What Must We Do To be Saved?

Mathew 7:21-23

New King James Version (NKJV)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’


Lawlessness: A state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority

Anomia means without the law. The only law they had in Mathew  was the Old Testament.

1 John 2:3

King James Version (KJV)

³ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

Revelation 22:14

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

What commandments? The only commandments they had were in the Old Testament. 

Now let us consider this. Jesus and His disciples went around persuading people out of the scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

  
  
Again... what scriptures did they have? Can you imagine (if I may borrow this illustration from another) if Paul got up to preach and said, "This is what you must do to be saved! We know it is true because it is in the scriptures...that I wrote... just last year."  
     In the Hebrew culture you could not preach under your own authority but you were typically to preach under the authority of another. (most foundational the authority of Moses or one of the Old Testament writers) That is why in Mathew 7:29 says ^"For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes"
     He spoke with authority because all scripture is God breathed. It was by His authority we are saved and that He preached. The Old Testament shows us Messiah and prophecies about His coming.

Now naturally we know that in order to be saved we must first confess our sins and repent. Acts 2 touches on that. We must then believe in Jesus as Messiah and then follow Him. It's not a name it and claim it then walk away and live how you want deal. It's an every day act of obedience that maintains our salvation by faith (in Messiah) through grace (of Messiah)

Luke 9:23

King James Version (KJV)

²³ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

So what am I saying? Should we go back to the Old Testament way of life? No. We should go back to God's instructions that He gave them back then.
     Obviously not all in the OT are salvation issues. I'm not going to hell if I eat pork...it's just bad for my health. There were legitimate reasons why God told them the things He did. 
     The temple sacrifices are not necessary because they were a prophetic foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice... Messiah. 

Perhaps we should consider, however, that the instructions in the OT are still relevant to us today largely as a whole. Paul, even in the end of Acts long after the death and resurrection was still following the Old Testament instructions. (and why not... there were still no other scriptures accepted at those times. apostolic writings to the best of my knowledge would not yet be considered scripture)

Acts 24:14

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:


My intent here is not to "put you under bondage." Jesus said... (again keep in mind that He had no other scriptures to base His teachings off of)

Matthew 11:30

King James Version (KJV)

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

My intent IS to make people consider the validity of the Old testament in conjunction with the New Testament as a seamless scriptural guide to our lives. They each support one another and are each just as valid since they hold the same teachings. If one is valid the other is too. Now interpretation of all the nuances inside is another subject entirely! So please keep in mind, the Old testament preaches the same salvation as the New, just in a different way.

So first we must keep His commandments? Does it end there? What if I live my whole life and never break a single one of the ten commandments? (that would be the easiest set to start with) On top of that what if I eat clean foods and believe in Messiah, get baptized (though I do not believe baptism in water is a requirement to get to heaven... however it is a good thing to do) 
     

Matthew 19:21

King James Version (KJV)

²¹ Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Now this obviously doesn't mean that if we don't sell all and follow Him we are not getting to Heaven... right? It depends on how you look at it. We are to be stewards of what God has given us. In the parable of the talents (Mathew 25) the money he gave his servants was theirs to do with as they chose but it did not belong to them. 
     All we "posses" belongs to God because we are to be His bond servants  as James talks about. The very idea of a bond servant is someone who their master sets them free but out of love by their own choice they refuse to go free and dedicate themselves to serving that master for the rest of their life.
     So if you look at it that way then we must "sell" everything we own because we must commit it to God. He will still allow us to use it to provide for our physical needs and some of our wants, but it is to provide for the physical needs of others as well.

1 Timothy 5:8

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.


Also read Mathew 25:31-46 To sum it up ...........come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ..........For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me............Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not...................Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison................... Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

1 Corinthians 13:13

King James Version (KJV)

¹³ And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity is a word that I am sure we are all familiar with. Agape. To sum it up Agape love is doing (note doing being an action) what is best for the other person in spite of  your own needs and desires. In Mathew 25 those who were let into heaven practiced this for of love/charity. This is part of our daily duty of taking up our cross and following Him. (sometimes a hard one... but a duty none the less) We can't sit back and be inactive and still make the cut.

James 2:10-26

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


So we must have works our our faith is no good. Simple belief is not sufficient. (even the demons believe- and tremble)

Another thing to ponder... are you saved? Am I saved? Or are we still in the process of being saved? If I turn around tomorrow and  systematically break each one of the ten commandments intentionally and do so every day for the rest of my life I will go to hell when I die. However, if I were to die right now I have faith that God's grace would allow me in. So I am not necessarily "saved" until I make it to heaven. Then my salvation is sure. Though this is a bit of a nit-picky subject. I am simply splitting hairs to provoke some thought. 

So in other words we must live Messiah to the best of our ability. Always striving for the faith once delivered to the saints as spoke of in Jude. It's an uphill battle but it's not God's instructions that make it hard (his burdens are light) it is the devil who throws resistance against our walk. 
     If we walk faithfully (though we all will stray and stumble along the way) and persevere to the end we will receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

There is a saying I heard once, ascribed to an old Rabi. He was posed the question that, if faith was like a ladder who would be highest on the ladder? His answer? "The one who is still climbing."

The closer we grow to HIM the closer we grow together. So let us walk together, learn together, strive for that faith once delivered to the saints and pick up our cross daily until our end meets us and our God takes us. 

Peace to you all and may His will be done.
Jason

 

Conspiracy Theory

Though I would run a conspiracy theory by everyone...

The conservative Media like Fox we all know is owned by Warner brothers and there are some muslims who are very high up in the company... so that compromises their integrity right?  What about talk radio, though?  It's free right! Maybe not.

If you sign up for the tea party e-mails, conservative groups... rush, hanity, beck, ingrahm (sp?) What do you get?  A lot of info...usually with an option to donate money.

I have got e-mail after e-mail pleading for money money money! They mentioned donating up to 5 times in the same e-mail sometimes! O_o What's up with that?

It's pretty much true that conservative media exists because there is a market for it. Could it be deeper, though?

Perhaps they know that conservatives who care will donate money so they set up pawns to funnel in cash from the opposing side? (they as in the powers that be) 

Don't get me wrong... I am not suggesting that Rush is intentionally funding the powers that be. However I believe that there is an aspect of that going on. The people behind the curtains dip their fingers in everything that makes money. It's just like selling WWJD T shirts... Christians are a marketing tool for the greedy. Conservatism is too.

Am I suggesting don't ever donate to these places?  No.

I am suggesting, however, that you should still be very careful where you send your money. Don't assume just because it's a conservative organization they are going to use your money right. Corruption is not prejudiced to a particular political belief system. Neither is Greed.

Don't fall into the trap of letting "them" manipulate you through your own beliefs! Be smart and fight hard, but be sure what you are fighting against... and who you are fighting with.

Stand up for your Rights!

Just a thought on standing for your rights.

We have certain rights, we know they are being infringed upon, and we believe we should fight for those rights. 

However, have we ever stopped to think that us standing up for our rights is exactly what they want! By trying to take away our guns, they know we will fight back. By trying to take away our parental authority they know we will stand against them. etc... etc...

When we stand up for our rights it causes division in the nation. Those who fight for their rights on one side and those who want those rights taken away on the other side.  We all surely have heard the old saying, "Divide and conquer." 

Once they know how to push our buttons they can try and provoke us. Then, once they get the laws passed (that are illegal in nature) and we fight against them they will have everything they ever wanted for a reason to take us out.

We will break laws, (illegal ones mind you) we will defy authority, we will stand against the powers that be. Whether they put us in jail, fine us, force us to give in, or go even further... we are walking into a trap of their own makings. We are heading down the road of resistance...the very road they want us to travel. Else wise they will not have an excuse to take out the conservative "terrorists."

So what then? Should we stand down? Lie down in the streets just waiting to be run over? Because run over us they will, make no mistake about that!

On the contrary, I would say.  Instead of fighting blind and rioting and getting angry perhaps we should become organized.

Anyone who is interested in political reform back to the original constitution I think we should all unite and throw our support behind a group that strictly follows this principle. Don't remove the smaller scattered groups simply coordinate with all the other organizations. 

Our scattered seemingly UN-coordinated state actually gives is an advantage because they have no singular target to destroy.  Our efforts, however, must be coordinated!

Plan well, prepare for the traps we KNOW we are walking into, fight with organization in purpose but dispersion in grouping. Fight smart fight hard. 

Just some thoughts to ponder.  Keep in mind always God only knows where we are going and I mean that in all seriousness. He would be a good option to lean on. ;)

Christmas Greetings

Now I know a lot of people are going to be turned off by this...so I will tell you up front. I do not celebrate Christmas. My personal opinion is that Christians should not. Before you go nuclear on me, however, please listen to my explination.

Simple facts are:

#1 Jesus would have actually been born sometime in September.
#2 Ancient cultural sun "gods" were reportedly born on December 25th.
#3 Many of the traditions in Christmas are from pagan religions.

Now, what do I do? Hanuka?  Yes and no. I do believe Hanuka is ok to celebrate and I have in the past. I do NOT, however, use Hanuka to replace Christmas. It simply isn't a replacement and many of the modern Hanuka traditions are just as infiltrated with paganism as Christmas.

I DO celebrate the birth of Messiah. I simply do not do it on December 25th and I do not use the common Christmas traditions. No where in the bible are we commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ and so even if we don't we are not sinning. Certainly those of us who choose to do it in a different time and way are no more sinning. (I have run into people who act like and say I am)

Where do I get my information from?  Well research, my own and others.  I have done extensive research online, in encyclopedias, books, and other sources I can think of. All in all I have discovered the above stated facts.

If you would like to view some information I will post some links to some of the best presentations I know off hand.  :)  

Consider prayerfully with an attitude of, "Not my will but THINE be done."  Is all I ask.

Thanks,
Jason

 Both these sources are trustworthy in my opinion my research has confirmed their information presented. Though I do not hold the exact same opinion on everything these two places touch on I do trust they have sincere hearts and are in the will of God.

Jim Staley-Truth or Tradition 

Jeremiah Films- The Unwrapping of Christmas

Thanksgiving

There is only so much that can be said on thanksgiving... everyone knows the traditions.

I thought I would just throw some food for thought out there about the holiday from my opinion.  

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for what we have and His provisions. Many turn it into a day of feasting, but the pilgrims originally had very little to eat! I fear that too often we get caught up in feasting and visiting that we forget to give thanks.

Many people I know go around and say a couple things they are thankful for before the meal.  I think this is a great idea but I would prefer  a little more private setting.  It's hard to be as thankful when put on the spot in front of others.

My ideas of thanksgiving is this.  I think it would be great to fast for the whole day, contemplating the hardships that we have been spared yet the pilgrims went through. During this time we can spend alone time with God praising Him and thanking Him for all He has done for us.  

After the sun sets get together with friends and family (or whatever time in the evening schedules permit) and have your thanksgiving meal.

As I said, this is just an idea I had and thought would be neat to do. Gives a little different perspective and feel to thanksgiving and maybe keeps it a little more along the lines of actually giving thanks to God more and more sincerely.

Let me know what you think or feel free to share your thanksgiving traditions.  

Equality!! Scream for Equality...(and lets not forget tolerance)

Ok, so my wife and I were talking about this and I just wanted to share my thoughts. This blog post might be a little more poking fun at some specifics but more or less it outlines my opinion and I think a very important issue.

In our society you have racism, sexists, elitists, and who knows what all so I will try and cover the basis.

Tolerance... you do realize if you are screaming the word "Tolerance" in someones face that is very intolerant right? Yet those who get it screamed at them are usually (as a general rule) the more tolerant. This is simply because good people are not willing to do bad things to propagate their beliefs. Bad people are.

As far as tolerance and equality go for races... there is only ONE race.  If you tested DNA from anyone from any ethnicity, and tribe, language, nation... of any age from the day of conception to death... guess what... it comes out as human DNA. *tada!* 
     Why then are some people dark and others light?  Because we all have melanin in our skin, just different concentrations of it. What this means is all skin is the same color, just a different shade. That black guy down the street gets his skin color from a high concentration of melanin, the white guy down the other street gets his skin color from a very light concentration of melanin.  There is only one skin color, just different intensities. Now that I have said that in three different ways lets move on.

How about gender wars?  Feminism runs ramped  in the streets and men are all that and a bag of chips. (Unfortunately some men and women really are all that and a bag of chips... or more...but that's another subject on tolerance right...?) *cough*
     Feminists think both genders should be equal right?  New York city, I am told, has made it legal for women to walk around topless...since men do it equality demands women should be able to do it too!  
     First off, since when does equality mean lowering the standard for the "suppressed" group?  "Oh...men have lower standards than we do. That's not fair! We should have just as low standards as them!"  Something about that logic just doesn't jive with me. Why not raise the standard of the "lacking" group. "Hm...women would get in trouble if they went around without shirts but men do it all the time. Maybe we should try and get men to start covering up."  Sounds a little more reasonable I think.
     After all the argument is that women's breasts aren't any more attractive to a man than a man's muscles are to a woman. If that is true, I aint letting no women see me without a shirt on...just feels wrong.
     For all you gender equality criers out there...I have the ultimate solution! Go to a plastic surgeon and have them give you female and male organs and become bisexual...no one could discriminate against you then! (oh how wrong that is...)
     Truth be told men and woman both are equally important! Men are better at some things and women are better at others. Both genders serve VERY different rolls but are equally important!
  
Elitists? What's to be said here? Arrogant people think they are better than others. Often times this too can be connect to "race" but as we discovered there is really only one race... the human race. Just because you have more doesn't mean you are worth more. It's just that some people have fallen so far down the mouth of moral depravity that they realize there is no crawling out. In despair they decide to head down to the other end to find an alternative exit. When they get there, however, they realize it's nothing but a whole load of crud.

So... in conclusion, next time someone screams EQUALITY!!! at you, just tell them "You first."  Then, when they scream back in your face, "I am a tolerant equality striving person you bigot!" Just smile, shake your head, and walk away mumbling to yourself.  Drives e'm squirly!

That's it for today. :)  haha lol and a half box of ice cream later... this is what you get in a blog post.

For God and for Country!

For God and for Country! A phrase that I would hope most knew but perhaps the younger generation would be loosing it in their vocabulary. This is a good phrase, though I would add one thing...

For God, Family, and Country!  Our biblical priorities should be God first, family second (Immediate family first and then extended family) and then others. (Our country) 

If I asked most Christians, I am sure most of them would agree with me that this phrase is in the proper order. It's a prioritized statement so that if there is ever a decision to be made for God and against country or for country and against God... the choice is clear. For God then country.

Tell me then...in the picture above (and every where I see the Christian flag next to the American flag) why is it "For Country then God?"  I have seen many flags in this order in the past few days alone. Never have I seen the christian flag above the US flag...and if someone were to do that there would be outcry more than likely.

