Wednesday 30 April 2014

What Does Jesus Really Think About Same-Sex Marriage?

What Does Jesus Really Think About Same-Sex Marriage?



One argument in favor of gay marriage made by professed Christians and unbelievers is “Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality.” Is this statement true? Yes and no.
It’s true that we have no record of Jesus specifically mentioning homosexuality during His earthly ministry, but He didn’t mention bestiality or molesting children either. Does this “argument from silence” (a logical fallacy) prove that Jesus was OK with these things? Of course not.
We do know, however, that Jesus affirmed marriage as between one man and one woman in a one-flesh relationship for life by appealing to creation. (Of course, Jesus is God the Son incarnate. He affirms the entire Old Testament. Yet even if I grant that Jesus’ words, the red letters, during His earthly ministry are more authoritative than the rest of Scripture, the argument still fails.) He essentially said, “It’s Adam and Eve, and not any other definition.” Thus, Jesus rejected every other so-called definition of marriage beyond what was given in Genesis 1:27 and 2:23-24.

Gay marriage

Tuesday 29 April 2014

PM rejects Clegg’s calls to disestablish Church of England

PM rejects Clegg’s calls to disestablish Church of England



David Cameron has rejected calls from the Deputy Prime Minister to disestablish the Church of England.
Nick Clegg, who is an atheist, was speaking on his weekly radio phone-in programme. He said: “In the long run it would be better for the Church, and better for people of faith, and better for Anglicans, if the Church and the state were over time to stand on their own two separate feet.”
But Cameron disagreed, explaining that “our arrangements work well in this country”.

pm-rejects-cleggs-calls-to-disestablish-church-of-england

Christian Band Drums Up Support for Gay Marriage

Christian Band Drums Up Support for Gay Marriage



Dan Haseltine



Christian band Jars of Clay was supposed to be setting out on a 20th anniversary tour—but if the latest controversy is any indication, not many fans will be celebrating.
Lead vocalist Dan Haseltine made sure of that last week by singing a different tune onsame-sex marriage. The firestorm is just the latest evidence of Haseltine's slow walk away from orthodoxy that made the band famous.

Words for the Wise, James 5, Christian Patience and Prayer



James 5

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)



5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The Bible Panorama

James 5

V 1–6: SINFUL STORING Those who sinfully store riches, especially where they have been gained by taking advantage of others, and concentrate on pleasure and luxury, will be judged. This shares, with murder, the evil root of trampling on the welfare of others.

 V 7–11: PATIENT PERSEVERANCE God’s people should patiently wait for the Lord to come, just as the farmer waits for the seed to germinate and be harvested. Such patience is an antidote to grumbling and an encouragement to perseverance, knowing that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

 V 12: STRAIGHT SPEAKING The Christian does not have to dress up his everyday language with oaths and assurances. He should tell it as it is, and have a reputation for telling the truth.

 V 13–18: PRUDENT PRAYING Prayer should be made with and for people in all states of life and emotion. Those suffering and sick should be prayed for and church leaders should be ready to respond to a call to go and pray with someone who is suffering. Confession of sin is a prerequisite for restoration spiritually and may even affect the way we feel physically. The pattern of Elijah’s patient endurance in prayer is an encouragement to all who feel that their prayers are ineffective.

 V 19–20: SINNER SAVED James tells the twelve scattered tribes that if someone among them wanders from the truth and is turned back from sin, the person responsible for that turning will save a soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins. God, who is sovereign in salvation, expects us to be actively involved in the privilege of seeing lost sinners being saved, including those who keep company with Christians.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys


Southport, Merseyside

Franklin Graham Answers: Can Gay People Go to Heaven?

Franklin Graham Answers: Can Gay People Go to Heaven?



Franklin Graham



The Rev. Franklin Graham recently participated in an ABC News panel discussion on the religious right and mainstream American views, along with Russell More, Ralph Reed and Cokie Roberts.
When gay marriage was brought up, Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, said: "Maybe gays that are watching want to know, 'Can God forgive me? Or can I go to heaven as a gay person?' Absolutely. But the same for any of us. We have to repent of our sins in turn. A person cannot stay in adultery and be accepted by God. You’ll have to repent.

Saturday 26 April 2014

Words for the Wise, James 4 Christian Conduct










James 4

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Warning Against Worldliness

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are at war within you?[b] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.[d] The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbour?

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

The Bible Panorama
James 4
V 1–3: WARS All wars and fighting come from wilful and wayward human hearts. How different is submission to God which seeks for what pleases Him, rather than what pleases us

V 4–5: WORLDLINESS Those who are friends of the world and its standards, pastimes and entertainments show that they are enemies of God. This is equivalent to spiritual adultery, and God yearns jealously for His people, as a husband would for an unfaithful wife.

 V 6–10: WEEP Benefiting from God’s grace enables us to resist the devil, to draw near to God, and to weep over our sins and double-mindedness. God thus enables us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts and minds. As we humble ourselves, God will exalt us

V 11–12: WRONG It is always wrong to speak evil of Christian brothers. Christians should obey God’s law, not use it to judge other Christians. Who am I to make myself the judge?

V 13–17: WILL We should live in dependence on God’s will. We should not boastfully count the future as ours, but realise that God can take away the vapour of our lives instantly. To think otherwise is sin. In fact, whenever we fail to do what we know to be good, we sin.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys


Southport, Merseyside.

'God and the Gay Christian': Southern Baptist Leader Objects | Advocate.com

'God and the Gay Christian': Southern Baptist Leader Objects | Advocate.com





Matthew Vines's new book, God and the Gay Christian, hit shelves just this month, but one evangelical leader has already lashed out in an e-book against the young writer's views.
Vines first made headlines for an hour-long lecture he posted toYouTube in 2012 called "The Bible and Homosexuality," filmed at a church in Wichita, Kan. The video went viral, and it's now had 700,000 views.
Vines, a onetime Harvard student, writes in his book that "it is not gay Christians who are sinning against God by entering into monogamous, loving relationships. It is we who are sinning against them by rejecting their intimate relationships."
But Albert Mohler Jr., president of the largest Southern Baptist seminary in the U.S., disagrees.
In a lengthy blog post and e-book, Mohler wonders if "evangelicals will remain true to the teachings of Scripture and the unbroken teaching of the Christian church for over two thousand years on the morality of same-sex acts and the institution of marriage."








Some Honest Questions for Professing 'Gay Christians'

Some Honest Questions for Professing 'Gay Christians'





gay christians?



Today, however, more and more men and women who identify as LGBT are professing to be devoted Christians, believing that the church has wrongly interpreted the Scriptures through the centuries and claiming that committed, monogamous same-sex relationships can be blessed by God.
It is for those of you who identify as both gay and Christian that I’d like to ask some honest questions. You may take them as adversarial, but in reality, I ask these questions in the love of God and the fear of God, being jealous for your well-being in the Lord.
And while it’s easy for some people to throw around the hate word, you will not find a syllable of hate in these words, because there’s not an ounce of hate in my heart.

Friday 25 April 2014

Words for the Wise, James 3, Conduct and Communication









James 3

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Wisdom from Above

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The Bible Panorama

James 3

V 1–7: TONGUE’S WONDER Like a horse’s bit or a ship’s rudder, the tongue is a small member of the body with a gigantic and disproportional influence on the direction to be taken. It can be like a spark that ignites a forest fire. It is easier to tame wild animals than the human tongue. It is the hardest part of the body to tame, and may be influenced by hell itself. For this reason, those who use words in teaching other people will be judged more strictly about their own use of words.

 V 8–12: TONGUE’S WICKEDNESS The tongue is untameable by man. Its poisonous use reveals evil within, hypocrisy and double standards that make our conversation so inconsistent and dishonouring

 V 13–18: TRUE WISDOM How we need God’s wisdom! It is available from on high and is pure, leading to a holy and open lifestyle of gentleness and graciousness. Envy and bitter self-seeking come from worldly wisdom influenced by the devil. As God works in us, to make us wise and understanding, our conversation will reflect that.

The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.

Yours by His Grace


Blair Humphreys


Southport, Merseyside

Martin Lewis : Why you can’t trust your bank - Money Dashboard

Martin Lewis : Why you can’t trust your bank - Money Dashboard



Martin Lewis - the Money Saving Expert himself - is one of the most respected names in personal finance. Over the next five weeks we’ll share his opinions on everything from juggling multiple accounts to wasting money.
Here, Martin takes on the subject of banks, and whether they’re really there to help…
This is exactly why Money Dashboard was created. Martin Lewis knows that the banks aren’t your best mate, and don’t exist to offer you independent advice. While a bank is there to sell you a product, Money Dashboard is completely independent, totally secure and free of charge, so instead of trying to push you to buy a product, we simply give you a clear view of your financial life. No strings attached.
You can track as many current, credit and savings accounts as you like, and sit back while our secure, read-only system does the hard work for you. Some say that we’re trying to disrupt and revolutionise the banking industry with our easy to use software, but Money Dashboard CEO Gavin Littlejohn sees things differently…

Thursday 24 April 2014

Were Ananias and Sapphira Believers?

Were Ananias and Sapphira Believers?





Were Ananias and Sapphira Believers?

praying to god
(chesterf-stockfree)
Were Ananias and Sapphira believers who were judged by God because of their blatant sin? According to one prominent pastor, they were not, since things like this do not happen to believers in Jesus, to those under grace, since the Lord already took our judgment on the cross. Is this pastor correct?
Actually, the text does not tell us explicitly whether they were believers or not, but without a doubt, this account was recorded as a lesson for all of us, and the New Testament makes very clear that the Lord sometimes judges His own blood-bought people who engage in blatant sin.
Are we willing to accept the testimony of the Word of God?
This pastor, who is a gifted teacher with many good things to say, claims that in Acts 5, it is “very clearly stated” that Ananias and Sapphira were not believers, and for him, the lesson we learn from this passage of Scripture is that God will judge those who try to hurt the church, which is “very consoling” for him.

Words for the Wise, James 2, Faith & Works








James 2

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)


2 My brothers,[a] show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place”, while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there”, or, “Sit down at my feet”, 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honourable name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”, you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery”, also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgement is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

Rhetorical Questions About Faith Without Deeds (2:14)

The two rhetorical questions about faith without deeds are (1) "What good is it?" (answer: none) and (2) "Can it save?" (answer: no). The first question implies a general lack of any usefulness for a faith without actions. The second question specifies a particular use that is lacking—salvation itself. The combined impact is to declare a thorough uselessness of faith without deeds and, to make it absolutely clear, also to declare its particular uselessness in regard to salvation, which would be the primary point of having faith in the first place. "In a Christian context such as this, . . . the `use' takes on serious consequences, for it is salvation which is at stake" (Davids 1982:120). In the subsequent example in 2:15-16, there is no "good" for the needy person who receives no help. Here in 2:14, however, it is explicit that the good lacking is for the person who claims to have faith. James asks not if such faith can save "anyone else" but if such faith can save him.

This biblical truth needs to be forcefully preached and taught for the social conscience of the modern church. It must become unthinkable for us, too, that our faith would leave us content to ignore needy people. Our churches are failing to supply the channels of ministry for a life of faith if they are not providing ways for Christians to minister to needy people. As churches plan their priorities, it does not matter whether church growth can occur through outreach to the poor; it is a question of whether we have genuine, saving faith. This point is a message to convict and to motivate those who would be people of "faith."

 What does James mean by faith? A life of faith (pistis) is the unifying theme of James's letter. He strongly emphasizes that faith is a stance of belief and trust toward God—for example, trusting God even in the face of trials. But with equal strength James emphasizes that genuine faith is "working faith" (Moo 1985:107). It is the stance of belief toward God by which one endures trials, asks for wisdom, resists temptation, controls one's tongue, looks after orphans and widows in their distress, keeps oneself unpolluted by the world, avoids favoritism, loves one's neighbor as oneself, gives physical necessities to the poor and, in short, lives as a doer of the word.

We can affirm all of this with James's passionate earnestness but without distorting his view into an unrealistic expectation of sinless perfection. Of course Christians fail to live up to this perfectly; that is why James bothers to write about it. But the meaning of real faith is still to be embraced and practiced. If the works of faith are not present, the authenticity of one's faith is in serious question. Genuine faith, faith that does result in salvation, must acknowledge the lordship of Christ and so respond to Christ's word with actions of obedience. Thus 2:14 recalls the emphasis on that "which can save you" in 1:21. Christ is both Savior and Lord; he cannot be separated into two persons. Genuine, saving faith necessarily includes both a trusting of Christ as Savior and a following of Christ as Lord.

IVP New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity of InterVarsity Press.

Dictionary of Bible Themes

8021 faith, nature of

Confidence in and commitment to God and Jesus Christ. These attitudes remain sure even though the objects of faith are unseen. True faith is seen in obedient action, love and continuing good works.

The object of faith

God as the object of faith Heb 11:6 See also Ps 25:1-2; Ps 26:1; Pr 29:25; 1Pe 1:21

Jesus Christ as the object of faith Jn 14:1 See also Jn 3:16,18,36; Jn 6:68-69

False objects of faith Human resources: Ps 20:7; Hos 10:13
Ps 118:9 other people; Pr 28:26 self; Isa 42:17 idols

Faith is personal trust in God

2Sa 22:31 See also Ps 18:2-6; Ps 27:13-14; 1Pe 2:23

True faith cannot be second-hand 2Ti 1:5 See also Jn 4:42

Faith and assurance

Assurance accompanies faith Heb 11:1 See also Ro 4:19-21; 1Ti 3:13; Heb 10:22

Faith may be mixed with doubt Mt 14:31 Simon Peter; Mk 9:24 the father of the boy with an evil spirit; Jn 20:24-28 Thomas

Faith and sight

2Co 5:7

Faith as trust in what is unseen Jn 20:29 See also 2Co 4:18; Heb 11:1-3,7,27

Faith looks towards an unseen future Heb 11:13-14 See also Heb 11:8-10 Abraham; Heb 11:20-22 Isaac, Jacob and Joseph; Heb 11:24-26 Moses

Faith and obedience

True faith is demonstrated in obedience Ro 1:5; Heb 4:2 See also Ro 16:26; 2Co 9:13; 1Pe 1:2

Examples of obedient faith Noah builds the ark: Ge 6:22; Heb 11:7 Abraham leaves Haran: Ge 12:4; Heb 11:8 Abraham offers Isaac: Ge 22:1-10; Heb 11:17
Ex 14:15-16 Moses parts the sea. Caleb and Joshua: Nu 13:30; Nu 14:8-9
Jos 3:5-13 Joshua at the river Jordan Joshua at Jericho; Jos 6:2-5; Heb 11:30
Jn 21:4-6 Jesus Christ’s disciples, fishing; Ac 26:19 Paul

Faith and works

True faith is demonstrated in good deeds Jas 2:14-26 See also Php 2:17; 1Th 1:3; Tit 1:1; 2Pe 1:5

True faith issues in love Gal 5:6 See also Eph 1:15; Eph 6:23; 1Th 3:6; 1Th 5:8; 1Ti 1:5,14; 1Ti 4:12

True faith is constantly productive Lk 8:15 pp Mt 13:23 pp Mk 4:20 See also Jn 15:1-5



Yours in His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Southport, Merseyside


24th April 2014.

What George O. Wood Really Thinks About Pentecostals Speaking in Tongues

What George O. Wood Really Thinks About Pentecostals Speaking in Tongues



That’s what Pentecostalism, in its purist form, tries to do. It tries to erase the smudges on the church for the last 20 centuries and get back to what the early Christians believed and practiced. That is our goal—to get back to biblical, original Christianity.
I have been asked a number of times by national reporters about speaking in tongues. I was talking with a reporter from the New York Times and told him there’s nothing unusual about what Pentecostals are doing today. If you look at the first-century church, all the writers of the New Testament spoke in tongues and the Early Church spoke in tongues. So Pentecostalism, at its roots, is basically a restorationist movement. We believe that we can cut through 20 centuries of church tradition and get back to the original church. It doesn’t mean that we do everything like the original church, but we’re trying to have the same doctrine and experience of the Early Church.

Read more here http://georgeowood.com/

The Shattering of Jars of Clay

The Shattering of Jars of Clay



Beginning on Tuesday, April 21st, Dan Haseltine, front-man for the popular Christian band Jars of Clay, took to Twitter to announce his apparent support for same-sex “marriage.” And for the life of him, he can’t figure out a single good reason to oppose it.
It is for reasons like this that we have been sounding the alarm these last 10 years.
In a series of tweets posted over a three-day period, and prompted by a movie he watched while in flight, he wrote: “The treatment of people as less than human based on the color of skin is crazy... Or gender, or sexual orientation for that matter.”
Of course, to compare skin color with “sexual orientation” is to compare apples with oranges, as has been demonstrated many times before.
But that was only the beginning. He added, “Not meaning to stir things up BUT... Is there a non-speculative or non ‘slippery slope’ reason why gays shouldn't marry? I don't hear one.”
This really boggles the mind.
When you’re sliding down a dangerous slippery slope, you don’t say, “Give me one good reason we’re in danger, other than the fact that we’re careening down this deadly slope.”
No. You grab hold of something to stop your fall and then figure out how to climb back to solid ground.

Views, Visions and Values.: Words for The Wise, Freedom 1 Corinthians 9 Nasb...

Views, Visions and Values.: Words for The Wise, Freedom 1 Corinthians 9 Nasb...: 1 Corinthians 9 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Paul’s Use of Liberty 9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle...

Sunday 20 April 2014

Words for Today, Matthew 10 Disciples and Discipleship







Matthew 10

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

10 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and [a]James the son of Zebedee, and [b]John his brother;Philip and [c]Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; [d]James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the [e]Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not [f]go [g]in the way of theGentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, [h]preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven [i]is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,10 or a [j]bag for your journey, or even two [k]coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his [l]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [m]at his house until you leave that city12 As you enter the[n]house, give it your [o]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, [p]give it your blessing ofpeace. But if it is not worthy, [q]take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

A Hard Road before Them

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so [r]be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and [s]cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “But whenever they persecute you in [t]one city, flee to [u]the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

The Meaning of Discipleship

24 “A [v]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house [w]Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [x]hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a [y]cent? Andyet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who [z]confesses Me before men, I will also confess [aa]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever [ab]denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to [ac]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his [ad]life will lose it, and he who has lost his [ae]life for My sake will find it.

The Reward of Service

40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these [af]little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

"costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer,  The Cost of Discipleship

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM (10:1-42)

Matthew explains the ethics of the kingdom (Mt 5-7), relationships in the kingdom (13), and the presence (13) and future (23-25) of the kingdom; but he does so to disciples whom he expects to further propagate the message of the kingdom (10). Just as Jesus carries on John's message (3:2; 4:17), so will his disciples carry on his (10:7; 28:19). His followers must carry on his mission of healing (9:35) because the laborers are so few (9:37). Matthew records the words of Jesus in this chapter, like those in the Sermon on the Mount, not for merely historical interest but to encourage fellow disciples in the period between the first and second comings of Jesus.
Jesus Sends His Disciples (10:5)
When Jesus sent out his disciples, he literally "apostled" them. Thus he provides a relevant model for his appointed agents in subsequent generations (whether they are "apostles" in the narrower sense or not). The language used here for "sending" probably connotes commissioning agents with delegated authority. Ancient Israelite circles also used formal agents or messengers (as in Prov 10:26; 13:17; 26:6); agency eventually became a legal custom so pervasive that both Roman and Jewish law recognized the use of agents, or intermediary marriage brokers, in betrothals (Cohen 1966:295-96).

Agents did not always have high legal status; some were even slaves. Yet they carried delegated authority, acting on the authority of the one who sent them. Thus later teachers commonly remarked that a person's agent is "equivalent to the person himself" (t. Ta`anit3:2; m. Berakot 5:5). How one treats Jesus' messengers or heralds therefore represents how one treats Jesus himself (Mt 10:40-42).

Because the agent had to be trustworthy to carry out his mission, teachers sometimes debated the character the pious should require of such agents (m. Demai 4:5;t. Demai 2:20). This also implies, of course, that an agent's authority was entirely limited to the scope of his commission and the faithfulness with which he carried it out. The fact that Jesus authorizes us to do acts of compassion in his name (Mt 9:36) does not authorize us to use his power to get whatever we want (4:3).
Jesus' agents were not like just any legal agents: in biblical history, God's agents were the prophets. The connections in this text between Jesus' commissioned messengers and prophets should not be overlooked (10:41; compare Boring 1982:89).#


IVP New Testament Commentaries are made available by the generosity ofInterVarsity Press.


Yours in His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Southport, Merseyside

20th April 2014


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