THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB

    The Great Apostle Paul would not have been deemed so great among us 21st Century Christians. We would have distanced ourselves from him and his ministry. We would have been quick to say, "he's not one of us", he's with the church down the street, but yet God thought quite the opposite. We love the "Politically Correct Jesus". We love the Jesus that gets along with everybody, the Jesus that's the Peacemaker, non-confrontational, non-controversial. Who is this Paul that Curses People? Curse people? In another Text Paul says (paraphrased by me) "I hope when you're circumcising yourselves you go ahead and cut the whole thing off and castrate yourselves". We read about Paul in another text where he "Curses a man, blind!". "Cursed be any man, or even Angel that preaches another gospel, again I say, cursed be him". I would assume that someone preaching another Gospel might be considered an enemy, didn't Jesus say, ...

    EVER wonder, why...if the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, that such confrontational talk would be penned for eternity in God's word. I would almost consider some of the paragraphs in 2 Corinthians to be for "private consumption" wouldn't you? Is this not the kind of drama we try to hide from new converts & new church members?  Don't we want people to only know about the bliss and wonderful experience of the Church? The Apostle Paul is really getting down in our text today! He is "calling them out"!  In essence he is saying, "hey I'm saved, why don't you check yourself! Unless you fail the test!"  Is this what the situation between Paul and the Corinthian Church has succumbed to?  Well, if that's the case you can never accuse God of trying to hide the imperfections of the Church. I think it is best that God doesn't hide the imperfections of the Church, for our own sake!  We will all one day find ourselves in a churc...

   We read today, Jehovah Witnesses' favorite scripture. Now if you're not familiar with the Cult of Jehovah Witness or their false doctrines, this means nothing to you (although you will be familiar with them after today). Their favorite scripture they put on the front of the "Watch Tower" magazine is the one quoted from Isaiah, in our reading today. "The Lion lying down with the lamb and the child will play in the midst of them" (paraphrased by me). Don't you want that? That's what we believe! "Don't you want to be part of us?", they ask? The only problem is, Jehovah Witnesses believe only 144,000 will make it on the new earth? 144,000? And their prophets believe the 144,000 are already chosen, so what hope does that leave for us? It's too bad when a Cult takes a scripture and makes false claims about it, it can ruin it for the rest of us. We can become disenchanted towards that scripture because it becomes associated with false t...

     Sometimes it's easy to think these "prophet guys" are just rambling on about....who knows what? We have to get out a Matthew Henry Commentary just to find out what it is they're actually saying. Well, in the midst of our reading today, in Isaiah, there's something even the simplest of us, can understand.You don't have to be a theologian to understand that Isaiah is writing about Jesus. "Unto us a child is born and He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" and if you notice, a little before that text, Isaiah also mentions "Galilee, by the sea" this we know would be where Jesus would launch his ministry and we know "Micah the prophet"  prophesied the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. It is hard to believe how many Jews today, and also at that time, failed to see the prophecies, through their own Jewish Prophets, that Jesus was truly the Messiah they had been waiting for, longing ...

    Isaiah is Definitely seeing things that we will never see, at least not on this side of eternity. I was encouraged to read that in God's presence Isaiah did see something that I can say, I also saw!  What is it that we both saw? We both saw that we are sinful men of; unclean lips among a sinful people. Not, often, but I have had a few opportunities, in the past few years, to speak in front of some rather large crowds (larger than I'm used to at least)  God's presence was there, words were given, a picture drawn before them (metaphorically speaking) and what was heard and what was seen? To the surprise of many, .....not much. I have been in the presence of much, much smaller crowds and yet have seen more eyes and ears opened. The Lord says, "they listen carefully, but do not understand, Watch closely, but learn nothing. Harden the hearts of these people.....they will not see with their eyes nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn t...

         WE have often heard, "don't lose your Faith" but how about don't lose your mind!  Is your faith in your heart or is it in your mind? Good question isn't it?  In Romans we read,  "for it is with the heart that you believe but with the mouth you confess" . However, that being said, Paul, the same author of the book of Romans, here writes,  "... your minds  may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ".   So while we may believe in our hearts, the battle will be waged in our minds. Yes we must guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of our hearts springs the issues of life.  However, I believe what is happening in our hearts eventually drips into our minds. Paul is saying that it is "our minds" that are led astray, not the heart. I have lost more friends who's minds have wandered more than anything else.  There is the occasion that someone's heart just turns cold towards God ...