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BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN
SPIRIT
The church at Smyrna was materially poor, yet Jesus said it was rich,
because the congregation knew their need for God.
Copyright 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
And seeing the multitudes he went up into a mountain, and when he
was set his disciples came unto him. And he opened his mouth, and taught
them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven (Matthew
5:1-3)."
Jesus spent a lot of time in the hill country around Galilee. He
often resorted to one of the mountains to pray. Luke tells us on one
occasion he went into a mountain, and prayed all night (Luke
6:12-13).
The mountains also gave him respite from the persistent press of
people who looked to him for healing and comfort. On this day he needed to
be away from the crowds to teach his disciples some very important
lessons.
Before he gave the sermon on the mount, Jesus, no doubt, spent time
in prayer. Then, when he was ready his disciples came to him, and he began
teaching them saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven."
James repeated the message of spiritual poverty when he wrote, "God
chose poor men, whose only wealth was their faith, and made them heirs to
the kingdom promised to those who love him (James 2:5 JB Phillips)."
Among the multitude at the foot of the mountain, Jesus knew there
were many who were poor in spirit. They were humble folk who knew their
need for God. Although they were adults, many perhaps in their twilight
years, they were like the little child of whom Jesus said, "Except
you be
converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven (Matthew
18:1-4)."
God's secretary, John, wrote of the church in Smyrna, "I know
your works, and tribulation, and poverty, but you are rich (Revelation
2:9)." Here was a congregation struggling to do God's will amid
persecution and material need, and Jesus said, "You are rich."
Rich? How? Jesus taught his disciples, "Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Another time Jesus said, "Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew
25:34)."
Inherit? Doesn't that mean to take as your own? To become the
owner? No wonder Jesus Christ was able to tell the congregation at Smyrna,
"You are rich: wealthy beyond your wildest imaginations." As
Paul wrote, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered
into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who
love him (1
Corinthians 2:9 / Quoted from Isaiah
64:4)."
But isn't Jesus Christ the rightful heir to God's riches? After
all, he is the son.
Absolutely. Jesus said, "All things are delivered to me by my
Father (Matthew
11:27)."
Yet Paul says we are destined to become brothers and sisters of
Jesus Christ through adoption (Ephesians
1:3-5). In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, "For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God....The Spirit
itself bears witness with our spirit, that we
are [present tense] the children of God (Romans
8:14,16)." And as God's children we are co-owners of his kingdom,
with Jesus Christ.
Does this mean everyone who calls himself a Christian has inherited
the kingdom? The name means little; the attitude behind it means
everything. Abraham Lincoln expressed that attitude when he wrote in his
journal, "I must confess that I'm driven to my knees by the
overwhelming
conviction that I have nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all
those about me, is insufficient to meet the demands of the day."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven."
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
ANOTHER KIND OF RELIGION
- 10/07/2000
Religious teaching is banned from most public schools. But every year
those schools, and even some churches, pay homage to the religion of
someone other than God.
Copyright 1998 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
Religion is forbidden in most public schools. Yet every year
religion, disguised as fun, is acceptable by our educational systems.
Halloween is a religion -- the religion of Satan the devil. And
school children everywhere participate in pumpkin carving and costume
parties, all as part of the religion of halloween. But, do the same people
who fought to have religion taken out of the classroom insist Satan's
religion be included in the ban? Dumb question!
Where did halloween come from? And why is it so popular today?
Halloween is popular with the business world, because it's one of
the annual religious events that fills cash registers with coin. So they
strive to keep it popular with their customers of all ages.
But halloween's popularity ultimately comes from another domain.
It's the domain of darkness ruled by Satan and his demons. And his
halloween mischief takes place in the dark of an October night.
Why not during the daytime? Because Satan hates the light: that's
the realm of God and Jesus Christ. Sometime in the ancient past Satan
rebelled against God, and now faces an eternity of darkness away from
God's coming kingdom of light (II
Peter 2:4).
But God, through the apostle Paul, says we are the children of
light, and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of
darkness (I
Thessalonians 5:5). And Satan hates that, so in the spirit of
amusement he perpetuates an annual festival to his honor. Unfortunately
many people who attend the worship of Jesus Christ each week, bow to Satan
every October 31st.
It's thought halloween originated among the Druids who lit fires to
ward off the hosts of evil spirits called forth by samhain, the lord of
the dead. These evil spirits are portrayed today in the costumes of
children who go door-to-door demanding protection payment in the form of
candy.
The ancient Celts also regarded halloween as an auspicious time to
examine the portents of the future.
But what does God think of those who play games with the devil and
his demons? He commanded Israel, "You shall not permit a witch to
live (Exodus
22:18)." He impressed this upon them again when he decreed,
"A man or woman that has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard,
shall surely be put to death: you shall stone them with stones: their
blood shall be upon them (Leviticus
20:27)."
Pretty heavy stuff. Yet year after year -- indeed day after day on
television -- the wizards and the witches and other demons are resurrected
in the minds of our children, all in the spirit of fun.
Was it fun for Jesus when he was whipped unmercifully until his
skin was ripped from his body? Was it fun for him when huge spikes were
pounded through his hands and feet, and he was left on a stake to die? Is
it fun, today, for Jesus to look down from heaven, to see the same people
he died to save from Satan's evil ways, being fitted with costumes in
honor of Satan, the one who is ultimately blamable for his crucifixion?
Fun is fun only when everyone involved enjoys it. But ask the
motorist whose tires are slashed on halloween, or the home owner whose
house is egged, or worse, if they enjoyed it. Indeed, ask Jesus Christ, on
your knees in heartfelt prayer, if he enjoys it. If his answer is Yes,
then go
ahead and enjoy halloween. But, if his answer is No.
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There will be no Life Lines column next week, as Betty and I will be
rejoicing in God's feast of tabernacles (Leviticus
23:33-36).
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You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE
- 09/30/2000
Few bodily functions work faster than the blink of an eye. Paul uses this
analogy to describe how fast a unbelievably wonderful function will take
place in the Christian's life.
Copyright 1998 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
If you've ever stubbed your toe you know it happens fast. The pain
hits you in the twinkling of an eye.
When the kids hit a baseball through a window, it takes only a
twinkling of an eye for the glass to shatter into a zillion pieces.
The twinkling of an eye is a way to express something happening
fast -- very fast. And if there's one thing that truly exemplifies the
twinkling of an eye, it's the speed with which the driver behind you can
blow his horn when the light turns green.
Few bodily functions operate as fast as a blink. Although a
heart-beat is some-times used to describe a very short time, it is slow
compared to the twinkling of an eye. A heart-beat can be measured in
tenths of seconds; a blink in thousandths.
The word twinkling is found only once in the bible, in I
Corinthians 15:52. But there it has profound meaning.
Mankind was created of flesh, or as verse 44 says, it is sown a
natural body. The same verse, however, shows there is another bodily form,
the spiritual body. Paul didn't want anyone to mistake this, so he
repeated his words within the same verse.
He went on to make sure we know the natural body comes first (vs
46), and that the natural body cannot inherit God's kingdom (vs 50). And
in John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
Now Nick didn't understand this at all. He had visions of a grown
man crawling back into his mother's womb and being born all over again.
But Jesus told him he was speaking of another kind of re-birth. He
said, "I say to you, except a man be born of water -- baptized -- and
of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (vs 5)." And he
went on to say those who are born of the spirit are as invisible as the
wind (vs 8).
Job apparently knew his natural, human body would be changed, as he
said, "If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my
appointed time will I wait till my change comes (Job
14:14)."
Paul spoke of the resurrection of the dead when the corruptible
bodies of Christians will be raised incorruptible (1
Corinthians 15:42). Whatever bone or flesh is left in the grave will
disappear as it becomes spirit -- pure energy, perhaps.
But not everyone will die. Paul continued saying, "Behold, I
show you a mystery; We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed (vs
51)." Christians who are still alive when Jesus Christ returns to
earth, will be changed from corruptible composition to incorruptible
composition,
from human to spirit.
And how long will it take? The next verse says it will happen fast:
in the twinkling of an eye.
So the next time you stub your toe, or hear glass breaking, or the
fellow behind you honks to tell you the light is green remember, if you
belong to Jesus Christ in the flesh, that is how long it will take for you
to be changed into spirit, and to enter, with him, the kingdom, or family
of God.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
COULD YOU RECOGNIZE JESUS
TODAY? - 09/23/2000
Let's have a pop quiz. Test what you think you know about the bible with
these eight questions.
Copyright 1995 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
1 What is the first verse of the bible? (Hint: It's not Genesis
1:1). Bonus marks if you identify the first verse of the new testament.
2 Did Peter's vision of Acts 10:11-16 change God's nutritional laws
of the old testament?
3 Where is the first record of Jesus being seen by man?
4 Where, in the bible, does it say Christians go to heaven?
5 Did Jesus die of a broken heart?
6 Where is the Lord's prayer recorded in the bible?
7 If Jesus walked the streets of Ourtown today, would you recognize
him?
8 Have you been born again?
ANSWERS
1 Genesis
1:1 refers to the beginning of the physical universe. But John
1:1 refers to the beginning of all beginnings, and precedes the
creation story by, perhaps, billions of years.
If you said Matthew
1:1 you lose the bonus marks. Try Luke
2:7. Without the birth of Jesus there would be no new testament.
2 Even in vision Peter knew not to violate God's dietary laws. But
the vision showed him he could violate the traditional Jewish laws regards
eating with gentiles (Acts
10:28).
3 John
1:1 refers to God's spokesman, the one we know as Jesus Christ. Verse
3 says he, not God the father, created everything. Therefore, the first
recorded instance of Jesus being seen by
man is when he created Adam and breathed life into him (Genesis
2:7).
4 A substantial monetary award for the first person who shows proof,
from the bible, has not been claimed in more than half a century. In fact,
the bible shows no one but Jesus has ever gone to heaven (John
3:13 / Acts
2:34).
5 Crucifixion was a slow death by suffocation. Breaking the legs
hastened the process. But Jesus' death came from a spear wound (John
19:34), likely to the heart. The spear's trajectory would be under the
bottom rib, through the bladder to the heart.
6 If you turned to Matthew
6 or Luke
11 you only turned to a sample prayer showing what our prayers should
include. The true Lord's prayer is found in
the 17th
chapter of John.
7 If you saw a sad-faced man with long hair, an unkempt beard,
wearing a robe and sandals, it would not be Jesus. Look for a rugged,
smiling man with short hair, likely clean shaven, and dressed in business
attire. Two-thousand years ago Jesus could disappear into a crowd of
people (Luke
4:24-30 / John
8:59), and had to be pointed out to the soldiers who arrested him (Matthew
26:48-49 / Mark
14:44-45).
8 Jesus said a born again person is invisible as the wind (John
3:6-8). Are you?
No human being can see God's spirit realm (vs 3). Can you?
It's impossible for those who are born again to sin (I
John 3:9). The apostle Paul said he could sin. Can you?
Jesus Christ was begotten of God while he was in the flesh (John
1:14). Only after his resurrection was he born again.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
DAMNED IF YOU DO. DAMNED IF
YOU DON'T: 09/16/2000
You say tomAto, and I say tomahto. But does it really matter? It seems
there's somebody to criticize whatever we do.
Copyright 1994 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
You just can't win. As the saying goes, you're damned if you do,
and damned if you don't.
You know how it is. If you say, "It's a great day,"
someone is certain to ask, "What's so good about it?"
If you stop to let a driver into the line of traffic, to be a good
Samaritan, someone behind is sure to blast his horn, or roar past
displaying his finger for your benefit.
The elevator at our apartment building automatically returns to the
first floor if another floor button is not pushed. I generally get on at
the fourth and let the elevator do its thing. And sure as you're reading
this there's someone who'll label me too lazy to push a button. But if I
do push the first floor button, which gets the elevator going a bit
quicker, someone will think I'm impatient.
Help with the housework: you're a wimp; leave it for your wife:
you're a slob. Hug one of your students: you're a pedophile; don't show
them any emotion: you're unresponsive to their needs. Read the bible:
you've gone religious; don't read the good book: you're goin' straight to
hell.
This ain't a modern phenomenon, folks. Jesus Christ said, "You
just can't win. John the Baptist lived an austere life, never drinking
anything stronger than water, and eating only what was needed to maintain
his life, and you claim he was crazy. I visit your homes and share in your
meals and drink your wine, and you say I'm a glutton and an alcoholic
(Luke 7:33-34)."
How about you. Do you mentally label people by what they do, or
don't do? Do you find yourself telling your wife about the eccentricities,
as you see them, of another person?
An old Sabbath school activity song goes, "When you point your
finger at your brother, there are three more pointing back at you."
The action is to point your index finger while you're singing, and note
where your three remaining fingers are pointed.
It provides a certain vitality to a bit of folk wisdom that says,
"The wrong you find in another person is generally the same wrong you
have in yourself."
So if you say tomAto, and I say tomahto, let's both leave the
other's eccentricity to himself.
In closing, someone is certain to find fault with my use, as a
Christian, of the word "damned" in the first paragraph. Perhaps
that person should reread this column to discover the message.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
BROTHER, ARE YOU SAVED?
- 09/10/2000
The author is a Christian,
but if you ask him if he's saved, he'll answer, "Not yet." He
tells you why in this article.
Copyright 1995 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
If you saw a person drowning, you'd do whatever was
needed to save him.
When a friend or relative is rushed to the hospital,
you expect the medical staff to save his life.
When a baseball player successfully reaches the plate
the umpire yells, "Safe."
We talk about saving time; we save money for a rainy
day; and religious types want to get everybody saved.
But what does salvation mean? Rollin' around heaven all
day? Nothing to do, as one woman said, but sit at Jesus' feet and look up
into his glorious face? If that's what salvation is all about, I'm not
sure I want it. Spending forever like that would be boring.
Does salvation only mean the avoidance of eternal
torture in hell fire? If that's what it means, then getting saved is a
selfish objective.
Salvation has to mean more than that, and it does.
To understand salvation, one must realize Jesus Christ
only once referred to hell as a place of eternal punishing, but it is not
for humans (Matthew
25:41). Although the cursed will be cast into the lake of fire,
there's no evidence of eternal life in it. This is one of Satan's lies,
perpetrated because he knows it's him and his demons who will be tormented
forever (Revelation
20:10).
If there's no eternal punishing then, is there eternal
bliss in heaven?
Satan has deceived the world into believing so, but
Jesus Christ says he's the only person ever to have gone there (John
3:13).
However, Jesus did teach about the resurrection of all
who have ever died. When he returns to earth the dead in Christ will be
raised -- not come down from heaven -- to receive eternal life (1
Corinthians 15:53-58). This is salvation.
Those not having understood Christ's true way of life,
will be in a second resurrection (Revelation
20:6). They will be taught the truth by the resurrected,
now-immortal Christians, and given their first opportunity to obey God as
he has commanded from Genesis to Revelation.
As they come to understand God's perfect way, and
determine to live it, they too will be made immortal -- saved.
There will be some incorrigibles, however, who won't
accept God's perfect laws and commandments. Those few will be cast into
Gehenna fire, and the second -- eternal -- death will claim them (Revelation
20:15). They will be burned to ashes to be trampled into the
ground
(Malachi
4:1,3).
God loves them so much he will put them to death for
ever, rather than forcing them to obey God's laws and be miserable for
never-ending eternity.
But is anyone saved today? James W Sire, in his book
"Beginning With God," put salvation into perspective when he
wrote, "God has saved us from the consequences of sin; he is saving
us from the power of sin; he has yet to save us from the presence of
sin."
Perhaps then, when someone asks if you're saved, your
answer should be, Not yet.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
BIBLE
STUDY WITH A DIFFERENCE - 09/02/2000
Some days bible study just won't come. Here's something to consider during
those down times.
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Bible studies generally involve researching chapters and verses, comparing
text, and memorization. But here's a bible study, from the King James
Version, that's different.
What does the word 'bible' mean? [It's the English form of the Greek word
'book.']
The adjective 'holy' means 'sanctified' or 'consecrated.' What else does
it mean? ['Holy' is derived from the Icelandic 'heila' and its variations,
meaning 'health.']
How many chapters are in the King James Version? [The KJV has 39 books in
the old testament, and 27 in the new, for a total of 66. There are 1,189
chapters: 929 in the old testament, and 260 in the new. The bible contains
38,232 verses composed of 874,746 words, which are composed of 3,566,480
letters (No, I didn't count them).]
What was the first book ever printed? [Although the Gutenberg Bible was
the first book printed with moveable type (circa 450 AD), the Latin
Vulgate, translated about 400 A.D., was evidently the first book printed.]
Do we have the original King James Version? [The Bishop's Bible and the
Geneva Bible were the two bibles extant when James VI of Scotland became
the king of England in 1603. The Puritan leader, John Reynolds, proposed a
translation be made to replace them. Fifty-four learned men began their
work in 1606, and published the first King James version in 1611. This
bible went through several revisions, the most comprehensive of which was
published in 1769 by Dr. Benjamin Blayney. In 1870 the Church of England
authorized another revision in which more than 30,000 changes were made in
the new testament alone.
The New King James Version, published in 1983, is the fifth major revision
of the version authorized by King James I of England in 1611.]
Who divided the King James Version into verses? [In 1250 A.D. Cardinal
Hugo de Sancto Caro divided the scriptures into chapters. In 1550 Robert
Stevens divided the chapters into verses. According to one story his work
was done while making a journey from Lyons to Paris on horseback. Dr.
Louis Klopsch published the first red letter edition of the bible in
1901.]
What is the shortest chapter in the bible? [Psalm 117 is not only the
shortest chapter, but is also the middle chapter of the bible. It is
composed of two verses with a total of 32 words. It's interesting,
however, that the middle verse of the bible is not in the middle chapter,
but is Psalm 118:8, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man." The longest chapter, Psalm 119, has
176 verses, and is divided into 22 sections of eight verses each.]
What is the only chapter of the bible that does not end with a
period? [Acts 21 ends with a comma, as the subject matter is continued in
chapter 22. Acts 21 is also peculiar in that it is not broken into
paragraphs.]
The shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept."
What is the shortest in the old testament? [1 Chronicles 1:25 has 3 words,
"Eber, Peleg, Reu." The longest verse in the
bible, with 90 words and 426 letters, is Esther 8:9. Revelation 20:4 is
the longest verse in the new testament.]
Which verse of the bible contains all the letters of the alphabet? [None,
actually. But Ezra 7:21 comes close. The only letter missing is 'j.']
What name appears in the first and last verses of the new testament?
[Jesus Christ]
What verse is inscribed on the Liberty Bell? [It's a portion of Leviticus
25:10: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof."]
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
THE
KING WITH GRUBBY FINGERNAILS - 08/27/2000
When you think you're high and mighty, Beware! There's a God in heaven who
can bring you low in an instant.
Copyright 2000 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
Even God himself couldn't sink this ship." This statement was
published at the launching of the magnificent ship Titanic.
It almost seems that God allowed man's greatest maritime disaster
to occur, to show how puny our grandest achievements really are.
Thousands of years ago the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was
showing off the wonders of his empire. Let's listen as he boasts of his
achievements. The king said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have
built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the
honor of my majesty?"
"I have built..." "by the might of my power..."
"for the honor of my majesty...."
Now Neb had every human right to be proud of his achievements.
During his forty-four-year reign he rebuilt Babylon to a magnificent
grandeur, and built the famous hanging gardens for his queen. The Greeks
acknowledged the gardens as one of the seven great wonders of the ancient
world.
But Neb had no respect for the God of Israel. His god was the
Chaldean deity Nebo, and his name translated means "May Nebo Protect
The Crown." Why should he respect Israel's God? He took Judah into
exile in 627 BCE. The Israelite God couldn't even protect his own people
against the power of the mighty Nebuchadnezzar. Well, I'm sure Neb
believed that.
During the days of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed one of those
strange dreams the kings of old always seem to dream. He described it as a
tree standing alone, and of such height as to be seen to the end of the
earth. It was a good tree, loaded with fruit. Birds nested in it, and man
and the animals were nourished by it.
But the tree was cut down, and only the stump remained. Then there
was an odd statement about the tree, "Let his heart be changed from
man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him, and let seven times pass
over him."
Through Daniel, God interpreted the tree as Nebuchadnezzar, whose
greatness was known in heaven, and whose dominion reached to the ends of
the earth. But his royal greatness would be brought down, and for seven
years he would become like a beast of the field. The tree's stump
indicated, however, he would regain his kingdom once his years of insanity
were fulfilled.
It was a year after his dream that Neb boasted of his splendiferous
palace and territory known as Babylon. But while he was still speaking a
voice from heaven told him of his immediate future. The kingdom would be
wrenched from him, as his dream indicated, and he would become insane. Daniel
4:33 relates, "The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon
Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like
eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws."
For seven years Nebuchadnezzar grubbed in the earth, until God
returned his sanity to him. He tells his own story. "At the end of
the days I lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to
me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him who lives
forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom is
from
generation to generation." He ends with this wonderful testimony,
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of
heaven, whose works are truth, and his ways judgement, and those that walk
in pride he is able to abase."
"Even God himself couldn't sink this ship," said the
headlines. Had the king with grubby fingernails lived when Titanic was
launched, he would likely have warned, "Don't be too
sure."
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
I'LL
BE HERE TO HELP YOU - 08/20/2000
Are you prepared to help when your co-worker is ready to learn about God's
word and his love?
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
Let's listen to a discussion in progress.
"C'mon Tom, those old laws were for the Jews. They're not for
Christians."
"Sorry Pete. You're wrong on two counts. The laws were given
to the Israelites. The Jews were only part of Israel. And they definitely
are for Christians today."
"Sure. And the moon's made of green cheese."
"You go to church, right Pete?"
"Yeah."
"Do you ever read the ten commandments: you know, no other
gods, honor your father and mother, don't steal, lie, murder, or commit
adultery?"
