It's this time of year again...

...when the anti Christmas brigade are out and about preaching that Christmas is pagan! Well what about the names of the months of the year and the days of the week? We use those, well, daily/monthly! Should Christians change those names?

Months of the year:

January - named after the Roman god Janus
February - named after the Roman festival of purification - Februa
March - named after the Roman god of war - Mars
April - taken from the Latin word for open (as flowers do in spring) - aperire
May - named after the Greek goddess Maia
June - named after the Roman goddess Juno
July - named after Julius Caesar
August - named after Caesar Augustus
September - 7th month (in Roman calendar)
October - 8th month (in Roman calendar)
November - 9th month (in Roman calendar)
December - 10th month (in Roman calendar)

The days of the week:

Monday - Moon's Day
Tuesday - Tyr's Day (Tyr was a Germanic/Norse god of war and sky)
Wednesday - Wodin's Day (the Norse all-father god and master of runes)
Thursday - Thor's Day (Thor was the Norse god of battle and strength)
Friday - Frigg's Day (Odin's wife and goddess of fertility)
Saturday - Saturn's Day
Sunday - Sun Day

The above have pagan origins yet I don't hear any Christians kicking up a stink about those! 

I celebrate the incarnation of Christ - not His birthday, just the fact He came from heaven (we don't know when He was born, but personally, I think a dank, dark, dreary time of year is a great time to celebrate The Light of the World bursting onto the scene to forgive our sins).

Hebrew Days of the week and their meanings

Sunday	Yom Reeshone יום רשון	First day
Monday	Yom Shaynee יום שיני	Second day
Tuesday	Yom Shlee´shee יום שלישי	Third day
Wednesday	Yom Revee´ee יום רביעי	Fourth day
Thursday	Yom Khah´mee´shee יום חמישי	Fifth day
Friday	Yom Shee´shee יום ששי	Sixth day
Saturday	Shabbat שבת	Rest

source [above and below]: http://www.yashanet.com/library/hebrew-days-and-months.html

Babylonian vs. Biblical Calendars

This table is divided into two sections because of the changes made in the calendar as a result of the Babylonian exile.  After the Jews were exiled from Judah to Babylonia in 586 B.C.E., they adopted Babylonian names for the months of the year. Nevertheless, they still have important meanings in whole scheme of things.  Not only do most of the names of the Babylonian months have appropriate meanings, but there is also an important theme that applies to these months (Babylonian or Biblical).

Mo. # Babylonian Calendar Meaning of Babylonian Months Theme of Month (Babylonian & Biblical) Biblical Calendar Meaning of Biblical Months (Harvesting Schedule) Biblical Feasts 1 Nisan ניסן Their flight Redemption, Miracles Abibאביב Ripening of grain[Barley, Wheat] Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits 2 Iyyar אייר (natural) healing Introspection, Self improvement Zivזו Splendor or Radiance [Flowers] (Barley harvest)    3 Sivan סיון Bright - their covering Giving of Torah 3rd (Wheat harvest) Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) 4 Tammuz תמוז Hidden - giver of the vine (A Phoenician deity) Sin of the Golden Calf, guarding of the eyes 4th       5 Av אב Father Av the Comforter 5th       6 Elul אלול A vain thing - nothingness Repentance 6th (Fruit harvest)    7 Tishri תשרי Beginning (from reishit) Month of the Strong or Month of the Ancients Ethanimאיתנים Ever-flowing streams Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur, Succot 8 Kheshvan חשון Eighth The Flood (of Noach) Bulבול Produce (in the sense of rain)    9 Kislev כסלן Security, trust (Restful) Sleep 9th       10 Tevet טבמ Good (from "Tov") Divine Grace 10th       11 Shevat שבט meaning unknown Tree of Life 11th       12 Adar אדר Strength Good Fortune 12th       13 * Adar II אדר ב  13th

* Additional month added during Leap Years.  About every 2nd or 3rd year.
There are 7 leap years in a 19 year cycle.

Christmas - symbols

Reading people's opinions about Christmas - it was originally a pagan festival hijacked by Christians, but could each symbol be seen in the light of Christ's incarnation?

Tree - and it can remind us that Jesus came to die on a 'tree' for our sins. 
Each branch could be a picture of the church, with Christ being the trunk (vine) and His people, the branches.
Red baubles could be symbolic of His blood, 
Gold for His kingship, 
Purple for royalty too, 
Silver for the price paid at Calvary. 
Green is a peaceful colour so could remind us that He is the Prince of Peace, 
Blue, the colour of the heavens, where He resides! 
Star on top, symbolises the star from the east or even the Bright and Morning Star*!

