Forgotten God by Francis Chan

Here is a little more information on the book that Jim was telling you about this morning.

SUPPORT

First, I would like to say that Jim did not solicit any support for his family that is abroad doing GOD's work.

That said, I felt the Spirit moved me to suggest that we as a group take action as a result in what we are learning from our study of JAMES. This suggestion was not intended to diminish the love and the significance of the care package that Jim and wife put together already and just mailed off. When I suggested this a week ago, it was an opportunity for anyone to stand up and voice any objections, but I heard none. Hence, I brought it again today for our consideration and again via this post.

I must confess that my motives may be partially selfish, in that this act may offset some of my guilt of commercialism that I shared in my last weeks post. Nevertheless, I sense that this season of giving wears us down including our wallets. To clarify my vision of support, it was not in context of money,rather the provision of items that may be readily available state side (i.e., what we take for granted), but not necessarily on the shelf abroad. More importantly it was not intended to solve their challenges, but was a token demonstration by their follow Christians that their sacrifices to do GOD's work is not forgotten and our love. I would venture to say that if I were in their shoes during unproductive periods, I could have a weak moment or two to ponder whether if GOD or anyone cares for that matter, and whether it was a big mistake (just like our brave troops on the firing line).

What can fit in a flat rate box? Examples: Tooth paste or brushes, water purification tablets, band aids, ointments for cuts/burns, aspirin, quotes of our favorite scripture for inspiration, battery free radio/flashlight (hand crank, matches, any survival type item (e.g., space blanket, mag. striker fire starter, candles, sewing kits ....), wood screws, various bolts & nuts, hand mirrors, small multiple-purpose tools, stamps, paper pads, pencils, plastic bags, inspect repellent wipes, sun screen wipes, lip balm, compass, string, duct tape, scotch tape, glue, paper cups
......etc.

I know we can do this.

Your brother in Christ

JAMES 2:15-18

"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."

BLACK FRIDAY

Our study of James has given me a different perspective on what we believe as a society.

Following Thanksgiving, an another opportunity to give thanks to GOD for our blessings, which obviously we could do every day, I am a little taken back on the brazen attack by commercialism. Not trying to be judgmental, but face it brothers, the underlying message I am hearing is that our economy (i.e., retail sector) again is at the mercy of consumers. Indeed, James may agree that it is a "black" Friday in the context of being evil or Satan based. Although believers, this is a stark reminder that we are still "duel" minded, where we aspire to be spiritual, but still live in a physical world, tainted with original sin since creation. Sad to say, I am not above it as I ponder how to spoil the grand kids for Christmas.

Past holidays, I confess I tried to offset my consumerism with token donations (i.e., a goat, or portable water treatment in the names of our grand kids) more so out of guilt, but no fault to them, it would be very unlikely, that they would be able to recall those small mercies given in their same.

Bottom line, pray for me and ourselves for that matter, that we can survive this holiday with some spiritual integrity still intact, and not to take repentance for granted.

Love you all in Christ.

Thank You, Father.

Could God have blessed us with a more glorious day than we have today?

Not a cloud in the sky. An awe-inspiring sunrise. Pikes Peak standing so tall and glowing so majestically under its snow cap in the blue morning sky—a stalwart, dominating our Colorado valley. Just a gentle breeze from the south. Air so fresh and crisp. A forecasted high of 61.

What a day to be alive! What a day to be in His kingdom!

What a day to say, "Thank You, Father!"

For everything.

But mostly, thank You for loving us.

Let's take the time to really include Him in celebrating this national holiday with our families today. For, without Him we would have nothing. We would be nothing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

____________________________________

Here's the link to the Manhattan Declaration that we briefly discussed yesterday: http://manhattandeclaration.org/ You'll know what to do when you get there.

The Law of Liberty

While pondering the phrase "the law of liberty" in James 2, I came across an interesting view by J. Motyer that I thought I'd share for your comment.

"James has so far taught us two truths about the command to love our neighbour as ourselves.

First, because it is the royal law, the law that in a special sense belongs to the king, we would wish to obey it—simply because he would specially desire us to do so.

Secondly, because it is a command of the law of God, we must obey it. To dismiss it is to dismiss the facet of the Glory of God which it represents; to leave it to others is to say that it is immaterial whether this part of the Lord’s likeness is seen in me. It comes to us as a revelation of God, and with his authority, therefore we must obey it.

But, thirdly, it is part of the law of liberty, and therefore we can obey it.

... the Lord gave his law to his people in order to safeguard the liberty which he had achieved for them by bringing them out of Egypt (Ex. 20:2). The law of God is not a new bondage, but is given to mark the end of the old bondage and the beginning of true freedom.

We must now seek to understand how this is so.

All around us today we see the social rules and conventions, which used to be respected, being broken or discarded. It is very easy to lament over the spirit of rebelliousness which this seems to represent, but the true explanation lies deeper. What people are really seeking is freedom. We look around us at a whole array of inherited laws and customs, find them a real restriction and bondage, and cast them on one side, saying that we want to be ourselves, free of the cramping restrictions of former people and earlier days.

The easiest and in many ways the best illustration is marriage and sex. Why should something as hopefully exciting and satisfying as sexual intercourse be reserved for marriage and restricted to the married? The adult generation replied: It has always been so; that is the way we were brought up. The young replied: But we are not yesterday; we are today; we don’t see it like that; we want to be ourselves. The church said: It has always been church teaching and tradition; and the young replied: But we don’t belong to your church; we want to be ourselves. And since neither Christian nor non-Christian marriages seemed to be a great commendation for the adult and church viewpoint, a generation of experimenters grew up, trying to find a life-style which would ‘enable us to be ourselves’—in other words, to be free.

But what does it mean to ‘be ourselves’? What is true human nature? What seems to enable us to ‘be ourselves’ so often leads only to a new bondage. We see it in the sex-scene and the drugs-scene all around us. Liberty was promised; bondage followed. We must first know what we are before we can arrive at ‘being ourselves’ and truly free. The Bible has the answer: Man is made in the image of God. Our true freedom depends on discovering how we can give expression to our true nature. How can we live so as to be like him?

James answers this crucial question by his startling expression, the law of liberty. bringing together the two things which people think of as opposites, law and liberty! But, as we have seen, the law is the nature of God expressed in commandments. When we obey his commands, then we are living like him. We are in the image of God; the law is in the image of God. When we bring these two together, we are ‘being ourselves’; we are truly free. God’s law describes the life of true freedom; obedience opens the door into the free life.

It is for this reason that we as Christians never need hesitate to point anyone to the law of God as the true way of life, for it spells out the image of God for the benefit of those who were created in the image of God. It is the true way of life for all.

We shall be accused, of course, of seeking to impose ‘our standards’ on those who do not share our convictions, but this is not so. The patient does not refuse the doctor’s prescription, saying, ‘I am not a doctor; he has no right to force his ideas on me.’ With the Bible in our hands we happen to know what human nature truly is, and also the way of life that brings true human nature to full development. In a word, we have on offer what the world wants: real freedom.

But for ourselves there is another whole dimension. Acts 5:32 says that God gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him. In other words, the very act of obeying is a key to power. The law of God does more than describe the life of liberty; obedience liberates. Hebrews 10:16–17 (quoting Je. 31:33) explains this by saying that through the saving work of Christ we have been given by God a heart that matches the requirements of his law. James might put it in his own way: we were brought to new birth by the word our Father spoke (1:18). His word of truth in all its aspects resides in our new nature, and waits to be triggered off by the precepts of his law. We are called to obey and, because the law corresponds to the wishes and capacities of the new heart, we can."

J. A. Motyer, The Message of James : The Tests of Faith, The Bible speaks today, p100 (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985).

God's answer to my anger

Well brothers when you ask for wisdom it is best to be quiet and listen to His wisdom.

I quickly vented my emotions on this issue with a safe outlet and then just waited. Today a call announced that the closing of the loan was approved and when would we like to finish the paperwork. It took four days for this to become the result and during that time I just waited to see and hear His solution. I just counted to 10, 100,000 times and He provided.


Blessings Robb

"Did you ever eat a donut hole?"

In our Truth Project tour last night (#3 Anthropolgy, Who is Man?), we jumped into a discussion on evil, its definition, its source, its effects.

After all, says the typical wordlview, "There is only good in man, no evil. Evil besets man from social insitutions, and other sources, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum infinitum et cetera."

When our time concluded, I asked Mark about the study that his small group undertook last year and how it might compare with The Truth Project. He gave me the Web address, and I was thrilled today to find a lead article there written by Gregory Koukl which sheds further light on the discussion of evil.

It’s linked right off the home page of www.str.org, and I commend it to you.

It’s called, “A Good Reason for Evil – What is evil? Could it have a purpose? Here is a view of evil from an adult rather than a childish perspective.”

The subject line of this post isn’t my creation. It is a direct quote lifted from the 6th paragraph of Koukl’s article. Pretty good analogy, I think you’ll find.

Enjoy.

More on Anger...

I find it extremely baffling (and somewhat irritating) that four of the five popular translations, to which I refer in study—NASB, ESV, NIV and CEV—leave out the phrase "without a cause" from Jesus' teaching on anger in Matthew 5:22.

Such an omission can cause one to miss the mark. Conversely, such an inclusion could do the same. Maybe that is why Christians debate the topic as fervently as they do.

Further, the NLT, NCV, NIRV, HCSB, Darby, ASV, WYC, DRA, NIVUK, TNIV do not contain it.

All 3 versions of the King James quote the phrase; as do Young's Literal Translation and the Worldwide English ("without good reason"). The score, in case you're keeping track is now 5-14.

The Amplified Bible offers its own twist:

"But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!]1 shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire."

Ah, 6-14 now!

I prefer the New King James Translation of this verse:

"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’2 shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

I'm no Biblical scholar; don't want to be one; and, may hold only a candle (maybe about the size of a re-igniting birthday candle, at that) to those torchlights who have studied Scripture for their entire lives.

But, this wandering, wondering soul believes that God has gifted us with all our emotions for the purpose of completing our nature. Anger is one of those emotions. Yes, it, like all our other emotions, is a gift.

There are days that I am thankful for it. Sometimes, anger can serve a good and perhaps godly purpose. For instance, anger can be rather nourishing when we need to display, enkindle or defend a passion for something good. Most times, unfortunately, unbridled anger takes us to places where not one of us want to go.

Given free reign, each and every one of our emotions can lead us to sin and devastation. Anger is no exception.

Ergo, I believe that we need to learn to control each emotion, using our moral compasses and the Spiritual guidance with which we are blessed. We need to learn how to practice what we have been taught and to do what we preach, guarding our attitudes—especially towards others. You know, it's centered around that command concerning love for neighbors.

But don't just take my word for it. John MacArthur explains it much better this way:

"Though anger is a serious sin, there is a righteous anger that we need to talk about, even though that is not what Jesus means here. For example, there was a time when Jesus took a cord and started driving people out of the Temple (Jn. 2:13-17). There are times when God's indignation reaches its absolute limit and explodes in vengeance. There are also times when a believer has a right to be angry. In fact, I believe that the holier we get, the angrier we should be getting about some things. I think we need a little more of this latter kind of anger, especially in a day when everybody wants to talk about love, togetherness, and the absence of conflict. We begin to get so mealymouthed about everything that we won't stand for anything. Some of us ought to learn how to express a little bit of righteous indignation about some of the things that are going on in our country, our churches, and our schools. We also ought to be angry about some of the things our children are exposed to, some of the trends our society is promoting, and some of the things that come waltzing into our homes on television. We ought to have the kind of anger that is not sin: "Be ye angry, and sin not..." (Eph. 4:26a). There is a right kind of anger.

"However, the anger Jesus is talking about here in verse 22 is selfish anger. "To be angry" in the Greek is orgizesthai, and its root is orge, which is a sort of a brooding, nursed anger that is not allowed to die--it's a smoldering, long-lived kind of thing, for the most part. When you bitterly hold a grudge against somebody, no matter how small, Jesus says that you are as guilty as the person who takes a life, and consequently, you deserve the same judgment. There shouldn't be any difference, because they are both just as serious. In fact, the same Greek word for "judgment" is used at the end of verse 21 to refer to the sentence meted out by a civil court for murder. Likewise, Jesus says, "If you are angry, then you are in danger of execution. Capital punishment should belong to you for anger just as much as for murder." This is a devastating statement, because it forces us to evaluate our attitudes. It isn't what we do so much as what we are and what we feel. I don't know a civil court in the world that would give the death penalty to somebody for getting angry. But if God is the One sitting on the throne and calling the verdicts, then we had better accept the fact that the one who is angry is as guilty as the one who kills."

It's worth your time to read the full discertation here: http://www.gty.org/Resources/Study+Guide+Chapter/2214.

I concur. Do you?

IBG / JF

1 Young's Literal Translation "Empty fellow!"
2 Young's Literal Translation "Rebel!"

Anger

Brothers,

How do we apply this concept of anger management when we are surrounded by the multiple of fiery darts of satan? I have been mislead in the re-financing of our home. I have been given excuses on why we can't close in the time frame that was committed to by the leader. We have already been approved for this loan but can't get everyone to the table to finish it. Should we quit and find a new loan, go to God in prayer or exhibit righteous anger at the ineptness of these agents? Before you answer think about how God speaks to us through the worlds actions.

Blessings

Robb

Pauls's Prayers

I had promised to post these some time ago. If I've missed any or cut them off wrong, let me know.

These are excerpts of Paul's letters that show how he prayed and guided people to pray. The idea is to see what concerned this great man of God in prayer so we can better pray in line with God's will and concerns.

Romans 1:8-13 (NIV) First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Romans 15:30-31 (NIV) I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,

Ephesians 1:18-23 (NASB95) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 3:14-22 (NASB95) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 1:3-6 (NASB95) I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB95) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:3-5 (NASB95) We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you...

Colossians 1:9-12 (NASB95) For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Colossians 4:2-5 (NASB95) Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 (NIV) How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12(NIV) With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 6 (NIV) I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

I would be interested in hearing how do you think these would change the way you pray.

You can also see this post on thehiddenmanna.org

Varying Measures of Biblical Importance

I thought that you might be interested in a new research report from the Barna Group. It examines recent nationwide studies on how different generations of Americans view and use the Bible.

You might want to see the findings because they help put into perspective the true Biblical Worldview among our own adult groups.

==> http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/317-new-research-explores-how-different-generations-view-and-use-the-bible


Also, if you want to read an update of the Barma’s original research, the work mentioned in The Truth Project (you know, the 9% study), you can find it here:

==> http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

I have pondered the reason for Creation? Maybe this may be too simplified, but I have concluded that GOD created us to have a "personal relationship" with him. Back to the earlier threads on "fruit", the description of fruits of the spirits below gives us some insight on "good" fruit.

"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." [Galatians 5:22-23, NIV]

That said, I am venturing to say that GOD has nothing to do with evil or "bad" fruit. Hence to have a personal relationship with GOD, it appears we are being "pruned" or matured to be fruitful like the Spirit.

Walk Through the Bible's NT Seminar

NorthWord Church is sponsoring a Walk Through the Bible's New Testament Seminar on Saturday, November 7, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colo.

I've never attended one of these, but people who have tell me that they are powerful.

In just a few hours you can have a fresh and thorough understanding of 77 key NT people, places and events that may change your life and the lives of those around you forever. NWC conducted a Walk Through the Old Testament earlier this year, and plans to make it an on-going series.

Open to everyone (6th grade and older) and any family.

Go to http://northword.org/NWC_WTNT.pdf. There, you'll find details, an e-mail link for reserving your seat(s), and a phone number with a live person on the other end to answer any questions or a pledge to call you back. Registration: $20 per person.

TESTING VS PRUNING

Another way at looking at testing and maturing, is that GOD is pruning us as we are now grafted to the Vine (i.e., Jesus) to become more fruitful (i.e., mature). Hence, we are continually being pruned or groomed spiritually during our short time of existence on earth, which I can only surmised to prepare us to have a personal relationship with GOD and CHRIST.

¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^a]">[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." [NIV, John 15:1-1-8]

I have come to realize that although GOD is patient, we only have a finite time to mature as suggested as follows:

^"6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

⁸" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' " [NIV, Luke 13:6-9]

¹⁶And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

¹⁸"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

²⁰"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

²¹"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." [NIV, Luke 12:16-21]

I can only say that I have played the role of that "fool", in planning for tomorrow, but I too could have my life demanded from me this very night. This is a sobering thought. I wanted to share this with you all because I love you, and sense a need to change my priorities (bear good fruit).

It has been shown to me that part of our spiritual lives involves fellowship. Consider when everything goes wrong what do we do after praying about that issue or time. We ask our brothers to either help us or provide a different point of view on it.

Consider what it is like to be alone and unable to seek help from our friends!!
How do we support each other in our daily walk?
Comments:

James 1:3 Testing by Fire is a Good Thing!

Great discussion Thursday morning on James 1-15. I put some later thoughts on my blog. Check out the link (it's the title of this blog)- and please leave a comment either there or here with your thoughts or at least to let me know I'm not talking to an empty room.

Word Study - lust

Notes on two important Greek words used in James 1:14

Lust. Ἐπιθυμια (lust) is old word for craving, to have a desire for either good (Phil. 1:23) or evil (Rom. 7:7) as here [James 1:14].

Enticed, old verb from "bait", to catch fish by bait or to hunt with snares. In N.T. only here and II Pet. 2:14, 18. Allured by definite bait.

(A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention., Jas 1:14)

Englishmans' Greek Concordance for ἐπιθυμία (epithumia) in the ESV New Testament
38 occurrences translated covet (1), covetousness (1), desire (6), desires (12), earnestly (1), longed (1), lust (2), lusts (1), passions (13)

Mark 4:19 …world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke …

Luke 22:15 … And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you …

John 8:44 …and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, …

Rom 1:24 … Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the …

Rom 6:12 …your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

Rom 7:7 …would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You …

Rom 7:8 …the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies …

Rom 13:14 …no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Gal 5:16 …the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Gal 5:24 …have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Eph 2:3 …among whom • we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires …

Eph 4:22 …manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,

Phil 1:23 …I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is * to depart and be with Christ, …

Col 3:5 …earthly in you: * sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry.

1 Thess 2:17 …we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, *

1 Thess 4:5 not in the passion of lust like • the Gentiles who do not know …

1 Tim 6:9 …into * a snare, into * many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

2 Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, …

2 Tim 3:6 …burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

2 Tim 4:3 …accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

Titus 2:12 … training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly …

Titus 3:3 …once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice …

James 1:14 …he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

James 1:15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to …

1 Pet 1:14 …obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

1 Pet 2:11 …as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against …

1 Pet 4:2 …time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

1 Pet 4:3 …the Gentiles want to do, * living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

2 Pet 1:4 …that is in the world because of sinful desire.

2 Pet 2:10 … and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold …

2 Pet 2:18 …loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely …

2 Pet 3:3 …last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

1 John 2:16 …For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of …
…world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions— …

1 John 2:17 …the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God …

Jude 16 …These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; • they are loud-mouthed boasters, * showing favoritism * to …

Jude 18 …there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

Rev 18:14 • “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your …

Proven and Approved

James 1:12 talks about being approved. What exactly does that mean? To answer that we have to uncover what the word meant to the author and the way we do that is to look at the way the Greek word he used is used by this author and all the other writings of that period that we have access to. There is seldom a one-to-one correspondence between words in any two languages. Words may overlap in meaning and thus can be translated between languages, but the meanings are never totally coincident because people in different cultures think and express themselves differently. You can easily see this in the following word study. Try to think what a first century Greek speaking person has in their minds when they use the word we are examining.

The bold words are basically the same Greek word. By examining the various ways it is translated into English you can deduce something of the the meaning it had in first century culture.

Noun Form

Romans 14:18 (NASB95) For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Romans 16:10 (NASB95) Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.

1 Corinthians 11:19 (NASB95) For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.

2 Corinthians 10:18 (NASB95) For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 13:7 (NASB95) Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

James 1:12 (NASB95) Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Verb Form

James 1:12 (NASB95) Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Luke 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but …
…but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Luke 14:19 …five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’

Rom 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them …

Rom 2:18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed …

Rom 12:2 …of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what …

Rom 14:22 …to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.

1 Cor 3:13 …be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has …

1 Cor 11:28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the …

1 Cor 16:3 …I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to …

2 Cor 8:8 …say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your …

2 Cor 8:22 …are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but …

2 Cor 13:5 …to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this …

Gal 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason …

Eph 5:10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Phil 1:10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure …

1 Thess 2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the …

…to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

1 Thess 5:21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.

1 Tim 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons …

1 Pet 1:7 …precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire— may be found to result …

1 John 4:1 … Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are

Word Study - Temptation

All the bold words are basically the same word in Greek. The word means to be put to the test, to submit another to a test, to make an attempt to make one stumble, to learn the true nature of character, an enticement to sin/distrust God or to break one’s fidelity, integrity, or virtue. A different Greek word is used to describe being “on trial” before a court to determine guilt or innocence.
Matthew 6:13a (NASB95). ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’

Matthew 26:41 (NASB95) “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Mark 14:38 (NASB95) “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Luke 4:13 (NASB95) When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Luke 8:13 (NASB95) “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

Luke 11:4 (NASB95) ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

Luke 22:28 (NASB95) “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials;

Luke 22:40 (NASB95) When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Luke 22:46 (NASB95) and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Acts 20:19 (NASB95) serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB95). No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Galatians 4:14 (NASB95). and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.

Hebrews 3:8 (NASB95). Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

James 1:2 (NASB95). Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

James 1:12 (NASB95). Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

1 Peter 1:6 (NASB95). In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

1 Peter 4:12 (NASB95). Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

2 Peter 2:9 (NASB95). then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

Revelation 3:10 (NASB95). ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

The Dangers of Discernment

Tim Challies has a great books on The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. He has a whole chapter on "The Dangers of Discernment" which I found insightful. Here are a few of Tim's thoughts.

On a completely unrelated note, I thought this article by John MacArthur was thought-provoking. I'll bet we could get a good discussion going on this one!

1. Innocent as to What is Evil - 1 Corinthians 14:20 - "There is a danger inherent in the practice of discernment. Those who seek to draw clear distinctions between what is good and what is evil can spend undue time and attention on evil.

2. Guilt by Association - "Rather than understanding the beliefs of a particular individual and comparing those to the Word of God, they judge the person base on the beliefs of another person. The irrationally associate the guilt of one person's poor theology onto another.

3. Honor by Association

9. Withdrawal - "...discernment does not give us license to ignore Christian fellowship and to separate ourselves from other believers."

10. Truth without Love - "Perhaps the greatest danger in discernment is that it can be done from poor motives."

To Discern Truth ...

You all know how much I respect John MacArthur. In fact, my respect for him is just about as much as everyone else's in our small group.

Yet, this morning, in completing our study of Fool's Gold, I had the audacity to claim that there weren't 7, but 9, steps in a plan to achieve personal discernment. Well, you saw how mine were counted.

Now I'd like to add to that list of 7, not out of belligerence or one-upsmanship, but out of personal reflection. Some may be related; some not.

See if you discern to agree. Or, see if you want to add. Feel free to do so. That's what our blog is all about.

Ways to Build and Nurture Discernment

• You have to want it.
  
• You need to seek wisdom from God.
  
• You need to pray for wisdom because, as Proverbs 1:7 states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction."
  
• You need to prepare and guard your heart; don't let it deceive you because "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick..." (Jer 17:9)
  
• It helps greatly to humble your Self. As Paul states in Timothy 2:15-17, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer..." Doesn't that sound a little like the sacrifice called for im Romans 12:1? (But, boy! wouldn't it be great to sense approval and actually feel the confidence in being a co-worker?)
  
• Depend on the Holy Spirit. "Self" cannot do this alone; it, by itself, is powerless to do anything. Not so, with the Holy Spirt, who is so empowering.
  
• Study, learn and know Scripture.
  
• Love God's Word. Elevate it to the high place in your life as the source of all truth and wisdom.
  
• Obey God's Word.
  
• Love always. (This is easy to forget.)
  
• Sift and test.
  
• Nuture and correct. Put this discernment thing into action.
  
• Follow discerning leaders.
  
• Grow in this wisdom and discernment.

Well, that's 14. Not 9. Not 7. Any others???

BTW, the link to The Truth Project that I mentioned this a.m. is:

http://mytruthproject.org/login.aspx

If you have registered under the new site, just login and go to "Tours" for the new video excerpts.

If you haven't registered—ever, you might just be forced to sign up as a participant. That's easy. Just find my group and register. It won't hurt. I don't bite. Look for jfullen_at_tandemnet.com, or by zip of 80918.

IBG/JF

WORSHIP

Based on my comments this morning at the Men's Thursday Bible Study, hopefully I can accurately share some insights from the 9 am Tri-Lakes empty nesters Bible group with respect to how "people" worship.

Essentially, but not intended to be all inclusive, people tend to worship in two ways:
1. Response
2. Negotiate

An example how people would worship in "response" mode is when they give thanks to the Lord for their blessings, or in the context of establishing a personal relationship with our Lord or Savior.

On the other hand, another observed form of worship is a "negotiate" mode where we tend to offer to obey God's commands or do something with expectations of some positive respond from our Lord. This is sort of an imposed covenant from the bottom up, and the potential risk is what those imposed "expectations" may be beyond salvation. That said, the point was that for the obvious reasons or maybe not so obvious, this form of worship is shallow at best, or questionable. Just because I got up on Sunday to attend a worship service, it would be self centered of me to think that God owes me for attendance. I will confess I have been guilty in this type of worship in the past to some degree, and hopefully, am sufficiently enlighten now to avoid this type of worship. Of course, worship based an existing covenant offered from our Lord (i.e., Salvation through Christ) would not be subject to negotiation. Also, this observation was not intended to apply to our prayer life, where we can ask our Lord to help us.

Jim asked a couple of weeks ago what did it mean to each of us to worship. The points made above was not intended to define or dictate how we as believers should worship, but rather make us rethink why we worship.

It was a great Thursday study, and as ended, we prayed for our brothers in attendance and not in attendance that the Spirit would be there to help us all with our burdens of this day and during the pending week. May we live the WORD. God bless you all.

5 Solas

Here are the "5 Solas" of the reformation that we talked about.

Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace alone)
Sola Fide (Faith alone)
Solus Christus (Christ alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone)

And here is one man's definition of what it means to be "reformed."

http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/reformed-theology/what-it-means-t.php

Oh, and I think we missed "Holy Orders" as the seventh sacrament.

Jelly Fish Christianity?

I read this post this morning and thought it applied well to some of the concerns we have for the state of teaching in many churches. J.C. Ryle lived in the 1800's but the words seem pretty timely.

http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/quotes/dislike-of-dogma.php

Authority - LUKE 20

"One day as he was teaching, the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him, "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said, "Who gave you this authority." (Luke 20:1-2)

Question: Should this question be part of our discernment in our everyday spiritual life?

An Open Question ...

:::
Does Jesus weep over His church because it is so divided?
:::

Tis a Wonderful Day in the Kingdom!

I’m so thankful and grateful for your prayers for Danny! You are good and Godly men to remember and include him in your prayers. Thank you!

They (and all the prayers of others) were indeed graciously answered yesterday. Our older sister and brother-in-law drew the hospital and recovery duties. At 11:30 a.m., our time, Dan had just been taken off the mechanical pump; perhaps 90 minutes later, he was buttoned up and in ICU.

It was a triple bypass, and the surgeon was able to repair the damaged valve. He told my sister that, apparently, Danny had had a heart attack at some time in the past! I hope to speak and pray with him tomorrow; or if not then, on Sunday.

Our God is really so great!

We get to keep my brother with us for a while longer. He gets to serve God some more here. He gets to know Him better before he is called home. Our family is spared grief and mourning; instead, we can put that energy and more into praising God.

Yes!

What a great day it is in the Kingdom!

: Jim