KILL YOUR DARLINGS

It is a writing concept similar to curving grades for a class.  Sometimes you take away the highest and lowest scores to balance all the others.

In writing its about throwing out the very things you believe are "best for your story."  Usually they are not as good for your story as you think.

How does this apply to your life?  So many people are trying to have their DREAM LIFE.   Here we have this "American Dream" life which most measure their success by, but is this what God wants for us?

For many, the very things they believe they need in life are the exact things which keep them from righteousness.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO KILL YOUR DALRLINGS TO FIND YOUR TRUE PURPOSE.

The Church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6) by: Francis Jackson

                The next church addressed is the church in Sardis.  To give you a little history on the city, it was known for its wealth and splendor.  The city was economically popular in the market of woolen, textile, and the jewelry industry.  The wool they had was reproduced into garments they were known for making.  Its location was seen by the city as impregnable with it being on a hill surrounded by steep cliffs with one way of approach.  It sounds similar to the fortress of Masada in which the Romans struggled hard to infiltrate in their pursuit of the few Jews who escaped from Jerusalem during the Jewish Revolt in AD. 70.  However, the characteristic God uses from chapter 1 in His address to the church is of the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  The seven stars represent the messengers of the churches (1:4, 16; 3:1).  The praise that they received as a church was that they were not all unclean.  There were some whose garments were still unsoiled (3:4).  A soiled garment referred to one polluted or stained.  In ancient times, white was associated with holiness (Isa. 1:18).  These robes were reserved for Christ (Matt. 17:2), holy angels (Matt. 28:3), and His church (Rev. 19:7-8, 14).  There were some who remained pure and holy, but they were for the most part viewed as spiritually dead (3:1).  In fact, the church is even encouraged to strengthen what’s left of it before it completely dies off (3:2).  Their deeds were not in vain because they received the reputation of being dead, but were rather incomplete.  John was communicating to them that God wanted them to strengthen or restore the dying remains of the church.  God’s charge to them was to wake up and be on guard or He will come against them like a thief in the night (3:3).  This is not referring to Christ’s second coming, but of the swift, unexpected destruction of the church being addressed.  Paul told the Thessalonians that the rebellion has to precede the second coming (1 Thess. 5:2) and that rebellion isn’t until the Great Tribulation which is after the church age (Rev. 4-19).  The promise to those who heed to His warnings to change would remain in white garments and their names will not be blotted from the book of life (3:5).  This is not a reference to losing salvation.  God has seen all of our days before we existed (Ps.139:16) and in eternity past, He wrote all the names of His elect in that book never to be blotted out (Mal. 3:16-17; Rev. 17:8).  In the city of Sardis, the officials would blot out names from their rolls of folks whom were deemed undesirable.  The church in Sardis would have understood what this statement meant.  In other words, those whose garments were dirty were undesirable to God as opposed to those whom were holy and pure.  Nonetheless, they all still belong to Him.  Evidence of that is in 3:3 where John tells them to remember what they have received and heard and repent.  Also, the idea that their garments were soiled implies that they were previously white (3:4).   As in each address, John ends each with the saying in verse 6; let he who has an ear hear.  Within the body of Christ, are you amongst those whose spiritual garments are dirty or stained, or amongst the ones in white who are holy and pure?  The fortunate part is that there are opportunities on both sides.  If you are holy, you should be shameless, confident, and able to walk in the light before others (Prov. 28:1; Matt. 5:14-16; Jn. 3:19-21).  This person should be ready to help strengthen those, in love, who are spiritually dirty (3:2; Gal. 6:1-2; Heb. 12:12-17).  If you are the spiritually dirty or soiled, be honest about your current condition and be humble and ready to receive help in being strengthened within the body of Christ. Deal with the sin in your life. God will only grace the humble and is against the proud (1 Pet 5:5-7; Prov. 28:13).  Don’t allow yourself to remain dirty with sin which leaves you spiritually dead.  Instead allow yourself to be clean so that, as believers, we may enjoy fellowship with Christ.

WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?

Have you ever help your mom or someone else bake a cake?  Well you actually help them mix the ingredients and the instruct you as to what and how much to put into the mix.

Then once that is done you put it in the oven and wait. (Or in my case, lick the mixing bowl and utensils :-) )

When the smell of the cake permeates the kitchen time seems to slow down. 

Every minute becomes an eternity. 

"IS IT READY YET?!"

What about life issues?  Is there something you've been waiting on God to fix and you just have to ask;

                     "LORD WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?"

Read the word in Deuteronomy 8

8:1
All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers. 

8:2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.

8:3 And he humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live.   (KJ2000 - sent from CadreBible)

FOUR THINGS TO CONSIDER IN AN "ARE WE THERE YET LORD" SITUATION.

8:1- God will do as promised
8:2- God is testing you commitment
8:3- He Humbling you (ARE YOU THERE YET?)
8:3- God is teaching you how to truly live.

Pleas study and see for yourself how God can stretch the wait time for our benefit.  Don't give up in the process...WAIT I SAY, ON THE LORD.

Understanding Rebuke

From my friend Anetria (LWFC represent! LOL)

To rebuke does not mean to point out every sin we see; it means to bring sin to a person's attention with the purpose of restoring him or her to God and to fellow humans.

When you feel you must rebuke another Christian for a sin, check your attitudes before you speak.

Do you love the person?

Are you willing to forgive?

Unless rebuke is tied to forgiveness, it will not help the sinning person. (Luke 17:3-4)

[great word!]

REMEMBER...GOD GIVES US EYES TO SEE THINGS OUR PEERS (notice I said peers) DON'T SEE IN THEIR OWN LIVES SO THAT WE CAN HELP THEM GROW CLOSER TO GOD.

The minute we forget we are all peers is the moment we begin sinning ourselves and need someone to CHECK us.

GET WHALE SOON

(Extented analogy about getting better at being a Christian--in the world but not of it)

Too many of us are sick, well actuall, all of us are sick. This is the reason we all die. The sickness is known as sin and this three letter word describes all the things about us that make us imperfect. Many of our imperfections we know little to nothing about until our eyes are opened. Do you realize that death has many forms and even a little death is precursor to supreme death. Our issue is that we are focused on trying to be like the other fish in the sea...but we are porpuses. We are in the world, but not of it, kind of like whales are in the water, but we aren't aren't sustained by it. Sure they partake of their world, of their current surrounding, but they must come up for air. They understand where their breath comes from. Do you ever come up for air? Or does your pleasure of the things here on earth woo you from the life giving atmosphere of God. Many feel smothered because they seek to inhale the water of the world, but they are built for the breath of God. Don't suck the world like a sick fish, get whale.

The Church at Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17) by: Francis Jackson

                The next church addressed is the church in Pergamum.  The city was located about 16 miles from the Aegean Sea, north of the river Caicus which is modern-day Bakircay, Turkey.  It sat on a promontory which is a mass of land overlooking a lower plain of land or body of water.  God addresses this church using the characteristic of Himself as the one holding the two-edged sword (1:16; 2:12).  References to the sword often refer to judgment or discipline of some kind (Gen. 34:25-26; Ex. 5:3; 22:24; Lev. 26:25).  This isn’t always the case however, because the sword was also referred to as a symbol of protection (Deut. 33:29).  This is not the case unfortunately for this church.  God is ready to start cutting.  In other words, this church was faced by the sword. But with Him being a loving and encouraging God, He recognizes some good that they are doing as part of His blueprint in these addresses to the churches (see Overview from beginning of series).  The church is praised for having kept their faith (2:13).  However, God has something against them.  He claims that their church is where Satan’s throne is (2:13).  The great altar of Pergamum is located currently in Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany.  This altar was said to have been dedicated to Zeus which could be why John refers to it as Satan’s throne because of the overriding pagan influence within the church.  Other issues which were going on within the church were their acceptance of false doctrine.  Many were carried into the teachings of Balaam and Nicolatians (2:15).  Balaam is an Old Testament pagan prophet or a “prophet for profit” as some call him who counseled King Balak of Moab to have Israel commit sexual immorality with the Moabite women (2:14; Num. 25:1-9; 31:16; Jude 11).  They also adopted the teachings of the Nicolatians (see Church @ Ephesus).  This church was charged to repent or turn from the false doctrine they accepted or God would attack them with the sword (2:16).  Notice how Pergamum’s issue was false doctrine breeding in the church and how God responds with the sword.   In the New Testament, the sword is used often to symbolize truth or sound doctrine (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12) which at times could produce necessary conflict (Matt. 10:34).  This is another blueprint example from the overview of how God’s characteristic from chapter 1 has a direct relevance to the church being addressed (1:16; 2:12, 16).  The hidden manna for the one that conquers may refer to God’s ability to sustain His children as He had done in history with Israel in the wilderness (Numbers).  We as Christians feed on Jesus Christ spiritually as the bread of life (John 6:48-51).  The white stone represented a vote of acquittal which was given to the overcomers (2:17).  Is sound doctrine an issue with your local church? Is it an issue with you?  We really need to be careful of the kind of teaching we receive and if it is contrary to what God’s word teaches.  We live in a world today where sound doctrine is the new heresy.  The idea of biblical truth is secondary to teachings that have nothing to do with the Scriptures.  The lack of accountability and integrity with the Scriptures puts American churches in the same category as Pergamum who allowed these things in the church.  So I encourage you to be on the right side of the sword.  Amen

The Church at Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) by: Francis Jackson

                The next church God addresses is Smyrna.  This church was going through severe persecution to the point of martyrdom.  The characteristic that God uses of Himself from chapter 1 is Him being the first and the last as well as being dead and coming alive again (1:17, 18a).  The idea of being the first and the last is what stamps Him as God.  Being dead and coming alive again is significant encouragement for a church going under persecution.  God recognizes them for standing through tribulation, persecution, and poverty.  In fact, in light of their poverty, they are called rich which could be in reference to their faith (2:9; James 2:5).  The church at Smyrna was one of two churches among these churches that received no rebuke.  They were a pure church.  The saying goes, “A pure church is a persecuted church.”  The persecution they faced was from spiritual pagans as well other Jewish people who allied with these pagans to put these believing Jews to death.  This is what is meant by those who were claiming to be Jews, but were not. They were only Jews outwardly (Rom. 2:28).  The church was faced with imprisonment and with high potential for martyrdom (2:10).  With them being reminded of Jesus’ power over death (2:8) being the first fruits of the resurrection, they have confidence that they are partakers of that power in that God will raise them from physical death unto life at the rapturing of the church just as He was raised (1 Cor. 15:20-23).  In reward for their faithfulness, they will receive a crown of life (2:10) and would be protected from the second death (2:11).  Jesus says in Luke’s Gospel not to fear man who can only kill the body and after that can do no more.  The one we ought to fear is He who, after killing the body, has the authority to cast it into hell (Lk. 12:4-5).  This is the second death, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).  The worst thing anyone can do to you is kill you physically.  As Dr. Andrew Woods puts it, “If you’re born once, you’ll die twice.  But if you’re born twice, you’ll die once.”  In other words, if you are born once, then you will die once physically (soul separated from physical body) and again both spiritually and physically (separated from God) in the eternal torment of hell (lake of fire).  If you are born twice, with the second being born again into salvation (Jn. 3:3-7), then you only die once which is physically.  So choose the option of being born twice, so that you would only die once.  Given the experience of this church, do not be amazed if you are persecuted for doing good.  Endure in the face of adversity even to the point of death and be delivered in heaven, receiving your due reward as one faithful in Christ.   

The Church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7) by: Francis Jackson

                In this series, the church in Ephesus is addressed first for a few possible reasons.  Historically, Ephesus was known as “the gateway to Asia Minor.”  With this being the case, also considering the location of the island of Patmos where Revelation was composed (a small island in southern part of Aegean Sea, 50 mi. from Ephesus), this would be the best city to address first.  Also, there was lots of time spent there for ministry.  For instance, Paul ministered there for three years (Acts 20:31), Timothy and John also served this church.  It was from this city that John was exiled to Patmos.  Of the different characteristics of God listed in chapter 1, God chooses to emphasize Rev. 1:13, 16 highlighting Him being in the midst of the lampstands (churches-Rev. 1:20) and holding the seven stars (pastors of the churches- Rev. 1:20). The word “angel” mean “messenger.”  The messenger here is not an angel from heaven, but a pastor or God’s messenger to the church.  This characteristic of God is used towards Ephesus to communicate His control and authority over the church.  It is tied into the consequence to the church if they do not repent and return the passion they once had for Christ (2:4-5).  If they failed to turn, God would remove the church altogether from being a light in Asia.  However, before His rebuke, He praises them for what they are doing well.  Their deeds, toil, and endurance were recognized as well as their ability to discern truth (2:2-3, 6).  They are warned to repent and those who conquer through repentance are given the promise to eat from the tree of life.  Taken the experience of this historical church, it is easy for us to become caught up in a laundry list of things as believers, even in ministry, and lose the passion and love we had when first coming to Christ.  Have you become so task-oriented that you disregard or overlook the spiritual pain in people?  Have you become so scholarly that you cannot balance discerning rebuke with love?  In our spiritual life, balance and humility is vital.  Just as important as it is to remember when you first fell in love your spouse, it is all the more important that we remember and return to when we first fell in love with Jesus Christ.  The more we revisit that memory and embrace it, the more we can extend that passionate love to others.

The Seven Churches- Rev. 2-3 by: Francis Jackson

                Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at what God had to say to the seven churches of Asia Minor.  Within this region, these churches were located in the following cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Thyatira, Pergamum, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  These churches may have been formed by the students whom Paul taught in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years while in Ephesus (Acts 19:9-10).  The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John around AD 95.  It is introduced as “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (1:1) which is a more detailed title for the book.  The word revelation comes from the Greek word apokalupsis which means “uncovering” or “unveiling.”  There are certain unique characteristics in how these seven churches are addressed.  In chapter 1, God gives some characteristics of Himself which are significant in relation to these churches.  These characteristics of Himself are pronounced in accordance to how He is addressing each church.  So in other words, when reading the introduction of each address to the churches, you will see a characteristic of God mentioned from chapter 1.  This will be covered in more detail as we discuss each church.  God also uses the same blueprint in addressing each church.  The pattern starts with 1) the church’s location, 2) description of Christ from Revelation one, 3) a commendation, 4) rebuke, 5) exhortation to change, 6) consequence if they don’t change, 7) and praise for overcomers which root from Revelation 21-22.  Certain parts of this pattern are omitted depending on the church’s condition.  This too will be covered in more detailed as we discuss each church.   John tells us the line of communication in which this revelation was able to make its way to listeners untainted.  This line of communication goes from the Father to Christ (1:1a), from Christ to an angel and from an angel to John (1:1b), from John to a book (1:2), from a book to a reader and from the reader to the listener (1:3).  This is how the “revelation of Jesus Christ” was penned and how it became available to be read by mankind proving its accuracy, reliability, and inerrancy.  Hopefully this study will reveal certain commendable things as well as things needing respectable, godly rebuke within your local church.  I hope that you follow up next Friday, Lord willing, when take a look into the first church addressed, the church in Ephesus.  God Bless

LOST IN TRASLATION

The question came to me the morning of 7-15-11

THAT WONDERFUL NAME OF JESUS...it has been debated that we how we pronounce His name matters (Ex. ye-shu-ah, Jee-zus or hay-suse, etc).According to Heb 13:8, he is consistently the same...is there any error in changing pronunciation between languages? Is connection to power LOST IN TRANSLATION?

Let's get an understanding.

Interesting how later the same day, I go to a concert that involved J-flo, and C-Lite at a Hispanic church.  I walk in to spanish rap/reggeton.  My Spanish sucks, but I can catch a few words every now and then. Cristo, Cristo, Cristo.  CHRIST en Espaniol.

It was interesting listening to a Preacher from Baton Rouge being translated into Spanish.  Occationally some humor or figures of speech DIDN'T TRANSLATE.  Occationally the translator struggled to convert the words, sometimes the meaning was translated instead of the literal words.  In the end, the message was given in BOTH languages.  Quite effectively.

GOD'S TRUTH.....
             DOES.....
                           TRANSLATE!

From Hebrew, to Greek, to latin, to old English...modern English. To countless languages in the past century...even now its still being translated. 

        JESUS IS THE SAME IN EVERY LANGUAGE.

Maybe not in spelling or pronunciation, but across all cultures are those who live like the truly believe.  Those who KNOW GOD and can rightly divide the word of truth.  God transcends translation.

TO ILLEGITIMATE TO START

I am understanding more that "CHARACTER" is hard to come by, this is why people are so leery about getting into relationships.  The funny thing is we often see the issues of others before we realize our own.  We are blind to the OWN-UP.

We sin by nature...
                                               We already know this...
    Yet we often find ourselves not keeping an eye on ourselves.

Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

It is because of this that we are quick to stray to evil deeds and without God we will never do otherwise.  A young man stated that he was illuminated to this aspect because he was appaled by the fact that he strayed into a lifestyle of sinning and did not feeling bad about it what he was doing.  Only a working relationship with God could bring that young man into such thinking.  Sadly we are decieved about the many aspects of being in a relationship with God, one such characteristic is discipline.  This is the thing many parents have traded in for incarceration by the state government. 

God does discipline those who are His children.  Some believe if you are not disciplined you are not saved.  Hence the title TO ILLEGITAMATE TO START.  It may be hard to believe, but you actually want to be spanked...when necessary.

Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.
12:7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? 
12:8 But if you be without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then are you illegitimate children, and not sons.  

When God spanks, be thankful, because if He doesn't...
For more insight read Romans 8:12-17

QUADROPEDS

So Beyonce's new album is making waves, everyone has an opinion about it I am sure, so this will be a little different I hope.  I used to be highly infatuated with her, she has always been attractive to me and that may or may not have effect on the fact that I believe she can sing. 

The 1st time I caught a glimpse of the album cover I was immediately drawn to want to linger upon her physical frame displayed.  As a matter of fact, I noticed someone else looking intently at her body displayed on the cover art insert.  He was obviously mesmerized by what was displayed, to the point that he later spent a good amount of time gazing at her physique a second time. 

I immediately wanted to see what he was looking at, and realized that I quickly needed to turn my attention elsewhere.  I find it odd how many women feel the need to show off their bodies.  I expect those who don't know God to live by the adage, "if you got it flaunt it" but not those who believe.  I wonder what damage the "diva" persona has on our young girls.  It seems that girls younger and younger are dressing to flaunt their curves and mimicking the body language of senuality.  The silliest to me is how people think little girls shaking their butts like strippers is funny (giving the assuption it is acceptible).

Instead of standing in the way of sinners we should seek the position of a quadroped, bowing down in submission til we can hear the loving warnings of God as He shows us right from wrong, because its not about my opinion, but God's opinion.

IF NOT, WE WILL CAUSE MANY TO STUMBLE AND THINK WE ARE GIVING GOD OUR BEST.

HARD TO EARN.

Hard can be easy, in spiritual matters.

I saw this picture the other day and it held me in mixed emotions.  For one, I just found out that my position at the school was ending on May 27th (I found that out 10 days prior to the date by letter).  This gentleman was most likely standing on the street in the middle of the great depression.  So seeing this now has a twinge of deja vu to it.  My pastor reminded us the a while ago that God signs our paycheck, not our jobs.  So I find it odd that the man would hold such a sign, but I understand that he probably wanted to make it clear that he was not looking for a hand out from anyone, but only wanted to earn a check.  In a spiritual sense, it reminds me of us in our bankrupt state.  See we want to earn our stripes in the realm of entering into paradise.  The problem is, getting into heaven is not a union(labor) issue, its a CHARITY ISSUE. 

Deliverance for the Lost (Luke 19:1-10) by: Francis Jackson

         In the New Testament times, the government would fix a tax amount which was required from every province.  Tax collectors paid for their right to collect taxes and would make their profits by collecting more tax than was required. For example, when certain tax collectors came to John to be baptized, part of their changed life required they tax fairly (Luke 3:12, 13). The abuse of this position is what provoked hatred from the Jews.  In addition to their greed, custom stations were placed everywhere in order to collect more taxes from people.  For instance, taxes were collected at some bridge crossings, certain roads, and at the market for those who came to sell.  This explains the heated attitude the Jews had towards these people in the Gospels and the striking criticism Christ faced by associating Himself with them (Matt. 9:9-11; 11:19; Mark 2:15-16; Luke 5:30; 7:34).  They were pretty much the poster for sinners (Matt. 9:10-13; 21:28-32).  These were your basic tax collectors.   Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector (Luke 19:2).  He was a short man, so the huge crowd mentioned in verse 3 made it hard for him to see Jesus.  The crowd may have been from the people of Jericho awaiting Christ arrival after hearing of His miracles elsewhere.  Surely they heard of the huge miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11) since Bethany was only 15 miles away.  Zacchaeus climbed in the tree to see who Jesus was and became spotted (v. 4).  Sycamore trees were sturdy with branches strong enough to hold a short person if they were to get on and hang over a road.  This was not usually something rich people would do, but Zacchaeus really wanted to see Jesus.  When Jesus mandated He stay with Zacchaeus, he received Christ joyfully (vv. 5-6).  Of course, the crowd’s response in verse 7 confirms the reputation tax collectors had as mentioned earlier, but salvation was designed for people such as this (Matt. 9:11-13).  Zacchaeus’ fruit in verse 8 were evidence of his salvation confirmed by Jesus in verse 9.  Mosaic law required one-fifth restitution for money acquired by fraud (Lev. 6:5).  Four-fold restitution was only required if an animal was stolen or killed (Ex.22:1).  Zacchaeus judged his restitution more harshly than fraud.  However, his financial burdens posed no threat in comparison to the spiritual riches he received through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse 10 sums up Zacchaeus’ encounter with Christ in that Christ came to seek and to save the lost.  Zacchaeus was delivered by God from amongst the lowest sinners in the eyes of the people of that day.  There is no one too bad or so far out that they are beyond the reach of God’s grace (Romans 5:20-21).  Just as this chief tax collector was saved, Jesus can do the same thing for you if you can get out of your own way of sinful pride and trust Him.

Suppression of the Lost (Luke 4:22-30) by: Francis Jackson

                This gospel of salvation is not a popular message.  Many pastors, teachers, and others out sharing the gospel have diluted the purity of its truth in order to spare the emotions of sinners.  In this passage, Jesus calls out the wretched spiritual state of man by calling those who were in the synagogue spiritually poor, blind, prisoners, and oppressed.  In the company of those who do all of the external things pertaining to tradition and rituals in the synagogue, this was not the message they were willing to accept.  As a result of their suppression, they sought to throw God, the Promised Messiah, Savior of the world, over a cliff.  This is how blind they were of their spiritual deficiency.  In Capernaum, which was just north a few cities of Nazareth along the northern border of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus did some things there which were recorded in John’s gospel.  In John 4:46-54, Jesus performs the second miracle of His Galilean ministry in Capernaum from Cana. A royal official came requesting that Jesus heal his sick son whom was in Capernaum.  Jesus told him to return home to his son and that he would be healed.  The official believed and went home to find his son recovering.  The fame for Jesus’ miracles spread throughout all of Galilee (Luke 4:14).  The people of Nazareth demanded He do the miraculous things they’ve heard of all through Galilee in His own hometown (4:23).  In His example of prophets not accepted in their hometown, Jesus uses the prophets Elijah and Elisha.  During the reign of King Ahab of Israel (Northern), Elijah predicts a drought (1 Kings 17).  The dew and rain were necessities for the crops so God withheld them as punishment for serving other gods (Deut. 28:23-24).  During this drought, God overlooked the Israelite widows and choose to bless one from among the Gentiles named Zarepath (1 Kings 17:8-24).  Elijah was to go there to get the food of her last portions. It was maybe close to her last meal since after they would eat, she speaks of herself and son going to die afterwards (v. 12).  However, her encounter with Elijah along with her faith preserved her through the drought and saved the life of her son.  Naaman, a military commander of Syria, had leprosy. On one of his raids on Israel, he kidnapped a young Israelite girl (2 Kings 5:1-2).  The girl ended up telling him of Elisha. Naaman reported to Israel by letter of the king of Syria and eventually made it to Elisha who gave him instructions to cure his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14).  So Jesus is speaking of grace shown to a Gentile widow and a commander who kidnapped a little Jewish girl as opposed to that grace being shown to God’s chosen nation.  The idea of God calling out these self-righteous people on their spiritual unworthiness and His impartiality of grace made His own people furious to the point of seeking to throw him not simply out of the temple, but off of the cliff!  Instead of God’s truth being humbling, they suppressed it in anger and sought to get rid of their Promised Messiah.

Hope for the Lost (Luke 4:16-21) by: Francis Jackson

            Often times there are those who characterize their faith by social status, financial well-being, knowledge of the Scriptures, or by some other kind of superficial, arrogant approach.  Even worse, these kinds of people look at those not in these categories as less spiritual.  We should be thankful that God is not like man because his take is completely different.  When Jesus came to His hometown in Nazareth, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath to read in the presence of others as was their custom (Acts 17:2).  Christ read from Isaiah 61:1-2a which outlines our hope for salvation.  This is the category of people God came for.  Christ came to proclaim the gospel to the poor. The Greek word used for poor is probably the term ptocheuo “to be poor” or ptocheia “poverty.” This word speaks of someone who is reduced to begging, being forced to depend on someone else for basic needs.  These are the people whom the gospel of salvation is for.  The New Testament theme for captivity is one who submits to any power other than the God of the Christian faith. The term was often used in Old Testament as one taken as prisoner.  The Greek work for blind is typhlos which is used literally as well as metaphorically.  Jesus used this term as a metaphor describing Pharisees as blind guides (Matt. 15:10-14).  Jesus also used blindness literally in healing the man born blind in order to communicate something spiritually to the Pharisees (John 9).  Oppress means to bruise, crush, overpower, put down, or burden (Ex. 3:9; Prov.14:31).  According to Luke, Jesus is saying, “Look, if you are not spiritually poor to the point of absolute dependence or begging, then the good news of the gospel is not for you. If you don’t see yourselves as spiritually imprisoned by sin, spiritually blind as the Pharisees were, and burdened and overpowered by sin, then I didn’t come for you.”  Unfortunately for those who don’t fall in line with this criterion, they remain lost because salvation is only in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).  He is the only One who can save us, and these are the ones He came for. He is the hope for the lost. 

Identity of the Lost (Isa.6:1-5) by: Francis Jackson

       One of the biggest issues of man since the fall has been pride.  This trend continues today in the area of salvation due to mankind overlooking or ignoring their spiritual position.  Before we can ever start moving on the right path, we must first realize that we are on the wrong one.  The starting point for the redeemed begins when we identify ourselves as lost.  Isaiah came to this realization in his calling for service.  The first 4 verses of this passage describe the overwhelming holiness of God.  The seraphim in verse 2 are angelic creatures with six wings each.  The two wings over their face were because even though they were in the heavenly realms, they still were unworthy of gazing directly at God’s glory.  The two on their feet emphasized their lowliness and the last two they flew with since His throne is high and lifted up.  Verse 3 emphasizes the praise and worship which is due only to God.  His holiness is also seen here from the perspective of His judgment and wrath which is described by the house being filled with smoke (Ex. 19:16-20).  With Isaiah being the witness of the holiness of the Most High God, that alone rules him out as being spiritually lost.  However, the grounds of being lost are due to him being unclean.  To have unclean lips is to have an unclean heart because from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).  Isaiah speaks of himself being lost at the core.  Not only does he speak for himself, but also those around him (v.5).  This amplifies the truth that no one within themselves can stand clean before God. There are others in bible times who’ve realized their sinful state after experiencing God’s presence (Job-42:6; Peter- Lk. 5:8).  God is holy.  Once we truly experience God as He is, we too will be able to identify our lost condition and be headed on the right path towards righteousness.

Stayed tuned for the rest of the series: Hope For the Lost (Lk. 4:16-21)
and then Suppression of the Lost (Lk. 4:22-30)
and finally Deliverance of the Lost (Lk. 19:1-10)

Journey Through Genesis- Joseph (Gen. 37-50) by:Francis Jackson

                Israel loved Joseph more than any of his sons and gave him a tunic to wear which stirred up jealousy within his brothers (37:3-4).  A tunic was a special robe which labeled who the future leader of the household would be.  Culturally, this was an honor given normally to the firstborn son.  However, throughout Genesis we see God going against cultural rules all the time; communicating His sovereignty over mankind contrary to tradition.  In both of Joseph’s dreams, it was clear that he dreamed of all his family bowing before him.  This stirred more friction with his brothers.  Joseph is seen in this book as a “type” or, in other words, “a foreshadowing of Christ” in the flesh.  The parallels between their lives make this so. They both were shepherds of their father’s sheep (Gen. 37:2; John 10:11, 27-29). Joseph’s father loved him dearly (37:3; Matt. 3:17). He was hated by his brothers (37:4; John 7:4-5), was sent by his father to his brothers (37:13-14; Heb. 2:11), others plotted to harm him (37:20; John 11:53), they both had robes taken from them (37:23; John 19:23-24), and they were both taken to Egypt (37:26; Matt. 2:14-15).  He was sold for the price of a slave (37:28; Matt. 26:15), tempted (39:7; Matt. 4:1), falsely accused (39:16-18; Matt. 26:59-60), bound in chains (39:20; Matt. 27:2), and placed with two other prisoners in which one was saved and the other was lost (40:2-3; Luke 23:32).  He exalted after suffering (41:41; Philippians 2:9-11), both were 30 years old at the beginning of public recognition (41: 46; Luke 3:23), both wept (42:24; 45:2; 14, 15; John 11:35), forgave those who wronged them (45:1-15; Luke 23:34), saved their nation (45:7; Matt. 1:21), and what man did to hurt them, God turned to good (50:20; 1 Cor. 2:7-8).  However, Joseph, though his life has major significance in this book, is not listed as a patriarch.  The patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  There is no mention to Joseph amongst these names when God speaks to Israel of their fathers. Nonetheless, Joseph was a prominent man in the history of Israel whom God used as an instrument to deliver His people.

Insights of Joseph/Christ parallel from chart in The Macarthur Student Bible, p.66 (2000)

Journey Through Genesis- Jacob (Gen. 25:19-ch.35) by:Francis Jackson

             

      Jacob was the twin brother of Esau (Gen. 25:24) from Isaac and Rebekah.  His life was very much a roller coaster.  Arguably the most memorable thing about Jacob was his deceitful scheme against his brother.  Jacob’s name means “who schemes to take the place of another” (27:36) (Student Bible Dictionary-Dockery, 2000).  In the bible, names have major significance and are flags for attention.  For instance, this flag will appear again when Jacob’s name is changed to Israel (32:28) meaning “God’s fighter” or “strives with God” (Macarthur Study Bible-ESV, 2010).  Anyway, Isaac was getting very old and he asked his son Esau, who was a skilled hunter, if he could go out and catch some game for him to eat.  After doing so, he would bless him (27:1-4).  While Esau (also Edom-see book of Obadiah) was out hunting, Jacob made himself appear to be him with the help of his mother (27:5-27).  In result, Isaac ended up blessing Jacob instead of Esau (27:27-29) which made Esau furious and hated Jacob (27:41).  The fact that he received the birthright through deception is not justifiable even though he was indeed blessed (27:33) because it was already prophetically decided who would have it (25:23).  Jacob did not have to plot against his brother in order for God’s sovereign purpose to be fulfilled.  As a result, his sin did not go unpunished.  His actions had consequences.  One, his mother had to send him away (27:42-44) and he never saw her again.  His brother Esau wanted him dead (27:41).  His uncle Laban whom his mother advised he live with deceived him by having him labor seven only to give him purposely the daughter contrary to their agreement (29:18-26). Laban’s scheme allowed him to get seven more years of labor out of Jacob before finally having his desired wife Rachel (29:27-28).  He and Esau remained in conflict with each other as well as within their descendants throughout the bible.  However, the covenant promised to Abraham was confirmed with Jacob and not Esau (28:10-15).  He was blessed with thirteen children consisting of one girl, Dinah, and twelve boys (29:31-30:24, 35:16-18).  His sons formed the 12 tribes known as the children of Israel from whom the Messiah, Jesus Christ,  would come forth (49:10; Num. 24:17).

Salvation: Free, but Costly by: Francis Jackson

 I. How do you define free?
      A. Free- costing nothing; gratuitous (thefreedictionary.com)
          -gratuitous- given or granted without return or recompense; unearned
II. How do you define cost?
      A. Price, value, expense, charge (Webster Pocket Thesaurus)
      B. An amount paid or required in payment for a purchase; a price (freedictionary.com)

III. No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (an economics phrase)
      A. Due to our sinful condition, God demanded a price (Is. 53:10-12, Rom. 6:23, Col.2:13-14)
      B. Unless you put your faith in Christ who paid for our sins, that price will be demanded from you. (John 3:18, Rev. 20:12-15)
          *The price
                1) Judgment- John 3:18
                2) Hell/Lake of Fire- Matt.25:41, Luke 16:24)

IV. What is Meant About Salvation Being Free?
      A. No amount of service or works are sufficient enough to attain it. (Eph. 2:8-9, Matt. 7:21-23)
      B. It is not privledged based on any particular social group. (Matt. 5:20, Rom. 2:1-4)
      C. It is not conditioned upon lineage. (Col. 3:9-11)
      D. It is a gift (Eph. 2:8)

V. How Can Something Free Cost Me Anything?
      A. What is meant by cost is the sufferings involved with having this free gift.
      B. Examples of the cost involved with accepting Christ
                1) total self-denial- Matt.16:24, John 13:3-5, Phil. 2:5-8
                2) hated by the world- John 15:18-19
                3) persecuted by the world- John 15:20-21
                4) persecuted by people in the church- John 16:1-4
                5) possible financial instabilities- Matt. 8:19-22, 16:26
                6) hatred/division from family- Matt. 10:34-39, Luke 14:25-26

VI. Seeing the Cost Involved w/ This Free Gift, What is its Value?
      A. Freedom from eternal punishment- 1 Cor. 3:11-15, Rom. 20:12-15
      B. Privledge to be a child of God. -Matt. 7:9-11
      C. Privledge and joy of seeing God's glory revealed- Rom. 8:18
      D. Receiving an eternal inheritance- 1 Cor. 3:11-15
                                           

Reputation or Evangelism (Gal. 2:11-14) by: Francis Jackson

       Peter was an apostle of high reputation with the Jews who practiced Judaism instead of the true gospel of salvation by faith.  Paul, on the other hand, was called to take the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:8; Acts 9:15, 13:46-47) of whom these Jews were quite critical of with them not being circumcised amongst other things. These Jews viewed themselves of much higher significance  than the Gentiles. So while in Antioch ministering with Paul, Peter was eating with these Gentiles which was contray to their practice of tradition due to the previously stated general reasons.  However, the true gospel is not achieved through works or man-made traditions and, in fact, any other gospel besides faith-alone is not the gospel at all (Gal. 1:6-7). But when certain men from James came to Antioch, (notice Paul did not call them brethren) Peter started to withdraw, or in other words, break away without looking suspicious.  Barnabas and the Jews with them followed suit (2:12-13).  Paul confronted Peter publicly because the act was done publicly (1 Tim. 5:20) which was necessary in that case to confirm the genuineness of the gospel.  That hypocrisy, having not been confronted publicly, could have caused the gospel to appear blasphemous to the Gentiles (Rom. 2:21-24).
      Have you ever been in a situation where you were given the opportunity to share the gospel to someone in the streets cussing like a sailor, gang-banging,prostituting, smoking and/or selling weeds or other drugs? Being around this arena of people in the bible days, especially if you were talking about God, was detrimental to reputation in the eyes of people like the Pharisees and scribes (Matt. 9:10-11; Luke 7:37-39).  A lot of us when given that opportunity, develop Peter's withdrawing attitude when someone who recognizes you is approaching and we try to escape being seen with the sinner.  We come up with ways or excuses to get out of dodge or if you run into them on an ordinary day when there's no ministry event going on, we tend to act nonchalant.  Sometimes we would flat-out avoid engaging in any conversation at all.  We, as Christians, can not let prideful and arrogant reputations step in the place of evangelism.  If man, apart from God, is the final authority of your living, that is not Christianity, but secular humanism.  Once we come to grips that the salvation given to us has nothing to do with us (Eph. 2:8), we may be able to work more effectively towards the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

1) Does your reputation supercede your responsibility to the gospel?

2) In what ways are you responding to the Great Commission at work, school, or in your community?

3) What kinds of people do you target when sharing the gospel? Who do you avoid?

Dear Lord, forgive me for any hypocrisy I have shown in my faith. Help me to shape my lifestyle to match my evangelism to confirm to sinners the genuineness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Amen

Satan's Purpose (Isa. 14:14) by: Francis Jackson

       Generally across the board, Satan's works are misunderstood as to what his overall goal is in relation to his prideful ambition.  Many people surround his purpose around being some out-of-control wrecking ball without a plan. That he is simply here to knock-off mankind one by one as an angry response for being evicted from heaven.  However, Satan's purpose is not so much centered on destroying the world  as it is getting the world to worship and follow him (v.14).  Remember that he is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). God has allowed Satan to reign on earth, that is until His second coming where He will bound Satan for 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-3), in which during that time God will reign in His Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:4-6), release Satan for a little while to deceive the nations some more  (Rev. 20:3,7-9a) before destroying him once and for all (vv. 9b-10).  Satan and all the fallen angels with him are aware of this destiny (Matt. 8:29).  So until that time, Satan is going around promoting himself to be worshipped as God, developing as many followers as possible.  His strategy is cleverly parallel to many of God's methods in accomplishing his purpose.  For instance, just as God has ministers ordained to preach the Word (Rom. 10:14-15; 2 Tim. 4:1-2), Satan also has ministers to distort the Word (2 Cor. 11:14-15; 1 Tim. 4:1) which indicate that demons have doctrine as well.  It's not sound doctrine of course, but nonetheless, it is doctrine.  God teaches believers not to conform to the world (Rom. 12:2; 1 John 2:15), Satan has teaching for man to conform through indulging in the  flesh, USING THE BIBLE to prey on the weak and naive (Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Tim. 3:5-7). God demands that He be the only God worshipped because He is the only God (Ex. 20:3-5; Isa. 44:7-8) and during the Tribulation Satan will require that same level of worship, killing those who refuse to do so (Rev. 13:11-18). Satan's campaign banner does not say "I'M THE DEVIL, FOLLOW ME TO HELL"- maybe to those who blatantly are "devil worshippers" that don't need any cunning methods to be deceived. But Satan's banner says "I'M GOD, FOLLOW ME TO HEAVEN," and he is unfortunately leading the strong majority of mankind down the wide road to Hell (Matt. 7:13-14).  Examine yourself as to the doctrine you receive and your lifestyle which is a by product of what you truly believe. This will determine if you are following the true God of the Scriptures, Jesus Christ, or Satan whose desire is to make himself LIKE the Most High God.   

Journey Through Genesis- Isaac (Gen.24-27:1) by: Francis Jackson

      Once Abraham became old, he started to seek a wife for Isaac from his own kindred to avoid Isaac potentially intermarrying with the Canaanites. This job was put under the responibility of Eliezer, the oldest servant in his household whom would have received Abraham's inheritance had he not had a son (Gen. 15:1-2). In carrying out this duty, an oath was made between Abraham and his servant which was by Eliezer placing his hand under Abraham's thigh (ch. 24:2-4). In the Ancient Near East, this custom of an intimate touch affirmed an oath (ch. 47:29). However, if the woman from Abraham's kindred refused to return with Eliezer to be presented to Isaac, he would be freed from his oath under Abraham (ch. 24:8). So Eliezer went to Mesopotamia, in the city of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and was able to successfully bring back Rebekah who was willing to return with him. Isaac prayed for Rebekah because she was barren and God granted his prayer resulting in Rebekah becoming pregnant. Isaac impregnated her with twins who struggled within her so hard that she inquired to the Lord about the matter. The Lord informed her that "two nations are within her whom will be divided, the one shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger" (ch. 25:23). Understanding this verse helps the reader understand how Jacob tricking Esau out of his birthright in the future is no surprise to God because of it being foretold right here. So God reassures the Abrahamic covenant with Isaac (ch. 26:3) and sends him to settle in Gerar in Philistia. Following his father's footsteps, he also called his wife his sister out of fear of being killed and was later sent away by the king. God reassures His covenant with Abraham again to Isaac after arriving in Beersheba (ch.26:24). The king of Philistia visited Isaac and asked for an oath that they not be harmed since they realized God was with Isaac. Isaac gets old and his vision gets blurry (ch.27:1) which brings us to Jacob whom we'll learn of in the next lesson.

Journey Through Genesis- Abraham (Gen. 12-22) by: Francis Jackson

Abraham begins our first major person in the breaking down of the Genesis storyline. This does not imply a lesser significance of all the others mentioned prior to Abraham, but those prior to this point all were within the scope of the 4 events. After the tower of Babel, with everyone being scattered, God selects Abraham as being the one who would be the start, or the father rather, of God's chosen people (Gen. 12:1-3). So God makes a covenant with Abraham in reference to his biological descendants (Isaac, Jacob, tribes of Israel-Heb. 11:8-10) which was irrevocable (Gen. 15:7-21). We are children of Abraham spiritually by faith, not biologically (Gal.3:7). During this time, an unconditional covenant was confirmed by the splitting of these animals and the person(s) under obligation of the covenant was to walk between the split parts. This confirms the agreement that if the person(s) who walks through them does not fulfill their end of the covenant, they too would be split in two like the animal parts (Jer. 34:18-19). We know that God doesn't have a body (Jn 4:24), but that's not the point. The point is that He used a common tradition of the time to communicate the guaranteed fulfillment of His end of the bargain. Prior to this, after God's calling of Abraham in Gen. 12, he and his wife were approaching Egypt. Fearing the mighty Egyptians more than the Lord at that moment, he asked if his wife Sarai pose as his sister since she was beautiful so that the Egyptians wouldn't kill Abraham and take his wife to the pharaoh (Gen. 12:11-13). God causes issues with the pharoah because of Sarai being in his possession and he along with all the company withhim were sent out of Egypt (vv. 17-20). Impatient with God's promise, Sarai gives Abraham Hagar, her servant. Abraham goes into her and she conceives Ishmael which means "God hears"(16:11). God then reassured Abraham that his seed would come from Sarah (17:19) not Hagar and she was sent away (21:10-14). After Abraham had given birth to Isaac, the heir in which God's covenant was made, He then tested Abraham's faithfulness using the life of his only son (22:1-19). In this passage, Abraham's faith was not in the act of him killing his son, or believing that God would stop him since He did say His covenant would be through Isaac specificly (17:19). The faith accounted to him was that God would bring him back to life after being killed (Heb. 11:17-19). The Chaldeans have a tradition of child sacrificing in their culture. God used a tradition of Abraham's native culture as a test. The only difference is unlike those whom the Chaldeans were sacrificing to, God was actually able to bring him back. Abraham trusted God which is why he told his men with him to wait and watch his donkey, and he and the boy would return (Gen. 22:5). So Isaac was spared and it was accounted to Abraham as righteousness. We as Christians, prove to be children of Abraham when we also act in his faith (Gal. 3:7).

Sin: The Fight Inside- by: Francis Jackson

What does sin mean?

1. Missing the mark of God's will by choice and because of human weakness (Jas. 1:14-15,Rom. 7:24-25)
2. Action or attitude that disobeys God, betrays Him, or fails to do good. (Rom. 3:23, Jas. 4:17)

I. What parts of our human nature does sin have opportunity? (1 Jn. 2:15-16)
   A. Lust of the flesh (Gen. 3:6, Lk, 4:3-4)
   B. Lust of the eyes (Gen. 3:6, Lk. 4:5-8)
   C. Pride of life (Gen. 3:6, Lk. 4:9-12)
*Note - Those are the only areas where sin can have opportunity (Lk. 4:13)

II. For believers, our sinful nature wars against the Holy Spirit that's within us. (Gal. 5:17-23)
   A. The deeds of the flesh are evident(vv. 19-21)
   B. The fruits of the Spirit work in a completely opposite direction (vv22-23, Matt.12: 33-37)

III. For non-Christians, sin is the dominant force in their lives (Rom. 5-20a)
   A. Without God's grace, unbelievers are liable to the standard of God's perfect law (Rom. 7:13-14, Rev 20:11-15, Rom. 6:23)
   B. Until a person dies and is made alive in Christ, sin will continue to have dominion in their life (Rom. 6:9-12)

Knowing now where sin has opportunities and the power that it has, make every effort in being proactive in cutting off any avenues that allow sin to reign in your life. When we fail to do that, we need to confess it as sin so that we can be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

God Bless