Ok maybe it might be spiritualising it somewhat, but it doesn't have to be pagan!  

*Jesus is called the Bright and Morning Star so maybe the star the wise men followed, was visible during the day and that's what made it unusual! 

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

2 ladders in 2 pits (posted on my FB status)

Yesterday, I was thinking about other religions vs true Christianity!

There are 2 pits - both the same size, both have the same ladders in them, both are murky and dark (if I could draw, I would do a picture), each ladder leads to the top of the pit, but the first picture had a fluffy cloud with god written on it, but the second has a hand reaching down into the pit!

The ladders, in both pits, have a rung or 2 at the bottom with things like, "gave money to charity", "pray x number of times a day" etc, but above those are broken rungs which have things like - bitterness, jealousy, adulterous thoughts, hatred, anger, malice etc. Even the rungs with the good we do would be weak!

Anyway, the point being, however hard we try, we cannot reach God - not even the gods of other religions - they require such heavy burdens - do this, do that, be good - yet we never know if our works have been enough, so at the bottom of the pit we remain, but with true Christianity, God reaches down and lifts us out of the pit, out of the horrible clay, one psalm says He lifts us out of the dunghill (KJV) and sets us with the princes:

Psalm 113:7,8 

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

Psalm 40 says He lifts us out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay and sets our feet upon the rock and puts a new song in our mouths:

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the Lord.

We do nothing to earn our salvation - Christ did it all at Calvary! With other religions, the way is burdensome, but with Christianity, Christ took our burdens upon Himself, He lived the life we could not and died the death we deserved! As well as putting a new song in our mouths,  Zephaniah 3:17 says:

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing. 🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

A shiny penny or £2 coin

Posted on my Facebook status, today [I've edited it a bit]:

Was thinking today that the world is like a little child who is offered a choice between a dull £2 coin or a bright, shiny penny. 

Despite the £2 coin being worth 200 times more than the shiny penny, they choose the penny because it's shiny, bright and looks pretty!

The world is like this with Christ. He is worth infinitely much more than the world could EVER offer, but the way of Christ looks dull and boring. The way of world seems much more exciting with its disco lights, its pleasure parks, its parties and such - they last for a moment and I'm not saying that going to pleasure parks or parties is wrong, but compared to Christ they are passing follies! 

Years ago (before becoming a Christian), I built my life on the shiny penny principle - it was great fun going out with friends, but the fun only lasted a few drinks, before I was spent out. Or a few dances, before I went home smelling of cigarette smoke and with hurting feet. It seemed like fun, but really these things are just distant memories.

On 10th December 1990 I committed my life to Christ and now I LIVE - not just now, but in eternity! My perspective on things changed. My definition of fun changed! I would much rather have a seemingly dull £2 coin than a worthless bright penny which can't buy anything, nor give any returns!


For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:3-4

There is forgiveness at the Cross

When we see pictures of the cross, obviously it's empty (well, most of the time it is, and should be because Jesus has risen and has ascended to the right hand of His Father)

We see a sanitised picture. Even the paintings of old, can't really convey what went on, that day. We can't really imagine what it was like, we can't feel the physical pain and torment, we definitely can't know what spiritual torment Christ went through!

This isn't sanitised, this is what I think of when I think of my Saviour dying for me!

He was friendless - all of His disciples fled. Peter tagged along, but only out of curiosity. Three times He denied the One he had once declared as being the Christ:

Matthew 16:13-16 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 26:69-75  Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus was given a trial, where the 'witnesses' lied about Him or twisted the truth. He was bounced back and forth to Pilate and the Sanhedrin. He was proclaimed 'guilty' of trumped up charges. He remained silent because, although He hadn't sinned, He would soon be bearing the guilt and sins of His people! 

He was whipped, scourged - the whips used were more than likely fastened with hooks so that every lashing would rip out chunks of flesh, He had His beard torn out - this wasn't a slight pulling, it would have been ripped from his face, He was naked, He had a crown of thorns rammed onto His head, He was mocked, His kingship was mocked, the blood and pain would have been weakening and that was before He hung on the cross. They made Him walk, with all His injuries, originally with the cross He would be hung upon. The heat would have been draining alone, without having all those wounds. No doubt blood from those wounds would have dripped on the floor where He walked. Before being crucified, the people called for a real criminal to be released - Christ was alone and friendless, but soon an even worse aloneness would be felt!

As He got to Golgotha (the place of the Skull) - it looks like a skull and with the executions going on there, it was aptly named! Huge, thick iron nails would have torn into His flesh, tearing the nerves and tendons - the pain would have been indescribable! He was hoisted up, all His body weight on His arms, pulling His shoulders out of their sockets, dislocating them. The heat of the sun (before the sky went dark) would have been horrendous, heat stroke, sweat, congealing blood, festering wounds, muscle cramps, ALL of the body's nerves shooting messages of pain, to His brain, His lungs filling with fluid, water building up around His heart, dehydration - the Water of Life, being dehydrated. Still people mocked Him, Pilate had a mocking sign hung above His head. Hunger - the Bread of Life is hungry. Perhaps sickness set in, bodily functions kicking in (we don't like to think about this). Soldiers gambling for His clothes. He hung there naked and uncovered, in shame and humility. He thought of His mother (how she must have suffered, but not in the same way as Christ, her Son did). YET in all this horror, He could still look down and say 

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

FORGIVE THEM? FORGIVE those who did all that to You, Lord? Yes, for the way of the Christian is by the example of the Saviour, we forgive as He once forgave us!
This is my view on this: I believe Jesus was looking into the future too and asking His Father to forgive ALL of His people - the ones He chose before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4a).

His death was so horrific - our sins deserved that punishment or even worse punishment (could there be anything worse? Yes - hell. An eternity without love, joy, peace, blessing etc). He took it ALL, every last one of the sins of His people were laid to His account!

ANYBODY can come to Him, including those we deem unworthy (because we were unworthy - that's why He suffered so much)! Even those we find distasteful in life - murderers, thieves, paedos, slanderers, liars, adulterers, fornicators, terrorists, abusers, mockers etc - ANYBODY who turns to Christ and asks for forgiveness and repents of their sins - repentance is a turning away from the past life and seeking to live for Christ. It's more than a glib sorry! 

Is Jesus a Myth? A copy of pagan religions?

From: https://www.gotquestions.org/

Question: "Is Jesus a myth? Is Jesus just a copy of the pagan gods of other ancient religions?" Answer: There are a number of people claiming that the accounts of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament are simply myths borrowed from pagan folklore, such as the stories of Osiris, Dionysus, Adonis, Attis, and Mithras. The claim is that these myths are essentially the same story as the New Testament’s narrative of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As Dan Brown claims in The Da Vinci Code, “Nothing in Christianity is original.” To discover the truth about the claim that the Gospel writers borrowed from mythology, it is important to (1) unearth the history behind the assertions, (2) examine the actual portrayals of the false gods being compared to Christ, (3) expose any logical fallacies being made, and (4) look at why the New Testament Gospels are trustworthy depictions of the true and historical Jesus Christ.  The claim that Jesus was a myth or an exaggeration originated in the writings of liberal German theologians in the nineteenth century. They essentially said that Jesus was nothing more than a copy of popular dying-and-rising fertility gods in various places—Tammuz in Mesopotamia, Adonis in Syria, Attis in Asia Minor, and Horus in Egypt. Of note is the fact that none of the books containing these theories were taken seriously by the academics of the day. The assertion that Jesus was a recycled Tammuz, for example, was investigated by contemporary scholars and determined to be completely baseless. It has only been recently that these assertions have been resurrected, primarily due to the rise of the Internet and the mass distribution of information from unaccountable sources. This leads us to the next area of investigation—do the mythological gods of antiquity really mirror the person of Jesus Christ? As an example, the Zeitgeist movie makes these claims about the Egyptian god Horus: • He was born on December 25 of a virgin: Isis Mary • A star in the East proclaimed his arrival • Three kings came to adore the newborn “savior” • He became a child prodigy teacher at age 12 • At age 30 he was “baptized” and began a “ministry” • Horus had twelve “disciples”  • Horus was betrayed  • He was crucified • He was buried for three days • He was resurrected after three days However, when the actual writings about Horus are competently examined, this is what we find:  • Horus was born to Isis; there is no mention in history of her being called “Mary.” Moreover, “Mary” is our Anglicized form of her real name, Miryam or Miriam. “Mary” was not even used in the original texts of Scripture. • Isis was not a virgin; she was the widow of Osiris and conceived Horus with Osiris. • Horus was born during month of Khoiak (Oct/Nov), not December 25. Further, there is no mention in the Bible as to Christ’s actual birth date. • There is no record of three kings visiting Horus at his birth. The Bible never states the actual number of magi that came to see Christ. • Horus is not a “savior” in any way; he did not die for anyone. • There are no accounts of Horus being a teacher at the age of 12. • Horus was not “baptized.” The only account of Horus that involves water is one story where Horus is torn to pieces, with Isis requesting the crocodile god to fish him out of the water. • Horus did not have a “ministry.” • Horus did not have 12 disciples. According to the Horus accounts, Horus had four demigods that followed him, and there are some indications of 16 human followers and an unknown number of blacksmiths that went into battle with him. • There is no account of Horus being betrayed by a friend. • Horus did not die by crucifixion. There are various accounts of Horus’ death, but none of them involve crucifixion.  • There is no account of Horus being buried for three days. • Horus was not resurrected. There is no account of Horus coming out of the grave with the body he went in with. Some accounts have Horus/Osiris being brought back to life by Isis and then becoming the lord of the underworld. When compared side by side, Jesus and Horus bear little, if any, resemblance to one another. Jesus is also compared to Mithras by those claiming that Jesus Christ is a myth. All the above descriptions of Horus are applied to Mithras (e.g., born of a virgin, being crucified, rising in three days, etc.). But what does the Mithras myth actually say? • He was born out of a solid rock, not from any woman. • He battled first with the sun and then with a primeval bull, thought to be the first act of creation. Mithras killed the bull, which then became the ground of life for the human race. • Mithras’s birth was celebrated on December 25, along with winter solstice. • There is no mention of his being a great teacher. • There is no mention of Mithras having 12 disciples. The idea that Mithras had 12 disciples may have come from a mural in which Mithras is surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac. • Mithras had no bodily resurrection. Rather, when Mithras completed his earthly mission, he was taken to paradise in a chariot, alive and well. The early Christian writer Tertullian did write about Mithraic cultists re-enacting resurrection scenes, but this occurred well after New Testament times, so if any copycatting was done, it was Mithraism copying Christianity. More examples can be given of Krishna, Attis, Dionysus, and other mythological gods, but the result is the same. In the end, the historical Jesus portrayed in the Bible is unique. The alleged similarities of Jesus’ story to pagan myths are greatly exaggerated. Further, while tales of Horus, Mithras, and others pre-date Christianity, there is very little historical record of the pre-Christian beliefs of those religions. The vast majority of the earliest writings of these religions date from the third and fourth centuries A.D. To assume that the pre-Christian beliefs of these religions (of which there is no record) were identical to their post-Christian beliefs is naive. It is more logical to attribute any similarities between these religions and Christianity to the religions’ copying Christian teaching about Jesus.  This leads us to the next area to examine: the logical fallacies committed by those claiming that Christianity borrowed from pagan mystery religions. We’ll consider two fallacies in particular: the fallacy of the false cause and the terminological fallacy.  If one thing precedes another, some conclude that the first thing must have caused the second. This is the fallacy of the false cause. A rooster may crow before the sunrise every morning, but that does not mean the rooster causes the sun to rise. Even if pre-Christian accounts of mythological gods closely resembled Christ (and they do not), it does not mean they caused the Gospel writers to invent a false Jesus. Making such a claim is akin to saying the TV series Star Trek caused the NASA Space Shuttle program.  The terminological fallacy occurs when words are redefined to prove a point. For example, the Zeitgeist movie says that Horus “began his ministry,” but the word ministry is being redefined. Horus had no actual “ministry”—nothing like that of Christ’s ministry. Those claiming a link between Mithras and Jesus talk about the “baptism” that initiated prospects into the Mithras cult, but what was it actually? Mithraic priests would place initiates into a pit, suspend a bull over the pit, and slit the bull’s stomach, covering the initiates in blood and gore. Such a practice bears no resemblance whatsoever to Christian baptism—a person going under water (symbolizing the death of Christ) and then coming back out of the water (symbolizing Christ’s resurrection). But advocates of a mythological Jesus deceptively use the same term, “baptism,” to describe both rites in hopes of linking the two. This brings us to the subject of the truthfulness of the New Testament. No other work of antiquity has more evidence to its historical veracity than the New Testament. The New Testament has more writers (nine), better writers, and earlier writers than any other document from that era. Further, history testifies that these writers went to their deaths claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. While some may die for a lie they think is true, no person dies for a lie he knows to be false. Think about it—if someone was about to crucify you upside down, as happened to the apostle Peter, and all you had to do to save your life was renounce a lie you had knowingly told, what would you do? In addition, history has shown that it takes at least two generations to pass before myth can enter a historical account. That’s because, as long as there are eyewitnesses to an event, errors can be refuted and mythical embellishments can be exposed. All the Gospels of the New Testament were written during the lifetime of the eyewitnesses, with some of Paul’s Epistles being written as early as A.D. 50. Paul directly appeals to contemporary eyewitnesses to verify his testimony (1 Corinthians 15:6). The New Testament attests to the fact that, in the first century, Jesus was not mistaken for any other god. When Paul preached in Athens, the elite thinkers of that city said, “‘He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,’—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean’” (Acts 17:18–20, NASB). Clearly, if Paul were simply rehashing stories of other gods, the Athenians would not have referred to his doctrine as a “new” and “strange” teaching. If dying-and-rising gods were plentiful in the first century, why, when the apostle Paul preached Jesus rising from the dead, did the Epicureans and Stoics not remark, “Ah, just like Horus and Mithras”? In conclusion, the claim that Jesus is a copy of mythological gods originated with authors whose works have been discounted by academia, contain logical fallacies, and cannot compare to the New Testament Gospels, which have withstood nearly 2,000 years of intense scrutiny. The alleged parallels between Jesus and other gods disappear when the original myths are examined. The Jesus-is-a-myth theory relies on selective descriptions, redefined words, and false assumptions. Jesus Christ is unique in history, with His voice rising above all false gods’ as He asks the question that ultimately determines a person’s eternal destiny: “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15).

At the Cross

I'm going through Job, at the moment, in my quiet times - it's a book about suffering and renewal etc. I was thinking about the Cross. This stems from conversations I used to have with Muslims as they don't understand how God could turn His back on God, as He did with Christ at the cross. 

As I pondered on Job's suffering, I thought about the suffering we can never ever understand. 

Jesus is the Son of God - the One who is beloved of His Father (Matthew 3:17; 17:5)
Jesus is God - the image of His Father - (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1-3)

All throughout eternity Jesus and His Father have had close communion - we don't understand the Trinity, or not the depths of it, but we do know each person of the Trinity is an individual, but also there is a oneness. Each are in agreement with the other. I'm not here to discuss the Trinity, but wanted to make the point that Jesus always had communion with the Father and Holy Spirit even during His ministry, Jesus still had communion with the Father through prayer -
  
UNTIL the hours between 12:00-15:00. 

The Human Condition:

Humanity is naturally against God - we can say we believe in Him, but do we obey Him? Do we keep ALL of His commandments? Believing and obeying are different things. Even the devil and his demons believe in God, but they are condemned because they don't obey Him. 
In our disobedience we turn our backs/reject/forsake God and the only way back to Him is for that rejection to be taken by someone - well we are too weak and frail to take it on ourselves, we are also fallible, unreliable, mortal, so we can't do it.

Jesus came to earth. He is: 

God: the Father needs to be propitiated. We can never hit God's standards at all. However hard we try, we fail. In and of ourselves we would get disheartened because it's a hopeless thing: sinners trying to reach the perfect 100% standard God expects! Only Jesus could reach that standard, as God! 

Man: only mankind can redeem itself. Mankind sins, so only mankind can make amends, but we can't because we are sinners, weak, fallible, unreliable, double-minded etc. Jesus HAD to become a man so that salvation was complete through humanity as well as God being propitiated! For Him just to remain God would have meant God was placated to some degree, but that would still have left mankind without the sacrifice needed for full redemption! 

Back to the cross:

Up until 12:00 Jesus still was in communion with His Father. He asked for the Lord to forgive [I wonder if He was looking into the future as well as His present, and asking God to forgive those who were going to be His own] (Luke 23:34)

From 12:00-15:00 - darkness covered the land - Jesus' Father had left Him, turned His back on His Son, as Jesus became the sin bearer! God forsook His Son at Calvary. The weight of our sins pressed down on Christ but even more so I would think the Father's rejection of His Son weighed more heavily upon Him! He cried out in despair at the thought of His beloved Father being silent - no angels were sent to His aid, no relief from the awful torment He had from the separation - just silence. Deathly quiet from the One whom He had been in communion with since eternity. BUT in that forsaking, rejection - Jesus was winning a FULL and COMPLETE salvation for His people - if God the Father had just offered His hand of comfort, offered words of encouragement - our salvation would have been null and void, because Jesus was our 100% complete Substitute at Calvary! God turns His back on every sinner who is unrepentant and refuses to accept His Son - who bore the weight of humanity's sins upon His body. THIS is why Jesus is the ONLY way to God. 

Did Mohammed bear the sins of billions of people - of course not, did Buddha bear the sins of billions of people - no, did the gurus bear the sins of billions of people - definitely not, no other 'person' or false god is the way to the true God, Peter, speaking about Jesus in Acts 4:12 says: ..."Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to get to God and is the way of LIFE ETERNAL! 

John 14:6 Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Health and Wealth Gospel

Well it's New Year - 2016 has arrived. HAPPY NEW YEAR whoever reads this blog :)

I have been thinking lately about the Health and Wealth gospel and how their interpretation of claiming your inheritance now is so wrong! 

What is the inheritance? Is it really to be claimed now? 

What is the inheritance?

If you read Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul mentions our inheritance there

verse 11: In Him we have obtained an inheritance...

Verses 13,14: In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

But if we read the verses surrounding those, we read phrases like:

v.4 just as He chose us in Him...holy and without blame...
v.5 Having predestined us to adoption...
v.6 ...He made us accepted in the Beloved
v.7 redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins...
v.9 having made known to us the mystery of His will...
v.10 ...that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, He might gather together in one, all things, in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him. 

Now v.10 could be used as justification for thinking Paul meant material possessions, but Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Our treasure is not in earthly things, but Spiritual things. Our inheritance is for when Christ returns, it's not for now! 

As inheritance is always for the future, unless you're the Prodigal Son, wanting his father dead so that he could gain what was owed him (as he implied).

I'm going to try and expand on this over time, because I'm sure there's a lot more I could say about this. 

Excursion through Exodus

At the moment I am going through the Bible - straight through, from Genesis - Revelation (eventually). I realised a while back how I've been a Christian for almost 25 years and I haven't read all the way through the Bible. This morning I was reading about the construction of the Tabernacle, and this was what I gleaned from it (copied from my Facebook profile, so not sure if the formatting will be OK):

Excursion through Exodus - the construction of the tabernacle was so precise, but it didn't save! The blood of many animals was shed on the altar but it wasn't forever because animals had to be sacrificed continually! Once a year the holy of holies was entered and only by the priest! The 10 commandments were in the ark of the covenant and the show bread was always there.
All born again believers are now the Church, instead of the Shekinah glory being in the Holy of Holies, each of us is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The many cloths covered the tabernacle, but now our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, covered in the Robe of Righteousness and Garment of Salvation, the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat is needed no more, because Christ's blood was shed at Calvary and we are now covered by it. We approach the High Priest daily, Jesus being that High Priest, making Himself an offering of atonement and the Scapegoat on the altar which is the Cross! He is the Show Bread, He provides manna for us daily! Give us this day our daily bread - spiritual food as well as physical food! Naked on the cross He hung, covered only in His wounds and blood - these were His High Priestly robes, no ephod, no breastplate, no headcovering - only thorns for a crown! The fire on the altar, for Christ, was God's wrath and judgement! This wrath was burned up on Christ! Our sins were laid on Him, our Scapegoat, as He entered the wilderness of God's forsaking of Him! He endured the pain and suffering alone, no one to comfort Him, no one to help Him, the wilderness of our sins was endured by Him and Him alone! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

As the animal would have backslidden, pulling away from that altar, smelling and fearing death, the Lord Jesus Christ, willingly went to that altar! Would the animals have been making noise and clamour? Would the priests have said prayers over the beasts? Jesus went silently and instead of prayers, He heard mocking and jeering. The stench of burned flesh would have surrounded the tabernacle, the stench of our sin would have been with Christ as He bore it! The Sinless One, bearing the weight of our sins! Trillions upon trillions of sins! Such a weight, such a heavy burden!

Once Saved Always Saved

I wrote a post about not losing your salvation - read it HERE

Now opponents of this doctrine say - but that means you can sin all you like and all you have to do is repent [that's called antinomianism]

Antinomianism is as unbiblical as losing your salvation! How come?

Romans 6:15 has the answer

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

The argument continues:

16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Matthew 4:1-11 Satan tempts Jesus

These are my thoughts, from my quiet time 2nd July 2015.

The wilderness is a barren place and one which may have wild and dangerous animals in it! It is also a place of solitude and maybe somewhere which could make one vulnerable. Well, Jesus was taken to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, after which, Satan came to Him! To be our 100% Substitute Christ HAD to be tempted so that He could identify Himself with those He was going to redeem! 

1. Physical temptation - Jesus was physically hungry and probably thirsty when Satan came to Him. So in a human context He would have been weak and vulnerable - Satan being the sly old thing he is, used Christ's hunger to tempt Him. In some ways he used a similar technique he used in Eden - trying to make it sound like if Jesus couldn't do the miracle, then His ministry and work was going to be of no use and He wasn't who He claimed to be. He wanted Eve to doubt God in Eden - and not be truthful in His command about not eating the fruit. 

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

See that IF - it's like Satan is saying - come on prove that You are who You say You are

Satan thinks he has found a chink in Christ's armour - hunger! "OK You're hungry and as You claim to be the Creator of these stones - prove it, turn them into bread."

Christ must have been absolutely famished after fasting for so long BUT He is mightier than those things in the world and being The Word He counters Satan with the word! He, the Creator, the all-powerful One was NOT going to fall prey to the created, dark, fallen angel. He counters Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Satan uses physical things to tempt us as well. Money, bigger house, faster car etc. Anyone in Christ doesn't need those things to be sustained. None of those things can fill the 'God space' we have in our souls! Only God can fill that 'aching void'

OK that didn't work so now Satan tries a slightly different tack

2. Positional temptation - Jesus, being the Son of God, had the legions of heaven at His command. To prove who He said He was Satan tempts Jesus to throw Himself off the temple (the dwelling place of God - Shekinah glory). Again the Evil One uses the word IF... goading the Lord to prove Himself? He didn't need to prove to Satan who He says He was - for a start He created him and He had also fulfilled some O.T. prophecies. Here Satan uses Scripture again to tempt Jesus (Psalm 91:11, 12)

“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

Again Jesus counters him with Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:16). 

“It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

We can't tempt God because He is above and beyond our comprehension and His ways are perfect! 

People try and tempt us to doubt our walk, our faith etc - If you are a Christian then you shouldn't do this or that etc As a Christian you shouldn't judge anyone, so long as they love one another and are committed to one another who are you to judge them? - BUT what does the world know of Spiritual things? Nothing - they aren't indwelt by the Holy Spirit! They live in Satan's domain and under his sway so don't be intimidated by their false accusations and their supposed knowledge of Scripture! 

3. Pride temptation - Jesus has no pride, being righteous so this was a no-brainer from the get-go! see the irony of this:

Satan takes the Creator up onto the exceedingly high mountain [He created], and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory - as the hymnist wrote:

The kingdoms of this world
Lie in its hand;
See how they rise and fall
At its command...

('it', being the great providence of Heaven/God)

[Great Providence of Heaven by David Charles 1762-1834)

The kingdoms etc. are subject to God's providence anyway and are not Satan's to give away! 

Satan has the audacity to offer those to Christ if He would worship the created, fallen being! Again Jesus counters this with Scripture Deuteronomy 6:13:

“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

There is only One we should serve, worship and obey - that is God and Him alone!

Satan uses our pride to make us fall these days. Go on a certain TV show to further your career, do this and the world will love you. It doesn't matter if you metaphorically stab someone in the back to get a promotion - just think of the respect you will gain. That little white lie - that's nothing, doesn't mean a thing - it will get you out of trouble and you will be the best amongst your colleagues, school friends, neighbours, church folk!

It really goes to show how important it is to read and memorise our Scripture. I was thinking that it is part of our spiritual armour - the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17b]. How can we counter accusations etc if we can't wield the Sword of the Spirit?

Satan will accuse us of lacking in love or compassion if we say that gay marriage is wrong or adultery/flirting etc is wrong - it's only harmless fun - why should you judge someone who is having fun? The judging argument is a lie - the only judging we're not to do is hypocritical judging.

Do you really think you're a Christian because of... (insert Satan's lies here).

We need to be rooted and grounded in Scripture and be filled with the love of Christ and the wisdom of God to know how to counter all of the world's accusations! 

Fire on Earth

The other day I was pondering the fact that the world is totally and utterly opposed to the things of the Church. There should be no compromise or appeasement with the world even though that may mean persecution and maybe death! 

I thought about Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace - they were opposed to the world and they were cast in very hot fire. A true Church should be opposed to the world - no compromise, no appeasement, just standing firm on the rock! Even if the world casts the first stone (they are good at judging the Church), we stand firm. No compromise, no appeasement. 

The Church has been in the middle of the furnace throughout the generations - the fire has burned stronger at times, than other times, but still the battle rages on around us!

I began to think about being in the furnace on earth - I would rather be in the furnace on earth for a short time, than to spend eternity in hell with no escape! There is a way in, but no way out! The thought is horrific. To experience God's wrath and damnation forever - UGH, no thanks!

For the world there is no fire - they stoke the fires with their persecution of the Church. They can sue, burn (literally), murder, destroy but they will never be able to take away the fact that the Church is saved and protected. 

"Vengeance is Mine!" says the Lord and His Church will one day be vindicated!

Take heart believer - you are eternally safe. It may be dangerous on earth now, but none can snatch you out of His hand!

Some questions about me

There are a few posts going around FB which are basically questions you answer about yourself! Well I thought I would post some about my Christian life :)

BEGINNINGS

1. Have you always been a Christian? NO
2. When did you become a Christian? 10th December 1990 at about 21:00
3. Where were you when you became a Christian? Rue du Bemel, Woluwe Saint Pierre - which was my atheist employers' house
4. Did you go to church? Yes - The International Baptist Church in Wezembeek-Oppem 
5. What influenced you to search the Christian faith? I read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and saw that going to church didn't make you a Christian - it was faith in Jesus Christ which saved you! Of course the Holy Spirit first of all ;)
6. Have you been baptised? I was christened as a baby and I was fully immersed as an adult believer on 27th January 1991 in the International Baptist Church 
7. Was there ever any other religion you may have considered? What? Yes - Buddhism - a trip to Thailand put pay to that!
8. Would you ever consider converting to another religion now? NO

BIBLE, LITERATURE, HYMNS etc

9. What is your favourite Scripture verse? There are so many, but at the moment it has to be Matthew 6: 19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
10. Who is your favourite Bible character (other than Jesus ;) )? Why? The apostle Paul (who has had so much grief from people saying he's a misogynist - people who have never read anything by the rabbis of his day) the man was resolute and immoveable and did actually respect women. Peter is also another favourite because he also put his mouth into gear before his brain - like me :o
11. Which book of the Bible is your favourite? The one book I have found much comfort and rest in, is Isaiah, although I do like the rest of the Bible! I also love Daniel and Revelation
12. Which book of the Bible has surprised you the most?
There are 2 which I didn't think I would like - Leviticus and Job - I thought I would find them difficult, but I didn't!
13. What is your favourite  book (besides the Bible ;) )? The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom - it's an autobiography
14. Who is your favourite author(s)? - Corrie ten Boom, CH Spurgeon and AW Tozer
15. Are you reading a Christian book at the moment? No, but I plan to read Heaven and Hell by Prof Edward Donnelly, soon!
16. Which Christian poem, you wrote, is your favourite? I wrote one about Jairus' daughter and I think that is one I really got into when writing it!

PRESENT

17. What is your doctrinal position? I am an amillennial reformed evangelical Christian, but I do believe that everybody who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour will be in glory one day and we will all worship Him together as one!
18. Is there anything amazing (other than conversion) which has happened during your Christian life? Where do I begin? - so many amazing things, prayers answered, lessons learned, growth, times of coldness, but also times of phenomenal warmth. One day I was sorting my sons' vests out and only thought - They need more vests, but we can't afford them. I didn't tell anybody, not even my husband and then 2 days later a neighbour knocked on the door with a bag full of vests and pants! Not just physical things - being able to truly forgive people, having peace in my heart about certain situations etc!
19. Do you pray? Yes, but not as often as I should! 
20. Do you read the Bible - Yes, but as above - not as often as I should!

A driving lesson for all

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn. She was screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she was still in mid-rant she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a cell. 

After a couple of hours a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cursing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker and the chrome plated Christian fish symbol on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!"

Author Unknown

As Christians we should be living for Jesus and behaving like Him or else people will never believe we are His!