The Vital Breath

Sadly, it is my thought that the data from genetics is being interpreted incorrectly. It is assumed that because all living lifeforms operate on a genetic structure from bacteria to man...that we had to have originated from a simple rudimentary life form. It is claimed as irrefutable proof to validate evolution. Furthermore, science considers genetics a form of evolution that can be quantified or summarized as population genetics over time.

Science has now claimed that because we are made of common substances we have all originated from a common source. I believe this is true in the sense that all lifeforms were created by the same Creator but from a biological standpoint we are dealing with a post hoc fallacy or a fallacy that is based upon the mistaken notion that simply because one thing happens the next has to also. In other words, because bacteria are genetic-based and simple life forms and man is genetic-based and is a complex life form, man came from bacteria. That's like saying: horses have four legs, my dog has four legs, my dog must be a horse. Nonsense.

The data that claims common ancestry of all life can also claim common building-block matter of all life by a Creator. If a carbon-based effectively works for one form of life why would a Creator not continue to use it? The old adage "Don't fix what ain't broke". If all lifeforms are carbon-based it makes all lifeforms compatible with man (genetically). The non-liquid sustenance that man needs to "live" or survive has to partially come from carbon-based tissue or carbon based-lifeforms or we die. Yes, we need vitamins and other minerals to sustain our lives but our primary food sources are carbon-based tissues (animal or vegatable).

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so." ~ Genesis 1:27-30

God could have just as easily made silicon based lifeforms but we wouldn't have been compatible with them, for food. Have you ever try eating sand for sustenance? It made more sense for all of the "living" created order to be compatible with man. It follows that if all genetic material is compatible with man it just may be that all of created order could have been made so that it is biologically compatible with man because...

"to you it shall be for food" ~Genesis 9:3

and

"...and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so." ~Genesis 1:30

When we eat vegetables what are we eating? When we eat the flesh of animals, what are we eating? We are eating inanimate (dead/non-living) carbon-based lifeforms. Yet it sustains our life and keeps us alive. Dead organic material allows us to stay alive. How? The Bible from the very beginning told us it was to be this way. Why can't we eat rocks or sand for dinner to survive. I posit the thought that it is God's order for things. Rocks and sand are inanimate objects just like dead plants and animals. What makes them plants and animals viable for consumption and survival versus rocks and sand?

Of like to like...

When does inanimate non-life become life? When does a molecule or cluster of molecule "jump" the chasm between non-life and life? When does protein, carbohydrates, ATP, glycogen, amino acids, nitrogen, oxygen... stop being what we are chewing in our mouth or digesting in our stomach and become the living, breathing man that types this blog post? When does it become this idea that I am trying to get across to you, the reader. Where does the "life essence" come from? What imparts this force? Do we continue to break matter down into its constituent parts to try and find this life force? Cells, molecules, atoms, quarks, gluons, leptons...trying to find the meaning and significance in the infinitesimal when the truth lies in the infinite. When does a protein or nitrogen atom take a breath and speak words of praise to a transcendent God? How does a protein or atom contemplate its maker?

They had a word for it in Hebrew:  נשמה or nĕshamah (the vital breath [of God] ), the corresponding Greek word is πνοή  or pnoe (breath) which is not far removed from πνεω or pneo (blow, wind) the verb form of pnoe. Pneo ironically is a cognate of pneuma or (spirit, wind). Breathing in signifies life or something is alive. It is the word used in Genesis 2:7 when God breathed the "breath of life" into Adam and a man becomes a "living soul". It is at that moment that there is life.

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." ~ Genesis 2:7 

When do I stop being a sum of the parts that I ingest and become man rather than a pile of biological compost? Yesterday's steak dinner and potatoes became today's love for my God, my wife, my children? When and where is that instant of transcendence? How does it happen?

Science has overlooked the most fundamental aspects of man's existence in an effort to explain away God's existence. If you are a pure methodological naturalist you need to have a source for the "life" found within creation or the created order. Who creates that life force? Who sustains it? Who strikes the match to light it?

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." ~Job 12:10

How can methodological naturalists/atheistic science over look this fact and still have a viable scientific model? How can they reason it in a logical manner. It is balancing an equation with a missing variable [ A + B + C = D ]

"A: Food" + "B: Water" = "D: Life", while skipping "C" completely which is the actual "spark", "breath of life" or "life essence".

You can't get there from here without "C". It's like trying to get from New York to Los Angeles without passing through the midwestern states or even having the vehicle to do so. Its like sitting in a car with no wheels and an empty gas tank.

Incorporeal Pathogen

Satan is a masterful counterfeiter. A master at spreading the disease of twisted truths. When he wasn't able to stop the crucifixion after unwittingly playing his hand in it he tried to stop the spread of The Message by counterfeiting the message itself. He tried to mimic God's handiwork just like he has always done. God has perfect designs and Satan knows it. Why change something perfect anymore than he has to, right? The closer he can keep it to the original the harder it will be to distinguish from the real thing. Blatant outright attacks came in the form of Christian persecution but subversive attacks also came in the form of subtle twisting of doctrine. We are exhorted all throughout the Bible to be on our guard to the wolves sneaking in among the flock to ravage them. He'll change and tweak the truth just enough to convince you error is true. Heresies and false teachers were trying to infiltrate "The Way" before many of the Apostles had entered their rest and eternal glorification in the Lord Jesus and others came after.

Neo-Marcionism, Marcionism, Judaizers, Gnosticsim, Docetism, Arianism, Anomoeanism, etc, etc, etc...the list continues until today. Sadly, many of the infiltrators today aren't even doing something original. They are doing the same things that were done one or two millennium ago and calling it something different. It is another effort to dupe the uninitiated or uninformed. As believers we must be extremely discerning. Sometimes an internal injury to the Body is invisible but can be terminal.

It is the responsibility of those that know the truth to rebuke and correct when these partial truths or half truths twist the Word. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...its a duck.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but this is flattery that isn't needed or welcome in Christ's body. It is an imitation like a virus imitates normal cells in a human or programs in a computer. It mimics the wholesome aspects that are beneficial until it gains access to inner workings and control centers then it sends out more of its minions to infiltrate other hosts to continue to corrupt and destroy. The most useful and powerful counterfeits are the ones that are indistinguishable from the real thing. The closer the counterfeiter can make his ripoff to the original the better it does its job. We now have some infiltrators so deeply embedded in the body the only way to get them out is to amputate or nearly destroy the host.

The Devil does this with more than just doctrine too. He takes love out of the relationship but continues to call it marriage. He takes the word murder out of an abortion and it becomes Pro-Choice. He exchanges the natural use of the body for sex in marriage, moves it outside the marriage (or gender) and still calls it love. Tolerance is changed from a form of forgiveness and is turned into an excuse for ignoring blatantly obvious sin or ignoring people that chose to live immoral lives.

Do you know what a counterfeit looks like? Did you ever use something counterfeit unwittingly? Did you ever try to pass on something you knew was wrong as a truth? Did you ever tell a lie to gain access to something or someone? That is how the virus enters the system. This is how sin infects you and others. Subtle and undetected. This is sin's parasitic nature. Killing you. Draining you of life. A bodiless spiritual leech whose sole existence requires that it feed off of you or others like you and your weaknesses. Waiting for a stray thought to lag behind the flock. Sin isolates you and then gangs up on you and circles in for the kill.

This is why we need to continually examine ourselves to assure that we remain in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). It isn't just to make sure we are in the faith, it is to assure that we are not ravaging the flock. We need to assure that we gather ourselves together and not forsake fellowship. When we are around others like us we will be more inclined to see and recognize those which are not. Sound the alarm and raise the defenses. Not only to protect ourselves but to protect others. Not only for our own survival but as an obligation and duty to the Body.

Prisoner For Christ VI: A Body Made of Mature People

Constructing a letter to the Church body on how to construct a church body.

Let us view Ephesians from a different angle. The unified whole. Ephesians (the letter) is indeed a letter that builds ideas, one upon another to construct a spiritual edifice for a communal body of believers. The letter is like God's plan for unification of the body of both Jew and Gentile which is the Mystery of His will in verse 9. The summing up of all things in Christ (v.10). The letter of  Ephesians is constructed in like manner but instead of a mystery, the facts are made clear and laid out plainly. They are constructed like a house...brick by brick for the entire world to see. The bricks that the Church is constructed of are you and I, one upon another in perfect harmony and in like mindedness of Jesus Christ being both there underlying cornerstone and overall archetype of us as new creations. Humble and meek...serving one another. Without these virtues it just doesn't work. We are all gears that make the wheels of the Church go 'round and Christ is the Head.

