Mile Three Continued ...“In his great mercy” - In the unbelievable depths of the mercy of God. A mercy that we do not deserve and many still scoff at – God delivers blessings. What is this mercy? “he has given us new birth into a living hope” Many an organ transplant patient will tell you that while waiting for the call that a new organ is available; you go through a roller-coaster of emotions. The longer the wait, the more encouragement you need to offset the mounting discouragement that threatens to swallow you up. The discouraging thoughts that attack and attempt to draw all hope away. The thoughts that challenge you to give up and end it all as your health will only deteriorate more and you will be a burden to everyone. All of us, since the time of Adam and Eve’s mistake or rebellious act or sin, have been subject to a death sentence. While we did not ask for this to happen; our decision making processes were so distorted as a result of the inherited sinful tendencies or nature of our ancestors – Adam and Eve that to sin is unavoidable. In short, it is virtually impossible to escape making decisions in life that displease God. Only one person was able to overcome and lead a sinless or pure life and that was Jesus Christ. If he had faltered on just one point it would have disqualified him and his death as the means by which we have received God’s merciful gift of life. Without the amazing and overwhelming mercy of God, you and I face a life of hopeless and meaningless existence for the pinnacles of power, honor and glory that the world gives may last for a lifetime but not for an eternity.
“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope” – You and I are given a second chance at life. When a prisoner on death row is given a last minute reprieve or a pardon from the authorities, he or she is given back the time that death was about to steal from him/her. That prisoner now has a chance to live again. However, that prisoner may still have to face the death sentence; life in prison and even when released will often be labeled for life as a criminal. This “new birth into a living hope” means that the crimes that we have committed before God are washed away; the penalties for these crimes paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. The death sentence that our crimes against God deserved was paid for by Jesus. He took your place and gave you a new start with a new hope. No longer are you governed by the influences or patterns of this world. You are free to embrace a hope that is powerful enough to radically change your life for the long haul that leads to an eternity with God. Yet some people refuse to believe that someone could love them that much since all they see in this world are those who love or show love for their own selfish reasons or desires. Whether you believe it or not, it is real. On your journey of life, you have or will come across something that is so unbelievable that many will question what you saw to the point that you might even begin to question the validity of your story. If the story is true, then no one can convince you otherwise. Peter is convinced of this new hope that comes to us by God’s mercy. So confident was he, that no form of punishment could persuade him to change his view even death. I challenge you to stop and consider where you stand at this juncture in life. Are you experiencing the hope of the new life that Peter talks about or are you trying to navigate life’s highway full throttle with no breaks and a wonky steering wheel?
See you soon!
Mile Three of our Journey: Have you ever traveled through the mountains and just stared in awe as you climbed higher and higher to the summit or made your way around the outside of the mountain overlooking a sparkling blue ocean below? Try to picture a scene from your memory that totally took your breath away at the sheer beauty of it all. When you pass through these types of areas as you travel life’s highways; you might come close to feeling what the Apostle Peter was feeling when he begun to write his letter in 1 Peter 1:3-5.
As exciting as the previous two miles on this journey have been; those miles were just the introduction to the letter. A quote from William Barclay summarizes the introduction and yet sets the table for the real meal to be enjoyed. “It is in the purpose of God that the Christian is called. It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that his life is hallowed towards God. It is by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ that he is cleansed from past sin and dedicated to future obedience to God”
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Peter 1:3a) We often forget that Peter knew Jesus personally and along with 11 other disciples lived with Jesus for about 3 years. He was one of the closest three to Jesus; if we take into account that on several occasions that Jesus only took 3 disciples with him (Peter, James and John). Peter saw Jesus live; saw the miracles; saw the betrayal of all the disciples as none stood by Jesus including Peter; saw the death of Jesus; his burial; and his resurrection. As he sits there contemplating what to write to these believers who are experiencing and will experience great persecution; I can see him reflect upon all that he had been taught by Jesus through word and deed. I can see his sense of wonder; hope and joy beginning to bubble up and overflow his thoughts.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Look at what God has done! How often do we stop and praise God at the birth of a baby; or along that mountain path?
