AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY STARTS WITH THE CROSS

The modern world's greatest evangelist is of course, William Franklin (Billy) Graham. He once said that "This Gospel of Christ and Him crucified is still foolishness to millions who are perishing all over the world today. How few people recognize that the answer to all the world’s problems can be found at the foot of the Cross?" That is a great question.

The Cross is an enigma, in fact it is the greatest mystery of all time! It is the best piece of jewelry out there, even used by those who do not believe in what the Cross on which the Son of God was crucified, truly signifies. In this teaching video below, I explore this Truth in more depth. However, this should never be the end of our search understand the meaning of the Cross. The great Ray Stedman explained it very well when he said: "The Cross is significant in Christianity because it exposes the fundamental conflict of life. That is what these verses declare to us. The Cross gets down below all our surface attempts at compromise and cuts down to the basic difference behind all human disagreement. Once you confront the Cross and its meaning, you find yourself unable to escape that final, basic judgment of life as to whether you are committed to error or committed to truth."

The message of the following video is based on the following passage out of 1 Corinthians Chapter 18:18-19: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE." 

PLEASE NOTE: THE EMAIL ADDRESS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO FROM 2008, NO LONGER EXISTS.

THE MEANING OF LIFE: PART 10 OF 12

A CHAPTER BY CHAPTER STUDY OF THE BOOK OF                                                        ECCLESIASTES......CHAPTER 10

"A LITTLE FOOLISHNESS"

Does your life have fragrance? Are people attracted to the Light that shines through you? The answers to these and other matters raised here in life are answered here in Ecclesiastes 10! This chapter contains several proverbs which make us think and then use that process to drop the plumb line against our own lives, to see if we are lined up in accurate thinking about these things - the things of God!

Ecclesiastes 10

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his [a]sense is lacking and he [b]demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s [c]temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler— 6 folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [d]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must [e]exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites [f]before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. 12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF CHAPTER 10

THE MEANING OF LIFE: PART 2 OF 12

                         A CHAPTER BY CHAPTER STUDY OF THE BOOK OF
                                        ECCLESIASTES......CHAPTER 2
                                   "The foolishness of Pleasure-seeking"
"Eat, drink and be merry...and ignore what those wacky Christians say, they don't want you to have fun anyway..." - This seems to be the motto of America's corrupt celebrity culture and its "worshippers" who seek their fame and fortune and their own "reality show"! Never before in the history of mankind, have we had all kinds of infantile behavior from undisciplined teens and immature adults who make absolute fools of themselves. 

The super availability of free social media has led to once privately held personal and/or intimate conduct which held shame and scorn, going viral on the internet and popping up on TMZ, Gawker or any of those that America's Most Clueless actively long to be on. Somehow, today, that kind of thing is laughed at and lifted up as some kind of virtue. These people have no concept of where they're headed and the accountability awaiting them for their pleasure seeking and drive to accumulate stuff- because this is how America defines success.

This is the focus of today's lesson from the book of Ecclesiastes - the foolishness and wasteland of seeking pleasure, chasing the latest gadget and auto or smartphone or...you name it...and the toll it will take on those who do that. Watch the less than 1/2 hour teaching on it then read the entire Chapter 2.

Ecclesiastes 2

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions

2 I said [a]to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So [b]enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I explored with my [c]mind how tostimulate my body with wine while my [d]mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could seewhat good there is for the sons of men [e]to do under heaven the few [f]years of their lives.

4 I enlarged my works: Ibuilt houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and I had [g]homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myselfmale and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.

9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. 11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had [h]exerted, and behold all was [i]vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS CHAPTER (Bible Gateway)

A LIFE WELL LIVED, Part 3 - UNDERSTANDING, DISCERNMENT

Wisdom is the best friend you will ever have in this life- Godly wisdom, that is.  Every decision, choice and more, comes out of process where at least some measure of wisdom has been applied to the decision. It all goes back to your Perception (as we saw in Part 2). Your perception is your worldview, and hopefully - for your own sake - it is a Biblical worldview. Now Wisdom is the outflow of that worldview. Therefore, again - for your own sake - it is preferably the Wisdom that comes from God!

A perfect example is a man who just became the head of a favored organization and was set to undertake one of the most amazing projects in History. All he had to do was follow his beloved late father's plans and execute. Being a very young man (he called himself a child), he needed guidance and in 1 Kings 3:5, God Himself appeared to Solomon in a vision and offered to give him ANYTHING he asked for! Here is the rest of how that conversation with God went: "7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9).

Two things from this prayer of Solomon, who is now the head of millions of God's people in Israel will guide us to a place where we ourselves can have the very SAME mind of Wisdom God gave to him. We would be wise to follow this same prescription for attaining true wisdom, the kind which made Solomon the wisest man in the world for a time. We condemn his lifestyle after he fell prey to sexual immorality and idolatry, but this is because of his own human foolishness. He did the same thing Adam did - walk away from the Wisdom of God and let his passivity take him down.

Verse 9 of 1 Kings here, has two very important criteria  (in bold red) for the kind of wisdom we need for the "Good Life":

1. An Understanding Heart -the words God uses in the Scriptures here for  is "Shama and Leb" They go together in this Hebraic context because the "Leb" or the "Heart" is the conscience, the inspiration. the imagination, the skill, the intelligence, the mind, the spirit and heart you need to do anything! 

The accompanying adjective - "Shama" - tells you how to use the heart effectively. God said in this word, pregnant with meaning, we are to have understanding in the sense of obedient, listening, truly listening, hearing, truly hearing, really obeying, witnessing, taking heed, processing, taking really good notes, comprehending and more!!

It is obvious here that, in our lives, we would be a lot smarter and function with clarity and power, if we listen more than we speak! A truly wise man is an understanding man whose conscience and spirit are focused on comprehending a situation before acting on it

2.Discern - the king wanted an "understanding heart" that he might be able to "DISCERN" and thus, make the right decision. We are to seek the same. The word God uses here in Hebrew is "BIN" -(pronounced 'bean'). This word, like EVERY word God uses, is FULL of all kinds of meaning from acting with care and caution to learning the full scope of a situation. Then you interpret the evidence correctly because you have an understanding heart full of "Bin", so you can observe, ponder, explain (to someone else if you have to), be prudent, clever and more to be just the smartest person in the room!

God, in His Magnificent Grace and Love, has given us the three simplest forms or elements we need to walk as the wise in this evil world - if only we would pay attention to Him! We do not need the systems devised by the corrupt minds of men and women, who are flooding the airwaves, bookstores and culture with their ungodly imaginations to follow and still think we will have a fully engaged life. Following those people will lead to despair, depression, confusion and one day - destruction.

Following the beautifully simple recipes of the Lord will lead to peace, love, joy, contentment and eventually eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

A FORTNIGHT OF PRAYER

DAY 5

PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL. LET IT GO


"O LORD, the God of Israel, You are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.” (Ezra 9:15 ESV)

While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. (Ezra 10:1 ESV)


The concepts of Sin, Repentance, Judgment and accountability are difficult for most to grasp in this Age of Cheap Grace. So when a man like me speaks directly, in context and under inspiration of the Scriptures, many feathers are going to be ruffled from all levels of the spectrum. Because the Western church has compromised so much on sin, sex and Satan - having been influenced by the Culture (instead of the other way around), a New Testament prophetic proclamation based on the Full Counsel will offend.


"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). Jesus said many will hate us because of Him, but "fear not, because they hated Me first". The Remnant of Israel was very small, who followed Ezra and Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to accomplish the work of the Lord. While they were the Chosen People, they soon realize, unlike us in western Christianity, that they were unworthy to stand before the Lord.


Why do we, as a free people, have such a problem with realizing our totally depravity before God? Why do we, as a supposed Bride of Christ, not realize we are more in need of the Savior now than ever before? We need the Savior's Hand so much that we should be weeping bitterly like the men, women and children of Israel in Ezra 10:1. We do not humble ourselves, because of Pride! We have Pride in our comfortable surroundings. We have pride in our fancy churches and electronic toys. We have pride in our various programs, which seem to work on the surface....and on and on....


Father God, in Jesus' Name, I confess my part in this vile offense of Pride which preceded the Fall of Man in the Garden, and is now a stumbling block to a true and powerful move of God in these last days. I acknowledge thinking more of myself and less of You, when it should have been the other way around. Because of that, I stand before You guilty of all You have against me. You have reminded me time and time again that You expect me to walk humbly before You, but I chose to let the flesh think more of who I am, rather than Whose I am.

So Lord, I come to You now, a repentant sinner, in light of all we have confessed, repented of and written in these past 5 days of Fervent prayer and intercession, and seek forgiveness like the children of Israel did in the verses above. Father, cover me now and help me to walk in that anointed path that You have laid out for me, and those who are like me. 
Help me to walk in Your Power and not mine.
Help me to walk in the Word and not the thoughts in my head. 
Help me to walk in confidence and speak with loving boldness. 
Help me to walk with expectation of expiration, which makes time more valuable. Help me to walk in Your Light and do what is right, in Jesus' Holy and Most Precious Name, I pray, amen and amen.

(image by google)