Serpents of Brass

So, the story goes something like this: children of Israel really tick God off (what else is new right?), He sends fiery serpents into the camp, Moses hears from God and makes a brass serpent, the serpent is risen in the camp, all who look on the serpent are healed, and everyone lives happily ever after. Right?

Actually WRONG!!! Would you believe they ended up taking that brazen serpent and making a god out of it? Yeah, they offered incense to it and worshiped the thing (2 Kings 18:4). Now what exactly went through those people's minds? It's crazy, but then you really have to step back and think about it...

We do the same thing all the time...Just look at the history of the progressive revelation of truth throughout the ages. First, Martin Luther came out of Catholicism and was able to return to more Biblical truth. But he didn't continue on. Instead, he took the truth that was right and good and made a god out of it instead of letting it lead him into further and deeper understanding and revelation...

It goes on throughout history. Men were led of God to a point, but then the buried their stakes in the ground and established a "structure" around the revelation given them instead of continuing to allow God to lead them further and further into fullness of truth.

We MUST NOT allow ourselves to get bogged down in the traditions of men, but rather be thankful for everything we've been given and we've received of God, but at the same time we must always be ready for God to lead us into more and more understanding, knowledge and revelation of HIM....

Lead me on Jesus, lead me on...

Hide And Seek

Remember the good old days, running around the playground or house, not a care in the world, playing games and having a great time? There was always that kid who cheated when you played. He'd always be moving during Freeze Tag or peeking while folks hid when you played Hide and Seek...

Well, the whole thing really gets me thinking...Jesus really gave us a way to "peek" when it comes to our lives and the salvation that He's so graciously provided. Just look what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:3:

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

If the truth of God's Word and the saving power of the death, burial, and resurrection is hidden from anyone, it's from those that are lost...But through Jesus Christ, we can see the truth, after all, Jesus said it was His job "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) Now we're able to understand we can't be saved without obeying the gospel through repentance, baptism in Jesus name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost...

But let's look a little further...

John 9:5 - Jesus said as long as He's in the world, He's the light of the world

Matthew 5:14/Philippians 2:15 - Jesus and Paul both show the saints are the light of the world

The man, Christ Jesus, in bodily form is no longer in the world, but He remains in the world through the church, filled with His Spirit (the Holy Ghost), so now it's our job to be the light that finds people, shines the light of truth, and calls people out of darkness into His marvelous light!!!

Riding With Strangers

Hebrews 13:9 warns, "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." It's crazy how even while the apostles were still alive so many false doctrines, false Christs, and false teachings were running rampant. Paul warned of people teaching "another Jesus" in 2 Corinthians 11:4, as well as "another gospel" in the same verse and in Galatians 1.

With so many religions and denominations to choose from out there, it almost feels like we're in the buffet line at Morrison's. So how do we know who's right? After all, they vary in so many ways, it's IMPOSSIBLE that everyone's right...

The important thing to remember is to stay in the Word of God. The Bible is our benchmark and according to Ephesians 2:20, we're built on the foundation of the apostles, so their teachings are what should guide us.

But even that can be difficult, right? Even old Satan quoted scripture when tempting Jesus (see Matthew 4:6). And since the truth is not in him, we understand fully that even the Bible can be a lie when taken out of context or used in the wrong manner...So what's the answer?

2 Timothy 2:15 says to study while Ephesians 5:10 says to find out what pleases the Lord (NIV). Finally, Romans 10:14 asks how they can hear without a preacher...

God has given us the Word of God and His Spirit to lead and guide us; He's also provided godly men and women to help show us the way. The important thing is to never feel you've "arrived" and are unwilling to accept more of God. If the Bible says it, study it, look into it, and DO IT!!!

This is the only way we can truly decipher the truth among the tantalizing schmorgesborg of strange doctrines...

Multiplication

Be fruitful and multiply; it's the first thing God told man to do. It's the first thing He gave living creatures the ability to do (bring forth after their kind). It's the thing He expects every newborn babe in that enters the Kingdom of God to do...

No, I'm not talking about fulfilling some quota for population growth, at least not naturally, but rather I'm talking about Jesus' charge in Matthew 28:19 (NIV), "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." Truly, God is all about multiplication...

The job of EVERY saint of God is to reach out to this lost and dying world and give them what we have. In fact Jesus said two things that underscore this point emphatically:

Hey said, "freely ye have received, freely give" in Matthew 10:8...

He instructed that "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" in Luke 12:48.

All throughout the scripture we see the apostles going into the world and making disciples, just look at the book of Acts, they were on fire!!! Look at the language Peter used in Acts 3:6 when the lame man was healed:

...such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

First, we see it's important to have something to give, but we'll cover that at another time, but look what he did, he gave it away just as Jesus said in Matthew 10:8...

So take some time today, tomorrow, next week, and at every opportunity (Galatians 6:10) to reach out to this world and give Jesus away in prayers, blessings, and encouragement. You never know who that next DISCIPLE may be...

Heavy Sleepers

Okay, we all love sleep in some way, shape or form, but have you ever seen (or are you) the type of person who is a REAL sleeper, I'm talking the type that you need an air horn and ice water to wake up in the morning? I know one person who, while sleeping, had someone trip and fall on top of them and they still didn't wake up...Crazy...

But on the same token, there are so many people, good people who, in their own way love God, but they've slipped into a deep slumber...It's not really all that difficult; it can happen to anyone. The cares of life, just the day-to-day activities of work, family, school, etc..., can creep in and lull us into spiritual sleep sometimes. Mix that with the spirit of error that's enticed many people into very appealing, yet false doctrine, and viola!!! You have a bunch of sleepwalkers.

But Ephesians 5:13-15 warns us:

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

The apostle warns us here to awake out of our sleep (which is really leading to spiritual death)...And then he says to walk not as fools but in wisdom...

That's really what it takes to live for God, walking in wisdom, soberly as I Peter 5:8 tells us...So stop hitting that spiritual snooze button, awake, arise, and let your soul LIVE!!!