Woe Christmas Tree, Woe Christmas Tree

I will be making several posts about the farce of a day we know as December 25th and how God is not happy with how we as a world are going gaga over it and trying to place Jesus as part of it when He is not. In fact, Jesus has NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER been a part of what the world calls "christmas". The entire celebration is rooted in paganism and tradition, but not tradition of Godly things but traditions of men.

The Christmas tree is one of those "traditions of men" talked about in Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Also, Jesus Himself spoke on this topic in Matthew 15:7-9 "You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draw near unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

As a warm up, I thought I would post an article on the origin of the christmas tree from the late Dr. Hank Lindstrom.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

None of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, mention the date, or the day, or the month, or the year in which Jesus was born. But we are told exactly when Jesus was crucified. He was crucified on the preparation [day before] day of the Passover. The Passover always occurred on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish calendar. Remember that the four gospels tell us in the greatest detail where Jesus was born, where He lived, and what He did. They also tell us in great detail how and when He died. But they are completely silent as to the date or the day of His birth. Did they forget? Or was it left out on purpose? Could it be that God knew that men would make more of His birth than of His death? It is certainly worth thinking about!

Did you know that we have no record of the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ? If you read the New Testament, you will find it to be silent as to the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, it was not until the fourth century that Christians began to celebrate Christmas.

In AD321 Constantine declared the world to be Christian and many of the customs of paganism continued and adapted themselves to Christianity. The celebration of Christmas is just one of those pagan observances. Baal worship included the celebration of Baal's birthday at the winter solstice or December 25th. Look at how Jeremiah describes this observance in the Old Testament. Jeremiah chapter 10 tells us, "1 Hear the Word which the LORD speaks unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Have you ever heard of such a practice? The practice of cutting a tree out of the forest, bring it home, nailing down and then decorating it with silver and gold. Well, now you know the origin of the Christmas tree. I am not saying that we should toss out our trees necessarily, but that we should make sure that true message of Christ is told at His birth. Remember that a person can celebrate the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and still go to hell. One must trust in the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary in order to go to heaven.

The Bible tells us about two trees that tell us the complete story of salvation! The first tree is found in the Garden of Eden. The second tree is found on the hill of Calvary. The first tree brought about sin and death as a result of partaking of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The second tree upon which Jesus died brings eternal life to all those who partake of it. Let's talk about these two trees.


Both trees were planted in a garden. The first in the Garden of Eden, the second in a garden unnamed. "41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid." John 19:41. Is this not a striking analogy that both the first Adam and the last Adam [Jesus Christ] died in a "garden."

We find the words, "in the midst", in connection with both trees. "9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." In the same manner we also read concerning Jesus, "Where they crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst." John 19:9.

We also know that both trees were trees of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. "21 For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him". II Corinthians 5:21. On the tree of Calvary, we see the sinless Son of God made to be sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God. The first tree caused both Adam and Eve to learn how painful it was to be separated from the living God.

Both trees are linked to a curse. As the result of the sin of Adam a curse has come upon the whole human race. Jesus Himself became a curse on the second tree in order that He might deliver us from the curse of the first tree. "13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: " Galatians 3:13.

Both trees were good for food. Notice that God says about the first tree, "6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Genesis 3:6. The second tree is also good for food. Jesus said in John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I Am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; and he that believes on Me shall never thirst." When a person comes to Jesus Christ and places their trust in Him they are saved forever.

Both trees are connected to the word 'paradise.' Adam and Eve when they partook of the fruit of the first tree they were turned out of the paradise of the garden. The thief on the cross believed on Jesus Christ and was told that He would enter paradise. "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:43.

Both trees are necessary to tell the complete story of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice the Scriptures use of the tree to describe Calvary. 'Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." I Peter 2:24. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:" Galatians 3:13. "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree." Acts 5:30. The Scriptures clearly reference the Cross of Calvary as a tree. The tree in the Garden of Eden and the tree of Calvary clearly outline for the complete gospel story from the fall of mankind to God's provision for mankind in the tree of Calvary.


