Adversaries Oppose the Church in the USA in 2021

 

February 26, 2021

 

Ezra 4:1-6

 

Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,  they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”   But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Let me share a story told me by the late Carroll Ray Jr., a mighty man of God and His kingdom.  It is about Charles Tandy’s widow making a sizable offer to fund a building on the Fort Worth campus of  Baptist Theological Seminary It had one condition; Charles Tandy’s name had to be on it.  As the leadership kick, around the pros and cons, one of the reagents asks this question, would we also take the same offer from Hugh Hefner the owner of the Playboy magazine?  He shared with Carroll that at that point the conversation was ended on the subject with a letter rejecting the offer. 

This is not a knock-on Mr. Tandy, but he was not known for being part of the Church or a supporter of Christ's kingdom.  Maybe that was easy, but what about the many churches that took money from the government during the China Virus.  It was built into the economic relief legislation.  I ask my pastor if we were going to consider doing so and his short answer was no.  First, it is against the Constitution of the USA and when money is offered by a government it comes with strings attached.  

 

Now our government is doing the best it can to destroy your freedom with the Equality Act, which will criminalize your action if you give a Biblical opinion about homosexual activity.   In fact, it will make the Bible a criminal book in that its teaching is very much against such lifestyles.

 

What will the real Church and its leadership do, they will not bow to the evil of this bill, no matter the cost.  The people coming back out of  70 years of captivity understood when you allow the world to have a part of the mission God has given you, it always turns out bad.  This is one of the evilest bills coming out of the people's house and I joke when I call it the people's house, it has not been that for many years.

 

This is the question, will you be willing to go to jail, will you be willing to have the world call you any of its pet names, or will you stand for the Kingdom of our God?  It has never been the easy road God has called us to, for Jesus makes it clear, you will be hated by the world for standing for my Name, and God’s kingdom.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

 

 

 

June 24, 2020

 

Mark 13:1 - 2

 

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”   And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

 

Why are we shocked when an all-knowing God gives us insight into a matter that is about to happen?  As a very small child, I still recall my mother being given insight into a matter of what was about to happen.  We had no car and often dad was working on Sundays at the plant.  We walked almost three miles to church, I was very young and would stay with mom, but my brother and sister who were older would often be a good way behind us.  Mother stopped and said children come to me quickly, and as they ran to her side, an 18-wheeler came by and something happen and the trailer it was pulling came off and went out into a field at the spot my brother and sister were at.  I will always remember Mother's words; God told me that was going to happen just when I needed to know.

 

Jan and I had only one car and lived in a small town outside of Corpus Christi, and had no phone at that time.  Jan had gone to a lady's Bible Study when my cousin and her husband knocked on the door and told me to take their car to the hospital, and they would stay with our daughter till Jan got home.

 

My dad had not been sick to my knowledge, and I was driving and praying when I noticed I was only going 50 miles an hour, on a 70 mile an hour highway.  I ask the Lord why am I going so slow, and He made clear to me my dad had died, and I just needed to pray for my mother.  When I got to the hospital my Uncle Travis came to me and said son, I’m so sorry your dad is gone.  He was giving me old news God had prepared me before I got there.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Whose Son Is the Christ?

 June 23, 2020

 

Mark 12: 35-40

 

Whose Son Is the Christ?

And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?  David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet.”’

David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

The Scribes taught that the Messiah was to be the Son of David.  But David identified the Messiah as his Lord.  It is clear that the Messiah was not just a descendant of David.  He was David’s Lord.

Beware of the Scribes

 And in his teaching, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Dr. Luke gives more in-depth teaching of the sins of the Scribes in Luke’s gospel 11:37-54.  As you read the account take notice, for it is easy to be a Pharisee or scribe to want to be seen as a person of God, yet your inter life or hidden life from a man but not from God, does not stack up.  Jesus said, they wash the outer part but their enter life is consumed with evil thoughts.  Their teaching puts heavy burdens on the one who listens, yet they do not do the things they teach.  They like the seat of honor, and I share it is a wise person who knows what their flesh is like, mine wants to be noticed, it wants you to think better of me than both God and I know to be true, and also it likes to be first.  I have to be on guard against these things or I will not be the man God desires and to my shame, often I am that man, a Pharisee.

 

The Widow's Offering

 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.   And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.   For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Few of us have any understanding of sacrificial giving when it comes to money, but I’ve noticed sacrificial giving from many both men and women when it comes to a mate or a child that no longer has the ability to care for themselves.  As my dear friend Karen shared with Jan and me, I have to take it day by day, and God gives me the strength I need each day.

 

Each of us has been entrusted as managers of what God has blessed us with, do not be a foolish manager, but a wise one and seek the Holy Spirit’s leadership in the matter of your giving of money.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Great Commandment

 

 

Mark 12: 28-34

 

The Great Commandment

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”   Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’   The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”   And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.  And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The scribes heard the Sadducees debating with Jesus over the woman that marries all seven brothers and who would she be married to in heaven.  The scribes ask his own question; “Which commandment is the most important of all?”  