Berakah  בְּרָכָה (Eph. 1:3-14)

We see Paul bust out into praise of God directly often in his letters, this is especially true in the intro/greetings and Ephesians is no exception. What I found is that there is an Old Testament pattern for this and it even has a name: Berakah בְּרָכָה (benediction). Within this prayer we see Paul elucidating the wonder of God and His work. Specifically, we see Paul speak of God’s purpose and plan. The fact that God, “…chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” and that He lavished us with grace. That He also, “made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” He was going to work out everything in conformity to the purpose of His will and He included us in this plan (Gentiles)…and the thing is...He didn’t have too. It is called mercy and grace.

 
Fulfillment of God’s Plan:  The Transition From Death to Life

Surprisingly, most do not realize they are dead in their sins or deny it. If there were any doubts this piece of Ephesians (and this commentary) torpedo that presumption. We are clearly objects of wrath in God’s eyes. We are sinful and God is holy and that creates a chasm between Him and us. Until we become new creations in Christ we were living in and of the world. We were under the sway of Satan. We sinned and stored up wrath for ourselves. But, BUT! God’s love for us was so great that He extended His mercy and grace. It is through grace by faith that we are saved. This adds an early emphasis or exclamation point (!) onto the idea that we are not worthy but should live in manner worthy of the calling that we are called to (as mentioned later in Eph. 4:1-6). Again, here, we see mercy and grace...unmerited.

Fulfillment of God’s Plan: Unity of the Church (Eph. 4:1-6)

This breakdown of chapter 4’s introduction stands out in a striking manner to me. We are often drawn to the latter portion of Ephesians (5-6) that speak to individuals operating within a corporate group/community (i.e.: families, slaves, armor) and often speed right past this portion in chapter 4 that is the precursor and lead into those chapters that speak to the importance of the individual (4:7) in the unified communal body. For me, this is a startling contrast but yet it is cohesive. One body and one Spirit…meaning a unified whole made up of “individuals” of a unified mind (of Christ). The use of wordage is impact and pronounced theologically: “worthy of…”. These are not just filler words. Paul is urging in an emphatic manner for people to step forward and live deliberate holy and sanctified lives when he says live worthy of the calling. Although none of us are truly worthy, Christ does instill us with a sense of value because He first loved us and died for us. If we are called to announce this we indeed must step out of our sinful nature to do so…and we are to do it in unity. So often we try to do it on our own and this method is destined for failure. Only in Christ with the aid of others of like mind can we do this is a world in rebellion against God and acting as our adversary. The realm of Satan, (Eph 6:12) "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Radical Change in Human Relationships (Ephesians 5:22-6:9)

hypakouo). Jesus also acts as the foundational support from underneath or the cornerstone mentioned in Ephesians 2:20. As with any building or structure there is the idea of finishing the construction…there is an intent of completing it or the idea that we are to work towards completion…in Christ. To work towards our glorification in Christ Jesus.

Ironically, unlike a building we cannot gauge the completion of a body by its vertical and horizontal limits like we can the building or an unconscious edifice. For a body we need to gauge its completion individually or corporately...by its maturity. When a body reaches maturity it is complete. We reach completion in Christ when we reach maturity in Christ or come to maturity in Christ. The full measure of maturity is when all the aspects of the plan or system come together at the same time. The Kingdom in its optimum condition is a mature Body of mature believers. Mature believers are spiritually attuned believers, educated believers, discerning believers. God glorifying believers.

Conversely, if we have immature believers in the church and we do nothing to help educate them and bring them to maturity in the Body if we are able to do so, then we ourselves are also immature. We are immature because we have not seen the divine purpose in the unity of believers in Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10) which is in accordance with God's will.

Lastly, I want to mention a dramatic aside from Paul by jumping back to Chapter 5:3-14. Nestled in this pericope, right in the middle of what appears to be a grocery list of sinful things that need to be replaced with righteous things in a Christian’s life, we see something radical (at least in comparison to the surrounding text of peace and harmony in a unified body of believers). Specifically we see it in v.5-6 Paul's menacing exhortation that we can be sure of:

"…everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous  (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

We then see the result of sexual immorality

“...for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

Something ominous but expected from a just God that must judge sin. Many pastors and preachers take great pains to skip over this like a stone on water. Instead of rebuking the behavior and addressing the eternal implications of these verses, they often stay mute or sugar coat it. Instead, preachers should move beyond the niceties and speak the plain truth of this passage regardless of how painful it is for people to hear. Stop tickling their ears.

This is the approach Paul speaks of here.  It is the end result of the wrath stored up against an immoral sinner that doesn’t seek repentance. It is the threat of unending separation from God or “to whom is apportioned/ reserved the  blackness of the darkness forever” [οις ο ζοφος του σκοτους εις αιωνα τετηρηται] of Jude 13.  That is scary stuff to ponder. Eternal blackness of darkness seperated from light, from truth, from glory...for eternity. Sometimes you just need to scare the living daylights out of people or literally scare them out of their sin. There is a price to be paid for immorality that the culture not only excepts but it encourages.

Who cares what man thinks? Man cannot exact eternal punishment and destroy the soul as God can. This is a rather startling aside and exhortation for radical change. Change that shows true maturity in the faith.

You'd be well advised to try and make it happen.

Book Review: John by R.C. Sproul

R.C. Sproul’s “John” Commentary from Reformation Trust Publishers is laid out in what I refer to as a devotional commentary. Sproul chose not to focus in on every individual verse and every individual word. Instead he chose the primary ideas outlined by John in his gospel. For example Sproul broke up chapters 1 & 2 of John in the following manner.

The Prologue (1:1-18) this portion which included the nuances of the logos and the idea of light and as flesh Jesus reveals grace and truth. The idea that Christ came but His own people did not accept Him.

Who Are You? (1:19-28) we see John the Baptist come into view as the forerunner of Christ, the one who make straight the path for the Lord. The Jews realize that this man may be a prophet who has come to them after a four hundred year spiritual drought.

The Lamb of God (1:29-51) the iterations of John that shows Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

The Wedding Feast (2:1-11) the wedding at Cana where Jesus initiates His first “sign”.

The Cleansing of the Temple (2:12-25) Christ drives the livestock out of the Temple and flips the tables of the money changers. We also see a short mildly cryptic statement about Jesus knowing people and not entrusting Himself to them which them launches directly into the narrative of Nicodemus.

The general outline of the book follows this format. It doesn’t deal with specific nuances unless it drives the concept that R.C. is trying to address in his book. One thing that needs to be noted is Sproul’s Calvinist point of view which comes into plain view in John 6:37 when Jesus says, “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” Sproul cites this idea as pivotal to the idea of election and divine sovereignty. He states:

"With these words, Jesus taught those who were gathered, including His disciples, that there are a number of people whom the Father has determined will come to the Son.”

This theme is revisited in the Upper Room Discourse and the great High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17:12 and the fact that Jesus states that “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.” These scenarios to Sproul imply that there are set total of people predetermined or “predestined” by the Father that will be saved.

As for the remainder for the rest of the book not outlined I must say I did enjoy reading it. It offered other insights into the text not necessarily covered in other commentaries. The Gospel of John is an abundantly rich text and no single commentary could ever cover all of it thoroughly but Sproul does a good job.


Rating: 95 out of 100

Symbiosis

Some of my more recent posts are to reach out to my old engineering friends to show them how a scientific world view can be compatible with a Christian worldview and you don't have to compromise your integrity or check your brain at the door. The Bible said to renew your mind, not remove it. What you will see below is a standard cosmological and teleological defense for God's existence with a distinct essence. The essence is Christian. I defend with the understanding that it is the God of the Bible who, by His very nature is orderly and His creation both human and non-human reflect His attributes or the essence of His creative mastery. He is the Eternally Existent One, the Great "I AM".

I posit for the existence of God as a Divine Creator, the First Cause/Uncaused Cause and the Intelligent Designer as revealed in the Christian Holy Writ. Anyone that has read the Pentateuch (Torah) understands what I mean when I say that we are under a God of order. From the Christian God there is an expectation of obedience to His laws and conformity to what these laws strive for: Holiness...and that my friends, is beautiful.
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Thought: What is it and why do we do it in a linear manner?

Matter: Why is most of it constructed in a orderly structured manner?

Time: Why does it move in a linear manner, only forward (except in the movies)?

God created and built us up out of the basic components in the universe. We're made of the same things that the sun is made of but we are infinitely more. For us to understand it [God's creation] we need to break it down into its smallest components again because we cannot understand it in it's complexity as created, we can only understand it as "0" or "1" or individual facts or data.

We need computers to understand the "0" and "1" or "A" and "B" in quantity. We filter all of this complexity through sensory organs that appear to work only in a serial manner or a single stream of input 1 bit at a time. The Bible has already done this. Folks wonder why God chose to use this medium to maintain a physical link with us. The original Hebrew bible pretty much look like this if you really think about it:

"sihtekildekoolhcumytterp"

That isn't much different than this...

