Study

Well I'm back from the Holy Day. I had a good Christmas. I hope you did too.

My sister gave me a 400th anniversary edition of The Holy Bible of 1611. It's a good one. Not one of those fakes that is just a KJV with a fancy cover. It's not the 400th anniversary of the KJV. But this is a good one. It is so nice to see all the original spelling and the introductory letters. And the complete Apocrypha including the stuff left out of the Douay version of 1610. (Or at least all that they had translated in 1611.) Christmas Eve I must have read Luke 2:1-20 five times. And a couple more times Christmas morning. I have been using it in my devotional time. The old spelling takes just a little getting used to. But it is worth it to see all the original footnotes and cross references.

My mom gave me a copy of "How to read the Bible for all its worth." I'm about half finished with it already. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to do some really serious study. I guess the best description I can give it is that it helps to see the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics and how to do both effectively and efficiently. I wanted it because it is required reading for most Theology degrees I have looked into. That's something I plan for 2011 Lord willing is to go back to school and study Theology. That's something I have always wanted to do. Mainly for the diploma but also to see what it is like to study under a formalized curriculum. My Pastor says going back to school might slow down my studies. But we'll see if God will open that door or not. I have other plans for 2011 Lord willing. I'll probably write about those next week.
My sister's boyfriend gave me a copy of "The Miracle of the Scarlet Thread" by Dr. Richard Booker. It is based on a sermon outline from 1961. The sermon was preached by Dr. W. A. Criswell at The First Baptist Church in Dallas Texas on New Year's Eve 1961. The story goes that every Sunday when it was time for the service to end Pastor Criswell would say to his congregation, "I seem to be out of time." So as a gift to him on New Year's Eve they told him he could start preaching at 8pm and preach until midnight. Then they would have a fellowship dinner in celebration of the New year. He began at 8pm preaching a sermon he had written that traces the blood of Christ from Genesis to Revelation. It is said that at midnight he looked out at the congregation and said, "I seem to be out of time." So the sermon went 4 hours and he never finished. I'm looking forward to reading it as soon as I finish the other book.

I know some people think I'm a geek for all the time I spend in study. But that's what moves me. I want to learn. I don't study to prove myself right or to prove someone else wrong. I study because I want to know the truth. And the truth will make us free. Amen? You will rarely ever learn the truth if you insist on having your Bible spoon fed to you. In fact you will probably just be fed false doctrine instead.

2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." KJV
I like this one too. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…" NKJV.
Some people say "Oh that's a bad translation because it says you don't have to study!" No No! That's a good translation because it gives a clearer understanding of what is in the Greek. It doesn't say don't study. It says be diligent! That means study and them some. What good is study if there is no learning? And what good is learning if there is no application? We are to do everything diligently to present ourselves approved before God. And this begins with study. But it must also include prayer, and living what we learn, and sharing what we learn with others. (Hence the reason for my blog.)

Peace and blessings to you all.
Shannon

Why I Celebrate

     This blog may be controversial for some people. I'm sorry if this offends anyone in any way. But I have to be honest. It is my duty as a Christian and my privilege as an American to tell the truth. Christmas is fast upon us. And I must address the issue.
     Like it or not I do celebrate Christmas. I celebrate it with respect for my Lord and Savior The King of Kings. It is a day set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ and the amazing gift that God has given to the people of this world. I am fully aware that December 25th is not likely the actual date of His Birthday. The actual date is more likely in the spring according to what the scriptures indicate. I do realize that He existed from the beginning of eternity and what we are celebrating is His birth into the flesh as Emmanuel. And I do realize that Christmas did come from some pagan origins that predated the birth of Christ thanks to the Roman Babylon. And that Christianity has just adapted the Holiday into a Christian religious Holiday. But I will celebrate Christmas. I am honoring my God and His Only Begotten Son when I do.
     It is not about the presents we give each other. Although we do give gifts in memory of the gift God has given us. It is absolutely not about Santa. Just pull the n out of the middle and slide it back and you have Satan. Although Saint Nicolas was a real person who took the commandments of God to give, give to the poor, give to the widows, give to the fatherless, and give cheerfully, and he took them very much to heart. But it's not about him. It's about the One who inspired him. It is not about reindeer. Although reindeer are real. They just can't fly. It is not about a snowman coming to life. It is about a murdered Savior King who came back to life.
     It's not "X-MAS". That is just an atheistic way of trying to offend Christians. The "X" is an ancient symbol. But it is not a symbol for "Christ". It properly stands for "That thing which is missing." So actually "X-MAS" is linguistically correct because when you spell it like that Christ is missing from Christmas. And I believe that will preach. And the word Mass does not mean "to send away". Although it is derived from a Latin word "missa" which is derived from another Latin word "mittere" which does mean "send away". The "mas" in Christmas comes from "mass" which is of pagan catholic origin. Still not necessarily good but it does not mean to "send Christ away". So if Christ offends you then all I can say is take down your lights and tree and return all the gifts and go back to work.
     And for those who call themselves Christians who believe I am going to Hell for celebrating Christmas I feel sorry for you. For one thing you don't know what a Christian is. You think you are Christian because of all your legalism. But that is not Christian that is Pharisee. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Romans 10:4) And besides that you are allowing the devil to talk you into giving up a beautiful Holiday where we can celebrate the birth of our Savior King and have a day or two of peace and good will. That is something this world needs all year and needs badly. The devil is stealing God from you. It is so sad to me. Two years ago I had a number of internet friends who drifted away over this and other similar issues. Like when is the real Sabbath day, what is the Hebrew name for Jesus, the Cross is a satanic symbol, if we don't live under the law of Moses we are not Christian, Paul was a false apostle, and all sorts of ridiculous little heresies like that. The devil blinded them and took the joy and freedom of their faith in God. And he led them into a life of labor in vain trying to save themselves. And all these issues would come up again in the spring when talk of Easter started. That is another pagan Holiday adapted by Christians. And I'll post another blog similar to this when that time comes. When you separate yourself from the children of God you are going to be led astray. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
     Don't take away the praise and honor that Christ deserves.
     Have a very Merry CHRISTMAS!
     Peace and blessings to you all.
     Shannon.

LUKE 2:8-15"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."

Never Give Up

     I was reading a devotional recently that talked about how Saul Paul of Tarsus was such a hardened man. He persecuted the early Christians with an intense zeal. Acts 8:3 says Saul "made havoc of the church" And the end of Acts 7 and Acts 8:1 shows Saul attended and approved of the killing of the deacon Stephen. Then in Acts 9:1,2 Saul is leading this "great persecution" mentioned previously in Acts 8:1,2. Saul was a hardened man. In his only defense he was confused about the truth of Christ and honestly thought he was doing a good work for the Lord. But he was hardened none the less. He was the last Pharisee or Jew of any rank that we would expect to see yielding to Christ only to become perhaps the most influential missionary in the history of the Christian Church. In Acts 9:3-22 we see that Saul met the resurrected Christ. And when he did he broke. We see his conversion and the beginning of his powerful ministry. From his earliest days of preaching Christ the Messiah he was preaching with such power and authority that even the most devout Jewish leaders were not able to argue his doctrine. Saul became known as Paul. And he became as zealous for Christ as he once was zealous against Christ. That is what God can do. I am reminded of a song that is beautiful and inspiring to me. "Even the Hardest Heart" by White Heart. It was on an album released in the late mid 90's. In the lyrics it says "Let's all stand together and pray for a shower of love for even the hardest heart…we're praying, believing, that even the hardest heart, even the hardest heart, will break like the dawn and be changed by the song of love. Even the hardest heart." That to me is beautiful. If you know someone who doesn't know Christ don't give up. Continue praying for them. James 5:16 says "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." The effectual fervent prayer is a highly active prayer. It is an efficient prayer. It is to be mighty in prayer. Pray fervently. Pray diligently. "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17. No one is ever so hard that God can't reach them. It is a sad truth that not everyone will yield to Christ. But if they won't bend God can break them. And when they break if they will finally call upon the Lord and yield to Christ then it is a beautiful brokenness indeed. So if you love Christ, and you love them, don't give up. Continue to pray for them. Continue to let the light of Christ shine brightly in your life. And continue to be ready to offer them the Gospel of reconciliation in love, patience, and understanding. Whatever you do, don't give up.
     May you be blessed, inspired, and encouraged.
     Peace and blessings,
     Shannon

Fulfilling His Joy

Philippians 2:1-11
"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

This is a beautiful passage of scripture that shows us how we really ought to behave within the body of Christ. Paul is telling the church at Philippi, and us, that we are to serve God with the right attitude and for the right reasons. In short, we are to be humble about it. Looking closely at what he is saying we can see that we first must be "likeminded". Paul is pleading with them to be in agreement. Or at least to be understanding of each other. Like-mindedness is to be in agreement. But he goes on urging us to have the same love. In this we cannot debate what love that must be. For a Christian there is only one love. And that is the love of Christ. If we do not share the love of Christ we are doomed from the start. Remember that John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," reminds us in 1 John 4:8 that "…God is love." And he also pointed out in 1 John 4:20 that if we say we love God but hate our brothers or sisters in Christ, then we are liars. So back to what Paul is saying in out text here, We are to love one another and be of one accord. This means we are working together for a common goal. What is that goal? To be like Christ, obedient to God, doing all things for His honor and glory. He says that we are not just to look after our own concerns but after the concerns of our brethren, and our church, as much as our own. When we humble ourselves and put others first, that is when we are truly being Christ-like. We see that Christ Himself came to earth in the form of a man of flesh and blood, and became a servant. He obeyed the Father all the way to the Cross. And in between he put His disciples and His Father before Himself. Remember when He washed their feet? (John 13) He humbled Himself because of His love for His disciples and His love for His Father. Again, Paul reminds us that when we are humble, and put others first, God sees this act of obedience, and He blesses us. Now we will back up to the third verse to see some of the meat in this passage. Paul says not to do anything through "strife or vainglory". This is the key that I really wanted to share here. We are not to do anything from as desire to prove ourselves better than someone else. This is self-righteousness. And we are not to do anything to debunk or belittle someone else. This is strife. And it leads to divisions among our brethren. This is bad. And unfortunately it is something we see far too much of. We are also reminded that whatever work we do is for the honor and glory of God the Father and Christ His Son. We are not to be working for our own praise or to magnify ourselves. This is vainglory. Remember Christ said if we do these things for the honor and praise of men then we have our reward. (Matthew 6:2-16) We must humble ourselves and do all that we do for the honor and glory of Christ. It is Him that the world needs to see, not us. It is Him who can save, not us. It is Him who deserves the praise, not us. Paul told his readers that by doing this they would fulfill his joy. And we would do well if we would realize that in following the teaching in this passage of Scripture, we will be giving the same joy to Christ our Savior.
And just a short reminder; None of this is for our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and sealed by the Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30)
I hope this will bless and inspire you.
Peace and blessings to you all.
Shannon

The Faithful Man.

The Faithful Man.
(from Faith for the Family Journal February/March 2007 Volume 1 / Issue 1)
(more resources at FaithfortheFamily.com)

The Faithful Man…

Is strong in the Lord.
"…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1

Commits to faithful men what he has learned.
"…commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2

Stands firm during hardships.
"…endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 2:3

Refuses to be entangled with this world.
"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…" 2 Timothy 2:4

Seeks to please Christ in all things.
"…please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:4

Strives lawfully obeying God's commands.
"…yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." 2 Timothy 2:5

Continues laboring for the Lord and reaps the fruit of his labor.
"The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits." 2 Timothy 2:6

The faithful man is faithful to God in his personal walk, in his home, and in his church.