Eternal Life

I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47, NET Bible)



One might ask, “What else is there to a walk with Christ Jesus?” Well, friends, we have to unpack this statement a little bit or else our very belief becomes our undoing. Jesus is real. Of that much, I am sure. But I am also reminded of James’ words in James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear.” Do demons not have eternal life? Or are they mortal like you and I?

I don’t mean to scare anyone (or maybe I do) but knowing that Jesus is Lord does not guarantee one’s place in heaven. It only guarantees one’s place in eternity. The implications of truth are as dire as they get. That is why even Jesus spends so much time spelling things out to us in John’s sixth chapter. The language He uses is symbolic in nature but literal in meaning. I’m not going to use a lot of quotes in this brief devotion but I invite you to read that chapter in its entirety and prayerfully consider Jesus’ lesson as well as my words to you today.

It’s not enough, simply to believe that Christ is Lord. One needs to incorporate Him into the very fabric of one’s life. Every single thing one does or thinks or feels must be the result of Jesus being the foundation of one’s being. He must permeate all of one’s existence at even a cellular level. That is what He is telling us when He tells us that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. We must faithfully devour His Word in careful and prayer-filled study. Spending the time to carefully chew and savor every single morsel as the delectable delicacy that it is. We need to spend time in prayer, drinking the holy blood of His Spirit and basking in its life giving flow of energy. They are true food and true drink that supply true and faithful believers with true life!

Imagine the worshipful implications when we cling to such a concept as we approach the communion altar (either actually or figuratively) and are handed the communion elements. The bread reminds us of all the faithful time we’ve spent with Christ in His Word just as the blood brings to mind all the time we have spent with our Lord in the essential conversation of prayer. We realize at that point, that everything Christ Jesus ever said he said to us. Everything that Jesus ever did and everything that was done to Him was done precisely for us at this exact moment. We are cut to the quick. Such undeserved love and sacrifice is unimaginable in this day and age. But it is exactly this upon which our faith must hang or else our belief is in vain. Or even worse it is a condemnation to our very souls.

Lord we believe! Help our unbelief! Be our everlasting Lord and fill us with your all pervading presence for ever and ever, AMEN.

Open your Bible today, and read John’s sixth chapter and let the words of Christ Jesus transform you existence. Be blessed.

Christopher C.Randolph

The Lesson of Communion

I've come to the conclusion that the Lord's Supper (aka Communion) is all about "the worship filled life". It's about integrating Jesus into the very essence/core of our beings. His life, which is true life, becomes our life, not through the elements of communion but by the studying of His Word, worshipping Him in spirit and truth, and by praying with Him on a regular basis. The Lord's Supper drives this lesson home in a truly concrete manner if we have ears to hear our Lord.

The only way to truly consume Christ our Savior is to devour His Word through diligent and faith-filled study and by drinking in His Spirit by praying with God on a regular basis. Worshiping in spirit and in truth brings these things all together. Humility and service then, become our right response and are empowered, not by us, but by our Lord within us.

Christopher Randolph

A Bible Driven Church

I believe that the Book of "Acts" defines the foundation of a strong and faithful church.

The Four points of an Acts 2: 42 Church:

1.) Teaching

2.)Fellowship

3.) Breaking Bread

4.) Prayer

I think they translate into:

1.) Bible Studies

2.) Community Building Activities (Doing stuff together.)

3.)Worship Services

4.) Corporate and private prayer times.

Christopher Randolph

The Brief Statement of Faith of Christopher Randolph

My faith rest solely upon God who is best represented in the doctrine of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Each is God and not a god, a part of God, or even a way of viewing God.

My salvation is based upon my faith in Christ Jesus who is God the Son and my Lord. He is fully human and fully God. He lived and was crucified. He rose from the dead and now reigns over all creation with His Father in heaven. Because I know that Jesus really lived, really died and truly rose from death, I fully expect to live eternally with Him even though I have done nothing to earn such an honor.

I believe that salvation is offered to everyone though not everyone hears and fewer respond affirmatively to this gracious invitation. Furthermore, I believe that those believers who do respond to God’s call are called to live lives of service for God. Seeking God’s will in this way does not secure one’s salvation. It is, instead, a thankful response to God’s gift of salvation to every believer. In short, one works for God because one is saved not in order to be saved.

THE CHURCH IS ON FIRE

The Church

The Church

The Church is on FIRE.

The Church

The Church

The Church is on FIRE.


Keep on praying for REVIVAL everyone!

Christopher Randolph

A Bite!

An agent has asked to see my work on The Pocket Devotionals. This one certainly seems reputable so I am guardedly optomistic. If nothing else, I hope to get some good feedback and pointers.

Christopher Randolph

"The Pocket Devotionals"

It came to me that I could write a series of devotionals and they could be called The Pocket Devotionals. The first one will keep the secondary title of "Inspired Reading" with others to follow.

Not So Reputable

The agency asked for $ to proceed. Not kosher. I'm writing a new query letter to send out. Keep praying folks. Thanks.

Christopher

Sent It In

A literary agent has asked for a copy of the manuscript for Inspired Reading. I, of course sent it to them to read. Keep those prayers coming. One step at a time as I keep reaching for the goal.

E-mailed Another One

I e-mailed another literary agency today. The body of the Inspired Reading is complete. I just want to write an introduction and an epilogue. The intro. will describe just what "inspired reading" is and I think the epilogue will describe Mary's encounter with Jesus outside His tomb.

Wish me luck and say a prayer,

Christopher

Mainly Done

The bulk of the book is finished now. I'm just tweeking the order of the devotions a little and fine tuning the writing. All that's really left is the polishing of the intro. Still need an agent, though. Thanks for the prayers, folks. I appreciate it.

I think I'll call this devotional Inspired Reading. I hope people will be inspired by their interaction with the text and find deeper relationships with God as a result.

No Dice

Well that first agent turned me down. Oh well. There's more where that one came from. I'm going to keep trying. Keep those prayers coming.

Did It

I sent out the first (and, God willing the only) query letter to a literary agent who has had a bit of success with Christian authors and the Christian publishing biz herself. Keep me in your prayers folks!

In Christ,

Christopher

Update

Well that five week devotional is rough drafted. I'm now in the pocess of revising. Probably tomorrow I will send a query letter to a literary agent. I figure that by the time I receive a response I will be ready to ake the next step in this process.

In Christ,

Chris

3,000

Cool!!!

A CHRISTIAN VOICE has now passed the 3,000 mark for total visits. Thank you all for your participation.

Yours in Christ,

Christopher

HI

Hi,

Been busy taking care of the kids and writing. I'm now wiritng devotions for EzraWeb (see the link below). Also I'm compiling a book of devotions that should be rough copied by the end of the month. I'm planning on it being a five week series.

That's the news.

Be Blessed,

Christopher

Have Mercy On Me!

Psalm 4:1 When I call out, answer me,O God who vindicates me!2Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place.3Have mercy on me4 and respond to5 my prayer! (NET Bible)

Have you ever been in a place in your life that seemed impossible to get through. Or, have you ever felt like the whole world seems to be against you and there was nothing you could do to combat it? I know I have, a number of times. It's at those times that we need to really lean on God. We need to grab hold of His outstretched and waiting hand so that He can lead us through to far greater things.
When I've been in that place of utter darkness where I've known that there was absolutely nothing I could possibly do to help myself, that's what I found I had to do. Nothng. I had to allow God do the work. It's really hard to go through those times. I wish I never had to go through them and I wish that no one else ever had to go through them either. The thing is, though, that those are exactly the times that God finally has our attention. We have finally collapsed into His waiting embrace and He has, at long last, been able to do what He's been wanting to do all along; carry us to the place we need to be. Which is within His will. Then, we can minister to others.

Lord God I pray for my brothers and sisters who are in great physical, emotional, and spiritual pain today. I pray that they will look to You as their primary source of comfort and healing. Bless them and heal them and make them whole. In Jesus' name I pray. AMEN.

Remember that God is with you today. He loves you and will make a way for you even when there seems to be no way.

Be Blessed,

Christopher

Link of the Day

EZRAWeb



EZRAWeb™ is a Christian web community providing the finest in family-friendly content; they're all about faith, fun and fellowship!

THE VOICE

I haven't posted this week because of my busy schedule nor has THE VOICE been in operation due to an apparent lack of interest. I'll make a deal with everyone who happens by. I'll start THE VOICE back up when there are 12 subscribers and go from there. It doesn't cost anything and I will not be sending out anything but the daily devotions. Everything on this site is free. I'm not making a penny.

Christopher

Why Share The Gospel?

1 John 1:3 "What we have seen and heard we announce5 to you too, so that6 you may have fellowship7 with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ)." (NET Bible)

One of my current favorite parts of the Bible is the sixth and seventh chapters of Matthew's Gospel. In those two chapters, Jesus lays out the foundation of discipleship. Jesus tells us to build our relationship with God through giving, praying, forgiving and fasting. Then (Chapter 7), as our relationship with God becomes close, we are to do a bit of "house cleaning": searching for and removing the sins (logs) from our lives (eyes). After we have done these things, we will find ourselves in a position to ask, seek and knock and God will give, show, and open what we need so that we may do His work.

Today is a good day for us to spend a little bit of time examining our lives. I don't necessarily mean looking for the sins in our lives as much as spending some time with God and letting Him show us all the things He has done for us and with us and even through us. This is an amazing thing to do. Often, when we do this, we find that even (or especially?) in those times that we struggled through, there was God leading us through that valley. Not only that, but when we look back at those good and/or exciting times in our lives we find that God was there too.

Those are the kinds of testimonies that we need to share with others. We need to share that in our good tmes and in our bad times, God is with us. Of course, we also need to share the Gospel and we need to be available for people who wish to receive Christ Jesus as their friend, brother, Lord and Savior, but how much more willing might people be to take that step when we testify about our hope in Christ rather than their dread of the adversary?

Speak to us Lord! Tell us the story of our lives. Describe all of the ways you have helped us and held us up. And teach us Lord. Teach us to share all that you have done fro and through us with those people that You bring into our lives. We ask these thing, not for our own sakes or for our own glory but so that You may be known by others and so that you may be gorified through our interactions with everyone we meet.

Listen to the Spirit's promptings today and, when an opportunity arises, share a little of your faith with some one else. By sharing yourself, you will really be sharing Christ and that is a wonderful gift, indeed.

May you be blessed and a blessing today,

Christopher

(THE VOICE: a devotional)

Joel 2:1

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet1 in Zion;
sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear,
for the day of the Lord is about to come.
Indeed,2 it is near!3 (NET Bible)

Shouldn't this always be our mindset as Christians? Shouldn't we live our lives in fear and trembling, hoping that our LORD will return? Jesus even says that He will return "like a thief in the night." That is, at time when He is not expected. Basically, what all this means is that we just don't know when Jesus will return. It's best to be ready.

I like to think of it this way. My wife has the gift of hospitality. She likes the house to be in order at all times just in case some one should happen to drop in for a visit. She doesn't mind a little bit of clutter. We do live in the house after all and we do have two young boys and a puppy so the house is never in perfect order. But, real messes need to be taken care of as soon as possible. When a guest arrives, there just isn't time to clean. Not to mention, that would just be plain rude. Our guest must always be our main focus.

And, there it is. There is the gist of what we are talking about in today's conversation. When Jesus returns, it will be too late to clean up all of our messes that we have been putting off or otherwise ignoring. When He arrives we have to give Him our total attention. Just like our houses, I don't think Jesus will necessarily expect us to be perfect. He knows what it is like to be human, after all. But all those little messes in out living rooms really need to be given the attention they deserve, for our Guest's sake if not for ours.

LORD help us prepare for your return. Our lives are not as they should be aNd they require the kind of cleaning that only You can provide. Pour Your Holy Spirit on us and in us and through us. Remove the stains of our past and protect us from the messes of our future. You are our LORD and our savior and we are longing to see you again. So come and be our Guest. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Is there sin in your life that you know about? Clean it up. Is there sin on your life that you don't know about? Ask God to show it to you and ask Him to provide the means to clean it up. He'll be glad you did and so will you.

You're doing great!

In Christ,

Christopher

(THE VOICE: a devotional Day 5)

And ...Action (again)

I was praying last night and I was shown that God always directs us to act upon what He has done. He offers us His hand of salvation: we must grab hold of it. Once we are are saved, we are directed to be baptized. Being believers, we are to devleop our relationships with God and raise up other belivers as well encourage others to accept Jesus. This is not salvation by works, this is works because of salvation. But, it is important to remember, God doesn't expect success, He expects faithfulness.

Christopher

(A CHRISTIAN VOICE, January 9, 2006)

Let Go

Mark 7:31 "Then31 Jesus32 went out again from the region of Tyre33 and came through Sidon34 to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis.35 7:32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. 7:33 After Jesus36 took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s37 ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue.38 7:34 Then39 he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”).40 7:35 And immediately the man’s41 ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. 7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anything. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more.42 7:37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”" (NET Bible)

This is a kind of odd miracle, isn't it? It's easy to get caught up on Jesus' theatrics in this particular passage. We often engage in conversations over passages like this one in which we discuss why Jesus placed His fingers in the deaf man's ears, and why He spit or touched the man's tongue. Why didn't He just say, "You are healed," and be done with it?

The key to our answers is found in verses 36 and 37. "Jesus ordered them not to tell anything." "People were completely astounded and said..." Do you see what was going on? Jesus put on a show so that the people watching would believe and share the good news of the Kingdom. They placed their own expectations upon Jesus and Jesus, in His mercy, condescended to them and did what they needed Him to do.

This lesson kind of "cuts us to the quick" when we stop to think about it, doesn't it? How often do we make demands upon Jesus so that our faiths will be verified. We ask for healings, and signs and miracles. We want to feel His presence. None of which is bad, of course. We ought to expect such things. But on Jesus' terms; not on ours. When we get to know Jesus and when we start following Him more and start trying to lead Him less is when the real miracles begin to happen in our lives. If you are like me, you find that the times when you "let go and let God" are the most exciting times of your life, anyway.

Here's another key to experiencing miracles of Jesus in our lives. We have to share them with others. Really. Read the miracles and healings that Jesus performed in the Gospels. The people involved always share what happened or what they witnessed. In otherwords, such things happeen for the glory of God and so must be shared.

Lord give us a spirit of acceptance. Help us accept You as You are just as you have accepted us just as we are. May all the gory be yours forever. AMEN

Our challenge to day is to relax and let Jesus operate in our lives as He sees fit, to give thanks as we notice His actions, and to tell some one what Jesus did. Simple, right?

Be Blessed Today,

Christopher

(THE VOICE: a devotional, Day 2)

Link of The Day

FaithWriters.com is a fabulous online community of Christian writers.

Lamps

Mark 4:21 [Jesus]also said to them, “A lamp24 isn’t brought to be put under a basket25 or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand?" (NET Bible)

Don't you think that this passage speaks to all of us as Christians? I mean, if Christ is our Light, then that makes us the Lamps that He is speaking about. We are not to hide our Light but we are to let it shine where ever we go. Infact, Jesus is telling us not just to let our Light shine, but to display it. Isn't that what He means by puting it on a lampsatand?

How do we do this, though? I think we need to go into the world with integrity. That is, we must be honest. We must always speak the truth no matter the consequences. We must always be seen doing our best whether we are at work or at play. The Bible is full of directions for our daily lives and we all know passages that give lists of acceptable and/or unacceptable activities. If we spend time everyday in prayer and in the Word, then we are able to discern whether what we are doing is right or wrong. The Holy Spirit gives us gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudges.

Also, I think that it is good to discern our spiritual giftings. these are special gifts or abilities that ?God has given to each of us in order to serve Him and His Kingdom. Some of us are wrtiers and teachers. Others are preachers, pastors, and exhorters. Some are evangelists or artists. What is your gift? Not that the Holy spirit won't help you in any situationthat arises, but your special gifting is a sign to you from God about what He has in mind for your life. Go with it! You won't be sorry. Nor will those around you.

Lord speak to us today. Lead us as we walk through the world. Be our Light so that wea may be lights to the world that will lead others to you. And help us as we stretch ourselves to become the people of God that you created us to be. All for Your honor and Your glory in Jesus' name. AMEN

I encourage you to seek the guidence of the Holy Spirit in all you do and say today and if you don't know what your spiritual gift is, then I also encourage you seek after that. You will be glad you did.

May you be Blessed and a blessing,

Christopher

(THE VOICE: a devotional, Day 1)

Eucharistic

Who is the Word? What else is the Word? Now if one wishes to truly know the Word, one must fully digest the Word so that the Word will fully become a part of the very fabric of one's being and one may truly Love God. Obviously, Jesus did not start feeding Himself to His remaining disciples who were totally at a loss when Jesus presented this teaching. They did not expect Him to do so either.

So, it's not about eating Jesus. Then, there's that incident with the woman at the well in which Jesus speaks of Spiritual food. And there is the Hebraic mindset of studying Scripture and thinking of it in terms of eating and digesting food. This is descriptive language more than symbolic language. It's metaphoric in terms of its language but it is describing a real process. One studies something so in depth and puts it into effect to such a degree that it literally shapes one's being inide and out. The Eucharist is symbolic in that it reminds us that we are to place our entire being into our faith and it, in turn will be our truth source of life because of He who is present within us at even the most basic level of our existence. It all goes together.

In Christ,

Christopher

(Originally published 10/27/2005 in A CHRISTIAN VOICE)

Easter

I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Easter.

My family and I enjoyed a wonder Easter service at our church which was followed by a huge Easter egg hunt with over two thousand stuffed plastic Easter eggs. My sons have enough candy now to last until (probably) next Easter.

God Bless,

Christopher

2,000 visitors!!!

A Christian Voice has now had over 2,000 visitors. Considering how slow the traffic was for a very long time, this is quite something. Thank you for being a part of it.

May you be blessed and a blessing.

In Christ,

Christopher

THE VOICE: an update

THE VOICE: a devotional is now available in a HTML version that you can subscribe to! Just enter your name and e-mail address in the form on the right and you will be included in the mailings. If you want to read past issues you will, for the time being, need to go to the original e-book version which will continue to be updated.

In Christ,

Christopher

Devotions

Well,THE VOICE: a devotional is off and running. I'm going to try to add to it daily. I don't know for how long. I pray that I'll know when to stop. It could be that it will continie ad infinitum. My gues is that there will be a series of "VOICES". That seems more in keeping with the style of e-books.

So far (there's only two entries) the theme seems to be seeking God in our daily lives. Not a bad theme for a devorional, if I do say so.

Be Blessed,

Christopher

THE VOICE

Day one of THE VOICE: a devotional is finished. Check it out!

THE VOICE: a devotional

My goal is to add daily entries.

Enjoy and God Bless,

Christopher

Two Fishers: A Limmerick

Two fishers from Galilee
Were fishing for fish
By the sea

Stop! Cried He
Come fishing with me!
And their nets
They let float away free

Influx of viewers

Wow, there certainly has been an influx of readers lately. God is great! Just when I was about to give up on "A Christian Voice", He sent people here. This is awesome. I do wonder who you are and how you found out about "A Christian Voice". Also, your feedback is very welcome so I can improve this site. So, please comment on any article you read and do sign the guest book.

To me, surfing the internet is a lot like the travelling I used to do when I was younger. I would load up a backpack with esssentials and hit the road. I travelled from one tip of Great Britain to the other, through the Yukon and Alaska and even across Australia this way. One of the neat things in all the Hostells was the guest books that people from all over the world had signed and writtten comments in.

And, do come back. I'm working to improve "A Christian Voice". One thing to look forward to in the very near future will be a devotional. My plan is to make this a daily episode that readers such as yourself will be able to subscribe to.

Thanks for coming.

Be blessed,

Christopher

"The Simple Hemeneutic" revisited

I've been working on a new, simple hermeneutic, lately. Actually, by "working on" I mean trying to understand what my LORD has been telling me. It is based on the Two Great Commandments. Succinctly put, they are "Love God with everything you are", and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Obviously, there's a lot that is packed into those two phrases but it comes, basically, down to this: Serve God first, all others second and your self last.
Jesus says it. Paul explains it (c.f. Phillipians). The Holy Spirit provides examples throughout the Bible that demonstrate this principle. These examples are almost entirely negative in one way or another except for Jesus' because He is Emanuel.

It's pretty cool. It even provides a simple basic "litmus test" for testing Biblical theories and theologies. There are two questions for the believer to ask. Does it glorify God and does it serve others?

Both criteria must be met. It is also practical in nature. Once again one can ask those above two questions when examining any action. If I do such and such; will God be glorified and will it serve someone?

This is, obviously, just a "bare bones" description. The Big (albeit simple) picture is still a work in progress. But, I am examining this from the beginning of the Bible and it has already provided unexpected dividends in the first 3 chapters of Genesis.(More on that later.)

It all begins with the Cross:

Here's the deal. Metaphorically speaking, envision Christ Jesus dying on the cross. Now imagine an eternal, cosmic exposion that sends ripples throughout time and space.... The cross is ground zero.

That's the imagery.

God doesn't change. God is God. His precepts, His will lasts forever. On the otherhand, we have the above event that altered "stuff" (how's that for a high powered word?) in some mysterious way.

Now, imagine the faithful as cosmic surfers riding Christ's eternal wave. It's this empowering "Christ Effect" that allows the faithful to live the Way. It allows them to view the Law as a measuring stick instead of a club. It allows us to live hope-filled lives even amid the chaos of the world around us. It shields us from the arrows of the enemy and allows us to survive and even grow strong from those barbs that do get through to us (being the imperfect servants that we are, this is bound to happen from time to time).

Associated with this wave is the Holy Spirit. Riding the wave places us in contact with the Spirit of God. This Spirit aids us along our Way; empowering us for the tasks at hand and the tasks to come. We shoot through the curl that is the Law and we now see that it is a demonstration of God's will and not His will itself. His Will is much older and simpler. The Law is an effect of the Will. We realize that by being followers of His will we are de facto followers of the Law because it is an effect of His will.
Remember this is just the bare-bones of the very genesis of this idea and I believe that there are some very astounding ramifications to this and we can discuss them as they arise in the course of discussion.

Essential Conclusion:

Together, believers comprise an imperfect image of God on earth. What He does perfectly alone ( though not alone), it takes millions of humanbeings to even imagine. However, what He does believers can do, too not because of who we (as indivdual humans) are, but because of who we are as the body of Christ. And if we are part of Christ or , at least, part of the imperfect facsimile of Christ's body, then He is a part of us (though He,of course, accomplishes His part perfectly). I believe that it is a necessity for all faithful Christians to understand the responsibility and the power that is available to them through being a part of Christ's body and through this kind of ultimate relationship with God. This is where true minstry begins and the Truth will be actualized. This is true faith accompanied by true work.

To God be ALL the GLORY! AMEN

Not alot gets me excited but this is definitely doing the trick. Have you ever had the distinct priviledge of knowing that your a part of something that is much bigger than yourself?

In Christ,

Christopher

Lasting Treasure

"Lasting Treasure
6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth25 and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 6:21 For where your26 treasure27 is, there your heart will be also.
6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy,28 your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is diseased,29 your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate30 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise31 the other. You cannot serve God and money.32
Do Not Worry
6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry33 about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky:34 They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds35 them. Aren’t you more valuable36 than they are? 6:27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?37 6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers38 of the field grow; they do not work39 or spin. 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 6:30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass,40 which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven,41 won’t he clothe you even more,42 you people of little faith? 6:31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 6:32 For the unconverted43 pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom44 and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 6:34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.45" (NET Bible)

Lasting treasure are those rewards your Father gives you in heaven for your giving, prayinging, forgiving and fasting. Thus you have aligned yourself with the will of your Father in heaven. He is your Master, and all your needs are being taken care of for you by Him. Now you can concentrate on those things that He has called you to do during your time on earth. Once again, we see that God must come first in order for us to truly serve others in His name.

In Christ,

Christopher

Building That Relationship with God

"Matthew 6
Pure-hearted Giving
6:1 “Be1 careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people.2 Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving,3 do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues4 and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth,5 they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.6
Private Prayer
6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues7 and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room,8 close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.9 6:7 When10 you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 6:8 Do11 not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 6:9 So pray this way:12
Our Father13 in heaven, may your name be honored,14
6:10 may your kingdom come,15
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us today our daily bread,16
6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves17 have forgiven our debtors.
6:13 And do not lead us into temptation,18 but deliver us from the evil one.19
6:14 “For if you forgive others20 their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
Proper Fasting
6:16 “When21 you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive22 so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth,23 they have their reward. 6:17 When24 you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you." (NET Bible)

Jesus calls believers to do four things in order to build our relationship with Him. We are to give, pray, forgive, and fast. By faithfully doing these four things, we draw closer to God and His will for our lives and He will do the work through us.

In Christ,

Christopher

Link of the Day

Unbound Bible

"The Unbound Bible" is an excellent resource for your Bible study needs. It has a variety of texts in multiple languages available. You can even view parallel texts simultaneously.

"On The Gospel " Revisited

Often, I think, when one says, "I believe in Jesus," what one means is that "I believe in the Good News that Jesus brought to the earth." In a general sense, this practice is fine. However, in an actual sense, there is an inherent (if subtle) danger in equating the deliverer with His message. I believe the danger is two fold. In one we misrepresent who Jesus is if we do not have a clear understanding of what His message is. On the other hand, if we do not have a clear understand of whom Jesus is, we don't really know what we mean when we confess our belief in Him. I believe that Jesus preached the Gospel. Scripture informs us that He preached a message of repentance and belief in [He who brings the Kingdom near]. I say this because Jesus preaches repentance "for the Kingdom is near" and also repentance and belief in Himself. This parallel implies the above in my estimation. So, the subsequent question becomes, "Who is Jesus?"

Whether Christians invented monotheism doesn't apply to this conversation. In this context, if I am correct in my belief that Jesus is God, then my focusing all my attention upon Him (a.k.a. repentance) and placing my faith in Him (i.e. believing in Him and Him alone) is my appropriate reaction to the Gospel (a derivative of the Saxon phrase meaning "Good News"). This is the same relation that we are called to have in the "Shema". So, Jesus' message is NOT the Gospel nor is the Shema. The Good News must be the reason that I may place my faith in Jesus. He is God and He sacrificed Himself willingly upon the cross so that the sins of the world may be forgiven making John 3:16 effective for all time. And not only that but He rose from the dead and now sits upon the right hand of God the Father. Like Paul said, I believe that my baptism (a definition of which must wait for a different post, please) has connected me to the death of Jesus so that I may now live a life like Jesus' forever. In effect, I am no longer a citizen of this world, but instead I am a citizen of God's Holy Kingdom with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.It's all connected, you see. But the Gospel is that God lived died and now lives again for me and for you. Now that you've heard, you may believe and live.

I think that even in the exodus, the Israelites had access to the Gospel in a manner of speaking. They were called to the same action as the Gospel calls us to via the Gospel and/or the Shema. They were to focus on God and place their trust in Him. They could literally witness God's presence in the pillar of Cloud and the pillar of fire. They were to actually follow God and trust Him to secure their passage through the wilderness. Their exodus was at the same time a real life experience for them and a metaphor of life on earth for the rest of us. They and we are called to focus our attention upon God (repent) and believe in His Word (via Moses or in Christ Jesus). The Gospel, I believe is directly connected with the presence and accessibility of God. He is present so it is possible to do what He wishes.

Confess AND/PLUS believe/trust/have faith. I believe that doing one and not the other has definite salvific consequences. One seems to be an inward effect while the other is an outward action, just as when Jesus preached "Repent and Believe".

I think that there is always a way to confess one's belief. The mechanism is less important than the action itself. But, I do believe that believing is the key. The question is whether one truly believes if one never acts upon that belief.

It is because God has made it possible to choose Him that we can and must choose Him. It is indeed a God thing that makes the choice possible. God never forces anyone to make the choice, however. Our "yes" is made possible because of God's "Yes" but we must still take the opportunity to say that "yes".

God has already done the work. We must respond positively to what He has done. This is true repentance. This is our first act of faith. This is true faith in our Creator. I don't think that anyone who is saved will NOT do this.

God justifies and God sanctifies. God saves too.In everything He wishes us to act relationally to Him. Every good relationship requires effort by both parties. Sanctification is what naturally happens as we walk with God. We become more like Him.Responding positively in terms of our salvation is our "yes" (a positive statement) to God's outstretched hands.Not everyone is saved. Those who are saved are those who have taken God up on His offer.

What if everyone is saved? We have much to answer for, then. There is no Great Commission. Everything is accomplished. But then why is there suffering? Why does not everyone believe that Christ is Lord? Why is there death? You see, such a misunderstanding of basic theology serves to open up a "Pandora's Box" of questions that are unanswerable because of the sandy ground of doubt they are based upon. Don't get me wrong here. This is NOT WORKS righteousness. Salvation is by Grace Alone. No one must say halleluiah seventy times in order to be saved or anything like that. THAT would be salvation by works. It is God's grace that makes salvation possible (He did the WORK) on the cross. It is God's grace that offers salvation that He made possible. It is through God's grace that a person may realize that salvation is there for the asking. It is God who brings a person to Him and it is God that supplies that wherewithal for a person to reach for His outstretched hands and grab hold; even for eternity. BUT, you have to take that hand that is being so graciously offered or salvation is not yours.Christ has not returned. There is still hope for the world. We still have a purpose. It's going to get worse before it gets better. But all that is because Christ's work in the world is not finished since not everyone is saved who will be saved.

In Christ,

Christopher

(Originally published in "A Christian Voice" May 17, 2005)

On "Religion"

1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you leaders of Sodom!29
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke,30
people of Gomorrah!
1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?”31
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with32 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want.33
1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this –
animals trampling on my courtyards?34
1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless35 offerings;
I consider your incense detestable!36
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!37
1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way;38
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood.39
1:1640 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds41
from my sight.
Stop sinning!
1:17 Learn to do what is right!
Promote justice!
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate!42
Take up the cause of the orphan!
Defend the rights of the widow!43
>(Isa. 1:10-17, NET Bible)

Our "religion" means nothing without follow through on our parts. God doesn't care how or when we worship Him so much as what it does in our hearts. As James reminds us, without works, our faith is dead (James 2:26). We need to attend church. We need to pray. We need to study our Bibles. We need to be trasnformed by these things of God and then allow ourselves to be used by God in service to Him for the world.

In Christ,

Christopher

The SHEMA

(First Published as "The Essence of the Covenant Principles" (A Christian Voice, 5/11/05) by Christopher)


6:4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. 6:5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.
Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles
6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the way, as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. " (Deut. 6:4-6:9,NET)

The above is called the "Shema" for the initial word in 6:4; "Listen" or "Hear".
This is what Jesus quoted and thereby alluded to when He gave us the "Great Commandment".The Quote I began the thread with says "The Essence of the Covenant Principles". In other words we are not so much discussing "Covenant(s)" per se. We are discussing the underlying principles behind them. What I am proposing is that these do NOT change with the advent of any New Covenant. These principles were in place in the Garden and are still in place today and will be in place forever. These are Eternal Principles. I further suggest that the editor(s) of the New English Translation were correct when they called the "Shema" the "essence" of these principles. Infact, that is why I included their heading in this thread.6:4 and 6:5 give us the principle. 6:6-6:9 explain the principle for our daily lives.
6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the way, as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. "

Simply put, "You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength," all the time. I believe that this is what Paul had in mind as he exhorted us to "pray without ceasing."

Gal. 5: 24 "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Gal 5:24-26)


Col.3:"Put on the New Self and The Holy Spirit will quicken your mortal body if the Spirit dwells in you. Walking the New Covenant by having it written upon my heart and not tired around my neck but put on the door post of my heart.1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col:3-17)

I believe that the key here is WORSHIP. And, I believe that there are three essentials to worship. Prayer, Study (Scripture), and Communion (a.k.a. group fellowship/worship). These three are the building blocks to a sound relationship with the LORD

Prayer = Communication with God. It's a dialogue.
Study = In depth, delving into the Word, prayerfully, faithfully, with God's help.
Communion = worship with others, meeting as the Body of Christ to hear the Word and worship God and pray.

I suggest that the SHEMA is about building a deeply personal relationship with God. It's about God permeating everything about one's self. It's about God dwelling in faithful to such a degree that all of one's actions, all of words, all of one's thoughts are given back to God. Even one's breath is given back to God. How cool is that? What would be like to have other people meet God just by meeting you? I think that would be awesome indeed! AMEN

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Thoughts on The Eden Story in Genesis

It has been the Church's misconception of this story that has led to faulty assumptions. Most theologians and pastors speak of the "Fall" as being caused by a particular act of disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve. But if we let the rest of theBible interpret it for us we see another explaination. I am of the opinion that the Eden storyis not about disobedience as much as it is about self-centeredness. Adam and Eve are not banished because they disobeyed God (They did disobey by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but that is not the main issue in the story). The real issue is that their disobedience led to them looking at themselves and blaming others.

This is the opposite of Jesus' Commands to Love God and Love others. We were no longer in line with God's will and so it was impossible for us to remain in God's presence. It's a spiritual problem and not a legal issue.In God's good time and out of His abundant grace Jesus came to us and offered us a way back to God's presence. He saved us from our life of death and offeres us eternal life with our Father. Hence the name Jesus: "God Saves."

See "Cain Loved God".

Christopher

Link of The Day

Christianity Today

This is the website for this popular and informative Christian Magazine. It has excellent links, too.

"Repent, ..."

Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach this message:26 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”


In Matt. 4 we see that Jesus preached "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." I suggest that this is a command with a cause. That is, we are to turn to God and we can because of His presence.

In Christ,

Christopher

Link of the Day

This is my favorite online Bible. It's a pretty literal translation with excellent notes.

NET Bible

"JESUS!"

His name is a prayer; an affirmation of faith.

Everytime you say His name, "Jesus", you are affirming your trust that "God Saves!"

So, speak His name. And when you do, say it Loudly. Say it clearly. And say it often.

In Christ,

Christopher


(Just think. Everytime Mary called her son into dinner she was proclaiming the Gospel. I think that is very cool.)

Life

Life is an issue of faith.

As the sage says, "...the righteous will live by his faith".
(Habakkuk 2:4; New International Version)

Life comes through faith and living implies action.
God makes it possible.

In Christ,

Christopher

The Crucifixion As Appeasment?

I don't buy into appeasement and substitution only makes sense as a form of appeasement. I don't buy into substitution, either except as a form of allegory. If one is discussing God as being just, for example, then legally, I am convicted of crimes that I am incapable of atoning for, so Jesus did it for me in order that I may be free to live for God. This, however, discusses the nature of God vis a vis the nature of humanity (one aspect there of, anyway). This does not address the very nature of the crucifixion.

The question is,"Why did Jesus die for me?"If the crucifixion is crucial for salvation, then why is this so? I think we need to go back to Genesis and see why we are "fallen" and therefore need to be "saved". What we need to be saved from and why need to be saved corresponds directly to how we need to be saved. If it's a legal matter, then we need a legal response. If it's a moral issue, we need an ethical response. If the problem is metaphysical, we need a metaphysical solution. Whatever the issue is, we need a solution that adresses it.Therefore, we need to figure out what the problem is first, then we might be able to decipher what Jesus really did.

I think that we raised the barriers between ourselves and God but only God could create the gate through those walls. That gate is Jesus Christ. The issue is not sin and righteousness (though hose are related to it). The issue is life and death. When we place ourselve above God, we die. When God becomes the focus of our being once agin, we live. This is now possible as we follow Christ. We accept His LORDship over our lives and are baptized into His death we may then live a life akin to His. It's a metaphysical solution to a metaphysical problem. Choose the allegory that suits you best: Sheep and Shepherd, Temple and curtain, Camel and eye of needle, etc...

I don't think Jesus saved us from God so much as He saved us from ourselves. It's a relational concern more than a legal matter. We were ousted from God's side because we worship ourselves rather than Him. Now we may refocus our beings from orselves and back onto God where they belong. We may look to the cross and be saved. We can follow Christ's example of servitude even unto death and become more like Him. We may give our lives over to Jesus and be "reborn" like Him. We must remember His life death and resurrection. It's the entire package that saves, not just the cross.

In Christ,

Christopher

The Cross

Read Your Bible

Okay. This is, admittedly, not a really deep thought but sometimes the obvoius needs to be said.

And...Action!

I was praying last night and I was shown that God always directs us to act upon what He has done. He offers us His hand of salvation: we must grab hold of it. Once we are are saved, we are directed to be baptized. Being believers, we are to devleop our relationships with God and raise up other belivers as well encourage others to accept Jesus. This is not salvation by works, this is works because of salvation. But, it is important to remember, God doesn't expect success, He expects faithfulness.

Christopher

Theologically Light

An issue that I find in many Pentecostal circles (though I am sure that they don't have a monopoly in this area) is that they tend to be "Theologically Light". They've taken the whole "inerrancy of Scripture" ideal and ran with it. One problem with this is that they don't adress the Bible as a whole but pick it apart to suit their own ideas. No we are faced with "dispensationalism", "prosperity gospel", and who knows what fad will come along tomorrow. The believers in the "pews" largely go along with what their pastors tell them (and rightly so) but their pastors are not trained in decent scholarship. I normally refer to it as "verse snatching".

On the opposite end is the problem of trying to justify the idea of an inerrant Bible when the entire idea has been usurped by these verse snatching quacks. How can one defend a literally true Bible that is chock full of figurative language if one has to affirm that every single word is literally true? The entire premise is stupid. That is not my understanding at all. It is my understanding that the Bible is inerrant in that it is totally correct in all that it says.

This doesn't mean that I am totally correct in my understanding of what the Bible says, however. I am still learning and it is a way too multifaceted of a book for anyone to totally grasp. I'll also affirm that what it says is literally true. When I have "what it says" totally figured out, then I will know the literal Truth. I'll be trying to unpack all of the allusions and figurative languge within its covers to discern this literal Truth.

So, how do I know that the Bible is the Word of God? It's way too subtle, way too simple, way to complex, and way too deep and obvious all at the sme time for any human being to have designed. There is no other piece of literature that even comes close to its magnitude of wholistic completion in all the world. It's a one of a kind just like God is.

Christopher

The Word of God

I was thinking about how the Bible is the Word of God this morning. It seems to me that much trouble could be avoided if people could realize that the Bible is, in fact, a book. This seemingly obvious fact is apparently lost on many Bible scholars and clergy.
If one misses the essential message of the Bible, and the big ideas within its pages, then all of one's indepth scholarship is going to be scuballa (this is a technical/scholarly term from Koine Greek which means "crap").

Hebrew, for instance is a very poetic langauge by nature. The books of the Old Testament grew out of an ancient oral tradition. Thus one needs to let the word pictures guide one's understanding of the Old Testament more so than one's studies of particular words or passages. Basing one's theology on any one word or passage found in one place in the Old Testament without it being directed by the context of the whole is poor scholarship at the very least and down right shameful (especially in a case such as the dispensatinalists who use an obscure variant of a single word in the first%2