A Psalm of Praise

Part of what we were asked to do in this current class module was to read through and identify several types of Psalms. They generally lay out in one of 5 different categories:

Psalms of Praise - Celebrate who God is, putting primary emphasis on God's moral character and attributes.

a. Introduction: a call to praise

b. Body: the reason(s) for praising God

c. Conclusion: renewed call to praise

Sub-types of this would be about Creation, focusing on God as creator / Diving Kingship & Enthronement, focusing on God as King / Confidence & Trust, focusing on God as an ongoing provider.

Psalms of Thanksgiving - Thank God for deliverance from a bad situation.

a. Introduction: the intent to give thanks and praise

b. The Narrative: the story of crisis - 1. distress, 2. prayer, 3. deliverance

c. Conclusion: renewed vow of praise or testimony

Psalms of Lament - Appeal to God for help in an ongoing bad situation.

a. Invocation: prayer addressed to God

b. Complaint: the crisis described

c. Petition: the plea for help

d. Conclusion: expression of trust, confidence, or promise

NOTE: Laments sometimes include a confession of sin, an assertion of innocence, or a curse of an enemy.

A subtype of this Psalm would be an Imprecatory Psalm, which specifically requests violence upon human enemies.

Human Kingship/Royal Psalms - A poem which concerns the human king in Israel.

a. This is not strictly a literary type, but a classification based on the subject involved.

b. These Psalms generally involve various settings in the life of the king.

A subtype of this Psalm is the Zion Psalm, which celebrates Jerusalem (the royal city).

Wisdom Psalm - A poem which serves primarily to teach. It is not strictly a literary type, but a classification based on the following items:

a. Subject Matter: these include fear of Yahweh (God), love of the Torah (the "Law" found in the Old Testament), the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, and instruction for daily living.

b. Typical Wisdom Forms: these include "better" and "blessed" sayings, warnings, and formal addressing of those who are reading.

The subtypes of this Psalm are:

1. Torah Psalm - Exhorting the reader to follow the Torah for success.

2. Existential Psalm - Wrestling with and solving theological issues.

As I read through these, I thought I might try my hand at writing a Psalm, using one of these forms. To that end, I believe I've come up with what appears to be a Psalm of Praise according to the major category types. Take a read through it, and let me know what you think!

A Psalm of Praise

1 Praise be the Lord Almighty,

for he is worthy to be praised!

2 Give him the glory due his name

for the wonderful things He has done.

3 Let the streets resound with music and singing;

let the deeds of the LORD ring from the heights!

4 He brought me out of my despair

and set me in the palm of his hand.

5 He covered me when others were aiming to take my life;

he protected me from their wicked intent.

6 His glory thwarted the plans of the evil one that were against me,

for his light shone like the sun, revealing the truth.

7 Those who were against me had no choice but to flee

as the light proved me blameless in the public eye.

8 Oh, let us come and give glory to God forever

and sing his praises from the mountains to the sea!

9 Let us not remain silent in his presence,

but instead, break forth into joyous praise!

10 May the LORD shine upon us for all time

as we give him thanks and praise! Amen.

A Look at Luke 14:15-24

The Parable of the Great Banquet offers us a look into the type of teaching that Jesus typically did for those he came into contact with. It also gives us a glimpse into our own lives as we sift through the parable characters and see shadows that may echo our own. This passage begins with the statement of a person being blessed by eating at the feast of the kingdom of God, and then Jesus shares the banquet parable.

There are two Promises to claim in this parable which have to do with being in invited to the banquet. The first is a promise of acceptance. Jesus speaks of a man who invites important people to a banquet, but they create self-important excuses and decline to claim the promise of a seat at the table when they choose not to come. Instead, the man has his servant go into the streets and offer that same invitation to ordinary people. Those people gladly accept the invitation and claimed their seats at the master’s table. In the same way, we are invited to accept Jesus’ invitation to claim the promise of eternal life and sit at the Master’s table in heaven. The second promise is one of rejection. Many times, those who are invited to claim that very promise believe that they have more important things to do. They believe that there is “more life to live”, and therefore, choose to do just that, all the while leaving their eternal reward of heaven behind. God offers His invitation through Christ Jesus to all who will come. Those who accept it will filled with the hope and joy of knowing they will see God. Those who choose not to accept it will never get a taste of heaven, for they will be shut out and cast into eternal darkness.

