The principles of recovery Part 5

This is a continuation of a multi-part series of lessons aimed to assist believers who have found themselves out side of the acceptable social and economic circles of our church communities.  In order to give them direction through the teaching of parable of the prodigal son. We continue now with the fifth step on the road to recovery : Reconciliation

 But let us first review the the last four principles we have learned so far:

1)Realization-

Until  you are aware that where you are is not where you ought to be, you will remain where you are.  
To progress from where you are, you must have a new vision for your life, even if you are in the pig pen, for where you are does not foretell where you will be. It is your choice to stay in the pig pen or not.  

2)Resolution-

Until you make a plan to progress from where you are to the place you ought to be,  you will never leave where you are. Here it is said that the reason many people fail is because of the lack of  effective planning to succeed.  

3)Repentance-

We learn that the change of direction, the change of purpose and the possession a new vision coupled with a contrite spirit toward those we may have offended before we each ended up in the pig pen of life will lead us forward to the life we ought be living.

4)Return-

We learned that all the realization, the planning, and the repenting will be for nothing if we each do not act upon them.

Now back to our fifth lesson: Reconciliation

Reconciliation defined: Noun; the process of making consistent or compatible.taken from the root word: reconcile which is a verb.-Source Dictionary.com

Reconcile defined:Verb; to make (oneself or another) no longer opposed. -Source Dictionary.com

Therefore reconciliation is a process where two opposing sides settle their differences and become compatible to each other.  The Prodigal Son was no longer opposed to working for a living, after his pig pen experience, he was ready to reconcile with his father, of whom he felt that he shamed by his loose living in a far away land.  There two persons that participate in a reconciliation, the one who wishes to reconcile and the offended who allows the offender to be reconciled.  In this case the Father of the Prodigal son was each day looking on the horizon for his wayward son, awaiting for his return.  When the Father saw the prodigal son, he ran to him and fell upon his neck.  The prodigal Son recited what he had practiced upon his long journey back home.  How he is not worthy to be his Son, and that he will work as one of the hired hands of the household.  His Father seeing that life had humbled him just so, accepted him back as his son. 

Now in some cases this kind of reconciliation is not possible.  When such a case is not possible what do you do then? What I mean suppose a person makes the effort to reconcile and the other party chooses not to accept and reconcile with them, what then?  Does that person continue to make offers of reconciliation? Or does that person's recovery stop, because of the other party's refusal to reconcile with him?  The answer is that God will accept his offer of reconciliation, even though the other party did not choose to do so.  He should leave the offer to reconcile with the offended party open to them to complete the reconciliation process.  God does not hold that person, who is attempting to reconcile,  liable if the other party chooses not to reconcile with him.  He will find that God will work around this impasse in His Grace and provide an equal or another compatible party to continue his recovery process.  He does not need to force the opposing party to reconcile with him.   

I must point out that when the Prodigal Son did meet his Father he recited that He offended God and then his Father when he fulfilled his repentance offer. He first repented to God.  For some of us that is the only person we can repent to, because it is the only person we have each offended in some degree. If we have offended another and that person has refused to accept our repentance offer and does not reconcile, then we each must depart from that person leaving the door of reconciliation open for the offended party to walk through when that party deem it needful or when God has touched that person's heart to do so.  I have found this to work out well.  If you do not leave the offering for reconciliation for the offended party to complete and harbor bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart, beware that God will not let you continue to full recovery, because you now have made your focus that offended party in the place of the vision that God gave you of the life you ought to be living.  You will stay there until you let the offer of reconciliation stay open.   God deals justly with those who offends his will, forgiving those who sincerely repents and reconciles them back into his family.  He  chastises those who disobey.  What is His will between offender and the offended that are believers?  Forgiveness and restitution,  but there can be no restitution without forgiveness.  For Jesus has said:

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.-Jesus (Matthew 6:14+15)

Also Read Matthew 18:21-35 a parable on forgiveness.

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.-Jesus (Mark 11:25+26)

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: -Jesus (Luke 6:37)

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.-Jesus (Luke 17:3+4)

We are obligated to forgive, if someone offends us and they make an offering of repentance.  Forgiveness is the other side of Repentance, when one of us chooses not to forgive another when close the door of reconciliation.   So without repentance and forgiveness, reconciliation is not possible.  If any one of us is walking in un-forgiveness  toward another God's forgiveness toward you is limited to the degree of un-forgiveness you enforce upon another repenting soul.  

The Prodigal Son not only made an offer of repentance, he also stated his willingness to make restitution for his actions and decisions.  Now in the Prodigal Son's case the Father was open to Forgive and restore him.  This is not the case for everyone.  Sometimes you can not receive the forgiveness for your offering of repentance because the person is too far away in an unknown location or deceased by the time for you to reach that person.  If you make your offering of repentance to God first,  it will be acceptable for you to continue on the path of recovery.  If you did not make your offering of repentance first to God and make it your focus to receive forgiveness from the party that you can not receive it from, you will become depressed and obsessed with everyone that is going through a similar situation. You can become disillusioned again thinking that you have failed in making your recovery.  Just remember that God is not a man, that he should lie and what he has said through his Son is still available to you.  This is why the Christian walk is a deliberate walk of faith in God's grace. For no one is perfect, and no one is without need of the forgiveness of God.

So what did we learn? We learned that Reconciliation is made complete through forgiveness. That God's grace allows us to continue on the path of recovery, even though receiving forgiveness from the offended party is not achievable.  We learned that we each need to repent to God first and to the offender second.  We learned that by following the path of recovery we can hold on to our faith in God through Christ.  

The measure that you mete

In various places in the Gospels we find Jesus making this statement,"The measure that you mete, shall measured to you again..." (found in  the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ).  What does it mean?   What did Jesus mean by it?  Why did he apply the statement in certain circumstances? What were we to learn from it? This is the reason for this Bible study:

I. The measure that you mete: What does it mean?

Definition of the word "measure":

A) Biblical: Portion, Degree (Source: Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament)

B) Common: Portion, Scope (Source: Dictionary.com)

Definition of the word "Mete":

A) Biblical: To measure, to estimate (Source: Strong's Greek Dictionary of the New Testament)

B) Common: To distribute or apportion by measure; allot; dole (usually followed by out ): To ration out. (Source: Dictionary.com)

From the above definitions we can safely deduce that the phrase "the measure that you mete"  can also be rendered "the degree or standard or scope that you use or give out toward others or anything"

II. What did Jesus mean by it?

It appears that Jesus was stating a principle.  A principle that will work on its own under certain conditions and circumstances. The question is what are those conditions and circumstances? We will find the answer to that question when we discover when and where Jesus spoke that phrase.

Jesus said it during the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:1-2
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Jesus said it during the Sermon by the Sea 
Mark 4:24
"And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given."

Jesus said it during the Sermon on the Plain
Luke 6:38
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

In each case Jesus indicated that this principle of "measuring what you mete" works on its own under these three conditions: Having judgment toward others, giving attention to what is being said and being generous toward others.  In each case the principle works and produces this result: "It shall be measured to you again".  Let us look at each condition so that we can glean from them what Jesus wanted us to learn.

Matthew 7:1-5
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

It appears that what Jesus wanted us to learn is that we are not to judge people, but in the case that we do judge someone,  let us be aware that the standard that we use to judge that person is the same standard we judge ourselves with.  We can not judge someone with the same issues or problems we have to deal with in order to correct them, is according to Jesus is hypocritical behavior.  We can only help someone correct themselves if we have been delivered of the same issue or problem. We cannot when we have not be delivered of the same issue or problem of the one that we are judging.  That is why it is wise to not judge another person that has a shortcoming or is struggling with an issue,  if we have not be delivered of the same shortcoming or problem ourselves.  On top of that if anyone of us judge harshly, we should expect to be harshly judged.

Mark 4:24+25
"And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath."

It appears that what Jesus wanted us to learn here is that we need to pay attention to what we hear.  The more knowledge we acquire through careful listening the more information and knowledge we will have.  It is when we stop listening for more information that our personal knowledge becomes obsolete  and  not useful.  More than that as our personal knowledge of things takes a hit from personal memory loss, if we don't continue to listen to the information that is being promoted in our communities and our homes.  I would also advise that the information that you hear is Christ centered or practical.  For is also what you pay attention to that dictates the quality of your life.

Luke 6:38
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

It appears that Jesus wanted us to learn here is that we need to be prepared to be generous. This passage of scripture is often used in application to giving money.  That is well and good, but we have fallen short of the full meaning of the scripture.  Jesus did not place a limit to what we ought to give. Some of us can give our time, some our talents, some our property and some our abilities along with giving money.  I can not tell you how many times I have seen this principle work with more than money.  One time I was a part of a ministry in Vineland, NJ where they had clothes that they were giving away, the more they gave away, the more came in.  Soon they did not have room to have bible studies for the amount of clothes that came in.  Another time I was helping oversee a food pantry ministry in Camden, NJ.  The more food we gave away, the more food and the things to store them with came in.  Soon after that we had to build a storage room and regulate the flow of food coming through the ministry because of the amount of food coming through was great. The only reason I believe this works is because when you give, you do not give to get, you give to bless and God sets up people to bless you in return.  God does not bless selfishness, he blesses generosity, because it emulates His character. God loves that His children emulate him.  So it is clear that whatsoever we give to others will be multiplied back us, if we do it unselfishly and generously.

I hope that this study has bless you as it has blessed me.

Did the Apostle Paul introduce Paganism to Christianity?

There is some people going around claiming that the Apostle Paul not only changed the Gospel message but he also introduced Paganism to and mixed it with Christianity, thereby changing Christianity forever.  The evidence of this claim many of them point to the worship of Jesus as God and blame the Apostle Paul for bringing the idol worship of Jesus into Christianity.  It appears that what they are saying is that the Apostle Paul had people exchange their idols for another: Jesus.  Today we will address that issue by highlighting the following points:

1)Paul's education
2)Paul's view of Jesus vs. the view of the Apostles
3)Paganism in the times of the Apostles
4) Paul's Gospel presentation to Pagans

I. Paul's education:

Paul's education began very young, being a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, he was educated at the feet of Gamiel who was at the time the most respected theologian in Israel.  He was raised in the the town of Tarsus of what is now know as the country of Turkey and was born with the name of Saul, named after one of the great Kings of Israel who was also a Benjaminite. Some time later he became know as Saul the persecutor of the Way.  He had no equal to him in Judaism being a member of one of the strictest sects: the Pharisees. He had an acute sense of Law and Punishment as demonstrated in his zeal to persecute the Church of Jesus, the Christ.  He, by his own testimony was a Pharisee of Pharisees, and kept the Law to the letter.  He initially felt uniquely qualified to root out these believers of "The Way"out of Judaism,  and pursued his purpose with vigor and determination.  Until that day when he met Jesus on the way to Damascus, to continue his persecution of the Believers of Jesus.

It is clear that up to the time of his own conversion to Christ, Paul (aka Saul) believed that the Jews that converted to "The Way", as it was called, believed in some sort of idol worship of a dead man of whom those who had converted to "the Way" proclaimed that he was still alive and has ascended to God in Heaven.  After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed. He discovered that Jesus was not a idol, but the Lord God. (Acts 9:1-20)

II.Paul's view of Jesus vs. the view of the Apostles

Paul's view of Jesus is distinctively similar, but not exactly the same as the original Apostles. The reason for the difference is that the original Apostles had an opportunity to walk with and learn of  Jesus for at least 3 years. Paul only had just met Jesus on the road to Damascus and it took him some time before he began to preach the Gospel. The original Apostles were still figuring out what shape and form the church will take.  They initially only preached the Gospel to unconverted Jews, that is until the Apostle Peter was given an inspirational instruction by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles as well.

Peter's view of Jesus was shared by all of the original Apostles and is as follows:

1) That Jesus is Lord [God] and Messiah [Christ] -Acts 2:36
2) That Jesus is God's appointed servant which was slain- Acts 3:22+23
3) That Jesus is God's resurrected Son- Acts 3:26
4) That Jesus is God's chosen Savior [Christ, Messiah]of Mankind- Acts 4:12

Paul's view of Jesus was shared by all of the Disciples in Antioch and Damascus  and is as follows:

1) That Jesus is the Christ [Messiah], the Son of God- Acts 9:20, 13:33
2) That Jesus is the promised Messiah [Christ]- Acts 13:33
3) That Jesus is the slain Messiah [Christ]-Acts 13:27-29
4) That Jesus is the resurrected Messiah [Christ]- Acts 13:30+31

As you can see that both views are very similar.  The difference is the audience that each man preached to.  Peter preached to unconverted Jews, while Paul preached to the unconverted Jews and Pagans.  They however shared these views about Jesus.


1) That Jesus was Divine

      a)Peter states that Jesus' status is elevated to that of "Lord" in Acts 2:36. The Greek word    
         that is translated to this English word "Lord", I have discovered that it also means  
        "Supreme over all" and "God". Peter therefore testifies therefore that God elevated Jesus 
         to divine status equal to His own divine status.

     b)Paul states that Jesus' status is elevated to that of being "the Son of God" by reason of 
        Jesus' relationship to God the Creator. God is the Father of Jesus, naturally born to Him and 
        thereby Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God the creator made Jesus divine, through 
        the process of natural child birth, He made Jesus God and man -Acts 9:20, 13:33

2) That Jesus was the Messiah or the Christ

     a)Peter states that Jesus was Christ. Christ is the English translation of the Greek word which 
        is also a translation of the Hebrew word that is again translated into the English word 
       Messiah. In other words, Christ and Messiah are terms that refer to the same thing. They are  
        exchangeable in English. It is notable that Peter only uses the word "Christ" when speaking 
        in reference to Jesus when he needs to communicate to an audience that knows Greek and or 
        Hebrew.- Acts 2:36, 4:12

    b)Paul also states that Jesus was Christ [Messiah] that was prophesied about by the Holy 
       Prophets in his Gospel message.-Acts 13:23

3) That Jesus, the Christ [Messiah] was slain

    a)Peter states that Jesus, the chosen Messiah [Christ] was slain -Acts 3:22+23

    b)Paul also states that Jesus, the Messiah was slain-Acts 13:27-29

4) That God raised Jesus, the Christ [Messiah] from the dead

    a)Peter states that Jesus, God's son and appointed Messiah was resurrected from the dead by 
      God the Creator.- Acts 3:32

    b)Paul also states that Jesus was raised up from the dead by God the Creator- Acts 13:30+31

As we can see, Peter and Paul used the same views in their Gospel presentations: 1)The Divinity of Jesus, 2)The Messiah ship of Jesus, 3) The death of Jesus, the Messiah and 4) The Resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah. Seeing that they used the same views of Jesus in their Gospel presentations this proves that the worship of Jesus as God was not a Pagan  idea introduced by Paul to the Church, but rather a fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures of the  Bible. It was a popular teaching among the Jews that a Messiah King will come and restore the glorious kingdom of Israel.  They got that teaching from the prophecies of the Bible. Since those prophecies come from strictly Jewish sources and Judaism is strictly a monotheistic faith, then the idea that a child can be the son of God foretold in those scriptures is not a Pagan concept but Monotheistic one. This also proves that Paul did not introduce those ideas into Christianity, for those prophecies that Jesus fulfilled existed before the birth of  Paul and Peter.

III.Paganism in the times of the Apostles

Paganism is a general term , it blinds us to understand  what was really going on in Israel in the days of Jesus and His Apostles.  Also because of Hollywood  many people believe that the only Paganism was the ones the Romans brought with them to the Bible lands.  The truth be told there were several different brands of Pagan beliefs being practiced in the Holy Land.  The reason for this is that in order for Rome to keep the peace among their conquered lands, they had to allow the worship of what they viewed as primitive Gods, the God of Israel were considered be a primitive God int the view of Pagan Rome because they conquered them and took their lands.  The Romans believed in a Living God on earth embodied in a Man: Caesar. However, Caesar was not the only God to be believed upon, the Romans also had a Pantheon of Gods that ruled over various things upon the earth and the king of them all was Zeus. Another reason for the many forms of Pagan worship in Israel is that Israel was a port country and world trade passed through it.  Many merchants brought their Gods and goods with them to Israel and imported them throughout the world. So the Pagan Roman Empire looked at Christianity as another pagan faith because the believers of "the Way" worshiped a man named Jesus as God, just as they worshiped Caesar as a God.  The only problem with the Romans faith in their Caesar, their Caesars kept dying off while the Christians proclaim their God to be still alive after suffering a brutal death on a cross.  Proving to many that Jesus was God and causing many of the citizenry of Pagan Rome to convert to a new faith called by many as Christianity. 

The point is It was and still is very clear in Old testament law that God prohibits idol worship.  So if worshiping Jesus was not idol worship what was it? The Apostles proclaimed that in Jesus, God had come in the flesh to redeem all of Mankind in the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies.  To them Jesus was God, not a partner to God, Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. An expression of God's love for them and the whole world.  To the original Apostles and Paul they were not participating in idol worship at all. They were worshiping and preaching about the God of the Bible and His Son. Some Jews and Pagans believed the message and some did not. Just like today, some believe the Gospel and some do not.

IV. Paul's Gospel presentation to Pagans


When Paul preached the Gospel to the Pagans, he preached it from the perspective of being a second hand witness. The difference between that being a first hand witness and a second hand witness is the quality and the credibility of sources.  Now this is important to understand, the second hand witness presentation of Paul the Apostle rests upon the quality and authenticity of his sources. If there is a degree of a lesser quality and credibility of the sources the Apostle Paul used in his Gospel presentation to the Pagans, then Paul's Gospel presentation is of lesser credibility than that of the original Apostle and we can accept that Paul mixed Pagan ideas with Christian ones and introduced a Pagan type worship of Jesus into Christianity in order to win converts and take the church away from the original Apostles of Christ.  However the opposite is also true, if the quality and credibility of the sources the Apostle Paul uses in his Gospel presentation to the Pagans we must accept that Paul did not mix Pagan ideas with Christian ones and did not introduce a Pagan type of worship of Jesus into Christianity in order to win souls and take the church away from the original Apostles of Christ.  There is no middle ground, it is either one or the other. So what were the Apostle Paul's sources for his Gospel presentations? They were the same Apostles of Christ and the disciples who heard Jesus speak, seen Jesus suffer and die on the cross and seen him be raised from the dead. 

Consider the fact that Paul's Gospel presentation was not questioned by the Apostles of Christ when He and Barnabas made their missionary report to them. (Acts 15) After the fact that Peter presented the argument to not burden the Gentile believers in Christ with the keeping of the Law of Moses, which no one Jew of them could keep. The salvation of God was presented to the Jews not on the basis of keeping the Law of Moses' administration, but rather it was offered to them on the basis of faith on the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah [Christ]. It appeared to them that God made the same offer to the Gentiles [many who were also Pagans], who would choose to believe in Jesus, the Christ.  Thereby they renounced the pagan Gods that they worshiped and began to worship the one God of creation through Jesus, the Christ. They decided that to make those new Pagan converts observe the law that no one could keep except for Jesus was not just or fair or right. This was also the offer of salvation in Paul's presentation of the Gospel to the Gentiles [Pagans] and Jews outside of Israel. So we see here that the quality and credibility of Paul's presentation of the Gospel is equal of that of  original Apostles for they both testified from the same sources. Even though Paul is preaching from the perspective of a second hand witness, his Gospel presentation is equal to Peter's Gospel presentation.

The only difference between the Gospel presentations of the original Apostles and Paul is that the original Apostles presentation were geared toward the Jewish audience until they were directed by God through the testimony of the Apostle Peter to make a presentation to the Gentiles [Pagans]. Therefore Paul's Gospel presentations took on the added elements of preaching against idolatry and Paganism, elements that original Apostles never had the opportunity to develop in their early  Gospel presentations. The Apostle Peter's missionary work among the Gentile church did not start until the Apostle Paul met his end. Peter's work was more about the encouragement of the believers that Paul and Barnabas was used of God to reach with the Gospel presentation. It was not about discrediting the Apostle Paul's Gospel presentation to the the Pagans. This act of Peter to support what the Apostle Paul established also does not indicate a mixing of paganism and Christianity by Paul, for Peter did not come behind Paul to change what he had  preached to them for them to believe for their salvation. Peter rather came behind Paul to confirm what the Apostle taught in those fledgling churches. When Peter preached his Gospel message to the [Pagans] the Gentiles, he emphasized the knowledge of the ministry of God through Christ to the Jews and accused the Jews of slaying Christ. Paul when he preached the Gospel  message to the [Pagans] Gentiles used the knowledge of his audience conscience of righteousness, their spiritual awareness and revelation of the mystery of the Gospel when preaching his Gospel outside of Israel.

We know as defenders of the Christian Faith that many people believe that paganism or pagan ideas got infused into modern Christianity. The verifiable evidence we provide here points other wise.  The question is  what are you going to do with the evidence?  It your choice to believe it or not believe it.  It is my greatest desire that you believe the Gospel as was preached by the original Apostles and the Apostle Paul that is summed up in the following verses:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.-John 3:16

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.-John 1:12+13

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.-John 3:17+18

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.-John 3:36

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.-John 5:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.-John 5:25

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.-Hebrews 3:15

For he [is] our God; and we [are] the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness:-Psalms 95:7+8

Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.-Hebrews 4:7

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)-2 Corinthians 6:2

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down [from above]:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.-Romans 10:6-10

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.- John 3:3

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.-John 3:5-7

How does one get saved, or born again? One becomes born again or saved when he or she sincerely confesses his or her faith in Christ.  How does someone do this? All you have to do is recite the following prayer with all your heart.

Dear Heavenly Father, 

I, in Jesus' name,  come to you now as an repentant sinner. I confess all my sinfulness to You and ask You to forgive me, for Jesus' sake.  I believe that Jesus, Your only begotten Son, died for my all my sins and washed them away with His blood. I believe that You raised Jesus from the dead according to Your word, the Bible. I now invite Your Holy Spirit into my heart and make me Your child. I promise that I will strive to live Holy everyday with Your help and I thank you Lord for saving me.

If you have recited the prayer above.  Welcome to the Family of God! Your next step is finding a church that teaches the word of God and preaches the Gospel message.  Until you do, you can continue to follow the teachings I share here. 

The Mis-interpretation of Luke 19:27

There is a statement in the Parable of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27) that many opponents of Christianity have used to convey the point that Jesus commanded his disciples to kill anyone that refuse to be ruled by Christ.  In fact this is the verse:

"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me."-Luke 19:27

Of course this is taken out of context and miss-interpreted.  How is this a miss-interpretation? Did not Jesus make this statement?  Yes he did.  So how can we Christians explain this command of Jesus, to kill those who would not be ruled by him? 

First of all, if you notice the disciples were not a military group.  They were not equipped to make war or fight.  Neither did they carry out this alleged command of Christ, did you ever wondered why?  It is because Jesus did not direct them to do so,  because he was reciting not his words but the words of a character in his Parable of the Pounds.  The disciples knew that Jesus was just telling a story, not giving a command to be followed.

One of the reasons for this miss-interpretation of Luke 19:27 is because the opponents of Christianity have a habit of disregarding the context of the verses they cite.  The context of the verse is preceded by the parable of the pounds, which is very similar to the parable of the talents. and is followed by Jesus heading to Jerusalem. The emphasis of the two parables is different from each other however.  The parable of the Talents that is found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, emphasizes stewardship.  The Parable of the Pounds not only emphasizes stewardship,  but it also discloses what may happen to those who refuse to comply with the ruler of their time.  Jesus was regarded neither as a ruler or even a nobleman.  Jesus was, in many peoples eyes as a carpenter's adopted son, although he was qualified to be a king of Israel, for he was an descendant of King David. The nobles in Jesus's day were the Romans and whosoever they appointed to Govern Judea.  Jesus through the teaching of this parable was making his disciples understand what rulers do when they take over a dominion, they eliminate their enemies.  They squash any hint of rebellion.  The disciples never took the instruction as a command to slay anyone that refused to be ruled by Jesus.

Another reason for the miss-interpretation of the verse in question, is the fact that the opponents of Christianity believe that Jesus is talking about himself in this parable as the nobleman.  Which is understandable because of the similarity between the nobleman actions and Jesus's claims: The nobleman goes to receive a kingdom, likewise Jesus said that he was on his way to receive a kingdom of his Father in heaven.( Mark 14:25; Luke 22:29+30)  The fact of the matter is that the nobleman could be anyone but Jesus, because Jesus does not command his disciples to kill anyone.  Here are a few direct commands of Jesus to his disciples:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."-Matthew 5:43-45

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

-Matthew 5:21+22

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40

"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil."-Luke 6:35

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13:34

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

-John 15:12

One thing that is noticeable about these commands of Christ, not one of the is a parable or was issued from a parable. None of the direct commands of Christ direct anyone of his disciples to kill anyone for refusing to subject themselves to his rule. So the nobleman's words cited by Christ in the parable of the Pounds to kill anyone that refuses to be ruled by him are the commands of a fictional character and not of Jesus. Jesus does not use parables to issue commands.  He speaks directly to him he directs.

But isn't Jesus a King? Yes but He is a king of truth, a King of conscience. (John 18:33-38) His Kingdom is not of this world, but it is in the world living through the lives of believers in his truth all over the world. Since it is a kingdom of truth, only those who seek the truth may find it and live in it, if they believe it.  For Jesus said...

 "...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." -John 3:3

How does someone be "born again"? Does he go and be physically born a second time?  Jesus clarifies....

"...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."- John 3:5-7

How does someone be born of water and born of the Spirit?  Being born of the water is natural childbirth.  Everyone that has been born in this world came into it by natural child birth, in fact when a woman is about to give birth it is said that a woman water breaks and fluid flows out her womb. I have witnessed this personally and can certify and testify to you that the phrase "born of water" is a direct reference to human child birth.  

Ok, so what is being born of the Spirit?  Being born of the Spirit is being born of God. For Jesus says God is Spirit. (John 4:24)

How does someone be born of God? The Apostle John testifies that a person must believe in Jesus in order to be born of God.

"...But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."-John 1:12

So If you accept Jesus and believe in his name you have the right to become a child of God or born of God.  How do you exercise  that right to be born a child of God? The Apostle Paul testifies that all you need is your faith and a confession.

"..That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."-Romans 10:9+10

How do you confess Christ as Lord? Recite the following prayer with all Sincerity.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to you now as a repentant sinner, in Jesus' name.  I confess all my sinfulness to you and ask you to forgive for the Lord Jesus' sake. I believe that Jesus died for all my sins and washed them all away with his blood.  I believe now that You raised Jesus from the dead as you promised in your Holy Word, the Bible.  I invite Your Holy Spirit to come inside of me and make me your child.  I  promise to strive to live Holy everyday with your help.  I thank you Lord for saving me.

That is it.  No rituals or ceremonies to perform.  No works of the flesh to depend upon.  Just your faith and confession and by faith you are saved.  A wise believer told me once, that if the salvation of your soul in Christ required anything more than His death upon the cross, making His death impotent to save, that is powerless to save, then Jesus failed in his mission, which was to save people from their sins.  We all are lost because we believe Christ, and he could not save us from the consequences of our sinfulness.  We again become subject to the just demands of the Holy Law of God,  which no man is exempt and no man is made righteous before God.  No man since Christ has claimed to be the Son of God and died for the sins of many.  No atonement, no salvation by faith.  Worse yet if Christ had failed to save mankind, we all would have to go back and begin again to offer sacrifices for our atonement.  How many people could be left without salvation? I Thank God, that the facts point to the cross, where Christ died for us all, to the empty tomb where he rose again for our justification.  We have this testimony from those who walked and talked with Him, who seen him live, and seen him die. The same who testify that he rose again and is alive forever more.  Jesus did die on the Cross and was raise back up in the fulfillment of the will of God  and for the Glory of God Amen.  So we have this confidence in our confession of faith, which does not rest in fables or legends, but rests upon shed blood of Christ which has been substantiated by historical records and archaeological finds and the blood of martyrs who was also convinced that their salvation rest on nothing less than Jesus' blood and his righteousness. This confidence you also received when you recited the above prayer and put your trust in Christ. That is if you did.
If you did not, you have placed yourself in a most unfavorable position.  It would have been better if you have not heard of the Gospel of Christ at all.  Why?  Because now you know of the opportunity of salvation and did not take it.   This is what John the Apostle, an eye witness of Christ and of John, the Baptist, testified that John, the Baptist said about choosing not to believe in Jesus......

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."-John 3:36

Ultimately, the choice is yours and yours alone to make: God wrath abiding with you all the way to the Lake of fire, or the possession of everlasting life with God in heaven.  Choose wisely.  It is never too late to choose to be saved.

  

The Principles of Recovery Part 4

This is a continuation of lessons on  how to recover from social and economical loss and keep your faith in Christ intact.  This book is based upon scriptural stories and parables of recovery, so that the people of God may know the principles of recovery and understand how to recover from the social and economic loss they may have experienced in their lives. 

In the last lesson on the road to recovery we discussed Repentance.  We learned that Repentance is a tool in the Christian's tool box that when used properly with Forgiveness allows a believer to do many things to the Glory of God.  We also learned that repentance is ineffective with out a plan of action.    A believer in God can repent all he likes, until he acts on it properly, that kind of repenting is making an empty promise. This time we will discuss the fourth step in recovery: Return.

Return defined: (verb) To go or come back, as to a former place, position, or state:to return from abroad; to return to public office; to return to work.

The prodigal son in Luke 15 had made the choice to repent and to return to his father's house.  He changed his mind about his present  pig pen condition, changed his purpose of living and changed his direction.  All that would have been  brought to nothing if he did not do one thing: Act on those decisions.  He chose to return to his Father's house and off he went, without notification to his employer.  I can only imagine that  he humbly went back through the towns, possibly repenting to those who he mistreated when he first came through with the wealth of his inheritance.  He could have stopped in any of those towns and tried to carve out a living for himself, but nothing would have brought him to the level of living he would have if he fully returned to the fathers house.  What kept him going?  He had a vision of how it was when he worked for his father,  yea it was work, but he had a roof over his head, plenty of food to eat and decent clothes to wear.  He also slept comfortably every night.  All his needs were met when he lived in his father's house.  Now on his way back, he sleeps in back alleys, in crates of wood on beds of hay and sometimes on the bare muddy road.  Each day he gets up, focuses upon his purpose and continues upon his journey with that vision of how much better it will be when he gets to his father's house.

Likewise, we believers must maintain our focus when going through a hard time in our lives.  We must have a vision of what it would be like to live better than what we have allowed to accept or had to endure.  When I was a real estate sales person, the company that I represented as an agent to the prospective home sellers trained me to have a vision of what I wanted to be in five years.  What they suggested was to have a picture of what I wanted posted somewhere I could see it every morning.   What that did was help me focus on why I am getting up to prospect for new customers each day.  The prodigal son had that kind of focus.  He was able to focus because he had a vision.  Well that year I listed many properties and sold half of them.  It was my most successful year as an real estate agent.  All because I had a vision and did whatever honest way it took to achieve it. When I lost that vision, when I lost that focus, that is when I failed as a real estate agent.  Lesson: keep your focus.  

When we believers fall into the pig pen of life, we have lost our vision because our vision was just a disillusion, an unrealistic vision of our lives.  For the prodigal did not have the vision of being in the pig pen when he ventured out from his father's house, he had visions of adventure and grandeur and he was confident that his inheritance could buy anything he wanted when he first left his father's house.  His vision was, impractical, irresponsible and not measurable.  All good visions are practical, responsible and measurable. If you can not measure your vision most likely you can not achieve it.  If your vision is not useful or practical, it will be useless to others as well as yourself.  If your vision does not regard the respect due to others lives and liberties your vision  will cause rejection and a lot of damage.  All of the prodigal son's visions of grandeur and adventure died in that pig pen.  He soon adopted a new vision and new focus and a new determination. Up he went, determined to go back to his father's house with a new vision for his life, so also we believers must get a new focus, and new vision and return to the father's house. It is truly said, "You will not know how good you had a thing until it is gone." The prodigal did not realize how good he really had it back in his father's house until he ended up in the pig pen.  Many believers really do not know how good they had it when they had an opportunity to do the work of the Lord, until their in a situation where they can not do the things they desire to do for God.  

We could also speculate that the prodigal son realized that he had made some bad choices.  For he could have sat there in the pig pen, blaming people for his pig pen situation.  He did not, he realized that he could still have a better life, all he had to do is repent to his father and humbly offer himself up as a servant.  I just recently read a joke that shows what kind of person is that makes promises  to God that he won't keep.  There was a man who was in a rush to get to a place where he had some important business to attend to,  when he pulled into the parking lot of the building he had a noticed that all the parking places were taken up.  The man quickly said, "Oh God if you would provide me with a parking spot in this lot, I will go to church and attend Sunday school and prayer meeting..".  Miraculously  a parking  spot became available, the man then said,"Never mind, I found one."  I failed to find the humor of that Joke, but it made me think of what people tend to do with God when they find themselves in a bind.   They make deals with God that they never intend to keep. They make promises to God that they do not intend of following through as long as God gives them what they want or worse yet they believe that the opportunity or blessing was not generated by God.  The prodigal did not make any deals with God,  he repented and returned.  He understood that he was not in a position to negotiate a deal with God or with his father.  He accepted the responsibility of his actions and humbly returned.   

Here is the part I like the most about the prodigal Son.  He had a plan to make restitution for his actions.  For in confessing his sin against his father and to God he also offered to work as a servant in his father's house.  In the prodigals mind, he took his father's wealth and was irresponsible with it.  Wealth that he could not replenish, except by working for it.  This shows that the prodigal still had honor for his father.  How many times have we each made promises to God that we will serve him, if He would do this for us or if he would do that for us? How many times have we taken for granted the wealth that God, the father has bestowed upon each one of us and have wasted it upon our own ambitions? How many times we have believed that God will pull us out of our pig pens, when in fact it is really up to us to leave? Plenty of times.  I thank God, that he is a loving and patient God and just as the prodigals father was waiting for his son's return, God is waiting for each one of us to return.

So what did we learn today?  We learned that repentance is meaningless unless it is followed through upon.  That along with repentance there must be a plan of restitution and corresponding action.   More important than that is the fact that God in his love and compassion for each one of us is awaiting for us to shed our disillusions of grandeur and take the responsibility of our bad choices and return to him. For if we do, there awaits for us the blessing of God, the Father upon those of use who choice to leave the pig pen of life and return to serve Him.

The Reason for the Atonement

 Just about every one knows the answer to this question: If God told you to do something and you do not do it, is that disobedience to God called Sin?

Of course it is. So why do people believed that Adam did not commit sin in the Garden, when it is so blatantly clear that Adam disobeyed God?

Did God forgive him? Yes, he did, however that is not the question that needs to be answered. The real question is how did God forgive Adam? The answer: He covered Adam's sinfulness. So how do people believe that God will accept or hear them without their sins covered at the throne of judgment?

People are praying without the atonement that Adam needed to be forgiven with, they are praying in a sinful state. Even Job knew that atonement was necessary as he prayed for his own, covering the sins they might have done as well as his own.

Ok some people say that I am reading things into the the Garden Event, but here are the facts that everyone agrees occurred in the Garden: God commanded, Adam disobeyed, sin was born.

The next logical question needed to be asks is: How does a Holy God deal with Sin? Answer: He judges it. So why didn't God, being Holy, destroy Sin when Adam committed it? Because He in His Righteous and Holy judgment would have to destroy Adam along with it. The Human race would have ceased to exist. So what did a Holy God do? He covered the sin of Adam and made them depart from the Garden.

That is how a Holy God forgave a sinful Adam. He covered his sinfulness. He atoned for his sin. Adam taught his sons about the atonement principle. How since the Garden,  everyone had to offer up an atonement sacrifice to fellowship with God, because no matter how good a person is, he still needs his sinful nature covered and atoned for. If He did not then how did Abel and Cain know when and how to offer it up at all, if it was not necessary  to be offered?  Adam must of told them both that an atonement offering was necessary to have fellowship with the Creator.

Many people believe that Adam's sin was his own, that his disobedient nature, his sinfulness does not transfer to the next generation. If that was so, why did Abel offer up an atonement sacrifice? Why did Noah when he first got out of the Ark, after the flood, offer up an atonement sacrifice? Why Abraham customarily went to a mount to offer up an atonement sacrifice? If sinfulness is not transferable, then there is no need for an atonement sacrifice to be practiced. However the scriptures are full of stories that show that the atonement sacrifice practice was still needed. The practice of offering an atonement sacrifice continued and was codified under Moses, that is made into Law. This means if you did not have your sinfulness covered, you were in worse trouble because now you were condemned by the Law of God. If the atonement sacrifice was still needed all the way up to Moses' time, then sinfulness, represented by the outward disobedience of mankind to the commands of God, then even though God forgave Adam in the Garden,  Adam's sinful nature was transferred to all mankind. In fact the practice of atonement offering continued all the way up to Jesus' time.

So I ask those people who pray to God without their sinfulness covered and atoned for: Do you want to know how to get your sins washed away, so that you can fellowship with God and He with you as God originally designed? Because no matter how good you are, you still need your sins atoned for.  If you answered Yes, then I have Good News for you! All you have to do in this day, is accept God's atonement offering that He provided for your sins. Just like when God provided an atonement sacrifice on the mount for Abraham and his son, God has provided an eternal atonement sacrifice for you. God created a means to have all your inherited and inbred sinfulness washed away. So that you can pray to God with your sins covered. All you have to do is receive it by faith. What is this eternal atonement sacrifice? The atonement sacrifice provided by God for all who will receive it by faith is the Death of Jesus, the Christ, His only begotten son, upon the Cross. Why Jesus? For God, not finding any better atoning sacrifice on earth that would put to an end the sinfulness of mankind forever, He sacrificed a part of himself, represented in the life of Jesus, his only begotten son, allowed Jesus to be born, live, teach, preach and die for us all. So that now if we do disobey God, whether it be intentional or unintentional we have the atonement in Christ forever for our sins. For God's forgiveness is for all who believe in His son complete  atoning death upon the cross.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life"- Jesus quoted by John, the beloved Apostle, an eye witness of the life and death of Christ. (John 3:16)

What great news!  You do not have to pray in a sinful condition anymore. You can pray to God through Christ's righteousness.  It is your choice, it is no longer God's choice, for He made a way for every person to be saved and the door is open.  The question is now, do you have enough faith to make the choice to believe in Jesus and his atoning death upon the cross?