I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself (Isaiah 44:24).
. . . yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live (I Corinthians 8:6).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3).
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created for him and by him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17).
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word . . . (Hebrews 1:1-3).
I have simply chosen to use Scripture to communicate the truth that Jesus Christ is the creator and the sustainer of the universe. To believe that Jesus is a created being is to believe in a Jesus who is less than he is. A faith in a false Christ is a false faith, unable to save.
In Hope,
Tom
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
JESUS CHRIST: KING OF KINGS
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
I am now just recovering from an intense cold--I haven't been able to put together a coherent thought in close to a week. I hope these thoughts make sense.
Our current president would like to be king because working with congress is such a messy and cumbersome business. Congress has made it almost impossible to get the president's agenda passed into law. That means, of course, that the government is working exactly as the framers of the Constitution intended. We have lived in a democracy so long that we do not appreciate what it was actually like to live under a king who had executive, legislative and judicial powers to use at his whim. Life and death could be executed at his word. That kind of power makes government very efficient and can be very good if a good king is the ruler. But, our fore fathers were Christians and they understood the Biblical truth that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Men of earth, sons of Adam, cannot handle that kind of power.
There is one who wields that kind of power and authority already: But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8).
There is no higher authority than the authority of Jesus Christ. His rule is incorruptible! Even with all the checks and balances in our constitutional government we still have to deal with plenty of corruption. We look forward to the day when government will be perfect: They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers (Revelation 17:14).
In Hope,
Tom
I am now just recovering from an intense cold--I haven't been able to put together a coherent thought in close to a week. I hope these thoughts make sense.
Our current president would like to be king because working with congress is such a messy and cumbersome business. Congress has made it almost impossible to get the president's agenda passed into law. That means, of course, that the government is working exactly as the framers of the Constitution intended. We have lived in a democracy so long that we do not appreciate what it was actually like to live under a king who had executive, legislative and judicial powers to use at his whim. Life and death could be executed at his word. That kind of power makes government very efficient and can be very good if a good king is the ruler. But, our fore fathers were Christians and they understood the Biblical truth that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Men of earth, sons of Adam, cannot handle that kind of power.
There is one who wields that kind of power and authority already: But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8).
There is no higher authority than the authority of Jesus Christ. His rule is incorruptible! Even with all the checks and balances in our constitutional government we still have to deal with plenty of corruption. We look forward to the day when government will be perfect: They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers (Revelation 17:14).
In Hope,
Tom
Saturday, January 18, 2014
JESUS IS TO BE WORSHIPPED
But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son . . . (Galatians 4:4).
If God could be fully comprehended He would not be God--some of what the Bible says about Him is difficult to understand. We only know about Him from what He has created, from what He has chosen to reveal to us in the historical records and in His Spiritual revelation, the Bible. History tells us that Jesus Christ was born about 6-4 BC. More than any other person, Christ has shaped the cultures and the history of the world in which we live. Today, for every eight people in the world, one of them is a practicing Christian. While Islamists use force, violence and death to convert people to Islam, Christians use the Divinely powerful weapons of truth and love to bring people to submission to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the characteristics of Christ is that He is worthy of worship: Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). What legitimate prophet would accept worship? In the Bible there are none. The Bible does not record angels accepting worship either. Anyone professes to be an angel or a prophet who accepts worship is false and not to be believed!
One of the reasons Jesus is to be worshipped is that He is in the form of God and equal with God (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be held on to, but He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of a human being. He submitted Himself to the Father, becoming obedient unto death on a cross to pay for the sins of humanity. If that great act of love does not touch your heart to worship, most likely, nothing will.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
If God could be fully comprehended He would not be God--some of what the Bible says about Him is difficult to understand. We only know about Him from what He has created, from what He has chosen to reveal to us in the historical records and in His Spiritual revelation, the Bible. History tells us that Jesus Christ was born about 6-4 BC. More than any other person, Christ has shaped the cultures and the history of the world in which we live. Today, for every eight people in the world, one of them is a practicing Christian. While Islamists use force, violence and death to convert people to Islam, Christians use the Divinely powerful weapons of truth and love to bring people to submission to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the characteristics of Christ is that He is worthy of worship: Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). What legitimate prophet would accept worship? In the Bible there are none. The Bible does not record angels accepting worship either. Anyone professes to be an angel or a prophet who accepts worship is false and not to be believed!
One of the reasons Jesus is to be worshipped is that He is in the form of God and equal with God (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be held on to, but He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of a human being. He submitted Himself to the Father, becoming obedient unto death on a cross to pay for the sins of humanity. If that great act of love does not touch your heart to worship, most likely, nothing will.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
Friday, January 17, 2014
WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS?
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, other say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-17).
The truth that is one of the foundation rocks of the Christian faith is that Jesus is the Christ, the one specifically appointed and annointed by God to be the Lord and Savior of the world. Muslims call him a prophet, and that he was, but he was much more than a prophet. "Jehovah's Witness" call him an angel, but he was much more than an angel, being the very Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-4).
"Trinity" is a word used in Christian theology to partially describe God. "Trinity" is not found as a word in the Bible so it must be understood that it is not a word that was inspiried by the Holy Spirit to be a description of God. It was on that basis that a number of great Christians were not "trinitarians" in their Christian theology, Isaac Newton being one of them. One of the problems with using non-inspired words is that they can be deficient in communicating the exact truth that God wants communicated, though they can be helpful in bringing a truth into clarity. In the coming "Bullets," the use of the term, "trinity," will be avoided, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions about who Jesus is.
One truth that is clear about Jesus, if he is not believed to be the Lord of your life and the one and only savior from your sin, your faith is deficient. Who do you believe Jesus is?
Our Father's Love,
Tom
The truth that is one of the foundation rocks of the Christian faith is that Jesus is the Christ, the one specifically appointed and annointed by God to be the Lord and Savior of the world. Muslims call him a prophet, and that he was, but he was much more than a prophet. "Jehovah's Witness" call him an angel, but he was much more than an angel, being the very Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-4).
"Trinity" is a word used in Christian theology to partially describe God. "Trinity" is not found as a word in the Bible so it must be understood that it is not a word that was inspiried by the Holy Spirit to be a description of God. It was on that basis that a number of great Christians were not "trinitarians" in their Christian theology, Isaac Newton being one of them. One of the problems with using non-inspired words is that they can be deficient in communicating the exact truth that God wants communicated, though they can be helpful in bringing a truth into clarity. In the coming "Bullets," the use of the term, "trinity," will be avoided, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions about who Jesus is.
One truth that is clear about Jesus, if he is not believed to be the Lord of your life and the one and only savior from your sin, your faith is deficient. Who do you believe Jesus is?
Our Father's Love,
Tom
Thursday, January 16, 2014
FAITH IN CHRIST IS CRUCIAL
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him (John 3:36).
Recently, a "Jehovah's Witness" stopped at my house intending to "witness." At the time it was not convenient to visit so a lively discussion did not happen, but that encounter made me think that I should make a special effort to communicate to all that one's believe about Jesus Christ is the most crucial belief one can ever have. It makes the difference between life and death, salvation and hell.
A person cannot read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John and not be confronted with a decision to make. One can read about any other person in history and his thinking about that person makes little difference--Mohammed pales in comparison. Not so with Jesus. An encounter with Jesus Christ in the gospels forces one to make a decision about him. Is he the Lord and Savior? Or, is he a liar and fraud or lunatic? Those are the only choices that can be made about him.
So, the next few "Bullets" will be about Jesus Christ because what you believe about Christ is crucial!
Our Father's Love,
Tom
Recently, a "Jehovah's Witness" stopped at my house intending to "witness." At the time it was not convenient to visit so a lively discussion did not happen, but that encounter made me think that I should make a special effort to communicate to all that one's believe about Jesus Christ is the most crucial belief one can ever have. It makes the difference between life and death, salvation and hell.
A person cannot read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John and not be confronted with a decision to make. One can read about any other person in history and his thinking about that person makes little difference--Mohammed pales in comparison. Not so with Jesus. An encounter with Jesus Christ in the gospels forces one to make a decision about him. Is he the Lord and Savior? Or, is he a liar and fraud or lunatic? Those are the only choices that can be made about him.
So, the next few "Bullets" will be about Jesus Christ because what you believe about Christ is crucial!
Our Father's Love,
Tom
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
CHRISTIAN CONFLICT RESOLUTION
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
I am the chairman of the board of a small non-profit service organization. At a recent board meeting our director did not like the direction the board was taking so she made an emotional display and left the meeting. At that point it was not possible to continue the meeting so the official meeting was adjourned even though there was business that needed attention. Though our director was successful in short-term control of the meeting, in the long term, business has to proceed or it will mean the death of our non-profit. No business can be emotionally directed without failure.
How to proceed? First, pray a lot. The real adversary, who can stimulate our emotions so that we act in a manner that is not wise, is active. We need God's help. In these kinds of situations it is always necessary to remember that satan is the one behind the event. Satan is a destroyer, not a builder!
Second, we must remember that our director is a sister in Christ, not an enemy combatant! She is due the respect of her Christian family. Being a Christian, I have every confidence that she will consider the difference between what her flesh desires and the legitimate direction of the board of directors.
Third, keep meetings logical and fact-based, do not allow emotions to rule. This is the mark of emotional maturity.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
I am the chairman of the board of a small non-profit service organization. At a recent board meeting our director did not like the direction the board was taking so she made an emotional display and left the meeting. At that point it was not possible to continue the meeting so the official meeting was adjourned even though there was business that needed attention. Though our director was successful in short-term control of the meeting, in the long term, business has to proceed or it will mean the death of our non-profit. No business can be emotionally directed without failure.
How to proceed? First, pray a lot. The real adversary, who can stimulate our emotions so that we act in a manner that is not wise, is active. We need God's help. In these kinds of situations it is always necessary to remember that satan is the one behind the event. Satan is a destroyer, not a builder!
Second, we must remember that our director is a sister in Christ, not an enemy combatant! She is due the respect of her Christian family. Being a Christian, I have every confidence that she will consider the difference between what her flesh desires and the legitimate direction of the board of directors.
Third, keep meetings logical and fact-based, do not allow emotions to rule. This is the mark of emotional maturity.
Our Father's Love,
Tom
Saturday, January 11, 2014
FAMILY: FOUNDATION OF A NATION
. . . let each of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband (Ephesians 5:33).
The family is the foundation of the nation. According to a Family Research Council study cited in "The Foster Report,"* a married couple's decision to stay together is more influential in lowering the number of teenage out-of-wedlock births, unemployed dads, and Americans on welfare than any other factor. Family cohesion is the main factor in determining whether a child will graduate from high school, families will end up on welfare, and young men will be employed or not.
Encouraging and cultivating good marriages is very very difficult in our present culture, but it must be done--the health of a nation depends on it!
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
*The Foster Report is page of cited trends and facts in The Christian Counseling Connection.
The family is the foundation of the nation. According to a Family Research Council study cited in "The Foster Report,"* a married couple's decision to stay together is more influential in lowering the number of teenage out-of-wedlock births, unemployed dads, and Americans on welfare than any other factor. Family cohesion is the main factor in determining whether a child will graduate from high school, families will end up on welfare, and young men will be employed or not.
Encouraging and cultivating good marriages is very very difficult in our present culture, but it must be done--the health of a nation depends on it!
Our Father's Blessings,
Tom
*The Foster Report is page of cited trends and facts in The Christian Counseling Connection.
Monday, January 06, 2014
MINISTERING TO THE WHOLE PERSON
May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
At my home church, the sign over the main entrance to the gymnasium reads, "FAMILY LIFE CENTER, Ministering to the WHOLE person." One of the foundational beliefs of my church is that a person is not just a spirit, though he is a spiritual being. That is what it means to be created in the image of God. Jesus also spoke of our spiritual nature when quoted from Psalms 82:6 which speaks of humans as being gods (See John 10:34). Certainly, the ministry of the Church of Christ has to be a ministry that feeds the spiritual nature of a person.
A person is a body as well. The genetic code of each person is a little different, perhaps by degrees of minutia, but still making each of us different and unique. Medical science would not be possible if there were huge differences in people's physical make up, so while being more alike than we are different there are still enough differences to make each of us unique as a snowflake--and we are all a little "flaky" at times. The body is a temporary dwelling place of the spirit/soul until its death. The stewardship of the body is essential, enabling us to serve the Lord as best as we can as long as we can.
The soul is the result of spirit and body coming together. The basic outline of this is Genesis 2:7 which says that the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. The soul is the image of God expressed within the framework of the body's genetic code.
So, what do we do as a church to minister to the whole person? First and foremost, we worship our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We teach the word of the Spirit, the Bible, to nourish and strengthen our spirits. We emphasize Christian fellowship because God intends for us to be social--we need "Jesus with skin on" for mutual support as we live in this. We work together, doing acts of service. We pray together. We have a community vollyball league in the gym opening opportunities for relational evangelism.
At my church, we want our people to do well in every way. We want them to be spiritually healthy, physically healthy, financially healthy, and have emotional/social health. One of the signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God is wholeness. My church can do better in ministry to the whole person--we are not there yet. With God's help, we will do better, that is our goal.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
At my home church, the sign over the main entrance to the gymnasium reads, "FAMILY LIFE CENTER, Ministering to the WHOLE person." One of the foundational beliefs of my church is that a person is not just a spirit, though he is a spiritual being. That is what it means to be created in the image of God. Jesus also spoke of our spiritual nature when quoted from Psalms 82:6 which speaks of humans as being gods (See John 10:34). Certainly, the ministry of the Church of Christ has to be a ministry that feeds the spiritual nature of a person.
A person is a body as well. The genetic code of each person is a little different, perhaps by degrees of minutia, but still making each of us different and unique. Medical science would not be possible if there were huge differences in people's physical make up, so while being more alike than we are different there are still enough differences to make each of us unique as a snowflake--and we are all a little "flaky" at times. The body is a temporary dwelling place of the spirit/soul until its death. The stewardship of the body is essential, enabling us to serve the Lord as best as we can as long as we can.
The soul is the result of spirit and body coming together. The basic outline of this is Genesis 2:7 which says that the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. The soul is the image of God expressed within the framework of the body's genetic code.
So, what do we do as a church to minister to the whole person? First and foremost, we worship our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We teach the word of the Spirit, the Bible, to nourish and strengthen our spirits. We emphasize Christian fellowship because God intends for us to be social--we need "Jesus with skin on" for mutual support as we live in this. We work together, doing acts of service. We pray together. We have a community vollyball league in the gym opening opportunities for relational evangelism.
At my church, we want our people to do well in every way. We want them to be spiritually healthy, physically healthy, financially healthy, and have emotional/social health. One of the signs of the presence of the Kingdom of God is wholeness. My church can do better in ministry to the whole person--we are not there yet. With God's help, we will do better, that is our goal.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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