Elijah and Depression

Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. She sent a message to Elijah: "You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow." Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the LORD, "I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors." Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, "Get up and eat." Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep. Soon the LORD's angel woke him again and said, "Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel." So Elijah sat up and ate and drank. The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, and he spent the night there in a cave. While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the LORD asked, "Elijah, why are you here?" He answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!" "Go out and stand on the mountain," the LORD replied. "I want you to see me when I pass by." All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the LORD was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze, and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. The LORD asked, "Elijah, why are you here?" Elijah answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!" The LORD said: Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria. Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet. Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu. But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live. Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha. Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said. "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you." Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant. (1 Kings 19:1-21)

This occurred just after a great victory for God. If you read the chapter before this one, Elijah had been used by God to show who the true living God really was. I will leave it to you to read that story and just set the scene for 1 Kings 19 by showing you the following verses:

Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!" The people did not say a word. Then Elijah continued: I am the LORD's only prophet, but Baal has four hundred fifty prophets. Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either. The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the LORD. The one who answers by starting the fire is God. "That's a good idea," everyone agreed. (1 Kings 18:21-24)

When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" Just then, Elijah said, "Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away." So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them. (1 Kings 18:39-40)

King Ahab told Queen Jezebel all that Elijah had done, not as a testimony of God's power but to anger her. He didn't tell her what God had done, but what Elijah had done, as if he had performed some superior magic and not that the hand of the Lord had been in it. It was God who killed the prophets of Baal, not Elijah, but because of what King Ahab had told her, Queen Jezebel went gunning for Elijah.

You see, despite the unparalleled show of God's power, King Ahab's heart was hardened instead of softened. He refused to believe in God despite what he had just seen. That hardness of heart was passed on to Queen Jezebel when he told her what had happened. All she heard was that her Prophets of Baal had been killed. The whole story was about how God had prevailed and sent His demonstrative power and yet, all she heard was the Elijah had killed her 450 prophets. When your heart is cold and hard and hostile against God, there is very little that God can do to make you believe. If you don't want to believe, then no matter what miracles He shows you, you will remain steadfast in your unbelief. She hated Elijah because he was someone she could hate and persecute. She can't hate God because she can't hurt and persecute God, so she turns her anger and hate on Elijah who was only God's tool.

Over the centuries this missplaced anger and hatred has led to many martyrs' death. Because they can torment, persecute, torture and kill the followers of Jesus Christ, they go after them. God is who they really hate but He is beyond their control so they turn their anger on His People. And the persecution and killing of any of His Children is noted and will never be forgotten.

When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of everyone who had been killed for speaking God's message and telling about their faith. They shouted, "Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?" (Revelation 6:9-10)

So Jezebel threatens Elijah.

After all that Elijah had just seen and experienced, you would have thought he would have stood his ground and said, "Right back at ya, sister!" But, surprisingly, he ran away and hid. Now, her raging, cursing and threats were empty because nothing could be done to Elijah unless the Lord allow it for His higher purposes. And she might just have been a little afraid of Elijah after what she had heard. She could have sent guards to take him right away instead of just sending him a message. But Elijah's reaction is the surprising thing. What was wrong with him? Why would he flee in terror in the middle of the night after what he had just experienced?

Elijah became severely, suicidally depressed and afraid. What could cause this Prophet, this great man of God to fall into such a state?

• Elijah had just spent a day of intense spiritual warfare. He had watched the 450 Prophets of Baal prance around all morning, screaming and cutting themselves and begging their god to bring fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice. Then, when nothing happened, Elijah stepped up and had his sacrifice made on his altar, and even dug a trench around it and had so many buckets of water poured over the sacrifice and altar as to fill the trench. He made one plea to God and God sent fire from heaven that not only devoured the sacrifice but licked up the water.
  
• Then Elijah had been involved in killing the 450 prophets of Baal.
  
• Then he climbed Mt. Carmel.
  
• Then he prayed for rain until rain came and ended the drought.
  
• Then he actually ran down the mountain and all the way to Jezreel.
  
• Then he recieves a threat against his life and he has to flee in the night.

When you consider all he had been through, it's really not so surprising that he had a breakdown. He had to be spiritually, mentally and physically exhausted. At some point he went from running on God to running on empty. He went from spirit to flesh and his flesh was letting him down. You can do what God asks and empowers you to do but you begin to fade when you move from His empowerment to your own flesh. There comes a pivotal point where you lose your balance and are no longer relying on God but are relying on yourself.

Elijah not only ran away but he ran the wrong way. He ran into the wilderness, into a desert. If he had run TO God instead of to the waste places of the desert, he would have been blessed and replenished, renewed, strengthened. I'm not saying he ran away from God, but rather, in fear, he ran to the worst possible earthly place. A place to guarantee further depression. He could have stayed right where he was at and got on his knees and run, in a spiritual sense, to God.

He and his servant fled to Beersheba but he left his servant there and went on alone into the desert. He has isolated himself. Those who suffer depression tend to isolate themselves. I've been there and done that! He removed himself from God, from people and now, even from his servant who was probably closer to him than any other human at this time. I'm sure he thought there was no reason to further push his servant. Elijah may have thought his servant deserved to rest rather than to go on out in the desert. But he also wanted to be alone. He wanted to cry and wail and despair all by himself. He prayed that he would die, that God would just let him die right then and there. He thinks that life is over, he has done all he can do and he's tired of the fight. All his exhausted mind can think is that he's failed, has no one who loves him, he's alone. God allows him to sleep. Physical exhaustion can cause depression so it is imperative that we get enough rest when we feel depressed.

God sends an angel to give him food and water. He tenderly provides for him despite Elijah's plummeting faith. Herein may lie another physical problem. How long has he gone without proper nourishment and nutrition? Someone who is so mentally distraught and depressed may go without properly eating and this can aggravate depression. When we feel depression coming on, it is time to be sure we eat right and take our vitamins. We must make ourselves take care of our body by resting and eating right.

Elijah is ministered to by angels who insure that he rests and eats and drinks! That is how much God loves him and takes care of him! But he was still depressed. God draws him on a 40 day hike to Mt. Sinai. This walk was to remind Elijah of the 40 years of wandering in the desert before the Israelites obeyed God and began to occupy the Promised Land. And during those 40 years, they did not suffer hunger or thirst, nor did their clothes wear out, but they also didn't hear from God. During this long walk, Elijah doesn't hear from God but God is taking care of him. Even though he doesn't eat, the food God provided for him through the angels, meant that Elijah did not suffer hunger or dehydration. Elijah needs some down time and some exercise to keep him from curling up in a ball. How many times, when you get depressed, have you wanted to curl in a ball and huddle under the blankets and not get up? I have. God made sure that Elijah got rest and food but then sent him on a hike for 40 days. A time for reflection.

When Elijah reaches Mt. Sinai, God speaks to him. He asks Elijah a question, "Why are you here?" God often asks us questions to get us to think, formulate and express our feelings. It's a way to direct and focus our thoughts. Elijah is ready now to confront his spiritual depression. God has taken care of him physically and mentally and now wants to confront his spiritual depression. God is asking him "Why? Why are you here? What made you run away when you knew I was in control? Why didn't you trust Me? Is this where a Prophet of the Living God should be? Hiding in a cave?" Elijah answers:

"He excuses his retreat, and desires it may not be imputed to his want of zeal for reformation, but to his despair of success. For God knew, and his own conscience witnessed for him, that as long as there was any hope of doing good he had been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts; but now that he had laboured in vain, and all his endeavours were to no purpose, he thought it was time to give up the cause, and mourn for what he could not mend...

"He complains of the people, their obstinacy in sin, and the height of impiety to which they had arrived: 'The children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, and that is the reason I have forsaken them; who can stay among them, to see every thing that is sacred ruined and run down?'" -Matthew Henry's Commentary

He thought his work was done and he had failed to turn the Israelites back to God. He thought that he alone knew and worshipped the one true God. He was disgusted and despairing that nothing had changed. He was angry with the people. He felt alone. He felt like a failure. Sounding a little self-righteous with a little spiritual pride. You know you have pride when you think God should be doing what you want Him to do. Who are we to think we have such high knowledge and wisdom that we can direct the Lord to do what we think is best? "If everybody would just listen to me and do what I say, the world would go around a lot better!" I have caught myself in those kind of thoughts before!

This shows how twisted the thinking gets in a depressed person. I know this intimately. You are not in your right mind when you are in a depressed state. Everything looks like the end of the world. Others may look at you and think you have the world on a string but all you can see is despair and loneliness. Satan twists your thinking and makes white seem black and black seem white. For some reason you are unable to see light at the end of the tunnel, all you see is darkness. It's why I think there is something organically/chemically misfiring because you can't see clearly, it's not logical. It goes against the will to live that God has implanted in us. God makes sure that Elijah's body is taken care of before He dialogues with Elijah. Now God is reaching out to Elijah by talking to him in the voice that Elijah had forgotten. He's asking him to think and express himself. Once we speak up and arouse our minds, we are able to converse with God about our situation in prayer. God understands our every thought and wants to draw us out even if it's to express some very un-Christlike feelings. Then God will begin to show us how very wrong we are and lead us to a proper perspective.

