Head-dibs

"Recently I read the statement, 'Jesus was a vegetarian.' Supposedly, since Jesus did not eat meat, neither should we. There are several problems with this line of reasoning ."

( part 4 ) When the Apostle Paul was inspired to conclude his greeting to the Corinthian church, we find that greetings are extended “ from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ” GOD OUR FATHER What comes to your mind when you think of God as Father? Homer (the ancient Greek philosopher, not the cartoon character) reflected how his culture thought that mankind was the “paignion theon” (plaything of the gods). Ideas like this show the huge difference between our personal idea of God (who we eventually find is no greater than ourselves, and we get disgruntled with that image and blame him) and what God revealed about Himself by revelation. We are designed to receive greater ideas than we can imagine. One can’t help but wonder: if we live in a world of fate, how can we know peace? If God does not care, how can there be peace? A god who has not revealed Himself cannot be our “Father.” Just think of all a Father can do: He is a Lover; the family founder; the marriage-arranger;...

Question: “The Bible speaks of Jesus as God’s only begotten son, but there are many passages that say God has many sons. How many sons does God have: one, or many?” Answer: God has many sons, but only one “only begotten” son. Perhaps the best approach would be to discover “how” one is made a son. The first and most obvious answer is that one is made a son by birth, when a father brings a male child into the world, as in Adam being the son of God ( Luke 3:38 ). Adam’s also had children: Abel, who was pleasing to God and Cain, who displeased the Lord by keeping a hard heart. After Cain killed Abel, Adam had another son (Seth) who was pleasing to the Lord. The descendants of Abel (“sons of God”, nobility) took wives from the descendants of Cain (“daughters of men”, peasantry) as described in Genesis 6:2-4 . A second option would be that one is made a son by adoption. This is how “son” is applied to the Christian. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the s...

Sometimes it is difficult to see something by standing too close--you gotta take a step back and look at the whole thing again. Often too, familiarity creates blind-spots and while we think we see or have seen, we actually no longer see because we think we “know, understand” what we are viewing. Jesus is a familiar figure that often gets relegated into the realm of by scrutiny and we often lose sight of who He is. This is one reason I am so grateful to have the angelic announcement to Mary concerning His birth. Luke records that the angel visited Mary with a birth announcement loaded with information. He does not merely say, “you’re gonna have a baby.” No, the angel makes some very specific statements about this child, identifying unique characteristics that distinguish this prophetic announcement.  First, the angel declares the Humanity of The Child, saying “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son” (Luke 1:31). How’s that for an ultra-sound. The yet-to-be conceived b...

"Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he [is] Christ's, even so we [are] Christ's." (2 Cor 10:7) If you belong to Christ, know that you are individually owned. “He is Christ’s.” Twice in his previous letter, Paul reminds the Corinthians of being “bought at a price” and with that purchase we are free to glorify God and no longer be slaves. The chains are gone! If you belong to Christ, know that you are corporately owned. "We are Christ’s.” Have you ever visited a model home? The Church is a kind of model home, a preview house of what the rule of Christ should look like, a sample of what will be. Our doors should be open to invite future residents to Christ. We are not isolated survivalists who hoard for the apocalypse of the end times, but a local version of the new city within the old city. “Now when He was asked by the Ph...

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Cor 9:15) How does one describe an indescribable gift? With words! It's not a trick question because we are not trying to describe that the indescribable, but the gift. Just because something is difficult to explain does not mean that it cannot be explained at all. We are thinking of the gift of Jesus. A gift is something given from one person to another for the purpose of the receiver to have possession of what is given. So, what kind of gift is Jesus? Charles Spurgeon said, “ Heaven itself is nothing, as compared with Him! If a man had to wade breast deep through a thousand hells to obtain Christ it would be well worth the venture, if at the last he might but say, ‘My Beloved is mine and I am His!’ Jesus is so precious that He cannot be matched! There is none like Him. The most lovely of the lovely--are vile and deformed, when compared with Him. As Rutherford would say, ‘Black sun, black moon, black stars; but, O...

"For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) A substitute is when one person or thing stands in place of another, but that which stands in place must meet specific criteria: First, the substitute must be similar to the original. Let's put this to the test: What replaces a burned out lightbulb? Something made of glass with a threaded end that can be screwed into the socket. A condiment bottle (though made of glass with a threaded end) will not work because it is NOT similar to the original.What replaces a flat tire? Another tire, right? Why won't a cinder block work? Because it is not similar to the original. The acceptable replacement must be similar to the original. Jesus qualifies as our substitute because He was fully human. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace an...

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19) "Reconciliation" can be defined as follows: “Brought back together after being forced apart. Two beautiful pictures illustrate this truth: First, God and man stood face to face with each other. Adam turned his back on God when he sinned, so God turned His back on Adam. Christ’s death satisfied the justice of God and God turned his face toward man again. It remains for man to turn and face God. God has been reconciled by the death of Jesus; now man is asked to be reconciled to God. Second, consider the "Door of Reconciliation." This door is on display in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Note the peculiar rectangular hole hacked out of its center. In 1492, while Columbus sailed the ocean blue (sorry, could not help myself) Sir James Butler, Earl of the Ormonds holed himself ...

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” [2 Cor 5:10 NASB] Buildings under construction require inspections at different stages. Specialists representing the government who carry State certification or specialists representing the International Code Council (the people who set the codes) check to make certain the plans match the workmanship. Is the foundation sound, secure and is the structure properly attached?  Are the right materials being used? wood, hay, stubble?   In the process of building, has any damage occurred?  Is the mechanical equipment in place and working properly?  Is the electricity & Plumbing connected? Does it flow properly? Is this a place of safety, functioning as intended by the Master Builder?  Judgment Points to the Divine Position of Jesus, The Builder of the Church, as judge. He has e...

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” [2 Cor 4:6 NASB] “Science” comes from mid-14th Century Latin word (scire) meaning “to know” or “acquire by study.” One reason science is so enjoyable is that human knowledge is always playing catch-up to what God has already said and done. Take for example the surprising results of exploring light. Science found that light consists of three rays, or groups of wavelengths, and each ray is distinct from the other. There would be no light if any one of these rays or wavelengths were missing as each ray has its own separate function that affects the whole: The first ray, “invisible light” is neither seen nor felt yet this first ray is the origin of light. The third ray or wavelength is also invisible, but is felt as heat. The second ray makes light both seen and felt. Again, science discovers nothing new. S...

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake."  (2 Cor 4:5) Mention "church" to most people and they respond with some thought regarding preaching. Almost never the music, fellowship or even the food. Always the preaching. Why is preaching a central feature of the way we do church? We preach because of John 3:16 . God keeps no secrets, requires no secret knowledge, no hidden wisdom. Preaching is the open proclamation of heavenly matters, the beginning of the legislation of heavenly matters here on earth. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians that preaching is not mere demonstration of eloquence but a demonstration of the Spirit’s power for the purpose of establishing faith not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God! What is the message we proclaim? “Christ Jesus the Lord!” If this is not the message of the church, there is no message at all and neither is the church the chu...

 "Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." (2 Cor 2:14 NKJV) February 7, 2013, the Carnival cruise ship “Triumph” set sail from Galveston, TX for a four day cruise to Mexico. The third day, the ship suffered a fire in the aft engine room. The fire was immediately extinguished, but the ship lost power and propulsion and remained adrift 150 miles off the Mexican coast. For the next five days the 4,200 people on board had to endure unsanitary conditions, food shortages and camping out on deck until the ship was towed into Mobile, Alabama. Not much of a Triumph, was it? It was big ship, massive, loaded with all the amenities for a good time; but, it was crippled, a failure--a barge of unhappiness. The good ship Lolly-pop, dropped--with fuzz stuck all over it. The perfect picture of what the world has to offer. So many shiny things distract our attention that we forget what really...

(2 Cor 1:3-5) “ Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ .” Someone said that when Jesus was born, his first cry was God’s way of saying, “I got this. Everything’s gonna be alright.” I read a story recently of a 15 year old boy who was admitted to the hospital due to a high fever. Turned out the young man had leukemia and endured blood transfusions, spinal and bone marrow tests, and chemotherapy. Then he developed pneumonia. For five days his mother stayed in his hospital room. The only words they heard from the doctors were in the plain terms and seriousness of his disease. Though he had never been in the hospital before, he looked around his room then finally sai...

Have you ever thought of the ascension of Christ as a doctrine? One often thinks of the physical return of Christ as an event--but a doctrine? A teaching with a principle to be believed--really? Yes. As an event, His return would remain what it is just as when I get in the car and drive away; but His ascension is more than event. Without the ascension, we are alone and no different than any other religion of the world. His ascension changes the way the followers of Christ live in and view the world. The apostle Paul writes, “ God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation ” (2 Corinthians 5:19). I first read this verse while in Junior High School. I remember this distinctly because I did not know what “reconciliation” meant so I packed up all my questions and went looking for answers. The result? I recall the urgency that came over me, that everyone needed to hear this, so I taught what wa...

Today marks the 40th day of Easter, Ascension Day. Eye witnesses recorded the bodily return of Jesus into Heaven. “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11, NKJV) The ascension reminds us that while Jesus walked this earth in time and space, He continues His work on earth while at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. When the world turns to confront its problems, it misses the remedy offered by the death, burial, resurrection and bodily ascension of the Savior. I spoke with a woman recently who admitted she was struggling with sin and was confused, yet while she acknowledged Jesus she would not hu...

Part of my journey in re-reading the life of Christ has taken me on a side trail that wound all the way back to the start, with Creation itself. The life of Christ does not really start in the gospels, but with Creation--actually before Creation; however, this is not the subject. Our understanding of Christ begins with Creation because, in effect, this is our beginning. He is our Creator. Reading Genesis, one is able to suspect that most minds run on “fast-forward,” along with the text. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, rest. Then we have the details concerning the creation of man and the fall, then we have the rest of the Bible. What happened between the Creation of man and the fall of humanity into sin and death by sin? Man walked with God, man was tempted and was deceived. Was it over that quickly? I get the sense of the text that God and man enjoyed walking together for a long, long time. I will even venture that the length of time man spent in unbroken relationship was...

What is a perfect life?  How woefully short I come because when I try to process living the perfect life, I find myself considering how I would live my life unlike the way you live yours. When we look to scripture, we find two aspects of the perfect life. The first is found in the life of the perfect God-man Jesus who lived in time and space, keeping every command of God. Boggles the mind, but He lived the perfect life. The second description of the perfect life begins with our Creator who is our Savior. “You said that already.” No, I said, “begins.” “ There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live .” (1 Corinthians 8:6). “ He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of...

When you hear the name “Saint George,” and the picture of a knight killing a dragon comes to mind, then you’ve got the right idea. St. George is considered to be the patron saint of many European kingdoms and countries though (as it often goes with historical figures), he is remembered most by the most romantic tales than by his true historicity. Various histories agree that George was born to a Greek family in Israel nearly 275 years after Christ and include his subsequent following in his father’s footsteps by serving in the Roman army. There are indications that Emperor Diocletian knew George’s father, so that helped; that is, until Diocletian banned Christianity. George was martyred for rejecting the new Romanism and for holding on to his faith as a follower of Christ. The story of St. George killing the dragon is rich in symbolism: first, one recalls the biblical imagery of the defeat of Satan, described as “that great dragon” in scripture. This imagery glorifies Christ b...

Today is Easter Tuesday, the day after Easter Monday. You thought the Resurrection celebration was over? I just learned that few (very few) cities in the U.S. plan their city calendar accordingly, even cancelling school during these special days. I was also reminded that for the past few years, some have claimed that Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus was a borrowed idea, being no more than a fantasy or a myth. Permit me to summarize J.R.R. Tolkien (who corrected C.S. Lewis, who once said that myths are lies): Christianity is a myth--one that happens to be true. It’s just the further myths gets from source material, the more misguided they are in communicating truth. So how do we know if the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus was not a borrowed idea? Let me suggest reading the ancient myths, noting how myth stories change over time. "Not one clear case of any alleged resurrection teaching appears in any pagan text before the late second century A.D., almost...