As a follower of Christ, each day I need to be reminded of number one and number two, for if my focus is not on obeying my life will be of little or no value to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’   The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  

But How, that is the question each of us wrestles with, how can I do it and the answer is you can’t, but God desires to do it all for us, we have to be willing to allow Him to do so.  God does not force His will on His children, but when I want Him more than the desires of the world, then I find He gives me the ability to love Him and my neighbor.

 From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

 

 

 

Mark 12:18-27

 

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying,  “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man^[e] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.  There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring.   And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise.  And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died.   In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?   For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.   And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?  He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

In the Holman Study Bible on page1788 they state the following about the Sadducees; they came about in the second century B.C. during the Maccabean revolt.  They were closely associated with aristocratic and priestly classes, accepted only the book of Moses {the Pentateuch} as Scripture, denied the bodily resurrection, future judgment, the existence of angels, demons, and spirits, and affirmed human free will. (verses Acts 23:6-8)

 

The Sadducees came about during a revolt, and today the United States of America is also in a time of revolt, but it has been happening longer than most of us realize according to  Dr. Jack Devere Minzey, born 6^thof October 1928, died April 8, 2018, was the Department Head of Education at Eastern Michigan University as well as a prolific author of numerous books, most of which were on the topic of Education and the Government role therein. (Editor's note) This was the last of his works: (Civil War: How do civil wars happen?)  

Our revolt has been taking place for a long time; listen to what Dr. Minzey has to say; 
“Two or more sides disagree on who runs the country.  They can't settle the question through elections because they don't even agree that elections are how you decide who's in charge.  That's the basic issue here, who decides who runs the country?  When you hate each other but accept the election results, you have a country.  When you stop accepting election results, you have a countdown to a civil war.”

Could it be we have many in the church and in our government that has the mindset of Sadducees?  I always look for the bottom line, and when Jesus speaks that should be the end of a matter.  Jesus said when addressing the Sadducees, “He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”  I can only hope you heard the reason they were quite wrong; “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?   

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Paying Taxes to Caesar

 

Mark 12: 13-17

 

Paying Taxes to Caesar

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.   And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”   But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”   And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.”   Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

 

I’m sure most of my readers know what Herodians and Pharisees were but in this crazy world we are living in with people everywhere trying to rewrite history or do away with it, history is important to define who they were.  The dictionary defines Herodians in the Easton’s Bible Dictionary as a Jewish political party who sympathized with ( Mark 3:6;  12:13; Matt, 22:16;  Luke 20:20 ) the Herodian rulers in their general policy of the government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne. (Compare  Mark 8:15 ; Matthew 16:6 .)

 

The Pharisees defined it in this way;  “From whom did the Pharisees separate? From those, especially priests or clerics, who interpreted the Law differently than they? From the common people of the land? From Gentiles or Jews who embraced the Hellenistic culture? From certain political groups? All these groups of people the Pharisees would have been determined to avoid in their resolution to separate themselves from any type of impurity proscribed by the Levitical law — or, more specifically, their strict interpretation of it.” (Christianity.com)

 

This is very interesting in that Sadducees and the Pharisees were a lot like the Republicans and the Democrats of today in not agreeing on much.  They also had this in common they desired power and authority over the people, with little or no regard for them.  In today's political parties it is clear that the Democrat party as a whole has a hate for the things of God, but then all the Herodians and Pharisees were doing was following after religion and its customs and rule, but had no desires for the things of God.  Could it be that many today that goes by the title of Christian also find themselves in that same boat?

 

From the Back Poarch,

Bob Rice

 

The Parable of the Tenants

 

 

 

Mark 12: 1-12

 

The Parable of the Tenants

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.   When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.   Again, he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.  And he sent another, and him they killed. And so, with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.   He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’   But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’   And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.   What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.   Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
 has become the cornerstone; 
 this was the Lord's doing,
 and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So, they left him and went away.”

I often ask myself, what’s happened to common sense, how did we get to a place of not being willing to listen to other opinions?  When did we allow greed and power to destroy a family, a church, a nation?  The answer is from the fall of man, it is not a new thing if only we would read and learn from history.  The enemy of all mankind the enemy of God said, if I remove all the history, all the statues, then I will get them to hate and even kill all authority, and replace it with a godless man they will worship.  Folks that is where we are going and the Church is silent.  It is not a new thing when you say so you only show your ignorance of history, have you read, 2 Chronicles 24:19-22, “Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

But they plotted against him, and by order of the king, they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.  King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

 if you are a follower of Christ, have you not read Matthew 24: and for the sake of keeping this a paper and not a book, let me share what Jesus has stated; about the signs of the close of this age in verses 9-14.  “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.   And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.   And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.   And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.   But the one who endures to the end will be saved.   And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

It is close to homecoming and it is time to let those in your circle of influence know that Jesus loves them and has the answers they are looking for.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

 June 17, 2020

 

Mark 11: 27-33

 

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,  and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”   Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.   Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’   But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.    So, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Have you ever wondered where authority came from; Romans  13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities?  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  We have the earthly authorities coming to Jesus, they are not happy with the actions He took cleaning the temple of money changers and they want answers to whose authority He did this under.  Now they were part of the ruling body of the Sanhedrin and we know they were getting the authority to rule from the Romans who ruled over them.  Unlike Jesus who was the only Son of the Father, they were not looking to God, they were trying to please Rome to keep the people in line.  They were hired hands of the Romans, they did not do what God said but what Rome said, they were not under the authority of God but Rome.  

Be very careful not to sit under a pastor that is a man-pleaser and not a God pleaser, Jesus talks about such men in John’s gospel chapter 10:12, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”  If you are in that church, leave for that pastor is also referred to as a hireling.  He has no authority or power from God’s Holy Spirit, and will always say whatever is pleasing to the ears of those who have employed Him.

They ask a question and Jesus says, I will tell you but first answer me,  ^“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  Now they were fearful but not of God but of man, so they would not answer, and this was Jesus' reply;  “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Is there a time when God has given us the authority to tell the government we will not do as you require?  The answer is yes, read the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, or what about Peter and John before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4?

You will recall they healed a man in the name of Jesus and were arrested, put in jail, and the next day we're told to no longer speak or preach about Jesus, this was their reply.  “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.   But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!   As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Will I have the faith to go to my death as happening in Daniel's account or in the case of Peter and John to be beaten and find the joy that you were worthy to be punished for speaking of Jesus?  We are not at that point yet, I do believe it is not far off, so what is our problem, is our faith that small?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

 

June 16, 2020

 

Mark 11:12-25

 

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.  And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.   And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.  Not the season for figs, then why did Jesus curse it?  I heard this passage preached on many times and yet I had no understanding of why He cursed the tree.  

It was not the season for ripe figs, but it should have had buds, small figs that would have had some food source, but it did not.  

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.   And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.   And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”   And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.  And when evening came they went out of the city.  The people selling and buy were in the out part of the Temple in the area more than likely where the gentiles were allowed to enter.  Jesus is not promoting civil disobedience, but those who were prospering from these actions, such as the chief priest and those doing business had no regard for the things of God. 

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.   And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”   And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.  Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.   And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

The fig tree and the temple and all of Jerusalem would soon experience the same curse in that they totally forgot their reason for being, they were no longer a blessing to anyone.  And God's judgment fell on His chosen people.

 

I am fearful that we the people of the United States of America have followed the same path as the priest and like the chosen people of God, we who have been entrusted with so much have forgotten to be thankful and like the fig tree, we have no fruit.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Triumphal Entry

June 15, 2020

 

Mark 11: 1-11

 

The Triumphal Entry

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.   If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”   And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.   And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”   And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.   And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.   And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.   And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!    Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

 

And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Mark’s account of this day, the King of Kings entering into Jerusalem on a borrowed colt and it has not been broken to allow a man to sit on it.  Mark goes to great detail on what is taking place with the use of the colt, and it is amazing for man but a small thing for God.  

 

Think for a moment about the ones that went to get the colt, were they amazed when it was Jesus who told them, maybe, but they went, and when ask why are you taking the colt, they did as Jesus told them and were allowed to take it?  Do you believe their faith was strong in Jesus after this mission?  How often we miss the message that the Holy Spirit is teaching by not giving thought to what effect it has on the men and women in the story.

 

As Jesus entered the city it was about two miles from Bethany, He went to the Temple, who was the most alarmed, was it the Romans who ruled, or the Religious leaders who feared losing power?  We will look at that a little later, but we know a lot from all the gospels about the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  In Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19, Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, and the crowds lay their clothes on the ground to welcome him as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem.

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice 

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

 

Mark 10:46-52

 

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.   And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”   And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”   And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”  And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.  And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”   And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

The Blind beggar has a name, this is how Mark describes him; “Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus”.  Not only does he have a name, but he was also someone’s boy, and Timaeus had hopes and dreams for his son, as you do for your child.

It is early on a Sunday morning, and my hope was to be sleeping, but God needed me to deal with this blind man, for my actions and thoughts are often like some in the crowd.  I do not ask his name, I may drop a coin in his lap, but I gave him a name, not the one his dad and mom gave him, he is the blind man by the road.  If only I would have engaged him, what might I have learned about faith?

If we stop for a moment and listen to the Bartimaeus’s of our day, they might become someone of great worth.   We just do not have time,  we're leaving our Jericho, let him be another person's problem.   Or is it that unlike the Lord whom we claim to be His followers, yet we do not do as Jesus did.  He stops, and called him and ask how can I be of help to you, “What do you want me to do for you?” 

We miss not only the blind man’s name, but we also miss his understanding of who Jesus is; for he refers to Jesus as the “Jesus, Son of David”.  That is a messianic designation, when Bartimaeus hears it was Jesus passing by he was not about to allow a crowd to keep him quiet.  As I read this account, I cannot help but wonder what is wrong with us, why are we so quiet in the crowds of our lives.

When Jesus called, Bartimaeus not only got up, but he threw off his coat and jumped up and came to Jesus.  When Jesus asked him this question; “What do you want me to do for you?” he responded, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.”  Did you get that Bartimaeus once had sight?   The Scripture does not give us insight into his mother or dad, but I can only imagine how often they prayed to the Father for this miracle.  As the great newsman stated now the rest of the story; And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

 

That brings me to this point, it is now 4:11 on this Sunday morning and I am so glad the Father awoke me very early for I needed to understand many things that have seem to escape me in this busy life, things of great importance!

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

 

June 12, 2020

 

Mark 10: 32-34

 

 

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him,  saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.   And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

 

As Paul Harvey would have stated we need the rest of the story.  It all began with a young man coming to Jesus who was very wealthy and wanted eternal life.  Jesus knows the man’s heart said go and give all you have to the poor and come follow me, but he was very rich, and he went away in great sorrow.  Jesus began to teach His disciples how hard it is to give up what your heart treasures to follow him.

He used the example of a rich man, but it could have been a guy whose identity was in his business, or his skill to play ball at a pro-level, or your children, anything you put before Jesus Christ.

 

Going back to the conversation with His disciples;”   And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”   Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”   Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”   Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.   But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

 

You now understand the reason they were hanging back and fearful, and it is the third time Jesus has told them what awaited Him in Jerusalem.  Often we need to be reminded of the price our Savior paid for us, and as man and God, Jesus understood that taking your sins and mine would make Him estranged from His Father.  God the Father and God the Holy Spirit could not have fellowship with sin, and Jesus became sin for you and me.  Jesus being God overcame sin, death, and the grave and on the third day was restored to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told them three-times and also in the garden and yet they did not understand, they were like you and me, very slow to grasp the truths of God.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

The Kingdom of God is not for sale

 

June 10, 2020

 

Mark 10:23-31

 

And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”   And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!   It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”   And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”   Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”   Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”   Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.   But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

 

The world is going through a Pandemic and it has not brought out the best in the human race.  In the USA the lack of leadership at State and Local government has exposed the true heart of many governors and mayors. Many have shown their hate for the Christian Church, many have tried to expand power that exceeds their office, and many have just been outright goofballs.  We the people need to do a better job of picking leaders.  

 

But the one thing that has shown up in people who say they are Christ-followers is the thing Jesus tells us often do not fear.  In my opinion, it is not the Church's best hour, people who go by the name Christian have been fearful of losing their wealth, and many have locked themselves in their homes fearful of dying.  If you have health problems, I am not referring to you in these comments.  

 

I can state before man and God Jan & I have not allowed the amount of money we are losing to be a concern, nor have we been fearful of dying, if I recall to die is gain and to live is to keep on keeping on with being a follower of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and God.  

 

I’ve shared often that my flesh is not good, I like to be noticed, to be chosen, and to stand in the front of the line, but each day I choose to put others first, to be noticed by 
God and not by man, and yet some days I find that old flesh has me wanting you to think more of me than both God and I know to be true, and I wonder do you understand your flesh?  If we were giving a test are you able to say you have not been fearful of death or loss in this time of the Pandemic? 

 

Now I have not done all that well with those lawless and the greed I’ve seen on the local news, as mom always said a wrong done does not give you the right to do wrong.  If there was ever a time to humble ourselves and pray it is now, we need the Church to awaken in the authority of Jesus Christ.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Rich Young Man

 

Mark 10: 17-22

 

The Rich Young Man

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”   And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.   You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”   And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”   And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”   Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”   And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!   It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”   And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”   Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”  Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”  Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.   But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The greatest question ever ask; “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”   And when a question of that magnitude is asking it must have a reply of equal value.  “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.   You know the commandments: and Jesus gives the list.  Now allow me to ask you a question, do you think of yourself as a good person, according to God your Creator it is not possible, without the Spirit of God living in you.  And even then do we not have thoughts that prove we are not good.  Jesus is also asking a question of this young man, are you acknowledging Me as God?  He is asking you that same question.

What is getting in your way of being a follower of Christ, in his case Jesus told him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”   The young man was very wealthy and that‘s what kept him from following Jesus, what is keeping you from doing so?

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice