What Should We Hate?

What is your attitude regarding things that the Bible tells us are sinful and evil? Do you have different standards depending on whether it is you or somebody else doing what is contrary to God will?

Do you sometimes make excuses or overlook behavior, writings, or speech that you know offends God? Do acknowledge that we, especially Christians, should try to do better and hope that someday we will?

Surely we should want to sin less than we do. If you think you don't sin, then take a look at 1 John 1:8-11.
That passage lets us know that if we confess our sins, Jesus will forgive and cleanse us. But should we be content knowing that His sacrifice is sufficient to pay for any sin we have done or will do?

Yes, it's wonderful that Jesus paid the price for our sins and gives us the faith to believe it.  However does the wonderful grace of our Lord in forgiving us of sin give us permission to be unconcerned about things that are evil? What sort of an attitude should we have in regard to what is evil?

Psalms 97:10  O you who love the LORD, hate evil!  ESV

Now that is an interesting command. If we love the Lord we are not just to dislike and avoid evil, we are told to hate it. Oh, but that verse of Scripture is in the Old Testament. Now that the grace of our Lord Jesus has come do we have to be that passionate against evil?

Romans 12:9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ESV

Again we see the right kind of love being written about and then followed by the command to hate evil. Abhor it. The Greek word used for abhor in this verse is very strong, and is the only time it is used in the New Testament. We are to detest evil, be revolted by it. Love honors God and people. Evil offends God and condemns people to hell.

Satan and the world wants people to think that those things the Bible identifies as "evil" are just the opinions of those who wrote the Bible a long time ago. But God divinely inspired all of Scripture, and God is altogether holy and therefore hates evil. If we love God we are also to hate evil.

Although it may be fairly easy to hate some things that are evil because they are so obviously hurtful to ourselves or people we care about, it is not so easy to hate other things that offend God. Just as we need God given grace and faith to love God and our neighbor, we also need the same to abhor evil the way He wants us to hate it.

God uses His Holy Spirit along with the hearing of the Word of God to bring us to salvation, and to grow us in faith, understanding, and obedience to His will. He does the same thing in regards to our coming to hating whatever goes against Him and His will.

Psalms 119:104  Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. ESV

Let's not be indifferent regarding what is evil or false (what is false leads people to believe and do what God knows is evil).  Let's be in prayer about our attitude to what God says is contrary to what is righteous and holy. Let's pray that God gives us and others the faith to believe and to be obedient in both loving God and others and also hating evil the way He wants us to hate it.

What Kind of Rut Are You In?

Are you in a rut? That question is generally used in a negative way. It conveys the idea that you are doing the same thing over and over such that you are stuck doing it, locked into it. That sure sounds boring, doesn't it?

What is a rut? Well, if you are on a road that has ruts in it, they were most likely formed by wheels going down that road for years, eventually forming the grooves. I used to spend summers at the place my grandparents had on Cape Cod and there was a long driveway which went from the road, around the house, and back to the road. It was an old piece of property and the ruts in that driveway were certainly formed by wagon wheels. The cars my grandparents family used on that driveway made those ruts deeper and harder.

Ruts can tend to keep a wagon or other vehicle restricted to going in the direction of the ruts, rather than to one side or the other. Deep ruts in a road can make it difficult to turn and go off in some other way. Of course if the direction of the ruts leads to where you want to go then that can be a good thing. You are less apt to go off and end up in the wrong place.

Are you in a rut that isn't good for you? Or are you in a rut that helps you get to where you ought to be, and where God wants you to be? What kind of a rut are you in?  Hopefully you are in a rut that helps you to be what God wants you to be, to develop the character He wants you to have.

Psalm 119:9 has something to say about this. It starts with a question: "How can a young man keep his way pure?"  The word translated "way" is the Hebrew word for rut. So there is a rut that we should want to be in. A rut that can help us have the pure way of living that pleases God. Being in God's Word can help us get in and stay in that rut.

Psalms 119:9-16  Beth. How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.  (10)  With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  (11)  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  (12)  Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!  (13)  With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.  (14)  In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.  (15)  I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  (16)  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. ESV

What Kind of Preaching Do You Want to Hear?

       2 Timothy 4:1-6   I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.    ESV

Paul's second letter to Timothy was his final epistle that was included in Scripture. He was once again a prisoner and the time of his departure from this life had come. It would now be up to Timothy and others to continue the work of preaching and teaching that he had been doing for years.

His charge to Timothy needs to be understood by all who are called to preach the Word of God, whether they are pastors, teachers, evangelists, missionaries or others. Even those who aren't called or gifted to teach need to know this charge so they can avoid teachers who don't adhere to it, and encourage those who do.

The charge Paul made is not to be taken lightly. Paul makes it clear that he is doing so in presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead.

The Word of God is to be preached. It is to be done so when it is convenient to so and also when it is out of season, not convenient, not popular, or even hazardous to those proclaiming it. The preaching is not in order to entertain, draw crowds, or make money. The purpose of the preaching is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort and it is done with patience and teaching.

The preaching needs to be with patience because many people won't like what God has for us in the Bible. And the preaching needs to me more than just telling people, even believers, to stop doing and believing things that are contrary to Scripture, they need to be taught what the Bible actually says and not what they might think that it says. They also need to be taught why what God says in His Word is what they need to believe and do. (Even if the reason is simply because the God who made heaven and earth says so.)

There are multitudes of false teachings that become quite popular because they suit the passions, pride and desires of people. Listening to those kind of teachings catches people's attention and they want more of it. They'll gladly wander off to the churches, conferences, and rallies where such things are being proclaimed. They read the books and watch TV shows that promote them. They let themselves become convinced that the stuff that is tickling their ears is from God.

But even though people will turn away from the truth, we need to heed what Paul wrote to Timothy. We are to be sober minded, endure suffering, and do the work of an evangelist. The word evangelist means "messenger of good." The work of bringing the message of good it to to covey was is truly good, which is the actual truth of the Word of God. Good is not what merely sounds good as told by clever talkers and writers. Good is that God says is good.

Are you called by God to preach or teach? Then take your calling very seriously. Carefully study Scripture so you convey it to others as clearly and effectively as the Spirit of God enables you. Are you called to learn godly Biblical teaching? Then see to it that you study Scripture as best you can and be sure you listen to those who preach and teach it just as God inspired it to be written.

I'm now going to a church where the new pastor's sermons do not entertain me. They don't make me feel comfortable. They are not fun. But they are wonderfully Bible based, explaining Scripture passages with other Scripture passages. They make me want to take more notes and also to hear the recording of them again. And they encourage me to spend more time reading and studying God's Word. They help me to want to understand and live out the Word of God. That's the kind of preaching I want to hear. How about you?

 

Called Saints and Called to be Saints

Called saints and called to be saints. What kind of a title is that for a blog post?

In my previous blog post I commented on how those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord should be His disciples. Disciple is the the term used extensively to refer to believers in the Gospels and book of Acts in the New Testament. But there is another term used for believers multitudes of times in the epistles and book of Revelation. What term is that? It is the word saint.

The word saint as used in the Bible does not have the same meaning as how many, if not most, people use it today. The inspired writers of Scripture used the word "saints" to refer to all who believed in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Today it is common to only call certain people saints if they have been officially designated that by a particular religious leader or group, or if it is believed by many that those persons are exceptionally better than most other people.

To get God's perspective on what it means to be a saint it is essential that we look to the Bible and see what He has to say about the subject.

1 Corinthians 1:2  To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:  ESV

The letter to the church in Corinth was necessary because they were a really messed up bunch of people. Yes, they had heard the gospel and believed that Jesus had died for their sins and rose from the dead and that He was their Savior and Lord. Nevertheless they were flagrantly sinning and believing false teachings.

The Greek word translated here "saints" means "holy one" which refers to their belonging to God for His holy purposes. All who truly believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord belong to Him, and are forgiven and accepted based on what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. They are "sanctified (made holy - set apart for God) in Christ Jesus."

Scripture refers to believers as saints because of who Jesus is and what He did. But Scripture does not stop there. Yes, we belong to God. Yes we are sanctified in Christ Jesus. But God also commands us to change our wrong attitudes and actions so we will live out being holy as He is holy.

Many call themselves Christians, even those who have concluded that since Jesus paid the price for their sins then they are now free to go on sinning as much as they want. What a wretched attitude! Jesus had to endure the wrath of His Father because of His hatred for sin. Shall we not seek God's help to avoid what He hates and embrace living each day the way He wants us to live?

We who call ourselves Christians need to remind ourselves that it is a term only used once in the Bible (Acts 11:26), and although it is an acceptable term for we who believe in and follow Christ, perhaps when we do use it we should give thought to our being called saints, holy ones, who are called and commanded to be holy as God is holy.

Whose Disciple are You?

Whose Disciple Are You? That is a question we should all ask ourselves.

A disciple is a student who not only learns from a teacher but also seeks to live out what is learned. The Pharisees had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples. And, of course, Jesus had them, both those He called to follow Him, and others who chose on their own to follow Him for a time until they no longer liked what He was teaching.

Many of us call ourselves Christians which implies we identify ourselves with Christ, But how much time do we actually spend learning what what Jesus wants His followers to know and do?

Matthew 28:16-20  Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.   (17)  And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.  (18)  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19)  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20)  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus said to make disciples and teach them to observe all that He had commanded them. That is what disciples are supposed to do. Learning a little about Jesus is not the same as learning to observe all that He commanded. To do that takes time and diligent effort.

How much time do you and I spend learning what Jesus wants us to know and do? Is it an hour or so in church once a week and maybe a handful of minutes on the other days of the week?

Another question to should ask ourselves is how much time do we spend watching TV, movies, and reading printed and online materials for entertainment purposes. How expert do we become and playing games, socializing, and learning how to tell jokes, or interesting stories or news items? Are we more disciples of those things than we are of Jesus?

And when we do learn what is called Christian things from books or other media, do we check Scripture carefully to make sure they line up with what is actually inspired by the Spirit of God? Or do we allow ourselves to become disciples of false teachers because what they say tickles our ears?

I want to do better at being a disciple of Jesus Christ. I know Christ is ready and willing to help each of us do that. I believe that is why He concluded His commission to those 11 disciples who were to go out and make disciples of all nations with the promise that He would be with them always, to the end of the age.

The gift of faith that God gives us in the finished work of Christ on the cross is what provides us with salvation. In gratitude we now ought learn all that God wants us to learn from His Word so we can please Him in all He has for us to do. Then we'll be the kind of disciples God wants us to be.

Can We Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens Us?

In Paul's letter to the Philippians he wrote

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ESV

What a wonderful statement. Does that mean that all Christians can apply that statement to ourselves and expect to accomplish just about anything we can imagine? Does it mean there are no limits to how much success, wealth, and health we can achieve?

Of course to get God's perspective on any particular verse of Scripture it can help a great deal if we look at it in the context of where it is written. Before we quote any Bible passage we ought to check to see what leads up to it. Here is a bit more of Philippians chapter 4:

Philippians 4:12-13  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  (13)  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  ESV

Paul made it clear that he was not proclaiming health and wealth for himself or other Christians. In serving God he said there were times when he had abounded, yet other times when he's been brought to very humble lows. There were times when his physical and other needs had been met abundantly, and other times when he'd gone hungry and done without.

Paul was fully convinced that God worked all things together for good for those who were called according to God's purpose (Romans 8:28). Therefore if Paul found himself in prison chained to guards 24 hours a day, then he accepted it as an opportunity to share the gospel with those guards. If Paul found himself free to roam and visit new towns, he thanked God for the opportunity to tell others of Jesus and see God raise up new churches.

It seems clear that when Paul wrote that he could do all things through Him who strengthened him, he was saying that with the help of God he could and would serve him during times of pain as well as times of comfort.

Let us always seek to understand every Scripture verse in its proper context. No one has the right to change what God meant when He inspired it to be written down for believers to read and heed.

Is Right Teaching a Numbers Game?

Is it likely that the discernment of two people would be more accurate than the discernment of 15 consultants and 99% of the membership of a church? Well, based on that wording, it would seem unlikely that the vast majority would apt to correct and the one or two who came to perceive things differently.

But right sound Biblical doctrine is not a numbers game. Instead it is what does Scripture actually say. Again and again God has raised up men like Noah, Abraham, Moses and the prophets and had them preach and teach what He wanted His people to believe and live by. Sometimes the people would obey for a season and then stray into believing other things.

Then God sent His very own Son, who was and is the way, truth, and life. Jesus in addition to being one and only sacrifice that can redeem us, taught his disciples what He wanted them to teach others. He also directly taught Paul. Those apostles taught others, and what they taught was the sound teaching that God wants His church to know and obey.

But individuals and entire churches would listen to other teachings and believe them. Paul had to both write to those churches and go to them to correct the errors that kept creeping into the churches.

Paul also spent years teaching individuals like Timothy and Titus to be able to teach correctly and straighten out errors that had infiltrated the churches.

However, as generations went by, error crept in and false doctrines came to permeate the Church. But in His mercy God brought along men who took the time to study Scripture and see how far what was by then the accepted teachings in the Church had caused it drift away from what is in God's Word.

The great reformers in the history of the Church were able to be used by God to help people get out of the mire of deception they were in by diligent study of Scripture and then preaching it. Most often they would go through books of the Bible verse by verse since God had a purpose both in what He said and how He said it in Scripture. They always used Scripture to explain Scripture. They also took the time to investigate the meanings of words and phrases in the original languages and what was being referred to in the time God had it written, believing that what God meant when He inspired its writing He still meant.

Even what is written in the Old Testament means the same thing now as it meant them. But how it was understood by the priests and teachers in their time had to change when God Himself came in the flesh and clarified what such things as sacrificing animals was a foreshadow of. Jesus was the actual Lamb of God to take away the sins of world. And many of the teachings of those who taught the Law of God were wrong. Not because there was anything wrong with the wording of Scripture, but those who were teaching it were in error. They were false teachers and didn't know it.

To teach what is right takes careful study of God's Word. We always have to go back to Scripture and read it in context, and read entire books of the Bible, and as much as possible learn about what it says in the original languages and historic context. Getting deceived is easy. Entire churches and even denominations have started with a strong clear understanding of Scripture and over time became swallowed up in deceptions that had them compromising into religiosity and worldliness.

Let us remember:

(2 Tim 3:16-17)  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ESV

Right teaching is not a numbers game. It is a proper understanding of Scripture. If you'd like to grow in your understanding of Scripture you should take the time to study it. One place you could do that for free is with the online resources of the Masters Seminary where John MacArthur is president. Here is a link to the resources page:

http://www.theologicalresources.org/the-masters-seminary/tms-resources/

On that resource page you can access the free courses by clicking the link below the Online Lectures paragraph.

Let's study God's Word so we continue to learn what God wants us to know, believe and obey.

What Should be Taught? Who Should Teach?

2Tinothy 2:1-2:   You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (ESV)

This second letter to Timothy was written not long before Paul's death. These instructions were of crucial importance. Paul had taught Timothy for years and knew it was essential that Timothy not only teach what he'd learned from Paul to others, but to teach them to men who would then teach others.

Who taught Paul? Jesus. (Galatians 1:11-22) Paul then taught others who became believers in and followers of Jesus. But not everybody who was taught by Paul remained content with what he and the other writers of Scripture had to say. Some neglected certain aspects of the teachings, and others added other non-Biblical teachings to what they believed. Much of what Paul wrote in his letters to the churches was necessary to correct false teachings.

Since Paul knew it was unlikely that he would be around much longer to teach sound doctrine, he urged Timothy to pass on these teachings to men who would be faithful to teach others also.

The teaching of Scripture, including what God had Paul write, is what God wants us to know and live by. Jesus is our Savior and Lord. Salvation comes from hearing and believing that we're sinners and cannot save ourselves, but thankfully Jesus is the Son of God who came in the flesh to suffer and die for our sins, and that sacrifice was acceptable as was demonstrated by His resurrection never to die again.

Jesus is also our Lord. And we're to be His disciples and taught to observe all His commands. (Matt. 28:19-20)

Jesus taught His chosen apostles including Paul. Timothy learned from Paul. Then Timothy was to teach men who could be trusted to teach others. That example needs to be followed today. There has to be men who will take the time to study Scripture diligently to seek to understand what our Lord meant when He taught it and inspired it to be written.

Paul's instruction to Timothy is not to be taken lightly. Then and now God wants what is in Scripture to be taught clearly, effectively, and extensively. Take a look at the content of Paul's letters. There is so much in them that God wants us to know. But take care that Scripture is understood and taught as it was intended when God inspired it to be written.

(2 Peter 3:15-17)  ...Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. ESV

What should be taught? All of Scripture, especially the writings of the New Testament because they help us understand even what is in the Old Testament. Who should teach? Men who will be faithful to teach what God  had Paul and the other writers of  Scripture teach in their inspired writings.

Do We Really Need Bible Teaching?

1Jn 2:27  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. ESV

Would you look at that Bible verse? Wow. It says right there in the Bible that "you have no need that anyone should teach you."  It goes on to say "But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie -- just as it has taught you, abide in Him."

Amazing. I guess I could take that to mean I don't need preachers and teachers to help me understand Scripture. Or even about anything else, since it says that His anointing teaches about everything. I could take that to mean I can let the "anointing" teach me everything I need to know.

Well, I could take that verse to mean what I just suggested, or I could take a closer look at the context of that verse to see whether I'm jumping to conclusions just to satisfy my self-centered ambitions. To start with I guess I could read the verse immediately preceding the one I quoted above.

1Jn 2:26  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. ESV

Ah! Apparently there is "teaching" that we don't need. Teaching from those who are trying to deceive us. We don't need deceivers to come along and teach us things that are contrary to the truth that is found in Scripture. This portion of Scripture known as 1 John, and all the rest of Scripture, is sound teaching that is vital to grow in our understanding of God and His will. But when somebody comes along and tries to add something new to it an alarm should go off inside us to warn us "Wait a Minute -- That's not in accordance with the God breathed Word of God!"

But do we need others to teach us about what is in  the Bible? Can we or should we go it alone in learning Scripture? Do we need the help of anybody other than ourselves to grow in our understanding of the Word of God?

Well, what does the Word of say about that? In Paul's first letter to Timothy we can read:

  1 Tim 4:13  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ESV

 1 Tim 5:17  Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.  ESV

 These verses along with other Scripture passages make it clear that God wants us to have good preaching and teaching. God has a lot to say to us in His written Word, and God provides teachers to help us learn.those truths. The body of Christ has many different members, some of whom are gifted helpers or leaders, and some of whom are gifted teachers.

What we don't need are teachers who either distort Scripture or add to it. They are deceivers and we all need to take care to be on the watch for them. What they say can sound wonderful which is why so many people get deceived by such false teachings.

How can we be protected from deceptive teachers? Well, spending time reading and studying the Bible is important. When we have Biblical Spirit inspired truth in us we become more sensitive to recognizing when the Holy Spirit is alerting us to false teaching.

We also should avail ourselves of the preachers and teachers who are true to the sound doctrines of the Bible. God says they are worthy of double honor, and one way we honor them is by taking the time to listen and learn from them.

Do we really need Bible Teaching? Yes, indeed, we really do.

Taken a Serious Look at Scripture Lately?

Act 17:10-12  The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. ESV

Not everybody appreciates hearing about who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He expects us to believe and do. Both in Paul's day and ours there are those who want to put a stop to anyone telling others that Jesus is the one and only Savior and Lord. But there are others who have a quite different attitude regarding the teaching of the gospel.

A mob in Thessalonica had sought to find Paul and Silas so they could do harm to them for teaching about Jesus, which is why the Christian brothers sent them out of town by night. But once the two of them arrived in Berea they continued to tell others about Jesus in that local synagogue.

How the Jews in Berea responded to Paul's teaching was commendable. They eagerly received the word, and they also examined the Scriptures to see if these things were so. They didn't accept it just because it sounded good. They took the time to seriously examine Scripture to see if what was being taught lined up with the written divinely inspired Word of God.

We should emulate their response. We should be eager to hear sound teaching about Jesus and what He wants us to know and do. But we also need to examine the Scriptures to make sure that what we're hearing does indeed line up with the whole of God's Word.

Any preacher or teacher can say things that sound good, and even use verses of Scripture to justify what they are proclaiming. But people can intentionally and unintentionally teach things that twist the meaning and context of the verses being quoted. To really know what is true we need to carefully examine Scripture to make sure that any teaching is actually what God is saying to us in the Bible.

Let us take whatever time is necessary to seriously examine Scripture to know what to believe and do. And, like the Bereans, let us let us do so daily.

How Dare We Disort the Word of God?

Are you guilty of distorting the Word of God?  Have you ever taken a verse of Scripture and put your meaning into it rather than honestly seek to know what God is actually saying?

I've been guilty of that. I've ignored the verses that came before and after a verse and used that single verse to justify what was in fact merely my own opinion. But I say now to myself and every other Christian, how dare we distort the Word of God!

I'm upset and deeply grieved that distorting Scripture is becoming commonplace and acceptable to all too many who profess to be Christians.

There are some who use select verses of the Bible to condone their own sin. There are others who misuse Scripture verses to embrace spiritual practices that are rooted in religions that deny that Jesus is the only way to God.

One example of this kind of distortion is what many have done with their teaching about prayer. Rather than see that prayers throughout Scripture are both understandable and about specific needs and expressions of praise and worship, people are introducing non-Biblical forms of prayer based on Eastern religions or new age teachings. They want prayer to be not just us talking to God but also God talking to us. They want to teach us yoga or other non-Biblical methods to enhance our ability to "hear" God when we pray.

