Gold, Silver And Precious Stones Or Wood, Hay And Straw?

Many years ago before I had acknowledged God in Christ, I was acting as armed security on a truck resupply convoy en-route to the docks of Saigon to pick up supplies for my Army unit based eighteen kilometers to the North. I had volunteered for this before as it afforded me time for a nice steak dinner at the Continental Palace Hotel, a rather ritzy place, rather than the usual army fare and C-rations. Following that, I always had time to kill as the trucks were being loaded and I’d make it a point to visit a bar close by where I had met a rather homely bar maid with a pocked marked face. She spoke good English and informed me right away that she was not a prostitute as some there were because she was a Catholic, I admired her for her convictions. She would help me wile away the time with a few games of 500 Rummy as we engaged in small chat. On this, my third and final trip as convoy security I discovered that my friend had been hospitalized with a stomach illness and so I paid the establishment owner to release one of the bar girls to accompany me to the hospital and help find my friend. 

We sped down the tree lined boulevards riding in a cycle-o, which is essentially a rickshaw pushed by a motorcycle where one’s own shinbones act as the front bumper in the event of an accident. The hospital was a French building with a few private rooms and large bays in the wings with patients two to a bed, head to toe. I located my friend and as I enquired about her health she began to sob. She was fearful that she wasn’t going to get well. She had indentured herself to the bar for a large sum of money following the death of her father in an effort to support her mother and younger siblings. I discovered that the Vietnamese doctor spoke English and I asked him to get her into a private room, then I gave him a large roll of cash in US dollars and told him that I expected him to take good care of her and not to spend the money on himself or in the black market or I would find him and kill him later. I bid my friend goodbye and assured her that she would be well cared for, the girl and I returned to the bar. I paid off my friend’s total indebtedness to the bar owner and proceeded to meet the truck convoy which was ready to head back north. 

Now I know that people reading this unusual story would think it was an act of righteousness but in retrospect that’s not the case at all. Since I didn’t know God or have any regard for His Son Jesus at the time, it was merely an act of self righteousness not done out of a love for God, but out of pity for the woman and the realization that I might die in some God forsaken jungle or rice paddy before my tour of duty was up and the money would rot away in my pockets. Besides there was yet another motive, if I died perhaps what I did for the woman would give me some good points in whatever afterlife there might be, I was simply hedging my bets.

The Apostle Paul makes a clear statement about such short sighted thinking. (Romans 10:3)  “For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

True righteousness doesn’t come from ourselves but from God through faith. 
(Hebrews 11:7) By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.

And again, (James 2: 23) and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.

(1 Corinthians 3: 11 - 15) For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Like Paul I have come to the place where I count all former good deeds I had done before acknowledging God through Christ as so much dross based on various selfish motives and a total waste in terms of what may be considered the righteousness brought about by God which is lasting and is counted as “gold silver and precious stones” before the judgment seat of Christ.

Paul expresses these same thoughts in his letter to the church at Philippi.
(Philippians 3: 8 - 9) Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; 

(1Corenthians 1: 26 - 31) For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.” 

And we go on to no longer boast of ourselves but to boast in the Lord. 
(Ephesians 2: 8 -9) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not because of works, lest any man should boast

Prayer The Ultimate Act Of Faith

(John 3: 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.
This verse clearly indicates that God loves all of humanity and not just a select special class and that He has offered freely the gift of eternal life to anyone and everyone who believes in him so that they will not perish and live for eternity.
(John 1: 12) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Unfortunately there are many who refuse to believe in Him and receive him and although many seem like fine people, they are opting for eternal death over eternal life. This condition exists solely due to a total lack of faith, there is no sin black enough to keep anyone from the love of God and from receiving the free gift of eternal life other than one’s own stubborn willfulness and refusal to accept God’s grace.
When Jesus appeared to his disciples following his resurrection he spoke to Thomas who had believed that Jesus had died and was simply rotting in his grave.
(John 20: 29) Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

This identifies the basic reason why the heavens just don’t burst open in a sudden brilliant kaleidoscopic light event showing the Creator and all the glories of heaven, because God requires us to believe through faith which comes from a deep inner desire to know Him and not by way of some cheap quick acknowledgment by those whose hearts remain unchanged and who continue to rely on their own righteousness rather than the righteousness of God imparted through Christ. Herein lies the reason for prayer, because it is in and of itself an ultimate act of faith!

(James 5: 13 - 16) Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

So often people pray fervently for the total healing of a loved one who is dying with a cancer ridden body, or for someone who was horribly injured in an accident. When that person dies some who prayed fervently will become bitter, feeling that their prayers had been ignored or that God wasn’t listening, or even worse that God may not really exist. The sad truth is that we are only human with finite minds set primarily on the present, their prayers were actually answered and their loved one is with God, complete and whole just as requested. 
(Luke 18: 1 - 8) And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’ For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Jesus made it a clear point that God will answer prayer but then asks if when He returns will He find faith on earth? (Will we still be praying or will we have faithlessly given up and quit?)

Jesus gave us an example of how we should pray when he said “Our Father who is in heaven, holy is your name…” And sadly the intent and meaning of what Jesus had prayed has been rendered into something of a mantra that is mindlessly rattled off by many church members. Then there are those who love to lead others in prayer with flowery and pious renditions of their own which leaves one wondering if perhaps they want to be admired by others for their piety and eloquence at praying. But here then is what the Lord has no regard for and then also yet another example of how we should pray.

(Luke 18: 9 - 14) He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ 
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I do my most fervent praying while I’m in the shower with my exhaust fan running so that there is no one who can hear me other than God Himself and often times those prayers come with tears and an admission of what a pathetic human being I am. My family doesn’t need to hear these things as they lean on me to be the head of their household and strong for them. Little do they know that my strength doesn’t come from within but emanates directly from God in answer to my prayers.

What Is The Significance Of Baptism?

“Baptidzo,” a Greek word used in New Testament writings is translated and commonly pronounced baptize which literally means to dip, to immerse, to submerge, to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to overwhelm completely.

(Mark 1: 4 - 5) John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
(Matthew 3:11) John said,“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as Peter was preaching to the throngs he said the following: (Acts 2:38) And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

I was “baptized” as an infant many years ago by well meaning parents, however baptizing is a misnomer for what is more rightly called a “christening," a rite of claiming an infant for Christ and his church. This was advocated by Pope Innocent lll in the twelfth century, a practice later strongly disputed by Protestants as a deviation from the will of Christ. Note: from Pope Innocent III AD 1201, “The baptism of young children is not profitless, as circumcision made men members of the people of Israel, so baptism gives them entry to the kingdom of heaven.” This of course is preposterous because an infant cannot possibly hear and understand the gospel and make a conscious decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then wish to be baptized as an outward sign of that decision. Having made that decision later in life after having heard and understanding the gospel and with a sense of remorse for the sinfulness of life, I asked for God’s forgiveness and for Jesus to enter my heart and make me a new creation. Following that decision I was immersed in believer’s baptism as an outward sign of my decision before God and the congregation. 

New testament baptism corresponds with and relates us to the death and resurrection of Christ as we are immersed to signify a death to our old self and then raised to start a new life in Christ. The apostle Paul puts it most succinctly in the following: (Romans 6: 1 - 11) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This commentary is based solely on bible scripture as it is written.
(2 Timothy 3: 16) All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
And not on any church dogma! 

Believing + Repentance + Obedience + Trust = True Faith

True faith is a package deal which entails more then just a mental ascent to the existence of God and His Son Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 16: 13 - 17) Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Here is where Peter stated his belief in Jesus.

Even today many say, “Oh I believe in God!” But so what? Belief for many is merely just a head knowledge based on a record of biblical history. 
(Matthew 8: 28 - 29) “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” The demons that spoke out through these two unfortunates knew who Jesus is but they were no better off because of their belief because they were evil, unrepentant to the core and had been consigned to the netherworld for eternity. 
(James 2: 18 - 20)  “But someone will say, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?” 
So then faith, that is believing in our heart then requires some evidence, an outflowing of obedience.
The first step is repentance. When we come to a mental understanding of who Christ is and how God arranged for his suffering and death on the cross instead of us and for the sins of our lives, then the next step entails repentance as we begin to understand how repugnant the acts and motives behind some of the things we do and say are in the eyes of God. We should then have a desire to turn away from our previous ways, this then becomes an act of obedience. That is not to say that we will ever become perfect in this life, but because of our response to Christ we are imbued positionally and sealed forever with His righteousness for salvation.
Finally with that comes trust, we have shifted our trust from ourselves and our own faulty brand of righteousness to that of the righteousness of Christ himself being totally sufficient as the expiation for all of our shortcomings in this life. Not that we are in any way perfect, we are always subject to shortfalls and sins in this world. However God understands our nature and has provided for our shortcomings.
(1 John 2: 1 - 3) “My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

These commandments aren’t something cast in stone but is that which becomes written on our hearts in knowing Jesus and as we begin to live out what we know to be right, then we are really experiencing true faith.

The One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand

(Revelation 7) “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand of the tribe of Naph′tali, twelve thousand of the tribe of Manas′seh, twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Is′sachar, twelve thousand of the tribe of Zeb′ulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.”

John, in exile on the Isle of Patmos by the Roman Emperor Diocletian had a vision of what would happen in the final days of the church. All that we understand about this passage is that one hundred and forty-four thousand Messianic Jews, those who believe in and acknowledged the lordship of Jesus the Messiah, will be sealed against the catastrophic events of the great tribulation while preaching to the unsaved. I believe that event is not so far off and frankly I am impressed with a Messianic Jewish organization that indirectly led to my own salvation back in 1976 when a certain Jewish-Christian woman “Evie” was a big influence on my decision to receive Christ. She later introduced me to “Jews for Jesus” an organization that is currently witnessing predominantly to Jews and others in various countries around the globe. At this moment they are making an impact on the Jewish population of Israel where they have opened a chapter office and are leading Israeli Jews to their Messiah. I just finished a wonderful online chat with “Laurie” a believer for three years and a member of Jews for Jesus, I shared this heartfelt comment concerning how much of our lives will only amount to wood hay and stubble before the judgment seat of Christ, and though we tend to make investments and lay up stuff for this life, we seldom consider the future beyond. I firmly believe that investing in the stock market schemes of Wall Street will never match the dividends from investing in this ministry that is so instrumental in changing the direction of so many Jewish lives and the lives of others as well. I believe that the mission of Jews for Jesus has a direct connection to the one hundred and forty-four thousand spoken of in the Book of Revelation. I am sharing the address for those who want to partnership by supporting this dynamic organization, this is by far the best investment of a lifetime!

Jews for Jesus | 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 | Phone: 415-864-2600

The Obsession Of Being Liked

Ever wonder how Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at age 32 is so successful and fabulously wealthy with an estimated net worth of 38.6 billion dollars? The answer is that he knows how important it is for people to feel that they are liked and that they have friends. Anyone who has a Facebook account has experienced being “Liked” and “Friended” by numerous people and have in turn “Liked” and “Friended” many others. Facebook is a “feel good” website that has attracted untold millions of like minded people, being liked has become an National obsession in the United States and to many others the world over. 

There are many who are members of civic organizations, some are members of churches or synagogues, and those who are involved in great philanthropic works, many of these don’t really care as much about what they are involved in as it is a means by which they will be noticed and praised by others, to be liked, respected and seen as a member of an acceptable and well respected organization and as a potential friend.

The need to be seen in the positive light of being friendly and likable has been partially responsible for driving the nation into a form of Orwellian social and political discourse referred to as “Political Correctness” speak, whereby every discussion is dripping with proper niceness, caring always that no one’s feelings are ever hurt by any impropriety. Derogatory terms for people of color or those of the opposite sex, a different sexual or gender proclivity are also taboo although lying skillfully is now considered appropriate.
All of this has reconfigured the mindset as to what constitutes civility, the upshot of this has evolved into a mindless group-think generation of Lemming-like drones who have lost their own individual capacity to think and reason. This then explains why a virtual unknown with dubious credentials can be elected into office as President of the United States, not once, but twice and is able to override the Constitution and dismantle what has been called “The greatest nation on earth.”

When Christ entered the world he was not liked and was mistrusted by the same politically correct crowd of upright self righteous social and religious organization members that we have today. They were the Pharisees, members of the local synagogue who enjoyed being seen by others as righteous people, they in turn hated him and eventually sought to have him put to death. 
(Matthew 27:1) all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

There were three other groups, the Sadducees who believed in neither heaven or hell and were doubtful about the existence of God, the Zealots who were anarchists and hated the oppression of government, and the Essenes who lived apart in cloistered communities, they are all still with us and can be seen as four distinct representative groups comprising current society which is unknowingly being deceived through it’s all-consuming obsessive interests, forever obscuring the truth of the reason for their existence. On the other hand Jesus who is the embodiment of the truth was not concerned about being liked nor did He expect everyone to be His friend. John the Baptist, Jesus’s Apostles and all true followers of Christ are covertly and sometimes overtly disliked and even hated by that same crowd. 

(John 14:6) Jesus said,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
Those that are true believers to the core are neither concerned about being “Liked” or “Friended” especially by those who willfully shun Christ and the knowledge of God. Group-Think and Political Correctness has rendered many incapable of making an intelligent decision to hate what is evil and love what is true and assimilate the knowledge necessary to make a commitment to Christ, rather they succumb to the mantra of a politically correct polite societal status quo.

(Matthew 7: 13 - 14) “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Murder Of Innocents

God knew each of us before we were in our mother’s womb, and He intends each to be born and have their place in the human family on earth before returning back to Him.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S40j3Oa3IIc

There will fall such evil upon this nation because the people have forsaken God, and have profaned this country by turning to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers had formerly known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents the days are coming when this people will fall before their enemies, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds and the beasts of the earth. This people will become a horror because of all their disasters, even so amen!
(A paraphrase taken from Jeremiah 19 as history repeats itself,  Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap)