A Jewish Disaster

Acts 14 (The Message)

1-3 When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting place of the Jews and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and non-Jews—and not just a few, either. But the unbelieving Jews worked up a whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in the minds of the people in the street. The two apostles were there a long time, speaking freely, openly, and confidently as they presented the clear evidence of God's gifts, God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders.

4-7But then there was a split in public opinion, some siding with the Jews, some with the apostles. One day, learning that both the Jews and non-Jews had been organized by their leaders to beat them up, they escaped as best they could to the next towns—Lyconia, Lystra, Derbe, and that neighborhood—but then were right back at it again, getting out the Message.

It is amazing to me how much scripture parallels modern society, heck, even my own church.

First, I've been reading Proverbs, it is a challenge to check myself against every verse. Am I going through life with wisdom, or as the fool not fearing God? (here is something for another time)

I've also been reading in Acts, reading of the choosing of new disciples, the stoning of Stephen, the conversion of Saul.

Saul or rather Paul, starts his ministry off with a bang. He and Barnabas are tearing it up through the cities preaching to both Jews and Gentiles, to anyone who would hear, and to any who would believe. Kicking the Jews in the tails with the realization that God left his inheritance not only for the Jew but the non-Jew as well.

Of all people, you would think the Jews would leave them alone, they are Jewish by birth. You would also think that, because what Paul and Barnabas are preaching aligns so closely with scripture of old, and prophecy fulfilled, they would either believe or at least step out of the way. You would think that with the miracles being preformed in front of their eyes and the authority of which they proclaim the scripture that maybe, just maybe the Jews would at least back down and admit that there was something else in control here.

No.

Some believed and the others...well they deceived.

This division, this deception, goes hand in hand with religion today. Yes, it even happens in our own church. People become so wrapped up in their idea of what religion should be. They see authority given to one man, one woman, one teacher, one preacher. They put their trust so much so in fallible man that they loose sight of Christ. Out of this begins division, small seeds planted among those teetering on the edge of true faith, or even those who are saved, but are weak and easily influenced. These people begin to think that it's all about the man. They loose sight of the cross, or miss the cross altogether. They become so entrenched in their religion that they take the messengers of Christ and stone them and leave them for dead. Not caring one way or the other what happens to the body of Christ.

Unfortunately this is how satan works. He sends a few, they may not even know it. They sew deceit and deception among the ones gathered to hear the gospel. A small whisper turns into a murmur, that murmur builds into a subtle cry and that cry bursts into a roar.

Can you hear it?
It's the same tactic used before Pilot.
GIVE US BARABAS! CRUCIFY HIM!

So maybe the passages of Proverbs apply more than I realized as I typed....are you the man following wisdom, or the foolish man seeking his own flesh?

Further in the chapter, Paul does get stoned, he's left for dead. The fools missed something though, he wasn't dead! So what did he do? He got back up and after some recovery began preaching again, and ruffling the feathers of those Jews that stoned him. He didn't go after them, but continued preaching the truth of Christ.

Go ahead ruffle some feathers. In love and perseverance never give up.
You have been called in Christ to deliver his message to as many as would listen, some seed upon hard ground, some seed choked by weeds, and some after careful cultivation of many others, will grow into belief in Christ. So while you may not see direct fruits, your labor is not in vain. As time goes on it becomes harder to show people truth, because they have been deceived. They have convinced themselves of non-truths as truths.

Be of good courage because of the hope you have in Christ Jesus.

The Messed Up Messianic Message

It's been a while.
This one is going to be a little raw and honest and maybe at times incoherent.
I was in the desert for a while, and I'm ok with that because it created such a thirst and hunger for my God and a disdain for where I was it made me physically ill.
That is why I'm seeking the face of God, have asked him to restore me, and am actively seeking accountability in digging into my word daily.

Proverbs 4 (the message)

Learn It by Heart

20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they're bursting with health.

23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.

The Christian walk is not for the meek, it isn't for the person who wants to throw in the towel. IT ISN'T EASY. You fall, you get back up, you fall, you get back up, you fall, you get back up. What's different between my life, and the life of a non-Christ follower is I have a reason to get back up, and I have a coach screaming at me from the sidelines to get my tail in gear.

Now maybe I'm wrong in my title, but somewhere along the line Christians have messed up the message of the Messiah. The reason of Christ is to seek and save those who are lost.

My brother today moved out of the house, he broke rules my parents set up so that he could claim they kicked him out, and then said they were some kind of Christians. Why? because they did not accept him for who he is, what he wants to do, what he wants to be a part of.

Somewhere along the line the message of the messiah got messed up when it was conveyed to him...and unfortunately to many other people out there.

Lost is a word that has two parts, the first part is that there is something you were originally part of that you became separated from. Before original sin man walked with God. When sin entered the world, we became separated from God. There is where we got lost. Our nature is now apart from God.

The second part of being lost, is that you are actively seeking something. In this case...you're seeking to fill the original hole that was left when sin separated us from God. A lot of people have filled that hole, some people have stuffed it so full they don't even know they're still lost. Why do you think there are people who seem so happy, content or filled where they are at without God? Some people have loosely packed that hole, so they're still looking. There are cracks in the facade.

So the purpose of Christ is to seek and save those who were separated from himself by sin, and are actively seeking the reason they feel so empty.

So why has the churched messed up this message?

Somewhere along the line we were lead to think that the message of Christ is only about love. Jesus loves the little children...

Genesis 19:24 (the message)
"Then God rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah— a river of lava from God out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground."

Lot begged God to see if there was anyone righteous in the city, and so God, being loving, let Lot search the city.
He found no one, and because of his righteous anger and inability to be a part of sin, destroyed the city.

Even though God said we are to love the sinner, we're not supposed to love the sin. God said we're not supposed to judge peoples heart...but that is because that is reserved for Him. We cannot judge, or have righteous anger because we are not righteous, and what righteousness we may pretend claim, it is like dirty rags to God.

Today in church we sang a song, I am a friend of God.
This song irritates me to no end, I know in my heart it is theologically wrong and today it hit home why. God called us sons and daughters in his kingdom. As sons and daughters we are subject to his discipline. If God see's us mess up, fall over, drop out, he can smack us in the head if he wants...I know I just had that happen! If we're just friends of God then we're not actually part of his family. Merely observers of his grace and mercy to his family (tasting of his glory...). He can't actually discipline us because we're outsiders. He can't provide his blessings either because we're not heirs to his throne. I praise God that I'm not just his friend but I'm his son, recipient of not only his blessings but his correction as well. Goodness knows where I'd be at if I didn't have that.

Oops, I guess it isn't PC to talk about the wrath of God because God is love...

I could seriously go through and pick apart attributes of God that are less than the PC Jesus with the long flowing hair, perfectly groomed beared and dazzling white teeth (and dare i mention white skin?...wait Jesus was not caucasian? no he was Israeli...probably fairly dark, not black, but probably dark...and dirty...and probably had nappy hair, he was a nazarite, no hair cutting etc.). I think most people reading this understand those things of God, maybe not completely, otherwise there would be a more correct understanding of Christ.

Why else when you ask who Jesus is do people give you quizzical looks, backwards answers, and theological garbage.

I think with this blog I'm just scratching the surface of what I really want to discuss. I'd like you to be part of it. Leave your thoughts. Verses. Questions, commendations, condemnations or the like. I need to sit down and organize this into an outline and do a deeper study on it, but I wanted to get this down and out before it left. I have some good thoughts when I jump on the treadmill and I don't even think I remembered half of what came to mind while this topic was at heart.


Happy discussion. I look forward to it.

PS...my brother moved back in within hours only because he doesn't have a car...or license.