THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB

    New Year's Eve is all about the final countdown! And our reading today, our last reading of the year is also about the final countdown.  The ending of Malachi and the ending of Revelations blend together all too well. In Malachi, we are reading about the coming of the Lord and how everything and everyone will pass through the fire, nothing will pass that is not pure, refined or holy. The same message we read in Revelations.  In Malachi God is disputing with the people about their bad relationship, or horrible relationship, let's say, that they have with Him. And each time they come back and challenge God on His assessment of them and each time God comes back with concrete evidence and even quotes back to them what they are saying about Him.  In revelations God sums it up as " those that live a lie ". Mirroring in essence what He is telling them in Malachi, it's really quite amazing. Then we read in Psalms, you could say, the finality, "let everything that

          Do you really want to start a dialogue with God?  Or as we would say today, “do you really want to go there?” Normally that statement reflects the idea that you don’t want to start an argument you are going to sorely lose; there is just piles of evidence heaped up against us, if we want to start throwing accusations. What I especially like about the Old Testament is we get actual dialogue from God and I find that fascinating. How does God think? What upsets him, if He was going to speak, what would He say? If you will read through the whole Old Testament you will get to know Jehovah/Yahweh quite well!      Today we read in the last book of the Old Testament (Malachi) and Jehovah has one last opportunity to speak. It will be 400 years before God ever speaks to the Jewish people again! And what we find is that it is the typical conversation between man & God.  God says, “I have always loved you” man says, “how have you loved us!” It’s the conversation that still goes on in

   Of course those reading this blog will more than likely be dead when this great battle takes place; Satan and his gang against Jerusalem and the people of God. Most would have a hard time seeing themselves on either side. They are not evil but neither are the devoutly religious. If anything, they want to be more neutral, than anything. As the war rages against ISIS and radical muslim extremists in the Middle East, many men and women have chosen a side and have gone to Iraq & Syria, to engage the enemy in a full frontal assault. The animosity that is breeding between those soldiers and the civilians is based predominantly on this issue. It is hard for them to return from having engaged this real enemy and come back to a society that wants to remain neutral. They have had limbs and fellow soldiers blown up by this enemy and they come back to civilians who want to remain neutral. This infuriates the soldier and causes animosity between him and his fellow countrymen. This also repre

        "HOW far is this kid going to take this before I have to knock him off his feet", ever wonder that?  How far will an employee take his insolence before his employer is left with no choice but to fire him? How far will a soldier take his insubordination before his superior must write him up or court martial him? And the question of all ...is how far will the creation (man) take his arrogance, pride and audacity against his creator?  And the answer to that is "to no ends".   Will he (the created) defy the creator? Yes Will he rebel against his creator, Yes.  Will he shake his first at his creator, Yes!  But will he go so far as to FIGHT his creator....???? YES  19  Then I saw the beast  and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together   to wage war against the rider on the horse  and his army."         "Are you serious, you are going to wage war against God?"  This is the end, the culmination of man's pride to his own destructio

   Why do people want to stay in their false religion and attempt to serve God there, after they have come to the truth? Is it some kind of compromise? Some kind of admission of "partial guilt"? A text that has often stood out to many is our text in Revelations, "  Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins or you will be punished with her ". One of the most frustrating things for me as a Born Again Christian is to have a Catholic come to me and tell me "we are the same".  We are both "believers" we are both "Born Again" it's just that I am Catholic and you are Protestant. And I grieve for the martyrs who gave their lives so that we could be set free from false religion. As if there's salvation inside the Teachings of the Catholic Church?! As if salvation and forgiveness of the "original sin" comes at at the baptism of an infant. As if Martin Luther was just a great fool in forging the Protestant Refor

   God gives a high & lofty position in this story, in Revelations, to "the woman". We know that the woman is a personification, not a literal person, but it is still interesting that God chooses a woman for this personification. "the mother of all prostitutes and obscenities in the world".  Jesus (God) built his movement on the backs of men. We do not know any of the names of the wives of the apostles or even if they are married (except Peter). Men are given quite a lofty position, it is the names of the 12 Apostles that are written on the foundations of the New Jerusalem. We go on to read about this powerful woman that rides the beast. "In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality".  As strong as "man" is, the Achilles Heal of every normal, red blooded man, is "women".  She has taken down the mightiest of the mighty. And we are not simply speaking about non-Christian men either; if on

  Adultery is an ugly thing. Adultery should never happen, Adultery is part of our culture. Adultery is one of the 10 Commandments; actually it’s mentioned twice in only 10 Commandments. Proverbs mentions 3 things that make the earth tremble, paraphrased by me, “will rock your world”, and one of those is “a servant/slave girl who supplants her mistress”. Imagine, the humiliation of a woman, with status, who had all the accessories available to her to make herself beautiful to her husband, all the resources she needs. She can be rested, therefore in a pleasant mood for her husband, she has resources, therefore can lavish herself with all she needs to beautify herself, perfumes, dresses, beautiful night gowns, products to enhance her features, her body, her hair and here we have this lowly servant girl, with a mop in her hand, no make up, nothing to beatify her, no status in life, she is just "a lowly servant girl"; how does she ever supplant (move out of her spot) this woman w

    I  wonder how many readers we will get on Christmas Day? Christmas Day is such a celebratory day. With phone calls and visits and dinners, where does Jesus fit in? Then you actually do take the time to sit down and read your One Year Bible on Christmas and you are reading about judgment in Zechariah and then we are faced with even harsher reading in Revelations about Jesus and the bowls of Judgment He is releasing upon the earth. It's not very Christmassy reading, to say the least. It would be so neat if we picked up the One Year Bible on Christmas Day and it just so happened to be a reading on the Christmas story; instead we are faced with doom and gloom.  It's almost as if we and Jesus are not on the same page on December 25th or December 24th for that matter. It's not often that Christmas or Christmas Eve falls on a "church day" but it seems that when it does it turns out to be an inconvenience to us. It's almost as if Jesus is getting in the way of our

   You ever notice that when God is dealing with His children about their sin, He rarely mentions alcohol, pornography and drugs.  Not to say that any of those are not bad, they are bad, really bad. My own parents divorced over alcoholism. Alcohol, porn & drugs divide and ruin families all the time. We know that they are bad and can become addictive, but they are also, in many ways, superficial sins. Again, for some, alcohol, porn & drugs are way more than superficial, they are deep strongholds in their lives, but they are the exception to the rule. On average, those who do come to Christ are quickly delivered of these sins. When I became a Christian, I was forgiven and set free. I was not off behind the church smoking pot before service, I had no desire anymore. You'll find that often when God is dealing with His people about their sins, He is dealing with issues that He sees are deeply rooted in our hearts. And that is..., our selfishness, prejudice, hatred, bigotry, envy

  IT is amazing to me as we come to the close of the year readings, in our One Year Bible that often you can't tell if you're reading in the Old Testament or New Testament portion. Today, I have to admit, I might have been drifting a little while reading (long night), but when I reigned myself back in and got re-focused I assumed I was reading the New Testament portion (yes I spaced out). "Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.” While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will be its glory within." If that doesn't read like Revelations than I don't know

   What armies are we talking about here?  When I think of Heaven, I don’t think of armies. I think of ‘Ol Saint Francis sitting on a cloud, playing a Harp.  In Zechariah Jesus keeps being referred to as “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies”. Armies in Heaven, really? Armies for what? Aren’t armies for war?  What wars? Celestial Wars? Two of the highest box office hits were “ Lord of the Rings ” and “ Harry Potter ”. Why are we so fascinated with the epic movies about wars between evil and good? Is our fascination with fiction, perhaps not really a fascination with fiction, but rather a fascination with what we innately know to be non-fiction . Christian movies don’t tend to do well at the Box Office, but one movie that did particularly do well was “ The Chronicles of Narnia ”. Again, a movie about evil being at war with good, talking animals, heavenly beings and demonic beasts. As we near the end of the year, it’s amazing how the Old Testament begins to mirror the New Testament. Epic movies o

   I DON'T know to many people that would be so bold as to tell God, to "just hold on a minute" and then to keep Him waiting for days, weeks, months and some even years. We are much more diplomatic about it, we simply say to ourselves, "now is not the time". In Haggai we read about God's people doing exactly so. They do not say that they don't want to or don't have interest in building another temple, they simply justify that "it's not the right time". It's not that I don't want to go overseas, but "it's not the time". It's not that I don't want to get involved, it's just that "it's not the time". It's not that I don't want to forsake all and follow you, "it's just not the time". When the kids are older, when my finances are better, when my marriage is better, when I pay off some debt, when I get my act together, but yet we manage to have time for our purposes, but no

   DON'T eat before coming over, please! Have you ever invited someone over for dinner and somehow there was a mis-communication and they thought it was just for coffee? "Please eat, it really is good, it's one of my best dishes", I've begged. The reply has always been, "I'm sure it is good, I am simply stuffed and I just don't have room for anything else right now, give me some time". I have been on the receiving end of that situation and I have also been the guilty party.  I know that no matter what they served that night, no matter how good it was, I would have no appetite for it.  When we are full, not hungry, nothing in the world, at that moment is appealing. "Don't talk to me about food right now", is often the reply we get when we are forcing someone to eat that is full.  Ever heard someone say that you were trying to stuff "the bread of life" down their throat say, "don't talk to me about Christ right now,

    "Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept…..we put away our harps." No problem right, they’re down in the dumps, it’s just not “good times” right now. However the most unlikely (or maybe not so unlikely) event occurs, the ungodly Babylonians want them to sing a song for them. One of the great songs about their God, that they are renowned for singing all over the existing world; at that time. Unfortunately, to the surprise of the Babylonians and maybe even to their own surprise, they reply “we have no song to sing”. In the most unlikely situations and times, when we least expect it, will we be asked, by those that we have been trying to reach, those that have been persecuting us, those that have rejected us in the past, now, in our worse moment, at a time when we are down, do they come to us and say, “sing us a song” and what do we say, “ get a way from me right now, I just want to be left alone; going through a rough time, I've hung my harp and I have nothing to

    “Bottled up prayers” that’s a pretty cool idea and concept. People have been almost miraculously rescued by putting a message in a bottle, tossing it out into the sea and hoping, praying it floats safe and sound into the hands of a would be rescuer. A preserved cry for help is what a message in a bottle is. Is a vocal prayer also “a preserved cry for help?” The message in the bottle is a desperate hope that the cry for help will get into the right hands and often a prayer is also a desperate hope that their cry will somehow travel billions of light years through space and time and get into the hands of this incredible deity, we call God. The question is, are our prayers making it through billions of light years and galaxies to God? According to our text today, they are!!! They are the message in the bottle. “  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon

   “ But you, O Bethlehem are only a small village among all the people of Judah, Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past”. This of course is the scripture that the Pharisees used to reject Jesus as the Messiah. As far as they knew, what they had been told, Jesus was from Nazareth; therefore He could not be the Messiah as prophesied about in Micah. Had the Pharisees done their research they would have found out Jesus was not from Nazareth, his parents had only moved there later on, but that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem. Ignorance is not always bliss! The Pharisees and many others will perish because of their ignorance. How many people today will argue about religion, salvation and eternity who are completely ignorant and don’t know the facts. The Pharisees would ultimately perish based on what they had heard. How many times when Jesus was speaking to them did He not say, “have you not read?!” I once was perishing, I lived a horrible, sinful life, but becaus

    If a liar and deceiver comes and says, "I will prophecy for you plenty of wine and beer, that would be just the prophet for this people "Isn't that the scripture every person should know and memorize. It's hard to believe this was written over 2000 years ago and not just last week. It goes to show that God has a sense of humor and sarcasm working in Him and it proves He knows what most of us really want. This Holiday season is all about wine & beer. God is 100% accurate in his assessment. The prophet that would tells us "have all the wine and beer you want" is the prophet we want and he is the prophet that we have today. It's not just the sinners boozing it up this time of year, it's the sipping saints too! It's the festive time of year! It's festive because we are filled with wine and beer. I may have my mind on plenty of other things when I get to Heaven, but right now, today, my question to Jesus would be, "why did you do it?&

    THE problem with the story of Jonah is it causes many lazy Christians to form a wrong Theology. And that theology is, that God will bring to fruition his purposes for my, irregardless of moi. Irregardless of my stubbornness, irregardless of my rebelliousness, irregardless of my uncleanness, irregardless of my undisciplined spiritual life, in essence, irregardless of me. "Look at Jonah, he didn't want to do God's will, he was heading in a completely different direction and in the end, God got him to do what he wanted". And what do we say to that? We cannot deny it is true, we just read it! We cannot deny that God is Sovereign and that his will will always prevail, otherwise He cannot be Sovereign. We cannot deny that God, in being sovereign, reserves the right to "override" our free will when necessary; otherwise he cannot be sovereign. My son, no doubt has a free will and he functions day to day exercising his free will, but I, as his Father, reserve the

   It is strange reading about Esau, at the end of the Year, at the end of the Bible. But God saw fit to bring up him name, one last time. Esau is the sad story, that never gets better. Wouldn't make for a nice movie where everyone likes a happy ending. I think the problem with watching movies and always having a happy ending is we begin to identify life like that. It will work out, it will end well, it's all good. Well, that may be Hollywood, and that may make a much better movie, but in real life, some stories, some lives are tragic saga's and sad endings. Isaac has two boys, Esau and Jacob. Esau comes from a good family, Esau has great opportunity, but something is in Esau, that is not right and he does not seem to do right, or chose right. He is like Cain whom God confronts and tells him, "if you will do right will you not be accepted as well?" Sometimes we make decisions that are going to set us in a certain direction and put us on a course we may not want to

         WHY is everything about being Victorious, about overcoming? 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne." Is there not a place anywhere for the fainthearted, is there not a place anywhere for the man who wants to quit, for the man who is going to lose? Apparently, not even Heaven, of all places has a place for the loser or the quitter. Why does Jesus have to remind us that it will not be those that simply said a prayer one day, long time ago, that will inherit the Kingdom of God, but only those that overcome and are victorious?      When my son was in middle-school, I was coaching his football team and my son was the quarterback. The only teams that moved on for the prize were the teams that were victorious. Why couldn't those that lost move on? We, my team, were not victorious. I stood on the field and watched before my own eyes, my defense collapse on me. Almos

    Kudos to the Church in Thyatira. If I was the Pastor of that church I would frame these words from Jesus and hang them in the Church foyer for everyone, especially visitors to read, “I have seen your love, your faith, you service and patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things”. Of course I would leave out the next part, “ But I have this one complaint against you, you are permitting that woman Jezebel….to teach them to commit sexual sin”. We know that “Love” is the primary objective, the primary goal of a church. The church in Thyatira seems to have reached this high and lofty goal. I think we can agree, there’s a few churches today that are seriously lacking in love. It’s unfortunate that the very objective that the Thyatira church has strived to be, now brings with it a serious fault. They have tried so hard to be “the love church” that in doing so they have completely avoided any kind of behavior that might be taken as “unloving”. I have never

    "Return to your first love" it's the sermon older Christians hate to hear. It's like men listening to a sermon on lust "oh here we go again", they think to themselves. Lust is the Achilles heel of every man (though hopefully triumphant) and "go back to your first love" is the sermon that can be preached any Sunday, and most older converts will be convicted! Because we do stray in our relationships, the fire does dwindle in our relationships and whether we want to hear it or not it is true and needs to be said. We do need to return to our first love, it's not a cliché, but true! We are no longer the "down and out" person we were when we first came to Christ. We are now married, have kids, have sports on week-ends, have good jobs and life is good, for the most part and oh yeah...and did I mention, Jesus!  Jesus.... sure, he's good, church is alright, however I don't think I'm gonna make it this Sunday my son has a soccer

   I know that the Christian Life is not the perfect life. That if I expect my life to be ever so bliss because I’m a Christian is wrong. However, I still cannot get away from the scripture that continuously tells me, “my life should be blessed because I fear the Lord and obey him. So while I should make room in my theology or life, for hard times, I must also understand that it isn’t my lot in life to be miserable and beaten down. In both Psalms and Proverbs today we are told that “ how joyful are those who fear the Lord, how joyful and prosperous they will be, may you live to enjoy your grandchildren” then in Proverbs we read, “whoever obeys the law is joyful” it is almost a duplicate of what we read in Psalm 128. And so I get it, I get it, my life isn’t going to be perfect, I know, I’ve been told enough times, through radio talk shows to sermons, books and from friends. I got that part, it’s been made loud and clear. It’s almost the strategy they use in “sales”. Set expectations low

         I SIMPLY don't understand Eternal Security and I understand it even less after reading today's passage in Jude. The author provides a clear cut case against eternal security. He writes, "let me remind you". I think part of the problem is we forget and probably worse, most Christians just don't read The Bible, seems like an oxymoron if I've ever heard one, but it's true. If you were to try to have a debate over this subject and say, "well you know what it says in the book of Jude (as I have many times) about this" many "self-professed" Christians/back-slidden Baptists, would give you that stare...."hmmm, Jude, I think I've heard of that book, I'm not quite sure where it is...is that old testament?" And for those that have read the book of Jude and read the arguments of the author they would simply say, "well, that's because they were never really saved". However the author deals with that in Jude.

    The reason we have conflict in the church is because some people are just jerks. Surely it has nothing to do with us! It's always the other person that has the issues, it's always the other person who is causing the conflict. It's always the other persons conceit and arrogance that has caused us not to like him. He's this and she's that and if they weren't like that we wouldn't have such problems. If the Pastor wasn't so .........than I could submit to him, I would even like him. If my ministry leader wasn't so headstrong, then I could get along with him/her. But c'mon, how can you have a problem with the Apostle of Love? If there's anybody in the church you could expect not to have any relationship problems with, it would be the Apostle John, (known as the disciple of Love) the disciple whom Jesus loved the most. However that's not the case is it?! Somebody in the church had major issues with John. " I wrote to the church, but D