God manifested himself to Elijah. He caused powerful winds, an earthquake and a fire to occur. These were to prepare Elijah by instilling awe and respect for God. Elijah would gain humility and reverence by these manifestations. God is in control, even of the elements! But these were example of God's power and not His actual message. Elijah forgot himself in the midst of God's Presence. For God then spoke to Elijah with a still small voice which finally penetrated his heart. Elijah covered his face in humility and shame for having fled in fear and giving in to depression. He realized he had been a coward and had fled his duty. He stood at the entrance to the cave ready to hear what God had to say and to resume his active duty status. God asks him again, "Why are you here?" Elijah repeats his complaints albeit in a more humble spirit. His heart still holds some bitterness and pride. "I've always done my best to obey you." (Other translations use the words "jealous", "zealous" and "burning for the honor of the Lord.")

God then gives Elijah some orders. He is given work to do, called back into active duty. He is to anoint Hazael to be King of Syria and anoint Jehu to be King of Israel and to anoint Elisha to take the place of Elijah. (Elijah only succeeds in anointing Elisha and it is Elisha who anoints Hazael and Jehu.) Then God tells Elijah that he is not the only one in Israel who trusts and serves the only living God, there are 7,000 who have not given in and worshipped Baal.

“The design of the vision was to show to the fiery zeal of the prophet, who wanted to reform everything by means of the tempest, the gentle way which God pursues, and to proclaim the long-suffering and mildness of His nature, as the voice had already done to Moses on that very spot; hence the beautiful change in the divine appearance” -Herder, Geist der hebr. Poesie, 1788, ii. p. 52

There are times when God works His wrath in vivid color with the crash of the wind and the dividing of the seas. But there are times when God is working in mercy, grace, goodness, kindness, patience and longsuffering. It is not Elijah who decides those times and directs the Lord. It is up to the Lord to exercise His great wisdom and direct us. There is a time for mercy but a time for judgment and God is the one in control of these things.

Then he passed in front of Moses and called out, "I am the LORD God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren." (Exodus 34:6-7)

He instructs Elijah to anoint Hazael and Jehu so that they can be instruments of judgment so judgment is a-comin' to Jezebel and the rebellious people but, Ahab humbled himself when God threatened him with his sin and the judgments are withheld even during the life-time of Ahab and of his son. Jezebel was thrown out her window by her own servants and her body broken on the common street. Horses rode over her and the dogs ate her.

Elijah immediately leaves and finds Elisha and calls him to the ministry of prophesy. He mentors Elisha but Elijah goes into a rather quiet retirement while Elisha begins to take on the mantle of national prophet. Elijah appears a few more important times but his ministry is drawing to a close. Then after 10 years had passed since the depression incidence, Elijah goes to Elisha and tells him it's time for him to go be with the Lord. Elisha wouldn't leave him and it is while they are together that God sends a chariot and horses of fire to catch Elijah up and take him to heaven. It is also witnessed by no less than 50 other prophets. (2 Kings 2: 1-12)

Did this incidence of depression end his usefulness to God as His Prophet? Evidently not. He was used by God a few more important times. Then he was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot instead of dying the way all the rest of us die. He was referred to by other later prophets so he was still well known. He was seen on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus by the 3 disciples. His name and ministry was used by the apostles in teaching and John the Baptist was called the Elijah that "must first come" to prepare the way of the Lord. It seems to me that Elijah may have gotten his nose seriously out of joint and it may have brought about his semi-retirement but he was still close to God, obedient to God, outspoken for God. God uses cracked pots all the time. We are none of us perfect and God very well knows this. It is important for us to learn from Elijah's depression experience.

Pastor Craig taught on this Word this morning and he said that we must learn:
A) Don't lose your focus! Our focus is to save souls and worship God. Sometimes we lose our focus, we start to think it is all about us. We become the center of our universe. Even those who are depressed are usually so self-absorbed with their misery that they have shifted their focus from God to "me". I know this because I've experienced it myself. If our every waking moment is consumed with thoughts about me, me, me even if it's "I hate myself, I hate myself, I hate myself", it's still selfish self absorption. Then there are those who get their focus on other people or other things. Elijah lost his focus on God. At some point he went from God empowered to self, or flesh, empowered and he began a free fall.

B) It's only through God. We are not in control, we don't have the power, we do not have the wisdom so we must rely on God. He and He alone can take care of stuff and we must learn to trust in Him and lean on Him. It is only ours to obey Him.

C) Don't let pride cause you to fall. Elijah was feeling self righteous and pride got to him. Pride is one of the easiest sins to fall into and I know that from experience too. It's God and God alone and He empowers us so to Him be the glory. We must keep ourselves humble.

For those who experience depression, here are the things that I recommend:
* Make sure you get enough rest.
* Eat good.
* Take vitamins.
* Take any medications your doctor has prescribed.
* Do an activity. It's too easy to lay in bed all day. Do something, one thing that makes you move around. Even if it's just to walk to the mailbox and back, or go to one store and walk through, or make one round on the trail in the park, or take your dog for a walk around the block.
* Take some time to get your mind off of the bad stuff. Watch a funny movie, read a book, watch some funny TV shows, talk to someone on the phone without mentioning your problems, etc.
* Most of all, spend time in prayer with God. He can take all the stuff you need to say. Then begin to praise Him for something. You may not feel like it but there is something. "I praise God because I am breathing. I thank God for the food and water I have today." Spend a moment in gratitude. Write down your thoughts, prayers and praises if that helps you.
* Do something for someone else. Give a hug, make an encouraging phone call, write a card, write a letter, take a meal to someone (even if it's just a bag of hamburgers and fries). Just reach out. You are still useful and needed but not if you are locked in your room and crying into your pillow.

Where Is The Balance? When Do You Speak Out & When Do You Keep Your Mouth Shut

Something I say all the time is, "God is in the balance." Well, I have a question for you to meditate on. Where is the balance between not speaking evil against others and speaking out to expose sin? The Bible tells us to do both. Isn't that contradictory? Actually it isn't. With careful study of His Word we can determine the balance.

Let's start with Numbers 12:
And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite (Ethiopian) woman whom he had taken (married). For he had taken a Cushite woman. And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us? And Jehovah heard. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men on the face of the earth. And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, You three come out to the tabernacle of the congregation. And the three came out. And Jehovah came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came forth. And He said, Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream. Not so, My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of Jehovah. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them, and He moved. And the cloud moved from the tabernacle. And behold! Miriam became leprous, as snow. And Aaron looked on Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not lay upon us the sin in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned. Let her not be like one dead, of whom the flesh is half gone when he comes out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried to Jehovah saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech You. And Jehovah said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days. And the people did not pull up stakes until Miriam was brought in.
(Num 12:1-15)

In this passage, we see that Moses had married a Cushite, an Ethiopian woman. His first wife, Zipporah, was a Midianite and he had been married to her since before God called him to lead the Jews out of Egypt. It is possible that Miriam and Aaron had taken a dislike to Zipporah and referred to her derogatively as a "Cushite." But it's more probable that Zipporah had died and Moses had re-married. Miriam and Aaron found it offensive to the national pride which characterized the Jews. Neither one of Moses' wives had been an Israelite. The Christian fathers note that the marriages of Moses with a Midianite and an Ethiopian were a foreshadowing of the Gentiles being included in God’s covenant and promises. The complaining of Miriam and Aaron was a type of the discontent of the Jews at the Gentiles being included: compare with Luke15:29-30. At this time in their history, God had specifically forbidden the Israelites to marry a Canaanite, someone from the land of Canaan. This did not include Cush, so it was evidently not forbidden by God and therefore not a problem between God and Moses. In fact, the Scripture says that Moses was meek and faithful and still in direct contact with God. But Miriam and Aaron had gotten a little too big for their britches and they spoke out against Moses. Pride is one of the easiest sins to fall into. Miriam was a Prophetess and first among all the Israelite women and Aaron was the first High Priest specifically picked by God. They fell into error by speaking against Moses. They thought they were in the right! But God privately called them on the carpet for it. God called them apart and He spoke to them and struck Miriam with leprosy.

Put them in mind to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no one, not being quarrelsome, but forbearing, showing all meekness to all men. (Titus 3:1-2)

In Titus, we are to be submissive to rulers, be obedient, meek, not trouble makers and "speak evil of no one."

Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing. For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit:
(1 Peter 3:9-10)

All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark to start a forest fire! The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed. But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison. My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right.
(James 3:2-9)

Who is the man that desires life, and loves days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:12-14)

In the abundance of words transgression is not lacking; but the one who refrains his lips is wise (Proverbs 10:19).

If we read these Scriptures and stopped here, we could assume that we should never speak against anyone. We should just keep our heads down and our mouths shut. We could see how seriously God takes gossip, evil speaking, slander, lying. Some people would concentrate on these Scriptures and be afraid to speak out against anyone. But, remember, God is in the balance! So let's look at some more Scripture.

"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture, says Jehovah. Therefore so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people, You have scattered My flock, and have driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will bring on you the evil of your doings, says Jehovah...For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yes, in My house I have found their evil, says Jehovah. So their way shall be to them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall in them; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their judgment, says Jehovah...I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My wisdom and had caused My people to hear My Words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings...I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? But they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who plot to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell, each one to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal..."(Jeremiah 23:1-2, 11-12, 21-22, 25-27)

Does the Scripture above sound like God is holding His tongue, keeping His mouth shut? It sounds to me like He is using the true Prophet, Jeremiah, to tell it like it is. Jeremiah (as did all the true Prophets) had to speak the words God told them to speak and it wasn't always nice. In fact, the prophets were given strong words to try and lead the Israelites to repentance. The prophets had to confront the people and their leaders and it wasn't always pleasant.

Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. He said, "Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here"... Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them: "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? Do something to show that you have really given up your sins. And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire..." (Matthew 3:1-2, 7-10)

In this Scripture, John the Baptist confronts the Pharisees and Sadducees. He isn't tiptoeing through the tulips! He is confrontational and he tells it like it is.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tried to test him by asking for a sign from heaven. He told them: "If the sky is red in the evening, you say the weather will be good. But if the sky is red and gloomy in the morning, you say it is going to rain. You can tell what the weather will be like by looking at the sky. But you don't understand what is happening now. You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will be given is what happened to Jonah". Then Jesus left. (Matthew 16:1-4)

Jesus often confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees. He wasn't sweet and meek when talking to them. He stirred their pot and the rotten stink came out. He pointed out their sin in no uncertain terms.

The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus...Jesus answered: "You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God..." The crowds were surprised to hear what Jesus was teaching. After Jesus had made the Sadducees look foolish, the Pharisees heard about it and got together. (Matthew 22:23, 29, 33-34)

Jesus doesn't hesitate to tell them they are wrong. He was so confident at pointing out their sin that the crowds were surprised. He made the religious leaders look foolish and it didn't sit well with them.

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else. They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see. They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the meeting places. And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers... You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in. You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are. You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne. You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either. You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel. You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean. You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth. That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good. You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people. And you claim that you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets. But you prove that you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets. So keep on doing everything they did. You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell? I will send prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses to you. But you will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your meeting places or chase them from town to town. That's why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah's son Zechariah, the man you murdered between the temple and the altar. I can promise that you people living today will be punished for all these things!" (Matthew 23:1-7, 13-36)

Again, Jesus directly accuses them and reveals their sins. He calls them snakes and tells them they are due punishment and are going to hell. He wasn't quiet. He wasn't meek. He wasn't sweet. He wasn't afraid of hurting their feelings.

Psalm 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Ephesians 5:10-12 Determine what pleases the Lord, and have nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness. Instead, expose them for what they are. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by people in secret.

Then I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, He being about to judge the living and dead at His appearance and His kingdom: preach the Word, be urgent in season, out of season, convict, warn, encourage with all long-suffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

"Offspring of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings out good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings out evil things. But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned". (Matthew 12:34-37)

Now that we've read these verses let's see if we can determine where the balance lies.

First we should pray. Before we open our big mouths, we should pray. We want to be sure that what we are going to say is sanctioned by God. God knows when we should say something and when we should be quiet. He knows whether our words would help and heal, leading someone to repentance and pointing them towards Christ. He also knows whether our words would hurt, destroy, and bring harm to the cause of Christ.

I could be talking to a friend and say, "The grass is green." This simple phrase could be taken by my friend as, "The grass is a beautiful color and we should praise God for colors!" or, "The grass is always green and I'm sick of green and I think I'll kill myself!" I have no way of knowing how my friend will take my words but God knows.

We should also make sure that we do a spiritual inventory with God. We need to check ourselves regularly and repent for any sins that God points out to us. We don't need to wait, but to be quick in confessing and asking forgiveness. It's important that we have our own lives in order as much as we, being human, can.

We should also check our motives. If we are speaking out with a wrong motive, then we are compromising our message. It's important that we try to have the right motives. If we hate someoneand speak out just to hurt them, then we have sinned. We can have righteous anger and even hatred for sin. There is nothing wrong with this.

Psalms 119:104, Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.

Matthew 6:24 - You cannot have two masters. You love one and despise the other.


God and His Son, Jesus, showed righteous anger and hatred for sin. But they did not hate the sinner. Everything God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit says or does is in love for the human being. Jesus died to save us all. He died while we were sinners. He didn't die because we are such good people. We are sinners, transgressors, full of evil and He still chose to die for us in order to save us and have a relationship with us. If God wants us to confront someone about their sin, we should be sure it's not in hatred towards a person or people. As a Christian we do not hate a homosexual but we hate the sin of homosexuality that ensnares and holds people in bondage to a sinful lifestyle. We should desire that the people be set free from their sin, we should love them enough to present them with the truth and be willing to point them towards the Savior.

We are compelled to confront sin so that people will realize their error and turn from their wicked ways. It is for their good. It is what's best for them. It is essential to their eternity. But once we've laid it out for them, it is between them and God. We have done our part by shining the light of God on a dark area and pointing them to Jesus and we must leave it to God after that.

Are we to stand up to evil government leaders, erring pastors, tyrannous authorities? If we keep our mouths closed and don't cause any trouble we would be following the first Scriptures that we read. We would be peaceful, submissive, meek, obedient and not quarrelsome and causing trouble. By doing this we could be allowing evil to multiply. If we lived in Germany during the 1930's it would mean not standing up against Hitler. If we were members of the Branch Davidians, it would mean not standing up to David Koresh as he had sex with your children. According to the latter Scriptures that we read, we are to confront evil and speak out. God would have us stand up and say something when evil is being done. I think there is a correct way to do it.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. (Proverbs 28:15-16)

If a ruler gives attention to false words, all his servants are evil-doers. (Proverbs 29:12)

God's Word is NOT confusing or contradictory. It must be taken as a whole. We must know the whole counsel and search for the balance.

We are not suppose to gossip and slander, be critical and mean spirited. We are not suppose to use our tongues carelessly, or for evil. God gave us a tongue and He needs us to use it for Him. Sometimes it is in correction, rebuke, reproof, warning, admonishment and shining a light. Live and let live is what we hear. When people sin, they want to sin, and they do not want to be rebuked for it because they would rather sin at that moment than follow the Holy Scriptures. But this is where the rebuke is necessary – men must be confronted with their sin if they are ever to be delivered from it. But we must do it with humility and love. Don't let your emotions get out of control. Keep calm and be willing to let angry words slide off like water off a duck's back.

"... Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt." (Leviticus 19:17)

"Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning." (1 Timothy 5:20)

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)

I am not writing to embarrass you. I want to help you, just as parents help their own dear children. (1 Corinthians 4:14)

I have heard terrible things about some of you. In fact, you are behaving worse than the Gentiles. A man is even sleeping with his own stepmother. You are proud, when you ought to feel bad enough to chase away anyone who acts like that. I am with you only in my thoughts. But in the name of our Lord Jesus I have already judged this man, as though I were with you in person. So when you meet together and the power of the Lord Jesus is with you, I will be there too. You must then hand that man over to Satan. His body will be destroyed, but his spirit will be saved when the Lord Jesus returns. Stop being proud! Don't you know how a little yeast can spread through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast! Then you will be like fresh bread made without yeast, and that is what you are. Our Passover lamb is Christ, who has already been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:1-7)
At the time I wrote, I was suffering terribly. My eyes were full of tears, and my heart was broken. But I didn't want to make you feel bad. I only wanted to let you know how much I cared for you. I don't want to be hard on you. But if one of you has made someone feel bad, I am not really the one who has been made to feel bad. Some of you are the ones. Most of you have already pointed out the wrong that person did, and that is punishment enough for what was done. When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair. You should make them sure of your love for them. (2 Corinthians 2:4-8)
Of course, we were glad to see Titus, but what really made us glad is the way you cheered him up. He told how sorry you were and how concerned you were about me. And this made me even happier. I don't feel bad anymore, even though my letter hurt your feelings. I did feel bad at first, but I don't now. I know that the letter hurt you for a while. Now I am happy, but not because I hurt your feelings. It is because God used your hurt feelings to make you turn back to him, and none of you were harmed by us. (2 Corinthians 7:7-9)

And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:22-23)

There were false teachers in the first church, trying to seduce new Christians with their false teachings. The Apostles Paul and Peter warn the churches in their letters. Paul instructs Timothy to warn off these false teachers.

Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace! When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings. (1 Timothy 1:2-3)

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.
(2 Peter 2:1)

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

When do you speak out against evil? When is it right and, even, necessary to speak out? When do you expose corruption? When is it right to be bold and say what needs to be said? Jesus and the Apostles offended many. They told the truth. If we know that we ought to speak out against sin and injustice, but refuse to do so, then we are guilty of sin. For in keeping silent when we know God is urging us to speak, we are essentially giving those who are caught up in wrongdoing the impression that we support them in what they are doing in defiance against God’s commandments.

Don't be afraid to speak up and shine a light but do it the right way. Make sure you are in God's Will and have the right motives. Use your words carefully and wisely. Watch your tongue and your body language. Keep your motives pure and your emotions under control. Do not resort to gossip, slander, cursing, and other sins of the tongue. Make sure you are telling the truth. Exercise restraint and humility.

Psalm 109

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, do not be silent; for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they spoke against me with a lying tongue. And they surrounded me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my foes; but I am in prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set a wicked man over him; and let an adversary stand at his right hand, when he is judged, let him be condemned; and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; let another take his office. Let his sons be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his sons always beg and be vagabonds, and seek food out of their ruins. Let the money-lender lay a snare for all that is his; and let strangers take the fruit of his labor. Let there be none to give mercy to him; nor any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered to Jehovah; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be always before Jehovah, that He may cut off their memory from the earth, because he did not remember to do mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and sought to kill the broken-hearted. Yea, he loved cursing, so let it come to him; he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing, as with his robe, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be to him as the robe which covers him, and for a girdle with which he is always clothed. This is the reward of my foes from Jehovah, and of them who speak evil against my soul. But You, Lord Jehovah, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. As a shadow when it is stretched out, I am gone; I am shaken off like the locust. My knees stumble from fasting; and my flesh is losing its fatness. And I became a shame to them; they looked on me; they shook their heads. Help me, O Jehovah my God; save me according to Your mercy; and they will know that this is Your hand; that You, Jehovah, have done it. They will curse, but You will bless; they arise, and are ashamed; but let Your servant rejoice. Let my foes be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own shame, as with a cloak. I will greatly praise Jehovah with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn his soul.
(Psalm 109:1-31)

This psalm was written by David either while he was being persecuted by King Saul or when he fled from his evil son, Absalom. It is also prophetic of Judas and the Jews who would crucify Christ. And, finally, it has a general application to those who are saved and are called Righteous through Christ and who are persecuted by wicked men.

David was accused of things he did not do by King Saul. Jesus was accused by the Jewish leaders of things He did not do. We are often accused of things we did not do. Have you ever experienced that? Probably everybody has. It's a gut wrenching experience. Being wrongly accused especially by those who are doing what they accuse you of doing. For instance a liar calling you a liar. The injustice of it all makes it particularly hurtful. If I was a liar and someone accused me of being a liar then I might be mad but I would have to admit it was true. But to be truthful and as honest as you know how to be and then called a liar by a liar makes the wound all the more painful.

Go back and read through the Psalm again and notice all the words that have to do with our mouths.
"do not be silent"
"in prayer"
"the mouth of the wicked"
"the mouth of the deceitful"
"a lying tongue"
"words of hatred"
"he loved cursing"
"clothed himself with cursing,"
"speak evil"
"They will curse"
"I will greatly praise Jehovah with my mouth"

Notice most of the phrases about the mouth are about evil ways which people use their mouths... they accuse, lie, speak words of hatred, curse, speak evil. But David takes his cause to the Lord. He uses his tongue to pray and ask God not to be silent. Then he ends the Psalm with another way of using his tongue - by praising God!

This tells me that even when people falsely accuse you, speak evil and hatred about you, curse you, and lie about you there is a correct response. You should take it to the Lord in prayer. You don't have to get down on their level and duke it out with nasty words. In order to keep yourself sinless in this situation, do the right thing by keeping quiet and pray. Pray that God will help you, God will bless you and that God will see to it that justice is done. We can talk to God and tell Him how we are feeling. We can pray and tell God how angry we are, how hurt we are. We can dump our raw emotions in His lap. Once we've expended our hurt, then we can ask God to right the wrongs. And then finish our prayer with praise because we can know that He is all powerful, all knowing and always in our corner. David was not sinless, but his heart was right before God. Often in the psalms David confesses his own sins: “For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin” (Ps. 38:18). “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23-24).

What if we have done something wrong? What if their accusations are true? I.e. what if I lie and someone accuses me of lying? It still hurts our feelings and we get mad but we realize they are right. Guess what? God may be allowing this situation and the guilt you feel to bring you to repentance. Again, go to the Lord in prayer. Ask His forgiveness. Talk to Him and get it off your chest. None of us are sinless. Once you've confessed and asked forgiveness, you are ready to ask God to take care of the situation and heal. Sometimes God calls you to do some action to complete your healing such as saying "I'm sorry" or paying something back. Obey and you will know what it is to be free and released of that sin! We've all been there. You aren't the only one that has made a mistake. By taking care of it quickly you will experience being released and having no more guilt. And don't let satan continue to accuse you after you've taken it to God and asked forgiveness. Satan loves to keep us obsessed with guilt but God loves to release us from guilt. So ask and accept His forgiveness.

Are you the one that has been using your mouth wrongly? Are you the one that has accused? Are you the one that has lied about someone? Have you spread evil and wicked rumors? Have you cursed someone? You are not alone! Yep, everyone of us so-called Christians have done it at one time or another. We are sinners saved by grace and not good works. It is so easy to use our mouths in a sinful way. But it is a sin that can be forgiven. If you know you have done these things then go to God and ask His forgiveness. He is ready to forgive a broken and contrite heart. Don't make excuses for yourself. Don't justify what you've done. Don't try to absolve yourself by saying, "They had it coming." Simply go to God in prayer and confess your sin and ask His forgiveness. Obey Him if He asks you to do something. And try to do better next time. He will forgive and forgive again and again as long as you are sincerely sorry. Oh what a wonderful God we have!

Is your heart wounded? Do you feel like David felt? Let's see what are some of his expressions of hurt were:
"I am poor and needy"
"my heart is wounded within"
"As a shadow when it is stretched out, I am gone"
"I am shaken off like the locust"
"My knees stumble from fasting; and my flesh is losing its fatness."
"I became a shame to them"

David tells God how he feels. He talks to God and lets out all the hurt and pain and even anger. It is not sinful to feel anger. But you should deal with it the healthy way. Take it to God and let God handle the situation. You can freely express yourself to Him. He's better than any psychiatrist! You can talk to another human being until you are blue in the face but they can't do one single thing to make your situation better. They can listen and pat your arm and hug you and cluck over you but when it comes right down to it, they cannot take the hurt and pain away or solve the situation that caused it. They may want to, but they can't really change things. But God wants to listen to you, He wants to hear your side of the story, He knows everything about what you are going through, He can help you with your emotions and HE CAN CHANGE THINGS! He has the power to change things! Miracles can happen!

David was so emotionally overwrought that he was weak and losing weight. He felt as though he were slowly being destroyed. When day declines, a shadow lengthens, it becomes longer and longer, till it vanishes in the darkness. That's the way David was feeling. He felt as though he wasn't important. A locust is a small, defenseless bug and if one lands on you long enough to get your attention, you can easily brush it off. David felt like that locust. He felt extraneous, unwanted, as though he were, not only unneeded, but even an irritation easily brushed off. He thought people felt ashamed to be seen with him.

I've struggled with depression of and on for my whole life. I've often felt these very things. David expressed exactly how I've felt at times. But David didn't stop there and wallow in his misery. What did he do? He prayed to God and expressed all his feelings and then began to praise God. We need to pray and then make ourselves praise. We may not feel like it, but our feelings don't have anything to do with how worthy God is to be praised. We must make a sacrifice of praise. We praise God despite how we feel. We give Him the glory due His Name! And it's not just to make God feel better. God feels just fine whether we praise Him or not. It starts to increase our faith and makes us feel better!

Why did David want all these terrible things to happen to his enemies? Isn't that sinful?

Psalm 109 is very troubling to most because it is perhaps the strongest imprecatory psalm in the psalter. David, the author of the psalm, as indicated in the superscription, calls upon God to destroy his enemies in the most horrible ways. According to Perowne, there are no less than 30 anathemas pronounced upon David’s enemies in this one psalm. Prayers of imprecation for the destruction of the wicked are to be found throughout the entire Word of God.

David is not sinless (as we mentioned earlier) but he has faithfully repented and asked forgiveness. In this particular incidence, he claims to have treated his enemies right. "And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love".

(1) God hears imprecations from those who have clean hands and a clean heart. Imprecations are effective only when we see sin as God does and when we ask Him to deal with sin as He has promised to deal with it in His Word.
(2) Imprecations are effective against those who are truly wicked, those who are not just our enemies, but God’s enemies. Psalm 109 is NOT a “voodoo” curse. You cannot call down fire on someone just because you don't like them or they cause you a problem. Imprecations are prayers for the punishment of the wicked. God knows who the truly wicked are. Proverbs says that a curse without basis has no effect: “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight” (Prov. 26:2).

Some of the imprecations are for the evil person to recieve the same punishment they have meted out so they can see what it feels like. "Set a wicked man over him; and let an adversary stand at his right hand, when he is judged, let him be condemned"

David is asking that they experience what it's like. How would they feel if the same thing happened to them. They may learn a much needed lesson and become more compassionate next time.

What about, "and let his prayer become sin"? God said that the prayers of the wicked are an abomination. Isaiah 1:15 "And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood." So David was praying God's own Word.

What about David's prayer that the enemies life be shortened and his family suffer? Isn't that a little harsh? Not according to God's Word, Exodus 20:5-6 "You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments". David’s petition may seem harsh to us, but it is no more severe than what God taught and what He personally practiced in dealing with the wicked. And remember, these are consequences that occur due to their own sinful actions. God knows who the truly wicked are and He won't allow any curses to fall upon those who are NOT truly wicked.

Let's say that I'm a Christian who has sinned by repeating a damaging bit of gossip. As soon as I said it I realized I was wrong and I went to the Lord privately and asked forgiveness. But the person I gossiped about is really hurt and they pray an imprecation against me. God knows that I was repentant and that I'm His child and no curse will come nigh me even though I did a wrong thing. God can heal that person and He forgives me.

On the other hand, what if someone is an atheist and God knows they will never come to salvation. This person begins a campaign of bitterness and false accusations against you. That person can expect nothing but God's wrath. It's not up to us to decide if a person is unrepentant or will never accept Christ. We have no way of knowing. Only God does. So we can trust that God knows the difference between a truly wicked person and a person who has just had a bad day or made a stupid mistake.

While the prayers of David are severe, his personal actions toward his enemies was gracious and kind. If you read the stories about David's life, you will find that he was merciful and submissive to King Saul. He never took revenge on King Saul. He was merciful and forgiving to Absalom. The one time he was cruel was to Uriah and when he was confronted with that sin, he was totally and sincerely repentant.

It all boils down to this... pray, express yourself to God, praise Him and trust that He will take care of the situation. He knows how, He knows who, He knows all, He has the power and He is willing. Through prayer, Davd was relieved of his hostility. He committed the destiny of the wicked to God. Punishment and vengeance belong to the Lord. By giving up vengeance we free ourselves to love and to forgive.

Spontaneous Worship

I love worshipping like this!

How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colson

Now How Shall We Live by Chuck Colson, published in 1999

Eleven years ago Chuck Colson wrote this book and, yet, it is very timely for today. I've had it for awhile in my TBR pile and got around to reading it this year. It is very well written and I would recommend it for anyone to read. Of course, it's on deep subjects so children wouldn't be interested but I think it would be a good read for teenagers and adults.

Our world is no longer faith based here in America. It's scary and shocking to those of us who remember a different time when believing in God was normal and attending church was what families did. It's been turned inside out. Taking our children to church on Sundays is considered abnormal now. Only freaks and stupid people believe in God. God is for the weak or "God is dead". I remember learning the 23rd Psalm, the Golden Rule, the Lord's Prayer and John 3:16 in my public school. Once a week, we had announcements over the intercom in which a short prayer was given. This was in junior high school. Even in High School (mid 1970's) we had a Bible class where I memorized all the books of the Bible and learned the basic timeline of the Bible. We had a storyteller who came to our 1st grade class to tell Bible stories using beautiful flannelboards. But, now, it's illegal to lead prayers in the classroom or mention God in any way. In order to pray, our children have to leave the school building and go to the flagpole. No more prayers in the cafeteria or before a football game. God is being systematically deleted from our government by our courts in suits brought by people who have nothing better to do and are so intolerant of other people's religion that they sue. It's offensive to them. It never crosses their minds that they should just be polite and quiet while someone prays at the ballgame and extend the courtesy of the benefit of the doubt. Instead, Christians are suppose to be polite and quiet while some atheist curses next to them at the same ball game and to give these foul mouths the courtesy of the benefit of the doubt.

For those of us who are believers, it's a harder world to live in. How do we teach our children that belief in God is honorable and intelligent? We aren't stupid, in fact, we are challenged to ask God questions and study His answers. We are taught to love God with all our heart, strength and mind. Yes, our intelligence can love God too. He created us with brains. We don't just suspend our intelligence in order to believe God. We start with faith in God despite our questions. But then our minds are opened by the indwelling Holy Spirit and we are able to learn about God and His truths and why they aren't pie-in-the-sky, in the sweet-by-and-by. They are real and it can affect us where we live. Our faith is stepping-off-a-cliff faith. It is what God requires for our salvation. We don't understand it but we believe! But, once we are saved, in that moment when our spirit is born, the Holy Spirit also comes to live within us to train and mature that new baby spirit. This is called being "born again." It is this spirit that will live forever with God in heaven. Once we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins it's work of "sanctification." Our lives become a classroom where the Holy Spirit can teach us. We are no longer cast upon the sea of doubts and circular arguments. There are answers. The Bible and the Holy Spirit have the truth that sustain us in our questions. We just have to study and read the Word and pray for guidance in our meditations.

If you ever saw Harrison Ford in his Raiders of the Lost Ark series of movies, you may remember when he was searching for the holy grail, the goblet that Jesus used in His last supper. He is in a cave and runs up on a vast chasm. There seems to be no way to get across it. But, in faith, he steps off the cliff. And, suddenly, the camera shifts and you can see the optical illusion. There really is a bridge of rock that he can cross. He couldn't see it from his position on the edge of the cliff. In his mind he is stepping off into nothing with a fall straight down. But when he makes that step, his foot finds footing on a bridge. It was an optical illusion to test his faith. So it is with us. We stand at a chasm so wide and deep and there seems to be no bridge to cross over. Our treasure is God. We seek Him and desire Him. We want to run to Him but we can't get past our doubts. It seems to be all mumbo jumbo, abracadabra. It's not logical or rational so we stand on our side of the chasm and say, "God is dead." But something tells us that if we step off the cliff, we can reach Him. "But it doesn't make sense," we think, "I have to have proof." We argue with ourselves and then we come to a decision. We will either trust in God and take that step or we turn our backs and go back to the way we've always lived. But once we take that little step, we will find sure footing on that bridge to God. It's scary as we make our way across that bridge. But God is there, He has provided a way (through Jesus Christ, the bridge to bring men to God), He desires us to take that plunge and come to Him. We may make some missteps but we will never fall to our utter destruction (hell). We took that first step of belief and now we are in God's hands and He will not allow us to be plucked from His hands. Once we get on the bridge, our mind is now able to study and learn and grow intellectually.

Colson's book is one way of learning and growing intelligently, with our minds, towards God. We can be sure enough in our faith and be smart enough to engage our culture. Their silly arguments can be met with intelligent and thoughtful rebuttal (and should be done with courtesy). Colson encourages us to apply God's truths to our everyday lives... in school, at work, in politics, in relationships, in our families, in our ethics, morals, values. We aren't just Christians for one hour at church. We are Christians through and through and every moment.

I encourage you to read this book, it's very articulate and easy to read but very deep.

The Bible

2 Timothy 3:13-17 (KJV King James Version) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.


As a Christian I believe every word in the Holy Bible is historically true, God breathed, life giving, miraculous. I believed that in faith until about 10 yrs ago when I decided to study it in support of my belief. Now they have TV shows that "explain" the origin of the Bible but they are produced by a secular media company for a secular cable station and they are critical in their approach in order to appeal to a larger scenical audience and therefore bring in more advertising dollars. Unfortunately this confuses people who have not studied the Bible for themselves. The study of the tenents of the Christian faith is called "apologetics". It comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογία), meaning a speaking in defense. How do we defend our beliefs? How can we explain to others what we believe and why we believe in them? We study apologetics.

I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior, that there is a triune God, that the Bible is the Word of God and that, once saved, the Holy Spirit lives in me to teach and train and empower me to become more like Christ. I believed all of this in faith without a rational, logical exposition on all the reasons for believing. This is saving faith. It is choosing to believe whether or not it makes sense to anybody else. This faith has changed me and made me believe it even more. I was only 8 yrs old when I was saved so you can't say that someone appealed to my intelligence with reasoning that couldn't be denied. It was not an emotional crisis, nobody was pushing me, there were no external persuasions that forced or coerced me. I was raised in a Christian family who really lived their beliefs and did so in love. Not that there weren't mistakes, we are all human, but their love was always in evidence. We attended church to almost every service until I was 8 yrs old. When we moved then, we attended for awhile but it was such a big church that my family got lost and weren't comfortable and they quit attending by the time I was in junior high. But they never quit loving God and trying to live right and are some of the best Christians I know.

But some people need more "evidence" to believe. Like the Disciple Thomas, aka Doubting Thomas, they want proof.
John 20:24-31 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I shall see the print of the nails in His hands, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.
And after eight days the disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you!
Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and behold My hands; and reach your hand here and thrust it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God!
Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in His name.

I'm one of those who believed without having first seen. But I took the time to study my beliefs starting over 10 yrs ago. I didn't just accept what someone else said but I read it for myself. Now, no one can confuse me and I know what's true and what's false.

First Step
I encourage those who have questions to first of all accept Jesus Christ as your Savior in faith. Once you are saved a new spirit is born in you. As a born again Christian the Holy Spirit comes inside to teach and train your brand new spirit. It's the Holy Spirit that will open your mind to the truth about Christian beliefs. Once you have faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit within you, you are ready to approach the Bible and the study of apologetics. Not as a critic with a hostile attitude but as a believer who wants to learn more about their God in order to be able to share the good news of salvation.

Second Step
Pray for God to help you understand the Bible and the Christian beliefs. Pray that the Holy Spirit within you would open your mind to understanding the Bible.

Third Step
In order to study a book you have to read the book. You don't go to a college literature class and just read critiques. You read the book and then you study the critiques. So read the Bible. If you can read Harry Potter or one of Stephen King's novels, then you can read something as "big" as the Bible. It may look intimidating with all those pages but it's really not. I read it through for the first time at 17 yrs old. I got a modern translation so that the old English wouldn't trip me up. Although, by that time, in high school, I had had to read Beowulf, The Iliad and The Odyssey and a few classics so I don't know why I couldn't have read it with at least a general understanding. I started it like a novel and read it through in just a couple of days. I'm a big reader as it is and always have been. I didn't bother with underlining and understanding everything, I just made some popcorn, sweet iced tea and laid around and read it. Much like someone who's always wanted to read War and Peace (Tolstoy) and finally got around to it. Of all the books in the world, the Bible is the most important book to read and it will change your life. If you never read another book, read the Bible. If you've never read a book all the way through, make the Bible the first one. Even if you are not a Christian and have no intention of ever becoming one, reading the Bible will help you understand 2 of the 3 major religions in the world: Judaism and Christianity. The Bible is history, a study of Judeo-Christian beliefs in origins, is poetry, is a how-to, has genealogy and ancient cultures, is chock full of wisdom, shines a light on the best and worst of humanity, has prophecy, etc. It's God's scrapbook, if you will. If you look through my scrapbooks you will learn about my family, my history, my interests... the Bible will show you God, His family, His history, His interests.

Fourth Step
Search out ways to learn. If you want to learn how to weld, you would look for a technical school near you, go and enroll and show up at the classes with a mind that wants to learn. Or you would look for books on welding and read them and follow their instructions. Or you would get online and get some videos and watch them and follow each step. You see where I'm going with this? If you want to learn you make a plan and follow through with action. To learn about the Bible and the Christian beliefs, you make a plan of action and follow through. Find a church that believes in the Bible and Jesus Christ. If you want to learn about Christianity, you don't attend a Buddhist Temple because you will only learn about Buddha there. Don't attend a church that says it's "Christian" but then doesn't believe completely in traditional Christian foundations. Some churches may have a sign out front with a denomination on it but they don't believe that the Bible is the unerring Word of God and that Jesus Christ was nothing more than a good teacher and a nice man. They aren't true Christians. They are merely trading on the denominations acceptability in the Christian community. It gives them all the perks without any of the hard stuff. If you truly want to learn about God and His Word, find a Christian church. Then attend. Just going every once in awhile is like going to your college classes just once a month. You are going to fail when the test comes. Attend, sign up for Sunday School classes or other classes, go to seminars and conventions that they offer whenever you can, etc. You want to soak up as much as you can. But, always remember that everyone you hear may not have all the truth. We are all at different stages in our Christian walk and none of us have "arrived". We don't graduate until we die and enter Heaven. So don't just accept everything that you hear. Search it out yourself. Add to your knowledge by reading the Bible on your own, reading other Christian books, listening to speakers on TV, books on tape, Christian radio stations, etc. For awhile, at least, you need to put all your extra time into learning about the Bible and God.

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Now I'm ready to put into words why we believe the Bible is the Word of God, every jot and tittle true, unerring, life changing. No matter what scientists and archaelogists find, I will believe the Word before I will believe them because humanity is full of error, sin, mistakes, misunderstandings and deliberate untruths due to our evil human natures. But, in this day and time, I think we have ample evidence that proves the truth of the Word.

In Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh Mc Dowell notes that if God created man with a desire to know Him, we would expect His message to have some unique properties:
* It would be widely distributed so man could attain it easily
* It would be preserved through time without corruption
* It would be completely accurate historically.
* It would not be prone to scientific error or false beliefs held by the people of that time.
* It would present true, unified answers to the difficult questions of life.
The Bible stands alone as the only religious text that can claim it meets all the above criteria.

The Bible is the most published book ever written and the most translated and the most studied and dissected book. It is available in the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek but has also been translated into more modern languages. Hebrew is the main language of the Old Testament which includes the 5 books of Moses called the Pentateuch (aka the Torah). Aramaic only accounts for about 250 verses. Biblical Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew because it is also a semitic language. The New Testament was written in Greek which was the common language during Jesus' life on earth. The Greek translation of the Bible is called the Septuagint. Jewish scholars first translated the Torah (Jewish) into Greek in the third century BC. As Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Bible, have concepts not easily translated in our languages, some interpretation had to go on, but considering how sacred the text was, they would have tried to keep to the original meaning as much as possible. Now, with versions in the original languages available and the accessibility of higher education, you wouldn't be able to get away with much in translating a Bible. There are scholars out there that would call you on the carpet if you made any mistakes. Since most of us don't know the ancient languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and the ancient classical language of Greek, then we rely on translations. In our world today, Bible translations are done by committees of scholars who know what they are doing. Paraphrased Bibles are not suppose to be word-for-word translations. Paraphrased Bibles are telling the story and giving the overall intent of the Word without bogging down in word studies. If you are a new Christian and wanting to read the Bible through for the first time, I would suggest reading a paraphrase Bible like The Message or the Living Bible. But, once you have read the Bible through, you will want to use other translations to study the Word that are more carefully matched to the original words.

The first translation would have been into Latin for the Catholic church and is called The Vulgate. Translated from the Hebrew and Aramaic by Jerome between 382 and 405 AD. The Vulgate included the books of the Apocrypha and was the standard version of the Bible for Roman Catholics for over one and a half millenia. It took a long time from the Latin to the old English of translations that came next simply because the Catholic leadership was afraid for the masses to read the Word of God for themselves. Without education they were afraid the regular people would misinterpret the Scriptures so they wanted the scriptures to be taught through the voices of the local priests so that the people would not only learn the Word but the meaning. It was to be handled as the very Word of God, divine and sacred and not to be handled carelessly by the common people. Of course, with evil human nature to contend with, it also meant power over people who were afraid of losing their salvation and eternity in Heaven if they didn't do what the priests told them to do. This is a terrible power to have over people and seduced many a church leader to abuse that power and use it for harm rather than for good. At first the Catholic church persecuted even to the point of death, anyone who tried to translate the Bible into a common, "vulgar" language like English. So translators were putting their lives on the line to translate the Bible into contemporary language. I don't think they did it lightly.

Wycliff's Bible is the name now given to a group of scriptures translated in 1383 into Middle Ages English that was made under the direction of John Wycliffe. They appeared over a period from approximately 1382 to 1395.

The Great Bible , aka Cromwell Bible, was commissioned by the Church of England in the reign of King Henry VIII and is the first authorized edition of the Bible in English.

Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439, and the global inventor of the printing press. His major work, the Gutenberg Bible was also known as the 42-line Bible (i.e. 42 lines of scripture per page). Preparation of it probably began soon after 1450, and the first finished copies were available in 1454 or 1455. There are 21 known copies still in existence.

The Tyndale Bible generally refers to a body of biblical translations by William Tyndale. The term Tyndale's Bible is not strictly correct, because Tyndale never published a complete Bible. Prior to his execution Tyndale had only finished translating the entire New Testament and roughly half of the Old Testament. Tyndale’s Bible is credited with being the first English translation to come directly from Hebrew and Greek texts. Furthermore it was the first English biblical translation that was mass produced as a result of new advances in the art of printing. Tyndale’s translations were condemned by both the Catholic church and the English government banning and burning it whenever they found it. His New Testament was completed and published in 1526 and revised several times by Tyndeale himself. He was tried on a charge of heresy in 1536 and condemned to death. He "was strangled to death while tied at the stake, and then his dead body was burned".

The Geneva Bible of 1560 is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible in the English language, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement. For the very first time, a mechanically-printed, mass-produced Bible was made available directly to the general public.

The Bishop's Bible of 1568 was produced under the authority of the established Church of England in 1568. It was substantially revised in 1572, and this revised edition was to be prescribed as the base text for the authorized King James Version (KJV) which was completed in 1611.

How did the Bible survive from the Old Testament which was started before Christ and the New Testament that started after Christ? Scribes were educated in reading and writing and had the task of copying. Before the times of printing presses, a hand copied document was done by a scribe. Much like a secretary would type a document and copy it on a copying machine, scribes had to hand write the copies. The handwritten copies were works of art and were very expensive. When ancient scribes copied earlier Biblical books, they wrote notes on the margins of the page (marginal glosses) to correct their text—especially if a scribe accidentally omitted a word or line—and to comment about the text. When later scribes were copying the copy, they were sometimes uncertain if a note was intended to be included as part of the text. Most changes among manuscripts are minor, such as alternative spelling, alternative word order, the presence or absence of an optional definite article ("the"), and so on. Occasionally, a major variant happened when a portion of a text was accidentally omitted (or perhaps even censored), or was added from a marginal gloss. Fortunately, major variants tend to be easier to correct because of the paper trail of notes or glosses.

Considering the fallibility of mankind and the long history of the Bible, it is miraculous that we have an uncorrupted manuscript available in languages for all to read. God wanted His Word written and preserved and passed on so He made sure of it. This is a miracle. But it is also understandable. The Word was considered sacred and so divine that it was kept carefully. It was shared to all who would listen but the manuscript was kept and treated as holy. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text. Almost superstitiously, it was copied carefully because they did not want to incur divine wrath. Until modern technology made printing widely available, the Word was so expensive to own that it was kept carefully and treated as the most important book in the house, the church or the village. Scrolls, later books, were kept in chests and kept under lock and key until it was time to be read. Much of it was committed to memory so that no one could take it away from you. Once modern technology made paper and printing available, it became more affordable to reproduce. In modern times education became available to a majority of the masses who were able to read with discernment. It's kind of a catch 22 though. Back in the days before people had education; and, before Bibles were translated into our modern languages; and, before printing made Bibles available... people didn't know the Word of God because of sheer ignorance. Today we have education, Bibles in every language, easy to read translations with all kinds of study notes, mass printing which makes Bibles affordable and people still don't know the Word of God.

There are internal and external evidences that the Bible is uncorrupted. The internal evidences are those things within the Bible that testify of its divine origin such as its unity. It is made up of sixty-six individual books written by more than 40 authors who came from many walks of life. It was written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years and, yet, the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. This is a miracle. Once you begin studying the Bible and see the evidence of Jesus Christ that shoots like a scarlet thread in a woven blanket through every book of the Bible, you realize just how unified it is.

Another of the internal evidences are the prophecies contained within its pages. The Bible has hundreds of detailed prophecies relating to the future of individual nations including Israel, certain cities, and mankind, and the birth and death of Jesus Christ and the ones that have been fulfilled were true to the last detail. There are over three hundred prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Let's just look at a couple:

Prophecy:
Psalm 22:15-19 (KJV) My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

Fulfillment:
Matthew 27:33-36 (KJV) And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
And sitting down they watched him there; which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
And sitting down they watched him there;

Mark 15:22-26 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Such a small details like how thirsty he was (they offered him something but it was so nasty that He didn't drink it); how they killed him by crucifixion in which nails pierced his hands and feet; his garments were given to those guards who won a game of dice played beneath Him; and, how he was surrounded by those who watched and waited for him to die (some in love but many more in scorn).

A third internal evidence is how the Bible's words have transformed lives. My own life is transformed and I continue to learn and grow daily. But there have been millions of others who would testify to the transformation that occurs by reading and believing the Bible. It has survived the test of time.

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807) and it was published in 1779. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was just six years old. Newton spent two years at boarding school, long enough to be able to read and write. At age eleven he went to sea with his father. Newton sailed six voyages before his father retired in 1742. Newton took work on a Mediterranean merchant ship. In 1743, when he was just 18 yrs old, Newton was captured and pressed into naval service by the Royal Navy. He became a midshipman aboard HMS Harwich. At one point, Newton attempted to desert and was punished in front of the crew of 350. Stripped to the waist, tied to the grating, he received a flogging of ninety-six lashes, and was reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Following that disgrace and humiliation, he contemplated suicide. He recovered, and at his own request, he transferred to the Pegasus, a slave ship bound for West Africa. Newton was a continual problem for the Pegasus crew. They left him in West Africa with a slave merchant named Amos Clowe. Clowe took Newton to the coast and gave him to his wife Princess Peye, an African duchess. Newton was abused and mistreated along with other of her slaves. It was this period that Newton later remembered as the time he was "once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa." Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton's father to search for him. Sailing back to England in 1748 (he was 23 yrs old) aboard the merchant ship, he experienced a spiritual conversion. The date was May 10, 1748. The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Donegal. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and called out to God. It was this experience which turned him around. As the ship was saved amd continued on it's voyage, Newton began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of Evangelical Christianity. Newton returned to England and obtained a position as first mate aboard a slave trading vessel, the Brownlow. During the first leg of this voyage, while in west Africa (1748–49), Newton acknowledged the inadequacy of his spiritual life. While he was sick with a fever, he professed his full belief in Christ and asked God to take control of his life. He was saved. Still, he did not renounce the slave trade until later in his life. After his return to England in 1750, he made three further voyages as captain of the slave-trading ships. He only gave up seafaring and his active slave-trading activities in 1754 (at 29 yrs old), after suffering a severe stroke, but continued to invest his savings in Manesty's slaving operations. In 1755 Newton became tide surveyor (a tax collector) of the port of Liverpool, and, in his spare time, was able to study Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac. He became well-known as an evangelical lay minister, and applied for the Anglican priesthood in 1757, although it was more than seven years before he was eventually accepted and ordained into the Church of England. In 1788, 34 years after he had retired from the slave trade, Newton published of a pamphlet "Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade", in which he described the horrific conditions of the slave boats during the middle passage, and apologised for "a confession, which... comes too late....It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders." He had become an abolitionist! Newton, having joined English abolitionist William Wilberforce, lived to see the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807. This is a man who started out in sin and rebellion against God and, yet, he was saved through faith in Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit began changing him. It was a process, a lifetime of growth and change based on what he learned through studying the scripture. By the time he died, he was NOT the same man. This is evidence of the changing power of the Holy Spirit from within and the Holy Bible from without.





There are also external evidences of the truth of the Bible. Many of the stories in the Bible have been proven to be true despite almost maniacal attacks by "scientists" and "archaeologists" with hostile intentions. For instance, the Battle of Jericho. In 1930-36 John Garstang discovered the remains of a network of collapsed walls which he dated to about 1400 BC. Kathleen Kenyon began excavating from 1952-1958. Kenyon traced the entire history of the city from the earliest Neolithic settlement. When Dame Kathleen Kenyon excavated at Jericho in the 1950s, she claimed not to have found any collapsed walls or even evidence of a living city at Jericho during the time of Joshua’s invasion which was generally accepted as being in the 1400's BC. She did find an earlier, heavily fortified Jericho in circa 1550 BC was subject to a violent conquest with fallen walls and a burnt ash layer a yard thick, indicating destruction by fire. Archaeologist Bryant G. Wood, editor of Bible and Spade, said that Kenyon had misdated her finds and that the destruction of Jericho actually took place in the 1400s BC. In a brilliant 1990 article in BAR, Wood based his chronology on stratigraphy, pottery types, carbon-14 datings, and other evidence, including collapsed walls, to show a rather surprising archaeological confirmation of the biblical detail recorded in Judges 6 and following. Kenyon's result was confirmed in 1995 by radiocarbon tests which dated the destruction to 1562 BC (plus/minus 38 years) with a certainty of 95%. The end result is that there was a city of Jericho that was destroyed. The walls fell and the city was burned in the general time period of the Jewish invasion of Canaan. The arguments about specific times are between those who believe and those who refuse to believe in the historicity of the Bible. But there is historical evidence of Jericho and it's fall. There is historical evidence of Jesus' life and death. There is historical evidence of rise and fall of the Jewish nation, etc.

There are many outside historical writers who document the Bible and corroborate it. Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived in the first century (the first 100 years after Jesus' death). He not only preserves many traditions about events that are mentioned in the Old Testament, but also corroborates the existence of John the Baptist. He also mentions that Herod had John the Baptist imprisoned and put to death. Josephus also mentions James as the brother of Jesus along with his death by the high priest Annas. Lastly, Josephus mentions Jesus himself, who he characterizes as "a wise man". He further reports that people viewed Him as the Christ and that Jesus appeared to His disciples three days after Pilate put Him to death. Josephus was a Jew, and would would have been adverse to Christianity and its message. The Jewish Talmud mentions Jesus and records His death on the eve of Passover. Thallus, a Samaritan historian who wrote in 52 A.D. mentions the crucifixion, as did Phlegon, the Roman historian. These are just a few of those who corroborate the New Testament. There have been tens of thousands of manuscripts and pieces of manuscripts found that support the scripture as we know it today. The Bible has more support that proves it's true than any other book in history.

