The Great Commission

     Matthew 28:19-20 is often called "The Great Commission." What is it that we are commissioned to do? 

     I will quote to you now from the translation of the Bible that I look to the most for my inspiration. It is where I draw most of my daily living from, the “Luke-Warm Comfortable American Evangelical Bible” Matthew 28:19-20:

     “Go ye therefore to safe and convenient places for at most a couple of weeks, eliciting a meaningless emotional response, don’t bother teaching them to obey everything I have commanded onto you, just hand them a Bible and leave, and Lo I am with you always even as you return to your comfortable life and leave them in misery.”

     That is how we view it. And not just in the great commission. I am convicted today that as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that life is meaningless. What am I doing?

Let’s break it down a bit. Matthew 28:19-20 says:

     “Therefore go” literally “As you are going, where ever you are” It does not say “Therefore go on a mission trip” it says go.

     “make disciples of all nations” Make Disciples! Not get a confession of sin, not get them to say the sinners prayer, not do a hit and run salvation mission. Make Disciples.

     “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” This is easier to do but I think it means a lot more than just getting them wet. A baptism without true conversion is just a quick bath.

     “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This is disciple making. We cannot teach them all we have been taught in 30 minutes. It takes a long time. It takes a relationship. It takes us pouring ourselves into them, as Jesus was poured into us by others before us.

     “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We do not do anything through our own power. It is the power of Jesus that gets things done. We are but weak and broken vessels, He is the power.

     This needs to start first and foremost in my home. 1 Timothy 3:4-5 "He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

     As I go about my life I am to be a light unto the darkness. I am to be a city on a hill. As I walk the jail daily I should be Christ to the inmates and my fellow workers. I should talk to them, Show them God’s love and for my fellow workers share my belief with them. As I form a relationship with them I share my life with them. As I share my life with them I share Christ with them. As I share Christ with them I share Life with them. I am disciplining them. I am making disciples. 

What is an Old Testament Narrative?

What is an Old Testament narrative?

     A narrative is a story, a history, more importantly, it is HIStory. The story of God and his people presented to teach us about who God is and who we are. They show us our place in Him and act as a guide to direct us in Godly living. However, they are much more than that. They also show us that we are not and cannot be perfect. Even David the ‘man after God’s own heart’ was a sinner who stumbled. As a Christian when we read the narratives, we must realize they are our histories as well.

     How are we to read our HIStory? Is it as simple as reading a self-help book and making a couple of changes? Are the Old Testament narratives a ‘How to be Holy for dummies’ book? No, it is more complicated than that, yet wisdom, guidance and joy can be found throughout.

     To understand the Old Testament narratives it is important that you avoid some common errors and mistakes people make when interpreting the narratives.

1.  The narratives are stories of sinful men. The narratives are about God and his interaction with fallen mankind. Since they are sinners, not everything they do is right or good, just because David did something does not make it right.

2.  They are stories from God about God and not direct teachings on specific doctrine.

3.  They are snapshots of the events written from varying viewpoints and not the complete story on the life of our Bible heroes.

4.  We have to understand the culture and the times to correctly interpret the message implied by the narratives. You must look at who is the narrator, who is the audience and what is happening to get a complete understanding. You cannot ignore the historical context.

5.  Do not try to fit the story to you preconceived notions and doctrines. While we can read between the lines somewhat avoid trying to make it say what you want it to.

6.  Don’t always try to pick out some deep moral meaning. There might not be something there if you have to dig too deep or leap to far.

7.  Take the whole narrative into account you can’t parse the word or you destroy the story. Make sure to keep everything in context.

8.  Don’: t over personalize it. God may very well be speaking to you through the narrative but try not to think it is all about you.

9.  Don’: t try to copy the people in the narratives; the stories are not to be used a roadmap for you life. There are countless valuable lessons to learn from the narratives, but they are not self-help books.

10.  Lastly, if you are confused by a section or not sure of the meaning. Seek help in a commentary, try another translation or ask for some godly advice. Never assume you can muddle through if you don’t understand.

My worldview

What is a worldview?

A worldview, put simply is the prism that we see our world through. Your whole life has shaped your interpretation of the events in your daily life. This has created your worldview and you see life’s events through your unique prism. Every person has their own worldview and they do change over time as our experiences shape it.

What I believe as a person that holds a “Christian worldview”:

The Question of Origin – Where did we all come from? For me that is an easy question, God created everything from nothing by the power of his word and put us here. We only have to read the opening statement of the Old Testament for our answer. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God…” We can also look to the New Testament as John 1:1-3 plainly tell us that God created all.

The Question of Identity – What is Man? Are we just a highly evolved mammal? No, God created the animals and he created man in his own image to rule over the animals (Genesis 1:26-27). We are special; we are not just another type of animal. We are created in the Creator’s image. We have a soul, a spirit and an intellect that the animals do not posses. We are created different. In Genesis 2:19-20 we see how God placed man in dominion over the animals.

The Question of Meaning/Purpose – What is the point of all this? Why did God create it all? God created all for his own glory. He created all things by Himself and for Himself (Corinthians 1:16-17). He did it all for his own purpose (Ephesians 3:10-11).

The Question of Morality – What is right and good? How can we know Right from Wrong? God has given us the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. In the Word we have the Law (throughout the first 5 books of the Bible). It is an absolute framework of right and wrong. And the only acceptable work to enter heaven. Unfortunately we cannot meet it and require a redeemer. We are all guilty under the Law (Romans 2:12-15).

The Question of Destiny – What happens when we die? I believe we will enter into paradise. Luke 23:39-43 tells us the story of the thief on the cross next to Jesus. Jesus said to him this day you will be in paradise with me. To be absent from the body is to be present with God. Whereas Revelation 19: 20-21 describe the lake of fire awaiting all those who do not believe.

How does my worldview affect the way I treat others and His creation?

            I try to treat others, as I would have them treat me, (Matthew 7:12). This is commonly known as the Golden Rule, but it is more then that. I must treat others with the respect I would give to Jesus. I often fail at this but I know that is my standard. We are to treat our wives as our own flesh (Ephesians 5:25-30). I must also we care for his creation. I am commanded to be an environmentalist, a conservator and a manager of God’s creation. That is what Adam was supposed to do in the garden (Genesis 2:15), and we are commanded to be good stewards of all that is His as well.

The law of the land…

Our Constitution has been called the law of the land, indeed it is the basis of all our laws, or at least it is supposed to be.

Have you ever read the Constitution? Do you have a copy of the Constitution? Can you name any of the powers granted to the federal government in the Constitution?

Can you tell me which of the following concepts or words are NOT contained in the U. S. Constitution?

1.       The term,”Separation of Church and State”.

2.       The unalienable rights of, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

3.       “Government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

4.       The President of the United States shall be elected by the people of the United States.

5.       The Supreme Court of the United States shall consist of nine justices appointed by the President of the United States.

Could you spot the right answer? Which one is not from the Constitution?

The correct answer is: All of the above. Don’t feel bad if you got it wrong. Our public school system has been woefully inadequate in teaching us for a long time and we the people have been mislead and lied to for so long we take these truths to be self evident.

1.       Is from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to a church many years after the Constitution was adopted.

2.       Is from the Declaration of Independence, (written by Thomas Jefferson).

3.       Is from the Gettysburg Address, (Abraham Lincoln).

4.       The President is elected by the Electoral college as detailed in Article II, Section 1.

5.       The Supreme Court is created from Article III, but it does not state the number of Justices.

You might be surprised.

On May 8^th North Carolinians will get a chance to vote on a constitutional amendment. The Amendment reads: 

Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state. 

For those who know me, or if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, this may come as a surprise to you. I am against the amendment. I think it is a travesty of justice.

Why am I against it? I think that the government should get out of the marriage business all together. Why do we have state sanctioned marriage? Marriage was instituted by God and should remain in that realm. There should not be any legal benefits or special rules because you pay the state a fee for a piece of paper that really means nothing more than until divorce do us part.

I have been married for 24 years to a wonderful woman. She is everything to me and I can’t imagine life without her. Our marriage is a joining together by God and we will be married until Death do us part. Divorce is not acceptable for any but very specific circumstances and the tragedy of modern American marriage is appalling.

Time to go

Yesterday, Former Presidential candidate and current US Senator John McCain said the US should consider Bombing Syrian Military targets. Why? Because the war crimes against their own people. Following that logic Great Britton should have come in on the Confederacies Side and Bombed Washington DC and taken out Union forces to stop Sherman’s march to the sea. We should be bombing China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, most of Central Africa, Venezuela, Columbia, and many other areas of the world.

Jay Carney the Press Secretary for the President was asked when the last Al Qaida member was killed in Afghanistan. He replied April 2011. Since then 466 US soldiers have died and scores more injured.

I served in two of our most recent wars, I was in the military for 21 years, I supported both wars at the time. Now I think it is time to go. We have spent Billions and Billions supporting the propped up unpopular and ineffectual government of Afghanistan for far too long.

Recently terrorists in Afghanistan desecrated the Koran by writing in it to send messages to other terrorists in our custody. When we discovered the desecrated Korans, we could not give them back, we could not allow the prisoners to have them and they were considered desicrat3es by Islamic law. So we burned them. Now our soldiers are being killed despite the incessant groveling by our government. Tell Afghanistan. Sorry we tried. You insist on being 7^th century savages. We are out of here. Pull out every last troop, take every last thing we can that is our and destroy the rest so no one can use it. Let them kill themselves I no longer care.

Wisdom from Our Founders that is a Beacon of Truth Today

The Declaration of Independence:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Read the whole document here:
 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html