When I let the dogs outside at 5:00 AM, the doves were cooing and the birds were chirping; the sun had already done a good share of rising and it looked like the day would be beautiful.  I hoped my dogs, 2 in the back yard and 3 in the front, would be quiet, not waking the  neighbors at this early hour on Sunday morning.

The  first cup of coffee had finished dripping through the filter into my favorite cup so I called the dogs back from the yards. They were unusually cooperative as I fed and got them settled. I planned on having the next hour for my Bible and prayer.

Hogan

I opened my office window and was met with the sounds of Native American drumming and chanting from a few houses down the road.  I decided to take my coffee and move to the patio to listen to these words of another language as they drifted on the wind. If I’d been more energetic and had strolled down our dirt road, I’d have seen a gathering at the hogan that I pass when walking the dogs,  or perhaps they’d have erected one of the large tee-pees that come and go in this largely Native American neighborhood. I settled into my chair feeling like I was in a John Ford movie.

By 5:35 the neighborhood dogs, of which there are hundreds, had taken up their early morning Doney Park chorus.  A few minutes later the local donkeys added their pitiful, almost painful sounding, voices to the mix.  By 5:45 4 or 5 trucks had screamed down the road ignoring the signs that say 15 mph. So much for quiet and peaceful.

And then the drums and the chanting went silent.

At 5:45 the sun glowed at least twice as high on the horizon as the rooftops it warms.  Somewhere I could hear roosters crowing and I thought, “a little late, guys”.  The doves continued to coo and the neighborhood  dogs kept on with their chorus which will continue for most of the day.

I pondered this brief outsider’s glimpse into another culture -another world. Daily I see the children of these families as they walk the road to meet the school bus.  They don’t know me and they don’t realize that I watch from my patio between the huge Ponderosa Pines in the back yard, silently praying to the King of Kings for their salvation and a peaceful day at school.

I wonder what the future will bring for these young people.  The elders of their clans fight to keep the heritage and history of their people alive with ceremonies at 5:30 AM. I see them in the grocery store and at the feed store; the old ones, the grandmothers who come from the reservation to pick up supplies. They speak in their Navajo tongue and their wizened faces speak volumes of a life that the rest of us know little about. They know that their youth are being sucked away from the heritage of their ancient people by the lure of the modern world. Their is little they can do to stop it.

In the end their fate, both young and old, will be that of all mankind. What came from dust will return to dust and each person will be faced with the same choice.  Like everyone in the world, whether they live on the reservation or on my dirt road, they will choose Jesus or they will not.

What kind of people would do this to God’s word? IMHO I believe they’re people who have a need to control God and the people around them.  They believe they are intellectuals and they try to prove their theories with books outside of the Bible.  They use books written in the flesh to prove their thought about the inspired word of God. They use the ideas of other people to prove their ideas to the folk around them but the real person they are trying to prove right or wrong is God.

I’ve even run across people who will tell you that all scripture is inspired but a particular comma was put in the wrong spot and the scripture really means something else. You may as well tell me that perfect God made a mistake.

Either you believe that the Bible is God’s Word or you don’t.  There is no middle ground and there is no carving the life out of the Word of God, just because you can’t handle what’s written. Here’s why. The proof is in the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16  “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Inspire – to guide or control by divine influence.  God guided or controlled the writing of scripture.
In Psalm 119:160 the the psalmist writes of God… “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”
Those two scriptures make it pretty clear to me that God was in control of the writing of the Bible, that it’s all true, and it’s not changing.
I love what Jesus says in John 14:26. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

This tells me that I don’t need a college degree, a study guide, or someone else to tell me what God’s Word means because there can’t possibly be a better teacher than the Holy Spirit and He’s going to teach me.  And for those who would say, “well He was talking to His disciples and since the disciples are dead, this has passed away.” I say the Holy Spirit that lives in me is the very same one that raised Jesus from the grave. The Holy Spirit is eternal.

You just can’t go wrong trusting God.  You either believe Him or you don’t, there is no other option.  The Bible is not a salad bar that you may pick and choose which Items you want to keep and what foods you wish to skip.

This sort of shopping cart mentality is wrong and it robs God’s people of beautiful blessings. It deprives believers of receiving the fullness God has for them.

Blessings to you and yours. May the Word of God spring to life for you.

Barbara

What a mess the church is in. For quite some time now, satan has been living up to his name “the destroyer” by getting Christians to turn on one another, . It’s nothing new but all of this terrific modern technology makes it happen fast and easily.

I love to read my Bible.  It answers all of the important questions in life.  And I believe everything it says. For instance, in John 8:31-32 my Bible says, -  Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

It’s good to be free.  When I read God’s word I’m liberated. I’m glad that God reveled the truth to the simple minded.  And I’m glad that the Holy Spirit is able to teach me all things.  How do I know that?  In John 14:26 Jesus says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” I’d rather have the Holy Spirit as my teacher, than  any preacher or any Bible study book.  I want to know what Jesus says, not what some other fallible human like myself thinks. Jesus keeps it simple.  Man makes a mess of things.

I did a little search regarding the Baptism by the Holy Spirit and the accompanying signs and wonders.  I believe all of it because my Bible tells me it’s true and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).  But surprise, surprise, some of the people who are teaching in churches these days and spreading their messages on the internet, must read a different Bible than I do.    Their Bible must let them pick and choose which gifts they want for today and which they want to send into ancient history as irrelevant and not for today, because that’s exactly what they are teaching. There’s some serious misleading going on by Bible teachers and pastors, something that my Bible says there’s a penalty for.

But then there are the unsavory characters who have been abusing the gifts of the Holy Spirit with unsightly displays and weird claims.  They’ve taken huge liberties, and made big names for themselves.  But my Bible tells me to give the glory to God, not to man.  There’s a penalty for glorifying yourself….

And the two groups war against one another. It’s nasty and ugly with accusations and name calling.  And there is a lot of mistreatment of the Holy Spirit from both sides.  One side denies the work of the Holy Spirit and the other makes Him look ridiculous. It looks to me like satan has gotten to both of these groups and they’re playing right along. Christians trying to destroy one another is a pretty ugly sight.

The sad result is that the battle is causing lack in the body of Christ; the lack of a deeper relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, the lack of healing and deliverance, and the lack of unity in the Spirit.

My Bible says, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Did I mention that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever?(Hebrews 13:8).

I wonder how God thinks we’re doing?

I’m not much for organized religion. I consider my self qualified and entitled to this opinion because I’ve spent a lot of time in church.

I grew up in the Methodist Church. I went to Sunday School in the morning, followed by church service. I attended Youth Fellowship in the evening and Confirmation Class whenever it was held. I learned the Apostles Creed, a little about Jesus, a lot about John Wesley and all about how to be a Methodist. And I learned about hypocrisy from a High School Band teacher who’d gotten angry at me for something I didn’t do. He called me horrible names, humiliated me in front of the rest of the band, and caused me to leave the band after playing the flute for 7 1/2 years. Then he served me communion on Sunday. He never did believe me and I entered community college as a voice major. I didn’t learn about salvation in the Methodist Church. I met Jesus at a Dave Wilkerson Crusade.

When I was 19 or 20 I attended an Episcopal Church. I was served communion a few times. They have communion a lot in the Episcopal Church. One day, the “father” told me he couldn’t serve me communion any longer unless I joined his church. That didn’t seem right to me and I didn’t think God agreed, so that was the last time I attended the Episcopal Church.

During the next 40 years I attended a wide variety of churches from nondenominational to several denominations. Non denomination churches sometimes stated that if you attended, you were a member. Others wanted you to take classes and join, something I actually did in the Assemblies of God. Each had it’s own set of rules and requirements for participation or to be “in good standing”. One non denominational church seemed to be based on memorizing scripture from the Navigators. Another was based on touchy feel-y hugs and embraces. In charismatic churches you were supposed to raise your hands during worship and speak in tongues. In others you kneeled. And in yet others raising your hands was met with horror. The Baptist Church condemned people who smoked or drank (see my 11/16/09 post Smoke, Smoke, Smoke Those Cigarettes ). All churches wanted you to attend every time they opened the doors, Sunday AM and PM, Wednesday, and any other day they had activities. In some churches that the noisier the congregation was the holier it thought it was. Children ran screaming to and from Sunday school. And the congregation tried to “summon up” the Holy Spirit as if He was a genie in a bottle. But in Matt.19:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.”

I attended Sunday school, church, Wednesday night, fellowship groups and study groups. And I attended crusades. I went forward to repent and confess and seek prayer whenever I could. I read, I studied, I worked, I taught, I cleaned stoves, I sorted used clothing, I helped, I memorized, and I joined. I sent my children to Christian School.

There was a person who had gouged out an eye because either he didn’t understand scripture or were demon possessed. I saw people who were mentally ill and just “tolerated”. I felt condemnation if I missed a church meeting. I listened regularly to the lectures about working in the church more. I head pastors who yelled and condemned and others that taught love and forgiveness. I watched as they cracked the whip over the congregations and manipulated them to work harder and give more. I saw people who were “slain in the spirit” and people who “danced in the spirit”. I saw pastors who were too busy to visit members in the hospital and other pastors who couldn’t wait for their media performances on radio and TV. I saw congregations with members who had great need, working to raise money so the pastor could take his family to Disney Land. Pastors with big cars, big homes, and big egos. Pastors talked about how many they were “running” in their congregations. I listened to Pastors who weren’t “called” and weren’t even saved. I knew pastors who could change what they said they meant in an instant. They all had big Easter celebrations (see my post on 4/13/08 The Easter Duck ) and most had Halloween parties. Some Churches were big with multiple services and TV screens and some were small. Each group was a “religion “ of it’s own and they all picked other religions that they decided were cults.

Organized religion is filled with rules and traditions that Jesus never intended for His children. The churches (pastors, elders etc) are like the Pharisees who followed the traditions of men. In Matt. 23:4 & 5 Jesus said “And they tie up heavy loads , and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men…..” Jesus was harsh to the Pharisees but he was gentle with the people that came to Him for help. In Acts, His followers pooled all their resources so no one had lack or need. Organized religion is so removed from the real church that it makes me wonder what Jesus must think of it.

The Truth is in the Bible and the relationship that I have is with Jesus. When Jesus died He suffered the penalty for our sins. He defeated satan and death through His resurrection. He offers salvation to us through His death and resurrection. He wants us to confess our sins and repent and to believe that He is the Son of God. He asks us to believe that He did what He says He did. John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God

Believing in Jesus and asking His forgiveness is the only way we can be saved. It’s not complicated and it doesn’t require being part of the whoop-la of an organized religion. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”

PTL

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Someone asked me recently, what kind of Christianity I prefer. Mmmm I thought, what kind? When you think about it, there are a lot of different kinds…….

My “kind” is totally based on Jesus as in Jesus Christ, the Christ in Christianity.  Without Him there isn’t any Christianity. Cover to cover, the Bible tells me everything I need to know about Jesus.

So what do I know about Him? He’s the Son of God, God who visited the world in the flesh. He was perfectly sinless but He was crucified for our sins, mine, theirs, and yours.  He was buried in a tomb and after 3 days He rose and He sits at the Father’s right hand.  He’s the one and only Savior. Jesus saved me when I asked Him to forgive me.  He is righteousness and the only righteousness that I have is because of Him, because He lives in me.  And my goal, every day is to become more like Him.  (I have a long way to go)

I don’t have any need to prove this to anyone.  I believe it and for me that’s really the end of the argument. Faith just isn’t something that can be easily explained but this is OK for me because the Bible tells me that God chose to reveal these things to the foolish, instead of the wise.  That describes me pretty well.

The only real way to describe the kind of Christianity I prefer is by stating what I believe (and don’t believe) and what I like (and don’t like).

I believe that Jesus created the world just like it is written in Genesis.  I’m not entirely sure about the length of time, after all the Bible tells us that with God a day is like a thousand years.  I don’t think I need to know how long.  I just believe that He did it. I also believe that Jonah was actually in the belly of the fish for 3 days… no dream…no allegory, but then remember, God revealed these things to the foolish instead of the wise.  I am content to take Him at His word.  And yes I believe Adam and Eve were real people and that Satan is real and his whole purpose on earth is to keep people from turning to Jesus and to ruin those who do. He creates a continuous battle for followers of Jesus, more so as time marches on, because he knows he’s going into the pit of fire. He’s a loser.

I believe that Jesus is coming back to claim His Church (His Bride) and like most Believers, I’d love to be raptured …but I guess that’s pretty selfish.  I believe Jesus is coming soon.  The signs are all around us and many of the prophecies have already been fulfilled.  I don’t mess with trying to figure out “when”.  That’s not my job.  My job is to be ready to go.

Knowing that Jesus is returning soon presents some difficulties for me in my daily life because there is a huge temptation to just want to pack it all in and wait for the Lord to return.  But I’m not supposed to do that either.  I’m supposed to be ready to go but working on my daily life.  Prepare to stay, be ready to go. I’ve gotten rather used to doing that. It takes balance.

Another difficulty that I have in my day to day life is trying to make sure that I’m working in the things I believe that God intends for me to do.  Sometimes my jobs don’t appear to have much significance but I believe if Jesus wants me to do differently, He’ll let me know. I tell Him regularly that I want to do what He wants me to do. I believe the real purpose for our lives is to worship God and have a relationship with Him.  I also believe He has another “working” purpose for each of us, a calling.

I believe in a big God.  I don’t trust people who need to cram God into a little cubicle or inside certain rules.  I believe that God is all powerful, all knowing, and all seeing and we are very limited in what we see and know.  Who are we to try to figure God out? None of us has all the answers.  We are all mistaken someplace in doctrine or practice.  I really prefer it that way because I believe God is in control of everything all the time.  I’m so glad He’s in control because any of us would make a huge mess of everything.  Look at what we’ve already done. Our best efforts to get anything right on our own are pitifull.

I believe in miracles.  That I’m saved is a miracle.  God delivered me from smoking. I believe in Divine Intervention as well as Divine Appointment, meaning I believe God intervenes and also that He sends certain people to us for very specific reasons and seasons. I also believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I have heard God’s voice.  It was probably through the Holy Spirit, but non the less it was Him and I cherish those times.  God speaks to us in a lot of ways, but hearing His voice is really amazing.

I believe there are signs and wonders and healings.  They are all discussed in the Bible and I believe they are all just as much for today as they were for Biblical times.  After all the Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus answers prayer.  I also know that the answers are not always yes and even if they are yes, we don’t always have the answers when we want them.  I believe God has a special timing that  frequently has nothing to do with our own timing.  I believe our job is to be obedient and wait on the Lord.

I believe that some folk are instantly and dramatically changed when they are saved and others change more slowly, but all of us spend our whole lives, after salvation, changing and becoming more like Christ.  We can’t make real changes without the help of the Lord but we work out our salvation daily. I also believe that when you are saved you should look for a way to be baptized ASAP, even if you were baptized as a child.  I don’t believe you need a pastor to be baptized.  All you need is another believer and water. Baptism is a picture and testament of new birth.

I’ve told you a lot about my kind of Christianity, so here are a few things that are not included in my kind.  I don’t believe that the organized church is the Bride of Christ.  In my humble opinion, any “religion” is corrupt and full of stupid rules and traditions that Jesus didn’t intend for us.  In many churches salvation through Jesus is not taught, pastors and teachers are not saved and the church is a scam.  Religion keeps many people from having a personal relationship with Jesus because the church becomes a barrier between the person and the Lord.  Most pastors are not called to shepherd the sheep. I believe the religions are full of the same types that Jesus called “whitewashed tombs”. Churches frequently hurt their parishioners, don’t take care of the need in their own congregation, and usually think they have the answer and the other religions do not.

The Bride of Christ is His Church and Jesus’ Church consists of His children, those who are saved by grace and washed in His blood. And while “assembling together” is a directive from the Bible, no where are we told that we must meet in a building.  And the only rules for believers are explained in the Bible.

Something else that isn’t part of my kind are preachers who yell, shout, and fall into that sing song type of preaching, brother. I won’t listen if a person can’t speak like a normal person. It’s just creepy.  And I have no use for most of the televangelists……snake oil salesmen.

I will share Jesus’ love for you with you but I won’t cram my “kind” down your throat.  Just as God is the one who softens peoples hearts to receive Jesus, He is also the one who will lead each of us to  the correct beliefs after salvation.  I read my Bible and I pray in my room with my door closed and the Holy Spirit teaches me.  And I assemble with my believing sisters and brothers when I am able.  My kind is pretty simple.