An email to my wife about spiritual things...

Hi my love,

Remember the other night when you said that you don't know if you believe that the Genesis account and other stories are just spiritual illustrations teaching us a cosmic lesson, instead it is less confusing and right to believe that these stories are literal? Well, you are right. When does one stop taking things as figurative and start taking it literally? You could take it all the way from Genesis to Revelation figuratively if you wanted to, but then where is truth in that? One could read Aesop's Fables and get a good lesson from it. I think it is right to think that when the Bible is figurative it is blatantly figurative, and when it is literal, it is blatantly literal.

Also, if you'll think about it, there is NO harm in playing it safe and believing less, or the bare minimum, but there is harm in believing heresies or stories as truth. So, take, for instance, a Baptist, who believes that the early church was simple, independent, having only a bishop (pastor or shepherd) and deacons like the New Testament says, and believes in "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved". Then they meet together, sing hymns, pray together and hear the word preached, and lead holy lives. They stick only to what the Bible says. There is no harm in this. How could there be?

On the other hand, some church traditions treat their church traditions as if they have been there since the beginning. Sometimes these people begin to worship the idea of the church instead of the Lord. Then, as is evident in Catholicism and Orthodoxy, traditions such as the assumption of Mary, purgatory, intercession of saints, indulgences, immaculate conception and other doctrines become something that you MUST believe to avoid being a heretic. What does that do with the early church people who didn't believe in these doctrines? Make them heretics?

About Apostolic Succession and Apostolic Churches, I realize the purpose behind it, to ensure that godly men were put in place after the death of the previous bishop, but it took on a different form, becoming almost like a magical transmission of truth and power. That's not the case. Apostolic Succession never secured the church from error, and has never perfectly preserved the truth, has it? Any man who has a great knowledge of the Bible and leads an upright life can effectively teach the Scriptures to others and be their pastor. Truth is preserved in men who love God and desire truth, not in the laying on of hands.

Also, I have seen a lot of liturgical churches that have the scripture verse, "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" above a picture of an altar, or vestments or something. I think they are reading that verse backwards. I think that they may be reading it as "worship the Lord in the holiness of beauty". Beauty is not holiness to the Lord. Holiness, however, is beauty to the Lord. Holiness can be as homely as a dirty man in rags who loves God with all his heart, mind and strength and who loves his neighbor as himself, and who watches the words that comes out of his mouth, who helps the orphans and widows, who keeps himself unspotted from the world, who confesses his sins and repents, placing his trust in God and His Son. On the other hand, there are MANY people who have beautiful churches and wear beautiful vestments who molest children, or are very proud of themselves, who wear huge mitres upon their heads. Jesus slept on the streets and probably wore the same humble clothes for most of his adult life.

Love you,
Paul

Important Message from Ben Stein

This is a great message from Ben Stein. The basic message is this: If you don't want God in your life, then be prepared for Him to back out of your life. Don't ask Him for favors or help if you don't want Him around. Don't complain if He lets us destroy ourselves. Pass it on.

Sincerely,
Paul+

I find myself in full agreement with Ben Stein, as I often do:

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

The Church Militant

I personally believe, based on the clear command of Scripture and the witness of the Church throughout history, that the ministry of the Church Militant is to preach the gospel to all creation, making disciples of all nations. This includes witnessing to others with zeal. I’m really glad the apostles didn’t sit in the upper room and wait for converts to accidentally stumble up the stairs and join their church. Just as we don’t sit in a boat and wait for the fish to jump in, we shouldn’t expect people to magically become Christians. It is my/our task to get out and make disciples. I believe this means convicting sinners using the Law of God (Ten Commandments), but in a gentle manner, showing all people how they have sinned against God, failing to keep ANY of His commandments. The Law is the schoolmaster to bring people to Christ. Once a person realizes how broken and sinful they are, they can receive the cure for their disease, which is Jesus Christ, the saviour of sinners.

If a doctor were to tell you that you need to get a shot in the arm and then start receiving chemotherapy, you would be offended at him for offering a cure to something you don’t have. But if the doctor tells you that, after examination, you have cancer, then you will gladly take the cure, or therapy, and will be relieved.

Once converts are made, it is the job of the Church Militant to teach them to “observe all things, whatsoever I (Christ) commanded you (doctrine of the Apostles).” The Church Militant should also provide for the widow and fatherless, help the poor, love the brethren and try, as much as it is possible, to live at peace with all men, and to not create schism.

Each member has his or her own gift of ministry, which should be used according the portion it has been given them.

Rev. Paul Thompson

Prayer

Christian prayer is communication with God the Father, and is best exemplified in the prayer our Lord Jesus Christ gave us, the Lord’s Prayer. We should glorify God in our hearts and minds first, we should seek out His kingdom, and pray that His will be done in our life, just as it would be done in heaven. Then we should offer our petitions to God, and also ask forgiveness of our sins, since we do sin daily against His Divine Majesty. We should seek His protection in our daily life against sin in our own lives and from the attacks of the evil one. We should also remember that to God alone belongs all glory and honor.

I practice Morning and Evening Prayer as it is in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (USA), but that is not all that I do. I have three children; two boys and one daughter. I pray with them every day, utilizing the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostle’s Creed, always leaving room for our own personal petitions and concerns. My oldest son, James, (7 years), keeps a prayer journal, and he is quite a boy of prayer, that I know, with God’s help, will grow to be a man of prayer. I am also teaching my children that written prayers are for our learning, and teach us how to pray, and for what we should pray. They do know that they can, and should, speak to God from their hearts.

Overall, prayer is a constant relationship with God that should be carried out all day. I converse with God while at my day job, on the drive home, and many times being consciously unaware that I am praying to Him. A good book I read a couple years ago called The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, was a good example of living a life of prayer/relationship with God. God can be glorified in the kitchen in one’s heart just as much as He can in the liturgy of the Church.

DEPRAVITY

Yes, humans are totally depraved. There is no goodness in them. I went through a short period where I believed that the remaining goodness in a person could coax them back to the God who created them; that the light that brought them into this world would somehow draw them back to that original light through works of righteousness. I was wrong.

I have a friend who has a large tattoo on his back. It is a scale, and weighed in the balances are the words "good" and "bad". The "good" side of the scale weighed more than the bad, showing that his "goodness" outweighed his "badness". When I asked him if he thought he was basically good, he said "yes, I am mostly a good person. I've never done anything too horrible". This same man says the most crude and horrible things I've heard come out of a man's mouth. He also breaks every commandment of God Almighty, and boasts about doing so. Yet, he seems to believe that his goodness outweighs his evil.

I stand with what the Bible says. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). I can say completely truthfully and with my whole heart that nearly every unsaved person I work with is wicked and does no good. Romans 3:10-13 says "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:"

I can vouch for the truthfulness of every statement in this section of Scripture.

- None righteous. Not one person I know follows God's Law, or has a heart to love God.

- None that understandeth. Not one person I know understands spiritual things, nor do they desire to.

- None that seeketh after God. Unless they are hiding something, I don't know one of them who actively pursues God. None seek the true God. They are too busy seeking entertainment.

- Open sepulchre. A sepulchre is a tomb or grave. The words of their mouth are deadly, and hearing it everyday is poison to my soul, and the souls of those around them, sending them to death.

- Deceit and poison. This is what flows from their mouth when they speak. I rarely hear an encouraging word from any one of them. Their words are poisonous and they are deceitful, trying to cause others to stumble and fall and sin so they may not feel anyone is better than them.

This may sound rude, but this is just the way it is. If people think that judgement day will prove them just and good men because they were "basically good", they have another thing coming. They will be judged for their works, and their works will be filthy rags, and their horrible sinfulness will condemn them.

There is ONE CURE. The Lord Jesus Christ has made atonement for those who repent from their sins and turn to him for forgiveness. Trust in Him fully for redemption and justification and begin a new life. Don't wait to come to God until you are perfect; that day will never come. He wants you just as you are, as sinful and dreadful as you are. He will completely justify you and make you a new person.

Was (is) Jesus God?

The New Testament writers clearly believed that Jesus was God. For instance, look at this verse from Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

-Here Jesus is referred to as the great God and Saviour.

Acts 20:28 says, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

-This verse says that God purchased His church with His own blood. It was the blood of Jesus that was shed when He was crucified.

Apostate Christianity

Dear Christians, be very wary of the claims of some self proclaimed Christian denominations today. There is ONE way to judge whether or not a church is a Church of Christ or a synagogue of satan. Please read the quote below from the late Archbishop Cranmer.

"If there were any word of God beside the Scripture, we could never be certain of God's Word; and if we be uncertain of God's Word, the devil might bring in among us a new word, a new doctrine, a new faith, a new church, a new god, yea himself to be a god. If the Church and the Christian faith did not stay itself upon the Word of God certain, as upon a sure and strong foundation, no man could know whether he had a right faith, and whether he were in the true Church of Christ, or a synagogue of Satan."

Seek for wisdom, which is only found in the Scriptures:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

When you seek for the truth you will find it. Pray to God to lead you in the right and righteous path.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

Baptism

So many times I have heard preachers say that Paul was basically downplaying the role of baptism in the Church, or showing its insignificance, in 1 Corinthians 1:17 when he says "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel," putting preaching at a much higher level than the sacrament of baptism. However, a closer look at the context that the verse is placed in paints another picture.

In verses 12-17, Paul is correcting the church at Corinth for their mistaken belief that whoever baptized them, or introduced them to the faith, required their devotion and full allegiance, creating factions of Christians within the church. This is why, in vs. 13, Paul says "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" Paul goes on to say "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name." (vs. 14 & 15).

Paul's words, "I thank God that I baptized none of you", and "were you baptized in the name of Paul?", place a great deal of importance on baptism. The people of Corinth were all baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. They all belong to Jesus Christ through their baptism in His name.

Paul's relief in not baptizing many of the members of the church of Corinth is caused by his desire to not be a major part of the factions that were being created in the church, not because he placed little or no importance on baptism. Paul writes in many other places about being baptized into Christ, dying in baptism and rising in Christ. Paul simply was not called to baptize them, but to preach to them. This means that there were others who were called to baptize them. Simply because Paul wasn't called to baptize but to preach doesn't mean that baptism isn't important, it just means that wasn't his job! Of course he would do it if he had to, as he mentions that he did baptize a few of them. The very fact that Paul points out that divisions were caused over the people who baptized them shows what a great deal of importance the early church placed on baptism.

Tradition and Reason

I have to admit, I don't like change. I am a sucker for tradition. Tradition is usually a sign of stability, or maybe very slow change. This dislike for change and desire for tradition may be caused by a world that views truth as relative and a church that conforms to the fashions and fads of the day. Actually, I'm sure those reasons have something to do with it.

However, if tradition leads to a dead spiritual life I am against it. I've been in many traditional churches that are still Spirit filled and full of life. I've been in others where the members go to church because they really like the liturgy, or the sound of the organ, or they rant about their choir or they are really in love with the smells and bells, and they seem to lack spiritual life and vitality, and they have little or no concern for those in the world.

Tradition, theology, doctrine and liturgy are all very important; important to me personally. But I can't stand deadness! I don't mean that I need to see people doing back flips in church, waving their hands or speaking in tongues. What I mean is I can tell when I meet a Christian who really loves the Lord and who's life has been transformed by Him, and I can tell the other type; the type that goes to church for social reasons, and that's about it. They may sing ancient and beautiful songs that have beautiful words and melody's, but do they mean or feel what they sing? Of course, there may be people in the congregation that do love God and want to serve Him truly. I've met some.

What is more depressing is that there are hardly ever young people in either group. The church seems to be dying in America. At least the traditional church. To me, this is very sad. It's my opinion that it is NOT the right thing to do to coax them back to church using entertainment. That has nothing to do with conversion. They have to be made disciples, true converts, true seekers of God, and only conviction and the Holy Spirit can do this. I suppose we live in an age where people, especially young people, are completely and totally lost to entertainment. How can a quiet and reverential old traditional church compete? It can't. One has to love God to do anything truly. One must let go of over-entertainment as well. People are so consumed with entertainment that it is saddening. They must be doing something constantly, such as playing video games, chatting, texting, surfing the web, listening to IPod's, downloading music, looking at porn, watching a movie, whatever. Satan wins through these tools.

This post is turning into something I didn't intend it to. What I wanted to say is that tradition is good at making boundaries and passing on the ancient faith. It is not good when tradition becomes the god. There is One God. He is jealous for us and for our time.

Paul

"If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." St. Paul

Jesus told us to:

Jesus told us to:

To feed the poor.

To clothe the naked.

To visit the sick and imprisoned.

To help the orphans and widows in their afflictions and

To keep oneself unspotted from the world.

To obey the Ten Commandments.

To become like little children in order to inherit the kingdom of God.

To suffer the little children to come unto Him, and forbid them not.

To baptize believers and

make disciples of all nations.

To cleanse the lepers, heal the sick and raise the dead.

To sell all that we have, give it to the poor and come, and follow Him.

However, all these commands are summarized in this, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength and to love thy neighbor as thyself."

Because, "Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13

Love is the fulfillment of the Law, because love looks after the salvation and welfare of others, and one who loves God will never want to offend their Holy Father.

1 John 1:3 "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

The beloved Apostle John is writing his letter with a mission in mind. He wishes for the readers of his letter to gain knowledge of the precious Savior, Jesus Christ, so that they may have fellowship with him. Why does he wish for others to have fellowship with him? Well, because his fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. Why would St. John want others to share in this fellowship? What is so pressing that he feels the need to write a letter to share with all the churches of his time, and, ultimately, to all Christians everywhere for all time?

There is a need for every living human to share in this fellowship, for there is no life outside of this fellowship. More to follow...

Give Thanks!

Give thanks to the Lord.


1 Thesselonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

In all circumstances and situations give thanks unto the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever. Don't blame God for the bad stuff. All bad stuff, like sickness, disease, fights, wars, death, come as a result of human sin and the curse it brought upon the earth. Even vegetation and animals suffer because of sin. Before sin there were no thorns, thistles, or weeds and animals didn't eat one another. God is the source of life and light. In the book of James we read, "ever good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the the Father of lights". This is the verse that I read when my son James was born. He is a life, he is my son, he is a gift from God, a good and perfect gift.

The breath you breathe, the reason you woke up this morning, the heartbeat that just pumped, the food that you ate, the water you drank, the clothes you are wearing, the vehicle you drive; you don't DESERVE any of these things. These are conveniences and blessings from our heavenly Father. They could all be gone tomorrow, and you could be going to the bathroom outside and wiping with leaves, building a shelter out of sticks with a thatched roof and mud, digging up roots to eat for dinner, going without a shower because you don't have running water, or you could loose your health, your money, etc.

Give thanks to God, for this is His will and desire for your life.