Christmas Myths Exposed

Jess and I sent out Christmas cards yesterday.  When I got the stamps from Kroger, I asked for the holiday edition.  The only holiday stamp they had was called "Christmas Magi," and it featured a single star silhouetting three camel-riding magi.  Obviously, this stamp is referencing the wise men that visited the child Christ.  In hindsight I should have passed on those stamps and gone to the Post Office to get some with reindeer, gingerbread men, trees, or whatever, but I was too busy to do that.  I settled for the "wise men" stamps, but I immediately thought it would be a good intro to my next blog post.

So what's the problem with these wise men stamps?  For me personally, I think it sends the wrong message. It kind of sends the message that my family celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday. So what's wrong with that, you ask?     To put it simply, the Bible does not authorize us to remember Christ's birth in religious celebrations or commemorations.        Some churches will conduct special worship services where they have things like carols, tree lightings, and nativity reenactments.  The Bible definitely instructs us to observe the Lord's Supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7), but nowhere does it instruct us to remember Christ's birth during worship.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful for the birth of Jesus, and there is nothing wrong with reflecting on it, but you have to draw the line when it comes to introducing things into worship that God has not authorized.

John 4:24 tells us that "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth."  Acting out the nativity probably satisfies the spirit requirement, but it doesn't meet the truth requirement; therefore, it is vain and unacceptable worship.  God has established a certain pattern for worship, nothing less and nothing more.  He commands first day of the week worship to include prayer, singing, preaching, observance of communion, and giving. Anything else is not authorized.

Here's another problem I have with the wise men stamp.  It's associated with many Christmas myths.  You know the story: On December 25th, Joseph and Mary are sent out to the barn with the animals because there is no room at the inn; Jesus is born and placed in the manger, and shepherds, angels, three wise men, and a star are all present.  This account, that is proudly displayed in nativity scenes across the world, is false.

Here's a run down of common Christmas myths (the account of what really happened can be found in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John):

- Jesus was born on December 25th
The Bible does not specify the date Jesus was born [possibly because God didn't want man to make a religious holiday out of it]. There was no indication he was born on December 25th, and most, if not all, scholars agree that his birth didn't occur in December at all.

- There was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary
There was no inn, as in motel.  Mary and Joseph weren't trying to get a room at a local motel. In actuality, there was no room in the upper room of the house (likely the house of a relative) they were staying in because the yearly census was being conducted, and everyone was in town. Therefore, they had to stay in the animal stable on the lower level of the house.  The animals were probably vacated at this time to accommodate the extra guests. The greek word for "inn" is "kataluma," which by context and by other uses in the Bible, refers to an "upper room."

- Joseph and Mary had to stay in the barn out back.
There was no barn.  As mentioned, they were in the lower level of the house where the animals were kept.

- Three wise men visited baby Jesus.
The number of wise men is unknown. There were three gifts brought to Jesus, but that doesn't mean there were three wise men. The Bible doesn't specify the number.

- The wise men rode into town on camels.
The Bible doesn't comment on their mode of transportation.

- The wise men visited Jesus on the night he was born.
The wise men didn't visit Jesus at the time of his birth. By the time they arrived, they visited Jesus at a house, not while he was in the manger.  At the time of their visit, the Bible describes Jesus as a child, using a word that is different from the word used for a newborn.

-The Star of Bethlehem guided the wise men to the manger.
The star guided the wise men to Christ's location (likely Nazareth) many days or months later. The Bible simply refers to this star as "His star," and it did not appear over the manger at the time of His birth. An angel guided the shepherds, not the wise men, to the manger on the night of His birth.

These common misconceptions may seem like no big deal, but I think it's that mentality of not being concerned about exactly what the Bible says that has led to the thousands of different denominations in existence today. Anyway, the next time you see a nativity scene this holiday season, maybe it will inspire you to read the Bible's account of Christ's birth.  After all, it was His birth that lead to an even greater event - His death on the cross.

Pastafarians??

Here it is - my very first guest post.  Taking the spot of first contributor is my friend, minister, and mentor, Eddy Gilpin.  Eddy is the full-time preacher at West Side church of Christ, and he is the author of many tracts, books, and bulletin articles. The following article will appear in this week's Sunday bulletin.


If "One Is As Good As Another," Why Not Pastafarianism?
 
It was indeed an unusual scene when newly-seated Pomfret, NY, Town Council member Christopher Schaeffer was sworn into office in January 2014. Schaffer, you see, was wearing a colander on his head. Why? He is a "minister" of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Members of his articular organization refer to themselves as "Pastafarians."

According to the organization’s website the only "dogma" allowed in the Church of the FSM is "the rejection of dogma." There are no particular regulations, no strict rules, and no routine rituals. Some general things about their beliefs are:

-Pirates were the original Pastafarians, and they were peaceful explorers. Due to Christian  misinformation, they now have an image of being outcast criminals.

-They are fond of beer.

-Every Friday is a religious holiday.

-They embrace contradictions.

While this organization is ludicrous to the minds of Bible-believing individuals, it is recognized as a legitimate religious system by our government. It is yet another example of political correctness run amuck.

However, a more serious matter can be addressed from this story and this organization. If, as much of the religious world claims, "one church is as good as another," the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster would qualify just as much as any other. While in terms of governmental recognition and common sense we might see this organization as silly and ridiculous, religiously speaking it is no more ridiculous than any other religious group that claims to be legitimate and, yet, which cannot legitimately claim its origin in the New Testament. There is, after all, only one church that can do that—the church of Christ (Mt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Rom. 16:16; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:4; 5:23; Col. 1:18).

