In between studies... what difference does it make?

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Well, it fits the topic, so I'll pull the old faithful pic up again...

I have found myself pondering something this week, whilst I ruminate on the next study.  I think I have an idea of what it will be, likely another word study, but as I have pondered it I have found myself wondering why it is one of my passions to see folks enabled to pick up the Word and dig into it for themselves.

Several years back, I referenced some research done that indicated that, statistically, people who 'engaged' the Word at least four times a week had much fewer negative outcomes as life progressed...fewer divorces, fewer addiction issues (of all kinds), fewer instances of kids in various kinds of trouble...just, all in all, a much less traumatic life, while folks who indicated that they were followers of Jesus but did not 'engage' the Word often, it at all, actually had lives that were statistically no different than people who did not follow Jesus.

And 'engaging the Word' had three parts - 1) receive the Word, either through reading the Bible oneself, listening to an audio version, reading a book that discussed and expounded on the Word, or even listening to a teaching or sermon that expounded on the Word, 2) reflecting on the Word...that is, comparing the truth received to the way one is conducting one's life to see where the life doesn't match up and 3) responding to the Word...making corrections in the way one conducts oneself, perceives things, sets priorities, etc., so that one's life lines up to the truth received.

Step one is my soapbox.  Get into the Word.  Make it a priority.  Pay attention to what you read (all Bible study methods are basically gimmicks to help you pay attention, when you get down to it). BUT.

Steps two and three are not something that can be objectively taught.  Either someone is willing to think about what they're reading/ learning and applying it...or they're not.   Reading/ studying/ etc. is only truly beneficial if it is done for personal growth.  Not for weaponizing against someone else's ideology or action.  

Oh, of course, we are to study to show ourselves to be rightly handling the Word (2 Tim 2:15), but just reading the Word without applying the Word is...kinda pointless.

Jesus, in the 'house on the sand' parable - 

"Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?....The one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed, and its destruction was complete."   - Lk 6:46, 49, NIV 84; see also Matt 7:24 - 27.

James hits this concept pretty hard in his epistle:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  James 1:23

This is what he's talking about in chapter two, when he says 'Faith without deeds is useless' (James 2:20) and 'faith without deeds is dead' (James 2:26).  Not that your deeds are what make you a believer...but that anyone who follows Jesus will do what he said.  

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me....He who does not love me will not obey my teaching."  Jesus speaking in John 14:21a and 24a.

The plain truth is that while it is important to study the Word of God...studying it without allowing it to affect the way you live and work and interact with others is, well, not very profitable.

Reading the Word is the starting point.  To fully engage...it must be implemented.

But fully engaging the Word is statistically proven to make a difference.

Receive it.

Reflect on it

Respond to it.

Making Space...

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

This song has been on repeat since January...so much in it that speaks my heart.

And maybe it explains the last six Wednesday nights.

See, we do small groups at church on Wednesday nights.  Usually 10 weeks in the fall, and 10 weeks in the spring.  I have been teaching a class on some simple Bible study methods; We finished the spring semester on April 19.  But this year, the decision was made to do a 6 week 'minimester' to finish out the spring instead of doing the large group Bible study we have done in the past.  My class wasn't one that was asked to repeat/ continue for the short term, so I kinda was at loose ends to decide what I should do.

I didn't really want to jump into a class that was a continuation of what they'd been doing...and there were only a couple that were starting up new.  One was a marriage class, but I didn't really want to do that without My Sweet Babboo, who works in the boy's ministry on Wednesday nights.  I thought about doing the other, as it was being taught by one of my favorite teachers in our church, but it was material that I'd already covered when I took the ministry school classes.  What to do, what to do.  

Then, the Wednesday the mini-mester started, I had a sudden thought: Why don't I ask God what  I should do?  And then see if I get some kind of direction.

Y'all.  I prayed that little prayer and IMMEDIATELY heard in my spirit, 'Why don't you just spend that time with Me?'

What?  Skip church and come home and just spend the time with Bible and journal?  But even as I thought that I knew it wouldn't work...I had too many distractions.  Too many Things That Need to Be Done.  Well...could I just sit in my office at church and ...nope.  Too Many Things there, too.  But...no one was using the classroom I had been teaching in...

And suddenly, I had an idea for a small group named 'We Make Space -- Spending Time with God' in which we would NOT have a specific group time, per se, but after a quick devotional prompt we could all, like, spread out and turn the desks (it is an old school, and they left us the desks, lol) to the wall and each one spend the time with Bible, journal and Holy Spirit.

I wrote it up really quickly and emailed it to our life group pastors to see if they liked it.  But, I realized it was an extremely short notice...it hadn't been on the sign up lists, there would be no signage made...it wouldn't be easy to pull off.  So, I asked that, if we didn't promote it as a group, would it be ok if I used the classroom for some personal seeking time?

Then I grabbed my Message  Bible, because I wanted a version that I'm not as familiar with (and I'm not a big fan of The Message, but it works for a prayer prompt) so as to not be a routine read, my journal and my little blue tooth speaker and, on a whim, a book that I got a  while back but hadn't really gotten much into, and threw it all in a tote bag and headed for church, not really knowing what was going to happen.  

My hunch was right...there wasn't time for that to be a group, but it was no problem for me to use the room for my own seeking time.

I went up that night during the class time and shut myself into the room, turned on some music rather low so as to mask the conversation from the next room without disturbing them, and opened my books.

The book I'd grabbed at the last minute was  Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God by Chaim Bentorah. I had bought it thinking it would be an introduction to Hebrew or some such thing but it wasn't that at all.  It is a collection of articles or devotions based on different Hebrew words or phrases.  I had read a few when the book arrived and had found them thought provoking but hadn't really made an effort to dig into it.  I thought, since it was a devotional style, it might be good for a prayer prompt.

Guys.  Those Wednesday nights were AMAZING.  90 minutes of uninterrupted time with no distractions to focus on personal communion.

I did learn something about Hebrew from that devotional book.  Unlike English, where words are made up of letters representing sounds, Hebrew words are made up of letters representing concepts; the meaning of the word is tied up in the letters used to spell it; the pronunciation follows the spelling, not the other way round.  And most Hebrew words derive from a set of three-letter root words. It's incredibly complex and deeply layered.  So naturally, the words I studied all had much richer meanings than the simple English translation would indicate.

The words inspired journal entries that were conversations...I'd write a bit, then change the color in my four color pen and record the words that came to me as a response.  That is, as you can imagine, deeply personal...but it was inspiring and affirming and challenging and the six Wednesdays went by in a flash.

What I came away with, in a nutshell, is that the heart of God yearns for intimate communion with His people.  One of the words I studied is a word that can be translated 'hug'...and I left the classroom that night with a sense of inner peace the likes of which I don't think I have ever felt before.  It was profound....and it hasn't really left.  It's still there, under the surface. The Father's hug.  If I had gotten nothing else but that, it would still have been an amazing time.

I have to find a way to block out the distractions so I can continue that pursuit at home.

Which was, of course, the whole point of the exercise.  To make space...clear out the clutter...welcome Him...and to get accustomed to doing it so I could continue in less specific circumstances.

There is a PS to this...the small group pastors loved the concept, for all there wasn't time to pull it off this go round, so it will be something that I do with others as an actual group at some point in the future...

Faithful Fridays 2 - The Recap

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Disclaimer: I actually began compiling this last week, copying over all the Old Testament verses before I cut my finger.  When I came back, I  found that almost everything I had copied had weird formatting added and I had to edit it all.  Splinted, lol.  So, while I THINK I have gotten it all cleaned up, there may be a stray oddness here or there that I missed...

So.  It has been a journey....

I did this at the end the last time I did this little skim through the Bible project and found it to be very interesting.  No commentary...that's in the posts, but just a review of all the verses that jumped out at me as I skimmed my way through roughly a book a week.  I think all of them are from the NIV 84; if I have one from a different translation I'll note it.

So here we go:

Genesis 28:16 - When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.

Exodus 20:18 -  When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain covered with smoke, they trembled with fear.  They stayed at a distance,

Leviticus 25:18 - Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.

Numbers 14: 6 - 9 - Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.  If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.  Only do not rebel against the LORD.  And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up.  Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us.  Do not be afraid of them." 

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - When [the new king] takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Joshua 14:12 -"Now give me this hill country that he LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."

Judges 2:12b-16, 18-19 - They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the LORD was against them to defeat them; just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders....Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Ruth 4:9-10 - Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Killion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses."

1 Samuel 15: 19 -22 - [Samuel speaking] "Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"

"But I did obey the LORD, " Saul said, "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to devote them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

But Samuel replied, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

2 Samuel 24:24 - But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.

1 Kings 19:18 - "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel -- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

2 Kings 5:11 - 15 - But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."

1 Chronicles 16:29-31 - Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.

Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Tremble before him, all the earth!

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

2 Chronicles 31:1 - When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars through out Judah and Benjamin and Ephraim and Manesseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned their own towns and to their own property.

Ezra 8:21 - There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey four us and our children, with all our possessions.

Nehemiah 5:9 - So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?"

Esther 4:16 - "Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Job 36:21 - "Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction."

Psalm 1:1-2 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law meditates day and night.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14 - Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Song of Solomon 8:5 - Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover?

Isaiah 43: 1 - 3 - But now, this is what the LORD says -- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Jeremiah 2:19 - "Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

Lamentations 3:39 - 40 - Why should any living man complain when punished for his sin? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzer, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into this blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Hosea 6:6 - For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Joel 3:14 - Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Amos 5:24 - But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Obadiah verses 3 - 4 - "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, " declares the LORD.

Jonah 2:8 - Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs

Micah 6:8 - He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

Nahum 3:1 - Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!

Habakkuk 1:5 - "Look at the nations and watch -- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

Zephaniah 1:2 - "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.' "

Haggai 2:9 - "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house," says the Lord Almighty. "And in this place I will grant peace," declares the Lord Almighty.

Zechariah 2:10 - 11 - "Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you."

Malachai 3:5 - "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.

Matthew 24:10 - 13 - "At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Mark 12:29-30 - "The most important one,"  answered Jesus, "Is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD  your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'" 

Luke 16:31 - "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

John 1:1-3,14a - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made....and the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us"

Acts 1:3 - After his suffering , he showed himself to these men [the apostles he had chosen; v. 2] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 

Romans 1:16- I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 1:13 - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. 

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy --  think about such things. 

Colossians 1:15 - 18 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers of authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever. 

2 Thessalonians 2:10b - 12 - They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

1 Timothy 6:11 - But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness

2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth 

Titus 1:15 - 16a - To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.  In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.  They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.

Philemon verse 21 - Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

Hebrews 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise -- the fruit of lips that confess his name.

James 1:26-27 - If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

1 Peter 1:13 - Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

2 Peter 1:16 - We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

1 John 5:21 - Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

2 John verse 12 - I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink.  Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

3 John verses 7-8 - It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.  We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. 

Jude verse 4 - For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.  They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 

Revelation 16:17 - The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 

Yes.  It is done.

Friday Faithfuls 2 - Revelation

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

At last we have arrived at the final book in the Bible; we've skimmed through the entire Word.  It's been over a year and a half on this journey; next week I'll just post a list of all the verses that spoke as I skimmed through.

But this week... Revelation.  So deep.  The time table starts when the Lamb takes the scroll to open it.  Seven seals are opened, each a herald of an event or sign...and the seventh seal was seven trumpets, each trumpet a calamity, with the last three being so intense they are referred to as 'the three woes'...and the seventh trumpet portended the Seven Last Plagues....the Bowls of Wrath.  And with the last bowl, this is what we read:

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" -- Rev. 16:17, NIV 84.

I did a double take on that verse, because it made me wonder if the word there was the same as the word in John 19:30 ("It is finished!"),  tetelestai, from the root word teleo (Strong's G5055),  and I thought that would be a really cool note.  But the word for 'It is done' in Revelation 16 is ginomai (Strong's 1096).  I was a little disappointed that my hunch was wrong...until I read down through the list of references and discovered a different connection.

It's Matt 5:18 - "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

The word translated as 'accomplished' is...ginomai.

And that seems like an even more powerful connection than my idea would have been.  Rev. 16:17 reflects the fulfillment of Matt. 5:18.  At that point, EVERYTHING will have been accomplished, fulfilled, completed...done.

And I didn't even think along these lines when I went back to that verse, but...it's a good one to end the series with, lol. 

Done.

Friday Faithfuls 2: Jude

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi    

A spur of the moment decision to take a trip last weekend postponed the next-to-last post in the series...or maybe I'm dragging my feet a bit because I haven't decided what to do next? 

Jude is another Epistle that's measured in verses, not chapters. It's a general Epistle...written to the church at large, rather than a specific body or individual, although I'm sure that Jude had a specific audience in mind as he was writing.

It's a scorcher, y'all.  There were already folks in the 1st century who were perverting the Gospel to suit their own agendas, and Jude is...not having it.  According to church tradition, he was actually one of the younger siblings of Jesus, along with James, so he was an eye witness to everything that happened and would know heresy when he heard it.  He spends almost half of his letter (12 out of 25 verses) describing those he introduces in verse 4.

For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.  They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. 

Let's look at the actions these godless men, who have infiltrated the church, are taking:

1) They change the grace of our God into a license for immorality.

My friends, grace was never meant to allow us to continue in what God forbids.  And that's everything from sexual immorality to taking offense if someone unwittingly trips a trigger or carrying a grudge for a past hurt.  We are responsible for our behavior, and attempting to excuse such things because God's grace extends to us is a complete misunderstanding of what grace is.  Grace is there to enable us to do what we couldn't do otherwise...not wallow in behaviors that are not suitable for a follower of Jesus.  Grace is to help us overcome, not to excuse indulgence. God's grace is available to EVERYONE who will come, but it's there to help the individual change, not to enable immoral lifestyles.

2) They deny Jesus as the ONLY Sovereign and Lord.

Even then, there were those who were throwing shade on the claims of Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life  and the only way to the Father.  If this were a litmus test today for someone who teaches the Gospel...how many  teachers/ leaders/ preachers would fail?  This is typically not an issue in countries where followers of Jesus are persecuted, but in societies where being active in a church that presents as Christian won't cost someone a job or a home or his/her freedom or even life...there is an issue with the teaching that the ONLY way to God is through faith in Christ.  It's an extension of the first error...if God's grace is there to cover human misbehavior, then of course He will not exclude anyone just because they, for whatever reason, didn't follow the teachings of Jesus.  Now, I don't claim to understand how God looks at hearts, but the truth is...He knows who is truly following his son and who is not.  And folks who are counting on church activities to make them right with God are actually denying Jesus...because it's following Jesus, not being active in an organization that calls itself a church, that makes one acceptable.  He is, truly, the ONLY Sovereign and Lord.

Don't let 'certain men' convince you of anything else.

From the old files: The Call

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

A not particularly relevant picture of moonrise a few weeks ago...

I'm not even sure why I was digging around in obscure files last night but I stumbled across this bit;  I have no idea when I wrote it.  Years ago, I'm sure.  I don't remember writing it, so it hit me like a new thought, lol.  Strong enough that I thought it worth sharing...

Sometimes the call is loud and clear from a long distance.  It brings plain instruction for bridging the gap between the here and now and the there and then.   A plan to be walked out, diligently, to be in the right place at the right time.

Sometimes the call is a beacon, flashing, with no more than a direction.  Move towards the light.  Somehow the next bit of the path becomes apparent at the right time…a door opens, a door closes.  The way may not be straight but little by little, making it up as it goes, it seems, comes the surprise that what looked like a detour was actually the most direct route.

Sometimes the call is a whisper.  No far-off goal or dreams of the future.  Just a hint of where to set the foot next.  And then where to set the next.  And the next.  Not knowing exactly where the journey will end but trusting that it is going to be exactly where it should be.

And sometimes the call is to be still and wait. Because the end goal is a place that can only be reached if one is divinely carried.  Oh, sure, it would be possible to laboriously toil along in what appears to be the right direction, but, as He must carry the traveler to the end there’s no benefit to slogging and fighting until being picked up when it would be just as productive to rest and worship at the origin. Arrival Is in His timing in either case.

Your call isn’t my call. Sometimes my current call isn’t the call of ten years ago.  We can’t judge the validity of a call by its clarity or its effort. 

Only by the peace that comes from hearing His voice say, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’

Friday Faithfuls 2: 3 John

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Welp...after being so carefully anonymous about names in 2 John, our elderly apostle is throwing names around all over the place in his third epistle (did any other Chosen fans do a long speculative double take at 'my dear friend Gaius'???)  So either my speculation about his caution in the last post was way out in left field, or he didn't feel the need to be as cautious with this letter for some reason.  Perhaps Gaius is in a less risky location?  Who knows, lol.

But John's style is a bit different here. Whereas his previous letters had been to groups of people, this letter is written to one person. Like Paul's letter to Philemon, it's personal.  John relates the failings of one particular individual, commends another, but he especially commends Gaius for being hospitable to some traveling believers who related to John how well Gaius had treated them.

It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.  We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.  - 3 John 7-8.

I think that's an interesting contrast to a sort of similar passage in 2 John: "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.  Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work" (verses 10 - 11)

John equates hospitality and welcome as participating in the ministry. In the previous epistle, as part of his warning against false teaching, he cautions folks against even being hospitable or encouraging to folks who are preaching a different teaching.  But here...Gaius is warmly commended for being hospitable and encouraging to folks who are accurately sharing the gospel.

It's worth noting that there is a distinction between the teachings.  There is a difference in the way believers are to respond.  And it is scriptural.  There is teaching that is correct and we can 'work together for the truth' and teaching that is not correct, and anyone who supports that 'shares in his wicked work'.

John is not being tolerant here, y'all.  Not at all.

And I'm gonna be honest...when I picked that verse I had a whole different direction I meant to go, but typing it out it brought to mind the passage in 2 John.  I had never looked at them together before.  But the contrast is telling.

Be careful who you partner with in ministry. All teachings are not equally valid.  Make sure your support is going to those who are working together for what is actually...the truth.