Mon, Aug 31st - 9:08PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Sat, Aug 29th - 2:37PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Fri, Aug 28th - 3:57PM

Discipleship

Delegation being applied Today - It is one thing for us to study the example of Christ Jesus, it is another thing to personally implement this concept of delegation in our own discipleship relationships with those around us.  How can we accomplish this?

A.   By providing our disciples with personal projects and practical work assignments which encourage Bible study, prayer, service, and personal evangelism.

B.   By involving our disciples in our own responsibilities, so they can share in the realization of a task.

These two approaches will enable us to help others to become closer to reaching a position in Christ where they can reproduce themselves in others' lives.  One caution must be put forth here:  Do not start too fast, or give too much, or expect perfection, or try to impress.  And yet, pass on to them all that you can, be realistic and honest, base all of your delegation on three words:  encourage, encourage, encourage!

Let's turn our attention to one other leader who was gifted in delegation: Nehemiah.  This man took command of a rather imposing task.  Rebuilding the Jerusalem walls was no easy task to be done in a matter of hours, or even days.  Look in Nehemiah 2-4 and as you read you'll notice specific men with specific tasks.  Try to visualize this by writing it down on paper.  Perhaps you may wish to draw a diagram of the wall and write in the various names of the workmen with the appropriate sections of wall.  Allow this to help highlight the effectiveness of delegation.

Assuming that you are convinced of the great value of building and training others, let's think for a few minutes about these questions:

*   What types of projects and personal work assignments can you give to your disciple?  This applies to your children or even grandchidren as well as other believers.

*   How can you better involve your disciple in your responsibilities?  Are you a deacon, or elder?  How can they be more involved in some of the tasks that you do?

*   How can you guard against starting out too fast and overwhelming the person/s?

*   In what areas could you "hold back," in so doing causing the disciple to search out his/her own answers?

*   Are you expecting perfection?  Write down a few of your limited objectives.

*   Are you admitting your struggles and weaknesses?  Write down a few that you have shared with your disciple, or that you should share with them.

*   Are you feeling threatened by this process?  Do you tend to hold back?  Keep secrets?  Be honest with your disciple/s and share your feelings with them.

*   How are you practically showing encouragement to your disciple?  It can not be all negative, there must be encouragement and positive feedback.

The seventeenth chapter of John is the farewell prayer of Jesus to His disciples.  Mere moments later His thoughts were turned to the inevitability of the cross.  Golgotha weighed upon His mind.  But this prayer was uttered sometime between the Last Supper and the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Christ's prayer was geared towards the prolonged welfare of His disciples after He was to have left their sides.  It is an inspired and perfect guide that we should want to follow when we intercede for our disciples, and other believers who are close to us.

Support of Discipleship...Intercession

The Emphasis throughout Christ's Prayer - In John 17:1-26 we find at least three things that were emphasized.

A.   He prayed for Himself - eleven times He referred Himself.

B.   He prayed for His eleven remaining disciples - He did this in verses 6-19.

C.   He prayed for those yet to believe - This is found in verses 20-26 and ought to make us stop and consider how we are living our lives.  How are we spending our time and energy?  Are we actively working to save, heal, and restore those who are lost and damaged by the world?  We need to be praying for those whom we have yet to meet, that God would call them to repentance.  I am building into my two grandsons' lives by having us read two or three verses each morning from the Book of Proverbs.  We then spend a few short minutes talking about how they might apply to our lives that very day.  My desire is for them to come to understand how important it is to gain wisdom.  Knowledge alone gets man nowhere fast, except potentially into trouble.  To have access to a great many "facts" without any wisdom can easily lead a person to make erroneous conclusions.  If Solomon asked God for wisdom and was given it, then so can we gain wisdom from God.  God's knowledge is infinite, there is no limit to what He knows. 

That is all for today, beloved.  God willing, we shall meet once again to open His Word and gain more understanding of what He wants us to do with our lives.  Grace and peace be with you.

~Eric

Wed, Aug 26th - 9:28PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Sennecherib, king of Assyria, had come down from the north like a tsunami, taking everything in his path.  He had captured every nation and city that stood in his path, or they had surrendered to him.  And so, flush with multiple victories he appears at the walls of Jerusalem.  He is puzzled by the fact that king Hezekiah tries to resist him and begins to think that there must be some secret weapon.  Rab-shakeh, his representative, ridicules all known possibilities of aid to the residents of Jerusalem and arrogantly demands unconditional surrender. 

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennecherib king of Assyria came up against all the defensed cities of Judah, and took them (36:1).

We need to recall that Isaiah began his prophetic ministry when King Uzziah died, and he continued through the subsequent reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and now Hezekiah.  Hezekiah was one of the five great kings of Judah.  During the reign of each of these five kings revival came to the land of Judah.  II Chronicles 29:1-2 tells us that he began reigning when he was 25 years old and reigned for 29 years doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 

Although he was a very good king, he had flaws, weaknesses.  In trying to stave off the invasion of Jerusalem he bribed Sennecherib (II Kings 18:13-16).  To make the bribe Hezekiah stripped all of the gold and silver from the Temple.  It angered God, and Sennecherib still invaded the city.  This type of policy is weak and does not work.  It did not work then and it does not work today.  Since World War II America has followed a very weak policy.  We have attempted to purchase friendship throughout the world through the almighty dollar.  Foreign aid, domestic aid, military aid.  It is all the same thing.  Do we have lots of friends out there?  No, we do not.  They take our money and proceed to do what they want to do anyway.  I say bring it all back home and use it to solve our domestic problems, like paying down the national debt.  Friends are not those whom you must buy.  We still haven't learned who our real Friend is.  He is the One to whom Hezekiah finally had to turn to, the Lord God.

And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army.  And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field (36:2).

Sennecherib did not come personally to seize Jerusalem, but sent his rep with a great army to secure it.  They are camped outside of the city's gates.  Hezekiah sent out a delegation to meet with the man.

Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder (36:3).

Hezekiah tried to trump the importance and power of Rab-shakeh by sending out three of his top aides to parlay.  All that they managed was to receive the terms offered by Sennecherib.

And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Say you now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein you trust?(36:4).

Surprise is shown by the Assyrians.  They are wanting to know by what means those in Jerusalem feel they are going to win in this battle.  He is to suggest a few things here:

I say, sayest you, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom do you trust, that you rebell against me?

Lo, you trust in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt;  whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it:  so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all tha trust in him (36:5-6)

At that very moment in time the Assyrian army was also in motion to capture Egypt.  It had been wasted money by Ahaz years before to try and forge an alliance with Pharaoh.  The Assyrians were upset that Jerusalem remained in their path to Egypt.  No help was to come from Egypt.

But if you say to me, We trust in the Lord our God:  is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar? (36:7)

Here Rab-shakeh shows his lack of spiritual discernment.  He mistakenly thought that the heathen altars and worship sites was the same as the worship of the Living God in Jerusalem.  He thought that Hezekiah had destroyed the worship of the people and thus they had no gods to turn to.

Today there are a great many people without spiritual discernment.  These are people who come out and say that all churches are the same, all denominations are the same and all are going to the same place.  They simply cannot see the difference.  They believe that as long as you are sincere it matters not one wit what you believe.  John 14:6 begs to differ with that train of thought.  At any rate, here is the third suggestion by Rab-shakeh:

Now therefore give pledges, I pray you, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you be able on your part to set riders upon them.

How then will you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? (36:8-9)

What arrogance!  He offers to make the battle a bit more fair by offering Hezekiah two thousand horses!  He knows that the offer will never be accepted, it is to ridicule his opponent.  Now comes a fourth suggestion:

And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it?  the Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it (36:10).

He suggests that God is on their side.  In World War I the Germans thought that God was with their cause, and we thought God was on our side.  More than likely God was not on either side.  In this case, God used the Assyrian to pass judgment upon His people, but He would not allow the enemy to take Jerusalem.

Next time I shall show Eliakim's response and what Rab-shakeh's reaction was.  Until then, pray without ceasing for those who are lost, who are destitute, who use you miserably, and who are without any advocate before the courts.  God willing, we all shall meet here again, to open and study God's Word.

~Eric

Mon, Aug 24th - 12:22PM

Discipleship

Let's continue on in our study of discipleship.  Here is a second point about the concept of delegation being illustrated and defined.

B.   In the New Testament...Jesus - We can find Jesus' example in Matthew 9:35-38, 10:1,5,8.  We must keep in mind that He certainly could have done all the work involved in preaching the Gospel by Himself, for indeed He had the ability to do so, but that would not have provided for the training of others to carry on when He left this earth following His resurrection.  Matthew informs us, through the Holy Spirit's leading, that Christ Jesus had been moving in and out of different cities and towns, teaching in synagogues and healing every kind of disease and sickness.  The disciples had been observing Him but that sure was soon to change.  To those as yet uninvolved, He said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"(9:37).  They were challenged with the needs of the throngs of people who were "distressed and downcast like a sheep without a shepard"(9:36).  At the end of Matthew 9 the disciples were upon their knees; at the beginning of chapter 10 they were up on their feet and involved.  Christ gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every kind of disease and illness.  Matthew 10:5-6 tells us that after naming the disciples Christ first instructed them, then sent them out "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Mark, in his Gospel account, tells us that Christ appointed the disciples first that they might be with Him, and then that He might send them out to preach.  There is the picture, the process, that we need to recognize:  gather together men/women to be instructed, then send them out in service where they can share the work to be done among the needy of this world.  What do I mean by "delegation?"  It is an act of committing and entrusting to someone else things we know and want them to learn...it is the art of assigning something to them so that they might learn the techniques of carrying it out.

Christ's delegation analyzed and developed

A.   Why was it important for Christ to delegate?  I would say that there are at least three reasons.

1.   He was leaving, and His work had to continue. (John 14:25-26)

2.   The disciples were staying and they needed to be equipped. (John 17:6-8)

3.   Persecution was coming, and they had to be prepared. (John 16:1-4, 32-33)

It is important to note that God's ministry was realism.  He prepared them for what they would soon face, painful as it might be.

B.   What were the difficulties?  Once more, there are at least three of them.

1.   Knowing when to start. (Matthew 9:35-38)  It is important to note that Christ did not immediately begin delegating to the disciples, He waited until He began His third period of ministry in Galilee.

2.   Being willing to let the disciples go. (Matthew 10:14, 16-19) Is this not something so hard for us to do today?  Once our disciples have been instructed and allowed to do for themselves in these matters, we must allow them to go on their own.  It is akin to the mother bird letting her fledglings to finally fly away from her nest, allowing them to go out and begin the process all over again elsewhere. 

3.   Leaving room for mistakes and failure (Matthew 17:14-16, 18-20).  We have to let our students to make mistakes and experience some failure for this is how they will ultimately learn what not to do and how not to do things.  We must provide patient instruction and support, we must unconditionally love them even while they make mistakes. 

C.   Where did all of this lead?  A band of 12 men turned the world upside down, men in whom the Spirit of God worked, with the result being that the world of their day heard the Gospel and was evangelized.

That is all for today my friends.  Next time, God willing, I shall go on with how we can apply delegation today.  Until then, grace and peace be yours.

~Eric

Sun, Aug 23rd - 9:48PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:  for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert (35:5-6).

Sickness, disease, and all afflictions are the result of sin in our universe.  These are to be lifted from off of us in the kingdom.  Today the "wilderness" is the world all around us wherever unbelievers live.  It can be New York City, or Paris, or London. 

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water:  in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those:  the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there (35:7-9).

What a beautiful picture is given to us of the earth during the kingdom age.  Notice that there is going to be a roadway for travel and that it has a special name.  Anyone who has not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior shall not be found upon it.  It is for the lost, so it seems with the wording, but only if they have been born again.  As verse 9 says, there shall not be any threatening beasts to be found upon that route, and the redeemed of the earth shall walk there. 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:  they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (35:10).

Most scholars see the spirit of earth, or the spiritual renewal of redeemed men, being shown here.  I would think that it also points to the physical renewal of redeemed glorified bodies for the "sleeping" saints of the past and those alive at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  There will no longer be any sorrow or sighing at the thought of loved ones who passed on into eternity without finding Christ in their hearts.  What is done is done.  God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and He shall cleanse our minds of remembrance of those whom we prayed for with all of our might and yet they refused to repent of their sins.  If we believe that God removes all remembrance of our sins from Himself upon our redemption, then we must believe that He shall be able to remove all sorrowful memories from us upon the Final Judgment before His Great White Throne. 

Can there be anything nicer than this?  This scriptural picture includes Israel and all of the redeemed souls from all around our earth.  Gentiles and Jews shall share in this kingdom, just as Christ promised.  Today I listened to a pastor who pointed out that it will not be just us seeking to ask questions of the Old Testament prophets and godly kings, but that King David and Moses will be wanting to know how it feels to have the "ark of the covenant" living within us rather than having it separated from mankind in the Tabernacle or even in the Temple.  See, they are going to want to ask us questions too. 

Well, that completes this short chapter in Isaiah and it ends what many consider the first major division of this prophetical book.  I am going to give you some information that may, or may not, be of interest to you.  This upcoming section is unlike that which came before it.  We will leave the high plateau of prophecy and drop down to the record of history.  Even the form of language changes from that of poetry to prose.  We saw through the first 35 chapters how God will govern and the method by which He judges.  But now we are going to be looking at a historical interlude of four chapters.  Why are these four chapters placed here?  There are several significant factors which are worthy of mention.

1.   Sacred and secular history are not the same.  It has been said that divine history is never merely history, never simply a true account of past events.  This means that therre are great spiritual truths contained within sacred history that are seen only by the eye of faith.  The lost person cannot perceive these truths for their eyes are "blinded."  The Holy Spirit must teach us the divine purpose in recording spiritual history.  Here are several suggested reasons for this:

a.   These incidents might seem trite/trivial to the average historian who records great world movements, but events that concerned God's people were important according to the standards of heaven.

b.   These chapters note the transfer of power from Assyria to Babylon.  Babylon was the first great world empire and was the real menace to God's people.  Babylon was to begin the period designated by our Lord as "...the times of the Gentiles..."(Luke 21:24).

c.   This section is a record of a son of David who was beset by enemies and who went down to the verge of death, but was delivered and continued to reign.  In this he foreshadows the great Son of David who was also beset by enemies, was delivered to death, but was raised from the dead, and who is coming again to reign.  Hezekiah was only a man who walked in the ways of David, another weak man.  Hezekiah lived to play the fool.  Our Lord was greater than David, and as the crucified and risen Son of God, He is made unto us "...wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (I Corinthians 1:30). 

2.   The second significant factor in this historic section is that these particular events are recorded three times in Scripture:  II Kings 18-19, II Chronicles 29-30, and here in Isaiah.  This fact that the Holy Spirit saw fit to record them three times is in itself a matter of great importance.  Some scholars think that Isaiah is the author of all three, or at least also of the one in the Book of Kings.  I would think that the Holy Spirit has some special truth for us here which should cause us to slow down and study these events in order to attempt to discover that truth.

3.   Three significant and stupendous miracles are recorded in this section:

a.   The death angel slays 185,000 Assyrians.

b.   The sun retreats ten degrees on the sundial of Ahaz.

c.   God heals Hezekiah and extends his life fifteen years.

4.   This section poens with Assyria and closes with Babylon.  There are two important letters which Hezekiah received:

a.   The first was from Assyria, which the king took directly to God in prayer.  God answered his prayer and delivered His people.

b.   The second letter was from the king of Babylon, which flattered Hezekiah and which he did not take to God in prayer.  As a result, this led to the undoing of Judah.

This short chapter also tells about the invasion of Sennecherib, king of Assyria.  Chapter 37 will tell about Hezekiah's prayer and the subsequent destruction of the Assyrian army.  Chapter 38 will tell us of Hezekiah's sickness, prayer, and healing.  Chapter 39 will tell us about Hezekiah playing the fool. 

God willing, beloved, we shall meet here again and open up His Word.  May you be richly blessed by His providence, and that all of your prayers may be answered in good time.

~Eric

Sat, Aug 22nd - 5:49PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Thu, Aug 20th - 7:01PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Wed, Aug 19th - 8:31PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Wed, Aug 19th - 3:33PM

In this study of discipleship we have seen some of the techniques and principles involved in working with others as we help them grow toward spiritual maturity.  One very significant fact has repeatedly come to our attention:  We cannot remain aloof from those we want to disciple.  Jesus did not remain distant, nor can we.  Of necessity we must be involved in disciples' lives; including delegating certain things of the Christian life to them, so that as time goes by they pick up more and more of the load and eventually they too, become disciples of Christ, capable of reproducing their lives into someone else.  So now let's see what is meant by delegation, why it is essential, and how it can be implemented, from a practical point of view, in the context of this present time.

Concept of Delegation illustrated and defined.

The Word of God has preserved for us two examples of delegation which are worth considering.  One appears in the Old Testament, the other in the New Testament:

   A.   Exodus 18:1-26 - Initially Moses was a great leader, but a poor discipler.  He was faithful to the task, a hard worker, capable, and gifted.  But he was weak when it came to sharing the load with others.  When his father-in-law, Jethro, came from Midian to visit, he observed Moses trying to solve the Israelites' problems by himself.  Moses was doing a good thing, but he wasn't doing it the right way.  Jethro counseled him to delegate the essential details of his work to others who were capable people who could complement him.  Therefore Moses could give his attention to the major matters that came before him.  Carefully reading and studying the text, we can quickly draw two conclusions about the benefits of delegation:  First, it can spare one from having a nervous breakdown!  Second, it provides for the training of others who can step in when the leader is gone.  Many a Christian pastor has built a work around himself, and when he is scheduled to be away the ministry scrambles to find a stand-in.  This ought not to happen in a healthy congregation for there should be capable people to stand up and fill in for the pastor, whether it be elders or deacons.  Moses learned that delegation was the link of power, the most successful way to develop others, and the finest possible way to encourage those who lived and worked under his authority.

That is all for today my friends.  Next time we meet, God willing, we shall continue along this train of thought.  Grace and peace be yours.

~Eric

Mon, Aug 17th - 5:32PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Fri, Aug 14th - 3:10PM

Book of Isaiah

We have come to a fourth division, where there is praise to God for final deliverance.

Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities:  your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby (33:20-21).

Babylon could boast of the Euphrates River, Assyria could boast of the Tigris and upper Zab, and Egypt could boast of

the Nile River, but Jerusalem was, and still is, a landlocked city with neither river nor harbor.  But Zechariah gives an amazing prophecy which leads us to believe that God will provide a harbor for Israel during the Millennium (Zechariah 14:4-8).  The earthquake described therein is to open up a valley to the Mediterranean Sea which will fill the valley up with sea water all the way to Jerusalem itself.

This literal fulfillment of prophecy also has a spiritual application.  Verse 21 tells us that Christ Jesus will be our sole source of refreshment, we will have no need to seek elsewhere to find fulfillment.  God will supply all of our needs and will be our defense. 

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.

Your tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail:  then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey (33:22-23).

We find that God is over all, He is the One who sustains everything within the realm of our senses as well as all that is beyond our ability to sense at all.  God saves us through grace and faith.  Facts are stated within these verses, facts we need to never forget.  If we choose to ignore the facts and break God's laws, we then must face God our judge.  God our king has given power to the lawgiver to rule over us and thus the judge may issue sentence.  Verse 24 speaks of those who control ships being unable to do so at this time.  They struggle to regain control over their various vessels but cannot.  The result becomes one of the disadvantaged gaining complete control over them.  That is something to look forward to, eh?  Amen!

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick:  the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity (33:24).

Here is a glorious prospect which is held out for Jerusalem.  Faith looks beyond the immediate hard times to the glorious promise of the future.  This speaks of the day when the King of kings will be residing in Jerusalem.  The Prince of peace will then bring true peace to the entire earth. 

That completes the 33rd chapter of the book of Isaiah.  Now we move on into chapter 34 which has a theme about the final world clash---the Battle of Armageddon.  We are now entering a new section of scripture.  Judgment has been the theme in which we have seen six woes.  We witnessed how Isaiah spoke of local situations and then moved into the broader area as he looked down through the centuries to the time of final judgment when Christ will step foot upon our earth again. 

The Jews were looking for a king to come and restore their temporal kingdom and remove the yoke of the Romans from their necks.  Today, we are looking for our Savior to come and remove the yoke of sin from our bodies.  Christ is our blessed hope (Titus 2:13). 

The chapter that we are about to begin is in contradiction to the philosophy of the world at large.  Man expects to so improve this world by his own efforts that he will build a Utopia.  Listen to what the scientists say about global warming.  Their arrogance is that man is able to alter the climate of this world and ultimately to fix said climate.  Man thinks that he is able to "lift himself up by his own bootstraps."  The basic premise of evolutionary theory is that there is improvement as we go along in time.  Their premise is that is is onward and upward forever without end.  Man has woven this philosophy into the very fabric of his life; he thinks we are moving into something which is great and good; he thinks that he has become "enlightened." 

The Word of God also looks forward to a wonderful future for this earth, but it is not the consummation of man's efforts.  Everything built by man that is not dedicated to God will be coming under frightful judgment.  All of man's efforts are in direct conflict with God and that conflict is set before us here in this chapter.  The sin of man will finally be headed up in the Man of Sin, who will try to bring in a kingdom for himself. 

That is all for today my friends.  God willing, I shall finish this introduction to chapter 34 the next time that we meet here and begin covering the first few verses.  May Christ bless you above and beyond your wildest imagination.

~Eric

Fri, Aug 14th - 1:02PM

Discipleship

Instruction of Affection - Let's look at John 13:31-35.  Typical of His style, Christ did not leave His disciples with truth separated from practice.  He said, "...You love one another, even as I have loved you..."  and thus by word and example He had given clear instruction:  Love the inner group in humility, the potential  inner group with acceptance, and the outside group with tolerance.  Did He not summarize that segment of His thinking with: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another?"  And is that not where the process begins---first with those surrounding us, next to us?  What about us today, eh?  The question is, "How's your love life ?"  Have you had individuals in your thoughts who have been difficult to deal with, who may even be despicable?  Do you know that as long as you treat them as they've treated you, they have absolutely no way of knowing that you belong to Christ?  Without love, you and I are without our badge of identification associating us with Christ.  It is just that simple.

Are you wearing the badge of discipleship?  Is affection a part of your life?  Let's review three points as we end this part of the study today.

*   We show affection toward the insider by humility.  How does pride surface in your life?  Consider just one act of humility that you can use to demonstrate love to someone this week.

*   We show affection toward the potential insider by acceptance.  Think about how exclusivism can work its way into a group of believers.  Think about how you can demonstrate acceptance to a potential insider this week.

*   We show affection toward the outsider by tolerance.  Do you feel you are tolerant of unbelievers?  Why or why not?  How does this coincide with your attitude toward sin?  Is there some imbalance evident in this relationship?  Weren't you an unbeliever once upon a time?  I always remember this: "But by Christ, so go I," when I witness what others are doing that is woefully wrong. 

Now, I am not rubberstamping sin.  Far from it.  I am pointing out that Christ wants us to love the sinner and hate the sin for that is what He does.  With this firmly in mind I then turn my attention to our federal governmental leaders and I can criticize their actions, but I cannot call into question their intelligence, their pedigree, or their relationship with their mothers.  Name-calling is out of the question.  Profanity is out of the question.  Love the person, hate the sinful actions that they commit.  Just as it should be with us.  Others ought to love us but hate the sins that we commit.  We cannot approach each other and reach any agreement if we do not set aside the actions and look at each other as we really are.  So, I pray for my President and Congressional leaders, along with state and local officials, asking God to open their eyes and give them wisdom as they search for solutions to our current problems.  I give them the respect due them.  And I watch carefully to see what the results become.  I attempt dialogue with those who disagree with my viewpoints, taking care not to rise to the rhetoric that they fling into the dialogue, so that they can come to better understand my position and I theirs.  It is not always a success.  But I continue to try to reach out to others who think very differently from me.

Well, that is all for today my friends.  God willing, I will continue this study, and the Book of Isaiah study, this weekend.  If not, then we shall pick this up on Monday right where we have left off! 

~Eric

Thu, Aug 13th - 12:46PM

Discipleship

Demonstration of affection - We can review the situation in which Jesus humbly expressed affection to His disciples in John 13:4-30.  In that time period there were no paved streets or sidewalks.  During dry seasons dust became layered upon the streets and alleyways of Jerusalem.  When a guest arrived at a home, he would be met by a servant, armed with a towel and water pitcher, who would remove his sandals and wash his feet.  If there was no servant, someone in the group would voluntarily assume that role.  Importantly, none of the disciples offered to wash feet when they met with Christ that particular evening.  No one was willing to humble themselves.  So Christ rose from the supper table, put off His garments, took up a towel and basin of water, and washed the feet of His disciples.

A.   Toward the "insider"...Humility - In verses 4-17 John informs us, the reader, that:  "And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at table again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you?"  The prevailing principle of this entire passage of scripture is humility.  Always the discipler ought to be willing to say, "Please, you go first...let me help you."  Christ went on to say to all of them: "...A slave is not greater than his master; neither one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them."  Happy people are not the proud, the takers.  Instead, the happy people are the givers who invest their time and lives in other people.  Pride stands in oppostion to that.

B.   Toward the "potential insider"...Acceptance - While instructing His disciples, Christ Jesus said, "...He who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." Who sent Christ other than God the Father?  To receive Christ was to receive the Father.  To receive any in the name of Christ is to receive Christ Himself.  He also spoke of those who were yet to believe on Him---potential insiders.  If pride is the enemy of humility, then exclusivism is the enemy of acceptance.  As much as it is wrong, Christians tend to be exclusive, only welcoming those who are fellow believers, or only associating with those believers who like themselves.  Too frequently we find it awkward, uncomfortable, to spend time with those who are not exactly like us.  Christ wanted His men to be different, to make room for those who were different from themselves, for it was crucial for the survival of the soon-coming church.  In the Book of Luke we find recorded an occasion when such exclusion reared its ugly head in the disciples' attitudes.  John had told Christ, "...We saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow along with us (Luke 9:49)."  What a statement of a clique member!  What was the response of Christ?  "Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you (Luke 9:50)."  Our lesson for today?  Those who are not against us, as Christians, are for us so do not strive against them.  Rather, we should welcome and accept them into our group.

C.   Toward the "outsider"...Tolerance - This is probably the most difficult of the three directions.  This is affection demonstrated towards the Judas Iscariot's of the world.  Instead of isolating ourselves from these people we ought to be reaching out in love to them.  Instead of rebuking them or remaining silent, we speak in love.  Within the structure of the Passover meal there came a time when Christ took a morsel, and after dipping it in a specially prepared dip, He offered it to Judas.  This action normally was given as a statement of honor to one person at the table.  Here Christ demonstrated an act of tolerance.  It was His gracious way of saying, "Judas, there's still time...you can change your heart."  The enemy of tolerance is prejudice.  It is expressed with such words as, "I know that he or she is never going to change.  I will treat them accordingly."  Universal terms often are employed.  Labels become commonplace.  The fact of the matter is, we do not know who will change, and who will not.  Only God knows these things. 

As Christ gave even Judas Iscariot the opportunity to change his heart, so too, we ought to be doing this each and every day with those around us.  Beloved, do not surrender to prejudice and exclude people from coming to your worship services or to your bible studies.  We should be opening up our doors to welcome any who are seeking for answers.  Are we not commanded to love our enemies?  Does this not mean that at some point in time it is conceivable that they shall knock on our door, looking for answers to spiritual questions?  I have often asked God to forgive various individuals because "they know not what they do."  I have always figured if Christ could find it within Himself to forgive those who insisted on His crucifixion, then so could I with those who spitefully do things to trip me up, or to put me in a "bad light" so that they can obtain my job. 

That is all for today.  God willing, next time I shall be posting using my home PC, that it will have been successfully repaired!  At that time we shall find some instruction of affection from within John   Until then, may Christ richly bless you and your family.

~Eric

Mon, Aug 10th - 1:03PM

In John 14:6 can be found a jumping off point for an outline that reminds us of the teachings found throughout Scripture.

If you would create three charts with two broad columns and put this across the top of the first chart:   THE WAY: DIRECTION....GOD'S WILL   and put this across the top of the second chart:  THE TRUTH:  DECLARATION...TEACHING  and put this across the top of the third chart:  THE LIFE:  DEMONSTRATION...EXAMPLE.  Now, underneath the headings of each chart write REFERENCES and REFLECTIONS beginning from left column to right column.  Now sit down and use your knowledge of Scripture and a concordance, see if you can list verses that speak to each of the three subject headings.  If you are stuck and cannot seem to get started, begin in the Book of John. 

Demonstration is the imparting of life.  All disciplers need to know the value of his/her life's example.  What is your life saying to those all around you?  Can you list twenty qualities demonstrated by your life?  I know, that is alot.  But try.  The first handful will be easy, those thereafter will become harder and harder requiring some deep soul searching.

Now for even harder inspection of your life.  Can you write down ten qualities that are absent from your life, but are ones that you truly wish were a part of your example?  Perhaps you should circle one or two of them and decide to begin working on making them a part of your life? 

Badge of Discipleship...Affection

If we remove affection from discipleship we have then removed the single most significant part of the entire process.  We can't disciple someone we do not love.  Christ Jesus loved "to the uttermost" those men into whom He poured His life (John 13:1).  Read John 13:1-35 and we notice how His affection was communicated and how it affected the men.  He talked about it and He demonstrated it in unforgettable ways.  We shall see that His love was directed toward three specific kinds of individuals, and so should our love be directed:

Introduction to Affection - In John 13:1-3 we find Christ with the disciples during the final evening before His arrest and crucifixion.  It was a significant evening because of what He said and did; it was also sad because of what lay ahead for Him to endure.  John was with Him that night, we count upon him to inform us of things the other Gospel writers might not have noticed.  The season was Passover, the most important of all Jewish festivals.  Christ and His disciples were sharing the Passover meal.  Two things appeared to be uppermost in Christ's mind:  that His hour had come and His betrayer had confirmed his plans---neither was known by the disciples.  John, when he looked back upon this event years later to write about it, remembered the love the Lord had for His men.  It was this love that Jesus wanted to become a part of their lives...so He capitalized upon the moment since time was in short supply.

That is all for today my friends.  God willing, I will continue this the day after next.  Grace and peace be yours.

~Eric

Sun, Aug 9th - 3:34PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Fri, Aug 7th - 1:06PM

Declaration:  Imparting of the Truth - Looking at Mark 6:35-52 we see that in the middle of that setting Jesus seized upon the moment in order to give information.  In every discipleship situation, certain truths are to be communicated so that they are caught, applied, and then retaught to others.  They needed a lesson on faith.  The throngs of people following Jesus, who stole from them their intended privacy, had become hungry.  Jesus refused the disciples' suggestion that He send all of them away to the nearby village where they might get some food.  Instead, Christ presented them with the catering problem:  "You give them something to eat!"   They knew full well that they had nothing to offer.  Jesus sat everyone down and took five loaves and two fish found in a lad's lunch and He miraculously multiplied it until all ate and were satisfied.  Jesus had captured that specific moment, with all its built-in opportunities, to impart a lesson on faith.  The incident following, in which the disciples found themselves frozen by fear due to the sudden storm rocking their boat, revealed that they had failed to make personal application of that particular truth just taught to them.  They had not gained any insight from the incident of the fish and loaves, but their heart was hardened.  Now as time passed their faith did increase.  The point here is that discipleship helps a person gain insight into truth by connecting life situations to the truths that he/she is learning.

Demonstration:  Imparting of Life - We can find in Luke 11:1-4 an instance where Jesus underscored the truth with His everyday life.  His teaching was not abstract, it was not clothed in academic sized terms, nor was it unclear.  He demonstrated His instruction.  The disciples had witnessed Him in prayer.  They were moved by His example and the result was that they longed to know how to pray.  His response was to give them a model prayer found in verses 2-4.    The question asked is "What do we impart to our disciples?"  The answer is that we teach them God's Word accurately, without personal interpretations included.  We are all sinners, none seek after God, none do good, no not one.  We all stray from God and Truth, seeking for truth within our own imaginations.  Jesus Christ, of necessity, came to pay the price for all of our sins.  His sacrifice was a perfect one which was necessary for it to be a "one and done."  Jesus Christ rose from the grave to demonstrate His authority over the power of death and to give us a blessed hope for obtaining a body just like His one day.  Jesus Christ came in the form of one of us, out of love, to reconcile us with Himself.  His sacrifice of life is a free gift, we simply need to accept it in our hearts and make it a part of ourselves.

Beyond these few things that I have listed above we can find some basic "truths" in the Lord's Prayer found in Luke.  We need to pray.  We need to voice the fact that God's name is holy.  We need to acknowledge that God's kingdom is coming.  Then we must ask each day for that day's sustenance, both physical and spiritual.  We all must ask God daily to forgive us of our sins for each day we commit them.  It is not if, but when.  We need to remember that as we are forgiven of our sins by God, so too, we must forgive everyone who is indebted to us, and who treat us wrongly, or unfairly, or wickedly.  We need to be helped by God to remain free of entering into tempatation.  Another truth is that God is a trinity.  There are three in one.  There are not three separate individuals but three persons united in one.  There is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  All are God, all are equal to one another, and all are omnipotent and omniscient.  All are holy and pure.  All are intolerant of any sin being in their presence.  There are more facts of which must be transmitted into the life of any new disciple but it would require too much space to include all of them now.  Here is one last truth:  God is not a created being.  He has been and always shall be.  All that exists depends upon Him to continue existing.  The climate of our planet does what He has established it to do.  We do not control the environment, no matter how arrogant we might become in our imaginations.  God controls everything.  Not us.

That is all for today my friends.  God willing, I will meet you here again in a day or so to continue this study in discipleship.  May Christ richly bless you today.

~Eric

Wed, Aug 5th - 7:56PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Tue, Aug 4th - 7:02PM

Book of Isaiah Study

Mon, Aug 3rd - 12:17PM

Discipleship

Christ's disciples continually received from Him.  They gained new insights from their contacts with Him.  Fresh truths and practical techniques for handling life's situations were obtained from Christ.  Their shared times together were stimulated by the "impartation" of His life.  By word and demonstration, Christ provided them with information they could use living life God's way.  So we need to explore ways of stimulating those that we disciple today by the impartation of our lives.  First of all, "impartation" means "to give, convey, or grant from or as if from a store; to communicate the knowledge of."  Though John 14:6 is not normally associated with the matter of discipleship, it does provide us an appropriate outline for our study.  Christ Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." 

Direction:  The Imparting of the Way - The night before His crucifixion Jesus observed that His disciples were distressed over His imminent departure.  In John 14:1-4 we can read what Christ said to them.  He stated that they knew the way where He was going.  Thomas surprisingly stated, "We don't know the way."  Three years living with Christ and they still did not know the way that He would go.  Irregardless of their confusion on this point, Christ has indicated that knowing the way requires being rightly related to God through Christ.  So that must be our model as we seek out guidelines from the Lord's example as to how we provide direction for a disciple.

     A.   Impart direction, help them know and reach their full potential.

            (John 1:40-42)  Here we see Jesus first meeting Simon and his brother.  Jesus said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas."  This term means Peter, or rock.  Jesus saw in him rock-like potential.  He envisioned others' potential.  He saw them as they were, but also as what they would become.  Part of knowing God's will (the way) involves the realization of our potential.  God captured Simon's heart when He called him "rock."  If we wish to be effective disciplers, we must not fail in helping our disciples to see their complete potential in Christ. 

     B.   Impart direction by helping them set life goals.

            (Mark 1:17)  When Christ first challenged His disciples He gave them something upon which to ficus their lives:  "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  The goal was exacting.  What to do with their futures became clarified for them, they knew how to aim toward eternal accomplishments.  That is what we need to do in discipleship:  with the Holy Spirit's guidance we help those under our care to unravel the confusion so many possess as to what God wants them to be and to do.

     C.   Impart direction by helping them establish and maintain balance.

            (Mark 6:30)  When Christ brought the disciples together after a period of active ministry on their part, "they reported to Him all that they had done and taught."  They were tired from teaching the people of Palestine, touching many lives.  Jesus decided that they needed rest, so He told them to follow Him away to a quiet place where they could be refreshed and reinvigorated.  Today, too many people who are involved with ministry feel guilty when they withdraw for times of rest.  The pressure is on them to never take a break.  We need to take the lead of Jesus Christ and remember to provide ourselves with times of rest and relaxation to allow our bodies and minds to recuperate.  Christ knew it to be a needful thing.  We, as disciples of Christ, shold be balanced and should cultivate that need within others.

That is all for today my friends.  Next time, God willing, I will cover the area of what exactly we ought to be imparting to other believers.  Until then, grace and peace of Christ be yours.

~Eric

Sun, Aug 2nd - 9:25AM

Book of Isaiah Study

This next chapter refers to the Assyrians in the imediate future but also extends to the final enemy of the Last Days.  We see here geocentricity, the Promised Land is the thing of primary importance.

Woe to you that spoils, and you were not spoiled; and deals treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you!  when you shall cease to spoil, you shall be spoiled; and when you shall make an end to dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you (33:1).

Here are the great spiritual principles which God put down from the time man sinned.  It is stated well in Galatians 6:7:  "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." 

The "spoiler" here is Sennecherib who came against Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-37).  But it does not limit this chapter to just this time frame in history.  God says in effect, "If you spoil My children, then I will spoil you."  And isn't this how relations work amongst us?  You will be treated the same as the way you treat others around you.  Revenge is Mine says the Lord.  Thus we need to allow God to handle all of our revenge.  God will do a perfect job of avenging our wrongs whereas we usually screw things up by allowing our emotions to color our efforts.  The punishment that Sennecherib should fall under for this sin. He that spoiled the cities of Judah shall have his own army destroyed by an angel and his camp plundered by those whom he had made a prey of. The Chaldeans shall deal treacherously with the Assyrians and revolt from them. Two of Sennacherib’s own sons shall deal treacherously with him and basely murder him at his devotions. Note the righteous God often pays sinners in their own coin. He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity, Revelation 13:10; 18:6.  There will be the time when he shall be thus dealt with. When God shall make an end to spoil, and to deal treacherously, not by repentance and reformation, which might prevent his ruin (Daniel 4:27), but when he shall have done his worst, when he shall have gone as far as God would permit him to go, to the utmost of his tether, then the cup of trembling shall be put into his hand. When he shall have arrived at his full stature in impiety, shall have filled up the measure of his iniquity, then all shall be called over again. When he has finished God will begin, for His day is coming.

Now this also pictures the final days of consummation after our Lord has brought together the restored Roman Empire, and Antichrist will destroy the land of Israel again.  The second coming of Christ will be the method of dealing with "the spoiler" at that time.

O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for You:  You be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble (33:2).

Here is the prayer of the godly remnant in that day and in ours.  This is a timeless prayer for all ages. 

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of yourself the nations were scattered.

And Your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar: as the running to and fro of locusts shall He run upon them (33:3-4).

It is in vain to expect relief from creatures; we have no confidence in the "Egyptians", but we have waited for thee only, resolving to submit to You, whatever the issue of the trouble be, and hoping that it shall be a comfortable issue. Those that by faith humbly wait for God shall certainly find Him gracious to them.  The strength of the Assyrian camp was broken (verse 3) when the destroying angel slew so many thousands of them: At the noise of the tumult, of the shrieks of the dying men (who, we may suppose, did not die silently), the rest of the people fled, and shifted every one for his own safety. When God did thus lift up Himself the several nations, or clans, of which the army was composed, were scattered. It was time to stir when such an unprecedented plague broke out among them. When God arises His enemies are scattered, Psalm 68:1. 2. The spoil of the Assyrian camp is seized, by way of reprisal, for all the desolations of the defenced cities of Judah (verse 4): Your spoil shall be gathered by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the gathering of the caterpillar, and as the running to and fro of locusts, that is, the spoilers shall as easily and as quickly make themselves masters of the riches of the Assyrians as a host of caterpillars, or locusts, make a field, or a tree, bare. Thus the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just and Israel is enriched with the spoil of the Egyptians. Some make the Assyrians to be the caterpillars and locusts, which, when they are killed, are gathered together in heaps, as the frogs of Egypt, and are run upon, and trodden to dirt.

There we have it for this day my friends.  As with the Assyrians in Isaiah's time, so too in the future God shall deal out judgment upon "the Assyrian" who will think to exert his control and authority over the entire world.  In the future a millennial kingdom shall be ushered in by the return of Christ to our world.  He will rule with a rod of iron, His Word shall be the law by which each and every individual shall live their lives.  All shall turn their worship towards Jerusalem.  All shall acknowledge that God exists, it will not signify their acceptance of Christ as their Lord and Savior necessarily. 

God willing we shall meet here again to continue this study of Isaiah.  May Christ richly bless you, beloved.

~Eric