that the minisry be not blamed!

2Cr 6:3 Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

when i first read this, the thought that came rushin in was of the great scandals that our faith has endured through the years. prostitutes, homosexual relationships, drugs and fornication, as well as major financial scandals within the Christian leadership. when the world looks in at such things they do not blame man kind, or the depraved nature of man. they point to the Christian ministry and say it's all this way. and so the offense is made and the ministry gets the blame. a solid Christian testimony is more to be protected then any other point of your walk (other then your relati0nship with God, which always comes first!)it can take a life time to earn the trust of people and one mistake to lose it forever. people tend toward remembering the bad that people do and not the Good. they assume the worst.

the very next thing i thought:

what was the one thing that takes place in churches that brings offense, and blame to the ministry? hypocrisy! i know that most of the so called hypocrisy that the world slaps on the Church is misunderstandings gone bad. but my friends... not all. i am guilty of reading this text and thinking about major sin and the cataclysmic falls of high profile preachers. and as i do so there is strife and divisions among us. they see it, and sometimes get caught up in it. nothing stumbles a new Christian (or a potential convert) more then to find out that the people they are going to for help, are no better then they are. and when they see us as Christians who are no better then lost men the ministry takes the blame!

let us not spend to much time worrying about the pastors who are on a direct path toward disaster. they have been and always will be there. but we can make a major difference in the way the world see's the Church by being Christ to them. by Loving sacrificially. And when they come into the Church by being what the bible says we are and what they come looking for, Christians. that the Lamb who was slain may receive the reward of his suffering, and God may be glorified!

quick thought

as i study the institutes of the christian religion, i have come across a wealth of knowledge. i could write about the first ten chapters for the next year i suppose and not run out of things to say. instead of doing that, i have decided to just give a quick thought that is sparked in my reading.

right now i am in the 13th chapter of the first book, knowledge of God. the Trinity.

Calvin brings up a good point about using extra biblical words to explain God and scripture. it's totally fine! well, he does not use those words...but, in so many words that's what he says. there is nothing wrong with using words that do not appear in the bible just so long as the truth they convey is there. we can no deny that there is a Father, Son, and Spirit. but we need words that can qualify these truths for us. so, feel free to explain things in your own words.
just but be sure your clearing up a truth that really is there.

let us not forget today - tomorrow!

today is 9/11, we as Americans all know what that means. we all remember the very spot we where when we heard the words, " America is under attack!" let us not forget to pray today, pray for the families of those lost that day and in the war that followed. let us pray for the safety of our nation. you know nations rise and fall, no nation lasts forever. that was a hard thing for me to come to terms with, but i settled when i remembered that God is in control. He is the one who lets nations rise and fall and in the end His Will will be done! all of the nations of this world will come to an end in that day. and though that sounds scary it's not. Because God will be our temple and the light of that kingdom. with that said i do want to remind everyone that this does not mean we stop praying. God had ordained that through Christian prayers and actions His Will is done. let us not forget today - tomorrow! let us pray! and let us take hope in Him, rest in Him, and continue to trust in Him!

God is so in control

so i bought a poster in Venice beach like ten years ago. i was lost at the time and the poster was not godly in anyway. in fact it may have been a bit on the dark side. it was not totally evil but it was abstract art that had some darker images in it. because i got it on my first trip to L.A. i did want to keep it. it was getting beat up and i wanted to make sure it would not get totally destroyed so i took it to a framing place. i decided to have it plagued, and to do that i had to send it out. long story short, it was lost or stolen in shipping after the work was done. because the place that did the work was the shipper that lost it they had to do another one for free, and the lady that i went to offered to pay for a new print. so, i lost the questionable art and had it replaced with the pic that i put on here. it depicts the last judgment of mankind, and i think Glorifies God where as the other might have been a stumbling block to a weaker brother. this was totally out of my control, i believe that God is in Control of every molecule in his creation. therefor, God took my print that belonged to a lost person and gave me a religious based print for a saved person and did it at no cost to me what so ever!!!! amen!!

last word on - in his steps

i finished the book yesterday and i enjoyed it very much, i suggest it. the only objection i have to it is that there is a heavy focus on a social Gospel theology, the people in the book do seek and save the lost but spend more energy on social issues. also, the main point of the book is to ask the question of ourselves, what would Jesus do? this question is flawed. we can never know the answer to it, and it's not the right question anyway. the question is what would Jesus want me to do. other then these two issues the book was enjoyable.

WWJD?

Most Christians have heard this little question, and it has become in our time almost just a meaningless jingle. What would Jesus do? we see it on t shirts, bumper stickers and web sites. it had become so common to me that i never really thought about it. till now, this months free audio book from Christian Audio is walking in his steps. it is a fictional novel about a minister who asks his parish to take an oath to live for one year without doing anything until they ask the question, What would Jesus do? i have spent two days at work listening to this book and its an amazing story. to think that by asking such a simple question (that by Christian standards should be already part of our daily walk) could turn lives totally upside down and redeem so many people who where in their own minds Christian. i Got to thinking what would Jesus do if he where me? what would he do? i realize we can never really fully answer this question, but to ask it of ourselves will force us to think of him before ever making a decision, or taking a step in one direction or another. What does it Mean to fully follow Jesus Christ? and in your life, What Would Jesus do?

salvation by chance of a fancy coat

I have heard it said: "that God will in no way interfere with the will of man." As if our will were the all-sovereign force of the universe. I happen to know that God's will is the only all-sovereign force there is.

Let's look at a simple story that is not normally used to show the sovereign will of God--the story of the coat of many colors.

We all know the story, Jacob makes his son, Joseph, a beautiful coat of many colors. His brothers are overcome with jealousy and they plot to kill him. Instead they decide not to kill him but to toss him into a pit, but just then slave traders happen by and Joseph is taken off to Egypt. While in Egypt, he faces one challenge after another but ends up as the Pharaoh's right hand man. From here he is able to come into a position of authority over his brothers when they come to Egypt for food, as the whole land is in famine. Joseph shows unconditional love and forgiveness to his brothers. Eventually the Hebrew people come to Egypt and from there they become slaves. Later on, God saves a Hebrew male baby, named Moses, whom He uses to free His people and lead them out of bondage into the promised land (after a fast little trip through the wilderness that is). From there Israel becomes a nation. There are a few trips over the Jordan and back a battle or two, and a carrying away or two, a rebuilding, the roman occupation and the stage is set for the Messiah to come and redeem his people and all of man kind.

Now, I ask you - "Did God leave it up to chance that Jacob would Give Joseph that coat?" No coat - no slavery. No Egypt - no exodus. No promised land - NO Messiah from that line of events!

How can one really think that had Jacob woke up that day and not felt like giving that coat to Joseph, that God would have altered all of His plans for redemption. lets not forget, Gen 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

God had Ordained Christ to the Cross before He even laid the foundation of the earth. Whats more is, He ordained everything that has and will ever come to pass.

God is all sovereign. His will is the only will that has never and can never be moved by any force other than Himself. You do not enjoy the same privilege, my friend.