The master in the parable Expresses the emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness as his invitations are turned down one by one for reason that are not important and are very self serving. His emotions express the intense desire that he had for all those invited to come and share a meal at his table. When they refuse to do so for one reason or another, his anger, frustration, and sadness expose themselves to the point that he decides to have nothing to do with them whatsoever. This is an important lesson to learn, for I believe it is an example of how God reacts when those He invites to be reconciled to Him choose not to accept that invitation for worldly reasons. Although we do not currently see His anger, frustration, and sadness, I am certain that they are authentic. We will see those emotions one day when we are before the throne of judgment. Those who have not accepted His invitation will feel God’s emotions first hand as He sends them into eternal darkness.

There are two Examples in this parable. One to follow and one to avoid. The one to follow is that of the master. He desires to fill his table at the banquet with people who will share in his celebration and happiness. When those he initially invited made the decision not to come for one reason or another, the master chose to fill his table with whomever would come. Instead of cancelling his banquet, he filled the table with the less fortunate and those off the street that gladly accepted the invitation. This is much the same for us when it comes to the invitation that God offers us through Christ. He invites us to come willingly and sit at His table, and we should willingly accept so that we might share in God’s celebration and happiness. The example to avoid is that of those who chose not to come. Rather than accepting the master’s invitation to the banquet, they chose to make excuses about why they could not attend. This incited the anger and frustration of the master to the point that, even if they had changed their mind and come to the banquet, they would not have been allowed to share in the celebration after it had begun. So it is with God, that those whosoever chooses not to accept His invitation of reconciliation through Christ, because they want to do their own thing, will be completely shut out of the celebration in heaven once it begins after the rapture even if they change their mind.

In all of this, I must give Adoration to God for His faithful promise of accepting me when I accept Him. The master in the parable told his servant to go and get the dregs of society and bring them in for the banquet hall to be full. He commanded the servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. When that wasn’t enough to fill the banquet hall, he had the servant travel the roads and lanes of the area so that he might bring in more people to fill the place for the feast. The master didn’t show preferential treatment. He simply wanted people to come and eat with him. He wanted people to accept him by accepting his invitation, and when they did, he accepted them without a second thought. God does the same with us. He invites us to come and accept Him by accepting His invitation of reconciliation through Jesus. When we accept that invitation to believe in God through Christ, He accepts us completely and unconditionally into His family. This acceptance is absolutely priceless, and yet, God gave everything in the person of His Son to give us the opportunity to accept Him and be accepted by Him. For that, I give God praise and adoration for his invitation!

However, in order for me to accept that invitation, there must be a Confession on my behalf. I must confess that I am indeed a sinner that is in need of the power of Jesus in my life to cleanse me of that sin. I must confess that I can’t do life on my own, and am in need of Christ as my Savior. This is a time of confessing wrong thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the Lord, and allowing His grace and mercy to help make restitution for our wrongs. Through the work of God’s servant, the Holy Spirit, I am invited to share in the Master’s happiness at His table. In accepting that invitation, I complete the confession of my sinful nature, and have a place at the table with God to sit and be with Him. One of the great rewards of this confession is the knowledge that, just as I have confessed my sins before God and Jesus has accepted me, Jesus will confess me before God and He will accept me when the time for judgment comes.

I give Thanks to God for his invitation of reconciliation through Christ. I have a feeling that those who accepted the invitation to the banquet gave thanks to the master for opening his home and preparing such an extravagant meal for them. In a similar way, I give thanks to God for opening heaven’s gates to me through the sacrifice of Christ, and for preparing such an extravagant home for me when my days on earth are finished and Christ comes again to establish the new heaven and new earth. This is a task that we must perform more often than not, as giving thanks to God for loving us enough to send Christ to die and rise is an important part of keeping perspective as a Christ follower.

In Supplication for myself, I choose to ask for the Father to keep me mindful of this parable, as I do not wish to treat the invitation God has placed before me with contempt or indifference. I wish to treat it as the beautiful and priceless gift that it is; the opportunity to spend eternity dining at the true Master’s table. In supplication for others, I pray very fervently for those who are lost, hurting and confused. I pray for those who have heard of the saving knowledge of Christ but have chosen to walk away from it. I pray for those who may have been hurt by other Christians at some point, and that has caused them to step away from the Master’s table invitation. It is my prayer for these that they will look again at what exactly it is that God offers them through the sacrifice of Jesus, and that they will see that it far outweighs anything that the world could offer them. I hope and pray that they will accept freely the invitation from God to be with Him for eternity, so that they will not be left out once the heavenly feast has begun. I also pray for those who have accepted the invitation of reconciliation. It is my prayer for these that they will continually remember just how much God paid to be able to deliver that invitation to us, and that we must continually accept that invitation in our lives, sometimes on a moment by moment basis.

One Body, Many Parts

I would assume that most of us have at least glossed over the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 that speaks about the body. We all have the head knowledge that this particular piece of Scripture speaks to, which is that we are all different, and yet, part of the same body. To refresh all of our memories, here's the passage I'm talking about.

I Corinthians 12:12-31 - The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is wit Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many, If the foot should say, "Because i am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts of that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unrepresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that ts parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one parts in honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to heal others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

This idea of One Body, Many Parts, is meant to show the church that it is to be a unit. This idea is to be shown in the local church AND the church worldwide by the inclusiveness of the body, regardless of race, gender, background, financial status, job, education, or gifts and talents. We are to accept the God given diversity of our brothers and sisters in Christ so that we might truly be one body of believers made up of all kinds of people. Preachers, teachers, prophets, healers, musicians, vocalists, servants, prayer warriors, etc... We are to think of and act like the church as a great melting pot that welcomes all parts into God's family.

It is important that I stress one very important point here. We are also to welcome those who practice a homosexual lifestyle into the Church. Yes, there are clear verses in Leviticus 18 & 20, as well as I Corinthians 6, that state God's true feelings about homosexuality. However, there are also many other verses that state God's true feelings about other sins as well, not to mention that God doesn't rate one sin higher than another. God loves them, but detests their lifestyle choice. How else are we to show them the love God has and the truth about their sinful condition if we don't even let them in the doors? Let me be clear: I am NOT saying that we should invite them to serve on the Worship Team, teach a Sunday School class, or be a Youth Sponsor. I would not be kosher with that, just as I would not be kosher with a raging alcoholic, pedophile, or adulterer doing any of those things. I AM saying that we should invite them in so that they might hear the Good News, believe, and turn from their sin to go the direction that God would have them go.

Another part of being One Body, Many Parts, is recognizing that not all of us will have the same function within the body. We are not made from a cookie cutter! Each of us has had a diverse set of experiences, and no two people have had the exact same experiences. That means that we are all designed to do things that another is not, and God planned it that way! Not everyone is an amazing musician, gifted speaker, or well studied teacher. Some have those gifts, but some might just be good at service oriented things, and others still might have a bigger knack for prayer and encouragement. The body has many different skill sets on purpose, so that we might better serve when we're together.

The problem here is when folks get the idea that one gift or another is bigger, better, or more important than another. Folks, we're all called to the same mission! Our call is to continue the work of Christ here on earth until He returns. How we do that depends on our gifts and abilities! Just because I'm called to continue Christ's work on earth through Worship Arts doesn't mean that I'm any better than my friend Dave who's called to continue Christ's work on earth through being an electrician. We simply do different things within the body to further the kingdom! Ministry is our full time job, regardless of what we do for gainful employment. His is turning on lights, and mine is turning on amps and computers.

We cannot seek status with our gifts and talents, and still expect to be One Body. It just won't happen. When people use their gifts as a way to build themselves up, it creates the "pedestal complex", in which one is all of a sudden better and more distinguished than another.

I've worked with pastors and lay leaders that were doing their jobs for the status within the Body that it gave them, and they used that status as leverage to get what they wanted. Did that create unity? Quite the opposite. It almost always created a fair amount of dis-unity and chaos within the Body.

On the other end of the spectrum, the pastor I work for now has every right (by the world's standards) to be on a pedestal. He's been here almost 4 decades, and has a powerful and dynamic personality and preaching style that captures your attention from beginning to end. He could easily just go about his days prepping to preach and leaving the rest to others. Instead, he doesn't even consider his status as anything to talk about, rolls up his sleeves, and gets dirty just like the rest of us. There is no "pedestal complex" in his heart; he only has the love of Jesus and the desire for unity within the Body.

Where did he learn how to do that? What was His example? It was the example Jesus set for us that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Church at Philippi.

Philippians 2:5-11 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

THIS is how we become One Body, Many Parts. We consider status nothing and humble ourselves to become obedient to what it is that God has set before us. Only then will we be able to live together in unity and allow God to increase our ability to further His kingdom for His glory.

One Body. Many Parts. All ages, races, countries, denominations... Globally and locally, all working together for the sole purpose of combining our gifts and talents in order to give God glory.

I'm in. Are you?

The Purpose of Christmas - Life

Christmas!!! This has to be one of the most favorite times of the year on the Church calendar, and the world calendar in general! It's the time of year when we get to sing Jingle Bells, gaudily decorate every square inch of your home and church, and sing those beloved carols that we all know so well.

For many, it's a time of oversleeping, over-eating, overspending, and overextending themselves to the point of exhaustion, with just enough time to reflect on all of that overindulgence before making a resolution never to do it again (at least not until next year...).

However, there's a story that somehow peeks its way through the din of all the commercialism that the world has placed upon this particular part of the calendar. It's a story that begins the incredible journey back toward God for all of humanity, and it starts with a pair of lives changed by faith. We find the beginning of that story in the book of Luke.

Luke 2:1-7 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

We all know that this is the beginning of "The Christmas Story". However, we need to go back a little further. Back to the point where Joseph and Mary were betrothed to each other.

Luke 1:26-35 - In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary , you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

Life change for Mary -

15-16 years old, pledged to be married, a virgin in waiting. All of a sudden, she has this amazing experience with an angel of the Lord and is given the task of bearing the Son of God.

How did this look to her family? Her friends? Her neighbors? Her soon to be husband's family?

She is sent away from town to her cousin Elizabeth's home (who, by the way, is pregnant in her old age by the work of God as well), and lives there until Joseph is ready to come get her.

Now let's look at the other main character in this story. Go with me to the book of Matthew.

Matthew 1:18 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Life change for Joseph -

17-20 years old, pledged to be married, went home to prepare a place for them to live on his father's land. Comes back for his bride to be, only to find that she is pregnant and has only some wild story about an angel of the Lord and the Holy Spirit making it possible.

What would his family think? His friends? His neighbors? Coming home with an extremely pregnant wife BEFORE they consummated their marriage?

What a life change!!!

How crazy must it have been for the two of them? Even within God's chosen people and all the absolutely amazing things that God had done over the years, everyone knows how a girl gets pregnant, and it's certainly not by a chance encounter with the Holy Spirit, right?

The most interesting part of this story to me, however, is the amount of faith that Mary and Joseph had in the midst of something that would bring them hardship and suffering. Their faith was used by God to set the plan of humanity's redemption into motion.

Mary's Faith: I can only imagine how incredulous Mary was when she received those words from the angel that day. Probably just as incredulous as her cousin Elizabeth was when she became pregnant in her later years. Remember Sarah and Abraham? How crazy did they think it was to have a child at 90 and 100 years old respectively?

She asks the direct question "How am I supposed to be pregnant when I haven't even had sex yet?" The angel's answer of the Holy Spirit coming upon her was probably a daunting answer to hear, and yet she answers with unswerving faith in her God.

Luke 1:38 - "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

"May it be to me as you have said." What faith! What courage as a young girl to believe so much in God that she would face all the potential ills that would accompany her through this situation! Oh, if we were only to have a small measure of that kind of faith today...

How about Joseph's faith? The Bible shows clearly his character and willingness to follow God's path set before him.

Matthew 1:19-24 - Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will saved his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph was truly a caring man. He could have had Mary publicly humiliated and stoned to death for breaking her wedding vows, but instead was going to let her go quietly because he loved her. However, when the angel of the Lord appeared in the dream, his faith in God stirred him to take on the responsibility and ridicule of a man who had a pregnant wife and was not the father of the child.

This was only the beginning of the radical life change that God would bring about through His plan of salvation in Jesus.

How about the shepherds in the fields? Here they are "abiding" in the fields with their sheep, and suddenly the sky opens up and the host of heaven sings the Hallelujah Chorus, telling them of the birth of the Savior of the world! How crazy!

What about the Magi? Following a bright start until it lands them at the door of a stable where a young couple are tending to a newborn in a feed trough? How strange that must have seemed.

What about the common men who were called to be disciples, and then ultimately started the spread of the Gospel to all nations on the day of Pentacost? Who would have thought tradesmen would be spouting the message of Christ in varied languages with no training or education in foreign language?

All of these events were set into motion by Mary and Joseph's willingness to be used by God in an extraordinary way. There wasn't anything special about the two of them. They were ordinary Jewish people, and God changed the course of history with them.

The shepherds? Ordinary. The disciples? Ordinary. You and me? Ordinary.

Oh... wait. Did you see that? We're ordinary people, just like the disciples who took the message of Jesus to the world, the shepherds who told the whole countryside of what they had seen, and the young couple who birthed the Son of Man.

