Studying the Word of God

God's Word is written in concentric circles with layers upon layers of meaning. This is why we study His Word, for each time we read a passage, more will be revealed.

"So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it." They said to him, "Where will you have us prepare it?" He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house which he enters, and tell the householder, 'The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready." And they went, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover." Luke 22:8-12 RSV

The outer circle of this passage appears pretty direct. Jesus charges Peter and John to prepare the Passover feast and he gives clear instructions on where and how they are to prepare the feast. Now let us look at the message drawn in the inner circles.

Peter and John were entrusted with preparing the Passover feast for the other disciples. Again we see the idea of leadership by servitude. We also see that each of us is charged with preparing the Way for all people to the final feast - or evangelism.

Jesus foretells that the Holy Spirit (the man with water jar) will guide the disciples to the room (places in Jerusalem, Judea and around the world) where they will prepare the Passover feast (the Kingdom of God).

For just as the blood of the Passover Lamb painted on the lintel of each home caused the Angel of Death to pass over, the blood of Jesus on our hearts will keep us from the eternal death earned by sin.

A Struggle Won by Submission

In the previous post, I outlined some of the differences between the three major religions of the world, but the main difference between these religions is Jesus, the Son of God. Judaism does acknowledge a 'coming Messiah' and Islam awaits a coming Inman, but it is only Christianity that acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God.

The term 'Son of God' appears at least forty times in the four Gospels of the Bible, however it is curious that Jesus never refers to himself as the Son of God. The first to proclaim this title was Satan; for he not only recognized the personage of Jesus, but wondered why that personage was walking the earth in a human body. Other references to the 'Son of God' were all made by men; his apostles and disciples. The term 'Son of God' acknowledges his Father.

Seventy-eight times Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man in the four gospels. I wondered why and found the answer in Genesis.

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1-5 RSV

The 'rift' between God and man started there in the Garden, and as the rift between God and Lucifer began as pride, so too, the rift between woman and God began as pride.

When Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man (which he was) instead of the Son of God (and he also was), he was acknowledging his relationship with his mother - not the Father. By doing this, Jesus came to reconcile woman's sin of pride by submitting himself to a woman. Think of it - God submitted himself to a woman by conception, birth and the nurturing/discipline of a mother. By showing God's final and most perfect creation - woman - that leadership is obtained through service to others, he reconciled all of mankind to God.

Judaism, Islam or Christianity?

There is a spiritual battle raging all around us. The physical manifestations of this battle can be read in every newspaper, heard on every radio and seen on every television around the world. When our leaders tell us we are "at war", they speak volumes, but the prize is not oil, land or an ideology. The prize is the soul of the Earth.

At the battle lines are three religions so closely related, and yet their differences create a chasm between God and man and hatred between men. The chasm and hatred were planned in the War Room of our greatest adversary. We cannot see this adversary, but believe that his soldiers are ever present, and although they escape our consciousness, they are close by influencing every person alive today. Their goal is simple, they want your soul.

There are three religions proclaiming that they can ransom your soul from this enemy. Let us examine each:

Judaism - This religion proclaims that the Torah and the Talmud was given by God to the Jews. It is an exclusive club, for only the Jews are the chosen people. The five books of Moses and the oral Torah are the way to God's promise of salvation. These books are studied and expanded by interpretation by the Rabbi and adherence to the law is required. Admission to this religion is largely based on heritage, and although converts are accepted, they are not sought out.

Islam - This religion also claims the right to the five books of Moses, but it is the Koran that is studied and followed. Muslims believe that they have the one true book of law from God and that salvation is obtained by strict adherence to this law. They believe that the book itself is sacred and must be treated as a sacred object. Admission to this religion is based on choice, but can also be imposed by force.

Christianity - This religion incorporates the five books of Moses and the books of the prophets into their doctrine. Added to this are the teachings of Jesus, believed to be the Son of God, or God made man. As the Jews believed that there must be an unblemished sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, Christians believe that Jesus provided the last sacrifice required for salvation and entry into paradise. This religion is open to all people and is based on the grace of God. Converts are accepted on their choice to believe that Jesus died for their sins.

What we know: Satan was created by God. Satan rebelled against God and was cast down to Earth. God created man and placed him in the Garden to live in communion with Him. When man rebelled against God, he too was cast out into the Earth. When God cast out man, he promised to provide a way for repentance, salvation and admission back into paradise.

The Question: Do we choose to seek salvation by our own hand or by the hand of God? The choice is yours; the results everlasting.

Who Does the World Hate?

If God is good and Satan is evil, then it only takes a quick perusal of today's headlines to confirm that Satan is in charge of the world. The world is Satan's dominion, and this is confirmed in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus retires to the wilderness for forty days and nights to fast and pray in preparation for his ministry. It is when Jesus is at his weakest that Satan comes to tempt him.

"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Matthew 4:8 RSV

Satan knew Jesus, and he knew that Jesus had come to earth to ransom humankind. He may not have known the plan of that salvation, but he knew that if he could persuade Jesus to do it his way instead of God's way, he could foil God's plan. So, Satan offered to 'give up' the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would bow to him. Satan could not have made this offer viable if he did not already own the kingdoms of the world.

So, I ask again, "Who does the world hate?" Why is this question so important? Because what the world hates either belongs to God or is one of God's tools. Let us look at the list.

Children - historically, children have been perceived as the weakest among humankind. They require care and nurturing for a long time, they carry a responsibility for their creation and because they can be easily ignored with little consequence, they are easily used and abused. It is no wonder that they are easily discarded even from the point of conception; for who will speak for them? "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10 RSV

Women - throughout the ages, women have been considered inferior to men. Even today, in nearly half of the cultures, women are considered chattel - to be dominated and owned by their fathers and husbands. If there is one area that Satan can obtain a foothold in the church, it is through the subjugation of women. This was not the way Jesus perceived woman - nor how God created women.

Eve was God's last creation - his final triumph. She was not created from the dirt of the earth, but rather from flesh and bone.

Also, Jesus choose his female disciples as the first witnesses to his resurrection. They were the first to proclaim God's plan of salvation through the belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Even the apostle Paul gave honor and credence to women of the church. "Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. " Acts 17:12 RSV

Jews - I have always wondered at the world's unsubstantiated hatred of the Hebrew nation. This group, more than any other, has been maligned throughout history. Their only offense, that I can see, is that they keep themselves separate from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, by keeping themselves separate in an effort to remain anonymous, they are pushed to the forefront of prejudice and hatred. Christians and Muslims alike have tried to annihilate this group of people. Their lands and homes have been confiscated; their children taken from them and baptized Catholic, and still they have endured.

God does not change. When he said that the Jews are his chosen people, he means it still. "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." Genesis 12:2-3 RSV

"And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me; for he who is least among you all is the one who is great." Luke 9:46-48 RSV

The Bookkeeping of Evangelism

We love to count and measure our performance. At home we carry lists - either on paper or tucked into the back of our mind for the tasks we intend to complete. At the office, everything is calculated and recalculated to determine the success or failure of an employee, product line, or the entire organization. Yes, humans love to count and I would venture that even as Adam was naming the animals in the Garden - he kept count.

But, when does counting cross over the line into sin?

We are all charged to evangelize the world in the name of Jesus. Jesus used many parables to describe this evangelism, but my favorite is the farmer 'broadcasting' seed across his field. Some seed fell on rocky soil. Some seed was snatched away by the birds and some grew among the weeds. But, the good seed germinated, grew and blossomed.

When we broadcast seed to create a lawn, do we count the seed before it is thrown down? When the seed germinates and starts to grow, do we crawl over it with a calculator to count the blades of grass? No. Then why do we feel the need to count those who have come to God?

In the thirty plus years of sharing my faith, I seldom saw the fruits of this labor. I believe this was no accident; it was God's design lest I become prideful in my own eyes. Evangelism is seldom started and completed by the same person. One person will plant the seed, another will water the seed and still another will provide the light or sunshine to allow that seed to grow.
Yet, even this is still too simplistic explanation for there is another force that is required - The Holy Spirit.

Every seed needs the Holy Spirit to germinate and grow. This Spirit does the real work of evangelism, and we are merely the helpmates. By planting and then praying over the seed we provide what God has instructed, but it is the Spirit of the Lord, through conviction, realization and then acceptance, that finally brings forth the birth of a new Christian.

"So the king said to Jo'ab and the commanders of the army, who were with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people." But Jo'ab said to the king, "May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?" 2 Samuel 24:2-3 RSV