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Showing posts from July, 2019

The Way of Sorrows

When we are healthy, and feeling well, it seems to us that nothing can stand in our way. Our faith is ablaze and we forage ahead without any hesitation or fear. But when we become infirmed, when these bodies are filled with disease and our spirit aches along with this mortal shell, it can become difficult to listen to those who preach prosperity and that we shall “be raised up from our sick bed.” What if we don’t? What if the weakness grows stronger and our pain does not lift? Are we to cry out to Christ with a howl and shake our fist in anger? Or have rotten teachers placed on Jesus a cloak, an image that is one dimensional?  Jesus did not promise wealth and health but troubles, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33). He did not teach we could wish away disease and our sorrows with platitudes and blessed shawls. Instead He told us reality, this life is pain,

The Potrait of Jesus: What Christ Looked Like

What was Jesus’s appearance? Pseudo-historians at National Geographic and other publications argue that Jesus’ humanity was of Arab or African descent. This is impossible because Jesus our God was Son of David according to His flesh, “He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord (God),” (Romans 1:2-4), and King David was described as the following, “So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy [red, ruddy, from the word admowniy {ad-mo-nee'}; from 'adam ; reddish of the hair or the complexion red, ruddy], with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came

The Point of the Book of Revelation: The Lamb of God

Before The Crucifix received approval in 692 A.D. at The Trullan Council to depict Christ as a man corpus (corpse) on the cross, most depictions of Jesus were allegorical. The most common was the Lamb carrying a cross or crosier with s flag that has a cross upon it. The symbol of the lamb came from both John the Baptist who said of Jesus, “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), and the symbolism in the Abrahamic faith that is A lamb is slain for the sins of Israel annually. Jesus takes the place of this lamb sacrifice once and for all as the Lamb of God (Hebrews 7:27, 9:25,  10:10, and 1 Peter 3:18).   The Lamb symbolism does not stop in the Gospels. We see a resurgence of the title and description of Jesus in the final book of the Bible:  “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ranso

When We Try To Strong Arm God

In politics you often will see candidates or official representatives in a heated argument placing their hand on the opponent’s shoulder or arm. This is called colloquially man handling or to strong arm someone. The goal is to control and persuade the person with physical touch and it violates the person’s sense of space. This act of coercion by touch is considered poor form and frowned upon. What is more troubling is when we do this to God. Often ministers and pastors will hear the Holy Trinity’s direction and yet decide to do their own good idea. They ask for the Lord’s counsel at s meeting but instead tellGod this is how they will conduct the business of the Kingdom.  This attitude of strong arming Christ is nothing new. The Apostle Peter opposed Jesus our God on two occasions, even waging war against the Salvic Plan:  “From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and sc

Our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ

Almost every false religion will affirm Jesus is a prophet or a great teacher.  Many cultic churches will confess Jesus is Son of God, and subordinate (lesser) to the Father (Origenism, Arianism). Most of the false christianities declared Iesus Christus as a  demi-god (half god) or lesser being such as an angel (Gnosticism, Arianism, Nestorianism, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses). Scriptural and Biblical Christianity declares the Truth that Jesus is God (Colossians 2:9, John 1:1-3, Titus 2:13), and is One with God the Father and God The Holy Spirit.  This is the road of demarkation with most pretenders or false prophets, confessing Jesus is God. The Divinity of Christ is orthodox theology; what the Apostles and Christ Himself declared:  “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity (Godhead) dwells in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9) “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13)  “Simeon Peter, a servant

Winter: The Future of the Church in Scandal

There is no mistake that in Europe, The United States, and in parts of the Nordic lands, the Church is in decline. Once cathedrals and white steepled meeting houses filled with the faithful; now they like a tree in Winter, the pews are bare like branches and a cold period has settled over the Church. Distrust in various denominations is at an all time high with scandals breaking like twigs in a snow capes forest.   In the West, The fervor for revivals has quieted. The zeal for tradition is chilled. Distrust has replaced devotion, and scandal now castes a shadow over the sacred. Before us is a long winter to weather.  Many have abandoned the faith (Matthew 24:10, 2 Thessalonians 2:3) as the branches snap and burn. Not since the Enlightenment has there been such a bulwark of unbelief to swallow those who have been shaken by the scandals.  For those of us who see the scandal separated from the Savior, that our Lord Jesus condemns these abuses (Matthew 8:6), we warm ourselves aroun

Glory In Gory

The measure of a life is often determined by accomplishments. Everyone has their ambitions, and the world will tell you that wealth, fame, and glory are the marks of a good life. And yet God was poor (Matthew 8:20), his fame derived in death, and his glory in humility. In a world that was Rome that celebrated Cesars and men of renown who all wanted to wear a laurel crown and be praised by the crowds, Christ was mocked and decked with circulet of thorns and punished by the crowds with jeere of “crucify Him!” Like the mob in the Colliseum, the people of Israel begged for Jesus’ death, and the spectacle of crucifixion was well met. They got their gory need, God was made to bleed. While Pharisees and Prefects schemed, and the cogs of human avarice and ambition turned in the proverbial clock of life; God drowned in his own blood and water; suffocating on the cross above His creation, his children. Only one man and a few women stood there beholding the gory glory that would mean salvati