Category Archives: Relationships

Blogs in this category deal with relationships between ourselves and God, family members, other Christians, and the lost.

The parable of the sower: a different lesson

Posted on November 11, 2015 by | Comments Off on The parable of the sower: a different lesson

parable sowerWe’ve all heard sermons, Bible studies, devotionals, and Sunday school lessons that focus on the parable of the sower. This important teaching of Jesus is recorded in the gospel of Matthew: And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 13:3-9). Instead of focusing on the seed and its fate, the focus of this post will be on the sower.

With the way that Jesus presents this parable, there are several lessons we can learn about the sower even though the only true reference specifically about the sower is found in the first two verses of the passage: And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up (Matthew 13:3-4). These verses contain only a very basic description of the sower – all we know is that the sower is a man. It is not because Jesus didn’t think that women were not capable of sowing wheat, but that Jesus was using a common image – something that everyone who was hearing that day had at some time either had done themselves or had seen. But other than that, there is no more facts or observations given about the sower other than what was given here.

The object of the parable  – the sower – is…us!

This morning, as I did my personal Bible reading, something about this passage really jumped off the page. Think about what Jesus told the disciples before he ascended into Heaven: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19-20). The gospel of Mark records the same event: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:15-16). Just as Jesus had commanded the disciples to spread the gospel, we, too are given the commission to spread the gospel. We are to become sowers of the gospel seed to the extent the parable He used presented the role of the sower. If we are truly objective about the information we are given about the sower, we understand he was out in the fields sowing with a purpose. Jesus gave us that purpose; Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23). We provide a demonstration of our willful obedience when we share the gospel message with others.

The parable: the sower was indiscriminate about the sowing

One of the many lessons about the sower in this passage is that the sower was indiscriminate – he did not make any judgment – about his sowing. He didn’t stop to determine the soil type but just kept sowing the seeds he had. If we stop and ponder this aspect of the parable, what Jesus is teaching is that we have an obligation to sow the seeds of the gospel message of Jesus without giving any consideration of the soil – the person to whom we are sharing the message of salvation. Too many times we allow ourselves to be moved by the flesh, by our own judgment. Although we may feel the Holy Spirit leading us to share the gospel with someone, often we won’t because we are trying to figure out the type of soil their heart is made of. I’ve done this; I am sure if you are honest with yourself, you’ve probably done this too. David was led by the Holy Spirit to write, Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart (Psalms 44:21) and also in the writings of Samuel: But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). God sees and judges by the heart because we base our judgment on appearance.

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Posted in Christian Doctrine, Our relationship with God, Our relationship with others, Personal Evangelism

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The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

Posted on November 9, 2015 by | Comments Off on The relevance of the Bible in today’s world

holy-bibleSince our society has now entered into what the definition of marriage should be, there has been a question posed by the American mainstream media and stars from the entertainment industry. It is nearly impossible to visit the society section of Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, or any other major media website where the author of the commentary is addressing the need to either abandon traditional Biblical teachings or to abandon Christianity altogether in favor of new societal norms. There are articles all across the web that were authored by sociologists and psychologists claiming that freewill and self-determination are illusions, homophobia and being in opposition to homosexuality is a mental disorder, and even religion and the belief in God itself is a mental disorder. Some even press the notion that those driven by obedience to their faith in God to do good works are actually self-centered. With the increasing anti-Christian rhetoric and critics driven by what has become regarded as science, it is easy to understand why so many people – and Christians – question the relevance of the Bible today.

Since the days of the apostles, Christians have been told by the lost that we should not share our faith because it might offend or cause others discomfort. We’ve been told that our faith teaches intolerance, hate, racism, and any other derogatory thing they can decide that Christianity seems to promote. At the heart of the lost world’s rejection of Christianity is the faulty belief that man does not need God and a rejection of Jesus as the sole means of salvation. Christians today must stand strong on the authority and the basic teachings of the Bible because it is the foundation of our faith. Within its pages are life’s lessons, comfort during times of need, and guidance in all of life’s difficult situations. 

The Bible’s relevance: An unchanging God

The apostle Paul understood the eternalness and the changeless nature of God and explained it as he wrote, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).The Bible is relevant because within its pages it contains a chronicle of the unchanging nature of God. It takes faith to believe the Bible is the word of God; it should be recognized it also takes faith to claim the world view that it is not the word of God. The Holy Spirit led Malachi to write, For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed (Malachi 3:6) as a testimony and promise of God’s unchanging nature. The unchanging nature of God is essential within the Judeo-Christian world; it is especially important to the Christian concepts of atonement and the sacrificial work of the Lord Christ Jesus. The disciple John understood this very concept and wrote, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).

John also testified in other writings of the unchanging nature of God and the timelessness of God’s plan for mankind’s salvation when he wrote, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). We often approach God and matters of faith from our own particular perspective so it is hard for us to even begin to understand God’s plan for the redemption of man being the same from the very earliest days of creation. We are accustomed to living in a society where everything is fluid. We also approach God and matters of faith through our own sense of fairness, justice, and understanding, which is why God reminds us through scriptures, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) and 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? (Ezekiel 18:29). The scriptures contained in the Bible have testified not only about the timelessness of God’s values but about the differences between our understanding and that of the Lord. We need this testimony of God’s unchanging nature, more specifically of His unchanging grace towards mankind. It is reassuring to the believer that the same salvation offered freely to the disciples, to the patriarchs of Israel, and to those who heard the sermons of Jesus as He walked the shores of Galilee.

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Calvinism – A biblical rejection

Posted on November 5, 2015 by | Comments Off on Calvinism – A biblical rejection

EasterCalvinism is the teaching that God already has predetermined those who will be saved and those who will suffer eternal damnation. Those that believe in this doctrine will normally use a handful of verses from the New Testament as proof that this is how salvation is given to mankind. The verses most commonly associated with this concept of predetermination read: Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness (Titus 1:1), Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10), and For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

Calvinism, the theological debate, has been a long running one that began in the early Enlightenment era around the middle of the Sixteenth Century. It was defined by John Calvin, a French theologian and minister. The focal point of his teachings, what would later become defined as Calvinism, was in the absolute sovereignty of God in man’s salvation and the belief that God has already predestined the eternal destination for all who have been born or yet to be born. His teachings became incorporated within the Puritan variety of the Church of England, the French Huguenots, and the Anabaptists. It is still widely held as a scriptural doctrine by many, but it can easily be discredited and exposed as a false doctrine through a careful use of scripture.

A commonsense approach to predestination and free will

The idea that everyone is predestined to either spend an eternity in Heaven or Hell before they are born is a very dangerous doctrine. It holds no scriptural basis other than what many read into Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Jesus explained in his late-night conversation with Nicodemus where this predestination comes in: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). What Jesus was telling Nicodemus is a fairly common sense explanation – right now, at this moment, if you have complete faith and believe in Jesus you are not condemned but are saved. If you do not believe in Jesus and you were to die at this moment, you are condemned – and the sole reason is because you have rejected the Lord Christ Jesus. God has already predestined the destination of souls based not on deed or personal achievement, but solely on the question of whether you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior.

The foreknowing of God lies in the understanding of what the Bible clearly teaches us about salvation being based on mankind’s free will. Free will salvation has always been God’s plan for mankind; there are two passages of scripture within the Old Testament that clearly teach this biblical doctrine. The first reads: See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). There are a number of teachings within this passage that refute the false doctrine of Calvinism.

The most obvious is the invitation that the Lord extends to the Jewish people identified as life and death. God’s foreknowledge is that if they choose life, then He has an abundant supply of blessings for their obedience to His divine will. If they choose to reject the Lord and His plan, He also knows what this choice will mean. In their choice of disobedience, they will not receive blessings, but will incur the wrath of the Lord. It is the same choice that all mankind has through Christ Jesus our Lord. You can accept His gift of salvation and choose eternal life or you can reject Him and choose eternal separation from God in an eternal Hell – the Second Death – as the book of Revelation refers to it as. Right now, the Lord can see the consequences of whichever choice you make. In fact, God’s knowledge about you is so extensive that every decision you make, He can see the results of every single possible outcome. 

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