The Culture of Noise

Hebrews 3:7-11

We are living in the culture of noise; it matters not where it is, meaningless data, or just racket, coming from the radio, TV, or any of the other noisemakers.  We often lie to ourselves about desiring quiet, but give us a moment of silence, and we will find a way to quickly fill that space with sound, of some kind.  So that being true, how do we engage conversation with God, who seems to speak in those times of silence?

Verse seven begins in this manner; “Therefore, (anytime therefore is used in Scripture it is important to look at the verses that came before the therefore) as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.  Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, “They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’  As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.” (Hebrews 3:7-11)  So what came before the therefore; we who are in Christ are His house, it is the exchanged life, Christ now lives in us, and we now live in Christ. 

What kind of house, have you welcomed our Lord into?  Is your house so filled with stuff, so filled with activity that it is impossible to hear his voice?  If that describes your life, you have been deceived, you are being misled and do not understand that the Holy Spirit was sent to guide us into all truth, to be our teacher, to be our comforter.  If we understand that truth, but keep choosing to fill our schedule with activity and noise, are we any different than those in the time of Moses who hardened their hearts and rebelled?

Galatians 2:20 holds so many keys to opening our hearts and minds to the exchanged life, you have been crucified with Christ.  “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” If you have come to understand this great truth and yet live life as if it was your business to schedule the events of life with no regards for hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, are you living in rebellion?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How others Define Us

 

Hebrews 3:1-6 

It is amazing how others define us.  Many who knew you as a child or teenager have established your identity in their minds, though you are no longer that person.  As a person who was blessed to work for one of the great companies of this century I was often referred too as a 3M’er and to many including myself that was my identity.  I knew what the term meant, it was more than a job, or a place to work, there were many who worked for 3M who were not 3M’ers in my way of thinking. 

Knowing my need to be defined by others, to have an identity; if I had been a Jew living at the time the book of Hebrews was written, I would have wanted to be seen as a son of Abraham and I would have looked to Moses as one who I should emulate.  Being a Jew is not that much of a reach to look at myself as a 3M’er my identity was wrapped up in a company, and in the Jew’s case it was Abraham and Moses.  But they had by faith received Jesus Christ as Lord, they had entered into a relationship with God and His church, but they are still holding fast to the only identity they have known.

As a Christian my real identity was never in 3M Company, and when it was it was a misplaced identity.  3M was never my source, God was the one who formed me in my mother’s womb, he has blessed me with all that I know and all that I have, and by His faith and grace, He gave me the desire to bow my knee to Him and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be my God.  So I have some understanding of how easy it is to misplace our identity.  But my need came from a person who wanted to be identified as part of something greater than myself, where as the Jew knew, they had been taught from a child that they were the “Chosen” of God, they were different from all others who lived on this earth, and because of that identity they are the object of hate from many.

If I hung-on to a title, can you imagine the difficulty these Jewish Christians had in looking to Christ and leaving the identity of Moses or Abraham!  Let us pick-up the story in verse 3, “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses – as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.  (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son.  And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”  What these Jewish Christians had to understand is no different than what the church of 2011 must understand, when Christ came into our life, we exchanged our identity with His, that is why it is referred to as the exchanged life; we exchanged a dead spirit to God for a live one, we exchanged hate for love, no hope for a living hope.  In fact, the Scripture states this truth clearly in Galatians 2:20.

Two men who God has used to help me understand these truths and I quote the following from them: "Those who believe that they aren't fully acceptable to God will find it difficult to experience intimacy with him.  It's not easy to warm up to somebody if you don't think that they particularly accept or approve of you.  One of Satan's most effective tools, is to cause Christians to feel that God frowns when He looks at them."
- Dr. Steve McVey of  Grace Walk Ministries.

"One of the best kept secrets in Christianity is that God accepts us.  True, He can't stand our sinful acts, but he loves us.  He doesn't have us on performance-based acceptance.  He has us on Jesus-based acceptance."
- Dr. Bill Gillham of Lifetime Guarantee Ministries.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Jesus does understand what you are Experiencing

 

Hebrews 2:17-18

It is great when someone tells us I understand what you are experiencing; I’ve also been through that same situation or experience.  If they have not experienced it they are just being nice, but you understand they have no real understanding of your circumstance.  That is what Hebrews 2:17 is saying Jesus understands, in that He was made like his brother’s in every way; Jesus understands your situation.  In no way does that imply that Jesus was sinful, in fact the Holy Spirit addresses that point in Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  

As a small child Jesus obeyed His parents, as a young man He honored His mother and father, in His death He honored His mother by making sure she was cared for.  Folks, his hormones were no different than yours and yet He refused to submit to them.  I have no doubt that He had business dealings as a carpenter and was tempted by pride or greed.  No one else in all creation has been attacked in every way known to man by evil, as was Jesus, yet he did not sin. 

