"Follow me." A Call to Action.

Jesus said, "Follow me."

This is a call to action.

"Follow."

To follow, we must DO...yet more often than not we DON'T.

Sure, we might think we are following Jesus, IE we GO to church, we GIVE to charities and the church we READ our Bibles. etc.

And while those are all well and good - are they really examples of FOLLOWING Jesus?

Certainly they are disciplines that we as Christian's work on...but how are they "following" Jesus.

They aren't.  And maybe that's why we like them!

Now, I'm not saying that we are AGAINST Jesus and don't want to follow him - we do!  However, the list above most times is EASIER than following Jesus.

Oh, it's not complicated, it's not a heavy burden to follow Jesus - even he promises us that - but change is hard at times and THAT'S what Jesus is calling us to do, via Following Him.

The rest of the world follows itself.

It doesn't take much study to see this.

The western world runs and works differently than the Kingdom of God.

Money is a god in the western world - as I've pointed out before, there are people who are celebrities and deemed IMPORTANT simply because they have money!  They are popular and people watch shows on them and the only reason they are known is because of their MONEY.

Is this a Kingdom philosophy?  Of course not.

God calls us to something different - "Follow ME"

Not follow your friends, family, culture, church (yes), society, the next fad, the hottest celebrity, but "ME."

This is tricky too, because it's quite abstract - exactly WHAT does it look like, feel, seem, appear, etc. to Follow Jesus?  Can any of use truly put a finger on it?  If we can, I doubt we are correct.

And Lord knows we like things CONCRETE, black and white, straight-down-the-middle, up front and clearly defined.

God doesn't always, in fact rarely, works this way - for a very good reason too: we are to TRUST Him.  Trust is easy when you know all the facts...it's quite different when you can't see two feet in front of you.

What's worse about following Jesus? Well, like many of His teachings: He gives us NO EXCEPTIONS.  No way to back out - yet we still try to figure out ways around this.

Thus, we read our Bibles MORE.

We DO more "Christian" THINGS - of which I am a culprit of doing!  Sure, we might be doing good - but WHY are we doing good?  Because Jesus called us to it or because WE chose to do it?

The problem with following Jesus is that he doesn't call us to comfort.  He IS comfort, and we will find such IN HIM - but he doesn't call us to do that.  No, he calls us to follow him into areas of our lives we'd rather not go.  He calls us to do things (or not do things) we'd rather not.

Instead, we get more pious - as if THAT will be a fine replacement for what Jesus is calling us to.

Sadly, it's not.

While it's a lot of ACTION at time - it's more or less just spinning our wheels.  Waiting to see if Jesus forgets that he asked something of us...of course that's silly.

He NEVER forgets...and that calling will haunt us until we finally do, put EVERYTHING down and follow.

Yes this means we will have to give some things up that we love.  However, this also means that we will be expected to do MORE of what we love also - which oddly, is just as "bad."  As with doing, comes responsibility and cost: time, money, etc.

But if we truly trust Jesus, as we claim to, then we must trust that Jesus is leading us to where WE should be.  By "we" I mean, individually.

For where Jesus is calling ME is not the same place to where Jesus is calling YOU - and sometimes that is hard to accept.  There are things I am called to do, that (if I am honest) I sometimes feel others should be as passionate about - however, just because I am being called to it, doesn't mean that others are being called to something else.  And because I am passionate about it, doesn't mean others have to as well.

Jesus calls us each onto our OWN path as well - and that's another reason we might not follow as often as we should: sometimes that path is lonely...often times it is...and it's supposed to be!

Those lonely times on that path are to help us get closer to Jesus, depend on Him more, so he can call us into deeper and more challenging places.

While reading the Bible, attending church, giving to the poor, even helping the poor, are great things to do - they can never, NEVER get in the way of the most important thing we are called to do:

Follow Jesus.

Who Is To Blame?

We blame.  We blame A LOT.  We blame the ref for a bad call, traffic for making us late, the Democrats for ruining the economy - or wait is the Republicans? Maybe it's both.  We blame the terrorists, we blame the fundamentalists, we blame the atheist, the Christian, the Muslim, the guy down the street who's lawn is always a mess, those people - you know the ones - can't trust them, we blame the mortgage company because WE didn't read the fine print, we blame the kids at McDonald's earning minimum wage for having to wait TWO MINUTES before we could stuff our face with grease and fat, heck we blame McDonald's for making us fat, we blame eggs for our heart attacks and Phillip Morris for our lung cancer,  we blame our boss when we are fired, blame the homeless for decreasing our home value, blame the rich that we don't have money to buy groceries, blame the bleeding heart liberals because our taxes are too high, blame the homosexuals for ruining OUR family values, we blame those wacky Christians that Adam and Steve can't get married, we blame...boy do we blame.  Kid gets hurt?  Who's to blame!  I get sick, it's got to be someone else's fault!  Blame!

Sadly, if we made a list of everything and everyone we blamed for what went on in our lives, well heck, we might just about blame everything and EVERYONE!

Why do we blame?  Because we can.  Especially here in America.  We are a blaming society.  One only has to listen to any given conversation at any given time to hear someone or something get blamed for...(insert problem here).  Heck, we blame others for NOT stopping us from doing something stupid.  Have you ever said, "Why didn't you stop me?"  Yeah, that's called blame.

We blame because it's easy.  9/11? Terrorist of course! See?  Easy.

We blame because we don't want to take responsibility, or think we might have some part in the problem.

In short, we don't want to take the time to understand why something happened the way it did, or why someone acted the way they did.  We want to blame, then we want JUSTICE!  That is, unless someone blames us for something, then we want mercy and understanding.

God is not free from our blame either.  How often have we dug our own holes, so deep we pray for help to get out of it.  And when said help doesn't come, we blame God that we are still in the hole.  After all, he has the power to help us, so it only stands to reason that he should, right?

There is a saying, "When you point a finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you."

Jesus said something similar, "Remove the plank from your own eye, before you help someone remove their speck."

Plank and speck...quite a difference isn't there?

That's the other reason, maybe the main reason we blame...if we didn't, we might have to remember our planks.  And we don't want to do that.

Do we really get to blame?  That is a question we should ask too.  Are we in any position to blame?  To point a finger, to point out a fault, to find a reason to punish in the name of justice?

What does Jesus say?

Something we don't want to hear: Love your enemy.

Say What? (or in those ATT commercials Say Butt?)

Love. Your. Enemy.

Okay, but what does that have to do with blame?

Well, nothing, because if we are loving someone we can't blame them can we?  If we are truly loving someone, and they do something that might hurt us, do we get to blame them for our pain?

Doesn't appear so.

After all, does Jesus point his finger at you and blame you for his crucifixion?

Oh, we know we are to blame, there's no doubt about that...but we aren't blamed.  Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit don't blame us...oddly, Jesus willingly took the punishment (blameLESS as he was) that we deserved, and didn't even want a thank you...only for us to do the same "take up your cross daily."

Love understands, it doesn't, it never blames.

"That which we understand, we can't blame." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

If we truly love, then we strive to understand.  Love our enemies, means not only to pray for them, but to understand them.  Do we understand why we were attacked on 9/11?  I don't truly think we do.  I don't truly think we want to either, because as unpopular as it might be to say: we might not want to discover that we might have some blame to share.

So, who is to blame?

All of us.  All that is wrong in the world, all the hurt, the suffering, the you-name-it...we are all to blame.  We all in some form or another by what we do or don't do have contributed to it.

And if we are all to blame...well then, perhaps we can put down our fingers, start working on our planks and maybe, just maybe, get some real love spreading through the world.

Spread the Word Update

As of today we currently have 91 Bibles/New Testaments collected.

In addition to collecting Bibles, I have been purchasing Bibles that I find at a local thrift store and have them hand them out.  I haven't been as diligent in counting those Bibles as I should have been, but off the top of my head I think it's close to 50 Bibles that have been purchased and distributed through the thrift store.

For now, I will continue to collect Bibles as I know one of these days there will be a need for them...

Seek and ye shall find!

So on a "prompting" I stopped in an Arcs Value Village (thrift store) to see what they had for Bibles.

Quite a bit actually.

I was able to get 4 complete Bibles. (one of which is for kids)

I also picked up 5 New Testaments. (one is an Air Force one, from 1955. Another is a very old copy, but has no date)

I ALSO found a book called: The Day Christ Died by Jim Bishop (1957). It is a telling of that last day, starting from 6am - should be an interesting read.

So there we have it, the Bible drive is well on its way now!

Where did they go?

So, I was at the thrift store last night, figuring I would snatch up a few Bibles for Spread The Word.

Usually, you can find more than a handful of Bibles at the thrift store...but not last night. I was unable to procure one!

Perhaps with Easter closing in, there might be a run on them anyway - which is just as good in my opinion!

Well, at least I know I can still pick up a few at the dollar store...for just a dollar!

Accepting Jesus is NOT Biblical!!

Got your attention? Ha!

Seriously though, I have come to loath the word "biblical" especially when someone is trying to prove a point regarding doctrine or how one should live their life...

Is it biblical to_____(fill in the blank.)

"Biblical" is used to say: it's in the Bible. or The Bible teaches.

This is such a slippery slope, because by using some cutting and pasting one can make the Bible say pretty much anything...thus, making it Biblical.

That being said. Is Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior Biblical?

Well, nowhere in the Bible does it say that.

Not once can you find the phrase: accept(ing) Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Or Accept Jesus into your heart.

You can't find "accept" and "Jesus" right next to each other.

Though, that is what we are told is how to be saved.

Do the search...if you can find it, let me know. I did a search: I couldn't.

The Bible says nothing about accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

What does that mean?

Not much. It's nothing radical. People have known since the Bible was written that it isn't in the Bible.

My issue is not with the "Accepting" part....it's with the overuse of Biblical to argue a side, to point out a wrong, to do something other that LOVE someone or show them LOVE.

and, by the way, love IS Biblical.

(in fact, it's mentioned all over the Bible)

James 2

I've been mulling over and praying about this passage...it is an interesting one as it spurs much debate.

Because where Paul in his letter talks about justification through faith alone, James seems to be speaking about faith AND works.

Example being the well known verse: "v26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

AND

v22 "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"

Some say James is writing TO the Jews, who being set apart, were still under law in part if not in full.

Others say this is still the same message, just spoken to the Jew so they understand it better - as they WERE under the law.

One thing for sure...it was not written TO the gentile, which begs another quetion: if isn't TO the gentile, is it still FOR the gentile?

The Bible - here we go again!

So, as planned, I started the Bible again on Jan. 1st, 2010.

I am reading the KJV this time around. Last time I mainly read the NIV.

I wondered if there would be translation differences; right off the bat there were:

Gen: 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field...

First: yes that is how it's spelled in the Bible...a very archaic spelling, but meaning subtle. What I find interesting is that we are used to "more cunning." But I like subtle (or subtil) better as to be cunning, one must be subtle...and THAT part of the devil hasn't changed, has it?

If anything, the devil has become more and more subtle, to the point that he is almost ENTIRELY forgotten at the pulpit.

No warnings, no "be carefuls" nothing. Just you and your sin.

But if we read Gen. 3:1-6, we find that the nasty ol' devil got Eve to eat the apple. Many argue this as THE original sin, yet the devil is the one that sinned first - as to cause one to sin, is itself a sin.

In fact, that passage is more important that just original sin, but that's a whole other theological can of worms...so I'll digress.

The point is, the devil is subtle (despite how you decide to spell it) and we must be sure to be on our guard.

Which Bible is THE Bible?

Well, perhaps I'm opening a larger can of worms that I first thought. But I got to thinking about my posts and figured, at least, I should make one more comment - and then leave it at that, for now.

I did pick myself up a KJ (King James) yesterday for 2 bucks! It isn't the KJ that I wanted, but the price was right. It has very small print and is THREE columns wide, instead of the usual two. Ouch!

Okay, why the questions about the different versions? See post below about Galatians.

In my collections of Bibles, a KJ bible was not in my stack, so I picked one up.

My advice about WHICH Bible would be this: READ one version. STUDY with others.

Is your salvation dependent upon it? Nope.

See Galatians 2:16 KJ. Our being saved is through Christ's faith.

But, read, study, look, question...God wants you to!

(quick note about Gnostic Bibles, etc... I believe it would be a waste of time to read those Bible to learn anything - entertainment? Sure, knock yourself out. But as for the validity of those Bibles. Well, there are far more intelligent people who could tell you why those books really have no ground to stand upon. So I won't even bother with it here - just this: the Gnostic Gospels were written between the 2nd-4th century. Yes, that means HUNDREDS of years AFTER Jesus' death. HUNDREDS of years after the Gospels and letters that make up the NT we know today)

The Bible...to read or not to read...

Through talks with friends and family (okay just family) about the Bible talk always turns to reading the Bible - mainly, reading the Bible front to back. The WHOLE thing...word for "begatting" word.

While I root and will encourage ANYONE who wants to take on that challenge, I have a few thoughts I would like to share:

(note: I am writing here about reading the Bible front to back all the way through...NOT studying the Bible and learning from it, but reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)

First off. Don't read the Bible because you THINK you should. Read it, because you WANT to. By want to, I mean that this is a goal, a challenge you have always wanted to do...not because a pastor in a pulpit said you should.

If you don't want to read the Bible front to back...then don't! You don't HAVE TO read the entire Bible.

(bet you won't hear that from the pulpit!)

But really, if you don't want to - DON'T!

Why?

Because:

1) if you read it with a HAVE TO mentality you will do it grudgingly and thus might miss out on some things, or worse start to resent a God that would REQUIRE you to do so. No where in the Bible does it say you HAVE TO read your Bible.

2) There's nothing in the Bible that God can't teach you in some other way. So you might not know all the books of the Bible ( I don't!). You might not remember which King was which or who was on first. (neither do a lot of people). It's a big book, there's A TON of stuff in there...I bet I remember less than 10 percent of what I read.

3) There will be no Bible Trivia in heaven...so don't worry about it down here.

4) There's enough people out there who have read the Bible and studied it and you can learn through them.

Okay, so are there reasons TO read the Bible?

You bet!

1) Reading the Bible straight through OT to NT - things are put into perspective. I learned quite a bit that I never was taught, or that wasn't taught clearly.

2) It's God's word. Many people distort it and get away with distorting it because most of us don't read the Bible. Thus reading the Bible will allow you to notice those distortions. ( I would list a couple here, but that would take away from my original message here, so maybe later I will)

3) Bragging Rights! You get to say you read the ENTIRE Bible...of course there is no fanfare when your done, nor do you get a personal call from God saying congrats - at least I didn't. If you do, let me know how it goes!

I read the Bible more as a challenge to myself, not even necessarily to "learn" anything...though I did learn along the way.

But that being said (as I am rambling here) I am going to start the Bible over again starting the 1st of Jan.

If you decide reading the entire Bible is a journey you wish to partake in here are a couple things I would like to share with you.

1) read with an open mind...there are some things you might have been taught along the way that might not be entirely correct. So read with fresh, open eyes...or as best you can.

2) Yes, there are some tough - dare I say boring - parts. Parts that are just a drag to read. (if anyone ever tells you they LOVE every word of the Bible, slap them, they are LYING - ask them which verse in Numbers is their favorite. Or Chronicles.)

1 Chronicles 3:4 "These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years." - Like honey in my mouth.

Seriously, there are some rough parts in the Bible...don't worry about it, just plug away. Believe me, God understands.

3) If you don't understand, don't worry. There's a lot that goes on in the Bible - if you don't get why the Jews are doing this that or the other thing...don't worry about it, just keep reading. Many times, as you read, things will start to make sense. Plus, if you get bogged down into trying to figure it all out, you'll never get through it all. You now where Hebron is? Neither do I...it's part of history, but it isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things...just read on.

4) Remember, there is no test at the end...don't try to memorize it all, just read it as you would read any other book - and if angles don't come through your ceiling as you read and your heart isn't lifted to the heavens and you are not engulfed in the glory of God as you read - don't worry. I wasn't either. In fact, don't count on any AWESOME spiritual event to happen. Most likely it won't.

And that's OKAY!

(if it happens to, however, let me know!)

So there it is.

I encourage anyone who wants to read the Bible to do so, and I will cheer you on (especially through the tough parts) all the way to the end.

Happy New Year!

"Of" vs. "In"

I truly do not like to discuss these finer points of the Bible, as I myself have no clue about the Greek and translations, etc...but this something came to my attention yesterday and well, I thought I would share it...

I myself have several Bibles (different versions: NKJV, NIV, NLT, Good News Bible, and a Children's Bible, American Standard [which I call a "thumper" because it looks like one you'd thump people with or exorcise demons with], the "Unvarnished Gospels" and "Sacred Documents" [including apocrypha] and I think that's it)

Anyway, I have read these (not all of them in their entirety) but at several times for several reasons...

I know there are varying translations of texts and there are valid arguments regarding these translations, yet most really DON'T change much, just give a different perspective.

Until...

I heard on a program by Pastor Ron Knight of Twin Cities Grace Fellowship Church yesterday about versions of the Bible and how he believes that the King James is the "true word of God." and that the others are "wrong" or (in my words) fall short as they demean the divinity, and faith, of Jesus.

Now comes the messy part: His reasoning is because of Galatians 2:16.

The word "of" is the messy part. ...but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ

Other translations say: ...but by the faith IN Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ.

(Caps and Color mine)

Pastor Knight points out that this "subtle" difference is huge as Jesus' faith is more important than ours.

I can see that point.

If our justification and salvation was hinging upon our faith, well our faith wavers, falters, is not perfect...hence our justification and salvation would be "imperfect" as well.

Yet, Jesus' faith WAS perfect. It was his faith in what God's plan was that he submitted to the death on the cross for us. Faith that God would do what God promised and planned to do.

Jesus was perfect in every way ESPECIALLY in his faith.

Without HIS faith, well...what would be the point?

Jesus fulfilled the mandate by God, not us. Certainly not OUR faith. Yes, we have faith IN Jesus as well, but OUR FAITH can't justify us either as our faith is not perfect. Jesus' faith, however, is.

For without Jesus' faith, our faith is worthless.

At least that's what I understand his argument to be. Again, I can see his point, and it makes sense.

Here's another area to look at the translation issue if you'd like: Galatians Translation Issue
(you can do a google search as well, if you'd really like to get into some murky water)

I don't usually get caught up in such things, but this does seem to me to be a fairly big issue regarding translations. It certainly IS a can of worms that I don't believe I am qualified to really open, so I'm just taking a peek at it here.

The Unvarnished Gospels...

I have been reading “The Unvarnished Gospels” – which is a “non-Christian” translation or the four Gospels.

I say, “non-Christian” because (as it’s pointed out in the book) these men who wrote the Gospels (M,M,L,J) were not “Christian” or did not consider themselves “Christian” but rather Jews. They viewed themselves as Jews with a message (Gospel) to other Jews, and gentiles as well.

So the translation I’m reading of the four Gospels is one that tries it’s best to convey the original Greek they were written in, rather than highlighting the Christian viewpoint – which is what other translations do.

Are there big changes? Shocking differences?

No..at least I haven’t found any. Then again, I have not done a side by side comparison – yet.

Even so, I don’t believe there would be any major differences…it’s just another way of looking at the Gospels, to try and get a better understanding, a different viewpoint.

Ask and you shall receive...Book 1

So, I've been praying for some "direction" here. Some guidance,if you will, and well if God doesn't find a way.

This time, he has through two books found at savers - both for .99!

One is called "The Unvarnished Gospels."

This one is very interesting in that it's the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. BUT it's translated from the original Greek to reflect more EXACT how the Gospels were actually written.

Or, as the back cover states, "Let the original Greek speak for itself."

How is that different from the Bible? Isn't the New Testament in my Bible a translation from the Greek?

Well, yes, but as George Witterchein points out in the introduction, our Bibles are "accepted" translations of the Greek. Which arose AFTER the Gospels were written. In short, the Bibles we read are "Christianized" versions of the Greek. AFTER input from Luther, Rahner, St. Augustine. etc.

So, I have started reading it, as I was starting the New Testament over again...I figured I'd give this one a shot.