Our mindset as humans is constrained within time.  We are dependent upon consecutive moments in time that lead us to our aspirations, out of trials, through afflictions, etc.  When we pray to God, we often imagine Him as living within our world of time, and thereby, being constrained to the progression of time.  Perhaps we understand that God is eternal, which provokes us to give Him the honor he deserves through true worship.  Yet, I notice in my own life that this is not how I live.  But I do think that I stumbled upon a key to making certain truths and wider obedience a reality.  So with this post, I want to deliver some facts about the eternal characteristic of God and its practical implications.  I will be breaking apart the opening verses of Psalm 90 to help refine the points that I want to make.

“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” – Psalm 90:1-2

Why do sinners keep sinning when they have an idea that they will meet God one day?  Why do Christians habitually sin when they know they will meet their creator one day?  We cannot answer this question until we realize that it is not “one day” that we are meeting God, but rather, today that we meet God.  God is eternal – He did not exist for an age, ages, or for a few days before creation.  God existed for an eternity before creation.  When there was no heaven, earth, angels, universe, etc. the trinity existed.  After this world is done, God will continue to exist for eternity.  This is why God called Himself “I Am” to Moses, when Moses asked for his name at the burning bush.  God does not say that His name is “I Was” or “I Will Be”.  God is “I Am” because He is from everlasting to everlasting.

Since God is eternal, He does not exist within time (aside from when God came down to Earth).  This means that before you were born, He knew you.  Before He created the Earth, the Earth was already renewed.  Before Eve ate the apple, God knew she was going to eat it.  If God is God, then every communicable and incommunicable characteristic of God is infinite, otherwise He is not God.  Therefore, if God is graceful, He is infinitely graceful.  If God is righteous, compassionate, sovereign, merciful, etc., then God is infinitely each of these.  If God is eternal, He is infinitely eternal.  Infinitely eternal is beyond any of our comprehensions, but I see this as a plurality of eternities that God must exist in.  That is how today (in our time), it is also simultaneously the day of creation, the day of Christ, and the day of judgment (in eternity).

“You turn man back into dust And say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.” – Psalm 90:3-4

Only we humans exist in time.  1000 years to us is nearly incomprehensible.  But to the infinitely eternal God, 1000 years is not even a blink of an eye!  Like both the good and the fallen angels, we too have a beginning and will continue to exist for eternity at our final destinations – whether heaven or hell.  Until eternity, we are dying and surrounded by others who are dying and within a world that also is dying.  This sounds very gloomy but as Christians, it shouldn’t be.  For our God is an eternal God that knew all the chapters of our existence before we existed.  Therefore, we can now understand the real meaning of what it means to “give it to God.”  Are you going through a trial?  Our God already knows when it will be over and we know that His will is good.  So give it to God, for He does not exist within time but is the Alpha and the Omega; infinitely eternal.

You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away.” – Psalm 90:5-6

Have you ever been in a desert and have seen a new blade of grass that rises in the morning, has its moment mid-day by pointing tall and erect, and then withers away in the evening?  To an eternal God, that is man.  From the dust we came and to the dust we shall return.  To us within time, our death seems like a lifetime away (if blessed).  To an eternal God, we have already died.  Methuselah lived 969 years, but to God this too was equivalent to less than a blink of an eye.

Aside from the worship provoking implications that this understanding allows us to honor God with, the last practical use of this understanding comes from Psalm 90:12:

“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

It is not 100 years from now that we will be meeting God, but today.  Therefore, fear the Lord who is everlasting and sin no longer.  If we can learn to number our days, we will stop thinking of our judgment as being a lifetime away.  Rather, we will develop a mindset that will allow us to recognize our short existence and a mindset that will allow us to think eternally, or outside of time.  Perhaps this will give you a deeper fear of God that will help you to sin no longer.

-Mark

Aside from direct sin such as pride, adultery, drunkenness, etc. when can we also be living in sin?

“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”

1 John 5:16

As Christians, we will stumble from time to time and trip up here and there – less so as we strive harder and attain sanctification.  It is clear though that there is sin that we will be forgiven of and sin that we won’t be.  As an example, we all know of “Christians” that are jealous, impure, immoral, selfish, etc.  Paul speaks about these Christians as well:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 5:19-22

Therefore, if these people will not inherit the kingdom, they are not Christians and ultimately are participants of the sins which will lead to death.  These sins exist through habit and lack of repentance and become  a part of our lives and who we are until we sanctify and crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

However, not all sin leads to death as John states.  John does not classify which sins are deadly and which are not.  But from Leviticus 4, God shows us a kind of sin that does not lead to death and can be atoned for: unintentional sin.  Take a look at the following verses:

Leviticus 4:2-3 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands – ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.”

Leviticus 4:13-14 “If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.  When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.”

Leviticus 4:22-23 “When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect.”

Leviticus 4:27-28 “If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as ahis offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect.”

So the types of unintentional sins that can be atoned for in Leviticus 4 are:

1. The pastoral staff/priest commit a sin that causes the congregation to sin
2. The Church community sinning as a whole
3. When someone in a position of leadership sins within his institution
4. An unintentional sin due to lack of knowledge or an accident such as manslaughter

Leviticus 5:1-5 also lists some other unintentional sins that can be atoned for:

1. A person sins when he does not speak up and testify during a public charge
2. Touching anything that is ceremonially unclean, if you are unaware that it is
3. A careless oath/swear that you never realized you committed to because it was so careless

Since unintentional sins can be atoned for, we are forgiven once and for all because of the ultimate atoning sacrificial sin offering, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, unintentional sins are sins which we are not living in because we are unaware, lack a knowledge, or are simply careless.  These sins are atoned for through Christ.  The sins which lead to death if not repented of are sins that we are living in and as Paul states “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious.”  These sins are the sins that part us from God if we do not grow up in our salvation through sanctification.

-Mark

Too many Christians attempt to evolve Christian theology as science evolves.  For example, the theories of Pangaea and evolution tell a story of an Earth that is millions of years old.  Non-coincidentally, a cult within Christianity arises that accepts what scientific theory tells them and maintains their Christian views by adding onto scripture theories such as a pre-adamic society.  I don’t think that I need to remind you of what Galatians 1:8 says, but clearly adding to scripture is wrong and therefore, Christianity should not evolve no matter what science tells us.

With that said, the objective of this post is three-fold: First, to show how a pre-adamic society is not biblical.  Second, to show how a triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – existed before the Earth was created.  Third, to show why the Jews never accepted a triune God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” – Gen 1:1-2

The opening verse of the bible shows the plurality of God.  Here, God is translated in Hebrew as Elohim, which is the plural of God.  We also see the first example of the Holy Spirit.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” – Gen 1:26-27

In the above, we see God speaking to God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and we also see the first example of God in man form – Jesus Christ.

Therefore, from this first chapter in Genesis, we can conclude that all members of the trinity are God – one God – and existed together before creation.  God was not speaking to his angels that saw the destruction of a pre-adamic society, which led to a dark, void, and formless Earth that needed to be recreated.  God was speaking in trinity form to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Something so infinite cannot be grasped by a finite mind.  In fact, Jonathan Edwards – an American theologian – said that within the Trinity, perfect love, perfect harmony, perfect unison, perfect fellowship existed that even within this perfect triune, God’s love was abundant and over-poured so that God can share this fellowship, love, harmony, etc. with man.  The trinity of God is not polytheistic; the trinity does not exist in modes where God can transform into any one member of the triune when He so desires.  The trinity existed for an eternity before creation.  It always was, always is, and always will be.

(As an aside, for those that need more proof that the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune and is God, please refer to Acts 5:3.)

So how did the Jewish Rabbis interpret the first chapter of Genesis?  In no way would they have supported a plural God, even though the Torah was delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai, because that would give room for the “heretics” who call Jesus a God.  The trinity is something that when you try to comprehend or explain, you can’t.  This is when faith is required and exactly why the Jews never had an explanation for a triune God.  A little further below, there is a quote from the Jewish Zohar which states that faith is required since the trinity cannot be comprehended!  But first, below are some examples of what the Jews said to try to explain a three-in-one God away:

1) Scholars who worked on the Septuagint under King Ptolemy were embarrassed by the plural pronouns that they took the liberty of translating the plurality into singular.

2) 3rd century, Rabbi Joshua Levi – interpreter of the Jewish Talmud – said that the plurality implied that God was seeking advice and approval from other beings.

3) Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said in Rabbi Jonathan’s name: “When Moses was engaged in writing the Torah, he had to write the work of each day. When he came to the verse, “and God said; Let Us make man…, he said: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Why dost Thou furnish an excuse to heretics?’ (for maintaining a plurality of deity). ‘Write,’ replied He; ‘whoever wishes to err may err.’”

There is no consensus among Jews about the plurality in Elohim.  In fact, here is a quote from non-contemporary, Jewish mystical/esoteric text – The Zohar – that I mentioned above:

“Hear, O Israel, Adonai Eloheinu Adonai is one. These three are one. How can the three Names be one? Only through the perception of faith; in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the beholding of the hidden eye alone.…So it is with the mystery of the threefold Divine manifestations designated by Adonai Eloheinu Adonai—three modes which yet form one unity.”

So why don’t Jews believe in a “three-in-one” God if it is one of their teachings?  What Judaism teaches is different from what Jews must affirm to – hence, why many Rabbis denounce the triune God, although it is in their texts.  A point of unity among Jews is their foundation, called the Sh’ma. The Shema does not teach a plural deity.  The opening to the Shema comes from Deuteronomy 6:4:

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

Sad thing is that here, God in Hebrew is Elohim – plural!  Therefore, what this verse is really saying is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is God and exists in perfect unison.  So due to lack of faith, the Jews are in a catch 22 as they continue to explain away the trinity even though their teachings teach a trinity.

Do Jews believe in the same God as Christians?  No! 1 John 2:23 states “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”  Therefore, the centrality of Christianity is the trinity.

-Mark

Let’s face it, in this day and age, Christians, all sorts of them, are concerned with what the will of God is for their life.  I heard it said many times that the number one question people ask there pastor is “What is the will of God in my life.”  Many teachings, sermons and books have been written on this subject but yet sometimes people seem to miss it or are just confused.

When it comes to the will of God there is an expression in the Church today called “an open door”.  People say that the way God leads you is by opening a door.  He will open up a door to a relationship he wants you in.  He could open up a door to the right job he wants you to be in and so on.  I agree that God does open doors to lead you but what Christians do these days is forget there is an enemy out there who also “opens up doors”.  How blind and naive can we be thinking that there isn’t an enemy out there seeking to trip us up?  Just because we see something that is open does that really mean it’s from God?  Does it really mean that God is actually the one opening that door?  I doubt it!  We are called to test everything according to 1 John.  We shouldn’t be just grasping at everything in the air and claiming that it was God that opened that door.  To show my view on it lets take a look at Jonah, one of my favorite stories.

Jonah was told by God to preach to this nation called Nineveh because there wickedness had come up to Him (Jonah 1:1-3).  Jonah, instead of listening to God sought to not do what the Lord wanted and tried to flee from God by trying to relocate somewhere.   Don’t we sometimes try this?  Come on let’s be honest, we all have done that in one way or another, whether we care to admit it or not.  So here is Jonah, he has in his mind that he can escape God so he thinks to himself “Where can I go to escape God?”  Jonah chooses to go down to the docks and pay for a ride to Tarshish.  The reason he was going to Tarshish was because it was so far in the opposite direction of Nineveh.  He probably thought God couldn’t reach him over there.  This is where things get interesting if you extract the life principles out of the situation.  You ready?  Ok here we go.

Jonah was able to find a ship that was actually going somewhere he wanted to go.  Can’t we view this as an open door by God?  Or do we think that God is going to force us into something?  If God was in the business of forcing people to do something then couldn’t God have sent down lightning and burned up the ship before Jonah even got on it?  Also the text says that Jonah paid the fare for the ride on the ship.  I’ll improvise a little but what happens if Jonah went to the captain of the ship and said “How much is a ride?” and the captain said “20”.  Jonah then, could have reached in his pocket and pulled out the exact amount.  Jonah had the money.  So here is the stage I am trying to set and for you to picture.  Jonah finds a ship that will take him to a place opposite the place God wanted him to go and he actually had the money for it.  Wouldn’t a Christian today say that his means where met and God opened the door because he provided him a ship to go to Tarshish and provided the money for him?  But in essence this isn’t what God wanted him to do.

This is why we must test everything that comes our way.  We shouldn’t form conclusions in our minds and think that God is going to work your situation out the way you think it should go.  God’s ways are not our ways.  To jump and grab everything claiming it was God is wrong because it could not have been from God.  You may not see it now but later on you will, just like how Jonah saw.  God let him go his way for a little while there, but then God stopped Jonah dead in his tracks.  I pray we be wise and knowledgeable about God so that we don’t fall into something that will hurt us and think that it was God.  I also pray we don’t go down a path claiming it was God because you thought he opened up the door.  Test, test, test!

-WitnessScott

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

-Ephesians 2: 4 – 5

We all hear that we need grace and mercy but do we ever actually know what that means?  What exactly is grace and what exactly is mercy?

Grace is God giving to us what we don’t deserve and mercy is God with holding from us what we do deserve.

We are all in need of God’s grace AND mercy.  Mercy, though, can be a little tricky and misused.  This doesn’t mean you can do anything you want and not feel the repercussions of it.  It doesn’t mean you can blindly sin and get away with the consequences in this life.  It doesn’t mean you can go out and steal something while at work and think “oh well, God will have mercy on me and not have my Boss fire me because he caught me stealing.”

Many Christians raise their fists to God and cry out in an outburst when something like that happens.  Believe me, it happens.  See, what many people don’t realize, or the people that particularly believe in the pseudo-western-world-Disney Land-Christianity, is that God has set some rules.  In the Bible it clearly states, you reap what you sow.  If you reap of the flesh, you’ll sow of the flesh.  If you reap of the spirit, you’ll sow of the spirit.  Christ’s mercy is Him not saving you out of the bad choices you made or by acts that are displeasing to Him but Christ’s mercy is Him saving you from eternal judgment and death – hell.  This is what Christ came to do on the cross: to save you from hell.  Mercy is God saying, “I paid for her/his sins and by doing so I give them eternal life.”

Please, let us not mix up or think we know what mercy or grace is.  These two gifts are the life bread of Christianity.  There your hall pass, your lunch ticket, the thing that saves you in the end.  All in favor of grace and mercy?

“He hath not slandered by his tongue, He hath not done to his friend evil;
And reproach he hath not lifted up Against his neighbour.^a
Despised in his eyes is a rejected one, And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour.
He hath sworn to suffer evil, and changeth not;^b
His silver he hath not given in usury, And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken;
Whoso is doing these is not moved to the age!^c”

A) Verse 3 of this psalm shows a principle that Jesus taught regarding our thoughts and our actions. The verse is broken up into three parts, the first two of which deal with our thoughts and actions. Jesus told those around him that even if we think anything slanderous, hateful  thoughts towards our neighbor, we might as well have committed murder. (Matthew 5:21-22) When the psalmist says, “He hath not slandered by his tongue”, this is showing that as a Christian, a righteous man or woman of God, he has nothing on the tip of his tongue that is derogatory or evil inside of him. Often when we have suddenly forgotten the answer to a question a common phrase we use is, “It’s on the tip of my tongue.” If we have slander on the tip of our tongues, even if the thought of slander is not there but the feeling of it, the emotion of something negative towards your brother is consuming you even though you can’t pin it down, that’s still sin. We are to be free from all malicious thought and any accusations against our brothers. The Apostle John reminds his readers the same thing that Christ said; he also reminds them that the love we are to be clothed in is a self-sacrificing love. (1 John 3:15-16) Let our feelings, thoughts and actions be not on belittling those around us, but on how we can serve each other in thought and deed. Resist Satan, and he will flee, for we are not called to be anywhere near the evil of this world. (James 4:7) So let nothing but the Spirit itself dwell in us, may we submit to Him and let him do what He wills in us. (John 14:23)

B) This verse has two ways of being interpreted. One way is to say that the man of God holds in contempt those whose actions are wicked, while still being able to be free from the presence of evil thoughts or words. The second way is that the Christian is to find himself rejected and worthless in his own eyes. Both are great ways to read this verse. The first way of interpreting the verse we see a very godly man who is able to rightly judge his brothers, yet has an undying love for them. He sees their actions and knows the wicked things that they have done, yet he can only think of how he can build them back up. He holds them in contempt, at a distance, not because he views himself as more, lest he sin, but a distance so that he does not fall into the same snare. This idea is echoed in Paul’s writing in Galatians when trying to restore a fallen brother in Christ. (Galatians 6:1)

The second way of reading this verse actually comes from a translated version by Aben Ezra, “He is mean and contemptible in his own eyes” which is also a valid translation from the original, “ נבזה בעיניו נמאס, nibzeh beeynaiv nimas”. I don’t know which I like more because I stumble continually with trying to separate the sin and the sinner, and yet there is something so glorious and redemptive in the second way this verse is interpreted. We are to never put ourselves on a high pedestal, or think anything great of ourselves. We are to serve each other, and view ourselves as nothing. (1 Corinthians 10:24) Just as Christ came to wash our feet and save us from our sins, we are to have the same attitudes towards our brothers. As Christ humbled himself, and by taking on the form of man, not grasping at the being of God and took on our form, there shines something beautiful in that. (Philipians 2:6-8) How can someone so holy, so perfect in every way become lower just to serve, just to save us while we were sinning against Him? (Romans 5:8) This is the God we serve, we serve a God who has given himself to us, saved us and given His Word to use, so that all who believe in Him are saved. (2 Corinthians 11:4)

When was the last time that you lowered yourself, humbled yourself not to those who are close to you, but to those who despise you? Sinners show love to those who love them, so shouldn’t we do more? (Luke 6:32) If Christ showed the standard for living on Earth, and His whole time He spent humbling himself, putting those who had no right to be near the living God ahead of him, why are we not doing the same? Christians often use the term, “taking up the cross” as an expression about dying to ourselves, but I do not see many dead men or women around me. I don’t see people who gasp for breath, who are begging for a drink of water or a piece of bread, I see people who are healthy and do not have any thirst or hunger. Do I see a generation of dead men and women as we are called to be? I am the first to admit as I look in the mirror I do not see a dying man, and for that God convicts me. But let this be a note to anyone who reads this, if you look in the mirror and see an emaciated man, do y0u not also see the light of Christ in shinning through your life?

C) The last verse in Psalm 15, ties everything together. We have a man who does not take advantage of those who are innocent, for he is ultimately a man who fears the Lord. This whole psalm is also to point out that these things are only accomplished by those who fear God. These are the standards and the rules that he has given us that we need to keep. We are to abide in Him daily, and have the Holy Spirit convict us of the truths that He has already spoken. (John 14:26) When a Christian neglects these truths, he is not abiding close to Christ, and the fear of the Lord is not in his eyes. (Romans 3:18) I think that is important to look around and see anyone else that isn’t living up to this psalm. When we see a brother or sister in Christ who is not abiding in Christ, we are to restore them and pray for them. (Galatians 6:1) Let us not forget though, that it is a sin if we know we are to be praying for someone and fail to do so. (1 Samuel 12:23) Restore and pray for those who are shaken, help them see the truths of God and the love He has shown us. Be certain that you don’t have a log in your eye before you go to your friend with the speck, but be prayerful of those who you can help.

The psalmist ends with a promise, a guarantee that Christ gives to his followers. Those who keep God’s commandments and abide in Christ are on solid foundation that is unshakeable. When we start studying the Word, we find more about God and see more of what He has done for us. Too many people neglect to study the Bible, and are seeking experiences only. This is one of the most dangerous things possible because your foundation is going to be based on moment to moment feelings rather than everlasting truth. This is why we study God’s word so that we may pour more concrete on our foundation. Knowing who God is and what He has done for us is the concrete that we build our lives on.

We experience all kinds of hope: hope for the future, hope during uncertainty, etc.  But as a Christian, our hope should never flee.  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6).  Christ’s followers placed their hope in him while he was walking on earth.  And then, Christ was crucified and laid in a dark tomb for two days.

I’m sure you can imagine the trials of hope and faith that the early believers were going through during those two days when Christ’s body laid lifeless in the tomb.  Although they were uncertain, God was certain.  He was raised from the dead on the third day to prove once and for all that death has been defeated.  Through his death, we find forgiveness and will also be raised from the dead, since death has been defeated for those that place their hope and faith in Christ.

Readers, I’m not sure what your struggle is in life.  Perhaps you are going through a difficult trial in a relationship, laid off work, cannot find a job, suffered a loss, financial difficulty, etc.  But realize this: that our hope should never be defeated as long as our hope is placed in God.  Our hope not only in that God will fulfill His promise to us of eternal life, but also our hope for that certain blessing that we wait for through petitioning to God.  I don’t want to be the one to state the obvious, but if God can raise the dead to life, then surely he can fulfill anything that we ask of Him while we are alive.

I am not preaching a wealth and prosperity message.  Because this caveat applies:

Our hope is not to be placed in what God can do, but in his character and identity

What does this mean? Simply put, our hope is in God but we must also recognize God’s will for our life.  Meaning, His moral will, that He desires us to be sanctified above all else and that He is always looking to strengthen our relationships with Him.  Therefore, we do not receive everything that we ask for because God has another plan.  And this pleasantly opposing (to our flesh), yet superior plan helps us to better understand the identity and character of God the Father.

Hopefully this message of hope is not only relevant as we celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits (aka Easter), but also as we go through trials that require hope.  Philippians 4:13 says “I can do anything through him who gives me strength.”  Does this mean that we can “ace this school test” or “knock a job interview out of the park” because God gives us strength?  Highly doubtful.  But I believe what Paul is teaching us here is that there is a secret to complacency, contentness, and confidence in this world: putting our hope not in this world, but in the identity and character of God and in the salvation of Christ.

-Mark

I’ve been writing a lot lately on Church, its purpose, and how today’s church model is very different from the church in Acts’.  I’ve felt led to write such posts mainly because when I look at the Christian Church, I see many churches that fail to equip God’s people for the evangelistic work that we are supposed to be doing, too many churches manipulating non-believers into “salvation” by not revealing the deeper things of God, and too many churches practicing churchianity as their lifestyle rather than performing the work that a Christian is called to do daily as their lifestyle.

I’m not bashing, condescending, or hating in any way.  The most important thing as a Christian is to have a real relationship with God.  But also do not forget that we are all accountable to God, and because of this, strive to uphold what God calls of us.

So let’s get to the point: is Church for the Christian or an opportunity to reach non-believers through a specifically catered service?  The first church was mentioned in Exodus 19:5:

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.”

Possession (Strong’s 5459) is equivalent to peculiar.  Therefore, God is calling the assembly a peculiar possession.  God selected his bride and proposed to her.  She was special in God’s eyes (for more info on the marriage relationship to Israel, see Israel’s Marriage with God).  This church was an assembly of Hebrews, whom God had chosen to enter into a relationship with Him.  This assembly was closed off to all foreigners (Exodus 12:43), unless the foreigner became circumcised (Exodus 12:44) – which is to say, the foreigner becomes an Israelite.  This is because in order to partake in the celebration (at the time, Jewish festivals/feasts) of God, the assembly needed to maintain its purity and unity by not allowing any idolaters into their assembly, or church.

Although God commanded Israel to not allow foreigners to celebrate Israel’s festivals with Israel, God did not call for complete segregation from foreigners.  In Leviticus 19:33-34 God says:

“When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.  The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

Therefore, while assembling as a congregation to celebrate God, foreigners were not allowed to partake.  But while living their daily lives, Israel was called to love foreigners.  This should start to sound somewhat familiar to you since the Old Testament was a shadow of the things to come (Colossians 2:17).

So what about the church of Acts?  There are 7 key characteristics that define what the church of Acts did (see The Church of Acts for more details): Prayer, witnessing outside the church, devotion to all things of God within the church, christian fellowship, proper delegation of church authority, baptism, and a focus on the entire church body (not just a particular church).  The church in Acts was socialistic, where no brother was ever found in need because possessions were sold to distribute wealth.  All characteristics of the church in Acts and all teachings within the New Testament point to a church with the entire purpose of preparing and equipping God’s people so that they can successfully go out into the world to witness to non-believers.  The church is not supposed to be geared toward bringing in non-believers for the following reasons:

1) Churches should replicate the teachings within God’s word for how to run and manage a church

2) If a church is geared toward non-believers, it is not possible for it to properly equip God’s children.  How can a church celebrate God and His word to the fullest if its service is “watered down” for the non-believer?

3) In the Old Testament, God forbade foreigners to partake in the celebration of Jewish festivals and other holy days so that the congregation can maintain its purity and unity.  This obviously has an implication for today’s church (Colossians 2:17).

Similar to the Old Testament, where although God forbade Israel to allow foreigners into its holy celebrations but mandated Israel to love its foreigners that lived in its lands, the church today should follow this example as well.  Inside the church, focus on raising up God’s people by following the example of the church in Acts and the teachings within God’s word.  Outside the church, love non-believers and be strategic witnesses.

If you are a church leader, remember that you are accountable to God.  If your heart differs from what His word tells us, clearly in this case your heart is not being guided by God.  Be ever discerning and seek the heart of God at all times and be sure to adjust your service to what God’s word tells us out of the fear of the Lord.

-Mark

What does it mean to be in a relationship with God?  I’m not questioning if you are in a relationship with God, but we shouldn’t be so quick to placement judgment on others as if they are not in a relationship with God for some reason such as lack of sanctification.  After my recent post on Churchianity vs. Christianity, I began to think more deeply on the mission of the church in today’s era and how many Christians are manipulated into a twisted view of Christianity.

Within the emergent church, there are many “christians” that claim to have a relationship with God.  I am not denying the fact that they are, but I do want to be emphasize the importance of Matthew 7:22-24:

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It becomes clear that the christians that will be rejected are the ones that are not putting the words of Christ into practice.  Therefore, many christians must be convinced that they are in a relationship with God, but this relationship happens to be false.

But then we get 2 specific examples in the bible of men that sought the heart of God above all else.  The first is Peter who clearly was a Godly man; the apostle of the apostles whom Christ gave the responsibility of holding the keys to heaven.  Clearly Peter was in a relationship with Christ.  But then Christ prophesied that Peter would deny Christ three time:

“Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” – Luke 22:34

Peter did in fact deny three times that he knew Christ.  The remarkable thing is that although Peter committed a great sin three times, Christ gave Peter three opportunities to repent of that sin:

“The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” – John 21:17

Christ forgave Peter and gave Peter more kingdom authority then what he had prior.  The difference between Peter and Churchians is that Peter clearly went out into the world and did the work of God to advance the kingdom.  Peter was in a true relationship with God and although he made three big screw ups, God gave Peter three opportunities to repent of that sin.

The second example that I want to use of a man that sought the heart of God is David.  David was so close to God, that God made a promise to David that his throne would never perish (from the bloodline of David came Christ).  Yet, David screwed up by taking a census of Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 24:1) to prepare for a war and by doing so, it became evident that David was relying more on the number in his army rather than the power of God.  God was angered by David’s decision, yet gave David three choices to choose from to place judgment on David’s pride (in the old testament, sin had to be atoned for):

“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’  So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” – 2 Samuel 24:12-13

God knew what David would choose and had mercifully given David an option that involved the least harm to his kingdom by his enemies, and rather placed their fate in the hand of God (2 Samuel 24:14).  70,000 people died from this and David, being a man of God, asked God for the punishment to fall on him, not his sheep (2 Samuel 24:17).

The point that I’m trying to make is that when we are following the moral will of God by seeking after his heart, going out into the world and not hiding within a church, and seeking sanctification, we are in a real relationship with God.  Although we may screw up, don’t let satan convince you that you are unworthy, and you stop approaching God.  Rather, recognize that even men that were the closest to God screwed up, yet God not only gave them opportunities to repent but also gave them more heavenly blessings after repenting. We may all be at different places within our walks with God, but Philippians 3:15-16 makes it clear that we are to live up to what we have attained and God will eventually reveal his wisdom and knowledge to us.  Therefore, it is the inclination to go after the knowledge and wisdom of God and put Christianity into practice that leads to the real relationship with God.

For those that hide within the walls of a church, do not convince yourself that you are not the ones mentioned of in Matthew 7:22-24 simply because you write a check once a month or go on a missions trip once a year.  Christianity is a lifestyle and therefore, going out into the world should become our lifestyle.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” – Matthew 9:37

Let’s model our life to the lifestyle of the biblical men.

-Mark

“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Through Paul, the Holy Spirit is telling us that those that are left at the coming of Christ will not precede those who have fallen asleep, meaning those that have already died in Christ.  Then Paul starts discussing the order of events at the rapture:

First the Lord comes down from heaven and with a trumpet call of God, the dead in Christ rise first.

“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.” – 1 Corinthians 15:21-23

The only reason why we are resurrected is because of Christ, who through faith we believe was raised from the dead to save us from our sins.  In Corinthians, Paul tells us that there is an order to the resurrection – Christ (the firstfruits of those that have fallen asleep) was the first to resurrect.  Then, when he comes, those who belong to him that have already died resurrect.

Why do we need to resurrect?  “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.” 1 Corinthians 15:37.  When we labor (sow) in Christ we are creating the seed for something else – our new bodies. “There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.” 1 Corinthians 15:40.  Our earthly bodies, which are perishable, are raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42) into a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44).

“in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” - 1Corinthians 15:52

So at the trumpet sound of the rapture, the dead are raised imperishable and those that are still alive at this coming will be instantly changed in the twinkling of an eye.  And as 1 Thessalonians 4 says, we will be caught up in the air with Christ and the resurrected dead.

This is the first resurrection.  As Revelation 20:4 says, “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”  And as Revelation 20:5 says, “(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)…”  Therefore, only those that died in Christ are part of the first resurrection.  Those that are not in Christ will not be resurrected until after the thousand years are over and when Satan will be released for the last time.  When Satan is released to deceive the nations one last time, he is defeated and cast into eternal torment.  After this comes the judgment of the dead, where the book of life is opened (Rev 20:12).  If anyone’s name is not found written in this book, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Does this mean that when we die, we will not see Christ until we resurrect?  Not at all.  Paul even says that if he was to leave the body, he would be with Christ.

“I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:23-24

So what is the point of our heavenly bodies?  After God created us on the sixth day, God said “it was very good.”  It is clear that God created us as embodied souls rather than ghost-like creatures.  Therefore, the resurrection shows that the problem with humanity is not due to a lack in God’s part of completing us, but rather due to our fallen nature.  The resurrection of our bodies attests to the goodness of God’s original creation by recognizing that the human nature is sinful because it does not glorify or give thanks to God and therefore, is without excuse (Romans 1:20-21).  As Ephesians 1:10 says “…to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” and so that “creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21).

-Mark