Heavenly stuff vs. Worldly stuff

The Bible records the interactions that Jesus had with many people.  One thing is consistent in all these encounters, people went away from His presence changed.  The blind had their vision restored, the cripple were healed to walk away and the deaf made able to hear Him say, “Go and sin no more”.  Most were changed in a positive way by meeting with Christ but others didn’t take away what he wanted them to and left “empty handed”.

I’m amazed by this other group who met Jesus, God in the flesh, and failed to take the opportunity they were given.  The Scribes and Pharisees were warned over and over of their need to repent of their sins, give up the traditions of man and seek relationship and worship of God directly.  And even some who really wanted to have a changed life missed the mark by just a little.  In Matthew 19 we see where a wealthy young man approached Jesus and asked what he could do to have eternal life.  Christ told him if he wanted to be perfect, to sell all his stuff and follow Him.  And the scripture states…

“When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”.

Matthew 19:22

We know two things for certain about this young man; he was a devout Jew that had practiced the customs and traditions of the day faithfully and we know he had a lot of stuff.  Have you ever wondered what was going on in his head as he walked away from Jesus?  I sure have and I think that he really missed out on what Jesus wanted from him, simply to see where his heart was.  Was serving and following God more important than worldly possessions or did he see eternal life as just another acquisition to add to his stockpile of stuff?  An often overlooked aspect of this story is that Jesus never told the young man he was required to sell his stuff to follow Him, just that “IF” he did, he would be perfect in light of his following of all the commandments so strictly as he had claimed.  I believe he left Jesus empty handed when he was given the chance to grasp eternity.

All because he liked his stuff too much.

Fortunately Jesus doesn’t ask any of us to be perfect because if he did we would all be in real trouble.  But He does want to know that our heart is really with Him.  If we feel that we can earn Christ approval, eternal life and His acceptance we are just like the rich young man and going to walk away empty handed from an encounter with Jesus. Psalm 44:21 says that God knows and searches the heart of men and Christ knew the rich young man’s heart wasn’t really in it.

Jesus probably won’t ask you to give up all your stuff to follow Him but I’m sure we all have something or things in our lives that are keeping us from fully embracing the relationship with Him that He is offering, the one that leads to the abundant life.  Where is your heart at today? 

The Psalmist wrote…

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

Psalm 139:23

I challenge you to approach the Lord in prayer and make that request.  God, YOU examine my heart.  God, YOU examine my thoughts.  The Holy Spirit will point things out that we will never see on our own and I have to spend a lot of time asking for forgiveness when I send that prayer upstairs.  Are you up to that challenge? 

Anything that God doesn’t approve of in our lives creates a barrier between us and Him.  Every time we remove the stuff from our life that doesn’t glorify God, we get closer to Him.  Our relationship with God is dependent on what we are willing to remove from our life that isn’t pleasing to Him.  Do you have too much stuff blocking your view of Jesus?  Want to get rid of it but not sure where to start?  Just ask and He will show you what needs to go.

Be encouraged!

Jeff

Modern Day SLAVERY?

Here is something for you to ponder. 

I would strongly suggest you read Genesis 47:13-27, click >>> HERE <<< to read now.  So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock - their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.

But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain.

What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?

That turning to the government instead of God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes.. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master?  Yes. 

But look how that passage ends... "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions! And that has amazing application for us today..

We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders.

What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"?

So who should we place our trust?  God who provides for the needs and even more for His people or the Government?  God wants a relationship with us.  What does the Government really want.... 

Please forward this to others!

 
In God We Trust...

Authenticity

We’ve had some changes at the office that call for me to move my office to another location in the building. Moving an office is just as much a drag as moving to a new home. But just like moving into a new home, moving into a new office gives me the opportunity to do a comprehensive appraisal of all my stuff and get rid of the stuff that collects that’s really not stuff but trash. I’m finding that I’ve collected a lot of trash in the last 3 years. As I was moving items I had several lithographs stacked against the wall and noticed that whoever framed them formed a neat little pocket on the back of each piece. A place to hold the Certificate of Authenticity, assuring that the piece was a genuine work of the Artist.

In the world of art, the certificate has everything to do with the value of the piece. No matter how good a piece of art may look, without the Certificate of Authenticity it’s just a nice picture. The certificate is very official looking with several signatures including the artist and an elaborate, embossed stamp leaving no room for doubt that this a legitimate, authentic work from the Artist studio. The value of these pieces is greatly improved by having this documentation secured with each piece.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people came with a Certificate of Authenticity?

In the world we encounter people every day that represent themselves one way but in actuality they are something completely different. Unfortunately we have that same issue in the church too. As Christian men and women we have a responsibility to be authentic in the faith that we represent to others. But how can we authenticate our faith? Is there a form we can carry around or a stamp of approval to show others if we are questioned?

The Apostle Paul gives us pretty clear picture of what an authentic follower of Christ looks like:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 12: 9-13 NLT

I know a lot of people who fit that description to a tee. I pray that there are others out there that see me that way too but I know that I fall short often. Fortunately falling short of that description is not a sign of faith that isn’t authentic, as long as we keep resetting the bar and try to reach it. I believe one of Satan’s primary tools he uses against believers is to make them believe that that they failed God’s expectations so they should just give up. And that is not true.

We are broken and flawed people in a broken and flawed world. The world tells us to take care of ourselves. God tells us to take care of others first. According to this passage from Romans we need to love people and that love needs to be real, not pretend love. We need to honor each other and be respectful of their needs. We need to work hard to serve the Lord and not be lazy. And we are supposed to be patient and have a confident hope in Christ.

Does that sound like you? I don’t feel I meet that mark either a lot of the time.

But we have that description as the mark of what a true follower of Christ is. The mark of authenticity if you will that tells the world that “this guy” is the real thing. And if that mark seems too high or unachievable that’s because it is. But the authentic Christian is the one that continually resets the bar after he misses the mark. The authentic Christian recognizes that when he does fall short of what God expects of him, he admits and identifies what caused him to fail and hits his knees in prayer asking God to help him do better the next time. And he does the same thing the next time he falls short, and the next time.

If the world sees someone who is constantly picking themselves back up and trying to help and love someone again and again, then that’s a pretty good indication of authenticity.  As Christian men and women we will all stand before our Lord to answer for our lives. I don’t believe we will stand in judgment of the bad things we’ve done because the Bible tells me God will remember our sins no more, we shall be as white as snow in his presence. I believe when we stand in the presence of Christ it will be to look at how well we recovered when we fell, not the fall itself.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

1 Timothy 1:15

If Paul fell short of the mark you can be certain that you and I will too. But Paul always picked himself up and got back the Lords work in an extraordinary way. Have you fallen short? Me too, let’s get up and get back to work!

Be encouraged,

Jeff

Another birthday, ugh!

I have a birthday next week and I as I sit here contemplating the anniversary of my birth one thing is painfully clear… I’m not near as excited about July 31st as I use to be.

As a child the weeks before my birthday seemed to take forever as I sat in my room for hours with the big Sears catalog open and magic marker circling all the things on my wish list. I’d go grocery shopping with my mom and run to the bakery of the local Safeway to stare intently at all the different themed birthday cakes with my face pressed right against the glass, dreaming about how fun the party was going to be. With a summer birthday I usually got to have a sleep over and nothing was better than a bunch of my best buddies staying up all night telling scary stories. And God forbid you be the first one to fall asleep, the old “dip the fingers in warm water trick” always came into play.

Hitting the early part of the mid forties has brought a few changes. Instead of the Sears catalog, my wish list is now a brochure for a cruise I’d like to take in October. Five days sailing around the Caribbean sitting on my tushie in a deck chair, sleeping in all the way to 8:30 with no kids to wake me up. Instead of birthday cakes I stare intently at big, flat screen TV’s as I walk up and down the aisle of Best Buy trying to figure out how I can convince my wife that we really need another one. Scary stories have been replaced by an annual physical and nervously awaiting the “test results” to make sure everything is still working right, so far so good praise God.

Instead of the old excitement the birthday brought on, it’s now just a reminder that I ain’t getting any younger. And as I mull over that, I’m reminded of what Paul said and it makes a lot more sense as I add another year…

... Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-19

Yes we do get older and the physical body diminishes, but our spiritual muscles are constantly being rejuvenated and restored. If we want them to be…

If I go water skiing for an afternoon I’m going to be sore for a few days. If I share the love of Christ and what He’s done for me with someone else I feel fantastic for a lot longer. I feel closer to God and understand who He is in my life and His character more than I did a year ago. I’m able to take that and express it in ways that other people understand with a greater ease than I use to. Talking openly with others about Jesus is just as comfortable to me as talking about the weather since I really began to concentrate and focus on knowing Him better. And that takes hours and hours with a highlighter in a Bible, not a magic marker in the Sears catalog.

But as we get older even hard-core, Bible thumpin’ Christians can become stagnant in their spiritual lives. We can become so wrapped up in what we think we know that we forget to remember what’s important. Jesus had some advice for a group of people in Ephesus when they were having the same problem:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Revelation 2: 5a

My biggest failing as I mature spiritually is to remember that repentance is not something I use to do but something I must keep on doing. Lustful thoughts, a little stretch of the truth or failing to truly forgive are just as filthy and unacceptable to God as the “really bad” things I did before I was saved. I get so wrapped up in the Ministry that I’m doing for God, that I forget to make sure that my path to Him is clear and uncluttered by un-confessed sin.

"Sin, regardless of how insignificant I may feel it is, is still a barrier between Him and me"

Our access to God’s throne room is not decided with a set of scales weighing the good we’ve done against the bad. The only way we can see God for who he is and fully realize His love and the true power of the blood of Christ is through a repentant heart. You don’t need a church or a priest or anything else to get real with God, you can do it right now right here. Open your heart to Him and get caught up on coming clean, you’ll be glad you did and He’s been waiting!

Be encouraged,

jb

What makes the Bible unique?

1. It is unique in its stability.

If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.

2. It is unique in its circulation.

The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.

3. It is unique in its translation.

The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.

4. It is unique in its survival.

In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.

The ABC’s of building faith

Faith is the primary component of the Christian’s life.  Without faith Christianity is nothing but a  series of principles and applications.  Faith takes these ideas and makes them eternal and gives us the fuel to ignite the life of a Christian from one of agitation and fear to one of peace and fulfillment.

Faith in its simplest form is trusting God to do the things that God has promised to do.  But the same faith so vital to the life of a believer, can easily be shaken and quickly abandoned if we don’t perpetuate its growth.  Faith, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit is a living, breathing part of our existence and like any other living thing it has to be feed and nurtured.  Finding out the steps to feeding our faith is an absolute requirement to the growth of all of us as Christian men and women.

I don’t want to try and portray myself as an absolute pillar of faith that has never had a moment of fear or concern, that wouldn’t be at all true.  My life has easily been plague by more failures than success in trusting God but I try and learn from the failures and identify ways to make sure I don’t suffer failure in the same area over and over again.  Through the series of success that I’ve had brought on by the examination of these failures, I’ve developed a few things that help me get back on track when doubt and fear tend to take the place of peace in my life. The ABC’s of my faith…

Acknowledge the area where you are finding it difficult to have faith in God.

Sometimes increasing and feeding our faith is as simple as acknowledging the area of lack, sometimes not.  But putting worry and fear aside and focusing on the heart of the matter allows us to put a spotlight on what’s causing our lack of faith.  When we have an area that we lack faith in God it will often feed on itself and splinter and mesh into everything else we are trying to get accomplished.  A fear or lack of faith in our finances can quickly throw a shadow over everything else in life.  If our faith is rocked by a concern over a health related matter soon looking at anything in a helpful or encouraging light can become near impossible.

When we identify the specific area we are troubled with we can bring it directly before God and ask for Him to help us deal with it.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Romans 8:15

As parents we always reach out and comfort our children.  When they are scared or don’t understand something we lovingly direct them in the right direction.  Our Father in Heaven will handle things no differently when we come to Him in the same way.

Build on the history of what God has already done.

The reason our own children’s fears and doubts are addressed when we help them is because they know from the past that we are going to do what we say will do.  My wife was working with our daughter a few weeks ago try to teach her to swim.  Katy was standing on the side of the pool and Jennifer told her, “jump to me, I’ll catch you”.  Katy didn’t want any part of this at first.  The pool was big and she didn’t know what was under the surface of the water, she had no reference point for making a leap like this.  But Jennifer continued to encourage her and assure her that it was OK and that she could trust Mommy.  Finally she jumped, Jennifer caught her and Katy was thrilled by the new experience and her fear of jumping blindly into the pool to her Mom was removed by being caught successfully.  Now while Katy is in the pool and Jennifer tells her try something new she has no concern or fear because Mommy always takes care of her in the pool.

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

2 Chronicles 20:7

Jehoshaphat said those words in prayer as he was desperate to convince not only the people of Judah but himself too that the Ammonite forces that greatly outnumbered them could really be defeated.  And his prayer and desire was built upon a success that God had already given His people.

God has done something and proved Himself in the life of every believer.  When we need to find the trust to have faith that He will address our current need, we need only to look at what he’s already done for us in the past.  Acknowledge something He has already done and ask Him to take care of you just like He’s done before.

Create a lifestyle and environment that supports and encourages a relationship with Christ.

If we remain in close proximity to God and fellowship with other who do the same it’s easy to see His power and provision.  God is doing so much for so many of His children that when we surround ourselves with other believers His hand is so easy to see as it touches our lives.  Seeing prayers and needs answered is contagious and fosters a belief that God can and will do the same for us.

Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."

1 Corinthians 15:33

When I find myself doubting my faith and questioning if God will really do what he’s promised me to do, one or both of these have happen:

1.       I’m listening to the wrong people.

2.       I’ve gotten away from the people who will encourage my faith.

While these steps may not be perfect, they’re a start and we all have to start somewhere.  Without a plan we have nothing.  We have to either say “Here’s what I’m going to do.” or “What am I going to do?”  Do you have a strategy to get back on track if you start to wander from the path God has for you?

Be encouraged!

Jeff

What are you wearing?

I often find myself leaving the house not wearing the right stuff.  We should never attempt to navigate the world we live in without wearing the appropriate attire. And for everyone who has been redeemed through the finished work of Christ, we are supposed to wear the same thing.  The uniform of the Christian life if you will…

You didn’t know there was a dress code?

Before Christ ascended to heaven He opened the minds of His followers so they would see and know they were witnessing the fulfillment of scripture.  They were surely worried about the thought of life without this awesome and amazing teacher that had given them so much hope.  The man who they now knew as God Himself had had only recently been restored to them after they thought Him dead, An now he was leaving them.  But as he left them they were given this wonderful and simple promise…

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Luke 24:49

The clothing Jesus spoke of then is the same clothing you and I should be wearing today, the active presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

A lot of sermons are preached on the importance of prayer.  More books that can be counted have been written about the importance of a personal relationship with Christ.  But the Holy Ghost, as the King James refers to Him?   Many seem to consider contemplating too much about the Holy Spirit as a little too spooky for some reason.

Today when we hear about the Holy Spirit it seems to come from the more Charismatic corners of our faith.  We see a Televangelist mumbling some unintelligible “yaba daba do” sounding comments.  Or a group of people shaking and wiggling around after they get slapped on the head from being healed.  I don’t want to discount the gifts of tongues and healing as the Bible clearly defines them as gifts, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But I do want to take a closer look at the words of Jesus in His final recorded promise in the Gospel of Luke.

1. Jesus reiterated to them, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.”  The promise that was coming was the Holy Spirit.

  

2.  Christ told them to stay in the city (Jerusalem) “...until you are clothed with power from on high."   They couldn’t do the work He had planned for them until they had received the power to do it.  And the work they were to do was to build the church, the Bride of Christ.  Simply put, the Holy Spirit would empower them to do the supernatural in the natural world.

3.  They would be “clothed with power from on high."  This power would be received in a way that it should cover them, and protect them in the same way a cloak or garment cover us from the elements.

The same promise that Christ made to His disciples, he made to each of us when we chose to give our lives over to Him.

If we enter our day without the aid of the Holy Spirit to guide us, we cannot expect to have supernatural results.

We wouldn’t leave our houses in the morning without any clothing, streaking is illegal pretty much everywhere in our country and we shouldn’t consider leaving home without covering ourselves in the power from on high Christ promised us.

The Holy Spirit is a real and active person in the life of a believer and without His help the results we will achieve will be nominal at best.  The original Greek word God gave Luke to translate as power in this passage was dunamis.  Dunamis is where we get the contemporary word, dynamite and is defined as, inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth. Jesus gave us all the promise of an explosive and very real power that we can clothe ourselves in the person of the Holy Spirit.

A relationship and unleashing the potential we all have available to us through the Holy Spirit can only be achieved like any other relationship begins, just start a conversation with Him.  Yes we all need an active prayer life and time spent in the Word of God on a daily basis, but the true fulfilling of the abundant life that Jesus spoke of can’t happen without the third person of the Trinity guiding the way.  Jesus was very clear when He outlined the work of the Holy Spirit,

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 14:20

Next time you’re alone, even driving in the car, initiate the relationship, just start talking to Him and He will listen. And after He starts to listen He will begin to guide you in the heavenly direction we all have available to us.  And when He becomes your guide He will also teach you everything else you need to know as His direction becomes more and more clear.  Once the Holy Spirit becomes a close friend things will change in your life.

Need a little super in this natural world?  Clothe yourself with “power from on high”.  The Holy Spirit, don’t leave home without Him!

Peace,

Jeff

Biblical Truth, the planet Earth

Science tells us a lot of things about the planet we live on, much of it common knowledge to any elementary school student but that hasn’t always been the case.  There have been many errors noted in previous generations beliefs about the world we live in world that have been disputed or flat out proven wrong with the information we have today.  We haven’t always had science as we understand it today but we do have many places through-out history where religion attempts to explain the scientific questions of the day…

Thousands of years ago, Hindu scriptures explained that the world as we know it was resting on the back of a huge elephant and that the elephant was in turn sitting on the back of a giant turtle that swam around in the sea of some other world.  The weather, earthquakes, floods and other phenomenon were to be attributed to the movements of either a colossal elephant or turtle?  Greek mythology claimed our planet was held on the god Atlas’ shoulders.  But the Bible tells a different story altogether about what supports the world:

He (God) stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.

Job 26:7

You and I know today that the earth is suspended in space and nothing or no one holds it up.  And what does Job indicate is holding the world up?  The earth according to Job, “… hangs on nothing”.  The book of Job is one of the oldest written books in the Bible, many date it to 1500 B.C. about the same time the Hindu scripture about the elephant was written.  The Bible tells us that God gave a direct revelation to Job about the suffering he endured and during that revelation Job saw the world as God saw it, suspended in place by nothing without the help of a man or animal.

And for thousands of years man believed the earth to be flat and if you went too far you would drop off into, “nothing”.  Both Hindu and Buddhist scripture hold to the “flat earth” theory.  In 1522 the Portuguese ship Victoria became the first sip to successfully sail around the world.  Leaving Spain in 1519 and headed west, Victoria returned three years later from the east putting to end the myth of a flat world.  But long before the Victoria came to rest in the early 1500’s, the Bible was noted the earth as being round:

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

Isaiah 40:22

When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

Proverbs 8:27

As we all know today the earth appears as a circle, suspended in space with no one holding it up.  Job, Solomon and Isaiah all received the inspired Word of God about the earth as we all see it today.  Once again scripture is shown to be accurate and truthful while many other means are without a doubt, wrong.

Peace,

Jeff

Biblical Truth, The walls of Jericho

Over the next few months I plan to write a series of post that I’ll title, “Biblical Truth”.  My goal in doing this is to provide irrefutable evidence that we can all absorb on our own, but also use as ammunition for those who say the Bible is just a bunch of made up stories.  I’d like to start with a familiar story from the Bible concerning the walls of Jericho.

In the book of Joshua we have the story that marks the first major success of the Israelite army in the Promised Land.  According to scripture, the Israelites marched around the city in silence once a day for six days.  One can only imagine what had to have been going through the minds of the people of Jericho as they sat on top of their “impregnable” wall, probably laughing and carrying on about the foolish foreigners that had just showed up.  But then on the seventh day these strangers did something different.  Instead of circling the wall once then leaving the area in silence, they started to circle the wall again.  We know from archeological excavations that Jericho was not a small city so to march completely around it wouldn’t be a quick affair.  I’m sure that as the Israelites continued to march around the city, more and more people came out to the top of the wall to see the spectacle first hand.   Then the Bible accounts that when the seventh lap was completed, the priest blew their horns and the men shouted together and the wall of Jericho fell flat.

Today Archeologist have located and confirmed the location of the city of Jericho.  It was first found by a German team in the early 1900’s and surrounding the city, that hadn’t yet been identified as Jericho, they noted that the city was ringed by a pile of mud bricks.  Through further site visits and items being uncovered it was generally accepted that this was indeed the ancient city of Jericho.

But it wasn’t until more modern methods had been discovered that some more biblically significant information was uncovered.  In the 1950’s a British Archeologist named Kathleen Kenyon began a series of site excavations.  As he examined core samples taken from the site and in conjunction with continued excavations, it was determined the piles of mud brick that encircled the city were from a wall that had collapsed, the patterned that was established throughout the perimeter was consistent with the wall falling straight down.  No indication could be found where it was knocked down by force.

Archeological evidence support the account as described in the Bible.

But there’s more.  The Bible tells us that once the walls fell, the Israelites took the city by force and set it on fire.   During her continued excavation of the site, Karen found irrefutable evidence that the city had been devastated by an enormous fire.  In her notes she said the following:

“The destruction was complete. Walls and floors were blackened or reddened by fire, and every room was filled with fallen bricks, timbers, and household utensils; in most rooms the fallen debris was heavily burnt.”

Of course the skeptics will try and play this off by simply saying that an earthquake caused the walls to fall.  And while the evidence at the site is consistent with what you would find in an excavated earthquake site, there’s one little problem that can’t be explained using the earthquake theory.  On the north side of the city a complete section of wall was found touched only by aged but showing no effects from earthquake damage.  And while no one seems to be able to offer a plausible scientific explanation for this, I’ve got an easy answer.  Rahab was the woman who helped the Israelite spies when they were scouting out the city.  In return for helping them hide, they promised to keep her and her family safe when they came back to conquer the city.  And scripture gives us some very specific information about where Rahab’s house was located.

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall.

Joshua 2:15

The very easy answer to why that section of wall was standing was that it’s the section of the wall Rahab lived in. 

To date there has never been an accredited archeological discovery that would refute the facts as outlined in scripture. Not one.  But there have been many such discoveries that align themselves with biblical accounts.

I love to write about scripture in an expository manner, but sometimes it’s nice to write about the facts that God has left for us to examine.  With that thought in mind I plan on making a post a week for a few months that highlights different secular discoveries that confirm biblical truths.  I hope you enjoy!

Be encouraged,

Jeff

Sittin' under the fig tree...

In biblical times the fig tree was a sign of authority.  The term, “sitting under the fig tree”, is a rabbinical term meant that you were under someone’s spiritual guidance, usually a rabbi. To “eat its fruit” would express that you were following the teachings of the person whose authority you were under. 

Have you ever seen a fig tree?  A mature fig tree is a beautiful sight; low to the ground and very full with thick branches that can spread out up to 75 feet from the trunk.  The leaves are big and thick and the big circumference along with the thick and heavy branches creates a wonderfully dark and cool place even in the heat of the Middle Eastern provinces that they grow…

As Jesus starts His earthly ministry we have the familiar story of Nathaniel becoming one of the first Disciples.  He was approached by Philip, who said:

…"We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

John 1:45

But as the Gospel continues, Nathaniel isn’t convinced but Philip persuades him to come with him and to see Jesus for himself.  When they catch up with Jesus, He makes a very complimentary comment towards Philip that catches him off guard and he wants to know how Jesus comes to this conclusion about him? And:

…Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

John 1:48

The years preceding the earthly ministry of Christ were difficult times for the Jewish people.  The Jews were desperate for the coming of the Messiah and Jewish tradition tells us that a rabbi, who hadn’t prayed for the Messiah to come, hadn’t prayed at all.  In the heat of the arid Middle East climate, the shade and comfort provided by a grand and mature fig tree would be an obvious place to do that.   Church history tells us that Nathaniel was likely a student studying to become a rabbi.  If he was under a fig tree, he very well may have been praying, and if he was praying, he was likely praying for the Messiah to come.

So when we keep these ideas in mind its no surprise at all that upon Christ saying He saw him, “under the fig tree” when Jesus couldn’t have physically seen him, it’s easy to see why Philip has no doubt that this is indeed the Son of God, the Messiah he had been praying for!

So how did Christ see Nathaniel under the fig tree?  God was drawing Nathaniel to Jesus.  Christ tells us that no one can find Him unless the Father draws him or her.  The Greek word translated “draw” is helkuo, which literally means to drag.  This drawing is a one-sided affair. God does the drawing to salvation; we being drawn have a submissive role in the process. There is no doubt that we respond to His drawing us, but the drawing itself is all on His part.

And why does God “draw” us to salvation?  Simply put, if He didn’t we would never come.  As people of the world, still following the desires of the flesh, man is not capable or can he have the desire to see and find God. 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 


Jeremiah 17:9

While there is a general call to all man

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

Only those who present a heart open the call of God’s grace and mercy will find their way to Him.  While all may experience the small, quiet voice of God pulling the strings of their heart into a relationship with Him, sadly, most deny the call and follow the desires of the world.  They choose the world they can see and touch over and eternal existence that can only be known for certain by faith.

As Christians in a relationship with Christ, we were all under the figurative fig tree at one time in our life.  God was drawing us into a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit began to push and pull us in ways that didn’t make a lot of sense at the time.  Then something happened, and that something was usually a someone.  Someone who had the love of Christ in their life sat down and shared it with us in a way that made it all make sense.  Just like Philip brought Nathaniel to Christ from under the fig tree, someone helped us find Him too.

In a spiritual sense the world is full of fig trees.  Many are under the tree looking for many different things but we all should be trying to find the ones that God has started working on.  God was doing all the heavy work but Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus where they could know each other completely.

God always listens so begin to pray for Him to guide you to a “Nathaniel” who only needs to have you help and point the way.  You’ll be surprised how comfortable the shade of the fig tree will be for you too!

Be encouraged,

Jeff