A flag, by definition, is a standard of something or someone. So the US flag is a standard of the USA. the Christian flag is a standard of Christ. (Messiah)  To raise the US flag above Christ's flag is to raise the standard of a country above that of the one and only God.

Just something to think about. Biblical priorities call us to go against the popular culture and popular culture tells us to go against God. 

Joshua 24:15

21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Food for thought with a healthy side of prayer and communion with our Creator. 

Promotion for Fellow Blogger

I would like to suggest to anyone who has enjoyed reading my blog posts to check out this blog.

http://leadingthepac.com/

I have met this man personally and know he has a sincere heart for God.  I have not viewed all the material on his blog and am sure (as any two humans will) there will be some things he believes I might differ from a little but I do know we think alike on most of what I consider to be the major issues of our time. He has spent much time gathering information for his blog on some of these issues so instead of trying to always come up with my own words I thought, Why not direct you to the resources that are already out there that will accomplish the same thing I would hope to accomplish with my posts.

As always view any material with a prayerful and Biblical perspective. :)  Enjoy!

The "Old" covenant...

What is the "Old" covenant?

In today's society we call the first section of our bible the "Old testament."  Inside the Old Testament is the "Old covenant."  Now I am not going to get in depth with all the different views out there on this, what I do want to do is this...

Challenge you to look into the scriptural validity of your own beliefs on the subject.  Only by questioning our own ideas can we grow. If we never question what we believe, never have to prove what we think is true... we will never change our views.  To grow, something has to change.

So lets look at some verses.

First, straight from the mouth of Messiah Himself.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

So Jesus himself  said that Moses and the Prophets spoke of His coming.

There is also John1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
     Later on in verse 14a John clarifies that the WORD is Jesus "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us"

Luke 18:31 "then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,    
                      and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be  
                      accomplished."

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and 
                   bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of 
                                 thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 


Now there are many other verses. Hopefully these will spur you on to investigate for yourself. A ten minute google search can find most of these. 

Jesus was preached through the old testament. The only scripture that Jesus and his disciples had was the old testament. This is what they all used to preach the gospel and salvation.

James is just one place where we are told that God is unchanging.  (James   1:17) 

The Torah, (instructions) of God were given from creation.  God rested on the seventh day of creation. (The sabbath, 4th commandment) 
     Cane and able sacrificed to God, a concept from the Torah. 
     Noah was told to take two of every animal and 7 of every clean animal. Clean and unclean was in the Torah, so obviously Noah knew what this meant. 
      If the people in Noah's time were exceedingly evil...what law were they being judged by? Obviously there was a law to hold up as the standard.
     Genesis 26:5 "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, 
                            my statutes, and my laws."  (Obviously God's laws were already in place)

Think of it this way.  God set the foundation in Creation, He built the house with His instructions...the house was full of windows but the windows were glossed over. There were many writings on the walls, but we didn't understand the language. As time went on there were shingles and boards that fell off the house... then Jesus came.

Jesus came, washed and polished  those windows and now we can see clearly!  He fixed the roof and patched the walls and left us parables to interpret the writing on the walls!  The ten commandments say don't commit adultery, Jesus said if you even look at a woman in lust you have already committed adultery with her in your heart. The Torah had a ten percent tithe, Jesus said give ALL that you have, give it to the poor, come and follow Him.

He came to raise the bar, not lower it.  

Psalm 19:7 tells us... "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

How can you make something that is perfect better?  If Jesus changed the perfect law of God He would have made it un-perfect! 

 So... as always, do some research, look into it, and find out the truth! 

Thanksgiving and Praise

I would like to dedicate tonight to give praise and thanksgiving to my God.  When I was a child I read of miracles and with a child like faith I implemented it.
     We had goldfish in a stock tank... I would always try to catch them with my hands as they swam around but to no avail. My efforts were always met with a splash of cool water and an empty hand. One day I thought of the miracles in the bible and told God... "If you can do Miracles please let me catch one of these fish and I will follow you for the rest of my life!"

Now this seems like a foolish thing to say... a silly request...a childish thing to do. A child I was... probably 5 or so if memory serves. 
     After saying this I aimed for a small goldfish, thrust my hand int he water, and came up with a slippery wriggling fish! To an adult this may seem like happenstance but to me it seemed like proof. Now I have gone astray more than my fair share of times since then, but I have always come back to God.

As time went on I grew into a man...and my views changed. A house that I didn't have to pay for because it was already in the family, with nearly everything in it already furnished from the people who left it there before...a free washer and dryer and $75 dollar refrigerator... these things were wonderful blessings to me...but never did I consider them miracles.  

Now I think...why not?  Who am I to belittle these blessings? Isn't anything God does that is not able to be explained a miracle? 

Miracle: 

noun

1.

an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

2.

such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

3.

a wonder; marvel.

4.

a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality:

 

I would say I could use some of those definitions if not all to say these things were miracles.  For a family of 6 who lived on as little as $4000 a year in our past to have an empty house just sitting around being used for storage that hasn't had anyone living in it for 10+ years, that just happens to have almost everything you need to furnish it aside from appliances (and even a few of them) and for that house that had no upkeep to still be in a liveable condition after all those years... how is that explainable? 

James tells us that every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. All that stuff was a good gift...

How about being told divinely who you are to marry?

Making money stretch further than it should have?

Providing a job the day after I decided to look for a new one because the one I was working did not allow me to follow all God's laws for a believer?

I could go on...but I think you get my point.

Lets remember that just because it's not a miracle that shakes the world doesn't mean it's not a miracle. If it's good it's from God. Lets all remember to give HIM thanksgiving and praise for the miracles He does in our lives and not belittle the mighty hand of our LORD.

Luke 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

 

Mathew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

 

 

Surely these scriptures can be applied to our faithfulness in giving God credit and praise for what He does in our lives as well.

 

Hope this encourages you to view your everyday life in a God centered mindset that you may examine yourself and see how much more glory you can give to God if you try!

Meditation...a tool or Taboo?

In our culture today the word Meditation has been dressed with colors from almost every religion known to man. The new age movement and many occult circles use high amounts of meditation and thus it has become a taboo in some Christian circles.
     The Bible, however, has at least 40+ verses about meditation. So the question becomes what IS meditation.

Much of the occult meditation tells you to "empty your mind."  They want your mind unguarded, open, and they want you to allow anything in that wants to enter.
     Is this what the Bible talks about when it speaks of meditation? 

When verses tell you to meditate on the word of God night and day... that is hardly emptying your mind.  Biblical meditation is filling your mind and focusing your mind with a biblical principle, with God and His laws.

When Christians fail to properly fill a role (such as meditating on the word of God) Satan will offer a counterfeit.
     Meditate simply means to ponder, consider, or think about. The enemy has us all running around ragged like chickens with our heads cut off... always busy, always with something to do... we have little time to contemplate the ways of God.  In addition to this, after such a busy involved stretch of time the idea of "emptying our mind" sounds rather inviting. The danger is, if we empty our minds and lower our defenses... allow anything in that wants to come in... that gives Satan and his demons an open door.
     If we fill our mind with scripture Satan and his demons can NOT enter. When Messiah is inside us, evil can not take root. (unless we give a foothold)

So, while meditation is very dangerous if taken out of context, biblical meditation (contemplation on scriptures and the ways of God) can actually make our lives much easier and grow us closer to the Lord.
    So my challenge to all reading this would be...

SLOW DOWN!  Take some time for God. Take time to talk, take time to listen (very important) take time to contemplate scriptures. You need your quiet time with God, and He enjoys that time and will bless you through it.

IN the world but not OF the world.

I would like to address an issue that was brought up in a recent discussion I was involved in on Google+. What I would like to address is the role of the church in our society today. As the body of Messiah, we are called to be holly and set apart. James tells us to be in the world but not of the world.      Because of this people should look at us and know that there is something different...something positive. Now I am not much of a sports fan, but let me use an analogy with baseball. (pardon me if I get a few details wrong about the game)      In major league baseball they have a skilled roster with proven players. They keep track of what these players have done in their career and their progressions. If a kid off the streets wants to play on a major league team he has a long and rigorous task ahead of him.      First he has to have skill, then he must practice and compete in low level games, move up the ranks, and finally be chosen out of a competitive group of peers. If he is chosen he then joins the elite. Now our church, though infinitely more important than any sports team, should work on a similar plan. If we let the kid off the street in (a non-believer) he will not only be ill equipped to carry on the work of the kingdom but will give all believers a bad name because everyone will look at the church and see the world. Remember we are to be in the world but not of the world...how can we accomplish this if the world is in us? So first, as in our baseball analogy, we must have skill, (a calling of the Holly Spirit) then we must compete, (Change our life, confess Messiah, and live for Him)  then we must move up the ranks, (learn, mature, and grow close to God) and then we are ready to join God's elite. (Take our ministry to the road and win others to Him) It is my personal belief that a church is not a witnessing tool. It is a group of believers who come together to minister to each other, strengthen and teach one another, and edify each other in Messiah.      Then we leave equipped to be effective witnesses for Messiah in our lives, to win others to Him and bring them into the church so they too can grow, move through the ranks and join in to the body of Christ.      Now I am not saying you are not a part of the body until you are in the "elite" but simply until you are to a certain level of maturity (faith wise not age wise) you can not be an effective witness. Paul told the Corinthians ( 1 Corinthians 5) to kick the man out of the church who was found in sin. 1 Timothy 1 also eludes to this.  In Corinthians after the man repented they were told to accept him in again.      Because of these principles I believe that no one who is not a follower of the Messiah should be allowed to be a member of a church.      In times past it used to be you had to have a letter declaring your faith, an interview by the pastor, and a spiritual evaluation to even be allowed to come to some churches. Today you simply walk in the door and they "accept you the way you are."      We should accept people for themselves but that does not mean we agree with the way they live. We certainly should not accept them into the body of Christ if they are living contrary to Christ! Messiah said himself, "A house divided against itself can not stand."  Yet we wonder why so many churches today are falling apart... The number one thing I have heard from individuals I know who have been turned off from the faith is "There is simply to much hypocrisy in the church," The sad thing is it's true! Unbelievers who see it want nothing to do with it because to them we simply act like we are better than them and live just like them.      Unfortunately what they don't realize is that the hypocrisy they see is not from believers as much as it is from non-believers who have been accepted into the body, thus damaging the witness of all. So may our churches be made of believers, our believers be involved in outreach, and our LORD use those outreaches to bring in more believers in a self perpetuating cycle that can not be broken!      Why should the world look at us and see a reflection of itself?

To Remember or Forget?

I would think it is safe to say (at least I would hope) that most churches around the world would agree that it is good to...

Put God first in your life and not have any other priorities above Him.
Not have idols or graven images.
Not take the name of God in vain
Honor your father and mother
Not murder
Not commit adultery
Not steal
Not bear false witness
Not covet

Most of us would agree on this.

Those of you who are familiar with Exodus 20 will recognize this list as 9 of the ten commandments. What about the missing commandment? The fourth commandment states in Exodus 20:8-11
     “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

To steal a phrase used by another, why is it that we seem to think that the only commandment out of the ten that starts with the word "Remember" just happens to be the one that modern Christianity says to forget?

Arguments such as, "I keep a Sabbath." "The Lord changed the Sabbath to Sunday."  or even worse, "The church changed the Sabbath."  just don't fly when stood next to scripture.

The word Christian means a follower of Christ. In Hebrew traditions a disciple of a rabbi or a "follower" would live with their teacher and try to mirror him as fully as possible.
     Likewise as a follower of Christ we are to try and mirror Him as fully as humanly possible. So what He did we do, what He wants we want, what he preached we preach.
     So if our Messiah is our blueprint for life and He kept the Sabbath, how then can we ignore it?

Many say our Messiah changed it by His resurrection on the first day of the week. Scripture tells us that the women went to the tomb early on the first day and he had already risen. The exact time of his resurrection is unknown.
     But lets assume for arguments sake that he rose on the first day and that changed the Sabbath. We are then saying that all the followers up until approximately 300 years after the death of Messiah were worshiping on the wrong day.
     Versus such as Acts 16:13 and 17:2 show us Paul's custom was to go into the synagogue on the Sabbath. A custom being something done on a regular basis we can confidently say that Messiah's death and resurrection didn't seem to change the day Paul observed.

Some will bring up versus like 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. This is the saints dealing with money, something they did not do on the Sabbath...and Paul told them why they were to gather on the first day. "That there be no gathering when I come."

Acts 20:7 will be used also. However if we understand that Jewish days start at Sundown, not at midnight we can see it is logical that all the apostles and believers would be gathered on Sabbath for their meeting and then as sundown approached (Saturday night for us) this would be the first day. A Sabbath meeting lasting past sundown, an evening meal, and continued fellowship into the first day was common.

Finally we have Romans 14:5-6 and Colossians 2:16-17
     Colossians 2 tells us that we are not to let anyone judge us when we keep the when you eat and drink and keep the holy days and Sabbaths. Though many would say he is speaking against them it is clear from reading context before and after that his message is "When you keep the Sabbath do not let them judge you." (in a paraphrase)

Romans 14, as I see it, in it's simplest form is the principle "Worry about your own walk with God before you try and change someone else's"
     But he says  "He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it." THE day in Jewish culture would logically be the Sabbath.  So if he who regards the day regarded it to the Lord, then how does this too not support observing the Sabbath?

Scripturally I think the case is made that the biblical Sabbath was the seventh day. Historical records show no change of the seven day cycle  so our seventh day (to the best of our knowledge) is still the seventh day. This aside Exodus 20 tells us why it is to be the seventh day. It is a memorial of God as Creator.

" For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."

So if God hallowed and blessed the seventh day, how can we as humans or a church change that blessing and hallowed day? We can not. No man can change the work of God. It is not A Sabbath God tells us to observe it is THE Sabbath, because only the seventh day is blessed and hallowed in that way, if we were to keep Sabbath on any other day God will not meet us there in the same way as He will on His holy day.

We can go to church on Sunday, we can worship God any day we want... but it is not keeping the Sabbath. And very few who go to church even observe Sunday as a Sabbath day. (Biblical laws regarding Sabbath observance are quite detailed)

James tells us in Chapter 2 verse 10  "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

The law that James is speaking of is the Torah, the first five books of Moses. The new testament was not part of the "Bible" back then. So if James was talking about the first five books, which include the Ten Commandments it stands to reason that if we keep the whole law and fail to keep the one regarding Sabbath we are guilty of breaking all.

Isaiah 66:23 references us keeping the Sabbath in the end of times.

So if Messiah and His followers kept it before, during and after His death and we will be keeping it in the future...why would God want us to forget it today?

Now there are more resources out there and more verses out there on the subject. I would, as always encourage all to research the issue for yourself, pray, and seek God's will with a willing heart.  "Not MY will Lord by YOURS be done."

