Have we Forgot?

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Acts 23: 1-11

I would never have believed that a political party in the United States would have taken God out of their platform and then had a floor vote on putting God back in that lost three times and the leaders of that party ignored the vote and placed God’s name back into the platform, for political reasons, not because they love God.  I would never have believed that this same group would support men marrying men and women marrying women and by their actions oppose marriage between a man and a women.  I would never have thought a President of the United States would hold special prayer services for Muslims and call the Nation’s day of Prayer an event, and not be part of it, but all of this and more took place in the last four years.  And this same group does not like Christians; if given the chance they would do all in their power to silence the message of the cross, and of a risen Jesus Christ.  They want Christian to keep faith a private thing, and trust in government not in God.

At the time the apostle Paul was put before the council of Rome was in charge, they were the conquering army, and the Jews hated them, but the leaders played nice in order to keep power over the center of life, and at that time in Israel that was the temple, it governed the Jewish culture and it was more than a religion.  From the view of the governing bodies that ruled over the Jewish people they saw Christianity as a threat to their way of life, their control, their seat of significance.  

We also have an army that has come against Christians in the United States, and they have a leader who has been attacking and deceiving mankind since the Garden of Eden and his game has not changed, and his goals are clearly stated in John 10:10, by Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  Many a Christian can quote this verse and many believe it until they find the mob is coming after them, or they believe they may lose a way of life that is centered in the church and being good to their neighbors, and in the freedom to talk Christian but often not be Christian. 

Then they demand action from their leaders, and who are their leaders, Pastors, Politicians, and maybe Fox news.  And just an observation, it seems like they are quick to quote any source no matter the source if they are saying something they agree with in the political, the financial, or the spiritual realm, and it seems to matter not that the source can be verified.  We Christians in the USA seem to dismiss much of what Jesus has told us, about being light in a very dark world, and have we forgot that light dispels darkness, and that Jesus tells us we are the light of the world.  Do you recall these words; “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew5: 16)

This writer hates the evil that has attacked the family, the church, and the God in whom we trust, and yet, early on I was part of the email army to set right all the wrongs coming from the enemy, when the Spirit of God began to speak light into my heart, be light, do not be part of the things of darkness.  I am not saying do not take a stand for good over evil, but make sure that your words are true, and remember it is not about a brand or a party, it about being light so that glory is given to the Father.

As you read Acts 23:1-11, you will see the wisdom of God at work in Paul’s life, and you will see the words from Jesus saying, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”   And Paul understood that Rome was not going to be a holiday, but Rome meant prison, it meant loss of freedom, but it also meant wining many to Christ, it meant being light and the writing of much of the New Testament.  This question confronts me, have I been crucified with Christ, is it no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me?  Is the life I am now living in the flesh a life of faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me, or have I forgotten who govern, who blesses and who curses?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What part did you Play in the Story?

John 7:37-52

If you grew-up in 1950’s as I did you saw change, lots of change, and it’s easy to get nostalgic, yes, it is so easy to look back and long for the past, but then you remember the hot nights without air-conditioning and waking up with the bed sheet wet with your perspiration.  Yes, much has changed, and yet the character of people has not changed from the time Jesus walked on the streets of Jerusalem.  Place yourselves in the story; use that wonderful gift of imagination that you and I were given as a gift from our heavenly Father.  You are in Jerusalem for the feast of Booths, and it is the last day and almost time to grab the children and wife and return home with all the stuff you bought at the Jerusalem mall. 

This new prophet Jesus, who seems to have stirred up the Pharisees by claiming to be sent from God and able to forgive sin, stood up right in the middle of us and cried with a loud voice: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  (John 7:37,38)  I dropped my (Challah) loaf of bread that I had just purchased, what was this man claiming, some said, “This really is the Prophet,” and I heard others standing in the crowd saying, “This is the Christ.”  But I also heard others saying, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?  Has not the Scriptures said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David; he comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”  Yes, it seemed that there was a division among the people over him.  In fact, the Jerusalem Times Herald has a news flash reported, that some of the leaders wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.  It was also reported that the officers that were sent to arrest him were in big trouble with the chief priests and Pharisees, it is reported that they ask, “Why did you not bring him?”  And the officer’s answer was, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

It has been over 2000 years and the crowd is still divided on, is Jesus God, or is He a lunatic?  After much study, I’ve come to understand that you must choose one of those options; He did not leave any other options.  By faith and the grace that the Father has given me, I have bowed my knee to His Lordship, Jesus is the only Son of God, He is Creator, He is my Savior and Lord.  Now unlike my imaginary person in the story, I have the understanding of verse 39, that gives clarity to what Jesus said in verses 37&38, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

If you put yourself into the story, what part did you play, were you one of the ones that said, “This really is the Prophet?”   Or were you part of the small group that said, “This is the Christ?”  Maybe you knew just enough Scripture to have reservations that the Christ was not to come from Galilee, or were you one of the officers who came to arrest Jesus but were blown away by the things He said?  Or last, were you the religious guy who saw Jesus as a threat and wanted to kill him?   Religion always leads to killing those who are a threat!  Who were you in the story?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Wayne had the spirit of a Berean

Acts 20:28-32

Monday will be two week since Jan and I attended the celebration of Wayne Thomas’ life, and how Wayne let Jesus Christ live in his earthsuit while on planet earth.  Before the service, Jan and I were talking in the foyer with many people whom we have known for years, when I saw Pastor Mark Estep visiting with an old friend, Kyle (Fred) Bergeron, who has been the area manager for a large real-estate company, and on greeting them Kyle told me he was no longer doing that, now he was just in sales.  Kyle went on to tell Pastor Mark that being over a large group of people was much like running a church.  I replied that he could not be more wrong, that the two did not compare.  This was all done in light conversation but this morning as I read Acts 20:28; Paul’s instruction to the elders of the church at Ephesus, and to all the elders since, the words jumped off the page at me.

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 ESV)  Now if you were part of that conversation, it was not light, that was some very deep waters for the elders.  Paul, letting the Holy Spirit wiggle his lips, shared how they were to pay careful attention to themselves and to all the people the Holy Spirit had given them in his church.  The apostle reminds them that God is mighty and that His grace is the search engine that is needed to be an overseer to His church.  He goes on to share that (Grace) is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  Sanctified can be defined as: free from the power of sin, not sinless, but sin has no authority over us, though, sin is always a choice, after one comes into a relationship with Christ.  That goes for the overseers as well as the pew sitters!

If each person who has felt the call into fulltime church work, was instructed in this manner it would be a wise person who reminded them of what the Holy Spirit said through the apostle Paul.  This should be shared; “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

(Acts 20:29-32 ESV)

We who are referred to as (the flock) must also be alert, we are told by the Spirit of God to; “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  (2Timothy 2:15)  We should be like the Jews in Berea who received the word with all eagerness, and they examined the Scripture daily to see if these things were so.  Why is the flock easy prey, because they sit at the trough of some pastor who may be one of those the Holy Spirit is referring to as speaking twisted things, to draw away disciples after themselves.  If you are like the Bereans that will not be the case, for the Scriptures will expose such a person.

Now let me close with a word about my friend Wayne, he could easily have been called a Berean, in that he searched the Scriptures and I knew him to be a man of prayer because he was part of a group of men who for years met on Saturday morning to pray, I was blessed by and often confronted by my friend Wayne.  He understood that grace was a free gift, that it was grace that made him acceptable before God, it was grace that put the love of Christ in him and that it was through grace that God poured out his love for him.  It was the power of grace that showed Wayne that he was not on a performance-based acceptance but a Jesus-based acceptance.  If you do not know about grace, ask Jesus to open your eyes and bring someone to teach you the ways of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Intimacy or "Hide and Seek"

John 7:32-36

Is Jesus talking about “hide and seek” in these verses?  Most of us have played the game of “hide and seek” at sometime in our life.  It is a game most of us played as children or now play with our children or grandchildren.  From the experience of my childhood I can testify that it is best played indoors with some defined perimeters.  If my older brother Fred and his friends wanted to get rid of me they would say, “let’s play hide and seek” and we would not set boundaries, and it worked every time, till I learned they had left that area for the big park or one of their friend’s home.  But it is not only a child’s game it also happens in relationships, it’s not called “hide and seek” but it has the same affect, it’s called hiding our feelings or stuffing them so far away that we never let the other person or persons find the real you.  This is not a fun game, but it is a game that is played in marriages, families, church, at the office, and it is a game most of us have played.  It has this affect; it keeps you from knowing the person or being known by the other person.  It keeps intimacy out of those relationships, and it is impossible to be intimate without trust and openness.  Is that what was going on with Jesus and these people in Jerusalem?  And maybe a better question is, could that be what is going on between you and Jesus?

Now we know this from the Scripture, that the Pharisees heard the crowd saying, could this be the Christ, and they sent officers to arrest Him.  At this point, Jesus told the crowd, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.  You will seek me and you will not find me.  Where I am you cannot come.”  “The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him?  Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

It sure sounds a lot like “hide and seek” until you examine the information, and on a closer look you will not find anything but Jesus being transparent with a people who had closed their thinking to a Messiah who did not meet their perimeter.  And then the question must be asked, have you done the same thing as this Jewish crowd?  Jesus has been very open with the Jewish people, He has said to them, “I am the bread of life: whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”   Does that not sound like a claim that only God could keep?  And just a few short verses later in John 6:47, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.  I am the bread of life.”  In John 5:37-40, are these the words of a mad man or God, for if he was not God, then we only have the words of a lunatic.  Jesus said,  “And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. 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.”

Is the crowd the ones playing the game, not of “hide and seek,” but of “I’m first” and that game is often played, it is my ball and my rules and it matters not what is true, I want to be in control of my life, as old blue eyes sang “I did it my way,” well how is that working out in your relationship with Jesus Christ?  Only when we submit to His authority, only when we acknowledge Jesus, as God, will we be able to have intimacy with Him.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Could this be the Christ?

John 7:25-31

This morning as I read this Scripture, I revisited the French philosopher and author Blaise Pascal who lived from 1623 – 1662, and these are some of his thoughts:  “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.”

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

As I was reading John 7:25-31, it seemed like Pascal understood the dilemma that many in the crowd in Jerusalem were going through, “Can this be the Christ?”  And if we believe it is, what will they do to us?  Many in Jerusalem had been looking for the Christ, the promised Messiah, so listen to what they were saying, “Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?  And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him!  Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? (John 7:25-26)  “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.”  Pascal understood the predicament they faced, it was a battle of some knowledge coming up against the light for those who wanted to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.  And in verse 27, we have the shadows that blind those who don’t.  Listen; “But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.”

It is very interesting that Jesus’ reply is not a statement, but a question, “You know me, and you know where I come from?  But I have not come of my own accord.  He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.  (Note: Jesus has moved the conversation from a question to a statement.)  I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”  And now the rest of this story; “So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.  Yet many of the people believed in him.  They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

In the second quote of Pascal, he asks the question what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false?  He is referring to the eternal not the temporal because in the temporal it cost many of them a great price.  Many were disowned and put out of the family and friends acted as if they had died.  In Hebrews 11:36-38, we have this account; “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they where sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”  That is an eyewitness report of what happened to many who took the wise wager of belief in Jesus Christ.

Now we no longer live in the time that Jesus walked on planet earth, but we still have the same dilemma that many in the crowd in Jerusalem were going through, “Can this be the Christ?”  And in the world we live in, it will cost you to place your trust and faith in what He has promised.  At this time many are being disowned by parents and family and in many parts of this world they are being jeered and flogged, some are being put in prison and others or being murdered.  And yet in most areas of the United States, we seem to have a faith that cost very little, maybe someone is making fun of you, or you have been turned down for a promotion, if you stand for the things of God.  But if you have not noticed, things have changed, what was once good is now being called evil, and what was evil is now being called good.  God sent a prophet named Isaiah to tell us about such a time, and about such a people, I believe we are in that time, and there is evidence that declares we are those people.  You will find that in Isaiah 5:20!
 