There are those who cite the experience Elijah had in the cave when he heard the "still small voice" (KJV) or "gentle whisper" (NIV) (1 Kings 19:12). They say we should seek that sort of thing when we pray.

But wait a minute. Was hearing that "still small voice" something that God wants all Christians to learn how to experience? Let's take a closer look at the actual context of that verse:

1Ki 19:9  There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Ki 19:10  He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
1Ki 19:11  And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
1Ki 19:12  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.
1Ki 19:13  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Ki 19:14  He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
1Ki 19:15  And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
1Ki 19:16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
1Ki 19:17  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.
1Ki 19:18  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Did you notice how God spoke quite clearly and plainly to Elijah again and again in that passage? Of course when God speaks He expects us to pay attention and obey what He says. In verse 18 God told Elijah to "Go out on the mount and stand before the Lord."  Then, in verse 19, which is after the "gentle whisper,"  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

When Elijah was in the cave, God spoke to him clearly, and told him to go out. Apparently Elijah did not go out to directly witness the demonstration of wind, earthquake and fire that God caused but was not in. So the next thing Elijah heard was only a gentle whisper. No clear, understandable voice. So Elijah then complied with the Lord's command, and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

What was said in that whisper? There's no we can know that. But is it all likely that it was words of spiritual closesness involving a deepening relationship? Both before and after the whisper God essentially had clearly asked Elijah why he was hiding out in that cave. Both times Elijah gave the same  excuse. After the second time of giving that excuse, God filled in what was really going on and what was about to happen.

Perhaps that whisper was simply God giving the same command to come out and stand on the mountain in a softer voice. Both parents and employers will sometimes use a softer, not louder, voice to convey they are quite serious in what they are saying and the child or employee had better listen. Or maybe the softness of the whisper made Elijah think that if he didn't respond to God's command to come out of the cave that if God spoke again it would be so soft that he wouldn't be able to hear it at all. Whatever it was, the Holy Spirit knew it was not meant to be included in Scripture for us to read.

In any case, Elijah then decided to obey the command to come out, and did so after wrapping his face in his cloak. He must have known that actually seeing God could very well be blinding or even fatal.

When Elijah did what God had commanded him, God once again spoke plainly to him rather than in a low whisper. Got repeated what He’d already said, and then went on to speak more things that He wanted him to hear and for us to read in Scripture for many generations.

Another popular verse that is applied in a distorted out of context fashion is from Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” But is that from a section of Scripture teaching about how we should pray? Look for yourself at the entire verse along with comes before and after it.

Psa 46:6  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Psa 46:7  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psa 46:8  Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
Psa 46:9  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
Psa 46:10  He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psa 46:11  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Look at the “Be still, and know that I am God” as part of this section of the Word of God as it talks about nations in an uproar and then God intervening. He lifts His voice, the earth melts. Desolations He has brought on the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire. Having done all that, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’”

Psalm 46 is not a teaching about prayer! Psalm 46 is a description of God judging and putting an end to nations doing what they want to do in fighting with one another. God is going to have the final say, and put an end to petty warfare with a blazing judgment that will leave nations with no choice but to be still and know that He is God, and He will be exalted no matter what any nation or any person might want to do otherwise.

All who distort the word of God either through intentional twisting of Scripture, or wanton disregard of proper study of the Bible, should be ashamed of themselves. I regret ever having unintentionally misrepresented God by misusing a verse or passage of Scripture. Let us all take great care in what we say or write when we teach what God has put in His Bible.

Let’s be like Paul in what he wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 4:2 “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.”  NIV

Let us heed Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” NIV

I don’t want to distort the word of God. I don’t want to be a worker who is ashamed. I desperately and diligently want to correctly handle the word of truth.

Let’s pray for one another. Let us pray for all who seek to teach what the Bible says. May what we teach only be what God has truly proclaimed in His written Word.

How Should We do Whatever We Do?

Col 3:17 & 23-24 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. ESV

Every other Saturday a small group gets together in our home to look at and discuss a portion of Scripture. A few of the verses we looked at this past Saturday were the ones quoted above. In between verse 17 and verses 23 and 24 Paul made it clear that he wasn't just referring to what we do in church. Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus should be reflected how we live, whether we're husbands, wives, children, parents, or even bondservants.

Nowhere in Colossians 3:17-24 does it limit how we are to treat others based on whether we think they deserve it or not. It doesn't tell us husbands to love our wives and not be harsh with them if they behave to our liking or unless they aggravate us. It doesn't tell bondservants to obey their masters if and when they happen to like how they're being treated.

In this passage of Scripture, each of the instructions given to particular groups of people is based on doing things in the name of the Lord. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior that we are His, and we represent Him in whatever we do and wherever we go.

How does Jesus want us husbands to relate to our wives? How does Jesus want wives to relate to their husbands? How does He want parents to relate to their children, and the children to their parents? How does He want servants or employees to relate to those for whom they serve in the workplace?

We can know how we are go go about doing things from what we learn from Scripture. We can learn what Jesus said and did, and what His followers explained in their writings in Scripture. It is so good to check back with what's written because we can get caught up in present circumstances and act on our feelings rather than according to how Jesus wants us to live.

Hopefully this little blog post can help remind you (and me) of how we should do whatever we do as we live out each day. Jesus is worthy of our paying attention to doing things His way. Not to earn salvation, for He's given that as a free gift. But simply because doing things His way expresses our love and appreciation for who He is and what He's done.

Our Church Has A New Name

This week the members of our church voted to change the name of our church from Brookville Baptist Church to Brookville Bible Church.

Now that our church has this new name, I hope and pray that we will become more dedicated and devoted than ever to know what the Bible says, and live according to what it says.

In Paul's second letter to Timothy he wrote:  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) ESV

A banner in our church declares that this is a church where Jesus is Lord and people are loved. In order for that to be true, we must know what is in the Bible and live by it. Even Jesus Himself confirmed the authority of Scripture by saying again and again "it is written" when speaking and teaching. He was reminding people that what had already been written in Scripture by Moses and the prophets was the word of God.

If Jesus is to be our Lord we must know what He wants us to know. It's not up to us to make up or to imagine what He might want us to know and do. We need to go to the Word of God and read what it says and how it says it in context.

If we are going to use the word Bible in the name of our church we want to be sure that we and all who teach in our church heed Paul's instruction to Timothy when he wrote Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) ESV

We are to do our best. Our very best. We are to take care that we rightly handle the word of truth. We don't want to add to it or take away from it. We don't want to change it to make it more acceptable to people. We don't want to make it say what it does not say.

We don't want to misrepresent God or what God has said in His Word. If we ever do that, even unintentionally, we won't be rightly handling the word of truth.

We want to follow the example of Paul in declaring to others the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). To do that we have to study the Bible carefully. We need to know what comes before and after passages of Scripture. We need to know what the rest of the Bible has to say about the subject that one passage addresses.

The Bible contains what God wants us to know about Himself, and what He has done, is doing, and will do.

The Bible tells us how God wants us to relate to Him, in awesome fear, obedience, worship, and thankfulness for the salvation provided by the sacrifice of His only begotten son, Jesus.

The Bible also tells us how God wants us to relate to one another, in our churches, in our families, and in the world.

The more we know what the Bible truly teaches, the more we will be able to live as the people and the church He commands us to be.

Let us all, whether members of Brookvville Bible Church or not, be diligent in learning what God want us to learn from His written Word. May the new name of our church inspire to us to do our very best to know what the Bible says to us so we can become better equipped for every good work.

In Jesus All Things Hold Together

Col 1:16-17  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ESV

This passage in Paul's letter to the Colossians does not describe Jesus as merely a profound teacher or religious leader. Jesus does teach and He does lead those who follow Him. But He is so much more than that.

This passage of Scripture, like the opening verses of the Gospel written by John, declare Jesus to be the one who created everything that has been created.

Apart from Jesus, nothing that has been created would exist. There would be no universe. No stars. No planets. No you. No me.

You and I owe our existence to Jesus. Jesus, as our creator, and the creator of everything else that has been created, knows everything about us and the rest of creation. He knows the purpose of why we and all else was created.

This passage of Scripture states that we were not created for the benefit of ourselves.Verse 17 states that all things were created through Him and for Him.

You and I and everyone and everything else was created for Jesus. Want to know what you purpose in life is? The purpose why you and everything else exists is Jesus.

This passage also makes it clear that Jesus didn't just create everything and then no longer had anything to do with it. It says that in Him all things hold together.

When Jesus was here in a flesh and blood body, He didn't cease to be who has always been and will always be. He who created everything still had power over everything. He could and did walk on water. He could and did calm a storm. He could and did make enough food to feed thousands of people. He restored crippled bodies and even brought people who had died back to life.

 He could do all those things because in Him all those things were held together. He is still holding all things together. He deserves more of our attention. We ought to learn all we can about Him and what He wants us to know. To know those things we need to know what is in the Bible.

If we're not learning what is written in the Bible we are going through life ignorant of what is really important. We were designed to be able to know and understand things. If you don't yet own a Bible, you can go online to read and study it for free. One such online site where you can do that is BibleGateway.com.

Jesus is worthy of more of our attention. He holds everything together, including you and me. Apart from Him we could not exist. Let us give Him more of the attention He deserves.

Jesus Savior King and Creator

John 1:1-3, 14  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ESV

What kind of a God is this that would become flesh and live among us? Well, the kind of God that God is not for us to decide. God is who He is, and we can't change that. We can't change who God is. But we can seek His help in learning what He wants us to know about Himself.

Indeed, becoming born as a baby was a way for us to come to know more about God than any of what had been spoken and written by prophets over many centuries.

If we want to come to know God we have to come to know Jesus. We need to know about His birth, His life, His teachings, His miracles, His death on the Cross, His resurrection, and His return to Heaven. We can learn these things from the written word, the Bible.

The things we learn about Jesus we can ponder, and believe, and even sing about.

Today I came across this song, You're Here, by Francesca Battistelli. I hope you'll be blessed by it.

Hearing and Doing What Jesus Says

Mat 7:24-27  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."  ESV

Do you know what Jesus said while He was here? It's important to know what He said because He knows things that you and I do not know. He knows what is really important.

Even more important than knowing what Jesus said is doing what He told us to do. There are disastrous consequences for not hearing and doing what Jesus has said. He likened it to building a house on sand.

My grandfather owned a few houses in his lifetime. He even had a house on Cape Cod. But he knew not to buy a house near the ocean because on Cape Cod all the land near the ocean is sand. He'd seen too many houses near the water which after winter storms were severely damaged or gone altogether.

Sand isn't solid or steady. Torrential rains and wind can wash it away along with anything built on it.

So it is with what we build our lives on. Jesus is the one who made everything that is made and knows the purpose of everything. He knows how we are supposed to live and how we are to relate to Him and to one another. We might think somebody else knows better because he or she sounds so smart. Or we might think that we ourselves are smarter than Jesus, so we'll just go and do whatever we think is best.

But just as a hurricanes come and wreck havoc on buildings and property, so there will come storms that can do eternal devastation to ourselves if we don't heed what the Son of God says.

Do you know what Jesus has said? You can find what He said in the Bible. Read it. But don't just be content to just learn what He has said because that is not enough. We need to both hear and then do what He has said.

When we believe who Jesus is, and seek to obey what He says for us to do, and yet fail at it, we can still obey His command to repent. The more we honestly seek to obey Him, and yet not ever perfectly succeed, the more we can and should repent. That, too, is hearing and doing what Jesus has told us.

Get prepared for the various kinds of storms that will come. Know that the only way to prepare for some of those storms is by hearing and doing what Jesus says,

Want to Know What Eternal Life Is?

Joh 17:3  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  ESV

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ESV

Have you given any thought to eternal life? Do you think it means living in heaven forever? Jesus has something to say on the matter. He referred to eternal life in the prayer that is recorded in the 17th chapter of the book of John.

The apostle John also wrote about eternal life near the end of the 5th chapter of his first letter. Neither place does it mention Heaven. Nor do these passages refer simply to living forever. If we want to understand what eternal life really is we ought to consider what God has to say about it in Scripture.

Take a look at what Jesus said. This is eternal life. That they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

Eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ whom God sent. Notice that it doesn't just say that eternal life is to know God. It says it is to know God and Jesus Christ whom God sent. I believe Jesus worded it that way because God is spirit and we are incapable to truly knowing God on our own. God had to come in the flesh as both the Son of God and Son of Man so He could be observed and heard and clearly written about for following generations of people like you and me.

Consider this other thing that Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:;6 (ESV)

 Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the life. To have the life that is eternal we have to have Jesus. To know what eternal life is we have to know Jesus. To truly know Jesus, He has to make Himself known to us and the principle way He does that is through what is written in Scripture.

Do you want eternal life? You can't have it apart from knowing Jesus Christ. So if you do want eternal life then look to the Bible to see what God has to say about Himself and His Son who is God in the flesh. Keep in mind that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. We may not like that to be true but we're not the one who decides what is true or fair. We're not perfect. God is.