The Christmas Story

And
it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And
this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And
all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because
he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To
be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And
so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.

And
she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn.

And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.

And,
lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord.

And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,

Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:1-14

Sometimes Music Says it Better

Words

It is interesting the words that represent what you write. Thanks Heidi.

Pride Comes Before a Fall

Writing has been difficult for me of late. I wish I could point to a simple reason of why, but it is never simple.  I seem to do better when I have a topic to write on, such as Eric’s question on the resurrection.  In fact I thrive on it. But sitting down and simply coming up with a topic has been hard. I am probably whining, but I had to get it off of my chest.  It seems this year has been one of blow after blow after blow.  Hard to get up and stagger around after all of it.  It started with the ministry.  Things were going well, the concepts and ideas, kept pouring in.  To say the least I was on fire.  Then things fell apart around me.  The thing is I am not sure how much of it was my own hubris, the enemy’s interference, or Jehovah simply kicking me in the rear to get my act together.  I suspect the latter is what is going on right now.

You see a year ago I was CERTAIN of the direction of the ministry, who was going to be involved, what was going to happen, and how.  Hubris on my part, I had it all planned out, forgetting that it was not about me.  I think that is when I allowed my judgment to be clouded about who I wanted to help.  I reached out to people I thought I knew, and learned how much I did not know.  In retrospect I think it was a lesson well learned. It has also shown me that just because I am called as a prophet does not mean that I am not subject to my own whims and desires, then attributing them to His plans.

Pride is an interesting sin.  I don’t mean that in a good way either. Pride can make you think that you are not proud at all.  The most humble of servants, the deception of your own heart.  Usually you don’t catch it until it all falls down around you, as it did to me.  You see I think I took a certain amount of pride in my calling, that somehow I was better than others because of the nature of my calling.  Called to be on the outside of the “leadership” calling that same leadership to a higher more pure relationship with Yeshua.  After running, I kind of took a certain pride even in the reluctant nature of my acceptance. Pride to some extent even formed Eagle’s Wings.  It was out of hurt, frustration, pride in my calling as a prophet, after getting my teeth kicked in by a more “establishment” ministry that I believed (and still do) could use someone of my talents and calling, I formed the concept for Eagles Wings.  Pride said I would show them just how valuable I am, and could have been for their organization. Pride then fooled me into believing I was hearing from Jehovah about whom was to be involved in Eagle’s Wings.  That is when I really got my first dose of reality.  The enemy took my pride and twisted it to make me doubt everything about my calling. Jehovah has been, interestingly enough, using that defeat to wring out who He wanted all along. This has been done mostly through His favorite foil with me, my lovely wife, Birdie.

What is going to happen with Eagle’s Wings, I am not sure, but I am sure it will not die.  Just because I did something in pride does not mean He cannot or will not use it for His will.  I have a long way to go, but I am surrendering to His will, His desires for this ministry.  Al I ask are your prayers for me and my family, while I allow Yeshua to open my heart and show me what He wants me to do.

The Resurrection

Eric asked a good question and I will do my best to answer it.

"On Luke’s blog you wrote, “The point is that our faith is in vain without the death and resurrection of Yeshua.”
I believe fully in the resurrection of Christ, but I really don’t understand how that changes anything. A Passover lamb was required to save us from the Destroyer but that lamb was never resurrected. As Yeshua was our sacrifice it was the shedding of His blood that saves us, not anything that happened later. In fact, I have not seen any prophecy stating that he would be resurrected other than the dichotomy of the two different appearances, which again, I completely believe in. Okay, correction, Yeshua himself spoke of it and noted that Jonah was a type, but I am not sure that anyone would have picked that up outside of His showing it, and I am not aware of any other OT prophecy regarding it. Anyways, I don’t think that my faith would be affected if He had not come back to life right away and didn’t until He reappeared or instead came back in an angelic form (for lack of a better term)

So in short, how does the resurrection fit in and why is it really important?"

Lets start with some scripture and then we will work on why I said what I said.

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1 Corinthians: 15:1-4 KJV

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1 Corinthians: 15:10-17 KJV

I am using the KJV here because it uses the word “vain” and my paraphrase used that word. I still like the NASB as it is more literal.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians: 15:10-17 NASB

The NASB also uses the word “vain” in vs 14 but expounds upon it in vs 17 by using the word “worthless”. So you can see that my statement was in fact scriptural. Paul put a lot of stock in Yeshua’s resurrection, but his statement has more to do with false witness and Yeshua’s statements that He would rise again.  If Yeshua did not rise again after his death then He was a liar and He was not the sinless atonement for our sins. It is that simple, and why our faith would be in vain. Paul does make a reference to scripture foretelling Yeshua’s resurrection.  That is a little trickier as Paul is not so forthcoming in the location of that scripture as if the scriptures referenced were well known.  I did a little research and found that there are no specific scriptures that say Yeshua would be resurrected in the OT. The closest would be Psalms 16 8-11 as referenced by Peter in his first sermon in Acts 2.

29 "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

30 "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,

31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

33 "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
Acts 2: 29-33

There are other more obscure prophecies such as Isaiah 53:10-11, but it varies in text by translation. The fact is that the prophecies were not well understood until Yeshua clarified them for Himself after his resurrection. I hope this helps.

Atheism and the Problem of Evil

Time for some navel gazing.  I mean why do I do it?  What is it about people who so desperately cling to the notion that Jehovah does not exist that so fascinates me?  Is it because I have been there and I have seen the light? It sometimes seems so utterly futile to go to these places and say anything.  I keep asking myself: What is it that they cannot see? I cannot go through my day without seeing the Holy one of Israel everywhere I look.

You are probably wondering where this is coming from.  Over the years I have had many fruitless discussions with people who deny the existence of Jehovah. So when Vox has one of his many posts on Atheism I like to grab my popcorn and watch the fur fly. Well today Vox posted the second letter from an atheist who wanted to have a polite and reasoned discourse with Vox on why he is a Christian. One of the main reasons Vox cited was that evil existed and Christianity provided a remedy for it.  Ok, well and good, but Luke (the Atheist) made an incorrect assumption on what Christians believe about the nature of evil.

“Or consider Buddhism. Buddhism claims that suffering is the result of desire. Most philosophers today would essentially agree. Contrast this with the Christian concept of evil as a roaming magical force that hunts us down and seeks to destroy us. Which is more plausible?”  Lukeprog

He equates evil to the description of Lucifer in the scriptures as a devouring lion.  This is simply incorrect.  It is a common misconception by those who are either too lazy or to intellectually dishonest to find out the truth on what the Bible says about evil.  While it is true that Lucifer is evil he is not the source of evil.  There is no one source it simply exists.  The very nature that we have a choice brings the capacity for evil into play.  In our own hearts lies the source of all evil.  We do not need some “devil” to incite us to perform evil, we are quite capable of it on our own.  That is not to say that, Lucifer and his minions do not work at providing our evil desires with all manner of “yummy” treats.  The fact is that he can not make us do evil, we still have to cross that bridge when we get there.

19

That is how many years ago Birdie and I made the commitment to join our individual lives into one for the rest of our lives. It is funny but we had everything against us succeeding in this adventure. Short romance ( 6 months? ), we eloped on our lunch hour, we were young, idealistic, and you name it we were statistically the wrong people to get married. So how did we defy the odds? We had the things that other couples in our boat often do not have. The biggest is our faith in the Holy One of Israel. We also have a strong determination ( a stubbornness if you will ) to make it work. Giving up was never an option. Our commitment is just that a commitment, it was not made lightly (even if it was quick), we realized early on that we had mutual goals in life, family, and faith. It is not that we have not had our share of problems over the years. We have faced a slew of them not the least of which is losing two children. Many couple have folded under the kind of pressure we have faced, yet here we are still committed to each other. I can say today that I am more in love with this woman than the day we got married.

 I love you Birdie and I know this is just the beginning of our adventure and pray that we will have decades to come to share our love for each other.

 

Happy Anniversary My Love

Vision

Luke sent me a link to the blog of one of the regular commenters over a Vox’s. This is a person who has found himself on true hard times and is as of his last post homeless.  He has chronicled some of the difficulties of being homeless and the lack of charity found in some charities geared towards “helping” those in need. I am simply flabbergasted. While I should not be surprised, (I know the depravity of man’s heart) I am to see a “Christian” ministry run this way.  Unfortunately JQP’s last post was July 27th, so I am not sure what we can do, but it gives a glimpse into the shady side of charities.

The Mission as seen from the eyes of one who is on the receiving end of the "low man on the totem pole" treatment gives me a greater insight into where not to go.  Some of the basic fundamental needs are not being met, and is unacceptable especially if this place is making the kind of money JQP claims they are making. The refusal to allow those who are willing among those being helped to work to alleviate the problems is unacceptable, but this is not the reason for this post. I was just venting a little due to my past experience of being on the receiving end of charity that did not meet our needs. I have some problems with this “feel good” kind of charity.  It gives the illusion of help (with the ability to sooth ones conscience) while the recipient drowns.  

Eagles Wings Family Ministries will not be a “feel good” ministry.  While it is still in concept, it is time I take it beyond that concept. Ultimately I have a vision for a place that families in dire need can go to get their lives back in order, but that is the culmination of effort, not the focus. The focus is helping families in their time of need, meeting those needs in full, and I am talking all needs from physical to spiritual. The goal is to help people learn to fly with the wing’s Jehovah gave them. Birdie and Jimmy are right it is time to start doing.  I have let this episode rule the day and in the end nobody wins.  While I wallow in my self-pity and doubt, I forget that I was called and that has not gone away.  I was called to meet people where they are and introduce them to their creator on an individual basis. I forget that Yeshua called me to teach people how to fly.  How am I going to do that if I am stuck on the ground because I have limited my vision to the point that I have lost sight of the One who taught me that I have wings?

 

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Update on JQP: Well I at least know where JQP is staying now. Not sure about the true nature of his  SAFETY now (see NO Way This Ends Well), but then if he loses an appendage it is his own fault.

A New Look and a Fresh Outlook

As some can tell it has been a while since I last updated. I have been struggling with a number of things lately. Not the least of which is my ministry and where it needs to go. I also have grown tired of the look of my blog so I have found a template that looks more sophisticated and updated the look, but that is superficial. What I need is a fresh outlook and that is what I am striving for.  

The setback to the ministry hit me hard to say the least. I have asked myself this question so many times that it pains me just to hear myself ask it again.  How does a person called as a prophet get something as basic as whom to help with your ministry so wrong? If I was so wrong on that point where else am I wrong in the ministry vision? I think the second question that has had me reeling to some extent. Loosing a second child was a traumatic event as well.

My friends please pray. I know I am called beyond a shadow of a doubt, but my faith is shaken in my ability to understand His vision for my work. I know with your prayers and the help of my loving family I WILL work through this.

Worthy of Love

It is no secret the past few years have been ones of major up and downs for Birdie and I. From escaping from “hell” into a place of refuge, to the loss of and gain of employment.  The birth of children, and the death of two.  The loss of hope to the birth of a ministry to wondering if it is all, real.  It is enough to make us question, bemoan, and despair about our worth, if we will ever amount to anything. I makes you ask the most fundamental question of all.  Am I, as a lowly sinful individual, insignificant in the grand scheme of things worthy of His love? When you sit down and analyze it you realize you are not, but for grace.

Grace is that commodity of His love that loves us even though we in no way could be worthy of His love.  Grace picks us up, dusts us off and tells us our worth is not in what we do but in who we are, because He loved us FIRST.  Grace is what comforts us when we feel lost and alone, and because of grace we will never be alone.  He will always be with us, because NOTHING can take His love away, therefore we will always have His grace, and grace is what makes us worthy of love.

From Joy to Sadness

As we reported a couple of weeks ago we
were expecting another child. We are no longer expecting as today we
found out the baby apparently failed to thrive after the eighth week.
That was about the time we realized Birdie was pregnant. Birdie
started spotting yesterday around noon and the doctor said if it got
worse to go to the ER. We made that trip this morning where a
sonogram confirmed what we already feared. There was no heartbeat.
Birdie still has not technically miscarried yet but it is simply a
mater of time.

Please keep Birdie and I in your
prayers during this difficult time.

No Bones Here

I have given this a lot of thought and prayer after Luke asked me to throw him a bone.  The fact is that Christianity (following Yeshua) is an exclusive faith.  As appealing as it sounds to make it somewhat universal, by essentially saying there are layers of salvation based upon how you lived your life, it just does not line up with the things the Yeshua said.  Leaving Paul out of this, who from what I have read, simply expounds upon Yeshua's words, Yeshua, Himself in plain words, said our salvation is based upon Him and our faith in Him.  There is no in-between.  Sin and death are the problems. By dying (complete separation from the Father) in our place He paid the price for our sin demanded by Jehovah.  This in of itself was enough to satisfy His wrath, but Yeshua did not stop there He then conquered death when He resurrected Himself.  There is no amount a right living that we can do that can obliterate the sin in our lives. Even the smallest of sins would make us imperfect and unable to stand in His Holiness.  It is not that He intends to destroy us it is just that imperfection will simply not stand up to the complete perfection that is Jehovah.

The fact is that false beliefs of people like Mr. Nelson are extremely appealing to those who have loved ones outside of the faith.  It gives them a sense of comfort that just maybe their loved ones will not be completely separated from them.  But this is a false comfort, and is extremely dangerous.  It is dangerous because it gives us a sense of saying that I need not worry about Mom or Dad or (insert person here) as long as they live a relatively “good” life.  They may not be in Yeshua’s inner circle so to speak, but at least they are not spending eternity in the lake of fire.  The thing is he is deadly, eternally wrong.  His writings will ease the conscience of those whom just CAN”T give their allegiance to Yeshua, and in not doing so will spend eternity living with the consequences of that choice.

I believe I have shown that Mr. Nelson’s teachings are wrong using the Words of Yeshua and simple logic, and it would behoove you to actually sit down and read the Word without commentary from anyone other than the Holy Spirit.  It is amazing what you learn when you trust the true Author of the scriptures rather than listening to men try to interpret it’s meaning.  As I have said before I do not believe I hold some kind of authority on what the Word says, but I am a student and I try to listen to the Author. If you look through the scriptures you will see a thread of faith being the focus of salvation, not works. Basic logic would tell you this.  Abraham, Noah, Enoch, Melchizedek, and Joseph to name a few were men of faith before the Law was codified.  How then were they subject to the Law that was not yet written? The Word even mentions that Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness. Even after the Law was written a thread of faith was involved.  The sacrifices were made, but it was faith that made the sacrifices real and faith in the future Messiah that was ultimately the real source of salvation.  Throughout history those who have sought out Jehovah have found Him.  As I have said before and the Word backs me up if you seek Him you WILL find Him.  All that keeps either your loved ones or my loved ones from Him is their own pride and willful rejection of His truth and offer of salvation. 

And LIFE Moves On

As most of you know we have a large family. Not as large as some, but larger than most.  It is getting bigger.  We found out last week that the nest will have to be expanded sometime in January.

Birdie is doing as well as could be expected excluding morning (all day) sickness. We are excited to be adding another child to our family, please keep Birdie and the new baby in your prayers.

A Travesty of Legislation

I normally do not post on the world of politics anymore but, a power grab by CPS is in play right now and has been placed on the Texas Governors desk in what amounts to a legislative ambush.  The fourth amendment rights of parents in the state of Texas are in dire peril.  We need to act now to prevent this travesty.

Go here, here and here for more information then got to:

http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Or call:

Toll free: 1-800-252-9600
Phone: (512) 463-2000

Or fax:

Fax: (512) 463-1849.

Firey Serpents and Yeshua

“I have some immediate questions: One question that I have right off the bat is about the word “believe” in 3:16. Perhaps Jimmy could help shed some light here. Does it mean that I believe that Jesus is the son of God? So does Lucifer, shall he have eternal life?”

While I am sure Jimmy could shed A LOT of light on this subject, I think I have the answer and I shared it in the previous post.  The key to understanding John 3:16 is in John 3:13-15.  It refers to the story in Numbers 21:4-9.

4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.

5 The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food."

6 The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

7 So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.

8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."

9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
Numbers 21:4-9 NASB

 

First off Luke, I was wrong about something.  I thought that the story about Israelites being bitten by snakes only made them wish they would die.  I was wrong the snakes were killing the Israelites. This is what happens when you reiterate a story by memory and don’t check the source.  When they complained to Moses asking Him to intercede with Jehovah to get Him to take the snakes away, Jehovah had Moses do something unexpected.  He had Him make a likeness of the snake and lift it up in the wilderness.  Then He instructed the people who had been bitten to look upon the snake and they would be healed and not die.  There was no merited favor, no works that needed to be done, simply having enough faith to look at the snake to be healed.  Simple faith that Jehovah would do what he said He would do.

It is interesting to note that Jehovah did not do what the Israelites wanted Him to do.  The most logical thing in their minds was to have G_d get rid of the snakes.  Instead He forced them to believe in faith that he would not let them die even if they were bit by one of these deadly snakes.  They would still suffer the consequences of their rebellion (being bit by the snakes) but they would not die if they had faith to look upon the image of the snake to be healed.  

Yeshua was pointing out that the kind of faith and belief in Him, the Son of Man, is the same kind of faith and belief the Israelites had to exhibit in looking upon the serpent to be healed from the bite of the snake.  If we have the belief in faith that He will do what He said He would do then He will be just and faithful and forgive us of our sins.  The Word does make reference the demons believing and trembling but not having faith.  So the key is faith, not believing that He is the Son of G_d, but believing IN Him and what He did for us.  Faith pure and simple nothing more nothing less.

 

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes IN* Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NASB

* emphasis is mine

 

Belief, Faith, and Salvation Part 2

“I understand that God is Holy, and that prior to His incarnation as Jesus, He could not tolerate sin any more than we could tolerate His judgment. But once He incarnated, He walked each day with sinners, and patiently explained our errors, and led by example. Instead of being some overwhelming force of nature, He became one of us, albeit the perfection of man. If Jesus wanted to summon the chariots of angels and smite us all, He could have; but instead He wanted to show us infinite love and compassion. Otherwise why incarnate at all? He could have just nuked the planet from orbit and started over.

The only logical result, given our sinful nature and our lust for power over others, was that He would be put to death. God of course knew this before He ever incarnated, and therefore we know that God willingly sacrificed Himself… why?”

Why?  This is because Jehovah said from the beginning that the price of sin is death.  This was not simply a physical death but a spiritual death. Complete separation from Him for all of eternity.  These were His rules He could have done anything he wanted to absolve us of sin including starting over (He almost did), but His love for us stayed His hand.  Through the systemic sacrifices to atone for sin He set up for the Hebrew people he showed that the absolution for sin was through the death of a perfect sacrifice.  Even then He knew that the death of even perfect animals could not in fact absolve those sins.  These sacrifices were a sign of faith for His eventual sacrifice for us (though some could not see it).  The prophet Isaiah was one of the prophets who saw this clearly. Even then the people had to accept the sacrifice in faith.

Whether you like it or not, God is the one who condemns us. If I murder a man and stand trial, during sentencing the judge might scold me and say that my own actions have condemned me to a life in prison; but that is empty rhetoric. Look up the word in the dictionary, Eaglewood. It is the Judge that condemns. It’s not just a semantic distinction; God takes responsibility for His creation, and makes His judgment knowing full well the consequences for us. He certainly knows the consequences of our sin better than we do. And He also knows that the cotton candy approach of forgiving everything would not help us either.


But given that He is perfect and Holy, and could not tolerate the smallest measure of sin, He knew that heaven would be very lonely, and that virtually no one would have a chance at salvation. He might as well nuke the planet from orbit. Instead He had a better plan. He would incarnate as flesh, and force his perfection into the vessel of a human brain and body, to better understand us, and for us to better understand Him. He gave the power of judgment to this man, to Himself, to Jesus. He will act as our defense attorney, the prosecutor, and the judge. The facts will not be in dispute in this trial, so there will be no jury of our peers. Jesus will know our heart viscerally, as a human, in a way that the Father could not, but for His incarnation as the Son.

Jesus said, “I am the way.” But he did not mean that the only way to avoid the second death was to believe that He is the way. He meant that He will judge us. Period. Full stop.

If I were a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or even an atheist, Jesus might think I was pretty confused, but would He necessarily condemn me? You say yes. If I understand your logic, it is as follows: All are sinners, and all would be condemned, but because of some magic power called “absolution”, faith in Jesus is what will make Jesus decide that He should judge you worthy to walk with God.

First of all, define absolution and show me how this concept is biblical. Secondly, show me where Jesus says that it is belief in Him as the Son of God that will “save me”. Prove it.

Come on Luke send me a curve ball, something that might even challenge me as it is you just lobbed a 12 inch softball right over home plate.

The central core of the Christian faith is summed up in one verse but the supporting verses after it go on to show that your whole premise of judgment and why He came to not be supported in the Scriptures.  I for one will take what the scriptures have to say any day over the conjecture of  man and his agendas.

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3: 13 – 21 KJV

13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.

14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
John 3: 13 – 21 NASB

I used two different versions here the KJV and the NASB. I prefer the NASB as it is more literal than the KJV but the KJV is the more common translation.  As you can see Yeshua in his own words is saying that belief in Him is the criteria for eternal life and not perish. This is in verse 16, verses 17-21 state He was sent as a Savior not a Judge and sets down the case for the need for a Savior not a Judge.  Verses 13 –15 take some understanding of the history of the Hebrew people.  This is a story that Nicodemus would have been familiar with being a Pharisee. The gist being that when Jehovah had cursed the Israelites in the wilderness with snake bites that would not kill but make the people wish they were dead He had Moses fashion a bronze serpent and had him raise it up upon the desert and those that looked upon the serpent and believed they would be healed, were.  Yeshua used the analogy to show that salvation was analogous to this event in history and that salvation was through faith and nothing more.

“I believe that Jesus was the Son, the incarnation, the living, human God. I believe that He will judge me one day. But I do not believe that my belief in Him will make the difference in His judgment. It may help, but I don’t accept that it is the only measure. My faith in Jesus may make me a better man in this life, but I am not convinced that my faith alone determines my fate in the next life. There is a hierarchy in heaven, after all.”


“I guess I am disagreeing with you, technically. I am speculating that without Jesus we would all perish because God the father would not put up with our crap.

But I am also saying that it is not specifically the faith in Jesus that will save some of us (I hope me too), but rather the fact that Jesus has the capacity to understand us and measure our sin against our success at loving God and loving each other.

One point that was made by the article I showed you is that it is hard for people like your mother to love God when they think that God will send them to hell if they do not believe in Him. This runs counter to our nature and if it is actually the case, you should be able to a) prove it, and b) explain it in a way that an agnostic can understand. If you can’t do b, that’s ok. But if you can’t do a), then you are in peril because you may be contributing to your mother’s lack of love for God, which is definitely a problem.”

There may very well be a hierarchy in Heaven I will not disagree with you on that.  I would even go as far as speculate that the things we do in faith and out of love will determine to some degree our position in that hierarchy, but it has nothing to do with salvation or what is commonly referred to as justification.  We cannot earn justification no works we could ever perform will ever justify us to Jehovah.  And it is not that Jehovah cannot stand our sinful presence, it is that we could not survive in His perfect presence.  In order for us to survive that we had to be made perfect and based upon the rules Jehovah had set forth from the beginning only His death could accomplish such a task.  I know that it sounds wrong, it goes against our nature, but Yeshua said that His wisdom would seem foolish to man and that many would stumble and fall because they could not get beyond that obstacle of the simplicity of faith.

Being a former atheist myself, I understand that hurdle, yet being able to explain it is not always easy.  My mother’s lack of faith was used to illustrate that we are not comfortable with the thought that there are those who will choose not to believe.  My mother is openly critical of the hypocrisy that is rampant in the church. She uses it as a foil to bolster her claim that she wants nothing to do with Christianity if that is what Christians are like.  Nothing I have said has changed her view because her heart has been hardened for decades.  She made her choices a long time ago and no amount of impassioned pleading, or logical arguments is going to sway her.  That does not mean I do not pray that her heart will be softened and that one day she will see the truth.  But the choice is up to her.

Belief, Faith, and Salvation

“Without analyzing Eaglewood’s critique, I will state that the idea that a loving God would condemn all but a handful of saved saints to eternal suffering is hard to swallow. It does not sit well with me to say, “They had the choice, and they chose not to believe, so to hell with them!” And what about those that believe and yet do evil out of the spirit of rebellion?”

Luke the problem here is that your assumption here is a false one.  First off G_d does not condemn us we are condemned by our own actions.  The Word is very clear that each and every one of us has fallen short of the perfection required to be without sin in our lives. There have been only three mentioned in the Bible, Enoch, Elijah, and Yeshua.  Both Enoch and Elijah were taken up to be with G_d without dying, and Yeshua died for us.  I am not 100% sure on Elijah and Enoch but I am extrapolating based upon the fact that neither one of them died. I have also theorized the these two men might have had such a great understanding of and  faith in Yeshua’s future provision that as the Bible has stated it was counted to them as righteousness.  With this in mind I believe that if there was another man or woman who lived a life as righteous as either of these men then they too would not die.  I have yet to have met such a person.  Everyone has some kind of sin in their life even if they outwardly seem to be “good” people.

Lets just sit that aside for now and look at a salvation based upon your works.  How do we decide who is righteous and who is evil?  What is the standard by which we judge or by which G_d judges?  If Mary does 4593 acts of kindness and 4592 acts of evil or selfishness does she qualify because she did more good than evil? Joe does an equal amount of evil and good at 4593 respectively does he get cast out because he has not done more good than evil.  The only just measurement is in fact perfection.  This is something I have expounded upon time and time again. Through out the OT every sacrifice made to Jehovah was to be perfect “without blemish”.  This was a direct consideration to His perfect nature and no less than perfection could be accepted. It was also an allusion to the future sacrifice He would make.  The ultimate sacrifice where Perfection Himself was killed so that those of us who were imperfect would have a way to spend eternity with Jehovah in His perfection.

You make it sound like that we are somehow comfortable with the idea that anyone would spend eternity apart from Jehovah.  I am not nor are any of the Redeemed that I know other than maybe Vox.  I grieve over these people.  My own mother is set for this fate.  She for the most part is a good person, but she is not perfect.  She is also at best agnostic if not outright hostile to my faith.  It would be so much better if I could console myself that she would be one of those who could spend eternity outside the “City” knowing that at least she was not in torment because she got what she wanted in living apart from G_d.  I am plagued by it, but I can not make the choice for her.  

“I know that belief and faith are not the same thing. Is it possible that what separates them is works? We are, after all, the sum of our experiences and actions. What court would judge a man based on his admiration and brown nosing of the judge? Not a just court. I feel certain that God is just.”

The last sentence in your first paragraph and this one tie together.  G_d is just.  He is also loving and a whole slew of other attributes can be attributed to Him, but first and foremost He is Holy.  Our faith has nothing to do with admiration and brown nosing.  Our faith is in Him because He will do what He said he would do.  Through his sacrifice He has absolved us of our imperfection (sin).  It is not earned because we can’t earn it.  No amount of works can remove the stain of sin upon our lives.  We understand the penalty of our imperfection and we have accepted the gift that G_d sacrificed Himself in our place so that we could spend eternity with Him.  All He asks is that we accept the gift.  In accepting that gift through faith we are changed.  For some it is more subtle than others because our sin nature is more prevalent than others but it is there.  A shift towards putting others before yourself is one of those outward signs.  Another is a desire to curb our rebellious nature and submit our will to His.  That is not to say that our sin nature is gone and at times it wins out.  All we can do is repent and move on. Yet I get the feeling the question is aimed at those who claim belief yet commit atrocities like murder.  To be honest I do not believe it is possible for a man of faith to sin in this manner.  The Bible is clear that a man with a spirit of murder in his heart does not have the Spirit of G_d in his heart.  Yet even those are not above redemption.  David had blood on his hands and G_d said he was a man after His own Heart.

I hope I have not confused you I have been known to ramble when I write because I write like I think and it can get convoluted in it’s own strange linear fashion.

A Critique

I want to apologize up front.  This is going to be long and I might ramble because I have a tendency to chase the rabbit down the hole when it crosses my path.  I promised Luke I would comment upon the writings found upon this web site.  I want it to be understood now that my comments are my opinion and should be scrutinized in that light.  As I will caution anyone, study for yourself and see what the Word and the Spirit are telling you.  I do not hold any belief that I hold some kind of final authority on the Word of G_d, but I am a student of His Word and I listen to the Spirit guide me.

The web page is the second chapter in a web-based book called   “Yahshua (Jesus) and Judaism Versus Paul and Christianity” In his introduction he openly admits that what he has written will be viewed by most of the Christian world and the Jewish world as heresy.  I can fully understand his trepidation as I have had those kinds of accusations hurled at me before because I am not orthodox in my thinking either, but that is about the extent of our similarities.

He seems to have three basic premises:

1) That Christianity in not an exclusive faith. 
2) Salvation is earned merit based upon keeping the commandments and good works.
3) Paul has no authority and is in fact a false apostle.

The first two are covered pretty well in this chapter of his book. The third is covered elsewhere and I have not really read his thesis on that as of yet.  I will but not today. I mention it here because it is important to his theology to destroy Paul’s credibility. 

Christianity not being exclusive and merit based salvation are tied into one and are based upon the last two chapters of Revelation.  He starts with a lengthy discussion of The Kingdom of Heaven and the New Jerusalem.  He makes a case that only those who have kept the commandments (merit based salvation) will be able to live in the City and partake of the fruit trees of life. A larger group will live outside the City inhabiting the new earth those are the people who lived good lives but ultimately did not fulfill the commandments. The last group are those who were evil and are thrown into the lake of fire. I am not interested at this time in deconstructing this theory.  I am more interested in his contradiction in how he got there. 

He bases the second group on Matthew 7:21-23.

  21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

   22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

   23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Matthew 7:21-23 NASB

Later in the chapter he is discussing erroneous Christian doctrines.  The first one he tackles ends up contradicting his premise that there will be those who have worked miracles in the name of Yeshua, but are denied entrance to the City because they did not keep the commandments.

Understood Christian theology has the conversation between Nicodemus and Yeshua showing the need to be spiritually reborn in order to see or know the Kingdom of G_d.  In essence A salvation through knowledge, faith, and regeneration of the Spirit.  The writer makes the conversation out to be Nicodemus attempting to find out how Yeshua is able to perform the miracles he does.  He goes on to explain that Yeshua makes the case that in order to perform these miracles one needs to be spiritually reborn and part of that is faith and keeping the commandments.  I can hope you can see what I can see right here.

According to the writer In order to perform miracles one has to be “born again” and part of that is keep in the commandments, yet he also states that there are those who will perform these miracles but not be allowed in the City based upon their lack of keeping the commandments.  You can’t have it both ways.  These ideas are mutually exclusive.  If they are then there has to be another explanation, and the writer is wrong.  Based upon this shoddy work I am sure I will find other errors in his thinking as well.  In fact I will also show that he is wrong about the exclusivity of our faith.

One of the well known scriptures in our faith is John 14:6.

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:6 NASB

When we discuss the exclusive nature of our faith this verse is the ultimate defense against those who would say otherwise.  The writer makes a case that that we are using the verse out of context and that it in fact simply a reassurance to His followers that He is given all power to judge us and that as our final judge all have to go through Him.  Valiant try but he is wrong again.  John 14 is one of my favorite passages in the Word and has had significant influence upon my theological thinking.  I am quite familiar with the context of that chapter and it has nothing to do with final judgment.  The writer has used his own predisposed ideas to influence his translation of this passage of scripture.
Verses 6 through 11 are an answer to Thomas and Philip on how to follow Him and how to see or know the Father.  More than that the verses from 12 through 15 are a disclosure on where our power in faith comes from with an admonition on how we show our love to Him.

1 ) "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 ) "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 ) "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

4 ) "And you know the way where I am going."

5 ) Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"

6 ) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

7 )"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

8 ) Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."

9 ) Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

10 ) "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

11) "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.

12 ) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

13 ) "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 ) "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

15 ) "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:1-15 NASB

I have not gone and studied the writer’s case against Paul so I have no case yet to refute his assessment of Paul, but it is clear to me that in order to build his case he has to discredit Paul, as his writings are the most predominate in the New Testament.  I will address the writer’s views on Paul at a later date.

All in all I would have to agree with the writer’s own assessment, he is a heretic and a dangerous one to boot.  A man like this could easily sway those who do not know the Word or those with no Spirit given discernment. I would warn you against taking this person’s theology as gospel.  Study the Word for yourself with no other person to influence your thoughts.  This is the approach I have taken and I have learned much from the Spirit since going to the Source of inspiration for understanding of His Word. 

Simply Amazed

I stand
in awe. I am married to simply the most amazing woman in the world.
How she does it, I don't know. Day in and day out she does the work
of a multitude of people. She raises 5 children, cooks, cleans,
teaches the children, plans meals for the week, ensures that we all
have clean clothes on our backs, somehow finds time to be a wife,
friend, and lover to this big oaf that at times does not truly
appreciate all she does. In all of this she is the sweetest person I
know. I know that I could never do what she does. So on this day I
will simply stand amazed and fall head of heals in love once again
with the most amazing mother on this planet.

Happy
Mothers Day, Birdie.

Mountains and Valleys

Well my good buddy Thimscool gave me some things to think about.

“God seems perfectly willing to let me struggle through my chores, while He sorts out the big picture.

I guess no news is good news, but I feel pretty chewed up. God is my absent father; and I am my children’s absent father.”

I know exactly what you mean especially when I am not paying attention like I know I should.  Having a high functioning Aspergers sufferer for a father like my children have has got to be exasperating.  I can be right next to them and NOT hear a thing they say because I am engrossed in whatever it is that I am doing at that time.  Sometimes G_d can seem that way too.  Off doing His own thing and you the child are left standing there wondering if He even hears you.  The odd thing is that these times seem to come when I lives are going well. Not extremely well like when you are on top of the mountain, but when you are trudging up the mountain.  You are doing well everything looks good but you are tired from the work and wish the mountain top were just a little closer.  It is at these times that we tent to focus on what we are doing and not on what He is doing. We all do it quite frankly I am quite guilty of it myself right now.

I have let recent events surrounding my ministry to make me question my effectiveness as a leader for this ministry.  I called into question my ability to understand what G_d is asking of me and where He is leading me.  It has been a significant stumbling block. As always Birdie is right about these things, It is not always about me.  I was too busy focusing and what I had to do to get the ministry going that I forgot one simple fact. IT IS NOT MINE. It is His and I am the conduit He is choosing to use.  Who am I to question Him? I got so full of myself and what I was doing and how I was going to get things done that I forgot whom was the one pulling the strings. The whole event just left me in a tailspin that left me going as far as to question the calling of this ministry.  The thing is G_d never left my side in this. He has always been there and as Birdie has repeatedly told me sometimes He does things in a way that you just don’t understand. Sometimes the things he does are transparent but usually we don’t see where his hand has moved until long after the event happened.  I just noticed I am rambling again and got off topic.

All of this to say the life has mountains and it has valleys.  Yet we spend most of our lives somewhere on the journey climbing or descending.  Sometimes it is hard to even know which one.  G_d told Joshua to be strong and courageous.  At the time it was meant for the daunting task set before the Hebrew people.  But I think it applies to us today as well in facing the everyday mountains and valleys we face in our lifetimes. So my friend be strong and be courageous, but most of all remember Yeshua is here with us even when our feelings tell us otherwise.

Happy Birthday My Love

I am the most privileged of men. I am married to the most beautiful, kindest, godliest woman I know. I could not even begin to think of anyone I would love to wake up next to in the morning more than her.  She is the light of my life and today is her birthday.  

 Happy Birthday Birdie

A New Perspective

Living in north Texas sometimes leaves
you flat so to speak. While I do travel some for my job most of what I see is
city, and flatlands where the predominate colors are gray and brown. Yesterday I
traveled through a part of Colorado
that made me wonder at Jehovah’s majesty. 
It is just what I needed.

 

You see I have been feeling
down lately. I had my confidence shaken while working on getting the ministry
started.  I was so sure about where
things were going that a ground shaking revelation completely took me off of my
feet. I wish I could say more about what happened, but it involves personal
details about someone else’s life so I can’t divulge what happened. It just
left me questioning my own judgment and ability to know if something is from
G_d or if it is my own wishful thinking. Top that off with it being the anniversary
what was the worst day of my life and you can probably see why I have been
down.

 

Yet the trip up here
reminded me of Who is in control and despite my despondency of late will make
all of His plans come to fruition.  I
just have to quit fighting it like I am so wont to do when I am feeling down. I
mean if He can create such wonders like the Rockies
then my little problems are nothing for Him. I just needed an new perspective
to see it.

 

 

 

Pray For The People Down Under

Table In the Wilderness

Birdie asked me to do this the other day when I was on my way out of town the problem was that my player was dead and the cable to recharge it was at home. I don’t normally do memes but it was fun. I won’t tag anyone either. I just thought Birdie would get a kick out of some of the answers.

1. Put your music player of choice on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. Write the song name down.
4. Tag 5 friends.
5. Voila! Enjoy.


IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?

“Beautiful” by Audio Adrenaline


WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

“Bring Me Down” by Pillar


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

“It is You” by Newsboys


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

“Rockstar” by Third Day


WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

“The Feeling” by Kutless


WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

“Peace” by Rich Mullins


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?

“Powerhouse” by White Heart


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

“Big House” by Audio Adrenaline


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

“Jesus Lord of Heaven” by Kutless


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

“Shut Me Out? by Kutless


WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

“Entertaining Angels” by the Newsboys


WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

“Superfriend” by Audio Adrenaline


WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

“Truth and Consequences” by the Newsboys


HOW WILL YOU DIE?

“Hypnotized” by Pillar


WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

“Diverse City” by Toby Mac


WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

“Water Under the Bridge” by Jars of Clay


WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

“Hands and Feet” by Audio Adrenaline


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

“Saved” by Third Day


WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

“When Love Takes You In” by Steven Curtis Chapman


DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

“Hey You It’s Me” by Michael W. Smith


IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

“Colored People” by DC Talk (people who know me will get the irony)


WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

“Table In the Wilderness” by Russ Taff

Sometimes Life Hands You Lemons…

That is how I felt over the past few weeks. The problem was that each time I tried to make lemonade it just came out as lemon juice.  Then after some sagely advice I let G_d make the lemonade and oooh is it sweet.  I wrote back a little while ago about some stumbling blocks in the formation of Eagle’s Wings.  It went from mildly disturbing to pure bewilderment, but has ended in the family I originally asked to join Birdie and I to step down.  I can not go into details publicly but please pray for them.  They are in great need of it.  To be honest it left me wondering about the calling because this family’s involvement was one of the things I was SURE about.  Yet Yeshua is good in all things.  You see I had asked two families to join us.  Yeshua placed them on my heart for this as well, but I wrestled with it for some time as I was SURE that with all they had been through lately they would decline. I am sure you can see where this is going.  I got and e-mail from them two days ago indicating they would love to join us.  It is amazing the things that can change your day or your life.

So here I stand at the dawn of a new frontier.  Eagle’s Wings Family Ministries will soon be a legal entity.  Birdie, Heidi, her husband the ubiquitous MR, and I will be the founding directors of a ministry dedicated to helping families struggling in the valley to fly on wings of eagles.