Duty of an Ambassador

 

1 Peter 2:18-21

I’ve often heard this statement, “ Many who attend church on a very regular basis are lost.”  Before you write me off, that is not my quote, I have no way of looking into someone’s heart, but I will be bold and make this statement, “not many who claim the name of Christian are following His steps.”  And yet, all who make the claim that they are in Christ and Christ is living in them are called to be followers of Christ.  If we take serious the commands of Scripture, we who claim to be Christians are called to live holy as our Father in heaven is holy, and we are called to first be reconciled to God; and because of that we are called to give out the message of reconciliation as an ambassador of Christ.  An ambassador has only the message of his leader; they stay on message, and keep any other opinion to themselves.  Paul the apostle lays out the program in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

If we are going to be followers of Christ, the apostle Peter tells us we must watch-out for the following in verse 11 of chapter 2: “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”  When we entered into Christ a war began, John 10:10 gives a clear picture of that battle.  In 1 Peter 2: 18-21, we are told to be subject to your masters with all respect; it is my opinion that means your employer, your pastor, and for sure we should honor authority placed over us.  But then it gets hard, very hard, we are told to honor the unjust leader.  For most Christians verses 19-20 are not going to happen, they just believe that is for someone else.  I hope you read those verses, let us look at verse 20, “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?  But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”  Would you have signed up, would you have asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins, and to take up residence if you had been given this information: “For to this you have been called, because He also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.  (1 Peter 2:21)  I believe the American Church is getting ready to experience that call, very soon, it will never work if we are not abstaining from the passions of the flesh, flesh cannot please God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Impossible LIfe

 

1 Peter 2:11-12

The impossible life, that is what should be told to anyone who desires to be a follower of Jesus Christ?  I am somewhat ignorant of how other groups handle this thing called the Christian life, but I do have a good understanding of the SBC, and for you new to that acronym, it has for years been the Southern Baptist Church.  I grew-up in the SBC, and must tell you that each of the churches affiliated with the SBC are independent of each other, and only one time a year do most of those who go by SBC, come together for a convention.  The main goal they hold in common is they all come together to support missions or missionaries, they do have a person who is picked each year to be the President of the convention, but he has no say on the local church.  So why is this important, it’s not, it is only information, and let me share one more thing, I’m totally ignorant of the 60 other groups in the United States that go by the name of Baptist.  This is the short list of some of there names: Alliance Baptist, American Baptist, Reformed Baptist, Affirming Baptist, Bible Fellowship Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Central Baptist, Christian Unity Baptist, Conservative Baptist, Cooperative Baptist, (now that is an oxymoron) Fundamental Baptist, General Six-Principle Baptist, Independent Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Old Regular Baptist, and the list goes on.  I did not see any mention of the Foot Washing Baptist, or the Snake Handling Baptist, maybe they disbanded. 

Two reasons for the list, I get tired of people saying, O’ you’re a Baptist, and believing I’m part of a group that shows up at military funerals and calls them hate names, or some other crazy group that goes by the name of Baptist.  The SBC has some real goof balls, so if you have to put me in a box, do your homework and put me in the right box.  The other reason is, as a member of a church affiliated SBC for many years, I’ve come to believe that we do a terrible job of preparing a new follower of Jesus Christ for life on Planet earth.  Many have walked an isle in a SBC church and then got Baptized and were encouraged to join a small group Bible study, and were not told that they just became a target for the enemy of their soul. 

Now when it comes to working hard at being a follower, I will put Southern Baptists up against most other groups, they work very hard, but most are like my old friend Pete Peterson, who did every job they had in the Methodist church, and this is what he came to understand; he was acting like a person with a vacuum cleaner who did not know they had to plug into the power supply.  Pete’s life changed when he came to the understanding that Jesus Christ wanted to be his life, and that the Holy Spirit was the only one who could live the Christian life in his earthsuit.  The apostle Peter gives this warning of the war each of us Christians is going to encounter: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice   

God Love You

 

1 Peter 2:9-10

For the last four years my wife has been a mentor to many young girls who the authorities have removed from their homes.  A very high percentage of these girls have been sexually abused by their families, and in most cases by their dads.  Some of these young girls, ages 12-18, have experienced abuse at foster homes and homes of relatives. They come to the New Life treatment center frightened, angry, and without much hope.  Many of them ask for a mentor, often they have no understanding of what they have asked for, and a large percentage of them have no understanding, have never read the Bible, and most have a distrust of people, especially men.

Jan’s desire and reason for being a mentor is to first be a friend to these very damaged girls, many of them are cutters, yes, they cut themselves, they blame themselves and feel guilty and often they are their own worst enemy.  But the real goal is to introduce them to a loving Father and His Son, who knows all about them, and wants to give them a new life, filled with hope and trust and peace.  Most of us can say we understand the hurdle these girls must go over, but I’ve come to understand that I cannot grasp the obstacles, the barriers that they must get over.  My parents made some mistakes, but never did I question that they loved me, never did they willfully do me physical harm, and yet I wrestled with the question; “How could God love someone like me?”  If I who have been shown love, struggle with the question, “How could God love someone like me,” it would seem almost impossible for one who has only known abuse from a dad, to believe that God Almighty could love them and still allow this to have happened to them. 

I found the answer many years ago at a Lay Renewal weekend in San Antonio, when a young teenager ask if she could read a poem she had written to God, her name was Carol, and this is the poem. 

“Carol, “How much do you love me, Lord?”

God, “I love you so much Carol that I did not let my emotions and feelings for my Son get in the way of everything that had to happen to him for your sake.  I didn’t give in to the terrible hurt and anguish I felt as they rejected and beat my Son.  I never lost sight of what was best for you as I watched them mutilate and tear my Son’s body apart.  Your life is more important to me than preserving any dignity or thought for myself.” 

It is only when we grasp this truth that we begin to know how much God loves us.  And the next hurdle is to, by faith, receive that love, and many of us have come to agree with Carol’s talk with God; we have also had that talk.  But the apostle Peter goes on to explain what has happened to each of us after we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  This is what we are, now, not later, not by service, only because of what Christ has done.  “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)  This Scripture is a barrier for many who have entered into Christ by faith, it was almost impossible for me to believe God saw me in such a way, but He does, because it is Christ living in me, He is my life, and we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line"

 

I Peter 2:4-8

The prophet Isaiah ask this question that has rung out to each person whom the Holy Spirit has confronted with it; “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  (Isaiah 53:1)  If you read chapter 53, you will be amazed at this prophet, he is on the spot, on target, and it is hundreds of years before the birth of Christ.  In verses 3-4, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.”  And hundreds of years later the apostle Peter calls Jesus “a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,” (1 Peter 2:4)

It is a wise man who reads the prophesy found in the book of Isaiah, and I know you are wise so look and compare his time with ours, have we not in the United States become like Ephraim, are we not doing this: You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement.  When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”  So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.”  God has not finished, listen, this is a word to the wise: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will over flow your hiding place.  Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand.” (Isaiah 28:15-18)  And once more we return to 1Peter 2:6, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

The great news is to all who choose that cornerstone, the one that is chosen and precious, that stone that has the ability to give life now, an abundant life!  His life comes into ours and our life goes into Him and we become like living stones, and we are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Assuming things that were totally false

 

1 Peter 2:2-3

To be the very best husband, wife, neighbor, plumber, homebuilder, salesperson, teacher, or professional ball player, it requires training, preparation, guidance, and the trainee needs to seek out the best of trainers.  My pastor, Ray Still, spoke to this subject and his focus was on the need of an “Editor” for our life.  Now Ray was focused on dads and moms, and on living the Christian life.  This was my take from a message that was preached some weeks back, “An editor is always looking at the script of your life, with one goal, to enhance, to add strength and worth, to develop desirable qualities.  Often after meeting with the “Editor,” your life looks much like my writing after Jan has edited it and made corrections, red marks all over the paper.  It seems as if she finds pleasure in doing so, and often I dread the many mistakes she finds.  So I’ve worked at writing, it does not come easy, it requires time and study and still Jan’s red pencil seems to find much to correct.  I’ve learned that Jan, as my editor, has one goal; to make what I’ve written look better, she has an investment in my writing, and she cares that the end product is the very best.

Why do so few Christians have as their goal to be the very best?  Could it be that many started the Christian life assuming things that were totally false?  Things like, “God helps those who help themselves,” or church attendance is all God requires of me, and the rest of the week He expects me to navigate on my own.  And some of us have bought into this falsehood; that if I read my Bible each day and I mean read a lot, like in Proverbs, Psalm, New and Old Testaments at least one chapter in each, then you are ready for what the world will throw at you.  Some even add to this one or more Bible studies, but if that becomes a requirement, and if the Scriptures do not simulate your mind and heart, it often turns into a legalistic act.

Peter speaks very clearly in 1 Peter 2:2-3 on letting God make you the best you can be, that His plan for you has always been a life of victory.  “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you will grow up to salvation – if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  What an amazing comparison, a baby’s desire for milk and growing up mighty in the kingdom of God.  A baby’s desire is for milk, the richer the better, it seems as if that is all they think about, and they often will cry for it.  Peter is saying that should be our desire as a Christian.  Peter goes on to state, what any good editor on life would point out; – if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  If you find yourself with no interest in the Bible, or the things of God, is it because you have not tasted that the Lord is good?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The “put a way’s” of life!

 

1 Peter 2:1

The “put a way’s” of life!  Can you remember your mother saying it is time to put away those toys, or you need to put away your clothes?  And as you got older it was, would you please put away the tools after you used them.  Then you got married and it often is a friendly reminder that most items have a place and it would be nice to put them away when you are finished using them.  Yes, putting away is required to have a life of order, so why should we be surprised that Peter is telling us that we have things in our lives; habits and learned behaviors that need to be put away?

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”   Who is Peter’s audience? That is always a good question when reading the Bible, and it came as no shock, he is addressing this to Christians.  I’m not sure how often we discussed this in our adult Bible study class, maybe it was on the days I missed, however, I have no memory of myself or others sharing that they have anything like the above, to put away.  Could it be we have no understanding of what these words mean?  Or could it be that we have become so sophisticated and so spiritual that the Holy Spirit only meant this for the elect scattered throughout Asia Minor?

The only problem with it not being written for us is, that is totally wrong, and if you have looked around of late, not at other Christians, but in your mirror, you understand that; you and I have difficulty in following the requirements set out in the Manufacturers Handbook.  So once more, I need to understand the meaning of these words, for surely if we understood the meaning of the words, we will put them away.  Malice: the desire to cause harm to others, or to see somebody in pain. Surely no one sitting in an adult Bible study would want to cause harm to anyone?  And then Peter does not just say deceit, no he precede it with the word all.  Deceit: the act or practice of deceiving or misleading somebody.  Other words that may help you with this one are; dishonesty and deception, but once more I must confess to never hearing anyone who was in my adult Bible study own up to needing to take off, or put away deceit, not even this writer.  Is this good, are you enjoying this as much as I am?  The next word Peter used was hypocrisy, and it is defined in this way, Hypocrisy: the false claim to or pretense of having admirable principles, beliefs or feelings.  We need more help with this one, shall we add a few other words that will help, words like insincerity, double standards, pretense, and two-faced.  I believe I can say with full assurance, this subject has not been part of anyone’s confession in our adult Bible studies.  Nor has envy been confessed: the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else’s success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions.  I’m sure we do not need other words like jealousy, greed, and resentment to help us with this definition.  And the last word is slander: a false and malicious statement that damages somebody’s reputation. 

You and I, more than likely, understood the meaning of those words Peter was telling us to “Put away” without the help of the definitions, so why do we act as if none of them apply to us?  It’s a one-word answer, it’s called pride, and it keeps us from being light in this present darkness.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

My flower is still blooming

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1 Peter 1:24-25

What I learned about God as a small child in Vacation Bible School has sustained my faith all these years.  It happened to me in this way, a few ladies who put aside the pressing issues of home to give a week of their year to tell little children about God.  It was a simple message, but a message that has never left me, “In the beginning God.”  My mother was one of those ladies, and what is so amazing is that she had many obstacles that should have kept her from doing so; three small children, a house to manage, no transportation and a 2 ½ mile walk with toddlers, and yet my mother believed that she and her children should invest in service to others, and she and the other ladies were laying a foundation for faith to grow.  It might be of importance to some of you, that in my case, if you were watching, it seemed for 27 years I had not retained the message of those faithful ladies, but God had begun a work in a small boy’s heart in Vacation Bible School, and God is faithful to finish what He has set in motion.

Often, I ask myself questions; like OK, how does what you have written above tie into 1 Peter 1:24, 25?  In the verses preceding verse 24, we are called to be holy, and we are reminded that God is all knowing.  He never says Oops, and He bought you out of sins control with the blood of His Son.  In verse 24, we are reminded of the fragileness of life, Peter compares it to grass, but then he goes farther to state that life on planet earth is more like the very brief flower that comes on the grass.  This is what he said about that; “The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:24b & 25a)

Many years have passed, and my mother and most of those ladies who opened my mind to “In the beginning God,” are like those flowers Peter refers to, no longer part of this world, but very much alive.  My flower is still blooming and for many years people with titles to their names have questioned the authority and accuracy of the book we refer to as the Bible.  But I remember from Vacation Bible School that God is “big” and He spoke everything into being, I also was told that He was not like me, that He was pure and could not lie, and that is why what Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 has a mighty hold on my mind and heart.  “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”  That makes it easy for me to believe the Creator over the created.  The son of Amoz who prophesied during the reign of four kings has said this; “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)  Peter and Isaiah lived hundreds of years apart, but both spoke of the fading life on planet earth, and the eternalness of God’s word.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

In Google I trust - Wrong

 

1 Peter 1:22-23

Many smart people surround me, people who I’ve known for many years and some for only a few years, but a high percentile who are my age or are getting close to it have this in common; there is much we do not know or understand.  In fact, most of these smart people have told me they are very leery of anyone who seems to have all the answers.  So what is the answer to this ignorance, or where can we go to improve on our lack of knowledge?

We are told that Google has the answer, and it does, just type the word or subject in that little box on your computer, smart phone, I-Pad, and Google will give you often more than one opinion on the word or subject.  But there in lies a problem, what part of Google can we trust?  Has Google passed the test of truth, it must have because so many of us go there to relieve our momentary ignorance. “ I Googled,” for my non computer readers, is using an Internet search engine to look up when it was founded and this is what I discovered: The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, often dubbed the "Google Guys," while the two were attending Stanford University as PhD candidates. It was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 4, 1998, and its initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004.  It now has 20,000 employees worldwide, and the company's unofficial slogan – coined by Google engineer Paul Buchheit – is "Don't be evil."

No where does Google or its very smart founders say; “In Google I trust,” but that is what so many of us do, and some are foolish enough to believe what the talking heads have to say on the news or in the newspaper, but often they also have gone to Google or some other internet search engine for the information they pass on to us, or they just spin, and we are not talking about tops, we are talking about what people in the so called new business do with the truth to make it say what they wish, it’s called “spin” and it means in King James English, a lie. 

All of the above is a precursor to verse 22-23, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”   If we are to purify our souls by obedience to the truth, we better know whom or what is truth!  Many moons ago a Roman ruler and Jesus had this exchange about truth: “Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answer, “You say I am a king.  For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” And Pilate’s reply, in a mocking way, is the reply of so many today, “Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”  Jesus did not leave us hanging on the question of truth, in John 14:6 he gives this answer to Thomas; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

For those who put more faith in Google than in the Bible, you fit into the mindset of Pilate, and do not call Jesus good if He is not “Truth” for if He is not what He claimed, He is a crazy person, not the Son of God.  I know Him to be what He claims, He has changed my heart, but I’m still in the process of growing in and living out His Truth.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

We were cowardly attacked on 9/11

 

1 Peter 1:19-21

It seems to this writer that when we as a nation, as a people who the majority claim they believe in God, move into uncertainty, no matter what it is we look to the heavens.  When we were cowardly attacked on 9/11 by Islam and over 3000 Americans died, people who had not been in church for years returned; but most were gone within two weeks.  It could be rightly stated that uncertainty instills fear, and when fear comes we turn back to the only source of real power.  Yes, “In God we still Trust” if only for a two week time frame.  My email is full of people wondering if our current president is the enemy, they are wondering has God removed His hand of protection from our nation, and once again we have fear, fear on so many fronts; will the dollar survive, will Social Security survive, will Iran get the atom bomb, will my children and grandchildren live in a free country? There is much vagueness and it adds uncertainty and fear in our minds.

And many who go by the name of Christian are placing faith in a God they are very ignorant of; many of them have a totally wrong concept of His character.  It will come as a shock to many, but He is not like you, He does not do your bidding, He is not your granddad, no, He is your Creator, He has total control, and He has never said OOPS!  Our redemption came by the precious blood of God’s only Son.  It was not a quick decision, it was foreordained, before God was your Creator, He was your Redeemer!  Verse 20, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”  How often we get hung-up with words like predestination, who was and who was not; the better question is who would serve a God who was controlled by a part of His creation; and time was put in place for earth, it has no control on God, He has been to the beginning and the end of what we call time.  He is fully aware of your choices, He saw them before first day of your life on planet earth.  (Romans 8:29)  1 Corinthians 2:7, gives this insight into our great and glorious God; “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”  You may also want to look at Ephesians 1:7-10, on the wisdom of God, in fact verse 10 states; “as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

The apostle Paul gives this insight; “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” (Titus 1:2)  God’s plan was never for us to look to ourselves or anything but Him, many of us who go by the name of Christian have a distorted, totally wrong view and understanding of our Father in heaven, and of the act of grace that He showered on us.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Are You Partial or Impartial?

 

1 Peter 1:17-21

Impartial judgment; it does not get any better than that, but it is not something we find in our culture.  Most of us have favored one person more than another, if you do not believe that, examine yourself.  You’re in Sears and a mother has two small children walking by her side and they are not only well dressed, they are clean and very polite.  What are your thoughts, if you are like me you stop and remark to the mother what great kids she has and that she is doing a great job.  Two isles over, you see another mother with two children, one has spiked hair, it’s orange and green, and he is pulling clothes on the floor and the mother is saying not one thing, the other child has a Mohawk haircut dressed in black, and runs into you and says, “Watch where you’re going you old fart.”  How are you doing with the impartial judgment?

If only I could be blind to the performance of people I encounter, to the mistakes that have put a mark on them, to the poverty that has control over them, or the wealth that has made them into rude and irresponsible people, if only I could see deep inside of them, if I could see the intent of their hearts; then and only then, I would be able to be objective.  I once met a high school counselor who had lost his sight, and this was his remark; “Before I lost my sight, every kid that entered my office was judged by how they looked, I now have to listen to them, and since I have lost my sight I am a much better counselor.”  I will never forget that man, what he said resonated deep within my soul, if only I could be blind to what my eyes are seeing and just listen to the cry of their heart.

That is what Peter is proclaiming in these verses: “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fore-fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

How often do you or I conduct our self with fear about what we think or say about someone else?  I’m not impartial, and I’m almost sure you are not either.   We all have a set of rules that we live by and if you do not follow our rules we often put you in a box; the boxes are many, liberal, conservative, dumb, smart, skilled, unskilled, educated, uneducated, so many boxes and with no fear of a God who judges the thoughts and intents of our heart.  I need to stop doing this, it has been a pattern, a stronghold that the enemy has on me, and I want to stop being a judge.  If only I would understand these truths; my flesh, the fallen world, and the enemy of my soul takes great joy in being the judge, but I need to turn to Jesus who is my life; Jesus who has no boxes to put you in, whose judgment is impartial.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How did we get into such a mess

 

1 Peter 1:14-16

How often do you wonder, “How did we get into such a mess,” and are we void of understanding that with freedom comes responsibility?  My dad had a tattoo on his arm and I remember he often told my brother and I that he did that when he was running with some young men that he should not have been hanging out with.  The tattoo on dads arm was a reminder of a time in his life when he was not being obedient.  But in our culture it is the in thing, not on your arm, but all over the body, we’ve come a long way baby!  We are no longer under the influence of the past, in fact, we have gone so far as to rename most things that our parents would have referred to as sin and have become so enlightened that we call good evil and evil good, we’ve come a long way baby.

Or have we, how is all this enlightenment working?  Are we as a society, as a nation, and as a people more patient and kind, or have we moved to being envious and arrogant, even rude?  As a society, have we moved to seeking our on way, and is it acceptable to be irritable and resentful?  Have we as a people moved from the search for truth to exalting wrong?  If you are only a casual observer with any understanding of history about this nation, you must say that as a society, nation, and people, the above is on target.

Is it also on the spot, when it comes to us who claim the name of Christ, and who claim that we have been changed by His act of love, by the shedding of His blood and the offering of His body to be broken for our sins?  Yes, with exception of a few who have prepared their minds for action, and being sober-minded have set their hopes fully on the grace that is theirs in Christ Jesus.  Peter would call them obedient children: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

We are told in the Bible that God sent His Spirit on His church, and the church, (not a building, nor a denomination) was to be light in a dark world.  It is not government, or schools, that are to blame for our upside down culture, it is the church, it is people who are in rebellion against the authority of Scripture who call themselves Christians.  Christians are to be light at home, and yet it is clear that they have not trained or been trained in obedience to God’s authority, nor have they taught it to their children.  Christians are to be light in the work place, but they are often not the solution but the problem, and that brings shame on the name of Christ.  The light has not gone out, but it is so weak that many have tried to generate a false light and many a church is trying to do much like our government when it comes to Islam.  Yes, the church is looking to the false lights of the world to draw people, and forgetting that only Jesus Christ can change a person from death to life, from darkness to light.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.”  (1 Corinthians 13:7)  In the second paragraph I asked many questions; and all of them are tied to a Christian who is void of love, who has not obeyed the command to prepare their minds in God’s commands and on Jesus, but are living independently of His authority.  This writer was such a person, but life by any standard other than what we are given in the Bible is void of hope and void of life.  Jesus spoke these words to a group of Scribes and Pharisees who were very religious, very full of self, “And Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Only if the Church awakes do we have a chance!  It will not be found in the Republicans, Democrats, or the Tea Party, our only chance is Christians being the light of life.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Therefore

 

1Peter 1:13

How often have I read past the “there fore’s” in Scripture, yes, anytime we see therefore we need to go back and read what came before, and in this case, it is being “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we call that salvation.  It is always important to tie the “therefore” to what comes after, look at how Peter is using this in verse 13.  “Therefore, preparing your mind for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and our act of faith in trusting God we need to use this to prepare our minds for action.

How often have you heard someone say “I just cannot do that,” but if we are not able to prepare our minds for action, then God is not good, for God to require you to do something that is impossible would be very mean spirited.  But that is not the case our Father in heaven has given everyone of us the ability to control our thinking.  In Colossians 3:2-3, we are told; “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  If you have not set your mind for the battle, look around, it is time to believe that Jesus tells the truth; ask God for the faith to believe what is written, turn from the worldly system, from your faith in self or others and believe that you have the mind of Christ, for God has said this in 1 Corinthians 2:16.

Are you looking for the revelation of Jesus Christ, is your hope, your thoughts centered on Him?  Today on my computer I was informed of the following: Gas and food prices skyrocketing...Decimated home values, withering 401(k’s)...Massive unemployment, the devaluing dollar...Unraveling social safety net, confiscatory taxes... This dire warning appeared in The Wall Street Journal in October.  And the implications for our future are truly frightening.  And last week some 89 year old self-proclaimed preacher told us the end of the world would come on May 21, 2011, and he brought shame on the name of our Lord.

What should our attitude be concerning the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ:  Matthew 24:44 gives this insight; “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  In the book of John 10:10, Jesus lays the battlefield of life for each of us who have a personal relationship with him.  In Matthew 24:42-43, Jesus is telling His church to awake and to diligently await His coming.  He explains that we have no understanding of the day or the hour, but if we are not watching and awake the thief will come and steal from us.  The bottom line is, will you listen to The Wall Street Journal, or will you fix your mind on the Word of God?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A visual culture in Search of the Unseen God

 

1 Peter 1:8,9

We have become a visual culture; we have I-phones that we use to send pictures and computers, and for years we have watched the latest news on TV.  So when we are told about a God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to pay our price, to buy us out of the hold that sin has on our lives, yet He cannot be seen on TV, I-Phone, or computer, is this a problem for a culture like ours?  How can a visual people see a God who is unseen?  And the question that must be answered is, can such a people put their trust in the unseen?

As a culture we are moving away from the Unseen God and that is a statement that can be backed-up with data; Presser and Stinson found that many Americans were not at church when they claimed to be. Their best estimates are that the percentage of adults who actually attended religious services during the previous weekend dropped from 42% in 1965 to 26% in 1994. Presser said: "We asked people, tell us everything you did in the last 24 hours so we can know what chemicals you might have been exposed to. If somebody went to church, they ought to tell us, but if they didn't go, they shouldn't manufacture it. We didn't do what most polls of religious belief do, and ask, 'Did you go to church in the last seven days?' which some might interpret as being asked whether they were good people and good Christians."  
So what are they substituting for the Unseen God?  All kinds of stuff; boating, sports, vacation homes, lake homes, work, golf, family time, rest, and that is just the short list?  And is it a new thing to replace the Unseen with the Seen?  Once more we have history to look back on, and the answer is that from the beginning man has sought the Seen over the Unseen.  A god that can be seen and touched is a god that requires no faith, and can that type of god promise hope when there is no hope, and has it spoken a world into existence? 
This is what the apostle Paul says about the Unseen God; “who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.  To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16)  The Bible tells us that of men with an earthly father, King Solomon was the wisest man to ever live on planet earth.  This wise King made this statement; “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to end.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
It comes down to this; cultures come and go, but the word of God has not changed; anyone, no matter where they find themselves, rich or poor, in prison to little gods that have bankrupted them morally, have stolen their health, and have dumped them in the gutter of life when they could no longer be of service.  The Unseen God has not forgotten your name, His love has not changed, and He is faithful to do all that He has promised.  Romans 10:9 has the answer to my earlier question: How can a visual people see a God who is unseen?  It is by faith and is given to you by the Unseen God, and it comes by way of His grace.   Two Scriptures to act on: “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)  An indispensable element is faith; Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

Trials = Testing

 

1 Peter 1:6-7

Peter is sharing with these churches and us that various trials are a source of testing the genuineness of our faith.  He goes on to state that your faith is worth more than gold.  Why is that so, because a tested faith results in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  I often wonder if most of us who sit in a pew on Sunday have any understanding of the testing of our faith by various trials.  In no way am I implying that we are not experiencing trials, but do we understand that much of what is called a trial of faith, may be no more than an inconvenience of our life style.

The Scriptures are full of examples of Faith that have been tested; for example, Joshua was ask to enter the battle of Jericho with a rag-tag group of people against a well organized army of mighty men of valor.  The plan he accepted by faith was to walk around the city for six days, and on the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times and the priests were to blow the trumpets, and the people were told to shout and the walls would fall down, and they would win the battle.  How many people believed the walls would come down?  I’m not sure, but this I know, one did and his name was Joshua. 

Do you recall the widow who cried out to the prophet Elisha because the creditor were coming to take her children as slaves and she had no means of paying the debt?  Do you recall Elisha asking her what she had in the house and the only thing she had was a jar of oil?  He told her to go and borrow vessels from the neighbors, empty vessels, and to get as many as she could, that was the easy part of the plan, which did not require much faith.  Now go with me to 1 Kings 4:4-7, “Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels.  And when one is full, set it aside.”  So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons.  And as she pored they brought the vessels to her.  When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “ Bring me another vessel.”  And he said to her, “There is not another.”  Then the oil stopped flowing.  She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”  How many would have gone to all the required preparation with no blessing in sight?  This widow did, and like Joshua the outcome was; a tested faith that resulted in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Instant Gratification

 

1 Peter 1:3-5

How can a Nation, or a people who expect instant gratification hope to be thankful?   We are that kind of people, we carry cell phones and expect an instant reply, when cooking we use premixed or precooked because we cannot wait.  We may not have noticed but it is in all aspects of our life, and we trained our children like birds dogs to expect the immediate.  This life style is in direct conflict with our Father in heaven.  He tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  (Psalm 46:10)  Have you tried being still and pondering on the “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready in the last time?”  (1 Peter 1:4-5) 

Folks, it is a clash of kingdoms, yours and God’s, He is not your grandparent, His goal is not to make you happy, His objective is to bring each of us into a relationship in where we are being conformed to the likeness of His Son.  If only we would believe that Jesus tells the truth, and the truth is: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10)  The enemy of your soul has a design for your life called busyness, not being still or thankful for the many blessings that are yours. 

Have you stopped and observed the world you are living in, and if you have then you have noticed that the enemy is on top of his game.  It matters not where we are; driving a car, at the movies, in church, or shopping, the cell phones are ringing, people are Texting and they are consumed with the instantaneous.  Do we Christians understand that relationships are not established on instant messages; friendships happen when we take time to value, to enjoy, and to share with the one who is the object of our time.  To know about God is one thing, many claim they know about God, but to know Him will require time spent searching His word, searching your heart to see if you are willing to obey and conform to His instructions, to His commands.

Verse three states; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy he has called us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  If you are in Christ, this living hope, this inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading is not kept on this earth, in fact it is not yours to keep, God is the keeper of your inheritance in heaven.  Faith is believing that Jesus tells the truth, and when Jesus tells you that no one can snatch you out of His hand or His Father’s hand, please understand, you are included in that mix.  You may need to read John 10:28-29.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Greetings

 

1 Peter 1:1-2

Good morning, hello, how are you, how is the family, those are normal greetings in my world.  I’m not sure anyone has ever sent me a letter with such a greeting, with the exception of this one.  “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for the sprinkling with his blood.”

This greeting was not sent by the impulsive, young Simon Peter, it is much later in his life and he has been disciplined by years of trials and suffering, and he has learned to abide in Christ, to listen to the Holy Spirit, and now he is addressing the elect scattered throughout Asia Minor.  Paul has founded most of the churches receiving this letter; they consist of both Jews and Gentiles.  The letter is written with the hope of encouraging, instructing, and admonishing these young churches.

Words are so important, and Peter uses some that most of us do not use in greeting our friends, neighbors, and family; words like (elect).  Scripture gives this insight into the election of God’s people; Exodus 6:7, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”  God is speaking to Moses about the Jews and later in the book of Deuteronomy 7:6 Moses declares these words on election; “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the people who are on the face of the earth.”  To be a people of God, his treasured possession, how blessed the Jewish people are, and yet Peter was also addressing non-Jews, look at John chapter 15 and verses 9, and 16.  Jesus said; “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”  Verse 16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give to you.” 

The other word that is not in my daily vocabulary foreknowledge, what is the apostle Peter conveying to us the elect, in my simple words, God’s never learned anything, He knows all, and He has never had to say Oops.  Isaiah who was a chosen servant of God gave us these words from God; “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.  Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:8,9)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Are you an Elijah, or have you ever met anyone like Elijah?

James 5:17-18

Have you ever met anyone like Elijah?  Let me give a brief overview of this prophet of God; first we have no knowledge of his childhood or his parents.  “He is one of the most unique and dramatic characters of Bible history.  Rugged in appearance and dress, he is a prototype of John the Baptist, 2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4.” (Page 1558 Thompson Chain-Reference Bible) 

He was used of God to confront the idolatrous King Ahab and to announce a prolonged drought.  (I Kings 17:1)  In that the king would have killed Elijah, God hid him in the wilderness in the Kerith Ravine and he depended on God’s provisions supplied by ravens, 1 Kings 17:2-6.  It is at this time that God tested Elijah’s faith by drying up his source of water, 1 Kings 17:2-6.  

If a movie were being made, scene three would be at Zarephath, outside the famine-stricken city, and Elijah is moved by the Spirit to ask a widow who is gathering sticks to cook her last meal, to feed him and give him a drink of water.  The widow informs him that she only has a handful of flour and a little oil in a jug, 1 Kings 17:12.  It is at this point that Elijah tells her to not be fearful, that by doing what he has asked, the Lord will give her all she needs in the way of food until the end of the famine, 1 Kings 17:13-14.

It is now scene four and the widow’s son dies and Elijah goes before the Lord asking that the life of the child would return, and the boy comes back to life, 1 Kings 17:17-24.  If the story was made into a movie, all would seem well, life was good for Elijah at the widow’s home, and the Lord was supplying food, water and shelter, but God, sent word to Elijah in the third year of the drought, to go show himself to Ahab. 

Scene five might began with a new character named Obadiah, who feared the Lord and had saved the life of a hundred prophets and hid them in caves when Jezebel was out to destroy all of them.  It is at this point in the story that the King sent Obadiah to search out any source of water and grasslands to save the horses and other animals.  Now, the king went in one direction, and Obadiah went in the other, neither of them knowing that God had orchestrated a meeting with Obadiah that would set up a confrontation with the false prophets, which King Ahab and the nation had turned to.

The next scene would be at Mount Carmel, and it was not between Elijah and the prophet of Baal, yes, they were the parties you saw, but in the background where human eyes could not see, was the forces of good and the forces of evil, and God was going to show Himself as the mighty God, the King of kings, and the Creator that very day.  It was that day that the verdict of the people was that the Lord is the true God, and Elijah killed all of the false prophets that were there.  The king, being a politician, saw the people were on the side of the God of Elijah and he did what politicians do, he changed his stance.  The rain began, the drought ended when Elijah prayed for rain.

Looking at James 5:17-18, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”  What is God saying to us, are we more like Elijah than we understand?  Could it be that unlike Elijah, we do not seek the face of God and we do not pray fervently?  Are you an Elijah, or have you ever met anyone like Elijah?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

All Messed Up!

 

James 5:7-12

Looking at the title that is above these verses in my Bible, many thoughts came into my mind.  For me to write on this subject would be like asking a drunk to teach on how they have been successful at not being alcohol dependent.  The title in my Bible is “Patience in Suffering,” and it saddens me to confess that I’m one of those people who believes it is an act of suffering if it takes fifteen minutes getting out of the church parking lot on Sunday morning.  I am often reminded that the Bible has given a lot of ink to both suffering and patience, and to keep practicing impatience is an affront to my Father and my God.  Am I the only one with this problem, or do you identify to some degree with this area of life?

Being between jobs gives me more time to ponder on such issues; I’ve come to this conclusion, I’m most impatience with others, who like me drive cars, who live in my house, who shop where I shop, and even go to church with me.  Where it does not seem to be a problem is planting seeds in my garden, and then waiting for the seed to germinate, and it takes time, time that I would not afford to many other things, and especially not to a person who is made in the image of God.  I also find myself patience with babies and small children, but not with their parents, and once more I’m reminded that I’m choosing what and to whom I will show patience.

Could those of us who are impatient be consumed with self, could it be that we are not asking the Lord to fill us with His patience, and our view is not Heaven’s view, but the world’s view, me first?  It was not that long ago, Jan and I took a trip with Joe and Barb Whitehouse, a cruise around New Zealand and I came away from that trip with this understanding; many of what we call seniors are just mean old people who will knock you down, if you are between them and the food court.  I do believe that James has the answer for the Christian who is looking for answers.

Beginning in verse 7, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”  Could it be that those of us with this problem are not looking to the eastern sky, not looking for our Lord’s return, and so we have moved our focus on self?  Getting back to James, verse 8 and 9, “You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold the Judge is standing at the door.”  It always comes back to a heart issue, and often the Lord has to remind me that no one is unredeemable and that only the Judge has the ability to see the thoughts and intent of the heart. 

On a very personal note; I’m not sure how much longer I can put my thoughts on paper, first, I confess that I had an addiction to “Mr. Thumb” till the age of nine, and now I’ve had to confess that I’m consumed with self in the area of patience.  Before long, everyone will understand that I’m all messed up.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Ineffectual Dreamer.

 

James 5:1-6

In order for me to address what is called a warning to the rich, I must expose a secret life that I have not shared even with my family, I am very wealthy, I own oil fields, manor houses, and mansions all over the globe.   Yes, I am a dreamer much like the now famous Walter Mitty a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” first published in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World and Welcome to It in 1942.  It was made into a film in 1947. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Mitty is a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life: in a few dozen paragraphs he imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer. The character's name has come into more general use to refer to an ineffectual dreamer.  So for me to understand or take to heart James 5:1-6, I must do a little daydreaming, or is that true? “According to the United States Census Bureau, the pretax median household income in 2007 was $50,233. The median ranged from $68,080 in Maryland to $36,338 in Mississippi.
In 2007, the median real annual household income rose 1.3% to $50,233, according to the Census Bureau.  The real median earnings of men who worked full time, year-round climbed between 2006 and 2007, from $43,460 to $45,113. For women, the corresponding increase was from $33,437 to $35,102. The median income per household member (including all working and non-working members above the age of 14) was $26,036 in 2006. Those living below the poverty line with limited to no participation in the labor force; a household income of $18,000 may be typical.”  Do your homework and you will understand that $18,000 dollars in much of the world would make you very well off.  And yes, I do understand this is not the rest of the world, being born in the United States is a great blessing.
James is referring to a rich man who is a Christian, because the letter was addressed apparently to the Jewish converts.  As you read these verses, he is telling them of what has come to them because of their actions, and he goes on to tell them they have hoarded wealth and withheld the wages of the poor; and what seems to hit the church of today is the seeking of pleasure.  But these Christian businessmen, and some who were not Christian were also persecuting the righteous.  Could it be that James is laying out an analysis of true and false religion?
You will find many teaching to prepare, to save, but never to horde; you will also find Jesus telling us to share with a brother or sister in need.  You will also need wisdom to know when not to share because sometimes God is allowing the other family to reap what they have sown, but be very careful that God is directing your giving, not greed, or emotions.  It is always wrong to not pay a person for the services they have contracted to do for you.  And if you are, or have ever been a Walter Mitty, dreaming about riches; then you and I have lost focus, we have forgotten who our Father is and we have moved in our minds and hearts to looking for other sources, and not to our loving Father.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice