Monthly Archives: August 2012

Proverbial Wisdom from Three Wise Monkeys

26 Sunday Aug 2012

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If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. ~ Matthew 5:29, CJB

How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand on the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit! ~ Psalm 1:1, CJB

Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. ~ Ephesians 4:29, CJB

 

There are many proverbs that most people who frequently repeat them often also mistakenly believe that their wise sayings come out of the Holy Bible. Their wrong thinking is why they often quote their well-known maxims by introducing them this way: The Bible says . . .!

The truth is that there are several popular non-biblical proverbs that many 21st century people believe are in the Holy Bible. A few of these  popular non-biblical proverbs are: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” “To thine own self be true.” “God helps those who help themselves.” “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

Last but not least is the widely accepted proverbial principle of do not think in any evil way, which is expressed in the pictorial maxim of the Three Wise Monkeys who “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,” which is discussed later. However, even though the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” wise saying also is a non-biblical proverb, there are several biblical Scriptures that support this proverb’s principle, which also is discussed later.

According to numerous sources, the origin of this last mentioned adage can be traced back to the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Many scholars believe that Confucius’ disciples included a written, longer version of the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” wise saying in The Analects of Confucius, their collection of moral and ethical principles and ideas attributed to Confucius, which they compiled in the form of dialogues between Confucius and his students from the 4th to the 2nd century B.C.

In said work is a conversation that Confucius supposedly has with one of his disciples, Yen Yüan. They are discussing what perfect virtue is. Purportedly, this student asks his master if Confucius would give him, Yen Yüan, the steps to the process of achieving perfect virtue, to which Confucius replies:

Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety. ~ The Analects of Confucius, Book 12, Chapter 1 

Indeed, from this quotation, and from all the sayings included in The Analects of Confucius, come these overall themes: A man should live a principled life; he should not think in any evil way; he should educate himself; and he should contribute to the betterment of society.

Numerous sources also mention that there are countless people who believe the traditional story about a Chinese Buddhist monk being the one who introduced to the Japanese, sometime during the 8th century A.D., both the monkey, as a symbol of the cyclical nature of human life, and the Confucian “see, hear, and speak no evil” philosophy. Moreover, it is widely known that, in the 17th century A.D., a Japanese sculptor, Hidari Jingoro, carved a pictorial adage of the Three Wise Monkeys (one who is covering his ears with his hands, another who is covering his mouth with his hands, and the third one who is covering his eyes with his hands). This Japanese sculptor’s wood carving is still on display at the Tosho-gu Shrine in Nikko, which by train is about 43 to 50 minutes from Tokyo. More important is the fact that his craftsmanship is one reason why the Tosho-gu Shrine is now a World Heritage site. Indeed, said shrine was made famous because of the shrine’s Three Wise Monkeys wood carving, located over the entrance to the Shinkyusha (Sacred Stable), and the shrine’s lavishly decorative Yomeimon gate, both of which show a heavy Chinese influence.

Concerning the wood carving of the Three Wise Monkeys, there are many people who believe that the Japanese sculptor’s pictorial maxim was created largely to convey the Japanese’s age old play on words: “mizaru” (see no evil), “kikazaru” (hear no evil), and “iwazaru” (speak no evil). Be that as it may, what’s more important to note here is the source that so many contemporary images of the iconic Three Wise Monkeys ape. Most people agree that that source is the Japanese sculptor’s pictorial maxim, which still hangs on the outside wall of the Shinkyusha.

The Three Wise Monkeys panel is one of the 8 panels that are hanging on the outside wall of the Shinkyusha or Sacred Stable, and these 8 panels not only tell a story about three monkeys (“mizaru,” “kikazaru,” and “iwazaru”) but also these 8 panels express a way of life. The panel of Three Wise Monkeys, who “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,” is the most famous of the 8 panels on the stable’s wall at the renowned Tosho-gu Shrine in Nikko, Japan.

Three Wise Monkeys Wood Carving On Shinkyusha’s Outside Wall; photo: David Monniaux (CC)

Despite when and how the Three Wise Monkeys’ pictorial maxim began, as mentioned earlier, while the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” proverb cannot be found in the Holy Bible, the proverbial principle that this saying expresses does have some biblical support. In addition to the above cited three verses (i.e., Matthew 5:29, Psalm 1:1, Ephesians 4:29), there are several other Scriptures that convey the same recognizable proverbial principle of never thinking in any evil way. One of those other Scriptures is Isaiah 33:15. The prophet Isaiah writes:

He whose life is right and whose speech is straight, he who scorns getting rich by extortion, he who shakes his hands free of bribes, stops his ears against talk of bloodshed and shuts his eyes against looking at evil. ~ Isaiah 33:15, CJB

Clearly in this verse Father God teaches that believers, His children, should make every effort to “speak no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil.” More important, the believers who are living holy and righteous lives are the individuals who consistently and intentionally have chosen not to see, hear, or speak any evil. The point here is that the believers whose lives are “right,” those who walk righteously, also will have “speech [that] is straight.” They also will “[stop their] ears against talk of bloodshed,” and they will “[shut their] eyes against looking at evil.”

There can be no doubt that, at one time or another, we ALL have heard Christians, as well as secular people (either non-believers or professed believers who are living like the world), say that what we hear and what we see have much to do with whether or not we not only are speaking godly truths but also living holy and righteous lives. Therefore, the Divine Truth that can be found in the Holy Bible is that Father God wants His children, and the Lord wants His disciples, to strive to be holy in every aspect of life—to see no evil (to not look at anything that can cause us to sin), to hear no evil (to not listen to ungodly advice), and to speak no evil (to not speak corrupt communication)!

The bottom line is that God’s children (ALL of Christ Jesus’ believers), by the aid of the Holy Spirit, are designed to choose to constantly and consciously look only at everything that is pure. We also, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, are designed to choose to constantly and consciously listen closely to godly counsel. Finally, we, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, are designed to choose to constantly and consciously speak endlessly for everyone’s benefit. Put differently, we become those believers who epitomize the proverbial principle that is expressed in every iconic image of the Three Wise Monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”—we become those believers who truly do not think in any evil way. AMEN!

Rightly Dividing = Dealing Straightforwardly

20 Monday Aug 2012

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Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.  ~ 2 Timothy 2:15, CJB

 

Most believers assume that to rightly divide Scripture means to correctly interpret it. While correctly interpreting the Word of God is certainly a crucial objective, this definition does not exactly describe what the phrase rightly divide actually means. Then too, since the Word of God has no doctrinal lies, no doctrinal errors in it, when we rightly divide the Word of Truth we are NOT separating doctrinal lies or errors from scriptural Truth or accuracy/validity. Therefore, the Divine Truth is that when we are rightly dividing the Word of God we are, as the Greek word orthotomeō literally denotes, cutting straight, or guiding on a straight path. 

In other words, if the Word of God is cut and/or directed correctly, then the person who is reading, preaching, and/or teaching the Word of God is the man or woman who is, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, getting and/or giving the true sense of the Divine Truth that is contained in the Scriptures. He or she will not be perverting or deleting any of God’s Word—he or she neither will be distorting nor taking away from or adding to the Word of God. Then too, he or she will not be turning people away from the Divine Truth with his or her own false teaching or his or her own agendas.

Contrary to the popular opinions about what rightly dividing the Word of God means, the person who is rightly dividing the Scriptures will be the godly man or woman who, by explaining and applying the whole Gospel that is in God’s Word, will be pointing out God’s Divine Truths by plainly yet faithfully writing about, preaching, and/or teaching what actually is in the complete Word of God. This person does so without withholding, misrepresenting, or sugarcoating anything that is beneficial to the people who are hearing or reading what has been spoken or written about any specific biblical Truth. Even if what is being written about, preached, or taught is hard for some people to accept because they prefer to apply their 21st century cultural interpretations to the Word of God, or hard for some people to accept because they prefer to apply their natural intellectual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to supernatural spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding, or hard for some people to accept because they can’t find certain theological terms, like “Rapture,” “Trinity,” or even “Bible,” in the Word of God, or hard for some people to accept because what they are listening to or reading goes against what has traditionally been written, preached or taught, the person called of God to preach and teach His Word at such a time as this still should be rightly dividing the Word of God (see also 2 Timothy 4:2-4).

Put differently, the Holy Spirit filled godly man or woman who is rightly dividing the Word of Truth is treating God’s Word honestly and fully, in a straightforward manner. The point here is that because there are so many ways to distort the meaning of God’s Truths that are either concealed or revealed in His Word, then the only way that there ever will be any true unity of ALL believers is when ALL believers agree with (are in harmony with) what the Word of God actually says. This harmony, however, only can be achieved by the teaching, enlightening, prompting, and leading of the Holy Spirit, who doesn’t give two or three different interpretations of scriptural Truths. Indeed, even using traditional hermeneutics (the science and art of interpreting meaning from a written text) often results in different interpretations of said text, because hermeneutics is established man-made rules that are used to interpret God’s Word!

For the record, God gave His children His Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit would unite ALL believers by teaching them God’s Divine Truths. Put differently, where God’s Word is concerned, the Holy Spirit helps ALL believers have right/correct thinking instead of stinking thinking. For this reason, believers’ harmony, oneness/unity, will be witnessed not only in what all believers profess to believe about the Truth the Scriptures convey but also in how all believers live their lives publicly and privately.

A favorite Christian quote that supports the kind of harmony or oneness that comes from rightly dividing the Word of God is as follows:

It is perilous to separate thinking rightly, from acting rightly. He is already half false who speculates on truth and does not do it. The penalty paid by him who speculates on truth without doing it, is, that by degrees the very truth he holds becomes a falsehood. ~ Frederick W. Robertson

There can be no doubt that Robertson is echoing James 1:22 (CJB), which reads: “Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it!”   

The bottom line is, when the Holy Spirit teaches, enlightens, prompts, and leads God’s children, especially on how the Word of Truth should be rightly divided (how they should cut straight; teach the truth directly and correctly; and deal straightforwardly), every genuinely born again, saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and being sanctified believer would have the same supernatural spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding about the Divine Truth that is in any biblical verse. There would be no way that conflicting opinions or meanings could exist, because there never would be two or three, or more, interpretations of any single biblical Truth.

Once again, God gave us the Holy Spirit so that He not only would make us one with our brothers and sisters, but also so that He would make us one with our Lord and our Father God. Clearly we never can be one with God, Christ Jesus, and our Household of Faith siblings if our “rightly dividing” of the Word of Truth causes us to preach, teach, and/or write about different understandings of the same biblical passages!

Finally, whether writing, teaching, and/or preaching the rightly divided Word of God, the Scriptures always should be presented accurately, straightforwardly, as a single, unified whole, without taking any detours and without having any concealed or revealed agendas. Ultimately, by faithfully and authoritatively rightly dividing the Word of God, the presenter will be demonstrating to his or her readers and/or listeners that God’s Word is a marvelous whole from beginning to end—that God’s eternal plan of salvation, as depicted in the Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation, is ONE unified (harmonious) plan. This last reason is why God’s children also must be unified (harmonious) in how they rightly divide God’s Word.

The New Me

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in Poetry

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For the Messiah’s love has hold of us, because we are convinced that one man died on behalf of all mankind (which implies that all mankind was already dead), and that he died on behalf of all in order that those who live should not live any longer for themselves but for the one who on their behalf died and was raised. So from now on, we do not look at anyone from a worldly viewpoint. Even if we once regarded the Messiah from a worldly viewpoint, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, CJB

 

Timid, full of false

Bravado forced to

Display by those who

Couldn’t see my frailties

Hiding deep within

This shell called me.

 

God took this quiet,

Reserved soul,

Pushed me to be

Bold for the world to see,

And declared

I’m wondrously made,

Beautifully designed,

Once broken, now whole

Vessel able to bear

All God gives,

Wise beyond years. 

 

Everything held back

God has released:

Fearlessness of lioness,

 Vociferous and self-assured

Daughter of God

Walking, talking, living;

In keeping with Eternal Design,

Being who

She was created to be:

The new me.

 

~ from True Devotion: A Poetic View Of The Consuming Fire Of Total Praise, Worship, And Obedience; 2007; edited 2014

Plastic People

18 Saturday Aug 2012

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…what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who are part of the community that you should be judging? God will judge those who are outside. Just expel the evildoer from among yourselves. ~ 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, CJB

It just blows my mind how so many people who say that they are believers in Christ Jesus are nothing more than “Plastic People”—a term from my 1960s-1970s years that describes pretentious (phony, fake) people who are too self-absorbed in themselves to care about anyone or anything else. That’s why it is easy for past and present “Plastic People” to first tell somebody one story and then tell someone else something different, which either is specifically about the first person or about some discussion they had with the first person that these “Plastic People” are now lying about totally, or partially.

Additionally, in the 1960s-1970s, it was understood that where achieving their goals of wealth, celebrity status (popularity), power, material possessions, and so on, were concerned, “Plastic People” would not shy away from doing anything, including using their relatives, close friends, and acquaintances, all while wearing a smile on their faces. In essence, “Plastic People” were and still are the users, takers, and slanderers in this world. What is even sadder, many contemporary “Plastic People” also are masquerading as “true” Christians—as “genuine” believers in Christ Jesus.

The Divine Truth is that believers in the Body of Christ are not supposed to be “Plastic People”—they are not supposed to be Plastic Christians whose ethical and moral standards are contrary to the faith they defend. However, because they only are clothed in a façade of Christianity, they have no other recourse but to behave like the hypocrites (fakes, phonies, frauds) they are.

In other words, “Plastic People” who also are Plastic Christians only wear masks: masks of godly love, peace, compassion, grace, forgiveness, kindness, and discipline. As a result, instead of coming off as being Christ-like, they come off as being Christians in name only. The reason why this last statement is so true is because “Plastic People” who also are Plastic Christians deny the supernatural godly power it takes to truly be the God kind of loving, peaceable, altruistic, gracious, forgiving, kind, and disciplined believers they should be.

The sad truth is that so many of the present-day institutional “church’s” “Plastic People/Plastic Christians” keep on doing what they are doing, simply because hardly anyone holds them accountable for their ungodly behaviors. Furthermore, because too many believers are merely churchgoers whose high levels of complacency and apathy prevent them from taking a stand for the God kind of righteous and holy living, today’s “Plastic People/Plastic Christians” continue to fill rows and rows of pews in plenty “churches”!

Twice-Dried Trees

16 Thursday Aug 2012

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Age-Old Tree Near The Pavilion of One Thousand Autumns in Forbidden City, Beijing

But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion. When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. ~ Jude 1:10-12, NLT

 

 

Seduced by devils,

End-times’ faith dissenters

Defile their bodies,

Despise authority,

Speak evil of decorum.

 

Once appreciative of Christ’s love for the world,

Now unstable deniers,

Lewd, ignorant, and bestial in nature,

Possessing Cain’s self-righteousness,

Balaam’s money covetousness,

Korah’s ‘wannabe’ leader usurping arrogance.

 

Instead of King David’s envisioned sturdy, fruitful trees

Whose leaves never wither,

 

Apostates are twice-dried trees:

 

Righteously unfruitful—born spiritually dead—morally unproductive.

Converted to fruit trees, then barren trees.

Doubly unfaithful—grew consciously iniquitous—doubly infertile.  

Like homicidal Cain who slew his brother, or

The vicious, rebellious fallen angels, or

Sodom and Gomorrah’s sexual deviants, or

The faithless, wandering Israelites, or

Seditious Korah and his followers, or

Avaricious, devious Balaam,

Yesterday’s and today’s apostates

Teach heretical doctrines,

Live blameworthy lives,

Some commit unto death sin—

The deliberate, willful, continuous, unrepentant sin.

 

These are biblical apostates…

They’re either deceived or devoted.

 

Deceived: 

Cain, condemned to be a fugitive and vagabond;

Balaam, forbidden to curse Israelites.

Symbolize those who can be prayed for,

Those who still can be “saved”;

Scorched, rescued: smelling like smoke;

Plucked from Hell’s fire.

 

Devoted:

Chained unto Judgment Day angels in Tartarus;

Swallowed up Korah, his family, and his friends by Earth;

Rained upon Sodom, Gomorrah’s dwellers with igneous sulfur, fire;

Perished in wilderness Israelites from Egypt;

Vomited unregenerate Blind Guides into Tribulation.

Symbolize those who cannot be prayed for,

Those who cannot be “saved”;

Fruitless, uprooted:  twice-dried trees;

Thrown into Lake of Fire, eternally “lost”….

 

 

~from True Devotion: A Poetic View Of The Consuming Fire Of Total Praise, Worship, And Obedience 

It’s HYPE

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

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It's Hype!

All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You without money, come, buy, and eat! Yes, come! Buy wine and milk without money — it’s free! ~ Isaiah 55:1, CJB

 

Religious koinonia better known as hype:
Deception and a put-on; a current fleecing frenzy
Extravagantly contrived to sell
Supernaturally imparted esoteric knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
Freely obtained but exorbitantly disseminated.

The preach, the teach, the outreach;
The D. D.’S, the ED. D’S, the PH. D’S;
The shout it, the ‘bout it, the tout it;
The dancing spirit, the singing spirit, the praying spirit;
The published book source, the computer printout source, the animated source,
The mixed accessory source;
The Gospel video, the Gospel audio, the Gospel cameo;
The CD’S, the DVD’S, the MP3’S;
The ministerial anointings, the prophetic anointings, the miracle-working anointings;
The conference fee, the seminar fee, the workshop fee, the retreat fee, the brunch fee,
The anniversary fee;
The “Oh, say, can you see” . . . .

Christianity is not free:
Slavery exists in one form or another,
So enslavers’ recognitions, titles, and financial statuses can increase,
While sold wares fail to provide
Advantageous returns for duped buyers.

~ from Montage of Poetic Imaginations . . . edited

Not a For Cash Blog

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Money Isn’t The GOAL Of This Blog!

…You have received without paying, so give without asking payment. Don’t take money in your belts, no gold, no silver, no copper; and for the trip don’t take a pack, an extra shirt, shoes or a walking stick — a worker should be given what he needs. ~ Matthew 10:8b-10, CJB

Not that I am saying this to call attention to any need of mine; since, as far as I am concerned, I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances. I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough — in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. I can do all things through him who gives me power. ~ Philippians 4:11-13, CJB

 

You would be surprised, or may be not so surprised, at the number of SPAM comments I have received from people who are trying to sell me on their ways to sell the content on my blog. If I could reply to all of them, then I certainly would tell them that this blog is not a for CASH blog.

While I do not have anything against making money by blogging, my purpose for starting this blog had nothing to do with either getting paid for blogging or seeking any monetary donations so that I could keep on blogging. That is why every blog entry of mine is freely given. I neither ask for nor expect any financial support for this ministry God has given to me. In fact, if there is any reward that I have coming to me, then I pray that that reward is my Lord telling me “Well done,” one day soon.

In addition to the SPAM comments about the ways to make money with my blog, I also have received many SPAM comments on how to increase my blog’s traffic. Since this blog is used mostly for online Christian outreach, or cyber evangelism, as well as for discipling, encouraging, and enlightening online believers in Christ, I firmly believe that the people who visit my blog are the ones God wants to visit here. That is why, especially given the length of most of my blog’s postings, and given the “church” and spiritual issues God has had me write about, I am jumping for joy over my current blog stats (smile)! No, I neither receive thousands nor hundreds of clicks on my blog each day, nor do I receive fifteen or more “likes” on any one of my posts; nevertheless, I truly am thankful for the ones I do receive.

Now, since God is the One who is sending people to my blog—since He is the One who is behind any increase in and the TOTAL number of my blog’s visitors and subscribers (followers)—I not only continually give Him thanks but also I continually give Him all the praise, and all the Glory for the unexpected and unsolicited visitors and every new and old subscriber or “follower.” Moreover, I firmly believe that if this blog is meant to be, then God will have it succeed in the ways He wants it to succeed. As Oswald Chambers says:

The emphasis to-day is placed on the furtherance of an organization; the note is, ‘We must keep this thing going.’ If we are in God’s order the thing will go; if we are not in His order, it won’t. ~ from Conformed to His Image 357 R

In short, if we really trust God, then we will do things His way, believing that HE will keep the ministry HE gave to us going, and He will do so by doing it His way! Moreover, if the ministry stops, even though it was in His order, then that only means that God has something bigger and better for us to do. Amen!

Teshuvah 2012: The Season of Spiritual Preparation

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

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Adonai said to Moshe, ‘Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra’el.’ Moshe was there with Adonai forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [Adonai] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words. When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with [Adonai]. ~ Exodus 34:27-29, CJB

 

Teshuvah is the 40-day season of turning back to God (the season of true repentance). For the nation of Israel, Teshuvah pertains to the days Jewish people spend spiritually preparing for their High Holy Days of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). In other words, during the season of Teshuvah, the entire nation of Israel is repenting and confessing sins. Therefore, the Jewish 6th month of Elul represents the time of national sin and the forgiveness the Jewish nation, as a whole, obtains by means of Teshuvah.

Teshuvah’s 40 days actually include the 30th of Av, the entire month of Elul, plus the 10 High Holy Days of Tishri that end on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This 2012 season of Teshuvah is as follows:  

Elul 1 – The official beginning of the Season of Teshuvah
– Sunset August 19th, 2012

Tishri 1 – The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
– Sunset September 17th, 2012

Tishri 10 – The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur; Teshuvah Day 40)
– Sunset September 26th, 2012  

Now, according to ancient Jewish tradition, the month of Elul also represents the time following the Israelites’ idolatrous incident with the Golden Calf. Thus, the 40 days of Teshuvah are the days Moses spent on Mount Sinai, preparing the second set of tablets on which were God’s Ten Commandments. Apparently, Moses ascended Mount Sinai on Elul 1 and descended Mount Sinai 40 days later, on the 10th of Tishri, which was the end of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when Jewish people’s repentance would be complete.

Why is Teshuvah important to 21st century believers who are born again, saved, and indwelt and infilled with the Holy Spirit? Here’s why.  

While Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) is referred to as Yom Teruah (the Day of the Awakening Blast), and while the theme associated with Rosh Hashanah is “to awake,” the great reawakening (warning) that will precede the Lord’s return for His Bride happens daily during the entire 6th month of Elul—the official beginning of the special season of Teshuvah. Once again, Teshuvah is the 40-day period consisting of the 30-day process of personal examination and repentance that prepares God’s people for the 10 days of Tishri (the Days of Awe) that begin on Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) and end on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). However, as the 5 unprepared, negligent, and unaware (foolish) Virgins demonstrate (see Matthew 25:1-13), the sad truth is that even with all of the prophetic warnings and with all of the recurring seasons of Teshuvah there still will be too many believers who will not have any Oil in their lamps (will not be FULL of the Holy Spirit) and, therefore, they neither will be watchful, nor prepared, nor aware of the imminent Rapture.  

For the above reasons, this Teshuvah 2012, let us be aware, watchful, and prepared to go up and meet our Lord in the air. In other words, let us be ever-ready to respond faithfully and obediently to our Lord’s Voice (His midnight cry), the archangel’s call, and the last blast from God’s Shofar (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Amen.

Christian Gymnast

06 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Praises and Thanks

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Always be joyful. Pray regularly. In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, CJB

 

Even though there are many people who are ecstatic about Gabby Douglas’ gold-medal win in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around event (a victory that makes her the first African-American woman to ever win said competition), as a Christian African-American myself, I have to say that my jubilation is over Gabby’s praises of God and the Glory that she gives to Him for the gold. According to The Christian Post reporter/contributor, Daniel Blake, during a NBC interview that followed her historic win, Gabby thanks and praises God. This young Christian gymnast is quoted as saying:

It is everything I thought it would be; being the Olympic champion, it definitely is an amazing feeling. And I give all the glory to God. It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me. ~ Gabrielle Douglas

Later, on her Twitter account, she also makes several tweets in which she praises and gives thanks to God. One of those tweets is as follows:

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me. ~ Gabrielle Douglas

What an awe-inspiring testimony!

Yes, Gabby’s gold-medal win in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around event certainly has secured her a place in U.S. Olympic history, but honestly that fact really is pale in significance, especially when I think about her place in eternity that she also has secured. For sure, the heavenly place that Christ Jesus is going to take His Body of Believers (Bride) to, after He meets them in the air, far exceeds any Olympic gold medal glitter and hoopla. In fact, according to the apostle Paul:

…the Tanakh says, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no one’s heart has imagined all the things that God has prepared for those who love him.’ ~ 1 Corinthians 2:9, CJB

For this reason, there can be no doubt that some of the heavenly “things” that will be more prized than any Olympic gold medal are an eternal Heaven and the great heavenly city’s street that is paved in pure gold, transparent as glass (cf. Revelation 21:21). As an overcomer, Gabby not only will be able to see this street but also she will be able to walk on it, just because she is an heir of salvation. More important, this future “gold” is something she never has to compete against others to receive.

Here’s looking forward to the eternal city’s gold!  Shalom.

Believers’ Responsibilities

05 Sunday Aug 2012

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Fulfilling The Koinonia Responsibility of Sharing/Fellowshipping

And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds, not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:24-25, CJB

Becoming a Christian means making a lifetime commitment of total devotion to Father God and Christ Jesus. Becoming a Christian also means making a lifetime commitment to faithfully growing in the spiritual knowledge of God and Christ Jesus, and spiritually maturing in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, becoming a Christian also means making a lifetime commitment to live a righteous and holy life, and to do so, while obediently and faithfully serving/ministering to mankind.

So that we who are believers in Christ Jesus might increase in our spiritual knowledge of Father God and Christ Jesus, so that we might spiritually mature in the Holy Spirit, and so that we might not only know but also do that which is the good and pleasing Perfect Will of God (cf. Romans 12:2b; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8), which simply means we will be pleasing God in everything that we say and do, the Word of God highlights four extremely important spiritual responsibilities we Christians must accept once we receive forgiveness for our sins. These four responsibilities, thus, are those duties we fulfill (complete) while we are living a life that is consistent with our position as children of God.

The first of these four responsibilities is being a witness for Christ Jesus (cf. Acts 1:8). As the Lord’s disciples, we are His witnesses when we are strengthening and confirming the preached or heralded Gospel message through our daily living of a holy, righteous, and loving life in Christ Jesus, and we should be living such a life, first and foremost, within our communities of witnessing saints. Put differently, our witnessing not only is achieved through the Gospel message that we preach or teach, but also our witnessing is achieved by practicing what we have read, been taught, or heard preached, and/or achieved by practicing what we ourselves are preaching or teaching (cf. James 1:21-23).

Furthermore, more than being believers who just busy ourselves with doing “good deeds,” hoping that our produced “good works” will mean that we are living like Christ Jesus lived, we who are Christ Jesus’ disciples are supposed to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with our Lord. As a result of us getting to know Him better, wanting to hear His Voice, listening to and obeying His Voice, and seeking to be empowered by Him, we not only develop a stronger desire to do those “good deeds” that He has called us to do but also we develop a stronger desire to be more Christ-like. Growing more and more Christ-like means we willingly and obediently will be turning the other cheek, will be loving our enemies, will be loving our neighbors, will be helping the poor, will be feeding the hungry, will be visiting and/or healing the sick, will be giving freely, will be readily forgiving those who trespass against us, and so forth.

Various Scriptures that confirm that we are to be like Christ Jesus more so than try to live like He lived include, but are not limited to, the following verses:

For I have set you an example, so that you may do as I have done to you. ~ John 13:15, CJB

Indeed, this is what you were called to; because the Messiah too suffered, on your behalf, leaving an example so that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found on his lips.’ When he was insulted, he didn’t retaliate with insults; when he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but handed them over to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness — by his wounds you were healed. ~ 1 Peter 2:21-24, CJB

But if someone keeps doing what he says, then truly love for God has been brought to its goal in him. This is how we are sure that we are united with him.  A person who claims to be continuing in union with him ought to conduct his life the way he did. ~ 1 John 2:5-6, CJB

Additionally, to fulfill our responsibility of being Christ-like witnesses, we must understand that “…the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20, KJV), which means that God’s supernatural power does not come from our own spoken or written words that we use when preaching or teaching the Gospel’s Truths; and God’s supernatural power does not come from our own spoken or written words that we use, when we are professing our faith in the Lord. Indeed, God’s supernatural power that comes from the taught written or preached unadulterated Gospel messages, and from our personal testimonies, exclusively originates from God’s Grace and His Holy Spirit! The point here is that we must allow the Holy Spirit to prompt and lead us, in regards to what we should preach, teach, or testify. Equally important, we should allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us, which means we should speak His Words—we attentively should listen to and absolutely should use the Words that the Holy Spirit gives us to speak or write, because the Holy Spirit’s ability to speak the Lord’s life-convicting (making people aware of their sinfulness), life-giving, and life-sustaining Words is one of the reason why God sent Him to us (cf. John 6:63; John 16:7-14).

Furthermore, where witnessing to unsaved individuals about regeneration, salvation, and transformation are concerned, saved individuals must help unsaved people know and understand that the Holy Spirit’s ministry also includes Him being the One who supernaturally influences unbelievers’ hearts to respond in the appropriate way to the preached or heralded Gospel messages about regeneration (rebirth; see John 3:6-8; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23). Likewise, the Holy Spirit’s ministry also is responsible for Him being the One who supernaturally influences unsaved persons’ hearts so that they respond in the appropriate way to the preached or heralded Gospel messages about the Lord’s life, death, resurrection, and the redemptive power of God’s saving Grace, as personified in Jesus Christ. For sure, the right response to the Holy Spirit’s influence is the one that makes people’s hearts willing to believe and receive God’s salvation/eternal life plan and then, afterwards, totally surrender their new life to the Lord, as well as to the Holy Spirit’s progressive sanctification/transformation process (cf. Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Ephesians 5:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Peter 2:2; James 1:18).

Our second responsibility is to feed on the entire Word of God by regularly hearing or reading His Word and by daily studying and meditating on His Word so that we not only can stay continually in the Perfect Will of God but also so that we constantly will want to produce and are all about yielding “good fruit” (cf. Psalm 1:2-3; Psalm 119:9-16; Matthew 13:8, 23; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15). The bottom line is that the Scriptures make it clear that we should never doubt whether or not God’s Word is our necessary spiritual food, because it is His Word that supernaturally nourishes and strengthens our human spirit, soul, and body so that we are able to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22-23).

Our third responsibility is to maintain an intimate fellowship and relationship with God, by frequently praying to (talking with) our heavenly Father. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that we are to pray continually, and that we either should be praying in our native tongues or praying in the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 18:1; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 5:18-20; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

While there is no specific time when we must pray and no specific place where we must pray, when and where we do pray it is clear that God wants us to listen more to what He has to say to us than for us to just give Him our concerns or our “give me” or “bless me” with this-or-that lists. In fact, our Lord Jesus says that if we believe in Him AND, as a result of our belief, are doing the Perfect Will of the Father, meaning we are doing the kinds of “good works” that our Lord did, then we can pray to God, in Jesus Christ’s name, asking for anything, and whatever we asked for will be given to us, but ONLY so that we can glorify the Father with our received “blessings” (cf. John 14:12-14)!

Our fourth responsibility is to fellowship (koinonia) with and disciple  (teach) individuals who are born again, saved (justified), filled with the Holy Spirit, and being sanctified believers. These believers also will love Father God and the Lord Christ Jesus (cf. Matthew 28:19-20, ESV). Put differently, as coal stays hot longer when left in the fire with other coal, so will our desire to remain on fire for the Lord when we fellowship with other believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit’s fire. These are those brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus who rejoice with their siblings who have received honor, who suffer with their siblings who are suffering, who bear their siblings’ burdens, and who edify and encourage their siblings to continue growing in the Holy Spirit and to continue becoming more and more Christ-like. These brothers and sisters also are those children of God who are active participants in their community of saints (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27; Ephesians 4:11-13; Galatians 6:1-3; Galatians 6:9-10).

Furthermore, the New Testament Greek word, koinonia, not only is translated as “fellowship” but also translated as “participation” (as in participating in a common life of faith, and in the Breaking of Bread or communion), “sharing” (as in sharing one’s goods and wealth with those in need), “distribution,” and “contribution.”  Concerning how this koinonia should affect the fourth responsibility of fellowshipping with and discipling (teaching) other likeminded believers, God’s Word says:

They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers. Everyone was filled with awe, and many miracles and signs took place through the emissaries. All those trusting in Yeshua stayed together and had everything in common; in fact, they sold their property and possessions and distributed the proceeds to all who were in need. Continuing faithfully and with singleness of purpose to meet in the Temple courts daily, and breaking bread in their several homes, they shared their food in joy and simplicity of heart, praising God and having the respect of all the people. And day after day the Lord kept adding to them those who were being saved. ~ Acts 2:42-47, CJB

~ and ~

Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. ~ Philippians 2:1-2, CJB

In other words, the koinonia we should be keeping in this 21st century is the koinonia that basically means being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other.

Finally, although there are many more responsibilities that should be fulfilled during every believer’s life on Earth, especially before the Lord’s Second Coming, there is no doubt that God expects every true child of God to fulfill the previously mentioned four responsibilities. These earlier mentioned four responsibilities are: being a true witness for Christ Jesus; feeding on the entire Word of God; praying ceaselessly (more to hear from God than to ask God for His blessings); and fellowshipping intimately with and frequently discipling brothers and sisters in Christ.  

For sure, being a witness for Christ is an extremely important responsibility that primarily involves knowing how to lead others to the Lord. That is why our witnessing not only must include preaching the authoritative unadulterated Gospel message, but also our witnessing must include practicing what someone preached to us or what we ourselves are preaching to others. Then too, effective witnessing is the kind that relies on the Holy Spirit to give us what to preach and to lead us in how we should say what we have been given to share with this lost world. In other words, the power that is behind regeneration, salvation, and sanctification involves both the preached Word (the Gospel message) and the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit.

The second responsibility involves feasting off of the entire Word of God, which means that regularly hearing or reading the Word of God, plus diligently studying the Bible, are key ways to learn God’s Perfect Will for our lives, and how to avoid erring/sinning—rebelling against His Perfect Will. Next is prayer. Let there be no doubt about it; prayer is our best way of thanking God, praising Him, making known our needs, and, most crucial, hearing directly from God—from His lips to our ears. Lastly, intimately fellowshipping with and steadily making disciples of saved and being sanctified believers are our best ways to demonstrate the central point of the Gospel message, which is the love and care God has for this world that He demonstrates primarily through His gift of Grace, as personified by Christ Jesus, and the power of His Holy Spirit.

The bottom line here is that every Christian not only is expected to willingly make and obediently and faithfully fulfill a lifetime commitment of total devotion to Father God and Christ Jesus, but also every Christian is expected to obediently and faithfully fulfill these four mentioned responsibilities, while obediently and faithfully living a life that is consistent with his or her position as a child of God. Indeed, it is very possible that a believer’s spiritual growth could very well become stunted, if he or she chooses to default on fulfilling these aforesaid four responsibilities!