One thing in Common

John 7:1-14

When it comes to Jesus the world is not very passive, many hate His name or anyone   associated with His name.  Have you ever wondered why?  Why is there not the same hatred for other World Religions and its Founders, beginning with Judaism and Abraham in 2,085 BC?  Next is Hinduism in 1,500 BC. With no specific founder, and then Buddhism in 560 BC with Gautama Buddha as its founder.  In between Christianity in 30 AD with Jesus Christ as its founder, or other religions like Taoism 440 AD by Lao Tzu, and Jainism in 420 BC by Mahavira.
In 325 AD, after being persecuted for almost 200 years, Constantine made the Church become a legal religion, and compromise begins to enter the Christian church.  In 590 AD we have the development of Roman Catholicism by Pope Gregory, and in 610 AD the beginning of Islam by Mohammed.  It was in 1515 AD reformers by the names of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin began Protestantism. 
Now lets look at some and by no means all of the modern religions: such as Mormonism by Joseph Smith in 1830 AD, and 7^th Day Adventists by E.G. White in 1845.  Next comes Jehovah's Witnesses by Charles Taze Russell in 1870 AD, and Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879 AD.  In 1955 AD, we had Scientology by L. Ron Hubbard, and in 1961 AD, Unitarian Universalism was officially formed.  And by all means we would not want to leave out the Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in 1966 AD.

If we look at the demographics on a modern world scale, it is interesting to see religion from this viewpoint.  Christianity has around 2,039 million members and on a pie chart has a 32% share of the pie, but it is dropping in membership.  Islam has 1,570 million members and that is 22% of the pie but it is growing.   Hinduism has 950 million followers about 13 % of the pie and is stable.  A group that few think about is the No religion and on the pie chart they are 775 million or about 12% and dropping.  Buddhism has from 350 – 1,600 million or about 6% of the world pie and is stable.  The Atheists have about 150 million followers or 2% of the world’s pie, and Judaism has about 23.8 million or 1% of the world’s pie.

The facts listed above are from: www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

All of the listed religions above, with the exception of Christianity, have one thing in common, they are offended by the name of Jesus, and many hate the name.  In some cases they have associated with His name, but do not see Him as the Son of God or the only way to the Father as Jesus claimed in John 14:6,7. 

In John chapter 7 we have the answer, it was the answer then and it is still the answer.  A special feast in Jerusalem, the feast of booths, and Jesus’ brothers who did not yet believe in Him, wanted Him to go to Judea so that His disciples would see the works He was doing.  This is Jesus reply; “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” 

I have come to this understanding that many who go by the name Christian have no understanding of what they claim to be, because in Christ we have all the rights of son ship and all the responsibility of following Jesus’ commands.  Jesus makes this very clear in John 15:18-21,  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.  But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.”
It all comes down to this fact; Jesus has the authority to forgive sin, to redeem sinners and to make you in right standing with His Father.  The apostle Paul under the authority of the Holy Spirit spoke these words: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” (Romans 1:18-22a)
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

Wrong Choices

John 6:70,71

When you think of wrong choices, what comes to your mind?  RMS Titanic, the ship that was believed unsinkable, but we have this report of its last night afloat:

On the night of Sunday, 14 April 1912, the moon was not visible in the clear sky (being two days before new moon), the temperature had dropped to near freezing, and the ocean was flat calm. Captain Smith, in response to iceberg warnings received via wireless over the preceding few days, had drawn up a new course, which took the ship slightly further southward. That Sunday at 1:45 PM, a message from the steamer Amerika warned that large icebergs lay in Titanic's path, but because wireless radio operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were employed by Marconi, and paid primarily to relay messages to and from the passengers, they were not focused on relaying "non-essential" ice messages to the bridge.  Later that evening, another report of numerous large icebergs, this time from Mesaba, also failed to reach the bridge. (Source Wikipedia)  And because of bad choices 1500 people died.

C.S. Lewis said and I quote:  "Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it."  In the beginning before the fall of man, God called us good, but Adam and Eve made a choice and it was a very bad choice that far exceeded all other bad choices.  But it is reported in Scripture that before God was your Creator, He had already made a choice to take on flesh and become like us in all ways but one, He could not sin.  And because of the Son of God (Jesus Christ) being willing to become flesh and be our redeemer, God the Father chose to forgive all who would by faith put their trust in Jesus.  In Romans 5:8, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God chose to make us worth dying for, by the blood of His own Son.

Most who read this will have some knowledge of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus.  But he was also prophesied in the Old Testament in Psalm109: 8 and Zechariah 11:12, and we know that in Matthew 26:14-17, we have the action of his betrayal.  We also have the record of Judas being sorry for his choice of betraying Jesus in Matthew 27:3-5, and he gave back the money and hung himself. 

Now we get to John 6:70-71, and it comes with this understanding; Jesus being God knew what was in Judas’ heart before choosing him, did Judas have a choice?  “Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve?  And yet one of you is a devil.”  He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.”  How you answer that question will answer many other questions, such as, do I really believe God has given me the freedom to choose?  As I’ve stated before God does not have a past or a future, only we “Time Critters” let future and past have control over our actions, but God who made time is not under it’s control, He sees all things in the present.  Judas, like Adam and Eve and the Captain of the Titanic made bad choices.  And choices are not made in a vacuum they always affect others.  I am so glad Jesus and God the Father chose to redeem us from the bad choices of Adam and Eve.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Human Reasoning V. Spiritual Truth

John 6:52-71

Human reasoning has always gotten in the way of understanding spiritual truth, and we have many accounts of Jesus speaking about a spiritual truth and the crowds, the scribes, the Pharisees, and even the disciples of Jesus totally misunderstood.  Such an account is found in Jesus healing a paralytic in Capernaum.  You can read the account in Mark 2:1-11, and you will recall that the house was so full of people that the four men carrying the man had to remove the roof and lower the man in front of Jesus.  And in verses five through seven you see the human reasoning from the lawyers who were in the house.  “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”  Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that?  He is blaspheming!  Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘your sins are forgiven, or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

Even the most casual reader of Scripture will pick up on this fact, that the Jewish people had many laws, some of them were given to them by God and others were just added by some Pharisee, a good example is the Pharisee in the Baptist church that added no dancing or drinking to the laws of that church.  But good Jews would leave a Baptist in the dirt with all their rules to live by and especially when it came to food.  So what do you think these disciples of Jesus heard when He told them they were to eat his flesh and drink His blood, cannibalism, and that for exceeded the law of not touching a dead animal or not eating pork.  So what kicks in is human reasoning, this man Jesus is a nut case, and He wants us to eat his flesh and drink His blood.  Jesus knows what is in their hearts and also what they were saying openly.  These people who now called themselves disciples of Jesus, and like all the Rabbi of this time, had groups of people who claimed to be their disciples, not that much different than today when people claim, I am a member of Ed Young’s church or some other big name.  Now most of these men like Dr. Young would be quick to tell you, it is not their church. Jesus’ disciples had grown in numbers and I can imagine Thomas or one of the twelve saying, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

Jesus never left wiggle room for our faith, so many of the disciples who heard what Jesus said; “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” (John 6:53-57)    Jesus knowing that they were grumbling about this said to them, “Do you take offense at this?  Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  But there are some of you who do not believe.”

This question came into my mind, would I want to follow a God who I totally understood, who I was on the same mental and emotional understanding as He?  That would not be a God that would be a man like myself, and I can assure you I do not want to follow a man.  But that’s the battle, the flesh cannot understand the Spirit, it requires the Holy Spirit to turn on the light in our mind and heart to give us understanding, and that is why Jesus once more reminded them of this truth; “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.  After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

I believe that God has put the United States of America and the other nations in such a place today, we are looking to or for a person to rescue us from the uncertainty of government, of economics, of the future, and we are told in the Bible that such a man is waiting to step onto the world stage; he will look good, say the right things, and will only ask us to put our total trust in him.  Human reasoning will say follow him, but the Spirit of God has spoken, will we who go by the name Christian, turn to such a man and no longer follow Christ, or will we answer as Simon Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68,69)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Your not a Grumbler, are You?

John 6:41-51

Have you ever been a grumbler?  Someone makes a statement and you are quick to tell all your friends that it was impossible for that to have happen; that’s what is happening to Jesus in John’s account of Jesus sharing with the neighbors.  Jesus has shared with them this truth; “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”  “They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven.’

