Oklahoma Tragedy, May, 2013

Oklahoma Tragedy, May, 2013

 

Among the more thoughtless and cruel questions asked at a tragic time like this is, “Where is your God now?”  The foolishness of the question rests in the silly idea that those who so tragically died were also atheists.  Here is my answer:

He is walking among the dead holding their hands, and they are holding His.  The same God, Who walked in the fiery furnace with the three children, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (aka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) walks with His dead today.  It makes no difference to us whether we live or die, even in the fiery furnace; He is always with us in life and in death.  To Him, death and life are the same; it’s just a change of residence for us.  Darkness is as bright as sunlight to Him.

God has called us, the living Christians to suffer.  It is foolish to believe that the dead in Christ must suffer any longer.  It is we who are left behind, who must continue to suffer.  As the Psalmist writes:

“I believed, therefore have I spoken.  I was greatly afflicted.  I said in my haste, ‘All men [are] liars.’  What shall I render to the Lord [for] all His benefits to me?  I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.  I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord [is] the death of His saints.  O Lord, truly I [am] Your servant; I [am] Your servant, [and] the son of Your handmaid: You have released my bonds.

“I will offer You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on the name of the Lord.  I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people.  In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

“Praise the Lord.” — Psalm 116:10-19

A Response to M. Steffan, et al

A Response to M. Steffan, et al:

 http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/05/millennials-nones-affiliation-brad-wright-barna.html

What utter nonsense.  Our Hope is, was, and shall ever be in God Himself alone.  We seem to have forgotten that the Triune God controls the universe.  As the Psalmist says, “What can man do to me?”

Moreover, how does anyone equate Millennials with Evangelicals, or either with Christianity.  Since when are Millennials anything more that a small fringe on the skirts of Christianity.  This is simply more utter nonsense.  We seem to have forgotten that The Church to which we must all belong is in heaven (Hebrews 12:22-29).  As the Psalmist says, “Zion, City of our God.”

We seem to have forgotten a few other things as well: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood....”  “The weapons of our warfare are mighty....”  Man-centered statistics prove nothing.  Nor does citing flash-in-the-pan theology or aborted movements.  The abysmal failure of such things is demonstrated by the fact that they are no longer with us.  However, the Kingdom of God remains unshaken.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid, all you who believe that you can live your miserable life in defiance of Almighty God.  Give attention to the nakedness of your Prodigal behavior, and come running back to your Father, before it is too late.

Beyond Forgiveness

The Lord does much more than simply forgive sins.  Yes, God is about justice and righteousness.  However, He is about much more than simply justice and righteousness.  The Lord does forgive our sins, then He also removes our sins, and finally He heals the wounds caused by them.

“As far as the east is from the west, [so] far has He removed our transgressions from us.” — Psalm 103:12

There are those who take these mercies for granted.  Those who wish to receive such grace without the painful process of faith and repentance, confession and absolution, sorrowing over sin and forsaking it, the experiences of genuine remorse.  Such will receive nothing from the Lord except His condemnation and rejection.  Such will only hear, “I never knew you.”

Nevertheless, the broken, the contrite, the poverty stricken in spirit — the publican, who has spent his life beating his chest in tears over his sin — these shall receive the blessing of the Lord and a home among the palaces of God.

What is Christian Worship?

What is Christian Worship?

Amen.  This is an excellent, excellent treatment of the subject, the best I have ever read.  I want to nail this to my door forever (reference to Luther intended).

http://orthodoxbridge.com/orthodox-worship-versus-contemporary-worship/

Somewhere, I’ve heard it reported that Luther said words to the effect, “Our worship is identical with that of...,” and he listed a string of a dozen or so Orthodox countries.  An observer of Lutheran worship will immediately see its relationship to St. John Chrysostom’s liturgy.  Similarly, some Anglican/Episcopal rites appear to have an affinity to St. James’ liturgy.  Not that I’m an expert in liturgics, but this information, if it can be substantiated strongly supports the argument of this paper.

Sadly, some Orthodox do not take these facts as seriously as they might.  A few Orthodox priests don’t preach at all.  The result can be that worshippers depart the service glutted on the liturgy of the Eucharist, but starving and malnourished in the the liturgy of the Word.  Ironically, conservative evangelical worshippers may depart the service glutted on the liturgy of the Word, but starving and malnourished in the the liturgy of the Eucharist.  Tragically, others may depart having received neither one.  It is a disgrace to have either the liturgy of the Word without the liturgy of the Eucharist, or the liturgy of the Eucharist without the liturgy of the Word.

What this Robert Arakaki, “Orthodox Worship Versus Contemporary Worship,” article makes clear is that a strong church is built on a strong liturgy of the Word with good preaching, and on a strong liturgy of the Eucharist.  How many Christians suffer with half a service or no service at all?  This article expresses what I believe.  It is an excellent bridge with Reformed theology.

What this Robert Arakaki, “Orthodox Worship Versus Contemporary Worship,” article leaves out, is that such a strong worship is built on a foundation.  At least part of that foundation is the regular practice of Vespers and Orthros.  What Vespers and Orthros build in life is a strong relationship with the Spiritual warfare contained in the Psalms.  Worshippers may and should come to worship with their hearts fully equipped (Ephesians 6) with a full set of Divine armor.

God bless you.  Yours in Christ.

http://orthodoxbridge.com/orthodox-worship-versus-contemporary-worship/

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” — Ephesians 4:15 KJV

Love must speak the truth, especially about sin and forgiveness.  There is no love without truth.  There is no truth without love.  The cruelest of all cruelties is to excuse sin, and thereby prohibit its forgiveness.  A truly loving person calls sin what it is; and then seeks to help the sinner find repentance, forgiveness, absolution, restoration, the power to turn away from their sin, and the strength to walk in newness of life.

We all sin.  Our duty of love to each other is to help break the chains of slavery to sin, and walk together in that freedom which God supplies, and Christ purchased.  There is a lot of stuff being passed off as love nowadays, which is really hate.  Real love is shaped like the Law of God cut into the shape of a bloody cross.  Love never excuses or makes excuses for sin.  Leaving the sinner enslaved to sin is hate, not love.

 

Yours in Christ

Augie-Herb

The Bible: TV Mini-Series

The Bible: TV Mini-Series

The much-touted movie, Bible: the TV mini-series, was evidently rebroadcast on Lifetime (Cox:  25, DS:  108, DR:  252, UV:  360).

It was very disappointing.  Those who undertake making commentaries and portrayals of Scripture ought to try reading the Bible before they undertake depicting or writing about it.  The subject matter experts who consulted for the script receive a failing grade: we are baffled over where their so-called historic facts came from.  They did get a few parts close, only a few, watching was mostly a waste of time.

Older versions done by Hollywood were, by and large, better and more faithful to the Biblical text.

There is a Divine reason why the Bible is written in the specific words it is written.  All of us, especially commentators and portrayers, are obliged to get as close to those specific words as possible.

The plain explicit meaning is still important.  Our task is to find that explicit meaning, not to trample it under foot as this movie does.

Wickedness

Wickedness

If you had been wicked, as I have been wicked....  If you had even thought of yourself as having been wicked, as I have been wicked, I would not have nearly so much trouble explaining wickedness and death to you.

But I am as one who has stared wickedness, and death, and hell in the face, and yet returned from the dead.  I am, as it were, returned from the dead, sent by God to explain wickedness, and death, and hell to you; yet, still you will not listen.  As it stands written:

“There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.  There was also a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores.  [Lazarus] desired to be fed with the crumbs, which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  Now, it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's Bosom.  The rich man also died, and was buried; in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in Torments, and saw Abraham afar off, with Lazarus in his bosom.

And he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.  Beside all this, there is a great gulf fixed between us and you: so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can you pass to us, who wish come from there.’

Then he said, ‘I pray thee therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house: for I have five brothers; that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of Torments.’

Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’

But he said, ‘Nay, father Abraham: if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.’

[Abraham] said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ ” — Luke 16:19-31