Bible

Supreme Court 9-0 Decision on behalf of USPS worker. (Do not assume my response)

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Supreme Court 9-0 Decision on behalf of USPS worker.

A Postal Service worker sued the Postal Service for his being forced to work on Sundays or lose his job. All none supreme court justices sided on his behalf. The law suite was based upon Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It states: Employers are to accommodate their employee''s religious practices. The text defines "religion" as one of the 5 major religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism

Apart from the law, but instead from a biblical perspective, do you and I, who hold to a Christian faith, have the right over those not of the five major religions to avoid the Sunday work day? I know the law states we do but what does God's word state as that is what we are accountable to?

I know many fellow believers who have had to work on Sunday and have not insisted they have Sunday off according to Title 7. So is it sin that they work? Well, that depends on your interpretation of the commandment to follow the Sabbath.

Sabbath literally means "rest." For the Jew the sabbath was the forth commandment of first ten as carved on stone tablets and mediated by Moses (Ex 20:8). Six days they would work but on the seventh day they rested as it was a holy day of rest onto the Lord God. On this seventh day no work was to be performed. This holy day started at 6PM Friday and lasts to 6PM Saturday and is still followed by devout Jews. The mosaic commands were based on a lunar calendar where the day starts at sundown.

For the majority of Christian teaching this commandment continues to be enforced but with it moving to Sunday based upon the resurrection of Christ. The only issue is that there is nothing in the teaching of church Apostles that Sunday was to be the sabbath or that the sabbath was to be held to as it was for the Jews. For the Christian (Jew & Gentile) the actions of the law were no more (Eph 2:15). Yes, Jesus followed the sabbath requirement but he came as a Jew to preach to the Jews.

However, this did become a hot topic when the pharisees accused the disciples of Christ of working on the sabbath (Matt 121-8). Jesus made this revealing statement, "_Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath._" One greater is Jesus and he is the Lord (GK. kyrios, supreme authority) of the Sabbath and since his disciples were with Him they had freedom to crush the grain in their hand and eat.

So understand, one day was to be holy to the Lord God. So those joined with the Son of God have joined their lives with him who is holy. Not for a day but for their life so fulfilling the law nit to make one day holy but their own life as holy to Him (1Pet 1:16). When the gentile world began accepting Christ as their savior other major requirements such as male circumcision was in debate and found to be of the law but not of the new faith and life with Christ. Similarly would be the character of giving tithes (see my teaching on Giving).

Therefore, if the Sunday Sabbath is more a tradition of men than a requirement found in New Testament teaching or better has been made void being fulfilled by our relationship with the Lord of the Sabbath, is then it a legit right of Christians to have Sunday off? I do not believe so. Seem more a personal conviction.

Now, as taking it from a purely secular approach of employer & employee. Does not an employer have the right of ownership to dictate working hours and days for employees in accordance of general labor laws? Yes, and an employee has the right to find a different company to work for according to his/her own preferences, whether having Sundays off or working from home.

I am for employer rights and rights of the self employed (having been one for some time). In the case of the baker refusing to bake and decorate a cake for a gay wedding. He was sued by the gay couple. This was ludicrous and happily a supreme court ruling was on behalf of the baker. For a self-employed person to kneel to the demands of a customer when that demand is against the businessman's religious or ethical convictions is an infraction against that businessman's constitutional rights as well as religious rights. Furthermore, the customer had other reasonable options to get their cake made making their demand even more unreasonable. We as customers chose businesses all the time because of a multitude of personal reason other than religious. So give the guy a one star rating on Yelp and move on.

In conclusion, I hold to our Constitution and the Word of God. In them we have liberty. May we as US Citizens and on this 4th of July give thanks for the freedoms that both historical and sacred documents insure.

"_We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness_." US Constitution

However, I don't truly find reason in this Court decision to celebrate but rather it saddens me when Christians see themselves as worthy of more rights than any other citizen, especially when they have not been asked to act immorally or unethically, according to scripture. We deserve no special treatment than others in the workplace and all benefits we may receive by an employer is by the grace and mercy of God. So be thankful you have a job and can care for your family. be a faithful employee and an example of Christ in your position.

Blessings

pBob

Malachi 1:1-3 Does God Hate Esau?

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“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob's brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."

Malachi.001.jpeg

The passage in Malachi 1:2-3 is possibly more familiar to readers of the Bible from the quotation made by the apostle Paul in Romans 9:13. Paul uses the text in his teaching in context to Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. Take a look at Romans 9:1-13.

  • In verses 1-5 Paul shares his grief that his country men have rejected Jesus and wished he could change the circumstance.

  • In verses 6-9 he declares that their denial does not make the Word of God of no effect for those who are the children of God are not those born Jew but of those who believe in the promise as given to Abraham that he would have a son by Sarah. Here is the line of promise continued from Abraham to Isaac, the Child of Promise.

  • Then in verse 10-13 he expounds on the fact that through Issac the promise continued when he had twin boys. But the promise didn’t continue through the elder Esau, as was customary, but the younger Jacob according to God’s purpose and election (or choosing) that he would be the Child of Promise.

Understand, Paul is not speaking of who God saves but of the bloodline from which passes the Child of Promise. So in choosing Jacob and his bloodline to lead to the Child of Promise he then rejects the bloodline of Esau (i.e. hated). This is the same response God had to Ishmael. You recall that Sarah had the idea to help God fulfill His promise, so she sends her maidservant to lie with Abraham to produce a son. But later when God commands Abraham to sacrifice Issac he identifies Issac as Abraham’s only son, completely denying Ishmael.

Another comparable text is when Jesus speaks of following him and not hate father and mother (Luke 14:26). The sister very to this is Matthew 10:32-39 where he speaks of causing a division between family members as some believe and others do not and then states, “he who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” In both texts Jesus calls on the people to take up their cross and follow him. Jesus obviously does not advocate a hating of our parents but rather when t comes to believing and following Jesus their will have to choose against their parents. In Luke this action is described as hate and in Mathew it is described as a love for parents more than Jesus.

Back to Malachi

Malachi is making a case for God’s love for the Israelites, who were of the line of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and who questioned God’s love for them. God’s answer is that his love is demonstrated that they were chosen from the bloodline bloodline of the child of promise before their father Jacob and uncle Esau were born. Hate in this context then is not to hate as we may hate an enemy but to deny or reject.

In nether of these messages is there a reference to eternal salvation. It is purely a revealing of God’s sovereign will as to who he makes possible salvation. He has chosen Salvation to come by the child of promise (the seed) of Abraham and as Paul so clearly states, seed as in one, who is Christ (Gal. 3:16).

But what of Malachi 1:3 where he states that God laid waste to Esau’s mountains? This relates to the descendants of Esau for God had commanded the Israelites prior to entering the promise land to show respect to the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, for they were family (Deut. 27:3). But the Edomites did not treat the Jews well and according to Psalm 137 the Edomites were present and cheered for the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem. God then delta harshly with them and this is where God’s love is shown to the Israelites. For He had restored them to their land and to their city and to himself because they are the the bloodline of the Child of Promise and the Edomites were not. In this is where God’s love was demonstrated to their doubting minds even though they had denied him and disobeyed him, yet did he restore them after exiling them into captivity for 70 years.

In agreement with Paul

This then ties forward to Paul’s teaching that God shows mercy to whom he shows mercy. He chose to cshow mercy to the Jews even with all their rebelliousness but chose not to show mercy to the Edomites. Did the Edomites have a choice? Yes, for God meant them well by the Israelites, as was seen from Deuteronomy. Could they have believed in the Child of Promise and lived? Of course, just as today a person who believes in Christ, the Child of Promise, may be saved.

Blessings

pBob

1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Worthy Communion

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Photo by: https://unsplash.com/@jontyson

Photo by: https://unsplash.com/@jontyson

1Corinthians 11 
Title: Worthy Communion
Simple Outline:
Vs. 17-19 : The Diagnosis
Vs. 20-22 : The Symptoms
Vs. 23-34 : The Treatment

Paul gives praise to the Corinthian believers at the beginning of his letter (1Cor 1:4-9) but soon admonishes them for a variety of failings, one of which is their "love feasts." These were gatherings as part of a Communion meal. Not simply the serving of a small piece of matzo and small cup of juice but more like the first church pot-lucks centered around Communion.  
He speaks of coming to the meal in an "unworthy manner" which is not to say they needed to be worthy to participate but rather the manner in which they engaged in the meal was not worthy of what was the purpose in gathering, the remembrance of Christ's sacrifice of his body and blood for all.  
This simple outline guides us through Paul's line of thought and intent to set them right but also to direct us to have the right focus when we gather with fellow believers. Do we come with the understanding of what the church is and in respect to what Christ has done for all who are of the church with prejudice aside? Is our approach to gathering worthy of Christ's sacrifice and Church?

Blessings

pBob

Freedom of Speech & the Gospel

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Photo by Miguel Henriques on Unsplash

Photo by Miguel Henriques on Unsplash

Intro.

When Christ arrived it was at a time of post Greek influence of the known world.  How did God use this to spread the Gospel?  I have heard many Bible teachers state the benefit of the commonality of the Greek language that allowed the Gospel to be spoken to a multitude of cultures along with the roads of the Roman Empire that allowed ease of travel to those cultures.  But consider how the Greek culture belief in free speech  made way for the Gospel to be shared, listen to, engaged with and be accepted. 

Paul in Athens 

Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” 32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

This open venue of sharing thought and giving your personal belief of truth was not a common freedom in all societies of the world.  It was a characteristic of the Greek world.

The ancient Greek word “parrhesia” means “free speech,” or “to speak candidly.” The term first appeared in Greek literature around the end of the fifth century B.C. During the classical period, parrhesia became a fundamental part of the democracy of Athens. Leaders, philosophers, playwrights and everyday Athenians were free to openly discuss politics and religion and to criticize the government in some settings.

With the expansion of the Greek culture and language by Alexander the Great so came parrhesia to the people and was carried over to the Roman Empire.  So when the Gospel was introduced by the apostle Paul at the Greek Areopagus he was welcome to share openly his message and the people were willing to hear and reason if it was true, even make their comments.  Even when his message was opposed violently in others parts of the Roman Empire, Paul was threatened not by government but by groups who’s religious beliefs were offended and threatened.  

Since the influence of the western world with its English language the world was again opened to the Gospel.  It was delivered also with the philosophy of parrhesia.  Missionaries went forth to share their beliefs opening, publicly and to bring the truth of Christ to the hearts of mankind.  It was well as offended those who hold to a particular religious belief.  

The Gospel encourages a freedom of speech to share and reason together with any that disagreement.  The Gospel never seeks to quench the unbelieving thoughts and philosophies but to respond in answer.  Jesus didn’t ban his accusers from his meetings and gatherings.  All were welcome to come and engage.  So lets exercise our parrhesia to share our faith while allowing others the same privilege.  

Blessings

pBob

Its Time: Read the Bible in a Year

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photo by: Savio Sebastian

photo by: Savio Sebastian

Ever read through the whole Bible?  Surprising many Christians have never done so.  What better time to start your journey through God's Word than January 1st.  You may think that the major benefit of reading through the whole Bible is having a better perspective of the Books of the Bible, You would be right, but I believe the first time you accomplish this it is the personal satisfaction that you did it that is the benefit.  Sadly many Christians seldom even read the Bible, according to this LifeWay study.   I also seem to recall a report of the benefits to a congregation when they corporately read through the Bible. 

So how do you go about this?  You could just start with Genesis and push through as fast as you can to reach the end of Revelation by December 31.  Honestly, not a good way to go about it.  There are actually other helpful methods to do this. 

Buy a One - Year Bible.  It’s a Bible that is arranged with a portion of New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms and Proverbs for you to read each day. One problem, today is January 1st so may be problem finding one to start today.  But you may find one at your local Wal-Mart.  You can also order online.

Bible Reading chart.  This is a simple download from the internet that you can print out and follow.  It simply gives you a regular reading plan for each day that you can check off as you go. 

Online One Year Bible service.  Yes, thanks again to the internet you can go to http://oneyearbibleonline.com and begin reading today from their website.  They have it in a every version and translation possible and in multiple languages. 

Your Bible App is a third option.  Many of the mobile apps today provide you with a Daily Reading Plan.  I use the Olive Tree Bible app that provides over a dozen different One-Year plans.  Usually these Bible apps are free with the King James Version only.  So, if you desire to read with a particular translation you may have to purchase the version.

Here is the important point ... read God's word and read through it all. Not just once but regularly.  You can do it, even in a year.  You really have no excuse and its needed to see your way.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

 

Study Book on Grace is in the works - learn more

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Yes, with the help of my nephew, I have a study book on the doctrine of Grace in the works.  Here is a tentative outline of the chapters:

Chapter 1: The Law- God's Conviction

     Christ wants us to know we were sinners.

Chapter 2: The Sacrifice- God's Covering

     Christ wants us to know He died for those sins.

Chapter 3: The Deliverance- God's Consolation

     Christ wants us to know He died not to shame us, but to set us free.

Chapter 4: The Fullness- God's Calling

     Christ wants us to fill us and complete us for his service.

Chapter 5: The Glory - God's Intention

     Christ wants us to use our freedom in ways that bring Him glory.

The intent is to provide simple and consise teaching in booklet form and as an Ebook that will provide a strait forward and beneficial understanding of the doctine of God's Grace.  It will liley be used in our Dscipleship and Intern programs.

The format will fit between the simple information card and a full size book on the subject, that is suitable to be handed to any believer or unbeliever to study on their own. So it will have questions at the end of each chapter.  As my nephew put it, "Not a reader interacting with the author, but the reader interacting with God."  

What I do need is some book art.  If you are gifted artistically and would like to contribute a book cover I am happy to consider it.  If it includes a photograph please be sure you own the rights to the photograph.  I will glady review and even post your submissions.  

Blessings

pBob

 

How to enter the kingdom of God in 3 easy steps.

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I am always stuck by the simplicity of Jesus' messages.  His gently directs his listeners to take clear steps of faith that would move them ever closer to their God.  In doing so the He emphasized a changed direction, perspective and condition of the mind, body and soul.  His words are full of exhortation , not condemnation.

 

Repent

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matt 4:17

His encouragement is not to do works but to "think differently" a change of mind (repent) from doing works of sin to face the kingdom that is before them, Jesus being the kingdom. In Mark's Gospel "belief" in the Gospel being preached is added to the change of mind (Mk 1:15).

Seek

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matt 6:33

Turn your focus away from cares and needs is His encouragement and in place of that turn your focus on the kingdom.  Added to that a seeking of  His righteousness. The seeking of His righteousness is the alternative to seeking our own righteousness.  His righteousness comes by faith and not works.  

Convert

and said, “ Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18:3-4

"Converted" is the Greek word "strepho" that means, to turn around, a change of direction.  The change direction is a change attitude with the humble nature of a child being the desire. Possessing such a changed attitude opens wide the kingdom doors.

So its a changed mind, a changed focus, and a changed direction with a changed attitude that ushers the sinner into God's kingdom.  Can it be any simpler?  It is an inner transition and not an outer work.  It is an act of belief and trust in the righteousness of God and not our own which Isaiah says , "are as filthy rags" (Isa 1:6). Its belief in Him and not in us or in the things of this world.

Blessings

pBob

 

5 part Series on Grace has been uploaded

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Go to Grace

I just completed a five part series on the topic of Grace that I taught at our Wednsesday night Bible Fellowship.  Grace isn't just found in the New Testament but is throughout the Bible narrative.  Grace was shown to Noah and then to Abraham and so the law of grace existed before the law of Moses was given at Mt. Sinai. Grace was understood by David and transformed Saul, the persecutor of the church, who became the apostle Paul.  Grace frees the sinner and empowers the Saint and this grace only comes through a faith in Jesus Christ.  These messages cover this and more and I pray that they encourage and minister to you as much as it did me in teaching them.

pBob