Halloween… A Wedding Day?
Posted: October 31, 2013 Filed under: Bible, Faith, Religion | Tags: Adam, Bible, Christian, Christianization, Church, God, Halloween, Marriage Leave a comment———————————————————————–
Genesis 2:20-25
New International Version (NIV)
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
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Today my daughter will marry… It is Oct.31, a day she has always loved. She loves to dress up in costumes, she loves to make-believe, she loves to be a clown and make others smile. She has chosen this day to be her special day, the day she becomes a wife, a clown, a mother and a special character in other people’s lives… Today, I will not only give her away to another man, I will also perform the ceremony and legalities to make their marriage acceptable in the eyes of the world.
I know Halloween gets a lot of media attention in the Church. Is it a pagan holiday that has been Christianized? How do we handle it to allow Christians to participate, without compromising with the evil in the world? ..and such and so. …As with most things man tries to decide for himself, we are left with more questions than answers and no agreement one with another. This is not really a post about Halloween so I will not attempt to answer those questions. I will say this, we spend many hours in the Church today discussing and considering subjects that the Bible and therefore God is silent on in His instructions to mankind. We spend much less time reviewing and discussing the subjects that are addressed and revealed in God’s word.
Marriage is one of those things which deserves much more thought and attention than it receives. It is one of the Great Mysteries of Heaven and Earth. Very misunderstood and mistreated by the modern world and a secularized church… most of it’s original symbolism, intentions and messages lost and forgotten, in ceremony, prompt and pageantry… Marriage is a symbol, a picture of God (Jesus) and His union with His Creation Bride (Church) much more than it is about the union of one man with one women… It is more accurately a picture of division and reunion than it is about human love and procreation.
We often miss the point that before there was ‘man and woman’ there was the One Man (Adam or Ish) who was divided into two entities, male and female, Ish and Isha in Hebrew, who were then rejoined or reunited by a Divine Father figure.
Maybe they were twins? One cell divided into two parts or two individuals in one womb? I don’t really know and that is why marriage is a mystery.. much, much more to it than we see!
As with most spiritual mysteries we tend to put our focus on our (man’s) part in the mystery and then we ritualize it and write our own version of it and our own laws to govern it and we overlook God’s part in it altogether except to ask Him to bless what we have turned it into.
Well, I really must go now. I would love to stay and discuss this mysterious sacrament that has been handed down to us from the beginning of the world as we know it, but I must go and prepare for a wedding with trick or treating and a New Family Fellowship meal afterwards. I know it is not traditional but hey, do we know that for sure? Anyway, one thing we can know for sure is this, God blessed them and commissioned them to increase and multiply and fill the earth, so let’s get on with it…
Love in Him!
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Genesis 1:26-31
New International Version (NIV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
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CONGRATULATIONS …. I love you BOTH and all your new family too!
Just Good Stuff… Watch Out!!
Posted: October 30, 2013 Filed under: Faith, Preaching, Religion | Tags: Adam, Adam and Eve, Bible, Evil, God, Jesus, Satan Leave a commentJeremiah 6:13-15
New International Version (NIV)
13 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. 15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.
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I really have nothing pressing on my mind today to report.. I have been on Facebook all morning and am surprised by the positive post and status reports I am seeing there.
I don’t want to become too optimistic, I much prefer to be skeptical or maybe cautious would be a better word. I have seen this before and when everyone seems to be content and at peace, the earth begins to shake… Do you know what I mean?
Humans are funny creatures, trusting for the most part. Easy to fool and rather easy to herd as long as there is nothing to frighten them and cause panic or distress.. The Bible is correct when it refers to humanity as sheep. We are in general, pretty gentle and easy to handle and Evil not only knows this, but loves to take advantage of this characteristic in humanity…
When I say Evil I am not identifying and individual, organization or institution. I am referring to a spirit or entity for lack of a better term. There is something or someone in this world who seems always to be looking for an opportunity to pounce on us when we are content and peaceful… Do you agree?
The Bible says that it is the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour us. We call it Murphy’s law, bad luck, negativity, happen stance and so forth.. No matter what we call it, the fact is, it is a force to be reckoned with and we should not ignore it or be blissfully unaware of it.
I am not going into a lot of detail on this.. I am a technical person by nature and an electrician among other things by trade, so I will try to make this as simple as possible. Not so much for you, as for myself, I have a tendency to over-think things at times. I didn’t design the universe but I have designed many electrical systems and control schematics (schemes) and I know we need both positive elements and negative elements in order to produce flow or current in the electrical world. Power, electrical power… provides light in the darkness.
My belief is that although evil is undesirable it is necessary in this world in which we live… Why? Because there could be no power flow without it. It is a result of the fall of Satan and of man.. I did not exist prior to the fall nor did anyone I know, except God, so I have to take His word for it that things as you and I know them today is not the way it was originally.. Can we agree on that? I believe that things are being restored to their original condition by a loving Father/Creator. I believe Evil (negativity) entered the world when Satan tripped up mankind by causing us to think negative thoughts about God… He did this in the Garden when he asked… “Did God really say?” This one simple act of rebellion short circuited the universe as it produced doubt and negativity in God’s power plants on the Earth, Adam and Eve. All mankind was elected and selected to display the light of love of Almighty God in the darkness produced by Satan’s rebellion and fall from glory… [Rev. 16:10]
If you read and study your bible carefully you will see that we are to be Lights in the darkness. We are to shine like stars, candles, lamps and fire… etc. You will see that it is us, you and I who are to provide the light that leads those who are in the dark, into the Light and Love and Life of God; out of the darkness and into the kingdom. We cannot do this without power and we cannot produce this power on our own. We must be connected to the Source who generates the power.
Example: A battery is a source of power, it cannot do anything on it’s own except store power. The battery is the storehouse so to speak. Then we have a light blub. The blub is designed to produce light, but cannot produce light without the power to do so. For the blub to do what it is designed to do, it must be connected to the battery and for the battery to do what it is designed to do it must be connected to the blub. …Are you getting the picture? …Of course there needs to be some wire and maybe a switch and other good stuff to complete the project and make it look good as well as work properly but when all the good stuff is assembled correctly and in the right order or sequence the final result is an object that will produce light in the darkness!
See how simple it is?
Now since you understand the problem and have been shown the solution and told all the items you need to accomplish your project you should be ready to go light up you corner of darkness in the world right?
NO, you say I need more than that!!! …and I agree with you, but since I am trying not to get too complex and complicated I could just draw you a picture and write you some instructions right? Or I could let you try the project on your own and see if you could figure it out… OR since I know how to do it already, I could come and show you how and help you complete the project and go with you as you light up your corner of darkness. Which do you think would work best for you?
Meet Jesus… He designed you, me and the universe. He was there in the beginning before the fall… He saw Satan fall like lighting! He was there when Adam and Eve short circuited. He knows how it was originally supposed to work. He is the power, the source. He is the storehouse, the Light, the Life and the Love of God. He is the wire that ties it all together, and the instructor that shows us how to get it all together… He is the Spirit who goes with us to light up our corner of darkness in this world. He is the exact image (picture) of God.. He, Jesus came into our darkness to show us the way and to help us show others the way… Oh yeah, He is also the Way!
Know Him… He is bringing it all back together the Way it should be. Our part is simple… LISTEN TO HIM!!!
Love In Him!
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New Birth… Conversion… Salvation?
Posted: October 29, 2013 Filed under: Bible, Faith, Religion | Tags: Adam, Adam and Eve, Christ, Death, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lord Leave a comment—————————————————–
2000 plus years ago a man named Jesus hung on a cross and died. He did not die a natural death, He was not murdered nor was He a martyr. He was God, willingly releasing His life to us, into this world we live in… He was delivering New Life to, into a world governed by sin, death and the grave.. He was pouring out His eternal divine Life into the land of mortality, death, destruction and pain.
Jesus did not pour this Life out into sinful humanity to be partaken of by any who choose it. He poured this Life out for all to be taken into it… He filled all, the known and the unknown of this universe with His Glory, His Life, the Eternal Life of Almighty God. The whole world from beginning to end received the Life and the knowledge of God.
So what went wrong? Why are we still in the condition we are in today? Why are we still dying and destroying, being destroyed and living in chaos and confusion..?
Because this Life must apply to all, before any can realize it fully. We cannot receive this Life and immortality until we have been prepared to receive it… Jesus did not commit His Spirit into the hands of men, but into the hands of God Himself..
“Father into THY hands I commit MY Spirit.” Luke 23:46
Love in Him!
The Resurrection Body
1 Corinthians 15
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Just Thinking 