It's Simply Apocalyptic: False Teaching is Very Popular

All these years later and things are still the same.  The only difference is the labels on the "camps" have changed.  I confidently maintain that the local church is the outpost of the Kingdom of God, and likely the mini-kingdoms of man-centered, world-loving religion are not.  They are popular, but free beer also draws a crowd. Why do we buy their books, tapes, and seminars and rallies?

Who, exactly, are YOU listening to?  What message do they bring to you?

2 Peter 2:1-3  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.  Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Copyright © 2015 HarperCollins Christian Publishing

It's Going To Be An Issue

I don't often just re-post items, but this is a good analysis, done quickly after the oral arguments last week. I hope the trend is reversed in days to come. What does the Bible say that we can expect? Don't play along...

Article: "It is Going To Be and Issue" by Albert Mohler

Will Gay Marriage "shut down" the churches in years to come? 

Jesus Pays His Taxes?

"Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.  And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.  Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away."

What were those 7 Words?

Traditionally, what I refer to as the seven words of Christ are considered the seven "last" words of Christ.  This is of course a ridiculous title since Christ said plenty of other things after this, and is still speaking today.  Do people who are alive as Jesus is not speak if they are able?

So here are the seven words of Christ spoken from the cross, as it were:

"Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing." Luke 23:34
"Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise."Luke 23:43
 "Woman behold your son...behold your mother." John 19:26
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?" Mark 15:34 (Psalm 22:1)
"I am thirsty." John 19:28
"It is finished." John 19:30
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Luke 23:46

I want to emphasize these are NOT the last words of Christ.  They are the last words of Christ prior to His death on the cross.  They are a tool that helps us to appreciate the sufferings of Jesus on that day many years ago.  And we appreciate them even more when we realize that our sins were the reason for them, and not His own sins.

The last words of Jesus before His miraculous ascension are those I used in the benediction Easter Sunday, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the naitons, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Life of Jesus, as if we were college students

How about some talking points?  This list of facts follows the introductory section of a very well-used introductory religion textbook.  My observation here is that it is reported that very many "professing Christians" don't even accept these points as working presuppositions. So here you go- wrestle with this. 

The Life of Jesus

• Born between 4 and 1 BCE in the Judean city of Bethlehem.
• Spent his youth in the Galilean village of Nazareth.
• When he was 30 he went south to the Judean wilderness, where he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan river.
• John the Baptist appears like an OT prophet in the NT.
• John the Baptist was apocalyptic, warning people of God's imminent judgment.
• John the Baptist called on sinners to repent
• John the Baptist called on them to be Baptized in water as a sign of spiritual cleansing.
• Jesus' preaching agreed with the preaching of John the Baptist, as did much preaching of the early church.
• During his 3 year ministry that followed, Jesus was more or less an itinerant preacher who travelled around with a group of disciples, or students.
• Jesus spoke with authority on the OT scriptures.
• He said the KOG was coming so people should repent, or be sorrowful and willing to change from their sins.
• He said there would be a new era of peace and holiness.
• Jesus companions and followers grew as he travelled.
• These included women, who are prominent in the gospel.
• Jesus was friends with women
• Jesus ate with women in public and in private
• Jesus' women followers stayed with him even in his final days when others abandoned him
• Jesus was on the “cutting edge” rejecting social norms of the day
• Jesus became very popular.
• This caused opposition and resentment from the clergy guild and the religious establishment of his day.
• Jesus seems to have know about this, and that dark days were coming for him and his followers.
• He warned his disciples that rejection, suffering, and death awaited him there.
• Jesus travelled to Jerusalem and arrived just before Passover.
• The gospels described a triumphal entry in where Jesus was greeted.
• Jesus entered Herod's Temple, and “cleansed” the temple by driving out those who had businesses there. This caused a problem.
• Jesus taught in the temple for several days, and then the authorities planned against him.
• Within hours after celebrating a “Last Supper” with his disciples, Jesus was brought before a council of Jewish leaders.
• He was accused of blasphemy
• He was handed over to the Romans
• Pilate thought Jesus was a public threat,
• He ordered Jesus execution.
• Jesus was crucified (hung on a cross) on a Friday, just hours before Passover began and less than a week after he had entered Jerusalem.
• So there is a rough historical outline.
• Matthew and Luke assert that Mary was a virgin.
• All 4 gospels say the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his Baptism.
  • In Mat, Mark, Luke a theophonic voice is heard, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” So the gospels link Jesus to King David who was described as God's anointed and son.
  • Jesus is also ID'd as the servant of God who would suffer for the sake of humanity.
    So Jesus was understood by Christians, through an interpretation of certain OT scriptures, to be the Son of God who filled with Spirit of God would suffer for the sins of others.
    All Four gospels say that some of the women who followed Jesus found his tomb empty at dawn on the Sunday following his crucifixion.
  • Some post-resurrection appearances are recorded in some Gospels.
  • When Jesus appeared, his followers remembered how he had predicted the whole thing.
  • In Acts, Jesus stayed 40 days after his resurrection.
  • Jesus sent his disciples out as apostles “one who is sent out”
  • They were to preach to the Ancient Palestinian Jews and the Jews in the diaspora.
  • Jesus then ascended into heaven, bodily, in plain site. A miracle story-
  • As the disciples celebrated the Jewish holiday Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on them just as had happened to Jesus at his Baptism.
  • Jesus' followers had power, and so the message about him spread.
• The early Christians were mostly practicing Jews. Christianity was originally a Jewish sect, preaching to Jews.

After his crucifixion by the Roman rulers of Judea (in modern Israel), Jesus’ followers proclaimed his resurrection and identity as God’s messiah.

• As the Book of Acts goes on, we see early Christianity open up to Gentiles or non-Jews.
• Some NT books seem to be written for a Gentile audience, and not primarily Jews.
  
  
  
  

Pastor Russ Moyer

News-Record Obituary for Pastor Russ Moyer

See the audio player on the right for "Meditations for Pastor Russ Moyer" from Rolling Roads Baptist Church on Sunday March 15, 2015.