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Was Jesus a Warrior or Wimp? |
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I have been studying the New Testament for the past few days and this is the question I asked myself, and if you read the Book of Mark and Matthew I think you will come to the same conclusion as me. Many people picture Jesus Christ as sitting with lambs and doting over children. His message is filled with ideas about love and acceptance of strangers. These are not bad ideas and do represent the core of his teachings. Yet, there is part of Jesus that is often overlooked in today's "free love" and "politically correct" society. He was a tough guy who wasn't afraid to speak his mind or face danger. Not much is known about his first thirty years. What is known is that he lived a hard life filled with much hard labor. This means he would have worked with heavy materials without the help of today’s machines. The Bible says he was a carpenter and some question the original Greek word used for the word "carpenter" and believe he was more like a general laborer. That still doesn't take away from the fact he would have lived a hard life. Physically he wouldn't be the thin waif often pictured in artwork through the centuries. He could also be fearless and brash. Walking on water is used to express the idea of doing the impossible. Yet, an even greater miracle is the calming of the stormy sea during a fishing trip. The manly apostles worried that the ship was going to be swallowed up by the waves. Jesus, on the other hand, stood up to nature's rage. The waters and winds became calm and they were able to safely return to land. Love might be his principle characteristic, but he could be mean when he felt justified. A woman acknowledged the humble position of her Greek heritage in the scheme of Covenant history and begged mercy. Jesus took pity on the woman and healed one of her relatives from a distance. The lesson was to be tough, but be prepared to show compassion to those who are not offended by what you see as your mission in life. On the other hand, he showed no compassion for a small fig tree that didn't bear fruit. It was shriveled to nothing. Some, who see Jesus as simply a harmless kitten, believe this is uncharacteristic of Jesus and probably didn't happen. Yet, the lesson was clear. Israel of that generation as the fig tree was ready to be destroyed. Not a very nice and loving idea. Among the strongest pictures of Jesus were his last days on Earth as a mortal. This was best portrayed in the movie "Passion of the Christ," even if it went beyond what it probably was like. Still, with even half of that as true it would have been nearly unbearable. He was tortured, mocked, and eventually nailed to a cross and hardly spoke. The two times he came off as "wimpy" was asking his Father for a different way and crying to his Father that he was abandoned. Yet, he let go of his doubts and finished the greatest sacrifice of time and eternity. The sacrifice of the Atonement allowed Jesus the Christ to overcame Death and Hell; no tasks for the faint of heart. John's vision of the Heavenly Jesus was hardly the feminine flower of a smiling man. We read in The Book of Revelations19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” It might be hard to know what to do with such a picture in our day when peace, love, and acceptance are the only aspects of Jesus most people consider. What can be learned is that strength, courage, and boldness are as important as compassion and charity. At times they go hand in hand when faced with the cruelty and evil of the World around us. Lets remember the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a moment of strength and courage and not fear or weakness. Too often we act like our faith is more like a small red rose than a mighty oak .
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Who Gets To Go To Heaven? |
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We read in Acts Chapter 10 how Peter was on his roof praying and was hungry; when he was ready to leave and eat he had a vision. In this vision he saw a great sheet lower from the heavens, and on this sheet was many four legged beasts and other creatures. And a voice from Heaven said, “Peter kill and eat,” but Peter said no I can not. I have never eaten anything that is unclean. The voice from heaven said, "What has God made that is unclean?" About this time three men were looking for Peter; they were sent by Cornelius, a Roman. The men told Peter how there master had a vision, and they were told to find him and bring him to their mater. So that their master could hear Peter speak of the Lord. Peter went with them, and on his way he thought about his own vision, what did I mean? When Peter met with Cornelius he saw he was a just man who feared God, and as he spoke to them of the Lord. The Holy Spirit fell on all those who listened, and they knew it to be true. When Peter returned home and told his friends about the meeting they were upset. It was against there Laws to eat with the Gentiles. Peter told them of his vision, how God had sent down the animals for him to eat and had said, “What have I made that is not clean?” His friends didn’t understand, but as Peter said “all things that God has made are clean”. All people can have the promise of everlasting life if they believe and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ. We learn from this story that no matter who you are or where you are from, you are a child of God. If you want the truth all you have to do is seek it. Its not only the Jews who can go to heaven, nor is it the Muslims, or the Christians. It's everyone who believes in Jesus and lives in His Way and obeys His Word. God bless you all. |
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What Is A Sin? |
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We all know the Ten Commandments, but are they the only sins we can’t do? We read in the Bible how drinking is bad. It is, if you can’t keep it in perspective! What I’m saying is, its ok to have a cold beer at the end of a long day; its ok to have a glass of wine with your supper. So why is drinking called a sin? It’s when you drink too much or when you can’t handle alcohol. That’s what God meant when he said he admires a drinker, but hates a drunk. We know from life that to much of anything isn’t good. When you drink too much or can’t handle your drink, it makes you do and say things you wouldn’t normally do. That is the sin. If we can keep it in perspective, drinking can help in some ways. It helps you relax and cleans toxins from your blood, liver and kidneys - if you don’t drink too much. With that said, What about sex? Without sex we wouldn’t be here today. We all know this. So how can sex be a sin? Its simple, it’s the emotions involved. We view sex as love, not just reproducing. When you sleep with someone you are sharing yourself with that person, if you have sex with someone you don’t love how you know they feel the same way. If that person is in love with you and they show it by sleeping with you it can cause lots of problems when they find out you don’t love them, that’s the sin. For the same reason adultery is one of the commandments. When you cheat on your spouse with someone you don’t love, what are you telling your spouse? That you don’t love them, that you don’t care about their feelings, or that you only care about what you want? All of these feelings can lead to jealousy, one of the most dangerous emotions. We can read in the Bible what jealousy can lead to. In the book of Genesis we read the story of Cane and Able, how one was driven to murder out of jealousy. We can read how Abraham’s wife became jealous of his concubine and ran her off, and above all, how Satan is jealous of Gods power. I’m not saying drinking and sex are the only sins other than the ten commandments, its just there the most dangerous. We need to keep it all in perspective. If you want to drink do so, just don’t over do it? If your going to have sex be careful doesn’t let you emotions get the best of you. Know what both you and your partner expect to come of it, if you don’t agree, don’t do it. It may feel right then, but it can lead to evil later. Just remember Satan will eat you alive if you allow him to, and jealousy is one of his favorite sins. God Bless. |
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