We need to stop here for a minute as Peter surely must have. What an incredible thing God has done for you and me! Our world today is in many ways as lost in the darkness and sinking in a spiritual abyss as the world was when Peter walked the earth. Sophocles wrote: “Not to be born at all – that is by far the best fortune; the second best is as soon one is born with all speed to return thither whence one has come”. We live in a world where darkness is called light and light is called darkness. In an attempt to disassociate itself with God; the world is willing to embrace the philosophies of the world. As a result, life (created by God) is seen as not valuable; philosophies that sound God given are actually man driven and promoted as the way to peace with God; and with the promotion of entertainment that opposes God’s standards yet at the same time embraces the darkest recesses of man; we end up creating a society of people who believe they will be happy if they do what they want. Many of the Ancient Civilizations prided themselves on these same values but in the midst of their rivalry they lost sight of the true purpose and meaning of life. A life that was created to be in a vital and rewarding relationship with God. In a nutshell, some travelers will look at a mountain and see the awesomeness of a Creator while others will see the same mountain and yawn! I hope you choose to see the awesomeness of our Creator.
To Be Continue….
Mile Two of our Journey:“The times they are a changing.” Or are they? On the next leg of our journey we are looking at the people to whom this book was written and what they were going through at the time.
If you and I were to actually stop and reflect upon our daily lives, we would notice that we are challenged daily to surrender our faith and conform to the values and attitudes of the society within which we live. These challenges come from a variety of sources ranging from work; our social circle (present or the one we would like to be in); the media (in all its different modes from tv to movies to video to technology of every kind); our family (nuclear and extended and the activities and/or commitments that come along with them); relationships and even our past personal history. Society tells us that things are changing so fast that we must abandon the past and embrace the future – some of which is good; but the often underlying message tacked on is that the Bible is an outdated document that has no relevance to life today. It is here that we must take a stand. The relevancy of the Bible is eternal. It is just as applicable to our life today as it was when it was first written.
Technology does change some things such as how you are viewing this message (i.e on the internet) and how you will verify the Scripture passages used (Bible or Ipod; Tablet; Blackberry etc.). However, the challenge to live a Holy Life as God desires for us is unchangeable.
The Bible tells us in the Book of Acts that Christianity, during its early years following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and his Ascending up into heaven, was largely tolerated by the Romans. In fact, it was quite often the Roman leaders within the city that protected the Christians from the anti-Christian elements. I would encourage you to re-read the Book of Acts and you will discover this to be so. However, at some point in time, things began to change and dramatically changed when Nero decided to put the blame on the Christians for his setting fire to Rome. History suggests that Nero set fire to Rome in order to rebuild Rome in his own image.
The setting of 1 Peter was during a time when it was getting unpopular to be a Christian. We know from history that Nero would dip Christians in oil and light them up as Roman Candles for his evening events; as well as use them for sport in the arena where unarmed Christians would face hungry animals and gladiators. Of course, we do not face these things today or do we.
As I said last post, I would be using the GPS of William Barclay during this road trip.
His summary of the challenges that they would face is this (as you are reading this - ask yourself the question – Am I facing the same challenges for my faith in Jesus?):
1) They are likely to be accused of wrong doing when they were innocent (1 Peter 3:16)
2) They are likely to experience a fiery or painful trial (1 Peter 4:12)
3) They may have to suffer for doing what is right in God’s eyes (1 Peter 3:12)
4) When they suffer, they need to commit themselves to God (1 Peter 4:19)
5) When they suffer, they share in the suffering of true Christians worldwide (1 Peter 5:9)
In summary true Christians, during a time of persecution, will face campaigns of slander; painful trials and suffering at times for their full commitment to faith in Jesus Christ.
Does this description sound familiar or outdated?
Well, it is time for another rest on our road trip. Talk to you again soon.
Mile One of our Journey: Summer Road Trips are great. My favourite kind of road trip is one with a purpose and a plan. I must admit that I have a dislike for aimless driving and so I try to plan ahead.
In our study of 1 Peter, I would like to begin with a little background information to help us understand the journey a little better. When driving in unknown territory; most of us like to use a GPS along with the instructions to where we are going. On our trip, we will be using the Bible as our guide but for the introduction I want to refer to one of the most famous Bible Scholars, William Barclay, as our GPS.
1 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance. "
The author of the book is Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. The time period and place of writing is about 67 A.D. around the time of the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Nero and the place of writing was in Rome.
This book was written to Christians of mainly Gentile (Non Jewish) background as there is no mention of the Law and it was probably written to Gentiles of Greek ancestry as "Peter" is the Greek version of his name. Paul refers to him as "Cephas" and the Jewish believers as "Simeon" his Hebrew name.
Next trip, we will discover more about the people to whom this book is written and what they were going through at the time.
Looking for a Summer Challenge?
Road trip through 1 Peter! As with all good road trips, without communication it is boring. Please send in questions on passages that are challenging for you and any questions that arise as we journey (study) together.
Get Ready! Get Set! Let's Begin!
WITNESS FOR DISCIPLES
Key Concept: Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations.
Read Matthew 28:16-20
What is the context of this passage?
What is the significance of all authority being given to Christ? (18)
What are the four verbs (action words) in what is known as the Great Commission that applies to the disciples? (19-20)
Which action in the Great Commission do you think is the most important?
What is the implication of, “all nations”?
What promise does Christ give in the Great Commission?
What are the main reasons why you witness? What are the results that you want to see in a person after you share with them the gospel? The result I like to see is that people become disciples of Christ after they hear the gospel. Our task in being a witness is more than just preaching the gospel, but making disciples of Christ.
The setting for Matthew 28:16-20 was on a mountain in Galilee designated by Jesus. The eleven disciples met Jesus there but there must have been more people than the eleven. The people were there on the mountain in anticipation of seeing again the risen Lord. When they finally saw Jesus they worshipped him while there were those who still doubted. Little would they know that this would be one of the last times that they would see Jesus before He ascended into heaven.
Jesus began to speak and proclaimed His authority. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Jesus revealed that He had the power over all that is in heaven and on earth. He showed that He is in a position where He could command all that is in heaven and earth.
Jesus’ command on this mountain is known as the Great Commission. There are four verbs for the disciples to act upon in this command: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. Only one of these verbs is in the imperative form (a command) in the original Greek. The other three verbs are participles that elaborate on the command. The command in the Great Commissions is to make disciples of all nations. Three aspects of making disciples are going, baptizing, and teaching. The emphasis here is on making disciples that involve believing and learning. “All nations” implies that the gospel is not limited to one group of people but to all people. We do have a responsibility to make disciples of all peoples. Jesus does promise that He is with us in all His authority. My prayer for you today is that you will be making disciples of all people as you submit to His power!
How much more time does it take to make disciples than to get people to make decisions for Christ?
How can we tap into the authority of Christ in our witnessing?
How obedient are you to the Great Commission?
What steps can you take this week towards fulfilling the Great Commission?
Memorize: Matthew 28:19-20
Q. What's up with Mark 14:51-52. It seems so random and I don't think I've ever heard any kind of teaching on this passage.
- Anonymous University Student
A. I have to agree with you as I do not remember the last time I heard or preached a sermon on this portion of the Bible. At first reading most people read it and write it off as part of the description of the chaos that ensued during the arrest of Jesus. However, most Bible scholars would tell you that they believe that the individual mentioned in this narrative is the author of the Gospel (John Mark, himself).
What you might find intriquing is the evidence for this and the reasoning behind the narrative. Here are the two most plausible theories as to what might have occurred as suggested by William Barclay, very famous Bible Scholar.
Theory 1 – We find in the book of Acts that the headquarters for the church in Jerusalem was in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. It has been suggested that the Last Supper (the Upper Room) might have been held in her home. We know that Judas left early to betray Jesus. It is reasonable to assume that Judas might have brought the soldiers back to the Upper Room and the noise of the soldiers not finding Jesus awoke John Mark who then grabbed a sheet to cover himself when he ran to warn Jesus of the betrayal. He arrived too late and was almost caught.
Theory 2 – As a young man, the Greek word used indicates an Adolescent. John Mark, might have been fascinated with Jesus and followed him secretly. As a young boy, he would not have been noticed. There is some who suggest that he was at the Last Supper and then slipped out to follow Jesus when he should have been in bed already. One argument that supports this theory is that the Bible tells us that everyone was asleep while Jesus prayed. Yet we have the struggle of Jesus at Gethesame recorded. The belief is that John Mark listened to everything that happened and put those two sentences in to say to everyone that he was there. That he was the eyewitness to these events; events that had left a lasting impact on him.
I, myself, am inclined to put both those two theories together and suggest that he ran out to warn Jesus but was distracted by the events in the Garden of Gethesame, essentially the struggle of Jesus in prayer for us, and was almost captured.
Q. Where in the bible does it say that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin?
John 16 has something to say. However, that is with regards to the "world", and not necessarily believers. Or is that an incorrect interpretation of John 16? - Anonymous
A. Thank you for your question. The passage you refer to is in fact John 16:8-11 which states that “When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”. Keeping this statement of Jesus in context, he is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and beyond what we in the church commonly refer to as the Power of the Gospel.
In regard to the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting believers; here is our working definition of a believer. Those who have openly testified that Jesus Christ is their only Lord and Saviour accepting the exclusivity of his claim as the Way, Truth and Life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Or as the Bible says in Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Once an individual becomes a Christian, a whole new life is opened up to him. (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 1:9; Galatians 6:22-25) The Bible states in Romans 8:5, that an individual will either live according to the sinful nature …having their minds set on what that nature desires or live in accordance with the (Holy) Spirit having their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Also, in Romans 8:9 and following – “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (Holy Spirit), he does not belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit also intercedes for you as you pray and the list could go on for a very long time.
In short, the Holy Spirit is always there to guide, encourage, intercede and do everything to help us live a victorious spiritual life. So the question really becomes “Will you respond to the Holy Spirit? As opposed to ‘Does the Holy Spirit convict believers of sin?”
Q. Why Does God Allow Suffering?
A. Many people have asked this challenging question: “If God is such a loving God then how could he allow suffering?”
The easiest and most straightforward answer is a combination of two things: freewill and the effect of sin on our bodies.
Scripture is quite clear in Genesis chapters 1& 2 especially in Genesis 1:26-27 when it describes how we were made by God.
“26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
We were created with what theologians call “the Imago Dei” – the image of God. We were given all the moral, ethical, psychological abilities to both communicate effectively with God on all levels and carry out his will for us. This included the ability to make decisions or free will. In fact, Adam (the first man) used his free will to name all the animals and what Eve would be called in Genesis 2. The only restriction that God placed upon Adam and Eve was that they not eat from a particular tree. God placed only one restriction on their life and they decided that one restriction was one too many. They sinned by disobeying God’s one rule and made it even worse by not taking responsibility for the action and admitting their error instead they blamed anyone but themselves.
As a result of their disobedience, all creation suffered as we find out in Genesis chapter 3: Childbirth is now painful and difficult; producing food is now more difficult. In fact, in Romans 8:20-21 “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
If we are to be truly consistent with the Bible and look honesty at the history of humanity; what becomes abundantly clear is that one man’s free will in pursuing wealth etc. has always affected another man’s ability to be free from suffering. Examples would be: the caste system of India; wealth made from alcohol; mining; sweat shops around the world; some man made famines to allow dictators to remain in power and the list could go on. Some of these free will decisions directly affect another’s health such as “black lung” in coal miners; death of innocent people by drunk drivers; human trafficking by those who make money from prostitution and families destroyed by those who desire someone else’s spouse or someone other than their own spouse.
God does not like it but allows it because it was built into the system of life. What individuals fail to realize or accept is that with all this freewill comes accountability for their actions. We will all have to answer for the damage we have caused in our pursuit of earthly treasures or pleasures instead of a restoration of our relationship with God.
Q. “Why did God kill so many people in the land of Canaan (Jericho etc.) and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? Was it strictly for the Jews and His promises to protect them and bless them?” Or were other reasons for God’s actions? - Anonymous
A. Another excellent question in light of Scriptures claims that “God is Love and we need to love another as God has loved us” (1 John 4:7-21); “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16, 17) and “….He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
The first thing we need to do is to separate the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah from the cities that were destroyed during Moses and Joshua’s time commonly known as the “Conquest of Canaan”.
Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities mentioned in the book of Genesis beginning in the 13th Chapter and concluding in the 18th Chapter. It is first mentioned as a choice to resolve a conflict between Abram’s family and his nephew Lot’s family. Both had grown so much that they could no longer live together. Abram offers Lot the first choice of land. Lot chose the rich or fertile land of the plain of Jordan including Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 13:13 we read, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were greatly sinning against the Lord.”
Interestingly enough, we see that God did not destroy them immediately: in fact, in Chapter 14, we read that God enabled Abraham to help the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah and 3 other kings who had been defeated in battle. Of course, part of the reason Abram fought so hard was to rescue his nephew Lot who had been taken by the winning kings.
Abram also witnesses to the king of Sodom that it was God who brought the victory and not through his own efforts.
When it came time to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abram or Abraham talked to God about saving both cities. God listened and was willing to stop the destruction if there was found a minimum of 10 people who loved God. Sounds similar to when God called the prophet Jonah (book of the same name) to tell the people of Nineveh to repent and when they did, they were shown mercy and not destroyed. However, Lot’s family which should or could have made up the ten needed to save the cities were not fully serving God even after all Lot had experienced with God. You might say that he and his family had sold out to the way of life of the Sodomites. He no longer had pitched his tent near the town but had a place in town.
Being a just God, he found that he had been patient enough or given enough chances to these people and it was now time for these people to be accountable for their lifestyle. There is no way of knowing for certainty why God chose this particular time in history to demonstrate his judgment; however, we see how these people rejected God’s second chances a number of times. It stands as a reminder though of what happens to those who continually reject God’s mercy and grace and live a life whose values/standards/goals are in opposition to God’s.
The second part of this question has to do with the “Conquest of Canaan”. In order to answer this question, we must look at this in context. We must remember that the inhabitants of Canaan are pretty much the same people who have lived in that region since before the time of Abraham. The Canaanites and the other people involved in this question are all descendants, as well as the Israelites, of the family of Noah (Genesis, chapters 9-10). In the original account of the flood, (Genesis, chapters 6-9), particularly in Genesis 6:5-7, we discover that mankind or humanity has become more self focused and no longer God focused in how they live their life. It seems that it is time to start all over since literally everyone in the world has no use or love for God. But wait, in verse 8, it says “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord”. So as Scripture tells us, Noah and his family of 3 songs; their wives and Mrs. Noah were saved in the flood and following the flood were given the task of repopulating the earth. The point is that the descendants of these families all knew God and what he had done for them. However, some of these descendants had chosen to live out their life in a way that can be defined in Romans 1:21-25:
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
A study of the actual worship practices of the religions of these people groups will verify this statement.
Next, we need to understand the background of the Israelites. They were exposed to the belief systems of the Egyptians for 430 years. Generations had come and gone that had seen the power of God in action. Their faith in God and knowledge of Him was limited as seen by their continual desire to return to slavery in Egypt every time things began to get a little difficult in spite of the demonstration of God’s power in the exodus from Egypt. The plagues of Egypt were done to demonstrate that God was more powerful than the false gods of the Egyptians. You might say that although the Israelites pleaded with God to help them to freedom; they had no real idea of what that meant.
Before I continue, you need to remember that in that time period pretty much every town or people group had developed a man made religion that promoted idols or images to worship. To these people, your freedom and success was dependent upon the strength and ability of your god to defend you. If you lost a war, then you changed gods since you wanted to be blessed. These Israelites had been exposed to the gods of the mighty Egyptians for so long that this kind of thinking was ingrained in them.
Enter Moses and the Ten Commandments, (Exodus 19 and 20). God identifies himself and makes a covenant or pact with them. If you follow me, I will protect you etc. but if you choose to follow someone or something else then let that god protect you. This was a common covenant used during that period of history.
God warned them that they must be a separate nation. A holy nation that had only one allegiance to Him and not to compromise or else the followers of other gods would convince them to compromise (history – i.e. the Old Testament – proves that to be true). God did everything to protect them in the same way that a parent will do everything to protect a child. Notice, that Rahab and her family was saved in Jericho and anyone who would place their faith in God was accepted by God. At the same time, when Joshua and the Israelites were tricked by the Gibeonites into making a treaty, God honoured the treaty. One last point would be that God treated everyone equally, when the Israelites would not listen to God he left them to defend themselves and quite often they were beaten by their enemies.
So in essence, God really just protected those who sought his protection through obedience and/or allegiance to Him and withdrew his protection from those who chose to seek protection from other sources. God being all powerful was able to defeat all opposing powers.
Q. Is trembling a sign of the Holy Spirit, or of something demonic?
Like, if a person is overcome with severe trembling... what is it? I'm not sure what the bible says about this. - anonymous
A.Thank you for your question. The easiest answer to give you is that “Trembling”, if genuine, during a prayer encounter or even a service is a battle between the Holy Spirit and the spiritual powers opposed to God. The Bible does have a lot to say about “Trembling”. There are at least 25 times the term “trembling” is used in Scripture. All of them seem to have a connection to a physical state of being – usually nervousness, anxiety or fear. During the ministry of Jesus here on earth, we find that individuals who were demon possessed or oppressed would exhibit trembling; falling; convulsions etc when face to face with the power of God. (Matthew 17:14-18;Mark 1:21-28; Luke 8:26-39)
All that being said, Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” All too often we easily dismiss things like trembling as an “over stimulation of our electrical impulses or emotions” – the result of a subconscious instruction or peer pressure to prove God is working in your life. We need to take the advice given in First John 4:1-3 in these instances “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” The Bible is consistent in that God does not demonstrate His power without a legit reason and a lasting effect. God is consistent in all He does. Is the presence of God real at the time? Does the act glorify God or the individual? Does it have a lasting positive effect on the person once they leave the service? Or is the effect confined to the service?
In other words, do not discount anything but test everything to see if it is from God or not?
Q. Why is it important to understand the Old Testament when we have the New Testament?
-Toronto, Toronto
A. Thank you, Toronto from Toronto for asking this foundational question. I will try to answer this question without using too many clichés. I refer to this as a foundational question because without an understanding of the Old Testament, a good majority of the New Testament becomes open to individual interpretation and misunderstanding. In the Old Testament, we discover the origin and purpose for humanity; the relationship between God and man; the futility of man’s efforts to achieve forgiveness, restoration and his ability to live according to God’s standards. It is through the Old Testament that God reveals many of his qualities that the New Testament builds upon to strengthen our faith. As you read the New Testament, you discover that the writers of the New Testament constantly refer to the Old Testament prophetic writings to help build the case that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the promised Messiah or Saviour. The Old Testament prophecies predict where the Messiah would be born (Bethlehem); to whom (a virgin); how he would die, why he would die and be raised again to life; and the signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit for example. God reveals his faithfulness; his justice; his mercy and the depth of his love as well as the heart of man. I could go on and on, however, the New Testament without the Old Testament is like having a house without a foundation. That house is functional, pleasing to the eye, however, vulnerable to extreme weather conditions as it needs the roots of the foundation to sustain it. In other words, our faith in God would be vulnerable to challenges from other religions as the authority and personhood of Jesus would be compromised. Jesus himself said, “"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. - Matthew 5:16-18. (New International Version)
Q. Job is said to be one of the earliest living persons in the bible. Around what time period did he live? Pre-flood or Post-flood?
What are the leviathan and behemoth that are mentioned in Job 3:8 and Job 40:15? Another name for common animals? Dinosaurs? Something else entirely?
Who wrote Job and why is it included in the Old Testament?
-Torontonian
A. What a complex and challenging question! Upon researching this question most carefully, it seems that there are more opinions than Baskin-Robbins has flavours of ice-cream. Each respected scholar basing his hypothesis upon certain aspects found in the book of Job and comparing them in light of the various cultural/historical/Biblical/ phonetically unique time frames of the Middle East. The most commonly accepted author of Job is Moses. On the basis of similarities within the book of Job with the period within which the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) lived such as age (140 years); his wealth measured in cattle etc.; acting as the family priest and the nomadic nature of the Sabean and Chaldean tribesmen as both of these groups later become settled as nations. Therefore, the most likely date that Job lived was somewhere within the period of 2,000 to 1,400 as no mention is made of the Exodus in this writing.