One can join the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster for a fee of only $20. One can join thousands of other religious groups free of charge. However, one cannot "join" the church of Christ. He has to be added to it by the Lord Himself (Acts 2:47). As foolish as "The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" sounds, since Jesus purchased only one church (His church- Acts 20:28), it is just as foolish to think anyone can be a part of any other and still claim to belong to Him.

Become a Member

First off, I’d like to apologize for not posting in quite some time.  I finished a few projects, and I’ve got several post ideas cooking, so I should be good to go for the next few weeks. 

I checked the websites of several area denominations to find out what a person has to do to become a member of their church. One church conducts a class where you will “meet the Pastor, learn more about the church and its ministries, and fulfill your requirement for membership.”  Another church states that you can become a member either through baptism or through affirmation of faith. The third and final website instructs prospective members to attend a membership class, speak with a pastor, and accept God’s forgiveness through belief in Jesus.  I didn’t find this on the three sites I checked out, but I know another common idea of church membership is having a panel of current members vote a person in. Just like any other religious teaching, we should weigh these ideas of church membership against what the Bible teaches.

How do I become a member of Christ’s church?

Scripture is pretty straightforward in answering this question.

Acts 2 records the establishment of the church. It’s the day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection.  The Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles, and they begin speaking in the foreign languages of all those assembled.  Peter preaches a sermon, and about 3,000 people repent and are baptized.  Verses 41 and 47 say this: “(41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”  So you see, those 3,000 people who were baptized into Christ were added to the church by Him.  There were no classes, no meetings with pastors, no affirmations of faith, and no votes. 

Once you’ve been added to the church, you’re expected to fellowship and worship with the local congregation (Acts 2:42-46; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2) overseen by elders, continue to grow in God’s word (I Peter 2:2), walk in the light as a Christian (I John 1:7), and live faithfully until death (Revelation 2:10).

To put it practically, if you were to visit our worship assembly, and you wanted to become a member of the church, you would have to follow these steps of salvation: hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), confess Christ as the Son of God (Matthew 10:32), and put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27. After you’ve done these things, Christ will add you to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). All of these could occur after one visit, or after 20 visits; it’s personal decision you’d have to make.  But rest assured, you’ll never be voted in or out, and you’d never have to go through any other process to join the church.   In the words of Eddy Gilpin, “you can’t join the church to save your life, but you have to be added to it to save your soul.”

The Rapture Doctrine - I Wish It Were “Left Behind!”

I recently saw a video by Willie Robertson advertising the release of the movie Left Behind, which is based on the series of fictional books bearing the same name.   The Robertson clan has an enormous influence on the masses, so it was pretty disappointing to see this video.   You may wonder exactly why I found it so disappointing.  It’s simple – the Rapture doctrine is a false teaching! Not only is the Rapture a false teaching, but so is the millennium doctrine, which is the idea that Christ will return to Earth to establish a literal, physical kingdom, and reign for a thousand years in Jerusalem.

Religious groups differ slightly on their teachings, but most believe in a thousand-year reign, and many believe that prior to the reign, Jesus will secretly snatch away all the Christians, leaving behind a world of chaos and despair. Following seven years of tribulation ruled by the Antichrist, Jesus and his followers will then return to the earth to occupy the kingdom in Jerusalem. 

According to the Left Behind series, and those believing the lies, when the Rapture occurs, driverless cars will crash in the streets, pilotless planes will go down in flames, wives will turn to see their husbands’ recliners empty, and so on.  Sure, these scenes make for a good movie, but are they really scriptural?  What does the Bible really teach about the end of the world?

As with any Bible topic, you’ve got to keep things in context. Who is talking? Who is the audience? What’s being said, and why is it being said?  If we can answer these basic questions, we can avoid misapplication of the scripture.  Much of the teachings on the Rapture and the millennial reign stem from a misapplication and misunderstanding of the book of Revelation.

Revelation was written by John to the seven first-century churches in Asia minor. These Christians were being persecuted and were experiencing a terrible time of tribulation. It pertained to things happening then and there, to people who were desperate for immediate comfort. Revelation is full of symbols, signs, and figurative speech, and it’s not to be taken literally, especially when trying to make predictions about the “end times.”  For more insight on the purpose of Revelation, see this  article written by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Here’s what the Bible teaches:

1.)    Jesus will not return in secret.

He will return with a “shout,” the “trump of God,” the “voice of the archangel,” and with “blazing fire” (1 Thes. 4:16, 2 Thes. 1:7). In fact, “every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7).

2.)    Jesus will not return to Earth.

Faithful Christians will meet Him in the air (1 Thes. 4:17). The universe will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-13), and we’ll be given “a new heaven and a new earth,” which refers to the Heavenly home Jesus promised in John 14:1-6.

3.)    Jesus will not reign on an earthly throne.

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36).

It is impossible for Christ to rule as an earthly king on a physical throne. Why?  Because the Bible describes Him as spiritual PRIEST and KING. His throne has to be in Heaven because: a) an earthly king could not serve as priest, and b) an earthly priest had to be a Levite, which Jesus was not (Hebrews 8:1-4).

4.)    The kingdom has already been established.

In Acts 1, we see the resurrected Christ ascending to Heaven in a cloud after talking to the Apostles about the coming kingdom.  Picture yourself looking up into the sky as Jesus ascends and disappears.  In Daniel 7:13-14, we see the resurrected Christ coming into Heaven and God giving him rule over the kingdom. Acts 1 is Earth’s view of Christ’s ascension, and Daniel 7 is Heaven’s view of Christ’s ascension. 

“¹³ I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

You’ll notice that it was at that time – when Jesus ascended to Heaven – that He became ruler of the kingdom, the church. This isn’t some prophecy about a far-off earthly kingdom that Christ would inherit millennia into the future!

In Matthew 16:28, Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” To borrow a statement from Eddy Gilpin, “either there are 2,000 year old people walking around today, or the kingdom has already come.”  That’s just it – the kingdom has come. THE KINGDOM IS THE CHURCH. The kingdom that was promised to Peter and the apostles in Matthew 16:17-19 is the church that was established on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

5.)    On a day unknown to us, Christ will return, but not to earth.

There will be a mighty shout, an unearthly blast of the trump, and Jesus will come in the clouds.  The dead in Christ will rise, the living in Christ will be changed (translated), and they will ascend to meet Christ in the clouds. There will be a great judgment of every soul that has ever existed. The disobedient will receive their punishment, and the obedient will receive their reward. (I Cor. 15, I Thes. 4, Matt. 25)

So what about Matthew 24 where Jesus talks about there being wars, famines, earthquakes, etc.? It’s simple.  Jesus was answering two separate questions: 1) When will the temple be destroyed? 2) And what about your second coming and the end of the world? Jesus provides an answer to each question. In the first part of the chapter, Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and 70 A.D.  That’s what the wars, famines, earthquakes, etc would be a sign of.  There would be obvious clues of the coming destruction. There would be great tribulation and persecution. Men, women, and  children would be killed by the Romans. He says in vs. 34, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Again, either there are 2,000 year old people walking around, waiting for earthquakes and wars, or the event Jesus prophesied about already happened.  

Then he contrasts the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. with the events of the last day when he returns. Verse 36: “BUT, of that day and hour [the day of his return] knoweth no man…as the days of Noah…one taken, and the other left…as a thief…therefore be ye also ready…” Unlike the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the end and destruction of Earth will come silently, as a thief in the night, with no warning.  We’ll have no warning when he comes, but we will all surely know it when he does! The phrase, “one taken, and the other will be left” is referencing the idea that some will be saved and some will not. It is not a reference to a Rapture of any kind.

Since it got a little complicated, I’d like to make sure my message is clear. Conclusion:

1.)    Revelation is full of imagery and figurative speech

2.)    There will be no warning of Christ’s return

3.)    When He does come, it will be spectacular (not quiet like the rapture)

4.)    Christ will not return to the Earth because He rules His spiritual and eternal kingdom from Heaven

5.)    The kingdom is the church, which is already established.

Fore!

If you’re like me and unlike my friend Ben who shoots in the 70s and about smashes the cover off a ball, you don’t put a lot of stock in your score after a round of golf.  Golf has a simple objective – get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.  You’d think it would be pretty easy to do that, but just ask any “golfer” you know, and you’ll quickly understand that it’s anything but easy.

So why is this simple game so difficult? For starters, it’s chock-full of choices. What type of ball will I use – hard, soft, more dimples, less dimples? Should I wear a glove?  4-iron or 5-iron from the tee? Oops, should have used the 5!  Long tee or short tee, wooden tee or plastic tee? Pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, or lob wedge? I think I’ll go with the lob wedge. Should it be the 60 degree or the 65 degree lob?   And so on…

It’s  also difficult because it takes a ton of practice. Unless I spend hours at the driving range and play a lot more often than once every couple months, I’ll never amount to much on the course.  It takes time and commitment to truly understand the game.

Finally, golf is difficult because it’s easy to lose focus and do things my own (incorrect) way.  When I play with Ben, he tries to teach me how to properly swing the club.  He does a great job explaining the mechanics of the swing, using analogies and metaphors, usually something about how a door swings on hinges.  He doesn’t know this (or at least I don’t think he does); sometimes I see his lips moving, but I’m not hearing anything he’s saying.  I’m tuning him out. My mind is saying, “Just go up there and hit the ball.”   But when I step up to the ball, I lose focus. I do things my own way, what feels most comfortable, and my ball usually flies WAY off target. If I paid complete attention to the instructions and studied the proper techniques, I’d hit the ball much better.

Being a true follower of Christ is much like playing golf.  The Bible presents a simple plan of becoming a Christian, a simple way of worshipping, and a simple way of living a righteous life. However, society and the religious world have a way of complicating simple concepts.

It’s difficult to be a true Christian because there are so many choices.  Christ established and died for one church (Acts 2:47, Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 4:4-6), but the world will tell you that any of the 35,000+ “Christian” churches are just as good as another.  People have no idea what the Bible really teaches, and they go to church whenever and wherever they choose, oftentimes where their family has always gone, where they feel most entertained, or where it’s most popular to attend.

It’s difficult to be a true Christian because it takes a ton of practice. You can’t expect God to save you if you never do what He says (Lev. 22:31; John 14:15), if you don’t live as a Christian (1 John 1:7), if you never study His word (2 Tim. 2:15), and if you never teach anyone else (Mark 16:15-16).

It’s difficult to be a true Christian because it’s easy to lose focus and do things our own way.  Throughout the book of Judges, God’s people continually disobey His instructions.  I believe the root of their problem is seen in the last verse of the book (Judges 21:25): “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes (emphasis added).”  I think that’s the root cause of the disobedience in today’s religious world. Most people do what they think is right in their own eyes, never considering what the Bible says.

Thankfully, I’ll never have to answer to Christ for my terrible golf game.  But I will have to answer to Him for the way I live my life. In fact, we will all stand before Him in judgment (2 Cor. 5:10), whether we believe that or not.  If you haven’t put on Christ in baptism (Gal 3:27) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) and been added to His one and only church (Acts 2:47), I encourage you to study His word and decide to do so ASAP.  After all, the only thing that really counts is the score we turn in after our round of life.  

In Christ Alone

Turn on the news or navigate to your favorite news site, and you’ll likely encounter headlines such as: “N. Korea Threatens U.S.,” “Russia Violates Treaty,” “Iraq Crisis,” “Fighting Intensifies In Libya,” “Militants In Syria Put Victims’ Heads On Poles,” “Japanese HS Girl Decapitates Classmate,” “Abduction of Cameroonian Official’s Wife,” and “MH17 Downing.” 

Evil is nothing new in this world. It does, however, seem like people are a lot crazier these days.  I’m sure it’s because our technology makes it easier for us to hear about bad things more often, but it still makes you wonder.  Every time I hear about mass shootings, murdered children, tortured women, terrorist attacks, corrupt governments, etc., etc., etc., it makes me worry about my and especially my children’s future.

A couple of weeks ago, soon after the Stay family was murdered by the crazed ex-brother-in-law, we sang a song during worship called “In Christ Alone.”  The murder was fresh on my mind that day, and I was particularly disturbed by the thought of those kids being so scared as they were tied up. When tragedies like that happen, I tend to imagine how I would handle it if my family and I were the victims.  As our congregation began to sing, the words of the song overwhelmed me and gave me an immediate sense of peace.

Click to hear the song.

In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—

This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

"In Christ Alone"

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

The last verse: “No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home – here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.”  That’s all the comfort I need – no matter what happens in this life, no matter what evils I may face, Christ has all the power in my life.

There will be times when I become depressed over the world’s tragedies, or I may even find myself smack in the middle of tragedy, but I know I can find strength and comfort in the fact that I’m a member of Christ’s body, and he’ll one day take us home.

If you’re reading this, you probably know me personally. If you don’t, I appreciate your interest all the same.  Either way, I sincerely hope you’ll search the scriptures to know how to become a member of Christ’s church so you too can find comfort in the words of this awesome song.

The Truth About Baptism

In the Garden of Eden, Satan told the first lie in history. God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan simply added a single word to God's statement and told Eve that she would not die if she ate from the tree.  It was a simple three-letter word that changed the course of history and knocked mankind clean off the path of perfection.

Today, in the same catastrophic way, Satan has atlered another of God's statements simply by adding the word "not."  Have you heard it said or do you believe that baptism is not essential for one's salvation? Just like in the Garden, Satan has used a simple three-letter word to lie to much of the religious world and almost completely blockade the only entrance into the Lord's church.

As I've mentioned before, I in no way want to come across as a know-it-all, and I don't want you to think I speak in a condescending way.  With that said, the purpose of this post is to expose Satan as the liar he is and to help us better understand what the scriptures say about baptism.

There are varying views of what baptism is, how and why it's done, and who does it.  Instead of going over some of the views out there, I'll simply point out what the Bible says.

First and foremost, Jesus commanded baptism. 

Mark 16:16: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." 

Simply put, unless someone believes and is baptized, he/she cannot be saved.  You may point out that the second part of the verse says that if you don't believe, you'll be condemned; it doesn't mention baptism.  Look at this way: if I say, "he who eats and digests will live, but he who does not eat will die," you would understand that obviously the digestion is implied in the second part of the statement.  Likewise, if someone doesn't believe, he's not going to be baptized.  John 3:18 states that a person is already condemned if he doesn't believe. So the fact remains that if you don't believe and are not baptized, you have no chance of salvation.

Matthew 28:19-20: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."

It is Christ's blood that saves us, and we contact His blood through baptism.

Colossians 1:14: "in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Ephesians 1:7: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

Romans 5:9: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."

No one I know would argue with the fact that without Christ's blood (death, burial, resurrection), we would have no hope of salvation.  Unfortunately, some people I know would argue that you can contact that blood in other ways than through baptism.  What does the Bible say?

Romans 6:3-4: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

By being baptized we reenact his death, burial, and resurrection.  We're dead in sin (death), buried in water/baptism (burial), and raised out of the water (resurrection) to live a new life.  Without baptism, how else can we reenact this? If Jesus says we're saved because of his blood (death), and the only way to contact that blood is by being baptized, how can anyone say baptism isn't essential for salvation?

Baptism is referenced throughout scripture using analogies of washing and of water.

John 3:5: "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'"

Ephesians 5:26: "that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,"

Titus 3:5: "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,"

Baptism is the only way into the church, which is Christ's body.

Galatians 3:27: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Acts 2:41,47: "⁴¹ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. ⁴⁷ Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

If only the church will be saved, and the only way a person can be added to the church is through baptism, then how could baptism not be essential for salvation?

First century converts were baptized in order to become Christians.

Acts 8:12: "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized."

Acts 8:36-38: "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him."
 
Acts 16:14-15: "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' So she persuaded us."

Acts 16:33-34: "And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

Act 18:8: "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized."

The Bible is straightforward in stating that baptism saves.

Acts 2:38: " Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" (emphasis added)

Acts 22:16: "'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’" (emphasis added)

1 Peter 3:20-21: "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: " (emphasis added)


In short, baptism IS essential for salvation.  Along with hearing the word (Romans 10:17), believing in Christ (John 8:24), repenting of sin (Luke 13:3), and confessing the name of Christ (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9-10), baptism is the culminating act that makes you a Christian. But it doesn't end there. You have to remain faithful until death to make it to Heaven (Revelation 2:10).

Satan's attack on baptism makes sense.  If he lied to Adam and Eve to prevent a perfect, sinless world, he would certainly use the same strategy to undermine God's plan of salvation.  If he could make people believe the lie that baptism is not essential, he would prevent people from being added to the church.  Interestingly, many denominations teach that you don't have to be baptized to be saved; however, they still practice baptism as an "outward showing of an inward grace/change." This kind of baptism is unscriptural and does nothing to save you. 

If Satan can successfully attack baptism, he can keep people from being added to the church (Acts 2:41,47), from putting on Christ (Galatians 3:27), from washing away Sins (Acts 22:16), from having sins remitted (Acts 2:38), and from being saved (Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21). 

Don't let the father of lies pull one over on you.


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So what about the thief on the cross? A common thought is that since the thief on the cross was saved by Jesus without being baptized, then it's possible for us to be saved without being baptized.  Even if you were to put aside all of the scripture I mentioned above, this argument against the essentiality of baptism couldn't stand.  The explanation is simple:  Jesus and the thief were living under the Old Law. It wasn't until after Christ's death that the Old Testament was replaced by the New (Colossians 2:14). At the time Jesus saved the thief on the cross, the church had not yet been established, and the thief would not have been accountable to the commandment of baptism.  Further, Jesus (who was God on Earth) had the ability to change his will as long as he was alive.  He had the ability to save whomever and however he chose. The testator had not yet died; therefore, the New Testament (and requirement of baptism) was not yet in effect (Hebrews 9:16-17). Other examples of people being saved by Jesus (like the thief on the cross) are the sinful woman of Luke 7:36ff and the palsied man of Mark 2.  Again, these were at a time when Christ was on Earth prior to the New Law coming into effect.

So what about Cornelius?  Some believe that Cornelius was saved prior to his baptism because he received the Holy Spirit prior to being baptized. In Acts 10, we read about the gospel being brought to the Gentiles for the first time.  All Christians up to this point were converts from Judaism.  In order to make it clear to the Jewish Christians that the Gentiles were to be accepted into the church, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius (and the other Gentiles with him).  This in no way meant the Gentiles were saved when they received the Holy Spirit. In verse 47 and 48, Peter commanded them to be baptized. Keeping all the scriptures we've already covered in mind, why would Peter command the Gentiles to be baptized if they had already been saved when they received the Holy Spirit?   Acts 15:8-9, "And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: 'Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,  9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.'"  I mention this verse to say this: God knew the hearts of the Gentiles, and he knew they would be obedient, so he gave them the Holy Spirit.  He didn't give them the Holy Spirit to save them; he knew they would be saved through obeying the command of baptism.

To prove that people can receive the Holy Spirit without being saved, take a look at King Saul in 1 Samuel 15, 16, and 19.  Saul, the first king of Israel was rejected by God because of his disobedience to God's commands (1 Samuel 16:14; 1 Samuel 15:23). Saul wanted to kill David (the new king), so he sent his messengers to capture David. However, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers, and David was able to avoid being captured (1 Samuel 19:20-21). The messengers of Saul receiving the Spirit was no indication of salvation; it was a sign from God that he was protecting David.

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Scriptural baptism is immersion in water of an individual who can comprehend the gospel command. It is not pouring, sprinkling, or christening. Every account in scripture is of a person at an accountable age being immersed; no babies/infants were ever baptized.  The greek word for baptism is baptizo, which means "to dip; to immerse."

Comments or Questions?

I really appreciate everyone's interest in my blog.  My last post generated a bit more traffic than usual, so I thought I'd give you the opportunity to respond. If you have any comments or questions regarding the last post, or any post for that matter, please feel free to use the "Contact Me" form at the bottom of the page. I look forward to hearing from you!

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord..." Isaiah 1:18

If Peter Visited Your Church

The Lord's Church, Part 2

In Matthew 16, Christ promised to give Peter and the other apostles the keys to the kingdom (the church). In Acts 2, we see Peter using those “keys” to open the doors of the church when he preached the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost. With his heart-pricking message, the doors were swung wide open, and some 3,000 people were added to the Lord’s body (the church) that day.

As an apostle and inspired writer, Peter would know exactly how to identify the Lord’s true church. Let’s suppose Peter came back to life and you ran into him at the local fish market. You wouldn’t dare pass up the opportunity to invite him to church. So what if he actually came to church with you?

Would he be confused by the name outside the building?

I picture Peter stopping at the sign and literally scratching his head. Many churches today are named after men like John Calvin, Martin Luther, and John Wesley. There’s even a local church named after Peter & Paul; he would definitely scratch his head at that one. I understand that these churches would call themselves Christian and say they follow Christ; however, the way you identify yourself to the community says a lot about what you believe and teach.

There is no distinguishing name for the church because Christ simply established HIS church, THE church. In scripture, the church is referred to as: the church of God (1 Corinthians 1:2), the kingdom of God (Romans 14:17), the churches (congregations) of Christ (Romans 16:16), the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22), the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15), the church of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:23), and the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2).

Would he think it’s odd that money is collected every time the doors are open but the Lord’s Supper is rarely observed?

Most denominations have no problem taking up a collection on Sundays (and any other day of the week), citing 1 Corinthians 16:2. However, when the Lord’s Supper is at question, the frequency becomes sparse, even though “the first day of the week” is used in both instances. (Acts 20:7).

Would he wonder why your church is led only by “Pastor Bill" or "Reverend Bill" or "Father Bill" instead of a group of qualified elders (plural)?

God’s pattern for church “government” is the universal church, made up of local congregations, which are overseen by elders, with deacons carrying out works/tasks. There is no authority for one man to oversee a congregation.  Elders, who are all equal, are responsible for "shepherding the flock."   (1 Timothy 3, Acts 14:23, Acts 15:22, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1)

 

Would he be upset that your church is regulated by a creed book or other books of church laws?

The Baptist church has The Baptist Manual; the Pentecostal church has The Statement of Fundamental Truths; the Wesleyan church has The Discipline; the Mormon church has The Book of Mormon; The Catholic church has The Catechism of the Catholic Church; and so on. It's interesting that most of these creeds have multiple volumes and editions. Shouldn’t it be taken as a warning that the beliefs of these churches regularly change?

God’s word is unchanging (James 1:17), and it was once (and only once) delivered (Jude 1:3). The Bible alone provides all we need to know (2 Timothy 3:16). We flirt with danger when we add or take away from His word (Revelation 22:18). I briefly looked over each of the above-mentioned books, and all of them add to and take away from biblical instruction. There's nothing inherently wrong with a book outlining one's beliefs or a book that is used to supplement Bible study; however, when a book is not in harmony with what the Bible teaches, it becomes condemned by scripture.

Would he be baffled by the group dedication or baptism ceremony?

A common teaching amongst churches today is that a person is saved at the point of believing Jesus to be the Son of God and accepting Him as personal Lord and Savior.  It is further taught that once someone has accepted Christ, he/she is then, or oftentimes later, baptized as an outward showing of an inward change.  Many times, a certain day is picked out in the future for all of the recently saved individuals to be baptized. 

So what's wrong with this?  First off, in every conversion account in Acts, the individual being saved was baptized that moment.  It wasn't put off for a later time; there was a sense of urgency.  The Eunuch didn't ask Phillip to come back a month later to baptize him. He said, "Here is water. What prevents me from being baptized?"  After believing in Jesus, the Philippian jailor was baptized straightway.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, a person is not saved prior to being baptized. Acts 2:38 says, "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (emphasis added). In the original Greek language, the word "for" is eis, which means "into; unto; in order to; toward." It expresses that which has not yet occurred and, thus, points forward. It never expresses that which has already occurred.  The use of eis in the verse cannot mean that one is baptized because his sins have already been remitted.  The meaning of the verse is this: Repent and be baptized in order to have your sins remitted.

It is not until the point of baptism that someone puts on Christ (Galatians 3:27), contacts the blood of Christ (Romans 6), has sins washed away (Acts 22:16), has sins remitted (Acts 2:38), and is saved (Mark 16:16).

There's a lot more that can be said about baptism, so I'll devote a future post to it.  I'll talk about things like the thief on the cross and Cornelius.

Would he scratch his head over the speaking in tongues?

In Acts 2, the apostles spoke in tongues. They didn't speak in some kind of unintelligible babble or gibberish like people do today. They spoke in the common languages of all the nationalities present on that day.  It was miraculous because they had no training or knowledge in those languages. It was the Holy Spirit that gave them the ability to do this.  The age of miraculous gifts, including speaking in tongues has come to an end.  The whole purpose of miraculous gifts was to confirm the word the apostles were teaching (Mark 16:20, Hebrews 2:3,4). The gifts were to continue until the Scriptures were completed and confirmed (Ephesians 4:8-13, 1 Corinthians 12; 13:8-10). When Revelation was completed, there was no more need for miracles to confirm the message. Hence, there is no longer a need for miraculously speaking in tongues, and no one has that ability today.

Would he be speechless about the female preacher?

1 Timothy 2:11,12: "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." This verse is pretty straight forward. Paul makes it clear that a woman could not serve as a preacher.  This does not mean that women are second-class citizens. Men and women have different roles in the church, and it is the man's role to hold positions of authority.  Jess and I have had in-home Bible studies with people, and she's been an integral part of them.  Men and women are both expected to teach the gospel, and I know many women who are very good at doing just that; however, women are not to hold positions of authority in religious contexts (i.e. worship,  teaching Bible classes with Christian men/young men present, etc.)

Conclusion

If Peter could answer yes to any or all of the above questions, he wouldn’t recognize your church as Christ’s true church. Honestly, I think Peter would be shocked and saddened to see just how far “Christianity” has strayed from the teachings of the apostles. He would be distraught over the fact that most churches in existence today are not the church for which his Lord and Savior died. 

Obviously, if Peter attended a worship service of the true church, he would be shocked to see things like electricity, padded pews, the audience sitting and the speaker standing (instead of vise versa), projectors, sound systems, etc.  There is nothing wrong with these expedients to worship, and he would only be shocked at the newness and strangeness of them.  On the contrary, I'm certain that Peter would be shocked to see the doctrinal error that has almost strangled out the church of the first century.

I really hope you'll investigate the history of your church and compare its teachings to what's found in scripture.  May God bless us all with wisdom in his word.

One last thought... Due to time and space constraints, I had to narrow down the list of questions above. It's not an all-inclusive list of doctrinal errors taught in denominational churches today.  I hope to mention other issues in future posts.

The Lord's Church, Part 1: Worship

On the way to worship this morning, as usual, we passed by a certain church near our house. Everytime we pass by, I can't help but notice the sign in the front lawn. The sign indicates that they have a traditional service at 8:15 and a contemporary service at 10:45. It may seem insignificant and innocent to have two different "styles" of worship,  but is that really ok?  I think the fact that they have two different services shows that they're concerned with pleasing men rather than pleasing God. Maybe they want to be all inclusive and not upset anyone. I think they may have a "what can we get out of worship?" rather than a "what can we give to God?" mentality. God did not create worship as a source of entertainment for man.  Its purpose is to show our reverence, thanksgiving, and devotion towards Him. I say all this to point out something that I think most of the population fails to realize:

 God has mandated a specific way to worship, and he will ONLY accept that kind of worship.

In this part one post on how to identify Christ's true church, his one and only body (Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4), I'd like to explain that a church can be identified as the Lord's true church if it follows this pattern of worship:

1. Commemorating the Lord's death by partaking in the Communion/Lord's supper EVERY Sunday (Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 20:7)

2. Singing (without musical instruments, which is a whole topic in itself that we'll talk about in a later post) (Matthew 26:30; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

3. Giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)

4. Praying(1 Timothy 2:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16)

5. Preaching (Acts 20:7; Acts 15:30)

Acts 2:42 tells us that the members of the church "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

In John 4:24 Jesus said, "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." This implies that it's possible to worship in error.  In Matthew 15:9, Jesus also accused the Pharisees of worshipping in vain, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. This also implies that we can worship in vain.

 The New Testament gives no authorization to use things like concerts, dramas, plays, orchestra performances, choir performances, solo performances, testimonies, magic shows, light shows, circus shows, etc in worship. This kind of worship is not in truth, and it is vain.

I feel like a lot of people think of God as being a laid back, gentle giant in the sky, raining down blessings from Heaven like a white-haired grandpaw passing out candy to the little kids at church.  In fact, I've heard some denominational preachers irreverently refer to God as "Daddy" and "PaPa." People think that as long as they're sincere, they're free to worship God however they want, and God will love them all the more for it. They think God will accept any and all kinds of worship because after all, a loving daddy or candy-giving grandpaw could never be angry with a child who is sincere, even if the child fails to follow the instructions properly.   I think they're unaware that God has both goodness AND severity (Romans 11:22). He even warns Christians to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

The God of today is the same God who struck Nadab and Abihu dead for worshipping with strange fire. He's the same God who struck Uzzah dead when he tried to steady the falling ark of the covenant. He's the same God who dethroned Saul for offering the burnt offering when he had no authority to do so. These people were obviously sncere in their actions, but they failed to follow God's instructions. God punished them for it. The same goes with us today. If we don't worship God as he has instructed, we'll be punished.

In Colossians 3:17, we're told, "and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." This verse teaches that we look to Christ's word as the authority for all we do in worship.  The same concept is seen in 1 Peter 4:11, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God..."  Finally, we're warned in Revelation to not "add or take away from that which is written." (Revelation 22:18-19)


I never want to come across as a know-it-all, and I never want to make people feel like I'm criticizing them. I hope you haven't felt like that when reading this post. The purpose of this post is to point out things that maybe you've never been told or never realized. At any rate, I hope this helps us better identify a church as the Lord's church by the way it worships.

Window to the Soul

When I was playing with Rylan in the floor yesterday, I got caught up in her eyes.  If you’ve ever stared (in a non-creepy, admiring/studious way) at your kids or someone else you love, you may know what I mean by getting caught up in their eyes.  I was looking at the pattern in her eyes and the way her pupils were reacting; how her eyes changed shape when I made her giggle.  I thought of the saying, “the eyes are the window to the soul,” which, by the way, is adapted from Matthew 6:22-23. Staring in awe at her eyes, I thought about how this little girl does in fact have a soul. I thought about how her very presence in front of me is all the proof I need of God’s existence.  There is no way the design of this child just happened out of nowhere for no reason.  There is too much purpose behind those eyes to say they were formed out of chance.

In school, we’re taught (as fact)  that following a random “big bang” billions of years ago, we humans eventually evolved into what we are today.  God has been taken out of the creation equation, and we’re likely considered dumb if we believe he exists, let alone if he created everything.

Here’s something I never read in a text book. In his work entitled On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin stated:

To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest sense (emphasis added).

Darwin himself admitted that the design of the human eye challenges his own theory!

The Psalms say “the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”  They also say “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.”  From the perfect, life-sustaining way the Earth orbits the sun to the complexity of the human eye, everything in our universe points to intelligent design.  Nature and everything in it shows the handiwork of an intelligent designer – God.

Maybe evolutionists should take a moment to get caught up in their loved ones’ eyes. The scientific world would be much better off.

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As mentioned in my previous post, we'll soon discuss what the Bible says about the one true church.  Stay tuned :)

(Don’t) Have It Your Way!