ROMANS 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Our focus ought to be on the Gift of God on the tree rather than the gifts under the tree. The great tragedy is that millions will receive and give gifts this Christmas and will have never received the GIFT OF GOD. As we tell the story of Christmas to our families, perhaps we can use the tree to tell the story from the Bible of the two trees. How that the fruit of the first tree caused man to come under God's condemnation. And how the acceptance of Jesus Christ by faith as our Savour will bring about our eternal salvation.

Many have celebrated Christmas all of their life and have never received the Gift of Christmas! Have you received the gift of God? If not, then you will spend all eternity in hell separated from God. Your most important choice in life is to receive this gift.

This gift is NOT available at the local mall! You cannot buy it! We do not deserve it and cannot earn it. The ONLY WAY the Gift of God may be received is THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! You must TRUST Jesus Christ as the One who died for your sins on Mount Calvary, was buried, and then rose again from the dead. The moment you do trust Him, He will indeed save you!

John 3:16-18 says,

"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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but He that believes not is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

"Tare" -ing Up The Church

Tares -
Any of various weedy plants of the genus Vicia, especially the common vetch.
Any of several weedy plants that grow in grain fields.
An unwelcome or objectionable element.

The parable of the wheat and the tares is found in Matthew 13:24-30
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didn't you sow good seed in thy field? from where then has it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy has done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There are several lessons we can learn from this parable. Before going into them though I think it is helpful to break down this parable and identify who is being talked about. Verse 24 says a man sowed good seed in his field. The man in this case is Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus often referred to Himself as the "Son of Man". The good seed are the true believers and the field is the world. The enemy that came is Satan. How do I know this? Jesus explains all of this to His disciples later in the chapter in verses 36-42
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Ok, so what are the lessons we can take from this parable. I'd like to share 5 lessons.

I) As believers we are good seed that God has planted in the world

John 5:16 "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

Any farmer knows that if you want a crop you have to plant seeds. God wanted a crop of believers and worshipers so He sent His son Jesus to reconcile us to Him. We in turn are to reconcile others to God. We, as a small number of seeds, are to reproduce ourselves and thus grow the Kingdom. In nature, 1 seed can reproduce many fruits. We are to do the same. As we are scattered in the earth (the field) we are to produce "much fruit".

II) Satan can only operate while believers are "asleep"

Romans 13:11 "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

Satan has to use stealth and is empowered only by believers who are "asleep" to what is going on around them. Notice verse 25 states that while men slept, Satan came in and sowed his tares. The tares are the pretend believers that Satan has planted among the true believers to attempt to deceive and to cause dissension among the true believers. Give the Devil credit for being crafty. Satan figured out long ago that if he couldn't beat the church, he would join it. Again, he could only do this because we as believers were "asleep" to what was going on. When you look for the devil, never be afraid to look in the pulpit. I don't care what title a person has be it pastor, elder, deacon, teacher, server, etc.. Satan will try to plant his false tares in with the wheat in all areas of the church. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."


III) It is nearly impossible to identify the tares early on

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

When wheat is first planted and sprouts, it can look very similar to a tare; so much so that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between the two. Appearances can be deceiving so for us to try to make a judgement on someone from what we can see outwardly is a dangerous thing. However, if we spend an extended period of time with someone we will be able to tell by their stated beliefs, their actions, and there will be something about them that differentiates them from the true believers.

IV) We do not have the job of rooting out the tares from the church

Matthew 7:1-5 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother,'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

While we may have an idea that someone we know may be a false believer or a tare, it is not our place to try to root them out. On top of that, we may even be wrong in our assessment. Jesus explains this in verse 29 "But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them". We would make a terrible mistake if we went around our churches and started making judgements of who we feel is saved or lost. The false believers will be exposed at the end times.

V) The tares will not get away with masquerading as wheat

1 John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

It may outwardly appear that those we have identified as tares are living high wide and handsome and seem to be getting away with their life of deceit. However, they will not escape the final judgement when they are bundled up to be burned in the eternal lake of fire. At the same time, God will gather the true believers into His barn (Heaven) to be with Him for eternity.

We need to be aware that there are false believers (or tares) among us. We need to be loving and kind to them and hope that through our kindness they will see Christ and be converted. We are to not try to pass judgement on people based on a guess of what we see in their outward life. While we need to be loving we also have to confront the open apostasy that we see. However, in this context the tares are not the obvious, overtly anti-christians. They run an effective covert operation that is tough to spot which is why we need to be sober at all times as was mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:6

The Greatest Blood Donor of All Time

The mercy seat protected man from the judgment of God represented by the judgment angels, the Cherubim. Because of the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat, man's sin and guilt were washed away and the curse of the law has no effect. The mercy seat foreshadows the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our mercy seat. He forever stands between a holy God and sinful man. Just as the sins of the whole nation were atoned for by the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat, so also Christ, by the shedding of His own blood atoned for the sins of the entire world.

One of the most important subjects biblically is also, unfortunately, one of the least mentioned and that is the blood of Christ. There are so many scriptures that reference His blood as being the ONLY means for remission of sins yet most churches avoid talking about the blood. I can only guess it is because they are afraid they will offend their congregation or gross them out talking about blood. Here are some of the verses that mention Christ's blood.

Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul."


Matthew 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

John 6:53-56 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whosoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.

Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

Romans 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

Ephesians 1:7 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."

Ephesians 2:13 "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

Hebrews 9:12 "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

I remember growing up and watching one of the original Dracula movies and it really scaring me. It seems that over the last several years the whole fascination with vampires has increased at an alarming rate. I can think of the "Blade" movies, the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" TV show and finally the "Twilight" book series written by Stephanie Meyers, a Mormon (no surprise there). While some may argue that the Twilight books portray a "so-called good" vampire, it is still a disturbing trend that our culture is so fascinated by vampires.

The premise of vampires is in order for them to live eternally, they must drink the blood of their victims. In contrast, in order for us to live eternally, Christ has freely given us His blood as a means of immortality. It is an ironic twist that Satan has used to capture the world's attention.

So, while society has no problem with "grossing us out" with vampires and blood, the modern church is afraid to "gross us out" with the message of Christ shedding His blood. For one thing, there is nothing "gross" about Christ's pure blood. It is our only hope of salvation. It is why we drink the juice on Sunday morning.. it symbolizes Christ blood as the atonement for our sins. The hymn writer was dead on when he wrote this hymn:

1. What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain:
O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2. For my pardon this I see:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(Refrain)

3. Nothing can for sin atone:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(Refrain)

4. This is all my hope and peace:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness:
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(Refrain)

I don't know if the "Twilight" movie had a theme song, but this one is so much better.

I'll leave you with some facts about the precious blood of Jesus

FACTS ABOUT THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST

1. The Blood of Christ provides a suitable covering for man's sin, guilt and shame. Genesis 3:21.

2. The Blood of Christ makes the one who offers it both acceptable to and accepted by God. Genesis 4:1-6.

3. Through the offering of the Blood of Christ, (we believers) have safety from the coming Judgment. Exodus 12:13.

4. The Blood of Christ was shed for the remission of our sins. Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7.

5. Through the Blood of Christ, we have cleansing from sin. Revelation 1:5; 7:14.

6. Through the Blood of Christ we have redemption; this is, we are bought back out of the slave market. Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; I Peter 1:18-19.

7. Through the Blood of Christ we have peace with God. Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 2:14.

8. Through the Blood of Christ we who are "afar off" are "made near". Ephesians 2:13

9. Through the Blood of Christ, the guilt and condemnation we incurred, through the breaking of God's laws, is "blotted out". Colossians 2:13.

10. The Blood of Christ, called the Blood of God, bought us for God and Christ, and made us His own peculiar possession. Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 6:19; and I Peter 2:9-10.

11. The Blood of Christ purges our conscience so that our service to the Living God might be acceptable. Hebrews 9:14.

12. The Blood of Christ gives us an exalted standing, and makes us "kings and priests unto God". Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10.

13. Through the Blood of Christ we are justified before God. Romans 5:9.

14. Through the Blood of Christ we are sanctified. I Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:14; 13:12.

15. Through the Blood of Christ we have eternal security and the assurance of salvation. Hebrews 10:10-14; 13:20; 9:12.

16. Through the Blood of Christ we are made "one" with all others believers-both Jews and Gentiles-in the new body of Christ. Ephesians 2:13-14.

17. Through the Blood of Christ we are reconciled-made right or righteous with God. II Corinthians 17-21.

18. Through the Blood of Christ we can enter into "the Holy of Holies", that is, into God's presence in heaven. Hebrews 10:19-22.

19. Through the Blood of Christ we have fellowship with God, and with His Son Jesus Christ, and with other believers. I John 1:7; 1:1-3.

20. Through the Blood of Christ He purchased for us "an eternal inheritance". Hebrews 9:14-15.

21. Through the Blood of Christ we have overcome the Devil. Revelation 12:11.

The word "blood" occurs 447 times in 357 verses in the Bible. The "Blood" (when it refers either directly or symbolically to the blood of Christ) is the very heart and core of the Bible, the true foundation of the Christian faith. Any departure from the Biblical message on the "Blood of Christ" is heresy or apostasy. It is plain that the message of the "Blood of Christ" is of basic importance in the Bible. If you would take the blood out of a human body, you would have nothing left but a lump of clay. If you take the blood out of the Bible, you have Bible that has no life-giving properties. It is a dead book rather than the "living book" that it claims to be. See Hebrews 4:12.

We All Need To Lighten Up A Little

In the previous post I mentioned how we are the salt of the earth, the attributes of salt and an encouragement to spread our salt to someone else. In this post I would like to piggy back off that with part 2 of the Sermon on the Mount passage in Matthew 5 and it is found in verses 14-16: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Dictionary.com has several definitions of light

- something that makes things visible or affords illumination
- a device for or means of igniting, as a spark, flame, or match

I'd like to talk about 5 primary properties of Light and how they can apply to us spiritually.

I) Light overtakes darkness Suppose you walk into your bedroom with all the lights out. You flip the light switch and what happens... the room instantly becomes light with no sign of any darkness. Remember back at creation when The earth was completely darkened and God said "Let there be light" and there was light and no more darkness. The light completely engulfed the previous darkness. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 the Bible says "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God." When God brings the hidden things to light, there is no more darkness to cover them up. If we as Christians all let our light shine as we ought, the powers of Hell could not stop our light from overtaking the world's darkness.

II) Light provides comfort
I found this article that talked about the relationship between shortened day light hours and depression.

'Tis the season to be depressed. That seems to be true for a segment of the population who become depressed as the days get shorter.

A lot has been written about "holiday blues," and certainly the holidays bring back negative memories for many. More than any other time of year there is an emphasis on families. If you grew up in an alcoholic family, an abusive family, or a neglectful family the trappings of the season may remind you of what it was like growing-up. Seasonal depression is sometimes hard to diagnose because it kicks-in at the same time of year.

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) include:

Depressed mood
Fatigue and lack of energy
Sleeping much more than usual, increased need for sleep, or difficulty awakening in the morning
Increased appetite, often including carbohydrate craving
Weight gain
Reduced work productivity
These symptoms are not present in the late spring and summer months. SAD seems to be more common in northern latitudes (and in southern latitudes in the southern hemisphere) because the winter day gets shorter the closer you travel toward the polar regions. Estimates are that SAD affects less than 1% of the population in Florida, while in Alaska as many as 10% of people may suffer.

Many experts believe that many more people suffer from "subclinical SAD" - that they get more sad and lethargic in the winter, but not actually depressed. The treatments used for SAD may be helpful for these people too. The most important factor in seasonal depression seems to be day length. Some research suggests that the brain may produce less serotonin in some people during short days.

How is seasonal depression treated? One of the most effective treatments is bright light therapy. Sitting under a high intensity bright light for 30 minutes every morning can help people who get depressed in the winter. These lights are available from a number of sources, and research suggests that they do not have to be "full spectrum" lights in order to improve mood. The most important ingredient seems to be the intensity of the light. The light should mimic the brightness of being outdoors on a sunny day.

I know many people who say they get depressed that it gets dark by 5:00 or even if we get extended periods of rain and no sunshine. The sunshine can be a great comfort to us even when we are having a bad day. The same is true of candle light or camp fire light. So it is with us. We ought to be a comfort to those in darkness by sharing our light with them. As the scripture mentioned in Matthew 5:16 we ought to let out light shine before men so that they will come to praise God because of us.

III) Light exposes the hidden things
I remember back when I was in the military and lived in barracks that we would have problems time to time with roaches. They would hide inside and under desks, beds, etc. When I would come in the room and turn on the light and there was a roach or two on the floor where I could see it, they would scatter as fast as they could to get out of the light and back into the darkness because the light made them uncomfortable. I think that is symbolic of what the world does. In John 3:19 Jesus said "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." When we let our light shine on the world we expose the darkness that controls this world. When we stand up for what is right and just we make the world uncomfortable... kind of like that salt in the wound I mentioned in the last post.

IV) Light, when concentrated, can produce great heat
I was watching this guy on TV the other week who goes out and survives in some remote location and films the entire experience. He takes no provisions with him. He was trying to start a fire so he could set up camp and he used a magnifying glass to capture and funnel all the light energy from the sun to spark a flame in some brush. It took some time and patience but he persevered and soon had his fire. We can be like this also. We must not get discouraged if we can't light some one's fire for Christ the first time we try or even the second time. However, if we are steadfast and allow the power of the light to work on them, we allow the opportunity for the spark that we planted to be ignited and catch aflame.

V) Light, in high intensity, can be blinding
I like to drive but I don't really enjoy driving at night. One of the reasons is some people have their high beams on and if I am not careful they can temporarily blind me. The same is true of the sun. I have played baseball and football in the past and just as I thought I was in good position to catch the ball I looked up and saw the sun and then I couldn't see anything. Yet another similar example is when I was in the movie theater one afternoon this past summer and when I left the theater I had to shield my eyes because of the contrast in light going from a completely dark theater to afternoon sunshine.

While it is true that we need to let people see our light, we need to be careful we don't overdo it and blind them. What I mean by overdoing it is not to "preach" at them or try to beat them over the head with a bible. We need to lovingly present Christ so that they will want what we already have. We need to have a balance. Paul said in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek". We need to not be ashamed or feel like we need to apologize for our message of the Gospel. However, we need to present it in a loving way and one that will attract the one we share it with to God.

Searchin' For Our Lost Shaker of Salt

Before anyone gets curious and wonders if this post is in reference to that famous Jimmy Buffet song, it is not. However, as followers of Christ sometimes we do lose our saltiness. Hopefully this post will encourage those who have lost their saltiness (current typist included) to find that shaker of salt and get back to being the "salt of the earth" as Jesus mentioned on the Sermon on The Mount in Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

I'd like to take a practical, physical look at salt and tie it into how it is a great metaphor for our spiritual walk. I'd like to take a look at 4 qualities of salt and how we can relate it to our walk.

I) Salt seasons
There is a reason a salt shaker is on most kitchen tables and most restaurant tables. It is to add flavor and quality to the food it comes into contact with. This is how we should be as followers of Christ. We should have a quality about us and a "flavor" about us that enhances the lives of all we come in contact with. So much so that those people come back to us for another "sprinkle" of our lives to touch them. As followers of Christ we should not keep all the salt for ourselves. Salt does no one any good if it stays in the shaker and is not dispersed. Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man."

II) Salt preserves
In the days before refrigeration, salt was used to keep food from spoiling. Salting was an effective method of food preservation historically; as it draws water out of bacteria through osmotic pressure preventing them from reproducing and causing food to spoil. Much like salt in those days, we need to help preserve the Word of God in the world by keeping it in our hearts and on the tips of our tongues. We need to preserve this country as a Christian nation and not allow the name of Christ to be taken away from our schools and our daily life. We need to be able to give a scripture to someone as encouragement or to help them with a problem. We also need to be able to help preserve the christian walk of other followers of Christ who may have temporarily, through trials, lost their saltiness.

III) Salt cleanses
Salt is used in producing soaps, detergents, and other bath products. As followers of Christ we are called to help cleanse people of their mortal sins by introducing them to Christ. Ephesians 5:25-26 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." By using the Word of God we can help to cleanse the lost people in the world and reconcile them to God through Christ. Mark 9:50 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

IV) Salt stings
If you have ever had so much as a paper cut and then had salt get into the wound, you know how badly it stings. When we proclaim Christ we are going to offend many non believers and be a painful irritation to them much like salt does to a wound. The "world" is wounded with sin and when we allow our salt to penetrate into that wound, it is going to sting and the world will resist us. We need to stand firm and not be afraid to salt the wounds of the world. This is not to be mean. On the contrary, it is to allow the world to feel the pain of their sins thus hopefully causing the world to do something about it by turning from their ways and turning to Christ. Our salt in their wound is to be used for their healing much like salt can heal a physical wound.

So the next time you sit down to eat and get ready to sprinkle some salt on your food, why not instead sprinkle your salt on someone else that needs it. Not only will it lower your blood pressure, it will lower theirs.

Field Day or "Pearl" Jam

Since we are closing in on the annual remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, I thought I would share my thoughts on a different kind of pearl.. the pearl of great price as found in Matthew 13:44-46

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

There are several interpretations of this parable. One is that Jesus is the "Pearl of Great Price" and we as His followers should give up everything we have so we can have Jesus. This is the way I was always taught in the past to interpret this parable. Like many other things I was taught when I was young, this is incorrect for several reasons.

First, Jesus is not for sale. Salvation in Jesus is a free gift. Our money is no good in Heaven. The only medium of exchange we can use to "buy" Jesus is to trust in His death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for our sins and to make us righteous in God's sight. For a scripture reference look at Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life "freely".

Second, if Jesus was for sale, we have nothing to buy Him with. We are just lost sinners. Even the good works we think we do are worthless. See Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness's are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." How could we possibly "buy" Christ with filthy rags?

I strongly believe that this parable should be interpreted that we are the Pearl Of Great Price and Jesus Christ gave all that He had (insert the cross here) and with His precious blood purchased us from the hands of Satan and took us for His own.

In fact, if you go to verse 38 of the same chapter 13 of Matthew, Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower sowing seeds and mentions that the "field" is the world. Well, we are in the world so we being pearls in the field of the world makes complete sense.
38 "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom."

So the next time you feel discouraged or out of sorts spiritually, remember that Jesus thought enough of you to give everything He had for you. In His eyes you are a precious jewel beyond value. Since we are valuable pearls to Christ we should not "clam" up when it comes to sharing our faith with others. For all that Christ gave for us, the least we could do is share what He did with the world.

However you personally wish to interpret this parable, please keep in mind that it is a parable and as such is not always definitive in it's meaning. We never want to use a parable as proof of scripture if it contradicts a much clearer verse somewhere else in scripture.

How To Spot A Counterfeit and Smell A Rat

When we think of counterfeiting we usually think of money. While it would be bad to have counterfeit money in your pocket it would be infinitely worse to have a counterfeit faith in your heart. When most church going people hear of The great commission they tend to think of a missionary somewhere in a third world country trying to tell people who have never heard of Jesus about the plan of salvation. While that is all fine and well, it is much more important to know the Man of salvation than the plan of salvation. Satan knows the plan of salvation and that is how he is able to twist it to be something it is not. If Satan can not beat the church, he will join it. Satan will infiltrate the church with people who seem to preach a good gospel but it is not a true gospel. Oh it sounds good initially and even sounds legitimate but these people try to pervert the gospel to fit their desires and to deceive the people.

There are going to be several scripture references but I would like to start with 2 Peter 2:1-3
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not."

Here are some tests we can hold any pastor or bible teacher up to and see if they are a false prophet or a true believer.

I) By their message. I don't care what title a person holds, a title does not automatically legitimize a person's message.

a) The Source Test
Is their primary source the Bible or do they also reference other books as doctrine? On top of that, when they reference the Bible do they tell what the Bible means or do they mix in their own liberal slant and deny obvious truths and say it's all metaphorical? Yes, the Bible will use metaphors to teach us but the Bible at the very least means what it says and says what it means. For instance, I had someone try to tell me Job was not a real person, just a story in the Bible to teach us patience. How ludicrous. This passage in ch 22:18-19 of the Book of The Revelation deals with these type of people.
"For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

b) The Saviour Test
Do they believe that Jesus is God in human flesh, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father, the Messiah or do they believe Jesus is some prophet. Ask them if they worship Jesus. If they say no, ask them why not? The Bible is full of the worship of Jesus Christ. Now if Jesus is not God, He should not be worshipped because the Bible says to worship the Lord thy God only, but if Jesus is God, he is worthy of our worship. Jesus said in Mark 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM , you will die in your sins." Another verse declaring Jesus' diety is in John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

I AM is the name God used for Himself when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. So unless they believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ, they are a counterfeit teacher.

c) The Salvation Test
Do they teach salvation by grace alone or do they mix in works? If they do not teach repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone as the means of salvation, they are a counterfeit teacher. In Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." To be accursed literally means to be condemned.

Now what Gospel is Paul referring to? It is clearly spoken about in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." That's it!!! If anyone teaches any other gospel, he is a counterfeit teacher. It's that plain; it's that simple.

Here is an example. Suppose some one preaches that baptism is required for salvation. Do you know how many people would be eliminated? Suppose a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan was mortally shot or gassed and before he dies the chaplain were to come and ask the soldier if he would like to be saved. The chaplain would have to say "I'm sorry, there is no water here to baptize you, nothing here but sand." See how foolish that way of thinking is? I am not saying people should not be baptized, certainly they should. Baptism is an outward testimony of already being saved. A person can go in a dry sinner and come up a wet sinner if they have not made the good confession of faith in Christ alone first. The minute anyone tries to put a stipulation on salvation they take the "whosoever will" out of it. Do you know what whosoever will means in the Greek?... whosoever will. The Bible says whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

D) The Sanctity Test
Do these people live clean, moral lives or do they live like the world and say that Calvary covers everything? Remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

I am not saying these people will not slip up and fall from time to time, we all do. I am talking about people who have a sinful lifestyle yet still profess Christ.

E) The Subject Test
Do they as their primary message talk about Jesus Christ and salvation or do they focus on good works, charities etc in place of salvation of the lost? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Now don't misunderstand me, I think charities, helping the poor, and doing good works are all important, just not more important that the true Gospel message. The Bible has 1 theme, it is salvation. It has 1 hero, Jesus. It has 1 villain, Satan. The Old Testament says someone is coming, The New Testament says someone has come, and the Book of the Revelation says someone is coming again and that someone is Jesus Christ.. I hope you believe that.

II) By their method
Look back at 2 Peter 2 where is says "there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies." Privily speaks of secretly. These people will try to sneak into a congregation and cause division and confusion with their false teachings. Jude verse 4 mentions this. "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Not only do they privily bringing heresies but 2 Peter 2 also says "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words..." Do you know what the word feigned means? The Greek word is plastos and and it is where we get the word plastic from. These are plastic Christians. What does plastic do? It molds to anything to suit a purpose.

III) Their motivation
Do they use as their primary motivation the praise of Jesus or do they seek glory for themselves? Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." There is the key. When people see our good works, it is not for them to glorify us or tell us how great we are. It is through our good works that people will come to glorify Christ.

Go back to 2 Peter 2 where it says "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you." See the word merchandise? How many TV evangelists have we seen who try to make a profit for themselves by using Christ. I call them not only false prophets but false "profits". I have seen some outlandish things. One preacher was saying if people sent him money he would send them this so called "Holy water" or one of those so called "holy cloths" and they are doing this for their own gain and sadly many people are deceived by them.

The Source Test, The Saviour Test, The Salvation Test, The Sanctity Test and The Subject Test. These 5 tests will help us be able to tell the real from the counterfeit.