I leave you with the information, a choice in your own hands, and a prayer that Messiah will lead you as He sees fit.

Thanks for reading,
Jason

Doomsday Prepping

With today's political scene, the national wars, threats to Israel, our plummeting economy, etc... it seems like the "signs of the times" are crashing upon our shores one fierce wave after another.
Now I am not here to speculate on when the end will be, or whether I will live to see it.  I won't be terribly surprised if I do...but I won't be surprised if I don't either.
What I would like to address is how should we prepare for such an impending doom?

Whether THE end is coming or not no one can argue that we are in for troubling times ahead. The bible makes it clear that the world will continue to grow more and more corrupt as we get closer and closer to the end. So what should we do?

First off, there is no safer place for you to be than in the will of God. End time scenario or cozy country cottage... either way it's the same. So first we must have a right relationship with Him and follow His will to the best of our ability because whether THE end comes in your life time or not... YOUR end will be in your life time, that much you can count on.

As far as survival goes, many are out there stocking up on guns, preserved foods, self sufficient operations, alternative energy sources, and a myriad of other things. All this is well and good to get you through some rough times... until those rough times turn hard.

If the government turns on us, if society is depraved and desperate, if we are invaded... your stockpiles will be the first target. Your guns will be confiscated, your food stockpiles will be looted, your energy will be cut off, your equipment will wear out and break down.

So what then, would I suggest?  Here is my suggestion. I believe we should all get ourselves a few survival guides and read them multiple times. Learn how to get clean water in the wild, what you can and can not eat, how to build and find shelter, how to start a fire, how to tend the eatable plants in your area.

Learning to preserve foods would be another valuable piece of knowledge. Dried and preserved foods might be the only thing that gets someone through the winter. Hunting also would be a staple for winter survival.

Any items you poses someone can take, your knowledge they can not. Once you know that survival book like the back of your hand... (honestly... how much time do any of us spend staring at the back of our hands? ) go out in the wild and experience! It not only can be a learning experience but it can be a lot of fun. Camp out, try and live off the land for a few days, get your own water from nature's sources.

I realize that to some this would be very difficult but I would urge you to do what you can. I truly believe that this would be the most effective way to survive and perhaps even save the lives of other who do not have the knowledge you posses.

As always, this is my personal opinion. Feel free to give alternative opinions, add to the topic, discuss methods of survival etc...

Thanks for the read and hope it makes you think. ;)

Halloween Trick or Treat (video update)

YouTube Video

This is a youtube video that I recorded on the same subject as my first blog post.

This is an attempt to reach a larger audience with the information. I feel this information is very important and hope that this will urge people on to look into the subject more for themselves.

For more details look at my first blog post

Halloween Blog Post

Pro life VS. Pro Choice

I would like to address another very important issue in our society.  I believe that the abortion issue is one of the greatest of our society with an estimated 50,000,000 children being murdered every year.
And that is only the documented abortions... there are numerous others off the record.

I realize, however, that most say the embryo is not a living being until after a certain date... however they used to say not even until it is born... and some even said shortly after it is born, thus partial birth abortion.  
     What does make a human human? It's our DNA.  There is nothing else that can possibly make us human. If someone wanted to find out what kind of blood they found they would do a DNA test. This would tell them if it was human, dog, bird...etc...   
     If you were to take DNA from an embryo immediately after conception, send it to a lab who had no idea where it came from.... what do you think their results would be?  They would tell you that it's human DNA.

I am not the most knowledgeable on the subject so I will keep this blog short.  Simply put, we all know that murder is wrong. Exodus 20 tells us that in the ten commandments. 

For more information or if you are unsure and undecided on the issue of abortion please take about 30 minutes to watch this video posted in the link below. This is the best video on abortion that I personally have seen.  

33 minutes that will rock your world 

Halloween... Trick or Treat?

Halloween has become one of the most popular American Holidays, next to Christmas. Many unassuming individuals see nothing wrong with it's traditions and origins. For those who desire to follow biblical paths, I would like to review some facts to ponder.

As most or all of my material will be, this is aimed towards those who CLAIM Jesus Christ as their Messiah. So if you do not, then please understand this is not aimed at you nor do I feel you are obligated to follow biblical principles.
     For those who DO claim Messiah, you have professed to believe and agreed to follow HIS laws and ways. So it is my attempt to help educate individuals with information that I feel is sadly lacking in the body of Christ.

Since the season is arriving soon, my first post will be on Halloween, formerly known in generations past as All Saints Day or All Hallows Eve, this holiday was started by the Catholic church.  What is NOT commonly known, or at least admitted, in "Christian" circles is that the traditions the Catholics incorporated into this holiday came from the celebration of Samhain.
     Samhain was a celebration of the druids which celebrated the changing of the seasons. During this time, when summer ends and winter begins, it was said (and is still in occult practice today) that the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead were brought very close...only a thin film separated them. Because of this divination and attempting to reach spirits from the other side was a common practice during this festival.
     In ancient times the people believed that on this day evil spirits would come down and roam amongst them. Pumpkins or squash were hollowed out and carved with devilish faces. Inside these jack o' lanterns would be placed glowing coals to light up the face. It was believed that these lanterns would ward off the evil spirits.
      During the festival the druid priests would dress up in ghoulish outfits and roam around the city. They would demand a sacrifice of foods (a treat) from each house hold to "appease the evil spirits."  If the family refused then a human sacrifice was kidnapped from the house (a trick) and burnt at the steak to their "god" Samhain.