Do you know what that means? Radical life change through the birth of Jesus can be ours as well! How crazy it that?! How amazing is it to know that we don't have to be super special or highly educated to be given a life in Christ? How inspiring is it to know that we don't have to have special talents or skills in order to be used for God's purpose and plan?

There's a simple set of verses that we all have heard many times whether we're a new believer or a maturing Christ-follower. It shows God's plan for life change.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

We are all part of that "whoever", no matter who we are or what we've done! Let me say that again. We are ALL part of that "whoever"! Through Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection, we are given a golden opportunity to believe and be used by God in radical, life changing ways.

There is a price that we must pay for this radical life change, however... We must give ourselves completely away to Him. Yep, you heard me right. We cannot keep any of ourselves back, but we must be willing to give all we have and all we are to be used by God in whatever way He chooses.

Only then can we truly say "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Who Is Man?

I had the honor of preaching this past Sunday on part of The Truth Project. I thought I would share my notes with you! If you wish, you can go to the sermon player on the side bar to listen and read along at the same time.

Who is man? Are we a product of the desire of Almighty God to have love and companionship that chooses freely to abide with Him, or are we just a product of “the stuff in the box”? Do we freely think and choose for ourselves, or do we simply respond to stimuli? Are we made in the image of God, or are we the image of “Goo” that evolved by happenstance over billions of years?

Are we inherently good and then our belief systems create the struggle of good and evil in our lives, or are we inherently sinful and in need of saving?

What does the world say?

Abraham Maslow was a celebrated psychologist and noted as the founder of Humanistic Psychology. He created what is known as the Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow’s thoughts and now some of the world’s Anthropology

Basic Assumptions

man, by nature, is good

mental health and happiness come through self-actualization...

and getting in touch with one’s real ‘good’ self

social institutions are responsible for man’s evil actions

HOWEVER…

Those who watched the video last week will remember Dr. William Provine, professor of Atheistic Humanism. He stated this:

*no gods or purposive forces

*no life after death

*no ultimate foundation for ethics

*no ultimate meaning in life

*no free will

Clarence Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Bobby Franks (1924) and defending John T. Scopes in the Scopes Trial (1925), in which he opposed William Jennings Bryan (statesman, noted orator, and three time presidential candidate for the Democratic Party).

“The Purpose of man is like the purpose of the pollywog – to wiggle along as far as he can without dying, or to hang to life until death takes him.”

WOW!!! That’s what got me out of bed this morning! Let’s all wiggle along and try not to die today!

In other words, “A bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy.” All creatures are merely a product of evolution, and merely animals that respond to stimuli.

And yet the world worries about evil! If a bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy, then why are we so concerned when people are killed? Why do we care enough to have laws that dictate that it is wrong to kill people?

As Dr. Tackett put it, “do you think that the lion out on the African plain ever feels bad about taking down that poor defenseless zebra?” No. Why not? It’s survival of the fittest! If a bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy, then when someone kills someone else isn’t that just natural? Why are we so concerned?

Why does evil bother you? Why do you feel bad about evil?

Isn’t EVIL, as described, simply the natural outworking of the evolutionary process?

It bothers us BECAUSE THERE’S SOMETHING BIGGER WITHIN US THAT SCREAMS THAT IT IS WRONG!!!

The big problem here is that, as we can see from these peeks into the World’s thoughts on man that even they can’t agree as to what man is!

Can you see now why it is so important for us to know the truth? We MUST know who we are so that we can better understand why we believe what we believe. That knowledge can only come from gazing upon the face of God.

We know a bit of what the world says who man is, but what does the Bible say?

What Is True – We Are God’s Workmanship!!!

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Psalm 139:13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

We have been created in the image of God! Imageo Deo! However, sin entered the world when God’s creation turned to it’s own desires.

Romans 5:12-14 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

Genesis 6:5 - The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

Description & Names of the Old Man

evil dead blind deaf lost rebellious

without hope haters of God desperately wicked children of the devil

Humanity was in need of a Savior!!!

John 3:16 ALL TOGETHER

Revelation 5:9 - And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

God sent Jesus to redeem us and give us a way to get back to how it was between Himself and Man in the Garden before the fall. The problem is we still have that “Old Man” within us, seeking to follow the natural desires of self instead of the supernatural desires of God.

Romans 7:21-23 - So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

We know that What Is True is that we are God’s workmanship. We also know that, even as His workmanship we were lost to sin and had to be redeemed. So how do we continue on the road toward an authentic relationship with our Creator?

