating things from the Bible that they don't like. But what is this "he's in heaven right now" thing? Aren't we making up new things to believe in?  Haven't we, in both cases, made for ourselves a new god? One that is more to our own liking and personal preference?

Why do we like to think that everything is all warm and fuzzy in our faith? To assume that someone's death can somehow have a happy ending by our placing them in heaven totally removes Jesus from the equation. HE alone separates the sheep and the goats. Paul's letter to the church in Corinth says as much.

"For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed (Jesus). He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." - Acts 17:31

Our souls DO enter the presence of The Lord when we die. The exact location of that meeting is "up in the air" so to speak. But it will be "paradise," according to Jesus.

"Today you will be with me in paradise." - Luke 23:43

"Paradeisos" in the Greek, is derived from an ancient Persian word "pairidaeza," meaning "enclosure, garden, or park." Like 'The Garden of Eden.' We ASSUME it means "heaven."

Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) were taken up into heaven, but WHICH heaven. There are seven heavens mentioned in the Bible. So, which one did they go up into? The first? The third?

Also, aren't we assuming that our dead friends and relatives KNEW Jesus when we say they are in heaven. Many people think they go to heaven when thet die. Many will also hear the words, "Depart from me. I never knew you." - Matthew 7:23

Perhaps we should just say "he or she is with the Lord now" and leave it at that. That much we KNOW is true.

No One Has Ascended To Heaven - GotQuestions.org

The Rich Man and Lazarus - Luke 16

Born Blind

How does someone born blind know what sight is really like, having never seen? How does someone born deaf know what it is like to actually hear? They have never experienced it. We can describe it to them, but they will never truly know what ANY of these things are like until they become a reality in their own lives.

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud ⁷and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing." - John 9:17

Nowhere in this story does it say that the man ASKED for his sight. Only that Jesus gave the man his sight. Interesting. That's because Jesus was demonstrating his healing power for OTHERS to "see."

"that the works of God might be displayed in him."

We are ALL born blind in a spiritual sense. Some people receive their spiritual sight at an early age. For others it takes decades. And sadly, there are many who will be blind their entire lives - never having encountered the risen Christ.

When we repent of our sins and come to a saving faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters us. As the Bible says, "we become changed" and "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Have we had our eyes opened by Jesus? The things we do and they way we live our lives are witnesses to God changing us. It is for His glory and through His grace that He has done this. Rejoice!

"One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” - the man born blind (John 9:25).

What Now?

"John, what should we do now? Jesus is dead!"

"Well, we should pray. Isn't that would HE would do?"

"Yes, but He's gone! I mean, he was supposed to be the Messiah. The chosen one! And now he's dead . . . and buried! I just don't know."

"We all felt it. We all saw his miracles. How he made the lame walk and the blind to see. How could this happen? He said he was God for cryin' out loud. And now he's dead. Can God die?"

"I know. I know. But he's not with us right now. What would he want us to do? Just go back to fishing? There has to be more. What shall we do?"

* * * * *

That was a hypothetical conversation amongst the disciples on Saturday, the day after Jesus' death. The doubts, the questions. They must have been questioning everything that went on in their lives for the past three years.

Their probable questions are still alive and active today. Only today, we know what happened Sunday morning two thousand years ago.

Today we can reflect on ALL the events of that weekend. That's why Good Friday is called 'good.' It's because we know what happened on the following Sunday. Without the events of Sunday, that Friday would not be referred to as 'good.' At all.

So what should WE do?

Share the good news of Jesus' resurrection! We know the story. The WHOLE story. This is the perfect time to share the Gospel. Who will hear without someone telling.

"¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:14-17

Our Golden Calf

Today's story is probably going to be a little hard to swallow for some. That's because they have not taken the time to read the Bible or to worship God by going to church. This lesson is for those who THINK they know God, but whose actions tell a different story.

Did you watch The Ten Comnandments the other night? Much of it is taken from the Book of Exodus. The movie, although it is based on God's Word, does tend to stray from the truth from time to time. Still there  are many lessons worthy of remembering. Like when Moses went up on the mountain to get the ten commandments.

While Moses was gone, the people "corrupted themselves." They thought they knew God but they still made a new god to worship - a golden calf. This angered The Lord and He killed many in the camp for their disobedience.

But then read this:

"²⁵Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, ²⁶and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." - Exodus 23:25-26

That is, IF you worship the Lord.