If you are like the neighbors of Jesus you are in some good company, in that one of the twelve disciples has gained name recognition by being a grumbler, doubter, or skeptic.  When Jesus appeared to the disciples Thomas was not with them, and Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 11:22)  Picking up the account in verses 25-29, “So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”  But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”  Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them.  Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.  Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  “Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

Thomas and the neighbors of Jesus were not bad people, in fact they may have been very religious, but Jesus did not fit their plan on getting to God.  It is interesting to see Jesus reply to the neighbors, “Do not grumble among yourselves.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.  And I will raise him up on the last day.  It is written in the Prophets, “And they will all be taught by God.  Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me – not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” (John 6:43-46)

You may be more like the neighbors of Jesus than you understand, if you have performance flesh, you may believe that your acceptance by God has to do with how well you perform, or like the disciple Thomas you need more proof.  Will you ask God to show you that proof and then, like a Thomas, will you bow your knee to your Lord and your God? 

In verses 47-51, Jesus is speaking, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world my flesh.”  Unlike them you have been give understanding that Jesus was referring to Himself, being your substitute, paying for sin on a cross. 

Is it not fitting to ask us the same question that Jesus asks Martha after the death of her brother?  Martha was at a low moment, her brother had died and she was upset that Jesus had not come sooner, because she knew that if He had been there Lazarus would not have died.  In John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Does Jesus tell the Truth?

John 6:37-40

Carroll Ray Jr. was very accomplished as a CPA, a Vice President of the Tandy Corp., teacher of history and the Scriptures, a husband to Joyce, and a dad to his children, and a friend to many, I being one of them, but of all that he accomplished, it was his ability to believe that Jesus tells the truth, and his acting on that truth made an impression on my life.

Carroll often would say that the only real way to define faith is “Acting like Jesus tells the truth.”  Life on planet earth seems to be filled with ups and downs, success and failure, joy and sadness, hope and the lack of hope, loss and gain, but at the end of the day no matter how great or how bad it was, the question still must be answered; “Does Jesus tell the truth?”

We Christians often use code words that the world around us has no understanding of, words like, salvation, being born again, redeemed, saved, eternal security, just to list a few.  Eternal security or you might say "unconditional assurance," and "once saved, always saved" are hard to understand because of you and I being “Time-Critters.” 

As a “Time Critter” we live in 60 minutes to the hour, 24 hours to the day, and seven days to the week, and a year has 365 days, that is the compass we live life by.  But our Creator is the designer of that system and it has no authority over Him.  So when Jesus tells us in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I choose 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 it to you.”  So the question must be asked, when did God choose us? 

The answer is simple, maybe that is why so many miss it, God has no past and He has no future, He is always in the present, so much of what God says about you and me happen outside of our time-line.  The Psalmist give us insight into this truth in Psalm 139:15-16, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.”  In no way does this take away your freedom to choose, and before the foundation of the world God chose to send His Son to pay for your sin, knowing fully that many would reject His Son.

This is why faith being defined as acting like Jesus tells the truth is so important; because Jesus said once you enter into a personal relationship with him he will never cast you out.  That eternal security or you might say "unconditional assurance," and "once saved, always saved."  “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why are you seeking Jesus?

John 6:22-29

 This morning as I look into these verses in John six, what a wonderful reminder from our Lord of why so many seek Him.  As a seeker of Jesus what are my motives, do I call myself a Christian, what does that mean to me?  In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you.”  You may recall that yesterday the crowd wanted to take Jesus by force and make him their king, but today they realize that Jesus and His disciples are gone so they get into boats and cross the sea to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

Now it has become clear to all that they were seekers of Jesus, but their motives were not to worship him as God, but to be a provider of goods and services, much like many in the USA who want the government to care for them.  Picking up the story in verse 25, “When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”  Verse 26,27, Jesus answers them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.  For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

If you are reading this it is not by accident and the hour is late, we are in the last times, and the question is why are you seeking Jesus, and if you are not, why?  I believe this group of people ask Jesus the question that is the most important of any that could be ask in verse 28.  “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him who he has sent.”   

C.S. Lewis had this to say about being a seeker of Jesus in “Mere Christianity:”  “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
I am in total agreement with Lewis, for anyone but God to say these things; “I am the bread of life: whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) What about John 8:12, “Again 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.” And what about John 8:42, “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.  I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”  And what about the encounter with the Jews about Abraham, and Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)  And one that I go to often is found in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  And do you remember what Jesus said to Lazarus’ sister Martha; “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)  But this is the one that will knock your socks off, it is Thomas telling Jesus that he does not know where Jesus is going or the way to get there.  “Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6)  This is a small sampling of what Jesus said, but if He were not God, only a lunatic would make such claims.
There is more evidence about Jesus’ life than any other who lived some 2,000 years ago, and yet it a matter of faith, and it will require faith to believe or lack of faith to reject.  But if you are a seeker of Jesus, why are you seeking Him?
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

Why do we leave Home without Him?

John 6:16-21

Most of us will recall the slogan “Do not leave home without it,” American Express has used that for years.  Many of us have watched the movie  “Home Alone,” it is a story of an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, and he has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.  As I read about Jesus’ disciples getting into the boat and leaving Him, I wonder how often we Christians leave Jesus and get into our boat called life. We are told in John 6:15b that Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.  The “again” gives insight that this may have been a routine action for Jesus, we are told that He often got up early and went to a quiet place to spend time with His Father.  If so that might help me some with the puzzle of the twelve getting into a boat and crossing the sea to Capernaum.

Often it helps to put myself in the story; I’ve just watched Jesus take five barley loaves and two fish from a young boy who was willing to share them with Jesus, and He fed 5,000 men and their families after he blessed them.  And when He told His disciples to gather up the leftover pieces of fish and bread, they had 12 baskets full.  How we in the large crowd wanted to make him our King, not only because he could feed us but he also could get rid of the Romans.  That is when Jesus went up into, I guess, the mountains, none of us really said where he went, some of us were taking a nap and others were designing a plan to run the Romans back to Rome.  I was still talking with a group of people when someone said, look his disciples are in the boat and leaving, but Jesus was not in that boat.

After reading these verses, I had this question in my mind about how often have I gotten into the boat and left Jesus?  I must confess that I have tried to live independently many times, or taken my boat in the direction I wanted to go without waiting on Jesus to give me direction.  And without fail the sea becomes rough and it seems as if the wind is too strong and my life seems empty and meaningless.  But the “Rest of the Story” is that Jesus is faithful and in the same way that he came near the disciple’s boat, he has come to my independent boat and said, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  And very much like the disciples, I’ve taken Jesus back as the Captain of my life and I can confess that joy has filled my life with Him in charge.  So the question must be asked; why do you and I think we can manage life without Him?  So why do we leave Jesus?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Man under Authority

Acts 14:2

When reading verse two can you really put yourself into the story; “But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.”  I can’t and most of the Christians I know who live in the great state of Texas have no experiential understanding of what verse two is telling us, or do they?  I believe the majority of Christian leaders and members of congregations do not stir up the unbelieving public for this one reason, they keep public matters private on issues of moral sin that are being promoted by the media and the progressives in our government and those who are agents of the devil. 

Some exceptions have been the Roman Catholic Church, when it comes to abortion and the laws that have been passed by our congress to force these issues on the church.  But when it comes to issues of marriage, where God has said it is a man and a woman coming together in marriage, our progressives in and out of the church have said that God just got it wrong, and a man should be able to marry a man, and a woman a woman, and many a powerful company has given vast amounts of support in dollars and media, like Home Depot, Target, and Starbucks, and others who agree with the progressives, and they do it because they have no fear of Christian leaders taking a stance against them.  But what is even worse, is that Christians who have strong beliefs that these actions are wrong will not be inconvenienced to shop elsewhere, because they just do not believe it is that important.  Maybe my dear brothers and sisters in Christ it is time to start reading the Scriptures, I’m sure that Romans 1:18-27, has not changed, and that God has not changed, and you should revisit what is written. 

I was one of a good number of men who attended a men’s ministry kick-off dinner for the coming year, and the speaker is a man I have the highest respect for.  He began by saying something like this: and in no way is this a quote, Men, many of you are concerned with the mess this country is in, and many of you are looking elsewhere and not at yourselves for the solution, but the problem lies in the person you see in the mirror.  When you get right with God and lead your family to seek the things of God, then one man at a time we will begin to change this country back to what God desires.  Great message, and the writer of James would have said; “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  (James 2:17 NIV)  It has been my experience, that when a man comes under the authority of God’s Word he is confronted by what God would have him do and say.  Such a man gives little thought to what is proper by the world’s standards, nor what the church leadership will think of him, he need not take a poll of who will be offended and who will support his stance, for a man who is a man that looks to the Father and takes direction from him will fulfill what James 2:17 is saying. Note: (And it will differ with each man, for each man has his place in the battle line.)

The Bible is full of such men, and the examples are numerous, men like Stephen, Paul, Peter, James, John and Jesus.  Do you recall any time Jesus was concerned with what a man thought of Him, nor did he once take a poll or send up a trial balloon to see how the wind of public approval was blowing.  But He did take a stance against those who were in leadership, did He not call them out.  Matthew’s gospel gives some insight to this subject: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28 ESV)

My prayer is that we would put our house in order, that we would be under the authority of Scripture, led by the Holy Spirit and taking our place in the battle, for no matter what others may say we are in a battle for the heart of a nation.  The hour is late, the battle will be costly, in what others think about you, but if your walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh, just remember these words of Jesus in John 10:10,“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  God always calls men to stand for good and against evil in every generation, and as Nathan confronted King David on his personal sin, he called William Wilberforce in the late 1700’s to stand against slave trafficking and later He called Martin Luther King II to take a stance against judging a man by his skin color and not his heart and actions.  When you find what God calls sin, and for any reason, you support that sin or excuse it, you have moved to a very dangerous place.  James give this warning; “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”  (James 4:4 ESV)

This question only you can answer, are you willing to be under the authority of the One who came to bring life to you abundantly, if so, put on the full armor of God and take your place in the battle.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Mission Impossible

John 6:4-15

One of the very first “Mission Impossible” is recorded in the verses listed above.  Have you ever been part of a mission that seemed impossible?  Put yourself in Philip’s shoes for just a moment, yes, use your God given imagination, it’s you that Jesus is asking this question, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?  If you are anything like Philip, then you are going to look at this large crowd and say something much like he did; “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”  Now a denarii was a Roman coin and the coin's purchasing power in terms of bread in the first century AD has been estimated as equivalent to $21 in 2005.  So you would be saying if we had $4,200 it would only buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. 

You and I, much like Philip, often forget who ask the question, we are quick to think how dumb of you to ask the impossible, when the one who has posed the question already has the answer.  Jesus always has the answer, but like a Philip we are quick to look at the impossible, and tell everyone that it is crazy.  It is also wise to understand that someone like an Andrew is listening to your exchange, someone who in the past has experienced the majesty of Jesus and shyly asked, as Andrew did, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”  Have you been an Andrew, have you been on that committee with the assignment to do the “Mission Impossible” for the kingdom of God, and all the faith that you have in a big God is to say, as Andrew, but what are they for so many?

I remember Jack Archer calling Jan and I and a handful of others to go to a Lay Witness Mission in Amarillo, Texas at a large church, and he needed many more team members.  It was only a few days till the mission and no one seemed to be able to work Amarillo into their schedule.  Jack ask us to pray that God would put His team together, it was looking like a “Mission Impossible” and I remember calling Jack the day before the mission and the report was not in keeping with our prayer, he had only a few new members on the team.  But Jack reminded me of whose mission it was, and that he believed that God would send just the right number, and He did.  That happen many years ago, and yet like these disciples it changed my understanding of the term “Impossible.”

Do you recall what Jesus said after being told about the young boy with the five barley loaves and two fish?  “Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”  Now we are told that in that place was a large amount of grass, so about 5000 men plus their families sat down and Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to His Father for the provisions and began to distribute it to those seated.  He did the same thing with the fish and told them to eat all they wanted.  Now after they had eaten and were full Jesus told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”  I am fearful that often in our excitement of the moment we forget to gather up the leftovers, and often much gets lost.  But back to verse 13, “So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.”  Do you find it of interest that John does not give an account of what was done with the gathered up baskets, but this we can be sure of, Jesus had a plan for those baskets. 

Now the story reminds me of our culture, these people who just got fed are much like people in our country.  The people were looking for someone to care for them, some one who could come through on the promise of “Hope and Change” and Jesus, perceiving that they were about to take him by force to make him King, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.  If only they would have asked, Jesus would have given them living water, and they would have experienced the blessing they were looking for.  Are you looking for a king, someone to take care of you, or do you need life?  Choose life, Jesus is the giver of life!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why would You Follow Someone?

John 6:1-2

“After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.”

After reading this Scripture this thought came into my mind; why do we follow some people?  If you are a user of the I-Phone, then you are more than likely a follower of Steve Jobs, who began Development of the iPhone in 2005 as Apple’s CEO.  In January 9, 2007, the first iphone was unveiled, and the following has grown over many generations of development, and they are now to the 5^th generation iphone 4S released on October 14, 2011.  The 4S already broke records for previous iPhone sales, in the first 24 hours Apple processed more than one million orders and since 2007 they have sold in the neighborhood of 51.5 million iPhones.

Could it be true that many of the people we follow bring something of value to our life, or at lease we perceive some value from them.  It could surely be stated that the millions who ordered the iphone 4S before seeing it, had some expectation of increased value.  And what about this very large group of people who follow Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee?  The answer is very clear in verse two,  “And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.”  If you talk with one of the proud owners of an iPhone with all it app’s and features, even they will agree it cannot heal the sick.  So we have an understanding of why they followed Jesus but why do you follow Him, or better yet, why do I follow Him?

Let me share this analogy, I’ve seen the iPhone, I know many who own an iPhone, but I to date have not put down the cash for an iPhone, so I even thought I’ve got a good understanding of what it can do, I’ve yet to experience it, or the value it can bring to my life.  For the first 27 years of my life, I could make that same statement about Jesus Christ.  I was from birth around people who knew Jesus, they professed to have Him living inside of them, I read all about Him, I believed He was God’s Son, that He was born of a virgin named Mary, that He was in submission to His parents and to God His Father and about the age of thirty, He began doing miracles.  I also believe that He died on a cross for the sins of men, that the grave could not hold Him and that He now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  I believed, but I did not bow my knee to His authority in my life, I had no experience of His personal value to my life.

At the age of 27 years in a hotel room, I bowed down to the one I was informed about, by faith I move from knowledge about Him to a personal relationship.  In that room I came to grips with this truth, I had not one thing God needed, but on the other hand He was offering me, forgiveness of my sins.  His offer was life, full life, now and for eternity.  As I read these verses in that hotel Bible, Romans 10:9-10, “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  That night I acted on what God’s word said and Jesus changed my life.  And that is why I am His follower!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Smart Man - A Brilliant Man

A Smart Man – A Brilliant Man

It might shock my readers that I have some friends who are smart and a few who might even be called brilliant.  When I think of someone being smart these adjectives come to  mind; clever, keen, smooth, witty, and quick, but when someone uses the term brilliant my mind goes to extremely bright, very talented, one who has the ability to dazzle others in his or her subject matter.   Note: But even these we call smart and brilliant are ignorant in many areas of life, as is common to man.  Only God is all knowing, Isaiah 55:8-9!

As a person who never finished college, and was voted most likely not to succeed by his own parents and friends; I will never be branded with the title smart or brilliant, but I have the mind of Christ, and so do you if you are in Christ.  Now I do not make that statement because of some degree plan, nor great accomplishment of my own doing, but from the authority of Scripture.  The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ, and had the following to say to them and us; “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.  “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”   

If you are in Christ you have the mind of Christ, but you also have a brain, and we understand that having and using can be as far as the east is from the west.  So how can we know when we are not using the “mind of Christ”?  When we put self before others, an are unkind, are envious, are boastful, are prideful, then it is clear that we are not using the mind of Christ.  For the mind of Christ is patient, and never insists on its own way, and never rejoices at wrongdoing.  The mind of Christ always wants the best for others and loves unconditionally, even those who have wronged Him. 

After reading this to my wife and editor ask that I also state that when using the mind of Christ, Scripture will guide your thoughts, words, and actions.  Psalm 119:11 says, “I

have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

So how can a man be called smart or brilliant if they do not understand Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  I’ve come to this understanding, that education, and talent, can be of great value, but also can be a curse, because any person, who does not operate in life with Godly wisdom, cannot be smart or brilliant.  The prophet Isaiah spoke to such men, “Woe to those who are wise in their on eyes, and shrewd in their on sight!”(Isaiah 5:21)   For a man to believe that he understands the thoughts or ways of God that have not been revealed in Scripture, is a stupid man, not smart, nor brilliant!  But a man with the mind of Christ can understand the authority of Scripture and do as is proclaimed in Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

I also have met many in the world who claimed to be smart or brilliant, but who God calls a fool, as for me, I do not mind being called a fool by such men, as long as God calls me His son.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Recognition that came with Achievement

John 5:44

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

I made my living in sales, and as a person who enjoyed my job, I also enjoyed the recognition that came with achievement.  To standout from the others, to be recognized by your peers as a professional in closing the sale, winning the trip also meant the acknowledgment by management that you were part of an elite group.  I wanted to be the best, the cream of the crop, so to say, because with that achievement you attained influence and income.  Was that wrong? 