What To Do – Choose God’s Grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 3:23-24 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

When we choose God’s grace, we accept that we are fallen and in need of a Savior! We allow God to take us to the next step of completing His plan to reconcile us to Him. It is in choosing God’s grace that we have a leg to stand on when it comes to putting off the Old Man and his natural desires, and taking on the New Man in Christ.

Descriptions & Names of the New Man:

Redeemed Saints Priests Called out ones People of God A holy nation

children of God Sons of God Beloved Wear white robes Born from above

Aren’t those the descriptions we want to bear? I certainly do!

We are God’s Workmanship. He created us to have a lasting communion and companionship with Him, not only in this mortal life, but in the life to come.

In order to have that relationship, we need to choose God’s grace each day so that we might put off the characteristics of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and take on the characteristics of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reputation Can Be Everything

I was watching a brand new show on the Discovery Channel last night called "Swords - Life On The Line". It's kinda like Deadliest Catch, but instead of crab fishing in the Bering Sea these folks are fishing for swordfish off the Outer Banks.

In this particular episode there was a captain that hadn't been out during the season in ten years, but her legend was such that she easily filled out her crew and got to work on the fishing grounds. Other boats were giving her a wide berth and allowing her to fish the places that she used to, all because of who she was.

However, there was also a younger captain from the south who had come up to fish the Banks with his crew. He was a very aggressive bully of a captain down where he was from, and the other captains on the Banks had heard of his actions back home. They were not willing to give up some of their fishing area, and were very wary of giving him information and sharing any supplies.

Isn't it interesting? Two captains doing the same thing, and yet with completely different reputations and responses from other people.

Now, the southern captain was very respectful of other boats' fishing areas and did was very cordial and respectful when speaking to them. All to no avail, however, as the other captains simply could not believe that his niceties were genuine due to what they already knew about him. Is it fair? Not necessarily, but it is human nature to distrust what seems to be out of the ordinary.

Remember Saul? Acts 8 introduces him to us as a man on the hunt for people who follow "The Way", otherwise known as Christ-followers. In Acts 9, he is running wild from town to town in search of people that he might arrest and bring back to Jerusalem for imprisonment or death for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ until he literally has a "come to Jesus meeting" and changes his ways.

What do you think his reputation was like? I can't imagine that he was very popular with the Jews or Gentiles that believed in Christ.

Once his experience there on the road to Damascus happened and Ananias was used by God to restore his sight, Saul had become a fully changed man. No longer interested in persecuting Christ-followers for their faith, he began to preach and proclaim the story of Christ to anyone who would listen. The problem here was that he had spent so much time building the reputation of a persecutor of Christians, there were not very many who were interested in what he was saying as much as they were interested in finding a way to dispatch him to the happy hunting grounds!

Several times his life was in danger and those who did believe him had to sneak him out of those potentially fatal situations. Even the disciples where wary of meeting with him for fear of being arrested! Saul's reputation was going to take a very long time to reverse itself.

The same thing happens in our lives today. Our reputations precede us wherever we go, and they can either smoothly pave or roughly tear up the road to where we are going. When we become followers of Christ, there are parts of our reputation that we have to overcome in order to be accepted as such.

Let me make this clear: You DO NOT NEED TO FIX THEM TO COME TO CHRIST!!! He accepts us as we are, and we don't have to "clean up" in order to become a follower. However, once we become a follower we are to accept the terms of that relationship, which means we have to do what it takes to live a Biblically sound life.

This is where it gets even more tricky when it comes to our reputation. In many cases, we accept Christ into our lives but it simply becomes "fire insurance" because our lives continue to reflect the world instead of the cross. Our reputation, instead of being one of a nice person who lives a worldly lifestyle, becomes that of a hypocrite because we speak one thing and do another thing which completely contradicts what we said.

To live a life of worship that is completely authentic takes more than lip service. Take a look at what James has to say about this:

James 2:14-26 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for wha the did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in the different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

So now comes the tough question: What does your reputation look like? Do people believe that you live a life that worships the Almighty all day, every day, and in every way? If not, it may be time to have a Damascus Road experience yourself.

The Church Scattered - The Good and The Not So Good

Acts 8 is an account of what happened after Stephen was stoned to death. It was on that day that some of the most horrific persecution of the church begins with Saul at the helm. Many Christ followers lost their homes, fortunes, property, jobs, families, and lives during this time in the Church's history. They were taken, beaten, chained, jailed, and killed for believing that Jesus was who He said He was. However, this is not the most important part of the story in this chapter.

I firmly believe that it was God's intention to have the Church scattered away from Jerusalem. I firmly believe that God used Stephen's stoning as the flashpoint for the transmission of the message of Christ to the masses. It was through this gruesome event that He began the world-wide effort to bring all nations to Himself.

We read starting in verse 4 that Philip went to Samaria and began preaching the good news of Christ to an area that was full of gentiles. Jews and Samarians normally didn't mix, but Jesus had made it clear that His message was for the Jew AND the Gentile, and so Phillip brought that message to them.

The spread of Jesus' teachings was not limited to Judea and Samaria, however. Starting in vesre 26, we see Philip being led by an angel of the Lord to go to a certain area, where he happens to meet up with a eunuch from Ethiopia. This person was in charge of the treasury for the Queen of the Ethiopians. A very important man indeed! The eunuch is in a carriage reading the book of Isaiah, but not understanding it. God had positioned Philip in the right place at the right time to join this person of high stature and help them to understand what they were reading. In addition, Philip was able to share the good news of Christ with them, and baptize them in a pond on the roadside. The passage said that the eunuch went away rejoicing and praising God! Now we don't know for certain, as the Bible doesn't make reference to it, but it is my educated guess that the eunuch took the message of Christ back to Ethiopia, thus spreading the Gospel outside the borders of Judea/Samaria.

That's the good news. Now for the not so good news.

Many were following along in the new found freedom that the message had given them, but there were also a few that followed to see what kind of personal gain they could receive.

Simon the Sorcerer is the main character that displays this selfish intent. When Peter and John join Phillip in Samaria and the Holy Spirit starts to indwell the people of the area, Simon tries to buy his way into having the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:18-24 - When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

Simon had been doing magical things for a while in Samaria, and people followed him because of his magical powers. He even had gone so far as to call himself "The Great Power". When Philip came into town doing miracles in the name of Jesus, it seems that Simon wanted to find out just how he was doing that so that he might add it to his own repetoire. It only makes sense that, once he saw Peter and John laying hands on the recently baptized so that they would receive the Holy Spirit, he would try and buy it from them so that he might gain more notariety and fame as a giver of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John saw straight through him and recognized that he was not truly asking for the Holy Spirit because he believed, but rather, for personal gain.

It is unfortunate, but even in the beginnings of the spread of Christianity, we see counterfeits popping up and endeavoring to taint the name of Jesus with false doctrine and devious intentions in mind. If satan can create something that looks, speaks, smells, and acts like the real thing, then there's a good chance that some will follow where they lead.

We must be on guard church, for if we are not diligent, we can be come a counterfeit without even knowing it!!!

The spread of Christianity has never been halted, and it should not stop now. What God began by scattering the Church after Stephen's death we continue today as the Body of Christ. There has never been a more opportune time for Christ's message to get to the masses! Let's live our lives of Worship before the world so that they may see Christ in us.

Matthew 5:13-16 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither to people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The Stoning of Stephen

I've been stewing on Acts 7 for a while now. At first glance, it's a fairly unassuming chapter due to most of it being dedicated to Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin. However, if you look a little deeper, you see some things that may catch your heart a bit.

Now, remember back in Chapter 6 that Stephen had been falsley accused of speaking against the Law and the Temple. Verse 15 said that everyone in the room saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. My best guess is that in that very moment, the Holy Spirit was filling Stephen with the strength he would need to answer the question that followed.

Acts 7:1 - Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

An interesting side note here is that the high priest asking the question (according to most scholars and theologians) was Caiaphas, who was the very priest that set the wheels in motion for Jesus to be betrayed and ultimately killed. How ironic that he also presides over the making of the first Christian martyr?!

At this moment, Stephen could have done what you see much of on television these days. He could have gone the tried and true "no these accusations are purely false and I will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are" route, but instead, God had a different plan for him. God had Stephen give the Sanhedrin a history lesson.

Reading through Verses 2-50, you will find a cliff notes version of the happenings between God and His chosen people from the time of Abraham all the way up to Solomon. One would think that this was to remind them of the amazing things God had done for them, but if you read it carefully you notice the common theme: Rejection of God's teachings and persecution of anyone who would bring them back to the forefront. This culminates with Stephen basically going postal on the Sanhedrin in Verses 51-53:

Acts 7:51-53 - "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers; You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet that your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And how you have betrayed and murdered him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Those words cost Stephen his life at the hands of the Sanhedrin. They stoned him to death for his beliefs. They stoned him to death for being an activist for his faith. They stoned him to death for stepping on their time honored laws, traditions, doctrines, and theologies. They stoned him to death for making them look bad in public. This event began the persecution of the church that spread and scattered it througout Judea and Samaria.

Now, while we don't see people physically stoned by others for their words and deeds in the church today, we see something very similar going on spiritually, emotionally, and mentally which is almost worse in some ways.

We have become too comfortable with our surroundings, trappings, traditions, methodologies, doctrines, practices, etc... This issue is not just with one certain age group either! It comes from people of ALL ages who don't want to compromise what they want in order to possibly do kingdom work. When someone comes along and challenges our positions on things that we are comfortable with, we lash out at them verbally to their face, and behind their back. We passive-aggressively undermine their position by gossipping about them and turning small things into giant issues. We choose to say "We've NEVER done it that way before", or "We've ALWAYS done it that way" in the hopes that whatever it is will be left alone. The sad part? This is NOT what God sent Jesus here to die for.

A life of Worship is not a life based on the trappings of traditional or modern practices. It is not a life based on the age of a person or their personal doctrines and agendas. It is a life that is totally surrendered to Him all day, every day, in every way. It is a life that reflects the love of Jesus to others just as the moon reflects the sun. It is a life that causes change just by simply being ready to serve God in whatever way He calls us to each and every time.

Instead of organizing petitions to save the Communion table or the carpet, we should be organizing food and clothing drives to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Instead of complaining to others about musical style, we should be open to the idea that what is being played and sung may bring others to Christ much in the same way that our favorite musical style did for us.

God calls us to have an authentic worship relationship with Him in order that He might use us to bring someone else into that same relationship.

We are to lovingly rebuke, forgive, and educate instead of harshly rejecting, persecuting, and driving away.

We can only do these things if we choose to surrender ourselves completely to the purpose and plan that God has for us as followers of the teachings of Jesus.

Proclaim Christ, Teach of Christ, Serve Christ. Love God, Love People. Live True. Whatever you want to call it, it's a life of Worship!

Gossip, Lies, Deceit, and the Power of Faith

Acts 6:8-14 - Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) - Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they coul dnot stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

Stephen's story in Acts is a short one, but it brings out very vivid examples of what happens when we choose to follow Christ and allow Him to make us into men and women full of God's grace and power. Satan doesn't want this. In fact, he craves the exact opposite for us. Instead of being men and women full of God's grace and power, he would rather we be men and women full of lies, deceit, and selfish ambition.

When we make the decision to live a life that worships our Lord all day, every day, and in every way, it puts a target on our backs. We might as well call up Hell and declare open season on ourselves! It is NOT EASY, NOT SMOOTH, and NOT ENJOYABLE all the time. It is merely the beginning of a journey to build us into those men and women full of God's grace and power.

Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest that God beats and pounds us into shape by fire and water, so that we might take a form that more closely resembles His image rather than our own. I can certainly relate to this, can you? His desire is to make us into people that have credibility that is more than skin deep. He desires for us to be in relationship with Him all the way to the core of our being. Stephen seemed to embody this to the point of being able to perform miracles and healings in addition to preaching the Word of Christ.

However, as we all know, one of the quickest and easiest ways to undermine someone's credibility is by destroying their reputation. We see this in Stephen's case. People with different viewpoints and opinions disagree with his teachings, so they seek to discredit him in whatever way possible.

Politicians and their staffers are masters at this. Mudslinging anyone? The Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on issues, so they continually try to discredit each other. Other faiths (and those with no faith at all) don't agree with the stances that followers of Christ take, so they do whatever they can to discredit us.

NOTE: We do a pretty good job of discrediting ourselves with our actions vs our words! The old adage that actions speak louder than words is SOOOO applicable to this!

A life of worship has to "walk the talk" at all times. We are called to a higher purpose, which means we have to put away the childish antics and the constant whining to have it our way. We are called to SERVE, and NOT TO BE SERVED. Stephen served Christ with all he had, and those who did not agree with his view sought to discredit him in front of the world. Now, this is where I really get excited about how authentic Stephen's relationship with and zeal for Christ actually was.

Acts 6:15 - All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Even in the midst of the false accusations and fake witnesses, Stephen was so in tune with God that his face never changed expression! He maintained a face of truth, dignity, and it shown like an angel in the room. He knew what was real and what was not, regardless of the falsehoods being spewed. It didn't matter what man said about him for his faith was not in man.

We'll talk more about Stephen in Chapter 7 when something that is so unthinkable to us here in America happens to him for his faith in Jesus.