Thoughts From Acts 1 - Part 4

  Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:21-26

the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Rev. 21:10-14

       Acts is a difficult book to apply to our lives because it's difficult to know how much is prescription and how much is description. What I mean is should we pray about decisions then roll dice and go with it? I guess the Urim and Thummim were something like that but that was before the Holy Spirit lived in people. Should they have added a twelfth apostle to replace Judas or let God replace him with someone "abnormally born." Will Matthias' name really be etched into the foundations of the New Jerusalem? I guess he played as big a role as James son of Alphaeus or James the Less, but I would almost expect to see Paul's name amongst the other 11.

       Sometimes I think Acts is a book describing the fledgling church taking off in spite of a bunch of numskulls not because of. Yes, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and He was guiding them, but just like today in our churches, a lot of it is trial and error. My wife is constantly saying about our church's plans, "That will never work!" Although that pretty much is her first response to everything, in her defense she does see the whole picture while a group of men in charge often don't. I see Peter leading business meetings in that sort of light - the blind leading the blind. Suddenly an impulsive fisherman is being a moderator of a meeting.

      It's interesting to note that some had been with Jesus from the start but weren't added to His 12. Why 12? Why not, "OK, you are all my disciples, males, females, everyone who is following me."? Numbers are significant to God. That's one thing I always liked about math - there was one right answer just like reality. Jesus is the only way, the only right answer. Things like literature, philosophy, etc. had answers that could all be correct no matter how diverse. God wanted twelve disciples and that was it. I don't know why but He has a reason. The latter part of Exodus spells out the exact dimensions that God wanted everything in the tabernacle to adhere to. If you continue to read about the New Jerusalem, all its dimensions are spelled out. Why? When you read about the temple at the end of Ezekiel, there are cubit measurements galore. Why? I don't know but numbers are significant to God.

      History tells us certain things about Matthias that he ministered in Judea and Turkey and was probably stoned to death and then beheaded. So you want to be a disciple? It reminds me of when the disciples James and John asked to sit next to Jesus in His kingdom and His answer was classic - "Those seats are taken but you will suffer like me." Not much of an incentive to disciplehood but when you think about eternity and having your name etched on the foundations of the New Jerusalem, it's a small price to pay. What legacy are you trying to leave? Are you after comfort, safety and ease or are you ready to say, "Here am I, pick me"!

Thoughts From Acts 1 - Part 3

  In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“‘May his place be deserted;
    let there be no one to dwell in it,’

and,

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’ Acts 1:15-20

Even my close friend,
    someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
    has turned against me. Ps. 41:9

If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship Ps. 55:12-14

 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord. Zech. 11:12,13

May their place be deserted;
    let there be no one to dwell in their tents. Ps.69:25

May his days be few;
    may another take his place of leadership. Ps.109:8

In the previous passage we saw the prophecy around 500BC given that Jesus was coming back someday as the King of the World arriving on the Mount of Olives. Today, Peter quotes 2 of the at least 5 prophecies about Judas, some going back to 1000BC.

Out of all the Holy Books written, what makes the Bible unique? There are so many factors but the one that stands out to me is the prophecy in it. If it is claimed to be written by God inspiring human authors, then since God is outside time, we would expect the Bible to be outside time, and it is. What do I mean by that? Imagine a blimp over the Macy's Day parade. The occupants would see the beginning of the parade and the end of the parade all at the same time. That's like God being outside time. The blimp occupants could tell the onlookers at 26th street what is happening at 72nd street, 42 blocks before it reaches them. That's the Bible. David writes in the year 1000BC what Judas is going to do in 32AD with such detail that it can't be denied. Then Zechariah writes in 500BC things that will happen in 32AD and as we saw previously, things that will happen that haven't yet! And unlike today's charlatans, all the prophecies are true.

In our day, we have seen certain prophecies being fulfilled, the main one being Israel re-formed as a nation. I believe most of the others we will not be privy to as we are going to be raptured before the Antichrist coming on the scene and all the end-times prophecies, but one thing's true - they will happen because the God who sees the end and the beginning at the same time, has told the authors of the Bible what to write down. I may be sitting at 2026 but there's something coming in 2072, 46 years down the line that He has already seen coming. I'm overwhelmed to think that He calls me His child. What an amazing God!

Thoughts From Acts 1 - Part 2

 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:9-14

                                     500 years earlier Zechariah wrote

"3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name."

       The angel said to the disciples to stop staring into Heaven, Jesus is gone. But He isn't gone for good - He's coming back at a later time to be King over the whole earth. The disciples, as seen in the previous verses, thought Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, was going to set up His throne now but now they are finally going to realize there are two comings of Jesus - one to die and save (the Lamb) and one to conquer, punish, and reign (the Lion).

      We still await the second coming 2000 years later and the angel would tell us the same thing - be encouraged, Jesus is coming back and we win! In the meantime, though, meet together, pray together and then get out there and reach the world for Christ. How much time do we spend praying together? It makes no earthly sense, but I'm convinced that from my experience of personal revival with power from on high, that meeting together for prayer will be what changes the world. It's not hiring firms to come up with a marketing and growth plan, it's not bringing in special speakers to draw people in, it's groups of 2-4 meeting at 6AM to pray for 45 minutes before the day starts. I dare you - do that for a year and see what happens!

Thoughts From Acts 1 - Part 1

 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:1-8

        When Jesus died on the cross He exclaimed, "It is finished." What was finished? The redemption of mankind by His death on the cross for us who by faith receive it. It's sort of like when our last child moved out we could say "we're done." But were we? Only that part of raising children was finished. Now we are involved in training grandchildren.

       Luke starts out with saying that in his previous book he documented what Jesus began to do and teach. Obviously, when Jesus cried out "It is finished" only that part was - he is still at work today doing and teaching. It's cool to think that when Luke penned this 2000 years ago, he was foreshadowing that Jesus would be doing through you and me and teaching you and me today. As I demonstrate and speak Christ to my hometown, Knoxville, Memphis, Atlanta, California and in September, South America, I through the Holy Spirit am continuing the work of Christ.

       Unlike Muhammed, Buddha, and others who are in their tomb, Jesus is alive and still working, and it's a good thing because in our own power we would mess everything up. The disciples, after spending three years being taught by Jesus, still didn't get it. They still thought that Jesus came to deliver them from the Romans and set up an earthly kingdom, the very thing He wasn't doing. No wonder he replied something like, "wait for Pentecost to go out and speak because without me living in you, you will get it all wrong."

      I pray today on our 45th anniversary in Memphis that Jesus would continue to work through my wife and me. He's only just begun.

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 7

  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.21 Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.  Phil. 4:20-23

        Paul has focused a lot on rejoicing, contentment, unity and not being discouraged or discontent in this chapter even while writing from prison. He has said over and over that the key to being joyful and content and looking past the stressors of the day is not to be secure financially, go shopping, get drunk, go on vacation, go to therapy, read books on the power of positive thinking, but rather focus on Heaven. Jesus is coming back soon to get you and you're going to live forever with all the benefits of a child of the King. If you live in that frame of mind, how can anything bring you down as Satan attempts to make you the typical Christian who is surviving, not thriving. I just saw that a kid in Texas led 895 of his classmates to the Lord. If that's true, I bet he didn't go around anxious about acne.

       Paul ends that "the grace of Christ might be with their spirit." What's grace? Getting what we don't deserve. So instead of punishment for our sins, we get adoption into the family of God. Friends of God! Co-heirs with Christ. He's saying, let that elevate your spirit even though you may be going through trials. He starts out with "To our God and Father..." We belong to God! And we belong to each other. We never need to feel alone. Paul says that we now have "brothers and sisters" that love us even though we've never met them. I was at a University of Memphis vs. Arkansas football game sitting in the Arkansas section and when Arkansas scored the woman next to me hugged me and her husband was sitting right behind her. Just imagine the hugs we will get from belonging to team Jesus! As I walked to my place in Memphis, I was greeted cordially by an immigrant picking up trash and then walked past a $350,000 Bentley convertible in a driveway. Imagine for a moment that in one block both of these people were my brothers in Christ. Paul says that his fellowship there consisted of prisoners all the way to the household of Ceasar. That's how diverse the kingdom is. I'm about to go to a Forrest Frank concert in Nashville and there will be 75,000 family members I get to hug, sing with dance with, worship with and these are all brothers and sisters - I never need to feel alone.

      Loneliness, anxiety, depression - Satan, we're on to your game and you can't have us!

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 6

  Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:14-19

        I remember as a kid at Crescent Lake Bible Camp in Rhinelander Wisconsin, a preacher challenged us to name the top 10 chapters in the Bible. I suppose now you would just ask AI and get a pretty good list. Of course, Psalm 23, Isaiah 53, Genesis 1, Exodus 20, John 3 immediately come to mind but in that top 10 he included Philippians 4. There are a lot of classic verses like 4, 6-8, 13, and finally 19 that I memorized as a child. How do I know they were as a child - they are all in King James. Verse 19 is the second of the two verses that I alluded to in the previous blog as being taken out of context.

       It says that God will meet all your needs basically because He owns everything and because of Christ's sacrifice, you are in His family, and He will take care of you. I fully endorse that interpretation and believe it to be on point. So how are people misinterpreting it? I think that in context, Paul is thanking the church in Philippi for their financial support. Paul refers to their gifts as a sacrifice so I would take that it wasn't out of their abundance but was a strain on their finances to give. I think of the land that David bought from Arunah as the death angel stopped at his plot of land. Arunah said, "Take it, it's yours!" David said, "I will not offer to God that which cost me nothing" and paid a large fee. This is, I believe, the sacrificial style of giving that the Philippians participated in.

        When Paul pens the famous verse 19, what he is getting at is that as we give to the Lord in such a manner that it hurts, God won't let you starve or be homeless - He will meet those needs. Charlatans have abused this principle to say that God will give it all back to you with interest but actually it just says that He promises to meet your needs. Does that mean that God will meet your needs even if you don't give sacrificially because you are His child? I don't think we can assume that from these verses. I have a friend who struggles with just one verse in the Bible, "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging for bread." He says, but I have! Maybe taking this verse along with Paul's verses, the righteous are the ones who are giving sacrificially? Just a thought.

       I tend to not give sacrificially. We probably give close to 25%, maybe more maybe less (I don't want to reap the consequences of Ananias and Saphyra if I exaggerate) but it doesn't hurt. We need to give more. I feel like my needs are met by my savings not supernaturally by the Lord. I realize though that the savings are a gift from Him as He has given us everything, but I don't want that to serve as a cop-out either. What about you? Do you give sacrificially or out of your excess? Don't say, "I can't give because I won't have enough to get by" - that is what Paul is saying is a flawed statement.

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 5

 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phil. 4:10-13

        There are two very popular yet greatly misunderstood verses in Philippians chapter four. The first is the "eye-black" verses, thirteen. This is the "eye-black verse" because athletes, specifically football players, wear it on a black adhesive under their eyes. 

To them it means I can throw a touchdown pass or make an elusive run or make a game saving tackle through the power of Christ in my life. I can accomplish the impossible trusting in God's strength. While I love the sentiment and the fact that these guys are sharing God's word in public, it is grossly taken out of context. The key to understanding the verse is found in the highlighted word "this" in verse 13 although in fairness to Tim Tebow, "this" isn't found in the King James Version.

         What does "this" refer to? It refers to being content whether you have much or in abundance, or whether you have little like barely getting by. I suppose that a football player would be technically correct in wearing it if he is saying, "whether I win or lose, fumble or succeed, I will be content because I have Jesus. If that's what they mean by wearing it, good on them! Paul, when he was riding high as a prominent Pharisee probably had a nice house, a wife, ate at the finest establishments, had a closet full of tunics and went to the high-class bath houses. He had made it in the worlds' eyes. Then he got saved and was ostracized, in fear of his life, imprisoned, and dependent on the generosity of others and the supernatural provision by God for his next meal. Unlike us, Paul was just as happy with either, because he realized that the only thing that matters is having Christ.

          When should we wear the eye black? When we are staying at a motel 6 instead of an all-inclusive to better steward God's money. When we use our vacation time and discretionary funds to go on a mission trip instead of a cruise. When we quit a lucrative job to follow God's leading in a calling that doesn't pay well. When you choose to quit your job to raise children and have to go on a strict budget. Go ahead, put on the eye black and wear it proudly, but only if you can truly say that you are content. If you are jealously longing for the luxuries of life, then you haven't learned the secret of Jesus is better like Paul did.

       Comparison kills contentment. I don't know who coined that phrase, but nothing could be truer. Paul didn't have social media where at your fingertips are images of people enjoying all the things that you don't have. Maybe you need to go off social media. Or maybe you need to fall in love with Jesus so much that you can say, "As the deer pants for water, so my soul longs for You." Then like Paul you can say "I can do all this through Christ who strengthens me."

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 4

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:6-9

         Should Christians experience anxiety? Yes. Should Christians suffer from anxiety? No. Let me dig myself out of this hole which you may totally disagree with - and that's Ok. The Bible is inerrant - I'm not.

        Anxiety is rampant today. We just bought a bestselling book on screen time and over- protective parenting causing anxiety and limiting screen time and encouraging free play outside. Kids, because of social media are continually asking themselves, "Am I enough?" as they see photoshopped images with millions of views and likes while their posts get 12 views. I have to laugh that whenever our 13-year-old granddaughter is asked to take a picture, she has to turn the screen to face the other direction. They see parties where they weren't invited and wonder what's wrong with me and were they talking about me? Even without social media unexplainable fear or dread hits us all. I don't have much experience with this, but I was once singled out in medical school to review a slide during Pathology class in front of the whole class of 150 that was projected on a screen from a microscope. I felt like the dog in this far side cartoon except my caption would have been "I don't see a darn thing"

 Several days later I developed itchy plaques on my elbows and when I showed a doctor he said, "That's from anxiety." Wow, just that slight 5-minute experience of the fear of failure and being outed as not as smart as everyone else, triggered an illness on my body.

       I had a professor in college who quoted this verse and said anxiety is a sin, so the next point I just suggest on the chance that he was right. I think Jesus experienced anxiety in Gethsemane as he thought of his upcoming day as demonstrated by his sweat drops of blood and anguishing prayers to "take this cup from me." If Jesus experienced anxiety, it's safe to say that we all will. The point I made earlier is that, like with temptation we are all tempted, so with anxiety we will all be anxious, yet it can stop there - it doesn't need to go further. We don't need to suffer from anxiety. There are a lot of medications out there for anxiety which I prescribe, but if you are having to take these, I think you have to ask why. Paul gives a word in the middle of this, which I highlighted, thanksgiving, that may be the remedy. Forrest Frank, that profound theologian, writes;

Lord, I'm just grateful that I got to wake up today
You take my worries and hurries and fade 'em to grey
You have good plans for me, that's what You say
That's how I know everything is gonna be Okay!
I woke up late, and the house is a wreck
Couple bills on the counter, I don't wanna check
The car needs gas and an oil change
I guess I'll get around to that next
'Cause my son's doin' front-flips on the floor
And I'm supposed to be a silly dinosaur
Somewhere in the mess, I look to You
And a new song starts to break through
Lord, I'm just grateful that I got to wake up today
You take my worries and hurriеs and fade 'em to grey
You havе good plans for me, that's what You say
That's how I know everything is gonna be Okay!

In the midst of our anxiety can we think about the pure, true, wholesome, lovely promises of God and the good plans and future He not only has for us but is currently accomplishing through us, and just mentally remove ourselves from the temporary stressors that we are experiencing? Even Jesus did that. Hebrews 12 says, "For the Joy set before Him He endured the cross..." Paul recently mentioned the book of life. As we fear upcoming situations can we turn our eyes with thankfulness that our names are recorded there so what trivial thing down here could overshadow that? This thankful spirit is the barrier to anxiety getting a grip. Focus on the unseen, not the seen!

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 3

  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near Phil. 4:5

     " Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving..." These are two of the verses I learned as a kid and two of the most famous verses in the Bible, Phil. 4:4,6. Poor verse 5. He's like the middle child od Bible verses. Why didn't we memorize that? It's short enough. If your parents are bribing you to memorize verses, it's a gimme.

     As a male, I'm not sure I wanted to be known as gentle growing up. It's like all the girls writing in my yearbook what a nice guy I was. I wanted to be known for something a little more desirable - more masculine. If you were picking a basketball team, would you pick the fighter or the gentle guy? Now, at this age, I don't mind being considered gentle. The other day I was at a sandwich shop where they give free suckers, like Sugar Daddys or as I call them, crown removers, and a little kid was upset sitting at a table near me that he didn't get one. I reached over and handed him mine and he literally ran away. I guess the old saying, "Don't take candy from strangers" is still in play. What I wanted to tell him was that I was the most harmless person he would ever meet. Harmless - that's something you don't want written in your yearbook.

     Gentle people don't usually star in movies. They don't get the girl in Rom Coms. It's not a trait we value at all yet Paul says that considering God is watching you and He's coming back soon, let Him see you being gentle. That means that I might be the supporting actor in people's biography. That means that I might be the one who is going around putting people back together. It suggests that we are living not for ourselves and our rights and feelings but rather concerned with others more than ourselves - which is what love is, what the great commandment is. Remember that meekness means yieldedness which doesn't mean weakness. Weakness is definitely an undesirable trait, and we aren't commanded to be weak. Meekness means we have the power and right to be in control, to be about ourselves, to take charge, yet we yield it willingly to serve others. That's what Paul is getting at here.

      God is watching you - what is he seeing? Gentleness or assertiveness. Self-centeredness or love? People are watching you - what are they seeing. Gentleness or abrasiveness. Self- centeredness or someone that they can take their problems to? Be known for your gentleness!

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 2

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Phil. 4:4

       In America right now, there isn't a lot to rejoice in. Gas prices are at an all-time high, we're involved in a war that it seems very few people wanted with no clear path to accomplishing the goal of giving Iranian citizens a better life, Mid-terms are coming with mud-slinging starting, baseball is set for a strike, talks about relocating a whole city of New Orleans, a rocket blowing up, AI taking over jobs and its threat to humanity, grocery prices up, threats of Ebola and the list goes on. But the World Cup is coming! Although this means very little to the average U.S. citizen, have you ever seen the excitement in the stands and anywhere where a TV is located in other countries? There is an annoying background humming on TV during the games which I'm told is caused from people blowing some horns all game. They are so excited that they have to expel energy some way. Have you heard how the announcers scream GGGGGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLL when a team scores? It lasts like 20 seconds. I guess when there is one goal a game it's pretty exciting when it happens. Fans paint their faces wear team colors, work takes a back seat, and all people can talk about is soccer or football as non-Americans call it.

      Here's my point. In the midst of all the bad stuff going on, somehow people mentally remove themselves from that world into the world of soccer and live lives of rejoicing. This happens for a few weeks every four years. As Christians, is it possible to mentally remove ourselves from all the negativity going on around us and focus on the victory we've achieved in Christ? We have defeated death and overcome the world through our union with Christ. Our victor will be returning any time and passing out crowns. We are going to live forever in Heaven as sons of the King and yet we go around moping. We should be blowing those horns, I think they are called vuvuzelas, all day long. I think I will order one on Amazon.

 We should be painting our faces and wearing Team Jesus T-shirts. Have you seen the athletes wearing "Jesus Won" t-shirts? They get it! 

      We have so much to rejoice about! Christians should be known for rejoicing. Blow those vuvuzelas!

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 1

  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Phil. 4:1-3

         In the previous passage Paul was telling us how to keep from being defeated and giving in to the mindset of the Kingdom of Earth which glorifies power, wealth, image, influence, and indulging fleshly appetites, and his answer was to keep looking up - to focus on Heaven - to keep our eyes on the prize. Isn't that the crux of faith anyway? When you look at the faith chapter, Hebrews 11, there are six illustrations of that;

1. they accepted the confiscation of their property because they knew they had better and lasting possessions 10:34

2. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents because they were looking forward to a city built by God. 11:9,10

3. They lived like aliens because they were longing for a heavenly country 11:15

4. Moses left the treasures of Egypt, disgraced, because he was looking for a reward 11:26

5. Saints were tortured so they could receive a better resurrection 11:35

6. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. 12:2

So in other words, to escape the world from getting inside us, our faith must increase which is relying on and trusting in the unseen.

       Paul gives two examples of this in this passage. First, he calls the church his crown. A crown is something we receive as a prize or reward, or a symbol of status that usually has great value on the Earth. Paul is using the term symbolically because his prize will be when he gets to Heaven and sees them there as a result of his faithfulness. God might even award him a crown in Heaven for his faithfulness and obedience. Paul eschews wealth, status, rewards on Earth for rewards in Heaven. Can the same be said of us or are we seeking recognition here on Earth more so than Heaven?

      Secondly, he refers to names of believers written in the Book of Life. When it is all said and done, does it matter if our names are written on a list of who's who down here or will it matter for all eternity that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? If I ever get awards or recognition may it end by me saying, "I appreciate the recognition but even if I wasn't recognized in this way, I'm grateful that my name is written in the Book of Life and I have crowns waiting for me in Heaven and that's all I'll ever need."

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 4

  For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Phil. 3:18-21

           I do spend a lot of time on Twitter or X I must confess. Instagram and Facebook get little time and I've never downloaded TikTok. We just took a trip with our 13 year old niece to California and she said, "Isn't Facebook for old people?" I fear for her development and my other 10 grandchildren as they grow up in this cell phone era. The stuff I see on X makes me cringe. I like X because it keeps me up to date on my baseball team, the news (have to fact check everything though), Christian leaders and edifying posts, Christian music, Pokemon Go events and more. But other things pop up like young adult influencers who break records of how many people you can have sex with in a day, masturbating live on Only Fans, drunken parties, showing off perfect bodies, and podcasts discussing every lewd behavior imaginable with millions of views. Just saw that Chelsea Handler sleeps with multiple men and if anyone wants to get serious, they are gone. Cherlize Theron says it's a turn off if guys say "You want to make love?" She says just say, "You want to have sex?" Clavicular says that his signature move is to approach women with an erection. It's shameful for me to even repeat this stuff!

       Paul would describe these posts as "taking glory in their shame". In other words, the things that they should be ashamed of is what they are posting and actually getting famous for. He talks about this in his letter to the Romans as he is talking about the downward spiral of sin when he says,

 "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

       He says that they approve of, or in modern day vernacular "give likes to" or "follow" people who take glory in what should be shameful. Was Paul prophesying about today? No, things have always been this bad, in fact God flooded the earth and started over because 4000 years ago it was worse. Never before, however, has debauchery been at our fingertips 24/7 before. Our poor kids and grandkids. As Allison Eide sings, "Sorry if you're growing up and you're 15 and living in the 21st century..."

      How can we not succumb? My dad would say, "Keep looking up!" Set our eyes and affections on the return of the Lord and as the saying goes, "Make Heaven crowded" Spend more time in the Word and talking to God than we do scrolling or texting. Spend more money on expanding the kingdom than our waste lines and then spending money on Ozempic to reduce them. As the song goes,

       "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face;

         And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

         In the light of His glory and grace."    Post that!

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 3

 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. Phil. 3:15-17

       I was recently watching an episode of Dutton Ranch, a spinoff of Yellowstone, where the son gets in trouble for beating up someone while defending someone else and when he's confronted by his dad he tells his dad, "That's what you do". His dad answers, "How many times have I told you to do as I say, not as I do?" I'm sure you've heard the warnings in church, "Keep your eyes focused on Christ not other Christians. Christians will always let you down." Paul is giving different advice here. Paul is telling them to follow his example and others who live like Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus do.

      Is there anyone you know who you feel safe in following their example? Could people follow your life and be safe? As a parent I can't say do as I say, not as I do, because kids won't listen to that or respect it. They think if you do it, why shouldn't they? Behavior is like entropy, it always goes toward disorder rather than order. It always goes toward how bad can I be, not how good can I be - that's the sin nature. We need to model righteous behavior and have people see the good that comes from it.

       Paul adds that we don't model and do good deeds to get to God, but rather we live up to what we have already attained. In other words, because Christ washed away your sins and regenerated you, or made you a new person, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you and God sees you as good or righteous. You don't have to attain "goodness", you are already "good". Now just live it, don't live a lie.

      There are so many hypocrites out there that it's hard to know who to model your life after besides Christ. I think that's why the warnings to follow Christ not Christians. My question to you is are you going to be the kind of Christian that people could safely follow or are you going to be a broken down one? Be the one!