"000010001101000011000"

How long did it take man to figure out binary code? It has existed in nature in the form of DNA since creation? This was already done in vigenary form (22nd integer). Not surprisingly Hebrew alpha characters correspond to a numerical value and are deciphered right to left similar to simple mathematics, adding, subtract, multiple, divide. Don't get me started on the way DNA is constructed. DNA is quite literally data. Digital data in biological form.

I also believe the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: Entropy ...is the curse God put on man because of Adam and Eve's sin. Everything tends toward disorder. Entropy increases over time which can account for the more rapid or exponential deterioration of the creation as be approach it's end.

I also believe the so-called strong and weak nuclear "forces" that hold the atom in check are referred to in Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His POWER" . Physicists cannot quantify what force "is" in their theories. Force is nothing more than a variable in an equation. Force has both magnitude and direction so it can be measured...but what is "it" EXACTLY? We can see the affects/effects of it in the universe but WHAT IS IT? And while I'm at it..what is the electromagnetic force? This is why the Higgs Boson (god particle)/ Large Hadron Collider has become so important. If they can produce it...they claim don't need God anymore to prove their goofy equations. The very fact that creation can be calculated, that the universe is a system, within a system, within a system ad-infinitum into the microcosmic realm only validates my theory further. The fact that the universe is not some incalculable incoherent mess speaks of order. A universe created by a God of order that made things within His creation to behave according to rules and laws...including humans.

Why does crystalline lattice structure in crystals arrange themselves in a unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline liquid or solid. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice exhibiting long-range order and symmetry. Motifs are located upon the points of a lattice, which is an array of points repeating periodically in three dimensions. The points can be thought of as forming identical tiny boxes, called unit cells, that fill the space of the lattice. The lengths of the edges of a unit cell and the angles between them are called the lattice parameters. The symmetry properties of the crystal are embodied in its space group. A crystal's structure and symmetry play a role in determining many of its physical properties, such as cleavage, electronic band structure, and optical transparency. It's as if it all matter that exists in a crystalline form has the ability to self-replicate... by design.

The perfect harmonious whole. The Christian and the Church could learn from the orderliness of the God's awesome creation. Granted there is not a lot of emotion involved but the structure is amazing. I mean just look at the tight wound helix in the post picture. What if this was a stand of DNA in the egg that will become a child of God. The individual members are in a constant dance circling around one another working together in perfect harmony to an unheard divine melody and will continue to do so unless something invades (sin) from the outside and disturbs it throwing it out of its intended purpose. It will be free from defects unless an individual component goes rogue and mutates. Perfect, unless individual components become dysfunctional or fail to do their job to support the body. If the individuals stay harmonious the whole system thrives. If even one falls victim to mutation the entire system suffers.

Ephesians 4:12 "...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:15-16 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

Feed the components of the system what they need and they will support the entire system in unity. Abuse individuals and they will fade and fall away eventually destroying the entire whole. It is called symbiosis. In the Greek:  σύν / syn: "with" and  βίωσις / biosis: living. Living with. Not just living with - but living with in harmony. Inanimate nature having the fingerprint of its Creator does a better job than its animate and conscious counterpart humanity.

Philippians 1:18-22 "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.

Philippians 1:24 "...but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."

In the 19th century the word symbiosis (which previously had been used of people living together in community) to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens. In 1879 by the German mycologist Heinrich Anton de Bary, defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms." Ironically the symbiotic relationship can be communal, mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic in nature. Symbiotic relationships can be obligate, meaning that both symbionts entirely depend on each other for survival.

Philippians 1:4: "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..."

Organization - Association - Uniformity

Not sure about you but to me this sounds strangely familiar...

Prisoner For Christ V: “Each for the Other, All In Christ #2”-Father & Children

Ephesians 6:4a “Fathers, do not exasperate your children…”

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” This passage is generally a continuation of the thought that begins in Ephesians 5:21 and pertains to the children in the family unit. Paul was explaining the proper roles and relationships of the individual family unit in the larger context of the responsibilities and relationships as believers in the Church at-large. As with the marriage the relationship is to be “in Christ”. This applies to children. Paul tells the fathers not to exasperate or “deliberately antagonize and provoke to anger” the children. Instead train and instruct them in the precepts of the Lord (more on this later). This is an echo of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6.

The Shema was/is the centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words before death, and parents teach it to their children before they go to sleep at night. Jesus even quotes from it in Mark (12:29) when asked which commandment is most important.

