1346AFC111513 – The War rages on!

Read it online here, please.

1 John 4:2-4 – Don’t trust every spirit, dear friends of mine, but test them to discover whether they come from God or not. For the world is full of false prophets. You can test them in this simple way: every spirit that acknowledges the fact that Jesus Christ actually became man come from God, but the spirit which denies this fact does not come from God. The latter comes from the anti-Christ, which you were warned would come and which is already in the world.

You, my children, who belong to God, have already defeated this spirit, because the one who lives in you is far stronger than the anti-Christ in the world.

Jude 20-23 – But you, dear friends of mine, build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith and by praying through the Holy Spirit keep yourselves within the love of God. Wait patiently for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ which will bring you to the life eternal. For some of these men you can feel pity and you can treat them differently. Others you must try to save by fear, snatching them as it were out of the fire while hating the very garments their deeds have befouled.

Beloved, these are difficult times, perilous times, perplexing times. We know we are at war in multiple places and multiple levels. We see warfare waged on six of the seven continents. In some of these locations, evil clearly has the upper hand while in others the battles go better for one side or the other without any conclusive ending. And then there is the war behind these wars, the war of the Spirits. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Think of it, Beloved. Paul wrote those words roughly 1900 or so years ago! Who is in that battle now, and who has the upper hand? Let’s look at these three texts and see if we can find some answers.

MBN members may recall the message in July (see the link in the title) describing the War we are in. I capitalize that word War to call attention to the fact that this War is different from what we usually think of as war. This is a spiritual battle which continues to grow and no earthling anywhere is unaffected by this monstrous conflict between good and evil. Lucifer is grinning ear-to-ear, wringing his hands in gleeful anticipation, and taking full advantage of much of humanity’s denial of his existence. The Father of Lies, who himself is an angel of light (Lucifer), appears all round the world stirring up strife, anguish, terror, and war (small w). What are we to do about this Spiritual War? And how can we help stave off the spirits which ceaselessly assault us in every place? Does that sound like an exaggeration, like something from one of those demonically-based horror flicks? That is because we are being conditioned to accept Evil as truth. Let me ask you a couple of questions.

Do you believe in God? If you do, then you must also believe in Satan, because God is not a liar, so he would not warn us against him if he was not real. Do you believe in Angels? Then you must believe in demons, because Satan took with him many of the Holy Angels who joined him in his rebellion against God. Do you believe the souls of our Faithful and Obedient departed are with God? Then you must believe that the souls of the faithless and rebellious departed are with Satan. Think of all the people you know – not just the ones you hang out with – all the people in the news, all the people in the nations where war is happening right now, and all the people whose “spiritual ideologies” exclude any aspect of the reality of the Holy Trinity. Now think of all the people who claim to know God, to serve Christ, but whose words and actions contradict everything they claim. Next, think of all the people whose words match their lives, who can say with absolute certainty “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Run a quick tally in your head. Which of these three groups is the smallest? Which of these three groups are most likely to become allies when the battles intensify? Finally, if you know in your heart how to distinguish one group from the other, then you know how to “test the spirits.” In the end, we will all have to answer these questions, so it is best to answer them today and every day as we test the spirits we encounter. Paul refers to one of those spirits as the Spirit of the antichrist.

When we hear that word, we think of opposition – anti meaning against; but the Greek word/prefix ἀντί not only means “opposite of” but also “in place of.” The spirit of the antichrist is not only among us, it is often within us whenever we place anything or anyone above The Holy Trinity. Think of the vices that control portions of our lives – little idols we serve – like booze, nicotine, sex, violence, ego, hatred, indifference, envy, selfishness, greed, lust, gluttony … got the picture? When Christ is replaced by these things, these spirits, we welcome the antichrist into our lives. Now this is not the fabulous charismatic world leader who will “solve” all the world’s problems, perform wondrous acts of great power, and set himself up as a god. No, this is the “evil that men do [which] lives after them.” It is our failure. But it is not our defeat! As we see, you who belong to God have already defeated this spirit, because the one who lives in you is far stronger than the anti-Christ in the world. That is, if indeed He lives within you.

The War is fought on multiple fronts. There is war in our flesh and against our flesh. There is war in our families and against the very foundation of families, holy matrimony. There is war in our minds as we quell the warning signals in our heart, our minds and our spirits and – in the name of tolerance and “good will” – we accept what we know is wrong, and reject what we know is right. Antichrist! Remember: It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing. (Rev. Charles F. Aked) And why do good men so often do nothing? We must ask ourselves, not others, for it is us, and only us, who can be held accountable for the good that we do as well as the good we do not do. “He who is in you” has conquered the World and all its evil; when we oppose or replace Him, we tip the scale of victory away toward the ever-advancing tide of evil that swells across the planet.

Test the spirits! “But you, dear friends of mine, build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith and by praying through the Holy Spirit keep yourselves within the love of God.” Forewarned is forearmed, and we are forewarned daily. Why do we fail to heed that warning? I said previously, “In the end, we will all have to answer these questions, so it is best to answer them today and every day as we test the spirits we encounter.” Here is a passage from Ephesians 6 (J. B. Phillips New Testament) that describes our responsibility, accountability, and God’s dependability:

Ephesians 6:13

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) ®

Be forewarned and forearmed in your spiritual conflict

^10-18 In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
J. B. Phillips, “The New Testament in Modern English”, 1962 edition by HarperCollins
Ephesians 6:13 in all English translations
Share-A-Prayer

Please continue to pray for and send help to the millions affected by that Super-Typhoon in the Philippines. Be aware that additional tropical depressions are forming, and more storms are possible.

There are people nearby, as well, who need your help, your prayers, your aid. In your community, reach out to feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, attend to the sick, rescue the perishing, care for the dying, do something for someone outside yourself and do it in the name of and for the glory of Jesus.

Pray in the Spirit to the Spirit for the Spirit. Reread that until it makes sense, and then make it happen!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

A moment of clarity from last week:

1345AFC110813

Read it online here, please.

2 Corinthians 12:10 – Therefore, I accept weakness, mistreatment, hardship, persecution, and difficulties suffered for Christ. It’s clear that when I’m weak, I’m strong.

2 Corinthians 12:15 – But I cheerfully also shall spend and I would even give up my person for the sake of your souls, even though, the more I love you, the less you love me.

Nowadays, people would say, “What’s wrong with this guy? Has he got a persecution complex or something?” I would answer, “Definitely no. A persecution complex is a delusional state and usually has no foundation in reality. Paul was under no delusion when writing this second letter to the Corinthians. In the first letter he had admonished them to crack down on one of their members who was causing division within the church. Earlier in this letter he chides them for taking thing too far and states he has forgiven the repentant man and certainly they should as well.

Paul’s statement should not be interpreted as fatalism, or as false humility, either. In his perspective there is a complementary and harmonizing connection between suffering and sanctity. When his mind, his spirit, and his body are at rest in Christ, he is “in the world but not of the world.” The verb translated “accept” in the first passage is εὐδοκέω [eudokéō] which carries connotations of to think well of, or to choose gladly, or willingly accept, or to think best. It is like our expression “It comes with the territory.” If someone had told Paul that his stance was heroic, Paul would reply much the same way suddenly-noticed heroes do: “I’m no hero. I was just doing my job.” And so, Beloved, we are called to look on our own actions when encumbered with weakness, mistreatment, hardship, persecution, and difficulties suffered for Christ. Do we become histrionic like the Pharisee in the temple, tooting our own horn about how deeply we suffer? Do we become tranquil and self-restrained like Paul? Not that Paul didn’t moan and groan a little about his suffering as a prisoner; he let others know he was hurting, but he also let others know that the hurt he experienced was gladly and fervently offered up for the sake of the Body of Christ

When we are troubled, we are often led to prayer, as in “There are no atheists in foxholes.” God always hears the prayers of faith we offer up, but his answers are sometimes – perhaps often – not what we had on our wish-list. Sometime when we ask for direction, instead of a push in the right direction we might receive a smack up alongside the head. Sometime when we are asking for things that will harm us, he withholds them in love, or grants them so the lesson we learn will be indelible. When we don’t get what we want, sometime, childishly (different from “child-like”), we pout, and grumble, and cry out in the anguish of our suffering that God has abandoned us. If instead he covers us with his grace we are easily led to belief our own strong faith has saved us. When, however, we accept everything – good or bad, sweet or bitter, bliss or pain – with equanimity, poise, and self-control, we are allowing that grace to work in us. That grace-at-work fortifies, enlivens, and encourages us. Through this, we show others the centrality of Jesus in our lives and God is therein glorified. Though on the Road to Calvary, we are also climbing the road to Zion and God’s own Heaven When we are humble enough to glorify God, we are strengthened in ways that overcome every trial, every false accusation, every painful torment our adversary imposes on us. In that way, also, the adversary is defeated and Christ is victorious.

In our own right we are weak, but he is strong. When we hold our peace, we are held in peace. When we wait on God, God fulfills us. When we are quiet, he is pleasantly present and we hear and feel that presence. When we reason that God is trustworthy so that when he tells us that all will be well, we realize that whatever is happening to us is what God has desired and intended for us because of his Love for us. That is his promise (one of thousands) to us. We have only to claim it then live it.

And how do we live this promise? Behold!

Isaiah 30:15c – In quietness and confidence is your strength.

and

Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

“The Lord is my Shepherd. That’s all I need to know.”

 chick

Age Quod Agis

1344AFC110113 – The Call

Read it online here, please.

John 6:43-46 – But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. ⁴⁵ As it is written in the Scripture. ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

Matthew 11:27 – All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

John 10:25-30 – Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

Romans 8:28-30 – And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Did God decided at the moment of creation which of us is going to Heaven and which of us is bound for Hell?

I cannot answer that question. I am not God. God knows the answer, and many theologians, preachers, believers, and nonbelievers think they know the answer, but honestly I don’t think anyone knows except God. When I think about this question, I recall two words that seem to me to be relevant when pondering God’s plan. The two words are predilection and affinity.

Predilection: a natural liking for something; a tendency to do or to be attracted to something; a preference for someone or something that arises without prior motivation to seek a preference.

Affinity: a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something such that the treasures of the one are the desires of the other, as the poverty of man’s soul and the abundance of God’s Grace.

God has a predilection for his creation. We have an affinity toward God. St. Francis De Sales wrote: “Mothers’ breasts are sometimes so full that they must offer them to some child, and though the child takes the breast with great avidity, the nurse offers it still more eagerly, the child pressed by its necessity, and the mother by her abundance.” Treatise on the Love of God (Chapter XV, “Of the affinity there is between God and man”). As such, each of us is the one with a void that the God Almighty is only too eager to fill. That great hunger that exists at the core of our soul can only be filled by God; it is as if everyone has a God-shaped hole in the soul and God eagerly rushes in to fill that hole. Some may see this as “Divine Election.” Others call it predestination. I reiterate I do not know what to call it or how to explain it. I only know that it is a central tenet of every Christian denomination I know of today.

If it is foreknown that you will accept the Christ of God as your Savior and that another will not, how can anyone be saved who has not been chosen in advance? A good definition of predestination would be helpful, so here is one I found that at least makes sense to me: “Predestination is the Divine decree by which God, owing to His infallible prescience of the future, has appointed and ordained from eternity all events occurring in time, especially those which directly proceed from, or at least are influenced by, man’s free will.” How does God predestine the Elect? Is it based on His foreknowledge of our response to His Grace or on His eternal decree when He created the world? If it is based on his knowing beforehand what will be our response to his Grace, then that is known as Conditional Election. If it is based on his eternal decree when he created everything, then that is known as Unconditional Election. This leads us to the debate among Christians about Conditional Election and Unconditional Election. I will not be able to choose between the two. I believe quite firmly, though, that God never predestines someone to Hell, and because God predestines no one to hell, I believe He gives His Grace, through Christ, to everyone and calls every one, no exception, to salvation. As we said recently here, “All are called.” Even those who have never seen a Bible or heard the Word, or spoken the name of Jesus have seen what God has created, and that should lead them to seek God in every way they can.

Titus 2:11-15 – For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

In our Catechism we read: “To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of “predestination”, he includes in it each person’s free response to his grace: ‘In this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.’For the sake of accomplishing his plan of salvation, God permitted the acts that flowed from their blindness.” They were called. They did not answer.

Do you know someone (or are you someone) that has not answered God’s call through Jesus? Do you think perhaps God is waiting for you to be the one who calls that person to faith in God? Not everyone is willing to take that first step of faith to believe in the Father, and without that faith, no one can come to Jesus. Jesus and the Father and the Spirit are One. It is God’s will that all be saved and none be condemned. Not all will accept that will of God, and those who do not do so act through their own free will. For me the bottom line is this: I don’t want anyone to miss the joys of heaven. God does not want the wicked to die (Ezekiel 18:32 and Ezekiel 33:11), and so he offers everyone Eternal Everlasting Life for those who believe in Jesus and who repent. Beloved, that word was the central message in all four of the messages during October. That wasn’t anything I planned! Apparently God planned it, because that is what happened. Predestination? I don’t know. For me it is more like predilection meets affinity. That explanation works for me. I hope you find something that works for you.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

Last minute discovery at http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/6820/can-you-explain-this-free-will-predestination-illustration/6854

It has been pictured in this way. Here is a vast host of people hurrying down the broad road with their minds fixed upon their sins, and one stands calling attention to yonder door, the entrance into the narrow way that leads to life eternal. On it is plainly depicted the text, “Whosoever will, let him come.” Every man is invited, no one need hesitate. Some may say, “Well, I may not be of the elect, and so it would be useless for me to endeavor to come, for the door will not open for me.” But God’s invitation is absolutely sincere; it is addressed to every man, “Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Rev. 22: 17). If men refuse to come, if they pursue their own godless way down to the pit, whom can they blame but themselves for their eternal judgment? The messenger addressed himself to all, the call came to all, the door could be entered by all, but many refused to come and perished in their sins. Such men can never blame God for their eternal destruction. The door was open, the invitation was given, they refused, and He says to them sorrowfully, “Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life.” … [But some will say], “I am going inside: I will accept the invitation; I will enter that door,” and he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about he finds written on the inside of the door the words, “Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

H.A. Ironside, In the Heavenlies (Ephesians), pages 27-28

It seems to me to be saying that you have complete freedom to act, but God knows all ends. You have freely chosen to walk through the door; but it was always known that you would (because God is God). My preferred analogy is this: given the choice between, say, eating poop and eating ice cream, my son will always choose ice cream. I do not need to use coercion, I know he will make that choice because I know my son. He has free will and freedom to act, but I will plan to give him ice cream because I know my son.

1342AFC101813 – Undeniability

Read it online here, please

Feast Day of St. Luke, Apostle and Evangelist

Luke 12:8-10 – I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

Matthew 10:33 – Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

2 Timothy 2:11-13, 19 – This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him;if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands, bearing this inscription, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid evil.”

The main text for this post is “But if we deny him he will deny us.If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:12) This text also fits in with Romans 10:6-11 where we read “… if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

When we publically admit that Jesus is the Christ of God, we confess – assert, affirm, acknowledge, profess, and declare – that he is Divine, and that he is God as the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Our confession of Christ is not the only criterion Paul describes as a basis for Salvation; we must also believe Jesus’ resurrection in our hearts; that is to say we profess our faith not merely in words, but also in deeds, in other words in our actions. For this public confession of faith in Christ we know, because he himself told us, that we will bear persecutions, hardships, and rejection by the World. As his disciples, we are told to expect to suffer as he suffered. Most of us, nearly all of us I’d say, will not suffer a passion as egregious as what he endured, but we do know the World will not accept us if we are clearly “in the world but of the Kingdom of God.” If we are believers in our hearts that God has raised Jesus from death, then our actions – which are to be based in the same kind of Love (agape) Jesus gave to us – should conform to the Kingdom and not to the World. Perhaps you’ve seen this story before; it makes its rounds on the Internet fairly often:

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard.

Suddenly, just in front of him, the light turned yellow. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the brakes, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection with him.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station, where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk, where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, “I’m very sorry for this, Ma’am. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker, a ‘Honk if you love Jesus’ placard in your rear window, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.” So again we see that what we do says who we are; actions speak louder than words.

This is certainly true as well when our words and actions do not testify to our faith in Christ. In these passages at the top of the page, especially those spoken by Jesus, we see the word “deny.” A very good synonym for this word is “repudiate.” This is one of those words we hear once in a while and we kind of know what it means. Nonetheless, I want to explore this word a little deeper. Repudiate is associated with the idea of divorce, to cast off, to put away, to reject, to scorn, to contradict, to disown, to disdain, to refuse to acknowledge in the sense of the Latin root word pudere ” to cause shame to.” The Greek root for this is ἀρνέομαι [arneomai] (ar-neh’-om-ahee). If I use repudiate as a replacement for deny, I get whoever repudiates me before others will be repudiated before the angels of God and whoever repudiates me before others I will repudiate before my Father. Who would repudiate Christ, and how? What does it mean “to deny Christ?”

Our most familiar example in recorded in the Passion of Jesus when Peter denies him three times. He denied he had been with Jesus, denied that he was a follower of Jesus, and finally denied that he even knew Jesus at all. We know the ending of that part of Peter’s story – the rooster crowed and Peter recalled Jesus’ prediction, and we also know the continuation of Peter’s story – repentance and affirmation of his faith in Jesus as The Christ of God just as he had previously confessed among the Apostles. We have ways of denying Christ, too.

• He was only a man. Nothing divine about him.
• He wasn’t even real. It’s just mythology constructed by people who wanted to overthrow Rome.
• He cannot be the Son of God because there is no God.
• Jesus? I don’t know. I don’t have time for that religious stuff. Besides all religions are pointless anyway.
• Jesus may have been a real person, but it doesn’t matter. He angered the wrong people and they killed him, then his followers made up the story that he was alive. It never happened.
• How can I believe in a Jesus who sends people to Hell just because they don’t agree with him? If Jesus was real, Judas Iscariot would be a Saint because Jesus forgave him.
• Organized religion is so fakey! If I wanted to get in touch with “God,” I don’t need a bunch of hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo to tell me how.
• Anybody who claims to know what God wants, or thinks, or does is delusional.
• Why would anyone want to live forever doing the same thing day after day? It just doesn’t make any sense.

There are many other statements, some too blasphemous to even consider, used to repudiate Jesus. And what of this unforgivable sin Jesus mentions – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? In the context of that passage Jesus’ enemies are trying to make others believe that Jesus is using demonic powers, the powers of Satan, to cast out demons, thereby giving credit to Satan for what the Holy Spirit did. Of all the explanations for this passage I’ve heard over the years, that one best fits the context in which it is expressed. What Jesus says and does is precisely what his Father says and does. Even within the Holy Trinity, saying is actualized through doing.

If we truly are with Jesus, we are not against him; however, sometimes our actions appear to contradict that. We can be forgiven if we “speak against the Son of Man,” we can be acknowledged before the angels of God and God the Father if we acknowledge Christ before the World, we will experience suffering in the World for living in the Kingdom, and we will share eternal life with him when our suffering is over. That is, if we don’t persist in repudiating Jesus in every moment of our lives. Even if we reject, disdain, and refuse to accept Jesus nearly all our lives, we can still end that rejection, accept him as Savior and God, and thereby acknowledge him before others. If we spend our whole lives confirming and affirming that Jesus Christ is Lord, but are sometimes unfaithful, on the Day of Judgment and always he will keep the promise to assert, proclaim, remember, and defend our loyalty to him.

What shall we do then? How shall we know him and acknowledge him? As he himself has shown us it is by our words as well as by our deeds. If we deny him, repudiate him, we end up replacing him. We were created with an innate need to worship God, and when we worship someone or something more than God we replace God. Here we see the meaning of Paul’s statement – Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands, bearing this inscription, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord avoid evil.” Almighty God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – knows those who are his; therefore, because we have professed our faith in him we must avoid the evil of denying Christ – that is, denying God – which we do by replacing our love of and service to God with love of and service to any worldly passion for persons, places, things, activities, or spirits.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

Share-A-Prayer

GLC – extensive joint surgery coming up soon. Pray for courage, strength, and a quick recovery.

GW – Pray for peaceful hospice.

CML – Fractured C1 & C7, mild dementia. Peaceful hospice and decrease in pain and hemiplegia

Our President and our Congress – Wisdom and courage to do the right thing quickly and well.

1041AFC101113 – Turn Away

Read it online here please.

 Jeremiah 13:23 – ²³ But there is little hope for you ever doing good, you who are so accustomed to doing evil. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard remove its spots?

OK. What in the world is that all about?!?

Last week we had a short checklist of seven things to do to do: Repent, be baptized, believe, confess, come to Jesus, carry your cross, and follow Jesus. It’s quite a list, especially considering the first step in light of today’s scripture passage. If you want to repent and to do good instead of evil, it seems Jeremiah is saying, “Give it up. You’re never going to make it.” Even so, love compels us to try to repent, to reform, to apologize. When we hurt someone we love, they feel terrible, and – if we’re honest about it – we feel terrible, too, because of what we did. I can repent, say I’m very sorry, that I’ll never do that again; but, I am not always able to keep that promise. How about you? Do you find it’s hard to bring your heart and mind to sincere contrition and effective repentance? How does repentance work anyway? A better question might be “How is repentance supposed to work?”

Jesus and John the Baptist used the word μετάνοια, – metanoia. It is a change of heart, a change of mind, or a change of direction as in a one-eighty turn. A closely-related word is μετανοέω – metanoéō. Both come from the same root meanings meta – above, beyond, higher; and noein to think from nuos – mind. So, metanoia is to move beyond where are hearts and minds are to a new paradigm, a new way of thinking and feeling and seeing everything in life. When we repent, we have a change of mind – not a renewing of mind (See Romans 1:12) Another way to think of it is we quash, break, nullify, defeat, or conquer a temptation that is repeatedly before us; we break a bad habit; we realign our values-system so that it aligns more closely with God’s values. WE make an effort to sin less even though we know we can never be sinless.

We are sinners. There is no way we can change that. Our lives are marred by sinfulness. Even Paul said, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” I can name that tune in one note. I start out all ready to be “God’s good little boy,” and before my first step forward touches the ground, “BOOM!” I’m a sinner again. I don’t want to be a sinner, but the harder I try to get away from it the worse I sin. What up with that anyway?!? Why doesn’t God take away my sinfulness? He takes away my sin, right? Why not the sinfulness? Why can’t I truly repent?

The act of repentance is one of God’s greatest gifts. Frankly all of God’s gifts are great, but this one is really special because God created repentance so we would have a chance at coming back to that special spiritual relationship that began with Adam and Eve in  Eden. Repentance reminds us that someday we will have that ultimate intimacy with God that they had before Eve got tricked and Adam ignored his conscience. It is God’s gift, but as is the case with all good gifts which come from God it is worthless if we fail to use it. (Where have I heard that before?) It is our responsibility to accept the gift, and then use the gift. Repentance is always there, it is always possible, it is never impossible to approach, but it seems to be impossible to complete. Why is that? WE ARE SINNERS! “Well, why did God make us like that?” He did not make us like that. Adam did that, and we inherited that fall from Grace. So now I’m going to ask you a really strange question.

What would have happened if Eve had said, “No-o-o-o, I don’t think so” to the serpent? What if Adam had seen that Eve had been tricked and said. “You can’t fool me you dumb old snake!” Instead, they fell for Satan’s half-truths. Why would they have done such a thing? Let’s look at why they sinned to find out. Satan said, “It will make you like God to know the difference between good and evil.” True. Except they were already like God, created in His image and likeness. What they did not know was the difference between good and evil because at the time the only evil in the Garden was the serpent. Eve “took the bait.” Adam went along even though he recognized – momentarily at least – the fallacy in Satan’s argument. After all who wouldn’t want to be more like God? That would be a good thing, right? So why mess that up through disobedience? Weren’t they thankful that God had created them to be like him? Hmmm, thankful?

I have trouble with “sincere contrition and effective repentance” *all* *the* *time!* Don’t you? As I meditated on this problem all week I felt stronger and stronger about the idea that my attitude of gratitude needs a better altitude. LQQK at all the amazing gifts God has given me! Am I grateful? Sure! Am I grateful for all of it? Sure! Do I know how much “all of it” is? Hmmm …. no. I don’t know that, just like I don’t know how much I sin because I let habits do my thinking and praying for me rather than going one-on-one with God. I can see that in some ways humility is directly attached to gratitude as well. If we turn away from sin we end up turning toward God. That is something for which we can be truly and deeply thankful. When we acknowledge everything that we have and realize it all comes from God, we are grateful and humbled. The bigger the gratitude, the deeper the humility. Humility is what makes contrition and repentance sincere and effective.

Contrition and Repentance are like the hinges on the Door to Salvation. Remove one, and the door doesn’t open. And what lubricates those hinges? The Oil of Humility, Gratitude. When God calls us (and he calls every living soul), we can respond or retreat. WE ARE SINNERS, and no one is without sin as we read in Ecclesiastes 7:20. Also, Paul says, “there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.” (see Romans 3) God is the Originator, the Creator, the Author of Salvation. HE acted FIRST and ALWAYS ACTS FIRST. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that wonderful? He is always ahead of us, calling us forward. He is always coming back to us in the Eucharist, as well as when two or more are gathered in his name. He is always with us just as he was always with Adam and Eve. The towering height of their gratitude went subterranean (it went to hell in an hand-basket) because they failed to remember just how good they had it in Paradise. They forgot the debt of gratitude they owed to God for their perfect lives.

So do we also forget. I’m going to try something new (new to me anyway) when I try to repent. I’m going to start by looking at my attitude altimeter and see if the altitude of gratitude is where it’s supposed to be. I have all the gifts I need, so whatever stops me from using them is something holding me away from that stroll through the Garden. We do not choose the time when God calls us to him (because it is constant), but we do choose when, how often, and in what manner and degree we respond to that call. You cannot respond for me; I cannot respond for you; each must respond as an individual, as one lost sheep out of a hundred. Think about that image. How do you think that poor, silly, lost lamb felt when the shepherd took it out of danger, placed it on his shoulders, and walked home? I think that little lamb felt grateful, even if he was the black sheep of the family!

This little lamb does, too.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever,  — at your service, Beloved

Share-a-Prayer

Wonderful news from SD! The tumor board reviewed the findings of the imaging tests done and concluded the cordoma borders actually have not changed! Also SK is heading in to get that driver’s license and get back to work.

Prayer works! Pray for Peace, for a resolution to this mess in Congress, for God’s missionaries who are struggling to keep their families safe and healthy. Pray with gratitude!

1340AFC100413 – Living Water

Read it online here, please.

John 7:37, 38 – On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'”

Aloha pumehana, Beloved. Today’s Bible verse was suggested by a popular hymn about Peace flowing like a river. That brought to mind this passage from John’s Gospel. As I studied this short passage, several things came to mind. Please ride along with me as we navigate this Stream of Living Water.

There is no passage in Old Testament scripture that is directly similar to Jesus’ statement. In the context of what is happening in this portion of John’s Gospel, however, it is an extension of a theme comparing Moses and Jesus and invites us to think of the image of water from the rock (see Exodus 17:6). Earlier, in John 3:5, Jesus had stated to Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” This echoes back to the prescribed ritual for the Priests in the Temple who must submerge themselves in ritual baths and thoroughly wash hands and feet before performing any sacrificial rite, thus a reference to the keeping of the Law.

This thorough purification required to serve in the presence of God was something which Nicodemus, a noteworthy Pharisee, would understand. Then Jesus adds “of the Spirit.” I imagine this caught Nicodemus’ attention because of a passage in Ezekiel, with which he would have been familiar, in Ezekiel 36:25-27: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” So, just as water flowed from the rock at Meribah, so also water would flow from the Rock in the Kingdom of God. Not only that, but also those who “enter the Kingdom of God” also have a stream of living water flowing from their inner-self.

Here also we see an allusion to Jesus as the “New Temple” of God which also brings to mind another passage from Ezekiel in 47:1: Then he brought me back to the entrance of the house, and I saw water flowing eastward from under the threshold of the house, for the house faced east. The water flowed down from under the right side of the house, south of the altar. When I read that I also think of Christ, dead on the cross, with a spear-would in his right side.

But Jesus’ statement says, “flowing from within him.” Looking at the way that is constructed in Greek, ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν, it reads “out of the belly of him” shall flow living water. So it is the believer from whom this living water flows when the believer is born of water and the Spirit. To me, that clarifies the phrase, “as Scripture says,” because that phase seems to point back to the Messianic prophesies, particularly those associated with Moses and with the prophet Ezekiel.

Continuing to work back toward the beginning of our text, let’s examine, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.” Do you remember Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman? Look at John 4:13-14: “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” Jesus is the source of the living water, and it is Jesus’ power to give to us the Holy Spirit. If we thirst for the Holy Spirit, Jesus says “Come to me and I will give it to you.” Oh my. That is the opening for a COME-TO-JESUS MOMENT!

How do we come to him? As I meditated on that, a checklist of seven “steps” was given. I’ll do this in short paragraphs with links to Scripture and little commentary.

One: Repent. See Luke 13:1-5. John the Baptist’s message was to repent, and he used the figure of immersion in water to convey his message. Before all else, repentance is required.

Two: Baptism. See Acts 2:38. Repentance and Baptism work “hand in hand.” They are the ritual ablutions in the Kingdom of God.

Three: Believe. See John 3:14-17 and many others (do an Internet search on Bible whoever believes) If you do not believe, no action prior to or following after will come to fruition.

Four: Confess. See Romans 10:9-10. In Paul’s words: For it is believing in the heart that makes a man righteous before God, and it is stating his belief by his own mouth that confirms his salvation.

Five: Come. See our passage for today plus John 14:6 and John 6:37. More in just a bit about “coming to Jesus.”

Six: Carry your cross. We all know this one. See Mark 8:34-35 and Matthew 16:24-26. Most days I am convinced that I am my cross.

Seven: Follow Jesus. All of these passages lead us to the moment we decide to follow Jesus. And all of the passages help us to renew that moment by going where Jesus goes and coming to him so we can travel with him.

How, then, do we come to Him? Here again there is a traditional hymn, well-known to many of us:

1. Just as I am, without one plea,
   But that Thy blood was shed for me,
   And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2. Just as I am, and waiting not
   To rid my soul of one dark blot,
   To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
3. Just as I am, though tossed about
   With many a conflict, many a doubt,
   Fightings and fears within, without,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
4. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
   Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
   Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
5. Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
   Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
   Because Thy promise I believe,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
6. Just as I am, Thy love unknown
   Hath broken every barrier down;
   Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Yes, we come to him as we are through repentance, baptism, belief, confession, coming to Jesus, carrying our cross, and following Jesus. Sure there are a lot of things outside of those seven that form the Christian life – sacraments, worship, community, charity, love, and ongoing faith to name but a few. These hold us in the Peace that surpasses all understanding and are essential to a life lived as God has ordained. No DIY Religion can achieve that. Jesus calls us to come to him, even when we are unclean and broken, and to be reborn by water and the Spirit. He is always there to receive us, always coming back to us in the Eucharist, and always keeping and protecting everyone given to him by the Father. And you ask, “Then who is not given to him by the Father?” No one; not one at all, for everyone is invited to be his because all are called. Those who answer the call enter in for Jesus is the Gate, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light, the Joy, and the Salvation of all who come to receive those streams of Living Water!

Share-A-Prayer: Please continue your prayers for JE – possible disseminated cancer now; SK – some setbacks in recovery from a stroke, patience and compassion for caregivers; SD – received news his dormant cordoma (spinal cord tumor) is growing again at the margins; ALL our other members, and family and friends who are laid low by cancer. Pray also and especially for our National Leaders and all who are directly affected by this most recent fiscal crisis. Pray for families broken and in distress by discord, rebellion, or addiction. Repent and go to the feet of Jesus. He is calling you. You may not realize it, but he’s calling you from very nearby – in your heart. Answer the call!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

chick

1338AFC092013 – Isn’t He Wonderful!

Read it online here, please.

Psalm 111:4 – He does amazing things so that we will remember that the Lord is kind and merciful.

Aloha nui loa, Beloved! I am excited to start this message because it begins with a wonderful traditional Gospel chorus. I’ve been singing this little ditty all week, and it just makes me happy every time I hear it. It’s called Isn’t He Wonderful. You can listen to it here and see the lyrics.

You’ve probably heard Rich Mullin’s contemporary gospel hymn, Our God is an Awesome God. I can’t think of anyone I know who hasn’t experienced God’s awesomeness first-hand. We see the beauty of the Earth, the wonders of the Universe, or the power of his Love. There is a huge part of history and geography attesting to the quest to know the mind of God. What does he want? Why does he want it? How can we give, or be, what he wants? Beloved, do you ever ask those questions? Yes? Great! Because God will answer those questions. But, if you said, “No, I don’t,” then you should begin.

What does God want? Look at Deuteronomy 10:12-14, Deuteronomy 30:19-20, and (my favorite) Micah 6:8 and you will see God wants us to know him, to honor him, to love him, and obey him. And to trust him, to serve him, to worship him, and to seek him, we need to know, honor, love, and obey him. But how do we know God? He’s … well, AWESOME! AND HE IS GREAT, BREATHTAKING, WONDERFUL, OVERWHELMING, TREMENDOUS, STUPENDOUS, MAGNIFICENT, MAJESTIC, OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT, SUPERLATIVE, ETERNAL, FEARSOME, AND KIND, LOVING, FORGIVING, GENTLE, SAVING, A PROTECTOR, A LEADER, A REFUGE, AND ABSOLUTELY DIVINE BECAUSE HE IS LORD-ALMIGHTY-GOD! And he is Spirit and Truth and for most of us that means he is invisible. That is a stumbling block for many. If they do not see God, they cannot be sure he is real. Paul addressed that issue when writing to the Romans. In Romans 1:20 he says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.“

He does amazing things so that we will remember that the Lord is kind and merciful.

Now, if you put those two thoughts together, you have a good start on the answer to “How can we know God?” Do you remember this Axiom? WHAT WE DO SAYS WHO WE ARE. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. He does amazing things so that we will remember that the Lord is kind and merciful. Those amazing things – God’s actions – are how we know him. God is Spirit, and so we know him in spirit. God is Truth, and so we know him in truth. God is light, and so we know him in light. Everything that God has put into is there us so that we will know him, for God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; …” We see his actions around us everywhere we look, and we know his presence within us every time we inspect our hearts. That is especially true if we have let Jesus into our hearts. (You really want to listen to that one!)

God does all the wonderful things he does so that we can know him. And believe me, to know him is to love him because (of course) he is Love, and his Love gave us Jesus, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Jesus is God. Jesus is God. Jesus is wonder-full. I expect to see him someday. On that day, my spirit will see him as a spiritual actuality – for I will be spirit and waiting for Resurrection Day – and I will rejoice exceedingly and praise God endlessly. All this occurs because he made himself known to me by observation and natural reason, by revelation in Scripture, and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t he wonderful! That’s not a question, it’s an exclamation!!

My directions today were to keep this shorter than usual so that I can ask you to do this, please:

Click here to read Psalm 8 and click here to read Psalm 148. Read them inside your heart so that God’s own wisdom will fill your heart. Paraphrasing Psalm 111:10 – A deep reverence toward the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!

Share-A-Prayer: Pray with compassion for all the people who have suffered so greatly in the past several weeks from floods, fires, wars, famine, disease, sorrow, disasters of all kinds, and even death. Selah.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

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