Mission Impossible

Acts 14:2 "But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. 3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.5 And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,"

Mission Impossible! Here are the recorded instructions:

"Good morning, Apostles. 

Your mission, Paul and Barnabas, should you choose to accept it, is to go therefore and make disciples of all nations. As always, should you or any of your Spiritual Force be caught or killed, the Father will never disavow nor forsake you. This word will never self-destruct... the grass withers, the flower fades,  but the word of our God will stand forever. Good tidings, Paul and Barnabas.."

We know that the mission only seemed impossible. It was successful because of a "Special Force". It was the power of the Holy Spirit which was and still is the winning weapon. I bet you thought I was going to say "secret weapon".  Actually, the power of the Holy Spirit was never a secret, but only those who have faith in Jesus understood that power!

(The first battle seemed lost, but the mission was not yet over; it moved on to other cities).

Let's go now and look at that mission: This time the agents are in Iconium. This is an ancient city in Turkey influenced strongly by it's various captors throughout the ages. Today it's the thriving city of Konya.  This is the city which was Paul's first mission. The opposition was strong there. Jews had established themselves as a formidable foe in Iconium. Their weapon: the tongue!

James 3:5  "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"

The Jews used a flame thrower to destroy! The destructive flames were aimed at the warriors of the Lord who spoke boldly in the Lord. The flames were thrown by the tongue, but evil minds directed the flames! (Acts 14:2).

The Apostles, though, Mr. Director of the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), spoke boldly. Just as Moses did; they performed heroically, using miracles and wonders to tame the tongue! It was the Holy Spirit which empowered them with might by the grace of the Lord. (Acts 14:3).

The battle waged hard. Every technology in the arsenal was used. The Apostle's wore special armor and were protected. Their sword was The Word and they were entirely protected by the whole armor of God!  The city was divided into two opposing divisions. The mission had been exposed! The entire city had to choose sides. Shall it be to side with truth or remain with the forces of evil? (Acts 14:4).

The battle waged on! Some Gentiles sided with the Jews. The rulers of Iconium sided with the evil doers. They found other weapons. Their tongues of fire were not enough. They gathered stones and for this city the Apostle's fled. They went on to Lystra to continue the battle!

It seemed that the Apostles had failed this mission, but as soldiers of God, the apostle's could use only peaceful means! God could have breathed on Iconium and it would have fallen just as Jericho, Sodom and Gomorrah before them. He fights fair and gives everybody a chance to choose sides by their own free will. The only weapon available to the apostles was persuasion. The citizens of Iconium chose to go with principalities in this war, and the Director had given instructions to allow evil doers to make a choice: to go with truth and peace or with deception. The tongue was a despicable weapon, but God allowed it for a time:

Proverbs 6:16 "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

Th Jews had hateful things on their side. Of all the  seven abominations the Jews used them all! It seemed that the mission was impossible, but Paul and Barnabas just moved to a different front. We know that God doesn't force enemies to choose truth. That's his rules of war! (unlike Islam which uses force to convert). He wages war fairly. He knows some battles will seem to be lost and his disciples are to shake the dust from their feet and move on! (Luke 9:5). The losers in this battle were the people of Iconium whose spoil was merely dust in their eyes!  On to Lystra! Later on Paul recounts this first mission:

2 Timothy 4:16 "At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. "

The aging warrior nearing his end told of his first "Mission Impossible'!  The victor bragged on the Lord who stood beside him as even those who had first believed, deserted him. Mission Impossible?

Matthew 19:26 "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."

We are still warring against the same forces Paul fought. They are are exactly the same!

 Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

The world, persuaded by evil men and their rulers, has made the world Iconium. The battle is still being fought. Christians are still being stoned. Tongues are still flaming and minds are still evil. Some have entered the strait gate as did the Gentiles in Iconium, but the path is narrow. Some will listen to tongues and change sides. It seems they are siding with the winners, but the war is not yet finished. We Christians know who wins!

Hebrews 2:14b "... that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"

Yes, with God all things are possible. No mission is impossible!

Topical versus Expository: Acts at Antioch

Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 "But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you (the Jews): but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

There is so much here that the commentary cannot be topical, but expository. Let's take this one verse at a time and see what was happening then and if there are any modern parallels.

(Verse 43) -  They were both devout Jews and religious proselytes. Yes, some Jews became Christians and still do! Since Jesus Christ was God's plan from the beginning, Christianity is inherent in Judaism. The prophets all understood that and wrote about it. Many Jews understood that Judaism is all about Jesus! Those Jews who were devout (devoted) to God, got the message of Judaism which is: salvation is in the Messiah. Because they were faithful they were pliable in their acceptance.

The religious proselytes are those who were swayed from changing from a pagan religion or unbelief, to believe in Jesus Christ. In context it becomes obvious that those persuaded the easiest, even here, were Gentiles. In the apostolic age those folks were heathens. Because Jews were of the true religion, heathens were those outside the Jewish faith. Although Arabs are Semitic as well, at this time they too would be Gentiles because they were heathens.(In this modern day gentiles are anyone outside the race of Jews. Yes, the meaning of words has changed over time, but the word is basically the same.). The Gentiles had been converted from false Gods to Christianity. They were called "proselytes" because they had once been "foreigners" to Christianity, but were now members of the kingdom of God!

Note that the Jews were not "proselytes". They did not have to change their faith to become Christians! True Judaism was always Christianity. Christ was what Judaism is all about! Those Jews merely continued in their faith because the faith of their fathers, was indeed, all about Jesus!

Conversion to Christianity was a first step in having the hope of salvation. The second step is to exercise that new faith.  Paul and Barnabas "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." Salvation isn't a one time event. It's for a lifetime, but it's still a choice. As the Jews and proselytes made their decision to believe, to continue on something else was required: an enduring faith.

(verse 44) - The early church was still meeting on the Sabbath because it was mostly Jews who were meeting. There are many who are "Sabbath Keepers". There is nothing wrong with keeping the Sabbath for God. It won't earn any crowns for you in heaven, but if it keeps a person obedient on the others, it's not a bad thing. It's customary for Christians to honor the Lord's Day (Sunday) which is basically the idea of shifting the Sabbath. Whether it's the Sabbath or Sunday, that day must be set aside for the Lord.

The whole city (Antioch)  came together to hear about Jesus. They came to understand him! It appears that even the Gentiles joined the Jews in the synagogue. Antioch was the cradle of Hellenistic Judaism. That's Greek influenced Judaism. These Jews weren't orthodox, but secular. They were more open to change than those who kept the letter of the Law. Mosaic Law put orthodox Jews in bondage. When those regulations were relaxed, proselytizing Jews was made easier, remembering that most Jews were not strict adherence of Judaism.

Now, not only does the whole city NOT turn out to hear the word of God, few do! The western world was at one time a fertile ground of those seeking truth. Since "the Enlightenment", spiritual interest has been preempted by the seeking of knowledge. Without regard that the wisdom of the world has no saving power, those with modern inquiring minds pay dearly for their skepticism. The answer to life's (and death's) questions can be found only in Holy Scripture. The people of Antioch were wise to seek truth rather than die in spiritual ignorance!

(verse 45) - Paul spoke truth. The Jews there began to get skeptical. What Paul taught, they failed to make the connection with what they first believed. The Jews argued against truth. They opposed what Paul said with their own beliefs. If they had examined scripture, they would have understood. Christ came to fulfill their own belief. They missed the point! Sometimes we put God into such a tight box we use his own words to box him in. The Jews failed to understand that the Law and the prophets were all about Jesus! As a result they blasphemed! They showed contempt for the words of Jesus. That's dangerous footing, because blaspheming against the Holy Ghost (Ghost of Jesus) is the unpardonable sin! (Luke 12:10). Those who blaspheme are reprobate and in danger of hell fire. Those who say that they don't believe Holy Scripture are in danger of hell fire!

(verse 46) - The Jews are God's chosen people and as such got first chance. This is because of the "Abahamic Covenant", but what the Jews chose to forget is that Abraham had two sons. Although all are Shemites, those not of the line of Isaac are considered Gentiles. The promise was for Isaac's seed, but Esaw wasn't left out! His was also part of the seed of Abraham and part of the promise.

Paul spoke tongue-in-cheek. He put the unworthiness "monkey" on the backs of the Jews. As such they gave up their birthright which Isaac had stolen from Esaw. When Isaac stole that birthright, he sinned. Now divine justice intervenes to make wrongs right, even after all these generations! Now Paul, at God's inspiration, turned to the Gentiles!

(verse 47) - Then it's made plain that salvation is for everybody everywhere! That's why I'm a Christian. God planned it that way and Paul obeyed what God inspired him to do. Now the Gentiles, a dark people are the Light. It's through us unclean people that cleansing words covered the world.

(verse 48) - Before Antioch Judaism was for the Jews. Judaism does include Christ, you might be surprised. Now Judaism is for the Gentiles, but unlike calloused Jews, the Gentiles accepted Jesus as a component of Judaism. It would have never entered their minds that Christianity was no more than an extension of Judaism because they were taught from scripture, the same words taught in Judaism. It just seems that the Law wasn't able to block their acceptance because they didn't practice all those regulations!

Gentiles praised God and glorified him for his word! (The Old Testament by the way). They were ordained for eternal life. As such they were set apart as destined for heaven. If you have been born again, God has set you apart from the world in preparation for heaven, Your ordination is that you're made holy by God and you become a new person in Christ! The criterion for your reward is belief. That type of belief is one with trust in the Lord.

(verse 49) - The word of the Lord was published throughout the region. This word "published" means that people talked about what happened. True, some wrote about it, but the primary venue was excitement by telling others about Jesus. That's The Great Commission; we're to take the gospel to the world. The Gentiles did that then and are still doing it. I'm doing it right now! My motive for writing is to convince others to be different from the Jews who rejected Christ, but to be open to the words of Jesus. The words of Jesus and the subsequent belief that he can save you, is how one is saved!

(verse 50) - Then the persecution begins. It was the Jews who thought themselves holy who did the most unholy things. They were the ones who blasphemed by stirring up trouble. Just as the serpent did, they turned to women to stir the pot. Let's not forget Adam! The chief men were riled as well!

Note that God didn't use irreligious people to stir up trouble. He used devout and honorable women. It's those who had sincere motives, but sincerely wrong motives. It's odd that God used the chief sinner (Paul) and the devil used devout and honorable women for each of their initiatives! No wonder the church doesn't seem to be of one accord.  Satan uses those most honorable to dishonor Jesus. It's more effective when some abandon their own!

(verse 51) - When people won't listen to God's word after continually trying, Christians are to move on! Hard-headed people are self-centered and whatever interferes with their wrong-thinking is of no avail. As such these blind people damn themselves. They are what scripture calls "reprobate". Those who reject the Holy Spirit and his guidance blaspheme and are damned (reprobate). Let them lie in their bed. Perhaps prayer and fasting may be the answer, but words seem to be ineffective.

(verse 52) - Because a new mission field was opened, the disciples didn't dwell on the lost souls of the Jews, but thanked God for the salvation of the Gentiles. They looked at the half-full glass and ignored that it was half-empty. Jesus told them that the gate was strait and the path narrow. This half-empty glass was the words of Jesus being fulfilled. The Holy Ghost provided comfort and joy to them. They lost a battle, but won the war, so to speak!

Everybody Going to Heaven?

It's in vogue now: everybody is going to heaven! Perhaps that's why modern people don't believe in hell. If heaven is full, then hell would have to be empty. The belief that everyone is heaven bound is called "Universalism". It's heretical!

"Universal reconciliation is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls — because of divine love and mercy — will ultimately be reconciled to God." (Otis Ainsworth Skinner;1807-1861; A Series of Sermons in Defence of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation, Page 209).

Surprise! That's a lie. We care little what Otis Skinner wrote. Let's see what God says!

Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

"Life" is eternal life. "Strait" is an archaic word for "strictness". There is rigorous criterion to obtain eternal life. Note that there is NOT criteria (plural), but criterion (singular). That's why salvation is rigorous!

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (Jesus)."

Essentially this says "Jesus holds the keys to heaven. To get in everyone must go through him!" What we want to get is into heaven because the Father is there. That's a rigorous requirement, but that's God's rules! God certainly isn't a liar. It must be that Universalists are!

If you believe that everyone is going to heaven, one must ask, "Where does that notion come from?" It's certainly not from scripture. It's fantasy. It's merely how you wish it was because the criterion for salvation is too rigorous for you. So, what do you do? You make up silly criteria: "Everybody is going to heaven because God's a really nice guy!" He is a just God, but for some, he won't be nice! He will allow them to abide in hell; the choice they have made. It seems that the gods of Universalists have let them down. He is wrong because what this doctrine is comes from the devil!

Of course, Universalists don't believe in hell because they don't believe in the devil. The devil is real whether Universalists like it or not!

1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."

If you believe that everyone is going to heaven, then the devil has devoured you! Why even waste your time using the word "Christian" if Jesus is no more than a liar to you!

The second point is that the way is narrow. If anyone passes the rigorous criterion for entry onto the path, then his or her walk must be along the narrow way. The minute a person begins to walk the way, the devil puts up roadblocks. Few will walk the way of life without being knocked off the path to heaven. The devil is stronger than you, and unless you have great faith, Satan wins and you go to hell... you know, the one which you don't believe in!

You can play games with your homemade religion; the batter you mixed yourself. But it's only God's recipe that will get you manna from heaven. If you believe everyone is going to heaven, you already stand too close to the oven. Don't be surprised that you get burned when God says on Judgment Day,  "I never knew you!"

Wise Men or Doctrine of the Lord

 Something is happening ca 48 A.D. in the church! It was alive! The Holy Ghost then was winning battles for Jesus right and left! Let's take a look today at the power of the Holy Ghost:

Acts 13:6 "And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord."

Paphos is on the island of Cypress. Christianity was moving westward. As Horace Greeley wrote in America "Go west young man!" Jesus said "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations... (Matthew 28:19). Wannabe cowboys did just that, and obedient apostles did the same! However, in the American west there were people there who resisted (Sorry... aborigines) and in Greece there were those out to ambush those making the pilgrimage for Christ! Elymas Barjesus circled the wagons and waged war! American Indians were said never fight in the dark, and darkness stopped Elymas in his tracks.

This is a hard subject on which to write. Some of it will bore you because you've never heard it before. However, inquiring minds can save $2.50 and read what follows!

First off, Elymas was not a magician in the sense that he did supernatural feats. He was a very ordinary guy who was an assistant to the deputy "governor" of Cypress; Sergius Paulus. Like those who came from the east to bring gifts to Jesus, Elymas was magi; a wise man, not from the east, but one who brought eastern philosophies from the east (Persia, now Iran). As such, this Jew, Elymas Barjesus, was strongly influenced by Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion to which Darius I belonged.

Zoroastrianism was at one time the most dominant religion in the middle east. It lives on today due to great influences on Brahmanism and even Judaism, not to mention the evolution of eastern philosophy and even analytical psychology of today! Many say some of it's teachings sneaked into Christianity. (That's why we need to know!)

As magi Elymas was a philosopher. Ironically, his father's name was Jesus; one if the most common names of the time, being another transliteration as Joshua. (This should serve as a caution that many come in the name of Jesus, but they all are false prophets unless they bring truth!)

There are three basic maxims of Zoroastriansm: (Wikipedia: "Zoroastrianism")

• Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.
• There is only one path and that is the path of Truth.
• Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, and then all beneficial rewards will come to you also.

So Elymas was teaching what he believed was "truth". Luke called him "a false prophet", hence it wasn't lies that he was teaching, but a deception propagated by Satan!

Looking at the maxims, it was Zoroastrian "truth" (sic) which he was bringing to Sergius. His was a religion of works: good thoughts, words and deeds. He taught that we are do to right things, not for righteousness sake, but from a humanistic standpoint! It should be obvious to the casual reader that much of secular humanism of today share the same maxims, Indeed positive thinking and doing are children of this early religion! Humanism is right-doing, but leaves Jesus out of the picture. Elymas was surely doing much the same as modern progressive religions do today! (Social justice in the church fits well here).

Jews were gullible to this false religion. Because Darius the Great was the one who allowed his subject Jews to restore their home land and temple, the Jews thought highly of him (See the Book of Ezra). In addition, Zoroastrianism was a very tolerant religion. After all their god Ahura Masda (Lord of Wisdom), was their creator God who seemed to be the same as God JHVH!  Even the name "Lord of Wisdom" brings to mind the serpent, Satan's emissary who slithered in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,  from which the false knowledge derived. His was a Lord of False Wisdom, but it had influenced the deputy

Somewhere, someplace, Sergius Paulus, of a prestigious Roman family, and was a gentile, heard about Jesus!  Elymas endeavored "to turn away the deputy from the faith" (verse 8). Sergius may have heard before, but Elymas was putting a barrier to keep Sergius from the faith! Like the Eunuch he sought more knowledge about Jesus before he was to be convinced.

Elymas was up to no good! He was sincere and doing right in his own eyes, but he was sincerely wrong. He likely was a "good" person from a secular standpoint and probably even a "good" Jew. As such he had blended the religion of Zoroaster into Judaism, and frankly, they are a nice fit! Both were caught up in works, good deeds and a common creator god. It would appear, due to their tolerance of other religions, that Zoroastrians were actually more loving than Jews! It was a perfect storm headed toward Sergius, and then Jesus stepped in and calmed the storm!

Paul confronted false teachings with the aid of the Holy Ghost. We know from scripture that there is power in the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:8) because he's God's Almightiness unleashed!  It was God who withdrew his Light and blinded Elymas! Just imagine: This powerful assistant who "knew it all" became instantly blind and suddenly became speechless! He said nothing more except maybe "Lead me, somebody! I'm helpless and blind!" God had toppled another idol. His wisdom shed no light now. His truth was darkened!

"Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord"! (verse 12).  Sergius didn't believe because of his mind (The Lord of he Mind, Azura Mazda), but because of the Holy Ghost. That old tree was just pruned a bit! (The one which grew first in the Garden!) Jesus continued to "bruise the head" of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).

We need to beware of the religions of "wisdom" because what they teach is not God's truth. What we can learn from them is false teachings. We also need to beware of those who come in Jesus' name. They are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). As a Jew and a "wise" man who had been taught tolerance, Elymas brought chaos to undermine Christianity because he himself was deceived. Nice guys can carry false doctrine! The name of Jesus doesn't guarantee the same Jesus.

Doctrines of "other religions" all revert back to "the other god besides God". That God is YOU who DO THINGS to save yourself! Those who desire to do that are "good" people, but they believe themselves to be gods. People, regardless of religion and wisdom, have no power to save themselves and they all know it! They are deceived into believing a lie!

How did Sergius obtain the hope of salvation. He believed "the doctrine of the Lord"! (verse 12). It was the Holy Ghost who brought The Word to Sergius. Paul was the temple which came to Sergius! It wasn't going to a synagogue which saved Sergius or a religion; it was the Truth; "the doctrine of the Lord"!

Jesus Has Feelings Too!

I laid awake much of the night. While I was at it, I thought about the things of God. When I'm silent and listen to the night closely, the light shining through the darkness speaks silently to me. "Larry, you've sinned. You need to change!" Then, with further thought, that voice tells me why! My sins grieve Jesus!

Before I get into the point of this commentary, and since many fail to understand the nature of God, we'll first look at God's three personalities. Bear with me as I digress for a moment.

It's important to believe in God. It's important to believe in Jesus. It's important to believe in the Holy Ghost! Christians do not worship three Gods. He is the One True God. As such he manifests himself differently on different occasions. For example, The Creator God is  "the Father". The voice of God is "The Word" and appeared to mankind in the flesh as Jesus, and the spirit of God is "the Holy Ghost"  who is the presence of God in the world. Jesus is called the "Son of God" because he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, the spirit of God

Matthew 1:18  "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

Jesus is called "Emmanuel", "God with us" because he was just that! "Jesus" is rendered by many linguists as "salvation". Therefore, all the time throughout time and in the future; God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are always with us because they are one and the same! The following is a validation by Jesus himself concerning God (I don't like the impersonal term "Godhead" so the mere use of "God" is offered instead):

John 13:20  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send (the Holy Ghost) receiveth me (Jesus); and he that receiveth me (Jesus) receiveth him that sent me (the Father)."

This passage explains the nature of God! The unity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost is what theologians in times past termed "The Holy Trinity".

Now that you (hopefully) agree that God is not limited to one era; and because "The Word" was with God in the beginning (John 1) and that the Holy Spirit was with David and others in patriarchal times, and that Jesus is God, then you are on the right track. There was not a sequence of appearances: first God, secondly Jesus, then lastly the Holy Spirit. All three personalities of God were there all the time from day one until now. Those aspects of God didn't come and go; it was the purpose of the times which dictated which personality was the most pronounced!

God came in the flesh to feel what men feel and be tempted as men are tempted. His purpose was to feel our suffer temptation as we do, die for our sins instead of us and provide the hope of salvation for all who trust in him. After Jesus left in the flesh, he remained with us in spirit:

John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

The Holy Spirit is "the ghost of Jesus". Since Jesus is God and the Holy Ghost is of God, then the Holy Spirit is not only God's spirit, but the ghost of Jesus. Let me discern the difference between "spirit" and "ghost". "Spirit" is "a supernatural being or essence" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) not necessarily a characteristic of what we know as a "person". No, God is not a "person". He is God and is supra-personhood.  A "ghost" is "the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people" (ibid). I believe the best reference would be "Holy Spirit" in the Old Testament (OT) and Holy Ghost in the New (NT) because it's Jesus' "ghost" which lives in us (aka God's Holy Spirit).

There is scripture in the OT where all three personalities occur together (my blog; Joint Appearance). Likewise, all three in the NT (The conception of Jesus). After the ascension of Jesus, he appeared many times as "the Angel of the Lord".  As such, it is essential to believe that if you have been "born-again" it's God who resides in his temple, the Spirit of God is there and Jesus himself resides in you!

1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

That Spirit of God in his temple is the Ghost of Jesus, thus the Holy Ghost! It's important to understand that it's the divine man Jesus who felt death for you. It's not his Spirit who died for you, but his flesh!  Therefore, in grieving the Spirit, we are in essence hurting Jesus, the Man who died for us!

Isaiah 53:3 "He (Jesus) is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Jesus has feelings! As a man he had not only the known senses, but he had emotions as well. He felt pain at his death. He screamed out in agony. Jesus empathized with us! In fact that's one of the very purposes for which he came!

The simplest and shortest verse in the Bible is this:

John 11:35 "Jesus wept."

Jesus cried because he was a man. Jesus cried because he felt our loss. Jesus cried because he loves us! Jesus cries for us when we sin. Jesus felt sorrow when he died for us (you and me)!

Mark 15:34 "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Theologians believed that at the moment of death, God's Holy Spirit left Jesus because he does not face sin and Jesus bore all our sins! Mine, yours and all those before and after us. As such, Jesus cried because for at  that instant, he was all alone! Even his Father left him during that time! I don't know about that, but I do know one thing: Jesus cried as he was dying! It was a "lack of love" (abandonment) for which he cried, not for his own pain! That's why forgiveness and love are linked and are so important.

His cry was actually a recollection of Psalm 22. It goes into his death and despair. Here are a few verses from that psalm and the reader should study it all:

Psalm 22:1 "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent."

Now for my point: Jesus felt our pain and cried for us because he loves us! Because he felt our pain and died in our place we are commanded to love and obey him!

 John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

His commandments are to love him and others. We do that by keeping the Ten Commandments!  As such they are the metric we use ourselves as a measure of our love. When we break a commandment, we grieve the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

I'm not saying that obedience makes or breaks the hope of salvation. I'm saying that that new creation which we claim to be, disappoints God! He grieves because he feels unloved!

That Holy Spirit we grieve is Jesus who feels disappointed. He died for us and cried for us, but now some forget him for a spell and do what they want to do! If it is righteousness which we want to do, Jesus would be pleased! However, if we stand under the tree if disobedience, he's jealous. He has hurt feelings. Because he died for us, all he wants is for us to love him! We must remember and understand: we Christians are temples in which Jesus lives! No, we're not gods (that's blasphemy), but you and I are where Jesus hangs out awaiting our trip to heaven!

When we sin, we grieve Jesus. It hurts his feelings and he cries. If we totally forget him he is crucified again so to speak:

Hebrews 6:6 "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

If we life a life of sin because our faith is gone (free will), then we for whom Jesus died, cease to love him.  Jesus grieves at our lack of love. He feels abandoned all over again, because we have forsaken him, just as he felt when he was crucified. It's just as if we are crucifying him all over again because of the loneliness he feels. Jesus weeps!

You must understand! When you and I sin, we grieve Jesus. If we love him, we don't want to do that! He knows that our flesh is weak and he has mercy! Of course we must endeavor to live a righteous life, but when we fail, forgiveness is just one prayer away! However, to get forgiveness we must be contrite! That's how the Spirit of Jesus works in his temple. He makes us feel guilty for what we do! If we sin without a feeling of guilt, it would seem that the temples are empty! That empty temple is the "unpardonable sin". Those who live with an empty temple are reprobate. That's not a good place to be!

Romans 1:28a "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind..."

We are damned because we return to the worship of the self's, abandoning God in the process. He is still a jealous God; Jesus weeps for those!

The Disease of Royalty

Acts 12:20 "And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. 21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied."

King Herod's got worms!

There is much said in these verses. Normally, what is taken away is that Herod the King died a gruesome death! Since Herod Agrippa is known to have died in 44 A.D. it is this exact time that the Lord blessed the budding church. Keeping in mind my last commentary on "the angel of God" ( Jesus Freed Peter), it was Jesus who smote King Herod! Why?

Exodus 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God..."

I know what the theologian in you is thinking "This was not Jesus. He's in heaven. This was a true angel; not Jesus." That may be the case, but I see it otherwise. Others have commented to that effect, but my commentary is as valid as the next on spiritual matters. I believe it was Jesus, jealous of the adoration of a false king, who smote Herod. That's not only poetic justice, but is symbolic of the way we will be judged when our time comes!

Acts 10: 42 "And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he (Jesus) which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead."

Most say "Jesus is all about love. He can't punish evil by sending people to hell!" Jesus is "good" for "only God is good" (Matthew 19:17). However, being God, and a just God, Jesus will be our judge just as he judged Herod. Jesus didn't "send Herod to his death"; Herod  elected death, both temporal and eternal for he had the ultimate opportunity to accept Jesus just as you and I do!

Jesus judges the "quick" (living) as he judged Herod, and Herod will face Jesus again at the "Great White Throne Judgment". Jesus will judge "the dead".

From Acts 12:20 "they came with one accord to him (Herod)" It is to be remembered from Acts 2:1 that before the Holy Spirit came upon the Christians in Jerusalem, and later occasions, the Christians were all of "one accord".  It seems that the Spirit of Jesus manifests himself when his disciples are in unity. Compare that to those around Herod: they were of one accord. There were those in unity in sin. Herod was a type of antichrist. He is symbolic of the Antichrist of the last days.

Just as his subjects worshiped Herod in one accord, The people of the Tribulation Period will worship the Antichrist in one accord. Herod sat on his throne before the people and those around him had "another God besides him" (Exodus 20:3). Herod relished this type of worship!  Herod had been "displeased with them" (Acts 12:20). It is inferred that because he was no longer "displeased" after they worshiped him, calling him a god (verse 22), he became highly pleased!

Herod sinned the same sin as did King Saul. Saul saw fit to make the decisions of Samuel, the Chief Priest, and he in effect relished in how he was able to exalt himself (1 Samuel 13). Herod was religious, but not spiritual. He did believe in God, but he didn't obey nor revere God. Herod as did Saul before him revered himself. He relished in the idea that his subjects appointed him God!

Their is an unpardonable sin. It's rejection of Jesus, even his Holy Spirit.

Mark 3:29 "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

"Blasphemy" is failure to revere Jesus Christ. Herod blasphemed by worshiping "another god before God".   He probably still believed in God, but he enjoyed being god. His god was truly himself! Herod didn't have a problem with worshiping man-made idols. He worshiped his own flesh. He felt pride in the adoration being received as he sat upon his royal throne!

We all sit on our thrones as well. Upon his throne sat Herod in his royal apparel. His were robes and jewelry, I'm certain, but he had other royal apparel as well! He had self-esteem, pride, pleasure, wealth, lust and many other robes which are the apparel of sinners. It wasn't his robes and wealth, which damned him, but his self-worship! What royal robes do you wear if you make Jesus jealous? The same royal robes worn by Herod. Just as Christians are of "the royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9) akin to Jesus, sinners are royal priests of Herod and wear his royal apparel. If it's not Christ we worship, it's an antichrist. Just as Herod is an antichrist, anyone who blasphemes against God is an antichrist!

Jesus judged Herod. He died a mortal death. Because of his blasphemy I would expect Herod to have died a spiritual death as well on that day. He failed to become a servant to Jesus. He never submitted to Christ. Right now his robes are gone and someday he will stand naked in front of Jesus (as did Adam). God had mercy on Adam because he was sorry and humbled. I don't think with Herod I saw that humility. God allowed Adam to live. Herod was eaten of worms and died, both a mortal death and spiritual death. Death is the great equalizer. It destroys other gods!

"But Herod was evil!" you say. "He deserved hell!" That's not your decision. Unless you bow to Jesus on bended knee and confess your sins and turn to him, your own destiny is standing right there alongside Herod, not in adoration any longer, but hate for being misled!

Romans 14:11 "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."

Herod will bow to Jesus! You will too! Herod never made the living sacrifice required to serve Jesus. Someday he will acknowledge on his knees begging in front of Jesus: "Please forgive me! I beg for mercy. You are the true and only King!" To that will come the response:

 Matthew 7:23 "And then will I (Jesus) profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

With that said, Herod will get off his knees. It's too late then for him to turn from god to servant! He will cry and scream out of fear. What's more those who failed to learn from Herod's error, will walk beside him. They will hate their own Herod. They will hate their own god... their own "Self"!

Those who endeavor to be kings, fail to see the King! Whosoever makes himself a god, will never be with God!

My Mistake - Bad Franklinatarian!

I really messed up today. Even Christians still hang on to the remembrances of the importance of "self". The old person is dead, but at times the new person reverts back! That's what Lot's wife did and sometimes us Christians do that as well!

Genesis 19:25 "And he (God) overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his (Lot's) wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Today I looked back. I didn't become a pillar of salt as did Lot's wife, but what I saw in myself is bitter salt. My old person came back to today and my new person didn't like that! I felt guilt! That's how the Holy Spirit shames the old personality into submitting to the new personality.

Romans 16:8a "And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove (convict) the world of sin... 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me..."

Of course I believe in Jesus, but to really know him,we are to love him and others! Sin in a Christian's life is a measure of how much we fail to demonstrate love for Jesus. The more we obey Jesus, the more we demonstrate love for him! The paramount act which we can do to love Jesus is to love others!  One "job" of the Holy Spirit is to convict people of their sins. The aspect of our personality used by God is our conscience. The Holy Spirit instills guilt in those Christians who know better and do things anyway! The Spirit rearranges priorities: he represses the flesh while at the same time, restores the spirit!

Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

I was tempted this morning. I sinned! I didn't want to sin, but I did it anyway! I did not what was charitable, but "did what I wanted to do"! I put my god of self over God and slighted a person. Now I feel guilty about it! My sin is a great one! Yes, there are degrees of sin. Today I was uncharitable. I didn't show love to a person in need. I wasn't a "good Samaritan" ( Luke 10:25-37). I was the "bad Franklinatarian! A person in Franklin, Kentucky was slighted because I, like the priest and Levite (do-gooders), this Christian neglected a hungry and unhealthy man.

Scenaro: I was pumping gas at the local BP into my pretty little sports car. I was racing the clock to get where I was going on time. I had just went to the bank and had two twenty-dollar bills in my wallet. A man, a black man if that matters, was in his car. When I turned around, he said "I'm hungry. I just had heart surgery and I have no money for food." I replied "I can't help you!" He responded "God bless you anyhow." and I was off for my day of fun.

As I drove down the highway, the Holy Spirit taunted me! He said "Satan deceived you. He told you that this man was a pan-handler, that he had a good car and don't give him any money. Satan told you to hold onto your 20's because 20 dollars was too much to give. Satan spoke and you listened!" I felt guilty. As a Christian if guilt is lacking, so is my faith. Jesus said to be charitable. I rationalized. I told myself that I pay taxes for entitlements and if he really needed money he could go downtown and they would take care of him.

I wasn't being charitable and as such, unlike the good Samaritan who gave generously, I kept what I had selfishly. It was my own god to whom I clung. It was "the love of money" which was more important than "loving my fellow man". I was the "bad Franklinitarian"!

I've always been taught that people will abuse the system and use people because of their own laziness. That's often true. I have been guilty of giving money to drunks before. Satan said "Learn your lesson. Quit doing that!" I listened this time. I failed the test of love by not being charitable.

When in doubt do the loving thing! That's what I should have done and let God sort the details. Even helping people who are undeserving is still an act of love. If I was being defrauded for some change, God would equalize that out in his time. If it was a great amount, I could have taken him to buy his meal. However, my money and my time was too valuable. It was all about "ME"! That's exactly where selfish Christians go wrong: Christianity is NOT all about me! It's not about your "Me" either. It's all about Jesus and others.

What if:

• What if this man was an angel testing me for God? (Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.")
• What if this man had no one else to turn to?
• What if he really had heart-surgery and was weak?
• What if he hadn't eaten in days?
• What if he was far from home?
• What if he had no money for gas?
• What if he was normally a hard worker?
• What if he was a fellow Christian?
• What if he was to die or be injured because of me?

All these questions I asked myself in my head. The questions were supplied by the Holy Ghost and I answered them all with shame. If any one was true, I neglected my obligation to love a fellow human being. I felt guilty for being selfish with my money and time! Not only did I "feel" guilty, but I WAS guilty. That bothered me all day! Lesson learned. I can't find him now, but I asked for forgiveness and pledged to make it a point to always if I'm to err, to err on behalf of charity.