I see Facebook posts from some of the youth group kids that I used to shepherd. I must not have done a very good job. I read complaints about miscarriages with boyfriends or the inability to conceive amongst them. We need to have a talk. But they are too busy.

God tells us about what He will do IF we worship Him. Do these complaining kids go to worship? No. Well.....

None of us are immune to sin. We keep repeating our same old practices.

"Will I see you at church on Sunday?"

"Nope. We're going up north."

"Don't they have churches up there?"

"Uhh . . . <silence>."

We're all the same. We worship the gods of convenience and schedules. And yet we wonder why things don't go the way we want them to. Hmm.

"But I believe in God. Why won't He let me have a baby?"

"Have you read the Bible?"

"No. Not all of it."

"Well . . ."

I'm not saying that we all will live perfectly wonderful lives if we read His Word. Jesus Himself said, "In this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

All I am saying is that it will be better if we read the Bible and apply God's teaching and commands to our lives than if we don't.

"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." - Revelation 1:3

Warning!

It begins with a rumbling. It is felt as much as it is heard. Something deep and distant. But then we hear it - the mourful cry of a distant train's horn.

It's a warning to those who might be in it's way. "Better move because I'm comin' through. And if you don't heed my warning, fine, you will be destroyed, along with all those who chose to ignore my warnings. Death will follow behind me. And tears."

Yikes! That sounds a little scary, doesn't it? Yet most people think nothing about the engineer's warning - the train's horn. Welcome to the world of end times eschatology.

There are many warnings in the Bible, given to mankind. Why? To tell us of God's coming judgement. Yet no one seems to pay any attention. They are the ones who will perish at "the intersection." The intersection of our lives, and God's plan.

"It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish." - Deuteronomy 8:19

The train engineer blows his warning horn because he doesn't want amyone to perish when his train comes rumbling into town. God gives us warning in the Bible because He too doesn't want anyone to perish when He comes.

The sounds of God's warnings are getting more frequent these days. They are increasing on their intensity and volume. Yet many think they can make it through "the intersection" before the train comes. They are fools.

“⁴²Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." - Matthew 24:42-44

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:52

Dragons

Do you believe that dragons are, or were, real? I always thought they were fictitious creatures, until I read the Bible. Now I'm not so sure.

The Bible mentions the word "dragon" 14 times (in the NIV). All of those mentions are in the Book of Revelation. But if one searches the King James version, our search returns 34 results. The majority are found in the OLD Testament. Here's an example.

"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." - Psalm 91:13

The modern-day translation of the word dragon in Psalm 91 is "monster." So, why the change? Don't the translators believe in dragons anymore?

"Pfft. Dragons," they'd say. "There's no evidence that dragons ever existed. The Bible is wrong."

Don't get me started.

The word "dragon" comes from the mid-13th century Old French -"a fabulous animal." In Latin, the word is "draconem" meaning "huge serpent." In Greek, the word is "drakon" meaning "serpent or giant sea fish."

We're getting a bit off track. Let's go to the Book of Revelation.

"Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea." - Revelation 12:7

Here the dragon is figurative. It's Satan. The woman is Israel. Her offspring are those who believe in Jesus.

Anyway, dragons were real, fearsome creatures. Perhaps not like Smaug in Lord of the Rings, but maybe more like a T-rex from Jurassic Park. All of this means that Satan is a force to be reckoned with. We should be fearful of him, but we have a Savior who will fight for us and protect us.

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he (Jesus) shall bruise your head, and you (Satan) shall bruise his heel.” - Genesis 3:15

This verse is the first mention of the Messiah, coming out of Israel. The dragon (serpent) is to be feared, but our Savuor is Jesus, the dragon killer.

I Am Fire, I Am Death - Smaug

Dire Straits

It's a story right out of Michael Creighton's Jurassic Park. Scientists have recreated an extinct animal - the Dire Wolf. What could possibly go wrong?

A biotech company named Colossal Biosciences has "engineered" a pair of Dire Wolves (named Romulus and Remus) - an extinct species of wolf. They obtained its DNA from a tooth and skull fossil. And if that's not scary enough, they also created a female Dire wolf named Khaleesi. Soon they will be breeding them.

And scarier still (yes, it gets worse), the company's ultimate goal is to create an artificial "womb." For humans. 😳

This is Jurassic Park and The Matrix combined! It also reminds me of another story - in the Bible. The Tower of Babel.

"Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves'." - Genesis 11:4

As a side note, the word 'babel' actually sounds like Hebrew for 'confused.' And we sure have become confused alright.

God is God, and we are not.

If we are God's temple, his Holy Spirit living in is, would an artificial womb qualify as an abomination to God? And would such an abomination lead to desolation?

"¹⁵So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." - Daniel 11:15-21

We have become Babylon.

"And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us." - Genesis 3:22

The First Dire Wolf - Colossal Bioscience Video

Gifts of Love

It's been over a month since my birthday but I have one more story to tell about that day. To look at these cookies one might think, "So what? It's a plate with three cookies on it. Big deal."

Well, that's right. There are three cookies on a plate in this picture. But these aren't just ANY cookies. These are Aunt Mabel's sugar cookies!!

Aunt Mabel is actually my Great Aunt Mabel. She used to work for the railroad and stayed with my grandparents when I was a kid. Her recipe was handed down to my grandmother and then my sister and, now my daughter makes them.

Yes, they're Christmas cookies and my birthday is in March. A daughter's premeditated birthday present for her father. And that brings us to today's topic - gifts of love.

It seems like lot's of people crave expensive gifts. Just look at the car commercials during the Christmas season.

"Oh, honey! You got me a new Range Rover! How sweet."

Gifts from the heart however fall into an entirely different category. The PRICELESS category. My daughter knows me and loves me. You can tell it in the gifts she gives. Surprise gifts of love, like these cookies were, are amazing.

Yesterday evening I was the recipient of another surprise gift. It was a picture sent to me from a former youth group kid. No words. Just the picture. But it was a surprise gift to let me know that I was being thought of. The Lord is SO good!

As a youth leader, there is always a lingering thought - am I really reaching them? Are the words I am speaking having any effect at all? Do these kids know just how much I care about them? Thank you my friend!

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35

Dust

Do you remember the story about the woman caught in adultery? She was brought before Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees, and they asked him this question:

"³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” - John 8:3-5

Jesus then does something very interesting. He kneels down and starts writing in the dirt with his finger. 

"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger." - John 8:6

What was Jesus writing? The Bible doesn't really tell us here. But, if we search through the scriptures, we can get an idea. Check this out....

"Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water." - Jeremiah 17:13

Could it be that Jesus, by writing on the ground, was fulfilling the prophecy given to Jeremiah 600 years earlier? I think it was! And what was Jesus writing? Jeremiah tells us! "Those who turn away from you," it says. "Those" are the Pharisees and the scribes. And the "you" is Jesus.

The Bible is amazing. It never lies and always speaks the truth. And then there's this from John's Gospel:

“⁷Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there." - John 8:7-9

The Pharisees HAD to know what writing in the dust meant. And they left.

If indeed Jesus was writing down "those who turn away from you" in the dust, could it be that Jesus was writing down the names of those present? Those Pharisees who had turned away from him, in order, by the date of their birth? Wow!

And they all indeed did turn away from him, one by one, until all of them were gone. Amazing!

"For dust you are and to dust you will return." - Genesis 3:19

We are ALL dust . . . without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our names are written in the Book of Life! Not in the dust.

Ups and Downs

"So, how are you doing today?" 🙂

"Well . . ." 🙄

It all depends on the day, right? Life has its ups and downs. We all have our good days and bad. So what can we do to minimize the down days and maximize the ups?

First of all, everyone has bad days. EVERYONE. So accept that fact and then do this: Prepare yourself. How?

Remind yourself. Remind yourself of who you are. And WHOSE you are.

My wife and I were stuck at home on Sunday due to a rather nasty ice storm. So, I decided to listen to a sermon by one of my favorite pastors - Voddie Baucham. There's a link at the end of this story.

What Voddie said was that we often forget just WHO God is. When we remind ourselves of who He is, or more likely, when GOD reminds us who He is, our problems tend to fade away.

When we are feeling good and life is wonderful, we tend to forget the things that God has done for us. Sacrificed His Only Son, forgiven our sins, promised us eternal life with Him in heaven. No more pain, no more death, no more tears. We must remind ourselves of these tnings.

"Remember who is God, what has He done, and what has He promised."

Here's another thing to remember from Voddie: "Christianity is not a test you take and pass. It's your life! It's your breath!"

If we would only remember these things we wouldn't have a problem with ups and downs. Our emotional and spiritual cycles would level out and we can live in the grace that God has extended to us.

Thanks be to God!

This Is Why We Need To Be Reminded - Voddie Baucham