Doug Van Pelt

Pastor Bob is NOT God!

Acts chapter 14 shows some interesting details.

"At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."

It's pretty interesting that going into the Jewish synagogue was their usual custom. You don't see that sort of thing happening these days, do you? Paul was a Jew, and one with pedigree, so they didn't have much of a problem going in there and teaching. I guess anyone with a "voice of authority" could be heard by those curious and anxious to hear the Word of the Lord. It's amazing how they preached "so effectively" that people believed. It puts weight behind the thought that a preacher should pursue speaking the Word with skill and knowledge of the Word with excellence -- just as an artist is compelled to seek excellence. It also puts some weight into persuasion, and maybe the "art" of arguing and presenting a point (or presenting a "case" like a lawyer would).

"But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, Who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles."

The unbelieving ones stirred up others, so no one else would believe. It wasn't enough for them not to believe, they had to make sure no one else did either. It's a powerful description: "poisoned their minds." Have you ever seen the impact of one person's influence over another? I certainly have. It's kind of like that. One person who's turned against a certain person sets the minds of others against that person as well -- so now this person not only has one to try to "win back," but two. And once a mind is poisoned, it seems there is no reasoning with them. It's over. The matter has been decided. It's kind of a hard-headed thing and it's usually mixed in with bitterness. It's almost impossible to turn such a person back.

God "confirmed the message" by "enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders." There is a debate that says signs and wonders stopped when these apostles died and the purpose of miracles was only to confirm God's Word, His message. The thinking behind this, I imagine, is two-fold:

One, these people don't see a lot of miracles happening around them;

Two, the Bible is God's eternal Word, and now that we have it, we don't need human messengers and God's confirming miracles. We have the "Perfect" (Word), which signifies the passing away of tongues and such (a reference to 1 Corinthians 13).

I don't quite buy that argument. The reference to the "Perfect" is Jesus Himself, not His Word (It says we'll see "face to face," and it's not the faces of the pages of the Bible text it's refering to). I think miracles happen many times out of compassion for the suffering person (specifically, the miracle of healing).

"In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, 'Stand up on your feet!' At that, the man jumped up and began to walk."

In some cases, the sick person keeps calling out and sometimes even annoys the person that heals him (whether it's Jesus or one of the apostles). According to the text, Paul just noticed him/looked at him and then commanded his healing with a word. He wasn't asked if he had faith to be healed, but somehow Paul noticed that he did. It must've been a look in his eye, the glow on his face, or perhaps just a "secret knowledge" from God that this was the case. One conclusion I come to from looking at several healing accounts in the Bible is that there is no set formula (save for the simple, "Ask God what to do and then do what God says to do") for healing. God does it a bunch of different ways.

"When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have come down to us in human form!' Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them."

This is crazy. I wonder how this would make most missionary teams feel. Would there be any pride? Any thoughts like, 'Yeah, I'm like a rock star, baby!' I don't know. Perhaps when the priest of another (false) religion shows up with bulls to slaughter and sacrifice to you, maybe then the weight of the matter would settle in and you would protest. This is what Paul and Barnabas did. They tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd. It wasn't easy to convince them that they weren't gods.

Earlier in the chapter we read about a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. "But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news."

Sometimes we place a bravery or boldness onto missionaries, pastors, and even the apostles. But the practical truth is these guys took off when they heard about a plot to beat them up and possibly kill them. Self preservation is a good thing. There are stories of incredible bravery and maybe we can assume that God spoke to these people prior to their decision to stay and face danger and (sometimes death). In Iconium Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city, thinking he was dead. "But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in Whom they had put their trust."

It was important that the apostles set up some structure to keep the faith grounded and growing. The funny thing about people is we are like sheep and tend to stray. I mean, look at the "charismatic" side of the body of Christ. Most would not argue that there has been some error and/or some excess. None of us have it all together and we can be misled. That is why some people believe that miracles don't need to happen any more because the Bible is all we need -- these people have seen problems, the way people stray, and they understand the importance of a rock solid and un-changing foundation. The Bible is completely important and paramount to our faith, but we need more. We need prayer. We need the Living God. We need His interaction in our lives. We sometimes need miracles and healing and exorcisms. It really seems obvious (to me) that there is a balance. If we just read the Bible and didn't pray, we would turn into something unhealthy. If we just prayed and never read the Bible, same thing. We need God. We can rely on the Bible and trust that it keeps us healthy, but maybe it's kind of like eating AND exercise. We need to get out there and live our faith, too.

Paul Stood Up For Himself

Sometimes we get a tweaked (and false) view of Christianity. As people we (I know I have this tendancy) swing like a pendulum between extremes. One such extreme is being super mellow and gentle, like the Prince of Peace (or so we think). This is great when it's the right time, but there are times when other, more disruptive and brazen attitudes are called for. Jesus cleaned out the temple in righteous anger.

Paul spoke up and demanded something in Acts 16. What happened was they started out on a missionary journey. A disciple named Timothy joined Paul for this trip. Paul did something unusual to make the journey easier for them -- he circumsized Timothy (a grown man). He did this because of the Jews in the area. That's an interesting decision. It seems like outward pressure and expectations are not always ignored and resisted in the name of what's right.

Later on they traveled throughout the region of Phyrgia and Galatia, "having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in the province of Asia." That's an interesting detail there. I wonder if we in America would be believers had the Spirit not stepped in and guided these guys. Who knows?

Paul and his friends crossed paths with a slave girl that had a spirit that helped her predict the future. Perhaps this link to eternity allowed spirits that live outside of linear time gave them access to information in the future. I wonder if and how that effects evil spirits' strategy and plans for meddling with, attacking, and hindering believers and non-believers on earth. Interesting.

Paul became so troubled by this slave girl's actions (she was telling everyone -- actually shouting it -- that they were "servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."), which weren't necessarily a false message, but it must've been disruptive, because Paul "turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the Name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl found out what happened, they had Paul and Silas dragged before the authorities. The magistrates had them stripped and severely flogged. Then they were thrown into jail, with stocks on their feet.

At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to killhimself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, 'Don't harm yourself! We are all here!' The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'"

Perhaps he had heard the shouting of the slave girl. Otherwise, why would he immediately jump to the conclusion of being saved? Interesting.

"They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved -- you and your household.' Then they spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized." Then he fed them a meal inside his house.

"At daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: 'Release those men.'" The jailer told Paul, and said, 'Now you can leave. Go in peace.'

"But Paul said to the officers: 'They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.'"

Paul raised a stink. He stood up for himself and his rights as a Roman citizen. I liken this to there being a time and a season for everything. There's a time to lay down and surrender your will; and there's a time to fight and resist. Perhaps the next time I see a Christian raising a stink in the Name of God, I will not be so quick to dismiss them as acting on their own, with the erroneous thought, 'They are full of anger. That is not Christ-like!' I could be flat-out wrong in my judgment of that situation. It's not always meek and mild behavior for God's people.

Boldness, Rudeness, and In-Your-Face-ness

In Acts 13 we see that Saul and Barnabas were set apart for the work of the Lord. They were sent on their way "by the Holy Spirit." They went into the Jewish synagogues and proclaimed the Word of God.

When I consider sharing my faith, I ask myself, 'What is the crux of the story? What are the crucial elements? What can I say that will not add to God's story? What must I not leave out?' Some great cases to review are the talks recorded in Scripture. Paul lays out almost a history lesson to these Jewish people, taking them from the "Fathers" to the time in Egypt to the exodus through the wilderness to judges, prophets, kings, and the King of Kings, Who came from the lineage of David. They state how Jesus was executed and rose from the dead, which was prophesied in the Old Testament -- that the "Holy One" would not see decay. And he concludes with:

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

"'Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe,
even if someone told you.'"

That's pretty direct and stern. The people invited them to speak again the following Sabbath. On that day it says "almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord." When the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they "were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying."

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:

"We had to speak the Word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

"'I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'

"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the Word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The Word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them (which was what Jesus instructed His followers to do in Luke 9:5 "as a testimony against them" who don't welcome them) and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. It's interesting that these disciples didn't wallow in anger or judgmental criticism of what happened and their little protest. They did it and went on...rejoicing in the Lord.

It is in this chapter that Luke transitions from calling Saul "Saul" and starts calling him "Paul." It also shows an interesting interaction when they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, "an intelligent man," sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the Word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 'You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.'"

That is what immediately happened to the man. It is interesting that Paul was given the power from God to inflict this kind of punishment on the guy -- the same kind of punishment that was inflicted on him when we was converted on the road to Damascus. Interesting, huh? It wasn't necessarily Paul's power, but Paul was given the authority to speak this word against the man and it happened. It says he was "filled with the Holy Spirit," which also means he was "controlled by the Holy Spirit," so it was God Who gave him the words to speak, and these powerful prophetic words had an impact in our material world. Amazing.

Repeat the story, please

In Acts 10 we hear about a man named Cornelius. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon (love those details, Saint Luke!), he had a vision. An angel told him, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."

At about noon the following day Peter went up on a roof to pray. "He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and soemthing like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.

"Then a voice told him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.'" Peter replied, "Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.' The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven."

It's really interesting that Peter was really hungry when he had this vision. Is that a coincidence? That God used a perceived and practical need to get his attention? Sounds like a "divine time."

While he was contemplating the vision, the men sent by Cornelius (one of whom was a soldier) stopped at the gate by his house. The Holy Spirit told Peter, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."

Peter didn't just wait around for these guys to come upstairs, he went down. When they explained why they were there, Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. They set off the next day to Cornelius' place. It's neat that Peter practiced hospitality and had these guys spend the night. He probably fed them dinner and maybe breakfast.

Cornelius explained his vision, and then Peter explained his (it's the second time we read the account). I like what Cornelius said after his explanation:

"...it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

I imagine that Peter didn't not tell them to give him 45 minutes to prepare a sermon. I bet you that the apostles most often spoke and taught "from the hip" and just shared what the Lord had told them. The crux of the message was that Jesus died and rose again, and that God wanted them to tell others that Jesus was the One Whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead, stating that "all the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name."

What's interesting is that while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The "circumcised believers" who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. "For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God."

The next time Peter was in Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him. Peter began to explain everything precisely how it happened (and we read the account for the third time there in Acts 11). What's cool is that after Peter was done explaining that the Holy Spirit fell on these people, "they had no further objections and praised God, saying, 'So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'" These believers were open to instruction, hearing God teach, and changing their minds (repent themselves). This is a good sign of a true believer. They will listen to reason, apply the Scriptures, and be willing to change their mind. I would call that the kind of "soft-hearted people that God can use."

That's really neat. And I am a descendant and "fruit" of that whole story, as my lineage and bloodline is one of "Gentile" origin, not Jewish. I am so grateful that God has allowed us into His kingdom.

You want me to do WHAT?!?!

Meanwhile...Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.

In yesterday's blog I talked about the apostles rejoicing that they had been counted "worthy of suffering disgrace" for the Name of Jesus. I'm sure there was fear in other believers' hearts, though, as Saul was out rampaging around, rounding up Christians to kill them.

What a turn of events when Saul "meets" Jesus in a stream of light. Jesus asks him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Jesus identifies with His followers to the point of calling their suffering His own.

So, when the Lord called a man named Ananias in a vision, this guy's response was, ("You want me to do WHAT?!?) Lord, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem." It's like Ananias is trying to straighten God out. This one man's obedience set in motion something that quite literally changed the world.

Paul freaked out a lot of folks, of course, but was soon "baffling the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."

That's cool. He must've had the knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures that came in handy once something in his heart clicked (like the "eyes of his heart being opened"). He was able to logically convince people that Jesus was the Messiah. That's something else...

Death By Misadventure

I can remember the first time I studied the story in Acts chapter 5 about Ananias and Sapphira. It was in a Sunday School class at a church I started attending in the Fall in Austin, after "coming back to the Lord as a Prodigal" earlier that Summer. I can remember being struck by the suddenness and severity and the exacting punishment that befell Ananias and his wife when they conspired to lie to the apostles.

Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit and later on states that he has "not lied to m ean but to God." This is one of the verses in the Bible that builds a foundation for the doctrine of the Trinity. Jehovah is called God, the "Father" that Jesus refers to. There are verses that label Jesus as "Savior and God" ( ), and this is a verse that labels the Holy Spirit as God, making Him the Third Person of the Trinity.

Anyway, I can imagine the fear that swept through the church after these events. Both he and his wife were struck down by an invisible form of instant death. Very strange. I wonder how the apostles felt, dealing with this kind of power. They didn't appear to get power hungry, but it had to be a little strange to go from healing cripples, lepers, and raising dead people to life and suddenly be part of people dying!

It says that they performed many miracles and that they used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.

"No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number."

These guys soon became like an elite spiritual force. The high priests were "filled with jealousy" at all this and had the apostles arrested. During the night an angel of the Lord opened the door and led them out. "Go and stand in the temple courts," the angel said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life."

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

It's interesting that they waited until daybreak. That means they probably went home to sleep after they were let out, and met up at the temple in the morning. This is an easy detail to miss, but it probably gives us liberty to know that following the Lord's commands can also have some practical provisions alongside it. They didn't immediately head over the the temple courts, saying, "Yes sir, angel sir." FOr one, there was probably no one in the temple courts in the middle of the night, so no one would hear them, and two they were probably very tired.

Later on these apostles were brought back to the authorities, who had quickly heard that they were no longer in jail and were, in fact, preaching in the temple. They were told to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus and beaten. It says they were "flogged," which is probably a very severe beating. yet the apostles left rejoicing because "they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

That is a joy that us modern day believers could share in. For the apostles, it might've been "easier" in a sense (although punishing the flesh ALWAYS hurts), because they still had the public beating and crucifixion of Jesus fresh in their memories. Perhaps this helped them feel less guilty about not stepping up and defending Jesus during His mockery, beating, and trial.

Speaking in Tongues

In Acts chapter 2 we read of a very mysterious and unusual event. The followers of Jesus were continuing to meet together, as Jesus had instructed them to wait in Jerusalem, "for in a few days you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit." A sound like a mighty wind came and what seemed like tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each of them.

"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

What's really cool about this event (besides the fact that it was promised by Jesus before it happened and the fact that God was filling people with His Spirit) was that the focus still remained on Jesus and seeing people forgiven and saved. Some were perplexed at what was happening and Peter stood up and explained what was going on, citing Old Testament Scripture to describe God's people being filled with the Spirit. And then he turned his talk into a direct message about Jesus. About 3,000 people were added to their number that day.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Every day God was adding to their number. These people were getting past themselves and fellowshipping in love and unity of the Spirit. It would do us well, with all of our knowledge (and teaching tapes and books and Bible study aids) to make sure we're doing the basic things that the book of Acts describes.

The Acts of the Holy Spirit

That's what the book of Acts is really called -- The Acts of the Holy Spirit. If this book were still being written today, perhaps we'd be in chapter 2000 or so by now. Would you be in it? Would someone we know be in it? Would our church be a part of it? The Holy Spirit is surely working today amongst God's people. I think it's cool how a part of the body we call "Charismatics" and another part called "Pentecostals" are actually looking for and expecting God's Spirit to move within them. I think that kind of expectation is important. God will often use those that don't expect it, but for those that are willing, waiting, and ready, perhaps they'll see more "activity" ... who knows?

It's cool that Luke wrote the Book of Acts, because he was a doctor and he's so good with details. He can be gross at times, like the verse where he describes Judas' death: "...there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." Yeah, thanks, Luke!

Peter stood up and proposed that they choose another apostle, so they will have 12 again. He cites the book of Psalms (109:8):

"May another take his place of leadership."

I never would have thought that the hidden meaning behind that Psalm was for Judas, but that is how many gems of truth are "hidden" in the Old Testament, and "revealed" in the New.

It's interesting how they decided to pick from between Justus and Matthias. They prayed:

"Lord, You know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."

They might've been pretty pretty leary over choosing someone, when they saw how the "wrong choice" could lead to betrayal. Maybe they were afraid of choosing another Judas. Either way, they knew that it was a very important decision, and they couldn't decide on their own. So they "left it up to God" by praying that prayer and then casting lots. The lot fell to Matthias.

Isn't that interesting? How would you feel if Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Chuck Smith, and James Robison were on television, hosting a ministry time, and one of them said, "We need to decide such and such." Then they joined in prayer, asking God to show them the answer, and then they rolled a pair of dice. it would probably freak our culture out, wouldn't it?

Pilate Was A Punk

If I was going to film a movie about Jesus, I might be tempted to take the hero action film approach. When Pilate "tried" Him and had Him flogged, I would've had Peter and John and some other disciple muscle bust in and roll some heads. These soldiers put a purple robe (which spoke of royalty) and mocked Him again and again, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" and then they'd strike Him in the face. I would've staged a rescue at this point and had Jesus riden out of town on a beautiful black stallion.

Pilate is often portrayed as a quasi innocent pawn in the "game" that brought Jesus to the cross. "I wash my hands of this man's blood," he stated, but he was guilty. He had Him beat mercilessly and let Him be taken away to be crucified. One of the henchmen in my film would've sliced his throat during the escape from his palace.

The only time Pilate showed any spine was when he stuck by the inscription he had written on the cross: "King of the Jews."

When Jesus was on the cross, He looked down and saw Mary cubed (Mary 3): His mom, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (His supposed wife, if the Davinci Code conspiracy weren't false). He looked down and told His mom and John that John was to take care of her. He didn't say anything about Mary Magdelene. Isn't that odd that He didn't make any provisions for His wife? That's because He wasn't married! (but the Davinci Code conspirators will say that's because the Scriptures were edited by the Church to change history. Puh-leeze!)

It's interesting that Jesus was laid in the nearby, previously-unused tomb. Joseph of Arimathea was one of those "secret agent Christians," who followed Jesus but didn't tell anybody, for fear of losing his status, etc. But He asked for permission to bury the body of Jesus. John 19 talks about the tomb as if it were a convenient after thought because of its proximity (and the fact that time was running out before sundown and the start of the Sabbath). The book of Matthew, however, tells us that Joseph owned this tomb, having cut it out of the rock.

One of my favorite verses to refer humorously to is John 21:12. That number, of course, is famous among my generation of rockers, as the Canadian trio Rush had created a progressive rock opus / concept album called 2112. In this verse Jesus says, "Come, let us eat breakfast." What's amazing is that the resurrected Christ was eating food. This is something that a spirit body most likely could not do. This was after a miracle where Jesus hollered to the disciples out in their boat. They didn't recognize it was He, but they followed His directions and caught a haul was huge -- 153 large fish. Peter kind of new at that moment that it was the Lord, and he jumped into the water to meet him. All the way in (about a hundred yards) he was probably thinking, 'I need to ask for forgiveness for denying Him three times. Will He forgive me? What if He doesn't? Surely He will.' Much like our minds wander when we jog and exercise, I bet Peter was thinking such thoughts. It must have delighted Jesus to see His disciples so excited to see Him. He was really loved by those guys, and the drama of losing Him only to gain Him again via resurrection was just over-the-top joy. What happened next was beautiful: Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. While Peter got exasperated by being asked repeatedly, it was the same amount of times that he had denied Him, so it was like poetic retribution for him to affirm Jesus three times later. And Jesus didn't once rub Peter's nose in his failure. He treated him like a leader. "Take care of My sheep," He said.

Jesus loves us just as deeply and uniquely as these 11 guys. I imagine that even if Judas had not committed suicide but later asked forgiveness, Jesus would have received him, too.

The Great High Priest

I was momentarily thrown for a loop yesterday (at the end of the day), when I discovered that my blog was not posted. I will try to recreate it here, because I really value what it said:

One of my fav verses is easily Hebrews 4:14-16:

"Therefore, since we have a great High Priest, Who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

In John 17, we find Jesus showing us by example of how great a high priest He is. He is about to face a sleepless night, with beatings, torture, mockery, and an eventual death on a cross. Luke 22 shows us some additional perspective of what He prayed. He asked God for a "plan B," but surrendered to the lordship of His Father. Then He prayed what is sometimes called the "High Priestly Prayer." It's cool that we have its text:

"...I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours...Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name -- the Name You gave Me -- so that they may be one as we are one...

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me...May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me."

You know that this time was an intensely stressful one for Jesus. He actually sweat drops of blood, which modern medical experts should be able to comment on. Whatever he prayed at this time should be of utmost importance. It's like a general's "last marching orders" before he leaves. And so what message did He give us by His prayer?

He wants us to be one. We shouldn't let petty things like doctrinal differences divide us. Not ONE of us has all of our doctrine correct, so fighting over doctrine is just plain silly. Sure, there are "essential" dosctrines that people should agree on to call themselves Christian. The most obvious would be that Jesus is the Son of God, and that reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of sin comes through believing in Him. Even rather important doctrines underneath those could be set aside in favor of unity. All of us are different, but our Leader wants us to be one.

Amen.

My blog today was lost

Man, I had a long blog that I wrote today about my favorite Scripture in Hebrews 4:14-16 and how John 17 was a great example of how Jesus was a great high priest. And how Jesus spent some of His last time before being tortured praying -- for us. Not just His disciples, but those of us who would come to believe later. And He prayed for unity -- that we would be one.

And it didn't post! That stinks! I always copy the text for the blog into the clipboard, just in case the website stalls when it's uploading and loses the text. BUt this one went through and I have copied many other things since then (and it's probably lost. That's a bummer. I can't stand that!!!!

I was just going to add a comment about Austin's live shows.
In the past week or so, here's what's been in town:

Tuesday: Mae and Mutemath
Wednesay: Stryper
Thursday: The Juliana Theory
Thursday: Buddy and Julie Miller
Thursday: The Afters, Jeremy Camp

Next Wednesday: Underoath, Thrice

(and I know I've left out a lot... it's a crazy good time to be in Austin!)

I've looked all around my temp files, but can't find it.

Stryper still rockin...

Stryper played a show in Austin last night. Twas really good. I'll hope to have a review posted online later today (with photos).

In John 16 Jesus is having one of His final talks with His disciples before He faces death and the cross. It's amazing how wise this man Jesus was. He was equating the grief the disciples would feel at His death to that grief that a woman has during childbirth, but then the pain is forgotten after the baby arrives. He was alluding to the joy His resurrection would bring. He spoke so eloquently and touched on the major areas of life. What a master.

The disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."

Jesus replied, "You believe at last!" That is so funny, yet so cool that they did "get it" after all. It must've been rewarding for Him to see that. It was about time, though.

Pay up, Fred!

sigh.

[where did the text go? was it deleted? did i take the advise of a commenter?]

John 14 repeats the phrase of Jesus, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." Even though He was telling this to His disciples right before His arrest and they had a very specific reason to be troubled, it still comforts me in my situation. I trust that God has my back, that He'll watch out over me. I'm not an orphan with a dead God that passed away, leaving an inheritance that will fade and be spent over time. I have a living God that is in love with me and even knows the number of hairs on my head (even the ones that've turned gray already). I'll be okay.

I love one of the things He says at the conclusion of His talk:

"I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on Me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what My Father has commanded Me."

That is cool. He definitely gave us all that example of obeying His Father -- even to the point of death (death on a cross).

Guns 'n' Badges Update

(Pflugerville, TX) Two officers/members of the Attorney General's Office showed up at the front door of the HM Magazine offices today. I was on the phone with columnist Kemper Crabb at the time. He is getting on a plane to speak at the great Meltdown Conference tomorrow, and was calling to assure me that he'd turn in his column before he left. I told him that men with badges just arrived, and he laughed and said, "If you need me to bail you out, let me know."

These two guys both had the coolest gold and silver badges clipped to their belts. Very shiny and impressive badges. After introducing themselves, they asked if we knew our ex-neighbors in our subdivision. There's been a total of six homes in this neighborhood/subdivision. We were the first to move out here, but then over the last four years others have moved in. This particular couple had moved out about a week or two ago and these guys asked me if I knew where they moved to or when. I wasn't able to answer this question, because I didn't talk to them much.

Sam and I have referred to this neighbor as "Ruby Ridge," because this guy belted out a veiled threat at one of our community's meetings back in September: "If you thought Ruby Ridge and Waco were something, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" He told the man who purchased our rented land that he'd kill him. This guy has gotten himself in a whale of trouble.

I was disappointed, cuz when I saw them I was hoping maybe they were from some benevolant organization that was going to buy our home/office from us or something! To recap: the land our office sits on is rented. Our office is a 5-bedroom home that is actually one of those fancy manufactured homes. It seemed like a good idea at the time we bought it (in early September of 2001), but has turned out to be a real drag. We have paid a lot rent on the land we've been on, but this land was sold out from under us and this new owner is kicking everyone (over 150 families are living in the two subdivisions -- ours is the isolated one, with only two homes left on it now) out. We all have to be moved by January 31st. The problem is: we don't have a place to move! We don't want to move to another rented land community and have this possibly happen again, so we're looking for land to buy. And looking... And looking...

I'm off early today (even though it's deadline) to vote; and Sam is off to a Mae and Mute Math show at Emo's. I'll be doing some proofreading and writing work at home on my notebook. But I just wanted to share how exciting the visit from the Attorney General's office was and how cool those badges looked.

Be sure to check out all the new exlusive online content we posted today. Have fun watching those Narnia trailers, etc.

Walk The Line promo ... [today's blog below]

Ya'll know about the new movie on Johnny Cash coming out soon, right? it should be awesome. This man was a true artist and a true believer in Jesus. He never backed down from either in his storied career. He smelled like a true hero. It's great that's he's getting the recognition he deserves. It's cool that he got much respect, credit, and praise while he was still around, too. He didn't have to "wait" until he was dead to get his due credit.

Anyway, Guitar Center teamed up with Twentieth Century Fox for an exclusive promotion surrounding the highly anticipated bio-pic, Walk the Line. You could walk away with exclusive music memorabilia, such as a Gibson J-200 guitar signed by the Walk the Line cast, a Walk the Line art piece by Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant), and a private screening of the film with 50 of your closest friends.

“Guitar Center’s Walk the Line promotion centers on a highly-anticipated film about one of the most inspiring and important musicians of all time,” said Jack Sonni (Guitar Center's VP of marketing). “Thanks to our relationships with Twentieth Century Fox and Shepard Fairey, fans can win some truly unique music memorabilia.”

“Walk the Line is a film of which we are very proud, and we’re pleased to team with Guitar Center on this promotion,” commented Lisa Licht, Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships. “We’re always looking for new ways to reach audiences and further entrench our films into the culture, and this promotion fits in very nicely with that strategy.”

In Walk the Line, Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Joaquin Phoenix stars (and sings) as Johnny Cash and Golden Globe nominee Reese Witherspoon stars (and sings) as June Carter in this true story of an honest sound that became a revolution, a man who became an icon, and a love that saved him from destruction. Developed for seven years with the cooperation of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Writer/Director James Mangold focuses Walk The Line on the period in the mid-fifties when rock-and-roll exploded from a tiny studio in Memphis, Tennessee. The film follows Cash’s meteoric rise to fame, culminating with his emergence as the “Man in Black” at his historic concert at Folsom Prison in 1968.

The month-long November promotion will culminate with the winner announcement in mid-December. Interested participants can submit entries at any Guitar Center location or online at guitarcenter.com.

Cleaning up dog poop

I got the news early this morning that our puppy, Biscuit, had left many deposits on the floor of the laundry room that he makes his nighttime abode in. After getting dressed and showered (in reverse order), I cleaned up the mess. Now, I've developed a real intolerance to that stench -- to the point that I'll retch and barf at the smell (there's gotta be a mental toughness trick I can pull to get past that), so I plugged my nose with my left hand and went to work with my right. At times I had to tear apart paper towels, and I risked letting go of my nose real quick to tear the towel and then get it back to pinching my nostrils shut. What I discovered is that there is a slight delay time after having plugged your nose before it will start smelling again -- even after letting go of the "pinch." And that, my friends, is the lesson of the day: that your nose will stay "shut up" for a short period after you let go from squeezing it shut for a time.

But there is some text in John 13 worth discussing, too. Jesus shares one last meal with His disciples and during the meal He got up and did something incredible. He took off His outer clothing, which implies He had on some underwear of sorts, and wrapped a towel around His waist. Then He washed his disciple's feet and then used the towel to dry them. This, to me, is the epitome of humility. Imagine a grown man buck naked (or down to his scivvies) bent over and washing feet! That is a humbling picture. Because these guys walked everywhere, their feet were probably pretty stinky and dirty. His job of cleaning up was true servanthood, not letting the "lowliness" of the job effect Him or deter Him. When He finished, He told His disciples to do the same -- wash one another's feet. We should do the same.

I have to warn you, though, trying to obey this command will bring about some embarrassment. In our independent culture, healthy people don't want to be 'bathed" or "cleaned" by someone else. People will actually get offended if you try to wash their feet. The best setting for this, of course, is similar to that of the setting we read about here. Around mealtime and in the relaxed atmosphere of communion, perhaps, prayer and Bible reading. People will be more likely to "obey" or be willing to open up to this experience if they hear in Scripture that it is commanded. It can be a real touching and beautiful thing. I imagine that, if we regulated this tradition that it might lose some of its tenderness and humble appeal, but we don't really know. Not many denominations or traditions follow this guideline. I genuinely wish that more did. It is a beautiful and biblical thing.

We can also see in this chapter another reference to the author as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This does not have to be seen as an arrogant ploy to set himself up above the other disciples, though it may have been just that. But perhaps it was truly his revelation shining through in his writing -- that Jesus really truly loved and valued him. This is true of us all; and if we are believers in Christ and have been transformed by His personal forgiveness of our sins, then we, too, can refer to ourselves as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

Peter asked John to ask Jesus who the lousy culprit was that would betray Him. Jesus replied, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." I've always thought that weird that the whole room didn't rise up in an emotional roar at this revelation. It probably didn't happen because Jesus probably whispered this to John and Peter. Therefore, when Jesus gave Judas the bread and the devil himself entered him and he left, no one understood what was going on. I guess John may have meant that "no one ELSE IN THE ROOM BESIDES ME AND PETER understood..."

Maybe that's it...

Did Jesus save some aliens?

John 10 has a passage where Jesus is talking about Himself and His kingdom. "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

Now, it is most likely (and fairly clear) that He is talking about redeeming the Gentiles, but it's always fun to look at that verse from the oddest angle. (Like the X-Files angle. Can you imagine the episodes you could write with that one?)

In John 12 we see a character swipe at one of the disciples. John explains that Judas objecting to the jar of perfume broken and poured out on Jesus (as it "could have been sold and the money given to the poor") was really a ruse. "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

This begs the question: Why was Judas allowed to be part of the twelve? Did they all know what a scalawag he was? Perhaps Jesus kept him around solely to fulfill his destiny as betrayer. It's hard to imagine him amounting to much, but maybe he did have interest in the Lord. Maybe he did learn some things. I still think he was a jerk.

Again we see that a large number of people were putting their faith in Christ. This is cool. It's funny, but apparently it was the testimony and miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead that convinced a lot of these people. Folks were coming out to see both Him and Jesus. They were celebrities of their time. Even some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; "for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."

That is a harsh judgment but something those men needed to consider and take seriously. If Jesus is Who He said He was, then we all must consider how we will respond to Him. The right choice, I believe, is to surrender to Him, worship Him, and obey Him. The "Amplified Bible" definition of believe (the Greek word used in John 3:16) is to "cling to, trust in, and rely on." It is an active faith, not just a mental assent thing.

Vote for a cover ... [Today's blog = below...]

I've put together a couple of options for the re-issue of the LC We Are Not Ashamed album. I'm thinking of using all 4 covers (with the original art on the disc itself) in the cd booklet, with interchangable options, so you can fold and choose your own cover, but I'm curious which one you think is best...
Take a look here and tell me what you think.

"BUTCH"

"BLURRY BUTCH"

"HEATED DISCUSSION w/label"

"HEATED DISCUSSION no label"

"ORIGINAL"

"DUANE THE BATHTUB"

"SCRATCH AND SNIFF"

[You should be able to click on any of the thumbnails above for a pop-up window of a larger image to open. What do you think? Which do you like the best? Why?]

Is Jesus Going To Kill Himself?

This is what the Jewish leaders asked after Jesus said, "I am going away, and you will look for Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come." Later on they were saying of Jesus, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed!" Jesus replied directly to this accusation. "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor My Father and you dishonor Me."

John chapter 8 features a great discourse on the identity of this man named Jesus. He also spells out a pretty detailed theology:

"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the One I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

They did not understand that He was telling them about His Father. So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the One I claim to be and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me. The One Who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him."

It says: "Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him." That is powerful. These words are powerful. They make a very distinct claim that Jesus is divine, that He is God's Son. Later on in this chapter Jesus argues with the Jewish leaders' claims to be children of Abraham. He acknowledges that they are descendants of Abraham, but denies their claim to be sons. "If God were your Father," He says, "you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but He sent Me. Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me!" At the tail end of the conversation, they sarcastically and rhetorically ask Jesus if He is greater than Abraham. "Who do you think you are?" they ask Him.

"Before Abraham was born, I am," He answers at the end of His reply. This was all it took for these guys to "get" His claim. They obviously did not believe His claim, but they understood what He was saying -- He was making Himself out to be the Great I Am, God. The last verse of the chapter describes what they did:

"At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."

I love this part of the book of John. I must've loved it when I was 11, too; because the Living Bible that I had then (and still own today) has sheets of pages highlighted. Not just favorite verses, but pages and pages -- chapters 8, 9, and 10 are all one giant yellow block from a highlighter marker (I wonder if it ran out after that block of "paint..."). It's neat to have some artifacts, monuments and memory pieces of our past. I know that, for a short time (probably about six months when I was 11) that I was in love with Jesus. It's interesting that I "fell away" for 9 years. It was wonderful to be embraced by God again after those 9 years.

We are only 16 days, 2 hours, 39 minutes and 7 seconds away from deadline for the Jan/Feb issue. Most everything is already in place. However, my cover story interview with P.O.D. is not happening until today. It's scarey to save something so vital this close to the end, but I'm confident it will work out and be wonderful.

My parents are flying in today to go see on of my daughter's final soccer games of the season tomorrow. She plays goalie and forward. Tonight is also a big football game. Hutto High School plays Cameron Yoe for the District title tonight. My old alma mater, Desert High, is not playing for a District title or even a shot at the playoffs tonight. They are a woeful 2-6 and 1-2 in league play. I saw the team scrimmage this summer and it looked like they had some skill and strength to make a go at it, but have lost by several points many times thus far: 40-12; 37-23; 42-6; 47-15; 36-0. Next weekend they play Mojave, which features the son of one of my best friends from high school. It was weird hearing my friend use the "we" word when talking about Mojave, cuz they were always one of our rivals, but my friend has been coaching these kids since they were young and it has become a "we" thing for him. That's cool...but I myself can't root for Mojave. I hope his son scores a touchdown for his team, but that Desert wins 73-6. That would be good for me.
:?)

Get Up

Jesus went to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. When He passed by the pool of Bethesda, he passed an invalid who had been that way for 38 years. I'm sure his bones and muscles were tightly maladjusted and "set" in their disfunctional ways. Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well. Isn't that the question of the hour? And the invalid replied, "Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

This is interesting, because apparently an angel would come down on ocassion and stir up the waters and the first one in after that got healed. Pretty amazing. It's interesting that something supernatural like this was common in the time of Jesus. Anyway, Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." Of course, some Jewish people busted him for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. "The man that made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" When they asked Who it was that told him this, he didn't know. Jesus had "slipped away into the crowd..."

Later Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." Some people use that to build a doctrine that says sickness is a result of sin. While I do believe that sickness and random bacteria attacking other living things is a result of the Fall, and thus sin; I do not believe that someone who, say robs a liquor store will come down with cancer or become paralyzed. It's probably likely that Jesus wanted this man to get saved and thus avoid something far worse -- the flames of hell.

Believe in Jesus

Sometimes reading through the Gospels can be frustrating. We read from the perspective of history looking back, and it's easy to get frustated at these people (even His disciples) who couldn't seem to grasp that Jesus was the Messiah, the suffering servant Who would die and heal us (wholly, not just physically) with His wounds, His stripes.

That's why it's so refreshing to come upon John 4 and read of the Samaritans who believed as a result of the encounter with "the woman at the well" that Jesus had. It seems that one of the most significant events of Jesus' ministry (in terms of seeing people "get it") was the result of "happen-stance." Did Jesus plan on being tired and hanging out by the well while His disciples went into town to get food? Who knew? Then this woman shows up and Jesus asks her for a drink. The conversation turns prophetic, as Jesus declares (clandestinely) Who He is and then He tells the woman, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said ('I have no husband') is quite true."

"Sir, the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet." She knows she was just the "victim" of a "word of knowlege." Jesus could not have known this fact unless He had some "help." What's cool is that the woman went back into town and told everyone she knew. And they all came out to see Him. It says: "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His Words many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.'"

Wow. Here was some real-time belief and conversion. These people believed in Jesus as the Savior of the world. It's cool that it was plain, ordinary folks that made this profession. Perhaps it is the simple, blue collar people of the world that are more real, more honest, more in touch with their sin, their failings, their need for a Savior. So, when they encountered the Savior, they believed in Him. They clinged to, trusted in, and relied on Him. This must have made Jesus very pleased. I can imagine Him praying that night, "I feel like I can come home a happy man, Father. Some people finally 'got it' today. Wasn't that great?"

The Story Of John

I love this book of the Bible. How can one not cherish the Gospel written by the disciple "whom Jesus loved?" It's funny to see that reference, but this book so gets to the core of Who Jesus said He was and is and will continue to be. This is the book where some great quotes are found, like that one in chapter one that asks, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked this, which clues us in on what people thought of that region. It sounds like what an Auburn fan might say of the town where the University of Alabama is. Or the same might be questioned about College Station, Texas. "Can anything good come from there? That's where the Aggies are!"

It's interesting how the first 10 verses in the book declare Who Jesus is. It also brings up the identity of John the Baptist, who prepared His way. This Gospel, more than the others, repeatedly declares that Jesus is God. It starts out that way:

"In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothings was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men...to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

In later chapters, like chapters 8, 9, and 10, we see Jesus have discourse with prominent Jewish leaders and the context of those conversations make it very clear that Jesus made Himself out to be God. So much so that these leaders sought to kill Him for "blasphemy," making Himself out to be God. This is why I can't buy the Davinci Code or other conspiracy theories that state that Jesus was simply a misunderstood prophet. This also implies, of course, that He misunderstood Himself. But that is another debate altogether. Jesus is God. That's what the Scriptures declare, and I willfully and intellectually choose to believe that.