In our culture many would say yes, but I believe they have their heads in the sand, look at those who we look up to: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Billy Graham, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, and what do they have in common, success.  We humans like to see those who fall into the elite group; I’ve never known anyone other than maybe a mother who gets excited about an underachiever. 

Could it be that being acknowledged for being the very best at what you do fits very well into God’s plan for you?  If your answer is yes, you are one hundred percent correct, for the Scripture tells us in Proverbs 10:4, “Lazy hands made a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”  Also in Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”  It might we helpful to show you in Scripture one such man, his name was Joseph, and most of us would not want to follow his career plan, but look at what is said about him: So he (the king) left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (Genesis 39:6)

So the problems come when we want the praise of men more than seeking the will of God, and it’s an easy trap to fall into, it’s called worldly ambition, without acknowledging that it is God who has given us all our abilities and talents.  King David’s son Absalom was such a man, in 2 Samuel 15:1, “In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him.”  And what about the mother of James and John, these boys were numbered in the twelve disciples, and mom ask that Jesus would let one sit on His right side and the other on His left in the kingdom of heaven. 

In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians the third chapter and verses 23,24, we have the correct attitude, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Voice of the Father

John 5:37-46

Most people enjoy watching a good magician and his act is based on tricks and illusions, you see the rabbit come out of the hat that was empty when he put it on his head, and wonder how did he pull that off.  In verse 37, Jesus tells us that God is not into tricks or illusions, that He has clearly witnessed to us that Jesus is His only Son, and then the shocking statement: “His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5: 37b – 40)  Because Jesus tells the truth, and He is “Truth” then the question must be asked, is Jesus telling only this group of people they have never seen and never heard the voice of God, or is that all people?

The letter to the Hebrew Christians in Chapter 1:1-3, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”  We must ask the question, was it God the Father who spoke to the prophets?  If so, then Jesus was only referring to the group of Jews who had gathered to hear him speak.  If we turn to 2 Peter 1:21, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  So it was the Holy Spirit that was speaking to these prophets, and what insight do we have of the Holy Spirit; Jesus said this about Him, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)

It is an interesting thing to ponder; “Has anyone seen or heard the Father,” if you believe you or I are the first to ask such a question, then you are very wrong.  In the gospel of John 14:8, Philip said to Jesus, “Lord show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” The reply from the Lord is in verses 9b-11-13, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” 

You and I are just like those Jews that Jesus told they had never seen or heard the Father, and that the love of the Father was not in them.  They saw and heard Jesus but they refused to believe that He was the Christ, the Messiah.  You may identify more with Thomas or Philip, who believed in Him, but it was only later that they came to put their trust in Him for eternal life.  It is clear that when one enters into a personal relationship with Christ, our eyes and ears are open to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, and to have fellowship with our Lord.  But like the Jews that Jesus spoke to, they were much like the world we live in, it cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You will also find that in John 14:17, the last part of that verse states; “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

If you are not of the faith, and you read the Scripture looking for meaning to your life but they just do not make sense, will you stop reading and ask God to reveal His truth to you.  That will bless His heart, He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to buy you out of your rightful punishment, and He is waiting for you to submit to His love and ask for His forgiveness.  Let me give witness to this verse, I was not looking for Jesus when He used five men to guide me to Him, and it blessed my heart when I found this verse in John 15:16, 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 it to you.”  The day Jesus came into my life I became a new creation, the old Bob was dead with his desire to suck life out of others, and now many years into my walk with Jesus, He has been faithful!  I’ve made wrong choices, and some of them have left deep scars on my life, but this I know: Jesus tells the truth, and Jesus said this; “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”   

So in that day, the day you enter into Christ, you will hear Jesus and if you hear Jesus you hear the Father, because as the apostle Paul states, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice.