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Monday March 20, 2023

3/20/2023

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Happy Monday to you friends. I pray you had a meaningful time in God's house on Sunday. Hopefully everyone who reads this is engaged with a local Bible believing church, but if you are not, allow me to encourage you to seek out a body of believers that can encourage you in your walk with the Lord. 
Hebrews 10: 23-25
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Today I want to talk...er....write about an issue that is close to my heart, not only as a pastor, but as a follower of Christ. If I were to say to you: "Christians who can go to church, but choose not to are selfish," what comes to your mind? Does that seem too harsh? In your opinion, is that statement true or does it depend on the circumstances? Notice that I didn't say "Christians that do not go to church are selfish"...I didn't say that because there are valid reasons (albeit few) that can keep a follower of Christ away from their local church. I make a distinction between people who legitimately can't attend verses those who can, but choose not to. Also, allow me to make clear that I'm not talking about the person who misses church every once and a while. I am talking about the person who (on a regular basis) chooses to do other things, rather than be engaged with a local church. I'm talking about a long-term habit of neglecting "meeting together" (Hebrews 10:25).
For those who know me, you know that I do not go around saying things like the statement I made above. In general, I see little benefit in making pronouncements like that...but just because I would not say it, does that mean it's not true? In fact, I believe it's very true and it breaks my heart whenever I see someone choosing to stay away from their local church. I say this, not only as a pastor, but as a follower of Christ. For some (who choose to not go to church), it's a matter of a past hurt, for others it's a matter of priorities. Sometimes it has to do with theological differences...while other times, it's good ol' fashioned laziness. Also, and it saddens me to say this, but I've met people who choose not to attend a church because they do not want to support a church financially. Regardless of the reason, when someone makes the choice to stay home, work, go fishing, or simply sleep in, that person is choosing themselves over other people. 
Can you imagine what would have happened if the Apostle Paul had chosen to stay home or work on his tents, instead of engaging with other believers? What if every Christian were to have the belief that attending church were not necessary? I think most of us would agree that both of those scenarios would be very bad. Here is why I call the choice to not engage with and support a local church "selfish": because the reason we choose to engage with other believers has more to do with "them" than it does with "you." In addition, when we choose to support a local church, we are making a conscience effort to propel the gospel forward, to places we can never reach and to people we will never meet. 
Here in the Western hemisphere, where we view everything through an individualistic worldview, the typical Christian views their relationship to follow Christ no different than other "individual" choices they make. In reality, our choice to follow Christ should affect everything we do. God does not want us to be selfish with the free gift of salvation. If we are parents, our top priority should be to get our kids involved in a local church. However, even if we do not have kids, we have so much to offer others...this is why it is selfish to choose what YOU want over the needs of others.

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Thursday March 9, 2023

3/9/2023

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     Hello friends. I pray you are well. It's Thursday, which means it's almost Friday, and Friday goes by quickly, then it's Saturday...so, basically what I'm saying is "happy weekend." My bizzare opening reminds me of what my son (Sam) tells people when they ask how tall he is. Sam says "well, I'm 5'7 1/2, which is basically 5'8 and when you think about that, 5'8 isn't much different than 5'11, which is super close to 6ft, so, yeah, I'm 6 feet tall." Classic Sam!
     Anyway, I have taken some time off of the blog to focus on my school and church work. I am rested and ready to get back at it. Today we are going to look at a couple of passages that deal with a very important part of living an authentic Christian life in Christ. 
When speaking about living an overcoming life for Christ, this principle might be considered the most important aspect and unfortunately, this subject is not spoken of nearly as often as it should. For some reason, many (otherwise) decent pastors and churches that preach that Christ was crucified for the forgiveness of mankind,that it is by grace alone that we can be saved and that a person must confess and believe, in order to be a Christ follower…despite teaching these things (all of which are good) they fail to properly teach and preach this component of our walk with the Lord.
Perhaps you are asking what this principle is...well, it is REPENTANCE. 

Revelation 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the [d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
Revelation 2:16
 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
Revelation 3:19
 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
     For those of you familiar with scripture, you know that repentance is a common concept throughout God's word. Despite this, pastors will rarely take an entire sermon and dedicate it to the important practice of repentance. In the book of Revelation we can find a group of letters written to various churches, 7 of them. The letters are written to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and to Laodicea. These letters can be found in Revelation Ch.'s 2 and 3. The letters are written from Jesus to the people/leaders in the various cities. The letters address a number of subjects, but the main idea is that God is calling out the believers for their faithfulness and/or unfaithfulness. One common theme running through the letters is the idea of repentance. God instructs the people to repent and turn back to their first love...which was God.
     So, what is so important about repentance? Most understand that we become believers by believing in Christ and confessing that we are a sinner, in need of a savior. When we take this small step of faith, we know little else. We recognise our need for God. The reason that the Bible talks about repentance so much is because repentance is different than merely asking for forgiveness. We are forgiven of our sins when we confess, but it takes repentance to truly change. There is no doubt that God honors that small mustard seed of faith and confession, but we are called to live a life of repentance. If a person takes that step of belief and confession, but does not live a life of repentance, then they are like the seeds thrown on infertile ground in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13).
So, what is the difference between confession or asking for forgiveness and repentance? Well, confession is us recognising our wrongdoing and admitting it, which is an important first step (and enough for God to honor). Repentance, however, is about life change. When we repent, we not only recognise our wrong, but we turn around and walk the other way, no longer continuing on the wrong path. Until a young Christian understands this, they will struggle with sin in their life. This is why teaching the principle of repentance is so important. I have yet to meet a Christian that really understood the concept of repentance  when they first started living for Christ. Thankfully, God is so merciful and full of Grace that He gives us time to learn these important things. This is why our salvation is not based upon our righteousness, but on the righteousness of Christ. The goal though, is to learn to have a heart like King David, a heart of repentance.

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Thursday Feb. 23, 2023

2/23/2023

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Ok, back for another post here. I've been busy, as I'm in the last 2 weeks of a set of classes. I have 4 huge assignments due this upcoming Monday and Tuesday. One of them is a 14 page exegesis on 1st Timothy 2: 11-15. One of the other big ones is a 10 page paper on "My Rules For Life." The second one is much easier, as it does not have to be formatted and cited according to the SBL formatting rules. That said, I haven't much time for blog posts. However, I did want to type one out. I want to begin talking about the next Sunday morning series I'll be preaching (starting in March). The name of the series is called "Real Life Faith: Living An Authentic LIfe." One week 1, one of the passages I'll be covering is 
Galatians 2: 11-14
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he [i]stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from [j]James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing [k]the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not [l]straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? [m]
Most know that Apostle Paul wrote this letter. In it, Paul is talking about how the Lord has given him a special calling to preach to the gentiles, while Peter has been called to reach his fellow Jewish brothers and sisters. Then, starting in vs. 11, Paul tells of an interaction he had with Peter, and it wasn't a pleasant one. Paul had to correct Peter in front of other people, as Peter was not living out the message of the Gospel and worse, Peter was leading others astray (in this particular area). Peter was showing partiality towards fellow Jews. 
My question is: why would Peter do this? Did Peter know it was wrong?
Well, the answer to the second question is a resounding "YES," Peter knew his actions were wrong. When these influential Jews were not around, Peter had no problem eating with the gentiles. It was only when these men came around that Peter found himself staying away from the "unwashed."
I believe the answer to our first question is "Fear." Not fear like "Peter is afraid of the influential Jewish men," rather, Peter (on this occasion) had fear of man. No doubt, Peter had built a reputation up over the years and was well known. Peter did not want to appear "less than" in front of the Jewish men, therefore, he made the mistake of allowing the outward righteousness of the law override the inward righteousness of grace.
I will talk more about this (hopefully) later next week. God Bless.

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Tuesday Feb. 14, 2023

2/14/2023

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Hello friends, I pray your Valentine's day has gone well. Laura and I have never really celebrated this day too much...but my son and his wife, this is their first Valentine's day as a married couple, so there are some expectations...on his end.
Today I am going to finish up this series on hermeneutics. We will look at the last 2 points. If you have not read my last 3 entries, I would encourage you to do so, as this one builds on those. Just as a reminder, here are the steps:

1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
2. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
3. What is the theological principle in this text?
4. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
5. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle?
Let's do our final analysis of: 

Joshua 1: 1-9
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; [b]be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may [c]have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [d]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [e]have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Let's answer question 4 and 5.
How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle?
In my last entry I pointed out a couple of theological principles that fit within our passage in Joshua. The principles are:
God keeps His promises and God honors obedience
For our passage in Joshua, these last two questions are pretty easy. Let's look at question 4 first.
How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
Are we able to confirm the principles of "God keeps His promises" and "God honors obedience" throughout the rest of scripture? Are there other verses or stories that support our principles? Well, if you know anything about the Bible, the answer should be a resounding YES! God always keeps His promises and God honors obedience. I don't have the time to do a deep-dive on the subject of God's promises and how He honors obedience, but let's look at a couple of scriptures that confirm our hypothesis.
Psalm 19:9-11
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
In regard to God honoring obedience, there are many scriptures that confirm this truth. This passage is but 1 of them. If I were writing a sermon on God honoring obedience, this is one I would use. All throughout the O.T. and N.T. we see God affirming obedience, with the promise that obedience will bring its own reward, in due time. I suppose if we want to believe this, we must address the first principle...does God keep his promises. After all, if God does not have a record of keeping His promises, then being obedient is of no consequence. So, does scripture confirm that God keeps His promises?
Again, I could use many examples to prove this principle, but for now, I'll use one from later on in the book of Joshua.
Joshua 21:43-45
43 
So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not [m]one of the good promises which the Lord had [n]made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.
The Bible makes it clear that our God is a God that keeps His promises! God promised Abraham that his offspring would become a nation; God promised that He would send His son, to die for the sins of mankind, that promise was fulfilled. God promised that Jesus will return one day, for an obedient Bride...we can be sure that God will keep this promise!
Let's quickly answer the last question in our hermeneutic journey:
5. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle?

If we desire to truly live for the Lord, we must believe that God keeps His promises and that God honors obedience. I would argue that the overriding theological principle here is that God keeps His promises. As I pointed out earlier, if we do not believe that, then why are we being obedient? While Sam was growing up, there were times that I broke a promise. I never did this lightly, but I would make a commitment to him, then have to break it, for whatever reason. If a parent does this enough, the child will learn that mom or dad can't be trusted. When that happens, their behavior will change (for the worse) over time. The opposite is also true, if a child completely trusts their parents, a strong bond will develop over time. Thankfully, our Father has a 100% proven track record of keeping His promises. We can live this principle out by having faith...even when it may appear that God has broken His word, we must believe that He hasn't. As a matter of fact, God cannot break His word...it is against His very nature to do so. We must trust and obey (just like the old Hymn), in spite of our circumstances.
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Monday February 6, 2023

2/6/2023

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Sorry for my lack of posts (not that anyone is chomping at the bit to read my posts), I have been busy with church stuff and school. Let's get back to crossing the interpretive bridge. If you have not read my last 2 posts, I would encourage you to do so before reading this one, as today builds on those.
Just as a reminder, here are our steps to interpretation:

1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
2. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
3. What is the theological principle in this text?
4. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
5. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle?
Joshua 1: 1-9
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; [b]be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may [c]have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [d]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [e]have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Here is the question we are asking today:
3. What is the theological principle in this text?
Today we are looking at the 3rd step in our hermeneutics journey. Obviously I do not have the time to do a deep dive into the theological principles displayed in this passage, but I will touch on a couple of ideas. One of the main theological principles on display here is the idea of promise. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a nation. Because of the obedience of Moses and Joshua, that promise came into fulfillment...despite some bumps along the way. So, the theological principle is that God keeps His promises...and of course, we see that all throughout scripture, in the O.T. and the N.T. 
The other theological principle I'll point out is that God honors obedience. God tells Joshua to make sure and obey the principles given to him by Moses...and if he does that, God will honor that obedience. This is another principle we see all throughout scripture. 
​What do you think? Can you think of any other theological principles? 

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Saturday January 28, 2023

1/28/2023

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It's been a few days since my last entry. I've been quite busy with school. Today I will continue to look at the topic of hermeneutics. If you have not read my last entry, I would encourage you to do so, as this one builds on that. Let's look (once again) at our steps of interpretation.
1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
2. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
3. What is the theological principle in this text?
4. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
5. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle? 

Let's take a look at the text we are studying:

Joshua 1: 1-9
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; [b]be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may [c]have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [d]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [e]have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
In our last entry we looked at the question: 
1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
Today, let's answer the second question: 
2. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
​There are a vast amount of differences between the biblical audience and a modern day audience. To name a couple, the typical American was brought up in a secure environment, with very little political instability (compared to the rest of the world). As believers in Christ, we are no longer bound by the Mosaic laws. Also, the way N.T. Christianity works is that we do not have one human leader at the very top that answers directly to God (despite what my Catholic brothers and sisters may think). Also, as a group of believers, we have not been wondering the desert or wilderness for the last 40 years, waiting to take the promised land. 
These are some big differences. I would say the main one, and the one that has the most impact,  is the fact that we are no longer under the "law of Moses." 
In my next entry, we will look at question 3
3. What is the theological principle in this text?

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January 20th, 2023

1/20/2023

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So, I started working on a post yesterday, got about 70% done, then saved it for later. I came back today to finish it...and guess what...poof, all gone. That is frustrating! So, I suppose I'll start over again. During the last 2 weeks of January Joe Nichols and Dean Haines will be speaking on Sunday. This gives me an opportunity to focus on some other things here on the blog.  So, over the next couple of weeks I want to dive into some of the things I'm learning in my Biblical Interpretation class. These are academic in nature, more about form and function and less about individual scriptures. That said, I will (of course) incorporate scripture in what I'm learning (as much as possible). These entries will be a bit longer, due to the nature of the subject...plus, it will help me process what I'm learning for my class.
Today I want to go over what my textbook refers to as the "interpretive journey" of proper hermeneutics. There are 5 steps to proper Biblical interpretation:
1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
2. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
3. What is the theological principle in this text?
4. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of scripture?
5. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle? 
Over the next few days I will be using Joshua 1: 1-9 as an example of what it looks like to use these steps on a portion of scripture. 
Let's take the first one today:
1. What did the text mean to the original audience?
As an example we will use Joshua 1: 1-9

1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; [b]be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may [c]have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [d]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [e]have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
I chose this passage from Joshua because it's an easy passage to exercise our hermeneutic muscles on (plus, it's the one that my textbook uses..lol).
Ok, for this text, let's answer the first question in our "interpretive journey."
What did the text mean to the biblical audience?
God was speaking to Joshua, the new leader of Israel. God wanted Joshua to draw strength and courage from His presence and be obedient to the law of Moses.  Also, God wanted Joshua to meditate of the law, as it would be the key to the future success of Israel. To me, it seems that God is giving Joshua a "pep-talk" of sorts. Also, this could have served as a reminder to the people that God chose Joshua to lead after the death of Moses (but that is my own speculation). 
What do you think this text meant to the biblical audience? 
In my next entry we will answer the next couple of questions. 

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Friday January 13, 2o22

1/13/2023

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Hello friends, I pray your week has been productive and blessed. I have been studying and reading quite a bit this week in preparation for my upcoming sermon on Sunday and for my schooling. Today I want to continue to look at our passage from earlier in the week, except I will focus on a different part of the pericope (look it up!). 
Malachi 3: 8-10
8 “Will a man [m]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and [n]offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are [o]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be [p]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until [q]it overflows. 
In my last entry I focused on God's promise to bless those who follow his commands, specifically in the area of generosity. Today I want to look at the initial accusation that God leveled at the people of Israel. He said: "Will a man rob God!" This is a different accusation, compared to the rest of Malachi, where God had asked "why do you dishonor me," among other things. The Lord accuses the people of robbing Him, not because they were not following the commandments (as in other areas of Malachi), but because the people did not understand the fact that everything they have already belongs to the Lord. Their land, crops, animals, families...everything they had belonged to the Lord. The Lord simply asked for a small portion of it back (which is the tithe). The people of Israel were unwilling to give back to the Lord the small portion he commanded them to give. 
What about us though, we are not under the law of Moses, so how would this apply to you and I. For those who argue that tithing is not a New Testament principle, I say: you are correct! Nowhere in the N.T. do we see this particular law restated by Christ or any of the disciples. Here is the question though: does the principle behind the law still remain intact? If it's still true that all of our earthly blessing belong to the Lord, then the principle remains intact....as a matter of a fact, Jesus actually calls us to a higher standard than that of the law. 
This is where the idea of stewardship comes into play...I will be expanding on this idea on Sunday. HORRAY! We get to talk about giving! LOL.
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Monday January 9, 2023

1/9/2023

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Happy Monday! I pray you all had a great day in God's house on Sunday. At Ottawa First, we had a great service! The preacher is phenomenal (LOL)! Just a little joke there. Anyway, this week I will be writing on Malachi Ch. 3 as we continue our "Fresh Faith" series. 
Today, I want to look at 

Malachi 3: 8-9
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 
There is much that we could unpack here, but I want to focus on the middle and last part of vs. 10 for this particular blog entry, specifically:
"test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." 
Throughout all of scripture, testing God is viewed at as a lack of faith. At one point in the N.T. Jesus quotes from Deut. 6:16, warning us not to "test" God.  We are called to have that mustard seed of faith, regardless of the situation, then we see this passage in Malachi. What are we to make of such a statement, and what does God mean when he says that we should "test Him in this?" 
God was trying to get the people of Israel to understand the principles behind generosity and stewardship. The entirety of Malachi Ch. 3 is all about God's people failing to honor the Lord with what they've been given. All throughout the book of Malachi, God is displeased with His people because they refused to obey the commands set forth in the law of Moses; but more than that, God was angry with the condition of their hearts. They were cold and unresponsive to God in many areas of their lives, including their finances. God was trying to get them to understand that He rewards those who are good stewards and those who are generous with their time, talent and treasure. "Testing God" in this instance does not mean that we give a one time offering, then demand that heaven open up the windows and bless us...that is not what God  is talking about here. Stewardship and generosity are a way of life, not a one time offering or a fleeting moment of generosity; nor is it when we feel compelled to give by a a manipulative preacher or pastor. 
God wants us to test Him and see if being a good steward and being generous does not bring the blessings of heaven with it. Money and finances are but one area in which we are called to be generous and good stewards. 
We will continue to look at Malachi Ch. 3 as the week progresses (God wiling!). 

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Friday January 6, 2023

1/6/2023

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God bless friends and family, I pray your year has been good so far. My classes start up again this week, so I've been busy getting myself back into the mode of learning...which I suppose we should always be in, now that I think about it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to growing in knowledge and wisdom this semester. I'm sure I will be posting about things I've learned now and then over the next couple of months. 
As for today though, let's continue looking at Malachi Ch. 1; in my last entry we talked about vs. 6 and 7-today we will move forward to 
Malachi 1:10-13a

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.
12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.

First, let me say that Malachi chapter 1 is fantastic; there is so much to dig through and it's so relevant to our lives today-despite the fact that God is addressing a part of the O.T. law. I definitely understand why pastors like to use the book of Malachi when preaching about stewardship. It is a great book for that, but at it's core, the principles of stewardship are a heart issue-which is what the book of Malachi drives home so artfully. The other issue that comes into play with stewardship is being able to see the value of the local church and its mission. 
Here in vs. 10-13, God is continuing to express His righteous anger at the temple priests. First, God says it would be better for the temple to be shut down than have the worthless sacrifices. Verse 11 is a Messianic prophecy about Christ's death as the ultimate sacrifice, and points to the fact that all people will one day be able to be children of Abraham. 
Verses 12 and 13  are the ones that really stuck out to me-God is commenting on the fact that the priests are unable to see the value in their own role. It would be one thing if the people didn't recognize the importance of the priests and the true value of proper sacrifices-but the fact that the priests themselves are blind to their own peril, is much worse. 
I wonder how many church leaders are out there who have lost sight of the value of what they do? They are trying to teach others how to live for and show honor to the Lord, meanwhile, their own spiritual condition is lame and sick. I pray that we never enter such a terrible place.

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