BibleVersity

    "...And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered." (Ezekiel 34:1-5, ASV)     The painting here is entitled, "The Bad Shepherd," by Pieter Brueghel II in the 1600s. If you look closely you can see where it receives its name. The shepherd is running from a wolf who is devouring one of the sheep. If you look closely, there appears to be another in the distance doing the same. It is a pretty good visual illustration of the LORD's scathing words through the prophet Ezekiel. The LORD had not-so-kind words for His ministers, His shepherds, that were responsible for caring for His people, but shrugged off their responsibilities to the sheep for their own interests.    I fully expect to be taken to task over this post, but I cannot remain silent. Several days ago, I posted a blog on alcohol consumption, looking at the OT priests' responsibility, and making application

"The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, 'Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die--it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations--and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.'" - (Lev. 10:8-11, NASB)    In addressing the issue of alcohol within the Christian community, there is an often overlooked principle in Scripture that cannot be ignored. In the Old Testament, the priests were not permitted to drink when they were going to enter into the temple of God, period. To do so would invite death. By abstaining from drinking, they established what is right and wrong as examples for the people of God.  These are not my ideas, these are God's ideas, outlined in the verses above. The Old Testament is ofte

 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."  ( Acts 2:4, NASB)     There are three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament writings. Each is unique, and each has it's own meaning and significance. This post is the final  of four that looks at what Scripture says about each, although they will be covered in a different order than they chronologically appear in the NT.    There have been a number of arguments against Holy Spirit baptism, but they will not be addressed here. The New Testament revealed this experience to be the norm for all believers, whether Jew or Gentile. In addition, the NT gives no command, precept, or prophecy that this was to cease until Jesus returns (1 Cor. 13:10).      The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering to witness and live.  (Acts 1:5-8) It is true that the day of Pentecost mentioned in Acts 2 is the arrival of the Holy Spirit to humani

"Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ' Which,'  He said, ' you heard of from Me;   for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'"  ( Acts 1:4-5, NASB)  There are three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament writings. Each is unique, and each has it's own meaning and significance. This post is number three  of four that will look at what Scripture says about each, although they will be covered in a different order than they chronologically appear in the NT.    All four gospel writers in the New Testament record an interesting statement concerning Jesus before His public ministry fully began:    - "...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matt. 3:11, NASB)    - " I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mk 1:8, NASB)    - "... He will baptize y

  " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  (Matt. 28:19, NASB)         There are three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament writings. Each is unique, and each has it's own meaning and significance. This post is number two of four that will look at what Scripture says about each, although they will be covered in a different order than they chronologically appear in the NT.    The second baptism mentioned in the New Testament is water baptism. Water baptism is simply a public proclamation of what has happened in your life. It is symbolic of dying to sin and self, and of the "new birth" that comes as a result of faith in Jesus. Water baptism does not save a person, nor does the water cleanse a person. Jesus is the one who does both the saving and the cleansing as a result of His blood that He shed on the cross. (Heb. 9:13-14)  Paul tells us that salvation comes by belie

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13, NKJV)      There are three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament writings. Each is unique, and each has it's own meaning and significance. This post, and the following three, will look at what Scripture says about each, although they will be covered in a different order than they chronologically appear in the NT.    The first baptism that the NT reveals to us is the baptism into Christ. The wording may seem odd, but Paul addressed it as such in the verse mentioned above: "By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." This baptism is the spiritual process in which the Holy Spirit makes us a part of the body of Christ. There is another term that we are more accustomed to using that speaks of the same spiritual act: salvation. When a person receives salvation by placing their faith

 "... Go therefore and make disciples ... "  (Matt. 28:18-20, NASB)     In our world today the term "disciple" is used rarely outside of religious conversations. We often use the term "believer" or "Christian", but "disciple" is the term most often used in the New Testament.  A "disciple" is a "pupil or student", or an "apprentice." In essence, a disciple is "a person who becomes like their Master."     How do you know if you are a true disciple? This checklist is oversimplified, but it should help you:    (1) Do you walk with the  Master -  " Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me [Jesus] cannot be My disciple." ( Lk. 14:27-28, NASB)    True disciples walk with Jesus every day, not just Sundays.    (2) Do you work with the  Master - " Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal ever

"Satan...will come out to deceive the nations...the number of them is like the sand of the seashore." - Revelation 20:7-8 (NASB)    This passage of Scripture is fascinating to me. According to John, after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus, Satan will be loosed from his prison to go out and, well, be himself. In doing so he will deceive an untold number, "like the sand of the seashore." If you keep the context in mind, Jesus, the King of kings and the LORD of lords, will be physically present on earth, reigning. People living during that time period will be able to physically see Him. They will know about how He defeated the antichrist at the battle of Armageddon, how He will have brought peace to the world, and how even the natural order of things have been altered. And still they are deceived? Surely this is not right. How is this possible?     In Jesus parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man in torment wanted the angel to send someone to his family to

"I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the the LORD." - Ezekiel 38:23 (NASB)    Ezekiel 38 is speaking about end-times events. Gog and Magog are speaking of the battle of Armageddon as we know it as presented in Revelation. This is the context of the verse above. We always want to make sure that we keep Scripture in its proper context.    Notice what the LORD says that He is going to do in view of the world. First He is going to magnify or elevate Himself. Since creation man has created other "gods" in his own image. God will make Himself known in such a way, working such magnificent wonders, that mankind will have no doubt that He is the LORD. Second, He will sanctify or separate Himself. We usually think of sanctification as a separation from sin. However, God has not and cannot sin. The sanctifying He is speaking of is setting Himself apart from every other "god"

"...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving..." (2 Cor. 4:6, NASB)    I may catch you off-guard just a little when I tell you that the Bible was not given to prove God. Please do not stop reading. I have neither backslidden nor lost my faith. The Bible most certainly is God's revelation of Himself to humanity, but it does not give definitive proof that the God we serve is truly God. Why is this?    The Bible's first four words provide the answer to this question: "In the beginning, God..." (Gen. 1:1) The Bible begins with an understanding that God does truly exist. It does not entertain the idea that He might not exist, nor  does it give an organized list of evidence or scientific proof. It just tells us that before creation came into being, there was God. Humanity is born with this innate understanding that there is a Creator. It is woven into our being. History validates this claim, for on every continent throughout documented

"And also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies." - Ezek. 20:12 (NASB)    (I've had this one sitting "on the desk" for a while).    I love the Old Testament. There are many in the Christian world today who dismiss the OT as outdated and irrelevant, but I am not in that group. There are some issues in the OT that do not apply directly to us (blood sacrifice for example) because Jesus came and died, fulfilling this requirement forever. However, even in those parts of the OT that have been fulfilled, or those for which we are no longer responsible to, we can still learn much in regard to the truths and principles that God established long before Jesus arrived.    The passage above is a prime example of what I am talking about. The sabbath was the holy day for the Jewish people. It was a day in which all regular work was ceased, and the people spent resting and worshipping God. The

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than you ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Is. 55:9 (NASB)    Many of us enjoy puzzles. Whether we are talking about the 1000 piece variety, Sudoku and crosswords, or games like Chess and Risk, each of these involve thoughtful research and careful planning (some more so than others). We like solving the puzzle. This works great for games, but our attempt to "solve" the unexplained things of God will always come up short. There is a term used in theology called "incomprehensible", and is used in describing God. It means that we are not capable of fully understanding God. Notice the word "fully". Incomprehensible does not mean that we cannot know about God or know Him personally. It means that our understanding of Him will always be partial.     God has chosen to reveal Himself through the Word of God, to humanity, progressively over time. Through the course of s