tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84982309444403493032024-03-05T05:14:09.369-06:00The MutineerIt's just one man's opinion. It can't possibly hurt you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-2481769685116508272018-04-14T09:14:00.003-05:002018-04-14T09:14:45.269-05:00Does God Care about Sports?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c478-5a1d-803f-5f5de419554f"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>I want to start off by saying this is the kind of theological article I don’t like to write. I like to write things that have an unassailable proof from Scripture backing it up. That being said, I also like to write about things that interest me, and this is certainly one of them. Feel free to comment if you disagree or want to discuss further.</i></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c479-02e3-e249-c429e2c183ad"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am a sports fan. I don’t watch or follow sports as much as I used to, but I still consider myself a fan. I grew up in southeast Missouri, where it seems the sun rises and sets on the St. Louis Cardinals. Some of my most treasured memories from my childhood involve sitting around the table with Grandpa or riding in the car with Dad listening to Jack Buck announcing the Cardinals games. Most of the time when I was a kid the Cardinals weren’t very good, but that didn’t seem to matter. It was more about sharing common bonds with family and people around you and spending time with a trusted friend. I can’t tell you how many times Jack Buck helped me with my homework, even in college, by saying just the right thing at the right time.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c479-5164-7b4c-1f1d68115cc1"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a believer though, I (and all of us) have to ask myself if God cares about sports. Unfortunately in my experience this question usually arises from a well-meaning brother or sister in Christ who doesn’t like sports trying to criticize or demean those of us believers who do like sports. Most Christians I know have the idea that God does not care at all about sports. What happens in a particular game or season does not matter to God in any way. I think this thinking arose to keep people from praying for God to help their team win.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c479-ee4b-d1c8-b6b0b892a972"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think praying for your team to win is pretty much an exact definition of asking amiss that <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A2-4&version=NKJV">James warned us</a> about in his epistIe. But I also think the idea that God never interferes in sports events is a flawed idea as well. I acknowledge that in the grand scheme of things as far as God is concerned, who wins or loses in a sporting event is very low on God’s priority list. But I want to propose to you that God can and does take an interest in sports when He can use them to build his Kingdom or bring joy to his people. I want to demonstrate this with a true story that happened 20 years ago today.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c47a-dbb7-ac6e-3902a31d793b"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday, April 14, 1998, I was winding down my first year away at college. (I went to community college two years before.) It was a rough year for me. It was my first time being so far from home. By April I had been gone long enough that I had gotten over the raw emotions of being gone, but the feelings still nagged. April 14 happened to be a particularly rough day. I honestly don’t remember any particularly bad details - you’ll understand why in a moment - I just remember it as a bad day. I was really in a bad state of mind.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c47b-5a28-ccb5-899784b45f14"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That night, I had the radio on, listening to the Cardinals game (so grateful for the massive signal of KMOX). Of course 1998 was the year that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke the record for the most home runs in a season, but that was a long way into the future in April. I wasn’t paying very close attention to the game, but I did notice Mark McGwire hit a home run early in the game. Then later he hit another home run to give the Cardinals the lead, which made me happy.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c55c8999-c47b-a4fc-4bcf-22358cfa8c61"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the eighth inning the game was a blowout, and the Cardinals certainly weren’t going to bat in the bottom of the ninth. So in the bottom of the eighth, McGwire came to bat one last time. I was listening pretty intently just to see if something would happen. Sure enough, a third homer for that night.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I was quietly celebrating - I did have roommates after all, but they were used to me listening to baseball - celebrating the three home runs I heard a voice, clear as day, in my heart tell me, “That was for you.” To this day I believe that voice was from God. And why not? Looking at the</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199804140.shtml" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">box score</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">for that game, the Cardinals were already up by 6 runs in the eighth when that third home run was hit. Would it really matter to God if the final score was 11-5 or 15-5? No. But do I matter to God? I am humbled and thankful that the answer is yes. And if the Lord knew he could raise my spirits by having that little ball go over the fence, why not give it a little extra breeze on the way out?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We evangelicals agree that God is in control of everything, don’t we? We agree that God works in big and small ways for our good and for the good of the church. Then why do some people think that the sports arena is so sacrosanct that God never gets involved? I think the people who think that God does not care are the ones who place sports on a higher pedestal than they should be. God can work in a myriad of other ways, but what happens on the sports field is always pure athleticism? Come on. Why do you limit God?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">All I’m saying is this: when you’re watching your team lose a big game, it’s OK to be disappointed. But it might make you a little happier to know that in the opposing city there may be a dear old saint watching in a hospital bed surrounded by his family, and God is giving the family one last precious memory before he goes home to be with Jesus. Or maybe there is a genuine seeker in the stands who wants to know God is real. Or maybe it’s a thousand other scenarios.Those scenarios won’t get talked about the next morning on ESPN or in next week’s hometown newspaper, but I believe they are more real than the strategy points that people discuss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God is at work in the big things and the tiny things in life all the time. He is bringing his Kingdom to fruition in more ways than we can imagine. God's sovereign power over the affairs of this world means he controls everything, including, as </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010:28-30&version=NKJV" style="font-size: 11pt;">Jesus said</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, when a sparrow falls out of a tree. If God can bring something good into the lives of his people and even people who don't yet know him, through a sporting event, whether it is the Super Bowl or the local peewee football league, why wouldn't he? When we pretend these things don’t matter to God, all we really do is limit him in our own minds.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-62181833143802393732017-08-15T04:18:00.000-05:002017-08-15T04:23:05.240-05:00The Crook, the Clown Show and Mo Brooks<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_THDopBCewyxJbWpDrSeRWUTd3_NL7t6URloqO-ToqKRd02qf8o203WGKJVhkM170q771hVHvY6EseeFeOCMa9iQZep74izupIN0eXDPfs00EvArrB6zJ9XZDEkKjJ4kj6rgo7ECERfk/s1600/0602140836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_THDopBCewyxJbWpDrSeRWUTd3_NL7t6URloqO-ToqKRd02qf8o203WGKJVhkM170q771hVHvY6EseeFeOCMa9iQZep74izupIN0eXDPfs00EvArrB6zJ9XZDEkKjJ4kj6rgo7ECERfk/s320/0602140836.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today is the primary election day in Alabama for the race to fill the unexpired term of US Senator Jeff Sessions, who was appointed Attorney General by President Trump. The three main candidates in the Republican primary are Luther Strange, who was appointed by former Governor Bentley to temporarily fill the seat, Roy Moore, best known as the judge who tried to put a 10 Commandments monument in the state Supreme Court building, and Mo Brooks, a congressman from Huntsville.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e1444003-e2c8-8107-206f-0ef50f19b7f7" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally I'm not a fan of any of the three candidates. Ordinarily I would research the lesser known candidates on the ballot and vote for one of them. But the Alabama election rules mean there will in all likelihood be a runoff in a few weeks between the two top vote winners. That's why I am reluctantly casting my vote for Brooks. When it comes down to a choice between a run-of-the-mill politician, a crook and a clown show, the politician wins. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Crook</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before his appointment, Luther Strange was the Alabama Attorney General. When Trump won the election in November, everyone knew that Jeff Sessions would be part of Trump’s Cabinet, which meant there would be an opening in the US Senate seat. At the same time, the Alabama Legislature was contemplating impeachment of Governor Bentley . </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In November (but before the presidential election) Strange announced his office was investigating Bentley. The Legislature agreed to postpone action until Strange's investigation was complete. Before the investigation was complete, Bentley appointed Strange to Sessions' seat. Strange insists there was no quid pro quo, but it shouldn't take a law degree to see the obvious conflict of interest. At the press conference announcing his appointment, Strange <a href="http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/02/truth_is_out_luther_strange_tu.html">denied</a> that his office was investigating the governor, but his successor as Attorney General confirmed there was and recused himself because he was appointed by the governor. After this fiasco, the Legislature went ahead with its own impeachment proceedings. Bentley agreed to a plea bargain and resignation a few weeks later.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Clown Show</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Roy Moore is more principled person than Strange, I will grant him that. But his penchant for needlessly creating controversy disqualifies him as a candidate, in my mind. In 2001, while he was Alabama Chief Justice (an elected position in Alabama), Moore made national headlines by loudly and publicly erecting a 10 Commandments monument in the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building. The pompous way Moore did it (including selling videotapes featuring the installation and his speech) invited controversy. Atheist organizations sued and successfully persuaded a federal court that it should be removed. After Moore lost all appeals he still refused to remove it, resulting in his removal by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary in 2003.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a few years in obscurity (which included losing a race for governor and flirting with a third-party run for president) Moore ran again for Chief Justice in 2012 and won again. Once again he couldn’t stay out of the headlines. After the US Supreme Court legalized homosexual marriage, Moore instructed county officials not to issue or honor them in Alabama. After numerous court proceedings, Moore was forced to resign earlier this year, just in time to run for Senate. The Senate would be a perfect platform for Moore’s brand of political opportunism: he could make speeches and vote however he wants without having to do any of those annoying things like obey the law as an officer of the court.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If doing public good was the only criterion for Senate, then I would probably vote for the leading Democratic candidate Doug Jones, a long-time prosecutor best known for successfully prosecuting numerous people who committed criminal acts during the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s and were never charged or had charges dropped. But I cannot vote for a candidate who <a href="http://dougjonesforsenate.com/priorities/">proudly says</a> on his Web site, “I stand with Planned Parenthood.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Mo Brooks it is. If Brooks makes the runoff against either Strange or Moore, I will vote for him again. If Strange and Moore make the runoff, I will not vote. If Strange or Moore win the GOP nomination, I will vote for the Libertarian candidate or push through an empty ballot. I am definitely a “never Strange” and a “never Moore” Alabama voter.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-47777937457595546722017-04-04T20:23:00.002-05:002017-04-04T20:23:29.375-05:00Can't We Be Anti-Porn AND Anti-Censorship?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Vqo1HbHBa-i5LqENpAdDc_AiDbtpkBQHurRTBhx9Xdl5vK5-N5AoAwg_LkTtMlFS_5KZEv3AKRUPFLVmQ79Vj_NSlNNd17ydb_SizmCp2TuzIUgZKuIYDqH9Qj05tmg9dwWwieiYlY/s1600/Homer+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Vqo1HbHBa-i5LqENpAdDc_AiDbtpkBQHurRTBhx9Xdl5vK5-N5AoAwg_LkTtMlFS_5KZEv3AKRUPFLVmQ79Vj_NSlNNd17ydb_SizmCp2TuzIUgZKuIYDqH9Qj05tmg9dwWwieiYlY/s320/Homer+2.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next time a politician tells you stuff<br />he thinks you want to hear, think<br />about Homer Stokes from <br />"O Brother Where Art Thou?"<br />(If I knew who to credit with this<br />awesome illustration I would gladly<br />do so.)</td></tr>
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This week the Alabama State Legislature will hold <a href="http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/porn_filter_bill_set_for_publi.html">public hearings</a> on <a href="https://legiscan.com/AL/text/HB428/id/1564109">HB 428</a>, a law which proposes to install a porn filter on every Internet-capable device sold in the state starting next year. The law allows for the filter to be removed if the buyer pays $20 to the state (the business is allowed to add a "reasonable" fee). Apparently there are <a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/29/alabama_joins_antismut_crusade/">similar laws</a> being proposed in at least two other states.<br />
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Let me be perfectly clear: I am against pornography. It is a shame that it is so commonplace on the Internet. The law specifically mentions child pornography and revenge porn. I think all sensible people agree that those are specifically heinous. I am not against people voluntarily installing filter programs on their computers or their children's. In a lot of cases that's probably a wise idea.<br />
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But this law is so fraught with problems, loopholes and unexplained realities that if it passes (which it shouldn't, but the Alabama Legislature isn't exactly known for wisdom) it will create more problems than it solves and do way more harm than good.<br />
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First of all, the bill requires manufacturers to install the filter. This is really untenable. It is unreasonable to expect even big sellers like Apple, Dell, Samsung, etc., to design specific devices for Alabama, to say nothing of the smaller companies that produce cheaper phones and tablets. They would effectively be put out of business in this state, which would adversely affect the poorest residents who rely on the cheaper devices to access the Internet.<br />
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Secondly, the bill says nothing about online sales. There is nothing in the bill that says Amazon and other online retailers have to comply with this law. This is sure to hurt Alabama businesses, as will residents driving to Chattanooga, Pensacola<br />
or somewhere else to buy their devices. There aren't that many places in Alabama that aren't within an hour and a half from some state line.<br />
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The law also doesn't address jailbreaking or rooting the device to get rid of the filter without paying the fee. The people who are the real targets of this bill are tech-savvy enough to get around this quite easily. Meanwhile very few will actually pay to get the filter off their device, because who wants to publicly hand their phone across the counter to someone and ask for the filter to be taken off? The public shame will be enough to keep most people away.<br />
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More importantly, the simple fact of the matter is that no filter program really works like it is promised to. Filtering software tends to overreach and harm honest users while the real bad guys quickly figure out ways around it. Filters are notorious for keeping helpful information away from people who are in sexually abusive or exploitative situations. If someone can't find a description of what they are experiencing because it is blocked by a filter, how will they know to get out? Believe me, it happens. Abusers have been known to keep filters on their victims' computers.<br />
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One thing that is provided for in the law is a means by which people can report offensive material that escapes the filter. Manufacturers are required to update the filter from time to time to meet the concerns raised by citizens. I don't know about you, but I for sure don't want <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2558645/posts">this guy</a> in charge of what I and my family can and cannot look at on the Internet.<br />
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Finally, we don't live in a perfect world. People need to be informed about what is going on in the world around them. And sometimes the things they do might not pass muster with an Internet filter. Take, for example, Governor Bentley's affair with a state employee. Several TV and radio stations in the state refused to play the tapes of the lurid conversations for fear of an FCC citation. I have heard a brief snippet of the tapes. 30 seconds was about all I could stomach. How many people are unaware of Bentley's wrongdoing because of those stations' decisions? Maybe that is the reason there isn't more public pressure to impeach him?<br />
<br />
One would think the filter would at least be similar to the FCC standard, so ironically the details of the governor's lurid relationship would be off-limits to Alabama residents if this law were to pass. Maybe this is the whole point of the law: the primary sponsor of the bill is a Republican. But honestly, I don't give him or most of the Alabama GOP credit for enough smarts to come up with such a plan to keep the governor's indiscretions under wraps. I think it's simpler to say this law is just grandstanding to please religious conservatives. The GOP thinks they will not consider the real-world ramifications. Instead they will see the GOP standing up against porn and will shower them with support in next year's election. Sadly, they think that because of years of experience in seeing it work.<br />
<br />
If you want to see grandstanding in action (or if you have no idea what the above picture is about, watch this clip from "O Brother Where Art Thou":<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KtzWkKxVlBU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KtzWkKxVlBU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
The fact of the matter is there are already laws against child porn, revenge porn, solicitation and all the other big problems this bill claims to address. Instead of creating a new law that has the potential to harm local businesses, harm the poor and do little to address the real issues, state and local law enforcement should do more to enforce those laws, and the legislature can adjust those laws as may prove necessary. I know that's easier said than done, but passing this particular bill<br />
will help no one, at least no one in Alabama.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-58207033842263819932017-03-30T16:58:00.000-05:002017-03-30T16:58:07.271-05:00LG V20 Review: Two Great Screens and One Lousy SpeakerAbout three weeks ago my phone that I'd had for a year and a half bit the dust. I was expecting to get a few more weeks' use out of it before I bought something different with my own money and got out from under the purchase plan with T-Mobile. Unfortunately it went into full bootloop, so I had to get a new one right away from the phone store. There weren't a whole lot of choices for a guy like me who doesn't want Apple or Samsung, so I went with the LG V20.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtJQkJw_7XPoOiIkFzPt8Zc3K48Tp99B1rlFK0n_fidAuiAbc-3FARzM-FCMmGH_bIEXyycdsHCK7V1cBHTL0TSllrGWP9ggFSAQMXKd1xg2G9Akd_Efi7-x_G33Abdk1ABAXiaX7yjE/s1600/IMG_4789%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtJQkJw_7XPoOiIkFzPt8Zc3K48Tp99B1rlFK0n_fidAuiAbc-3FARzM-FCMmGH_bIEXyycdsHCK7V1cBHTL0TSllrGWP9ggFSAQMXKd1xg2G9Akd_Efi7-x_G33Abdk1ABAXiaX7yjE/s320/IMG_4789%255B1%255D.JPG" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My LG V20. Note particularly the "second screen" at the top with various function controls.</td></tr>
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<h4>
First Impressions</h4>
<br />
This phone is advertised as a bigger diagonal screen size than both the Apple iPhone Plus line and the Samsung Galaxy Edge. But thanks to its very small top and bottom bezels it doesn't feel that big in the hand or the pocket. The back of the phone is just a solid sheet of slippery plastic. I nearly dropped it a couple of times in the week before I got a case. The back needs texture or a curve or something.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-jLxZ5sy9ubwEufKHsEVTN8gkeXwySZTTin6_ovSlZ-iaQKR2L0c9Ba2-bqOS0ptgJ10HKXOFHjJSzirGb9df8sLb5DWKiuZ2Ys4tclPx3Vurft_3Jd0wXMofJUMUQIQh-Vpx8dTau4/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-jLxZ5sy9ubwEufKHsEVTN8gkeXwySZTTin6_ovSlZ-iaQKR2L0c9Ba2-bqOS0ptgJ10HKXOFHjJSzirGb9df8sLb5DWKiuZ2Ys4tclPx3Vurft_3Jd0wXMofJUMUQIQh-Vpx8dTau4/s200/IMG_4788.JPG" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back is dangerously<br />
slippery. Also note<br />
the dual rear cameras.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When I first powered up the phone, I was disappointed to see no app drawer. Thankfully with a quick Google search I was able to find out how to change the settings to bring it back where it belongs. This setting should be the default.<br />
<br />
Typical for a carrier-store Android phone, there is some bloatware to deal with. Thankfully T-Mobile is not as heavy-handed with the useless apps as is Verizon, and it is worth noting some can actually be uninstalled rather than disabled, including manufacturer apps like LG Health and carrier apps like T-Mobile TV. Thanks, T-Mo and LG!<br />
<br />
The swappable battery is not as important a selling point as it used to be. Few phones have them anymore, and if rumors are true this may be one of the last top-of-the-line Android phones to have one. It is handy to be able to swap out a dead battery for a fresh one, but that requires a lot of planning ahead, unless you spring for the additional charging station. The most important advantage to having a swappable battery is it provides a surefire way to reboot the phone if you ever run into serious trouble. I was able to rescue my data off my old phone because the swappable battery enabled me to forcibly turn off the phone.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Second Screen</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76QjRWsJLWtLwlLjl7g4WLmeZTPY3zUXii3EWyqsWDIFTVFE_hlDP84BPOgvF57dH6s81powjxg3x8Q6ualgbdWf4yuljU3zVfMqnuV82fglgmzzkNVFluWwECIwaZrz3HWy-aLkdEZU/s1600/IMG_4786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76QjRWsJLWtLwlLjl7g4WLmeZTPY3zUXii3EWyqsWDIFTVFE_hlDP84BPOgvF57dH6s81powjxg3x8Q6ualgbdWf4yuljU3zVfMqnuV82fglgmzzkNVFluWwECIwaZrz3HWy-aLkdEZU/s320/IMG_4786.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the phone is off, the second screen shows the time and<br />
your notifications without having to fire up the whole phone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The big selling point of this phone is the "second screen," a strip at the top of the phone separate from the rest of the screen. This screen is most useful when the phone is not in use. All you have to do is pick up the phone and the second screen shows the time and any notifications. How many times a day do we smartphone users fire up the whole phone just to check the time or to see if we missed a call or text? With the second screen, this step is unnecessary. It saves lots of wear on the battery. A swipe on the second screen will reveal a small control panel, enabling you to turn on/off wifi, Bluetooth and the flashlight as well as turning off the sound. A third swipe gives you access to your media controls, meaning you can quickly skip that song you used to like before Pandora started playing it over and over again. This is all done without turning on the whole phone and without signing in. Every phone should have something similar.<br />
<br />
When the phone is actually in use, the second screen is less useful, other than the quick access to the controls. It also provides recent apps, but this is just as easily reached from the square button at the bottom of the screen, so it's redundant at best. One interesting feature is that if you get a call while you are doing something in an app, the option to accept or decline the call appears in the second screen, enabling you to decline the call if you wish without switching apps.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Hardware</h4>
<br />
The sound is disappointing: one single speaker at the bottom. I found a hack that will allow you to set up stereo sound through the earpiece speaker, but I'm not so adventurous as to download software from murky sources onto my phone. With the earphone jack, I ran into an issue with the phone turning down the earphone volume by itself. Maybe that was because of the old jack on the adapter I use on the tape deck in my car. My next project is to install a new car radio with Bluetooth, but for now it's a concern.<br />
<br />
I don't really use my phone camera all that much. If I know I'm going to need to take good pictures, I'm bringing along my digital SLR. This phone's camera is fine for what I need. The dual camera setup is pretty cool, actually. I like the dual setup on the selfie camera even better though. It's great for taking group pictures without having to obviously stretch your arm and mess up the picture.<br />
<br />
The battery consistently provides a full day's use for me. That might be a little unfair because I can't use my phone at work, so that cuts 8 hours out of the day, but I do use it quite heavily when I'm not on the job. But even on weekends I haven't had to charge it before the end of the day yet. I have frequently got the phone to go a day and a half on a full charge during the week.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Software</h4>
<br />
The V20 ships with Android 7.0 Nougat. The most important new capability of Nougat is the ability to have two apps open and active at the same time. I haven't actually used it very much because I'm used to multi-tasking using the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. The feature did come in handy once when I needed to dial a number I had taken a picture of. No back-and-forth or writing the number down necessary - just open the picture on the top half of the screen and dial the number with the dialer open on the bottom half.<br />
<br />
LG has certainly dialed back the customization of its user interface. I remember reading recently that Google was cracking down on the wildly different UIs on various companies' phones with Nougat. It certainly seems to be true with this one, and that's a good thing. LG still has the Apple-esque red notification dots on certain app icons, but that's really the only thing I noticed that differentiated the UI from stock Android - well, once you fix the app drawer.<br />
<br />
The 64 GB of storage is plenty for my needs. But if that's not enough, memory is easily expandable with the SD card slot, which reportedly can handle up to 2 TB(!!). I've never seen an SD card bigger than 256 GB, but I guess bigger ones are out there. Like the swappable battery, an SD card may not be necessary with this much standard storage, but I'm not going to complain that it's available.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Conclusion</h4>
<br />
The chintzy speaker is the one thing keeping me from giving the V20 a fully positive review. Three weeks may be a little early to tell, but so far this seems to be the best phone I've ever used. Definitely a keeper. So far I love the second screen. LG deserves credit for developing a unique idea for a smartphone that's actually useful and enhances the overall experience.<br />
<br />
All of us use our smartphones in different ways. If the single speaker is a problem for you, you might want to pass on this one. It also might be troublesome if you really don't want a big phone. But if neither of those are an issue, I would definitely recommend you consider the LG V20. It is blazing fast, has a great camera, expandable storage galore, and is unique enough thanks to its second screen to stand out in a world of slabs that all look about the same.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-20855313185875334182017-03-21T19:50:00.001-05:002017-03-21T19:50:09.079-05:00Beauty and the Beast, Sports Illustrated and Lessons Learned<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light." ~ Jesus, Luke 16:8</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it's safe to say Disney's marketing strategy promoting <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>was a runaway success. <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/weekend-box-office-beauty-beast-waltzes-record-170m-986898">The movie opened</a> with the biggest opening weekend ever for a PG-rated movie and the biggest opening weekend for any movie in March.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A big part of the that strategy was the quote a couple of weeks ago from the director about there being a “gay moment” in the movie. The article was perfectly timed so that the resulting furor would have maximum impact in social media in the week and a half prior to its release date. And a furor they got. It was impossible not to miss the impact of the quote in the week following the article's publishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't have any doubt that it was intentional. The media have learned their lesson well: get the Christians sufficiently riled up, and you're in for a bonanza. It's too bad many Christians haven't yet learned the same lesson.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most striking examples of this phenomenon is the story of the <i>Sports Illustrated</i> swimsuit issue. The issue is by this time an American institution for better and for worse, mostly worse. For those of us under the age of 60, it's just always been there. But its origins lie at a place where happenstance and Christian outrage met.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1dV93g3AfUsd77Y6Tlk-C_5DIqgPXrZ5A4YY7Py4N-UyHWZxrUQYOL0qmxjnRH6et6PPd82vbCCdgh38j_ulusnJo0gQFnLpU5BilkVYXqCsSnYoeVIJ4VME0_VOFLNYC6cWLKeFWsY/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1dV93g3AfUsd77Y6Tlk-C_5DIqgPXrZ5A4YY7Py4N-UyHWZxrUQYOL0qmxjnRH6et6PPd82vbCCdgh38j_ulusnJo0gQFnLpU5BilkVYXqCsSnYoeVIJ4VME0_VOFLNYC6cWLKeFWsY/s200/th.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sports Illustrated</i> was not always the behemoth I remember when I was growing up. (Print magazines are so 20th century). In 1964 <i>SI</i> was struggling to find a focus and an audience. It was far behind the largest sports weekly of the day, <i>The Sporting News</i>. And it had difficulty in determining exactly what it wanted to be all the time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When there wasn't any baseball or football to cover, the magazine looked more like an outdoors or a lifestyle magazine. There were cover stories on hunting, travel, outdoors activities, even yachting with John and Jackie Kennedy.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDlAvd0hEAy2YgcmnPTGDKmb8YHrvG2Tlt6o-DJiJpVIGtcW9Ij-9pcklE0VW_hYbC9Ny_Q-voZXFqJFYVb7CI9Dke-LuTxjKIPaS6oAQyoAjVq__D28-JI1fp_fCRt2YHY6Fbdz_NIY/s1600/s-l1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDlAvd0hEAy2YgcmnPTGDKmb8YHrvG2Tlt6o-DJiJpVIGtcW9Ij-9pcklE0VW_hYbC9Ny_Q-voZXFqJFYVb7CI9Dke-LuTxjKIPaS6oAQyoAjVq__D28-JI1fp_fCRt2YHY6Fbdz_NIY/s200/s-l1000.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was anticipated to be a slow news week in mid-January 1964 (the NFL playoffs were usually over by Christmas back then). The managing editor, Andre Laguerre, planned a Caribbean travel story and told the photographer to hire a model to pose in a bikini for the cover. It was a brazen choice at the time, but Laguerre liked to push the boundaries and had little taste for American moralism. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cover (see it at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated_Swimsuit_Issue">this link</a> if you wish) featured the picture with the following caption: "A Skin Diver's Guide to the Caribbean - Fun in the Sun on Cozumel." There was nothing about "annual swimsuit issue" or anything like that. Inside was a travel story with one more picture of the model and some other pictures of beach scenery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLXPQLgQ285sxvS7cUWtaiAQq7k76MEDQ3e0moOxO4ZkJctLTzzhEOVAuXP9cmNERWQTwR5Py4fz7XmFfqlV-xQH3wbDzcbbx36NsfqC_7Z2fkj2l5UENOjGE8lvdmAItFO_XrM8iDQ0/s1600/%2524%2528KGrHqN%252C%2521osFCsB%252C2BGlBQ%2529orpR9Hw--60_35.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLXPQLgQ285sxvS7cUWtaiAQq7k76MEDQ3e0moOxO4ZkJctLTzzhEOVAuXP9cmNERWQTwR5Py4fz7XmFfqlV-xQH3wbDzcbbx36NsfqC_7Z2fkj2l5UENOjGE8lvdmAItFO_XrM8iDQ0/s200/%2524%2528KGrHqN%252C%2521osFCsB%252C2BGlBQ%2529orpR9Hw--60_35.JPG" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Three SI covers from the 50s<br />and 60s that have nothing<br />to do with sports.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cover created controversy. The magazine received thousands of angry letters and cancellations. At the same time, newsstand sales of the issue exceeded all expectations for a slow news week. Whether those sales were directly related to the anger expressed I have know way of knowing, but that is what happened.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any time there is reaction, that is gold to marketers. They really don't care if it is positive or negative, as long as there is a reaction. A single issue which generated this kind of controversy and sales made everyone take notice. In the weeks that followed it was Laguerre who came up with the idea to put another girl in a bathing suit on the cover next year and bill it as the "second annual swimsuit issue."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus was born one of the most influential publications in American history. By all rights it should have been another one of those early <i>SI </i>issues that seem so weird to us who remember the magazine's heyday in the 70s-90s. But it lives on because of a firestorm of negative reaction from well-meaning folks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not saying those folks were wrong about the particular issue. I'm sure it was a shock to many subscribers looking for stories about basketball, hockey or perhaps the upcoming Winter Olympics. But if enough of them had simply and quietly pitched the magazine into the trash can and went on with their lives, the Swimsuit Issue wouldn't be around today. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than 50 years later, many Christians still haven't learned this lesson while the world has. The world eagerly lays out plans, knowing many Christians will quickly share anything that irritates them on social media without ever considering if they are being manipulated by either powerful media moguls looking for free publicity or by struggling Web publishers looking for cheap clicks. Either way, the manipulation is real and, unfortunately, easy to pull off. If Christians would just once not take the manipulation bait, the people pulling the strings might think twice about it. Personally I think it'd be nice to see Christians be the manipulators for once instead of the manipulatees. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Note: The information for this article came mostly from an interview I saw a few years ago on TV with Frank DeFord, longtime writer and editor at Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately I could not find a link with the interview, but the basics of what I remember from the interview are confirmed in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110617050045/http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100213/SPORTS/100219910">this article</a>.</i></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-48052321118438620262017-02-16T20:42:00.000-06:002017-02-16T20:42:25.643-06:00Jesus vs. Paul?<h2>
Misunderstood Verses #2</h2>
Matthew 6:14-15:<i> </i><i>For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~ </i>Jesus<br />
<i><br /></i>Ephesians 4:32:<i> And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. ~ </i>Paul<br />
<br />
Recently I've become aware of a teaching that proposes that Jesus and Paul are at odds in these two statements. They say that Jesus says our forgiveness (which has to mean our salvation, since no one I'm aware of teaches one can be partially forgiven and go to heaven) is based on our forgiveness of others - that is our performance. Paul tells us that we forgive others because of how completely God has forgiven us.<br />
<br />
The resolution they provide seems simple enough: Jesus was talking about a different era in God's redemptive history. Before the cross, before the resurrection, before Pentecost, whenever, God dealt with people on the basis of their performance. But now God deals with us based on Christ's all-sufficient work on the cross. It sounds plausible, because <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A19-25&version=NKJV">Hebrews tells us</a> about the new and living way we have in Christ. But some (not all) who teach this are overzealous for the new and living way. In their exuberance they overlook a God who has always shown mankind mercy and grace.<br />
<br />
If Jesus was saying that there was a time (obviously it had to include the time that Jesus was speaking) that God's forgiveness was conditional on our action, then that must mean no one from that era will be in heaven. I don't think I need to post any references to the fact that man can in no way earn God's favor, since if you've read this far you are interested enough in Scripture to understand that. God's grace has never been in this time or any other time based on man's performance.<br />
<br />
To de-emphasize God's grace in previous times is to do injustice to our unchanging God and the great heroes of the Old Testament. Genesis 15:6 tells us, "He (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Three times in the New Testament (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+4%3A1-8&version=NKJV">here</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3%3A6-7&version=NKJV">here</a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A22-23&version=NKJV">here</a>) this verse is quoted as an illustration of the way we all must come to God. I'm thankful for the more complete revelation we have in Christ, but all God ever required, requires now and will ever require is belief in him.<br />
<br />
So if Jesus was not saying that forgiveness is based on our performance, what did he mean? And how are Jesus' and Paul's statements rectified? To me it seems simple, because the key is in another verse in Ephesians: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (2:10) If we as believers are ordained by God to walk in good works, is it not reasonable to assume that forgiveness will be one of those good works? And if so, then truly one who can never find it in their heart to forgive their fellow human knows nothing of the love, mercy and forgiveness of God.<br />
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We as believers will fail to forgive one another completely. If we wouldn't, why would Paul need to encourage us to forgive in the second verse above? We certainly deal with the works of the flesh in our hearts and lives. But we are just as certainly on the road to being the people God wants us to be. God <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians+1%3A6&version=NKJV">promises</a> to work in our lives to bring us farther on that road, but the journey won't be complete till we get to heaven.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-40365728745153190492016-11-10T20:45:00.000-06:002016-11-10T20:51:22.219-06:00How Hillary Could Have WonIt's been a couple of days since Election Day 2016. Personally I am not disappointed Hillary lost, but I think she lost for one particular reason: she failed to make the campaign about issues. Had Hillary focused her speeches, her debates and advertising war chest on the contrasts (or, more importantly, the lack thereof) between herself and Trump, she would have driven a wedge between Donald Trump and his conservative base and won easily. Instead she relentlessly attacked Trump's personality, which only fueled his base to get out and vote.<br />
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If you had your TV on at any time in the last three months, chances are you saw it: the ad with the children sitting in front of the TV watching as Donald Trump made one extreme remark after another. It probably won't go down in history alongside other memorable TV ads from past campaigns (mostly because Hillary lost and most people remember winners' ads), but it is definitely the most memorable of this campaign. This ad, for better and for worse, exemplifies Clinton's entire campaign strategy: pointing out what a nasty scoundrel Donald Trump is.<br />
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Hillary's campaign staff and her supporters in the press and popular media followed this strategy to the letter. Late night comedians constantly pointed out Trump's flubs and erratic behavior every night of the week. Democratic panelists on various news shows focused on the seedy characters Trump seemed to attract, from Milo Yiannopoulos to David Duke. Some went on to imply (and in some cases declare outright) that all or most of Trump's support came from extremists like them.<br />
<br />
This was the wrong strategy to take because it only served to fuel Trump's base's rage against the political, media and entertainment elite. They knew Trump was and is a sorry human being. A large portion of his base (at least many from all over the country that I talked to personally and on social media) was reluctant in their support. Hillary failed to turn that reluctance into a decision to stay home.<br />
<br />
Most conservatives (I say this as a conservative-leaning libertarian who grew up around conservatives and who lives in a very red state - Alabama) have a persecution complex. They are used to being marginalized, ignored and villainized by the movers and shakers of society, and they tend to identify with people who are the targets of attacks from the left. If you want an example, look no further than Sarah Palin. The more liberals made fun of her, the more conservatives loved her, bought her books and tuned in to her TV shows.<br />
<br />
Trump understood this. He was willing to take the abuse and dish out some of his own, which only further stirred his base, many of whom felt that both Romney and McCain failed to attack Barack Obama. Romney in particular further alienated the Republican base by failing to take a strong stand on issues dear to conservatives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcYitY_oz-FhjD1CVSTQYBgME3sxOu70-BxEk42du-GRMa8gFl1LGp9gxYUmkrmv-ClEtPyQ_XcI1SiVeHRJ3xQUknr8armkX_EdyfWNznkCsXAShg9F4TTwWrjUtpJkLcQUY8dT2e9I/s1600/Trump_s878x584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcYitY_oz-FhjD1CVSTQYBgME3sxOu70-BxEk42du-GRMa8gFl1LGp9gxYUmkrmv-ClEtPyQ_XcI1SiVeHRJ3xQUknr8armkX_EdyfWNznkCsXAShg9F4TTwWrjUtpJkLcQUY8dT2e9I/s320/Trump_s878x584.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had Hillary commended Trump for his stance on LGBT issues, <br />
how many conservative votes would Trump have lost?<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/70_trumpjpg/">Photo Credit</a>: Colorado Log Cabin Republicans</td></tr>
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Here's where 2016 was different from 2012: in the debates and with his stump speeches President Obama made Romney speak to these divisive issues. And when he did, <a href="http://www.redstate.com/diary/griffinelection/2012/11/14/what-went-wrong-in-2012-the-case-of-the-4-million-missing-voters/">millions of conservatives stayed home</a>. Clinton by and large did not attack Trump on any specific issues. And she had wide-open opportunities to do so. Trump is not a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. Many of his positions, especially on social issues, are similar to Clinton's. In particular, look at Trump's<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/2/donald-trump-holds-high-flag-gay-equality/"> embrace of LGBT rights</a>. Many conservatives, particularly conservative Christians, would balk at such positions. They are the type who would stay home rather than vote for the "lesser of two evils." Clinton did not need to attack Trump in this regard. She could have praised him for having an openly gay man speak right before his acceptance speech at the GOP Convention. She could have made a big deal out of finding common ground with Trump.<br />
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But Clinton never brought this up. Maybe she was afraid if she found common ground with Trump that some of her support might go away. Maybe she was afraid of humanizing someone she was determined to treat with disdain. Whatever the reason, the ceaseless personal attacks continued, and with each one she dug herself into a deeper hole she ultimately could not climb out of.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-71472096939025467182016-11-01T19:22:00.000-05:002016-11-01T19:22:49.460-05:00Double (switch) or Nothing: How Baseball can Improve Mid-inning Pitching Changes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Btg50ZqJJruZ1AN6qJ4OGbdHxjH1CfFHNI2ocsynXQ88nm7niB61lD1hsjTAwnKTPRGFJ1Reb1R8Z_m32E2ucG9ae1GOKJOdyRdTGhvkDkTMswEWHWmYWWc81FQoWlk5hkniOtHsV8U/s1600/pitching+change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Btg50ZqJJruZ1AN6qJ4OGbdHxjH1CfFHNI2ocsynXQ88nm7niB61lD1hsjTAwnKTPRGFJ1Reb1R8Z_m32E2ucG9ae1GOKJOdyRdTGhvkDkTMswEWHWmYWWc81FQoWlk5hkniOtHsV8U/s640/pitching+change.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitching changes like this one that disrupt the flow of the game are one of the sources of frustration for fans who wish MLB games wouldn't last so late into the night. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/services/photos/USATSI-217738/">Credit</a>: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports</td></tr>
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<i>Most fans agree Major League Baseball needs to speed up its games, postseason and regular season. Part of the solution might be to require a double switch to change pitchers in the middle of an inning. Even if it doesn't shorten the game, it will make it more interesting.</i><br />
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This week will mark the conclusion of this year's World Series. It has been the most exciting, the most talked-about and the most watched Series in recent memory. But once again baseball fans are complaining about a topic that seems to come up every postseason: the games are too long, and go too late at night. Lots of people have said the late games are why baseball's national ratings have trended down over the last few years. The facts seem to say otherwise though. <a href="http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/world-series-ratings-early-start-viewers.html">Ratings tend to go up the later the games go</a>, according to the networks and the ratings services.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, I agree that the games go too long. The longer commercial breaks are a part of it, and that honestly can't be helped. You can't expect FOX (or any other network in their position) not to take advantage of a large national audience, especially given the large fees they pay the league to broadcast the games.<br />
<br />
But another factor is constant pitching changes. It's not uncommon to see five or six pitchers pitch the last four innings of a game. The other night the FOX announcers quoted Cleveland manager Terry Francona as saying that posteason baseball is different: there is more pressure to do everything exactly right and that leads to more pitching changes based on matchups with batters. You do see this to some extent during the regular season as well, but it certainly seems worse in October. When teams carry four, sometimes only three, starters in the postseason and as many as eight or nine relievers on the roster, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: more relievers are available, therefore more get used.<br />
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Here is how my double-switch solution works: the starter can be taken out at any time with no penalty. If he runs out of gas with two outs in the sixth, is getting blown out in the third, or whatever the situation, the manager should be able to replace him at any time. However after the first reliever comes in, he can only be removed at the end (or beginning, depending on how you want to look at it) of an inning without a penalty. If the reliever comes off the mound with less than three outs, someone else has to come off the field as well. In American League play, a manager would have a choice of replacing the designated hitter instead of taking out a fielder. Either way though, someone else has to come out of the lineup. There would be a few obvious exceptions: injury to the pitcher, weather delays, etc. The umpires would have discretion in these scenarios.<br />
<br />
What about extra innings? To that I ask how many times do you see mid-inning pitching changes in extra innings? They are rare, and even more rare the deeper the game goes into extras. So this will kind of take care of itself. There is no need to waive the rule for situations in which such pitching changes are not usually made.<br />
<br />
Will this change bring back games of less than two hours? No, of course not. But it could make managers think twice about bringing in a pitcher to face one batter, resulting in two additional commercial breaks in one half-inning. It will bring a new layer of strategy to the game. If a team doesn't have any players on the bench, then the pitcher has to stay out there. It might make a team decide to add a sixth utility player instead of a ninth reliever to the roster.<br />
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Most importantly, it would be a fun change and give people something to talk about in the stands and at home. Instead of, "Oh no, a pitching change," it would be, "Ooh, who's coming out of the field? Or will he switch DH's?" Baseball fans love the intrigue, the way the lineup works. This would give them a reason to stay tuned during a pitching change instead of switching channels or going to the bathroom or shutting off the TV and going to bed. And fan engagement is why we love the games we love, isn't it?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-86552624039921071402016-10-29T12:42:00.002-05:002017-02-16T19:50:07.082-06:00The New F-Word? This will be the first in a series of articles about verses that I think have been misapplied down through the years.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">
Misunderstood Verses #1</span></h4>
Matthew 5:22: <i>And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.</i><br />
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For most of my life, I've heard this verse explained to mean that Jesus does not want us to use the word "fool" to describe someone. I suppose that's not the best thing to say to a person, but I believe Jesus had a much deeper and more profound message than just that. If you think Jesus was adding another four-letter word to the list that nice people don't say, then you are missing the point.<br />
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I'm told the Aramaic (the dialect of Hebrew spoken in Palestine during Jesus' time) word "raca" means "empty-headed." Seems to me that's not much different than "fool." But you could be brought to the council for saying one and not the other. Why bring someone who uses one insult before the council and not another? The logical assumption is that "raca" was a profanity in Jesus' day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0V5DQFPPvEvIzpIayttLkgzzE3JtDmPrAFmMqqeCVBApZA7e2nPzsSICSCwLwmZDnH5S-hQ0ARaSsrqRtRsbMcKDNK-a2TwejrjAJayrMNPmKi2w3elp5YCIOMNOavfeYxCQmYfaTK0/s1600/HLG_Curse_Relief.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0V5DQFPPvEvIzpIayttLkgzzE3JtDmPrAFmMqqeCVBApZA7e2nPzsSICSCwLwmZDnH5S-hQ0ARaSsrqRtRsbMcKDNK-a2TwejrjAJayrMNPmKi2w3elp5YCIOMNOavfeYxCQmYfaTK0/s320/HLG_Curse_Relief.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31852963/ns/health-behavior/t/stub-your-toe-say-sh-youll-feel-better/">Photo Credit</a></td></tr>
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Every society has profanities - words, gestures, etc. They vary from culture to culture. My dad served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the Marines. He never did and still doesn't talk about very much of what he experienced there, but one thing I remember him talking about was the fact that an innocent-looking (to Americans) "come here" gesture was a vile profanity in Vietnam. One of the things they trained foreign soldiers before they arrived in Vietnam was to not use that particular gesture.<br />
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Profanities are a part of the human experience. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm not quite sure, but the fact remains every society has them. In Jesus' day, one of the worst things you could say was "raca." It was apparently so bad that even saying it in public would get you sent before the religious authorities. The religious authorities in Jesus' day had limited but real power. They couldn't criminally punish, but they could embarrass people in front of the community in a way that kept most people in line with Jewish customs.<br />
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What kind of words are so bad that Jesus would say they are worse than cuss words? Very simple: words that hurt and leave a lasting impression on their victims. It might not be pleasant, but think back: every one of us can remember something someone said that cut us to the core like a knife. Maybe it was a classmate or group of classmates at school. Maybe a coworker or a boss. Sadly for some folks it might be something a teacher or even their parents said. I could be wrong, but I'd be willing to guess the person who said memorably hurtful things to you didn't use a string of four-letter words. Even if they did, it wasn't the cuss words that hurt you nearly as much as what they were saying beyond those words.<br />
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This, I believe, is the point Jesus was making here. The religious authorities of Jesus' day (and lots of people today) thought saying swear words was the worst sin you could commit with your mouth. As long as they didn't say those words, they thought they were doing pretty good. But Jesus said real sin goes a lot deeper than that. Words spoken in anger, pride and condescension can do lasting damage to people, regardless of whether there are cuss words thrown in or not.<br />
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I'm not saying you ought to go around cussing a blue streak. Jesus didn't say the council was wrong for punishing people who swore. What Jesus was warning against was the attitude that says as long as I'm not saying the words on somebody's naughty list then whatever I want to say is fine. It's not fine. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4%3A29&version=NKJV">Paul said</a> that our words should "impart grace" to those who hear them. That should be the ideal that you and I should strive for: to be the kind of people whose words bring encouragement and grace to others.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-57410587781445229072016-02-05T22:51:00.000-06:002017-02-04T03:56:33.424-06:00Super Self-Congratulation Sunday?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4WbYp0o3ZYQHJUCszPyMB-VsgFCXcLejTSOZlV0_1lJDl2Hr3JFpmms2BP-DuTJ7-zn_0w8Em_dMR_BiLv6i-sJvbwlQmIW5-m8z-FCbMdHESuSGU0Jrn-edCVJrA0gcSAHk4Omun3s/s1600/levi+stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4WbYp0o3ZYQHJUCszPyMB-VsgFCXcLejTSOZlV0_1lJDl2Hr3JFpmms2BP-DuTJ7-zn_0w8Em_dMR_BiLv6i-sJvbwlQmIW5-m8z-FCbMdHESuSGU0Jrn-edCVJrA0gcSAHk4Omun3s/s640/levi+stadium.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2015/01/30/0ap3000000465890.jpg">Photo Credit</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Sunday is the Super Bowl. I don’t need to tell you that it will be one of the biggest events of the year. It’s a part of the fabric of the American culture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unlike most of my fellow Americans, I have only seen one Super Bowl live from beginning to end. In the majority of those instances, I have missed the Super Bowl because of Sunday evening church. I'm not writing to complain that I'm deprived or anything like that. I’m also not going to say it’s stupid to have church on a night when most of the people there would rather be home or at a party. I wouldn’t waste your time with such topics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I am writing about is the often-unstated assumptions that go with church on Super Sunday night. These assumptions center around the idea that we are somehow more pleasing to God because we are at church on a particular night of the year. In many churches I have been a part of or a visitor in, Super Bowl Sunday becomes “Prove How Much We Love Jesus” Sunday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s the first problem as I see it: Sunday night church in the fundamental/conservative evangelical circles I grew up in (and am still a part of) is hardly sacrosanct. We'll cancel church for anything: holidays like Memorial Day or July 4th, Christmas and Easter (the fact that many F/CE’s go to church less often during the seasons of Christmas and Easter is certainly full of irony, but that is another topic for another time), bad weather and more. But come blizzard or flood, we're going to have church on Super Bowl Sunday night. Why? Because that's the way it's always been done, and it feels good to be doing something so “spiritual.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that leads me to a second, more insidious problem: the faulty belief that we are proving something to God or to the world by being at church. I know this is real because I have experienced it. Super Bowl Sunday night services are never normal. There is a charge in the air. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the worst cases, I have seen the whole service be about how wonderful it is that we are better than the church down the road that canceled services or, even worse, is showing the game and invited the community to a watch party. Other times the message may be about how shameful it is that some of the members are here but would rather be watching the game. I’ve seen the song leader make sure to sing all 5 verses of each song (to an audible chorus of groans), and the pastor making jokes about preaching an extra long sermon. I haven’t yet been to a service where the prayer <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A9-14&version=NKJV">went</a>, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men,” but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fact is that God can’t love us any more. He sent His only Son to die and pay the penalty for our sins because He wanted to have a relationship with us. How much more love do you need? Our acts of piety don’t bring us any closer to God. We draw closer to God through obedience. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+Samuel+15%3A22&version=NKJV">Samuel told Saul</a>, “To obey is better than sacrifice,” and Jesus quotes Hosea when <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9%3A13&version=NKJV">He says</a>, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does that obedience include church attendance? Yes it does. But if we are meeting to congratulate ourselves or to lay a guilt trip on people who are there but would rather be watching the game, we are not fulfilling the purpose of the church. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Am I telling you not to go to church this Sunday evening? No, I’m not. Maybe you don’t like pro football, or maybe you don’t really care about either team in the game. There could be as many legitimate reasons to go to church as there are believers in whatever churches are having services. My plea to my fellow believers is not to be pharisaical about it. Don’t judge others who aren’t there. Don’t be proud of yourself because you are there. Don’t think going to church will give God opportunity to favor your team. And, if I may say so, if you really want to see the game, do it. And don’t lie to your pastor next week about the kids being sick or something. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXMOrAQ3jIBWFBjmwXv53psTqVHIeRTly8il58dB5HXxIIiiW1SZLg3vxtulVLeCopV1-r9fpgc5CuI4AUI7KCFoUXNLslvtzotnLVNoVF-X4ETNaEZySO4oaCI-afLpkpm2N_vs0C18/s1600/The+Tackle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxXMOrAQ3jIBWFBjmwXv53psTqVHIeRTly8il58dB5HXxIIiiW1SZLg3vxtulVLeCopV1-r9fpgc5CuI4AUI7KCFoUXNLslvtzotnLVNoVF-X4ETNaEZySO4oaCI-afLpkpm2N_vs0C18/s320/The+Tackle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture of the game-saving tackle on the last play of Super <br />
Bowl 34. <a href="http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/18/d182fefc-dc14-11e0-9974-0019bb30f31a/4e6c0ddb98ff2.preview-1024.jpg?resize=620%2C335">Photo Credit</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sixteen years ago I skipped church to watch St. Louis in the Super Bowl. As football fans know, it was one of the best Super Bowl games ever. It was a thrilling victory, and given how extremely unlikely it will be for St. Louis to ever be in the Super Bowl again, it is a memory I will cherish forever. Makes me wish I had skipped church two years later. Maybe St. Louis would have won again. I’m joking, of course, but I am serious about not regretting not going to church. This principle applies in many areas where others might condemn us for a personal choice. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROmans+14%3A22&version=NKJV">Paul tells us</a>, “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” In other words, if you have a clear conscience before God about your decision, don’t let others' judgmental attitudes keep you away from doing what you want to do.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-57694867405896022072016-01-29T16:18:00.000-06:002016-01-29T16:18:54.425-06:00TOMS: Jude<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 28, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jude was a younger half-brother of the Lord Jesus. He introduces himself in his short epistle as the brother of James, but the Gospels mention several of Jesus' brothers, and one of them is Judas or Jude. Obviously this is not the same Judas who betrayed Jesus. Judas (or Judah) was quite a common name in 1st century Israel, particularly since most of the Jews living there were from the tribe of Judah.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jude's book is quite short, but it is a very powerful condemnation of false teachers. This epistle was written late in the first century, certainly at a much later time than his brother James' epistle. Jude does not mention much specific doctrinal error like John does, but he does attack the motives of the false teachers. If you are around someone for very long, you know what motivates them, whether it is money or power or something more positive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." (vs. 3-7)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jude jumps right in to this book with a warning about tolerating false teachers. Jude reminds his readers about the fact that people practicing wickedness throughout history have been judged by God and that they need to separate themselves from that wickedness, if for no other reason than to get out of the way of the coming judgment. God judged the angels who fell, He judged the people of Sodom for their wickedness and He judged the people of Israel who rejected Him, even after He saved them from Egypt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever." (vs. 8-13)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are dangerous people Jude's readers are dealing with. Don't get the wrong idea by the term "love feasts." This is just a reference to a meal shared by all the people in a church. Jude says that these people are a reef. A reef is, among other things, a hidden danger to ships as they sail through what looks like safe waters. These people were right in the midst of the church, and they were wicked men, unsaved and creating problems. Apparently some of them were leaders in the church, since Jude says they were like shepherds feeding themselves instead of feeding the flock. We need to be very careful of the people we put in leadership positions in the church. The Lord takes His church very seriously, and we should be very careful to make sure that those in authority take the church seriously as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently, among their many other errors, they were preoccupied with demons. They were obsessed with casting them out and blaming all of people's problems on demons. I have met a couple of people like that. I knew one man, who later abandoned his wife and left the ministry, whose whole ministry seemed to change after he became preoccupied with the idea of demons. When I was very young, he came and preached several times at my church and was very good. He had a profitable ministry. But then things took a bizarre turn and his sermons started being all about demons and he had stories about all the demons he cast out of people and that sort of thing. Of course demons are real, but honestly it is not our job to try to confront them directly. Jude says here that not even Michael, the most powerful of the angels, came against Satan in his own power, but came in the power of the Lord Himself. As a general rule, don't trust someone who is preoccupied with demons as the source of evil in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story about Michael and Satan is actually an old Jewish legend that Jude records as fact in Scripture. In the next passage Jude quotes from another apocryphal source, the prophecy of Enoch. These days, people are obsessed with the apocryphal writings, particularly of the New Testament period. The "Da Vinci Code" book and movie, along with hundreds of other books touting "new evidence" about the origins of Christianity, is based on these writings. The church thoroughly studied and proved these writings to be false more than 1,800 years ago, but today these "brilliant" writers have dredged them back up pretending they have found something new. The moral of Jude's use of such material here is that they often can have accurate historical information in them, but if what they say goes against the plain teaching of Scripture, it is imperative that we leave that stuff alone and stick with the Bible. I have actually read some of the Apocrypha, the books that are included in the Catholic Bible. Most of what I have read is interesting historical information, but neither the Jews nor most orthodox Christians recognize it as scripture. Not even the Catholic church places it on the same level as the traditional Old and New Testaments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.' These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage." (vs. 14-16)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jude continues here with his theme of judgment on wicked men, and what these believers need to do to get out of the way of the coming judgment. He quotes Enoch, who prophesied thousands of years ago that the Lord was coming to bring about judgment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.' It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit." (vs. 17-19)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This passage is certainly a clue that this epistle was written late in the Apostolic Age. Jude mentions that the Apostles had already written about the fact that there will be mockers in the last days. This quote sounds an awful lot like II Peter 3, but Paul also wrote something similar in II Timothy 3, and there are other passages as well that warn about apostasy in the last days. Certainly things have only gotten progressively worse as the centuries have passed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (vs. 20-25, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is Jude's conclusion. He reminds his readers to remain faithful to the Lord through whatever comes and to be faithful witnesses. They were to be witnesses both to those outside the church and those inside the church who were led astray by the false teachers. Lots of people like to quote verse 22 in the King James: "And of some have compassion, making a difference." The preacher in church yesterday said, "The Bible says, 'Compassion makes a difference.'" Well of course compassion does make a difference, but looking at it in context, what it is saying here is that Jude's readers (and that would include us) need to have compassion on those who have been led astray by the false teachers. When he tells us to "make a difference," it means to make a difference between the false teachers, who should be shunned, and those led astray by the false teachers - “those who doubt” - who can still be led to true Biblical faith. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-16992403886360621152016-01-26T15:47:00.001-06:002016-01-26T15:47:30.496-06:00TOMS: 3 John<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 25, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John addresses this short epistle to Gaius, a man about whom we know very little other than the fact that John wrote an epistle to him. Gaius was a common Roman name, and there are a few men by the name of Gaius mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (vs. 1-4)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps John wrote this about wishing Gaius' physical health would prosper as his soul because Gaius was a sickly individual or had a medical condition. Or it may have been a more general greeting. Either way, John is obviously pleased with Gaius and his ministry on the whole, although there are a couple of issues John wants to address. John calls Gaius one of his children in verse 4. Most likely this means that Gaius was a spiritual son of John. It is unlikely a Jew like John would give his son such an obviously Roman name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." (vs. 5-8)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2 John, the Apostle addresses problems that arise when well-meaning Christians help false teachers. In 3 John, he addresses the problems that arise when Christians do not do enough to support genuine servants of the Lord. These traveling teachers probably were similar to what we would consider evangelists now. They traveled from church to church, teaching sound doctrine directly from the Apostles and further encouraging the churches. Gaius and his congregation were apparently not doing their part to further these men's ministries. What a shame it is that, even today, false teachers rake in donations by the millions while those who are really doing a good work for the Lord seem to struggle to get by. Now I know that there are a lot of issues involved, but the fact remains that those of us who know the Lord and are trying to live by the Word of God should be giving more to help brothers and sisters who are honorably doing the Lord's work. I know the Lord tells us to give as we see fit, but the fact still remains (at least for me) that I need to see fit to give more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a passing note, when John says these men accepted nothing from the Gentiles, John is most likely using that term to describe the lost world. The word Gentiles is used in that context several times in the epistles. Basically it means that the church was the only means of support for these teachers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true." (vs. 9-12, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People like Diotrephes are a detriment to the church. Doubtless Diotrephes was well-respected in the community and the church. Many may have called him a natural leader. But unfortunately he was using his God-given abilities (and probably wealth and other influences) to stir up trouble in the church. He was very critical of these teachers that John mentions earlier as honorable servants of God. He personally did not like them, and tried to run off or even discipline those who did. Diotrephes was probably a big reason Gaius' church was not doing enough to meet the needs of the evangelists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Church leaders need to be very careful whom they put in leadership. Someone like Diotrephes can wreak so much havoc in the church it is scary. Not only in the church, but his stubbornness and hatefulness even reached outside the church, affecting these evangelists and causing the Apostle John enough grief that he felt compelled to write this letter. The church has to be bigger than any one man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Later John mentions an example of a man who deserved more esteem in the church, namely Demetrius. Perhaps Gaius needed his eyes opened to see the problems that were right in front of his face. It seems that he and the church as a whole were relying too much on Diotrephes for leadership, a critical, narrow-minded man, and were overlooking the gifts of Demetrius, a humble, generous man who was doing the Lord's work without drawing much attention to himself. Lord give us more Demetriuses and fewer Diotrepheses in our day!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-66528866054959838952016-01-25T19:23:00.000-06:002016-01-25T19:23:00.717-06:00TOMS: 2 John<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 24, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This little letter (the shortest book in the Bible) was written by John to the "elect lady," whoever that may have been. If you have read the rest of John's writings, the themes here are quite similar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love." (vs. 1-3)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whoever this lady was, she was probably well-known at the time among the first-century church. Other than that, this is a pretty standard opening for an epistle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady— not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning— that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward." (vs. 4-8)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once again we find John reminding his readers to love one another. Love is a vital element for the Christian life. You notice that John also points out that true Christian love involves more than a feeling: it requires walking in God's commandments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We also find John warning against the error of gnosticism. The gnostics denied the humanity of Christ and taught that He was merely a spirit being. John made a point of pointing out that it is false doctrine to deny that Jesus came in the flesh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John includes another serious warning as well: we can lose rewards in heaven if we are unfaithful to the Lord. As Christians we have the privilege of earning rewards in heaven. But those rewards are conditional upon our faithfulness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." (vs. 9-11, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God takes doctrinal purity seriously. There are minor things that no Christians will ever agree completely on. To divide over these things is foolish and unnecessary. But there are a number of things in Scripture that are non-negotiable. John goes so far as to say that we should have nothing to do with these false teachers, not even a greeting. That is serious. In our society, we are told to be tolerant of everyone, even those with whom we disagree (those who use the word "tolerance" the most are often some of the least tolerant people out there, but that is another topic for another time). Instead of trying to win them back, we need to just have nothing to do with them until they show signs of repentance. Now of course this goes for teachers, leaders in the Christian community. I don't think John is telling us not to have anything to do with relatives, friends or neighbors who hold unorthodox doctrine; I think he is talking about teachers and about how the church should deal with them.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-63870866658260916782016-01-22T16:21:00.000-06:002016-01-22T16:21:21.567-06:00TOMS: 1 John 5<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 22, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John wraps up his epistle with a summary of a lot of the things he has already written.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (5:1-5)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is no great secret to a victorious Christian life. The two things we must do are to love God and keep His commandments. By these two things we will gain victory over the world and have confidence in the Lord.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This is he who came by water and blood— Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." (5:6-12)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John here points out the baptism of Christ: "water" - the physical death of Christ: "blood" - and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to prove that Christ came in the flesh and was and is the Son of God. These three never change and speak to all people at all times of the work of Christ. In addition, we as believers have the confirmation of the Spirit in our own lives, and as we tell others, that makes a fourth witness. The reference to the blood is very important, since a spirit cannot shed blood. John was once again seeking to refute the false teaching of gnosticism by proving that the Lord Jesus was 100% fleshly man, yet without sin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No discussion of this passage is complete without discussing the Johanine Comma. Here is how the King James Version renders verses 7-8: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." Now of course the added statement is true. The doctrine of the Trinity is firmly established in Scripture. The question is, is that what John originally wrote? Now of course I am not an expert in this subject, but the nearly unanimous agreement among all scholars is that John never wrote that. I did a little bit of research on it, and apparently it was first found in copies of the Latin Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible that was the standard for the Catholic Church for nearly 1,000 years. The Catholic Church also worked to preserve the Greek text (of course they were not the only organization to do so, but they had the most resources and were the most systematic). The verse started showing up in copies of the Greek New Testament about the year 900, apparently as someone decided to add in Greek what was there in some Latin copies. Again, I don't know how they date them, but there are ways to read a manuscript and tell about what time and what place the manuscript was written. Even though it is a true statement, it is best to look at the evidence and conclude that it is probably not what John originally wrote and discard it. The Comma interrupts John's argument. He is arguing that there are three witnesses that testify about Christ, and then all of a sudden you have that other verse thrown in. I know there are other disjointed arguments in Scripture, but it is a consideration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life— to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (5:16-21, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John concludes his epistle with a strange warning. He says that we should pray for our brothers who sin, but he adds that there is a sin unto death, that we should not pray for. That really seems odd. Clearly, the only sin for which man cannot be forgiven is the sin of rejecting Christ. All other sins can be forgiven and have been forgiven by the Lord. I guess what John is trying to say here - and I could be completely wrong - is that God will work on our behalf in the life of a brother who is sinning when we pray for him. But God cannot help those who are constantly rejecting the Gospel of Christ. At least not in the same way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John concludes his book by reminding his readers of the simplicity of Scripture. He says that they have been given understanding from the Lord, and they know the truth. The problems come when we are seduced by false teachers and we forget to weigh their teaching against what we already know to be true. All of the error and falsehood that is in Christianity today is directly traceable to that fact: people heard something that sounded good and they did not review it against the Scripture.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-68628245106246012172016-01-21T16:42:00.001-06:002016-01-21T16:42:03.422-06:00TOMS: 1 John 4<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 21, 2008</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John goes directly at the heart of gnosticism at the beginning of this chapter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error." (4:1-6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gnosticism, among other things, taught that the material world and everything in it is evil. The Gnostics began from that premise and taught that Jesus did not come in a fleshly body, but instead was only a spirit form. Not only did John know better than this because he witnessed Jesus' ministry, but he also recognized the serious doctrinal error involved. These teachers were denying the humanity of Jesus. John attacks this directly. He tells his readers that they need to listen carefully to all their teachers and make sure they are teaching the truth. And one sure sign that they are teaching error is that they deny the humanity of the Lord Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another sign of a false teacher is that they put down or disregard the teaching of the Apostles. This is what John means when he says that a true teacher "listens to us." Of course the Apostles are no longer with us, but any teacher who tries to explain away or deny the plain truth of the Word of God is a false teacher.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (4:7-11)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once again, John returns to the theme of love. He states in this passage that God is love. Since love is an essential attribute of God, it follows naturally that those to whom He gives His Spirit will display love in their lives. There could be no clearer statement than "anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John explains this concept even further in the rest of the chapter:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." (4:13-21, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love is not an outward action. True love will certainly produce loving actions, but it begins in the heart. And a heart of love comes from God. And that love from God will spill over and display itself in all sorts of visible ways in love for each other. John is merely stating a fact here, and it is an important fact.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-15537737808003278232016-01-19T16:53:00.000-06:002016-01-21T16:35:58.234-06:00TOMS: 1 John 3<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 18, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." (3:1-3)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a great passage. Who we are in the Lord Jesus is a wonderful privilege. And what we get in the future is even better. It is so good even John admits he does not understand what all will be involved, he just knows it will be good. That's really all we need to know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God." (3:4-9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is an important passage that needs to be read very carefully. John has already stated earlier in his epistle that no one, not even the best Christian in the world, lives without sin. So John cannot be saying that Christians do not sin. When you come to two passages or statements that seem to contradict each other, go back and check your premises. One or possibly both of them is wrong. That is the logical law of non-contradiction. What John is saying here is that someone who habitually indulges in sin cannot be a believer. A person who has no compunction about sinning is not born again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (3:10-15)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ultimate act of hatred is murder, which is what Cain did to Abel. Hatred of a fellow human being is not an attribute of a truly born again person. Love, however, is an attribute of a Christian. You all know people that demonstrate this fact, in both ways. People who love everyone they meet, and people who seem to hate everyone they meet. Which of those two kinds of people do you like to be around?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything." (3:16-20, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is more to love than just a positive feeling. Genuine love is demonstrated by actions. You can say you love someone all day long, but if you never do anything for them, they will not believe it. True love will give to the person or thing loved, whether it is meeting a physical need or just being with the person and spending time with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Notice John also allows for doubts on our part from time to time. As fallen creatures, there will always be times (or at least there are for me) when I doubt my salvation or even if God is there or just a figment of someone's imagination that I happen to be following. But then the Lord always comes through with confirmation. It is wonderful to see and be a part of. I am truly blessed.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-67977558622288050682016-01-18T16:43:00.001-06:002016-01-18T16:43:20.993-06:00TOMS: 1 John 2<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 16, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John's writings are focused on certainties: things that we can know for sure from God. Apparently, among their errors of gnosticism and perfectionism, the recipients of this letter (and probably John's gospel as well) suffered from doubt. Maybe they thought there was no way we can know a lot of things about our faith. John is here to remind these people that Christianity is all about knowing for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (2:1-6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Notice here once again that John does not say that we have to repeat every one of our sins to God. He just reminds them that as believers Christ our propitiation pleads our case before the Father. There is no need to wallow in guilt over past sin. That is simply giving in to the attack of Satan. Instead we can be confident that God still loves us and wants to use us, because He chose us in the first place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John tells us that the way we know we are born again is that we follow God's commandments. This is important for us to realize. As believers we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. He leads us to follow God's Word. Obviously we will not always follow it perfectly, but if we do not have a desire to follow God, then we are not born again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (2:9-11)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is another proof of our salvation. No one who is born again can absolutely hate anyone. Certainly there will be people we choose not to be around, and there will be people we dislike and distrust. Paul even mentions that there will be believers from whom at some point we will need to separate from because of sin or false doctrine. But hating people is not something a Christian does. But there is something we need to hate:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions— is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (2:15-17)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is another different use of the word "world" than we found in verse 2. Obviously this is not talking about the world of people, but instead the world system. The world, in this sense, is always going to be opposed to God. A lot of people make a big deal of the three things John lists as being in the world. It seems to me there are more bad things in the world than just those, although you can certainly boil a lot of things down to something similar to those three things. The clincher here is verse 17: the whole point is that the world is passing away. Therefore to waste our time loving it (the word used in verse 15 is a derivative of "agape") and spending all our resources on advancement in it is shameful and wrong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." (2:18-23)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember that this was probably written before John wrote Revelation. So the term "Antichrist" was not charged with eschatological meaning like it is now. Anyway, the spirit of Antichrist is always with us, and it is trying to lead everyone, including believers, astray. Thankfully, as believers, we have a defense against this spirit. We have spiritual insight from the Lord to test every new idea that comes along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie— just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." (2:26-29, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here John restates this idea. There are people trying to deceive us all the time, and we need to be on guard. Now when John says we do not need anyone to teach us, don't take that too literally. What he means is that we do not need to follow every new spiritual fad that comes along. There is no "big secret" to the Christian life. God has revealed to us all that we need in His word and through His Spirit. That is all we need.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-46116163618224036042016-01-16T16:26:00.000-06:002016-01-18T16:35:22.897-06:00TOMS: 1 John 1<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 15, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This epistle is from John the Apostle, who also wrote the Gospel of John and the Revelation. This first epistle is quite complementary to John's Gospel. It is probable that they were originally sent to the same recipient, whether that was a church or an individual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John's writing is much later than the other apostles, at least 50 years, likely closer to 60 years, after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The church was more mature, but it also faced new and dangerous problems. Thirty years earlier, it was enough for Paul to set forth the basic doctrines of the church in his epistles. But there were new false doctrines to be addressed by the time John took up his pen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The most pressing issue was the cult of gnosticism had crept into vogue with many in the church. This is the idea that the flesh is sinful and the spiritual part of man is good. Now that kind of makes sense in a very general way, and I am sure the gnostic teachers found verses in Paul's writings to back up their teachings. The fact is though (and Jesus clearly taught this, see <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A16-20&version=ESV">Matthew 15:16-20</a>), that it is man's sinful soul that is the problem. God created man with a desire for friendship and for procreation, it is the evil of man's heart that abuses this desire in adultery and other sexual sins. God gave man a need and desire for food and drink; it is man's soul that decides to indulge in gluttony and drunkenness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, beyond that, the gnostics went even farther and taught that Jesus did not inhabit a fleshly body while on earth. They taught He was a purely spiritual being. Of course if He were only a spiritual being and not a physical man, He could not be a substitute for our sins, but they didn't bring that up. We will see this theme of Jesus coming in the flesh over and over again throughout this epistle, beginning in the first verse:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—" (1:1-2)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Notice in the very first verse that John says, among other things, that he touched Jesus with his hands. This is a direct affront to the gnostic teaching that Jesus was a spirit. John is clearly stating his position as an Apostle, which among other qualifications includes being a witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, to attack this false teaching.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." (1:3-7)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is one of my favorite passages in all the Bible: it gives us the purpose of the church in particular and of Christian fellowship in general. Notice the vertical and horizontal pattern here. We are all to grow in our fellowship with God and in our fellowship with each other. John teaches here that these two relationships complement each other. As we grow in fellowship with God, we will also grow in fellowship with our fellow believers. Imagine a triangle with you on one point, God on another point and fellow believers on the third point (this works a lot better on a chalkboard). As you move closer to God, you are automatically moving closer to the other point, that being fellow believers. And hopefully as you grow in fellowship with God you will encourage your brother in the Lord to draw closer to God, and that will bring the two of you even closer together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1:8-10, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another popular but false teaching of this time was that a Christian could live above sin in this life. Of course there are people who still believe this today, so little has changed in 1,900 years. John is not excusing sin here: he just wants us to recognize that we do still have sin in our lives, as much as we may not like to admit it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In context, I think verse 9 is not saying as much as some people think it does. I have heard lots of preachers tell stories about people who could never live a victorious Christian life until they claimed I John 1:9 and got forgiveness for a sin they committed years ago. I could be wrong, but I think in context John is saying we simply need to acknowledge our sinfulness and our need for God's grace instead of arrogantly claiming perfection. I think it is taking that scripture too far to say that if we don't name every sin we commit each day, that somehow God will hold that against us. God already has forgiven us of all our sin and made us righteous before Him. The problem may not be unconfessed sin as much as it is a guilt trip laid on us - and unfortunately encouraged and fomented by well-meaning preachers and teachers - for things we have done for which we have already received forgiveness.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-82871277690698522702016-01-15T22:05:00.000-06:002016-01-15T22:05:19.470-06:00TOMS: 2 Peter 3<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 14, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The major theme of this chapter is the return of Christ and the coming judgment. This passage is an exception to the "rule" of the skeptics that Christ's return is only mentioned briefly by Paul. Peter's focus is almost entirely on the Second Coming as opposed to the Rapture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.' For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished." (3:3-6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Peter's time until now, skeptics have debated and mocked the coming of the Lord. Peter says these people are "deliberately ignorant" of two things: the creation and the Flood. The first thing they deliberately ignore is the fact that God created this world and that He is therefore sovereign over all of it. The second thing they are deliberately ignorant of is God's judgment on sin. Basically these people ignore God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (3:7-9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The former world passed away by water, but this world will be destroyed by fire, as Peter explains in great detail in the next section. Peter comforts his readers by reminding them that God is not limited by time like we are. Whether we are aware of it or not, God is at work, and He will perform his purpose. Our job is not to try to understand it all; our job is to remain faithful to Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Verse 9 is often misquoted and ripped from its context. The "promise" Peter is talking about is Christ's coming and the ensuing judgment, not salvation. Basically what Peter is saying is that God is delaying His judgment so that more people can be saved. This one verse is often used as a trump card by those who dispute the doctrine of election. They often do not even quote the entire verse, they just say, "God is not willing that any should perish." This does not do justice to the context, nor is it honest with the preponderance of scripture that teaches election.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (3:10-13)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an important point that should not be missed. God is going to destroy this earth and everything in it. And yet too many of us, myself included, spend all of our time worrying about our lives here and how we are going to make it and what our future here on earth is going to be like. What a shame. We have the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven, and yet we waste our time with stuff down here on earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. knowing this beforehand,You therefore, beloved, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (3:14-18, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an important fact that too many people ignore. When God gave us the Bible, He did not give us a systematic theology book. He gave us a book of stories, poetry, letters and other literary forms that form a cohesive whole. God chose to preserve His word this way. One of the problems sinful man has is that often he brings his own ideas to the scriptures. When he does, he can find something in the Bible that seems to confirm his erroneous beliefs. Not everyone who does this is intentionally trying to twist the scripture. Often they are well-meaning people who sincerely believe something. But they do not seek God's wisdom to help them understand the Bible. Instead they rely on their own intellect or the ideas of others they trust.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-22113151350641831822016-01-14T18:29:00.000-06:002016-01-14T18:29:39.062-06:00TOMS: 2 Peter 2<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 12, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter continues the thought about the sufficiency of scripture, but takes it in a new and very important direction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (2:1-3)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We always need to keep a sharp eye out for false teachers, even among those we consider good people. We always need to base our beliefs on the Word of God, not some man's teaching. When Peter says that these teachers deny the Master who bought them, there are two possibilities: one is that they are genuinely saved but have been carried away by false doctrine, or that they claim to be bought by the Master, but they are not truly born again. I think there are probably false teachers characterized by both, but I would say the vast majority would be the latter- those who claim to know the Lord but they have deceived themselves and are now deceiving others through their homespun teachings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment." (2:4-9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter here gives examples both of the mercy and judgment of God. God must deal with sin, as he did with the demons who fell, the world during the flood and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the last two cases, God preserved righteous men from destruction, Noah and Lot. These two men were far from perfect, but they believed God, and He saved them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, trained in greed. insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness." (2:10-16)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Man may be the most unaware of God of any of His creatures. Peter says even the demons do not curse God to His face, but men do all the time. I hope you don't know too many people like the ones Peter describes here, but I do know a few. Mankind can become so absorbed by sin that he gets the warped idea that life is not worth living unless he is indulging in drink or sex or some other kind of sin. Notice that Peter says that some of these people are eating with the church. Apparently the recipients of this letter were not doing right by removing some members who had shown themselves not to have any spiritual desires whatsoever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: 'The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.'" (2:17-22, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These people proclaim themselves liberated, but they are enslaved by their own lusts. Peter says to be especially careful of those who have professed to know the Lord but return to their sin. Peter says here that it is impossible for someone to be genuinely born again and live an utterly wicked lifestyle. Something has to happen in their life. When it doesn't, they are truly worse off than they ever were, because they think they have religion and therefore they are fine. It is a dreadful responsibility to proclaim the Gospel. It is our responsibility, but it is not our responsibility to save them or even to pronounce them saved. God and the confirmation of the Spirit have to do that. Too many Christians motivated by a misguided zeal for numbers or not having a deep enough understanding of what salvation really is, have unfortunately shipwrecked many lives of people, telling them now they are saved and going to heaven because they went through a ritual. This in no way takes away our responsibility to witness, but we should be more careful not to try to fast-talk people into making a profession or leading people to think that parroting a ritual makes them a Christian. God gives the increase; our job is to faithfully proclaim the entire gospel, including the parts that may offend some people. If you offend someone with the truth, at least they see where they are and could respond positively the next time. Sugar-coating the Gospel does more harm than good.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-1929987009009978612016-01-13T20:39:00.000-06:002016-01-13T20:39:10.851-06:00TOMS: 2 Peter 1<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 11, 2008</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we start with a new epistle, 2 Peter. Peter is more specific in this epistle, pointing out a lot of particular issues in the church he is addressing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1:1-8)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is so much in this passage, but I did not want to divide it up, so we will have to backtrack a little bit. The most important thing for us to note is the contrast between what is already done and what is yet to be. Peter says very clearly in verses 3 and 4 that God through the Holy Spirit has given us all we need to be complete in Him. We get all of the Holy Spirit when we are saved; there is no need for a second blessing or an additional work of grace. As far as our standing with God is concerned, we are complete at the moment of salvation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But note the following verses. Yes, God has given us everything we need in the Holy Spirit, and yes, we are recipients of all the promises and are partakers of the divine nature. But now we need to add to our faith. I have heard extended studies on all these things we are supposed to add to our faith, and I am sure you have, too. My purpose is to get you to realize the paradox here: we are complete in Christ, but yet we have so far to go. Here is what makes the Christian life so difficult for many to grasp. People often fall for man-made theories that there is some sort of secret to becoming a mature Christian. Multitudes of authors and preachers have become rich selling books and sermons about some sort of "secret" they have discovered. The fact is there is no secret. We start with everything we need: we don't need to add any more from God at some later point in our lives. Then from there it is a daily walk of slow progress. It just take hard work and applying ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things." (1:10-15)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter's "secret"- to coin a phrase- for spiritual growth is very simple: diligence. Diligence is all that God asks of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had never noticed before what Peter said about him being near death, "as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me." Of course you remember that Jesus told Peter that when he was old, he would be led by others to a place he did not want to go. I guess he could sense himself getting old and needing help to get from one place to another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (1:16-21, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course Peter is referring to the Transfiguration when he talks about seeing the glory of Christ and hearing the voice from heaven. But Peter says that the Word of God is a more sure proof of Christ's deity and power than even experiencing that magnificent sight. This is a comfort to us who will never experience a physical interaction with the Lord Jesus in this life. We can read for ourselves and know for sure that what we are reading is true. How do we know it is true? Because of inspiration. Peter insists that no one came up with the word on his own, as so many skeptics even today assume, but the Holy Spirit carried the writers along and superintended their work, even when they did not understand what they were writing.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-50950858905717664522016-01-12T19:28:00.000-06:002016-01-12T19:28:28.149-06:00TOMS: 1 Peter 5<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 10, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This final chapter of Peter's first epistle has a lot of simple instructions about how to conduct ourselves in the church and in life in general.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." (5:1-4)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an important instruction for pastors and church leaders. Church leaders are responsible to the Lord for the way they lead their congregation. Thankfully, most church leaders are aware of their responsibility and do a wonderful job. However there are those who violate these instructions from Peter. They domineer their congregations, demanding obedience in the smallest detail, not merely submission to the position. Sadly, others use their office for personal gain or simply for career advancement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." (5:5-10)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have briefly discussed the concept of elders in the first century church before. Let us just suffice it to say that the elder was viewed as an office in the church, so in context this is talking about following the leadership of the church, and not simply obeying people older than you, which is how most people take it today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit: I have a hard time learning to cast all my anxieties on the Lord. I like to think of myself as an independent man, able to take care of my own problems. The Lord is showing me a lot right now about learning to depend upon Him. Some of you know, but I have been out of a job for about a week. It is so humiliating to beg around for a job. I think I am closer to finding a job, but still I am not sure. When you have no money, a lot of bad things happen, or at least they seem bad. The worst thing is when I have a lot of time to sit around and do nothing, and so I sit and stew about things. I know that I need to cast my cares on the Lord, but that is not easy. It is easier for me to hold on to them and worry about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The final warning in this passage is about resisting Satan. He is a real force in this world. A lot of people have this caricature of a ugly creature in a red suit running around poking people with his pitchfork. But Satan is much more subtle and smart than that. He hates all of us as God's special creation, and he is at work all the time creating all the havoc he can in God's plan. Sometimes he works through temptation to sin, and other times he works through punishment of believers. In both of these cases, Peter advises us to be strong in the Lord, who will enable us to overcome these testings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ." (5:12-14, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The meaning of "Babylon" in this final greeting is enigmatic. Most agree that this is a reference to the city of Rome. Tradition tells us that Peter became the leader of the church at Rome. We do not know much about the later ministry of Peter, since Luke's account in Acts follows Paul almost exclusively in the last half of the book. I just have a hard time with the fact that Peter proclaimed himself as an apostle to the Jews and then we supposedly find him a few years later in Rome, a city from which all Jews were kicked out. I don't know, maybe it is my own mind putting too many restrictions on historical figures</span>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-67038392644715124222016-01-09T10:11:00.000-06:002016-01-09T10:11:04.305-06:00TOMS: 1 Peter 4<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 9, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." (4:1-6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an interesting passage. First of all, Peter says we need to have the same mind that Christ had: the mind that the suffering we endure here is worth the reward and the joy that will follow for those who endure it. Next, Peter points out that the sins of the past have no power over the believer. Several of Peter's readers came from a terrible lifestyle before they were saved. But now they want nothing to do with the sort of things their old sinful man used to enjoy. Meanwhile, their old friends cannot understand why they don't want to participate in those things. Unregenerate man is a twisted, evil being, capable of anything society or family or a sense of respectability prevents him from doing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies— in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (4:7-11)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is why we do what we do in the church: to glorify God and Christ. That is why we are sober minded, we love one another earnestly, show hospitality and use our gifts. We lose our focus way too often and get sidetracked with things that do not matter toward the ultimate goal of bringing glory to God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And 'If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." (4:12-19, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God is faithful to his servants that he chooses to put through trials. Nowhere does God promise to keep us out of trials; on the contrary, the Bible is full of teachings about suffering and examples of believers who suffered terrible things. I really love that last verse: "Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." That pretty much sums it up.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-24787738412520272772016-01-07T18:43:00.001-06:002016-01-07T18:43:12.583-06:00TOMS: 1 Peter 3<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 7, 2008</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This chapter begins with a discussion of the Christian marriage relationship and teaching for women and men in general.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external— the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." (3:1-6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter addresses women first. First of all, he says that a believing wife should try her best to live with her lost husband and hopefully lead him to salvation. Notice the way she can lead him: by her daily life. Peter says Christian ladies should not be characterized by their sense of style or ostentatious display, but by the inner beauty of the heart. Of course this does not mean that they should not look nice or have expensive things, but a Christian lady should have a deeper sense of what is important in life than the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last part of that passage is kind of strange. I think what Peter means (and I may be completely wrong) is that married women should not be afraid to follow their husband, even if he is lost. God will take care of the woman who follows His will by obeying her husband.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." (3:7)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course you remember that Peter was married, so he was a voice of experience on these matters. I really can't say much about this passage, except that I am looking forward to trying to live out this verse in the near future. It does seem that the Lord takes the man's responsibility seriously, since it says here that a man's prayers will be hindered if he does not treat his wife right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For 'Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.'" (3:8-12)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The quote in this passage is from Psalm 34. The Lord will always honor those who follow his plan for their life. That is the main thrust of the quote and of the entire passage, the rest of which follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." (3:13-17)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God has special rewards for those who suffer in this life for serving him. That is a comfort and an encouragement for us to stay the course and not be discouraged when bad things happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." (3:18-22, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a wide-ranging passage. First of all, Peter points out that Christ left us an example, since he suffered for things he did not commit. Then Peter goes beyond the natural world and points out that Christ defeated the forces of wickedness by his death. There are several theories as to what it means when Peter talks about the demons who sinned before the Flood. I don't know exactly what to think, but I think it does indicate that God in his grace is now hindering the work of Satan and his demons in a way that he did not before the Flood. Mankind at that time was so degenerate that Noah preached for 120 years and only converted his little family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it is clear that the reference to baptism in this passage is a reference to the spiritual baptism that all believers experience at salvation. Noah and his family were saved from the flood waters by their obedience, and we are saved from the power of Satan by our obedience to God.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8498230944440349303.post-1432207480198807092016-01-06T16:37:00.002-06:002016-01-07T18:38:04.762-06:00TOMS: 1 Peter 2<div style="font-family: '';">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For an introduction to this series, click <a href="http://mutineermuses.blogspot.com/2014/09/8-years-ago-today-on-old-myspace-blog.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>January 5, 2008</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." (2:1-3)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those who have "tasted that the Lord is good" here are those who are saved. Peter says that if we are saved, our desire should be to feed on the food that the Lord provides, not on malice, hypocrisy and the like. Someone who is alive and healthy will have an appetite. If your appetite is always for the carnal things of the world, you may indeed be alive, but not alive to God. It is always a dangerous thing to assume we are saved without taking inventory from time to time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.' So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.' They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do." (2:4-8)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We as believers are a spiritual body. I don't understand it all, but there is a bond between believers, even when we speak different languages, that can only be explained by the fact that we are all part of God's spiritual house. There are some who because of their theological biases try to downplay the spiritual universal aspects of our faith. I have never understood that. Certainly practical reality dictates that we emphasize service and growth through a local church, but to ignore passages like this is irresponsible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter makes another important point here: the Gospel will always produce a reaction. Sometimes it is positive, and other times it is negative. Christ's message, if it is proclaimed correctly, will have people reject it outright. It is not our job to save everyone; that is God's territory. Our responsibility is to proclaim the Gospel without fear and without mixture from man's ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (2:13-24, ESV)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This passage is pretty self-explanatory, but it should be pointed out the circumstances under which this passage was written. Remember Peter was writing this to first century Roman subjects, people to whom either already or soon to be their faith was illegal. Yet Peter tells them to be subject to visible authority in all things. Of course there comes a point when we have to say, as Peter himself did, "We ought to obey God rather than men," but in most situations it is better to submit to authority, because they are not threatening our faith, just a minor aspect of our lives. It is important to keep things in proper perspective.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558658561028526319noreply@blogger.com0