Jess and I recently upgraded to the “latest and greatest” 4G LTE smartphones (I miss the good ol’ pre-cellphone days!). When we walked into the store, I almost felt overwhelmed by the seemingly unlimited number of choices of phones, plans, cases, and accessories. It reminded me of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when the kids walk into the park-like room where everything is edible. They are so overwhelmed by the delicious possibilities that they hardly know where to start.

We live in a get-it-now, anything-goes, 99-flavor society. Just like at Burger King, we like to “have it our way.” This mindset is definitely carried over into the religious world. According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, there are currently over 35,000 “Christian” groups/churches in America. Talk about a 35,000-flavor society! Most would say, “One church is just as good as another. It doesn’t make much of a difference; just pick the one you like best. They all pretty much believe the same thing anyway.”

When it comes to Christ’s church, there is really just one choice. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said he would build his church (singular). He later prayed for oneness of his church (Jn. 17:21). In Colossians 1:18, Paul called the church “the body of Christ,” and in Ephesians 4:4, he said there is but one body. How did we go from one to over 35,000?

You might argue that all the different denominations are collectively considered Christ’s church. They worship God and teach that Christ is his only begotten son, so they are all included in the church that Christ established. You might even point out John 15:5, “I am the vine, and you are the branches…” and say that all of the different churches are the branches that make up the vine. Aside from the fact that the verse is not talking about denominations, but individual people/members (he that abideth in me…, if a man abide not in me…, etc), it doesn't make sense that different denominations teaching different doctrines could be considered the same church. If church A teaches doctrine A, and church B teaches doctrine B, how can they be the same one church?

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-12, Paul challenged the division that had crept into the church. Some members were saying they were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas, and some of Christ. Paul accused them of dividing Christ. Obviously, people can still be guilty of dividing Christ today, especially when naming themselves after men (re: Martin Luther(an), John Calvin(ist), etc.).  In fact, Christ has been divided over 35,000 times!

Sometimes it’s great to have so many choices. When it comes to things like doughnuts, ice cream flavors, and even cell phones, the more choices the better. However, when it comes to being a member of the church that Christ gave his life for, we must be careful to avoid the “have it your way” mindset because with God, there’s only one choice.

 

In future posts, we'll get into how the scriptures describe the one church.

 

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For more information, see the link titled "Why are there so many churches?"

Hollywood Salvation

If you’re familiar with the movie Ghost (starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg), you’ll remember the end when the bad guy of the movie was dragged to Hell by scary shadow demons, and Swayze’s character was called into the light of Heaven. The bad guy met his fate because of all the terrible things he did throughout the movie. In contrast, Swayze’s character did all the “good” things. He used his ghostly powers to protect Moore’s character from the bad guys, he helped a psychic to fully appreciate her gift, and he even helped make a clay pot.  He of course was the hero of the movie, so naturally, he was Star Trek-beamed into Heaven (but only after he accomplished the aforementioned good deeds).

Sadly, much of the world (religious and non-religious alike) takes this Hollywood view of salvation. As long as you’re a good person and do good things like pay your taxes, hold the door open for strangers, and give to charity, you’ll go to Heaven.  If you go to church every now and then, and especially if you go every Sunday, that’s just icing on the cake.

What does the Bible say about salvation?

1)      We are not saved by good deeds. We’re saved by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8-9)

2)      God’s grace instructs us to demonstrate our faith by obeying his commands. (Titus 2:11-12; James 2:21-24; Heb 11)

3)      Only those who obey the gospel and keep his commands will be saved, no matter the number of good deeds they did on Earth. (II Thes. 1:8-9; John 14:15; Mt. 7:21-23)

 A person must be a faithful member of Christ’s body to go to Heaven, period. To imply that a man can make it to Heaven by being a “good person” and simply riding his La-Z-Boy to the pearly gates is disrespectful to Christians who are daily walking in the light.  The New Testament calls us to put on our Christian armor.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve never needed armor when paying taxes, holding doors open for strangers, giving to charity, or when making clay pots.   Hopefully none of us are ever fooled by Hollywood’s view of Christianity.

Kicking off 30 with a blog

I turned 30 this month.  Along with the thoughts of “Man, I’m getting old” and “Where did the time go,” I realized something.  Jesus the Christ was 30 when he began his earthly ministry.

Sure, I’m a responsible adult, but many times I still feel like I should be 18.  I’m busy juggling things like a career, a mortgage, a car payment, and taming our unruly kids (they’re not really unruly, but you know what I mean). I couldn’t imagine being faced with the task of conquering the world’s sin at the age of 30. Of course, Jesus was and is deity, but the fact still remains that he was part human. He experienced the same emotions as we do.  This is evident in Gethsemane when he implored that the Father let the cup of his crucifixion pass from him.

With my 30^th birthday and the thought of Jesus being the same age when he began his mission to seek and save the lost, I’ve realized that I need to do a whole lot more in service to him.  If he could set out on the path to the cross at this age, I can surely walk the much easier path of spreading the message of his kingdom.  Hence, the birth of this blog.  I intend to carry this blog from age 30 to age 33, which is how old Jesus was when he was crucified.

I’d like to talk about common misconceptions in the religious world, share my thoughts about different religious topics, invite guest speakers to share thoughts, and basically focus on all things spiritual.  I hope no one takes any offense to what I say, as I’m sharing my thoughts out of love and concern.  Thanks for your interest in my spiritual journey – three years from thirty-three!