My greatest need at this stage of life is to understand that Jesus called me friend, that He  is also my big brother.  That He understands so much more than my circumstance, He was my designer, and His love for me does not hinge on my performance.  This is why Hebrews 2:17-18, should speak to our hearts: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For because he himself has suffered when temped, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who has the power over Death?

 

Hebrews 2:14-15

In the last few years, I’ve experienced the results of death in my family, in my neighborhood, and now my brother’s 27-year-old grandson.  As I began to read Hebrews 2:14-15, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”  Whoa, what did that say, whom has the power over death, it said the devil, and that Christ came to set free those who live under the fear of death.  The Scripture is very clear that the devil is a created being, how or who gave him these powers?   Much can be learned about what happens in heaven from what many scholars refer to as the oldest book in the Bible, the book of Job.

We see a very prosperous man named Job, who has a large family and looks to God as his source.  We also see the accuser the devil going before God the Father and telling Him that Job only worships Him because God is so good to Job.  It is God who brings up Job; it went something like this, have you seen Job, there are none like him on earth, he is a blameless and upright man.  And the games began, and then Satan was given the right to destroy his family and wealth, but Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

So the devil asked for more power over Job, taking up the story in Job 2:4, “then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.  But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”  And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”  It is very important that you understand it was under God’s authority that he had the power to do these things.

I find it of interest that when the devil tempted Jesus Christ, he spoke of the authority that had been given him, look at Luke 4:5-7.  “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” You must understand the message to Jesus was clear; you can have this without dying on a cross.  The other thing you must understand is that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin; you and I would be under God’s wrath, and His righteous judgment.  And it is also important that Jesus did not say, “Wrong” so it is implied that God has delivered these powers to the devil.

That is why I find so much joy in Hebrews 2:14-15, that Jesus has destroyed the devil’s authority over death, by His death on the cross.  Jesus took our place; Jesus took the full wrath of God.  If you are fearful of death, acknowledge by faith the free gift of salvation, and ask Jesus to forgive you of trying to bypass the Cross.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Help my lack of Understanding

Hebrews 2:10-18

Help my lack of understanding; those were my thoughts while reading these verses.  O’ how I wanted to look at what a commentary had to say, but I chose by faith to believe that the Holy Spirit is my teacher, and I will ask Him to guide my thoughts and to open my spiritual eyes to His truth.  I believe my mother would use the term flabbergasted after reading these verses.  Verse 10-12, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.  Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.  So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.  He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”  We have stated often that Jesus is God, and that by an act of love and in obedience to His Father, He became a man, born of a virgin, and totally dependent on His Father in heaven.  It is important to understand that this is being written to Jewish Christians who place Abraham in a role of importance, and the writer was warning them of relapsing into Judaism, or putting the importance on ceremonial observances.

It has often been said, the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible, and once more I found the truth in that statement.  Hebrews 5:7-10, “During the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.  “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” I must be quick to confess much of this is beyond my understanding at this time, but this much is clear, Jesus death was a physical death, and in the garden He was crying out to His Father in regards to the death on a cross, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)  How often I’ve read that and dismissed it as Jesus was God and He knew it had to be done in order to redeem man from the penalty of sin.  But today I saw verses 43-44, “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  No one other that Jesus Christ has ever faced such a crisis, the real suffering came that night, while the men who were His disciples slept. 

My understanding of these verses is much like my faith, very shallow, very small, but this I know my Lord has total understanding of my trials and temptations.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Logic that makes no Sense

 

Hebrews 2:5-9

Have you ever said, it just does not make sense, and whatever the problem is you are confused.   For me, that was algebra, it mattered not what the teacher said, pie was not square and it was to be eaten.  No matter what I tried I could not get my mind to understand the logic of algebra, and yet I do understand it is based in logic.  But what if what we call logic, the theory of deductive and inductive arguments does not work?  What is left for us, not common sense, because it does not make sense, so we now have to choose to agree that it is beyond our reasoning and our understanding, and that we by faith will accept it as truth; or we will say it is beyond my understanding, and I choose to reject it.   That may be where you find yourself when reading these verses!

The Creator, putting on skin is one thing, the Creator choosing to be born to a virgin is quite another, but let your mind go to this, the Creator choosing to become lower in form and in power, and in authority than His creation, totally dependant on His Father.  We find this in Philippians 2:5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: “Who being in the very nature” God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” It is very important to add this insight, “The comment of a great scholar on Phil. 2:7.  Is "emptied, stripped Himself of the insignia of majesty"; and again, "He divested Himself, not of His divine nature, for this was impossible, but of the glories, the prerogatives, of Deity. This He did by taking upon Him the form of a servant" (Commentary on Philippians, 12th ed., 1908, by Bp. Lightfoot.). 

This is beyond my understanding, for you see being God, He had full knowledge, full understanding of man.  He chose to create man with the full knowledge that His actions would require Him to ask His Son, His only Son to step out of glory, to take on flesh and to die for the sins of man.  With full knowledge that man would reject this great and precious gift, if you say you fully grasp that, you’re a liar.  It is dumbfounding, it is astonishing, or as mother would say, “it just flabbergasts me.” 

I’ve come to this understanding; I do not want a God that I’m equal with in knowledge or understanding, that is a small god, then he would look and act just like me.  I have by both knowledge and understanding come to this understanding found in Isaiah 55:8-9.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  As heaven is higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  It comes down to whom you believe, and what action you put to that belief.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Will of God

Hebrews 2:4

How are you doing with the “Will of God”?  I’ve not heard anyone use the term in this manner in sometime, but as a child, and in my youth, it was common to hear this phrase, “see you next week, if it is God’s will?” That makes me wonder, do we no longer consider the will of God?  Are we so much into ourselves that we do not even inquire or think, or ask the question; are my actions in keeping with the will of God?

Let me be quick to confess; I’m guilty of not stopping, of not asking, of not even thinking, on a regular basis, is this action in keeping with the will of God?  I am no longer a rebel, I want to be in the will of God, but often I just assume that I am, and that is not necessarily close to the truth.  How can we go back to a mindset of asking first before acting, be submissive to His Divine will? 

God called David a man after His own heart, and Psalm 40:8 opens a window to that kind of heart; “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”  Could this be our problem, we put other stuff in our minds and hearts; we have not put the written word of God in our heart so that we have a guide that reminds us of “the will of God.”

What if we learned from this great king David, the one God calls “a man after his heart.”  We would learn to seek God, yes, we would learn to pray before acting, we would ask God to let the Spirit lead us, look at Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!  Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” 

You may be wondering, has Jesus Christ spoken on this subject, and that is always a great question, and the answer is often; one time his mother and brothers were worried about him and came to talk with Jesus, a man in the crowd said teacher your mother and brothers are outside and want to speak with you; this was Jesus reply to that man: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  (Matthew 12:48-50)

Many today who recall the past often wish we could return to that time, but it is history, it’s called the past for a good reason, and much of it you would not want to go back too.  But to return to a mindset of seeking first the kingdom of God, to not only say words about the will of God, but to set our hearts and minds on being submissive to the will of God, that is what James 4:15 instructs us as the rule of everyday life.  “Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I had Experienced Conversion

Hebrews 2:1-4

Having knowledge of something, and acting on that knowledge are two vastly different things.  Growing up in a Christian home, we were admonished to not neglect Salvation, we were taught, yes, we were educated in the ways of God.  From a very young age I learned and believed Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” I knew that included me, I also knew and believed, Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through Jesus, God gave us a way to be saved from our sins. God showed us His love by giving us the potential for life through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.  You may not believe that I could be so stupid as to understand these truths and not ask Christ into my life, but it goes much farther than that, I understood, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Folks I had many of these verses put to memory along with Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  I was able to quote Romans 10:13, “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  Not only could I quote it I believed it, I believed that it did not require me to do any religious act, I only had to call on the name of the Lord and I would be saved.

My issue is not that different than many others who have been educated in the ways of God, who have attended church services and been active in Sunday school, it’s a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender, a bowing of the knee to Jesus Christ, believing He is truth, that He is life, and that He keeps His promises.  I’ve come to this understanding, I had experienced conversion, I knew and I believed, but I had not received remission of my sin.  I was full of self, there was no pressing need to have God interrupt my life.  I joined the Baptist church, I became a Baptist, but I had not received anything from Jesus Christ.  My eyes were open to truth, and that is conversion, but it is not Salvation.  Salvation comes when a person is born again, when a person receives something from God.  I knew that night in Victoria, Texas, in a hotel room that I had received regeneration, I bowed my knee to Jesus Christ, and He came into my life that is what happens in Salvation.  Many in the church are converted, but they have not received the free gift of God, His Son, and yes, Jesus will interrupt what you call life, in fact, once you have received His life, you will be on a great journey.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Stolen Identity

 

Hebrews 1:4-14

Has anyone stolen your identity?  It has not happened to me, but I got this information from the BBB. “First, although it may be a small consolation, you are not alone. This past year, various surveys put the number of identity theft victims in the U.S. alone at between 700,000 and 9 million, depending on how broadly the crime is defined and how recently the survey was taken.”  So identity theft seems to be alive and well in our world, in fact many businesses have been started to alert a person that their identity has been stolen.

