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Glad Tidings

Gal 1:11-12 (NKJV) 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Greek for “gospel” is defined as:

The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God.

Webster defines “glad” as:

1 : having a cheerful or happy disposition by nature
2 a : experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight : made happy b : made pleased, satisfied, or grateful — often used with of c : very willing
3 a : marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness and joy b : causing happiness and joy : pleasant
4 : full of brightness and cheerfulness

Webster defines “tidings” as a piece of news.

So the question this morning for me is this: Is the Gospel message a piece of news that makes me cheerful or of a happy disposition by nature?

If I look like a I was “weaned on a pickle” and constantly seeing the worst in everything and everyone, has the bit of news about Jesus made me full of brightness and cheerfulness?

Am I experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight in the understanding of what Christ has done? Have I been made happy, pleased, satisfied or grateful by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for my sins?

Am I marked by or expressive of joy and happiness because of the message of Galatians 2:20 and John 3:16?

Am I causing happiness and joy in the lives of others?

If I cannot answer those questions in the affirmative, then I have a disconnect between what I have received and what I deserve.

Luke 7:36-50 tells the story of the woman described as “a sinner” breaks the alabaster jar of oil over Jesus’ feet and washes his feet with her tears and hair. The self-righteous Pharisees were judging both Christ and the woman in that moment. In a parable Jesus draws the picture one who is forgiven much, loves much.

How much has God forgiven me of?

I need to remember that more often. I need to occasionally catch a whiff of the cesspool of my humanity and sinfulness and what an offensive and repulsive stench it must be in Father God’s nostrils.

When I come into the understanding of how offensive my sin is – any sin – as God has no grading scale for sin; it is either sin or it isn’t – I gain an appreciation of just how undeserving I am of the grace and mercy He has shown and given to me.

THIS is the “glad tidings” of Christ! That I am able to come into the presence of the one and only Creator God for all of eternity, is more than enough to make me glad.

But God gives us more than that. He has provided that one-on-one relationship with Him while we are still here on this earth. We don’t have to wait to die to be with Him, He desires to be in personal relationship with Him NOW. God has promised his Spirit to live in, dwell in, and guide us through this life. This should put “glad” in overdrive!

He has forgiven me much more than I even realize.

He has saved me from eternity without Him.

He has made a way for a daily, personal relationship with him that is not based on my performance or actions.

He loves me unconditionally – forever.

He has provided peace in the midst of trouble and strength in exhaustion.

He never changes!

Now THAT is glad tidings!

Running After Papa…

Purposing

Galatians 1:10 (NLT) “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

Quick hit today.  Paul makes a pretty bold statement that – when I really let it sink in – has affected me in a much greater way.

“If I were worried about pleasing people – I wouldn’t be serving Christ!”

This tells me that “the approval of man” and “serving Christ” are mutually exclusive.  There is no cross over, gray area, or bleeding between the two. So I struggle with why then, in serving Christ, I (we) sometimes get the approval of man.  As I asked the Lord about it, He showed me that its because He loves people so much and often times those things I do in serving him, bless other people.  The important delineation is the motive behind what I do.  Why am I doing “ABC”; is it out of devotion and service to Christ – regardless of the accolades (or condemnation) I could receive from other people? Or is it in order to gain some accolade under the guise of “serving Christ”; to fill and satisfy my own selfish pride? It is something that cannot be seen or judged from the outside.  Motives rarely can.  It’s a total matter of the heart – as are most things concerning us and the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NLT) 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards,according to what their actions deserve

It is also has become obvious that “serving Christ” or “man’s approval” not “an event” or exercise.  Serving Christ or receiving men’s approval is a mindset, a lifestyle, an attitude of the heart, mind, will, and emotion.  It is what I purpose myself to do.  It encompasses my whole being, not just one part of me.  This is why salvation isn’t just a feeling, or a just a decision.  Salvation is complete surrender of everything I am to the lordship and control of Jesus Christ – my mind, my will, my emotions, my desires, my rights, and the list goes on in perpetuity – each item prefaced with the word “my”.

Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Running After Papa…

Keep the fire burning

Lev 6:12-13 v13 “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.“

The LORD makes it clear in Leviticus 6 that the fire on the altar is to continually be burning; it is never to go out. What does that mean for me as the priest of my house?

What does the fire represent? In my last post, “What a bloody mess!” I shared about how flippant and casual I know I’ve personally (and I believe the church as a whole has) taken confession and repentance.

With that thought as the backdrop, the question then becomes,”Is my (figurative) house such a place that confession and repentance is not only received, but encouraged and embraced?”

Am I leading my family to understand the holiness of God, the sanctity of confession to LORD, and the healing offered according to James 5:16 (“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed…“)? Does the characteristic of my house invite sincere, deliberate, repentance?

Lord, teach me how to keep the fire lit on the altar. Show me how to be your priest in my household.

Running After Papa…

Seriously?

If you read my blog, you know that I write to this blogsite to share the Word of God and what I’ve been reading. However, I’ve read something recently that I feel I need to post, and this seems like the right media for it. Bear with me on this post and I’ll get back to posting my regular topics soon….

Everyone should read this and pay close attention… I am in amazement that this is even being proposed and believed to be a “good” thing by anyone here in the US. I’ve listed a couple of links for finding/writing your senators and congressmen, should you feel so inclined…

To find your senator, click here.

To find your congressmen, click here.

This is a letter that an Indianapolis doctor’s letter to Sen. Bayh about the proposed Health Care reform Bill. It’s a pretty detailed dissection of the proposed legislation our current administration is trying to get through congress.

(Note: Dr. Stephen E. Fraser, MD practices as an anesthesiologist in Indianapolis , IN ) Here is a letter I sent to Senator Bayh. Feel free to copy it and send it around to all other representatives. — Stephen Fraser

July 23, 2009

Senator Bayh,

As a practicing physician I have major concerns with the health care bill before Congress. I actually have read the bill and am shocked by the brazenness of the government’s proposed involvement in the patient-physician relationship. The very idea that the government will dictate and ration patient care is dangerous and certainly not helpful in designing a health care system that works for all. Every physician I work with agrees that we need to fix our health care system, but the proposed bills currently making their way through congress will be a disaster if passed.

I ask you respectfully and as a patriotic American to look at the following troubling lines that I have read in the bill. You cannot possibly believe that these proposals are in the best interests of the country and our fellow citizens.

Page 22 of the HC Bill: Mandates that the Govt will audit books of all employers that self-insure!!

Page 30 Sec 123 of HC bill: THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Page 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill: YOUR HEALTH CARE IS RATIONED!!!

Page 42 of HC Bill: The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC benefits for you. You have no choice!

Page 50 Section 152 in HC bill: HC will be provided to ALL non-US citizens, illegal or otherwise.

Page 58 HC Bill: Govt will have real-time access to individuals’ finances & a ‘National ID Health card’ will be issued!

Page 59 HC Bill lines 21-24: Govt will have direct access to your bank accounts for elective funds transfer.

Page 65 Sec 164: Is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions & community organizations: (ACORN).

Page 84 Sec 203 HC bill: Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the ‘Exchange.’

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans — The Govt will ration your health care!

Page 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill: Govt mandates linguistic appropriate services. (Translation: illegal aliens.)

Page 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18: The Govt will use groups (i.e. ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt HC plan.

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. (AARP members – your health care WILL be rationed!)

Page 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill: Medicaid eligible individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. (No choice.)

Page 12 4 lines 24-25 HC: No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No judicial review” against Govt monopoly.

Page 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill: Doctors/ American Medical Association – The Govt will tell YOU what salary you can make.

Page 145 Line 15-17: An Employer MUST auto-enroll employees into public option plan. (NO choice!)

Page 126 Lines 22-25: Employers MUST pay for HC for part-time employees AND their families. (Employees shouldn’t get excited about this as employers will be forced to reduce its work force, benefits, and wages/salaries to cover such a huge expense.)

Page 149 Lines 16-24: ANY Employer with payroll 401k & above who does not provide public option will pay 8% tax on all payroll! (See the last comment in parenthesis.)

Page 150 Lines 9-13: A business with payroll between $251K & $401K who doesn’t provide public option will pay 2-6% tax on all payroll.

Page 167 Lines 18-23: ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC according to Govt will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Page 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill: Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay.)

Page 195 HC Bill: Officers & employees of the GOVT HC Admin.. will have access to ALL Americans’ finances and personal records.

Page 203 Line 14-15 HC: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” (Yes, it really says that!)

Page 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill: Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid Seniors. (Low-income and the poor are affected.)

Page 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill: Doctors: It doesn’t matter what specialty you have trained yourself in — you will all be paid the same! (Just TRY to tell me that’s not Socialism!)

Page 253 Line 10-18: The Govt sets the value of a doctor’s time, profession, judgment, etc. (Literally– the value of humans.)

Page 265 Sec 1131: The Govt mandates and controls productivity for “private” HC industries.

Page 268 Sec 1141: The federal Govt regulates the rental and purchase of power driven wheelchairs.

Page 272 SEC. 1145: TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS – Cancer patients – welcome to rationing!

Page 280 Sec 1151: The Govt will penalize hospitals for whatever the Govt deems preventable (i.e…re-admissions).

Page 298 Lines 9-11: Doctors: If you treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission — the Govt will penalize you.

Page 317 L 13-20: PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. (The Govt tells doctors what and how much they can own!)

Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3: PROHIBITION on expansion. (The Govt is mandating that hospitals cannot expand.)

Page 321 2-13: Hospitals have the opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required. (Can you say ACORN?)

Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339: The Govt mandates establishment of=2 outcome-based measures. (HC the way they want — rationing.)

Page 341 Lines 3-9: The Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc. (Forcing people into the Govt plan)

Page 354 Sec 1177: The Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of ‘special needs people!’ Unbelievable!

Page 379 Sec 1191: The Govt creates more bureaucracy via a “Tele-Health Advisory Committee.” (Can you say HC by phone?)

Page 425 Lines 4-12: The Govt mandates “Advance-Care Planning Consult.” (Think senior citizens end-of-life patients.)

Page 425 Lines 17-19: The Govt will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. (And it’s mandatory!)

Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: The Govt provides an “approved” list of end-of-life resources; & nbsp;guiding you in death.. (Also called ‘assisted suicide.’)

Page 427 Lines 15-24: The Govt mandates a program for orders on “end-of-life.” (The Govt has a say in how your life ends!)

Page 429 Lines 1-9: An “advanced-care planning consultant” will be used frequently as a patient’s health deteriorates.

Page 429 Lines 10-12: An “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. (AN ORDER TO DIE FROM THE GOVERNMENT?!?)

Page 429 Lines 13-25: The GOVT will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order. (I wouldn’t want to stand before God after getting paid for THAT job!)

Page 430 Lines 11-15: The Govt will decide what level of treatment you will have at end-of-life! (Again — no choice!)

Page 469: Community-Based Home Medical Services = Non-Profit Organizations. (Hello? ACORN Medical Services here!?!)

Page 489 Sec 1308: The Govt will cover marriage and family therapy. (Which means Govt will insert itself into your marriage.)

Page 494-498: Govt will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, and rationing those services.

Senator, I guarantee that I personally will do everything possible to inform patients and my fellow physicians about the dangers of the proposed bills you and your colleagues are debating.

Furthermore, if you vote for a bill that enforces socialized medicine on the country and destroys the doctor-patient relationship, I will do everything in my power to make sure you lose your job in the next election.

Respectfully,

Stephen E. Fraser, MD

… Running After Papa

Anger

12 In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, O Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Is 12:1-6). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

I’m reading through the book of James with another group of men in preparation for a Quest next week, but this morning, before I read my chapter in James, Papa had me turn to Isaiah 12.  I like this passage a lot!  As a songwriter, I think it would be a great worship song and am working on it!  But that’s not the direction Papa took me this morning.  I got really hung up in verse 1.

I have an NIV/The Message parallel Bible that lets me view the passages side by side and here is verse 1 in The Message version.

12 And you will say in that day,
“I thank you, God.
You were angry
but your anger wasn’t forever.
You withdrew your anger
and moved in and comforted me.
Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Is 12:1). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.

The last line is what caught my eye.  “You withdrew your anger and moved in and comforted me.”

God has modeled the process for anger.  He has modeled forgiveness – even outside of the gospel of Christ.  Anger is active.  Forgiveness active.

First off, Isaiah says that God’s anger wasn’t forever.  God made a decision that the anger wasn’t eternal (Thank you Lord!) and that he was choosing to forgive.  That’s the first step is the decision.

“…withdrew your anger…” – this is an active verb – to withdraw means “to take back or away”; “to remove from use”; “to remove from a place of deposit”

This implies that we put our anger somewhere; we deposit it and keep it in some place of use.  Where is that place?

24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25 lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Pr 22:24-25). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Proverbs 22:24-25 says “…lest you learn his ways…”  Our soul is made up of three parts: the mind, the will, and the emotions.  Anger is an emotion. That place we deposit anger is in the soul, it only makes sense that we process it from there (decision to release the anger – to withdraw the anger – actively)

What is anger all about?

  • Why do I get angry? Why am I angry?
  • Who am I angry at?
  • What am I angry about?
  • How long have I been angry?  How long do I plan to stay angry?

When I begin to process these questions, I find that the MAJORITY of the time, my anger is about me and something in my life not going the way I think it should – rightly or not rightly so.  I get angry because someone, some thing, or some something steps on, inhibits, refuses, hinders or ignores my rights, my feelings, my opportunities, my character or whatever.

There are cases of righteous anger (see John 2:13-17 when Jesus cleared the temple of the corruption in his Father’s house) and while they are righteous, they still cannot last forever.  Righteous anger needs to be processed as well.

But for the non-righteous anger – which for me is the majority of the anger I deal with – God follows the pattern of Is 12:1.

After God decides to withdraw his anger, the next part of the verse says “…you [God] moved in and comforted me…”

Is this not exactly the Gospel message?  God moved in – he became flesh and moved to earth to be crucified, buried and resurrected so that he could restore us to right relationship with God the Father (John 3:16).  God comforts us – He  is the God of Comfort (2 Cor 1:3-7)

Obviously, this could become a very long post, so for the sake of brevity, ask yourself the questions above.  Ask Papa if you’re harboring any anger and how to actively decide and withdraw your anger.  Ask Him what it looks like to move in and comfort the one you are angry at.

The book of James says if we lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask and He’ll give it freely (James 1:5-6).

Running After Papa…

Adam and Eve and the Bride of Christ

God warned us this was going to happen!  (First half of this thought is here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-25068-Fort-Worth-Christian-Examiner~y2009m10d8-Adam-and-Eve-and-the-Bride-of-Christ)

God said that the woman’s (implied wife) desire would be to control her husband.  That’s a frightening thought to think that I (we, the Big-C Church) have not only desired to control our husband (Christ) but many have made an all out attempt for a mutiny!  God help us.

Where has it led us?  To exactly the lives, lifestyles, and statistics as those who are not part of the church.  In very few instances is the church making any social impact.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing churches out there.

But here’s the deal.  God did not send Jesus to die for us so that we could be collected together in a building once or twice a week and systematically programmed to respond to musical styles, oratory excellence, or really-hip and relevant talks.

The Acts 2 church impacted the society around it just by LIVING LIFE IN THE SPIRIT.  They were still going to the synagogues and services that existed before Christ came… so it wasn’t about the church building or the service! (See Acts 2:46)

No… church isn’t about buildings – although they have their place; isn’t about programs – although they can serve a purpose; isn’t about services – although they can certainly help…  I’m not even sure when I say “church” that I have a correct picture in my head of what it really is….  This may take some mulling on….

Running After Papa…

New Worship Song!

Vote for your favorite version:

Hi kiddos… I’ve written basically the same song, but two different versions.  Please listen and imagine yourself singing it at church and tell me which one is your favorite and the one you would want to sing at your church.  Thanks for your help!

All words & music written by Bryan Shoemaker (c) 2009

[wpaudio url=”http://3.148.167.37/Declaration.mp3″ text=”Bryan Shoemaker – Declaration”]

[wpaudio url=”http://3.148.167.37/YouAreWorthy.mp3″ text=”Bryan Shoemaker – You Are Worthy”]

Take the Poll!

[polldaddy poll=”2051479″]

What is “The Church?”

I’ve begun writing for the online news magazine… The Examiner as the “Fort Worth Christian Examiner”.  This is my first “article” and post. You can see it here.

I invite you to follow me on my new journey with a little more commercial feel, but know that I’ll still be writing here and sharing what God’s showing and teaching me in the same style I’ve been writing in.

The next few posts on “The Examiner” will discuss the church and various aspects of it and how it compares to the early church of Acts 2.  It should be an interesting set of posts.

As always, I’d love to hear your feedback – please feel free to leave your comments on this website and/or The Examiner website.

Tell a friend or two and let’s see if we can boost the readership of “The Examiner”.

Running After Papa…

Faith: What is it?

Yesterday I explored how faith affects those outside of the one who has it.  So what is it?  What is faith?

Since the majority of the occurrences of the word “faith” in the New King James translation of the Bible are found in the New Testament, I looked up the word in the Greek.  The Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek defines faith as:

πίστις (pistis)1. what can be believed, a state of certainty with regard to belief (Ac 17:31); 2. trust, believe to a complete trust (Mk 11:22; Ac 24:24; Eph 4:29 v.r.); 3. trustworthiness, the state of complete dependability (Ro 3:3); 4. Christian faith, belief in the Gospel (Ro 1:8; Eph 2:8; Gal 1:23; Jude 3); 5. doctrine, the content of what is to be believed (Gal 1:23; Jude 3), for another interp, see prior; 6. promise, pledge to be faithful (1Ti 5:12)

From those definitions… “a state of certainty with regard to belief; believe to a complete trust; the state of complete dependability.”  In a previous post, I discuss how it is that our mind is to our belief and faith.  (Faith & Doubt: Read it here.) In this post, I want to build on yesterday’s post and the earlier post to explore “what” it is.

”3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:3-9 NKJV)

Faith is the beginning. It is “a state of certainty with regard to” who God is; who Jesus is; who Holy Spirit is; what each is able to do.  Faith is the beginning.  This is why Peter starts with faith.  Without faith, there is nothing to build on.  We cannot have virtue (excellence), knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love if we don’t start with faith.

Faith inspires God to move on our behalf. In the gospels, 9 of the 11 times Jesus said “your faith” (as NKJV translates is) it was the reason he moved in the lives of others whether he was healing the sick, saving a soul, or giving sight to the blind.

Faith moves others to action. There are dozens and dozens of references in the rest of the New Testament that tell how “your faith” comforts, grows, is tested, is genuine, is received, glorifies God, builds others faith, etc.   As we saw yesterday, it affects others.

Running After Papa…