There are no Jews, Greeks, etc Part 31

The main issue here is what is in the heart of a woman. Does she mean to do and does she do good, like Hannah in I Samuel? Or is she a Jezebel? Does she actually sing praise along with the men in Ezra 2:6, praising and honoring God? Or is she involved with sin, as the women involved with Eli’s sons (I Samuel 2:22) and as Bathsheba with David (II Samuel 11:4).

A big issue where God talks about women is women as mothers. Women as mothers are presented in Scripture as being as important as men being fathers, exhibiting care, love and joy with their children. Exemplified is this in Hannah (I Samuel 2: 19) who made Samuel a coat whenever she visited him at the temple. And women are resourceful. Look at the woman that is described in Proverbs 31. They know how to provide for their home, not only by way of cooking, cleaning, and chores, but providing an income for the family. Also women are seen grieving in times of mourning. (Acts 9:39) God cares for women in various circumstances, as seen in Ruth 2:8, even if women have been made servants (Song of Solomon 1:6). And He favors those who stay pure. (Esther 2:9,11). In fact, the marriage bed and the entire concept of marriage itself is favorable and pleasing to God. Surely marriage is something that everyone seeks at one time in their life or another, because we are all seeking a mate. But when this is not pleasing is when we seek a mate without involving God in the equation. For only then will He provides women with good men to take care of them. Only if they will stay pure and patient with God, and their relationship with God is such that they know that He will provide for them, will God be pleased with their marriage. What some women don’t realize or don’t want to admit is that many times they are anxious about becoming married because they are afraid of being along. But, women can take care of themselves, as demonstrated in Gen 22:9, and worked hard as servants in Exodus 2:16 and laborers in Isaiah 27:11. What women forget is that God indeed does know the depths of a woman’s heart, and what loneliness is like. God hears women, and does provide.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc. Part 30

A point about women. Does Paul's not allowing women to speak in church mean women don’t have the strength or purpose in character of a man? Hardly. Look at Esther in Esther 2:9 regarding her beauty and her strength of character. Then when one examines the women in Exodus 15:20 and Genesis 24:65 –67 and how those women were a great comfort to men. Ezra 2:65 as well shows women side by side with men, singing God’s praises. God even commands women to be part of the worship in Deuteronomy 31:12. That is so logical, after all, all of us were made in His image, and are to be involved in the purification and presentation rights (Luke 2:22) and in praying (Acts 1:14, Acts 12:12,13). There is no Jew, no Greek, no male…This brings up another issue. If Paul is convinced that our souls are great equalizers, as the previous sentence would imply, why then does Paul make such a big deal over women’s heads being uncovered? (I Corinthians 11:5) I truly believe that it dates back to Eve, who without a head (or one to which she would submit) was deceived. (II Corinthian 11:3) This is why women are lead by men. Does that mean that women are incapable of leading? No, and I certainly don’t believe Paul believed that. What I do believe is that Paul understood that a woman had to take advice from a man and be lead by a man. (I Corinthians 14:34, I Timothy 2:11) and listen to a man by keeping silent. Does that mean keep her opinions locked up? Not necessarily. But there is a time and a place for everything. As well, how women were to follow men was similar to how Christians are to follow God, in submission and humility, keeping silent and listening before speaking. (Genesis 18:26, Exodus 35:25,26) One’s own opinions are much less important than God’s truths and certainties. And the will of God remains supreme forever, and something to pay attention to.

There are No Jews, no Greeks, etc... Part 29

Remember, above all, God is in control of us, as says in Psalms 22:27-31. God loves us and has provided a way for us to be in His body. And there is only one body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. (Eph 4:5-6) Only in God can we be sure whether or not we are following His precious will. Only in Him will we all be able to exist in peace. This according to Isaiah 4:1-6 does not exclude the Jews because there is a remnant that will believe in Christ. And this is not just in the 1st century but a promise for all time. God is God forever.

Then of course there is the focus that God places on women, because after all without women there would not be men or vice versa. God created two of a kind so that we know our limitations, so that we know we depend on each other and need each other even if we are merely friends, simply because of the different ways we react, think, emote all because of the variation in hormones that run through our bodies. The focus that God places on women is never more clear than in Genesis 1:27, in which the scope of freedoms afforded the human race are shown. He considers both sexes equally important in creation, because of the viewpoints and individuality each of us has parts of male and female in us, and depending upon which happens to be stronger, that is the one in which will dominate and God makes us male or female. Both are equally important in creation (Genesis 2:21-23) and throughout life. I could not survive without my male friends, and they say they have a tough time surviving without me. Like recombinant DNA, femaleness is a part of man and maleness is a part of woman. Both come from each other (I Corinthians:11:3-16) and because genes that God uses to create living things, He was able to fashion woman by changing sequences, adding here, subtracting there to get female from male rib bone. Man and woman are not so different, only by blueprint, as a whole, yet immensely different individually as men differ from men individually. And in the hierarchy of earth yes women are indeed different from men, as men are different from other men and women are different from other women. Women are so different in that they approach things more emotionally than men. Paul uses the example of Eve being easily deceived (II Corinthians 11:3) by the serpent, that is by the serpent playing on the emotion of the situation, the high she got from thinking that yes indeed there was a way to be God, not just like Him but Him and have knowledge of the entire universe. And the passage goes on to explain that Adam was not deceived like Eve into transgression, although he certainly followed suit, perhaps out of avoidance of being alone. That is to be in sin and happy meant more than being right and lonely.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc Part 28

What of the second nature? I am His, but how do I function with respect to my brethren? Does this mean I can be separate and do things that would be a wall between us? No. If the right hand goes, the left must follow if it is part of the same body, or else something may happen to the left hand, it will get stretched or be cut off or hurt. Suppose the foot decides to hold on to something that the rest of the body cannot support. The body will fall. All bets are off and the body will ultimately move together. Accordingly is our worship of God. How can the same body accept some things and say that according to the scriptures that thing is not really wrong when other parts of the same body disagree? I realize we are all diverse, with our own thoughts and impressions and we all have different ways of expressing ourselves. That is why God made us, so that we can function in His body in various ways. But that doesn’t mean that we should go off in different directions just because we feel this is the right way. And this doesn't mean we can use scripture to back doing what we choose to do. People can use scripture to back up anything they want, and most of the time it is not the way God wants them to use scripture. It is true that there is freedom in Christ, and many things in the bible demonstrate that freedom. Is it not also true that if we leave nothing except to the interpretation of God then we will be in His Will? The whole body of Christ is called Christians. It is confusing to those outside especially to those who call themselves Christians but really don't follow God's Word but only a vestige of what people call God's Word after much watering down. Inside the body some say this is OK as long as you accept Jesus is Lord you are Christian and some say it isn’t, that accepting Jesus is Lord is much more than saying it. Especially when we are exposed to those that say that times are changing, and we need to change with it to meet the needs of those who we want to come to Church. We should want all to come. We don’t serve ice cream, but I am sure there are those who would serve it in the sanctuary during service to get them to come into a service because there is nothing wrong in the scriptures with it. Why don’t we serve wine, then at communion, when there is a scriptural basis for this? Some do, some don’t, because they believe the serving of wine promotes a sin. We have become splintered in our desire to make the body more appealing, so that we look like a club, we look like something good to join for the kids, and the spiritual uplifting comes as a fringe benefit, like the boy scouts or girl scouts. Why do we not want to commune with God? God brought me where He wanted me to go to Church, He called me, and He will call others. He is more interested in our unity of purpose, which is His purpose. True, there is autonomy in various Churches, and I believe that has more to do with the cultural surroundings than in following the scripture. A person in Haiti for instance would worship in different clothes than say someone from Finland. Or a person from Haiti may baptize in different waters than a person from England. But the point remains that there are things that God wants in His worship, and to add or subtract would be to embellish and improve on Him. And that’s not what it is all about. Are we of one body? We need to get to that point where we all admit that Paul was right, only worship Jesus Christ. No man can lead us, not like Christ and God can. Are we in His Church? Are we following His Will? How can we be sure? Only through examination of His Word.

There are No Jews, no Greeks, etc Part 27

Christ is such a cornerstone—of not only the Church He established but also the temple that Paul says is within me (1 Cor 6:19). And when I work for God and put jewels and wood and stone where I should be putting God’s Word, there is the possibility that all those things will be taken from me, destroyed by some form of disaster, but with the Word of God I am strong and it doesn’t matter whether I lose earthly things. (1 Cor 3:11-15) All that are called and that obey Him know this in their hearts, that all things come from God. The possessions that I now have, the salary, the home, everything is His. And unless we look at ourselves as having the temple of God and being reverent to God within that temple, then we forget that we serve a purpose in His Kingdom. We forget that we are all His. Our function next to each other is important. This has implications of several scales, first personally and second to our brethren. We must each treat ourselves the way Christ would treat us, because Christ loves us. Even when we sin, even when we stray, Christ died for us. What we forget is that Christ knows when we are going to give in, and the cross is there to make us strong to resist. It allows us to say “No” to temptation, as Paul says in Titus. But should we give in, Jesus is a mediator for us. That means He’ll fight for us. We should rejoice in such a savior. For He is real, He lived and He lives and thank God for Him.

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc Part 25

There are those who say that we need to disguise ourselves and offer those who do not know Christ something they can relate to. In a way this is true, there are cultural changes that go on, and each congregation carries on those changes, whether they want to or not. But the biggest thing has nothing to do with culture. When we offer someone that is visiting the Church sights and sounds that they can find at a fair, or an auction, or a rock concert, what makes us different? Who are we serving, our own need to be accepted or God’s desire that all come to Him? We must continue in the faith. We must not seek or follow those that would not follow God, those that cause us to be unsure in our steps, those that we follow because they make us feel good or because we like them and are their friends. Revelation 3:1-7 warns me that I cannot be a Christian but be in the world. How many times have I compromised? How many times has the church done that? There were Christians in World War II that helped Nazis get away from paying the price for their evil deeds. Are these truly Christians? How many times do my words hurt others and I am just as bad as a murderer? How many times has the Church collectively followed the unwritten law that we don’t want their kind in our Church? How will Christ see us if we do that? How about if we try to tell others that their worship is keeping others from worshipping the way they want to worship? Did we forget Romans 14? Did we forget that it is not up to us how we worship but God? What does God want? The Jews knew. That was written in the Old Testament. Christians often want to add to God’s Word and do what makes them feel “spiritual”. Jesus is only interested in what allows His Church to walk and live in faith in Him, not that we have a gift from God (that is a given) and especially not that we can demonstrate it. (That is prideful). In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus said he would build His Church on the Rock of Faith, not on how it brings in people, or how it appeals to the outsider, but how much faith in God is there. And that sometimes makes people alone. If we are concerned about pulling people in, appeal is not the way. Faith in God is the way, the LORD’s house, The LORD’s people will not thrive in a situation where it tries to bring in people by giving them what they want. They will know we are Christians by what we do that appeals? No, they will know we are Christians by our love. How do I love my neighbor? Does Christ live in me, such that I am willing to share who Christ is, and that it is because of Him that I am? If we continue to seek those by appealing to what they want to see in a service that should be an event that is for entering the Holiest of Holies and praising God, that is nothing more than asking them to join a club. That is not what Christ is all about. In worship, we serve God, not embellish Him and make Him prettier because otherwise He is just not attractive. If we do that we do not know God and have made Him into something we think we understand better, rather than reaching to really know Him better through studying and learning His Word. What are we stressing in our services? Dancing, musical instruments and loud noise? Shouting hallelulia? That has a time and a place. Our services have become not the reverence peaceful time, but have sometimes become a party and we want everyone in. Do you like parties? I do. I like to mingle, to enjoy others company, but how have I grown? Do I learn anything new? Probably not.

On the other side of the scale are those that bring the level of worship down by their hypocrisy. (Matt 23:1-33) Am I afraid to let down my personal walls in front of everyone? Or do I care they know all there is to know about me. How loving am I? How friendly? Do I seek to get to know people and find out what their needs are? Or am I interested in hearing what the preacher says, then getting to the lunch line as fast as I can? I am extremely vulnerable as a Christian because everyone is looking at me, especially other Christians. How do I live my life? How can I tell these people not to do this, if I myself will do it in 5 minutes, or maybe something worse? What did Jesus say about plucking the log out of my own eye before I remove a splinter from someone else’s eye? I, we, all of us, must watch who it is that we follow and remember that during our worship services and our daily lives.

There are no Jew, Greeks, etc part 26

It all boils down to whether or not we are willing to say we are different from the world because we are Christian. Are we willing to humble ourselves and actually strip ourselves of what we think is ours and what we think will make us attractive to other people that we consider in need of salvation? Are we willing to allow each other to be free in their thinking, in their searching of the scripture? We want others to come in to our Church and accept that they need salvation, i.e. they need Jesus as Lord. We must then begin by accepting one another. The walls that separate us from one another must come down, whether one is conservative or liberal in thinking. The walls must come down. God has given His children chance after chance after chance. Jesus is the last chance we get. (Mk 12:1-13) Jesus set up His Church for us to realize this last chance. (Luke 13:6-9) We must abide in Christ, we must keep the truth He brought us from His Father. (John 15:1-8) And we must not lose our first love. (Revelation 2:1-25).

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc... Part 25

Amos 6:1-14 speaks to me of my need to follow God. As we collectively all do. We need not to take our eyes and ears away from the Father and look to other idols, especially in our services. What idols, you say? If you are saying to your self your church is not prone to that, remember that pride comes before a fall. Is there a chorus? Who makes up that chorus, the best singers, or can anyone join? If the answer is, “We want to give our best before God” then think that Jesus came to be sacrificed and he was a carpenter and could meld into the crowd. Yet God considered Him the best, and was well pleased with Him. And that there was nothing the outward appearance could save but there was something internally that people needed to change, their hearts and minds. If one gives oneself wholly before God and yet hasn’t been blessed with a good singing voice but want to sing, sing out. When directed to sing, sing out. We are not in competition amongst ourselves, (I hope not!) we are all trying to be in communication with God spiritually, mindfully, and with heartfelt gratitude and love. The warning in Amos means that we shouldn’t look to our own designs about what we think would make a better worship, but what God wants. Does He want a big band? Does He want a preacher that can entertain as well as preach? Does He want fire and brimstone from the pulpit? Does He want a chorus? None of this means anything if we do not realize that God is God and wants us just to come to Him just as we are. If one looks at the Word of God and the life of Jesus, it is a simple word, a peaceful word, a Word that causes us to stumble because we always want more, we think that we need to bring in more and the only way to do this is to entice them in a worship service. Not into, in a worship service. People begin to think of worship as a good time, a party, a time to let themselves go. While it is true, we need to bring our emotions and spirit into worship with us, service is not a party. There is a time and place for everything.

There are no Jews, no Greeks etc Part 25

So many people have asked me what about tongues, what about prophesy? Some have even said that I would not be blessed because I had not been given a tongue. To that I respond that just because tongues, prophesy, even evangelism, are spoken of biblically, that does in no way mean that 1) those are still present, 2) those are the only gifts that God can dole out. Those are examples of differences. For example, Paul doesn’t mention metalworking or carpentry or farming. Does that mean that is not those are not gifts and talents from God? No, when the focus is upon the “spiritual” gifts rather than on the purpose of diversity within God’s created human race, then people miss the point. What really matters is unity in the body. What really matters is that Christ wanted and wants His apostles to go preach, teach, evangelize, and baptize and that builds the Church. Talents are just icing and for the benefit of those without access to the written word. Jesus tore all the boundaries down making peace through His loving Spirit, and too often we, including me, want to put the boundaries back up by not being in His Spirit, by not allowing the Spirit to work in us as Christ would move in us. We are all part of His household. (Ephesians 2:14-22). He made the Church because His great sacrifice unified and provided me and everyone else here with God’s grace in order to come into the Household of God. If we follow only God, listening only to Him, resting only in Him and do what He tells us (Hebrews 12:23-29), then we can assume our place in Him and we will reside in a beautiful and precious city. (Revelations 21:9-27; Revelations 22:1-5). Numbers are unimportant to God, only to express the diversity of His creation.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc Part 26

What makes me strong? My relationship with my mom? No, that is at best a trying relationship, even though I love her dearly. My relationship with others? Well truly it has been so. I have gotten comfort and strength from them, but the strength that mattered was that which actually was handed down to them from Christ through the Word of God. Joel 1:26-32, says it correctly. My strength comes from Jesus, other’s strength comes from Jesus, we are to sow peace and strength in Him. In both the books of Isaiah and Micah, God through the prophets speaks of one nation to which He will gather the remnant that believe in Him. God’s nation, not Israel’s nation, not a Christian nation, but God’s nation where all people go who believe and obey God. Acts 2: 16-21 is the fulfillment of this as well as the fulfillment of Joel in which all nations gather to Him. But why Christ? Micah predicts that Christ is needed to bring peace between mankind and God, that man could never please God in his present state. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:24,”Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” That is all things shall be under His feet, finally, much like, historically, the Romans did when they made a conquest. Not only were all things brought under their feet, but also the conquered people were often invited into their “family”. God wants all people, not just some to come into His family, to pledge faith and allegiance, and gain citizenship. Christ provides this way, of clothing oneself so that purity and faith may be attained, so that no matter how diverse a group, there is still one body, one faith, one LORD God. (See Ephesians 4). Why? God wants us to remain diverse, with various useable gifts and talents that God can use to His glory and without pride but realizing where those talents come from. He wants us all to be unified in Him, not proud of our talents, not boasting in them for sure, but humble that He chose us to even be in His Kingdom, He chose us to be heirs in His inheritance. We must if we are part of the body be with one purpose in mind, one goal to keep the one faith. And that is simply this: to remember Christ crucified, and that Christ came for all of us. This makes Jesus’ prayer of John 17:11-23 so poignant.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc Part 26

What makes me strong? My relationship with my mom? No, that is at best a trying relationship, even though I love her dearly. My relationship with others? Well truly it has been so. I have gotten comfort and strength from them, but the strength that mattered was that which actually was handed down to them from Christ through the Word of God. Joel 1:26-32, says it correctly. My strength comes from Jesus, other’s strength comes from Jesus, we are to sow peace and strength in Him. In both the books of Isaiah and Micah, God through the prophets speaks of one nation to which He will gather the remnant that believe in Him. God’s nation, not Israel’s nation, not a Christian nation, but God’s nation where all people go who believe and obey God. Acts 2: 16-21 is the fulfillment of this as well as the fulfillment of Joel in which all nations gather to Him. But why Christ? Micah predicts that Christ is needed to bring peace between mankind and God, that man could never please God in his present state. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:24,”Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” That is all things shall be under His feet, finally, much like, historically, the Romans did when they made a conquest. Not only were all things brought under their feet, but also the conquered people were often invited into their “family”. God wants all people, not just some to come into His family, to pledge faith and allegiance, and gain citizenship. Christ provides this way, of clothing oneself so that purity and faith may be attained, so that no matter how diverse a group, there is still one body, one faith, one LORD God. (See Ephesians 4). Why? God wants us to remain diverse, with various useable gifts and talents that God can use to His glory and without pride but realizing where those talents come from. He wants us all to be unified in Him, not proud of our talents, not boasting in them for sure, but humble that He chose us to even be in His Kingdom, He chose us to be heirs in His inheritance. We must if we are part of the body be with one purpose in mind, one goal to keep the one faith. And that is simply this: to remember Christ crucified, and that Christ came for all of us. This makes Jesus’ prayer of John 17:11-23 so poignant.

There are No Jews, no Greeks, etc... Part 25

God created a place for me, for the person sitting next to me, for my neighbor. It is not only Heaven, which that indeed is true for He plans on returning those that believe to Himself, but also Heaven on earth. He wants us to learn here, to love here, to be unified to Him here, to be obedient here, and if we are, then we know what it will be like being able to look Him in the eye and then to humbly bow before Him and say, “Not my will but thine”. Daniel 7:13-28 describes this perfectly, a kingdom of power and peace that in my present state I know I would fall short, but because of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s grace I have an access. I can go boldly before His throne. And at the same time I know that God sits in mercy and judgment, for He is all things. But prior to this place, as outlined in Daniel 12:1-13, the Lord will come to sow peace and to take those home with Him that have been obedient servants to God. Daniel was not to breathe a word of this. Why? So that all things would be completed in His time, not ours. The bible is a completed work, and it is complete because of God and because of Christ, not because we need it, but because it is fulfilled. The hope is come, the peace, the wonderful counselor is here!

There are no Greeks, no Jews, etc... Part 24

God loves it when I am in unity with my brethren. (Ps 133:1-3) He will provide me a way that I can be right in my fellowship. According to Acts 8:1-3 I can be sincerely wrong in my fellowship with other people. It is not until I am in Christ, and have accepted no other name but His that I can be in unity with others in Christ. Do I suffer for to the point of dying for my brethren (1 Thes 2:14-15) and if so what is my motive (1 Cor 13:1-5)? Am I willing to put my love on the line for God’s people even if I do not know them, or worse if I do know them and know that they themselves wouldn’t do it for me? What I should always remember is that Christ and God don’t care what other people do or don’t do, when it comes to what I should do. What really matters is my obedience to God. What does God expect of me? The only way I know that is through examining and studying and committing to my heart His Word. Only then can I accept that Christ is the leader of the church.

Where is Christ? In Ps 48:1-4, God has his city and it is the one location that all will go to praise His Name. That means me, that means the person sitting next to me. That means the people in the church down the road. If Christ is the leader of the church, and Christ is God, then all attributes of His church must come from God, as the Son comes from God. And He will be in that city. In Ps 84:1-10, in God’s strength is my strength. I rest within Him, much as in Hebrews 4. God and Jesus are my Sabbath Rest. If Christ is God, and the Church belongs to Christ, then my ministry and the ministry of those who claim Christ, is to stay within Him, to stay within the Sabbath Rest. That is what makes us different. Not service, not friendliness, but the fact that we know that God is present and that we serve because He served and serves and He wants us in His Rest. If I forget that God is in control and that Jesus’ Word is true, then I have taken myself out of His rest and I am subject to His judgment. Why? Because when I take myself out of His Rest, I am trying to do things on my own, I am being God and He will topple me like the tower of Babel. Lest I forget Ps 87:1-7, that all good things around me are sent from heaven above. (If that sounds like a song out of Godspell, it is.) I, and others that claim Christ, praise Him on His mountain, which He calls Zion. (Ps 102:13-21) On that mountain, all those He calls saints will live and be in peace. And He shall reign always. He wants us to live with Him in Zion. (Ps 132:13-16), and He wants us to enjoy His world in abundance. Does that mean heaven? Actually Zion was a mountain near the original temple of Solomon, along with Mount of Olives and some others. But the Zion that David speaks of is in the future, further than that. He is speaking of a Zion like Isaiah, where all will be welcome and can come to His mountain in His Name and worship in Him. In other words, the church. Heaven, too, but then again the way Christ set up the Church is Heaven on Earth. That is how God wants us to be in His Son’s Church, as though we were in Heaven, praising God and in His Sabbath Rest. And we should never look back toward Eden. We are going to Zion’s completion. (Ps 134:1-3) and our attitude should be one of thanksgiving. (Ps 136:1-6) because our relationship with God, when we are in Him and obeying Him and our attitude is love for Him and for one another, is no longer that of slaves but of children. (John 1:16)

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc... Part 23

It is disturbing to see how the people of the church mistreat or are insensitive to each other, too often than not. How does Christ want us to treat each other, especially wives and husbands? (Ephesians 5:21-32) With love. I am to treat my husband, if I had one, as though I was looking at Christ, and nurture him as I would myself. I need him to lead me with love, as Christ loves me. We are all members of the one body and should work for peace, not be splintered because we believe this is important and that is important and because one of us thinks Christ meant this or that. God wants me to live in peace and He wants those who are in the Church, or who claim to be in the church, to live in peace. To seek to do God’s will, not present one’s interests as a dividing point or disagreeing point but to actually sit down and see what God says. What those who claim Christ forget is that the church is the Bride of the Lamb. (Rev 19:7-9) and must be spotless before Him. Am I doing all I can to be His bride, to present myself spotless? Am I living in peace? Am I seeking God’s will, or am I seeking to procure for my own interests and what uplifts or excites me the most? After talking to some of my married friends, this more than anything else will hinder a marriage, that I want this and he doesn’t, or he wants it done this way, I think it should be that way. Or he doesn’t do things that excite me or thrill me the way this other man did. Number one, that other man was not chosen to be a husband. Number two, where is the peace and love, where is the "for better or worse"? Sometimes they even go to blows or divorce because of “irreconcilable differences”. What that means is that people are too selfish to give up what they want and so they want to break what God put together.

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc. Part 22

Because it is on His Holy Mountain, the church is holy, as the altar and tabernacle were holy (Exodus 30:26-29). Not because of the ground itself, not because of the building, but because of the intent, and the atmosphere of obedience to God, and the people that He has called His own. Not just the backbone of the church, in actuality that is God and Jesus, but the flesh. Because I clothe myself with Him in baptism, because, as it says in Gal 3:26-29, I am an heir of God, I have surrendered the old man and all the sins that accompany that creature and have become the new creation in Christ that Paul speaks about in 2 Cor 5:17. As is everyone who also has clothed themselves with Him. And how do I keep holy? How do I keep this place with others holy daily and forever? By remembering Jesus’ sacrifice in the Lord’s Supper. Just as Passover supper was to remember how God saved the Jews from Egypt, I and those who are in communion with God partake of the bread and wine to remember that Jesus gave His body and soul so that I and others could join God and Him in heaven, that we are part of that realm today, now, every day, and to act accordingly. The memory is the covenant, God’s Word stamped on my soul, and when I am hardened, I deny that stamp is there, but when I actually believe and live as God wants me to that stamp lives forever in my heart and guides me to action. The covenant is so important, because all who believe are directed first by Jesus then by Paul to take the meal in all seriousness because the death, burial, and resurrection resembles not only what Jesus did but why He did what he did. Similar to the Hebrew’s memory of being rescued from Egypt and why each portion of the meal is important. God is so sweet that He will provide for us even if His people grumble. (Exodus 16:1-23) But He also understands that this mercy doesn’t preclude the fact that people must still obey Him, and so whether the people wander four hundred years, or Moses cannot enter Canaan, or our own deaths are the result of the lives we lead in our sinful nature, we must realize that He expects obedience. Not what excitement we get from the relationship. Some people want to make this into a love relationship where each one gets a thrill from the other. That is not the case between our relationship to God. In God we are children. We are the bride of Christ collectively, but individually we are the children of God and must treat Him as a Father. It is a mystery, but when I come together with my brethren to worship God collectively, we are being prepared to meet God, Jesus loves us as though we were His bride and our love for Jesus as Saviour is as a bridegroom. Hence we must treat each other with the respect and honor of that relationship. This is why God through Paul tells us not to lie, not to gossip, and other things that would hurt one another. (Ephesians 5)

Paul pleads with me for unity, because I am part of the bigger body, the same body of Christ. (1Cor10:17) Yet another reason for the constant remembrance of the Lord through the Lord’s Supper, a breaking of the bread, a communal meal that means that I am he and he is me and I am my brother and sister and they are me and we are all together. Unity begins with something simple, as I am no different than any other human being and when I die God will look at me no differently than He would any other man. I have to adhere to the same set of standards – if I call myself His – than anyone else would have to. If I have fellowship with other Christians there are really no separations and no differences between us. That doesn’t mean that my talent is the same as another person, but that I am considered no less or more important than another. I can dig a ditch. Yipee!!! I can write a symphony. Bravo!!! I can clean a dog kennel perfectly so that it is sparkling clean and the vet’s office is spotless. Wonderful!! God is proud of me no matter what I do. Whether or not I produce plays, roses, offal, pick up the trash, play soccer, whatever. God is proud of me and loves me and He also loves everyone else with equal fervor. There are no favorites, although it may seem so. Why it is uneven is that there are men that consider something more important one decade something more important another decade. Whether I dance better than Sue or play the piano better than Jane doesn’t really matter to God, although it sure matters to humans. Humans don’t want to listen to bad voices or wrong notes. They don’t want to hear the humanness when a preacher is in the pulpit or a choir is in front. Or maybe they do, humans being humans…God doesn’t care that I can sing in a choir, or can produce a video on the suffering of Jesus, or give testimony. He only cares that I am His. (Eph 1:10; Eph 3:15,16; Col 3:11,15) I am an heir, as all those who are Christians, all who partake of His body, all who believe and walk as His Son did. And I guess that is my biggest concern about people that can only see the gifts of the Spirit (ie tongues, prophesying etc) and not that there are more important issues. Instead of worrying whether I can or not speak or teach or preach etc., which in Him all things are possible, why not concern myself with learning about His depths and drink from His well. Gifts, such that they are, do not indicate my spirituality one way or another, nor do gifts indicate anyone else’s spirituality for that matter. If they did then even Paul would be in trouble. Gifts are peripheral, icing on the cake, given so that Christians could be a witness of God in lieu of what was coming, the written word. Are the gifts defunct? Without putting myself on the limb let me say this, “Does it matter?” Does it truly matter that I can speak or teach or sing or play piano or speak Spanish or anything for that matter? Does He love me more? I doubt it. Will He use me? Only if I let Him. And only if I am in His rest, and realize that He is in control of me and that there is nothing I can do to improve His image…to anyone. The passage of 1 Corinthians 14:19-34 demonstrates just how much God loves us the way I am, with my talent, or lack thereof. It also shows while He wants to use my talent, while He thinks that my talent can influence more, He also loves me in spite of my talent. And He calls for me to live in peace with all others, no matter whether or not I can do anything better than them. Isaiah 56:3-10, speaks of this and that all peopels will come to God because of the new covenant that is coming. Not just Jews but Gentiles, not just those that can sing but those that can't. All peoples will be welcomed if they accept what God says to them. All will be welcome if they call upon the Lord and are joined to Him will come to His Holy Mountain.

There are No Jew, No Greeks, etc...part 23

As a leader and as a woman, I can relate to those women who want a leadership role in the church. And because of various women that Paul names as being important in the Church, I don’t believe Paul didn’t want women to lead. I do believe he thought there is a time and a place for our leadership. Paul says in (I Corintians 4:6) not to go beyond that which is written. Then, as a woman, where there is a man they should be in authority in the church, and I am under him. He is my head, as Christ is his head. I am to be silent, not to cause controversy, but to submit and do as he wants within the spiritual bounds of what God tells alls of his people. Does that mean I cannot lead. By no means! Paul named several women in the house churches that were instrumental in the leadership of those churches with a man. But only because they understood what authority was. What this means is that there are different ways to lead, not just getting in front of people and saying, "Do this and do that" but also by example.

As far as submission goes, that has to do with little things. Does one church use instruments and another not? Will this keep one out of heaven? My question goes back to, what is the purpose behind such instrumentation? And why if one is in God’s family does one choose to pick a fight about something trivial and peripheral like using a piano or not? Satan doesn’t have to send demons to prevent me from accomplishing my task. I already have made my decision. If I chose to allow things on the periphery to cloud my view of what is truly important, then I forget to submit and to keep peace, to love my brother and sister enough to not war with them. Is using an instrument going to cause me to want to say that if I don’t use it I cannot display God? Do I assume that my instrument is better than the instrument God made in me? I really need to be introspective if I choose to do something that is controversial yet not essential to my salvation, because eventually it will infiltrate my salvation, it will affect my relationships with others and with God. I can say I love you to my brethren, but if I don’t demonstrate respect for them, how is that showing them love? If I say that I am not going to abide with the leadership even if I say I worship with them, how is that keeping divisions out of the church? My rebellion may be cute, may be in style with humans, but if my concentration is on what I want to do rather than obedience to what the authority wants me to do then I am not being respectful nor am I a particularly good example. Jesus pleads for unity. (John 10:16) He even says there’ll only be one fold because only those who listen to his voice and hear him will come to him. In order to hear that one voice I must be unified in him, a member of his body and I cannot be any more or any less important (Rom 12:4,8)

There are no Jews No Greeks, etc Part 22

The meat of the matter is unity in purpose. Am I prepared to be holy? (Rev 2:1) Am I prepared to act as one of His family, His daughter, part of the bride of Christ? (Gal 1:2) Am I prepared to remonstrate to Him, to respect Him, to show reverence to Him/ (Acts 9:31) Am I prepared to learn from Him during this time of community and communing with God, so that I then can be His witness, or do I use this time to demonstrate that I know this and that, and that my talent is this and that, and that I love God this much? If so, I am preaching to the choir. My family knows what I can do. If my lifestyle in the church is so that others will want to come in by seeing my testimony through my talents or through me speaking in what should be a time of worship, how is that showing Him that I know He knows best? How is that demonstrating to Him that I truly want to be His witness? (Acts 15:4) The Hebrews led by Joshua did some pretty stupid things, marching around Jericho 7 times, smashing jugs, blowing trumpets because the Lord told them too, not because it was going to win over those in Jericho. Our purpose is to demonstrate His power, not mine given by Him, but His power and that is beyond proving. His own Word proves Himself as true and trustworthy. (Rev 2:12) God is holy, Jesus is holy, I am to be holy and upright and to follow Him . (Rev 3:7). Jesus is God, holding the Spirit of God within Himself (Rev 3:1) and as God is, so Jesus is. (Rev 2:8) Jesus, and God and His Spirit, live forever and there is power in Jesus and God and His spirit. My goal during worship then is not to improve or to show others a new view of Christ, but to truly reverence Him. Show Him, demonstrate Him. Be like Him. And the way to be like Him is to submit to the authority of His Word and those who He anointed as leaders in the body of Christ I worship.

There are no Jews no Greeks, etc Part 21

The church also defines my relationship with God. In John 8:35, “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.” Jesus explains that when I become His child, I am no longer a slave to my desires but am a child, entitled to His inheritance of Heaven. Along with my other brothers and sisters. In John 10:16, Jesus also says, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” That means to me that I cannot choose my brothers, that my brothers are whoever believes in Christ. There is hope for all peoples of all countries and all distinctions and diversities. God loves them all and all are open to instruction. There are truly no women, no men, no I need help. I need help being the woman that God wants me to be, in the church, loving the brotherhood, because there are still some people I feel uncomfortable seeing in church, simply because we may not get along. I need God’s wisdom, and His love, and His conviction. I need Hezekiah’s attitude in Isaiah 37:15-20. “And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, ‘O, LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries. And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD ourks through His son. What of what Paul said about the make-up of His church in 1 Corinthians 12? Are there then prophets in the church? I have come to one conclusion. What does it matter, as long as I have all I need in God’s Word, which says that within the confines of that book is all I need to get by, is all I need to take hold of the treasure in heaven that waits if I follow through on my faith. If a person truly is a prophet, his gift will be able to be tested, as in the bible, and that person will reveal some divination about God, and he will truly be blest by God. Certainly the church was built on prophets, namely because there was no written code of God’s Word that I or anyone else now can refer to. A prophet is like a teacher with divine wisdom, and in that sense people calling Jesus a prophet are correct. But in the Word, is the living water. In the Word as Jesus says is the bread of life. There is only one head, if I follow Jesus, I am following that head. (Eph 1:22) And truth be told, if I am following Jesus, and have as living proof of His testimony (that is, His Word) why do I need a prophet to direct me to something I can read for myself? The bible in Hebrews 1 speaks of there being many prophets that divined about Christ prior to Christ and now there was just one. Yes, and that is His Word, because in His Word He is alive. When I live in His word and follow His Word, I am alive in Him. So are there prophets? God tells me not to squelch the Spirit. If someone can give me a piece of news that is not in God’s Word yet stands the trial of God’s Word that I am directed to do in Rom 12:2, then I will call that person a prophet of the Lord. Otherwise, he is nothing but a teacher of God’s Word.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc. Part 20

So many times I want my needs met by going to Church, but that is not the purpose. In Jeremiah 33:22, God says, “I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” This reiterates His covenant with Abraham and is a prediction of the Church, because the descendants of David and Levites are those of us who come to Christ and those of us who are it’s leaders and that I will be one of many that are innumerable. Enough to fill my needs without looking. And should I cry when I hurt/ Sure, why not? God wants us to be honest with Him. He knows that there will be times my needs go below the needs of others and for that His son tells me, in Luke 7:52, Jesus says, “They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance; we sang a dirge, and you didn’t cry’.” This is a warning to have faith, and not be as the unbelieving leaders saying and refuting his claim that he was the Son of God no matter what and in a later passage gave the penalty for that lack of faith, that is, if they didn’t repent they could not inherit the kingdom. Not a rich resplendent jewel filled kingdom, but heart-felt loving peaceful kingdom that God was going to bring. My needs will be met, but I am not at church to see that they are met. I am at church to homage the One and Only Father, to please Him.

There are no Jew, Greeks, ect. Part 19

God makes His church. Haggai 2:4-9, says clearly, “Yet now be strong, oh Zerrubabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts. According to the word that I covenanted when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you; fear ye not. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; ye once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heaven, and the earth and the sea and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts; the silver is mine and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the LORD of hosts, and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” What this means is that there is something to replace the former place of worship, the former “house”. There is something that is coming and that is His Body the church. The glory is greater because it will be as in a marriage, the two shall become one, and those that comprise the church shall be one in Christ, one intent, one voice, one Spirit, one Baptism, one Faith as it says in Ephesians. And He will shake everything that moves because of the new way of seeing an old idea, a new angle on following, no longer will I be a slave to passions that possess me. But like leading people out of Egypt He will move me and lead me and never leave me. He loves me just that much. So it is His command that I be strong and stand tall in Him and that I shall be able to be in peace in His new place. He tells me to draw my boldness from His promise that He will never let me down because He has never let His people down. And that is encouraging.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc...part 18

And because He doesn't want us to put Him in that box He created His children to be made up of so many different peoples, all kinds and sins. The prophet Isaiah well knew this and describe it so beautifully in Is 23:17,18 and in Is 25:6 – 8. It is not important that there are diverse beings in the body. It is important how the diversity is allowed to influence the acceptance and the spirit of God’s Word. Are their idols in the church? Surely there are and they must be torn down, from the most legalistic to the least noticeable law-abiding citizen of heaven that won’t allow a pauper in because he cannot tithe. All idols which say that all churches in order to grow must provide a way for the outsider to be more excited about coming to worship. All idols which say that one can improve on doing what God says to do in worship, and hence clutter the worship service with attitudes of “expressions of God” rather than communication and learning from the true God. I love impressionist art. It is never the same no matter where you stand. If you stand by a Matisse or a Renoir it looks like paints thrown together. Stand away and you get the big picture of what the artist was trying to say. But is this what God wants? Does He want one vision of Himself in one direction and one in another direction? Does He want us to understand His desires and interpret those one way in one time and another way in another? God does want some specific things from church, from His body. Mostly, to come before Him humbly and accepting what Christ has taught. To praise God, not through other human’s eyes but through His word, to sing to Him as He sings to us, with grace and with mercy and learning His ways of peace and joy in Him.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc... Part 17

No I think when God tells me I have freedom, He is also specific about how I am to treat my brethren, and how they are to treat me. Not with lying, not with secrecy (and that is totally different from privacy, because there are some things that people would like to keep private). I am not to have fleshly vanity or jealousy in my relationships, I am not to be intent to hurt. (Eph 4:25) Because after all, altogether we are His, are One body, are His children. I am flesh of his flesh, an important part of His body, much as my brethren are also (Eph 5:30) and being part of His body is like being a brick in His church building. I need the brick next to me and the brick on top of me needs me. My brethren need my help (Phil 4:3) and in Rev 21:27 those in harmony are those written in His book. I must live in peace as much as is possible and within my capabilities.

God also reminds us that His people will have to work hard, suffer many things, struggle, and struggle against themselves and temptations, (Ps 126:5,6) but God’s people can win by saying Jesus and God provide with victory by the power of the trinity. He promises provisions and salvation and a home. He has anointed us as His. (Ps 132:15-17) And our purpose is to glorify Him (Ps 138:4,5) and all things shall praise Him. (Ps 145:10-11) And no better described in Isaiah 2:2-5, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk n his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O, house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” We will be in peace, when we come to the LORD, and obey and walk with Him, and when we realize we are not God and allow Him to be Himself and lead us, rather than make Him into a box.

There are no Jews, no Greeks etc Part 16

The thing that irks God and against which He cautions me is when I combine His way with the way of the world. There are many forms of idol worship, some I may convince myself is not truly idol worship, but is in fact a different way of doing things. There are many things that I can be fooled into believing are not idols under the guise that it is further doing God’s will, that I am worshipping or helping someone else worship and thereby completing God’s will, that God needs these things to reach out to the twentieth century, ie a chorus, a band equipped with instruments of all kinds and noises. I will convince myself that God doesn’t really mind all these things and if it helps inspire those in worship what is the problem? While it is true there are some truly wonderful things that man can come up with, I wonder if we are getting away from allowing God to truly inspire us and allowing other humans to do the inspiring. We see what another human sees, not what God wants us to see, we are inspired by another human’s thoughts, not to see God as God is, but as the other human sees God. We have effectively defined God not by our worship and relationship with God, but with someone else’s views on Him. We have made idols in our worship. God wants His worship purified of all idols, all things that will distract others from Him from the actual sitting at His feet, instead of observing someone else. When someone says, “Look what this person or that person is doing for God” while that may in fact be true, it also sounds like braggadocio, like the focus is on the person performing and what that person is saying rather than that person being used as God’s instrument humbly and honestly. While there are truly godly people who promote godly ideals, if I am not involved, or if my involvement in worship is merely watching then I am just being vicarious, and not being an active participant, some on the sidelines waiting to get into the ball game. In God’s eyes, though, I am a player, all my brethren are players and we all need to act as such. We all have a role to play, and when we come together, only God is the teacher, only God is our inspiration, only God can through His son show us how to move, where to go, how to live. It is comparable to the sacrifice of Abraham with Isaac. Surely that was a tough decision, but Abraham did as God asked not as he thought God would want him to do, and he never second guessed God.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc. part 15

Now what does disorderly mean? Am I financially in debt and always looking for help even if my salary is a good one? Then I am disorderly. If I am married, how do I treat my husband? Am I allowing him to lead me in the Lord, am I treating him as the head of the house, or am I taking charge?If it is the latter, then I am unruly. Am I bringing my children up with discipline and to believe in the Lord or am I allowing them to explore their own concepts and to grow in their own thoughts as many schools would have them do? Then I am disorderly. Disorderly means having no accountability and allowing all things to rule rather than trying to go down a narrow path of righteousness. If I truly love my brethren, I will not allow them to wander down this path, but I will snatch them from the fire. If I truly love them, I will lead by example of what God’s love and peace is, as is written in 1 Timothy 6:3-5. If I love them, I will teach them that His word is true because God wants peace and reconciliation. I am the only one who will fight with others, not God. I am the only one with pride and corruption that causes me to treat others with judgment and haughtiness, denying them sibling-ship with me.

How I live my life will show how I know who am I in God’s eyes. I am His child, His daughter. When I have chosen a relationship with Him and in worshipping Him in terms of being at His feet rather than fulfilling the neediness of expression that seems common to all humans, then there is maturity and growth in worship. As long as what I do is for Him and with Him in mind, I will be blessed. And there are many things I can script rally align myself to, that will define me as His in accordance with His name, by His being, by His son’s precious name, by the name of Israel, Jacob, etc. because God spoke those names. So whether I take on the name of the tribe, location, etc. or call myself simply by His name, if I truly follow in His footsteps then I am His. Even the term Christian, which was given to the first century followers of Christ as mockery, is a true description, that is, one who follows the teachings of Christ. A name to God is more than just a label, it is a description, an authentication of the task, power, use of the being it was attached to. And so it is with Christ, because he had many names too. Emmanuel, Jesus, Rabbi, Rabboni, Christ, Son of Man, Son of God.

There are No Jews, no Greeks, etc. Part 15

In 2 Corinthians 7:8, I also need to realize my brethren need tough love, according to God’s purpose. I may have to use harsh words about how they are conducting themselves, but if my words are spoken in truth and love, that is demonstrating my love in God for them. It puts my love on the line, and I am more than just a member of the church, more than someone that sits on the pew, more than a conqueror, but a lover of God, desirous to spread that love and righteousness in Him. Gal 5:10,12 also speaks of this, to stick and apply what God says and to portray my belief in God in truth and love, rather than to obey or be swayed by what others may say. If I know what is right, I should do that thing, not because it is right but because it is what God wants me to do. And I should test what others tell me with what is written in God’s word. Above all, I must accept that God is a spirit, and that the Bible in and of itself are just words until I apply them with His spirit, and that is why God sent not only His son, but the Holy Spirit. One so that I would know how to walk among my brethren and others the other so that I could apply what I learn from Christ. Gal 6:1 says how I should treat those who are having spiritual difficulties, bearing their burdens, approaching them with love, not resentment, not judgment, not bitterness. Because there but for the grace of God walk I. The only one of us who is without sin is Christ. We all have to live and we all have to walk through the portal of death. That’s why God through Paul says, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14) and again in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, “Now we command you, brethren, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us; for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you. Not because we have not power but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not al all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy but as a brother.” How we treat one another demonstrates our love. Do we treat them with indifference of just going to church with them or do we speak to them with the truth and with love? Do I really love my brethren enough to challenge them when they stray (and vice versa), to hold them when they hurt, to really lead them in God’s word? Paul’s words are not a suggestion to me, but a command to me. I cannot put up with disorderly conduct, disorderly lives, lives where there are those living off others like leaches. What would that demonstrate to those who are not Christians but see there are those who use and abuse others and still call themselves His followers. No, it is a command that while I am to love them, I am to conduct myself so that I can live a life approved of as God’s workman. I actually show more love by remaining true to God and faith in Him and that what He speaks is true.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc (part 14)

Why is it important to think of each other as brethren that need lifting up and encouraging? For two reasons that I can think of. 1) So that in the long run and in my heart and mind, I will not try to make or emphasize our differences and thus create divisions within the church that may just be a matter of selfishness on my part. (Romans 16:17) 2) Putting my money where my mouth is. 1 Corinthians 4:19-21 spells it out. Family members do for one another. Do I believe that the people I worship with are my family? If so, nothing could and should separate us from one another. If my worship does something to offend a brother, how much can I love God if I know it does and continue anyway? How much can I love God if I am best buddies with those who couldn’t care less about the Lord, who would twist His words to fit their selfishness and read so much into that, who may have no intention of doing what God wants them to do, but just show up to get their name on the roll call. How can I call them brothers that just want to get their name mentioned as having been to church, yet have no true feeling for me or others?

There are No Jews,No Greeks, etc Part 14

There is an interesting concept in my life in God, and that is cleanliness. How does the “I” purify itself before God? What does cleanliness mean to God? In Leviticus, Moses talks of the man cleansing himself to be in the presence of God. There is the key, to cleanse oneself. In Numbers 9:12, 15:31, and 19-13-20 I am warned me of the seriousness of not being washed and how vital this is to my life of holiness that I am to have should I put on Christ. I must constantly be aware of how I conduct myself. I must be humble. I must seek peace. I must remember that I belong to Him and am His emissary, as Peter was when Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom. (Matt 16:19). Jesus is not interested in my polity. He couldn’t care less what rumors and judgments others place on me. (John 9:22, 34-35). There was a blind man who Jesus healed. The Pharisees right away called them man a sinner. Why, he must be so, said they, otherwise he wouldn’t be blind all these years. The real reason was to turn public opinion to the awe of healing a blind man and calling him clean to the dismay of healing that which was sinful and ugly. By law of the flesh the man was not clean. For the Pharisees had declared him a sinner and it would take an act of the Sannhedrin to change their minds. By the law of the Spirit, when Jesus declared the man clean, it was so. And so it is with me. When I kneel before God, submit myself to the healing power of Jesus and the wonders of his love and the strength of his discipline I am clean. And free. Christ has ripped the veil from the temple, he has cast the shackles from my feet, and all religious traditions are done away with. He calls for a renewal in worship. A revival in the land, as the singer Carmen puts it, and what a stirring song that is, because I need revival constantly. I need reminding that I am His, and I need to speak out for Him, and not accept that which would undermine Him. My testimony is that of someone who, while seemingly had it all together, never used drugs, never had premarital sex, always listened to her parents. And yet I knew something was missing. And I knew I was afraid to die. And I knew that Christ and God had a plan for me, and it involved the here and now of what I am doing. Christ’s whole message was about God’s plan for us, and he knew it would not be without pain or toil. (John 16:2) But I must realize that for the great price of being the peacemaker God wants me to be, I must look up in a knowledge of forgiveness and the sentiment of being chosen by Him just because of me not for any other reason. And I must lift up my brother in like manner. (Rom 14).

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc... Part 13

There is a brother I know who is a functional alcoholic, who could drink at night and work the following day and maintain his existence for a little bit. But it has begun to affect his work and his ability to care for his daughter when his wife must go out to the grocery or to pick up the other kids. He has come late to work, he blames his wife for not waking him up in time to get to work or church, he falls asleep when caring for his 3 year old daughter. His wife is not totally blameless though. She has in the past demonstrated lack of sensitivity and compassion for him, prior to his taking up with the friendship of the bottle. All the way around a touch situation, in which either one could get out of. Except that they are both part of the body. There are issues both needed to deal with that they haven’t dealt with, and the drinking is just a symptom of filling a deep seeded need to have someone to love that isn’t going to love him even if he wants it. And as long as there is life, there is hope. God in his infinite mercy has shown this man’s wife that this man really is not as bad as he seems, that while she makes him realize that he is in danger of becoming a full-fledged no-doubt alcoholic, when he confessed and said he would change it was up to her to forgive him. At first this was hard for her to do, because she was quick to point out the good aspects of her ex-husband. So I quickly pointed out if her ex had come to her and asked for a second chance she would have given it to him. If that was so, how was it that she couldn’t give her present husband this opportunity. It had to do with forgiveness. How willing is she to forgive him for giving in to alcoholism and not share with his wife. When he came to her especially. If it weren’t for God in their lives, their married life would have crumbled like the wind on a dandelion. Because of God these two will make it. They have decided to follow what God tells them to do, and he is committed not to drink anymore, and she is committed to forgive him and to see the Christ that is in him. Jude 22, “…and of some have compassion…” comes to mind. I need to remember that above all, being in Christ is about looking at the world with compassionate, sensitive eyes. I need to remember the covenant that not only the collective “I” makes with God every time we worship Him in unison each Sunday to love, honor and obey Him, but also the covenant I personally have made with Him when I said I would be His. I also need to remember just how seriously He takes those covenants. In Genesis 17:14, and again in Exodus 12:15, I see just how seriously God takes His covenant, when the male uncircumcised child is cut-off from the rest of the people. What God says I and “I” must do. In Exodus 30:33-38, there are consequences to the Israelites disobedience. And there will be consequences to mine. In Leviticus 7:27 and 17:8,9 there are consequences for not obeying the law. Especially if I am a to be a leader among people. I must be clean, much as the man in Leviticus 20:18 and Leviticus 22:3. What that means is that my heart has to be pure and unblemished and as Jesus’ analogy of the cup, the inside of the cup has to be clean. (Matthew 23:25) Paul warns the early Christians of this over and over and over to use the scripture not to bind but to teach by example.(1 Corinthians 10:6) There is very little in fact in scripture that God commands us to do. “Love God with all your heart, soul, body and mind…(Matthew 22:37) When I do that, everything in the 10 Commandments becomes a given. Honor your father and mother, well of course I will because if I don’t I won’t be loving God. Even if the parent abuses his child, God understands, sees, knows, and will repay. (Rom ???) for the perversion of abusive parents. But that vengeance cannot come from me, only God. I am no different from that person because I cut with my words. Repent and be baptized, again of course, if I love God and wish to obey Him I will do as He says, I will change my heart, turn from my sinful life and participate in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

There Are No Jews, No Greeks, etc... part12

So how do I overcome? How do I become enveloped with His spirit and learn what it is to walk as Christ walked, to be Christ’s bride. It all boils down to relationship. What relationship that I want with God matters only to the extent that it will dictate the effort I will put into the relationship. What kind of relationship God wants with me is the important part and He already spells it out throughout the bible. God wants me to be part of His family. He wants me to be the bride of His son, collective with the other members of Christ’s Church, and He wants to call me His daughter. As His family, Jesus is the head, ordained by God, part and parcel of God, part of the holy trinity. This has been His plan since forever. (Ps. 87:5) As His family, I must come together with those God also considers part of His family. I must, Debbie must, Beth must, Roger must, Ron must, Ena must….we must all come together to be a collective “I”, because it is in that bonding I am part of His people, Debbie is part of His people, etc. (Hebrews 10:25) And how do I walk as He walked? In love (John13:24) the only way. In a love so totally alien to our concept of it. In camaraderie (Phil 1:4), in a deeply rooted walk in servitude, no matter what my brother or sister is doing. It really doesn’t matter whether or not they choose to walk in love, only that I do, because my example can change people. It is in realizing that whatever I think is my point of origin, I am a sinner, Debbie is a sinner, Beth is a sinner, etc because there is not anyone who doesn’t do something no matter how paltry against the law. (1 John 3:4) How am I to be cemented and firmed? By staying with those who are blameless, for the most part, and who will not look to be divisive and selfish. God cannot bless those who are looking to please themselves, or to express themselves in a worship service, because that is expression is not about God, it is about how good I look, see what God has made in me. It is a testimony to me, not to God. (Rom 16:17) I am His, as are the rest of His children, not anyone else’s (1 Corinthians 1:10) and divisions cause undo suffering and pain and ultimately loss of focus. I lose focus when I look to divide rather than to bind because I then begin to celebrate my differences and what makes me separate. I become carnal and self-absorbed. (1 Corinthians 3:3) and Paul over and over pleads and preaches to me and all of us for oneness in Him. I need to remember whose I am, and that this is the long haul and that God brought me into His family for a purpose. (1 Corinthians 12:13) As Romans 12:16 says, my attitude should “Be of the same mind, one toward another, mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” It doesn’t matter to God how far I’ve gone away from Him, just that I have humbly gone to Him and allowed Him to use me. But He knows when I truly love Him, and when I am lip-syncing. When I put my selfish desires first, when I desire something that while it may not be spoken against biblically, when I am driven to get that one thing, I cannot expect God to say, “Of course you can have it”. What is my motive behind any of my requests, whether it is for a new refrigerator for the Church Kitchen, or to be able to successfully to put on a drama after church? What is my motivation? Am I doing this to benefit the congregation? Does it uplift the body? And if it does, if it is sweetness and sugar, while I am in church do I remember my sole purpose for being there, to immerse myself in the Godhead, to become so in tuned to His will that I can go forth the rest of the week and love everyone, my neighbor included? Are there divisions in the body, whether I cause them or not? People use the expression “comfort zone” to mean something other than the box we try to put one another in so that we may uplift one another the way we want them uplifted. Why do we always seek to have people see our way? Why not see things God’s way? Bringing me back to the point, what is God’s way? God surely gave me a free will, enabling me to use my own mind to understand or put two and two together to come up with four. He made me different from Russ, from Debbie, from even my mother, in shape, in physique, in strength, in the very component that makes me who I am. I am who I am. Isn’t that what God told Moses to call Him, the Great I AM? Well, I am, Debbie is, Russ is part of that I AM. There is no conjugation, our individual make-ups come together to form not a We Are but an I Am. We are all part of God, His children, His genetic component. And because of that, we all have an equal opportunity to be cut away should the branch die or be diseased. And all of us have those parts that need pruning each and every minute we walk this earth. We are all different, but we are all parts of the whole, and in God we who are many become the collective “I”. Because of that, each part is necessary and none is less or more important than the other. I am no more or less important that Debbie, than Russ, than Bill, than Gary, than Jane, than Cathy, than Tim. The list is endless. The point is, because there is no difference between another and I, I must be compassionate.

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc. Part 11

God writes those names in His book that reveals the faithful. (Rev 10:8) His name is the only name worthy of praise, and He is the only one who adds to the church.(Acts 2:47; Acts 5:14) And what I do in service for Him and how I love God and what respect I show Him will influence people to do the same. Nothing in and of itself will I be able to perform in order to get brownie points. He works through me to bring others to the understanding that He desires all to come to Him and join Him in heaven.

God’s view of His body is whole. This is demonstrated in Rom 12:5, where Paul says “so we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”; in 1 Cor 10:17, “Because we are of one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of one loaf”; In 1 Cor 12:12, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body”; and in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” And in Gal 3:28, Paul further clarifies this, because he says in God, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus.” Why? Because we need one another. None of us is perfect in and of ourselves. We must respect one another, love one another, be at peace with one another, for the sake of unity in the Father. As Christians, no one will deny the desire is to do the will of the Father. While none will deny His Word is the source of His will how we put this in action is by loving one another, by being kind, showing self-control and faith that is only from God above. We must see that to be divided is not in our best interest, because it is not what God wishes. To follow Christ according to Christ’s teachings and to walk as he walked is what God wills. Christ and God hold all wisdom and all truth, not us. When we are divided in our worship, when we pick and choose according to our desires, we neglect God and put our interpretations first. God’s Word is not subject to interpretation, simply because of its source. God is God, complete, whole, wise, holy, pure. We are not. Any interpretation we put on His Word, that this is important and that is not, better be backed by God. Otherwise it is only our interpretation and desires.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc Part 10

Who truly rules the Kingdom? Who is its Creator? In Isaiah 4:5, the answer is plain, “The LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night”. Much as God did in Exodus, God will provide a place of refuge and that is His Kingdom. It is God’s Kingdom, He created it, He set it in motion, but it didn’t come into fruition until Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom. Jesus is its manager, as stated in PS 89:18, “Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our King is the Holy One of Isreal” and he delivers those who are held captive, as in Isaiah 49:25. Because He loves us so much, He has set His son to establish His Kingdom, so that He can demonstrate that He does rule supreme. Our little corner of heaven, where we are protected by Him. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus has established his stronghold in the church by giving Peter the keys. He has established that once and for all He is the Rock, the solid Rock upon which we stand, as the song says. I Peter2:3, Peter demonstrates the humility of a Christian in the presence of the Rock of Ages. And this is the support that God provides and God promised and continues to remind us of this promise to lead us, as Jeremiah said in Jer 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” God provides his Church with what they need, and no one is any less important than the other in this Kingdom. God’s main thrust is not what I can do as a performer for Him, but what I can do as a service to the church. My strong point may not be someone else’s. And our connection is that we all help one another. And we are collectively the King’s daughter, as spoken of in Ps 45:13, as He dresses us in fine robes and linens. And because of our connection to Christ via baptism, we can be presented as a “glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but should be holy and without blemish”.(Ephesians 5:27)

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc.. Part 8

Do we know what lies ahead for all of us? Do we know what being in His kingdom and preparing ourselves for it’s coming means, today of all days? Jesus came to establish His kingdom. (Matt 12:28) on earth. If we really examine the Lord’s Prayer, this is what indeed he is doing so that his apostles and ultimately future generations know what it is to get into the Kingdom of God, as well as to be prepared for what lies ahead. He doesn’t want us to get caught up in the wiles of time He wants us to be aware that once we are God’s children, time is no longer an issue, except that the race we run toward introducing souls to God continues to the end and our faith must continue forever. But time, in terms of how we enter His Kingdom, is eternal now. God doesn’t give us any more assignments except to live our life as His Son did. Once He is here, demons run from him, and we are told in James that’s what will happen if we invoke God. Demons come in all shapes and forms. Unless they looked appetizing or appealing and gratifying, none of us would want to defrock and give in. But the demons of this world, money, power, beauty, sex, entertainment, etc. are a mere stranglehold on us, a pair of blinders that we must take off to be in His Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt 19:24). Does food control me? It is a demon and can lead to a downfall for me. What of alcohol, drugs, or other items? Is shopping something I am just totally obsessed with so much so that I have to go in every store I see? Realize that food and shopping are necessities, but we can be so self-absorbed that we hoard those items and believe they are ours and we have a right to them and that other people are trying to steal them from us. Our desires become our God. God says if this is the case, we must re-route our attitude. When I allow something other than God to control my life and my habits, then I have forgotten whose I truly am. I have forgotten my citizenship in His Kingdom, and how close I can come to losing this citizenship. While Christ died for me and there is nothing I can do to work my way into heaven, I don’t realize that when I deny His Lordship, when I deny God is the only God by my actions, God will not stand for it. There are things that God wants me to put in my life, He wants me to behave a certain way and He wants me to be humble. To humble myself in His sight, to not be dependant on anyone, anything other than Him. Jesus told the Pharisees to repent for the Kingdom was at hand. (Matt 4:17) Much like an Olympic torchbearer, he carried this torch, showing all the way until the day he died and was resurrected. And he made his apostles carry the torch, as the Spirit descended upon them in Matt 10:7. And we are told to carry it too, in Acts 2:38, the promise was given for all generations in the past and in the future. And so the torch is lit for all generations to come. And through this we will enter the Kingdom, if our focus and movements and actions are based on doing only the Father’s Will.

There are no Jews, Greeks, etc. Part 8

We who believe in Him shall be justified by our faith. (Rom 1:17) Because we are all His people, those of us who believe in Him, He calls us righteous. (Isaiah 10:24) Whether Jewish, Gentile, men, women, slave, free, we are all righteous. That is a difficult concept for those of us who want to believe we’ve cornered the market on the truth. In fact, we know very little of the truth. We don’t realize our Jewish heritage, because the Son of God was Jewish and followed Jewish customs, redesigning them to make His point, but nonetheless the customs had their origins in being a Jew. And Paul in Gal 4:26 exhorts all of us not to forget our heritage, because God’s chosen people were these, before He opened the floodgates and let everyone who called upon Him be called His child.

Because we are His children, because we are called to righteousness, God expects us to act accordingly. We need to show reverence toward God (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim 3:15) and submission and brotherhood toward each other. (Rom 16:16) Because once we are in the church, His church, we are truly on Mount Zion, in the living city of the living God. (Heb 12:22,23) and praise God for this city. For in its pristine state, not the carnal one we so often are blindsided by, but in the state God intends it to exist, the church has no politics and there is a purity of a bride being presented to a groom on their wedding day, full of hope and excitement and the passions and joys of love. He has given us His Name. (Eph. 3:15) He calls us to be His sheep. (Ezek 34:15, John 10:16) just as the sheep know the master’s voice, in Him we know His voice. One voice made up of many, we are made up of different laborers (1 Cor 3:9), different nations (Joel 3:2). “We are bound together for an habitat of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). By God’s Spirit, we are held together as His building, His family, His daughter (Ps 45:13), the bride of His only begotten (Rev 21:2). We belong to His household (Eph 2:19) and we are His inheritance (Ps 20:9; Is 19:25). We are His people when we walk in Him. (Gal 6:16) Because we are all these things, we who are many are one. And He blesses us when we realize it is His kingdom that is important, when we “seek first His kingdom”. (Matt 6:33) How do we enter? This is the tricky part: we need to let go all our prejudices, repent, and understand what lies ahead and not be caught up in the wiles of time and temptations thrown at us from satan. None of us have a special discount card. And He blesses us when we come to the collective realization that it is all His anyway. (Matt 6:33) And because it is His first when we not only acknowledge it, but come to seek Him first, His kingdom, and what it is truly made of, the treasures, the beauties therein then we can understand what it means to walk in Him. Then and only then. And when we walk in Him, letting go of idols, particularly in our worship, is not so difficult, as it was for the rich young ruler. (Matt 19:24) and it is easy to repent and realize that our days on this earth are truly numbered. None of us are guaranteed the next second, so that to seek Him and to find Him that is more precious because it is the only secure thing that can be held onto.

There are no jews,no Greeks, etc.

One thing is for sure, and this is spoken of in Romans 16:17. We are warned about accepting the teachings of those who would cause divisions in the church, or causing divisions ourselves through our pettiness and selfishness and saying “I feel better if we do it this way or that way”. We are warned about that by God through Paul, because God knows that people in the world do that. People in the world will argue about which is their seat in a theater and whether they should be allowed to go first at the traffic sign. People in the world argue about what should come first the music or the sermon. That’s why there are books and books of doxology written about how to run a church service, all because some ecumenical council has decided this is so. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. But is it the most beneficial? Not necessarily. What God desires is that we all come together as one body and that we all realize that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but because of His power, we are justified by faith in Him. Only Jesus can save us, not rules, not regulations, but the faith that Christ is the Word incarnate, the Word made flesh, coming down to earth to show us God and show us the way so that through his blood we may be reconciled to God. We cannot continue in our present condition. If we are going to allow God to work in us, we must die to ourselves and be buried with Christ in baptism, as Romans 5 and 6 both describe so beautifully. And then there will be a new creation, one no longer under the law of sin but under the law of the Spirit. The belief we now have is that God is in control always. All are called to be His children if they believe, that includes men, women, American, African, South American, Central American, European, and every other country anyone can think of. We must respect each other and our differences, our talents. We must agape one another, we must be passionate and compassionate toward one another because our brother Christ is. Above all we must not revel in our differences but pronounce that is what makes us the same, because God can use any one of us and because through His creation we are what we are and He loves who we are. Once we revel in our differences we want to display those differences as a counterpoint to being called Christ’s siblings. Once we pronounce that we are who we are we proclaim identity with Christ and put him on humbly. We must realize that we are all in this together. Jew, Greek, man, woman, slave, free. And we must act as though we are truly citizens of His world, not our own little patch of it.

There are No Jews, No Greeks, etc. Part 6

No one will argue that worshipping Him is important. No one will deny that we must seek to go by His Word. Where the lines of communication come down is which part of His Word holds more weight to God. I’ll tell you again, I don’t know. Only God knows. Since I like a sure thing and don’t like taking too many risks, and my desire is to be sure that I treat Him as God and the One in charge, I think the safest and surest way is to adopt the principle of doing what the entirety of God’s Word says and what Jesus taught and if there is nothing, no word, no example of his pleasure or displeasure, nothing, then God really doesn’t give His seal of approval or stamp of condemnation and allows us to pursue our own free will. As long as it doesn’t preoccupy us away from Him. But what we as His people must realize that the style of worship of God in the first century was different from worship in 500 B.C. was different from worship in the 18th century and the 20th century. Simply because cultures change. People change. And whether we believe it is a bad word or not, evolution, or microevolution, within all cultural races has occurred. But one thing has remained the same: God never changes. His desires for us, His Word, His promises are still the same whether we are in the first century church or the 21st century church. Pleasing Him is not that hard if we keep in mind His principles are never changing. And neither is His love.

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc. Part 6

He considers us His bride (Song of Solomon 6:10), the salt of the earth that better not lose it’s flavor. (Matt 5:13) And finally, He welcomes us as His people who wait for others of His people to also come to Him. (Phil2:25; 2 Tim2:3; 2 Tim 4:7) Above all, His people are not only in the Old Testament. While there were holy people among the Jews and at one time the designation of the Jews was His holy people, He has invited gentiles as well to the wedding feast. He has thrown out those who misappropriate His vineyard for their own gain and brought in new tenants and He has called others and me like me His church, His temple, His holy people along with the remnant that were Jewish and believed in the Messiah. And this bothers some folks. Because the first question is that I hear is that people want to know who is going to heaven. I’ll tell you, only God knows that, and has written about that through His Word, Jesus. Only He knows who is His guest. I know the appropriate dress, and He has told me that if I accept His promise and offer that I can come to the banquet. But is that all there is?

There are no Jews, no Greeks, etc...

Our idols, my idols, determine our, my walk. Do I place what I love on the mantle for all to see and bow for all to see, or is God there? Is doing what is popular our idol? Are we so worried about what people consider the church to be and try to modernize it so that people feel comfortable? Is that our idol? Or what of our leadership? Do we follow whatever a pastor or preacher says to the law, because if we do, they too have become an idol. And as Jeremiah pointed out in Jer 12:10, pastors destroy a church by their misdeeds and will lead their people into the wilderness. God will deal with me and with my brethren if we choose to make idols that we think represent God, even if we have the best of intentions. He will not tolerate that in us, as Jesus says in Matthew 21:41, in the parable of the vineyard. God will give what He has given to us to others who work for Him and worship Him. And He will treat us as the congregation of satan in Rev 3:9, and we will be marked as sinful.

But those that follow Him, He will make us glad to be in Him. We will sing and rejoice as David says in Psalms 87:7 and again in Psalms 137:5. We will know whose we are and where we belong as His. We will be one, because we know that God doesn’t want us to be divided. (1 Cor 12:25) We must treat each other with brotherly love, praying always for peace that we be blessed as His children. (1 Thes 4:9; Ps 122:6) The LORD sets His watchmen for us, as He did in Isaiah 62:6, so that we like sheep are not scattered but know where and who our master is and because He cares enough to call us to Him (Isaiah 43:4)

There are no Jews no Greeks, etc...Part 4

And His blessings for me have come down from Adam (Gen 1:22,38), Noah (Gen 9:1, 2), Abram (Gen 14:19,20) and so on. God has never ceased to bless all of His people, whether it was Adam, Noah, Abram, Jesus or I. I am one of His, He calls me one of His chosen, because I by faith have come to obey and love Him. O, what a blessing His sanctuary is! And how those Who He calls His will be blessed, over and over! (Ps 65:4) What a glorious time as I praise Him along with the other children of God! (Ps 96:8; Ps 100:4; Ps 116:19) And I pray that everything I do, all my life be as a fragrance pleasing to Him, so that He doesn’t curse me. And I pray that the church is as a fragrance to Him as well, so that He will not say that our worship is vain. (Is 1:12) I pray that we are all part of His banquet and partake of His great feast. (Is 62:9)
May all of our idols be stripped, one way or another, may we heed the words in Joshua 9:23 and Judges 18:31, that where there are idols we cannot please Him. And when we fight one another, as the children of Israel did against the children of Benjamin, may we heed the words in Judges 20:18, 26 and offer burnt sacrifices and sin offerings. God wants a united family, not one that seeks to get the most out of meeting together, but one that seeks to bring peace and joy to one another, to be content with where it is, to help those in need, and to walk every day as Christ walked. God wants me not only to dedicate myself to Him, but to the restoration and rebuilding of relationships, and the growth of those now standing. (1 Chronicles 9:11; 1 Chronicles 24:5)

There are no Jews, Greeks Part III

My whole relational being in God is to love my brethren. I was made as a social being, and a steward of God’s kingdom, much as Adam was created to be in His image, to look after His world. His emissary. What does that mean? Does that mean cracking the whip over creation? Make everything and everyone obey me? There are some like that, have been some all through history that have in the name of evangelizing have tried to force people under their religious rule. This is not what God wants of me. And He had to sacrifice His Son to show me what He meant by being His emissary. He wants me to bestow grace on my brethren, like Paul did in 1 Cor 16:23, 2 Cor 13:14 and so on. He wants me to be a peacemaker. As Paul says, “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that loved our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” (Eph 6:23,24) How can I do that and not respect my brethren? How can I walk as Jesus walked and yet maintain prejudices against men, other women, Americans of every declension, Russians, Chinese, Hispanics, Greeks, and Jews? How can I say I love Christ yet spit on those who are different than me? How can that be? God tells me that He sends me His grace, through Paul, through Timothy. (1 Tim 1:2) How can I repay such grace with hateful actions, with hurtful actions, with painful actions? Paul sends Timothy a blessing on his spirit from Christ. (2 Tim 4:22). And most of all these blessings should remind me that God and Jesus sacrificed so much for me. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, throughout the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen Grace be with you all. Amen”. (Heb 13:20,21,25) How can I say that I accept God and Jesus being in control of my life, when I do not treat my fellow man as Christ would? When I accept His grace and knowledge, it is not just for me. It is to be spread to my brethren and to those not yet in the fold, like rain refreshing their spirit. (! Pet 1:2; ! Pet 5:10,11,14; and 2Pet 1:2-4) My presence is to be like a flower of God, full of mercy and grace, a wonderful fragrance to Him.

There are No Greeks, No Jews, etc (Part 3)

But more than that, my family in Christ will bless the goodness that I bestow by my allegiance, by my obedience, by my faith. God has given me a good family in Christ, He has given me brethren the world round so that I am never lonesome. There are no politics in this family, the basis of friendship is pure love. That is why totally different people can join hands and be friends and brethren, because of the one mouth and one heart they have in Christ.(Rom 15:5,6,1,23). God is the God of glory, of peace, of harmony and He and He alone can make me one with my brethren. It is He who gives me the heart to say “Grace be to you…” (1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:2; 2 Tim 1:1; Philemon 3; Rom 1:7). I can stand with my congregation in this blessing from God and the eldership, as the people of Israel did in 2 Chronicles 6:3 and in 1 Kings 8:14. I can truly walk with Jesus with my brethren and accept his blessings on all of us. (Luke 24:50)

With that grace, with that blessings on myself and my brethren, perhaps it becomes easier to heed the admonishment of Romans 14 and 15 because I am told to be like-minded to my brethren. By His patience and understanding I can do this. Where I work, it is often harder to get along with those in my office than out in the poultry plant we are supposed to regulate. Why? Because of politics. There are those who want to run the office differently and who want to impose regulations differently and therefore don’t understand how I can do what I do. But the plant personnel understand that my intention is not that they go down the hard way, but that they run what they wish to run while following the regulations that were not ordained by me but by the law set forth by Congress and the federal government. The church is the same way. Why don’t I get along with my brethren? When I am least likely to get along with them is the time that I am not willing to accept their differences and so have a political division with them. My theme: if you want to be like that fine, just don’t expect me to sanction it, and don’t expect me to do as you will. While there are some behaviors that Christ certainly does and doesn’t expect me to do, and while I am free to proceed whatever way I feel carries forth the cause of Christ and God the best, that is the key: it is how I feel or have considered which is the best course. There is a lot left up to opinion. And when I start imposing this on anyone, then I am as wrong as the Pharisees and am using the law as the be-all and end-all. --