You Hater!

Have you ever been called a hater for simply quoting or referring to biblical truths?

Consider the following references from the Bible:

The words of Jesus:
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Woe to you, blind guides... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of deadmen’s bones and all uncleanness.

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.  Apostle Paul

Elymas the false prophet was struck blind by the words of Apostle Paul and another man was turned over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh.

Then, for lying, Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead, by the words of Apostle Peter.

Others were referred to as fornicators, adulterers, thieves and sons of the Devil. 

And they call you a "hater"?  Don't worry be happy, we have not been called to negotiate with false prophets or the Devil.  Jesus said the slave is not greater than the master.  If they hated him...well, you're in good company.

Someone expressed concern that I did not show the love of Christ in a video we posted in which we reminded some Mormons with the words of Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter one that they were under a curse for believing and promoting Joseph Smith's nonsense. Apparently when Jesus sent out his disciples they were not very loving either when they responded to unbelievers by kicking the dust off of their feet against them and claimed that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for their city (Luke 10:12).  

https://youtu.be/vVP4lURLHB4  

If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, 
and all scripture is inspired by God, we have a 
challenging job balancing the sacrificial love of God
 with another side of his nature which hates evil.
The Bible is loaded with imprecatory psalms and
 proverbs that call not only for God's judgment on
our enemies, but also praise for when
 he carries it out.

Moses and the sons of Israel sang one of the Bible's
 first psalms of praise after the Pharaoh's chariots
and his army perished in the Red Sea. (Ex. 15)

Jonah and Sailing

Jonah said, "I'd rather be sailing."

And God said, "Good luck with that."

https://youtu.be/vVP4lURLHB4

The satirical book of Jonah is one of the few books of the Bible whose main purpose is to show God's mercy toward non-Jewish people.  It has a polemical purpose that shows the general struggle of man with God.  The only minor prophet referred to by Jesus it is used in the gospel as an illustration of redemption which parallels the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and is read by Jews during Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.  Verse one of the second chapter states that Jonah prayed to God from the stomach of the sea creature, whether a whale or a fish we cannot be certain based on the native language.  Jesus placed Jonah with the Queen of Sheba and Nineveh as historical characters (Matt. 12:38-42, 16:4, Lk. 11:29-32).  After his maritime experience Jonah had to make a trip to Nineveh over 500 miles from the coast to fulfill his mission.  Fragments of the Book of Jonah were found among the Dead Scrolls as well as the LXX thus validating its common use before the time of Christ.  Jonah (Yunus) is the only minor prophet referred to in the Quran, which might shed some light on what books were available to Muhammad over five centuries after Christ.

Whatever Became of Evangelism?

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were very hungry.

Week after week, month after month, and year after year, those who called themselves fishermen met

in meetings and talked about their call to fish, and abundance of fish and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.

These fishermen built large beautiful buildings for local fishing headquarters. The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they did not do, however, they did not fish.

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, to promote the idea of fishing in faraway streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived. Also the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years courses were offered on the needs of the fish, the nature of fish, how to define fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in “fishology”. But the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy

day and night to produce materials solely devoted to fishing methods, equipment, and programs, to arrange and encourage meetings, to talk about fishing. A speaker's bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

After one stirring meeting on “The Necessity of Fishing,” one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported that he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So he quit fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fisherman's General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen's clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished. They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend and talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don't fish were not really fishermen, not matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person really a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?

Is one following if he isn't fishing?

Who Hardened Pharaoh's Heart?

One rule in reading the bible is to always interpretation the Old Testament in light of the New Testament.  The Old Testament is written from the perspective that God was behind everything that happened.  Job thought that everything bad that was happening to him was from God.  However we see that Satan was an instigator.  In Exodus we read some verses that claim God hardened Pharoah's heart (Exodus 7:3, 10:1) but we cannot ignore the other verses that clearly show that Pharaoh had a part to play in this because it also says that Pharaoh was stubborn (7:14) and he hardened his own heart (8:15&32).  In the New Testament we see Jesus dealing with the Devil in a whole different light than what we see in the OT.  We see Jesus being tempted by the Devil, as well as Jesus casting some demons out of people.  People who have never been exposed to this part of the gospel sometimes have a fatalistic view of God regarding all the evil in the world.  If they do not understand that the Devil is the destroyer and one to resist they simply throw up their hands and don't know what to do or even how to pray, and simply say "well God's in control", or "its all God".  Apostle Peter wrote that we should resist the adversary who prowls about like a roaring lion (1 Pet.5:8-9).  It is rather difficult to resist him if one thinks God is doing everything.  When Muslim terrorists storm a church and murder children in cold blood we have to recognize that evil exists and must be confronted.

Apostle Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians he writes, "the one whose coming is in accord with the activity Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false." (2 Thess. 2:9-12)

So what happened to Pharaoh was not only God's vindication for the sake of the children of Israel but it was judgment upon the willfully stubborn heart of Pharaoh who followed the deceptive works of the magicians (Exodus 7:22).  Apostle Paul mentions these two characters, Jannes and Jambres, and warns us that we will be faced with similar seducers in the future. (2 Tim. 3:8-13)

Sheets to the Wind!

Jesus was a Jew!

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it,

but do not know where it comes from and where it is going,

so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

THIS BLOOD IS FOR YOU

While sailing past the village of Bella Bella, British Columbia

 we heard a man come on the marine radio

 and call to a friend telling him that the message 

on the passing sailboat was for him. 

That made our day!

This message often had a different response as we sailed past ferry boats carrying thousands of people in Puget Sound.

Waiting for the tide after zinc replacement and bottom inspection.

Godly Warriors Might Carry Guns

The Bible, including the New Testament, tells us that God used Godly men and women at times to put down their enemies.  Gideon was one such reluctant person who God had to convince to pick up the sword against his enemies (Judges 6-8).  The New Testament Book of Hebrews text is given as an example of faith in action (Hebrews 11:32-34).

God is not a pacifist.  The gospel story of Jesus going to the cross shows only a portion of God's nature.  His goal was to be a sacrifice and he forbid his disciples getting in the way of that mission. We cannot reject the nature of God however portrayed in the Tenach (Old Testament) because the Bible clearly teaches that God does not change (Malachi 3:6, Heb. 13:8).  The Christ revealed in the Book of Revelation is one of a warrior (Rev. 19:11).

If I am being robbed at gun point and I call 9/11 I pray that when the cops show up they are not pacifist Christians who refuse to carry a weapon.  Apostle Paul wrote that governing authorities do not carry the sword (gun in our day) for nothing (Romans 13:3-4).  If all police and soldiers who become Christians give up their weapons that would leave a great void for ruthless ungodly men to fill and surely we do not want that.  If it not been for Roman soldiers with swords Apostle Paul would have been killed by the Jews.  Thank God for the Romans!  (Acts 23:14-31)

The man who stands by while his family is molested

 is nothing more than a coward.

Some ancient advice.  Liberty needs our protection.

If David would have only had a gun!

An Ancient Warning

http://youtu.be/ivmCicSBcME?list=UUpvpku8O928I6bRiqbGvzeg