Were there agendas by the writers? Let's look at some of the Old Testament writers. Many of the prophets were killed for their writings. If they were willing to face death then theymust have sincerely believed what they had written was truth. There is no valid reason to believe the men who wrote the Bible were lying or trying to deceive. Most of them did not win any accolades, recieve any worldly power or recognition. In fact, whenever someone started getting too big for their britches, God made sure they were humbled and realized who was really in control. (Yes, those kind of stories are in the Bible.) The New Testament particularly shows the character of the writers was beyond reproach. Each of them suffered and were executed because they would not recant. They believed the teachings of the Bible are true and accurate. If their testimony was made up, surely someone would have renounced his stand to save his life, but it did not happen. All the apostles and the writers believed unwaveringly that the Bible was absolute fact. In fact, the New Testament was written by men who were eye-witnesses to Jesus' life, death and resurrection or were written by someone close to the eye-witness and were repeating what the eye-witness told them. In less than 100 years from Christ's death, the entire New Testament was written and if it had contained errors, those, who had known Christ personally and heard his teachings, would have raised a ruckus and refuted it. Instead those books of the New Testament were passed around and copied by hand in order to teach the developing church. Those in the first church were also so confident in the teachings that they were willing to die for them.

"In the Hindu Scriptures it is taught that the earth is set atop the backs of four elephants, who in turn stood on a giant sea-turtle that was swimming through a milky sea. However, Job states, 'He stretches out the North over empty space, and hangs the earth on nothing.' (26:7) Also, Isaiah mentions that God sits 'above the circle of the earth.' (40:22) The New Testament also records a snatching away of believers. In Luke 17 Jesus talks of a singular event stating that 'two men in one bed; and one will be taken, and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding in the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left.' These are events that happen at different times of the day, yet Jesus speaks of them as a single instance. Only someone who understands the revolution of a round earth could understand how day and night are relative and one act may affect people in both time frames.

"When Genesis was written, The Greeks were beginning to tell of Apollos' flight across the sky in a flaming chariot. The Egyptians were worshipping the sun as Ra, deifying it. The Mesopotamians referred to the sun as 'Shamosh' and called it the god of justice. Genesis, however, calls the sun 'a light in the expanse of the heavens' and views it as a thing, one created by God. That the Bible does not follow the naiveté of those ancient religions is often overlooked, since modern man is much more knowledgeable in the mechanics of nature. We take for granted that someone touching an infectious person or a corpse should practice good hygiene and wash thoroughly in running water before proceeding to anything else, but this 'discovery' has only been a medical reality for 150 years. The book of Leviticus, though, requires this same procedure. One cannot find ideas as arcane as blood-letting or consuming ram's horn for fertility, or all the other mythical cures for ills that were thought to be science in those days. The Bible is not a science book. It does not focus on scientific facts about the creation, but where it mentions those things, it is accurate in its representation. This is exactly what we'd expect if the Bible had its origin in the One who created the universe and its scientific laws."
Read more: http://www.comereason.org/cmp_rlgn/cmp005.asp#ixzz0mncJwiGT


What about the accusations of men deciding what should be included in the Holy Bible? Couldn't they have an agenda or be mistaken?

The Biblical Canon of Scripture is a set of books considered to be authoritative. The Canon is considered closed meaning books can no longer be added or subtracted from the Bible. Canonical books are considered inspired by God or to express the authoritative history of the relationship between God and His people. There are non-canonical books of the Bible that were considered disputed. These books are called the Apocrypha. Why were they disputed and left out?

Marcion of Sinope was the first well-known heretic in the history of the early church. A heretic is a person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the accepted dogma of the church. Marcion was the first Christian leader in recorded history to propose and delineate a canon (about 140 AD). Marcion affirmed Jesus Christ as the savior sent by the Heavenly Father, and Paul as His chief apostle. He was in opposition to Judaism. Marcion rejected the entire Hebrew Bible, he also believe in two Gods: 1) Yahweh the creator of the material universe, whose law represented reciprocal justice such as: an eye for an eye:, and 2) the Heavenly Father of the New Testament, of whom Jesus Christ was the living incarnation of, a God of compassion and love, sometimes called the Heavenly Father. The two Gods were imagined as having distinct personalities: Yahweh as a cruel, jealous, a petty tribal deity interested solely in the welfare of the Jews, and the Heavenly Father as a universal God, father and advocate of all humanity who looks upon His children with benevolence and mercy. Because of Marcion's heresy and his canon, Church leaders were forced to look into authorizing some books as orthodox, while others should be condemned as heresy. Marcion's church was a serious rival to the true church until his death. After Marcion, Christian leaders began to divide texts into those that aligned well with the 'measuring stick' of accepted theological thought, and those that promoted heresy. The leaders were hoping to prevent further heresy and stop people from falling into error.

The first major figure to codify the Biblical canon was Origen of Alexandria. He was a scholar well educated in theology and pagan philosophy. Origen decided to make his canon include all of the books in the current Catholic canon except for four books: James, 2nd Peter, and 2nd and 3rd epistles of John. He also included the Shepherd of Hermas which was later rejected. By 200 AD the Muratorian fragment shows that there already existed a set of Christian writings somewhat similar to what is now the New Testament, which included four gospels and argued against objections to them. In 367, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of exactly the same books as what would become the New Testament canon.

The African Synod of Hippo, in 393, was the first time a council of bishops listed and approved a canon of Sacred Scripture that corresponds to the modern Orthodox and Roman Catholic canon. The Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419 were under the authority of St. Augustine, who regarded the canon as already closed. In 397 they listed the books to be included in the Canon as "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, 4 books of Kingdoms, 2 books of Chronicles, Job, the Davidic Psalter, 5 books of Solomon, 12 books of Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Tobias, Judith, Esther, 2 books of Ezra, 2 books of Maccabees, and in the New Testament: 4 books of Gospels, 1 book of Acts of the Apostles, 13 letters of the Apostle Paul, 1 letter of his to the Hebrews, 2 of Peter, 3 of John, 1 of James, 1 of Jude, and one book of the Apocalypse of John." This Canon includes the books of the Apocrypha which are the "disputed books" mentioned above.

Every time one of these conventions of scholars and bishops got together for a council it was to carefully and prayerfully debate important Christian dogmas in order to avoid heresy. These men were highly educated in their fields. They traveled long, dangerous and uncomfortable distances to attend these councils. It's not like taking a jet airplane and staying in air conditioned comfort at the hotels of today. These men did not take these matters lightly but discussed and came to agreement on matters of great weight. I fully believe that they knew the importance of their decisions. But I also know that man can have the best intentions in the world and still make a mess of things so I believe that God was in those councils as well, making sure His Word came through unscathed.

Full dogmatic articulations of the canons were not made until the Council of Trent of 1546 for Roman Catholicism, the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563 for the Church of England, the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647 for British Calvinism, and the Synod of Jerusalem of 1672 for the Greek Orthodox.

What criteria was used to determine what books went into the New Testament?
* Apostolic Origin — attributed to and based upon the preaching/teaching of the first-generation apostles (or their close companions).
* Universal Acceptance — acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the ancient world (by the end of the fourth century) as well as accepted canon by Jewish authorities (for the Old Testament).
* Liturgical Use — read publicly when early Christian communities gathered for the Lord's Supper (their weekly worship services).
* Consistent Message — containing a theological outlook similar to or complementary to other accepted Christian writings.

What about the Aprocrypha, the disputed books? According to the Luther Bible, "APOCRYPHA, that is, Books which are not to be esteemed like the Holy Scriptures, and yet which are useful and good to read." The learned leaders of the Christian faith did not feel that the Apocrypha books had the same undisputed historicity or authority as the books that were accepted as sacred canon. Therefore, they weren't confident in including them although they seemed to think that they are useful, just not to be totally accepted as divine. The general term is usually applied to the books that the Christian church considered useful but not divinely inspired. They were of questionable authenticity and had obscure authorship, enough so as to make them disputed.

This seems to be a good website for more details:
http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon.html

Here are a list of the books of the Bible and the Apocrypha:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther (Hebrew)
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel (Hebrew)
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

APOCRYPHA
1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Tobit
Judith
Additions to Esther*
Wisdom of Solomon
Ecclesiasticus
Baruch
Epistle of Jeremiah
Song of the Three Children**
Story of Susanna**
Bel and the Dragon**
Prayer of Manasseh
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees

*Esther in the Septuagint has six extra paragraphs inserted at various places. In the Vulgate these are all removed to the end of the book. English versions omit them entirely, or remove them to an Apocrypha section.

**Daniel in the Septuagint has The Story of Susanna inserted at the beginning, the Song of the Three Children inserted in chapter 3, and the story of Bel and the Dragon added to the end. In the Vulgate Susanna is moved to before Bel. English versions omit them entirely, or remove them to an Apocrypha section.