Either Jesus was exactly who He said He was or He was the greatest prankster in the history of humanity. Actually, if the resurrection is false and He didn't raise on the third day then I'm not sure "prankster" is really the appropriate term to define Him with. Prankster implies a joke that is used for the humor of others and the enjoyment of a surprise. One can hardly relate the affect that the claims of Christ have had on human history to that of a practical joke. Oxford University Press released an article claiming that there were over 45 million martyrs for Christ in the 20th century alone. That doesn't seem too funny if they died for a lie. That would actually make Christ the most evil and horrible human being to ever live. Think about it. About 5-6 million Jews died in the holocaust, historians say that about 15 million slaved died during the slave period of American history. Both of those numbers are horrific, but they pale in comparison to the number of people who have "died for Christ". If what He claimed was false and He didn't raise from the dead then He has sent more people to their death than anyone in history. Hardly someone you would want to call a "good teacher" or "good man". He has to be one of two things...either exactly who He said He is, The Son of God...or the most twisted, evil human being to ever walk on the face of the earth. Read what He said, look at His life and think about it.
This is what we're going to talk about at KC Life this Sunday morning...the greatest April fools prank ever!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
well said...
I've been a Cash fan for a number of years now and was listening to one of his CD's the other day and couldn't get over how powerful the lyrics of "Man in Black" are...so...please take three minutes out of your day and think about what he's saying...
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.
I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.
I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.
Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.
...well said Mr. Cash, well said.
peace,
glo
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.
I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.
I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.
Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.
...well said Mr. Cash, well said.
peace,
glo
Friday, March 16, 2007
who's your neighbor?
So it happened. I had one of those moments in which I was reading through a passage and read something that I've never noticed before. Here's the scripture that struck me...
Numbers 35:34 - Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood... (MSG)
I know I've read this passage before and it says the same thing in every translation, but I think it was the way that Peterson puts it in the message Bible that really made it stand out to me this morning. It really got me thinking about the fact that God is here among us, He is not sitting up on some throne in some land with golden streets just waiting to throw down lightning bolts and divine sized drop-kicks. He's here, right in our neighborhood. The New Testament is fairly clear that He lives in us! Wherever we go, He's going as well.
I don't want to take this passage out of context, so it needs to be explained that the entire chapter of Numbers 35 is talking about how to handle the act of murder and what to do with the one who committed the murder and the one who wants to avenge the death. So how does God end that discussion, by saying don't desecrate your neighborhood cause I live here too. It may be easy for us to read through that chapter and think "I've never murdered anyone, so God obviously isn't talking to me" and be done with it, but Jesus challenges that thought head on in the gospels...
Matthew 5:21-22 - You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (MSG)
That puts a whole new perspective on the matter doesn't it? How many times have we flippantly said something negative about someone without giving it a second thought? How many times have we held onto anger or even hatred in our heart because of an offense? I'm sitting in my chair this morning feeling convicted that I shouldn't be crappin' up the neighborhood that God is living in...me. I suppose maybe it's a new realization of the fact that when Jesus tells us to love our neighbor He is, in turn, also commanding us to love Him as well. If we fail in our love for those around us, we fail in our love for God too.
However, when we live lives that are motivated by the selfless love of God it can be a catalyst for amazing change, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of everyone around us. Why? Because it gives complete liberty to God to move through us in ways like never before.
Maybe try loving a little more...after all, God is living in your neighborhood.
peace,
glo
Numbers 35:34 - Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood... (MSG)
I know I've read this passage before and it says the same thing in every translation, but I think it was the way that Peterson puts it in the message Bible that really made it stand out to me this morning. It really got me thinking about the fact that God is here among us, He is not sitting up on some throne in some land with golden streets just waiting to throw down lightning bolts and divine sized drop-kicks. He's here, right in our neighborhood. The New Testament is fairly clear that He lives in us! Wherever we go, He's going as well.
I don't want to take this passage out of context, so it needs to be explained that the entire chapter of Numbers 35 is talking about how to handle the act of murder and what to do with the one who committed the murder and the one who wants to avenge the death. So how does God end that discussion, by saying don't desecrate your neighborhood cause I live here too. It may be easy for us to read through that chapter and think "I've never murdered anyone, so God obviously isn't talking to me" and be done with it, but Jesus challenges that thought head on in the gospels...
Matthew 5:21-22 - You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (MSG)
That puts a whole new perspective on the matter doesn't it? How many times have we flippantly said something negative about someone without giving it a second thought? How many times have we held onto anger or even hatred in our heart because of an offense? I'm sitting in my chair this morning feeling convicted that I shouldn't be crappin' up the neighborhood that God is living in...me. I suppose maybe it's a new realization of the fact that when Jesus tells us to love our neighbor He is, in turn, also commanding us to love Him as well. If we fail in our love for those around us, we fail in our love for God too.
However, when we live lives that are motivated by the selfless love of God it can be a catalyst for amazing change, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of everyone around us. Why? Because it gives complete liberty to God to move through us in ways like never before.
Maybe try loving a little more...after all, God is living in your neighborhood.
peace,
glo
Thursday, March 08, 2007
To resurrect or not to resurrect
Well, once again we have come into the season of Jesus' resurrection and once again there is a media explosion of questioning whether or not He actually was raised from the dead or not. It's nice how every year around this time some "new" theory comes up to try to discredit what almost all historians and scholars have considered to be true for almost 2000 years.
Of course the latest version of this "uncovered cover-up" is the finding of Jesus tomb. Which actually was found in 1980. There are so many problems with the "story" they are trying to put together that I don't have the time to write about them all, but I will mention one. They use select parts of the Bible to support their position. That's fine, except in the same documentary they also discredit parts of the Bible in order to further their position. Here's where they face a dilemma that they convieniently forgot to mention in the Discovery channel program.
The Bible is one of the three following...
Absolutely true from beginning to end. - Of course they can't align themselves with this position because it would completely discredit what they are trying to prove.
Absolutely false from beginning to end. - Well, they can't take this position either because they use parts of scripture to support what they're saying. They can't use it to support their argument if it isn't true and was all just made up.
True in some areas and not true in others. - This is their position, which, if backed up with reasoning, could be discussed on an intellectual level. But it's not. They don't explain why they choose to take certain passages as reliable and then discredit other passages in the same context. The only motivation that can be found is the obvious one, they're just trying to make their story sound more reliable without using an form of academic research or accountability. With, in turn, completely discredits their story.
So, in actuality, it doesn't matter which position you take on the validity of the Bible, the way it is used in the "new" discovery is completely self-refuting.
Here's another thought to chew on for a while. I cannot think of one person in my life that I know would die for a lie. If the disciples really did steal the body and hide it, don't you think at least one of them would have confessed up when they were facing death? The odds of that many people knowing about a "conspiracy" and facing death because of it without confessing the truth are impossibly small. Just a thought.
peace,
glo
Of course the latest version of this "uncovered cover-up" is the finding of Jesus tomb. Which actually was found in 1980. There are so many problems with the "story" they are trying to put together that I don't have the time to write about them all, but I will mention one. They use select parts of the Bible to support their position. That's fine, except in the same documentary they also discredit parts of the Bible in order to further their position. Here's where they face a dilemma that they convieniently forgot to mention in the Discovery channel program.
The Bible is one of the three following...
Absolutely true from beginning to end. - Of course they can't align themselves with this position because it would completely discredit what they are trying to prove.
Absolutely false from beginning to end. - Well, they can't take this position either because they use parts of scripture to support what they're saying. They can't use it to support their argument if it isn't true and was all just made up.
True in some areas and not true in others. - This is their position, which, if backed up with reasoning, could be discussed on an intellectual level. But it's not. They don't explain why they choose to take certain passages as reliable and then discredit other passages in the same context. The only motivation that can be found is the obvious one, they're just trying to make their story sound more reliable without using an form of academic research or accountability. With, in turn, completely discredits their story.
So, in actuality, it doesn't matter which position you take on the validity of the Bible, the way it is used in the "new" discovery is completely self-refuting.
Here's another thought to chew on for a while. I cannot think of one person in my life that I know would die for a lie. If the disciples really did steal the body and hide it, don't you think at least one of them would have confessed up when they were facing death? The odds of that many people knowing about a "conspiracy" and facing death because of it without confessing the truth are impossibly small. Just a thought.
peace,
glo
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