Joy in the New Year

Part of the Christmas Eve service message that my family and I attended last week involved a comparison of the difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness can be fleeting; only lasting for a short time or even for just a brief moment in life.  But joy is different!  Especially when we seek, and then have the ultimate joy given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ!

The pastor also shared the fact that for some, Christmas can be a sad time of year.  Why?  Two examples he shared were because of the passing of loved ones and also, the hurtful estrangements between family members.  I could hear the weeping and sniffling of those in the sanctuary who were suffering from such grief.  I sent up a prayer of comfort for those who lost loved ones this past year, and a prayer for reconciliation between family members who are devastated by the estrangement of a relative who refuses to talk with them anymore.

Psalm 51:12 can help.  It is almost like a short prayer, asking the Lord for help in any grieving situation.

Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

This portion of Matthew Henry’s commentary applies:

6. He prays for the restoration of divine comforts and the perpetual communications of divine grace, v. 12. David finds two ill effects of his sin:-

• (1.) It had made him sad, and therefore he prays, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. A child of God knows no true nor solid joy but the joy of God’s salvation, joy in God his Saviour and in the hope of eternal life. By wilful sin we forfeit this joy and deprive ourselves of it; our evidences cannot but be clouded and our hopes shaken. When we give ourselves so much cause to doubt of our interest in the salvation, how can we expect the joy of it? But, when we truly repent, we may pray and hope that God will restore to us those joys. Those that sow in penitential tears shall reap in the joys of God’s salvation when the times of refreshing shall come.

In the past, some people have expressed such joy, and made comments as to why no matter what happens in life, the joy of Jesus Christ can’t be taken away.

“This Joy that I have the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.”

“I have to learn that as long as I have Jesus in my heart, I can find joy in everyday life, no matter how gloomy life may be around me.”

“My joy is dependent on Him, not me or my circumstances and if I am struggling to feel joyful, time in praise and worship – redirects my eyes back to Him, always lifting me up again.”

“God has transformed my life through peace because I was a person that was always stressed, never settled down, worried all the time.  By reading in the Bible, it has helped me to transform and live one day at a time and not to worry about so much.”

Have a joy filled and blessed New Year!

Aligning with a false Christ – condoned by Bethel church.

Today, I read about an extreme example of false doctrine which any true Christian would most likely immediately recognize.

How?

Please read my post from yesterday, which covers and explains 2 Timothy 2:10-18.

People who do not know the Gospel of Jesus Christ, aren’t born again, and have probably never read a Bible might succumb to the deceivers and liars (explained in the link below) who are obviously following evil spirits.

Church Watch Central: Aligning with a false Christ – condoned by Bethel church.

Just because a hedonistic group puts the name of Christ into its heretical, apostate, and wicked cult title, doesn’t mean that they are teaching, preaching, or following the true Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Excerpt:

“Christalignment” is a “ministry” condoned by Bethel church. Bethel and “Christalignment” have no problem with going undercover at psychic fairs. Christalignment offer “card readings” at events such as Sexpo, Rainbow Serpent and Queer Expo. This is a sign of the times – an apostate church participating in and promoting works of darkness instead of exposing them.

Hat tip: Truth 2 Freedom blog where I first heard about this cult of darkness.

Excerpt:

How is it possible that a “ministry” operating in a spirit of divination is supported by Bethel church and others?  It is possible because an angel of light is at work in the visible church.  It is possible because scripture is ignored as “encounters” take precedence.  It is possible because millions in the visible church are offended by the message of the cross.  “Christalignment” is indeed aligned to a Christ – a false one.  Avoid “Christalignment” and Bethel church, they are preaching a different gospel, and have nothing to offer but deception.

“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.  For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.  They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”
2 Peter 2:17-19

 

Hat tip: Church Watch Central

“To The Ruin of the Hearers.” – 2 Timothy 2:14c

It is a tremendous privilege to share the Gospel of Christ; to share and explain Bible verses to those who may not have studied the Word of God diligently.  It is also an extreme responsibility for the Christian teacher to “get it right.”  How does a Christian achieve this?  I think that 2 Timothy 2 gives us much insight, and I will also share some applicable commentary from David Guzik at Blue Letter Bible.

2Ti 2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

2Ti 2:11
This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.

2Ti 2:12
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.

2Ti 2:13
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

2Ti 2:14
Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.

David Guzik:

c. To the ruin of the hearers: This shows that it is a serious matter and there is much to lose. If we take the focus off the message of God, and put the focus on human opinions and endless debates, it will result in the ruin of the hearers.

i. The Bible says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Yet if people do not hear the word of God, then ruin comes by hearing the opinions and speculations and entertainment of man.

Guzik stresses that we NOT focus on human opinions and endless debates.  Why?  Because it will result in the ruin of the hearers!  Why?  Because if all that people are subjected to is “the opinions and speculations and entertainment of man,” then they won’t hear the Word of God.

The crux of the matter is this:  we must be diligent, approved unto God so we are not ashamed; and in order to do this we must be “rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2Ti 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

In the very next verse, we are told to:

2Ti 2:16
But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

This, my dear readers, is why there are those who claim to be Christian, but they are far removed from Christ because they reject the teachings of the Bible and lead others to “more ungodliness” because they do not “shun profane and idle babblings.”

David Guzik:

2. (2Ti 2:15) Keep focused; pay attention to your own life and ministry.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

a. Be diligent: Paul often had to exhort Timothy to courage and action. Earlier in the chapter (2 Timothy 2:3-5), Paul encouraged him to hard work and endurance for the service of the Lord.

b. To present yourself approved to God: Timothy’s goal was not to present himself approved to people, but to God. He wasn’t to regard the job of being a pastor as a popularity contest but instead as a call to faithfulness to God.

c. To present yourself approved to God: Timothy wasn’t to worry so much about presenting other people approved to God (though there was a place for this in his pastoral ministry). His first concern had to be to present himself approved to God.

d. A worker who does not need to be ashamed: It is embarrassing to do a job poorly and then to have your work examined. The Bible warns us that the work of each Christian will be examined at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Therefore we have another motivation to work diligently for the Lord, so we will not be ashamed when our work is examined.

i. “It is better explained as a workman who has no cause for shame when his work is being inspected.” (White)

e. Rightly dividing the word of truth: This was to be a focus of Timothy’s hard work. He was to work hard so he could rightly divide the word of God.

i. Timothy, as a faithful pastor, was to be rightly dividing God’s Word. That is, he had to know what it said and didn’t say, and how it was to be understood and how it was not to be understood. It wasn’t enough for Timothy to know some Bible stories and verses and sprinkle them through his sermons as illustrations. His teaching was to be a “right dividing” of the Word of God, correctly teaching his congregation.

ii. “Swords are meant to cut and hack, and wound, and kill with, and the word of truth is for pricking men in the heart and killing their sins. The word of God is not committed to God’s ministers to amuse men with its glitter, nor to charm them with the jewels in its hilt, but to conquer their souls for Jesus.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Rightly dividing has several ideas associated with the ancient term.

· Rightly handle the Word of God, as one would rightly handle a sword.

· Plow straight with the Word of God, properly presenting the essential doctrines.

· Properly dissect and arrange the Word of God, as a priest would dissect and arrange and animal for sacrifice.

· Allot to each their portion, as someone distributing food at a table.

f. Rightly dividing: This also means there is such a thing as wrongly dividing; not everyone cuts it straight. We must understand that Biblical truth is not just an issue left up to everyone’s interpretation. There is a right way and a wrong way to understand the Bible, and a pastor especially must work hard to master the right interpretation.

i. For example, many people love to say when the Bible is quoted, “Well, that’s just your interpretation.” Their idea is, “You interpret the Bible your way, I interpret it my way, and another person interprets it their way. We can never really know what it means, so don’t judge me with your Bible verse.”

ii. When someone tells me, “That’s just your interpretation,” I think in response: “It’s true that it is my interpretation, but it isn’t just my interpretation, it is the correct interpretation, and we need to pay attention to what the Bible says correctly interpreted.”

iii. This is an important point: The Bible does not mean just what anyone wants it to mean. There may be many people trying to twist the Scriptures to their own ends, but they are wrongly dividing the word of truth. We can’t just pick the interpretation that seems most comfortable to us, and claim it as true – it must be rightly dividing the word of truth, and it must be consistent with what the Bible says in the specific passage and with the entire message of the Scriptures.

iv. For example, a correct interpretation of Matthew 7:1 (Judge not, that you be not judged) is not the idea of “You have no right to judge my behavior or any one else’s behavior.” If this were the case, then Jesus repeatedly broke His own commandment, because He often told people their behavior was wrong in the sight of God. The correct understanding of Matthew 7:1 is easily seen by reading Matthew 7:2: For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Jesus was saying “Don’t judge anyone by a standard you are not willing to be judged by. God will hold you to the same standard you hold others to.” This clearly does not forbid judging someone else’s life, but it does prohibit doing it unfairly or hypocritically, or living with a judgmental attitude.

v. The point is clear: There is a right way and a wrong way to divide the Matthew 7:1, which is one verse in the word of truth. Every Christian, but pastors especially, must work hard to be rightly dividing the word of truth. Though perfection in understanding God’s word is impossible, and should never be assumed, we should still work hard at it.

3. (2Ti 2:16-18) The price of not keeping focus: The faith of some is overthrown.

But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

a. But shun profane and vain babblings: This refers to anything that takes the focus off of the gospel and God’s Word. These babblings are profane because they are unholy in contrast to the holiness of God’s Word. They are vain, because even though people like to hear them, they don’t have lasting value.

i. Man’s opinions, man’s teachings, man’s opinion polls, man’s stories, man’s programs, are all profane and vain babblings compared to the simple Word of God. When these things become the focus of the message from the pulpit, it will increase to more ungodliness.

b. Their message will spread like cancer: The message of profane and vain babblings may spread quickly and be popular. They are like a cancer that spreads fast and captures an audience.

i. Who in 2 Timothy 2:18 “Implies that Hymenaeus and Philetus were only the more conspicuous members of a class of false teachers.” (White)

c. Hymenaeus and Philetus: Hymenaeus is mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20 as a man whom Paul delivered to Satan that [he] may learn not to blaspheme. This is the only place where we hear of Philetus, and here Paul tells us of their error.

i. They were of this sort – that is, they had a message full of profane and vain babblings, and apparently the message was somewhat popular, because it spread quickly.

ii. They had strayed concerning the truth: Apparently, they started out correctly, and then strayed from that correct position.

iii. They were saying that the resurrection is already past: It seems they were teaching that we were already in God’s millennial kingdom, or that there was no resurrection to come – it had already occurred.

iv. They did overthrow the faith of some: Though the only false doctrine Paul mentioned regarding these two is that they taught that the resurrection is already past, the effect was to overthrow the faith of some. Undoubtedly, this was not their only error; and a fundamental error in such an area often leads to many more strange beliefs, until one has abandoned Jesus and His truth all together.

v. Many today accept and honor teachers who are way off in one area or another; and they justify it by saying, “I eat the meat and spit out the bones.” This kind of thinking will certainly overthrow the faith of some, because some will certainly choke to spiritual death on the bones you say you spit out.

vi. Notice Paul said, they overthrow the faith of some. We shouldn’t require that everyone be led astray by a teacher before we avoid them; even if some are having their faith overthrown, it is bad enough.

So, we can see clearly in this portion of Scripture how VERY IMPORTANT it is to “rightly divide God’s Word!”  Why?  Because:

[a]nd a fundamental error in such an area often leads to many more strange beliefs, until one has abandoned Jesus and His truth all together.

Hat tip:  David Guzik commentary at Blue Letter Bible.

What Is A True Friend?

Heh heh heh…I couldn’t resist putting that graphic up there before delving into this post!

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  Proverbs 18:24

The burgeoning world of social media has redefined the notion of friend–on one platform in particular.  When that platform debuted in 2004 many early users raced to accumulate as many friends as possible; high numbers were a status symbol.  Then people realized most of their friends weren’t friends at all and they started “unfriending” (the word entered the dictionary in 2009).  This process raised a good question which continues today:  What is a true friend? – Turning Point email, December 14, 2017

Ah yes, I remember it well when I was on Facebook several years ago.  I had a “friend” who unfriended me because I disliked the policies of Obama.  I wonder what she now thinks of that terrible administration now that a lot of scandals are being found out?

I also had someone criticize me on there because of my pro-life views.  I guess she objected to my saying, “Choose Life, Your Mother Did.”  I would think that particular “saying” would be difficult to counter and it might be very hard to object to it; without being able to agree that abortion is the killing of a baby in the womb.

All people who are pro-abortion have been born and are living (or, had lived on this earth)!  The over 50 million babies who have egregiously been aborted in the U.S. since that awful Extreme Court decision in 1973 had no say in the matter, did they?

You name the cause and there will be people for and against it.  Relatives and friends who are so rabidly anti-Trump are difficult to speak with or to even have a civil, rational, or polite conversation with them.  Therefore, I have chosen to avoid the arguments altogether.

However, one sweet relative (who is very liberal/progressive in her views) did say to me that she wasn’t going to let our differences over the 2016 presidential election harm our friendly relationship.  I really appreciated that so much!  I do know that she is going to get politically active to defeat Trump in 2020, but so what?  At least the heartfelt friendship that we have hasn’t been destroyed by our political differences.

The political arena these days is so difficult to watch anymore!  The hatred and disdain that politicians, TV news pundits, Hollyweird actors, political operatives, hate groups that protest (and harm their opponents and destroy property) snobby college professors and their snowflake students, the various races in our nation, etc. have all taken the vitriol, anger, intense dislike and extreme aversion and hostility to levels that I have never seen before in my 63 years of life on this earth!  Sometimes I think, “Dear Lord, how much longer will you tarry before you rescue us from this place?”

But then, I look at my sweet granddaughter.  I hug and kiss her, play with her toys with her, go to the playground with her, read books to her, play “ring around the rosy” with her, and watch endless episodes of “Peppa Pig” on TV with her!  The joy of life with her makes the rancor that surrounds any and every news cycle fade away.  In fact, when I don’t watch the news I am happier!

Family!  Family is what matters most in the life!  God created the family for a specific purpose.  Those relationships and the bond that they create are supposed to be for a lifetime!  Sometimes that’s not the case when arguments, disagreements, perceived “unhealthy communications” and the overstepping of certain “boundaries” happen that cause young adult married children to choose to be estranged from their parents.   Healing can occur and relationships can be repaired when the chance to talk about and resolve such issues happen.   However, both parties need to “come to the table,” sit face to face and agree to talk with each other in order to “hash it all out” and be reconciled.

Back to the Turning Point Devotional email:

The Bible talks about friendship.  Abraham and God were friends (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23).  Jonathan and David were friends (1 Samuel 18:1)–they were friends that were closer to one another than to their own brothers (Proverbs 18:24).  These friendships imply something deeper than a blood connection–intimacy, love, and loyalty.  The ultimate expression of such friendship was expressed by Jesus when He declared His disciples to be His friends for whom He was prepared to die (John 15:13-15).  Jesus extends His hand (His life) of friendship to all who will accept His invitation.

Jesus has declared His friendship for us–His intimacy, love, and loyalty.  It is up to us to do the same for Him.  Friendship is a two-way relationship.

Yes!  Friendship is a two-way relationship!  Love of family members with one another is a two-way relationship!  And what does Jesus tell us is required?  Intimacy, love, and loyalty.

Friendship cannot be faked.  Either one of the adherents suddenly “knows” that a friendship is over, or perhaps both have a mutual agreement not to be friends anymore.

When I was on Facebook, the only true friends that I had on there were (mostly) people that I knew in person.  The rest of the “friends” were usually superficial (except for those who I had corresponded with on this blog or via email).  Superficial can be defined as:

5. shallow; not profound or thorough:

a superficial writer.

6. apparent rather than real.

7. insubstantial or insignificant:  superficial improvements.

Yes.  That’s it!  That is where all that “unfriending” on Facebook comes in.

Jesus tells us:

Stretch Out Your Hand

 

When a person refuses to discuss his or her grievances in person and/or refuses to hear the other side of an argument that has developed during a conflict that has arisen,  what can be done?

I don’t think that anything can be done until the person refusing to talk it out is willing to sit down and discuss the grievances that exist.  Silence is not a solution.  Staying angry, playing games of trite types of communication (e.g. emailing someone, getting a reply from that person, then not replying back for several days or weeks) isn’t helpful; it’s harmful.  Continuing to ignore the requests for conversation with the hope for conflict resolution with the people involved is not a solution.

Someone I know tried to re-establish communications with her son through her daughter-in-law.  Apparently, both of them have been ignoring her plea (as well as the pleas from her husband and their daughter, the son’s sister) for dialogue for five weeks now.  The mom thought that if she could touch the heart of her daughter-in-law, maybe her son would consider speaking with his mom again.  Here is what she wrote (with name changes as requested):

Dear Aurora,

Since Carey has blocked me (on text, email, phone calls and Facebook) I am appealing to you to encourage him to talk with us.  His request to avoid “unhealthy communication” and to not cross certain “boundaries” can easily be discussed and resolved, but not when communication of any kind is completely cut off.  In the spirit of the celebration of our dear Savior’s birth, it is my prayer and hope that you and Carey can forgive us and be willing to start healing.

I pray you will join me in claiming 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18.  When people intentionally or unintentionally hurt us, as Christians we are not to repay by hurting them back, but rather to “always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”  Verse 5:18 says, “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

God bless and hope to see you and Carey soon.

In Jesus,

Mom 

Unfortunately, the mom thinks that maybe her daughter-in-law also blocked her on email, phone, text, and Facebook; so that message didn’t make it through.

What can be done when there is no modicum for respect left for this mom, dad, and the rest of the family?

The term “anger” appears in the NKJV of the Bible 233 times in 228 verses.  In the New Testament we are told:

I think that one of the most interesting accounts regarding “anger” and one that can be a lesson for the “hardness of hearts” that can happen within family disputes, is in Mark 3:1-6. This portion of Scripture is about Jesus healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. Take special note of what the Pharisees did as a result of the healing.

Mar 3:1

¶
And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

Mar 3:2
So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

Mar 3:3
And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”

Mar 3:4
Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

Mar 3:5
And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.[fn]

Mar 3:6
Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees hated Jesus, and despite the miracle that they had just witnessed, their anger towards God’s Son made their hearts so hardened that all they wanted to do was to plot how they might destroy Him!  See how easily anger can be turned into sin?

David Guzik’s commentary on this portion of Scripture gives us more insight.

Here is a relevant part of the commentary:

Quote:

a. A man was there who had a withered hand: “The man’s hand was withered, but God’s mercy had still preserved to him the use of his feet: he uses them to bring him to the public worship of God, and Jesus meets and heals him there. How true is the proverb – It is never so all with us, but it might be much worse!” (Clarke)

b. They watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath: The critics of Jesus expected Him to heal this man with the withered hand. By their expectation, they admitted that Jesus had the power of God to work miracles. Knowing this, they watched Him closely… so that they might accuse Him. They knew what Jesus could do, yet their knowledge didn’t draw them to Jesus. It was as if a man could fly, but the authorities wanted to know if he had a pilot’s license.

i. The religious leaders watched Jesus closely but with no heart of love for Him. They knew about Jesus, but they did not know Him.

ii. They also knew Jesus would do something when He saw this man in need. In this sense, these critics had more faith than many of us, because we sometimes doubt that Jesus wants to meet the needs of others.

c. Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill? In His question to the religious leaders, Jesus emphasized the truth about the Sabbath: there is never a wrong day to do something truly good.

i. According to their Sabbath traditions, if you cut your finger, you could stop the bleeding – but you could not put ointment on the cut. You could stop it from getting worse, but you weren’t allowed to make it better.

d. He had looked around them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts: This is one of the few places where Jesus is described as having anger, and He was angry at the hardness of men’s hearts.

i. Jesus was angry because this was a perfect opportunity for these critics of His to change their minds about Him and their traditions. But they refused to change their minds, and rejected Jesus instead. In this we can see that Jesus deliberately used this occasion to provoke a response. Jesus could have done this the next day. Jesus could have done it privately. But He chose to do it at this time and place.

e. Stretch out your hand: In this, Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand to do something impossible – to move his paralyzed hand. But as the man put forth effort, God did the rest. God never commands us without enabling us.

i. “This man might have reasoned thus: ‘Lord, my hand is withered; how then can I stretch it out? Make it whole first, and afterwards I will do as thou commandest.’ This may appear reasonable, but in his case it would have been foolishness. At the command of the Lord he made the effort, and in making it the cure was effected!” (Clarke)

f. The Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him: Jesus did nothing but a wonderful miracle. In response, two parties of former enemies (the Pharisees and the Herodians) agreed together in one cause: to destroy Jesus.

i. “The Herodians were not a religious party; they were a group of Jews who were sympathetic to King Herod and supported his rule.” (Wiersbe) /unquote

*******

So, how does this relate to the anger of the son towards his family for “unhealthy communications” and crossing “boundaries?”

In this way.  The son, just like the man with the withered hand, must make the first move to reap the rewards of healing.

Note, again:

e. Stretch out your hand: In this, Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand to do something impossible – to move his paralyzed hand. But as the man put forth effort, God did the rest. God never commands us without enabling us.