Again we see Jesus portrayed as an author. We learned last week that this can mean more than someone who writes something, but also the one who causes something or is the source of something. The word used in Hebrews 12:2 is a different word than the one in Hebrews 5:9 even though the KJV uses the same English word. This word means the founder, leader, captain, or head.

That makes perfect sense. Jesus is the founder of our faith. Jesus is the head over the faithful. Jesus is the captain of our army. Jesus is our leader. When we say that he is the founder of our faith we are using faith in the sense of the set of beliefs that are necessary to please God, not in the sense of having faith or trust in someone or something. Both are valid uses of the word faith, and we need to understand from the context which is being used.

Jesus lived a life of faithfulness as an example for us to follow, but he did much more than that. He also established what we are to believe. In a very real way he is both the foundation for our faith as individuals and the founder of the entire system of Christian faith.

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Without a doubt we should be looking to him. Are you? We will look another time at him being the finisher or perfecter of our faith. But for now let’s remember that their would be no true faith without him.

​jp

The Advantage To Growing Up In A Christian Home
Part 2

In our last issue we discussed the advantage of growing up in a Christian home and how we might question those who became Christians later in life getting the same reward in heaven as we do. In this issue we want to look at detail the advantage of long lives of service to God.
Those who have lived faithful lives throughout most of their adult years have some definite advantages over those who didn’t.
The one who has lived a life of sin has many regrets in their lives. The Apostle Paul asked the Romans, “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” (Romans 6:21) Sin takes a toll on a person’s life in many ways. Sin has ruined people’s physical health that can never be regained. Sin has destroyed people’s mind and emotions that can never be restored. Sin has taken away the livelihood of many. But, perhaps the way sins affect us most drastically is in our relationships. Not only does sin destroy our relationship with God, (Isaiah 59:2) but it also destroys our relationships with those we love on this earth.
One of the saddest things I have faced in this life is to hear people grieve over the loss of their children to Satan. Their children grew up in their home before they became Christians and were not brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) When parents become Christians later in life, after their children have left home, they deeply regret the fact that their children are not Christians and the parents often find it very difficult to reach them for Christ.
Another thing I hear often is grief over a marriage relationship which has ended in divorce. Many people divorce because they were not Christians and did not build their relationship on biblical principles. Most of the time it is too late for them to mend those broken relationships after they have become a Christian.
Alcohol, adultery, fornication, anger, jealousy, greed and any other sin can bring many regrets and sorrows into the lives of those who are not living by God’s principles. Even though the sins can be forgiven, the scars and results of the sins can affect us and those we love all of our lives and even into eternity.
So, if you have been a Christian from an early age, be thankful that you have escaped the snares of the devil that produce so much pain and sorrow in the lives of others. Also, be thankful that those who have lived a life without God, can be forgiven and become His children and have that home in heaven also.
If you are not a Christian, don’t wait any longer. The longer you wait, the more sorrow, pain and heartache you may have because of you delay in obedience to God. - LP

Many of you may have seen the diagram above. If you haven’t it may be difficult for you to see the word “JESUS” in it. It is there and it is not a foreign language. The reason we have a problem seeing it is because we tend to focus on the small white lines and because the word “JESUS” blends in with the black border. If you just cannot see the word “JESUS” try putting a white sheet of paper above and below the white marks in the black square.

If you are a Christian then Jesus is in you.

John 14:19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 

2 Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified. 

If Christ is in you then others will notice. 

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 

What do people see when they look at your life?  Do they see Jesus? Or is the bad, or the sin in your life, standing out so much that it’s all they see?  Perhaps you are blended so much with the world that it is too difficult for others to see Jesus in you. It should not be a puzzle or a difficulty for people to see Jesus in the life of a Christian. Step back and look at your life and ask yourself, “What do people see when they look at me?”
- LP

BIOLOGISM - DOCTRINES FORMULATED ON PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
There is nothing wrong with using science. At least that is true of real science. Paul warns Timothy that not everything that calls itself science really is. (1 Tim 6:20-21) “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: {21} Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” Read that statement one more time. Don’t ‘oppositions of science falsely so called’ sound an awful lot like humanism, atheism, and evolution.

Science, true science, consists of only those things which mankind can prove with the five senses. There are, as a result, many things which lie outside the realm of science. Which is better chocolate ice cream or vanilla? Science can never answer that. Does God exist? Science can’t answer that either. Did we evolve? Science can never answer that in the affirmative no matter how hard it tries. This doesn’t mean that those questions don’t have answers, only that the answers lie outside the realm of our five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing). With those five senses the first question can’t be answered by science because even though we all taste ice cream if we eat it, we don’t all enjoy the same flavor, and some don’t like ice cream at all (hard to believe I know). The second question is somewhat different. Notice, I did not say the existence of God could not be proven one way or the other, only that science could not prove it. There are several evidences of God’s existence. We take the things that are scientifically knowable and then use logic, reason, and rational thinking to draw inescapable conclusions. We must remember that not everything we can know is knowable on the basis of science, even though some so called scientists would never admit that. The third question falls into a category that can be proven false by science, but can never be proven true. Think about the fossil record which would be the only thing science could examine in regards to evolution. Unless some form of evolution happened and was observed by people, then all we have is leftovers.

Here is the problem true science would have with evolution: 1) nobody was there, 2) it is not happening now and cannot be recreated, 3) There would have to be in the fossil record massive numbers of intermediate (meaning half one animal and half another or somewhere in between) fossilized animals, 4) Here is the kicker; even if there were in the fossil record those intermediate forms it would not and could not prove that evolution occurred. Think about it without sensing it, science cannot prove it true. The lack of condition 3 can prove it didn’t happen, but the existence of condition 3 doesn’t prove it did. The reasoning behind this is that in order for something to be a scientific fact all other alternatives must be disproved as well as the proposition you like being proved. For example: If I were to prove that there is oxygen in our atmosphere, and then jumped to the conclusion that our atmosphere is 100% oxygen I would have made a scientific error because I did not prove that there weren’t any other gases in the air. Therefore, even if the fossils evolutionists are looking for so hard did exist they would first have to disprove any other explanations. Well, you may ask, “If they do exist what other explanation could there be besides evolution?” Easy they could quite plausibly be the fossil remains of animals that once existed as a result of creation, but that are now extinct. Just like the dinosaurs, the whale shark, and the dodo bird, God could have created any number of other animals that are now extinct.

Don’t fall into the trap of believing that science can answer all the questions of life, it can’t, and never will be able to. It is fine to use science as far as it goes, but don’t sacrifice faith in God for faith in science. Science when used properly can be beneficial, but be careful. As Paul warned Timothy, false teaching in any form can destroy faith.

ATHEISM - BELIEF THAT THERE IS NO GOD
(Psa 14:1) “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in  his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable  works, there is none that doeth good.” The law of excluded middle leaves us  with only two options: 1) There is a God. Or 2) There is not a God. We have  to chose which we will believe. David tells us that only a fool would  believe the second. That being the case, our world must be overflowing with  fools.

The atheist (a= against, theist= belief in God) would have us believe that  he KNOWS that there is no God. In order for that to be the case he would  have to have knowledge of the following:

1) God is not here right now. Since one of God’s attributes is that He is a  Spirit and thus invisible, and since science has never even tested much less  proven any instrument that can detect whether God is here right now or not;  then, the atheist can’t know this.
2) God is not somewhere else right now. Another of God’s attributes is His  ability to be anywhere He wishes. The atheist would need verification that  God is not currently on the other side of the earth or in a different part  of the galaxy, and since the atheist can’t be in two places at once, he  can’t know that.
3) God is not in a different time. Considering that God is not limited by  time, even could the first two be proved, the atheist would need proof that  God is not visiting the future or past. He can’t
4) God is not avoiding detection. God is all powerful. Even if the atheist  had the tools that could detect God and was able to be in all places and was  able to be in all of those places in all times past, present, and future; If  God wanted to remain hidden the atheist would have to be more knowledgeable  and more powerful in order to force God to reveal himself to the instruments  he had made.

In short, one would have to know everything and be everywhere all the time,  as well as have limitless power lest the one place this person can not go or  the one thing this person can not know be the very thing we are talking  about, the existence of God. If any being could do all of that, then that  being would be . . . GOD.

Atheism falls in the very demands of its own beliefs. Thus the Psalmist is  so right when he says it is the fool that states as a fact the illogical  position that there is no God. Far less than 1% of the worlds population are  true Christians, and it may not be long before the majority of the world  doesn’t even believe in a supernatural God, much less the true and living  God. My wife at times when she is frustrated will express doubts about her  mental capabilities. Maybe you have felt the same way. Sometimes we think we  are stupid. If you are a faithful New Testament Christian, then the next  time you look at the world around you and feel dumb; tell yourself the same  thing I tell my wife, “You believe in God and Christ, and have enough wisdom  to have obeyed and remained faithful up to this point, you are smarter and  wiser than 99% of the people in the world.” Bet you never thought of it that  way before did you? Don’t let the claims of atheism put doubts in your life.

ASTATICISM - STATE OF BEING UNSTEADY OR UNSTABLE

The Bible mentions four things concerning the unsteady individual. Let us  examine the results of astaticism.

1) (Gen 49:3-4) “Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning  of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: {4}  UNSTABLE AS WATER, THOU SHALT NOT EXCEL; because thou wentest up to thy  father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.” Reuben should  have been the most mature since he was the oldest, but as we see he was  wicked and did not take after his father in righteousness. As a result Jacob  compares him to water. Have you ever tried to stand on water? Even on a  boat that is on the water trying to keep your balance is difficult at times.  Water is unstable and so is the soul of the one who is disobedient to his  parents (physical parents or God our spiritual father). That individual will  never excel at anything worthwhile. Excel, don’t rebel.

2) (James 1:6-8) “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that  wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. {7} For  let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. {8} A  DOUBLE MINDED MAN IS UNSTABLE in all his ways.” James lets us know that if  we have an unstable faith that believes in God sometimes, but not other  times, we will not receive anything from the Lord. Of course we know that we  can’t fool God by saying we believe with our mouth, but not acting like it  in our lives. If we try that we are double minded or two faced, we might  say, and we are unstable. Don’t be double minded.

3) (2 Pet 2:9, 14) “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of  temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be  punished: . . . {14} Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease  from sin; BEGUILING UNSTABLE SOULS: an heart they have exercised with  covetous practices; cursed children:” Peter warns us of evil men who do all  manner of evil things, and one of the things they are good at doing is  beguiling or tricking or bamboozling those who are unstable. Why do you  suppose they do that? Their falsehoods and illogical arguments and  emotionally charged speeches would never be able to change the stable soul.  Those of us who realize that life begins at conception and not at birth are  not swayed by the senseless arguments about it being a woman’s body and her  right to chose. We know that she made her choice already and now must deal  with the consequences of that choice. We know that for her to abort that  baby is equivalent to her killing it after it has been born. When we are  stable minded and rational we can only be swayed by reason, but the unstable  individual can be tricked by everything from a flat out lie told well to the  carefully worded concealment of the truth. Don’t be beguiled.

4) (2 Pet 3:15-16) “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is  salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom  given unto him hath written unto you; {16} As also in all his epistles,  speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be  understood, WHICH THEY THAT ARE UNLEARNED AND UNSTABLE WREST, as they do  also the other scriptures, UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION.” Finally, we see that  the unstable person will ‘wrest’ or twist the scriptures in an attempt to  confuse, corrupt, or convince someone. Whenever we use the scriptures, we  need to be sure we don’t abuse them. If what we are teaching is true the  scriptures will reveal it without our misusing or misapplying them. If the  Bible doesn’t reveal it then we ought not teach it as though it were  revealed by scripture. Don’t abuse God’s word.

AMORPHISM - LACKING FORM

Some words can have more than one meaning or application and this is one of those words. It doesn’t really have any religious connotations, but we can make application. It technically refers to something like an amoeba or a cloud that can change shape and has no definite form. There are two ways we can apply this problem to the church, individually, and collectively.

1. There are some Christians (preachers, elders, etc.) who have no backbone, so to speak. These people will not stand up for the truth. They believe the truth, but they just don’t have the intestinal fortitude to defend it from attack. (Jude 1:3) Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

There are others who are just plain wishy-washy about what they believe. I do not mean those who are honest enough to change if they see that they are contrary to the teaching of scripture. I also am not referring to those sincere individuals who are struggling to find the truth on some issue. Even though both of these might seem to be suffering from amorphism, they are really just trying to define their form. Those I am speaking of are those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God and are thus willing to “go with the flow” even when the flow is going contrary to God’s will. Whatever is popular is what they believe. (Eph 4:14-15) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; {15} But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

2. Another danger that falls here is the belief that the church itself is amorphous. The number of ‘Christians’ who believe: that we are on our own and that the New Testament doesn’t lay a pattern or form for the church, is growing. Because of a desire to do things in a ‘new’ way these individuals are teaching that the only things that matter are loving God and loving each other. It is true that Christ Himself said those were the “GREATEST” two commandments, but he never said they were the “ONLY” commandments. The fallacy of this thinking lies in the assumption that one can love God without doing what God said do. Jesus said that our love would be expressed in the action of keeping his commands. (John 15:14) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. And (John 14:15) If ye love me, keep my commandments. What’s more he made it clear that if the apostles, and by virtue of their teaching us as well, wanted to continue in His good favor, they had to obey him. (John 15:10) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

Many might say, “that is true, but Jesus didn’t command all the things written in the letters to the churches.” Another lack of knowledge is the problem here. There are two principles: The inspiration of the word, and the chain of authority both refute this illogical position. The apostles placed commands on the Christian individual and on congregations, there is no questioning that. (2 Th 3:4) And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. This passage as well as others shows us that the apostles certainly thought they had the authority to make commands and expect them to be followed. Where did they get that authority? It came directly from Christ and through the Holy Spirit. Christ gave the apostles authority to bind. (Mat 16:19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The commands of the apostles bear the full authority and endorsement of Christ. Let us be sure that we are not a church without a foundation, or like the man who built his house on the sand ours too will crumble and fall.

ABSENTEEISM - PRACTICE OF BEING ABSENT
We understand the need to go to work everyday. We understand that children won’t learn if they are not taught everyday. Why is it that so many don’t understand the need to assemble with the saints every time they are together? All of us must be absent at times because of illness, travel, or work. Absenteeism isn’t about those times, but rather the practice of being absent. Allowing a habit to form that nearly always leads to total disassociation from the body of Christ is a danger not only to one’s self, but also to the entire body as a whole. How would we function if on several days of the week certain parts of our bodies didn’t show up? Can you imagine what life would be like if on Monday we had no sight, Tuesday we couldn’t hear, Wednesday we couldn’t use our arms, etc.? The church can no more function without all of its members than our bodies can. The Hebrew writer warns us of the consequences of choosing such a path in Heb. 10:23-27. The only thing waiting down that path is “judgement and fiery indignation”. Think how much better the alternative to say as David did in Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD’.” Assemble with the saints here on earth to prepare for the great assembly of saints in Heaven

As we start this new year this is a question that we need to answer. Where we will spend eternity is dependent upon the answer and the follow through of that very question. So, the question comes to you, “What will you do with Jesus?” Even if you don’t consciously answer this question you are answering it each and every day by the way you live your life. 

In Matthew chapter 27 Pilate is facing the most difficult and most significant decision of his career. He has Jesus, falsely accused of treason and other crimes, before him. Pilate can find no wrongdoing in Christ. Under those circumstances Jesus should have been cleared and freed. Pilate made a mistake that is almost unimaginable. Picture a courtroom with a judge and a defendant and a plaintiff, a common picture. Now, after the questioning is over and no evidence against the accused has been found, imagine if you can, the judge turning to the accusers and saying, “What should I do?” What do you think the accusers will say? As shocking as it seems that is what Pilate did. You see Pilate was asking the right question, he just went to the wrong source for the answer.

Pilate’s wife had sent a message to him to have nothing to do with Jesus. She warned him that Jesus was a just man. Of course, he is much more than that, and her advice to have nothing to do with him was not wise.  Pilate, regardless of her advice, could not avoid this decision. Even though he tried to pass it off to Herod (Luke 23), Herod sent Jesus back. We are in the same difficult position as Pilate. We can’t pass the decision off to someone else, we must each answer for himself.

There are several responses that can be made to this question: 


1) You may choose to ignore it and do nothing. This is the same as rejecting Jesus.


2) You may choose to wait until later and do nothing now. This is the same as rejecting Jesus.


3) You may choose to reject Jesus and his claim on you.


4) You may claim to serve him in word, but do your own will. This is also the same as rejecting Him.


5) You may pretend to serve him with your actions, but not with your heart. This is rejecting Him.


6) You may ask others, even Jesus’ enemies, what they think you should do? This can be dangerous.


7) You may try to serve Jesus and someone or something else. This rejects His absolute sovereignty.


8) You may choose to serve Him and worship Him according to his commands with your whole heart.

You may be able to think of other responses or scenarios, but the fact is that anything other than total submission to Jesus and his commandments is a rejection of Him as Lord and Christ. 

What are you going to do with Jesus? You had better make sure you choose wisely and follow through because one day all who have ever lived will stand before Him in judgment and wait to see what He will do with them. I will be there, and you will be there, too. It will be too late then. We must answer now. 

Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 21:28-32 "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. {29} He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. {30} And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. {31} Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. {32} For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

Jesus is once again focusing on one of his most preached topics in this passage. He wants the religious leaders of his time, and ours as well, to know that actions speak louder than words. The religious world of our time had better wake up to this fact or there will be tons of disappointed people on judgment day. We can’t give God lip service and expect him to be happy. Jesus seems to teach this message in every way he possibly can. In Matthew 7:21 He says,  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." But no matter how often or how many different ways he gave this message there were many then and now who proudly proclaim to be Christians, children of God, and followers of Christ and go about living like the devil. 

It is sad to know there will always be hypocrites, but it is sadder still to see churches and church leaders who condone, approve, or even actively encourage this sinful lifestyle. We all have sinned, but we should be ashamed of those things and work diligently to get that sin out of our lives. Just pretending to be holy on Sunday will never impress Jesus or His Father.

Jesus in asking, “what think ye?”, let’s us know that He wants us to think about what we do and what will please God. We live in a world that emphasizes emotions or feelings to such an extent that how someone feels has become far more important to most people than what they think. Just ask ten religious people if they are right with God, and most if not all will respond with, “I feel. . .” or something similar. But what think ye? It is a wonderful feeling to feel safe and saved, but God won’t be determining who gets into heaven on the basis of feelings. Feelings just are not always right and we know it. It would not be good, for example, for me to decide whether to slow down and stop at an intersection based on whether I felt safe. I might feel safe going right through a red light just before being smashed by an 18-wheeler. No, we can’t live life based on our feelings alone.

Christianity is a religion based on what we can know and reason from God’s word. It is a religion of the mind first and the heart second. We must learn to do what we know is right regardless of how we feel, and then learn to feel good about doing what is good.

That brings us to the two sons in Jesus’ parable. The father gave them both the same command. The first did not feel like obeying, and consequently told the father he wouldn’t. This son’s feelings about the task may or may not have changed, but his attitude (state of mind) did change. He did what he knew was right. The other son knew what was right and told the father what he wanted to hear. He apparently didn’t feel like doing it either, however, and followed those feelings. The people Jesus was talking to thought the first son was the one who did right, but there are many today who would probably argue that if the sons didn’t feel good about doing it then it was okay for them to not do the work. They would probably say that it was okay for the second son to lie to his father so the father’s feelings wouldn’t be hurt. That is certainly what people do.

So, what do you think? Which son did right? The one who followed his feelings? Or, The one who followed his reasoning? What about you? Are there things that you are doing because it feels good or right even though the Bible teaches that it is wrong?