"Oh yeah."
"Why should you concern yourself with those laws? They were
given to the Israelites."
"Well, they're good principles to go by, Tom. If you don't
steal or murder you'll likely stay out of jail."
"OK. If they're good principles to go by, what about the
principle of only eating things that are good for you?"
"Like what?"
"Poultry, cattle, deer, perch. Leviticus and Deuteronomy
specify clearly what is good for food, and what isn't."
"So I suppose you're going to tell me shrimp is no good to
eat."
"Well, now that you mention it. And that goes for any sea
creature that doesn't have fins and scales. Needs both."
"What about pork. Lot's of people eat pork. The bible says the
Jews, uh, the Israelites, weren't supposed to eat it. But that's because
they didn't have cold storage, so it went bad."
"Wouldn't their beef go bad too?"
"Well, uh...well, somebody saw a bunch of critters, and God
told him to eat whatever he wanted. There was pigs in that."
"You're right, Pete. There were pigs and horses, and all sorts
of things. But Peter's vision had nothing to do with eating things that
aren't good for food.
"You see, no self-respecting Jew would dare sit at the same
table with a gentile. The vision showed Peter, a Jew, that is was OK for
him to eat with gentiles. Because of the vision Peter brought the message
of God's kingdom to the non-Jews."
"Say, you really know your stuff, don't you?"
"Well, Pete, a new testament law says we're to study so God
will approve of us, and to properly use the word of truth (II Timothy
2:15).
"Too many churchgoers make Christianity a one-hour affair,
Pete. But seven-day Christians study the bible to discover the truth. And
when they read that Jesus said he didn't come to abolish the law (Matthew
5:17), they believe him."
"Well, I suppose you're going to try to get me saved or
sumpthin'."
"No Pete, only God can do that (John
6:44). But when you're ready to learn more, I'll be here to help
you."
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
CHALLENGE
THE TRADITIONS - 08/13/2000
The disciples of Jim Jones, David Koresch, and Heaven's Gate followed
their leaders, without question, right to the grave. When was the last
time you asked your minister about his teachings?
Copyright 1997 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
Does your church teach Christmas is the celebration of Jesus'
birth, or that Easter was the day of his resurrection? Don't be too quick
to answer yes.
And does your church teach that Sunday is the proper day to
worship? Give it some thought before you respond.
Chances are your church, either the local minister, or the
denominational organization, has really not taught, but simply accepted
the traditions handed down without question, from generation to
generation.
Think back -- perhaps way back -- to the last time your
pastor used the Christian textbook, the bible, to explain how Jesus' body
could remain in the grave for three days and three nights, starting Friday
evening and continuing until Sunday morning (Matthew
12:40). I said to explain, not explain away.
Try to recall the last time he used the same textbook to determine
whether Jesus Christ could have been born in the dead of winter (Luke
2:8).
Can you recall your pastor preaching a sermon based on Jesus'
words, "No man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven," or does he simply bypass such scriptures in favor of a
go-to-heaven tradition? (John
3:13)
If he does he's not altogether to blame. When was the last time you
asked him to preach why a resurrection is necessary, if the soul goes to
heaven or hell immediately at death? (John
5:28-29; 1
Thessalonians 4:16) Or why souls in the bliss of heaven would return
to their worn-out bodies (Matthew
27:52-53; John
11:44). Have you asked your pastor to use the pulpit to explain a
rapture to heaven, when the bible plainly says Jesus Christ will return to
earth? (Zechariah
14:4)
If you haven't, why not? Are you content to leave things just as
they are regardless of what the truth may be? As your pastor's employer
you have the right -- indeed, the obligation -- to ask him to prove, from
the holy scriptures, the traditions you've always accepted.
I recently visited a local church. During the sermon the minister
said, "We do not have -- at least we do not observe --
the Sabbath day as the scriptures teach us to observe it." Was the
congregation asleep? None of the members demanded to know why.
Is your church is right or wrong? That's for you to decide. But if
you haven't challenged the traditions by searching the scriptures, how
will you know?
Jim Jones taught his followers to simply believe him and all would
be well. David Koresch taught his followers the same. So did the leaders
of Heaven's Gate. And they followed, without question, right to the grave.
There's no better way to prove a thing than to challenge it. If it
withstands the challenge, accept it. If not, then ask yourself why you
should continue to make it part of your life. When it comes to the
traditions you've always cherished, more than your temporal physical life
could be at stake. Your eternity may depend on your challenge, and your
response.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. |