     Now, for those who doubt this information, it is historically documented. If you doubt do ten or twenty minutes of research on your own. Look up things like Samhain, Origins of Halloween, etc...

I know many will say, "But that is not what the holiday is now..." However, now that we have established the basic traditions and where they came from (this is not all the information on the origions by any means) I would now like to look at some modern activity on this day.
     Halloween is well known and has been documented by secular newspapers, police reports, local communities, and other reliably public sources to have high incidents of kidnappings, murder, missing animals, animal mutilation cases, and occult activity. More so around Halloween than any other single day of the year these things escalate. 
     Many modern witches and covens still believe that the dividing line between the world of the living and the world of the dead is very thin on Halloween. Because of this there is an increase of divination (attempting to contact the dead and spirits of the other world), coven rituals, animal AND human sacrifices, fertility rituals, and a number of other occult practices. 
     Halloween is revered by most in the occult to be one of the highest holy days in their religion. I have seen and read testimony to this fact and heard first hand testimony from individuals who are former occultists who admit that they and their covens took part in all these things. This too, can be researched but do so with caution. The occult is nothing to dabble with!  That is exactly why I believe this is such an important issue... Our modern "Christian" community is ignorantly participating in celebrating the Day of the Devil and justifying it by whatever means they can grasp! 
     One of the same women who was a former occultist testified that witches at times sit back and laugh at Christians who partake in Halloween because they are celebrating the day of Satan. Not only do I believe this compromises our spiritual condition but it compromises our witness to anyone who has ever been involved in the occult, and they need Jesus just as much as you and I... no more no less. I would not desire for a wiccan to go to hell any more than I would desire a church goer to go to hell.

Now before you fly off the handle at my attack on one of your children's favorite holidays, let me reason with you a bit more before you make your decision. (For the decision is yours alone to make, I simply wish to make you aware of this information. May God use it in any way HE desires, and in that way alone.)
     Symbolism in Halloween is another significant argument against participation. Obvious things such as decorating with witches, goblins, the grim reaper (the resemblance of Samhain the god of death), ghosts etc... 
     A witch is someone who practices witchcraft. For a biblical perspective on what God thinks about the subject, check out Exodus 22:18 or Ephesians 6:12-13. Be sure I in no way advocate the killing of witches, for if that were enforced we would ALL deserve to be killed as well! The severity of these versus should show us God's opinion on the act, however. We also do need to realize that although I would never advocate killing a witch for their practice some of them WILL kill you for their practice. Human sacrifice is a central part of many covens and rituals.
     Other symbolism such as goblins or ghosts.... The idea of a ghost being a dead person who has been trapped on earth has no founding in the bible whatsoever. The bible does talk about such things, however... it calls them demons. So by hanging up a "decorative" ghost for Halloween you are in essence decorating your house with images of demons. This does not seem like anything any Bible believing individual should be doing. 
     The black cat, which is also symbolism out of witchcraft, is a popular decoration as well as bats, in image of vampirism. The broom stick is used in fertility rituals in Wiccan covens and is also used as an emblem of astro projection.
      In other countries witchcraft is at times the most prevalent practiced religions.  In places such as Africa the culture is steeped in it. And those other cultures, seeing Halloween, the gory masks and devil costumes, etc... know the dangers and in times have warned against them.

Whether you dress your daughter up as an Angel or not... or your little boy goes out as a cowboy.... it makes no difference. They are partaking in the day of the devil. It's a dangerous road to start down. Please consider this information prayerfully. 

For a few versus that speak to this subject please check out,

Deuteronomy 9:4-5
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
Exodus 22:18
Leviticus 19:31
Leviticus 20:6
2nd Chronicles 33:1-6
Acts 19:11-20
Galatians 5:19-21
1st Thessalonians 5:22
1st Timothy 4:1
Revelation 21:7-8

(There are many others... simply do a Bible search)

In conclusion it is my personal opinion that Halloween is not a fit holiday for myself or my children to partake in. Churches should not hold "fall festivals" in place of Halloween but should otherwise dedicate themselves to God's work, fasting or praying, and teaching their children why these things are not acceptable for someone who strives to follow biblical paths.

Now, all I ask is that you view and consider prayerfully. My desire is summed up by Jude 1:1-11. Namely that we should all earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. I personally do not believe that any of the saints, apostles, or Jesus Himself would celebrate Halloween...therefore if HE would not then neither should we.

Thanks for reading, please post any comments. I will be happy to converse or answer questions as I am able. I do have a full time job as well as work on the side, so my time is limited but I will do my best if anyone has a desire for dialogue.

Written by:
Jason Hein