Lord Jesus Christ

We Remember 9/11

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twin-towersI was in Advanced Individual Training the morning of 9/11/2001. We saw it all happen on the news. It was a morning we didn’t do PT (physical training) because we were getting ready for a Post Change of Command Ceremony. It was a dark day. A day many cried out to God in despair. America learned that she was vulnerable to attack, and hated at a much deeper level than what makes for comedy about culture clashes. America also learned that many who live here under her protection hate her. America is not a Christian nation, but many of us who call upon the Name of the Lord call sojourn through this life calling America home for now. May we continually pray for America, her leaders, and for the Church. May we not forget that this world is evil, sinful, and destined for destruction. But we do not grieve as the world grieves, for our Hope rests in the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven and Earth will pass away, and by His Blood we are assured new bodies, free from sin and death, and He has promised a New Heaven and a New Earth and a New Kingdom with God as our King. Amen.

Psalm 38  (ESV) | Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all the day I go about mourning.
7 For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.
12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
and meditate treachery all day long.
13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no rebukes.
15 But for you, O Lord, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me,
who boast against me when my foot slips!”
17 For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good
accuse me because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
 O Lord, my salvation!

Psalm 27 (ESV) | The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.
27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9     Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

Eschatology: No Secret Rapture

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sunriseIt has taken me quite a while to return to this subject. Toward the end of our previous discussion of Eschatology, I confessed that I saw no basis for any pre-Tribulation or even mid-Tribulation rapture of the Saints. I grew up in the “Left Behind” generation. I spent several years of my childhood fearful that Christ might have secretly raptured all of my friends and family, leaving me behind because of some unrepentant sin, or that I accidentally might have committed the unpardonable sin. Rough times for me, but eventually I learned to just ignore those fears. But why did I have those fears in the first place? Because I was taught that there would be some pre-tribulation rapture and that teaching was reinforced by the “Left Behind” movie. But is this concept taught in Scripture? Sure people pull together a lot of proof texts, but is the concept plainly taught in Scripture? In our last blog, we took a look at what Jesus had to say when His disciples asked Him about the end times. In that discourse, He made no mention of any rapture; rather, He made it clear that , “he who endures to the end would be saved”. He also says plainly that His return would happen “immediately after the tribulation” (Matt 24:31).  No one leaves early except those who die in Christ.

I believe there are a couple of definition problems at play in various eschatologies with regard to proof-texting efforts. The first is “tribulation”. To make the case for pre/mid-tribulation rapture, often times the definition of “tribulation” becomes carelessly intertwined with the definition of “judgement” or the “Wrath of God”. The Judgement of Jesus Christ comes after the tribulation. We who are in Christ will not be recipients of His judgement, for Christ has already paid the price for our sin. Those who remain will be those who have rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ and persecuted the church. Another problem is the definition of “rapture”. It is not a Biblical term, it is one we have invented after the canon was closed, but most point to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 for its definition. Let’s look at that chapter of the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Praise the Lord. So this event, the resurrection of the dead in Christ and then those of us who remain until the coming of the Lord will be caught up together with our Lord in the air. This will happen once. Paul doesn’t leave room for this happening in stages. His encouragement to the Thessalonians continues in the next chapter (remember, Paul didn’t write in chapters and verses… he just wrote a letter)

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (ESV) 1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

It is tempting to stop reading at verse 3 with an Aha, so it will be a secret event! However, in verse 4, Paul makes it clear that we (brothers and sisters in Christ) should not be surprised by the day (though, clearly, we don’t know what day or hour when it will come). Jesus explained the day of the Son of Man in much the same way in Luke.

Luke 17:22-37 (ESV) 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Again, the flood was not a surprise to Noah, who likely spent 60-70 years building the ark. Similarly, the Angels of the Lord made it clear to Abram and Lot that God was going to bring judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah and that they must leave. It was only to the wicked, the lost, those living in darkness that the judgment of God came as a surprise. Another thing I’d like to point out here is that in verse 24, Jesus makes it clear that though the world will be caught completely unaware, it will not be a secret event. He warns his disciples not to be deceived, that His coming will be as unmistakable as lightning flashes and lights up the sky. It will be obvious to everyone, on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Let’s take a look at how Paul instructed and encouraged the Corinthians regarding the return of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:42-58 (ESV) 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

So here, Paul is instructing the Church of Corinth on the Resurrection. I recommend reading the whole chapter to see how he’s building up the concept of resurrection, culminating in an explanation of what we can expect when Jesus returns. Those who have not “fallen asleep” (euphemism for death used often in Scripture) will still have to be changed on the Day of Christ’s return. That change will happen in a “twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet”.  When the trumpet of God sounds… all will hear it.

Whenever Paul points toward our goal, our end-state, he points to the Return of Jesus Christ and to the Resurrection. In the Book of Revelation, there are 2 resurrections mentioned.

Revelation 20:1-6 (ESV) | The Thousand Years
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit[a] and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The second resurrection will be for judgement before the White Throne (v11-15). I don’t know how to explain the details provided in v7-11, but notice that there are still saints mentioned, and a deception. Satan will at-last be permanently destroyed and then the final judgement will take place. I encourage each of you to read through the Book of Revelation. Just read it through. There is no “pre tribulation rapture” event described. It is a prophetic book, and as such there is a great deal that simply cannot be understood in advance. We should not add to it, nor take away from it no matter how noble we consider our motives to be.

Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV) 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

I am not going to try to explain all of Revelation at this time, but I would like to point out some key phrases that point me away from any notion that simply being a Christian means that I should expect to be secretly spirited away from the Earth before the tribulation. Again, the driving force behind my rejection of pre-tribulation is how Jesus described the tribulation and His return and how Paul described it. If you’ve never read through Revelation in one sitting, please do so, even if only to try to prove me wrong here. Revelation opens up with letters to the churches, and the first prophetic visions described are of the throne room in Heaven and of a scroll with seven seals. As each seal is opened, events are foretold to take place. Notice this declaration between the fifth and sixth seals:

Revelation 6:9-11 (ESV) 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Here we have the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the witness they had borne under the altar. They long for God to judge and avenge their blood. They are told to rest a little longer… until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete… killed as they had been. There are still saints on the Earth at this time, still being persecuted, and martyred for the Word of God and for bearing witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:5-10 (ESV) 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

Revelation 14:9-13 (ESV) 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

This takes place in the vision that follows after the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets. Even here, in the second half of the book (theologians divide Revelation into two major sections) we see the saints remaining on the Earth while these events take place. In the closing imagery of Revelation, we see God’s judgment against the Babylon, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations (Rev 17:5). Early in His judgment, we see the following command to the saints:

Revelation 18:4 (ESV)4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;…

The Book of Revelation closes with a final exhortation:

Revelation 22:6-15 (ESV) | Jesus Is Coming

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

At the end of Revelation, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins, so that by His blood, we might wash our robes and gain access to the city by the gates. In closing, I wonder why it is that we’ve held on so tightly to a false hope that our faith in Jesus will allow us to escape tribulation or persecution? That certainly didn’t hold true for the Apostles, the Prophets, nor a great many of the early church, nor of the present day church in nations that are currently openly hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (China, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, etc). We are called to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ… until the end. Until the final Judgement, where Jesus in His Justice and Righteousness will judge the Living and the dead and God’s Wrath will finally be poured out on all who have rejected Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Jesus will also reward us for our deeds, our testimony, and our faithfulness to endure until the end. As Paul and James put it, those of us who have been blessed to share in the persecution and afflictions of Christ.

I’d like to close again, by returning to Jude:

Jude 1:17-25 (ESV) 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

May the Lord Bless you and keep you, May He grant you peace and strength to endure until the end, firmly rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus.
Jorge

Prayer | To whom and for whom (part 2)

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Today, I’d just like to look at what the Apostles taught regarding prayer. Our first look will be to James Chapter 5.

James 5 (ESV)
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

I recommend reading all of the book of James as one continuous letter. It is far too easy for a Word of Faith teacher to pluck James 5:13-18 out of its context to suggest that Christians are called to live prosperous, rich, and healthy lives while here on Earth. At least in the immediate context, we see enough to know that such an interpretation is false, because we see James addressing the rich and then encouraging those who suffer to be patient. If we reflect back to our last post, “Give us this day our daily bread” is not the prayer of a wealthy, prospered individual; rather, it is the prayer of a humble servant of God, asking for his daily bread.

Now lets move on to read what the Apostle Paul had to say about prayer.

1 Timothy 2:1-8 (ESV) 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (ESV) 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 (ESV) 14 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

1 Corinthians 14:36-40 (ESV) 36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order.

Romans 8:22-27 (ESV) 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Paul taught extensively about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly in His help for us to pray, to build us up, and to edify the church. We are to pray for everyone… not just other Christians, and not just for the lost, not just for the poor, not just for the rich, not just for our enemies, not just for our loved ones, not just for those who believe in prayer… everyone. Do not despise prophecy, but test everything. An untested “prophetic word” is an extremely dangerous thing… because a false prophet is not to be feared, in fact they are to be silenced! We have no hope of discerning false prophets and teachers if we simply accept all manifestations and words of prophecies as valid.

I’d like to point out here that nowhere have we read in Scripture any example of praying against an adversary. We pray to God. We ask for His Will to be done on Earth, and we ask Him to deliver us from the evil one.

May the Lord bless and keep you in His Will,
In Him,
Jorge

We Remember | Good Friday through Resurrection Sunday

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Christ in Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann

Christ in Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann

Today is a special day of remembrance for the Gift of Grace from God. As Christians, this is a day we should keep in remembrance every day of our lives (Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us), but today is specially highlighted as a day of remembrance.

Remember who we were

Ephesians 2:1-9 (ESV) 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 5:1-11 (ESV) 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Remember what He did

Isaiah 53 (ESV)

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Remember that He did not leave us alone

John 14:15-31 (ESV) 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

John 16:1-14 (ESV) 1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Remember that He is Returning

Matthew 24:29-31 (ESV) 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Revelation 19:11-16 (ESV) 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is my prayer that you find encouragement in this post, and in this Day (the whole weekend) of Remembrance. Encourage one another with these words. Preach the Gospel, and walk in the Grace of God, the Spirit of God, and in Love of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV) 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

In Him,
Jorge

Where did the week go?

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Philippians 1:2-11 (ESV)2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Though this page is still small in its readership, I think and pray often for each of you who takes the time to read this blog. Thank you, for joining me in reading and studying the Word of God throughout your week. This week has been fairly inactive here at Faithful Stewardship, so I wanted to take some time to acknowledge that fact and provide a little background. I am currently taking some college courses, one of which is the History of Philosophy and this week I have a rather hefty exam.

That is not to say that I am not concurrently working on Bible Studies to share here. I am extremely excited about the next two subjects.

  1. We will be taking a close look at the sin of the Pharisees. Regrettably, a popular theme in modern-day Christianity has been to silence those practicing Biblical discernment and are actually doing the work of pointing out poor hermeneutics and false teaching, by accusing them of being Pharisaical. While that is an Ad Hominem attack, it’s not enough to point out the fallacy of argument (argument from fallacy, fallacy). Besides, there could be a spec of truth to it, so we need to do the work of first rightly understanding the sin of the Pharisee, so that we can see what the proper accusation of Pharisaical error should be.
  2. We will be taking a close look at the early Gospel confessions of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of God”. I find that for years I have skimmed over this one monumentally significant point in the Gospel, that the children of Israel (and even the Samaritans) were indeed looking for “the Christ, the Son of God”. I think a big part of this oversight is that we, Christians, approach the study of Scriptures already knowing Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of God”, because we have the New Testament (and most of us are told to read the New Testament first. I even advise it myself!). However, at the time that Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, there was no New Testament; therefore, the significance of each confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of God” is monumental. So I want to pour through the Old Testament Prophets to look at what it was these followers of God were looking for in the Christ, the Son of God. As it stands now, this will probably be a 2 part series at a minimum, because once we’ve developed a picture of what these people were looking for in the Christ, the Son of God… we’ll need to examine what it means when Jesus warned of false christs in the end time. I don’t think He was limiting His warning to just those who claim to be Jesus… there is more to it than that. I’m extremely excited for this series.

If I might be so bold, I’d like to ask for your prayers. We are currently in the process of building a home, finding a new Church, and seeking new opportunities for work and ministry. Additionally, I’m trying to complete my college degree (somewhat begrudgingly), and I need grace in that endeavor as well. I thank you for your time and your prayers. May the Lord bless and keep you always.

In Him,
Jorge