tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286050992024-03-07T12:56:52.968-06:00vtmbottomlinePaul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.comBlogger535125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-62316061393831627262018-06-02T16:55:00.001-05:002018-06-02T17:05:17.119-05:00SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT KINGDOM LIVING!<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">What do we mean when we say "Kingdom Living?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3;">It might be good to know because it is clear from scripture [Luke 4:43] that Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. His life and message were all about what the Kingdom was like. So to be "Jesus followers," and more importantly, when we have Him as the very SOURCE of our very LIFE, we will have our feet firmly planted in “Kingdom living.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">So, what is the Kingdom of God? It is, in simple language, living life where what God wants done [His Will] is being done. That's what the simple phrase in the Lord's Prayer is addressing. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." It will be a “future Kingdom, of course! But until He comes with that "Future Kingdom" the "Present Kingdom" is ANYONE’S life in which the King truly rules and reigns right now.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">The "Present Kingdom" looks like your life, whatever that entails. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it is simply going to work, playing, or going on vacation. Whether it's being married or unmarried. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's going to a gathered meeting with your part of the Church, whatever you call that group, or NOT going to a gathered meeting. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's seeing a child born or family member or friend die. Whether it's being young, old, or somewhere in between. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's being married, divorced or being abandoned. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's being healthy or sick. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's being wealthy or living from pay-check to pay-check. Whether it's seeing the beauty of God's creation or being blind and seeing darkness all of your life. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's being handsome or homely, beautiful or plain, or being ordinary in the looks department.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's having a College degree, a Master's degree, or even a Doctorate, or NOT having finished high school. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Whether it's having traveled extensively or NEVER leaving the neighborhood.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">It's experiencing any and all of these things with OTHER things that could be listed. It’s being a person, right in the middle of all of it, in whom God is real and is being responded to, in faith, while living out our unique journey with our eyes on Him and His Word, trusting His Spirit for life and strength, knowing His Son intimately and knowing that what He accomplished in His Cross and empty tomb experience is the "SOURCE" for what makes life, in any of the afore mentioned circumstances, absolutely worth living and celebrating. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Add to all that knowing some truths that are ABSOLUTE for us as well, and you have THE KINGDOM OF GOD!.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Those truths are these! As we live in His "Present Kingdom" He is available to us and we hunger to know Him better. [Matthew 6:13/Luke 16:16] We keep on trusting that GOOD will come out of all kinds of things happening, GOOD or BAD. [Romans 8:28] And that NOTHING can separate us from His unconditional love and effective care. [Romans 8:35-39] Then, finally, knowing that one day HE WILL RETURN and the "Future Kingdom" will come with Him. We then will be found living in a new dimension, involving a New Heaven and a New Earth, called "Eternity."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">THAT'S what is meant by "Kingdom Living" IMHO.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Paul B.</span></div>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-34270519171047307512018-05-26T05:50:00.000-05:002018-05-26T05:50:21.571-05:00BROKENNESS__ AND ITS HARVEST OF GRACE AND STRENGTH! <div style="font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">I did something the other day that I seldom ever do. I listened to one of my own tapes. It was an old one. Thirty-eight years old to be exact. It was one preached in 1980 when I was pastoring Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. I made reference in that sermon to another series of sermons I’d just finished. I remember that series too. It was on “Brokenness!” That old sermon got me to thinking about some truths that not much thought is given to today. One of those truths is about our “being broken.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">No one is more grateful for the Grace of God and His ability to be our strength and life than am I. To exalt the finished Cross work of Christ and what His ensuing resurrection have accomplished on our behalf in my preaching, is what I LOVE to do. To know He not only died that we might live, but He has come to be our very life, is incredible as well. To live in light of all THAT is the point of faith and faith IS for us the victory as 1 John declares. HE is HIMSELF our life and our strength. It doesn’t get any better than that!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">But the truth I’ve just set forth in words is NEVER experienced PERSONALLY, except in the experience of “brokenness,” and therein lies the problem. “Brokenness ” is a lost concept in our present day it seems to me. The beatitude found in Matthew 5:3 touches on this with the statement that says this, when properly translated, “Oh the blessedness of those who are poor [think broken or humbled] in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Much is said today in our pulpits that could very well be glorifying the flesh instead of our Lord. “You are good, you are wonderful, you are capable, you can do anything you’ve a mind to when you are thinking correctly,” is being said with much enthusiasm. But such teaching may, in fact, be a stumbling block to the reality of Christ and his strength and life being real to us and in us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">This is because “brokenness” PRECEDES genuine “faith” being exercised. Listen to a spiritually mature individual, [Paul] at the height of his journey with Jesus, cry out in brokenness, “Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Notice his “crying out” was because of his admitting his “weaknesses” in brokenness, [read wretchedness] and it’s THAT which catapulted him to the cry of faith, “But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Someone said, “The greatest badge of honor for the Apostle Paul was NOT his giftedness, his intelligence, or his many accomplishments. His greatest badge of honor was his willingness to admit his own weaknesses! Nor did he merely endure them; he exulted in them so that the STRENGTH and LIFE of his LORD could and would be experienced and all that he gloried in.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">He was so wise to be “Looking off unto Jesus” since that’s what true faith is, reflecting on the object of our trust, but that ONLY and ALWAYS follows an admission of a personal “CAN’T,” so one can really trust His “CAN” completely!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Being THAT broken over our weaknesses is, unfortunately, a thing of the past in many quarters today.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: large;">Paul B.</span></div>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-74334552546558732022017-10-06T06:14:00.002-05:002017-10-06T06:14:55.554-05:00MORE COMING SOON!I realize that my posting on this blog has gotten sporadic at best. I've gone through some physical things that required some surgery and on top of all that, I've lost some of the MUSE necessary to do serious blog writing and posting. I'm NOT done with it all, but a hiatus is required for a little while.<br />
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Thanks for being a reader and commenter to it all.<br />
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Paul B.Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-38540614451563318752017-07-28T08:29:00.001-05:002017-07-28T08:31:41.707-05:00ETERNAL SUBORDINATION? I DON'TTHINK SO! [This is a post worth repeating.]<div class="p1">
Warning...heavy reading. Not for children or for those who like to read only children's stories. It is for those willing to put away childish things. For a moment anyway. <span class="s1">:)</span></div>
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Does 1 Corinthians 11:3, which says, "But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." actually say and mean that Christ is eternally subordinate to God the Father because "head" means subordination? Is the Son's will to be OBEDIENT to the Father's will in eternity to come? Was it SUBORDINATE in eternity PAST? Is the Eternal Father over the Eternal Son in eternity future OR past in terms of authority? Some say yes, yes, yes, and yes.</div>
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But I don't think so! I believe to be TEXTUALLY true and correct about this verse you would have to SEE what the meaning of the word 'head' really had for the generation that received it and that is a different thing than for us today. The word "head" [Kephale] in 1 Cor. 11:3 really had for them the idea of referring to the origins or source of something and didn't refer to authority at all. If I'm correct on this, then it does NOT say what our present culture might think it says.</div>
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You see there are some perfectly good words in Greek [kuriotes, exousia, epitage] for authority but 'kephale' isn't one of them. I've examined every verse where Paul is speaking of "authority" or "rule" in scripture and a word other than 'kephale' is used. Add to that the Middle Eastern thought in the biblical culture of putting someone under your FEET as being a symbol of authority over another in value or position [Still present in the Middle East if you'll remember the people beating the fallen statue of Saddam Hussain with THEIR SHOES.] and you would have good reasons for believing the idea the Greek word for "head" [Kephale] does NOT mean authority here or other places in scripture.<br />
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Here is one of the BEST articles on "head' or "kephale" that you'll ever find.</div>
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<span class="s2">[ <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsearchingtogether.org%2Fkephale.htm&h=ATPMU-bHGqXpsZDI0KFCIB1xt-CfGKGaWMKZFCEm-l3B_ZZAILy7siS68RNjMEsxVA7ym-TZD4BZ6vkV_e602xHEsU5Ldax8wTsA8-3aXmoqNys6lII-B1Ys9tLF5yu2_dajpn-q-UyNwOsDSw&enc=AZMWFNaAcFbuGFIgdr_UZcl4qFF3XmIPt64W3tvDhNq2se8vr5dRVbZ9qir2ifPBQl9FAj_4zapALPnE_0SrETu2IVT3SDUFIzWKc61THhLL8ZnRaGbTOzmisUO-RT5noV20ZdZqd98f6TVVvQUY4mbFv1NoI_-pM7pacnJ88ARG2l9DQ-jiYoi5v_tbfsMeQfA&s=1"><span class="s3">http://searchingtogether.org/kephale.htm</span></a> ]</span></div>
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In fact, the word 'head' [Kephale] in Greek culture was often times thought to be the souce of life. Just as the loins were thought of as the seat of emotions and the heart was the center or essence of being. So what we have in this verse is a word used that might SEEMS to make perfect sense to those of us living in the American culture who think of it as meaning "boss,"but THAT wasn't the sense of the word in that day at all.</div>
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This is NOT to say that in the INCARNATION moment there was not a submission of Jesus to the express will of the Father. There was and He did. But always remember even then the word used for "obey" when referring to Christ to the Father is a Greek word "Hupo tasso" meaning one of equal value and voice choosing [middle voice] to serve another. That was, after all, the express PURPOSE of the incarnation [to live with perfect obedience to God as man] which culminated in the Cross where He became our substitute as the sinless Lamb of God.</div>
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That idea of submission is CERTAINLY not the natural flow of this passage at all. Source is the natural flow. And, by the way, do you realize that no where in scripture is a husband told to LEAD his wife? [He is told to serve her.] The words lead, leader, servant-leader, spiritual leader are NEVER used at all. Paul doesn't use them. Peter doesn't use them, and most of all Jesus never does. These words are only DERIVED logically from the word "head" used here and in Eph 5 when it is interpreted with the meaning our culture has for it. So what Paul wished to convey to that culture we will COMPLETELY miss when thinking of "head" the way we do in our culture.</div>
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Now, back to our word "kephale." [Head] My favorite illustration of the natural meaning of this word to that culture is, as many of you who have heard me teach know, that of a river. When we speak of the 'head' waters of a river, we mean its "source" with no idea of authority at all bearing in mind what they thought "head" meant. That's the intention of Paul here I believe.</div>
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So what is being said is that we have God's only begotten Son coming from God who is the "source" referring to the incarnation. This verse was never intended to be a statement of JESUS ontologically [nature] or functionally [subordination] to God the Father in either eternity past OR future. It was only speaking INCARNATIONALLY as the Son takes on a human nature in which He ASSUMES a subordinate relationship to God the Father as a fully human person. So 1 Cor. 11:3 is referring to God [ The Father] who is the SOURCE of Jesus coming incarnately to accomplish His purpose and not the One who is 'BOSS' over Jesus pre-incarnation or post-incarnation. [As if there were three wills and Jesus and the Holy Spirit had their will submitted to the Father. There was, in fact, ONE will in ONE God]</div>
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Phil. 2.5-11 helps clarify this when it shows that the pre-existent Son of God had the condition and status of being equal to God. This means Jesus WAS God in pre-time eternity one in nature or essence, mind, will, and purpose and being with the Father who is God and the Spirit who is God. One God----not three gods with three wills or three minds but One God with one will or one mind---- who is expressed in three unique persons.<br />
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Relationally, I suppose you could say, as did Erick Sauer: "Father-is the Lover, Son-is the Beloved, Spirit-is the Spirit of love" because God IS love. But there is no HIERARCHY here as to authority.<br />
THAT has to be read INTO the text.</div>
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But God the Son CHOSE to not abide in that condition of equality, but rather humbled himself [REMEMBER..involving a choice, not an inherent condition or state being as the divine Son] and took upon Himself human nature with a human body. Doing this, while never less than God in His nature. He, thus, became the unique God-man and, while living as man, He was submitted to God the Father as the Second Man or Last Adam, all the way to the Cross.<br />
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Remember, He said he COULD have called for angels and be released. The question I ask is simply, COULD HE HAVE? As God He could have and NEVER been disobedient in doing so. As Man He DID NOT and obeyed God's will.</div>
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Now the rest of the verse makes sense as this whole idea of 'kephale' in 1 Cor. 11:3 continues to substantiate the 'source' of the woman being the man and Christ being the 'source' of the man?</div>
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The man as "head" [Kephale-source] of the woman can certainly be seen by going back to the Genesis story in which the woman is literally brought out of man. [The rib thing.]<br />
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But someone might ask "how does the 'man' have his source in Christ?" I'm glad you asked. I read one person who said it well when he said there are perhaps two possible answers to this.<br />
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One is when we remember that Paul stated that Christ pre-existed and was involved in the creation of the first human-kind [Adam] in the beginning. Col. 1.16 is quite clear about that as is John 1.</div>
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But also, we should remember that Paul is the one who articulated the Adam Christology as it applied to Jesus and that he said in a biblical reality Jesus is to be seen as comparable to the historical Adam and who, as such, is the founder/source of a whole new kind of human beings [redeemed] made up of all those who are in Christ, both men and also women out of every nation, tribe, and race on earth.<br />
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[Whew, long sentence read it again.]</div>
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Which one of these is correct? I lean toward the first but maybe both are true. Either one would cause the words in 1 Cor. 11:3 to make good sense. Verse 12 seems to pronounce a benediction on the source idea as well.</div>
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So I don't see how 1 Cor. 11.3 can be used as a proof at all for the idea that Christ is eternally subordinate to the Father. I don't see it as providing any proof for the idea that men are perpetually in authority over women either. That's not what "kephale" means in this verse from my understanding. I have the same view of the language when interpreting Eph. 5 as well.</div>
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My conclusion then, is that in eternity there are not three gods with three different wills and minds but one God Who has one will and one mind expressed in three persons of equal nature or essence. The INCARNATION had a purpose of its own to be sure. Beyond this I have little understanding of the Trinity which is FAR beyond understanding with our finite minds anyway. So much more could be said but I had promised to give my two-cents and I wanted to do just that.<br />
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Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-49701763634116172452017-06-05T14:45:00.000-05:002017-06-05T14:45:02.754-05:00 A NEW COVENANT PARADIGM FOR CHURCH ATTENDANCE!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">There is no doubt that followers of Christ SHOULD and NEED to attend a
gathering of believers. I’m thinking it will be the personal desire of any true
Christian to worship corporately as an expression of their love for the brethren,
which in and of itself, indicates the genuineness of conversion as stated in 1
John 3:14. <br />
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For a time of fellowship with, and the encouragement of, other believers,
gathered times are unsurpassed. It is a time for hearing the Word of God and
exercising ministry gifts for the edification of others that all believers
possess. We really do need each other and time together must NEVER be taken
lightly.<br />
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That said, to make a RULE about it or to USE it to MEASURE spirituality is to
take the issue FAR beyond the emphasis the New Testament materials give it as a
New Covenant activity. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The following 10 points about the New
Covenant gathered Church, and attendance at such gatherings, are what I’ve
believed and taught as Pastor to the congregations I’ve ministered to over the
years and even shared in Pastor’s conferences. Ask anyone who was a part of
those congregations or conferences and they will verify that. <br />
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And, it is what I believe will be found in the researched and studied text of
scripture by all who examine that text with a willingness to lay aside
traditions and let the scriptures speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
#1__The “Church” is and always was in scripture a reference to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>people and not an organization or institution. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">[</span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">Ephesians 1:22-23</span><span style="font-size: 18px;">]</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
[Any structure or organization is simply a tool that helps people and a 501c3
is exactly that, a tool. The 501c3 is NOT the church.]<br />
<br />
#2__Using language like ”Going to Church” easily confuses the Body of Christ
[Church] with an organization or institution and is totally non-biblical. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
Language using words about “being the Church wherever we go” is far more
biblical and theologically correct. (Romans 12:4-5] <br />
<br />
#3__The “Gathered” Church is that group of people uniquely joined together in a
single location. [Hebrews 10:25]<br />
<br />
Whatever organizational form (shape] that gathered group takes is up to the
people. But the form [shape] is SECONDARY to the Function or Purpose for those
people having gathered. <br />
<br />
In the scriptures the PURPOSE of the gathering was more for all the “one
anothers’” rather than primarily about the worship of God. “God Worship” for
the early church was a moment by moment reality of obedience as they lived
their daily lives. The regular gatherings were for encouragement and the
edifying of one another. [Ephesians 4:11-16]<br />
<br />
#4__The “Scattered” Church is simply redeemed people whose lives are lived out
daily as they worship [obey] God and gossip the Gospel as they go.<br />
<br />
[We are NO LESS the “Church” on Monday than we are on any given Sunday.]<br />
<br />
#5__The Day of meeting and the place of meeting for the “gathered church” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are non-designated in scripture and can be any
day or place they choose.<br />
<br />
[Historically it has been the 1<sup>st</sup> day of the week to celebrate a
living Lord as illustrated by the biblical materials. Early on in the NT the
gathering was basically in their homes.]<br />
<br />
#6__The regularity with which a gathered group [church] meets is simply NOT
declared in scripture.<br />
<br />
The gathering place is ONLY mentioned the one time in Hebrews 10:25 where it is
commanded that we NOT abandon our gathering together, but no number of times is
given to define abandonment.<br />
<br />
#7__Gathered “worship” in scripture IS NOT relegated to one hour on Sunday or
formatted in any fashion in the New Testament. <br />
<br />
[The “corporate worship hour” on Sunday is NO MORE worship than is the small
groups or times with people in any setting on whatever day of the gathering.]<br />
<br />
#8__Spirituality for believers was NEVER defined in scripture by how many times
they gathered with others.<br />
<br />
Our spirituality is because of who we have become by the Grace of God in Christ
and the Holy Spirit living in us making real His life through our unique
personality.<br />
<br />
#9__”Being the gathered church” is a delight, an encouragement, a privilege,
and a thing to cherish for all believers. <br />
<br />
But GUILT or SHAME for NOT attending at a certain time or place are never to be
used as the tool for getting someone to come to a gathering since there is no
scriptural standard for how often gathering is required. <br />
<br />
Abandonment of gathering has already been addressed.<br />
<br />
#10__Christianity is simply NOT defined scripturally by our performing in any
fashion, even with what is commonly called “church attendance.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
But it is, rather, Who and What Jesus has accomplished on our behalf and our
sharing His life every moment of every day and even on SOME days doing that sharing
of His life with other believers, GATHERED TOGETHER. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-34324001652299027692017-05-31T07:12:00.000-05:002017-05-31T07:12:53.492-05:00A GUEST WRITER, DR. GILBERT BILEZIKIAN, SPEAKING TO THE CHURCH!<div class="p1">
<b>A Challenge for Proponents of Female Subordination<br />
To Prove Their Case from The Bible.</b></div>
<div class="p2">
<b>By Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian<br />
</b><br />
Professor Emeritus<br />
Wheaton College<br />
Wheaton, IL<br />
<br />
For a short bio of Dr. Bilezikian <a href="https://godswordtowomen.org/Apostles.htm"><span class="s1"><b><i>click here</i></b></span></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br />"Open my eyes that I may see<br />
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.<br />
Place in my hands the wonderful Key<br />
That shall unclasp and set me free"</i></div>
<div class="p2">
Clara H. Scott, Hymn</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The purpose of this challenge is to prompt Christians to grapple with biblical facts rather than to accept traditional assumptions about female roles. What is at stake is not the role of women as much as the definition of the church as authentic biblical community. Is it possible for a local church to aspire to define itself as biblical community when more than half its constituency is excluded from participating in the most significant aspects of its life?</b></div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In the course of history, the church has often lost its way. For instance, during a thousand years, the church forgot something as crucial as the way of salvation and replaced it with methods of salvation by works that never worked. The biblical teaching was finally recovered by the Reformers just a few centuries ago.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />Likewise, many present-day Christians believe that, along the way, the church has lost its own definition as community and replaced it with false definitions that reduce it to the status of institution, establishment, hierarchy, corporation and programs. This challenge provides an incentive to help Christians rediscover for themselves the biblical definition of the church as God's community of oneness.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
To anyone who might be tempted to think that this challenge is a feminist plot to subvert the traditional church, it should be pointed out that feminism is a quest for equal rights and equal power. A basic premise of this presentation is the exact opposite, the belief that the Bible requires all Christians to pursue relationships of mutual submission and of reciprocal servanthood.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
An effective approach to tackle this challenge would be to go through this document one page at a time, to check the references with an open Bible at hand, and to search the Scriptures in order to supply the requested references. The challenge is to let the scriptures speak for themselves and to come away with how you see one of the great needs of the modern church.</div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />1. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a text from the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 that enjoins or entitles men to exercise authority or leadership over women, or that designates men as "head" or "spiritual head" over women.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
There is not a hint, not even a whisper about anything like a hierarchical order existing between man and woman in the creation account of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2. In fact, the exact opposite is clearly taught in these two chapters. Both man and woman were made in God's image (1:26-27) and they both participated in God-assigned ministries without any role distinctions (1:28).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The creation order established oneness, not hierarchy (2:24). The first indication of a hierarchical order between man and woman resulted from the entrance of sin into the world (3:16). The subordination of women to men was not part of God's original design. It resulted from the violation of God's creation order.</div>
<div class="p3">
The use of the word "helper" for the woman reinforces the relation of non-hierarchical complementarity that existed between the man and the woman prior to the fall (2:18). In the language of the Old Testament, a "helper" is one who rescues others in situations of need. This designation is often attributed to God as our rescuer. The word denotes not domesticity or subordination but competency and superior strength (Ex. 18:4; Deut. 33:26, 29; Psalm 33:20, 70:5, etc.).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
According to the text, the woman was instrumental in rescuing the man from being alone and, therefore, from not being yet the community of oneness that God had intended to create with both of them (Gen. 1:27.) As "helper," she pointedly enabled him to become with her the community that God had intended to establish through their union.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The word "helper" is used specifically in this context of God's deliberation to create community (2:18). The biblical text becomes violated when the word "helper" is wrenched away and lifted out of this specific context to be given other meanings that demean women by reducing them to the level of "complements" or docile conveniences created to improve the quality of male life.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In the account of the created order within which every relation of authority is carefully spelled out (1:26, 28; 2:17), there is not the slightest suggestion of a structure of authority existing between the man and the woman. Instead, the explicit evidence provided in those texts describes both as participating cooperatively in reflecting the image, and both fulfilling jointly the tasks of rulership and dominion without the necessity of a structure of hierarchy between them. </div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />2. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a text from the Bible that assigns women subordinate status in relation to men because Adam was created before Eve.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
In the first chapter of Genesis, the sequence of creation moves, in increasing levels of sophistication, from material things to plants, to animals and, finally, to humans. According to chapter two, the process culminates with the creation of the woman. Obviously, chronological primacy was not intended to denote superior rank. No such lesson is drawn within those two chapters from the fact that the man was created before the woman.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, an argument is presented for women to wear a head covering during worship. It is based on the differences in status between men and women that derive from the fact that man was created first (v. 7-10).</div>
<div class="p3">
But, according to the same text, all those considerations have been decisively swept aside "in the Lord," that is, in the Christian community (v. 11). In the new covenant, both men and women are in a relation of originative interdependence since men must recognize that they owe their existence to women just as the woman was made from man. Only the primacy of God as creator of all has significance since all things come from him, including both men and women (v. 11-12). As a result of this leveling of the ground "in the Lord", a covering is not even required of women since their hair is their covering (v. 15).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The ministry restrictions exceptionally placed on women in 1Timothy, chapter 2 are not based on the creation order. They are drawn from the temptation account. No conclusion is made in the text from the fact that Adam was formed first except for the one lesson that Adam was not deceived but Eve was and she became the first transgressor (v. 13-14).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Adam had been instructed about the prohibition relative to the tree directly from God while Eve was not yet in existence. For this reason, of the two, she was the one less prepared to face the tempter. He was present during the temptation episode but he remained silent (Gen. 3:6). Despite this disadvantage, she boldly engaged the tempter and she became deceived. This illustration from the Genesis temptation story has nothing to do with assigning all women of all times a subordinate status in church life. It was cited in this epistle to make the point that untaught and unqualified individuals should not aspire to teaching functions or to positions of leadership. They should first become quiet learners (1 Tim. 2: 11-12). </div>
<div class="p5">
<b><br />3. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a text from the Bible that defines the headship of Christ to the church as a relation of authority or of leadership.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
The New Testament defines the headship ministry of Christ to the church as a servant relation designed to provide the church with life and growth. This headship is never presented as an authority or lordship position.</div>
<div class="p3">
Eph. 1:22-23. Christ is supremely and universally sovereign, but as head for the church, it is not said that he rules over it. Instead, he provides his body with the fullness of him who fills all in all. He causes the church to grow and flourish.</div>
<div class="p3">
Eph. 4:15-16. Christ as head provides the body with oneness, cohesion and growth. This is a servant-provider role, not one of rulership.</div>
<div class="p3">
Eph. 5:23. Christ is head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. His headship to the church is defined as saviorhood which is biblically defined as a servant, self-sacrificing function, not a lordship role.</div>
<div class="p3">
Col. 1:18. Christ is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead. As its head, Christ is the source of the church's life.</div>
<div class="p3">
Col. 2:19. Christ is the head from whom the whole body grows because it is nourished by him. He is servant-provider of life and growth to the church.</div>
<div class="p3">
Obviously, Christ is Lord of all and therefore Lord of the church. But never does the New Testament define Christ's relation to the church as its head in terms of lordship, authority or rulership. As head to the church, Christ is always the servant who gives the church all she needs to become his radiant Bride. So is the husband to his wife (Eph. 5:25-30), within a relationship of mutual submission (v. 21).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The word "head" used figuratively in the English language refers to boss, person in authority, leader. It never has that meaning in New Testament Greek. There are hundreds of references in the New Testament to religious, governmental, civic, familial and military authority figures. Not one of them is ever designated as "head."</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Even Christ, as "head" of all rule and authority, remains their original giver of life and fullness (Col. 2:10; 1:16). Similarly, Christ was never called "head" of the church until after his crucifixion, the supreme expression of his servant ministry as the giver of new life.</div>
<div class="p3">
Whenever Christ is described as "head" to the church, his ministry is that of servant-provider. Similarly, as head to his wife, a husband is a servant-provider of life, of fullness and growth, not one who exercises authority over her. </div>
<div class="p5">
<b><br />4. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a text from the Bible that makes men head over women, or a husband head over his wife.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
There is no such statement in the Bible. The text in 1 Corinthians 11:3 is often cited as establishing a top-down hierarchy:</div>
<div class="p3">
God over Christ--- Christ over man--- man over woman.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
However, this biblical text must be radically dismembered and its components reshuffled in order to produce such results. The untouched biblical sequence is totally different and it does not present a hierarchical structure:</div>
<div class="p3">
Christ, head of man--- man, head of woman--- God, head of Christ.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The teaching in this text concerns the concept of "head" as giver of life. In creation, Christ (as the Word, John 1:3) gave life to man; man to woman (as she was taken from him, Gen. 2:21-23); and in the incarnation, God gave life to Christ (Luke 1:35). This understanding of "head" as "provider of life" is consistent with the immediate context which deals with the significance of origination (1 Cor. 11:7-12).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The meaning of "head" as servant-provider of life in this text is also consistent with the headship passage in Ephesians 5:21-33. There, the church is described as being subject to Christ in the reciprocity of servanthood because Christ as head is also servant to the church as its Savior and as the source of its welfare. Saviorhood in the New Testament is not a lordship role but one of self-sacrifice in radical servanthood.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Likewise, the wife is servant to her husband as she submits to him because the husband is servant to her in radical headship as he gives himself up for her as Christ did for the church (v. 25-30).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Both the general concept of headship in the New Testament and this passage of Scripture are infused with the notions of mutual submission (v. 21) and, therefore, of reciprocal servanthood. Such biblical teachings reduce the imposition of hierarchical relations between husbands and wives to irrelevance, if not to abuse in their relationship. </div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />5. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a New Testament text according to which men are given unilateral authority over women or are permitted to act as their leaders.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Once the fall shattered the God-given oneness between man and woman, they both faced a dysfunctional relationship. The woman was warned that, because of the disruption of the fall, the husband would rule over her (Gen. 3:16). Oneness would turn into abuse. But no mandate was ever given to the man to claim this rulership over the woman.</div>
<div class="p3">
There is no allowance made in the New Testament or license given for any one believer to wield authority over another adult believer. The pledge exacted from brides in an older wedding ceremony, "Wilt thou obey him...?" had no biblical warrant.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
There is no text in Scripture that enjoins wives to obey their husbands. The call is for mutual subjection (Eph. 5:21). Both wives and husbands must relate to each other "in the same way" as slaves submit to their masters (1 Peter 2:18; 3:1, 7 NIV) in order to follow in the steps of Christ, their supreme example (2:21).</div>
<div class="p3">
The New Testament singularly cites the case of Sarah who obeyed her husband Abraham (1 Peter 3:6). Sarah's case was cited in full knowledge of the fact that Abraham pointedly obeyed his wife just as often as she obeyed him, once even under God's specific command (Gen. 16:2, 6; 21:11-12).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Christians are solemnly forbidden by their Lord to establish among themselves structures of authority similar to the hierarchical systems that prevail in secular society. Those who aspire to attain such positions of leadership must, instead, become servants and slaves of those over whom they wish to wield authority (Matt. 20:25-28).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Leadership is always defined in the New Testament as shared leadership. In church life, leadership is a team function entrusted to a plurality of persons such as elders. These act as servants who have recourse to the exercise of authority only exceptionally when required to do so because of disciplinary or crisis situations and then, only corporately.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In marriage, husbands and wives are bonded in a relationship of non-hierarchical complementarity within which each partner brings to the union his or her leadership gifts in a structure of shared leadership. (For resolving biblically situations of decisional impasses, see Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Roles, pp. 212-214).</div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />6. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a New Testament text that exempts husbands from being mutually submitted to their wives.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Male rulership has prevailed since the time of the fall. For Christians, the new covenant in Christ should reverse this situation to the original goodness of the created order, from rulership back to the reciprocity of oneness (Matt. 19:4-5).</div>
<div class="p3">
Submission to Christ requires of believers that they submit to one another (Eph. 5:21). According to this text, where there is no mutual submission, reverence for Christ is wanting. Because the newness of the Gospel calls for new relationships, a paradigm shift has occurred that requires of Christians, including husbands and wives, to be in mutual subjection.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Since the practical expression of subjection is servanthood, this means that both husbands and wives are servants to each other. But perhaps in order to overcome the ruler legacy that men have inherited from the fall, it is additionally specified that Christian men must also love their wives to the point of Christ-like self-sacrifice for their sakes (v. 25-30).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
For this precise reason, in the only New Testament text where the word "authority" is used (in verb form) to describe husband and wife relations, husbands are not exempt from coming under the authority of their wives. A Christian wife has exactly the same authority rights over her husband as a husband has over his wife (1 Cor. 7:4).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In this text, the Scriptures teach specifically that a husband has no authority over his own body but that his wife does. (Interestingly, the NIV has considerably softened its translation of this challenging statement). In fact, decisions that affect their marital relationship may not be made unilaterally by either husband or wife (v. 5). They require the agreement of both parties. They both have equal say in the matter since either of the two may veto the proposed course of action.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Thus the New Testament requires that, beginning with the most personal expression of conjugal life, the one that emblemizes par excellence the union of man and woman, relationships be controlled jointly and that decisions be made by consensus with the involvement of both partners on a basis of equality. This call to mutual subjection and to joint participation in the exercise of authority strikes at the very foundation of any authority claim of husbands over wives. </div>
<div class="p4">
<b>7. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a biblical text according to which men are favored over women in the distribution of spiritual gifts, including those that qualify believers for ministries of leadership.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
In the garden, Adam and Eve were jointly entrusted with the dual responsibility of populating the earth and managing the environment (Gen. 1:28). The two mandates were committed to both of them without any role differentiations on the basis of gender. In order to fulfill this command, the man and the woman must have brought their best abilities to the accomplishment of both tasks in a relationship of equal partnership, best defined as non-hierarchical complementarity.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
On the day of Pentecost, Peter gave the inaugural speech that marked the beginning of the life of the church universal. The very first statement he made concerned the consequences of the new availability of the Holy Spirit to all believers. The outpouring of the Spirit promoted both men and women without differentiation to the ministry of prophecy (Acts 2:16-18), a function that was regarded as one of the highest ministries in the life of the church (1 Cor. 12:28).</div>
<div class="p3">
Consistently, the New Testament declares that all the members of local churches are endowed with spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-12) without any mention of women being excluded from such ministry roles. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, the text teaches that no individual has the right to excuse oneself (v. 14-16) and that no one has the right to exclude someone else from doing ministry (v. 20-22).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
On such premises, all may prophesy (14:31), and both men and women may lead in worship through prayer and the spoken word (11:4-5) such as the four women who prophesied in the church of Caesarea (Acts 21:9).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
In this light, it is evident that the statement in 1 Corinthians 14:33-36 forbidding women to speak in church has nothing to do with women exercising their spiritual gifts. In this passage, the Apostle was dealing with a different issue that did not concern the exercise of spiritual gifts. He was actually opposing, by quoting their words derisively, abusive church leaders who were intent on excluding women from active participation in the life of the church. (For a commentary on this passage, see Bilezikian, Community 101, pp. 86-89.) </div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />8. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a biblical text that exclusively disqualifies women from exercising church leadership ministries.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
The one passage that is ultimately adduced to claim that the New Testament prohibits women to teach or to have authority over men is found in 1 Timothy 2:11-15. However, the same section of Scriptures imposes similarly restrictive leadership and ministry prohibitions on men. According to it, a man's family status provides the indispensable credential for his ability to lead the church (3:4-5, 12). The only men who may aspire to positions of church leadership, which include the ministries of teaching and managing the affairs of the church, must be married ("husbands of one wife"), and have children who are submissive and respectful, and who are believers (Titus 1:6). According to this text, ability to manage family provides indispensable proof of ability to manage the local church.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Such requirements disqualify from service not only women, but also all men who are single; all men married but childless; all men married but who have only one child; all men married but who have children too young to profess faith; all men married but who have one unbelieving child or children; all men married and whose children are believers but not submissive; all men married and whose children are believers and submissive but not respectful.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
These exceptionally harsh and restrictive requirements are all the more amazing since the New Testament favors singleness for both men and women as preferred status to do ministry (Matt. 19:11-12, 1 Cor. 7:25-35), and since the New Testament emphatically requires the total utilization of all available spiritual gifts in the ministries of the church, regardless of marital status or gender.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Of course, the Scriptures provide an explanation for those apparent contradictions. The singularly restrictive structure of ministry prescribed in 1 Timothy and Titus was established as a remedial measure for churches that had fallen into a state of terminal crisis. Its underlying principle of restricting ministry in sick or immature churches to few leaders of proven managerial competency is relevant today to churches that find themselves in similarly extreme situations. However, the prevailing New Testament model of full participation of the total constituency in the ministries of the local church applies to healthy churches (See Bilezikian, Community 101, pp. 82-128).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
It should be sternly noted that, for the sake of biblical consistency and integrity of practice, churches that insist on keeping women out of ministries of leadership on the basis of the prohibitions of 1 Timothy 2, thereby make themselves accountable to keep also men out of the very same positions on the basis of the similarly restrictive provisions stipulated in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and listed above.</div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />9. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a biblical text that prohibits the ordination of women to church ministry positions.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
The evidence indicates that women were entrusted with the ministry of the Word in New Testament churches. There were female prophets (Acts 2:17-19; 21:9), female teachers (Acts 18:26; Titus 2:3), female church leaders (Rom. 16:1, 3-5; Phil. 4:3; Col. 4:15), and even a female apostle by the name of Junia (Rom. 16:7).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
There is no text in the Bible forbidding women to be ordained because, according to the New Testament, all believers without exception are ordained by God to do ministry on the basis of their spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:7, 11; 14:31; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 5:11, 1 Peter 4:10-11). In fact, those very ministries that are traditionally viewed as requiring "ordination" carry only a supportive role according to the New Testament (Eph. 4:11) while the executive part of the ministry, the works of service that build up the body of Christ, belongs to the "non-ordained" people of the congregation (v. 12).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The practice of ordaining select people to hold positions of authority in churches should be viewed as an ecclesiastical tradition rather than as a biblical prescription. Thus, Paul and Barnabas were already among the recognized prophets and teachers of the church in Antioch when they received the laying on of hands, not to make them prophets or teachers but to commission them for a short-term sub-ministry (Acts 13: 1-3). It was their recognized spiritual gifts as prophet/teacher that had validated their ministry, not the subsequent laying on of hands.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
This New Testament practice of the laying on of hands can hardly be associated with the current practice of ordination since Timothy received it twice, one at the hand of elders (1 Tim. 4:14), then from Paul himself (2 Tim. 1:6). In both cases, the purpose was the impartation of a spiritual gift, not the recognition of the ministry deriving from it as is the case with ordination as currently practiced (see Bilezikian, Community 101, pp. 155-161).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Since the institution of ordination is traditional rather than biblically prescribed, there can be no valid objection raised on scriptural grounds to women being ordained. According to the New Testament, all believers, without exception, are ordained by God to do ministry on the basis of their spiritual gifts.</div>
<div class="p4">
<b><br />10. The Challenge</b></div>
<div class="p3">
Cite a biblical text according to which the differences between manhood and womanhood warrant hierarchical relations between Christian men and women.</div>
<div class="p3">
<b><br />The Facts</b></div>
<div class="p3">
The organization of the Christian community is never described as a gender-based hierarchy in the Scriptures. To the contrary, it is the doctrine of the community of oneness that sets the norm (Matt. 19:4-6; John 17:11, 20-23; Acts 4:32; Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 4:4-6; etc.).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The practical implementation of this oneness is summarized in Galatians 3:28: racial distinctions (Jew/Greek), class distinctions (slave/free), and the gender distinction (male/female) are declared to have become irrelevant to the functioning of Christian communities. The compelling mandate for this radical restructuring of community is given as: "for you are all one in Christ."</div>
<div class="p3">
Proponents of female subordination often insist that this oneness, which transcends race, class and gender differences, is limited to the inclusion of new believers in the community through justification and baptism (Gal. 3:24-27, 28; 1 Cor. 12:13). However, Scripture prohibits limiting the principle of non-discrimination taught throughout the New Testament merely to entrance of converts into the community.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
The New Testament emphatically declares that the same oneness, which transcends differences of race, class and gender as a condition for entering the church, is also the driving force that energizes the constituency of the local church into the performance of its ministries. This oneness pertains to the functional life of the body (Rom. 12:4-5). The same oneness sustains the corporate use of all the spiritual gifts invested in it by the Spirit for the performance of the ministries of the local body (1 Cor. 12:11-12; Eph. 4:4-8, 11).</div>
<div class="p3">
<br />
Oneness is always defined in the New Testament as the basis for participation of all in the ministries of the local church. Oneness and ministry are inseparably linked in the biblical text. Therefore, the declaration according to which there is no male or female because we are all one in Christ is a ringing mandate for all to participate in church ministry functions without raising the gender difference as grounds for discrimination.</div>
<br />
<div class="p3">
<br />
The Scripture absolutely forbids racial, class and gender discrimination by reason of the oneness of the church as a body. This oneness is consistently defined in the New Testament as full participation of the total constituency in the ministries of the church. This and other teachings of Scripture rule out gender-based hierarchy as a structure for biblical oneness.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-81910471564603857662017-05-15T08:52:00.001-05:002017-05-15T08:52:24.464-05:00THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THE LIFE OF FAITH WILL BE EASY!<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">For as long as I can remember some Christians, especially television preachers, have emphasized "victory, success, healing, and material blessings" as the path for EVERY believer who truly lives "by faith!" The only problem is that not only misses reality, it misses the emphasis of the scripture entirely. According to the Biblical materials the ONLY guarantee any of us have IN THIS LIFE is that God LOVES us and He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. A Christian may be healed, but they might NOT be. A Christian may be materially blessed, but they might NOT be. A Christian may have a successful marriage, but they might NOT have one, because they have a partner that chooses, for whatever reason, to leave the union. Christians suffer at the hands of a brutal criminals. They sometimes find out they have a disease for which there is NO CURE or one that IS NOT cured. It isn't that God can't or even doesn't heal some, but, the point is that He doesn't do so EVERY TIME, even for those living by faith. They may receive bad news about their children. And on and on I could go.<br /><br />But here's the deal, our lives "in Christ" are built upon a much more solid rock than any circumstance that makes us comfortable with health, wealth and happiness being undisturbed. That rock is CHRIST HIMSELF and He will NEVER LEAVE US nor FORSAKE us and is coming to establish His Eternal Kingdom with a New Heavens and a New Earth!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">What an eye-opener it would be for ANY of us as American Christians to be magically transported overseas to live among radical Islamists, massive poverty, and barren wastelands of dry, dusty earth. It might help us realize that when our Christian message of comfort revolves around material things as evidence of God's blessings and favor, the way we're thinking has been "materially" corrupted and no longer represents the true message of the Bible. [We have been blessed with ALL spiritual blessings IN CHRIST JESUS!] Just remember that if a message or truth any preacher brings CANNOT be lived out in ANY nation on earth, it isn't scripturally true for this nation either.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">A few years ago our son, Wade Burleson, wrote a poem and sent it to a family in the fellowship he pastors that was facing some horrible circumstances at the time. I found it yesterday and thought you might enjoy it as well. As Wade said back then,"Maybe God can use this poem to encourage you as these things happen in your life, or worse, as the answer to your prayers is exactly opposite of what you have requested."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br /><br /><br />My Lord's Guarantee</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">There are days you’ll hear news that burdens your soul.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">Words will come that cause you to feel less than whole.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">Those times are planned by Me for a special reason,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">To give you My comfort in your particularly dark season.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">I may not always make things perfect and secure,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">But I will show you two things that are absolutely sure.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">My unconditional love for you will never change or abate.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">And your life is not in the hands of earthly chance or fate.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">I have taken hold of you and supported you by My hand,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">To ensure the evil around you will not forever stand.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">Assurance of My love is found not in what you can see.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">It is established in the personal faith you have in Me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">It may be that I designed this affliction to end with death.<br />
For this reason you must trust Me with your every breath.<br />
You came to this world with nothing but My love for you,<br />
And it is this unfailing love that will see you through.<br /><br />Thanks Wade!<br /><br />Paul B.</span></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-82208087508951905092017-03-08T07:55:00.002-06:002017-03-08T07:55:46.015-06:00WAS AND WILL JESUS BE ETERNALLY SUBORDINATE TO THE FATHER IN ETERNITY PAST AND FUTURE?<div class="p1">
Warning...heavy reading. Not for children or for those who like to read only children's stories. It is for those willing to put away childish things. For a moment anyway. <span class="s1">:)</span></div>
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<br />Does 1 Corinthians 11:3, which says, "But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." actually say and mean that Christ is eternally subordinate to God the Father because "head" means subordination? Is the Son's will to be OBEDIENT to the Father's will in eternity to come? Was it SUBORDINATE in eternity PAST? Is the Eternal Father over the Eternal Son in eternity future OR past in terms of authority? Some say yes, yes, yes, and yes.</div>
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<br />But I don't think so! I believe to be TEXTUALLY true and correct about this verse you would have to SEE what the meaning of the word 'head' really had for the generation that received it and that is a different thing than for us today. The word "head" "Kephale" in 1 Cor. 11:3 really had for them the idea of referring to the origins or source of something and didn't refer to authority at all. If I'm correct on this, then it does NOT say what our present culture might think it says.</div>
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<br />You see there are some perfectly good words in Greek [kuriotes, exousia, epitage] for authority but 'kephale' isn't one of them. I've examined every verse where Paul is speaking of "authority" or "rule" in scripture and a word other than 'kephale' is used. Add to that the Middle Eastern thought in the biblical culture of putting someone under your FEET as being a symbol of authority over another in value or position [Still present in the Middle East if you'll remember the people beating the fallen statue of Saddam Hussain with THEIR SHOES.] and you would have good reasons for believing the idea the Greek word for "head" [Kephale] does NOT mean authority here or other places in scripture. Here is one of the BEST articles on "head' or "kephale" that you'll ever find.</div>
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<span class="s2"><br />[ <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsearchingtogether.org%2Fkephale.htm&h=ATPMU-bHGqXpsZDI0KFCIB1xt-CfGKGaWMKZFCEm-l3B_ZZAILy7siS68RNjMEsxVA7ym-TZD4BZ6vkV_e602xHEsU5Ldax8wTsA8-3aXmoqNys6lII-B1Ys9tLF5yu2_dajpn-q-UyNwOsDSw&enc=AZMWFNaAcFbuGFIgdr_UZcl4qFF3XmIPt64W3tvDhNq2se8vr5dRVbZ9qir2ifPBQl9FAj_4zapALPnE_0SrETu2IVT3SDUFIzWKc61THhLL8ZnRaGbTOzmisUO-RT5noV20ZdZqd98f6TVVvQUY4mbFv1NoI_-pM7pacnJ88ARG2l9DQ-jiYoi5v_tbfsMeQfA&s=1"><span class="s3">http://searchingtogether.org/kephale.htm</span></a> ]</span></div>
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<br />In fact, the word 'head' [Kephale] in Greek culture was often times thought to be the souce of life. Just as the loins were thought of as the seat of emotions and the heart was the center or essence of being. So what we have in this verse is a word used that might SEEMS to make perfect sense to those of us living in the American culture who think of it as meaning "boss,"but THAT wasn't the sense of the word in that day at all.</div>
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<br />This is NOT to say that in the INCARNATION moment there was not a submission of Jesus to the express will of the Father. There was and He did. But always remember even then the word used for "obey" when referring to Christ to the Father is a Greek word "Hupo tasso" meaning one of equal value and voice choosing [middle voice] to serve another. That was, after all, the express PURPOSE of the incarnation [to live with perfect obedience to God as man] which culminated in the Cross where He became our substitute as the sinless Lamb of God.</div>
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<br />That idea of submission is CERTAINLY not the natural flow of this passage at all. Source is the natural flow. And, by the way, do you realize that no where in scripture is a husband told to LEAD his wife? [He is told to serve her.] The words lead, leader, servant-leader, spiritual leader are NEVER used at all. Paul doesn't use them. Peter doesn't use them, and most of all Jesus never does. These words are only DERIVED logically from the word "head" used here and in Eph 5 when it is interpreted with the meaning our culture has for it. So what Paul wished to convey to that culture we will COMPLETELY miss when thinking of "head" the way we do in our culture.</div>
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<br />Now, back to our word "kephale." [Head] My favorite illustration of the natural meaning of this word to that culture is, as many of you who have heard me teach know, that of a river. When we speak of the 'head' waters of a river, we mean its "source" with no idea of authority at all bearing in mind what they thought "head" meant. That's the intention of Paul here I believe.</div>
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<br />So what is being said is that we have God's only begotten Son coming from God who is the "source" referring to the incarnation. This verse was never intended to be a statement of JESUS ontologically [nature] or functionally [subordination] to God the Father in either eternity past OR future. It was only speaking INCARNATIONALLY as the Son takes on a human nature in which He ASSUMES a subordinate relationship to God the Father as a fully human person. So 1 Cor. 11:3 is referring to God [ The Father] who is the SOURCE of Jesus coming incarnately to accomplish His purpose and not the One who is 'BOSS' over Jesus pre-incarnation or post-incarnation.</div>
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<br />Phil. 2.5-11 helps clarify this when it shows that the pre-existent Son of God had the condition and status of being equal to God. This means Jesus WAS God in pre-time eternity one in nature or essence, mind, will, and purpose and being with the Father who is God and the Spirit who is God. One God----not three gods with three wills or three minds but One God with one will or one mind---- who is expressed in three unique persons. Relationally, I suppose you could say, as did Erick Sauer: "Father-is the Lover, Son-is the Beloved, Spirit-is the Spirit of love" because God IS love. But there is no HIERARCHY here as to authority. THAT"S read INTO the text.</div>
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<br />But God the Son CHOSE to not abide in that condition of equality, but rather humbled himself [REMEMBER..involving a choice, not an inherent condition or state being as the divine Son] and took upon Himself human nature with a human body. Doing this, while never less than God in His nature. He, thus, became the unique God-man and, while living as man, He was submitted to God the Father as the Second Man or Last Adam, all the way to the Cross. Remember, He said he COULD have called for angels and be released. The question I ask is simply, COULD HE HAVE? As God He could have and NEVER been disobedient in doing so. As Man He DID NOT and obeyed God's will.</div>
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<br />Now the rest of the verse makes sense as this whole idea of 'kephale' in 1 Cor. 11:3 continues to substantiate the 'source' of the woman being the man and Christ being the 'source' of the man?</div>
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<br />The man as"head" [Kephale-source] of the woman can certainly be seen by going back to the Genesis story in which the woman is literally brought out of man. [The rib thing.] But someone might ask "how does the 'man' have his source in Christ?" I'm glad you asked. I read one person who said it well when he said there are perhaps two possible answers to this. One is when we remember that Paul stated that Christ pre-existed and was involved in the creation of the first human-kind [Adam] in the beginning. Col. 1.16 is quite clear about that as is John 1.</div>
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<br />But also, we should remember that Paul is the one who articulated the Adam Christology as it applied to Jesus and that he said in a biblical reality Jesus is to be seen as comparable to the historical Adam and who, as such, is the founder/source of a whole new kind of human beings [redeemed] made up of all those who are in Christ, both men and also women out of every nation, tribe, and race on earth. [Whew, long sentence read it again.]</div>
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<br />Which one of these is correct? I lean toward the first but maybe both are true. Either one would cause the words in 1 Cor. 11:3 to make good sense. Verse 12 seems to pronounce a benediction on the source idea as well.</div>
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So I don't see how 1 Cor. 11.3 can be used as a proof at all for the idea that Christ is eternally subordinate to the Father. I don't see it as providing any proof for the idea that men are perpetually in authority over women either. That's not what "kephale" means in this verse from my understanding. I have the same view of the language when interpreting Eph. 5 as well.</div>
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<br />My conclusion then, is that in eternity there are not three gods with three different wills and minds but one God Who has one will and one mind expressed in three persons of equal nature or essence. The INCARNATION had a purpose of its own to be sure. Beyond this I have little understanding of the Trinity which is FAR beyond understanding with our finite minds anyway. So much more could be said but I had promised to give my two-cents and I wanted to do just that.<br /><br />Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-73555914429870840052017-02-20T16:43:00.000-06:002017-02-20T16:43:39.700-06:00SOME THOUGHTS OF A PERSONAL NATURE ABOUT RELATING TO OTHER PEOPLE!<div class="p1">
In churches I've pastored for over forty years I've had a standard for my life while in that ministry and I truly hope I've carried it over to the present day. That standard is, to the best of my ability, I tried to learn to evaluate people based on my first-hand experience with them and NOT on what someone else told me about them. This was because second-hand information can be very misleading and inaccurate to say the least. It COULD even have an agenda about which one might be unaware.</div>
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<br />Case in point is the day I moved onto the field as pastor of a church in Texas a few decades ago. There was a letter from a former pastor in the middle drawer of the pastor's desk addressed to "The Next Pastor." What I read was a warning which encouraged me to be sure and watch my back where certain people in the fellowship were concerned. [in other words, DON'T TRUST them!] It honestly scared me to death. He had left me a list of people that I obviously did not know personally, including a deacon who lived across the street from the parsonage and the pastor's personal secretary. [That certainly caused me some concern.] I promptly put the letter in a bottom drawer and, surprisingly, soon forgot about it.</div>
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<br />A couple of years later I came upon that letter. I read the forgotten list again. Much to my surprise, the named deacon had become like a GRANDFATHER to our kids and the secretary was a JEWEL...from my perspective. Lesson learned. One person's evaluation of another MAY NOT wind up being the definition of your relationship with that same person. Thus, my suggestion is to start fresh with your evaluation of ANY individual no matter WHAT is told you about them. Beware of TRIANGULATION in ANY relationship. [Triangulation__ "a manipulative device to engineer a negative opinion between two people, known as playing one (person) against another."]</div>
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<br />This lesson is proving even more important in this internet era when statements and charges can be made about someone with little ability to REALLY know the truth. Josh McDowell once said something like this, 'The abundance of information [on the internet] will NOT lead to CERTAINTY; it WILL lead to pervasive skepticism.' [BINGO!] He went on to say,'The Internet has leveled the playing field. TRUTH has now taken a back seat [Devaluing truth__a deliberate downward adjustment] as SKEPTICS and MIS-INFORMATION [and sometimes even lies] are given equal access and validity.'</div>
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I regret to say, I haven't always lived up to the standard of NON-TRIANGULATION learned early on, but when I find I'm not, I repent as quickly as I realize the failure. It is a lesson I don't want to forget which is a challenge with the use of the Internet.<br /><br />Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-26232372496658275812017-01-09T07:35:00.001-06:002017-01-09T08:11:09.382-06:00THE PURPOSE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP AND HOW IT CAN BE MISSED!<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">One of these days VERY SOON I'm going to post a lengthy study and research paper I've done on the biblical materials about the subject of WORSHIP, particularly as it relates to what is commonly called the Regulative Principle and the Normative Principle. Put in simple terms those principles are respectively, “One can ONLY do things in worship services that the Scriptures give clear warrant to do," [Regulative] or, "One can DO anything they please in wors</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.32px;">hip services as long as it is not condemned in scripture." [Normative]</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130;">I believe BOTH are aiming for something good. The Regulatives [Reformed folks basically] don’t want Scripture to be silenced. They want to take textual authority seriously. They don’t want Scripture to be a dusty set of standing orders that only functions to rule out certain things. I understand that and applaud them for it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><br />While the Normatives [Congregationalists basically] don't want to tie the hands of the Holy Spirit in leading us into new expressions of worship that can produce a legitimate hearing from the culture and might even give means to the Body of Christ expressing their giftedness. My understanding and applause continues!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><br />But, as you can imagine if you know me at all, I think BOTH may be missing it a bit, and as a result congregations are being led into methods and means that may very well ROB them of adequately FULFILLING the scriptures themselves AND/OR manipulating them to have an experience that is just a bit short of being entertained. [Maybe not short of it at all!]</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><br />I'm convinced BOTH the Regulative AND the Normative may very well be MISSING what I see as the most important New Testament principle of worship which, for the lack of a better term, [I actually read it somewhere] I would call the EDIFYING PRINCIPLE of worship. This Principle is introduced to us from the text and gives us a freedom to be both creative AND discerning and would MAXIMIZE the gifts, talents and abilities of MEN AND WOMEN who are in the fellowship. Now I'm REALLY APPLAUDING!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;">This would allow us to get back to the textual guidance for the original purpose of corporate worship which is, as I see the text, NOT for a vertical emphasis, where it's all about FORGETTING each other and focusing on GOD ALONE, but , as the text shows, IS for a horizontal emphasis, [still talking about Corporate Worship here] where we focus on all the "ONE ANOTHER'S" of the scriptures and God is GLORIFIED [honored, experienced and seen to be present] in it all. You can see I believe that the "worship hour" may wind up having very little difference from "small groups," whether they're called community groups or flocks or___whatever! Corporate Worship is to be a congregational experience and NOT an Old Testament High-Priest experience! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;">More to come later.</span></span></span></div>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-80258016362068577212017-01-02T06:32:00.002-06:002017-01-02T06:32:55.516-06:00SOME THOUGHTS ON APPLICATION FOR 2017<div class="p1">
I've been busy with the holidays and have had little time to write. So here is a somewhat short, maybe even a bit simple but I trust an on target statement, about application of the scripture when it is being taught.</div>
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I like real application of scripture when it is taught. I am NOT talking about the kind of application that most Christians think of, as in "What should I DO for God?" I mean the APPLICATION that leads one to say, "I hear and am OVERWHELMED by what GOD HAS DONE FOR ME and will respond!"</div>
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This is because, <br /><br />UNTIL__ a Christian realizes they don't HAVE to do ONE thing for God, OR try to change themselves to obtain the FAVOR of God, OR make any commitment, promise or vow to God to earn that favor, and UNTIL__ a Christian knows GOD ACCEPTS THEM and LOVES THEM just as they are because HE HAS ALREADY DONE FOR THEM WHAT THEY CANNOT DO themselves, namely, forgiven and cleansed them, is present within them to progressively empower and change them, given them every spiritual blessing they will ever need to live life which has come by Grace through Christ__their FOCUS will be on the WRONG place [their sins] instead of the RIGHT PLACE which is their spiritual portfolio IN CHRIST! THAT'S where you START with application!</div>
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[THAT is a long sentence and may well need reading AGAIN!]</div>
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Most people read the Bible as if it is a rule book for behavior, when in reality God gave us the Bible as a love letter declaring the good news that He requires NOTHING of sinners and describing in that love letter what has ALREADY been provided sinners precisely and completely, IN CHRIST JESUS! [Remember, the Old Testament is the ROOT and New Testament is the FLOWER both pointing to the ONE PERSON of CHRIST]</div>
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If we don't understand this, when we fail, and we will, we would simply grit our teeth and try harder to DO good and NOT DO bad and would wind up being discouraged, defeated, and maybe even disillusioned.</div>
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<br />Whereas, when TRUE APPLICATION [What He's ALREADY done on our behalf] is made when the scriptures are taught, we then can FAITH IT TO BE SO and we then can choose to do or live IN RESPONSE to His Grace and Mercy. That's obedience [serving] birthed out of faith and love BECAUSE we know He FIRST LOVED US!<br /><br />Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-88647003298250020772016-12-13T16:43:00.002-06:002016-12-13T16:54:20.433-06:00A PERSONAL VIEW MAKING NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SECULAR AND SACRED!<div style="line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">I make no distinction between sacred "things" and secular "things." ALL "things" ARE finite and only God is infinite. I view God as the "SOURCE" of all THINGS [The One from Whom all things come into being or are derived or obtained. See 1 Corinthians 3:21-23] ! And, I view all "things" as simply RESOURCES for life. [Things that are available for use or can be</span><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.32px;">used for GOOD or BAD].</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.32px;"><br />Romans 8:5 says this, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the THINGS OF THE FLESH, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the THINGS OF THE SPIRIT." [ESV]</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />"Walking after the "things" of the flesh" [ a no-no] is simply using or seeing "THINGS" as the SOURCE for making life worth living. Any THING. American citizenship, family, appearance, relationships, job, recreation, preaching, church attendance, bible reading, giving, you name it, can be seen as the SOURCE for what makes life worth living and, thus, become an idol. That THING is then taking the place of God in life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />"Walking after the "things" of the Spirit" [a yes-yes] is simply using or seeing "THINGS" as a RESOURCE for making life a little better, but, all the while, seeing God as the SOURCE of it all. ANY thing, such as my American citizenship, family, appearance, relationships, job, recreation, preaching, church attendance, bible reading, giving, you name it. can be correctly seen as a RESOURCE for making life a little better or more enjoyable and, thus, would NOT be an idol. God Himself is correctly seen as the SOURCE for all of life!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />All finite "things" will pass away. Only Infinite God will not pass away. Nor shall we, once our mortality [finite] has one day at the resurrection put on immortality [Infinite].</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />So the living of life ISN'T a list of things TO DO or NOT DO in terms of priorities. It is, however, experiencing and celebrating God in ALL THINGS in life and enjoying all those things as resources He has delivered to you in your particular realm of existence on planet earth.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;">[1 Corinthians 3:21-23]</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />AND, it is being a RESOURCE yourself for others along the journey choosing to introducing them to your SOURCE with the gospel message when possible. [Christ IS after all, the answer for life and life ABUNDANTLY.]</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />Thus, I make no distinction between SACRED "things" and SECULAR "things." All of LIFE is sacred and seeing Him as the SOURCE and enjoying HIM is the purpose for any THING!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: medium;">Paul B.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-31012569606516459472016-12-05T12:13:00.002-06:002016-12-05T12:44:10.440-06:00SOME THOUGHTS ON CENTS AND SIBLINGS<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">It would do me well to ALWAYS remember these two little facts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />One___Every coin has two sides.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;">Two___There were two brothers in the story of the prodigal son.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />So, "What's the deal with those two statements?" you ask.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />FIRST the two brothers thing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />When I discovered the "far country" brother in the story of the prodigal son, I was ELATED because I could see myself in him. Grace IS wonderful, is it not!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />Then I discovered the "In the field" brother and I saw how he condemned the "far country" sibling and I got ANGRY at the "In the field" guy and all those like him who condemn those who had been in the "Far country."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />And to this day many Christians often condemn other Christians who may find themselves acting like the "Far country" guy, in their opinion.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />"Boy, those 'In the field' people [elder brother] are REALLY filled with pride and they don't even see it, shame on those 'in the field' characters." I have said or thought judgmentally MANY TIMES.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />But as I said that or thought that it was OBVIOUS I had failed to notice that the Father LOVED THEM BOTH. How novel is THAT!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />NOW the coin thing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br />It's amazing how so many so-called "Christians" can often be downright hateful and condemning in their words about the behavior of others, especially sexual behavior or divorce, and then excuse it with, "Oh I'm just expressing tough love by telling them the truth about their sin."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />Can I say it? Baloney.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />If we Christians REALLY want to tell the truth about SIN, let's deal with the pride, gluttony, selfishness, egotism, lying, hatred and anger, found in our own lives. Oh, wait, we can't go there, that’s our stuff!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />I believe “tough love” REALLY means doing just that. Actually going there. Going down deep in our OWN life to do battle with the reality of our OWN garbage. Especially the stuff like our OWN temptation to be MORE concerned about being RIGHT than being GRACIOUS. Deep enough to face our OWN twisted need to have the LAST WORD and to WIN an ARGUMENT even if we have to be ARGUMENTATIVE and ANGRY to do it. In other words, facing our OWN propensity for winning at any cost.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />Tough love means the love of Christ in us is tough enough to help us see the TRUTH [log] about ourselves before looking at the SIN [splinter] in someone else. The funny thing is, I think we’ll find REALLY ourselves being able to be far more gracious once we’ve seen our OWN “log.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />That’s having tough love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />That's what I would call side "A" of the coin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />But the flip side [B] of that coin is important too and it is being willing to know that our opinion on ANY ISSUE is NOT the last word. We would ALL do well to ALWAYS remember that our opinion is NOT the most important thing in any conversation whether in person or on the Internet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />When I remember this, I WON'T get caught up in thinking my opinion NEEDS to be heard. I think it MAY WELL BE that the ability to know what I say ISN'T the most important thing in any REAL conversation, is ALMOST as important as being willing to stand for truth. That's side "B" of the coin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />I guess you could call that the heads AND tails of the coin of sharing ideas and learning to do so with genuine humility. I need both sides of that coin in my life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />It may be good at this point to be reminded that TRUE HUMILITY, at least according to a friend of mine, isn't thinking LESS of yourself. It's thinking of yourself LESS. When my friend said that, he was paraphrasing what C.S. Lewis said with this, "An humble person will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can tell him the first step is to realize that one really does suffer from PRIDE, and that really is a problem."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />What both my friend and C.S.Lewis said points out to me that WHEN I think that WHAT I think about other people's OPINIONS or BEHAVIOR is the FINAL WORD and MUST be heard, I've really got a pride problem.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #4c1130; color: white;"><br />My love for them and grace shown to them SHOULD be my final focus. When that's true of me, THEN I'll leave the "JUDGMENT" of their opinions AND behavior to the One Who knows the HEART of the matter! [Owe NO person ANYTHING except to love that person.The rest we can work out in a true relationship.<br /><br />Paul B.</span></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-57409404876427247632016-10-07T07:18:00.001-05:002016-10-07T07:18:37.007-05:00HOW ONE PERSON I READ SAID IT!<div class="p1">
Here is the opinion of one Minister I find interesting. I thought you might also.<br /><br />I respect pastors who have been willing to wrestle with contemporary issues as they relate them to theology even if they wind up with a view differing from my particular view, ESPECIALLY when they are being open and honest about it all. For too long pastors have ONLY been willing to focus on things that are mostly practical in nature, such as budgets, membership, and facilities. Areas like theology and even spirituality have taken a back seat for too long. I don't know why this has happened. It may be that the issues that threatened to disturb or divide people were seen to be of no value spiritually or there was a fear of the consequences of dealing with them. As a result, many preachers have gotten better and better at saying less and less of significance. </div>
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I do however, sympathize greatly with the cost paid by the above mentioned pastors. Many of whom, when they really DO wrestle with issues and wind up with a theology position that AFFIRMS or DENIES what is generally held by the present culture or even many other Christians, find that it has cost them some church members, if not personal relationships of friends and even family. </div>
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Few people seem capable of maintaining meaningful relationships with anyone with whom they disagree about things in the area of RELIGION or POLITICS. Declaring one’s position about controversial matters, even if done respectfully, nearly always results in a loss of relationship with someone. </div>
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I’ve certainly experienced that, and I know it to be painful.</div>
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I'm also thinking that many pastors see themselves as "theologically conservative" simply because they tend to be "socially conservative." Those Pastors seem to fail to recognize that much of their belief system is really based on cultural habit, political orientation, tradition, personal preference, or just plain old pragmatic utilitarianism. They do what works because that’s what most people around them want. </div>
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Furthermore, it is just simply a fact that in certain areas of the United States people like “the old time religion” and do NOT wish it to be changed in any fashion. Some churches DO break out of that mentality — seeker churches, for example —but they all too often do NOT think much about the undergirding theology that may or may NOT support their work. </div>
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To put it bluntly, we have for years now been doing church business without paying much attention to cultural changes except perhaps for the occasional angry sermon on "becoming cultural" now and then. So I say "blessings" on pastors who do the wrestling with cultural issues AND theology AND pay the price for it! </div>
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It was in the early seventies that I was challenged to explore Who Christ is to me personally and whether His Word, the Bible, was an authoritative word for me personally, as well. I was making my living off of it pastoring churches, presenting the message of Christ to people along the way, and I hope doing a fairly good job at it. But I had to decide back then if I could really trust the book I was preaching [the Bible] every Sunday to congregations. Was it just a human word about God or the Word of God? I came to a deep conviction on that point. The Bible is, in fact, the Word of GOD! It left me with a further conviction that no individual gets to decide the validity of whether Jesus was the Christ, the One who brings us to God, and whether the Christian faith is legitimately for him or her as presented in scripture. </div>
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THAT is settled for me because of my seeing the scriptures as a “faith once and for all delivered to the saints.” </div>
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Spurgeon once proposed seven eternal and unalterable truths that are to be believed and shared:</div>
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The Bible - God's inspired word which will never lead one astray (e.g. it is infallible).</div>
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The Triune God - God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is three Persons, but one God.</div>
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Christ's Atonement - the only hope for sinners to be right with God is through Christ's sacrifice.</div>
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The New Birth - moral reformation is not enough; God's deliverance is a new birth within.</div>
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The Evil of Sin - God will judge the wicked for their sins against Him and their fellow man.</div>
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Salvation by Grace - Christ has done for sinners what sinners cannot do for themselves.</div>
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Justification by Faith - Being right with God involves looking to Christ by faith; not one's own works.</div>
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These are the things that are the foundation of the "Faith once delivered." If we erode that common witness in ANY fashion, we will ultimately destroy the faith we claim to represent. </div>
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Now, I see my job is one of thinking seriously about issues that we face in our culture. It is spiritually irresponsible and cowardly for me to ignore them. At the same time, I have a responsibility, even a calling, to make decisions about these controversial issues by honoring my present understanding of the boundaries identified in the scriptures, especially as the New Covenant fulfills the Old Covenant, about how some cultural issues are to be viewed. </div>
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Same sex marriage, homosexuality, abortion, divorce and remarriage are a few of those tough cultural issues faced today. Orientation, one way or the other, is a big issue today. But from a Christian's point of view, “orientation” may not that important. I'm thinking that from a biblical perspective, one’s natural inclination toward any behavior is not very important. The important thing in biblical living is whether we intend to govern and manage our natural inclinations by the light of God’s Word instead of by natural instinct. Other issues like women in ministry, roles in marriage, divorced men and women serving in a fellowship, local church membership, and authority over believers, to name a few, beg for a clarity of understanding as well. </div>
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Christians have, and will continue to have, differences of opinions about what some passages mean. Those differences will continue to give rise to groups known as Lutherans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptists and a ton of others with their particular expressions of our common faith. But underneath all of these various expressions is a faith concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus that is common to all of them. If we erode that common witness in ANY fashion, we will ultimately destroy the faith we claim to represent.</div>
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I often struggle with my views of scriptures concerning the above mentioned social issues and my responsibility to clearly communicate that understanding in the Bible Belt culture I serve. I DO hope when I have declared my views on such subjects I've NOT done so with an ax to grind of any sort. My sincerest desire is to present the Biblical revelation that is graceful, merciful, and correct and desperately needed for the living of healthy and wholesome lives. </div>
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There is (and has always been) a sizable group of gay and lesbian people in our cities in middle Oklahoma. We have always known this, even when we found ways to ignore that reality. I confess I have often enjoyed the gifts and talents of some of those who struggle with homosexual attraction while forcing them to experience that struggle as something far too shameful to be mentioned. Shame on me for forcing that kind of silence. Worse__We have sometimes yawned at heterosexual offenses as minor or something to be laughed at__ all the while demonizing homosexual ones. In our culture all that is now ended and I, for one, am glad.</div>
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My desire for any local fellowship I'm a member of is that we all understand that we're a community of imperfect people. We ALL struggle with various sorts of addictions, sins, past failures, and present dysfunctions. Nevertheless, I'm trusting we ALL will be committed to walking together in our journey with Jesus. And as we do, we must neither rewrite scripture to excuse our sins nor demonize ourselves if we fall into them. Confessing out faults to one another, we know that we may individually fall down, but we will get back up, helping and loving each other, all the way home.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-85265333777216547232016-08-27T06:30:00.002-05:002016-09-03T06:15:46.529-05:00THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING__PART 2<div class="p1">
Many times I've heard the statement that if WE don't deliver the gospel God can raise up STONES to do it. That of course is a possibility I guess. But two things I would say about that. One is that what Matthew 3:9 [the stones passage] is referencing is NOT that a failure to preach the gospel would cause God to raise up stones to do it! It is speaking about stones being raised up to produce children to Abraham, which would demand a completely different metaphor than preaching. </div>
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The other is that, while God could use stones to cry out a message, He HAS chosen to use people to do just that. It is also true that, as usual, the very people he uses can/do often GET IN THE WAY of what God is doing. In other words, the MESSENGER [Preacher/proclaimer] CAN get in the way of the MESSAGE. I'm going to address a few of those ways in this post. </div>
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The first way the MESSENGER can get in the way of the MESSAGE is by stating the intended message of any text found in scripture with a dogmatic declaration of a MEANING of that text where there may be some AMBIGUITY within that text itself. The emphasis of real Keirugma [preaching] is to be on the MESSAGE intended in the TEXT and THAT'S not always as clear as we pretend. <br />
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The idea here is someone in authority [God] has given another [the preacher] a message to deliver and the speaker is NOT to proclaim his/her own grievances or opinions or viewpoints on those matters instead, but must faithfully find and deliver the meaning of the text as he/she sees it. [I'm using both genders here as the women prophesying in the NT were delivering a message from God and, it seems to me, it can happen under His assigment today.] <br />
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So, preaching must be done with HUMILITY because it is not the messenger's prerogative to declare ABSOLUTE MEANINGS when and where there may be some AMBIGUITY in the text. Sometimes honesty DEMANDS that we as Preachers admit there is some room for continued research in the meaning.</div>
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This is where I came to in 1980 in my own preaching when I determined to NOT preach anything as a message EXCEPT what I personally could find clearly PRESENTED in the text. My theology changed beyond anything I could have imagined. I came to grips with the fact that much of what I was saying in the pulpit was coming from what I'd heard other preachers, whom I admired greatly of course, say was in the text or was generally a Baptist [I WAS Baptist you see] viewpoint about the text because of traditions, some of which I began to discover really had no real textual foundation at all. [Cessationism for example.]</div>
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That's when I also began to see that what Peter said concerning some of the things Paul the Apostle wrote was correct. Some of the things he delivered WERE REALLY hard to understand and those that were the most difficult to understand, I decided I'd better hold my personal view about them fairly lightly because the CORRECT meaning IS more important than my having a dogmatic personal interpretation.</div>
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This is not out of a lack of confidence in the integrity, inspiration, or authority of the text. Not at all! But it is based on a true awareness of my own inadequacy to hear God accurately on occasion. Some things are clear. Some things are not that clear. When the text isn't totally clear, my listeners are better served by my NOT being quite so dogmatic as to it's meaning. 1Timothy 2:15 and the "she shall be saved in child-bearing" is a GREAT example. From my personal perspective the whole of that chapter may have been delivered through a glass a little darker than some are willing to admit. But that's another post for another day.</div>
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Since the true biblical MESSENGER is to be careful of proclaiming his/her own viewpoint or opinions as absolutes, I tread lightly on those "darker" passages and am more careful about taking some ABSOLUTE theological position on a subject that others seem to be willing to state as their "humble but correct" position, with great conviction. More power to them. [I guess!] All I'm saying is the messenger CAN get in the way of the message if we declare as ABSOLUTE our personal views on some issues where there are good people on both sides of those issues found in some difficult passages.</div>
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I'm not sure but what God may have left some of His TOTAL message a little LESS clear than, say, THE GOSPEL, so we can make clear with conviction that gospel and keep trusting Him for greater understanding of other theological areas. I love what Gene Bridges said, and I quote, [Read it carefully.]</div>
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"With that in mind, [what I've just stated as he said the same thing] I think we can be more confident about our reliance on probabilistic reasoning, for if God had wanted us to have more evidence or better evidence, then it was within his power to do so. Hence we are judging certain questions on the basis of the evidence which he has left at our disposal. Therefore, we shouldn't be plagued by nagging, gnawing doubts about the possibility of being wrong. Even if I were wrong some of the time, it's out of my hands, and I'm in his hands. As a Christian, I don't require a godlike control over the evidence. I can go with what I've got because it's what God has given me to go by." </div>
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I have to say "amen" to that statement. I can give my UNDERSTANDING of difficult passages [or theological subjects] but respect others who differ with me trusting the God who gave it in the first place to be able to make clear His message ultimately. My goodness, no human father I know would give ALL information to his children as soon as they are born. Even Jesus increased in WISDOM, stature, and favor as time went along. The messenger of God's Word is still going along and had better be open to greater light if the true message is to, in fact, be ultimately delivered.</div>
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Someone may object and say "But don't you believe the Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of giving you the true meaning of any passage including the difficult ones?" My answer is__"absolutely." My only PROBLEM would be to have a prideful assumption that I'm the one He's given the true meaning to. This, especially, if there are OTHERS who genuinely love Jesus and His Word, but are on the other side of my interpretation of a difficult to understand text. It could be that I'm the one in the dark or the one with baggage or filters that hinder my being granted understanding by the Holy Spirit. It sure helps me to know of my need for COMMUNITY. Body life is helpful even to the messenger. </div>
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You can see why I'm one who believes there ARE some ESSENTIALS that must be clearly understood and declared by all the Body and other things less clear and less essential can be understood but the glass we see them through is a little darker. [This keeps our need of searching the scriptures intact and our need for being open to each other intact as well.] All this comes from my deep conviction that the MESSENGER can, in fact, hinder the TRUE MESSAGE which I DO NOT want to do.</div>
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I like what Trevor Hart, Professor of systematic theology in at St Mary's School of Divinity in Scotland said..."We should never take the fatal step of identifying our interpretations (however careful they may be) with “the meaning of the text itself” so as to bestow upon them a finality, a sufficiency, which lifts them above the text and out of reach of criticism. Far from establishing the text’s authority, this strategy would effectively overthrow it, and enthrone our interpretation in its place. . . . [We] are no longer genuinely open, therefore, to consider it afresh, or to hear it speaking in any other voice than the one which [we] have now trapped, tamed, and packaged for observation." </div>
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Apply this to difficult texts [or lesser doctrines] about which good people disagree and, while I don't know Doctor Trevor Hart's full theology, I sure like his humble approach to hammering out his honest theology.</div>
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You can see I believe any messenger must be more concerned with the message getting delivered than whether or not they are the one who has the correct view of difficult things or whether they are the one who is delivering it. Our desire that the message be delivered is to take precedence over our concern for being right in our interpretation or being the one people look to as the preacher who says it well. The messenger is not the focus in New Testament proclamation. It MAY BE this is the primary problem in our current mega-church mentality and our creedal mentality.</div>
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Many of us as preachers/speakers/proclaimers are, in fact, our own worst enemy.</div>
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Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-90007229010160090032016-08-01T09:22:00.003-05:002016-08-10T10:57:40.548-05:00THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING!<div class="p1">
The word "preach" may be one simple word in English but that one word from the Greek word translated "Preach" sure has a variety of endings in the Greek. But for my purpose in this post the one word in the Greek is basic and it is the word "kerux." It was used several ways in Ancient times. The "kerux" was a "bearer of a message that originated from someone with authority and that authoritative message was to be taken to others." Say this was done on a battlefield. The messenger was the "kerux" [preacher] and the "kerugma" was the message. The hearers of the message would then accept or reject the message based on personal responsibility within military protocol.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This is the biblical picture of what we do on any given Sunday in our churches. The messenger PREACHES! But it isn't HIS message. It isn't HIS AUTHORITY! It isn't even HIS results. He is simply the "kerux" [preacher] delivering the "kerugma" [message] through the act of "kerusa." [the verb for the act of preaching] </div>
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Sounds simple enough right?</div>
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<div class="p1">
There is nothing simple about it. All three aspects are of vital importance. In the next few posts I'm going to address each aspect separately for brevity and emphasis. <br />
<br />
Today our message.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Our message is certainly Christ and Him crucified as clearly shown in 1 Corinthians 1:23. In a broader context of that gospel message it is all of the scripture, being rightly divided, since all scripture is profitible for people to understand that gospel message. [11Tim 3:16]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A while back I read an article that dealt with the "therapeutic" nature of our "preaching." It didn't fit my taste buds at first but, I have to admit, the more I read and thought, the more I had to say..."There is something here!"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Biblical preaching IS therapeutic because biblical preaching delivers a HEALING message to HURTING people. While the hurt is not in the DISEASE category, it IS certainly in the DISASTER category. The problems the hearers [congregation] on any given Sunday are facing are diverse and devastating to say the least. Most of the hearers are broken over those problems. Whether it is a loved one just lost to death, a teen lost to rebellion, a spouse lost to another person, health lost to a cancer cell, or the "run of the mill" person who happened in to hear us and is still in the grip of the sin nature and has not as yet found the brokenness of repentance that is so necessary to the opening of the doors of help, the hearers of the message we deliver are HURTING people. To top it off, as Peter Lord used to say quite often in his teaching, "hurt people hurt people." So we wind up addressing folks who are HURT and, in the process of BEING HURT, wind up HURTING OTHERS as well. Talk about a vicious cycle!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The key to any real healing in the realm of the physical, according to one medical report I recently read, is the word "hope." Since the words "health and healing" come from the same root words in Greek, as do "whole and holy," you would know that whatever gives a person some sense of hope that things can be made whole or better, would be a welcome message. It is certainly true that we preachers [kerux] have the message [kerugma] that is the only "hope" for the bringing to healthiness ANYONE in the "dark night of the soul" and it is these very people whose attention we have for those precious few moments on any given Sunday. Our message, then, must never fail to deliver the goods on that thing called "hope." That is the essence of what has been given to us to be delivered to others.</div>
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<div class="p1">
Sad to say, the preaching done in our modern times seems to fall way short of that. My question is, Why? Why is it that those who are really HURTING sometimes go away from hearing us preach with a greater sense of PAIN? Why is our preaching so inept and powerless today in bringing hope? Why is it that so many hearers of preaching today have such a small desire to return the next Sunday for more? Why has preaching taken on such a derisive shade of color that the phrase "don't preach at me" is the greatest insult you can deliver to one attempting to communicate to you. Where have all the preachers gone? [Sounds like a song] Where are those preachers of the past who moved multitudes to repentance because Christ was their only "hope" and why is there so little healing happening in the lives of our hearers on any given Sunday morning when we have their full and undivided attention?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
That will lead us into our next time when we deal with the messenger. You see...I'm convinced the messenger is often getting in the way of the message and may be our biggest problem. Preaching has always been recognized as a foolish thing as seen in 1 Corinthians 1:18. But history is filled with occasions when those who declare it to be a foolish thing were nonetheless in awe of real preaching of the real message and were moved to hopefulness concerning the devastation of their own lives. What has become of those days?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
That's a word for next time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="p1">
Paul Burleson</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-49306397634534960972016-07-03T13:54:00.005-05:002016-07-03T13:55:35.411-05:00A SUNDAY THOUGHT ON GOD AND COUNTRY! [July 3, 2016]<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Because tomorrow is the 4th of
July and means a celebration of our Nation's birthday, today will see much made
in local gatherings [churches] about God AND Country. But as one I read said,
"We must be sure that while we are able to love BOTH, only the FORMER [God]
is to be worshipped." That is a sentiment with which I could not agree
more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG0rz5bKG7_zP01W7norvC79r9YM4IyTnOFq8Bz7G8-IHz8LG-15m-UtumwKET9OnA3PW2Kf7rfwm0WQuEVJ8Yx9ZqF9XIWUrky1V2a_SCRfaBJmPr0bvAnsGjZkgo7Tyvjfleg/s1600/13612249_1363578343657564_6808816103608260577_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG0rz5bKG7_zP01W7norvC79r9YM4IyTnOFq8Bz7G8-IHz8LG-15m-UtumwKET9OnA3PW2Kf7rfwm0WQuEVJ8Yx9ZqF9XIWUrky1V2a_SCRfaBJmPr0bvAnsGjZkgo7Tyvjfleg/s320/13612249_1363578343657564_6808816103608260577_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That said, I've found that a
mistake is often made when people talk about the Declaration of Independence of
the United States of America. That historic document DOES declare that all
Americans have certain UNALIENABLE rights among which are listed life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, the word often used when people
quote it is the word INALIENABLE, which is incorrect, but seldom realized as
so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Before someone says they mean the
same thing and so the using of one or the other is insignificant, I would like
to point out that the difference that may seem ever so slight is actually
essential for an understanding of what the Framers of that Declaration intended
for our nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The word "unalienable"
refers to rights that are inherent in man and are rights that CANNOT be
surrendered, bought, or transferred. "Unalienable" rights are a gift
from the Creator to each individual and, as such, cannot be taken away for any
reason. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 18pt;">The government cannot TAKE them
as the government did not PROVIDE them. In fact, the only responsibility the
government has toward "unalienable" rights is to SECURE them or to
create an environment that PROTECTS them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This point was clearly stated in
a court ruling in 1892 entitled Budd vs People of the State of New York. That
ruling said, "Men are endowed by their Creator with certain
"unalienable" rights, 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;'
and it is to 'secure,' not grant or create these rights, for which governments
are instituted."<br /><br /> The list in the Declaration of Independence can be expanded since it says
"among which are" and then lists life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. We could add such things as self-government, self defense, nature's
necessities of air, food, water, clothing and shelter as well as worship. Such
rights are absolutely incapable of being transferred lawfully, unlawfully,
privately or by implication or operation of law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">That which is your
"unalienable" right is a part of you in an absolute sense and could
no more be removed from you than could your blood be removed and you live
without it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">INALIENABLE [notice the change
only in the beginning letter] rights, on the other hand, CAN be surrendered,
sold, or transferred with the consent of the individual because they are NOT
inherent [unalienable] and the government CAN alienate these from an
individual, if a person consents, either actually or constructively, since the
government may be seen as the source of these individual rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most State Constitutions refer to
only inalienable rights. But it is our UNALIENABLE RIGHTS to which our
Declaration of Independence addresses itself and recognizes them as given to us
by our Creator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It could be that the loss of
recognition of our Creator is what is leading to the mistaken general use of
these two words in our modern day language. There may also be other factors involved.
But the point of this post is simply that people do have both, but they are not
the same at all. So, clearly, the words are not to be used as synonyms though
often is done so among otherwise intelligent people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This 4th of July, 2016, we are
celebrating our Nation and her Declaration of Independence which declares and
her Constitution which preserves those UNALIENABLE rights! And I say, HAPPY
BIRTHDAY America! We love you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
But on this Lord's Day, July 3rd, 2016, we are celebrating our Living Lord
Jesus, as we do EVERY DAY of our lives as Kingdom Kids, and I say, HAPPY
RESURRECTION DAY Lord Jesus, on this day and every other day of our lives! We
LOVE YOU AND WORSHIP YOU!!<br /><br />Paul B.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-22519383679338711092016-06-07T05:38:00.001-05:002016-06-07T05:41:37.321-05:00CHRISTIAN LIVING__IS IT CHRIST IN ME OR ME?<div class="p1">
[YOU'LL NEED YOUR SPIRIT OPEN AND YOUR MIND ON STEROIDS FOR THIS ONE.]
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There is a paradox seen in the Colossians 1: 26-29 passage of scripture that a lot of Christians just don't get. That paradox is simply that on the one hand, Paul says that he [personally] CONTENDS strenuously, to present the Colossians mature in Christ. [That's a lot of work.] By using these words he is saying that he is exerting all his energy to do this. The word that he uses for CONTENDS is “agonizomai” in the Greek. We get the word AGONY or AGONIZE from it. It denotes an intense exertion of emotional and/or physical energy; an agonizing if you will. He's laboring. He's working at it. He's putting forth all this energy on behalf of the Colossians and to do the work God has for him to do. </div>
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But on the other hand, while he is putting forth this energy to further the Kingdom and the spiritual growth of those Colossians, he says he's able to do it ONLY BECAUSE Christ is in him exerting a supernatural energy and power that is almost like the force of dynamite. [We get the word dynamite from the Greek word dunamis used here!] Paul IS doing it and yet Paul IS NOT doing it. How paradoxical is that! </div>
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Paul was acutely aware of this paradox as he talks of exerting all his energy knowing the ONLY reason he could do it was because Christ was dynamically working in him. Paul is sharing here the revelation of what he calls a mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but has now been revealed to God's people. It's the mystery of Christ in you, the HOPE OF GLORY. For Paul this wasn't just a nice new revelation, it wasn't just some great new information, it wasn't a theoretical, theological thing at all. It was an EXPERIENCED REALITY. </div>
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Someone will legitimately ask,"But I thought He finished the work of Christ and we are to rest in that!" Truer words were never spoken. We DO rest in His finished work! But rest is NOT inactivity in scripture. God is ALWAYS active on our behalf [think present intercession of Christ] and we have a rest of faith that produces our activity of obedience as well. [Though His yoke is easy and His burden is light!] This is the Christ in you in reality.</div>
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"Christ in you, the hope of glory" was something that Paul just didn't think or converse about, though I'm guessing he might have done that, but it was more fundamentally a REALITY he lived in. Christ was in him, and Christ was exerting this dynamic dynamite force that was EMPOWERING him to exert effort to accomplish God's will on earth as it is in heaven. He was aware that Christ in him was moving him towards what he called under inspiration, GLORY. </div>
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The HOPE OF GLORY was a driving force that moved him towards experiencing GLORY. What is GLORY? I read someone who said it this way, "GLORY is the MANIFESTATION of God’s kind of beautiful, other‐oriented, self-sacrificial love being put on display." [This is sure foreign to our self-effort, is it not!] This is NOT to be experienced just when you GO TO CHURCH, but it is to be the every day living experience of every believer. So Paul was aware that Christ was IN HIM moving him in a direction where he was increasingly putting Christ on display, where he was being transformed into the likeness of Christ, where he was being used by God to help others be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Christ in him was moving him to LOVE more like Christ, SERVE more like Christ, SHARE more like Christ, to THINK more like Christ and to FEEL more like Christ. Christ was in him to put His character and HIS KINGDOM on display. </div>
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Paul is ALSO making it clear in this passage that God is not a coercive God. God will never coerce us. God never MAKES us do anything. God wants a really personal relationship with us, which means He doesn't want a relationship with a marionette. We're NOT puppets! He wants a genuine love relationship with personal beings that CHOOSE that relationship, not one that LOOKS loving but is, in fact, only God controlling EVERYTHING with NO responsibility on the part of His followers. God isn't that way. God doesn't pull strings on puppets. </div>
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Paul is showing that while a paradox, the Christian has to take into account the exercising of his will, effort, and choices on the part of the believer, but it is WHEN those choices are made and that effort is given that the dynamic powerful force of the Holy Spirit will be, in fact, released by faith. Paul realizes that there is his part in it; he has to trust and obey. But God's part is to both to will and to do in him, AND HE WILL. </div>
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IT'S A PARADOX! [a statement or proposition that, sounds quite unreasonable and leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory:] So Paul puts forth the energy and yet, the only reason he can do that is because Christ is empowering him to do it. The world doesn't get it but WE DO! </div>
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So as Paul it and is saying it, his role was to trust/believe/faith that Christ IS his LIFE and STRENGTH. His role was to submit to Christ in him and to trust Christ in him. He wasn't just cranking this out on his own. He wasn’t just a Christian who needed to go to church every Sunday or he wouldn’t be able to function in life properly. There is NO inherent power in attending church. If you doubt that statement just talk to people who lose ALL their spirituality when something happens to them, a tragedy or where they really are wronged or hurt, and they revert to a mean-spirited reaction because of that circumstance. It may be that they SELDOM miss attending church, but it takes more than ATTENDING church for life to be GLORY as defined above. </div>
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For Paul it was that Christ NOW lives in him. It was this experiential dimension of the mystery that had been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is NOW revealed to God's people so the WHOLE of their life would be different REGARDLESS of the circumstances. </div>
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THAT'S the mystery of Christ in you and THAT'S the paradox of CHRISTIAN LIVING. Forget EITHER to our own regret. BELIEVE and BEHAVE with both in mind and the HOPE OF GLORY will be realized in our EVERY DAY LIVING!</div>
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The answer to the question found in the title of this post is__ YES!<br />
<br />
Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-65722479551230390432016-06-01T09:40:00.001-05:002016-06-02T07:01:52.736-05:00HERE COME DE' JUDGE<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">How we view God is terribly
significant. That we view God a certain way is the result of many things is a
factual statement but, basically, all of our experiences of life, good and bad,
lead us AWAY from a biblical view of God which I believe is the correct one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">But, unfortunately, we can even come away
from scriptures with a twisted view of God if we allow human philosophies and
human reason to give impetus as to how we interpret the meaning of the scriptures rather
than just what the scriptures themselves say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">Take the idea of God being
"Judge." [Hence, the post title made famous by comedian Flip Wilson.]
God is the judge you know. The bible says so. In Psalm 9:8 the Psalmist says
this.. "He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the
peoples with justice." In Acts 17:31 it says He has appointed a day in
which Jesus will judge the world in righteousness. Notice both verses speak of
God being judge and connects it to His Righteousness and His desire for
justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">But when we say the word "judge"
what do we usually mean? We generally mean someone who impartially views all
evidence and pronounces us guilty so we can be punished or innocent so we can
be set free. The key word here in our thinking is "impartially."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">The reason we think this is because our
Western Civilization is built on a view of law and order that is based on a
legal standard that measures us and clinically [think scales] assesses our
guilt or innocence to be adjudicated by that Judge who had better remain
detached if he is to be fair. Our entire system of justice depends on that
viewpoint of an impartial and objective judge with no stake in our case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">But the God of the bible, who is our
Judge, is far from "detached" or "impartial." He doesn't
think objectively with no stake in the case before Him. He's on our side and
love is His character even His very nature and mercy is in His heart toward us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">It is true that you may not be fully
cognizant of this as you read the Old Testament. But you will when you see the
Old Testament as preparing for the New Testament and see Jesus as the full
picture of who our God__ who judges__ really is. In scripture God as Judge
brings justice and don't forget that biblical justice is not basically
"punishment" but "SETTING THINGS RIGHT."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">This is clearly seen in Isaiah 1:17 where
it says... "Learn to do right! SEEK JUSTICE, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow". Notice
the context of setting things as they OUGHT to be rather than the idea of
punishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm not saying that punishment isn't part
of the process, just that it isn't the MAJOR part as most modern Christians
seem to think. Which, by the way, leads invariably to a concept that God the
Father is cold, calculating, angry and, while detached from us, gleefully
punishes us for our sin because He's our JUDGE. But that's our western mind at
work, as I've said earlier, and NOT the declaration of the bible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">In scripture the justice that God desires
is one that brings healing and restoration to broken relationships. It is His__
The God of the Old and New Testament__ seeking to relieve the pain and
suffering our sin has created that is what the Cross is all about. So biblical
justice is to be seen in the work of the Cross as much as biblical Love is. GOD
is at work in Christ bringing justice and love together in a fashion that
denies Him EVER being impartial or detached from those who have to suffer the
consequences of our choices that started with Adam in the garden and continues
to our own day and our own choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">So we see that love and justice are not
mutually exclusive. You don't find the God of the Old Testament as a Judge
angry and wanting nothing to do with mankind and the God of the New Testament
appeased. Justice and love are both the very nature of God demonstrated on the
Cross. Jesus died BECAUSE He loves and desires justice. The Father planned
BECAUSE He loves and desires justice. The Spirit gives life BECAUSE He loves
and desire justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">What this means is the Cross is the
expression of the very heart of GOD in both justice AND love. So the Cross
deals with our sin [Our missing the mark] and it's consequences which are
death. [Separation in more ways than one.] Now in justice AND mercy the God who
loves can lavish that love on us because the wrong has been righted to all who
turn to that Cross. It is truly a work of GRACE from the heart of a GRACIOUS
and LOVING God who is our judge AND Redeemer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Cross is to be seen as a RELATIONAL
move on God's part as much as it is a judicial move. His heart for us is never
removed from us even because of sin. He loves. He made a way for us to be back
in a personal relationship with Him. He is just. [Makes things right.] He is
God. We can trust Him and learn to love Him back all because of that Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to
you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice".(
Isaiah 30:18)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">"For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting Life."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">WOW. When I read back what has just been
written I recognize the implications to me personally. Not just in a personal
redemptive way but as way of life. In other words, if I truly reflect and
reveal the God of the bible I will do so in love AND justice. Racial, gender,
class, social, along with every other kind of injustice, will have my full
attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">I will NOT be overcome with a desire to
punish people for wrongs done, though wrongs do have consequences even legally,
but I WILL be overcome with a driving desire to make right those wrongs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">On top of that, I will be more concerned
with my relationship with people and loving them than I will be their
correctness in understanding any system of belief. To those people I will
present the One who even used the Cross personally to gain a relationship with
them and I won't forget that. Ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: white;">Paul B.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-22654796985066873282016-05-16T05:23:00.001-05:002016-05-18T06:19:13.564-05:00CHURCH STAFF RELATIONAL QUALITIES<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="4tq09" data-offset-key="4hjok-0-0" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #783f04;">
<span style="color: white;"><span data-offset-key="4hjok-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">THREE QUALITIES REQUIRED OF STAFF AND DESIRED OF THE PEOPLE</span></span><span data-offset-key="6blao-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="84hjl-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
For years I've taught these three attitudes as the relational qualities needed by staff members in churches from the pastor throughout the entire staff. That's because as Pastor of a fellowship I desired these qualities to be in church members lives, but it's untenable to desire for others what we don't demand of ourselves as staff members.</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #783f04;">See what you think. </span><span data-offset-key="16ct-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="eadfu-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
1. A POSITIVE ATTITUDE__ the ability in the worst of situations to step back and see what God is doing. As staff we must be able to see God in every situation. He really is the "Blessed Controller of all events."</span></span><span data-offset-key="ak8ra-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="c5jrh-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="7vv80-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="3krrt-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Romans 8:28-30, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="cu5b1-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="fa2s3-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
2. A LOYAL ATTITUDE__ a commitment that I will neither say or receive a negative word about you as a staff member until I know that it has been said to them. This means when you come to me, or I come to you, we can know it's not been shared with others at this point.</span></span><span data-offset-key="4cdil-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="9mjnf-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Proverbs 6:16-19, There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="1nocg-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="49q5i-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Proverbs 16:28, “”A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="eb4k-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="9t6d7-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
3. A SERVANT’S ATTITUDE__ an excitement about making the staff members around me successful in the opinion of the people. </span></span><span data-offset-key="c3rpn-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="6sm4t-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Romans 12:10-11, Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="3hb9-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="atoej-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Galatians 5:13, You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="7qd03-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="e0mmh-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
Ephesians 5:21, Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (NIV)</span></span><span data-offset-key="cflpf-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="bg9dk-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;">
REMEMBER__This does NOT negate having to face problems, but it will mean those problems will be faced honestly between the ones involved with integrity. Matthew 18 will always be the format that guides Kingdom people, especially staff, in relational breakdowns. </span></span><span data-offset-key="5sqkc-0-0" style="background-color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: #783f04;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #660000; color: white;">
Paul B.</span></span></h4>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-67674309495601198422016-04-29T06:12:00.000-05:002016-04-29T06:12:18.260-05:00DISSENSION____[REVISITED]<div class="p1">
This post appeared on this blog a few years back but is in need of being revisited as things are far worse today than even back when it first appeared.<br /><br />It seems to me there is a present day proliferation of people who are creating dissension in the Body of Christ in the name of doctrinal purity and creating what they call an "identity." I believe that may be causing something more akin to the sin of gendering strife [dissension] than anything else. I also think it may eventually need to be addressed and confronted in a clear, loving, and biblical fashion. </div>
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However, I do want to make two clarifying points before I continue to say what I believe needs to be said about it all.</div>
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The first thing is...the scriptures do make it clear that the difference between truth and error does matter. John MacArthur says, and I agree with him, that real DISCERNMENT is "The ability a Christian has to tell the difference between truth and error and right and wrong." He goes on to say that <b>discernment</b> as he's using it is synonymous with the simple ability to think correctly biblically. I agree again. That's a good ability to have. </div>
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So to be discerning about what is true and what is false according to one's belief system is very important in the Christian life and I would not desire to take away from that fact at all. I think it is safe to say that the effort to maintain a spirit of unity in the Body should never be at the expense of truth OR purity in the Church. [A Corinthian problem in the NT if you remember.]</div>
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That said, it is also true that discernment in our lives is a <b>grace</b> and is the <b>work of the Holy Spiri</b>t Who has been sent to "Teach us all things concerning Christ" and He will always demonstrate His character of Grace through our lives no matter the confrontation necessary about things right or wrong theologically. [Or any other issue.] Much of what passes for guarding the truth, as defined by a strife-genderer, which they always say they're doing by the way, is nothing more, in my estimation, than <b>bad character </b>dressed in a second rate personality trying to get their own way and is a biblical no-no. </div>
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The second thing is...<b>REAL</b> unity in the Body is not something we are to try and create by using a system of doctrines [Theology] that people agree to accept as a group anyway. Getting our identity or unity from a system of theology, whether Calvinism or Baptist beliefs or any other theological system, is not a concept that can be found in the bible. In fact, the creation of unity among Christians is <b>NOT</b> our responsibility <b>AT ALL</b>. </div>
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We are to endeavor to <b>KEEP</b> the bond of unity that <b>ALREADY</b> exists among believers because of the Holy Spirit's work in us as Kingdom people according to the Apostle Paul as he wrote in Ephesians. That unity is not around certain doctrines but the Person of Christ and the work of His cross as explained in that same epistle. The people who create <b>dissension</b> wind up making it impossible to <b>KEEP</b> unity and it is the actions and attitudes of those people I wish to speak about in this post.</div>
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Kenneth Haugk has written a book entitled "Antagonists in the Church" and it is well worth the read. He is a Pastor, counselor and author who has been through the fire and has come out with the savor of the Spirit about him. In that book he describes the person who causes<b> dissension</b> or is <b>divisive</b>. His thought is there are some people who, he says, are "genuinely bent on a kind of behavior that is destructive to the Body" And.. he has given them a name. They are "<b>Antagonists</b>." He believes there is a need for them to be identified and confronted in love for the purpose of maintaining the "Unity of the Spirit." In his book you will find a wealth of information as well as a personality profile and manuel for dealing with such people.</div>
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I'm going to use major portions of his book to complete this post because what he says in that book is just too good to miss. He vividly describes the people he has researched and personally experienced in ministry who were bent on<b> gendering strife</b> and <b>causing dissension</b>, called <b>Antagonists</b>, and uses four descriptive terms with an explanation of each. Those terms are...[All emphasis mine.] </div>
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A... <span style="font-size: large;">Narcissism</span>: “Narcissism is a personality pattern in which a person displays <b>an excessive sense of self-importance</b> and a preoccupation with eliciting the admiration and attention of others ... a narcissistic individual greedily fishes for and hungrily devours the praise and attention of others ... Narcissistic individuals who are antagonists are <b>extremely reluctant to admit wrongdoings</b>. They cannot conceive of being in error, because ‘right’ is what meets their needs, and ‘wrong’ is what obstructs the meeting of those needs." </div>
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B... <span style="font-size: large;">Aggression</span>: “Antagonists also display patterns of aggressive behavior that <b>permeate their entire personalities</b>. Angry at the world, and any convenient situation or person, antagonists seem to wander through life seeking, inviting, and collecting injustices against themselves.<b> Every perceived or actual wrong they experience is stored in their memories and periodically replayed to supply fuel for their anger</b>. Antagonists initiate trouble; they do not wait for trouble to come to them. This often goes hand-in-hand with hypersensitivity on their part. They often take every word and action as a personal attack and respond aggressively. Something as seemingly minor as failing to say good morning to them can cause their antagonism to flare up. Their response to such an omission would most likely be to wonder what you had against them."</div>
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"Antagonists try to<b> build themselves up by tearing others down</b>. They express their inner struggles with a negative self-concept by attacking people, enjoying the failures and misfortunes of others while they project their own sense of worthlessness onto them." </div>
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"The attacks of antagonists <b>are self-serving</b>. Often they will seize on a slogan or pick some side of a valid issue and pretend that is what they are fighting for. It rarely is. An antagonist will quickly drop a particular slogan or issue once it no longer serves his or her ambitions."</div>
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C...<span style="font-size: large;"> Rigidity:</span> “Rigidity is characterized by inflexibility of thought, <b>usually coupled with excessive concern for precise and accurate procedure</b> (as defined by the rigid individual). Someone with a rigid personality sees the world as totally static; his or her explanation of events is, by definition, the unquestionably correct interpretation. Rigid individuals <b>ridicule or ignore differing opinion</b>s and skillfully overlook contrary evidence ... Antagonists with rigid personality structures are especially jealous of leaders, because people in authority have the power to inject disturbing input. Therefore, rigid antagonists frequently employ their simplistic rules and regulations as weapons against leaders.”</div>
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D... <span style="font-size: large;">Paranoid personality syndrome</span>:“Marks of a paranoid personality include persistent, unwarranted guardedness and mistrust of others; delusions of grandeur; lack of genuine emotions, and hypersensitivity. Because they distrust others, paranoid persons try to find hidden meanings in words and actions, <b>continually looking for ulterior motives behind what others say</b> ... they commonly experience difficulty in relating to others; disagreements and arguments are commonplace. Paranoid individuals find coworkers and authority figures most difficult to get along with.</div>
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“A paranoid person often projects his or her own feelings onto others. If in a social gathering a leader accidentally forgets to shake a paranoid antagonist’s hand, the paranoid might blow the incident all out of proportion in his or her own mind. The wrath carried inside the antagonist will be attributed by mental sleight of hand to the leader, as if the leader were angry with the antagonist."</div>
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My assessment of all this? </div>
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I would say he has nailed the actions and attitudes of people who gender strife and cause dissension as clearly as it can be done. It would also be wise for us all to evaluate our own actions and attitudes in light of this blistering description. To be part of the problem instead of the solution is not what I desire for my own life and I'm sure you would agree.</div>
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That said, I have to admit that it would take a measure of the work of the Spirit for us to be willing to address the kind of problem people he's describing in ANY fellowship. I'm going to have to reflect on what measures I would even suggest to do so at the present time. My measures in the past did not demonstrate genuine love I'm afraid. I spoke the truth as I saw it to such people but it was often driven by much more than Kingdom concern on my part I'm convinced. [Like self-protection perhaps!!]</div>
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I would finally say...I HAVE pastored these people and have even met some on the Internet. I think that families may also suffer this kind of Uncle or Aunt around sometimes and it doesn't make for good family reunions generally speaking. But the family of God CAN be a unit that graciously celebrates the differences [Even theologically] that are present because we are at different places personally in our individual Kingdom journey. With respect, patience, and a measure of love that is spread abroad by the Spirit we can maintain a unity of the spirit while working through our beliefs to truth as much as is possible this side of glory. No one of us will have it all and no one of us needs to be rejected just because we don't have it all. Kingdom living can be different. May God make it so by His Grace.</div>
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Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-74560512064348794352016-04-23T08:35:00.002-05:002016-04-23T08:35:55.583-05:00CHANGE THAT ISN'T FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE<div class="p1">
<b><i>What I'm about to say is ONLY my view. But it comes mixed with forty years of pastoring and attempting to lead people into the New Wine of the Spirit which calls for New Wine-skins of methods and watching as others have done the same. </i></b></div>
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<b><i>I'm convinced for change to NOT BE for the sake of change that what I'm writing here has validity. The suggested strategy I'm offering has been shared with pastors for years in seminars that I've taught. </i></b></div>
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<b><i>Let me begin with this statement. Most [not all] of the people I've been associated with through the years are NOT AFRAID of change WHEN it is seen by them as being of the Spirit and is seen as an evolution into something new that He [The Spirit] is bringing about for the edification of the whole of the fellowship. Without this confidence, change can be seen by them as merely a substitution of one old wine-skin for another old wine-skin instead of an evolution into what is needed for the new wine of the Spirit.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>What I'm about to share is a strategy for moving into change whether we're talking about a local fellowship or a family. It involves change that confidently come from the Spirit's control rather than from manipulation or someone's personal agenda. I've seen it and watched it and I applaud it.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>A strategy for implementing change in the life of a local fellowship [or family] would involve seeing what is needed and asking/answering the following questions...</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Seeing a need for having a way of testing to see if the Spirit's truly giving new wine or not.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>[How is the new direction of GOING_ different AT THE CORE_ from the old?]</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Seeing a need for having a way of evaluating new methods as new wine-skins.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>[How is the new direction of GOING_ helped by this new method of DOING?]</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Seeing a need for having a way of asking the FELLOWSHIP about how they see the change.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>[How do we ask for and receive the thinking of the congregation about it all!]</i></b></div>
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<b><i>Seeing a need for having a way of keeping the FELLOWSHIP informed on the changes coming.</i></b></div>
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<b><i>[How do we design critical path chart to inform the people along the journey.]</i></b></div>
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<b><i>This is quite simple as you can see. But I've lived long enough to know that it would be wise to never mistake simple for easy.<br /><br />Paul B.</i></b></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-62819751162231693572016-04-11T11:57:00.001-05:002016-04-11T11:57:36.661-05:00THE AWFULNESS OF ANGER<div class="p1">
At the outset let me say that I don't believe anger IS a sin at all. I believe it is generally better</div>
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understood as simply a negative human emotion. What you DO with your anger can become a sinful thing certainly. But when the bible says "do not let the sun go down on your anger" it is not saying anything about the nature of anger. It is advising us to deal quickly with something that can create real problems if left unattended. I also believe there is such an animal as "righteous anger." But that is the subject of another post at another time and ISN'T indicative of MOST of the anger we experience anyway.<br />
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Anger is a lot like fear in the scriptures. It is usually addressed in a negative context but, if correctly understood, the problem biblically is with the ACTION that results from the emotion, not the emotion itself. When speaking about fear, Jesus said on one occasion, "Oh ye of little faith, why are you so fearful." The storm they were in would make ANYONE who is a thinking person a bit fearful I would think. But they awakened Him and questioned His caring for them...out of fear. Which indicates, by the way, that He must have gone to sleep AFTER the storm arose or the question is rather ridiculous. So their action of waking Him up was done based on assuming He didn't care about them ['Look..He just went to sleep while we were in trouble.'] and was the indicator of their lack of faith or trust in Him.</div>
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I would think it wise to ALWAYS have a bit of fearful adrenalin flowing in the middle of storms, wouldn't you? Just don't do anything stupid motivated by that fear. The results can be awful. Anger is much that way. It is a powerful, albeit negative emotion, that can bring about terrible results when not properly restrained or handled responsibly.</div>
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Someone could be thinking..."Oh no, Paul Burleson is always talking about angry people and trying to get people to be nice to one another. Doesn't he know some things are worth getting angry about?" I admit to writing a good bit about the need to watch anger in life. But it isn't so much the anger I see in others that causes me to speak of it. It is that I see anger in others quickly BECAUSE I have experienced it in my own life for so long and I have seen the hurt I've caused in relationships because of it.</div>
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In fact, I've found that what most of us spot quickly and wish to correct personally in others is what is really present in us. But we so often DON'T see it there at all. I finally saw it in me. It was not pretty. I've already stated that I believe our anger is seldom the righteous kind. [Except in one's own eyes.]</div>
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That said, I must confess that anger seems more prevalent in all venues of society today more than any time I can remember. Whether politics, television, radio, entertainment or even religion, people appear to be taking license with expressing anger and there seems to be little or no regret about it or taking responsibility for it.</div>
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So let's talk about anger.</div>
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Well, let me begin by saying that I don't think other people CAN make you or me angry. Anger in a person is not caused by the actions of other people. It is really the result of two things as I understand it.</div>
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One___is our thinking about what someone does. If I'm thinking.."They don't have a right to do that." Or, if I'm thinking..."They shouldn't treat me that way." Then I act a certain way...ie...withdraw into isolation, throw something, cry, angrily retort, get loud, or any number of things I can act out. You can see, I'm sure, that it was my THINKING about what they were doing that caused my reaction to their behavior.</div>
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But for me to say "I did it BECAUSE they made me angry," is to state an UNTRUTH. To say I chose to do what I did BECAUSE of my anger IS a truthful statement, but you are never a victim of someone else's behavior. There is, of course, the exception where you are robbed of choices were you to be, in fact, a captive to someone, which is illegal or immoral at worst and certainly an unhealthy situation at best, even if it's a marriage holding you captive.</div>
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But to believe you are a victim to what people do or say in normal circumstances of life and are made angry by their actions or words is to reject the responsibility of choices we have as human beings. To believe otherwise fails to own our own behavior and we become a blamer.</div>
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The fact is we have a will and are responsible to use it as we choose, REGARDLESS of the actions of others, to be different in our own actions. But it is learning to "faith" [believe] who we are in Christ, [Forgiven/Free/New Creation] and then thinking correctly, responsibly, even biblically so that ultimately, in the power of the Spirit, we can choose, as Christians, to BE different in actions, regardless of other peoples behavior, that makes for good choices as Christians.</div>
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The other thing is___my anger is not only caused by my own thinking, but it is also often present in me because of blocked goals. If I have a goal such as.."They are going to treat me right or else"...and "if they DON'T, then watch out," my anger tends to be felt and expressed. But neither the feeling nor the expression of it are the result of someone else's action. It is because I had a goal [To be treated right.] and no one had better keep that from happening.</div>
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Driving a car can illustrate the same thing. Four way stop. My turn. Someone jumps ahead of me. WATCH OUT. But they didn't cause my anger. I had a goal of fairness in taking turns at the stop signs and they blocked it and I had angry emotions because of my thinking that they had no right to do so. To illustrate this Larry Crabb once showed it this way....</div>
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"A is the event. C is the emotion. Most people think A__causes__C. But A___doesn't cause ___C. The third ingredient everyone seems to bypass is B which is our thinking about the event. It is B___that causes C".</div>
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"As a man thinketh in his heart [mind] so is he." [In his actions.]</div>
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One of the best ways to grow is to accept as valid that you're not a victim to anyone or anything. As a follower of Christ we are empowered by a true knowledge of His word and the life of His Spirit within us enlightening that truth to our minds to live life in victory, not as a victim. So we CAN think clearly. Such clear thinking can produce different actions in us than are found in those who act like angry jerks. It can cause a taking of responsibility and choosing to NOT act that same way. Like an angry jerk.</div>
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It WOULD be wise to not let the sun go down on your anger by allowing it's presence in you to challenge you to responsible self examination about your incorrect thinking instead of playing the blame game.</div>
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Choosing to act Christian. What a novel idea.</div>
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Paul B.</div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-46656559722160692622016-03-20T06:10:00.003-05:002016-03-20T14:02:52.795-05:00GUEST WRITER WADE BURLESON<span style="font-size: large;">The post that follows is one by our son, Wade Burleson. It is in my opinion one of the finest statements on what it really is to honor Christ and America as an American citizen as I ever read. If you've sought the balance of being a citizen in two countries a Christians are, this will help. If you wish to go to Wade's blog click on the title below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wadeburleson.org/2016/03/a-simple-explanation-of-natural-law-and_19.html">A Simple Explanation of Natural Law and Why It's Vital that Every American Citizen Comprehends It.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a follower of Jesus Christ with a belief that the Bible is inspired by God and <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infallible"><span class="s1">infallible</span></a> in its character, I have many friends who tell me the solution to our politics in America is to "reclaim America for Christ." Though understanding their rationale, I fully disagree with their resolution. <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Politics"><span class="s1">Politics</span></a> is defined as "the art or science of governing<i>,"</i> but if governments were to control the affairs of state in the manner Christ interacted with the world, then all prisoners would be released (<a href="http://biblehub.com/luke/4-18.htm"><span class="s1">Luke 4:18</span></a>), foreign nations who attacked would receive no retaliation (<a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/5-39.htm"><span class="s1">Matthew 5:39</span></a>), and the state would hand out everything requested and demand nothing in return (<a href="http://biblehub.com/luke/6-30.htm"><span class="s1">Luke 6:30</span></a>). Jesus didn't come to govern states, He came to save sinners. Without question, were everyone to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, there would be no need for human government, for <a href="http://www.ywam.org/get-involved-2/all-nations-verse-list/"><span class="s1">all nations</span></a> would love Him freely and other people fully (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34-35&version=NIV"><span class="s1">John 13:34-35</span></a>). That's called heaven, or<i> the eternal state</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until then, human governments are necessary because nations, unlike heaven (<a href="http://biblehub.com/revelation/21-8.htm"><span class="s1">Rev. 21:8</span></a>), are full of evildoers. Governing authorities are "God's agents of wrath to bring punishment on the evildoer" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A1-4&version=NIV"><span class="s1">Romans 13:4</span></a>). The difficulty in desiring to "reclaim America for Christ" is that God sent Christ <i>to</i> <i>pardon and release</i> the evildoer <i>before God</i> by paying for the sinner's crimes, whereas God establishes human governments <i>to</i> <i>punish and retain</i> the evildoer<i>before man </i>until the sinner redeems himself through payment for his crimes. See the difference? I too wish to "reclaim America for Christ," but this is done through proclamation of the Good News, not participation in the voting booth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"<a href="http://www.constitution.org/jadams/thoughts.htm"><span class="s1">A good government</span></a> is an empire of laws" wrote <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams"><span class="s1">John Adams</span></a>, one of America's leading <a href="http://americanhistory.about.com/od/revolutionarywar/tp/foundingfathers.htm"><span class="s1">Founding Fathers</span></a>. Early in Adam's political life, he wrote to his wife Abigail and explained why he must spend great time and energy in unfolding the "divine science of politics" for the American people. His letter contains one of my all-time favorite quotes as to why every American citizen should be involved in politics:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences... I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." (Source: Adrienne Koch's, ed., <i>The American Enlightenment</i>, George Braziller, New York, 1965, p. 188).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The Founding Fathers, including Adams, were all experts in the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans. When it came time for them to establish government in America, they chose a Republic built on <b><i>Natural Law. </i></b>Most Americans today are completely oblivious to Natural Law, and as a result are confused by the Founding Fathers frequent use of the terms <i>Natural Law </i>and <i>Nature's God</i> in <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/documents/"><span class="s1">America's founding documents</span></a>. The primary person to whom the Founders turned for their understanding of Natural Law was an ancient Roman politician and political writer named Cicero.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/a/bingleycicero.htm">Cicero</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> (106-43 B.C.) held the highest political office of the state of Rome when he served as Roman Consul. In his two famous writings, </span><a href="http://www.ebooks.com/684544/the-republic-and-the-laws/cicero-rudd-niall-trans--powell-jonathan-other/" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="s1">The Republic</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and the </span><a href="http://www.ebooks.com/684544/the-republic-and-the-laws/cicero-rudd-niall-trans--powell-jonathan-other/" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="s1">The Laws</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, Cicero made an impassioned case for a state built on Natural Law which protects its citizens from the oppressive power of tyranny as well as the mass chaos of anarchy. Cicero's arguments for sound governance by Law were so persuasive to the Roman people and so threatening to the Roman military generals with tyrannical aspirations, that Romans soldiers executed Cicero as an "enemy of the state" and brought his severed head and hands to the Roman Forum. America's Founding Fathers revered Cicero because they understood by signing the </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Declaration of Independence</i><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><a href="http://www.cusolaw.com/2006/12/02/we-must-all-hang-together-or-we-will-surely-hang-separately/" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="s1">it was their heads</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> the King of England would seek to sever. What's fascinating about Cicero's writings in the first century before Christ is that he predicted there would</span><i style="font-size: x-large;">one day </i><span style="font-size: large;">be</span><i style="font-size: x-large;"> </i><span style="font-size: large;">a grand and promising nation which would arise with a government based on Natural Law. America's Founding Father's believed that America could become that grand and promising nation, so they pursued building their new government on Natural Law</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i>.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cicero defined Natural Law as: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"...right reason in agreement with nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting, it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrongdoing by its prohibitions...It is a sin to try to alter this law, nor is it allowable to repeal any part of it, and it is impossible to abolish it entirely. We cannot be freed from its obligations by senate or people, and we need not look outside ourselves for an expounder or interpreter of it. And there will not be different laws at Rome and Athens, or different laws now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and all times, and there will be one master and ruler, that is God, over us all, for he is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge. Whoever is disobedient is fleeing from himself and denying his human nature, and by reason of this very fact will suffer the worst punishment." (Source: William Ebenstein, <i>Great Political Thinkers</i>, Hold, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1963, Great Political Thinkers, p. 133). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember, Cicero lived before Christ. He was a worshiper of "the gods," with his Supreme God being Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to the Greek Zeus. So when Cicero speaks of Natural Law or Divine Law, it meant to him a Law that is observable in Nature and felt by all mankind. It is <i>common</i> to all rational beings<i> </i>(Natural Law is sometimes called <i>Common</i> Law) created in the image of the gods. To Cicero, building a society on Natural Law meant that citizens come to the conclusion that there exists a Supreme Creator God and this God has established Law by which mankind should live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Founding Fathers looked to Cicero and other ancient Greek and Roman political theorists to posit five tenets of Natural Law. These tenets were used in writing America's Founding Documents, and they became the basis upon which all other American laws would be written. These five tenets are summarized by American author and political theorist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Cleon_Skousen"><span class="s1">W. Cleon Skousen</span></a> in his 1981 classic book <i>The Five Thousand Year Leap: </i></span></div>
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<li class="li7"><span style="font-size: large;">There exists a Creator who made all things, and mankind should recognize and worship Him.</span></li>
<li class="li7"><span style="font-size: large;">The Creator has revealed <i>a moral code of behavior</i> for happy living which distinguishes right from wrong. </span></li>
<li class="li7"><span style="font-size: large;">The Creator holds mankind responsible for the way they treat each other. </span></li>
<li class="li7"><span style="font-size: large;">All mankind live beyond this life.</span></li>
<li class="li7"><span style="font-size: large;">In the next life mankind are judged for their conduct in this one.</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now the question is what "moral code" is held <i>in common</i> (e.g. Natural Law) with all rational people, regardless of their religion? Benjamin Franklin, consistent with his personal belief in Natural Law, wrote to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University, and articulated the moral code of Natural Law (<b><i>emphasis mine</i></b>):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Here is my creed: I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be worshipped. <b><i>That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children.</i></b> That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion." (Source: Albert Henry Smyth, ed., <i>The Writings of Benjamin Franklin</i>, 10 vols., The Macmillan Company, New York, 1905-1907, 10:84)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Franklin's creed is a summary of how a person behaves under Natural Law. It is a lifestyle held in common with all true Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Christians, and everyone else involved in "sound religion." I will sometime hear Christians say, "America is a Christian nation, because the 10 Commandments are written in stone above the heads of the Supreme Court Justices?" What many Christians don't understand is that the same Supreme Court Building has stone friezes of many religious lawgivers, including the Hebrew lawgiver Moses, the Babylonian lawgiver Hammurabi, the Muslim lawgiver Muhammad, as well as others. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2015/01/14/muhammad-sculpture-inside-supreme-court-a-gesture-of-goodwill/"><span class="s1">Wait, did I just say Muhammad</span></a>? Indeed, the builders of the Supreme Court building understood that the Founding Fathers believed America had room for any virtuous person of any religion as long as they treated their fellow man well. The people the Founding Fathers feared were those with no moral compass or understanding of Natural Law. They considered them foolish and a danger to good government. Many Americans today are convinced Muhammad didn't adhere to Natural Law himself, but that's not my point. The Founding Fathers personally knew many practicing, virtuous Muslims who were coming to America and they were telling them (and others of various religions) that as long as they held to Nature's God and Natural Law, they were welcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course there were patriotic Founding Fathers who loved Jesus Christ deeply and were zealous that all Americans be Christian. Men like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay"><span class="s1">John Jay</span></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry"><span class="s1">Patrick Henry</span></a> and others were vocal in their desires to convert all men (I am too!). However, the <a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/documents/"><span class="s1">Founding Documents</span></a> of America do not one time contain the name of Jesus Christ. They speak of the Supreme Being, God, Nature, Nature's God, and the Laws of Nature (<a href="http://www.foundingfathers.info/documents/"><span class="s1">read them for yourself</span></a>) - but never once Jesus Christ. It's not that our Founding Fathers were ashamed of Jesus. On the contrary, many of our Founding Fathers were professing believers and devout followers of Christ. They understood, however, as did Cicero, that a good government must be built on <b><i>Natural Law </i></b>to avoid religious and political tyranny or widespread and dangerous anarchy. Overtime, Americans stopped reading the Founding Documents, not to mention the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classics"><span class="s1">Classics</span></a>, and came to the false conclusion that to be "a good American, you must be a good Christian." Our Founding Fathers believed to be a good American citizen you must adhere to Natural Law and live a life of doing good to your fellow citizens by protecting their lives, guarding their liberties and respecting their pursuit of happiness. The Founding Fathers considered "the pursuit of happiness" as the unalienable right to <i>private</i>ownership of land and assets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />That's why radical, fundamental Muslims who kill in the name of Allah, or radical, fundamental Christians who kill in the name of Christ are not welcome as American citizens. That's why persons or groups of persons who desire to </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">forcibly</i><span style="font-size: large;"> take away another person's wealth are not welcome as American citizens. That's why anyone who wishes to take away the unalienable rights of all Americans, rights granted by Nature's God, are not welcome as American citizens. These actions violate Natural Law. Americans have historically been the most charitable people in the world, because charity is always voluntary and arises from hearts of virtue. However, tyranny involves the forcible redistribution of wealth, the taking of life for the advancement of personal power or pleasure, and the enslavement of others on the basis of race, religion or reward. Adherence to Natural Law is America's safeguard against evil tyranny.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So as a conservative Christian who believes that the only way to be liberated from sin before God and to be brought into full peace with Him is through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I say to those who disagree with my Christianity that there is room for you in America. Our Founding Fathers established our government on Natural Law, and if you will simply acknowledge you are bound by Divine Law <i>to do good to your fellow man, </i>then I welcome you as a fellow citizen of our great country. Furthermore, I challenge you to participate in the process of American politics to elect virtuous men and women who will adhere to Natural Law and vow to severely punish those evil doers among us who harm or injure others by stealing or destroying property, abusing or wrongly taking life, or seeking to establish either tyranny or anarchy within our great land. America is a Republic built on Natural Law, guaranteeing the unalienable rights of <i>life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness </i>for <i>all</i> her citizens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />I am a preacher of the gospel. I want the world to know Christ. But on the other hand, I think it's time we Christians who enjoy American citizenship stop obsessing over whether or not our government reflects Christian laws and realize that Natural Law is the foundation of good government. America is great because throughout America's history, our government has promoted liberty and resisted tyranny and anarchy. I've just returned from the continent of Africa where there are examples of state anarchy (Libya and Somalia) and state tyranny (Zimbabwe and Nigeria). Additional examples could be given from Africa and other continents. America has been great because America's government has been the model of Cicero's vision where a virtuous people respect the rights of others in obedience to Nature's God and Natural Law.</span></div>
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Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28605099.post-63644192303715348612016-02-25T10:49:00.001-06:002016-02-25T10:50:59.667-06:00BIBLE STUDY BY FLIPPING A COIN__EITHER WAY YOU LOSE!<div class="p1">
<span style="font-size: large;">You've heard the phrase "heads you lose!" [The assumption is tails wins.] With a "two-headed coin", either side coming up, YOU LOSE. There is a "two-headed coin" often tossed, when studying Bible verses that leaves the Bible student the loser REGARDLESS of which side of the coin lands up. With EITHER side of this "two-headed" coin there can be no, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner," as a favorite friend of mine loves to say when the Thunder or OU wins. EITHER side of this coin__ in bible study__you lose!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let me explain the "two-headed" coin first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One side of the coin ["heads" of course] is FRAGMENTING a verse. This means taking a small portion of the verse or taking a verse alone, without it's context, and applying it to situations, or worse, quoting it TO someone as if it's the answer to whatever is troubling or discouraging them. A case in point is that Matthew 18:20 verse where Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together, there am I in the midst of them." This is usually used to assure people, preachers are especially guilty here, that when only a few people show up for church services, be assured God is there, so all is well. I'm sure He is present since He is, in fact, Omnipresent. But that isn't the meaning of THAT verse, in context, AT ALL. More on the meaning of it in a moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The other side of the coin [normally called"tails" but we'll call it "heads"as well] is what is called "isogesis" which means "to read INTO a verse" something NOT intended by the writer, as opposed to "exegesis" which means "to take FROM a verse" the meaning that is there in language and context. Isogesis is really nothing more than introducing one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases into the meaning a verse instead of taking out of the verse what the language and writer are actually saying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Bible study or interpreting the scripture, were you to flip this "two-headed coin,"either side, you COME UP A LOSER.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now to the meaning of the Matthew 18:20 verse. The real meaning is found in the context [verses 15-20] which is where someone as a believer has "ought against" another believer and has been willing to personally confront the person and they don't respond very well. But the grievance is so serious the confronter is willing to take someone with them as they go again to the problem person. Matthew 18:20 is saying in THAT context God is with you and in a very meaningful way. If you've ever been in that situation, and I have, it's really encouraging to say the least. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No one is saying that God ISN'T where two or three believers have gathered to worship. He really is, and it isn't WRONG to assure the people that HE IS. Just DON'T quote the Matthew 18:20 verse AS IF it's the Bible PROOF He's present in a poorly attended meeting. It means something far deeper and grander than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That one can ACHIEVE "anything," when trusting God as their strength, is taken as an absolute promise by some people. To prove that they quote Philippians 4:13, which happens to be my life-verse by the way, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." The problem is this verse is NOT dealing with ACHIEVING anything. People are usually thinking about scoring touchdowns or charging things on a credit card trusting God for the ability to pay later or making an effort to get someone to change their bad behavior because they desire them to and are helping them. "Because God is my strength, I can do this" is their thinking! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that ISN'T in the ballpark of what Paul was saying. He was speaking of those hard times he'd faced, many times, and had found that he really could endure them. Whether it meant being rich or poor, hungry or filled, and in context, in prison or not in prison, no matter what THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE he found the wherewithal to FACE them because of the Lord being his Life. For Paul, the issue wasn't "I can achieve anything," but one of "I can endure anything." What a difference the context makes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No one is saying the former thought, achieving some good thing, is a WRONG thing. [On second thought maybe it is if you're thinking you can sow wild oats and NOT reap a harvest.] It just can't be proven with this verse and will cause a missing of the true meaning of what is being said by Paul in Philippians 4:13. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For THAT you HAVE to see it in context.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Heads OR heads, with this kind of bible study coin__you LOSE!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Paul B.</span></div>
Paul Burlesonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17021178307705707423noreply@blogger.com6