In Hebrews 1:4-14 the Holy Spirit is using the service of the writer to establish the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all others and all things.  It is assumed that a group referred to as Gnostics, a religious movement teaching that salvation comes by learning esoteric spiritual truths.  The apostle Paul gave this insight in Colossians 2:18, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.”  It is a wise Christian who tests every thought by the revealed word of God. 

“Still, there's "no new thing under the sun."  False worship has been around ever since Satan aspired to the throne of God.  Unfortunately, the mad rush to worship and glorify angels always comes at the expense of sound Christian doctrine.  In most cases, as in the New Age writings, Christ is left out altogether, or else He is reduced to merely one of the pantheon of characters that’ve visited earth.  In Hebrews 1:4, the writer begins describing the absolute supremacy of Christ in all things.  And almost immediately, only three verses in, he starts putting angels in their proper place.  He does it by reaching back into the Psalms and reclaiming verses, which his Hebrew audience would be familiar with.  It's a perfect format for learning how to "see Christ" in the Old Testament.” Jim McClarty

The enemy of our souls has a goal and it is to turn your heart away from truth, and Jesus Christ is the Truth.  Satan would prefer that you worshiped him, but he will settle for religion, yes I know Baptists that worship being a Baptist, and he has no problem with you worshiping a goat or an angel.  In fact the worship of angels is quite trendy in 2011, many books are written about angels, and most of them leave Christ’s supremacy out of their books.  As Jim stated, “There’s no new thing under the sun.”  We are told in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

The bottom line is who will I believe, some person who puts a spin on Scripture or will I agree with the authority of Scripture.  Hebrews 1:3, states, “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”  As you read verses 4-14, you see the Holy Spirit making a clear case that Jesus is to be worshipped for these reasons: He is God’s only Son, angels were created by Him.  God the Father called Jesus His Son, angels are never referred to in this manner.  We are told that God the Father called Jesus God and said His throne is forever.  He is also Creator and verse ten is very clear on that. 

Now verse 14 is clear that angels are being sent out by God to serve those who are to inherit salvation.  But they should never be the object of our worship, only Jesus Christ has that place of honor, all others fall way short.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

No Wiggle Room

Hebrews 1:1-4

This letter is addressing Christians who were by culture and birth Jews, and the writer is addressing the danger of relapsing into Judaism, and going back to ceremonial observance.  The writer is showing a comparison of the Christian age to the Old Testament.  As a non-Jewish Christian, but a Christian who grew-up in the culture of a small Baptist church in a low-income family, did we face the same challenge that the writer is addressing?

It is important to understand that God required many of the ceremonial observances, so that His chosen people would remember His faithfulness.  But it seems common to the human race to always add a few more rules, I know, I grew-up in a small Baptist church and we lived more by rules than by faith.  I assumed that living by rules and observance of Easter and Christmas and acting spiritual at church services is not the same as bowing your knee to the will of God?

We may have much in common with the letter to the Hebrews church, if only we will stop and ask the Holy Spirit to teach us and give us understanding of these truths.  The first chapter in my English Standard Version of the Bible is titled, “The Supremacy of God’s Son.”  Now that’s not Scripture, it is a title given by some person.  As we look into the first four verses, that title is very descriptive.  “Long ago, at many times in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he created the world.  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent that theirs.”

Some may want it both ways they like religion, but do not like authority.  The verses in Hebrews leave no wiggle room.  The Spirit of God is telling us in these verses that in these last days, and they began when the Church age came into being, God was doing something new.  If we were playing poker, it is time to show your cards, God’s Spirit gives you this option, believe or reject.  Jesus is creator God, all that we see and much we do not see He has created.  It goes back to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God, created the heavens and the earth.”  He has all authority, over all people, nature, climates, and He alone has made purification for sin.

That was the message to the Hebrew Christian church and it is the message to the Christian church today.  What kind of hand are you putting your confidence in: The fool says in his heart there is no God, that’s a hand some are holding.  The religious person often holds this hand, “I’m better than most, and I’m in many Bible studies, I give to help the poor, and I’m sure that God would not send some good person like me to a place called hell.  In fact, I’m not sure there is a place called hell, that the hand far too many are holding.  But our Creator, Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)  But he does not stop there and you would be wise to keep reading, for he goes on to tell his disciples that he is going to make a place for them in heaven, now that sounds good, we all want to go to heaven.  But Thomas, and aren’t you glad we have a Thomas to ask the questions we want to ask, but are fearful of looking foolish; Thomas asks, “Lord we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way”? Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7)  I am not into poker, but if this was a poker hand, and it is God’s rules, only one hand is worth holding, all others must fold.  The song writer Kenny Rogers gave us some great advise; “You got to know when to hold them, you got to know when to walk away, and you got to know when to fold.  Your life on this earth is like a vanishing vapor, that is what James 4:14 states very clearly.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A bad Habit

Philemon 25

It is amazing to think that not long ago, a personal letter from someone you knew was always opened, read, and sometimes read more than once.  In our modern world of text messages, face book, and the Internet, we have lost much of the value of a letter.  We often get too many from the same person, I’m guilty of that, and often they are stuff we are passing on with no personal message to the one who is receiving the message.  So we  look at the sender or the title block and make a judgment whether to hit the delete button or put that person in our Spam file so that we are not bothered by their emails.  That is the world we live in, and it would be horrible if they were sharing a personal prayer need with us, but we spam them. 

We live in a time where more words are being sent out in one of these forms, but so little is being said.  When you get a letter in your mailbox at home and it is from someone you know, I’m guessing you open it, and read it because it came in the U.S. mail and we know it took some effort from the sender.

The 25th verse of Philemon’s letter is the last lines and it is understood, that it had no verses, just sentences, so this would be the last sentence.  “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”  I have a bad habit of dismissing the greeting and the final greetings, much like many of you do with emails that you assume you understand the contents.  But are we missing something of great value in doing so, and I’m talking about the greetings. 

What is your spirit; is it not the real you, is it not hidden from others sight, and it has residence in our earth-suit. The spirit is that which gives us the ability to have an intimate relationship with God.  James 2:26 states that a body apart from the spirit is dead and Job 32:8 states this truth; “But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.”  We also have this insight from Stephen in Acts 7:59, “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  When “spirit” is used, it often refers to the immaterial part of humanity that “connects” with God, who Himself is spirit.  Jesus tells us, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Is this not what Paul is saying, may the unmerited favor of Jesus Christ be all over you.  If we only grasp that Paul is stating so much more than what is understood in that greeting.  When the Spirit of Jesus Christ and His grace is with our spirit, He is compassionate, gentle and humble, longsuffering, forgiving, burden bearing, faithful, tender, quiet, gentle, just, and faithful.   He is a saving spirit, and we are blessed with all Spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Final Greeting

Philemon 23-25

What could be learned from a final greeting?  That is what these verses are dealing with and in verse 23 we are introduced to Epaphras, Paul’s fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, and we know that he is a companion of Paul’s, unless we look to Colossians 1:7-8 and we find that he is from Colossae.  This is what Paul has to say about him, “just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”  In Colossians 4:12-13, we are given more information on Epaphras; “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.  For I bear witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea, and in Hierapolis.”  It is important to understand that Epaphras has taught the gospel to these people of Colossae, and they have received it and the gospel is growing and bearing fruit because of this faithful minister of Christ.  But now he is in Rome with Paul, maybe a prisoner, Paul calls him a servant of Christ Jesus, a man of prayer, and last he is telling Philemon that he is a fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus.

In verse 24, Paul calls these men, my fellow workers; they were in Rome with him, not as Prisoners but co-workers in the kingdom of Christ.  You may be familiar with the name Mark and Luke but Aristarchus and Demas may not have hit your radar.  The first time we hear of Aristarchus is in Acts 19:29, he is from Macedonia and is a companion of Paul’s and is taken captive in a riot at Ephesus, that’s the first time we hear of him. Acts 27:2, gives this insight that I’ve missed.  Paul is a prisoner going to Rome, and was accompanied by none other than Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.  And in the book of Colossians 4:10, Paul refers to Aristarchus as my fellow prisoner.

Demas another of Paul’s co-laborers, whom we may not be familiar with is found in Colossians 4:14, “Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.”  So this we know that the church at Colossae knows who Demas is and must have some kind of history with him.  And in the letter to Philemon, Demas is called my fellow worker, but in 2 Timothy 4:10, we see a part of Demas that should awaken every Christian that reads it.  What insight from 2 Timothy 4:9-10; “Do your best to come to me soon.  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”

Demas was a co-worker, a follower of Christ and was involved in growing the kingdom of Christ on this earth, what happen?  Somehow, someone got him to remove his focus from the kingdom of God to this present world and it did not happen over night, Demas never saw it coming, he was polluted by a love for stuff, and maybe the way others saw him.  In the gospel of Luke 12:15, Jesus said these words; “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  In the gospel of Luke 8, Jesus is talking about the parable of the Sower beginning in verses 4-15, it seems that Demas and so many that are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life are unfruitful.  They, like Demas, have fallen in love with this present world.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Defining a Friend

 

Philemon 19-22

How well do you know the people you call friends?  I’ve shared in the past that I believe the word friend is over used almost as much as the word love.  If I came from another planet and heard all the uses of the word love, I might define it as; they like that thing or person a lot, but I would not have any real understanding of what love is.  Love is an action, love always has an object of its love, and love never puts self above the object of that love.  Friend is also used often in our culture in the same manner, what is your definition of a friend?  How many of the people you call friend would you call if you needed money, or your mate was injured in an accident, or you just needed to share about a great thing that had just happened to you; those are your friends.  Everyone else is an acquaintance, some have been in your life for years, and others have just shown up.

Philemon is more than an acquaintance to Paul, it may have been a long time since they last spoke are saw one another, but Paul is sharing in this very private letter things you would only say to a friend.  Beginning in verse 19, “I Paul am writing this with my own hand. (I believe Paul is implying this is too personal and important to trust to anyone else) I will pay it back – not to mention that you owe me your very self.  I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.  Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.  And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.”

Often in our culture we are obtuse in our understanding of words and especially when it comes to relationship, and men have a greater degree of difficultly than do women.  After living in the Houston area for over twenty years, Jan and I have many people who are dear to us, many we enjoy hearing from and wish would feel the freedom to come and spend time with us in our little home in the Texas hill country.  I often wonder how we get so caught up in the busyness of life that we do not place value on those relationships?  Could it be they were just relationships, very good relationships but they never moved to the place of being a friend?

What kind of friend am I to Jesus, has our relationship moved to friendship?  This is what Jesus has said about that subject: “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.  ¹³“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.  ¹⁴“You are My friends if you do what I command you.  ¹⁵“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  (John 15:12-15)  Have you prepared a guest room in you heart for Jesus to come and stay with you?

I read this poem, and it spoke volumes to me:

 I heard the call, ‘Come follow,’

That was all.

Earth’s joys grew dim,

My soul went after Him,

I rose and followed ---

That was all.

Will you not follow

If you hear His call?  ------------- Leonard Ravenhill

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Paul's Partners

 

Philemon 17-18

When I began to have a desire to write and that was not that long ago, my childhood friend Tom Martin, who I know as Tommy, gave me this advice; look up the word you are using to make sure you understand it’s meaning.  You have heard me say words mean things, and their meaning should be the same for one and all, if we hope to communicate.

Paul refers to Philemon as a partner, now I’m sure we all understand the meaning of that word, it is the agreement of two people to enter into a venture.  Often I think of a business relationship, or a couple in a relationship, but I had no knowledge that it also refers to one of the timbers on a ship underneath the deck that is used to support the mast.

Paul is using the word as in a relationship; he is asking Philemon if he considers him as a partner.  I found it of interest that Paul also calls Titus his partner in 2 Corinthians 8:23, “As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.”  Partners should have the same desires and goals so what does Paul consider a partner?  If we go back to 2 Corinthians 8:16-17, “I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.  For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.”  Paul is telling us that he sees the same heart in Philemon as he did in Titus, that both of these men have put others before themselves.

Do you have a Paul in your life, someone who has the same passion as you, to see the kingdom of our God grow and flourish, and to refresh the hearts of fellow believers.  That is what Paul has seen in Philemon, a man with a deep faith and a love for Christians.  Paul is also praying that Philemon will have a passion to share his faith with all he comes in contact with.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Compulsion Vs Choice

 

Philemon 14

What an interesting concept we find in verse 14, “but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.”  Many a parent has adopted this conception in child rearing only to understand later, that first must come consistent training, and training based on the precepts found in the Bible will produce children with values and standards of how to make good choices.  If you want to see a total disaster, raise a child letting them make the choices, with no guidance, that’s not someone you want to be within ten miles of. 

Now in the very brief information we have on Philemon, we see a man who loves Jesus Christ, who has a kingdom mindset.  Paul tells us that a church meets in his house, and that he has heard of his love for the Lord, and for all the saints.  He also shares that Philemon is being used by God to refresh the hearts of the saints.  In verse 19, Paul tells us that it is he who introduces Philemon to Jesus Christ. 

With that background on Philemon, the wisdom of God is very clear, Philemon has a desire to put others before self, but much more important is this fact; he has a heart to please God, to be about the things of God.  Paul knew this truth, that a person of good character will always far exceed your expectations when given a choice over a command.

I could not find any other mention of Philemon in the Bible, but I did find that Onesimus was referred to also in Colossians 4:9.  Paul wrote Colossians and Philemon while he was imprisoned in Rome.  It would also make sense that the very personal letter to Philemon was sent before he wrote to the church at Colossae.  We find in verses 7-9, Paul introduced Tychicus to the saints at Colossae, and along with him are Paul’s words, “and with he, Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you.  They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.”

Onesimus returns home as a son of Paul in the faith, and a brother to his master Philemon.  At one time Philemon saw Onesimus as property; his value was 30 pieces of silver - about a month's salary.  If a runaway slave could be retrieved, he could be sold or he could be punished, by a lashing.  It is apparent from Colossians 4:9, that Philemon chose to receive him back as a brother.  Is that not your story and mine, we all sinned, we all ran away from the authority of God, but He redeemed us by the shedding of His only Son’s blood.  God has every right to demand to use compulsion, but instead He lets us choose to receive by faith, by our free will, all the blessings of son-ship. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Authority Versus Love

Philemon 8-16

This could be titled; “Authority versus Love” for Paul is telling Philemon that in Christ he has the authority to command him to do what is required, yet for love’s sake he would prefer to appeal to Philemon.  What is taking place is of interest; it’s the story of Onesimus, a runaway slave of Philemon.  “It is implied that he robbed his master and fled to Rome v. 18, where he came under the influence of Paul and was converted (cf. v, 10).”  Taken from “The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible” page 1544”.

We could easily get lost in the story and fail to notice this issue of “Authority versus Love”.  If we stop and look at our culture, it becomes apparent that authority is under attack, whether it is in the schools, law enforcement, the home, or the church.  So the question that must be asked; do those God has put over you in the body of Christ, (the church) have authority, the right to instruct you in what you should do?  You may want to first ask the question, where does authority come from?  The Scriptures give this insight to that question in Matthew 28:18, Jesus has risen and has encountered Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and gives them this instruction, tell His disciples to meet Him in Galilee, this is that meeting.  “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

The book of Ephesians also gives insight into the authority of Christ; “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” (Ephesians 1:22)  So if you accept the Bible as your authority, then you must agree that authority has its being in Christ.  So whom has Christ delegated this authority to? To his disciples, see John 20:23, the church in Matthew 18:18, and the church has the authority to deal with immorality that defiles the church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5.  The church has been given the authority to handle grievances against a member and it is clear that a brother or sister should not go to a civil court, but to the church leaders to settle disputes in 1 Corinthians 6:1-7.

When it comes to the authority of pastors, and they do have authority over the local body as seen in Hebrews 13:17, I believe that Barnes notes on the Bible handles this in a correct way; “Obey them that have the rule over you - Margin, guide; see notes on Hebrews 13:7. The reference here is to their religious teachers, and not to civil rulers. They were to show them proper respect, and to submit to their authority in the church, so far as it was administered in accordance with the precepts of the Saviour. The obligation to obedience does not, of course, extend to anything which is wrong in itself, or which would be a violation of conscience. The doctrine is, that subordination is necessary to the welfare of the church, and that there ought to be a disposition to yield all proper obedience to those who are set over us in the Lord; compare notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.”

All authority is found in Jesus Christ and so it is a given, that authority is delegated from Christ to the government, to the leaders that have been put over you, and to His church.  Authority can compel, but love never does, love always gives the object of its love the choice, and that is what Paul has done with Philemon.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Faith acted out in Public and Home

 

Philemon 6

As a businessman, my job was to be a want creator, but my goal was to turn that want into a need.  Much of my life in sales was spent changing the mind of a person who was using a technology that worked, a proven technology that often was out of date.   My job was to make them desire a newer or better way to do the same job.  Becoming effective was essential, but how to do that became my focus; but I was taught that working hard and long hours was the answer.  But it was not long before it became apparent that learning to work smarter, being cognizant of my prospects time and my time, and understanding the customers needs, problems, and wants makes you more effective.  But then, efficiency comes when the salesperson assimilates their understanding of customer problems, wants, and needs into your presentation of how this new technology not only solves the problem, but makes money by not having down time.  It is the goal of every professional sales person to become effective.

Now the apostle Paul is telling Philemon that he is praying that when he shares his faith it will be effective.  For years, I could have been described as an undercover Christian; I read my Bible, went to church, prayed at meals, even in public, and loved my family, but being effective in sharing my faith in the workplace was not in my schedule.   If you identify with me, do not be fooled, you are sharing your faith, but it is a faith that has no appeal to anyone who is watching.

So what does a faith look like that is effective?  My dear friend Carroll Ray Jr. often said that effective faith acted out in public and home, is believing that Jesus tells the truth.  You learn that Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” will not work until you have discovered what Anabel Gillham discovered, not her strength, but letting God do it all for you.  I believe her amplified paraphrase of Philippians 4:13, is worth repeating: “I have discovered – very painfully – that I am not capable within myself to deal with the world and all that is in it.  When that shocking and humiliating discovery was made, I turned to God and said, “I cannot do this.  Please do it for me.”  I now have great confidence in Him – in all things, and His strength working through me.”  Grasping that truth and asking the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth so that your faith will grow is needed in the Church, but it is essential to believe John 14:26, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  Your title in life will not make you love Jesus, but when Christ becomes your life, His life is manifest in everything you do, and the sharing of your faith will become effective.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A very Special Day

 

January 3, 2011

Yesterday was a very special day in my life, it began like all others, it was Sunday, it was Jan’s birthday, and we had plans for after church.  It was a cold day, 30 degrees when we got up and I put on wool brown dress slacks, a beige shirt and a sport coat that went very nice with the two.  As I was getting out of the car at church, I checked to see if I had a pen in my coat pocket and to my surprise found a piece of paper with a ladies picture and her name; Anabel Gillham 1928-2010, I must not have worn that sports jacket since attending her memorial service.

Why was the day special, because Jan and I have witnessed many a birthday, and each one, hers or mine, remind us of how blessed we are to have shared so many of these with each other.  It was also special because we had lunch at the Vineyard and Jan enjoyed the sea bass special; then we went to the Mall so she could open her birthday present, and that was whatever she wanted at Macy’s.  Our pastor’s message was also very good; it was a reminder that we can live without regrets. 

Before our pastor had begun his message, God had used the back of that paper in my coat pocket to speak to my heart, He had also reminded me that Jan and I met Anabel at a dark time in our marriage, and that her life had a profound effect on us living without regrets.  Anabel was a beautiful lady; she was also a very wise and transparent lady, who was a wife of noble character to Bill, and a light to all who were blessed to know her.  This is what was on that piece of paper, but I’m going to change the order of how it was placed on that paper, I believe you will understand.

Anabel’s amplified paraphrase of Philippians 4:13; “I have discovered – very painfully – that I am not capable within myself to deal with the world and all that is in it.  When that shocking and humiliating discovery was made, I turned to God and said, “I cannot do this.  Please do it for me.”  I now have great confidence in Him – in all things, and His strength working through me.”  At the bottom of this paraphrase was this note: “Oh, I am a very confident woman.  Thanks to You, Lord Jesus.”

If I had not changed the order, this would have been first:

The Basics in the life of

The Confident Woman

1. Essential: To know – unequivocally – that Jesus loves you.

2. Essential: To discover who you are now that you are in Christ Jesus.

3. Essential: To tap into the power of the indwelling Christ.

4. Essential: To have practical applications for appropriating these truths.

I began this by stating that yesterday was very special day and I listed many reasons, one was that God spoke to me from a piece of paper found in my sport coat, just words, but these words if taken into your heart can change you and I from a life of regrets to a life lived in fullness; a life of confidence, and like Anabel, each of us can say “Thanks to You, Lord Jesus.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Private Letter

 

Philemon 3-7

A private letter written to Philemon that has become very public, and was probably written from the time Paul was in Rome.  In my Thompson Chain- Reference Bible it refers to Philemon in this way; “Philemon was apparently a member of the church at Colosse, which seems to have met in his house, v. 2.  As Paul had never been in Colosse (Col 2:1), Philemon must have met him elsewhere, possibly in Ephesus, which was not far away.”   If a person were going to have a private letter exposed to the whole world, this would be the type of letter you would have wanted others to read.

Paul is telling Philemon that he not only thinks about him, but that he is thankful for him and shares that with God our Father.  Paul tells Philemon that he has heard of his love and faith, faith that is being expressed to the Lord Jesus and to all the saints.  If your mind works like mine, you may ask how did Paul hear about Philemon, in that he is in prison in Rome, and he has never been to Colosse?  I believe this insight came from a run away slave named Onesimus, a slave Paul calls his child, and goes on to state that he became a father in the faith to Onesimus while in prison at Rome.

Philemon may also consider himself a child by faith in Christ Jesus and see Paul as his spiritual father.  We can only assume that they have met and it may have been at Ephesus during Paul’s visit there.  If you got just this part of a letter from anyone how would it affect you?  “I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.  For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother; because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”  If that letter came from just about anyone it would blow your doors off, but when it came from a giant in the faith, an apostle of Christ; you would surely share this with your best friend, and because Philemon’s best friend was Jesus Christ, He chose to share it with you and me. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice