In The News

Crossing the Jordan

In our phraseology used to describe the Christian life, where we come upon trials or sometimes mundane circumstances, we might use the term "in the wilderness". This is meant to describe our current struggles. However, I wish the Christian to understand that there are far better similarities and pertinent criteria in their walk with God to "crossing the Jordan" or coming into the promised land in faith. To be "in the wilderness" is akin to developing faith in God and still relying upon him to make some miracles in our lives so that we can clearly see that he is present with us. Crossing the Jordan, however, goes beyond this and is a better term to describe our walk in faith. Those who have been baptized indeed have not only crossed the Red Sea but have crossed the Jordan; they have proven that they are no longer in need of miracles to support their faith, and are no longer looking for rewards in this life, but believe in their reward to come.

Christians consider that since they have "come out of spiritual Egypt" they must be "in the wilderness" waiting for their entry into the "promised land". Sometimes when we read scripture, such as Hebrews 4:8, which speaks of another day of salvation, we are lead to believe that the entry of Ancient Israel into the promised land was "premature". We donot see our lives, or the lives of others who have come and gone in the faith, as being "in the promised land". So, all the trials that we bear and the labor we go through, while waiting for the Kingdom of God, is described as being "in the wilderness" - that is, having crossed the  Red Sea only - having come out of Egypt only. We must consider, however, that Israel, in crossing the Jordan River and conquering the native inhabitants of the Promised Land, finds for us a much better metaphor to describe our current spritual condition.

Yes, we have crossed the Jordan; we have gone forward in faith and the command to enter into the Promised Land. That's the state of the baptized in Christ Jesus. When we review both stations of life - the crossing of the Red Sea and the crossing of the Jordan, we see that one "draws us out of" the ways of this world, through Moses - which means "to draw out of" and the other, crossing the Jordan, brings us into the promised blessings through Jesus, or Joshua, which means "God saves". The terminology is important, because the faithful need to know that it is through faith that they have a relationship with God, and not only in "coming out of the ways of this world". Let us consider the parable of the rich young ruler, who came to Jesus, as recorded in the book of Matthew 19:16-22. The young man wanted to know some basic stuff - how to enter into life - and he was told to "keep the commandments", those given to Israel at Horeb. However, these commandments were only given to Israel - a covenant, guiding the young ruler onto the right way. What he needed was to go further in his relationship with God and that was to "follow Christ", which was to have faith in the one who was addressing him. Christ would give his life for this young ruler - it was pertinent that he understand that obeying the commandments only would make him an "unprofitable servant", being akin to "coming out of the world" only and staying in the wilderness. To go forward in faith and do what Christ Jesus said, in this case, to sell what he has, give portions to the poor and to follow Christ in his present ministry, was to "cross the Jordan". Crossing the Jordan symbolizes faith - taking up the promises and enduring with them while waiting for Christ Jesus to return.

The rich young ruler, and those who in this day and age "keep the commandments" only, looking for benefits in this life, are satisfied with staying in the wilderness. To cross the Jordan and to come into the Promised Land shows faith, a desire to be "perfect", as the young ruler was instructed to be. Some only want to "obey God", and yet it is not just obedience to commandments that is required to reign with Christ, but faith. We build upon our obedience with our faith; obedience to the commandments only will not get us into the promised land, but will surely keep us in the wilderness which sometimes can be both pleasant and deceitful. Let's consider the similarities:

in the wilderness and the promised land, that type of land which Joshua and the children of Israel entered and conquered, we see that there were enemies and tribes to overcome in both areas. However, there were 7 tribes in the promised land that Israel had to overcome and defeat - and only one tribe, the Amalekites in the wilderness that Israel needed to be victorious over. 7 versus 1: those who describe themselves as "being in the wilderness" have it far easier than those who have crossed the Jordan! In addition, we see that the Israelites were provided for by God in both the wilderness and in the promised land: we are told that even the "shoes" of the Israelites did not wear out in the wilderness and that the Israelites, with Joshua suffered very low casualities while defeating the inhabitants of Canaan and Philistia. However, once more we must consider that the manna - the miraculous bread from heaven - stopped once Israel crossed the Jordan and began to eat of the grain of the land. What this symbolizes is the need to work and have faith that God is working through us, and not just "around us", and in eating of the "true bread from heaven", Christ Jesus, we would thereby say, "We have tasted of the Lord and found that he is gracious." Furthermore, and here is one last analogy, whereby some consider the wilderness to be equal to the promised land, the commandments and laws given to Israel at Horeb followed Israel over the Jordan too. We are reminded that the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant, specifically, followed Israel over the Jordan, once all of Israel had passed over. However, two specific individuals consecrated for mediating the covenant and the sacrifices, both Moses and Aaron, were not allowed to enter into the promised land because of unbelief. In reviewing the "waters of contention" at Meribah, where Moses struck the rock and didnot speak to it, we see it was because of a lack of faith; that's right, Moses lacked faith. Faith is believing that God says what he means and means what he says. Moses was instructed to "speak to the rock"; this symbolizes our prayers to God. Because Moses had been instructed previously to "hit the rock" in another passage of scripture, he presumed it was the same course of business, though God spoke otherwise.

Yes, the wilderness does seem to be just the same as the promised land. Crossing the Jordan, to some, is the same as crossing the Red Sea. It's not. Crossing the Jordan is the path to perfection, to having faith in God's enduring love to bring you into the Kingdom of God. It's about being faithful even during suffering, during the bad times. Crossing the Red Sea is an initiation into having a relationship with God by being obedient to his commandments. Once we have crossed the Red Sea and have developed faith in the one who has brought us out of Egypt, we need to cross the Jordan too.

Historically, the wilderness, that part of of the Sinai peninsula in which Israel spent 40 years wandering, was always a part of Egypt. The Egyptians mined turquoise there as "early as the first dynasty", way before Israel showed up. Today, it is still a part of Egypt. To be "in the wilderness" is akin to being an "Egyptian". Crossing the Jordan is about going forth in faith and no longer needing miracles outside of our own hands to guide us or impress upon us - that God is with us. To "cross the Jordan" is to be faith-guided; whereas to "cross the Red Sea" is to be solely impressed with the miraculous, or "what has God done for me lately."

Ascension Thursday

40 Something

Today is kind of special, a rare memorial that many have heard of before, and only if you've had any kind of "catholic" upbringing will you remember the significance of the memorial that the writer is about to describe. You've heard of "Ascencion Thursday" - but can't quite place it. Now would be a good time to Google it, because you're not about to find anything complimentary about it here.

Ascension Thursday is a memorial of the day when the Christ was taken up into the heavens. This is a man-made day and does not coincide with any Biblically ordained memorial in scripture. It is, however, 40 days after his resurrection in which he was taken up into the heavens, being received into a cloud through the eyewitness account of his disciples. That he was taken up could only mean one thing: yes, you guessed it - he's coming back!

Is is at all possible to perceive that Christ Jesus is returning to the earth? Here lies the issue: many "believe" he is coming again, but in this sense they only remember hearing about it. Such have no concept of when he is coming, why he is coming and in what manner he is returning. If returning to the earth - what for? Most of same folk believe in an afterlife where their "immortal" souls - not Biblical - reside either in heaven with God or someplace more painful without him. So, the real issue is - what is it all about that he is "returning" and how can we be more certain of this much publicized event? The answer is simple: repent.

40-something is a powerful number in the scripture. It's significance has usually shaped the issue of warning people to repent of wickedness or as a form and/or method of judgement. The first one, repentance, is all about giving his creation ample time to repent of wickedness and to turn towards righteousness; righteousness is in accord with obedience towards God - to doing what he says. It wasn't his desire to bring the flood, the ancient flood of Noah, on the heads of those who were obedient and who feared him, but God brought the flood on the heads of those who disobeyed him - and in 40 days every living thing which breathed perished under the waters. The number forty is mentioned again in the Book of Exodus to reflect Moses receipt of the Ten Commandments and reciprocated in Matthew and Luke when Christ Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness prior to being tempted by the Devil.

A more powerful example of 40 touches upon the reason for this blog: to show why it's all about repentance. It is true that the Christ ascended into the heavens; Ascencion Thursday does have some validity to it; before this, forty days actually -  - he was raised from the dead, and three days and three nights before he was raised from the dead he was crucified. Three days and three nights is the right timing, not a day and a half as most suspect. How does three days and three nights fit into all this? That's also how many days Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish! What was Jonah's story all about? Repentance!

It's all about repentance; go figure that in some man-made day. In fact, is there any traditional holiday that highlights repentance - turning from sin? How so? Regardless, the work of God on earth is to tell people to repent, "and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Looking into the book of Jonah, you'll see from the get-go that he was to go and tell people to repent. Somewhere in there he found out that he too needed to repent, and then mercy is hightlighted also, but the main issue is repentance. By repenting, by turning away from evil, the people whom Jonah preached to - ancient Ninevah - were spared great destruction. Not so the inhabitants of Jerusalem: forty years after the ministy of the Christ in Judea, whose inhabitants showed no great willingness to follow the example of ancient Ninevah, like the people in the days of Noah, Jerusalem, with all of it's people, high and low, was destroyed. Let's see if they were warned: read Matthew 12:38-41 (New King James Version).

It is a fond thing to keep certain days and to reflect upon such, but it is more important to consider the reasons behind them. Like any other day that comes out of Rome, it boils down to idolotry: keeping the day only to confirm the belief in an event, not to turn one towards obedience. If everyone who believed Jesus ascended into heaven also believed in what he said - then fine. To many, amazingly gifted and honest people, the day is only an event that confirms an idolatrous faith.

The Lottery

You Gotta Be In It To Win It

The recent winning of the Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot by a couple from south Georgia of $270 million dollars brings to mind the very popular saying, "You gotta be in it to win it". This saying was popularized by NY Lotto announcer Bob Brown and has played well in that market, every purchaser of Lotto convinced that he has bought a ticket to a hopeful paradise. Without laying down your money to play Lotto, or Mega Millions or any lottery, you have no odds of winning; well, not really. You could be lucky enough to come across a ticket that has fallen out of someone's hand and that ticket, by chance, could be the winning number. However,for any venture to be successful, you must have your entire body and mind working to be part of it in order for it to bear fruit; whether it is an academic pursuit or a particular goal in mind you have to really "be in it" in order for that pursuit to be successful. The wise king of Israel, Solomon, writer and/or contributor to three books of the Holy Bible, had just an effective proverb to speak of when encouraging his hearers to "be in it to win it": by this he said, that is, in order to be successful in all of your endeavors: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going."

King Solomon was not talking about the lottery when he wrote this proverb. It doesn't take much effort to play the lotto. In fact, when they use the term "You have to be in it to win it," why does it sound so much like, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime?" Taking part in the lottery connotes that one will be a beneficiary of it. What is not told, is that in order to win anything substantial, and never the jackpot, you have to pay an awful lot for it; not one time, not twice, not three times - but until the time you win, because once your heart is in it, you will not want to stop being a part of it until you win it. This is a kind of incredible thing - being part of it is not a one time deal. You just don't lay down your bet and reap a blessing; in fact, you probably will not reap a blessing until you play many times. You would therefore want to apply what King Solomon wrote in Ecc 9.10.The odds of winning the lottery, of any great jackpot size is incredible; nearly 1 - 100 million on any given day.The odds of winning the entire sum are greater than 1 - 100 million, because the more people that play the less the chance that you'll have the only winning numbers.

One of the scary attributes of the lottery is that you never win what is advertised. If you wish to have any hope of never playing the lottery, consider that the Geogia couple are only getting $164 million of the stated award prize of $270 million. Yet, hope is one of the things that compel many to play the lottery daily, and many more play when the advertised winnings are high.The common theme for the Lottery, beginning with NY State, is, All You Need Is a Dollar and A Dream; to some, the humorists in us, it is "a dollar and a daydream"; to those who play, that dream is a hope - a hope that comes up every time when one plays the lottery. Hope appears when we put work into the thing we "hope" to accomplish and sometimes manifests itself whenever we dream, whenever there is an opening in which to escape some of the harsh realities of life, the everyday drudgery that presses down on us and convinces us that we are not living life to the full. The lottery gives hope to those who play it - but is this the hope one should be spending his time and resources on?

Hope, we are told, does not disappoint. How is that possible? Hope, if it disappoints, would be called despair; if we despaired, what need would there be of the lottery? The lottery gives hope; those who have this hope play; they don't play once or twice but they play as many times as hope persists. When there is no more hope, they stop playing. The hope, of course, everytime one plays, is that one will win, but that is never the case. It is harder to stop dreaming about winning, especially when the stakes are high, than to stop playing. "If only I had played" is the inward refrain of those who feel they would have won something, or that the winning number is so close to what "I" would have played. The lottery seems to give hope.

The lottery may give hope - no, one may have hope by playing the lottery - and those who donot play of course have no hope of winning. Perhaps they have other hopes. The hope that matters, however, is the hope that endures. The lottery, like the winnings, causes hope to vanish: Every person who plays - we may say, because there are so few, few winners - eventually loses faith in it, and those who donot lose hope in it are in need of help. The hope that endures, however, is the hope that causes our character to change, because change allows us to move onto better things. The enduring hope manifests itself in improving relationships, obtaining rewards for successful pursuits, becoming grandparents. Hope doesn't last in winning something that one has only put a dollar upon, or has committed an opening in his day to a dream; hope has a foundation that is based upon hard work. It is not possible to focus on work when one is chasing a dream of reaping millions.

King Solomon asked his readers to consider that time and chance happen to us all. This is no encouragement in playing the lottery in hope that it may be your time or that the chance of winning will be in your ticket, but you still have to be in it to win it. Therefore it is pertinent to do all that we can to grow and improve in the things that offer us the best hope. We should not be wasting our time in pursuits shall only lead to despair. Hope, the enduring kind, is not found in the lottery, but surely, in order to succeed in any endeavor, in any pursuit or goal, You Gotta Be In It To Win It.

Bible Study

Bible Study, Modern Time

Reading the Bible in one year, these days, seem to be in vogue. In one full year, as most Bible reading plans testifies, you can begin and finish the Holy Scriptures. This would cover the entire Bible, from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation, not just the Gospels or the "New Testament" as some may suggest. Of course, this concept of reading the Bible in one year is not new; for centuries helpful theologians and church folk have seen that it is their duty to come up with various means in which to make it both economical and feasible for the ordinary man to begin the Book and finish it in a 12 month setting; if you begin in February, lets say, the 3rd, in 2008, you would finish it on February 2, 2009. Pretty cool - huh? There is just one thing the originators of such programs left out: who are they directing these courses to?

It may be a surprise to the reader, but the scriptures are not for everyone - no, you just can't pick up the Holy Bible and begin to understand it's contents. Many have tried to do that and have come away confused. If you partake of these one-year Bible reading plans you may still be confused at the end of the year - but, hey, you would have gotten the whole Bible under your belt! Perhaps it's useful in Trivial Pursuit - who knows, yet it is doubtful that much of what you've read you'll remember and the first thing you'll remember is the last thing you've read; in this case, it may be the Book of Revelation, which will really make you noticeable at parties - "whoa dude, we're all going to be wiped out!" The Holy Scriptures, though a book for all of mankind, is expressly for those who have been given the understanding and the heart to read it and put it into practice. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%204.12;&version=50; It is not a novel - it doesn't have a true beginning and a true end. Take this simple test: where is the beginning of the Word of God? You may say, Genesis 1.1, but no - that's not true. It's John 1.1. Some of you know that, but one-year Bible folk either omit it - they begin in Matthew thinking the Gospels is the beginning of God's word - or, to be generous, they hark back to Genesis striving to create a "true" historical path for the Bible student. Other one-year plans are just out-right confusing to begin with, having no clear plan for what they want the Bible reader to obtain; this is called the "jump-around" method, so you get everything in, from Genesis to Joshua to the Psalms, etc... but have no idea of what you're getting into. Check this out: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/biblereading-1yr.html.

The end result is pretty much the same: the book becomes novel-like and confuses the reader, who soon puts it on the nightstand, leaves it there and then, a week later, moves it back to the bookshelf.

To be fair, reading the scriptures from book beginning to book end - Genesis to Revelation - allows the general reader to come in contact with God's word. He can guage that the work he is reading is no ordinary instrument; that it is authored by a powerful and intelligent being, who, by the way, in the very beginning claims he made us in his image. Every now and then this "casual reader" will glean some truth from it's pages, either bringing it up in conversation with co-workers or wondering how some of the things mentioned - let's say, the story of Noah's ark - could possibly be true. From there, the more serious student may gather that the book is made to be read with a serious intent - not only for him to read, but to meditate and to put into practice! If you just want to read the Bible through anyway, go here: http://www.bibleplan.org/mcheyne.htm

The Holy Scriptures are just that: holy oracles from God. Who would want to rush reading his word in order to boast? Who puts together these one-year plans in order to boast? It took 1,500 years to write the Book - why rush in reading it? In the pages of this book we find solace for our troubles, we find promises made and we have faith in the promises kept. If reading the Bible in one year is your favored practice, are you thoroughly convinced of your intent? Will it make you a better Bible student? Or a hypocrite? The over-riding concern should be that we don't take reading the Bible lightly. Look at this portion of scripture from the book of Proverbs, Chapter 21, verse 5: The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

Reading the Bible in one year, for the reader, reeks of "just getting it done"; for the author of such plans, he baits his subject with, "wow, I've always wanted to read the whole Bible - and now I can!" The serious student asks himself, what am I getting out of this? The only decent thing about such programs is that they get the serious student focused on God's word, but from there that man or woman should go further by reading other relevant scriptural passages, appropriate commentary, and what really gives him a kick in picking up the Bible - perhaps prophecy, wisdom, or its many inspirational stories.

Selah