Ever Heard These?

"There's no such thing as a stupid question."
"What did you say?"
"I said, 'There's no such thing as a stupid question.'"
"What did you say?"
"There's no such thing as a stupid question!"
"What did you say?"

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"God answers every prayer."

"... the LORD will not hear you in that day." -- I Samuel 8:18
"Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it." -- Job 35:13
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." -- Psalm 66:18
"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: ...." -- Isaiah 1:15
"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee." -- Jeremiah 7:16
See also Isaiah 59:2; Jeremiah 11:14, 14:12; Amos 5:23; Micah 3:4; & Proverbs 1:28.

Christian Maturity

Reading the history of God’s people throughout the Scriptures should naturally tend toward a question something like the following, “Why in the world is it so seemingly common that men like David, Solomon, and Hezekiah, who have exercised wisdom and great faith and who have received wonderful blessings, later make such foolish decisions?” How did they misplace their wisdom? Is this what Christians must anticipate as they grow older in Christ? I should hope not. Thank the LORD for other examples like Joseph, Daniel, Paul, and, of course, Christ Himself.

But what of Paul? What was it that he said? “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) While much could likely be said about what it means to “keep the faith,” I desire to mention what is likely one of the simplest definitions.

One dark, wet night some years back, my family and I were traveling an unfamiliar route several hours from home. We damaged the front of our car by hitting a large animal in the middle of the road, and consequently, found ourselves continuing our journey on unfamiliar, wet, unlit, country roads with only one bright headlight. We soon rediscovered the value of reflectors spaced at close regular intervals down the middle of the road, by which safer navigation is made less stressful. The absence of those reflectors made us more grateful for their occasional reappearance.

Psalm 119:105 states that “[God’s] Word … a Light to [our] path.” God’s Word is our metaphorical reflectors. Christian maturity is not becoming so confident in our own driving skills that we assume we can safely navigate any typical route with only an occasional glance at the road, as much as it is developing the consistency of humbly gauging and correcting our position relative to the Reflectors in all matters of life, truth, and holiness.

Always, always, always check the Scriptures. “Keep sound wisdom and discretion: … Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.” (Proverbs 3:21b,23)

So you think you know the Bible, do ya?

A country preacher went looking for a job. The interviewing committee finally interviewed him. They asked him, “Do you know much about the Bible?”
The preacher said, “Oh, yeah. I know the Bible through and through.”
“What’s your favorite book?” they asked.
“My favorite book is Mark.”
“What’s your favorite part?”
“My favorite part is the parables.”
“Oh, yeah. What’s your favorite parable?”
“My favorite parable is the one about ‘The Good Samaritan.’”
“Can you tell it to the committee?”
The preacher replied, “Yep. It goes this way:
“Once there was this man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among the thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked him. And as he went on, he didn’t have any money, and he met the Queen of Sheba. She gave him a thousand talents of gold and thousand changes of raiment, and he got into a chariot and drove furiously.
“He was driving so furiously, he drove under a Juniper Tree, and his hair got caught on the limb of the tree. He hung there for many days, and the ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And he ate 5,000 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.
“Then one night, while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and he dropped and fell on stony ground. But he got up and went on, as it began to rain. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights; so he hid himself in a cave, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
“Then he went on until he met a servant who said, ‘Come; let’s have supper together.’ But he made an excuse and said, ‘No, I won’t. I married a wife and cannot go.’ So the servant went out to the highways and the hedges and compelled him to come in.
“After supper, he went on and came down to Jericho. When he got there, he looked up and saw that old Queen Jezebel, sitting high up on the window; and she laughed at him. So he said, ‘Throw her down, out there!’ And they threw her down. Then he said, ‘Throw her down again!’ And they threw her down 70 times 7. And of the fragments that remained, they picked up 12 baskets full …, besides women and children. – They say, ‘Blessed are the PIECE-makers.’
“Now, whose wife do you think she will be on the Judgment Day?”

The original source is unknown, but we copied this from listening to a sermon delivered by Ravi Zacharias of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (http://www.rzim.org).

Bringing Back Backsliders

The New International Version of the Holy Bible records Christ’s words in Matthew 28:18-20 as follows: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Recently, I have wondered why my children, who are foremost the children of God, are able to sin and yet not confess that sin without some prompting from us, their parents. If they are truly Christians, young enough for their consciences to not have yet been totally seered and hardened against sensing the Holy Spirit’s grief, then shouldn’t they come running, crying, and confessing their sin? Is not the Holy Spirit powerful enough to convince and convict them of their sin and make them penitent? But then, why not leave Him with the entire task of also chastising and correcting our children? With the great responsibility of rearing children, why should it be left to those us who are yet imperfect and whose entire sanctification has not yet been realized?

For that matter, why not leave it to Christ to appear in the flesh and personally evangelize every individual sinner in the world? Is not the Holy Spirit capable of showing truth to our hearts and minds without us needing to look at His Scriptures? And why should we listen to a human preacher on Sunday morning? Besides, the Holy Spirit could likely present us a powerful sermon in a lot less time, and we wouldn’t have to miss so much of our Sunday afternoon TV shows. Yeah, that’s a great idea!

Yet is this not what many pastors preach and practice? “I just scatter the Seed and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.” Okay, so maybe we cannot make it rain, nor can we reach into the acorn and pull out the tree. But we can work the ground, plant the seed, and even water it to some extent; we can fertilize the ground, pull weeds, and even remove dead leaves. In other words, after Christ stated that all authority had been given to Him, He then gave His Bride responsibilities.

When Nikki comes into the worship service and sits down with her live-in boyfriend, when Mom and children show up without Dad because that second job requires him to work weekends, when Martha is going through her third divorce, when James cuts out of the service early because he wants to catch the last part of his son’s little league game, it is not enough to preach the principles and leave the application to God and conscience. When Christ left the surface of the earth, He did not leave us comfortless (John 14:18); nor did He leave us without authority to remit or retain sins (John 20:23). He did not leave us without a structure for confronting and disciplining backsliders; nor did He leave us without support. It’s not all up to Him, nor is it all up to us; because after declaring His authority, then delegating authority, He promised to be “with [us] always, to the very end of the age.”

“These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent” – peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” (Proverbs 24:23-26)

Food & Wine for Thought

“Did Jesus turn the water into alcoholic wine?” One of the arguments, which I’ve heard throughout my life, against the drinking of wine and other alcoholic beverages is that the word which we read in our Bibles translated into English as “wine” can actually mean grape juice. I.e., “wine” does not necessarily refer to something fermented, but it can also refer to the juice which has just been created. While I have yet to study the claim of this argument or to study this word in the original language (“oίνoς”, pronounced oy’-nos, as the Greek would have it), I still have some fundamental questions even about this argument.

First of all, I assume that it can be safely said that the translators of the Holy Scriptures generally fell into one of the four following categories:
...Christian, Wine-Drinker...........Non-Christian, Wine-Drinker
...Christian, Non-Wine-Drinker.....Non-Christian, Non-Wine-Drinker

If they fell into either of the two categories on the right-side of the above array, that is, if the translators of our English Bible were not Christians, then does this not raise some very serious issues concerning our convictions about the infallibility and authority of the Scriptures? So let’s assume for now, for the sake of argument (without yet researching the translation parameters), that they were Christian.

They then were either drinkers of alcoholic wine or abstainers from such. If they were abstainers from wine, and if they were thus because of religious conviction, and if the word in the original language could have been translated as something other than wine (this is a big “if,” since it would also be helpful in this argument to know if it was common in the language and era of the translators to refer to “grape juice” as “wine”), then why did they still translate it as wine? I.e., if the context of the Scriptural passage was likely referring to non-fermented grape juice, then why didn’t the translators clarify that (unless the King James language was not referring to any fruit beverage as anything other than wine), especially if they themselves were convinced of the inappropriateness of drinking wine?

Otherwise, if they were Christians who enjoyed their liberties in Christ including the enjoyment of their wine, then it is understandable why they had no problem translating the many references to wine as they did.

* * * * * *

– Why do the Scriptures appear to be speaking of wine?
– Why was Christ accused of being a “winebibber” (Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34)? Did the “men of [Christ’s] generation” really have a problem with His drinking grape juice?
– Why have Christians in the past drunk wine, why do Christians today enjoy wine without becoming controlled by it, … especially if it is easily or feasibly arguable that Scripture should likely be referring to grape juice?

What has changed throughout church history? and why? How have these changes come about? Are they justified? – We need to know the Scriptures, and we need to know our history.

More Thoughts on Wine

Obviously, not all of the Scriptures’ uses of the word wine are necessarily in reference to grape juice. One must look at the context. Even then, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to prove that the Scriptures prohibit the use of alcoholic wine. Consider the following:

Ephesians 5:18 states, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.” Does this mean, “Be not drunk with” grape juice?

How were the Israelites to preserve the grape juice from fermentation?

Deuteronomy 14:25-26 is very interesting, where is commanded, “Then shalt thou … go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: 26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.”

John 2:9-10 relates, “When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, ‘Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.’” Was he speaking of the various grades of grape juice that were customarily served at wedding feasts?

In Matthew 11 and Luke 7, Christ says that John the Baptist “came neither eating nor drinking,” but then He “the Son of man came eating and drinking” (Matthew 11:18-19). Christ’s statement is likely in reference to John’s obedience to the angel’s command spoken to John’s father Zacharias in Luke 1:15, “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” What was John prohibited from drinking? Wine and strong drink. So when Christ says that “John came neither eating nor drinking” but that He “the Son of man came eating and drinking,” what was he then drinking?

Why did Peter, at Pentecost, not rather declare, “These are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is not the custom of the Jews to drink alcoholic wine”? (Acts 2:15)

When various warnings are given throughout the Scriptures from the Holy Spirit against the drunkenness and the abuse of strong drink, is it because He saw that the Israelites might easily become addicted to grape juice?

Thanksgiving to Whom?

Thanksgiving – That time of the year when we are encouraged to “give thanks” to God for His abundance of blessings to us, the greatest of which is the opportunity to know Him through His Son Jesus Christ!!

That’s right; we “give thanks” to God, the LORD Almighty, JEHOVAH Jireh (the LORD Who provides)!!! Not to Allah because it was not the Muslims that came over on the Mayflower. Not to the Great Spirit because it was not the Native Americans who initiated this celebration. And certainly not to the turkey because, if it was up to him, he would probably do away with this holiday.

Perhaps we can and ought to give thanks for those Pilgrims who ventured here; perhaps we can and ought to give thanks for those early Indians who helped them survive; perhaps we can and ought to give thanks for those who struggled, fought, bled, and died here to preserve this land, its resources, and our freedom; and perhaps we can and ought to give thanks for those founding fathers who feared God enough to establish our government upon the principles of That Which has been guaranteed to stand forever – the Word of God. It is appropriate to give thanks for these, but to Whom do we give thanks?

We give thanks to the One Who gave those adventurers their courage; we give thanks to the One Who gave those Indians their heart for hospitality; we give thanks to the One Who gave those early Americans their determined will; we give thanks to the One Who gave those founding fathers their great wisdom. we give thanks to the One Who gave us His only begotten Son “that [we] might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10, King James Version of the Holy Bible)

Now, … have a happy Thanksgiving!

No Double Standard

The Holy Spirit, through Paul's letters to Timothy (I Timothy 3) and Titus (Titus 1), provides us with a couple lists of qualifications for bishops, deacons, and elders in His church. So are ministerial leaders held to a higher standard than the lay people? Please allow me to put it this way: No!

But a simple declaration rejecting a double standard is not enough. For it would seem that there are some within the church quite ready and willing to affirm that “pastors, too, are only human.” In other words, “we lay folk are not the only ones living shallow, disobedient lives of compromising God’s law; we need leaders who can relate. Jim Baker, Ted Haggard, and Parson Smith ought not be expected to live in such a way that sheds light on our own hypocrisy.” – That is exactly the opposite of what the Holy Spirit requires.

There is no double standard, because of the imitation principle set forth clearly in the writings of Paul and, of course, by Christ Himself. In The Christian Counselor’s Manual,* Jay Adams points out that Christ called the twelve apostles to be “with him” (Mark 3:14), so that they would learn how to be like He is and not just how to say what he says. Of course, Christ was successful as evidenced by the testimony of the Jews who took notice that the disciples “had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). This same principle is mentioned by Paul multiple times while directly summarized in I Corinthians 11:1, where he writes, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

So that which is required of elders is required of all men of God, at least, in principle. All of God’s people are to obey these standards, and we ministerial leaders are to show them how. We are the example-setters, the pace-cars, the under-shepherds of the Great Shepherd, or, if you will, the bellwethers of the flock, following the Great Bellwether, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

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* - The Christian Counselor's Manual, by Jay E. Adams, (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865, USA; copyright, 1973 by Jay E. Adams. First printing, November 1973; Twelfth printing, March 1982), pp. 335-336.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

“And lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4). What does this mean? “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13). If God does not tempt us, then why does Christ instruct us to pray that God “lead us not into temptation”?

Frankly, I must not claim that I have a clear understanding of this teaching from Jesus, and that which I may understand is highly likely incomprehensive. One suggestion that I now offer is that it may be paraphrased somewhat as follows, keeping in mind that this clause comes near the end of a model prayer that Christ is teaching His disciples: “Father in Heaven, above all these petitions I make to you now, ‘thy will be done’ and not mine, especially if the granting of my will and my petitions will probably lead me into situations where I will be tempted to disobey you.” Or in the words of the Proverb writer: “… give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Proverbs 30:8-9). So “don’t answer my prayer and give me such abundance of blessings,” or in short, “please do not give me so much good … that I then become tempted to deny you.”

But then are we to pray for much evil …, that is, that evil come and attack us so that we may prove our love for and faith in God? After all, Christ Himself said, “It must needs be that offences come” (Matthew 18:7). Well, obviously then, we need not pray for it (since it already “must” come); rather, we are to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Since we know that God’s grace abounds and also that “iniquity shall abound” (Matthew 24:12), then we know that temptations will come; but “when they do, let not evil have its way with us. May our enemies fall into their own traps with which they meant to tempt and ensnare us” (Psalm 35:8, Proverbs 28:10).

We pray that we may avoid making “provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14). We pray that we may avoid temptation (Luke 22:40). Yet “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed;” (James 1:14) … “but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). We are thankful that “the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (II Peter 2:9) and “deliver us from evil.”

Worse Than an Infidel?

“If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” – I Timothy 5:8

The Smith’s are Christians. The Jones’s across the street are not. The Smith’s have had several children and adopted a number of others. The Jones’s have had quite a few kids as well.

Having watched Suzy Jones get on and off the school bus and meander the sidewalk back to her house, Mrs. Smith has often thought that Suzy would be better off living in the Smith house. Rumor has it that, while Mr. Jones seems many times to be a likable guy, he frequently blows his paycheck on internet gambling, loose women, and alcohol. He has even occasionally beat his wife and children or left them stranded out on the street.

Yet Suzy generally appears to be a rather cheerful young woman, especially given her circumstances. One would think she hasn’t much about which to be cheerful, but I guess she’s been developing somewhat of her own hedonistic life and has also been gathering a host of party friends with whom to fritter it away. But Mrs. Smith sees through it all. She knows that Suzy can have a much more abundant life. – “Oh, if only Suzy could see the life that she’s missing.”

“Suzy!” Mrs. Smith calls out one day, just as soon as Suzy’s friends have driven away from dropping her off. “I’ve been wanting to ask you something. – Now that you’re an older teenager, and … well, … I wonder what you’d think of possibly …, um, … well, how would you like staying with us for a while. Come and see what life is like in the Smith house,” Mrs. Smith smiles widely. “Whada ya say?”

“Why?” Suzy seems to ask curtly.

“Well, I thought that, um, … well, my husband works with your dad once in a while, and so …, uh, … well, even some of the neighbors have even noticed that –”

“Well, I happen to know some of your children,” Suzy interrupts, “who used to live with you … and who haven’t come back to stay even when they’ve had opportunity. And also some of your foster children have opted out of being adopted by you. And then how ‘bout the ones who still do live with you? They seem to be sick more often than they are well!
“Why would I want to live with you? Shouldn’t you be taking care of your own before worrying about someone else?”
...

“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning … the church”
(Ephesians 5:32).

Clogging Clergy

God said to Solomon, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). Notice the first condition there. God’s “people, which are called by [His] name,” must “humble themselves.” Certainly this must be true as well for the leaders of God’s people. It must begin there. This is quite fitting as one of first clogs encountered in the flow of effective Christian ministry is often the pride of the ministry leader. It is understandably difficult for a pastor to acknowledge that he may have “gotten it wrong” for the past 20 years in a particular area of his belief, vision, teaching, practice, etc. But the church has had certain things wrong for centuries; so why not admit the mistakes over a few decades? We within the ministerial leadership must acknowledge the barriers in our humanity, those personal clogs in our own understanding. We must humble ourselves. Not only must there be a humbling, but it needs to be by ourselves (as the Holy Spirit gives us grace).

We must be strong enough to fall to our knees. Else such strength will be given to another who will force us to our knees. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11). “Every knee shall bow” (Isaiah 45:23). As He proved with the children of Israel at the border of Canaan, then again at the battle of Ai, then again with the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, then again with the Roman Catholic Inquisition, then again with the Christians in communist Russia, then again with the so-called Christian nation that hosted and boasted the World Trade Center, God has shown Himself quite capable of bringing “[His] people, which are called by [His] name” to their knees. So the question is, “Will we humble ourselves, or will we be humbled?”

Forgiveness

Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). He further states, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Notice that after Jesus teaches us to focus first in our prayer upon God, His Name, and His kingdom, then on Christ as our daily Bread, He subsequently reminds us of our obligation to love our neighbor. And what better way can we express selfless love than by forgiving others who have wronged us?

Forgiveness is especially, if not only, necessary when we are in the right (or at least when we perceive that we are right) and the other party is not. In a culture that always demands its rights, refusal to absolve someone of guilt toward us when they have not deserved such absolution is just another one of our rights, we claim. Refusal to forgive is self-centered, while forgiveness thinks lovingly of the other. But the Lord offers us some motivation as well as possibly an initially unsettling realization about the necessity and efficacy of our forgiveness.

If God’s forgiveness of my sins hinges upon my forgiveness of others who wrong me or by whom I perceive that I have been wronged, this then leads me naturally to wonder how well I forgive others. Indeed, how (or in what manner) am I to forgive others?

The Holy Spirit encourages us, through Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, to be “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven” us (Ephesians 4:32). So I am to forgive as God has forgiven me. And I have reason to hope that His forgiveness will be very efficacious – consistent and entire. When God forgives, He forgives perfectly. So then when forgiveness is required of us, we are to forgive perfectly – sincerely, consistently, and entirely – “as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven” us.

But do we ever do anything perfectly? This is yet another reason to abide in Christ. If the works of Christ are put on our account, and if Christ forgives perfectly, then we can forgive perfectly when we abide in Christ.

Grow in Grace

The Holy Spirit said in 2 Peter 3:17-18, “Beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

If someone were to say, “Nothing can be known for certain,” they would be making a self-destructive statement; for if “nothing can be known for certain,” this would then include this very own declaration. In other words, it must not be certain that “nothing can be known for certain.” Anyone who makes this statement has just forfeited his right to an audience. Not too differently would be the old man who says, “The older I grow, the less I know.”

In Leviticus 19:32, God commands, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.” Then, in Proverbs 16:31, the Holy Spirit specifies that “the hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.” The elderly are to be honored, but such honor is more glorious if the elderly are in the “way of righteousness.” According to the previous text from 2 Peter, the “way of righteousness” includes growing “in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord” Jesus Christ. Maturity in a Christian should include growth in the knowledge of Christ. And that additional knowledge ought not be solely the discovery that “the older I get, the fewer the things about which I am yet convinced.” Where is the hope in that for the Christian young person?

The Proverb previously mentioned about the “hoary head” is preceded by much encouragement “to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity” (Proverbs 1:2-3). We need older men (and women) in the church who can honestly say, “My son, hear the instruction of thy father,” (Proverbs 1:8) and then afterwards still have something worthwhile to say.

Our Daily Bread

In John 6:48-51, Jesus says, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” When the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, God gave them food rations sufficient for a single day. He did this everyday for at least six days a week throughout their forty years of wandering. If they gathered more than what they needed for a single day, the extra would spoil by the next day. This is likely one of the tests that God gave them to manifest their level of trust in Him. They needed to believe that once their day’s supply of food was gone, God would still be faithful on the next day to provide what they needed to sustain them.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). This is not just a request for physical food, nor is it just (even as I have previously thought) a reminder to read the Bible daily. This latter suggestion, however, can help guide us to a more appropriate understanding of this text from the Lord’s prayer when we also realize that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh” (John 1:1, 14). But the text from John 6 tells us plainly that our daily Bread is Christ Himself. Jesus came that we “might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly.” So we are being taught to pray daily for Christ to be our sustaining life. We are being reminded to daily partake of Christ’s flesh and drink of His blood.

We are what we eat. We become that of which we partake. So if you are called to be like Christ, if you want the glory of His Spirit’s presence to shine through you, if you would have eternal life, if you long for “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” then exercise faith and hope in Him by regularly praying, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Christ's Kingdom

Early in His model prayer, the Lord teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2) Much can and ought to be said about this, for the Holy Spirit seems to have much to say about it in His Scriptures. David was promised a Descendant Who will sit on his throne forever. Daniel prophesied about this everlasting kingdom. Wise men from the east came seeking the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). John the Baptist preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). When questioned by Pilate, “Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. …’” (John 18:37). Near the end of the Bible, we are foretold of a time when “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

The Holy Spirit inspired much more to be written by Matthew, John, & others concerning the kingdom of God. So we can begin to understand why we are given an early reminder in the Lord’s prayer to pray, “Thy kingdom come,” and why we are instructed from Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.”

Indeed, the gospel much includes the doctrines associated with Christ’s kingdom – the Scriptures even specifically state that Christ Himself and His disciples went “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14; Mark 1:14). This leads us to the following consideration: If the good news is more about Christ and His kingdom and not so much about us and our formula for obtaining eternal life, then the entire foundation for our theology and the building which stands upon it may need seriously revamped. Let us be encouraged toward a deeper study of this “[good news] of the kingdom” so as “to show [ourselves] approved unto God, [workmen] that needeth not to be ashamed” of a false emphasis, but “rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

Taking God's Name

The third of the Ten Commandments states, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) Most Christians should recognize that using the Lord’s name as a profane expletive has no significant benefit; therefore, such use easily falls under the category of vanity. But there is another sense, a more important one, which begs understanding.

When a woman marries in a Biblical culture, her last name changes. We say that she has given up her father’s name and has “taken her husband’s name.” But if she continues to live like a single person or if she begins getting involved in adulterous relationships, she has taken her husband’s name in vain. She is not being faithful to her identity as her husband’s wife.

We who have been baptized “in the Name” of the triune God have “taken Christ’s name.” We are the Bride of Christ, and we are called Christians. But if we are not keeping ourselves “only unto Him,” then we have taken His name in vain.

Another approach to this important principle could be stated as follows: If you were born into the Smith family, then you are a Smith, like it or not; it’s too late to change your mind. You will not change the fact even if you isolate yourself entirely from any association with other Smiths. You can only bring shame or glory to the name … because you are stuck with it.

Similarly, if you were once born into Christ’s family, then you are a Christian, like it or not; it’s too late to change your mind. You will not change the fact even if you isolate yourself entirely from any association with other Christians. You can only bring shame or glory to the Name … because you are stuck with It. But always remember: if you are failing to live as a faithful member of the Body and Bride of Christ, then “the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” This is just another reason to pray, “Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.” (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2)

God First in Prayer

Of the many observations to be made about what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2), the following is another reminder of the necessity of humility in our approach to God. Aside from the initial use of the possessive adjective in the address to “our Father,” notice that the first three lines of the prayer say nothing directly about us. It’s about God, His Name, His kingdom, and His will. We must acknowledge Who He is before we offer any thanks or make any petitions.

“Hallowed be Thy Name” and not the names of any of the gods of this world or any other world for that matter. No other god is worthy of our veneration; no other god can “give us our daily Bread” of eternal life; no other god can “forgive us our trespasses;” no other god can “deliver us from evil.” So we must not make these requests until we acknowledge the greatness of the One Who is worthy of our worship and requests. Why do we make petitions of Him? Why do we even acknowledge Him? Who does He think He is?

He is the God “which art in Heaven.” It is His Name Which is to be hallowed. It is His kingdom to which all other kingdoms must submit. It is His will that is to be done in His heaven and in His earth, since He is the Maker of them both. It is all His, and it is by Him and for Him, as we are reminded not only at the beginning but also at the end of the prayer. It’s His kingdom, it’s by His power, and it’s for His glory.

Only in this recognition of our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God can we really exercise the faith to know that He hears us and that “whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (I John 5:15) “The LORD He is God; there is none else beside Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)

Plagiarism All Over the Place

“There is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9, Holy Bible, KJV) Two nights ago, my family enjoyed watching The Legend of Zorro (starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones), the sequel to The Mask of Zorro. One of the screen-writing elements which have been in so many movies, if not in almost every movie, occurred in this one as well. If you’ve watched very many movies at all without disengaging your brain, you’ve likely noticed this particular element – when the good guy gets caught by the bad guys, they never terminate him immediately, even when they have the opportunity. This is an extreme irony.

Often these same bad guys, earlier in the story, were killing innocent people “at the drop of a hat” (i.e., without even a second thought). Although not always the case, these innocent people are often people to whom we the viewers haven’t become too closely attached emotionally because their death would be too unpleasant for us (making the story less appealing). On occasion, however, the victim will be someone of whom we had become fond (though almost never the main hero); this is likely done to make us hate the bad guy even more, thus, rejoicing all the more (as my son did quite audibly with Zorro) when the good guy takes out the bad guy.

But back to my point about extreme irony…. The rancher whose deed the bad guy really wants for some reason, the rancher who poses so little of an offensive threat to the bad guy, is killed without the slightest hint of remorse; but when the bad guy later catches the good guy off guard, the good guy who poses the greatest offensive threat to the bad guy, this same bad guy suddenly has second thoughts about immediately terminating his opponent. (Oh, he plans to terminate him all right, but he wants to do it slowly to make it more painful for the good guy, or some other convenient reason like that.)

So what’s all this have to do with plagiarism? Well, first let’s ask “WHY?!” Why in the world do the screen-writers throw in some sort of “all-of-a-sudden-I’m-gonna-think-twice-about-my-actions” perspective from the bad guy smack dab in the middle of the story’s climax? How realistic is that? No wonder the good guy always wins! All you have to do is throw in some (additional) inconsistency in the bad guy’s character, and your story can always turn out well in the end. Well, I’ll tell you why: this is the unspoken divine element of the story.

Even years ago, I used to think that one of the basic differences between good Christian stories and good non-Christian stories was simply that one acknowledged the presence and work of God and the other didn’t. (I’ll expound on this further in a moment but first…) Basically, the reason David was able to kill Goliath is the same reason that John Wayne was always able to outdraw his opponent – because God made it so. Only, David acknowledged this truth loudly, and John Wayne did not.

As I've thought about it, I’m convinced even more that this is so. In the most real, most true Story of all, it is impossible for evil to ultimately triumph over good… because God is good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17, Holy Bible, KJV) Goodness (and evil, for that matter, but that’s another discussion) is NOT an absolute independent of any and all sources. Walking an old lady across the street is not a good deed just because it is; there’s a reason it’s good. That reason is God, Who is ontologically Good. (That is, Goodness is His very nature; It’s Who He is.) God is Goodness. Therefore, He cannot but triumph over evil. (I’m beginning to think that evil cannot even exist apart from Him. I think He probably created evil – Isaiah 45:7 – as another means of manifesting His goodness, to make us rejoice all the more when the Good Guy takes out the bad guy.)

The better the screen-writer becomes at story-telling, the closer he comes to “plagiarizing” God’s Story. How far into a 2.5-hour movie do you have to watch before some problem surfaces? Unless the movie is quite slow-moving, it’s not very long before the viewer becomes very suspicious, if not fully aware, of the problem. (Then the rest of the movie is spent developing that problem further and/or bringing it to a resolution.) And how long did it take for Evil to show its ugly face in God’s Story? ... In chapter 3, out of 1,193 chapters!

Why do we connect with and feel sorry for the poor rancher who was so heartlessly terrorized? Because we can relate to him; indeed, because we are (or were) related to him. So now we hate Evil all the more, even though we invited him. We welcomed him, and he robbed us blind. And now we rejoice when the Good Guy crushes the bad guy’s head, and the Good Guy’s redemption of us is all the more glorious!

This is why Good must triumph over Evil. This is why the bad guy can never fully carry out his hatred against the good guy. This is why the screen-writers can’t help but turn the tables on the bad guy for no apparent reason – the reason is not apparent because they hate admitting that God tells the greatest Story and the best they can do is copy It. – They have to do it; it would not be realistic, otherwise. God is real. And He’s really good!