Metaphors and Similies That Have A Deeper Meaning

2Cor 5:3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.

Because there are many anomalies in the Christian faith, Paul often set out the truth of our great Salvation and the glory that is ours in Christ in a very systematic way. For instance, he points out that the suffering we undergo for Christ's sake, brings with it great reward, and equips us for the ministry of comfort - in that when we are weak in ourselves we are strong in the Lord, but when we are proud of our self-sufficiency, we will suffer a tremendous fall.

Paul also used many metaphors and similes in his teaching, and in this section, he shows how things that appear permanent in this world are passing and will fade away, while spiritual things, which are unseen and indefinable are both secure, permanent and everlasting. 

In this chapter, Paul moves from comparing the distresses of Christian suffering.. with the joys of our future glory in heaven. He contrasts our earthly body with the new heavenly body, which will one day replace this old dying frame. He points out that he would prefer to put off his mortal body - to die and go to be with Jesus, rather than keep on living in this fallen world and a dying body.

He wanted to show that death is not the end of life but the start of a glorious and eternal future AND that this body of ours is nothing more than a temporary lodging place. It is like an old, deteriorating tent that can be taken down at the end of our life-journey and will one day be replaced with a new dwelling place - a glorious body, just like Christ's resurrection Body.

He likened our mortal frame to an old tent - a temporary covering for the soul, on our brief, journey through life. He explained that one day this mortal body will be discarded, at the point of death, in preparation for a new, eternal body, where we will receive a permanent and immortal body. As believers, we have a promise from God that we will one day receive an incorruptible body - a body like Christ's resurrected body.. a body of flesh and bone.

He wanted us to know that in the eternal ages to come we would not be a spirit without a body. We will not become an unclothed, disembodied spirit, with no physical covering. As part of the new creation in Christ we will one day be given a new body - a permanent, immortal body - a body that will never die and one which will be like Christ's glorified body. We will one day have a new covering - a building from God - an eternal dwelling in the heavens - a body not made with hands.

When God created the world, he built man's earthly body from the dust of the earth. Adam was the federal head of the first creation - the old creation in Adam... but by faith in Christ, we are born into the new creation - with Jesus as the Federal Head. When man disobeyed God, sin entered the world. The first creation was cursed and death was the result of sin. And death places its icy fingers around the throat of every human being, as a result of Adam's fall.

Because of sin and death, we groan in this body, and desire to put on our new, heavenly dwelling place. Because of our mortality, this earthly body will one day be destroyed and return to dust. Because of sin and death, we have many physical limitations. We get sick and become disabled. We have problems with joints and organs that become painful, malfunction and eventually expire and die. 

Because of sin and death, we do not want to be unclothed and naked. We want to be clothed in our new, eternal, bodies.. so that mortality may be swallowed up by immortality and death may be enveloped by life... and the encouraging truth in verse 3 is that having been born-again into the family of God - by faith in Christ, we have an assurance that when we pass from this life into the next.. we will be given a new, glorified state. We will be housed in a literal body. What a tremendous hope. Praise His holy name.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that in Christ we have an assurance that we are not only forgiven of our sin and have received the gift of eternal life, by faith, but are part of the new creation in Christ and have passed from death to life. Thank You that in Him we will not be found naked, but have received an inheritance in heaven and will soon be clothed with a new, eternal body, that far surpasses this frail, dying frame. Thank You for sending Jesus to be the propitiation for my sin and thank You that by His death and resurrection, sin and death have been defeated. We praise You for the wonderful assurance that our bodies will also be resurrected and we will be complete and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - spirit, soul, and body. Hallelujah! Praise His holy name, AMEN. 

Knowing Jesus-the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog.

Ted

Trusting God's Faithfulness...through Prayer

Nehemiah 2:4 - "Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven."

Nehemiah was a Jewish exile, who lived in the Persian city of Suza. He held the responsible position of cupbearer to the king, but Nehemiah was a man of God, who was also a man of prayer. He gives us some wonderful insight into powerful, prolonged and effective prayer - "for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much".

When the news reached his ears from the remnant in Israel, that the walls surrounding Jerusalem remained broken and in ruins, and its gates were burned to the ground, Nehemiah sat down and wept for a number of days. He fasted and mourned for many days and prayed fervently to the God of heaven. Although many exiles had returned to the Holy City, they had failed to rebuild the city wall and sanctury of God.

Nehemiah was deeply grieved that the Holy City of God was still lying in utter ruins, following its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. He confessed his sin before the Lord and the sins of the entire nation. He acknowledged they had acted corruptly toward God, and not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances He gave through His servant Moses. "I confess the sins we have committed against You." he cried, "both I and my father’s house have sinned".

In His prayers, Nehemiah pleaded for God's mercy on his nation, his city and the people of Israel, reminding the Lord of His never-failing faithfulness, and precious promises to His people. "You are a God Who preserves His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments", was his pleading prayer. Nehemiah reminded the Lord that Israel was still His covenant people.

For four months he prayed about the distressing condition of the Holy City. He pleaded with the Lord for forgiveness and mercy, and his grief over Jerusalem was reflected in his service to Artaxerxes, the king.. who questioned him by asking "Why is your face sad Nehemiah..even though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart".

Those in the emperor's service knew very well that any display of emotion or pain, anger or sadness should be kept hidden before the king and his court. Nehemiah knew that men had been executed for exhibiting such emotions in the presence of a king, and he became 'overwhelmed with fear'. However, Nehemiah explained that his sadness of heart was on hearing that the city, where his ancestors were buried, lay in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire.

Artaxerxes did not dismiss his servant's grief as irrelevant, but was moved, by God, to find out if there was any way that he could help him in his distress, and so we read, "Then the king said to me, "What would you request?"  Despite being very much afraid, Nehemiah, was a man of prayer, who sent a quick, but silent prayer-arrow to God, for both wisdom - to speak the right words before the king, and for grace in his master's eye.

Although Nehemiah was caught in this dangerous situation, he was so saturated in prayer and accustomed to calling on the name of the Lord, that he was spiritually equipped to shoot his silent supplication to God.. so he prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah was in fellowship with the Father, for his sins were forgiven and confessed up to date, and so he was well able to come to the throne of grace for mercy to find help at this time of need.

He had spent months pleading with God for the restoration of Jerusalem's walls. He had no doubt reflected much on what could be done to restore the dignity of the Holy City. His quick prayer arrow that sped its way to the Lord was founded on months of prayer, fasting, confession of sin and pleading his case to God. Nehemiah did not know that God was preparing the heart of Artaxerxes, to respond favourably toward his servant, and his answer, to the king, was inspired by God... because it was founded on the effectual fervent prayers he had offered over many months.

"If it pleases the king", was his quick response, "and if your servant has found favour before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it."Then the king said to me," How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress, which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go " And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me".

It was not because of his cup bearing skills that Nehemiah found grace in the eye of the king, but because he trusted the Lord, and had a relationship with the God of his salvation. God's ear was attentive towards his servant because he was a faithful prayer warrior, who was consistent in his intercessions, prayed continually with all prayer and supplication and trusted God to fulfil His promises to His people.

The praying man or woman may not know how their prayers will be answered, but those who wait on Him and maintain close communion with their heavenly Father, will be used by God, in wonderful ways. God does not always answer prayer in the way we expect, but will always carry out His plans and purposes for His greater glory and for His servants' eternal joy. 

In Nehemiah's life, we see that the supernatural work of God being carried out, in answer to the faithful prayers of His servant, for when plans are conceived in prayer.. prayer is the foundation on which God's answer rests. May we practice powerful, prolonged and effective prayer and be ready to be used by God to fulfil His plans for our life.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for men of prayer like Paul and Nehemiah, Daniel and the Lord Jesus, Who have become such examples to follow in the important ministry of prayer. Teach me how to pray without ceasing and to pray effectively. Help me to develop a practice of powerful, prolonged and effective prayer and use me in whatever way You choose to carry out Your plans and purposes in my life. Thank You that Your ear is ever open to our cries, whether they are simple, silent arrow-prayers or long-term, persistent pleadings... and thank You that we have access to the throne of grace - for mercy to find help in time of need - in Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.
Knowing Jesus is the first step to wisdom!
See you next blog,
Ted

...and The Light Shines In Darkness

John 1:5

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Lord Jesus came into the world as the incarnate WORD of God, to reveal to the depraved mind of man, the truth of God's eternal love and His perfect holiness. He came into the world as LIFE.. to breathe 'new life' into the lifeless spirit of man, that lay dead in trespasses and sins, and with no hope in the world. He came into the world as the LIGHT of the world, to illumine the blackened soul of man, who in his foolish pride had sought to be as God.

It was through sin that darkness entered the heart of man, and it is through the Light of God's Son, that sin and death and darkness was overcome . He came as the Light that never be extinguished, in the heart, soul, and mind, of those who place their trust in the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel of John was written to introduce the Lord Jesus Christ to fallen man, as the eternal Son. He came as the incarnate Word and was born as the perfect Son of Man. He came from the Father to show us the Father.. for whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father, and Whoever has the Son in their heart, has the Father also... for Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, and He sent His Son into the world to reveal Himself to us.

For the first four verses in John's gospel, the Word is introduced to us as the living, breathing, human Word of God, Who was in the beginning with God, and through Whom all things came into being. That same eternal Son is Life and Light. That same perfect Son of man is the true Light that was given by God to shine Light into the darkness of man's soul, and the darkness was incapable of extinguishing the pure Light of God.

Man did not comprehend the enormity of what had happened in Bethlehem some thirty years earlier and throughout His ministry, men continued to misunderstand the Man, His ministry and His message. The depraved mind of the unsaved cannot understand the Light, for the god of this world has darkened their minds and blinded their soul.

When the Lord Jesus came into this world as the Light of Life that lightens every man that comes into the world, they did not comprehend Who He was or why He had come. He came to His own kingdom and His own people, but they did not receive Him. They rejected God's anointed. They were ignorant of the truth that "Jesus was the Light that shines in the darkness - BUT  the darkness is incapable of extinguishing it."

The evil schemes of the wicked one cannot quench the Light of Christ, for Satan is an enemy that was eternally defeated through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. It is impossible for the darkness of Satan, sin, death, and hell to overcome the glorious light of the gospel of God. Darkness cannot overpower Christ's light, nor can it quench its illuminating rays.

Although the evil principalities of darkness will do all in their power to frustrate its almighty strength, the Light of Christ has already overcome the powers of darkness, and its penetrating rays will continue to invade the dominion of evil, with every soul that confesses Christ as Lord.

The opening statement of John's gospel lays out, in all its beauty, Who Jesus is and why He came. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of the most High God, who existed from eternity past and is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit. He is the very essence of God and united in purpose and power. He came to this world as The Light that shines in the darkness, YET the darkness could not comprehend it.

God is Spirit but Christ came to earth as a mortal Man to become our kinsman-Redeemer, for He is God of gods and Light and lights - but He is also Man of men. Only through the Man, Christ Jesus can men receive Peace with God and the Peace of God. Only in Him is Hope and Joy and Life everlasting, for God the Father decreed that God the Son should come to shine the Light of God's Life and Love into the world, so that all who believe on Him could be enlightened by the truth, reflect the light of His love and be enlivened with His life... but He was rejected as a result of man's sin.

Christ Jesus is that LIGHT that has been shining from eternity past, and it is only through Him that God's light and life and love and hope and joy and peace will flow, for God has decreed that Christ is all in all. May we bathe in the glorious light of His love for the eternal ages to come, and may we reflect His light in this darkened world and permit His love to flow through us to others - until I am nothing and He is everything.

My Prayer

Thank You, Father, that the Light of Jesus has shone into my heart, for I trust Him alone as my Saviour and Lord. May the light of Your love shine through me, to others, for Your praise and glory, until it is not I that shines in my life, but the light of Christ shining through me. This I ask in Jesus' precious name, AMEN.

See you next blog,

Ted

Happy are the Unhappy...

Happy people are unhappy people, because Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” In the Beatitudes, the word “blessed” that Jesus used is interchangeable with “happy.”

To put it another way, happy are the unhappy.

“Well, that makes no sense at all,” you’re saying. “Either you’re happy or you’re unhappy.”

No, before you can truly be happy, you first have to be unhappy. You have to see your real state before God, which is a sinful state. And you have to mourn over that state.

Also, the word that Jesus used here for “mourn” is the most severe of nine Greek words for grief that we find in the Scriptures. It’s reserved for mourning the dead. While this verse applies in principle to all who mourn, let’s look at it in context.

Let’s go back to the previous beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3 NKJV). It’s a little scary to see what sinners we really are. But when we cry out to God and mourn over our condition, then we will find comfort.

As commentator Warren Wiersbe has pointed out, “It is as wrong to mourn when God has forgiven us as it is to rejoice when sin has conquered us.”

It’s better to mourn now and laugh later than to laugh now and mourn later. When you really mourn for your condition and repent of it, you can experience the true happiness that God wants you to experience.

Have you ever shed a tear over a sin in your own life? Have you ever done something you were ashamed of and wept over it?

The Bible tells us that godly sorrow will produce repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:10). This can be a good thing, because that mourning can produce tangible results.

from  Pastor Greg Laurie

Count Your Blessings

By Rob Pue, Publisher Wisconsin Christian News

“But now think of THIS: Jesus Christ, our Lord, REVERSED that curse and conquered sin and death for us as He wore that crown of thorns on His head! Truly, those who murdered Him knew NOT what they were doing — and Satan perhaps even thought he had ‘won.’”

In these times of trouble and tribulation, with all that’s happening in the world today, it’s easy to succumb to a spirit of hopelessness, despair, and grief — for the deceived, lost and perishing people around us, and yes, even for ourselves. It’s especially grievious when those deceived, lost and perishing are people we know and love. Perhaps even our own spouses, children and grandchildren.

We look around and see how Satan and his demons seem to be in charge of everything now, and how truth is now regarded as “hate speech,” having fallen in the streets long ago. We see how successful the enemy has become at twisting hearts and minds, and fundamentally changing our society and culture and the entire world all around us, and it’s easy to become discouraged. There are so many lies, so much hatred, so many who have departed from the faith and chosen instead to follow doctrines of demons. Yes, it can become very disheartening.

But here’s what I KNOW:  “God’s Word is truth” (John 17:17). And the Bible He has given us, from Genesis to Revelation is FILLED with all we need to know about the history — and the future — of this world. It is FILLED with all we need to know to live our lives as God’s own children, to raise OUR children to know and love Him, and to learn to disciple others and share the Good News of the Kingdom and Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross with them as well. It’s also FILLED with warnings about what NOT to do, how NOT to live in this world… as well as instruction on how to fight the spiritual battles that threaten to ensnare us every day. In short, God’s Word is FILLED with everything we need to equip us to live here on this earth and to prepare us for eternity. We need no other instruction than that which He has already graciously given.

Having said that, I’d like us to consider today, just how much JOY, PRAISE, and BEAUTY we also find in God’s holy Book. And though it’s easy to take our eyes off of our Creator and dwell on the negative, there are virtually countless Scriptures that talk about God’s goodness, His peace, the Comfort of the Holy Spirit, and especially giving thanks.

Just as WE appreciate it when our earthly children are THANKFUL to us for all we provide and do for them, our Heavenly Father wants US to be thankful to Him as well. And we have SO MUCH to be thankful FOR! You know, you cannot be discouraged or depressed AND THANKFUL for all the many blessings you’ve received from the Lord at the same time… it’s just not possible. So I encourage you to be THANKFUL today… and every day to the One who Created us, and this amazing “habitat” called “Earth” that He designed as our temporary home.

I’m reminded of the old hymn by John Oatman, written in 1897, titled “Count Your Blessings.” It goes like this:

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost; Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

   “Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will keep singing as the days go by.

   “So, amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you, to your journey’s end.”

Oftentimes, when I find myself loaded down with burdens and cares, I’m not able to sleep at night, or to calm my troubled mind. So I spend time in prayer and then I begin to count MY many blessings. A word of caution here: if you DO this — (begin to count your blessings) — instead of helping you fall into peaceful sleep, oftentimes I find myself UNABLE to name all the many blessings God has so graciously given me, and I find I’m actually so filled with thankfulness and wonder and awe at what God has done for ME, I’m too excited to sleep after not very long!

I think of God’s beautiful Creation — the entire universe, designed and set in motion and sustained by His mighty hand. Through a powerful telescope on a dark, starry night, I’ve seen with my own eyes the rings of Saturn, and other planets, close up; not to mention our own moon — created by God and placed in just the right spot to not just light our way at night but also to help sustain life on our planet.

And this beautiful, wondrous earth. I have been blessed to be able to see and enjoy more of it in my lifetime than I ever thought I would… I’ve been to the highest mountain peaks in North America (and played in the snow at those summits with my kids on my birthday in August) …as well as the lowest point called “Death Valley.” I’ve swam in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, I’ve been to tropical rain forests and desolate, wind-swept deserts. I’ve seen the raging rivers and the awesome power of Niagara Falls. Living in Wisconsin, I’ve spent much time taking in the splendor of the Great Lakes. I was even blessed to pilot a steamship part-way across Lake Michigan one time.

I’m constantly amazed at God’s creation. Just the sheer BEAUTY of it is beyond description. And I often wonder what Eden must have been like, before the fall. When everything was perfect. As incredibly beautiful as our earth is today, none of us can even begin to imagine what it once was — and will one day be again — when the New Heaven and New Earth appear.

Before Adam sinned, everything was perfect. But once mankind disobeyed God and brought sin and death upon us, our earth began producing thorns and thistles. There were no thorns before that… just beauty and perfection. I think of what Christ did on that old rugged cross for those who repent and call upon His name… and how His tormentors tortured Him so cruelly before nailing Him to that Tree… they even went “the extra mile” by fashioning a crown of thorns and jamming it into His head. Think of that: THORNS… the very thing that was brought upon this earth by our own disobedience and unbelief. Those thorns were part of the curse when God cursed the ground because of OUR sin.

But now think of THIS: Jesus Christ, our Lord, REVERSED that curse and conquered sin and death for us as He wore that crown of thorns on His head! Truly, those who murdered Him knew NOT what they were doing — and Satan perhaps even thought he had “won.” But God worked even that wretchedness together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Yes, He wore the crown of thorns — He bore the curse and He REVERSED the curse for all who will repent and turn to Him.

Yes, I’m very thankful for this beautiful world God made for us. And all the animals and birds and flowers He filled it with for our pleasure. Each one an incredibly amazing, unique creation. Some of you know I am a bird-lover; if you just look at the incredible design of BIRDS alone — the many different ways each one is designed… some colorful and bright, “painted” with such creativity and splendor by the Master Craftsman Himself. Some with unbelievable eyesight… I’ll always remember the time I was out on a lake watching in awe as a Bald Eagle soared high overhead, circling. Suddenly, he swooped down, just above the surface of the lake, and before my eyes, snatched a fish from the water and flew it home to his Eagle family for dinner! Yes, God let me see that. Amazing.

Some birds don’t even fly — they swim, like penguins. But each one is beautiful, and each is designed with everything it needs to live and survive, and each is FED by the hand of God.   Now think of all the other animals the Lord made; then think of the “lillies of the field!” Some designed to be our food; some just for the pure beauty of seeing them, because God LIKED them!

And I have to wonder, looking around JUST AT CREATION, how anyone could ever even question the fact that there is a God in heaven who made all this. Romans 1 tells us, “the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead….”  Yes, those who doubt God are indeed, without excuse.

The human body is also a miracle of Creation. There is nothing else like it, designed for our souls to live in on this earth, but also blessed with the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Did you ever consider God did not HAVE to give us all these things? But He wanted us to be able to experience ALL these wondrous aspects of His creation — and in the New Heaven and New Earth, I can only imagine the wonders He has in store for our new, restored bodies!

Then, think of the changing seasons. The warmth and beauty of summer. The spectacular colors and crispness in the air at harvest time. The restoration time when the world sleeps during the winter, and then the rebirth that comes in the spring.

If you look around, you’ll see there is such BEAUTY and MAGNIFICENCE in this world that God provided for our earthly home. It’s hard to believe there are so many who continue to hate Him, deny Him, persecute those who love Him and seek to destroy all that is beautiful, lovely, and good.

Yes, there is great beauty, but also great ugliness. One one side, you have the things of God and His incredible creation, His amazing design for mankind. You have the natural family, one man and one woman, designed to be united for life in holy matrimony, a covenant union, producing beautiful babies that we are to nurture, train up and teach all we know about our Heavenly Father, teaching THEM to honor and revere their Lord too. On the other side you have darkness, evil schemes, greed, lies, deceit, treachery, sorcery, demonism, hedonism, and death. Spiritual warfare continues and daily we are to put on the armor of God that we might stand firm in our faith and resist the wiles and temptations of the enemy.

And again, the work of spiritual warfare — which we are ALL, as Christians, CALLED to engage in, serving as a restraining force against evil in this world — is much easier for us when we count our blessings and remain THANKFUL to God for each one. Psalm 95:2, “Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” Psalm 106 and 107 both begin with the same words:  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever.”  And in case you didn’t catch the gist of those Scriptures, look at all of Psalm 136!

Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!” And we all know Philippians 4:6 and 7, “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

And continuing on in Philippians, in Verse 8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

We have so much to be thankful for. Yes, the world around us may be dark and growing darker every day. We may very well be at the closing end of days here on this earth, and we may be precariously perched on the precipice of the Great Tribulation, when the wrath of God is unleashed on all those who hate Him. But while we are still here, while we still have breath in our lungs, there is still good work for us to do. And our job is to BE His Church, to BE the salt and light of the world, to serve as His restraining force against the evil of the enemy, to preach the Gospel and make disciples, and to ALWAYS be thankful to our Creator and Sustainer and to praise Him in all circumstances. There is no greater calling and no greater purpose.

When the enemy of our souls has you discouraged and depressed — again, simply begin to count your blessings and name them, one by one. Thank the Lord for all He’s given you, and then with a grateful heart for the privilege of serving your King, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back to work. Use your talents wisely, because there comes a day, perhaps soon, when no man will be able to work; so let us be about His business as good stewards of the faith and press on, rejoicing always and thanking God for His abundant love and grace toward us. Let there never be found among us any hint of grumbling or murmuring or ungratefulness. Our Lord has made us His own children, and we’ve been blessed beyond all measure. Thank Him, every day, and let’s do EVERYTHING we do as service unto our Lord.   I pray you and your loved ones will have a blessed and happy time of Thanksgiving this year — not just for a day, but every day, as you work to minister to and serve all those around you!

Your brother in Christ,

Ted

When you feel outnumbered and surrounded by the enemy...

Ever find yourself in a situation where you felt like there was no obvious way out? You’re not alone. Here’s how someone from scripture handled that same situation.

Actually, there could be any number of examples we could draw from in this situation. David, Moses, Hezekiah, and others. But let’s focus in on Elijah’s protege, Elisha.

Like Elijah before him, Elisha was NOT ‘too spiritual’ to meddle in the affairs of politics. He told kings to their face when they had wronged God, and demonstrated the LORD’s lovingkindness to those his own culture would consider the least deserving.

Not surprisingly, being bold in the name of the Lord has consequences. Like most other things in life, taking a strong stand on something is a good way to make enemies — taking a stong stand on Truth and God’s word is among the best of them. Countless believers through history have lost their heads over it, literally.

In his role of prophet, Elisha was frustrating the Syrian king by warning the King of Israel about every military trap he was planning to spring, even before he set it. The Syrian king got word that Elisha was the cause of his frustration, so he adjusted his strategy and turned his army against the prophet himself, seeking to silence him. (Logic was not his strong suit.)

He took his army and surrounded Dothan (See: 2 Kings 6:8-23)

He and his servant (who would be viewed today as ‘the rational one’) were at home when the army showed up and surrounded them.

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

That’s the standard answer so many of us would give today, isn’t it? You look at the situation, see it through the rational lens of statistical analysis and throw up our hands at the impossible situation.

But he has forgotten who he is standing with: the only prophet in the Old Testament that has seen the Lord heal a leper; the only prophet in the Old Testament that has seen someone come back from death. Elisha is not seeing things merely through the context of what human effort can do… but he’s seeing it through the context of what GOD can do.

Elisha answered him: Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”

What would those of us in modern, ‘respectible’ Christianity have thought in that situation? Would we have defaulted to functional athiesm and done the situational calculus without leaving roo for the arm of God? Or would we have boldly trusted to His promise? How many of us would have said, ‘Bro, have you been in the hot sun too long? What do you mean by more with us? Can’t you even COUNT?’ There are two of us, and a whole freaking ARMY out there waiting to kill us.

Here’s what happened next:

So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.

As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

He dealt with those who came looking for his head in a most amazing way. He prayed for them to be struck blind — they were. Suddenly they were helpless, so Elisha led them to the Jewish king they had been warring with. He showed kindness to them, spared their lives, and sent them on their way.

This act of trusting God not only helped the prophet personally, but it brought an end to the militarly harrassment the Syrians had been bringing upon their king.

When given the power of life and death over his enemies, the man of god offered them back their lives (that’s grace), and solved a political / cultural problem (that’s peace) in the process.

Moral of the story?

Be open to God’s solutions to your situations — even the supposedly ‘impossible’ ones. Because even though it might feel like you’re ‘surrounded’, you might come to realize that God had ‘the enemy’ surrounded all along, but you couldn’t quite see it.

When you ARE open to God’s solutions, and have the guts to follow them, their ultimate impact could be far greater than you could possibly have imagined. In fact, more often than not, that’s exactly what happens.

If you have trouble hearing it from this scribbler of words, hear it from the Lord of Glory himself: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

For those of you that want to get better at shifting your paradigm to make room for a really BIGGGGG GOD! I highly recommend Doug Giles Book called Rules For Radical Christians!

TEN REASONS: Why Pathetic Pastors Stay Silent on Serious Issues

Lately, I've had people tell that they go to church to find answers but then all they tend to get is a feel-good message. So they set up to counsel with someone from the church or the pastor himself because they have some serious questions that need answers. They are searching but they may be told they are trying to hard to get answers that only God can answer, or they are told they need to get in touch with themselves and learn to love themselves as they are. There are many of these feel good answers that have nothing to do with the GOSPEL MESSAGE that Jesus wanted pastors and elders to give to the people who inquired. The Lord challenges to be ready to give an ANSWER to any who ask 1Peter 3:15 says: 
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect...  WITH RESPECT IS IMPORTANT!  
I found that Doug Giles is also tired of hearing the same things I am hearing from those who inquire...please read all of this!
Ted

TEN REASONS: Why Pathetic Pastors Stay Silent on Serious Issues
Here are 10 reasons why pastors avoid political and cultural issues:

1. Fear of man. If you purport to be a man of “the cloth”, then your regard for God and his opinion must trump the trepidation of the creature he created from spit and mud. Come on, man of God – don’t fear us. We’re ants with cell phones who’ll shoot Botox into our foreheads. We’re friggin’ weird and fickle weather vanes of the modern media. Lead us – don’t just follow us!

Man of God, fear God! Declare his will and his way and let the chips fall where they may. Within both the Old and New Testaments there are very unmuddled, eternal opinions on current political issues. These opinions should be embraced and shouldn’t be publicly curbed and bridled because some deranged deacon, some quacky congregant or a preening politician doesn’t agree with the scripture and might get their panties in a wad over a particular political issue. Never live for a nod from the congregation or some political twerp or a particular party, especially when said group is way off biblical base.

2. Ignorance. Most people are not bold in areas where they are ignorant … always excepting Michael Moore, of course. I know keeping up with all the pressing political issues is maddening but that’s life, Dinky, and if you want to be a voice in society and not an echo, you have got to be in the know. Staying briefed, running each political issue through the gauntlet of the scripture and determining God’s mind on a certain subject is par for the course, for the hardy world changer. It’s the information age. Get informed and watch your boldness increase.

3. Division. I hate the current non-essential divisions in the church as much as the next acerbic Christian columnist. Squabblin’ over the color of the carpet, who’ll play the organ next Sunday or who the Beast of Revelation is! Puhleese!

Dial down on the inconsequential seditiousness, okay, Jedediah? Relax. Go into the desert and get focused. The church is currently so divided and defeated with such minutiae that we can’t agree on which shade of white to paint the vestibule!

4. Last Days Madness. Many ministers do not get involved in political issues because they believe that, “it simply doesn’t matter” since “the end has come”, and Jehovah is about to run the credits on this failed earth flick. These defeatists believe that any change in the jet stream, war, earthquakes, success of a corrupt politician, even a new Britney Spears video, is “proof” that God is getting really, really, ticked off and His only recourse is to have Christ physically return and kick some major butt.

Their only hope is in ‘The Rapture’. They see the church and themselves as impotent and having no real ability to change things culturally with any long-range ramifications. Thus, any stab at a better tomorrow is simply an exercise in futility for this crew. Attempting to right culture is, in their eyes, equivalent to polishing brass on a sinking ship. They are, therefore, content to simply pass out tracts, tramp from Christian rock concert to Christian rock concert, eat fatty foods, and stare at Christian TV.

5. Sloth. Classically defined, sloth is lethargy stemming from a sense of hopelessness. Viewing our nation and the world as an irreparable disaster, where our exhortations, prayers, votes and labors will not produce any temporal fruit, leaves one with all the fervor of a guy who’s forced to French kiss his sister.

If you wonder why your flock is so apathetic, ask yourself, Pastor Grim Carnage, if you have stolen their earthly hope that their valiant efforts can actually prevail in time, and not just in eternity. If you constantly pump the doom and gloom message, if you teach them that evil will ultimately triumph on our terra firma, if you spew messages that consciously or unconsciously convey “big anti-Christ and little Jesus Christ”, then you have effectively zapped what’s left of your parishioners passion.

6. Tax Exemption Pre-emption. Many pastors, priests and parishioners have been cowed into inactivity by the supposed loss of their tax-exempt status if they say anything remotely political. This can make folks who don’t or won’t get good legal advice as politically active as Howard Hughes during the flu season … but it needn’t.

First of all, there’s no need to have an IRS 501[c][3] tax-exempt charitable status to assemble and be a proper church. The church has been around a little bit longer than the 501 [c][3] statutes, right? We are afforded the right to assemble, by God and by the Constitution. Not having the tax exempt status simply means you’ll have to pay taxes at Costco when you buy hot dogs for the church picnic.

Secondly, 501[c][3] or not, we are called to obey God rather than men, and God has called his leaders to be involved in civic affairs, and to represent Christ and his word in all areas of society. And that entails expounding the biblical worldview all the time, including election time. Sometimes you have to rebel against unrighteous, limiting laws. There’s nothing wrong with proper civil disobedience when the need arises, especially if the government tries to stifle your scriptural rights and obligations.

Off the clock, in his personal capacity, the pastor or priest can endorse and support – or oppose – whoever or whatever he wishes, like any other citizen. There are no limitations to the individual; the ones which do exist under the 501[c][3] statute are only for the church entity and/or the pastor in his official capacity, not for the pastor or the members who make up the church.

7. Paltry pietism and the separation from the world mentality. Pastors and priests avoid politics because such concerns are “unspiritual”, and their focus is on the “spirit world”. Yes, to such imbalanced ministers, political affairs are seen as “temporal and carnal”, and because pastors and priests trade in the “eternal and spiritual”, such “transient” issues get the same attention from them as Rosie’s AbBlaster does from her.

What drives this type of clergy and Christian? Well, this brand of believer desires a “personal relationship with Jesus only” type of religion. This bunch is primarily into heavenly emotions and personal Bible study, tucked away from society and its complicated issues. Being preoccupied with looking inward and upward, such solipsistic saints inadvertently chain themselves to the never ending treadmill of spiritual introspection. They forget that they are commanded to be seriously engaged with our culture. The effects of this type of “Christian” separatism/pietism proved disastrous in pre-Nazi Germany, and aided and abetted Hitler in mounting his hellish warhorse.

8. The Thought Police have Tali-banned us. Pastors and priests have muffled their political voice because they fear being lumped in with the radical Muslim extremists by the politically correct thought police. The correlation made between Christians’ non-violent attempts at policy persuasion and Taliban’s kill-you-in-your-sleep campaigns is nothing more than pure uncut crapola. Here’s what I’m talking about: A minister who wants to protect the unborn, preserve the Biblical and traditional view of marriage, maintain our nation’s basis in some semblance of Biblical righteousness all of the sudden gets grouped up with Osama and his nuclear-suitcase-carrying cabal.

Ministers, please blow off the tongue wagging blowhards who try to intimidate you into silence by making quantum ludicrous scat laden analogous leaps in equating the implementation of a Biblical worldview with the Taliban’s cross-eyed perspective.

9. Mothering the Minute. Ministers can’t get involved in studying or speaking out regarding political issues simply because of the ten tons of minutiae they are forced to field. Spending time wet nursing 30-year-olds without a life and being bogged down in committee meetings over which shade of pink paint should be used for the Woman’s Aglow ministerial wing of their church, ministers are lucky if they get to study the scripture nowadays, much less anything else.

In the unending, need-driven narcissistic American church, pastors work overtime for spiritually overweight parishioners regarding issues that ultimately are inconsequential. This is both the fault of the ministers (messiah complex) and fault of the congregants (me-monkey syndrome), and both have got to have an exorcism or something if the church is going to tackle pressing cultural issues.

10. It’ll cost them Money. The creepy thing about a lot of ministers is their unwillingness to give political offense when offense is needed, simply because taking a biblical stand on a political issue might cost them their time share in Aspen and their Chrysler Mini-Van. Oh well, what do you expect? Christ had his Judas and evangelicalism has it cheap prostitutes.

Anytime a pastor takes a sturdy stand on a substantial issue, it usually ends up offending some people. If a congregant gets angry because you have just barbequed his favorite ideological golden calf, his cash will leave weeks before his physical body departs to find a church that’ll tickle his ears.

Never fear, pastor. Even though nailing your colors to the mast during putrid political times might cost you a parishioner or two, don’t sweat it. There are also tens of thousands of serious parishioners who are looking for leaders with the ‘nads to lead the church to make its proper stance during days of declension. So, my advice to you, Mr. Minister, would be to stay the Biblical course against the secular corrupters. I guarantee you four things:

God will send you better soldiers of the cross,

He will supernaturally increase your revenue to labor for His cause,

You won’t have to look the other way when you approach a mirror, and –

You will sleep better at night knowing that cash couldn’t buy your convictions.

If Christian ministers would crucify their fear of man, get solidly briefed regarding the chief political issues, not sweat necessary division, not get caught up in last days madness, maintain their hope for tomorrow, understand their liberties under God and our Constitution, not become so heavenly minded they’re no earthly good, focus on the majors and blow off bowing to cash instead of convictions, then maybe … just maybe, we will see their influence cause our nation to take a righteous turn away from the secularist’s putrid path.


Written by Doug Giles on September 29, 2019