An Unstable Way

At the beginning of the last NFL season, we all were horrified by the Ray Rice video. Unfortunately, this video showed Roger Goodell that Ray Rice only deserved a two-game suspension. And while the commissioner eventually did what I believe was the right thing with a suspension of a full season, it put doubt in my mind and many other fans minds about what was going on in the NFL. This video featuring Sportscenter anchor Hannah Storm entitled "What Does the NFL Stand For?" capped off an emotional week, one that many sports fans would rather forget.

Since then, several other suspensions have been handed down, most notably a ten-game suspension to Greg Hardy and a four-game suspension to Tom Brady. 

Hardy's suspension, for domestic violence.
Brady's suspension, for deflating footballs.

If that is where the suspensions ended, I would not be writing this article. Both suspensions were deserved. Both suspensions, I believe, were the proper length. But that is not where it ended. Greg Hardy's suspension dropped to four games. Tom Brady's suspension stayed at four games. How can we abide by such a double standard? Is deflating footballs really as bad as domestic violence? Is cheating in a game as bad as sexual assault?

I believe that unless we see a change in how the NFL operates in these situations, situations that really should never come into question, we may begin to see the collapse of the National Football League. James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." When a double standard comes in, we see collapse. Communism, a philosophy full of double standards and contradictions, has collapsed when it is practiced to its fullest. And even here, in our America, a double standard is raging. One cannot turn on the news without seeing some form of hypocrisy. Today, we are seeing the collapse of morals in the country that we love. 

And so today, I echo the sentiment of Hannah Storm and other sports fans: What exactly does the NFL stand for? What exactly does the Constitution stand for? What exactly does our history as Americans, the men and women who fought and died, the people who suffered for what was right, stand for?

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Video Source:
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Why We Do What We Do

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Tonight I wanted to take a break from the study that I have been doing and use this post to encourage you in whatever area of ministry you may be in.

Last week at my church’s Vacation Bible School, a little girl who in past years had always been right in the middle of everyone and having so much fun was feeling very down. About halfway through the week, I found out that her grandmother had died. On Thursday night after our Family and Friends program, she was sitting by herself on a log outside of our church. I felt God leading me to go and try to cheer her up. The next day, the final day of VBS she gave me a note with these exact words:

“Dear, Justan. Thank you for cheering me up last night. i really appreciate you being like a big brother to me. good luck on coledeg. i hope you will do good. well thank you Justan for cheering me up.”

When I read that note, I nearly started to cry. I didn’t do what I did to get recognized or anything. I did it because it was what God wanted me to do. That whole week served as a reminder to me of why we do what we do as Christians.

First, we do what we do to see the unsaved saved. During VBS last week, out of about 60 or 70 kids, 19 were saved. That’s more than 25% of the students that attended!!! Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That’s the main reason we live for after we are saved.

Secondly, we do what we do to comfort those who are hurting. God put me in a place where I could cheer up that girl at VBS.  Paul wrote in I Corinthians 14:26, “Let all things be done unto edifying.” Edifying is just a fancy word for encouraging one another. We shouldn’t be using our words, our actions, or our influence to tear someone down, but rather to build them up!

Finally, we do what we do to give honor and glory to God.  Psalm 100 is, I believe, one of the Bible’s best praise songs unto the Lord. There, David wrote, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” In fact, many of David’s psalms were songs of praise to God.

I hope this encouraged you in your walk with God today. Now go out and witness, encourage, and glorify God!!

I & II Samuel- Our Trusted Prophet

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For this study, we will not be so much looking at a specific scriptural passage, or even at characters in the books themselves (like Samuel and Nathan, who were trusted as prophets and spiritual leaders in the lives of the children of Israel). But rather we will be looking at the attributes that made these men trusted as prophets. Each of these fulfilled the characteristics of a true prophet, which were set by God in the Bible. 

1. A true prophet does not lie. His prediction will be fulfilled (Jeremiah 28:9).
2. A true prophet prophesies in the name of the Lord, not in his own name (II Peter 1:21).
3. A true prophet does not give his own private interpretation of prophecy (II Peter 1:20).
4. A true prophet points out the sins of the people against God (Isaiah 58:1).
5. A true prophet warns the people of God’s coming judgment (Jonah 3:4, Zephaniah 1:1-3).
6. A true prophet edifies the church, counsels, and advises it in religious matters (I Corinthians 14:3-4).
7. A true prophet’s words will be in absolute harmony with the words of the prophets that have preceded him (Isaiah 8:20). 
8. A true prophet recognizes the incarnation of Jesus Christ (I John 4:1-3).
9. A true prophet can be recognized by the results, or fruit, of his work (Matthew 7:16-20).
10. A true prophet acts in accordance with the will and approval of God (Deuteronomy 18:19). 
(http://www.bibleplus.org/prophecy/visions-egw/tests_of_a_true_prophet.htm)

Jesus was referred to as a prophet and He even referred to Himself as a prophet during His ministry.

Luke 4:24- And he [Jesus] said, “Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.”
John 7:40- Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, “Of a truth this is the Prophet.”

So did Jesus really fulfill the office of a prophet? Let’s look at the tests that God has set forth:

1. What He prophesied has been fulfilled to this point (e.g. Matthew 17:22-23, John 11:4, 43-44).
2. Jesus spoke what the Father told Him to say (John 12:49).
3. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies literally, rather than explaining them away(Psalm 78:2, Matthew 13:35).
4. Jesus knew the sins of the people and told them when they were doing wrong (John 4:16-19).
5. Jesus foretold the coming judgment which we are still looking for (Matthew 25).
6. Jesus gave a sermon which edified, counseled, and advised people in all religious matters (Matthew 5-7).
7. Jesus often quoted from the Old Testament prophets, many times in relation to prophecies that He either fulfilled or would fulfill (Matthew 10:35, Mark 7:6-7, Luke 7:24-28, John 12:12-15).
8. Jesus, obviously, knew that He was God (Luke 22:67-71).
9. The result, or fruit, of Jesus’ work was, ultimately, His death on the cross and His resurrection (Luke 23:26-24:43)
10. Jesus could do nothing by himself, but rather, the will of His Father (John 5:30).

As we can see, Jesus fulfilled the characteristics of a true prophet. He still has some prophesies that are unfulfilled, however, so each of us must continue to “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:42).”

Next time we will look at Christ in Kings and Chronicles as our Reigning King. Until then, go make a difference in the world by making Christ known to someone who does not know Him. God bless!! 

Ruth: Our Kinsman-Redeemer

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Ruth 4:1-10, 13-15

1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.

2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:

4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.

8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.

10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.

14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

The story of Ruth is one of the greatest love stories in the entire Bible. It not only shows the great love between a man and a woman, but it also shows God’s love for both Israel and the world. But the story almost never came all the way to the ending. Most people who have heard this story know that Ruth came back to Israel with Naomi only to have no food. She then went to glean, or pick up the leftover grain, in the fields of a wealthy man named Boaz. Boaz took an instant liking to her and even gave her some special treatment. Naomi told Ruth to glean only in Boaz’s field. At the end of the harvest, Ruth asked Boaz to marry her. 

Many people stop this story right there. But there is a twist in chapter 3 that many people do not see coming. You see, Naomi and Ruth both thought that Boaz was their nearest kinsman. It was therefore his duty to take Ruth as his wife and bring children into the world with her. Unfortunately, there was a man who was a closer kin to Naomi than Boaz. God still worked His master plan even through this difficulty. This kinsman, who already had a wife and children of his own, was willing to redeem both the land and all the possessions that belonged to Naomi. What he was not willing to do, however, was take Ruth as his wife and have kids with her. Boaz then married Ruth and redeemed all of the land and possessions of Naomi and her family.

This is an amazing picture of what Christ has done for us. In this picture, Boaz represents Christ as kinsman-redeemer and Ruth represents the church. We were once foreigners to His kingdom. We were once without food, work, hope for the future, and life. We were once unwanted by others in this world. But Christ saw us and made us citizens in His kingdom. He gave us spiritual food, a work, or commission, to be done, a hope for all eternity, and restored to us our life (see Ruth 4:15). He wanted us and made us part of His family.

Now at the beginning I mentioned how this love story shows God’s love for Israel and the world. That comes at the end of chapter 5. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed. Obed’s son was Jesse, who became the father of David, the second king of Israel (Ruth 4:21-22). As you probably already know, Israel’s Messiah came through David’s family. That is the first part of God’s love displayed, His love toward Israel. His love toward the rest of the world, the Gentiles, was shown in two main characters of the book of Ruth, Ruth and Boaz. Ruth was born a Moabitess; that was all that was in her blood. Boaz’s mother was Rahab, a former harlot living in Jericho who rescued two of Israel’s spies. God used two people who were not even completely Jewish to be in the family line of the kings of Israel and eventually the Messiah.

Be ready for next time when we look at Christ in the books of First and Second Samuel as our Trusted Prophet. Until then, God bless!!!

Judges: Our Judge and Lawgiver

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In this study today, we will not so much be looking at a passage of scripture, but rather we will be looking at the Hebrew word for judge, Shophet. This word has two separate meanings:
1. Judge and Ruler, and
2. Deliverer and Savior

In this period of Israel’s history, which lasted about 350 years, the people of Israel had seven separate cycles. These cycles had four parts: 1) sin, 2) slavery, 3) sorrow, and 4) salvation

Sin: “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).”

Slavery: “And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies (Judges 2:14).”

Sorrow: “Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord 
was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed (Judges 2:15).”

Salvation: “Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them (Judges 2:16).”

After delivering the people, the judge would then serve as the people’s ruler, giving judgment on behalf of God. And as each one came onto the scene, God was essentially saying to Israel that just as He was delivering them out of slavery now, He was going to send a Judge, a Ruler, a Deliverer, a Savior, who would bring them out of slavery forever.

This is one of the main reasons that the people of Israel rejected Christ when He first came. They were looking for and Ehud (Judges 3:12-30), a Gideon (Judges 6:1-8:32), a Samuel (I Samuel 7:1-17), someone who would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, the Romans. They did not realize that the “Son of man came… to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).”

Christ already fulfilled one part of the Hebrew definition of judge, deliverer and savior, when He died on the cross 2,000 years ago. So when will Christ fulfill the second part of being a judge? Well, this will come at the end of the tribulation period. It will begin on the day of His second coming, the first time He will have set foot on this earth since His ascension. In the battle of Armageddon, which is really several battles throughout all of the area around Israel, He will begin by judging the armies of Antichrist by killing them with just the words coming out of His mouth. He will then judge the Antichrist and his False Prophet and cast them into the lake of fire. 

His judgment then continues with the judgment of the nations, which is recorded in Joel 3 and Matthew 25:31-46. The remaining nations of the world will be gathered in the valley of Jehoshaphat, which will be created when Christ sets foot on the Mount of Olives. There, He will separate the nations into three groups: His brothers (Israelites who have turned to Him) and the sheep (Tribulation saints who have survived to this point) on His right side, and the goats (Those who didn’t take the mark of Antichrist, but also didn’t choose Christ) on His left side. Those on His left side will be sent to eternal punishment. Those on His right, will be with Him for 1,000 years on this earth and then for eternity in Heaven. 

The next judgment we will look at is the Judgment Seat of Christ. We do not know when exactly this will take place, but we do know that at this judgment, all saved people will be rewarded for their works, whether they were good or bad (II Corinthians 5:10). This is just one of many motivations for us to live for Christ on this earth. Another motivation is to rescue people from the final judgment of all time: the Great White Throne Judgment. At the Great White Throne Judgment, the souls of all who have died at any point in history will be reunited with their bodies. They will be judged by God, and any person whose name is not written in the book of life shall be cast into the lake of fire. 

Christ is coming. And when He comes, He will judge all who have ever lived. It is our job as Christians to live in such a way that will show others that we are different, that we have something special. We must then tell others how they can avoid this righteous judgment of God.

Be ready for next time when we will study Christ in the book of Ruth as our Kinsman Redeemer.

Joshua- The Captain of Our Salvation

Joshua 5:13-15

13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

15 And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Hebrews 2:9-10

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

 In the book of Joshua, the Son of God made an Old Testament appearance to one of His people. This appearance is much like the Son of God’s appearance to Abraham in Genesis 18. There are several similarities between the two, and the first is how we know that it was indeed the Son of God appearing to Abraham and Joshua: the acceptance of worship. Both Abraham and Joshua fell on their faces before their visitor in reverence and worship, and the man did not tell them to stop. If it was simply an angel, the angel would have stopped the men from worshipping. In Joshua, the Son of God goes one step further in worship by telling Joshua to take of his shoes, a sign of humility and reverence to God. Secondly, in each of these passages, Christ appeared as a figure in both Abraham and Joshua’s occupations- Abraham was a traveler and Joshua was a soldier. Finally, the Son of God brings encouragement to both Abraham and Joshua. For Abraham, He brought the promise of a son who would eventually become the next in line of God’s chosen people. For Joshua, He brought the knowledge that God would fight for Israel.

 This is often a confusing spot for Christians. In verse 13, Joshua asked who this man was fighting for- Israel or Israel’s enemies. But this man answered by saying that He was on neither side, but was rather the captain of God’s army. By coming with His sword drawn (v. 13) He is showing Joshua that He is coming to fight for Israel. God was going to fight this battle for them and He would lead them and fight for them as long as they stayed true to Him.

 We now have a captain leading us and fighting for us. He is this same captain that appeared to Joshua, then led and fought for both him and Israel. But in order to receive the leadership of God and His power fighting for us, we must follow the example of Joshua.

1. We must worship and glorify Him (Joshua 5:14b; Psalm 72:11; Philippians 2:9-11).

Joshua 5:14b- “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship…”

Psalm 72:11- “Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him.”

Philippians 2:9-11- “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… And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In these passages, we see that every person in the world will one day give honor and glory to God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Each person will do it, but it’s how they do it that makes the difference. Like Joshua, we can choose to willingly give Him the honor that He deserves. But even as Christians, we still may not give Him glory, but rather take it for ourselves. This is a dangerous place to be. One should never take glory away from the God of the universe. 

2. We should always ask Him what He wants us to do (Joshua 5:14c; Acts 9:6).

Joshua 5:14c- “… and [Joshua] said unto Him, ‘What saith my Lord unto His servant?’”

Acts 9:6- “And he [Saul of Tarsus] trembling and astonished said, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ And the Lord said unto Him, ‘Arise, and go into the city, it shall be thee what thou must do.’”

Both of these verses show us men who have reached the end of their human resources. Joshua was facing the walls of Jericho, with no way to get through or over them. Saul was realizing that everything he believed about Jesus was not true and now looked to him for guidance. It is when we too reach this point where we can do nothing apart from God and look to Him for what He wants us to do that we can do truly great things.

3. We must follow His plan as He reveals it to us (Joshua 6; Acts 9:8-9, 17-22)

In Joshua 6, we see God’s plan for battle against Jericho given and carried out. Because the people of Israel obeyed God, He blessed them with a great victory. In Acts 9, Saul followed God’s orders and went to Damascus. There he received his sight back, a new name (Paul), and a mission from God. This mission is the same mission that we have: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” When he followed this plan, this mission that God gave him, he lived a blessed life, a life that honors and glorifies God. In Romans 12:1-3, Paul writes to us on how we can know what God’s plan is for our lives.

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Paul is telling us that in order to know what God wants us to do, we must do 3 things. First, we must sacrifice ourselves and whatever we want. We need to give up ourselves and our plans and put Christ and His plans for us in control. Secondly, we must conform to His image. Saying that Christ is in control and His plans are what we want is easy. But doing it in the middle of this world is the hard part. We may not want to do it. But Paul writes in II Timothy 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” God is going to keep His promise of our proving His will if we follow Him. When we commit our way unto Him, He will keep it. Finally, we must remain humble. Paul himself may have even struggled with this. In II Corinthians, Paul said that “there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” God wanted to remain in the forefront of Paul’s life. And because God was in control, Paul was able to say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (II Corinthians 12:9-10).”

Stay tuned for the next post in this series when we look at Christ in the book of Judges as our Judge and Lawgiver. Until then, God Bless!!