Quick Hello

I did not intend to be away from blogging for almost two weeks but it's been very busy.

This past weekend was my church's Christmas banquet and play. A fellow teacher of mine was in charge of the play along with myself and we were pretty busy last week preparing for it.

It was a lot of work, a lot of fun, and a lot of learning.

My favourite part of working on the play was getting to know everyone I was working with- particularly my Sunday School students and my fellow teacher.

As someone who seeks the Lord and tries to yield to His will, it's easy to say that I love everyone.

This past few months of working on the play has opened my eyes to a few things as well as given me a special love for my students and a strong appreciation for their parents.

Anyways, this is just a short hello so that you know I'll still be posting, albeit when it slows down.

My mind is too full of things I need to do to be able to process and complete a post here. I still have to clean up after my busy weekend.

I hope the season is going well for you so far!

Work of the Word

The two Sunday School classes I've taught are as different from each other as night is from day.

The first class I ever taught were children from a poorer neighborhood, their parents did not come to church, and none of them had fathers that were actively involved in their lives.

All the students in my current class were born into christian homes, they all have two parents that bring them to church, and they are all home schooled.

The differences are very apparent and it makes me laugh sometimes but I can say this for all of them: they're all sweet and inquisitive. 

To be honest, I never know if the children I teach are learning anything. I can ask them questions about what they learned in previous weeks but head knowledge isn't what I'm going for. I want them to learn about God in a way that applies to their daily lives.

I don't believe that Sunday School and church is there to entertain us. We can fellowship at a hockey game or have a gym night- those things are meant to be fun and entertaining. The main reason we come together on Sundays is to be fed from the Word by teaching and preaching.

God teaches me a lot through the children He's given me to teach and He put it in my heart to share one of the more recent lessons here on the blog.

I came across a sermon by one of my favourite preachers online and as I listened to it I realized I had heard it before.

The funny thing was that when I first heard this sermon a few years ago it was particularly earth shattering to me; this second time, while the force and heaviness of the message was in no wise diminished, I heard it as one who knew those things by experience.

In other words, I had learned the principles he was teaching in my own life and come to the same conclusions.

This made me very happy because I realized all the sermons I listen to are not in vain. My human self may not retain all the information but the Spirit uses those messages to bring about Spiritual growth.

I listened to a few of the other sermons that followed the initial sermon I listened to, I had listened to them before as well, and I realized that they were the ones that had turned me on to my problem with covetousness.

Frankly I didn't remember those sermons at all but since I'd first listened to them I have been sensitive to covetousness and careful not to commit it. The way I deal with people, how I look at myself, and what I do has all be affected by those sermons and I didn't even remember them.

God pointed these things out to me and a wave of relief washed over me.

I realized then and there that it is not my job to create memorable, exciting, dynamic lessons for my students. While I'm not going to bore them to death and make my classes tedious, I don't need to feel any pressure to 'entertain' the children just to keep them engaged.

God has made it very clear many times that it is given to me to diligently teach the Word. (Yes, this is where that post on the diligence of David came from last week)

I ask the children questions, they get the chance to give personal examples of what we're talking about, we play a review game at the end of class and I make the lessons applicable to their daily lives.

I don't read the lesson out of a man written book, I read the account from the Bible and use lots of scripture to emphasize the point.

We recently finished Solomon and the point of Solomon was the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In every lesson I emphasized that and gave different examples each week depending on what part of his life we were talking about. 

I love these children and I pray for them, I pray over each lesson, I pray for their parents, and their other teachers. I have to remember, though, that what they take away from the lesson is up to them.

I can't control wether they listen or not, I can't make them learn anything, and I cannot turn their hearts toward the Lord. All I have to do is give them what God gave me and let His Spirit do a work in their lives.

Growing up in a christian home I was exposed to movies, TV shows, books, and things outside of church that taught me biblical principles.

I was always very conscious about lying, stealing, violence and things like that because I had been exposed to a multitude of sources that taught me those things are wrong.

Funnily enough, I did not realize the influence christian cartoons, story books, and movies had on me until recently. While I don't remember everything I saw or heard, they still had an effect on me.

Train up a child in the way he should

go: and when he is old, he will not depart

from it.

Proverbs 22:6

We've taught our son to pray by praying before every meal, before we go out, and before bed. One of the first words he ever could say was 'Bible' because every morning I'd get my Bible out (not on my ipad or phone!) and read Proverbs to him.

He's been trained to know those things by consistency and repetition. 

He sees his parents praying, he sees pastor praying, he sees his teachers praying, he sees his grandparents praying, he sees his aunties and uncles praying, this helps teach him to pray.

If you are wondering why someone's morals are wacky, they probably weren't consistently exposed to good morals and they don't know better. Don't be angry at them for that, just be a blessing by being a good testimony and witnessing.

If a saved person's morals are wacky, let God work on them.

If they are newly saved, they don't know better, help when you can and pray for them.

So in conclusion, just put the Word in. If you're a parent or a teacher, just give them the Word, give them good doctrine, expose them to good influences, and pray unceasingly for them.

Be diligent to do these things and God will bless it.

Keep it to Yourself

Something God has been teaching me lately is to keep my preferences to myself.

I think that sometimes we can feel inadequate or just bad because someone else does something a certain way but we don't feel the need to.

Here is a small example:

99% of the clothes I buy are from a thrift store. If someone comes along and shows me their new Current Elliot jeans they bought brand new for $300, I should not feel bad that I don't buy new jeans no matter how much they cost, and I should not feel better than them for trying to be 'frugal'. The person who bought the jeans should not feel bad that they can spend $300 on jeans and they should not feel better than me for having such nice new clothes.

I was recently told by someone that she could not buy a bag because it cost less than a certain amount of money.

That's fine for her but I can't look at that and think badly of myself just because that's how she runs her life.

Maybe everyone knows this and I'm just coming around.

I'd always felt a need to make bread for my home. Finally I was able to get sourdough starter and I'm satisfied that I'm doing right by my family.

I can't look at someone who does not make their own bread and think poorly of them for it; neither should they look at me and feel bad that they are not inclined to make their own bread.

This goes for everything- new/used clothes, wearing dresses/skirts exclusively or not, making everything from scratch or buying frozen food, eating healthy or unhealthy, buying organic or not caring, exercising or not, home school or public, Starbucks or other coffee shops, the list is endless.

So just a small word of advice here: keep your rules to yourself.

The things you require of yourself and your family, keep them to yourself and your family.

There would be a lot less division, hurt feelings, and disputes in churches if we all learned that we can't apply our personal convictions to everyone else.

When I'm in a mood...

Lately I've been in a very off mood: I've been annoyed at everyone, I don't want to do anything (especially the things I normally love doing), and I really hate it when someone touches me- even my son.
I haven't been able to pin point what the root cause of it is and I haven't been able to shake it off.
I do know that it's just my flesh rearing its ugly head and trying to cause me to fall.

Something I heard long ago from Dilbert Terry and my own pastor recently said something similar is this- Christians ought to live by principle rather than feeling.

In times like these it's very easy to give your flesh free course. I feel really angry, uncomfortable, I don't want to deal with anyone, I don't want to do anything, I don't want to go anywhere, and because of all that I can feel justified in the flesh for doing things that make my flesh 'feel good'. For instance:
Maybe I don't take my anger out on people but I just sit in front of the TV most of the day, or sleep in and laze around, or even stare at my phone reading articles all day.
I may not take my anger out on anyone but I am still feeding my flesh by making myself 'feel good'.

To help myself live by principle rather than feeling there are a few things I try to do:

Read my bible A LOT. Jesus said this:

Now ye are clean through the word which

I have spoken unto you.

John 15:3

The Holy Spirit wrote this:

Husbands, love your wives, even as

Christ also loved the church, and gave 

himself for it;

that he might sanctify and cleanse it

with the washing of water by the word

Ephesians 5:25&26

Reading the bible makes you clean. When our flesh is particularly strong you have to weaken it by strengthening the inner man. The inner man is strengthened the same way your physical body is strengthened: food. 

And Jesus answered him, saying, it is

written, that man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word of God.

Luke 4:4

I've been reading through 2 Samuel and moving on to 1 Kings. I love the accounts written there. There is always something new to learn. For the particular mood I'm in it helps to read something I can easily pay attention to so it helps to read the books that have more action in them. I read more that way too because the accounts are so engaging.

Reading the bible also keeps the lines of communication open. I may not feel like reading the bible and I may not feel like praying but God is still talking to me and teaching me from His Word. 

Pray.

Get everything off your chest and give all problems to God.

Get up early.

This may not have any affect on you but it surely does on me. Forcing myself out of bed early in the morning makes a big difference in my day.

The only reason I get up early is to do my devotions. If I decide to sleep in my flesh has won for the day.

Getting up to do my devotions shows my flesh I will not be controlled by it, I will be controlled by what is right and pleasing to God- spending quiet time alone with Him.

Don't give place to evil thoughts.

Something that happens when I'm in a bad mood is I begin to get angry at everyone for everything. My mind will bring up things I don't like about someone and the temptation is to keep those thought coming to make me feel better about myself.

The thought of foolishness is sin:

Proverbs 24:9b

Idle thoughts about people are foolish and they cause division.

Any time an evil thought about someone comes into my head I cast it out an apologize to the Lord. Allowing myself to think badly about someone will affect how I treat them and I do not want that. If they are wicked, God will deal with them, I don't have to.

My pastor says this a lot- keep short accounts with God.

Act on a matter of conviction right away. When God deals with you about something, confess/apologize/fix it right away no matter where you are.

Once you get it right then stay right. 

Walk close to the Lord.

Well that's all. I hope this helps you in some way. Yes, this odd mood I'm in has prevented me from writing. That and I've been busy- it's almost Christmas!

Have a good Wednesday!

Be Diligent

***This is completely separate from the post: Please pray for Davey and Weston Blackburn who just lost a wife and mother. She was shot by a burglar in their home. It's a terrible tragedy and they need your prayers. You can read the story here***

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One of the truest and easiest ways to show that you love someone is to value what they value.

Joseph's brothers did not love their father so they sold his favourite son into slavery. Later on in the story when Jacob's next favourite son Benjamin could have been taken away, his sons proved themselves and their love by sacrificing themselves to protect the one their father loved. 

If I want to show my husband that I love him I must value the things he values whether it be making sure the cats stay off the counter or being hospitable to his family when they stay over.

Our relationship with God is no different. 

The lesson plan I'm following in my bible class briefly covered David and his heart after God's. As a child I had no idea what that meant. I thought maybe David was a stickler for doing right and had lots of faith. 

Now that I'm an adult I've learned through study that David valued what God valued. 

In 1 Samuel 17 David is convincing Saul that he can defeat Goliath. In the course of his speech he tells Saul that he fought a lion and a bear in order to protect his father's flock. His job was to protect those sheep, so he protected them with his life. 

Before this ever convinced Saul of anything, it had a twofold effect in David's relationship with God.
It effected David's faith in God:

David said moreover, The Lord that

delivered me out of the paw of the lion,

and out of the paw of the bear, he will

deliver me out of the hand of this

Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go,

and the Lord be with thee.

1 Samuel 17:37

David had no problems going up against a 9ft 9in giant because he had already seen the deliverance of the Lord.

As David's faith in God was strengthened, God's trust in David was strengthened. 

I really think that Jesse, David's father, would have been disappointed but okay with losing a lamb to a lion and a bear. Better a lamb than the life of his son. God, however, used that situation to prove David and see what he would do- would he obey his father's instructions to KEEP the sheep or would he keep himself. David valued what his father valued and when no one else saw that, God did.
This was the difference between Saul and David: Saul was made king to fight Israel's battles whether it be against an army or against a giant. Instead, Saul cowered in his tent and tried to bribe others to do his job for him. Saul kept himself. David, as the servant of the Lord, did what the Lord wanted despite the circumstances and the enemy ahead. David valued the name of the Lord more than he valued himself. 

This explains why Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18 does this:

And Jonathan stripped himself of the

robe that was upon him, and gave it to

David, and his garments, even to his sword,

and to his bow, and to his girdle.

1 Samuel 18:3

Jonathan was the rightful heir to the kingdom. As great as Jonathan was he stood with his father in the tent as Goliath taunted them for 40 days. Jonathan, seeing David's actions, realized that this was the true leader, this was the true heir, this was the true king. As Jonathan gave his princely clothes and weapons to David he gave up his own place as heir and submitted to the Lord's will, that David would be king instead of him.

Back up to 1 Samuel 16 when Samuel is looking to anoint one of Jesse's seven sons. Except there are eight sons and no one bothered to call the youngest. 

This is the absolute first time David appears in scripture yet God's testimony of him is that he has a heart after God's own. 

This tells us one very important thing- David was diligent in his business. On the fields, day after day night after night, David watched and protected his father's sheep and when it was all quiet, David sang songs to the Lord.

David was about two things: obeying his father, and worshipping God.

Then answered one of the servants, and

said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the

Bethlemhemite, that is cunning in playing,

and a mighty valiant man, and a man of

war, and prudent in matters, and a comely

person, and the Lord is with him.

1 Samuel 16:18

David didn't promote himself, the Lord promoted him. David's reputation, even as a shepherd with no reputation in his own family, went before him because God says this:

Seest thou a man diligent in his

business? he shall stand before kings; he

shall not stand before mean men.

Proverbs 22:29

God blesses our obedience, diligence, and worship.

So David was diligent and faithful. 

Here is a young man, who when God came, was right where he was supposed to be. He never promoted himself or exalted himself. After playing his harp for Saul, he went right back to watching the sheep.

The only reason he was in the position to hear Goliath's words was because his father had sent him there to bring food to his brothers. 

Not only was he diligent to be where he was supposed to be but he was diligent to do his job right.

He protected his sheep with his life, he made sure they were taken care of when he was away from them, he made sure Goliath knew it was God that would win the battle, and no matter how high Saul promoted him, he behaved himself wisely (1 Samuel 18:4).

David's diligence to do right produced the faith he needed when the time came.

The faith David had did not just come with a snap of the fingers. He could not just summon it. The great faith showed in the defeat of Goliath was the result of his proving God, time and time again.
The situation with the lion and bear is one example we know about, but who knows, there may have been other similar situations. The fact that he was anointed king must've told David that God was watching him, knew what he was doing, and was with him.

So, as monotonous as life can be, be diligent to do what the Lord has given you to do whether it be staying at home with children or going out to earn a living.
Do it right, behave wisely, and worship God.
When you have a decision to make: read your bible or watch one more episode, read your bible. Choose God. These small things show God that you are trustworthy in the big things and your faith will be increased. 

If you want a heart after God's own heart, do what He set you to do- give value to the things he values. As my pastor says, 'worship shows what something is worth to you'.
David did not go out and seek fame and glory. He just stayed with the sheep, all day every day, in hard times, in easy times, and while he was diligent to do his job, he worshiped the Lord. 

In Everything Give Thanks- part 2

A few weeks ago I posted a long list of thank yous to God.
It was Canadian Thanksgiving and I wanted to post something for it. At first I thought I'd post about all the things I love that I am grateful for (that's the fashionable thing to do on Thanksgiving). However, I began to consider this blog and the whole reason it exists: bringing glory to God. Thus, In Everything Give Thanks- Part 1 was written and I just poured out everything I could think of.
That was not the first time I've just thanked God for His blessings. A few years ago I was listening to a preacher talk about being grateful and just pouring out praises, gratitude, and glory to God. Since then many of my prayers are just prayers of thanks and all my prayers start out with thanks. Occasionally when I can't sleep I just start thanking God for things.
It's not a routine, habit, or something on my checklist. I'm actually grateful so I show my gratitude.
If you don't praise God on a regular basis, you should start, it changes your life.

While I understand that positive words make a difference and positive thinking makes a difference I am not a big promoter of either.

I like to be practical and if a situation is bad, I'm not going to lie to myself and others just to be positive.

I am, however, grateful and gratitude is a practical persons positive outlook.

I never really thought about gratitude until one of my favourite online preachers said this: 'nothing shows you are weak more than ingratitude'.

That hit me so hard I have never been the same since.

As it started to work on me I realized for myself that being grateful takes strength.

It is easy to say thank you and show your appreciation on Thanksgiving but to look at situations that seem hopeless and find something to be grateful for is something else. I did talk about that in my blog post Grateful.

God blessed me with a good home, two christian parents, all my five senses, the ability to be independent, I was born in a free country, and I'm not constantly living in fear for my life.
Just as easily I could have been born to a broken home, with God hating parents, lacking the ability to see or hear or speak, and too many issues for me to live independently.
We can't control the situations we are born into. I was born into a good one and I can't take that for granted. There are people out there who would do anything for the stability God has given me, it's wasted on me if I don't appreciate it.

If they are ever taken away I do not want to regret not praising God for them.

I know what I have and I know what I deserve.

In everything give thanks: for this is the

will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

If you are wondering what God's will is for you life, start giving thanks

And let the peace of God rule in your

hearts, to the which also ye are called in

one body; and be ye thankful.

Colossians 3:15

The amount of peace you get from being thankful is immeasurable.

There are things I would like but my gratitude for the things I have outweigh my desires for anything else.

My pastor said this a few weeks ago:

"God is good all the time. He's not good because of what He does, He is good because that's His character".

It's true.

If you think when everything is going well that God is good but when they go down the toilet, through the sewer and into the deepest most disgusting place of the ocean that He's not good- you're wrong.

God is good no matter what happens.

He gave His Son for you. That is good no matter what way you look at it.

We love him, because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

We wouldn't know God if He didn't show love to us first. Our love for God originates with Him. We have hope because of Him, we have eternal life because of Him, we can enjoy the good things of this life because of Him. If you can't be grateful for that, you won't be grateful for anything.

I hope this was a blessing and a help to you in some way!

The Testimony of Non-Christians

A good man leaveth an inheritance to

his children's children: and the wealth of

the sinner is laid up for the just.

Proverbs 13:22

He that by usury and unjust gain

increaseth his substance, he shall gather it

for him that will pity the poor.

Proverbs 28:8

Those two verses, and probably other ones that I can't think of right now, tell me that God uses the unjust to give good things to the just. Today I want to take a little time and share some things that I've learned and blessings I've received from people who do not claim to be Christians.

The first one that comes to mind is a former co-worker named Andrew. This man absolutely rejects the Bible and though we never spoke of it, there was always that between us. Despite this, he was always kind to me and God used him to bless me.
My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was very young. I knitted a tiny bit through high school but forgot about it for the most part. I never thought about knitting again until God brought Andrew along. He brought his knitting to work one day, showed me the pattern he was working on, gave me a great hat pattern, and I've been back to knitting ever since. God has used knitting (eventually crocheting and sewing) mightly in my life and I am so thankful God used Andrew to get me back into it.
The other thing Andrew did was give me his old pasta machine. I'd always wanted to make pasta but I would never had tried if it wasn't for him just randomly asking me if I wanted it. I could really use a new one but I'll use this one until it falls apart or we can get a new one.
Lastly, Andrew has given me recipes that I will use until I die. He shared Michael Smith's cookbook with me, where I got the apple pie recipe from, he shared Jamie Oliver's most amazing pizza dough recipe, and best of all, he gave me the best ever banana bread recipe. Those are just my top three recipes, he's shared many others.
Most christians would look at Andrew and say 'nope, not talking to him'. Though we each knew where the other stood, we were kind to each other and he was used of God to give me things I will enjoy for the rest of my life.

Next is Graeme. Dear Graeme. I'm actually not sure how to discribe my relationship with Graeme because according to him we were dating, according to me we were seeing each other but not dating. I don't know. However, Graeme taught me something very important.
We hung out for a few weeks and in that time I learned that he was an agnostic and very interested in things that a bible believer laughs at. He liked philosophy, psychology, he believed the world is over populated, you know things that we find ridiculous. I really wanted to be with him but one day he told me that he couldn't be with me because I did not believe like he believed. After the flurry of emotions that followed, reason eventually prevailed but I was brought very low and was very emotional about it for a long long time. What made me the most sad and pained me beyond measure was that he- who did not know for sure that anything he believes is true- had the strength to say we did not belong together. I was not strong enough in my faith- that I know is absolutely true- to leave the pointless relationship.
I've always known what I believe. Even back then (2009, I was 20) I had a firm foundation and I was not budging from it. However, I had been so lonely for so long that even this unbelieving person was better than being lonely. Even though I knew he was wrong for me, I did not want to let go, I did not have the strength. I had allowed myself to be controlled by my emotions and not by what was right. Realizing all this made me heartily ashamed of myself. Up until that point I was willing to hang out with anyone- Christian or no- who was interested (there weren't many). This business with Graeme put a stop to that immediately. I repented and resolved to ignore non-believers who were interested in me. (Six months later I met the christian man who is now my husband, seven months after that we were married.)
While this has mostly to do with dating, it's something I constantly remind myself of when I am out in the world. If a non-believer has the strength to make the right choice and do the right thing, how much more strength should I have to do right when I have direct access to the One who has immeasurable strength.

Now to my family members:
My father's sisters. Frankly both of them hate the Bible and God. There has been contention in the past (as always in families) but now that I am a wife and mother I see them in a different light.
To be honest, better servants I know not. They're always doing things for others, they're very helpful to their mother, and they watch out for their siblings' children like we are their own.
When I found out my sister was pregnant one of the things that occurred to me was that if I was half as kind and helpful to my sister's child as my father's sisters were to me, I would consider myself a successful auntie.
They're understanding, forgiving, and patient. While we don't agree on everything, they do look out for us, help us with things we need and welcome us into their homes. They have been just as nurturing as my own parents.
Maybe everyone's aunties are like this, I don't know, but I'm sure grateful for the examples my aunts are.

In the last little while I've spent a lot of time with my husband's elder sister. She has one child- a son- and I love their relationship. He's twenty now, but he is close to his mother, he confides in her, and he said himself that she is the most compassionate person he knows. He is not an outgoing, effusive person. He's a man of few words and he's one of those people you just don't touch. However, his love for his mother is clear as day and he cares for her greatly.
When we discussed this she told me that it was always very important to her that he knew she loved him no matter what he did. She did not turn a blind eye to disobedience but she would discipline in love and do her best not to overreact.
The things she has told me and the things I have seen have already effected the way I treat my son and has forced me to consider the things I have been doing up until now. I hope I can have a relationship with my son the way she does when he is twenty.

My father's mother is one who has been a tremendous testimony to me. I haven't always treated her the way I should have. I've done very poorly by her in the past. Whatever the past, however, she has always been very generous with us.
She has never brought up things that I've done and ways I have wronged her. She has always moved passed those things and never held them against me. For that alone, I am so blessed and thankful. A lot of women I know are bitter about the past and have trouble letting things go. I do it too but somehow my unsaved, aggressively atheistic grandmother seems to have no trouble letting the past be the past and moving on. I think that's incredible and as I've recognized it, I've been very convicted about it.
I don't know if I could write enough about this woman. I think she's amazing.
She's always loved the arts and continues to paint/draw, write, and collect beautiful things. All her grandchildren are artists in some way or form. I'm seriously the only one of her grandchildren that can't draw to save my life. However she did bless me with her enjoyment of needlework and I am the only one that pursues it. She gave me everything- knitting needles to last me forever, sewing supplies, crochet needles in every size, she passed on her embroidery things, patterns she's collected over the years and her big sewing box is now mine. I also have some of the needlework her mother did- it's beautiful and I'm almost too scared to touch it. She bought me a sewing machine when I was young and I use it to this day.
She passed on her love of reading to almost all of us. She was the one who introduced me to some of my favourite reading materials as a child and was always buying me books. She knows my taste very well and she and my husband enjoy lots of the same books.
When we were young she would often buy us disposable cameras and develop the pictures for us. We took pretty stupid pictures but she never cared.
She helped us a last year when my husband was out of work and we were just barely making it by. She has bought my son some of the nicest gifts any two year old can ask for. She has always been very generous- she likes to give and to share things that she likes so others can enjoy them.

She always has chocolate around for everyone. She knows what we all like she keeps newspaper clippings of articles we may find interesting. She thinks about others and gives them good things.
Her home is always full of interesting things. Yesterday my son spent a good while looking through her collection of shells. She taught him to listen to them and how they move when a creature is living inside them.
She may not love the Lord, but she loves us and God has taught me a lot through her. Probably the biggest thing is that she encouraged us and gave us the tools we needed to pursue our passions and hobbies.
Besides the things she's given me I am a lot like her in many ways. I hope to take the good things that we share and the things her life has taught me along with godly charity to be a good testimony and a blessing to my children and my children's children.

God uses everyone- just or unjust. He used the Egyptians to give jewels and gold to the Israelites in Moses' day, he used greedy and conniving Balaam to bless Isreal three times (Numbers 22, 23, 24), he used Caesar Augustus to call for a tax just as Jesus was about to be born.
While people reject God, He still uses their freedom to accomplish His will in their lives and ours. Don't be above learning things from unbelievers. The things you learn and the blessing you receive at their hand may be just the tool you'll need to eventually win them to Christ.

Not So Social Media

I've been writing this post over the last few days, rereading, editing, forbearing publishing because the Lord has been working on my heart about it.
This morning as I prayed about this blog and my ministry here I realized that it's time to delete the Instagram account for this page. I'm actually not sorry to let it go, I find the 'culture' of Instagram to be rather unfriendly- even amongst believers. I would, however, like to say thank you to some of my supporters during my four month time as @biblebelievingpreaching. I met some great, God fearing people and I'm thankful for that at least. It is time to say goodbye though, God is not a supporter of me on Instagram, no matter what I've posted.
This whole cleansing myself of Instagram started about a month ago when I submitted to a suggestion of the Lord to delete my main Instagram account. I had that particular account for about four years. It was the account I would use to follow everyone I knew and then some. I allowed anyone I knew to follow me and I would use it to interact with people once I had left Facebook. After making the decision to leave Instagram I posted a 'I'm deleting this account' picture and deleted the account first thing the next morning.
(I must admit that I still have one Instagram account that I use at the request of my sister-in-law. I post multiple pictures and videos of my son for her and my mother-in-law every day. One lives in California and the other in Oregon so we do not get to see them often. I do not follow anyone except them and I will never allow anyone but immediate family members follow me on this account)

Deleting my main Instagram account meant that I am basically social media free (I have a twitter account that I hardly go on and I don't follow anyone I know except my husband and father). My husband and I both purged ourselves of Facebook in January of this year and we're very happy we did.

The one downside to getting rid of social media is, of course, the ties you cut- some permanently. I have many relatives in the Philippines that I would not have gotten to know as I did except through Facebook and Instagram. I have co-workers who I was once close with who I will likely never meet or speak to again because our only source of communication has been severed (we were never that close apparently). I won't get to see when another former classmate gets married, has children, or does something amazing. These things do make me a little sad but I've come to realize that on social media, the bad outweigh the good.

Please note: I am not writing a new, unheard of epiphany. I'm pretty sure everything I write here has been said by countless people before me. I am recounting my own experience on social media based on my personality, outlook, beliefs, and the way God deals with me. You, as a different person with different dealings, and different strengths may not agree with anything I say. If social media is a blessed endeavor of yours, I am happy for you. Please do not think I have anything against people who use social media.

I do not believe God would like me to leave off interacting on Instagram and Facebook because of sin. I know that there is always sin involved and temptations I would not otherwise have, but I do not believe it was a great source of sin for me. I do believe He suggested I delete it so that I could be closer to Him. I know I could have kept the account and been okay with the Lord, however, I know our relationship would not be what it could be. I know a few people who have Facebook and Instagram and it does not affect them like it did me, I certainly won't judge or fault anyone for being on social media.

All things are lawful unto me, but all

things are not expedient: all things are

lawful for me, but I will not be brought

under the power of any.

1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all

things are not expedient: all things are

lawful for me, but all things edify not.

1 Corinthians 10:23

I do not believe social media is sinful but I believe it does us more harm than good.

Looking back over my entire experience with interactive internet sites and apps kind of depresses me.
In high school I had MSN Messenger and and Asian Avenue page. MSN was a huge time waster, it led to a lot of stupidity, and some of the worst pain I went through growing up happened on MSN. Asian Avenue made me feel more isolated then ever and people used it to bully me very badly. I was well rid of them when the time came and I am well rid of Facebook and Instagram now.

One of the biggest reasons I believe God had me leave Facebook and Instagram was that they were hindering my relationships with others.
Ironic isn't it?
For one thing I felt I could not be myself on those accounts. When I think about the root of this feeling I come to the conclusion that I was uncomfortable with most of the people I allowed to follow me/were friends with. Maybe I doubted their sincerity or loyalty, maybe I thought my posts were unworthy, I don't know, but I do know that I cared about what certain people thought and it effected what I posted and what I said about my posts. This just made me sad and a little bitter. Since I don't have anything to post anything on, I'm not bothered by these things anymore. I feel very free and confident in who I am with the people I surround myself by.
Another thing was I felt like I did not have real friends. While most of the people who followed me were my friends (or had once been my friends) I hated that I was being followed so people could 'see' what was going on with me. If you are my friend then be my friend. I don't want to use social media as a medium for friendship. It's like my son eating the frosting off a cupcake and leaving the actual cake. He eats all the extra good stuff but leaves the substance. People who really care will show their concern by being physically present- not clicking a button or typing out some words. That goes the same for me- I have to hold myself accountable to be a true friend.
Something else that hindered my relationships was that I felt like I was being told stories that were not entirely true. I only had to spend five minutes with one family to see that the whole story they were projecting on Fakebook was not reality. Lots of people post pictures like 'look what I have, look what my child has, look how happy we are, look what we're doing, eating, seeing, being'. That did not help any of my friendships at all. Often it made me feel inferior to people and it made me want more of those things for myself. It was especially difficult when I'd see families doing fun things together while my husband spent the entire summer working. Envy, ingratitude, covetousness, would rise up in me more often than not. Covetousness is my besetting sin, I have to stay away from everything that causes it in me.
Last thing- other people's opinions. While I agree, we all have the right to our own opinion and beliefs, I don't care to hear or see anything that is not true, especially regarding God, the Bible, and world events. A blog like this is one thing- you don't have to come here if you don't want to. On Facebook or Instagram, it can cause real trouble to block/unfriend/unfollow someone who continually posts things that hurt/alarm/irritate/anger you. One 'friend' on Facebook shared an article that had ten reasons why the writer didn't want children. I whole heartedly disagreed with everything she said but I could read it and not mind that it was posted because it had nothing to do with truth- just selfishness (and it was interesting to read about how people who don't want children think.)
On the other hand, I had a friend, for example, who supports the Palestinians. I, obviously, do not. She would post copious outdated videos, slanted articles, and her own opinions based on lies propagated by liberal media. As much as I loved her, this made me angry at her and I wound up unfollowing her on Facebook. I do care about her and want to know what's going on with her but my feelings on that situation are so strong I will not allow the other side in front of my eyes. Call that closed minded if you want but remember who God's people are.
I have relatives that hate God. While I love them and pray for them, I hated seeing their anti-God articles, blasphemous posts, and hate speeches in my news feed. I can't change that they hate God, but I  will not tolerate seeing satanic garbage on my phone/ipad/computer in my own home where God is the Master.

A few more things-
Last month one of my family members said that she was frustrated that many of our family members are friends with her on Facebook but never interact with her. She said most of them never like her pictures, wish her a happy birthday or anything. I'm sure it's not intentionally malicious or anything, maybe they don't see her posts or never scroll through their news feed. Whatever the reason, it bugs her. I'm sure it colours her opinions of people at family reunions and puts a damper on those relationships.
I don't have Facebook, so it can't bug me or hinder my relationships.
A few weeks ago yet another family member told me that while scrolling through her feed she noticed that one of her neighbors had a party. As she looked through the pictures she noticed that all her neighbors had been invited except her and her family. That's terrible. Personally, I would have a hard time working through that and having grace with that person.
All these things make me very glad I left off interacting on social media. I'd rather not know I'm being left out.

Back to these verses:

All things are lawful unto me, but all

things are not expedient: all things are

lawful for me, but I will not be brought

under the power of any.

1 Corinthians 6:12

Instagram and Facebook are all well and good and available for us- with God's blessing. However, if you find yourself being brought under its power, you'd best get off.

Being brought under the power of social media includes but it not limited to:

-Putting it before God

-Spending too much time on it

-Wanting to go on it during inappropriate times- at church, dinner, during a conversation, etc.

-Feeling the need to 'creep' on other people's pages

-Finding your feelings towards certain people changing because of their posts

-Becoming 'obsessed' with certain people

-Feeling bound to 'follow' someone based on your relationship with them even though they post inappropriate things you'd rather not see

-Finding yourself gossiping about the posts you read
-Finding yourself judging other people for things you have no business knowing
-Being effected by other people's posts to the point you feel dissatisfied with your life
Beware: if it is controlling you, you are under it's power.

All things are lawful for me, but all

things are not expedient: all things are

lawful for me, but all things edify not.

1 Corinthians 10:23

Most of this post is dedicated to how social media does not edify. I'll summarize them for you:
-Seeing/reading posts/memes/pictures that are inappropriate and ungodly
-stirring up covetousness, anger, or envy
-preventing you from having real relationships with others
-general time wasting
-needing lots of 'likes' to feel validated
-yet another place try and keep a good testimony

This is just my experience on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe you have another, totally opposite experience. I'm glad for you, I really am.
If you sort of see my point but aren't totally convinced one way or another, get off social media for a few days and see what that does for you. If you miss it terribly and you're itching to get back, you are under it's power.

I hope this was a help to you in some way.

The Sermon

Grateful

I am currently on vacation.
My sister's-in-law, and husband wanted to do something grand for their mother's 70th so we're all at a house in the coastal Lincoln City.
It's lovely here and I'm thoroughly enjoying having nothing on my plate.
At home I am always doing something and I firmly decided that I would get the most relaxation by doing nothing.
Except devotions. Devotions are a necessary part of relaxation. Walking with God makes everything peaceful and keeps my very strong emotions in check.

I always wonder if I had complete freedom to knit all the time, would I do it?
The answer is yes, yes I very well would.
Today while my son, husband, and everyone else was napping I got to sit by the hot tub, knit, and listen to sermons.
I happened upon a sermon that soothed my heart, soul, and spirit.
It contained many things that I have been thinking of recently. It reaffirmed somethings that have been questioned recently and it gave me strength.
I spent the most enjoyable few hours, on my own, hearing from God.

Please, if you have a moment, take time to listen to this sermon.
It is called The Best Things I Have Ever Learned by Dilbert Terry.
It was such a joy and blessing to hear it.
When I lead people to the Lord, this will be the first sermon I direct them to- it encompasses that much.
The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Best Things I Have Ever Learned- Dilbert Terry

In Everything Give Thanks

In everything give thanks -1 Thessalonians 5:18a

Thank you God that you are good
That your mercy endureth forever
Thank you for the Son who shed His blood
Thank you for the Spirit who will never leave us
Thank you for your Word which is forever settled in heaven
Thank you God for Jerusalem which you have chosen to put your name there
Thank you God for charity that beareth all things and is easy to be entreated
Thank you God that you are holy, that you are whole
Thank you God that you know the end from the beginning
Thank you God for giving the rain
Thank you God for the cold
Thank you God for the ordinances of the sun and moon
Thank you God for warmth
Thank you God that you are holy
For your abundant mercy, faithfulness, and grace
Thank you God for Jesus Christ
The Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world
Thank you, God for Christ's sacrifice
That He died for me so that I have
fellowship with you
Thank you God that you never sleep
That whenever I call upon you, you will hear
Thank you God that you are just and the righteous judge
Thank you God that thou seest me
Thank you God for making me whole
That I can see
That I can smell
That I can hear
That I can feel
That I can taste and see that you are good
That I can take pleasure in the work of your hands
Thank you that I can walk
That I can talk
That I can do
That I can think
That I can love
That I can cry
That I can smile
That I can laugh
That I can read
That I can learn
That I can write (sort of)
That I can teach, by your grace
That I can cook
That I can knit
That I love flowers
That I can work
That I can create
That I can run
That I can live
That I can hold my child and learn of him
That I can kiss my love and enjoy him
Thank you God that you are love
That you give family
That you gave me my mother and my father
That you gave me good siblings
That you gave me precious aunties
That you gave me kind uncles
That you gave me sweet cousins
Thank you God for church
That I get to labour for you
Thank you God for the joy we share
Thank you God for the fellowship we have
Thank you God for a good pastor
Thank you God for his wife
Thank you God for all the children
Thank you God for my Bible Class
Thank you God for my students
For their sweetness, helpfulness, thoughtfulness, consideration, energy and kindness
Thank you God that we can learn of you
Thank you God that you give us instruction
That out of your mouth cometh wisdom and understanding
Thank you God that you will guide me with thy counsel and afterwards lead me to glory
Thank you God for our home in heaven
Thank you God that Christ is coming to get us
Thank you God for everything
That you have given us what we do not deserve
That you are longsuffering
That you give and give and give
That you will never leave us or forsake us
That we have access to you by Jesus Christ
That the Spirit maketh intercession for us
That great is thy faithfulness
That your mercies are new every morning

Thank you God that I cannot thank you enough

That you have blessed me beyond measure

That I love you because you first loved me and gave yourself for me

Thank you God that for your tender mercies

For the little blessing everyday that outweigh the big blessings

Thank you God that I do not have the words to praise you and thank you for what you are and do

Thank you God that you never change that you are the same yesterday today and forever

Thank you God that you are God

That there in none else

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye

lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come

before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God; is is he

that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving.

and into his courts with praise; be thankful

unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is

everlasting; and his truth endureth to all

generation.

Psalm 100

My Burden to Teach

I take my position as a Bible teacher very seriously. It is something I love and am very passionate about. I want the children I am privileged to teach to be armed with love for the Bible, a desire to learn it better, and knowledge to help them through life.
Growing up I attended all sorts of children's ministries- sunday school, AWANA (briefly), wednesday night classes, youth group, camps, vacation bible school, and so on. In all those years no one ever bothered to tell me about what people's names meant, that numbers mean something, and that the wise men were mocking Herod when they asked about he who was born king of the Jews.
I love things like that- bits of knowledge that enhance your bible reading and cause you to hunger for more knowledge.
When I was a child I thought that the Bible was God's word and it was just full of stories about people whose names I could not pronounce and lists of things I could not do.
Having spent my whole life in church I could answer all the questions about all the major people in the bible, and I could give you some doctrine too.
It was not until I read the bible for myself that I realized a lot had been left out of my education.
I certainly can't blame anyone for my lack of biblical knowledge- it is always up to the person in question to study for themselves- but I was rather astonished that no one had ever told me that God hardened Pharaoh's heart as Pharaoh refused to obey Him.
That's a very necessary part of the event, people, I wonder how on earth I learned anything meaningful from those Sunday School lessons except for the event details (minus a few things).
I keenly remember my ignorance and I do not want to do that to the children God has entrusted me with.

For instance:
Since I've taken over the Bible class I've taught the children a song called 'Did You Ever Talk to God Above'. It's a very sweet and simple song about prayer and our ability to pray to God whenever and where ever.
We sing it every Sunday so they can learn it and a few Sundays ago I elaborated on the song a bit. I told them that God 'neither slumbers nor sleeps' (Psalm 103) and that He will always listen.
We continued through the class and our lesson for that day was 1 Samuel 8.
Reading along, we came to verse 18:

And ye shall cry out in that day because

of our king which ye shall have chosen

you; and the Lord will not hear you in that

day.

One of my very astute students pointed out: didn't you say that the Lord will always hear us?

I explained to them about how God has given them a full warning, they know exactly what they are getting into and they are choosing to do wickedly. They are purposefully bringing God's judgement upon them.

I explained that God is love and God is a consuming fire. (I think we, as part of God's beloved Son's body, forget that God is a consuming fire. We don't experience that side of Him very often.) I also explained that God is perfect in His anger and jealousy- things we equate with sin.

To me this is a vital part of a child's biblical education: to know who God really is.

Frankly, I thought He was like Santa Claus- a kindly old man with a long white beard that cried when we sinned.

Yeah... no. God is not like that. I'm not sure where I got that idea but it was not done away with by any of the teaching I got from anyone. 

I was more interested in studying the Bible when I learned who God really was: A holy God who will take vengeance on His enemies and bring every soul to his or her knees in worship.

One of my favourite verses is:

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.

Revelation 19:11

That one verse alone should tell you everything you need to know about who God really is. 

Last thing:

A false balance is abomination to the

Lord: but a just weight is his delight.

Proverbs 11:1

Any teaching about the Bible must be balanced. You can't only preach out of the four gospels and expect to have balanced preaching, you can't only preach on the 'good things' and have balanced preaching, you can't preach against sin all the time and have balanced preaching. 

Balance comes from preaching 'all the counsel of God' (Acts 20:27). If you leave anything out, your preaching and teaching is not balanced and what's worse: not honest.

Do not shy away from difficult topics when you teach. Teach the Word and let the Lord take care of it.

(Obviously have discretion when it comes to things like Judah's situation with Tamar, David and Bathsheba and so on- don't go into deep details on that, you don't want to teach them how to sin or put any ideas into their heads.) 

When it comes to teaching I do three things: pray, study, and let the Lord lead.
Prayer
I've written it here a few times: I do not know what my students home lives are like. Right now they are all from Christian homes, I know their parents and have met some of their grandparents- all saved people. There may come a day when I'll have unsaved students with unsaved parents. I don't know. I do know that God knows what each one of them need to hear.
In prayer I ask that God will give me the wisdom, discernment, and knowledge to teach them. I ask Him to guide me in my thoughts, studies, and teaching. The class is His, I have no right to usurp His authority by doing what *I* think is best.
Here are some of the things I pray for:
-Each one of my students by name
-All their families
-Class time
-that each child will learn something
-for peace during class
-for me to be filled with the Holy Spirit
-for ways to teach them, activities to help learn, and songs to sing
-for utterance
Those are just a very few things but it puts God in control and gives me peace concerning my classes.

Study
At the moment I am working through a lesson book my pastor has given me. I'm following it through until it is finished.
I find it is incredibly important to study ahead of my current lesson so I have an idea of where I'm going. I also make sure to have my lesson plan done by Monday or Tuesday. The sooner I have it done, the more I can pray over it and prepare for it.
I only use scripture when I teach. I will certainly use examples from my personal life and things that I know, but I let the Bible tell its record itself. For example: this week we're studying David and Goliath. I'll go to the passage and select verses to for myself and my students to read out loud. As we go verse by verse I explain things to them, answer questions, and point out details and lessons we can learn. I'll always have a main thought to point out to students but I want God's Word to speak for itself and no important details left out.
On Sunday mornings instead of my usual devotions I will read a chapter of Proverbs and re-read the passage I will be teaching in my bible class.

Let the Lord Lead
Something I keep myself from doing is thinking about what I am going to say during my lesson.
I plan the verses we will read and I'll think about how to relate it to the children personally but I will not rehearse exactly what I will say.
Here's why:
I was once a warehouse manager for a Vancouver jewellery store company. There was a girl named Jordan who started giving me trouble- she was leaving early, not locking the jewels away when she was done, not completing her tasks properly, and so on.
Finally I had to do something about it but I was seething mad. I wrote out a list of the things I needed to speak to her about and while I waited for her to get back from her lunch break I rehearsed what I was going to say to her.
I did pray to God about it but I kept repeating my own angry words in my mind.
She came back from her break and I spoke to her. I said everything that I had rehearsed in my mind.
She stormed out angrily and never came back.
After the dust had settled and I thought about what I had said that made her storm out, I came to this conclusion:
My prayer for God to guide my words did not take because I did not let Him.
I planned out everything I wanted to say and said them in anger.
God did not help me at all because I did not let Him.
For this reason, I do not rehearse anything I am going to say. I let God guide me the whole time and He does. Many times the lesson does not turn out at all how I think it will simply because God leads in a different direction from what I had planned.
Like I said, I do not know what the children need to hear but God does. I just need to trust and obey Him.

I hope this was in some way a blessing to you!

Good Preaching for the Family

I don't have much time to write today so I thought I'd let others do some work for me.
The following links are to sermons that have helped me as a wife and mother. I hope they are as much a help to you as they have been to me.


This first sermon is one I would share with every wife I know. The Power of a Submissive Wife by Reg Kelly. Submission is not at all easy. It becomes easier when you understand it better and realize that submission protects you. I hope you listen to it again and again and follow the wisdom God is showing you through it.


This next sermon, also by Reg Kelly, is on biblical child training. It is a great sermon and he makes many good points to draw from.


Lastly, this link is to a series of sermons called 'Happy Ever After (The Home)' by Dilbert Terry. He addresses everything that has to do with the home in this series. He's one of the best preachers ever because he speaks the whole Word (he reads through the Bible at least 4 times a year and he knows it so well) and he does not shy away from saying anything. He is not vulgar or anything he just deals very plainly with scripture.
Happy Ever After- Dilbert Terry

I hope these sermons are a blessing to you!

Gleanings from Hebrews

I recently finished a study of the book of Hebrews. I have never looked at Hebrews in depth before so I found a whole treasure trove of discoveries.
A while back my position as a dispensationalist was questioned. It's not a bad thing to have your beliefs questioned, as you grow in Christ you need to re-examine your stance on things and change according to what the scripture says. When my position was questioned I studied the matter for myself and made sure what I believed was right. I did not have to change my beliefs. In fact, I'm even more persuaded of them now then I was before.
Before you go running off calling me a hyper-dispensationalist, let me explain. I take the whole Bible as the perfect Word of God and I believe it in it's entirety. I believe the whole Bible is written for us but not everything in the Bible is written to us.
I will not skip over books like James, Hebrews, the gospels, even the entire Old Testament just because they were not written to the Church. I will certainly read, study and know them but I will not get my doctrine from there- specifically salvation doctrine.

For whatsoever things were written

aforetime were written for our learning,

that we through patience and comfort of

the scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15:4

That all being said, the Lord directed me to study Hebrews.
Having been questioned, a few times, about divisions in the Bible, I am ultra-sensitive to the words God uses in scripture. I don't believe God let any word into His Word if it wasn't the right word. This made reading Hebrews really interesting.

There were a few things I studied that further cemented my stance that there are divions in the Bible and that a book named Hebrews would be written to the Hebrews. I thought I'd share some of these things that I've learned. This is not a commentary at all, just comparing scripture with scripture and seeing what the bible actually says about it self.
My study began in Hebrews 1 verse 1:

God, who at sundry times and in divers

manners spake in time past unto the

fathers by the prophets,

(2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by

his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of

all things, by whom also he made the

worlds;

God, right away, refers to the fathers who He spoke to by the prophets.

Is there any question who He is talking to?

The fathers refer to the Israelites who bore sons who bore sons who bore sons that are the nation of Israel. Peter, talking to 'ye men of Israel' elaborates on this Hebrews passage in Acts 3.

So who is the 'us' in Hebrews 1:2? The 'us' are the sons of the fathers in verse one- the jews.

This book is for the Jews- specifically Jews (and those who convert) in the tribulation. At this very moment the Jews (as a nation) do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. The book of Hebrews clarifies it for them in a way that relates to them- the Priesthood of Christ. God makes it very plain that the sacrifices of animals, made by imperfect Levitical priests cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-4).

Jesus, however is

Called of God an high priest after the

order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 5:10

Just a note- the first time the word 'priest' appears in the bible it is a reference to Melchisedec (spelled Melchizedek in the OT) in Genesis 14:18. You can read more about Melchisedec in detail in Hebrews 7. The word 'priest', 'priests', 'priesthood', and 'high priest' does not appear in the bible between the books of Acts and Hebrews. 

Having established that Christ is a perfect high priest, having made one sacrifice for all, and is passed into the heavens, Hebrews 8 describes the need for a new covenant.

For finding fault with them, he saith,

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant with the

house of Israel and with the house of

Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I 

made with their fathers in the day when I

took them by the hand to lead them out of

the land of Egypt; because they continued

not in my covenant, and I regarded them

not, saith the Lord.

For this is the covenant that  I will make

with the house of Israel after those days,

saith the Lord; I will put my law into their 

mind, and write them in their hearts: and I

will be to them a God, and they shall be to

me a people:

>skipping down to verse 13<

In that he saith, A new covenant, he

hath made the first old. Now that which

decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish

away.

Hebrews 8:8-10,13

He continues in this vein through chapter 9, dealing with the earthly tabernacle as a picture of the heavenly tabernacle and the ordinances of the priesthood.  

For the blood of bulls and of goats,

and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the

unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the

flesh:

How much more shall the blood of

Christ, who through the eternal Spirit

offered himself without spot to God, purge

your conscience from dead works to serve

the living God?

Hebrews 9:13&14

I think that's amazing- it might be obvious to everyone but to me it was the first time I realized that the blood of animals purified the flesh but did not purify the conscience. I did know that the levitical sacrifices were just a stand in until Christ came, but I had not really considered what the animal's blood was cleansing.

By the end of the chapter we know that Christ dealt once and for all for the sins of the world. The Holy Spirit describes it to a Jew in a way the Jew will understand. The tabernacle was given to the Jews so they could have fellowship with God. All us saved gentiles know is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We've never had to know anything about the temple (except to study).

The Holy Spirit describes Christ's sacrifice in Jewish terms- the tabernacle and the sacrifices- the covenant originally given to Moses.

Hebrews 3:

(15) While it is said, Today if ye will hear his

voice, harden not your hearts, as in the

provocation.

(16) For some, when they had heard, did

provoke: howbeit not all that came out of

Egypt by Moses.

(17) But with whom was he grieved forty

years? was it not with them that had

sinned, whose carcases fell in the

wilderness?

(18) And to whom sware he that they should

 not enter into his rest, but to them that

believed not?

(19)So we see that they could not enter in

because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:

(1) Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise

being left us of entering in to his rest, any

of you should seem to come short of it.

(2) For unto us was the gospel preached, as

well as unto them: but the word preached

did not profit them, not being mixed with

faith in them that heard it.

(3) For we which have believed do enter into

rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my

wrath, if they shall enter into my rest:

although the works were finished from the

foundation of the world.

There is a lot we can learn here but I'm going to focus on one thing. The phrase 'harden not your heart, as in the provocation' appears three times in the bible, twice in Hebrews 3 and once in Psalm 95:

(8) Harden not your heart, as in the

provocation, as as in the day of

temptation in the wilderness:

(9) When your fathers tempted me, proved

me, and saw my work.

These mentions obviously refer to one event: the refusal of Israel to go into the promised land the first time. The record is found in Numbers 13&14.

Above, in Hebrews 4:2 notice the bolded phrase: unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them.

'Them', evidently, is referring to the Israelites who could not enter into His rest because of unbelief in the day of provocation. There is no one else in the passage who 'them' can refer to.
The gospel was preached, way back, before Christ had manifested Himself in the flesh.

Numbers 14-

(6) And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the

son of Jephunneh, which were of them that

searched the land, rent their clothes:

(7) And they spake unto all the company of

the children of Israel, saying, The land,

which we have passed through to search it, is an

exceeding good land.

(8) If the LORD delight in us, then he will

bring us into this land, and give it us; a

land which floweth with milk and honey.

(9) Only rebel not ye against the LORD,

neither fear ye the people of the land; for

they are bread for us: their defence is

departed from them, and the LORD is with

us: fear them not.

(10) But all the congregation bade stone

them with stones. And the glory of the

LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the

congregation before all the children of

Israel.

(11) And the LORD said unto Moses, How

long will this people provoke me? and how

long will it be ere they believe me, for all

the signs which I have shewed among

them?

>>skip down to verse 23<<

Surely they shall not see the land which

I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any

of them that provoked me see it:

As best as I can figure out, the text I've bolded in the passage above is the gospel preached to the children of Israel in the day of provocation. There is one more verse I should mention in Numbers 13

(30) And Caleb stilled the people before

Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and

possess it; for we are well able to overcome

it.

This was the gospel preached to them:

-Go up and possess the land

-rebel not against the Lord

-fear not the people of the land

-the Lord is with you.

If they had obeyed God in that day, they would have entered into His rest. Please do not tell me that promised land is a metaphor or a picture of heaven, while it is in some cases, in this case it certainly is not. We are talking about a literal, physical occurrence and the book of Hebrews literally tells us that the gospel was preached to them.

I was very excited when I discovered this because it is proof that there is more than one gospel preached in the bible. There is only one gospel for us in the church age, but throughout the entire canon of scripture, there is more than one gospel mentioned.

Search for yourself: is there anywhere in any of the applicable passages to the provocation that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is even mentioned?

Before you count me accursed consider this:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed

from him that called you into the grace of

Christ unto another gospel:

Which is not another; but there be some

that trouble you, and would pervert the

gospel of Christ.

But though we, or an angel from heaven,

preach any other gospel to you than that

which we have preached unto you, let him

be accursed.

As we said before, so say I now again, If

any man preach any other gospel unto you

than that ye have received, let him be

accursed.

Galatians 1:6-9

This passage in Galatians is talking about the gospel of Christ

The first time the gospel of Christ is mentioned is Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of

Christ: for it is the power of God unto

salvation to every one that believeth; to the

Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The gospel of Christ is salvation to everyone that believes. The gospel Paul preached to the Gentiles is found here: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

Paul, the apostle to the gentiles (Romans 15:15&16), in the first book to the gentiles, in the first chapter to the gentiles, tells us what the gospel is for this age. Not only that, the term gospel of Christ is only mentioned from Romans to 1 Thessalonians, it fits neatly into the books written to the church in the age of Grace.

This business of the different gospels in the bible is for another post, one I do intend to write if I ever have the time.

Suffice it to say this: 

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you

the gospel which I preached unto you,

which also ye have received, and wherein

ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in

memory what I preached unto you, unless

ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all

that which I also received, how that Christ died

for our sins according to the scriptures;

and that he was buried, and that he rose

again the third day according to the

scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

That is our gospel, that is how you will be saved. Once more:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth

the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine

heart that God hath raised him from the

dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

Back to my study of Hebrews:

It is becoming more and more prevalent to believe that the 'age of grace' started way back in Genesis with Adam and Eve. People are leaving off rightly dividing. If you study scripture, desiring God's truth, you will come across division after division. For example: there's an Old Testament and a New Testiment- DIVISION.

God did not just put the word 'gospel' in Hebrews 4 because He had no better word. He used 'gospel' because it was a gospel that was preached.

I continued my study and a few days later I was in chapter five verse eleven:

(starting in verse 8 for context)

(8) Though he were a Son, yet learned he

obedience by the things which he suffered;

(9) And being made perfect, he became the

author of eternal salvation unto all them

that obey him;

(10) Called of God an high priest after the

order of Melchisedec.

(11) Of whom we have many things to say

and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull

of hearing.

Verse 11 struck me because it did not fit the way the writer had been writing up to this point. To my memory at least he had not just thrown out a reproof to his audience. Why would the Holy Spirit move him to tell the subject they are dull of hearing?

So I looked up the phrase dull of hearing

This phrase is mentioned three times total in the bible. First in Matthew 13:15-

For this people's heart is waxed gross,

and their ears are dull of hearing, and their

eyes they have closed; lest at any time they

should see with their eyes, and hear with

their ears, and should understand with

their heart, and should be converted, and I 

should heal them.

This is Jesus talking about the Jews. Read Matthew 13

Next mention is in Acts 28:27-

For the heart of this people is waxed

gross, and their ears are dull of hearing,

and their eyes have they closed; lest they

should see with their eyes, and hear with

 their ears, and understand with their heart,

and should be converted, and I should heal them.

This time it is Paul speaking to the Jews. Read Acts 28

The third mention is Hebrews 5:11 seen above.

Jesus, Paul, and the Holy Spirit writing in Hebrews are quoting Esaias (Isaiah):

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear

ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye

indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people fat, and

make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes, and hear with

their ears, and understand with their heart,

and convert, and be healed.

Isaiah 6:9&10

You know who he is talking to? The Jews.

After the Holy Spirit tells THE JEWS that they are dull of hearing He goes on to tell them:

For when the time ye ought to be

teachers, ye have need that one teach you

again which be the first principles of the

oracles of God; and are become such as

have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Hebrews 5:12

They rejected Christ (Acts 28:28) so the gospel of Christ went out to the gentiles and-

blindness in part is happened to Israel,

until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Romans 11:32

This proves, once again, that Hebrews is written to the Hebrews.

What advantage then hath the Jew? or

what profit is there of circumcision?

Much every way: chiefly, because that

unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Romans 3:1&2

I think I'll leave it at that for now. There is so much to get into but so little time.
I hope this was enlightening and helpful to you in some small way!