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Christians are the hope of the World

John 7:14-17

As one who has taught the Bible, I can testify that no one has marveled at my teaching, but some may have said how did this uneducated guy get to teach a class.  I personally believe that in my case I was willing to do what others who had the training and education were not willing to do.  When it came to Jesus, it is written; “The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”  Now in the time of Jesus on this earth it was common to follow a teacher of the law, one such was a Pharisee named Gamaliel.  In Acts 22:3, we see the apostle Paul making this statement, “I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.”  That was the norm if you were going to have others follow you, but Jesus had been a carpenter and had not sat at the feet of any of the great teachers of His time.

This was Jesus reply, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.  If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.  The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.  Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law.  Why do you seek to kill me?”

Please forgive me but I must chase a rabbit in the area of authority: the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. Only God has absolute authority over his creation, and that was what Jesus was telling these people and they, much like our culture today, did not want to be subject to that authority.  In many families today in the United States we are not seeing any evidence of children being taught to respect authority, they are not taught to respect adults, not those who are over them at school, or church, and that has brought about a breakdown in our society.  It also means they will be raised to not respect the authority of God or submit to or look to His direction in their lives. 

Listen to the crowds answer to Jesus in verse 20, “The crowd answered, “You have a demon!  Who is seeking to kill you?”  This was Jesus answer to them in verses 21-24, “I did one deed, and you all marvel at it.  Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I make a man’s whole body well.  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

When you ponder the words of Jesus or am I making a wrong assertion and you, like many, only read His word, but do not let it have authority over your life?  I’m hoping if you are reading this you deliberate on the words of our Lord, because the hope of your family, your community, and your nation is people seeing Christ lived out in and through you.

From the Back Porch,

Rice

A Promise is a Promise

Hebrews 3:16-19

A promise is a promise, especially when it comes from our Creator, and it was first given to Abraham in Geneses 12:7, a promised land, the land of Canaan.  And we understand that the chosen people were enslaved in Egypt and God used a man named Moses to lead them to the land of promise.  But many who had been chosen, never entered that land, verse 19 gives this insight: “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” 

Often, when we read over the cost of their unbelief, our minds do not go to what an unbelieving heart cost others.  It cost their children 40 years in a wilderness going to funerals, watching their older brothers and sisters, their mothers and dads, and even grandparents die and be buried.  The promise was theirs, but most did not believe the promise, they had misplaced faith in a man, Moses, and when things got hard they rebelled.  Rebellion will always come when the people lose faith in the object of that hope, and these people, the ones who followed Moses had misplaced their hope in Moses, and not in the God who parted the Red Sea.

Are you in a wilderness of unbelief?  Have you misplaced your faith in a church or preacher?  Who is the object of your faith?  Do you have any understanding of what has been promised to you, and I’m not talking in the hereafter. You and I have a responsibility to “act like Jesus tells the truth” that is faith, and it is faith that others watching will desire.  This world system is built on self, greed, and putting your trust in governments, Corporations, money, or anything but the promises of Jesus Christ.  So unless we act on those promises, unless we teach them at home, and unless our Children and grandchildren see the object of our faith, will they not also wander in the wilderness of unbelief?

Many of us often go to church, we attend Bible studies, but we seem to fall short, we still live life on our terms.  If you are on that road, and you are sick of self, sick of always coming up short, it is time to grit your teeth and ask God to guide you to “How.”  Psalm 119:9-11 gives us this, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  What you and I store up and treasure in our hearts is what we will draw from in time of need, in times of catastrophe, so store up His word, know and put to memory His promises; then when you hear His voice you will know how to answer.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice