Inheritance of Lies (By Mike Hein)
Jer. 16:19 “O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our
fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” So what are these lies that we have inherited, what areas of life do they affect, how much do they affect our
lives and do they have eternal consequences? These are just a few questions that can be asked about these lies but before addressing the questions some back ground needs to be laid.
In Eph. 6:12 Paul writes, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” In Isa. 14:13&14, (speaking of Satan) “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” From these verses we can see that the
issues in life are always spiritual, even though they have physical ramifications as well. Understanding this reality will help make sense of the events of life. Satan is our enemy and
wants to cause as much death and destruction as possible. He wants to rule, not for the purpose of preservation but destruction. This process, though proceeding predominately in the
spiritual realms manifests itself in the physical world. In this process I believe that there are three main things that Satan hates above all else. He hates people holding the knowledge
of God as creator, he hates the law of God and he hates the children of Israel.
If Satan can destroy the idea of God as creator then he can offer an alternative to how we got here, I.e. evolution. When it becomes accepted that we came into existence without God
then God no longer has claim on us nor does He have the right to put restrictions on our behavior and if He exists at all He would simply be another being that has evolved as we have.
In addition creation is the foundation on which the gospel rests, if God did not create as he stated then the gospel falls apart.
When it comes to the law it is what God used to bring people to Christ because it shows man his need for a savior. In Gal. 3:24 it says, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” It has been preached for centuries now that Christ did away with the law and we don’t need it any more. But I would submit
that this is Satan’s way to destroy the path that leads to Christ. Knowledge of sin comes from the law and with out knowing our lost and sinful condition we cannot know our need for a
Savior.
When it comes to Israel, they are the crown jewel in God’s plan. Paul, in Rom. 11:12 says, “Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them
the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?” We can see that the gospel going to the gentile world was of incalculable benefit and Paul, through his question indicates that
when Israel finally acknowledges their Messiah the benefit to the world will be much greater, and this is why Satan has and will continue trying to destroy Israel.
So the lies that we have inherited fall into basically two categories. The first is the attempt to keep people from believing in God through evolution and the second is confusion
within Christianity. This confusion comes from all sorts of areas including evolution but it all works to make Christians ineffective and even keep some from entering the Kingdom.
Evolution is considered by most to be scientific and a theory but we will look critically at these two claims. The definition of science is “knowledge gained by observation. When it
comes to evolution, life beginning from non-life has never been observed, one specie changing into another has never been observed so the core requirements of evolution are unscientific.
Darwin, in his trip to the Galapagos Islands
observed finches with different sizes and shapes of beaks but did not see any of them change. He hypothesized ways that they could have changed but could never test his hypothesis because
it involved millions of years. The scientific procedure starts with an observation, then an hypothesis, both of which Darwin did, but then follows with experimentation, peer review and the
hypothesis not being disproved over a period of time can become a theory, none of which happened in the case of evolution. But lets not quibble over that, the big issue is that there is
no scientific evidence to support evolution. All the so called support is little more than stories trying to explain how the things in the present got here. The fallacy of this process
is that what happened in the past was never observed and is outside the reach of science. Science is a wonderful tool but it is also limited to the present. It cannot deal with the past
nor can it deal with unique events. Science is built on the repeatable test therefore if you cannot repeat an event you cannot address it from a scientific position. The events that are
said to have caused the evolution of the present world cannot be repeated, making them unique events and were not observed or tested.
The radiometric dating methods are all based on assumptions about the past and when used to date the same rock always give different ages, some times ranging into the millions of years.
The assumptions are, consistency of decay rate, original ratio of parent to daughter material and no contamination or interference with the process over the billions or millions of years.
Most people are unaware though that there are actually hundreds of dating methods that can be used. The accumulation of different elements in the oceans, sedimentation of the oceans,
erosion of the mountains, shrinkage of the sun, decay of the earth’s rotational speed and it’s magnetic field and the recession of the moon just to name a few. All of these other dating
methods give vastly different ages for the earth but all are also based on assumptions about the past. However these cannot be discounted simply because they differ from the radiometric
methods, they are all equally valid. What they show is that we cannot address the past with science because it is outside of the capabilities of science unless we can recreate the event.
In addition there are 6 categories of evolution; cosmic, chemical, stellar, organic, macro and micro. Micro evolution is not really evolution but variation within a “kind“. This is an
observable event and has been used by man to produce different types of plants and animals for centuries but it will never produce a different “kind” of plant or animal. However it is the
thing most often pointed to as evidence of and support for evolution.
When it comes to the confusion within Christianity most of it has to do with the law of Moses or the Old Testament. One of the most prominent lies in this area is about which day is
the Sabbath. Most modern Christian believes that the early church, I.e. the apostles, changed the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day in honor of the Lords resurrection. But this is
not the case and most Bible scholar will admit that there is no place in the New Testament that would indicate that the Sabbath was changed by the apostles. (The Sabbath command is a law
of God and it is important to know that there is one who “thinks to change times and laws”, from Daniel 7:24&25 and it is the Beast power of the end times.) In addition the Bible never
says that Jesus rose on the 1st day of the week, when the women came to the tomb He was already risen but the time of His rising is never indicated. The Sabbath was not changed until the
Catholic Church came on to the scene and they indicate in there own writings that they changed the Sabbath because they felt that they had the power and authority to do so. The Catholic
Church is also the initiator of several of the lies present in the Church today. Constantine, who started the Catholic Church was a “sun god” worshiper and he introduced several sun god
worship practices into the Catholic religion, Sunday Sabbath being one of them. The Sabbath is a memorial and the day on which we observe it indicates which God/god we are memorializing.
In Exo. 31:13&17, God tells Israel that the Sabbath is a sign between them and Himself, “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a
sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. (17) It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” At this point one could argue, “but that was for Israel”. In Rom. 11:11-27, Paul describes
the gentiles are equivalent to a wild olive and Israel the good olive tree and if we are to have life we must be grafted in to the root of Israel, vs. 17, “And if some of the branches be
broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;” vs. 24, “For if thou were cut out of the
olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive
tree?” Further more Paul in Rom. 2:28&29 says, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Paul makes it clear by these two passages that in order to
inherit life we must be grafted into Israel, we must become Israel. This idea of becoming Israel is contrary to the standard Christian thought, for the modern Christian it is just the
opposite, Israel must become Christian. While it is true that Israel must become Christian it is not the Christianity of the modern Christian Church which ignores the law of God. Paul
through out the book of Romans repeatedly warns us against ignoring the law and sinning as if to make grace abound and we know from 1 John 3:4 that sin is transgression of the law. When
we ignore the law we no longer know what behavior is and is not acceptable to God. In Matt. 7:21-23 Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; …Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” In the most straight forward translation of the word, “iniquity” it would read, “depart from me, ye who are
without law.” and this law is specifically the Mosaic law. More over, Paul in Rom. 2:13 says, “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.)” In these scriptures we see the importance of living in obedience even though we are not saved by works of the law, the law is still God’s standard of acceptable behavior. Some go
as far to say that we can do anything we want because we are under grace, adopting life styles that are strictly forbidden by God, living in any sort of sin and depravity they desire all
the while thinking that they shall be saved. It is also important to realize that it is God’s law not Church doctrine that we are to obey. So if one does argue that the 7th day Sabbath
is for Israel they would be correct but who then is Israel? Israel is the ones who are grafted in and are circumcised in heart and then we will love the things God loves and hate the
things that He says are abominations to Him, (see Lev. 18:24-30, Deut. 12:29-32, & Deut. 18:9-14). We know that forsaking His law and adopting pagan practices is an abomination and we know
that He loves His Sabbaths. So if we want to inherit the Kingdom of God and eternal life we must come into Israel, for only Israel can enter the Kingdom but all are welcome to enter in.
Some have argued that we cannot know which day is the Sabbath because we don’t know if the days of the week have ever been messed up so the day God rested may not be the 7th day anymore
, so it doesn’t matter which day we observe. However, this is a straw man argument because it is the pattern that is important. If, and we do, follow a seven day week we will always have
a first day of the week so we can then count to seven and find the Sabbath.
The argument against the law in general has been made by saying that Jesus did away with the law because He fulfilled the law so we don’t need it any more. (Here I will restate that it
is important to know that there is one who “thinks to change times and laws”, from Daniel 7:24&25 and it is the Beast power of the end times.) However all that is necessary to debunk
this idea is to look up the definition of the word “fulfill”. Fulfill means “to bring into it’s full effect”, a synonym used in the definition is “to make manifest” which means to “remove
obscurities“. So if we understand our own language we can easily see that the idea that Jesus did away with the law is also an inherited lie. Jesus came to remove obscurities from the
law so we could understand it and He came to “be” the full effect of the law. Consider Deut. 12:32, “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor
diminish from it.” If Jesus was sinless, which He was, and sin is transgression of the law, (1 Jn. 3:4), would He have added to or diminished from the law? Would He have changed the law?
Could He have changed the law and NOT been a false prophet? If He had added, diminished or changed the law He would have been in disobedience and sin. He could not be the Lamb that
takes away the sin of the world.
When one comes to the place of accepting the fact that Jesus did not do away with the law the most important step has been taken. However, because there is so much paganism
woven into the fabric of Christianity it can take a lot of time and effort to weed it out. Things such as Christmas and Easter, which have nothing to do with Jesus were both pagan holidays
(of different names) long before Jesus was born. In general the holidays held by the Catholic and Protestant churches are all of pagan origins. Another issue caused by being divorced
from the law is that our thinking is based on the wrong foundation. Even when we think we have Biblical support for the things we do it is most often wrong because our understanding of
the scripture comes from a pagan perspective.
When God lead the children of Israel out of Egypt to Sinai what culture did they have? The answer is, not one that God held acceptable. In the giving of the law at Sinai God essentially created the Hebrew culture. I use “Hebrew” because the root from which it comes means “to cross over”. Abraham “crossed over” when he left his home country and God was calling
Abraham’s descendants to “cross over” from paganism into a Godly culture. The law given at Sinai governed every aspect of the Hebrew’s life, social, moral and religious. There is no other
culture that has been created by God so it should be clear which set of rules we should be following. Further more in Rev. 21, we see that there are 12 gates in walls of the New Jerusalem
which are named after the 12 tribes of Israel,
there is not a gentile gate.
Some of the things that have been dealt with are not direct lies that have been inherited but rather the foundational principles which proper understanding must be based on. These
lies can affect every area of our lives and do indeed have eternal consequences. Scripture shows that those who do not have the law are in very great danger of being disqualified from the
Kingdom regardless of the works they have done during there life time, (Matt. 7:21-23). Prayerful consideration of one’s own life practices and greater knowledge and proper understanding
of scripture will reveal the areas which need to be brought into line with Biblical principles. The straight and narrow way is not a path traveled in one step but takes a life time to
travel and that process must bring us daily into greater harmony with the will of God, loving and hating those things which He loves and hates.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Who Do You Fear Offending Most? (Written by Anina Hn)
I would like to share a short post by a friend of mine. Good content and hopefully will challenge us all to look at our lives through the glasses of scripture and see whether or not we are exercising true love or squishy love that is more concerned with self and culture/acceptableness rather than the truth of God.
It sickens me...all of this squishiness, flakiness, maleableness I see in the "Christian" community, of today.
Hey now, no one get up and speak the truth... Oh no, that might offend someone! And we know Jesus never offended anyone right? Paul never offended anyone, right? Or any of the other apostles? Wrong...
Often times when they spoke the truth, and they did so out of love (Jesus did so perfectly) they offended many. How could this be? Is this the same Jesus then, whom we hear of who was all about "peace and love?"
(He was/is about both, but not in the misinterpreted misunderstood way our twisted culture portrays it.)
Jesus was perfect! He was and is fully God and fully man...the Messiah. Even He offended people with the truth, in all His goodness, love, and perfection. How can we expect not to, when we are as dirt compared to Him?
Another question I may ask is, why do we feel we should try SO HARD not to?? I don't believe that we should be purposefully seeking opportunity to go out offending people with the truth of God's Word. No, we should seek to be loving and reach out to people in need. However, we should also not seek to avoid every situation in which we may be offensive to someone by living our lives for the Lord.
Yes, it is hard to find the balance between the two... I still am trying to fit both together so as not to lean towards an extreme of one and neglect of the other.
Still, I see far too many people trying so hard to avoid "stepping on toes" that they begin to misuse and twist the Scriptures even. Whether knowingly or not I cannot say, but it is dangerous ground to tread on either way.
What happens when a believer becomes so ingrained in our cultures' views and demands for tolerance, and "equality" in whatever the world deems acceptable, (this obviously excludes true Christianity) that they no longer preach the full message of the gospel?? The gospel that not only includes the truth of God's most amazing gift of grace and love toward us undeserving sinners, but also the importance of SINCERE REPENTANCE and CHANGE from our old nature into a NEW CREATION...the only way in which we can fully grasp the wonderful mercies of the Lord and the salvation He offers to the world. (Even then I don't believe we can completely grasp it, as it is so far beyond us!)
The "old time" message of "REPENT and be saved!" may seem outdated to a culture unwilling and very opposed to being faced with the fact that we must change our sinful lifestyles or face eternal agony... However, that message is still ever so relevant and needed! Who will stand up and preach that scriptural message, out of love, to this lost world today? Because, trust me, most of us are proud, arrogant, and sinful people who do not like being faced with the hideous nature of our hearts.
This message...no wait... The Word of God in and of itself WILL OFFEND the people! Especially today.
Who do you fear offending most?? The Almighty Creator by not speaking His truth clearly and accurately?! Or mankind, the created, who constantly reject the truth and the Great I Am?
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. ~Matthew 10:34-39
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ~Matthew 5:13
___________________________________________________________________________________
To add a tad bit to this, a phrase that I will borrow from a sermon I heard...
"The word of God is... The word of God!" Believe it or not it really is that simple.
It is not our concern whether what we have to say will offend someone. Our only concern is, whether we are saying the things God has called us to say. Truth, in love, will offend as stated above and backed by Mathew 10:34-39
As long as we know we have spoken the message God has laid on our hearts, our part is done. If they choose to be offended that is between them and God.
Peace to you all.
Hey now, no one get up and speak the truth... Oh no, that might offend someone! And we know Jesus never offended anyone right? Paul never offended anyone, right? Or any of the other apostles? Wrong...
Often times when they spoke the truth, and they did so out of love (Jesus did so perfectly) they offended many. How could this be? Is this the same Jesus then, whom we hear of who was all about "peace and love?"
(He was/is about both, but not in the misinterpreted misunderstood way our twisted culture portrays it.)
Jesus was perfect! He was and is fully God and fully man...the Messiah. Even He offended people with the truth, in all His goodness, love, and perfection. How can we expect not to, when we are as dirt compared to Him?
Another question I may ask is, why do we feel we should try SO HARD not to?? I don't believe that we should be purposefully seeking opportunity to go out offending people with the truth of God's Word. No, we should seek to be loving and reach out to people in need. However, we should also not seek to avoid every situation in which we may be offensive to someone by living our lives for the Lord.
Yes, it is hard to find the balance between the two... I still am trying to fit both together so as not to lean towards an extreme of one and neglect of the other.
Still, I see far too many people trying so hard to avoid "stepping on toes" that they begin to misuse and twist the Scriptures even. Whether knowingly or not I cannot say, but it is dangerous ground to tread on either way.
What happens when a believer becomes so ingrained in our cultures' views and demands for tolerance, and "equality" in whatever the world deems acceptable, (this obviously excludes true Christianity) that they no longer preach the full message of the gospel?? The gospel that not only includes the truth of God's most amazing gift of grace and love toward us undeserving sinners, but also the importance of SINCERE REPENTANCE and CHANGE from our old nature into a NEW CREATION...the only way in which we can fully grasp the wonderful mercies of the Lord and the salvation He offers to the world. (Even then I don't believe we can completely grasp it, as it is so far beyond us!)
The "old time" message of "REPENT and be saved!" may seem outdated to a culture unwilling and very opposed to being faced with the fact that we must change our sinful lifestyles or face eternal agony... However, that message is still ever so relevant and needed! Who will stand up and preach that scriptural message, out of love, to this lost world today? Because, trust me, most of us are proud, arrogant, and sinful people who do not like being faced with the hideous nature of our hearts.
This message...no wait... The Word of God in and of itself WILL OFFEND the people! Especially today.
Who do you fear offending most?? The Almighty Creator by not speaking His truth clearly and accurately?! Or mankind, the created, who constantly reject the truth and the Great I Am?
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. ~Matthew 10:34-39
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ~Matthew 5:13
___________________________________________________________________________________
To add a tad bit to this, a phrase that I will borrow from a sermon I heard...
"The word of God is... The word of God!" Believe it or not it really is that simple.
It is not our concern whether what we have to say will offend someone. Our only concern is, whether we are saying the things God has called us to say. Truth, in love, will offend as stated above and backed by Mathew 10:34-39
As long as we know we have spoken the message God has laid on our hearts, our part is done. If they choose to be offended that is between them and God.
Peace to you all.
Monday, August 18, 2014
The Militant Mind
In today's world (especially on the political scene) there are plenty of reasons to be militant minded...but have you thought this attitude through to it's final result?
Just a thought for those who are willing to think about some points with me.
First off, we know the military and government have more military power than we could ever stand up against... so in that scenario it's a pointless battle.
There are cases in scripture where God instructs people into military action but unless God has TRULY done so I would not take that course.
Do understand, I am not a pacifist. If someone is going to kill my family and I can stop them I will stop them...even if I have to kill them to do it. That's defense, not murder.
Not to get to far into this, since I have another blog post that already covers these things. If that's a subject that interests you check out my post Conspiracy Theory
Those of us who claim Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah and LORD of our lives must take a step back and examine a few scriptures.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Ephesians 6:12 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6 also talks about the armor of GOD. This is without a doubt a military term.
So... is it wrong to be militant minded? Not if your militant in the correct manner. I would submit to you, however, that the correct manner is to focus on the spiritual battles not the physical... for this life is not about the physical. Again, however, I've posted on that before so lets drop another link and skim over these details. For more on how the physical effects the spiritual and how much of life really is about the physical realm check out The Wars Which We Fight
In a sense, to add to my previous post on this subject I would like to suggest an even MORE militant mind.
We must realize that we are part of an army, we are to be active, it is life and death, and there is a very real enemy!
Hate, is a product of the enemy and his forces. Lust, gossip, addiction, murder... all these things are products of the enemy. As military men and women if we were to "fraternize with the enemy" in a real-world military what would the punishment be? We would probably be court marshaled and tried for treason!
However, have you considered that every time we give place to anger and act on it we are "fraternizing with the enemy." If we fall to lust, if we gossip, if we have addictions, we have fraternized with the enemy. We have given place to demonic influence in our life. Whether it started with demons or not, make no mistake, they will take advantage of your weakness!
I praise God and thank HIM for His grace that we are not spiritually "court marshaled" when we willingly aid the plans of the enemy. Ephesians tells us to put on the armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil. The word "Wiles" basically means schematics... in other words extremely detailed plans. So we have two plans for our life, the plans of the devil and the plans of God.
Are we willing to be so sold for God that we can be militant minded about our active spiritual roll in the kingdom? Don't give place to the enemy! Hate what God hates, fight to the death, stand in the face of danger by applying the blood of Messiah and the indwelling of the Holly Spirit.
Most of all... know your commander well enough that you can get and interpret those detailed plans of God accurately and fulfill them acceptably.
Just a thought for those who are willing to think about some points with me.
First off, we know the military and government have more military power than we could ever stand up against... so in that scenario it's a pointless battle.
There are cases in scripture where God instructs people into military action but unless God has TRULY done so I would not take that course.
Do understand, I am not a pacifist. If someone is going to kill my family and I can stop them I will stop them...even if I have to kill them to do it. That's defense, not murder.
Not to get to far into this, since I have another blog post that already covers these things. If that's a subject that interests you check out my post Conspiracy Theory
Those of us who claim Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah and LORD of our lives must take a step back and examine a few scriptures.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Ephesians 6:12 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6 also talks about the armor of GOD. This is without a doubt a military term.
So... is it wrong to be militant minded? Not if your militant in the correct manner. I would submit to you, however, that the correct manner is to focus on the spiritual battles not the physical... for this life is not about the physical. Again, however, I've posted on that before so lets drop another link and skim over these details. For more on how the physical effects the spiritual and how much of life really is about the physical realm check out The Wars Which We Fight
In a sense, to add to my previous post on this subject I would like to suggest an even MORE militant mind.
We must realize that we are part of an army, we are to be active, it is life and death, and there is a very real enemy!
Hate, is a product of the enemy and his forces. Lust, gossip, addiction, murder... all these things are products of the enemy. As military men and women if we were to "fraternize with the enemy" in a real-world military what would the punishment be? We would probably be court marshaled and tried for treason!
However, have you considered that every time we give place to anger and act on it we are "fraternizing with the enemy." If we fall to lust, if we gossip, if we have addictions, we have fraternized with the enemy. We have given place to demonic influence in our life. Whether it started with demons or not, make no mistake, they will take advantage of your weakness!
I praise God and thank HIM for His grace that we are not spiritually "court marshaled" when we willingly aid the plans of the enemy. Ephesians tells us to put on the armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil. The word "Wiles" basically means schematics... in other words extremely detailed plans. So we have two plans for our life, the plans of the devil and the plans of God.
Are we willing to be so sold for God that we can be militant minded about our active spiritual roll in the kingdom? Don't give place to the enemy! Hate what God hates, fight to the death, stand in the face of danger by applying the blood of Messiah and the indwelling of the Holly Spirit.
Most of all... know your commander well enough that you can get and interpret those detailed plans of God accurately and fulfill them acceptably.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
LAW, FAITH AND GRACE (By Mike Hein)
This is a paper written by my father, Mike Hein, for our fellowship discussion last Sabbath. Hope it can provoke some good thought and delve you into scripture to discover more from the words of our LORD.
LAW, FAITH AND GRACE
Since the fall of man in the garden the main thrust of God’s actions seems to be geared toward the redemption of His creation and the elimination of sin and evil. The giving of the law and the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus must be view from this perspective if they are to be understood. We must therefore understand the purpose of the law and what sin is in order to understand how they relate to the actions of Jesus and the relationship between the law, faith and grace and in turn how we are then to live.
The purpose of the law is, at least, two fold. First it was introduced that we may know sin and know that we are therefore sinners. In Romans 5:13, Paul states that sin was in the world but it was not taken into account until the law was given and in Rom. 7:7, “… I had not known sin, but by the law, …”. Before the law was given man had no measuring stick against which to measure his behavior. This is not to say that they had no concept of right or wrong but there was no legal code to which man could be held accountable. In addition before the law man did not know the requirements of God. If man wanted to live a life pleasing to Him it would be difficult to know what the standard was that they had to meet.
The second purpose of the law is to bring us to Christ. It is clear that redemption can only come through faith in Christ but one must first come to the point of recognizing the need of redemption, which is the first purpose of the law. In Gal. 3:24, Paul equates the law to a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. Then when we come to Christ, (v. 25) we are no longer “under” the schoolmaster. Now when we are “under” the law it means that we are “in an inferior position or condition” to the law. When we come to Christ through faith we are then “under” grace. The position of the law has not changed but our position has. In Rom. 10:4, it says, “For Christ is the end of the law…”. This “end” does not mean that the law is no more or done away with, This “end” is “the point aimed at as a limit, a goal that is set out for.”. In other words Christ is the destination and the law is the road we must take to get there.
Another issue that must be understood is the issue of “what is sin?”. Paul said, “…I had not known sin, but for the law…” (Rom. 7:7) In other words the law, by telling us what God requires, shows us that sin is an action contrary to the law. In 1 John 3:4 John tells us, “…sin is transgression of the law.” So sin is not disobedience to church doctrine or a preachers advice, sin is always tied to disobedience to God’s law. At this point those who preach that the law has been done away with have a problem, without the law man cannot know he is a sinner and in need of a Savior.
So what did Jesus do to the law when he came? So many people say that he fulfilled it which means He did away with it. But what does the word fulfill actually mean. The 1961 edition of Webster’s New Collegiate dictionary defines it this way, “fulfill”--To carry into effect, as an intention; to bring to pass, as a design; to realize or manifest completely; These definitions do not line up with the idea that Jesus did away with the law. When we consider Paul’s testimony that Jesus is the destination (i.e. end) of the law, if Jesus had done away with it He would have done away with the only path that leads man to Himself. If we understand the definition of the word ”fulfill” we will understand that the law, faith in Christ and grace are not at all at odds but all part of one flawless plan put together by God to accomplish His purpose. God did not “try” the law to see if it would work and when it didn’t, go to plan B. Salvation through works of the law was never the goal, but does that mean we can transgress the law when we are under grace? Paul asks this question in different places and his answer is always the same, “God forbid”.
There are many who preach that the new covenant has new laws, and that these new laws primarily revolve around loving ones neighbor as oneself. Those with this message insist that no flesh shall be justified by works of the law, referring to the old covenant. But they insist that we follow the new covenant law. Can one law be death and one law be life? It is clear that life is by the Spirit not the letter. Another thing that is clear is that the law of love in the new covenant is the same that is in the old. Jesus said that all the law and prophets hang on two commands, love God totally and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the same message in the new covenant. Paul ties the old and new together in Rom. 13:8-10, “Owe no man anything but to love…, then lists some of the 10 commandments, then says, … love thy neighbor as thy self…and ends with … love is the fulfilling of the law.”. Love then, in fulfilling the law is the intended effect of the old covenant law, the design of the law that Jesus brought to pass.
So now what is our relationship to the law? Paul asks, shall we sin (transgress the law) that grace may abound? God forbid. Through out the book of Romans Paul contrasts “sin and obedience” but obedience to what? Since the entire book is a dissertation on the relationship between the old covenant law, faith and grace it should be clear that we are to continue in the standard set forth in the old covenant. Another way to look at it is this, since loving God and loving our neighbor is the fulfillment of the law does that mean I can make up my own ways of expressing that love? If my neighbor has too much stuff to take care of can I steal some of it so he has less to worry about? Can I invent my own way to worship God because it pleases me or use pagan rituals because I like them and they make me feel good?
From the beginning man has shown his inability to do the right thing and when left to his own devices has shown an amazing bent to do evil. So God in His love devised a plan that would show what is acceptable behavior both toward Himself and our neighbor thus teaching us how to love and at the same time showing us our short comings and the only One Who can redeem us from them. So when we look at the law from this perspective it is no longer a set of unrelated do’s and don’ts but a set of instruction on how to love both God and our neighbor.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Sunday...and why?
The Church meets on Sunday because Paul told the Corinthians to gather their contributions on the first day of the week. 1 Corinthians 16:2
That is correct in as much as that is the reason people believe and give for worshiping on Sunday now days.... however in context it is clear that is not what Paul was saying. If you look up the Greek the word translated as first can also mean simply one So on *one day of the week. Also the word we translate as week is actually sabbaton or Shabbath. (Sabbath the sixth day) So in reality the text should read... "On the first of every sabbath... or on one sabbath."
Paul gives the ultimate reason.. "So there will be no gathering when I come." It was not an establishment of a new sabbath or Paul was teaching a doctrine other than that which Jesus lived and preached. All the apostles as scripture records had a habit or custom of going into the synagogue on the sabbath day many many years after the death and resurrection.
Also it is well documented in history that until Constantine made the edict that all churches should meet on Sunday that the early church was still meeting on the sixth day of the week.
Why would the Apostles keep something Messiah had changed? Why would later church believers risk their lives during the reign of Constantine to keep the Sabbath?
Jesus himself said, "I have not come to do away with the law but to fulfill." Fulfill meaning to in the Greek to Satisfy, level up, accomplish etc... and in the English, to carry out, or bring to realization. To perform or do, as duty; obey or follow, as commands.
"Beware the leaven of the Pharisees." Messiah told His followers.
Now we find ourselves needing to "Beware the Leaven of the church."
Question so we may finally say,
O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit."
Jeremiah16:19
Peace and Prayers.
That is correct in as much as that is the reason people believe and give for worshiping on Sunday now days.... however in context it is clear that is not what Paul was saying. If you look up the Greek the word translated as first can also mean simply one So on *one day of the week. Also the word we translate as week is actually sabbaton or Shabbath. (Sabbath the sixth day) So in reality the text should read... "On the first of every sabbath... or on one sabbath."
Paul gives the ultimate reason.. "So there will be no gathering when I come." It was not an establishment of a new sabbath or Paul was teaching a doctrine other than that which Jesus lived and preached. All the apostles as scripture records had a habit or custom of going into the synagogue on the sabbath day many many years after the death and resurrection.
Also it is well documented in history that until Constantine made the edict that all churches should meet on Sunday that the early church was still meeting on the sixth day of the week.
Why would the Apostles keep something Messiah had changed? Why would later church believers risk their lives during the reign of Constantine to keep the Sabbath?
Jesus himself said, "I have not come to do away with the law but to fulfill." Fulfill meaning to in the Greek to Satisfy, level up, accomplish etc... and in the English, to carry out, or bring to realization. To perform or do, as duty; obey or follow, as commands.
"Beware the leaven of the Pharisees." Messiah told His followers.
Now we find ourselves needing to "Beware the Leaven of the church."
Question so we may finally say,
O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To You the nations will come From the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit."
Jeremiah16:19
Peace and Prayers.
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