The heart of the book of Job is considered to be a topic called “Theodicy” or divine justice and as such the style of the writing of the book of Job may have been influenced by the style of the surrounding tribes as documents have been found of stories of the relationship between human suffering to divine justice. However, the way in which the subject is treated in the book of Job is vastly different than any other writing of that time.
I believe that Job was a man who actually lived since God is quoted in the 14th Chapter of the Book of Ezekiel as referring to three men of great faith – Noah, Daniel and Job.
As to why it was included in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), the most plausible theory is that the Hebrew people recognized the superior spiritual message of the book and that God was using this book to reveal part of his nature to them. This theory is based upon the fact that during the rabbinical synod at Jamnia in 90 AD – a gathering of the rabbi’s to authenticate Hebrew Scripture – the book of Job was never in question. In fact, it was a well accepted book included in the Septuagint or the Greek Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures as commanded by Alexander the Great.
In understanding the Scriptures, we must always take into account the culture and its influence upon the writer of Scripture. In Job – Chapter 3, Job is cursing the day he was born and crying out in anguish in such a way that he uses a common mythological image of the day. The Leviathan was a great sea creature – a sea monster (if you will) that became to the superstitious a symbol of chaos in much the same way that the Manatee was often confused with a mermaid. When it appeared, humanity of the day could not deal with it and therefore great legends as to its destructive nature began; similar to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Job was actually illustrating that the lengths to which he would go just to erase the pain he was experiencing. In Job 40 and 41, we see references to both the Behemoth and the Leviathan. Most biblical scholars understand the references to these creatures to be exaggerated versions of a hippopotamus and a form of large crocodile (the largest known crocodile was 28ft long). However, spiritually speaking the term Leviathan has been used in the Bible to refer to evil political powers that only God himself can overcome thereby reminding Job and the reader that God is truly all powerful and we need to humble ourselves before him regardless of how highly we think of ourselves.
Thanks again for a very challenging question. Lot more to say but as you can see it is a very extensive topic to cover.
Q. How come Jesus is described as hanging from a tree sometimes in the bible? For example, Acts 5:30, Acts 10:39, Acts 13:28 or 1 Pet 2:24. Is a tree symbolic of the cross? Or maybe did he die on a tree instead of a cross? Or did he die on the cross then was hung on a tree? -moo, Ottawa or Waterloo
A. Good Question Moo! The New Testament references to “hanging on a tree” referred to in your question find their origin in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 21:22-23, we read, “If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.” (NIV)
The Israelites understood this to mean two things – Hanging a body on a tree exposed that person to public humiliation and secondly signified to all that he was under God’s curse or judgment. Yet at the same time, the body could not be left there overnight or it would symbolically make the land that God had given them unclean. This is why the Jewish people ensured that Jesus and the two criminals crucified with him were buried before the Sabbath/Passover began. The Hebrew word used in this passage (‘es) may be translated as tree, wood from a tree or an object made from wood. In the New Testament passages referred to in your question, the word used is (xylon) which has basically the same meaning. The Apostle Paul used this word to help others understand how Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled the meaning of Deuteronomy 21:22-23 in that he was publicly exposed to humiliation and came under God’s judgment or curse on our behalf.
A Challenge to Each of You - What is it that breaks your heart?
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As two important anniversaries come up, we invite you to remember in prayer those most affected by 911 (10th Anniversary) and 311 (six month anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami) on September 11th.
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Dane Lee, one of two premature twins born in Nova Scotia, just reached his birthdate milestone on January 9th, 2011 after being born prematurely Sept 30, 2010. Sadly, he lost his identical twin brother, Nate Evan, on Nov. 28, 2010 due to an infection in his vital organs. Please pray for Dane as he is not tolerating his vitamins/supplements which the hospital is giving to increase his weight (currently he weighs 3 lbs). He cannot ingest his mother's milk and so is back on an I.V. and other feeding tubes, etc. He is struggling with an infection and the doctors are giving mixed reports on his status. He is scheduled to be discharged home sometime in February. - Kimberley, Newmarket
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Please pray for Frank's recovery, and health and physical strength of his wife, Agnes, who is attending to his needs.
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