Morning Walk
I try to put in 3 miles a day at dawn, and the more I walk the more I like it. This morning the dawn broke all blue and gold over Moekle's Pond, all misty over the cold water. Geese just floating on the still water and the trees bronze, gold and red. It was cold and lovely. My iPod shuffle gave me the perfect soundtrack just to seal the deal. I decided I'd make a YouTube playlist of the some of my favorite songs: Enjoy:
Ginny Owens - Call Me Beautiful (blind and brilliant Christian singer-songwriter)
Tony Melendez - All Creation Worships You (I just found out this guy doesn't have arms!)
Kari Jobe - Revelation Song (It takes the best singer around to carry this one off)
Matt Maher - Christ Is Risen (Could there be a better sunrise song?)
Chris Tomlin - How Great Is Our God (Good to see the master worship leader at work)
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sharia Law
The BBC report on an example of Islamic Sharia law at work. How many chocolate bars is a hand worth?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11559750
The BBC report on an example of Islamic Sharia law at work. How many chocolate bars is a hand worth?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11559750
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Try Praying
A great initiative to open up outsiders to a spiritual life and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Simply...try praying:
http://www.trypraying.org/
A great initiative to open up outsiders to a spiritual life and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Simply...try praying:
http://www.trypraying.org/
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Ancient Power
As I pray for Dick today, as he spends the next several days in hospital, and as I confess my own sin and need of forgiveness and healing, I came across this is an email. I hope Father blesses you through it too:
He is present to heal the broken in heart and to bind up his wounds. His touch has still its ancient power. Still does the gracious Master speak with authority, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." And immediately she is made straight. Then why do so many spiritual cripples leave the synagogue cripples still? Because they do not give the Healer a chance. John Henry Jowett
As I pray for Dick today, as he spends the next several days in hospital, and as I confess my own sin and need of forgiveness and healing, I came across this is an email. I hope Father blesses you through it too:
He is present to heal the broken in heart and to bind up his wounds. His touch has still its ancient power. Still does the gracious Master speak with authority, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." And immediately she is made straight. Then why do so many spiritual cripples leave the synagogue cripples still? Because they do not give the Healer a chance. John Henry Jowett
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Today in my message I mentioned the Hindu ritual Thaipusam. Here are a couple of representative images:
To Jesus Christ be all the glory honor and praise that he has lifted the horror of Kamic Debt from us by the freely given atonement of His blood. We are free from the guilt of sin, and free from the obligation to sin. Amen.
To Jesus Christ be all the glory honor and praise that he has lifted the horror of Kamic Debt from us by the freely given atonement of His blood. We are free from the guilt of sin, and free from the obligation to sin. Amen.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Considering Christian Zionism. Part 2: The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ
The Holy Bible has 4 theological biographies of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are affirmed in the other letters and writings of the New Testament, and by hundred, thousands of other manuscripts and letters from the early church that all tell us the same amazing account: That Jesus Christ was fully a sinless man and also the very presence of God two natures in one human. That God - as a man, died on an execution cross and was utterly dead. That his blood was shed. That he was put into a cave/grave with a sealed stone for a door. Despite being guarded round the clock by Roman troops, he cam back to life two days after his death (that is, the third day) and appeared to hundreds of his supporters to teach and encourage them. He then returned to the invisible Godhead, promising to send another person of the Godhead - The Holy Spirit - to live inside our deepest selves.
All of this happened over the Jewish feats of Passover - which celebrates the sacrifice of a perfect lamb and the sprinkling of the lambs blood on the wooden uprights and crosspiece of the doorway of your house, in order to avoid being harvested by the angel of death.
So Jesus's blood - similar to the lamb's blood - both of them blameless and 'perfect' - was sprinkled on the wooden upright and crosspiece of the execution cross. Like the High Priest sprinkling the blood of an unblemished lamb on the mercy seat at Zion, so Christ was sacrificed to expiate the guilt of our sins, and provide a safe doorway for us to walk through, and so the angel of death would hold no fear for us.
As if that wasn't clear enough, at the moment of his death, the curtain separating the Holy of Holies was ripped, thus undoing the separation of the Holy of Holies and the people of God - indeed all people. The Gospels tell us the curtain was ripped from the top - as if to emphasize that no man was ripping it - but God was. Not only then was the Glory of God released into all the world - from Zion, but all the people could no enter into the Holy of Holies. This is very important for our consideration of what Zion means to Christians. God was saying that the Holy of Holies was no longer necessary. The Old Testament sacrificial system was no longer necessary. The Ultimate Sacrifice had been made - Jesus Christ - God Himself - the once-for-all-time sacrifice. As Romans 8:1 tells us - there is now no reason to be continually going to Zion - Zion has come to us.
This is theologically beautiful. Of course, Zion and the Temple were for-shadows of what God was doing all along in Christ. Our coming to Zion with sacrifices was a temporary remedy for sin - it had to be repeated every year. Jesus' sacrifice was once for all time - for all people - who would recognize it for themselves. What man could not do - God did for man.
This beauty is completed when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost - the Holy Spirit - also referred to in the Bible as the Spirit of Jesus is given to all believers. He is the very presence of God - the Glory of God - yes the very same one who dwelt between the wing tips of the cherubim at Zion - now lives in our hearts - where our human Spirit touches the Divine Spirit - in the heart of new-creation redeemed Christians.
The only theological conclusion is that Zion is now the very core of every regenerated (born again) follower of Jesus Christ - our hearts. This is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
As if to hammer this point home, the writings of Paul in the Bible refer to us - the church as the temple of God - and each Christian as a 'living stones' that build up the temple.
Zion is geographically a hill in Jerusalem, Israel. Theologically it is the heart/mind of every Christian.
This means that for Christians places are important, sure, but they have no ultimate significance. Muslims and Jews cling to geographical places because that is all they have. To followers of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is given. To us who bow the knee and submit ourselves to King Jesus - to us is given the indwelling glory of God. Together as church we guard our unity and build each other up -for the church is the body of Christ - where the fullness of God dwells.
The Holy Bible has 4 theological biographies of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are affirmed in the other letters and writings of the New Testament, and by hundred, thousands of other manuscripts and letters from the early church that all tell us the same amazing account: That Jesus Christ was fully a sinless man and also the very presence of God two natures in one human. That God - as a man, died on an execution cross and was utterly dead. That his blood was shed. That he was put into a cave/grave with a sealed stone for a door. Despite being guarded round the clock by Roman troops, he cam back to life two days after his death (that is, the third day) and appeared to hundreds of his supporters to teach and encourage them. He then returned to the invisible Godhead, promising to send another person of the Godhead - The Holy Spirit - to live inside our deepest selves.
All of this happened over the Jewish feats of Passover - which celebrates the sacrifice of a perfect lamb and the sprinkling of the lambs blood on the wooden uprights and crosspiece of the doorway of your house, in order to avoid being harvested by the angel of death.
So Jesus's blood - similar to the lamb's blood - both of them blameless and 'perfect' - was sprinkled on the wooden upright and crosspiece of the execution cross. Like the High Priest sprinkling the blood of an unblemished lamb on the mercy seat at Zion, so Christ was sacrificed to expiate the guilt of our sins, and provide a safe doorway for us to walk through, and so the angel of death would hold no fear for us.
As if that wasn't clear enough, at the moment of his death, the curtain separating the Holy of Holies was ripped, thus undoing the separation of the Holy of Holies and the people of God - indeed all people. The Gospels tell us the curtain was ripped from the top - as if to emphasize that no man was ripping it - but God was. Not only then was the Glory of God released into all the world - from Zion, but all the people could no enter into the Holy of Holies. This is very important for our consideration of what Zion means to Christians. God was saying that the Holy of Holies was no longer necessary. The Old Testament sacrificial system was no longer necessary. The Ultimate Sacrifice had been made - Jesus Christ - God Himself - the once-for-all-time sacrifice. As Romans 8:1 tells us - there is now no reason to be continually going to Zion - Zion has come to us.
This is theologically beautiful. Of course, Zion and the Temple were for-shadows of what God was doing all along in Christ. Our coming to Zion with sacrifices was a temporary remedy for sin - it had to be repeated every year. Jesus' sacrifice was once for all time - for all people - who would recognize it for themselves. What man could not do - God did for man.
This beauty is completed when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost - the Holy Spirit - also referred to in the Bible as the Spirit of Jesus is given to all believers. He is the very presence of God - the Glory of God - yes the very same one who dwelt between the wing tips of the cherubim at Zion - now lives in our hearts - where our human Spirit touches the Divine Spirit - in the heart of new-creation redeemed Christians.
The only theological conclusion is that Zion is now the very core of every regenerated (born again) follower of Jesus Christ - our hearts. This is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
As if to hammer this point home, the writings of Paul in the Bible refer to us - the church as the temple of God - and each Christian as a 'living stones' that build up the temple.
Zion is geographically a hill in Jerusalem, Israel. Theologically it is the heart/mind of every Christian.
This means that for Christians places are important, sure, but they have no ultimate significance. Muslims and Jews cling to geographical places because that is all they have. To followers of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is given. To us who bow the knee and submit ourselves to King Jesus - to us is given the indwelling glory of God. Together as church we guard our unity and build each other up -for the church is the body of Christ - where the fullness of God dwells.
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