Again, I have struggled here since I am not the most patient man in the world. I immediately go for prayer if time allows. I point my mind towards Christ.

I have tried to implement fail safe measures to avoid “snapping out” at my kids when they clearly push my buttons. Stepping away and trying to become a third-party observer (objective). I purposely step back and pray a “microburst”pray of patience and guidance in these situations. I have consciously decided to “be the adult” in this situations and put my desire to yell or rant in subjection to the will of the One that created me. Of all the sins that continue to hold on to, this is the most stubborn one. When I react in anger in these situations it is unrighteous anger (Eph. 4:26-27). It boils down to the desire to totally control the bad behaviors of my kids and fix them myself. I can’t do that because it just causes more quarreling. I now realize they are little people…but they are still people. ISo after I bite the bullet and gain control of my emotions by putting them in subjugation to a Biblical pattern of behavior (if I can), I then try to move on to phase two.

I let the situation simmer down and then show my children that disobedience to their parents is disobeying God and His precepts. God has put parents over the child. In the Greek the word is hupakouo: they are to subordinate themselves to mom and dad. Ephesians 6:1-2 are clear, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” And here is the clincher, “Honor your father and mother”… “so that it may go well with you…” I continue to try to explain and instill the idea in my kids that this God’s blueprint for…a God glorifying family. It pleases God.

It is interesting to note that Jesus willfully subordinated Himself to the Father and it brought honor to the Father. I tell this to my children. What did the Father do for His Son in Philippians 2? He “exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”In John 17:1 we see reciprocity between the Father and the Son and a desire to be bring honor to one another. This is what I try to do for my wife and my children and will continue to do. I will continue to behave in a manner that best glorifies God first, and my wife and children second. Ironically, I believe that by doing the first, the second falls into place by default. This then leads to my last application.

Ephesians 6:4b- “…instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

This especially speaks to my heart since I believe I am also being called to teach the body of the Church at large. I really need to get this right at home before trying to move on to large things. The Bible is clear on this premise (1 Timothy 3:4-5)- An elder/leader, “must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him”… “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”To a lesser extent Luke 12:48.

Along with keeping emotions in subjection to the will of God through prayer and deliberate controlled behavior I need to plan and educate my children in Biblical precepts outlined in the Bible. As with all three of these applications there is the importance of time spent in prayer and meditation with the Lord. It is paramount and critical to all my other relationships that I maintain and build the one with God. A family (and Church) is a symphony of many different pieces and moving parts. A spiritually choreographed symphony and Christ is the tuning fork. He is the key we need to be tuned to and this is where the prayer and meditation on God and His precepts are critical. It is my time to tune to God’s note. Tune to His will. As a common starting point for the Church, the family, the husband, wife and child it grounds all in harmony…in Christ.

Once this is accomplished I then need to systematically explain not only to my children but also my wife the ideas outlined in the Bible and apply them in a way and explain them in a way exactly as I have here in this paper.

Generally I have found these three areas of applications are areas of entrenchment for my sin and thereby have become footholds for the enemy. I need to implement or continue the plans I have stated in this paper before this sin starts fortifying their hold on me.

To wrap up the last two posts Prisoner For Christ III & IV I will do it in an easy to remember formula.


Children In Christ + Parents In Christ = God Honoring Family in Christ
Families in Christ = Church in Christ
Church In Christ = Spreads the Gospel…and glories the Father

God relies on time proven method to spread Gospel: A Family in Christ Jesus


Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

If It Walks Like Sin and Talks Like Sin...

In light of recent events in the news I felt like reposting this from last year. It is almost a year to the day and nothing changes , there is nothing new under the sun as Qoheleth once said in Ecclesiastes. The only thing different between modern time and all the other eras in human history is we get the news instantly now...and boy, do we get a lot of it too. From the local folks to the "leaders" of our country.

Adultery, Sexual Perversion, Murder, Denying God, Abortion, Corrupt Leadership, False Teachers, Haughtiness, Idolatry, Covetousness, Greed, Lust, Assault, Violence, False Accusations, False Witness, Extortion, Bribery, Blackmail, Arrogance, Sorcery, Hate, Cruelty, Hypocrisy, Disobedience, Conceit, Fraud, etc, etc, etc.

Sin has fallen off radar in our modern culture when it comes to fashionable terminologies. In the Church’s battle over ambivalence with our postmodern culture it has become unfashionable to use words like sin, repent, apostasy, and in due course…salvation. The world doesn’t seem to care and doesn’t seem to notice sin. Only backwoods anti-intellectuals use words like sin or so the culture says. We are sending a huge portion of our recent generations directly to Hell never having known better because many people that do know or should know do not correct misconceptions. It is all because certain words are not trendy and all because certain ideas are so “yesterday”. People are too busy trying to make friends instead of trying to convert them and correct their misunderstandings. The churches that do bend to the trend end up sacrificing a huge portion of proper doctrine and proper theology catering to people that are often times indifferent and only looking for meaningless spirituality that has no god behind it. Either that or they want a god that fits their schedule and their needs so that it doesn't inconvenience them.

Sin is no longer a moral or spiritual bankruptcy, it is now a disease or a condition that is an outcropping of our ego, superego or our id (or whatever the shrinks/quacks are calling it this month). According to the experts it is a disorder that is not our own fault. We need not take accountability for this disorder because it was brought on by parents that overindulged/under indulged us with materialism because they didn’t know any better. Good thing we do, right? Sin is now a medical condition treatable with antidepressants, psychotropic drugs or just plain narcotics to help you either forget about it or dull your senses the same way wine would have "back in the day".

The love affair with sin didn’t end, it just changed names. When it changed names it stopped having a relevance and connotation as something negative. It no longer required an atoning sacrifice according to our culture (if they had their way they would say it never was necessary). It no longer required judgment. If an action really wasn’t wrong in the eyes of the people why would it need to be judged? Why would it require justice? Man defined the terms and thereby defined the meaning. If men said it was okay, then it was okay, wasn’t it? If its meaning was morally neutral who would care what you did. Does this sound familiar?

"It's a victimless crime. I'm not really hurting anyone"

"I'd never intentionally hurt someone"............how about unintentionally?

Things have ceased to have any solid meaning thereby not requiring a definitive and decisive reaction or a decisive punishment. If you haven't gotten punished then you're not wrong, right? According to our cultures twisted philosophy the perpetrators have all become victims. No one is at fault for anything anymore. Our disorders are not the by-product of our actions but rather a product of a society that neglected us or treated us unfairly. No one ever directly gets blamed at and individual level and held accountable for their actions. Only large nebulous generalized entities are blamed, "they", "them", "the right", "the left", "the fundamentalists", etc.

...and so it goes.

The terms change and out goes division and divisiveness, and in comes diversity. Out goes God’s grace and mercy and in comes man’s “rights” and self-aggrandizement. Out goes love for your neighbor and in comes “every man for himself”. Out goes optimism and in comes cynicism. Love is out, hate is in. Tolerance is acceptable but only until you start infringing on my opinions, my life and my well-being…never mind you. The "I" and "me" are more important than the "you" and the "we".

In our consumer society we must always have the “newest” everything even the newest terms, slang and jargon. Unfortunately, along with these terms come ideas that are destroying us and doing it with as smile. Diversity, fairness, tolerance, rights, etc are some of these terms to name a few. These terms in many cases were originally created and used for good purposes but like everything else Satan has gotten his unholy claws on, they have become twisted and misused.

It is just like a consumer society to toss something in the garbage can after it has lost its appeal or perceived relevance. When something is worn out or deemed old it is thrown out and replaced. These current terms will change again in the near future. Evil never rests and continues to change and morph so to be unrecognizable except to an extremely discerning eye. We as believers must stay vigilant and call people out when we know what somethings is. This is especially true when our culture tries to call it something it is not and mislabel it purposely to serve their own end (or the Devil's). Evil is still evil. Good is still good.

"Woe to those that call evil good and good evil" Isaiah 5:20

It may have a thousand other "nicer" and "trendier" names or technical diagnoses but if it walks like a sin and talks like a sin...

Its like the three monkeys holding their eyes, ears and mouth. You can pretend sin doesn't exist, you can pretend not to hear it, you may deny speaking it, or seeing it...but it is still there. We as humans must come to grips with the fact that wickedness dwells in the hearts of all people. What makes the difference is if we allow it to stay there or if it gets replaced. What we replace it with is crucial. If we replace it with more things of the world (therapy, psychoanalysis) we doom ourselves. If we replace it with the things of God, with Christ, with the holy things we are on our way to true recovery and true deliverance

Prisoner For Christ IV: “Each for the Other, All In Christ: Part 1” Husband & Wife

I’ve chosen a life application out Ephesians chapter 5 and two from chapter 6 that I have applied directly to my life so others can see how to apply them to theirs. These applications are in no way an intent to encompass the entire meaning of the portions of Scripture that they reside in but rather how I have put these portions of Scripture into play in my life…in this case portions from Ephesians 4-6.  

Ephesians 5:25-32 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church…”

At the root of the next (3) three applications is a self-sacrificing love (agape) that seeks to first assure the well-being of another. I am in a daily battle of repeating this behavior. I find that each day presents its own set of issues and I need to re-center on Christ every day and sometimes multiple times a day in prayer. I continually put forth the same effort to put Christ above all things in my thinking (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). I am human and prone to failure because of my fallen and sinful nature.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word…” ~Ephesians 5:25-26 

This passage goes on but the concept is well known among Christians. Just as Christ loved and gave Himself up for the Church. This is an idea that is known but not often fully understood and is foreign to even many Christians in the society/culture. We have (myself included) been raised in a culture that focuses on self/selfishness and rugged individualism. This is contrary to a Christian worldview in most cases. In my marriage I have learn that I have been closest to a broken marriage or damaged relationship with my wife when I focus on self and become selfish. We are called to do the opposite with our families. In this passage our wives. I have clearly struggled in this area over 10 years of marriage (as many do). I solemnly vowed to my God, my wife and myself that I would do certain things to correct this and continue to do so.

I pray and meditate on God/Jesus and His Word.

I would always consider the well-being and needs of my wife first before myself and will continue to do so. This is a reciprocal relationship. I realize now that my wife loves me and is concerned enough for me that if I did neglect myself she would tell me. In considering her as my wife I often put her needs and wants above my own (as Jesus did for us). It is the same pattern I have managed to accomplish with God. I think first how my actions perpetuate the Kingdom and accomplish God’s will. God has clearly stated in His Word that I am to emulate Christ in my relationship with my wife.

The self-sacrificial love is difficult but I also forfeit and intend to continue to forfeit how I am perceived by other people to bring glory and honor to my wife. I believe this is what many secular men call being “whipped”. I call it doing the right thing. I tell my wife where I will be and my schedule. I do not want her to worry. I am old school and do not often use my cell phone so I still pre-plan my day so my wife has an understanding of the where’s and the what’s of my day…even at the cost of mockery from my unmarried friends that don’t fully grasp this. Perhaps that is why they are still unmarried?

So the pattern starts with a desire to bring honor to God through my obedience and then subsequently carries over or trickles down to my marriage relationship that is in Christ. Honor to God through a proper relationship with Him. Honor to wife in a mutual relationship with obedience to God and desire to honor wife in a Godly and Biblical manner.

When we go to the next post about Ephesians 6:4 we see the unfolding of the father and child relationship. It is here were we really begin to get the bigger picture of the Christian home.

Harmonious Christian families are formed “In Christ” as the foundation. They are mutually submissive triangular relationships between a husband, wife and children. This sounds an awful lot like the Godhead as a model. When we have multiple Christian homes aligned to God builds it builds a society of God (aka: The Church, The Kingdom of God). If Family/society is “in Christ”. Jesus acts as overarching example of love/humility for us to obey but yet he comes to support us in our failings during our process of becoming more holy. This is akin to the Ephesians 5:21 Greek word hupotasso (incorrectly translated into English as submit) attributed to the husband/wife/parent role and it means to come alongside and under in an act of mutual submission and also support. In Jesus' case he is not inferior but willingly serves with a servants heart (foot washing). Paradoxically, Jesus also acts as the foundational support from underneath which is akin to the Ephesians 6:1 Greek word hupokouo which means to be arranged under. In the case of Jesus, not in a roll of subservience but rather in the roll of support from underneath such as the cornerstone mentioned in Ephesians 2:20.

As a whole we see obedience and mutual submission is of supreme importance and imperative to the spiritually healthy family. These are grounded in the person and work of Christ. Christ’s presence in our home brings Kingdom of Heaven to our homes. From our homes the Kingdom/Church branches out into the world (society) reshaping it from the ground up by changing hearts. It is here we see that the commitment for Big “C” on Sunday comes from commitment of Little “c” at home. It starts with our children because they are the future of the Church. God has chosen to make the spread and growth of the Church dependent on humanity and humanity’s survival is dependent on our children. Teaching children about the Lord and His precepts assures the Gospel’s survival through God’s chosen method-


My other application pertain to educating our offspring in to Chapter 6...in my next post.