HEAR COUNSEL AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION

The Wise Man said, “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end” (Prov. 19:20). We easily recognize there are good things to learn, or traits to possess, but spiritually we may fail to look to the latter end when it comes to possessing and growing in spiritual qualities (faith, grace, love, mercy, etc.).

Jesus instructed the Pharisees to go and learn what it meant for him to have mercy; “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice…” (Matt. 9:10-13). They were in the process of erroneously mocking and condemning his actions and he gave them the instruction they needed.  But of course they didn’t see the value nor did they consider the latter end.

It wasn’t just a few chapters later the Pharisees saw his disciples eating corn and “…they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day” (Matt. 12:2).  Jesus responded to help them understand scripture and ended, “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7).  Isn’t it startling that failure to learn in this context, not only meant they would not be merciful, but this lack of understanding would cause them to condemn the guiltless? How easy it must have been for them to ignore the instruction to learn about mercy without realizing the resulting latter end would have them unjustly condemning the innocent.

But that’s just one example and one trait. Consider Peter’s instruction, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” And he continues with, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Pet. 1:5-9).  Our latter end is determined by what we do in the beginning and throughout (Gal. 6:8).  May we, like Peter, look to the latter end; “…for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (vs10-11).

—Matthew Johnson

"THE WHALE..... PUT JONAH..... DOWN THE HATCH.....BUT COUGHED HIM UP..... BECAUSE HE SCRATCHED"

Somewhere along the line I may have mentioned to you that I’m an inveterate sign reader. And, as I travel quite frequently, both around the Southern California area and cross country to the East coast (or Left coast as the pundits call it), I look for interesting signs along the way. And if you’re looking for them, you’ll find a lot of humdingers. I’m going to talk some today about "signs," of both the scriptural and non-scriptural type.

 
When I was a youngster and we were taking a family road trip, usually to "grandma’s" house, it was a game we played to see who could spot a Burma Shave sign first. A few years ago I had the opportunity to buy a little book entitled "The Verse By The Side Of The Road" which is the story of the Burma-Vita Co. and it’s advertisement signs. Not only does it tell the company story, but also gives all of the signs that they posted.

One of those signs seems to relate right well with our class study of Ecclesiastes. Solomon is preaching a sermon there, teaching in great detail about the "vanity" of our lives here on this earthly plain. That’s also the book that talks about the "times and the seasons" for everything so when I read this "verse by the side of the road" it connected me with Solomon’s lesson and something a little more personal. It read: "WITHIN THIS VALE..... OF TOIL..... AND SIN..... YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD..... BUT NOT YOUR CHIN..... BURMA SHAVE."

Let me just mention one more "earthly" sign and then we’ll look at some things seen in the Bible about them. Not far from where I live is a large church/school complex, the name of which isn’t important as far as our lesson is concerned and neither is the individual’s name on the sign. It’s a large marquee-type sign out by the road and it’s some particular words on it that is applicable to our thoughts here. It names the individual as being the "PASTOR AND FOUNDER."

When I absorbed what I had read my first thought was "what arrogance" and "how presumptuous" can a person be in describing themself as such. I immediately recalled the passage in Mt. 16:18 where Jesus said "...I will build MY church" (emphasis by me) and I was thinking about how this individual was putting himself on an equal basis with Christ.

Later on I got to thinking more about it and it sort of dawned upon me that even though he’s still guilty of "pride" and "haughtiness" what he had built and founded was NOT the church Christ built. The actual structure might have been his doing, but that structure is not the Church. But, in my understanding of the Scriptures, he’s also guilty of the sin of "presumption" by presuming that whatever he’s teaching, religious-wise, is equal to the "church" built by Christ.

Well, let’s take a few minutes and look at some "signs" mentioned in the Bible. Any good concordance will tell you that "sign/signs" are seen many times in God’s Word. Throughout the study of Israel in the Old Testament we see "signs" being given them by God, usually as reminder, or proof of His having something miraculous for them.

It’s my personal opinion that their having been given so many "signs" before the Messiah came, when He did they demanded even more. In Mt. 12:38 we see where some Scribes and Pharisees said that they "wished to see a sign from you." The account in Luke 10:15 gives a little more understanding to it by saying that they wanted a "sign from heaven" proving that He was who He claimed to be.

Now these are the same folks who had just witnessed some miracles but apparently chose to ignore them. Sure, He had "healed" the man with the "withered hand" and then "healed" a "demonic-possessed" man who was also "blind." Even with having witnessed these miraculous "signs" they still wanted to see a "sign from heaven."

On another occasion we read about in the 2^nd chapter of John we see where Jesus had begun His ministry with the working of "miracles" (vs. 11) and had confronted the "money-changers" at the Temple which He referred to as "my Father’s house." (Vs. 16) And here again, the Jews want Him to show them a "sign" proving His doing "these things." (Vs. 18) It was never enough for the Jews that the "miracles" were "signs" in of themselves.

We don’t really know how many "signs" and "miracles" Jesus performed among His own people, (Jn. 21:25) but it’s evident that they weren’t enough for them to believe that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. When you consider that, it sure adds meaning to what He said in John 20:29, ".....Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
 
Just about anytime and anywhere you travel one thing you look for the most are "road signs." Signs that direct us to a certain location. One thing to remember about the Jews and the "signs" that they ignored or refused to believe were all the "road signs" in the Old Testament that directed them to the Messiah. And, think about this too: when they were asking Jesus for a "sign from heaven" they were looking directly at the greatest sign ever given them.

Paul comments about the propensity of the Jews to always want a "sign" shown to them for them to accept any teaching on religion. In 1Cor. 1:22-23 we read these words: "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles." (ESV)

The life and ministry of Jesus was a "living sign" but His crucifixion was a "stumbling block" to the Jews because they couldn’t accept that it was the way to salvation. That’s why they’re still looking for a "Messiah" to come that will fit their idea of salvation.

I’ll just wrap this up by citing one more scripture that I feel fits with the man who "founded" his church in our area and also addresses our nation and all others of this world.

                "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." (Psa. 127:1) ESV
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey

What is Ash Wednesday? What is Lent?

IS THAT IN THE BIBLE?

A close friend asked me over the Internet if I could explain what Ash Wednesday and Lent were all about. They said that several of their friends practiced this and would give up things such as caffeine and chocolate for Lent. The problem was that they couldn't explain why they were doing this. So, here is my answer.

First things first:

Let me state first and foremost, that the practice of both Ash Wednesday and Lent are no where found in the bible. They are not commanded, nor are there any examples of the early Christians practicing these things. They are purely the design of the Catholic church leaders. Granted they were begun from the best of motives. The stated purpose is to help people remember the death and crucifixion of Jesus, but again, we don't find these two things in the bible.

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is a special day instituted by the Catholic Church, (adopted by some other denominations also). Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving leading up to Easter. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays. Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead "feast" days during Lent.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of followers as a reminder of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.

What is Lent

Lent is a religious observance 6 week period of time in which the adherents are suppose to draw closer to God through self denial. Again this practice was instituted by the Catholic Church, but is also observed by other denominations at this time. The time period for this period of religious observance begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Day.

The Purpose: The traditional purpose of Lent is to the believer be more in touch with God in their lives through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial.

The observance often culminates in the annual commemoration of "Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This recalls the events of the New Testament beginning on Friday and climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ". (Note: the basic explanations come in part from Wikipedia, with commentary by me).

Now you may be asking, "Why would religious people practice something that is not found in the bible?" Well, I'm wondering right along with you. I know that for some, they do it because their religious leaders tell them they need to do it and they really don't bother to stop and ask why. Others do things just because that's the way they have always been done and again, they don't bother to stop and ask why.

Personally, I always want to know why we do something. I encourage the members of our church to always question me or the other leaders, as to what we practice or believe and why. If they can't tell you, then there really is a problem.

I know that some may be offended by what I have just written, but notice what Jesus had to say about this problem in Matthew 15:12-15. "Then the disciples came to Him and asked, "Do You realize You offended the Pharisees by what You just said?" Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by My heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."

How about you, will you follow blindly, or search for the truth. Here is an interesting passage of scripture that applies to this problem. Act 17:11, "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth." How about you, do you think you can handle the truth?

Russ Lawson

Lego building blocks

"Lego Man"

Lego Man is definitely getting around. In early January of 2012, with the help of two 17-year-old Canadian young men, he was shot into Earth's upper atmosphere on a rocket. He ascended to 80,000 feet - an altitude few people have ever seen - before gently returning to solid ground by means of a parachute. The trip was filmed with a camera attached to Lego Man, and you can watch his journey on YouTube.

In case you're wondering, Lego Man is not an actual person, but a figure made popular by the famous Lego building sets. Lego, I've learned, was first introduced in 1958 by a fellow in Denmark. The name comes from the Danish words for "play well". In the last 56 years, Lego building blocks have become a cultural phenomenon. In fact there are six different Legolands in the world, including two in the U.S. (Florida and California).

One distinguishing feature of Lego Man is that he can be put together - or taken apart - to suit one's needs at the moment. Thankfully there are no sound effects that go along with disassembling his parts (which are few).

Building things has always been a pursuit of mankind. In the Bible Jesus spoke about a wise man who built his house on a solid foundation (Matthew 7:24). The word for "build" is the Greek oikodomeo, a word often found in Greek literature for building houses or other structures.

Interestingly this word is also used for people. Romans 15:2 states, "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification." "Edification" is translated from oikodomeo, the word otherwise translated "build up". We get the idea. We can do things that will make others stronger, or "build them up". That should be our aim.

Paul's admonition suggests that there are other choices we can make. Ephesians 4:29 gives that view: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth ..." "Corrupt" is from a word that describes something that is rotting or deteriorating. It is not as strong as it once was, and is headed toward its end. Our words, Paul teaches, can have that effect on others. It's as if we were tearing them down, piece by piece.

The verse goes on. In the place of corrupting words that might come out of our mouths, we should choose "... what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). Tear down? Build up? We have the power to do either through the words we speak. We should always seek to build up.

Lego Man reminds us that people can be taken apart, too. That's not the choice we should make, God teaches. Seek to build up. Help Lego Man be strong.
CTimothy D. Hall

Why people misunderstand the Bible

WHAT YOU THINK HEAR

A friend shared the following story with me that illustrates that what you think you hear is not always what is said.

It seems that a young mother took her 3 year old son shopping at a local mall one day. Things went fairly well and the boy was well behaved, but by lunch he was getting tired of the whole "shopping" thing. They stopped at the mall food court and had lunch and the mother asked the boy if he would like to go to the big toy store in the mall. He cried, "Yes," and immediately took off running as fast as his little legs could carry him. The mother, caught off guard took off after him, him running through the mall and she chasing him, which of course drew the attention of many of the other mall shoppers. When they neared the entrance of the store the mother almost caught up with the fast toddler. Thinking she would make a game out of it as to who got to the entrance first, the mother called out, "I'm going to beat you!"

To her horror the toddler came to a screeching halt misunderstanding his mother's intent and screamed, "PLEASE DON'T BEAT ME MOMMA, I'LL BE GOOD." You can imagine the looks the mother got from those mall shoppers watching the event.

I guess it's not surprising how many times we misunderstand what God says to us, it seems it is human nature to hear what we want to hear, not what is actually said. How many times does God have to tell us, to live in purity of life, yet we don't think he really means it? Some cheat on their taxes; cheat on their spouses; lie when it suits their needs. Some will commit sexual sins and honestly believe that God didn't really mean it when he specified things we are to refrain from doing.

The scripture tells us that "God's Word is Truth," and that we will be judged by every word contained in his book, the bible. Yet, often we persist in hearing only what we want to hear or what we think it may mean. Understand this, when God says "don't do something, or you will be punished for it," he means it.

There is an interesting passage in Revelation 21:7-8 that makes a statement regarding this thought. Notice what God says: "All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children.  But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars, their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Please understand that God is not a God of anger or a God that delights in punishment anymore than you as a parent do. But there will come a time when we will receive our "just deserts" as the saying goes.

Perhaps we need to be more careful as to what God really said, and not what we think he said.

Russ Lawson,

Free Bible study on Romans 1:17

Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Those people who have heard the word of God and have made the decision to conform their lives to the divine will of God are without exception living by faith. When we live by faith, we do not worry about tomorrow, whether it will bring happiness or sorrow, because we have decided to deny our self, take up our cross and follow Jesus allowing him to be in control of our life (Luke 9:23, John 14:1, Phil. 4:6-7). When life is full of turmoil, when the storm clouds gather, the thunder roars and the wind blows, he is there looking on and walking with us step by step (Heb. 4:15-16, Heb. 13:7, Psalms 23). Living by faith, we have an unswerving belief in all his promises and an unfailing belief that he is able to do all that he has promised (Heb. 2:18, Jude 24-25, Eph. 3:20-21).

The chorus of the song, “Living By Faith”, proclaims a great message worthy of our serious consideration: “Living by faith in Jesus above, Trusting, confiding in his great love; From all harm safe in his sheltering arm, I’m living by faith and feel no alarm”. Living by faith, we place ourselves in his arms, trusting that he will see us safely through the day and into the night, knowing that when the morning breaks, he will still be there surrounding us with his arms of love and care.

Living by faith is relying on God for strength, courage, hope, peace, justification and the eternal welfare of our soul. It is imperative we understand that living by faith does not rule out the fact that we must do what we can in order to please God and receive his marvelous blessings (Phil. 2:12, James 2:17-26, 2 Tim. 1:12).

Living by faith we can see the eternal purpose of God in all things (Rom. 8:28). I don’t understand everything that happens in this life and I must confess that like Gideon of old there have been times when I have cried our “Why”. Why this burden, why this sickness, why this death? I just don’t always know the answer but one thing I do know, the God I love, trust and confide in does know the answer and so long as my trust and confidence is in him, I don’t have to fear anything because he will see me safely through (Isa. 12:2-3, Ps. 56:11, Rom. 8:31, Phil. 4:6-7).

We are weak, frail human beings, very limited in our abilities but there are no limits to the power of God. Without a strong faith in him, there will be no hope for us, and if there is no hope, there will be no anchor for our soul and if there is no anchor, we will drift aimlessly through life and one day meet our God in judgment totally unprepared. Today, I pray we will live by faith, ever trusting and confiding in our God.

Charles Hicks

The good old days

    
            "The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." Prov. 10:7

I believe that one of man’s greatest blessings from God is our memories. Or, maybe better said, our ability to remember, as in the "good old days." Of course with the caveat that some have greater ability at this than others. I’m going to combine a couple of illustrations relating to our memories that just somehow connected in my mind and those would be -ancient Israel and muscle cars.

Sounds like an odd combination, doesn’t it? Well, many years ago I gave up trying to explain how things connect in my brain. Suffice it to say, they just do, so we’ll leave it at that. Anyway, I’m going to, as we say "give it a go" here at developing a spiritual thought from this combination of Israel and cars.

First, let’s look for a moment at a little history of old Israel. Specifically at the time when they had left Egypt and were on their way to the "Promised Land" which was so-named because God had "promised" it (Canaan) to the descendants of Abraham (Gen. 17:8 and Ex. 12:25).

You remember how God had delivered them from "bondage" in Egypt via the working of great miracles and now they were out in the wilderness. They had only been out there for a relatively short period of time before they began reminiscing about the "good old days" back in Egypt.

REALLY? Think about this a moment. They were "slaves" there. According to the Biblical account (Ex. 3:7) they had a harsh and sorrowful existence back there. This just shows us how our memory plays tricks on us, doesn’t it? We have a tendency to remember the "good" of the "old days" and overlook the "bad." It’s Israel’s remembrance of the "old days" that connects in my mind with our 2^nd illustration - cars.

Back some years ago I was "into" cars. Not just any cars, but the ones that were common during my high school days. (And yes to my kids, they had cars back then) So I obtained me a "muscle car" from that era. A nice little Chevy Nova SuperSport and I "gussied it up" as best I could and then joined up with about 2000 other owners of that era of cars in a gathering known as the "Route 66 Rendevous."
Oh, we paraded around town, ooh’d and aah’d over everyone’s vehicles and generally reminisced about the "good old days." Back when these cars were the cars of the day. Like the Israelites, we car owners were, as they say, waxing nostalgic about the past. Remembering the earlier years of our lives. See, that’s what I think the cars, or any number of other things, are representative of. Why they mean so much to us. They take us back to the younger part of our lives.

You know what "part" I’m talking about, don’t you? That "part" where we had youth and its vigor. We had lots of energy and seeming invincibility. As opposed to our latter (now) years when our "vigor and energy" have long deserted us. Where our "invincibility" has turned to aches and pains and the realization of mortality.
To me, it’s only natural that we like to go back in time, at least in our minds, to those "halcyon days of youth." To that happy, carefree time of our life. I think that among other things, the "cars" do that for some of us,

For the Israelites, it was the remembrance of the foods they had back in Egypt. They remembered the "meats and the fish." The fresh vegetables and even the "garlic." (Num. 11:5) They were now out there in the "wilderness" subsisting on "manna," the "bread from heaven" (Ex. 16:4) provided them by God. Food for which they did not have to work or slave for - just pick it up each day and there was always plenty.

But, they remembered the "food" of Egypt and wanted to go back to those "good old days." It’s here where we see how their memory "tricked them." Because they only wanted to go back to the "food stuffs." Their memory had blanked out the fact that they had to "slave" to get that "food." That they had no freedom back in Egypt.
And, like the Israelites, I think that we too trick ourselves into remembering the "good" of the "old days" and sort of conveniently forget some things of those days that are much better now. I’ll leave it to your mind to contemplate what’s better for you.

But, I have to admit that, in many ways, I believe the days of my youth were better than today. Not because of the physical deterioration that time exacts on all of us, but I think the world of that era was a lot more "purer," if that’s the right word, than the world of today.

Not that sin and decadent behavior didn’t exist back then but, it wasn’t so "in your face" and readily accepted as "normal" behavior as it is now. I think that in the "days of my youth" we lived in a safer world. I’m not talking about national security, although I’m of the opinion that today’s national scene is still more dangerous, I’m referring to my immediate world.

In those days, parents didn’t have to worry about many of the things they worry about today. Drugs and alcohol addiction even among the youth today and immorality bordering on depravity that’s condoned and justified as "alternate lifestyles." No, to me, it was a lot "safer" in many ways back then.

Well, I’ll stop reminiscing and see if I can wrap up my thoughts here. Yes, God blessed us with our memories, such as they are. But, we have to keep in mind that our focus is forward, not backward. That our "hope" lies in the future before us. Israel’s problem in the wilderness was the "looking back" at Egypt and wanting to return there. They forgot that they were headed for the "Promised Land." Their focus was on the wrong thing.

We can be guilty, so to speak, of following in their footsteps if we shift our focus from "forward" to "backward." Wanting to stay in a sinful world wherein we’re "slaves" to those sins and forgetting where our "hope," our "Promised Land" lies. A sad thing to report is that only two of all those Israelites who were freed from Egyptian bondage had enough faith, who "looked forward" enough, actually made it to the "Promised Land."


Closing thoughts: How many of us living today will possess the faith necessary to stay focused on the goal and reach our "Promised Land"? (2Pet. 3:13 & 1Jn. 2:25) Something to think about, isn’t it?
An anonymous author once penned some words about memories that I just have to pass on to you and I can personally vouch for the truthfulness of them.

"Sometimes memories sneak out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks."

Ron Covey