Foolish Redemption

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

     Many Jews thought the good news of Jesus Christ was foolish, because they thought he would be a conquering King, bringing signs and miracles. Jesus had not restored David’s throne as they expected. Also, he was executed as a common criminal, and how could a common criminal be a savior? Greeks also considered the gospel foolish, and did not believe in a bodily resurrection. They did not see in Jesus the powerful characteristics of their mythological gods, and they thought no reputable person would be crucified. To them, death was defeat, not victory.
     The good news of Jesus Christ still sounds foolish to many people today. Our society worships power, influence, wealth, and other futile things. Jesus came as a humble, poor servant, and he offers his Kingdom to those with faith, not works. This looks foolish to the world.
     The message of Christ’s death for sins also sounds foolish to those who don’t believe. Death seems to be the end of the road, the ultimate weakness, but Jesus did not stay dead. His resurrection shows his power even over death. He will save us from eternal death, and give us everlasting life, if we trust him as our savior and Lord. This sounds so simple that many people won’t accept it. They try other ways to obtain eternal life, but their attempts will not work. The foolish people, who simply accept Christ’s offer, are actually the wisest of all, because they alone will live eternally with God.

– Life Application Study Bible (pg. 1997-1998)

The Whole Picture

1 Samuel 9:1-10

Do you ever wish sometimes, God could show you the purpose for your life plainly? I often wonder why things happen the way they do, but over time, the reasons are eventually revealed. While God could lay out a direct order for our lives, we must stay true to His Word, as His will for each individual is revealed daily. An example of this was evident in our text. God placed judges to rule and govern over His people, but they desired to be as other nations who were ruled by kings. While God’s way was indeed efficient, He would allow the ungrateful Israelites to receive a king. The man God set aside to be Israel’s first king, had no clue of what he would soon walk into, as he lived a normal life in obedience to his father, who was considered a mighty man of power. For some strange reason, Saul’s father’s asses had gone missing. This was odd, because livestock were usually kept under careful watch during these times. Saul’s father told him to take a servant, and search for the missing asses. While Saul was busy conducting his search, God had already told the prophet Samuel the day before, to be ready to meet, and anoint the young Saul as captain over the people of Israel. It’s amazing how God can see the end of a matter, before we even receive instruction on how to do our part. God knows all, and has prepared a way for every person to fulfill His purpose, but we must follow His instruction, so that we can always connect to those whom He placed on our path, to take us to the next level.

Personal Responsibility

Ezekiel 18

1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,
2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour’s wife,
12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,
15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour’s wife,
16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.
19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

“What a just, patient, and equitable God we serve!” – Ell

Traditions Of Men

Mark 7:1-8

Fighting the good fight of faith ain’t always easy, especially when there are always those who are content with finding fault in literally everything you do. As I approach the 40 year age mark, I’ve come to the conclusion, when a person receives God’s salvation, they are automatically assigned certain haters, who will make it their business to slander their name, no matter the cost.

Whether you do go, or not so good, your haters will make everything you do, seem as if it’s the end of the world, while at the same time, neglecting to correct the faults and issues in their own lives. This was an accurate account of the life of Jesus and those who followed after Him. Whether Jesus taught in synagogues, or in desert places, there would oftentimes be certain groups of Pharisees and scribes, who would investigate all that Jesus and His disciples did, in order to find fault in them. The sole purpose of those who hated Jesus was, to silence Him from speaking truth, but Jesus knew how to handle them in a way that actually should have change their hearts. Unfortunately, some had hearts of stone, and were too engulfed in themselves, until even the Son of God recognized when to let them be.

In our text, the Jews had a tradition that involved washing themselves in a proper way, before eating. Even after coming in from the market, the Jews would wash themselves accordingly, and only eat after they were considered clean. On a certain day, while performing their usual investigation, the scribes and Pharisees noticed some of Jesus’ disciples eating bread, without washing themselves beforehand, according to their tradition. As expected, these shallow-minded men were quick to bring their concern to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” If these men truly knew God as He was taught from generation to generation from the days of Moses, until their present time, they would have understood that man’s traditions can never supercede God’s commands, and would have refrained from mentioning this issue altogether. But, Jesus knew the intent of the men’s hearts, and exposed their wickedness by using Scripture. Jesus mentioned how the prophet Isaiah spoke of the future, when men would honor God with their lips, but not from their hearts. The Son of God continued and spoke how men were prophesied to worship God in vain, and teach doctrines of man’s commandments, while ignoring the commandments of God. Obviously, Jesus was referring to the scribes and Pharisees before Him, and literally called them, hypocrites, for caring more about keeping traditions to look holy in the midst of others, rather than humbling themselves by honoring the commandments of the Lord.

Never allow yourself to get caught up in what men deem as proper living, especially if it’s not taught in Scripture. Learn to live, not by the experiences of others, instead, by aligning your life with what’s taught in the Word. This way, you’ll never be deceived into making the traditions of men, more honorable than the commandments of God.

K. I. S. S. (Keep It Simple Saints)

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Preaching and proclaiming the Gospel of Christ is one of the most important mandates of the church. Christ’s death and resurrection brought sanctification, justification, and redemption to all who would freely receive it, so the world (and the church) should always be reminded of the unprecedented sacrifice responsible for providing them the opportunity to spend eternity in peace and tranquility with God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

As of late, the more I hear sermons being preached from different platforms, the less I hear the potency of the truth of the Gospel. Men have devised creative and manipulative ways to try and deliver the Gospel in a “fresh” or new way, but most of what’s being brought forth is mostly washed up and watered down teaching (to say the least). The Gospel is simple, and the Word of God is capable of defending itself, so introducing unnecessary and irrelevant means of preaching the Gospel, that has already endured many generations, is futile. Keep it simple Saints. When bringing forth God’s Word to others, try not to bring attention to self, by using “excellency of speech or of wisdom, or enticing words of man’s wisdom”, instead preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. In other words, let the words of the Bible do the work, not your elegant or rehearsed verbiage. The apostle Paul was a brilliant scholar, and could have easily enticed his audiences with persuasive language, but he was wise and humble enough to allow the Gospel to teach, reach, and change men’s hearts God’s way.

To those who minister the Word, be mindful during your preparation of how you plan to deliver the Gospel. If your intentions are to woo the people with honeyed and enticing words, then you should reconsider bringing that message forth. Place your confidence in God, knowing that His Word is still as powerful today, as it was in the beginning, and keep it simple, so that your obedience can be honored by God, men can easily understand the depth of the Scriptures, and the Word can have free reign to penetrate the hearts of all who hear it.

They Should Have Picked Me!

Acts 6:1-7

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of, “They Should Have Picked Me!” Starring, The Twelve Apostles, and the group of unnamed Disciples! I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

(Loud, and disturbing crowd chatter amongst the unsettled church members)

One of the 12: Alright, alright, calm down everyone. What seems to be the reason for all this unusual commotion?

Grecian Disciple: Good sirs, we understand that you are busy doing the Lord’s work; preaching, teaching, and healing, but while you are busy doing all those wonderful things, no one is tending to our widows during the time of daily ministration.

Crowd: YES YES, WE DESERVE TO BE TREATED JUST AS FAIR AS THE HEBREWS.

One of the 12: Hmm… I understand, but we must continue doing as God leads us, and it would be unwise for us to stop teaching, in order to partake of the daily ministration, so to avoid this problem again, we will allow you to select seven men with good reputations, and full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, to manage daily ministrations.

Crowd: Yes, that’s a great idea. Who should we choose?

(The seven that were chosen were Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicolas)

One of the 12: Alright, now that we have that situation under control, we will continue in prayer and ministering the Word to all men. To the seven who were chosen, we lay hands on you, and pray that God use you to do His will, and that you fulfill your duties to the best of your ability.

Crowd: Amen. Amen. Amen.

(Crowd disperses, except one ungrateful disciple)

Ungrateful Disciple: Hey!! Wait!! Why wasn’t I selected to be chosen to serve the people? I’ve been faithful since I gave my heart to God?

One of the 12: Calm down young man. What is your problem?

Ungrateful Disciple: What’s my problem? What’s my problem? Do you know who I am?

One of the 12: Umm… not really, sorry

Ungrateful Disciple: I deserve to be among the seven selected to manage the daily ministration.

One of the 12: And why do you feel this way?

Ungrateful Disciple: Well, because I think I meet all the qualifications. And, I’ve served as a faithful disciple consistently.

One of the 12: Although you may meet the qualifications, shouldn’t you be in support of your fellow brethren who were selected, and continue doing those things pleasing to God from where you currently stand?

Ungrateful Disciple: Yeah, well, I guess you’re right, but I feel like I could do the job.

One of the 12: I understand son, but the fact that you weren’t selected doesn’t mean you can’t do the job. In fact, maybe God has something else He wants you to do in the church. Have you considered that thought?

Ungrateful Disciple: Now that you’ve mentioned it, maybe you’re right. Instead of getting frustrated with the fact that I wasn’t chosen to serve in that area, I should be happy for the men who were, and offer all the support they need to be successful. And, if God selects me to do something else, I’ll want the brethren to have my back as well.

One of the 12: You got it son. Well done. Now, keep that positive attitude, and go serve the Lord.

Ungrateful Disciple: Thank you sir, I most certainly will.

*We won’t always be selected to do special jobs in the kingdom, but we should not faint, nor lose heart when others are chosen, instead of us. God can get the most of us no matter what position we hold in His kingdom. Be grateful wherever God places you, and work diligently to see that His purpose is fulfilled in your life. Never hate on those who God calls to do special assignments, rather support them and keep them encouraged, because the work they do always comes with hard challenges.

“Stay in your lane, and let God bless you from there.” – Ell

What Are You Preaching?

Ephesians 3:7-13

The purpose of proclaiming the Word of God is, to edify and build the faith of those who are in Christ Jesus. When the believer’s faith is strong enough to understand God’s will for their lives, they can then put their faith to work, by compelling others to come, and become partakers and fellow-heirs of the body of Christ. If faith comes by hearing the Word of God, then all who preach God’s Word, should seek only to strengthen the faith of those who receive their words.

The church was established to continue the representation of God’s holy way, from the time of the disciples, until now. It’s unfortunate how many churches have conformed more to worldly standards, rather than holding fast to the standards set by the early church. The original disciples, along with those who were commissioned to go out and preach the Gospel, were keen on delivering pure, and unadulterated words inspired by God. They were bold, effectual, and most important, they were humble.

Early church leaders suffered greatly for delivering the Gospel message, but the more they were persecuted, the harder they worked to win souls. The same can hardly be said about modern churches, as the preaching of the Gospel message has been altered to satisfy itching ears, instead of building the faith of believers. The apostle Paul set a prime example of how leaders should carry themselves among the body, and of all the things he was accused of in his past, Paul never allowed them to distract him from his purpose. The great apostle went so far as to consider himself “less than the least of all saints” (vs. 8). This was an expression of extreme humility, which kept Paul safe from allowing pride to settle in his heart.

Leaders today should live in such a way, that God gets all the glory from their lives, and they should seek none for themselves. The average preacher you see on TV nowadays, dresses better than movie stars, drives the most expensive vehicles, print their names and faces on all the material they sell, while preaching messages that are 2 percent God, and 98 percent hot garbage. God desires that all men come to repentance, but men who refuse to preach the truth, make it hard for those who are sincere in seeking a better life.

Judgment is coming to the house of God, but it saddens me to witness many being deceived, because of men and their lust for fame and fortune. To those who remain true to God’s Word, be encouraged, and don’t allow anything to keep you from falling short of God’s glory. Continue to preach the Word in season, and out of season. Be bold in your proclamations whether people want to hear it, or not. Always remember, God will hold you accountable for how you influence the minds and hearts of others. So, if your aim is to use the Bible to deceive for selfish gain, rather than edify the body of Christ, then you’re in line to receive very harsh judgment, from God Himself. “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23)

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Just An Average Joe

Acts 6:1-7

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” (Philippians 2:7 KJV). Contrary to popular belief, there was nothing fascinating about Jesus physically, that stood out amongst those He encountered. All the pictures and images of the long hair, blue eyed angelic Jesus, are highly exaggerated, and inaccurate. Not only was Jesus visually an “average Joe”, He made certain to keep a low profile, while focusing all His attention on redistributing the Words that came from His Father, to preach and teach to the world.

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2 KJV). When God prepared Himself a body, He was wise enough to refrain from molding an image like James Dean, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Denzel Washington, Idris Elba, and Shemar Moore, because people would more than likely gravitate toward them due to their outer appearance, rather than the message they presented. While it’s good to dress modest, and present ourselves decent while doing the Lord’s work, we should be focused more on increasing the reputation of God, rather than promoting our own.

In our text, the twelve disciples were persistent in their efforts to spread the message of the Gospel, and the more they preached, the more the church grew. Unfortunately, they were unable to balance preaching, and maintaining the well-being of the church, so they decided that it was wise to appoint others to handle the domestic duties of the church, while they preached the Gospel, unhindered. This idea was received well by the church, and they identified seven men, whom they deemed fit to carry out the daily ministration. Rather than make known the physical attributes of the chosen men, the Bible was sure to acknowledge that Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas were men with strong spiritual attributes. What an honor it is, to be acknowledged by others, not for vain and irrelevant characteristics, but for traits that are relevant to the God of all creation.

Is the reputation you seek to gain, the same as God’s, or do you flaunt looks, money, and other things to gain the attention of men? Do you receive the message of the Gospel the same from all God’s people, or do you tend to give more attention to those who have mega churches, and may be more fit to star in Hollywood films? “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”(Colossians 3:17 KJV). “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Colossians 3:23 KJV).

Seek not to gain vain glory, but desire that the body of Christ grow together. Whatever God called you to do, give it your best effort, and be proud of rendering your reasonable services to the Lord.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell