The Bible, Part 3

Introduction

This program is being presented in an effort to investigate all Christian truth-claims by comparing them with a contextual understanding of the Bible and its original intent. We are not interested in supporting or promoting any tradition, person, practice, culture, or denomination that stands contrary to this reasonable and contextual approach to scripture. Nothing is so sacred that it is exempt from scrutiny, nothing so popular and accepted that it won’t be discarded if found wanting and unreasonable. This is Heart of the Matter… where we make every effort to worship God in Spirit and Truth.

Show 4 430: The Bible – Part III

Reflection on John Chapter 16

Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is Heart of the Matter, where our aim is to help all people worship God in Spirit and in Truth. I am your host, Shawn McCraney.

In John chapter 16, Jesus has been preparing the eleven apostles for his up and coming demise. And He tells them – actually prophesies to them (at verse 2):

2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

I would suggest to you that this passage presents us with a fact, a prophesy and model. The fact is that they had already chased Jesus out of the Synagogue and are about to kill him using God as their justification, the prophesy is they will do the same to His apostles, and the model is that the same religious mindset will, for centuries upon centuries, drive others to do the same.

Zeal Without Knowledge

If you know the Father, and you have the heart of Jesus beating in your chest, and you let that light of love shine to all people you can bet your bottom dollar that the people who will be the HARDEST on you and will hate you the most will be the most religiously orthodox. Jesus tells these humble fishers of men that they will not only be cast out of the synagogues but that the people who do such things will do them FULLY CONVINCED that they are doing God’s will… in killing them!

Interestingly enough, one of the greatest persecutors of the apostles and followers of Christ was a man named Saul, who earnestly believed he was doing God’s will in brutalizing the Saints. We read in Acts 9:1 that:

“. . . Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest . . .”

In Galatians 1:13, Paul himself wrote:

“For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.”

In Acts 26:9-11, Paul says:

“I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.”

Was Paul committed to the tenets of his former faith? Absolutely. He was devout. Zealous. A Pharisee of Pharisees. So much so that he even felt it his duty to persecute and even kill Christians. That’s commitment, right. Can’t question Paul’s devotion.

Thomas Fuller said:

“Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.”

It’s a great quote from a church historian because what reason does Jesus give for men of misguided devotion taking such action of kicking them out of synagogues and putting them to death? (read the next verse):

3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

In other words, they had ZEAL without knowledge. And all who do such things are in the same boat. Under the law, it was customary for Jews to want to destroy those who did not believe or behave the way they thought they should. I mean, they actually stoned people to death for such diversions.

Continuing the Conversation

In Luke chapter 9 we read about this attitude still abiding in the hearts of the apostles as it says:

Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time…

The Journey to Jerusalem

"Was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."

Misunderstanding God's True Nature

“Life eternal,” Jesus says in John 17:3 is to “know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Miss knowing them and we are sure to miss knowing how they really view and see all things, and then we become capable of actually thinking we are justified in doing all sorts of things in His name and cause . . . when we are really just acting out from our own diseased minds. To a Jew, a blasphemer was deserving of death. In the case of Jesus and His apostles they, in all honestly believed they were worthy of death – and a blasphemer UNDER THE LAW would have been.

But lacking a real knowledge of the invisible God (and His Son whom He sent into to the world to save) they missed the whole point and thrust and purpose of God – they missed His true identity – which is utter unlove – and ended up saying and doing the OPPOSITE of what God and Christ would sanction. And these responses have thrived in the hearts of religious men and women ever since. I do not speak theoretically. The Crusades were not the first in a long history of Christians thinking they do God’s will of killing (or calling down fire from heaven) to wipe people out who disagree with them.

Heretics have long been subject to the Christian rack, witches and suspected witches too. Of course there have been doctrinal wars where tens of thousands have been tortured and killed in God’s name just for thinking differently. And the killing today has NOT stopped – instead it’s more about killing the character than the body.

The Cause of Misguided Actions

Again, what is the cause? Jesus tells us plainly right here: "And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." We might think we are far removed from such barbarous thoughts and actions – that we, as humble believers could never be included in the ranks of those who kill, “thinking they do God’s service.” But I would suggest – and I have to look in the mirror long and hard when I say this having been more guilty of than most people alive – but I would suggest that ANYTIME . . . we justify hatred, evil, revenge, controlling, or punishing people for who they are, what they do, or how they believe and we use God as our justification we only prove that we don’t know Him or His Son.

Reflections from Charles Templeton's Journey

I have a dear brother and friend named Mark who is an ardent seeker of truth and attends CAMPUS Gatherings here on Sundays. Last Sunday he passed a book onto me from an author many Christians are familiar with if they have been around and involved for the past 20 or 30 years. The authors name is Charles Templeton and his book is titled: “Farewell to God.” My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith

Why would Christians recognize this book? Possibly because Charles Templeton was once a dear friend and traveling Evangelist with Billy Graham. Possibly because Templeton was a premiere mass evangelist whose face and name was all over the news when he was in the mass evangelism game. On the back of the book is a photograph of the last mass evangelistic outreach Templeton participated in. It was the Fall of 1954 and the place was Harrisburg Pennsylvania, the very mission I happened to be called to by the LDS church back in 1980.

Again, I have never read this book nor a synopsis of Templeton’s complaints or questions that lead him to agnosticism (which is what he now professes himself to be). The book was published all the way back in 1996, a year before.

Examining the Beliefs of Templeton

I became a Christian and what I have discovered thus far (I haven’t come close to finishing) is that the VERY…SAME…THINGS that troubled Templeton in his years as a believer have been touched on or addressed here on Heart of the Matter. He began an involvement with the 1940’s North American phenomenon known as Youth For Christ but admits, even then, that it was more “show business” than church.

For seven years Templeton followed the witness and beliefs of people he fell into associations with after his conversion but wondered about some things in the back of his mind, namely the literal Genesis account and what he calls, “the monstrous evil of an endless hell.” His conversations with Billy Graham did not help as Graham’s stance was, “If its in the Bible that’s what I choose to believe.” It wasn’t so much the stance that rubbed Templeton the wrong way but it was the refusal to challenge or question the stance that helped push Templeton further down the road.

He makes note that early on in his association with the church the obvious scandal of what churches and ministries were calling a love offering (which I have always resisted having seen the game first hand) became apparent. Leaving full time ministry for a time he attended Princeton’s Doctorate program and was then given an honorary doctorate from Lafayette College. He then re-entered the evangelistic game only to become more and more alienated by its tenets.

Faith and Inquiry

One of Templeton’s greatest annoyances is what he calls, “abandonment of the inquiry.” He has equal criticism for atheists and Christian theists stating that they all walk by faith and considers himself neither – only an agnostic – someone who cannot know if there is a God. From what I was told on Sunday Templeton is especially hard on Jesus – I fortunately have not reached this part in the book. But I do want to present a few quotes that I have run across that, from what I can tell, Templeton considered revolutionary but I consider biblical.

For instance, on page 19 Templeton says, “There is no need to . . . erect costly temples, to follow elaborate forms of worship, or to sanctify ordinary men on the presumption that by virtue of their vocation they have special access to the truth.” I agree – as an ardent, Bible believing Christian I agree Charles. Those in power (or who are controlled by the power) might not, but I do. And I think the Bible does too.

On page 23 Templeton, after describing the fact that there are many gods and have been many gods over the course of time (a fact which Paul readily admits) he says, “most of the gods require unquestioning obedience.” First of all, I don’t see that as being anything out of the ordinary for a god. I mean, police officers require obedience, as do school teachers as do kings and queens. If a god requires it such a request is in harmony with the laws of the universe, right. But what I can’t fathom is Templeton has yet to explain that the Christian God has long desired . . . even demanded . . . love. I make this a point on this show because we have tried to articulate the same.

Salvation and Suffering

Turning up the heat, Templeton quotes from Ephesians where Paul says, speaking of Jesus: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which you may be saved; for there is salvation in no other,” and then adds that in the face of all the people who, due to culture have never known and would never receive Jesus that this was just “insufferable presumption” on Paul’s part. But then Templeton gets to the source of his heartburn saying: “The implication of this belief is clear: it is that the vast majority of the men, women and children who have lived on earth are in Hell suffering endless torment and will remain in this condition forever.”

Oh, brother Templeton, friend to Billy Graham, honorary doctorate recipient, former Evangelist to hundreds of thousands, have you abandoned your first love because of the traditions of Men and a faulty reading of God’s word?

Templeton goes on and on page 29 says there is “no such thing as ‘the Church’ in the brick and mortar sense." Amen, Brother Templeton. And we’re going to use some time to prove this through the Word.

But first let’s have a word of prayer.

PRAYER PRAYERPRAYERPRAYER

PRAYER PRAYERPRAYERPRAYER

Last week we introduced the idea that God primarily related to the Nation of

Spiritual Understanding in Christianity

Israel, and then through the promised Messiah, and then His chosen apostles physically and that once Jesus came and heaped judgment on Jerusalem (while saving the Church in that day) that God now relates to the world spiritually. In other words, today Christ’s kingdom is spiritual and it is known and perceived by the Spirit – and not the things of the flesh.

When viewed in this manner we begin to see how the baptisms that John the baptist performed were so utterly inferior to the baptism of the Spirit (and of fire that Jesus would bring) that it caused the baptist to admit that he wasn’t worthy to even tie the man’s shoes. The Bible, pure and simple, is a history of this physical economy, but sprinkled through the New Testament narrative are passages that directly speak to this ultimate end of the Kingdom of God living and abiding in the heart of the individual and not in brick and mortar edifices under flesh and blood authority.

Scriptural Evidence

If I am correct in this point of view, every Christian ought to start rethinking the purpose and point of the brick and mortar church, ecclesiastical leadership (so called) and any and all ordinances or rituals or tithes or demands placed upon them by such. Now, it is one thing to suggest that that the Bible presents the physical church and quite another to support it by scripture. So let me offer up nine sets of passages from the Word of God that endorse my position. At least this is how I read them. See if you agree.

We’ll begin with 1st Corinthians 15:46-48. Admittedly this is not a super strong support for my position, but in my opinion there is an allusion to the whole idea in the words of Paul. Here he says:

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

Taking all the other passages into consideration I see Paul alluding to a simple set of principles. The natural or earthly came first. I would call this the content of the Bible record. That the heavenly or spiritual came second – when everything shifted to the human heart by the spirit. Consider it.

Further Insights

The second set of scriptures are also from Paul and are also in 1st Corinthians 2:10-16. These get a bit more to the point. Speaking of the glories in heaven that eye has not seen nor ear heard, Paul says:

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

In Hebrews 8:10 we read the following. And since we know that by faith we are all Israel it pertains to believers today. And this is what the writer says:

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Doesn’t that sound…

Spiritual Warfare and the New Covenant

Like a spiritual church or body. That the Spirit is teaching us what we ought to know and not men? How about a short one? We read it, memorize it, but have you ever really considered it? In Ephesians 1:3 Paul says:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

Of course, throughout the Bible, we read of wars and warfare and battles and physical skirmishes, don’t we? That is gone in Jesus' name. It’s all transferred to spiritual skirmishes, folks. Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-18. Consider the weaponry of warfare described, the approach to the warfare, and how we engage in it?

10 Finally, my brethren, (Paul says) be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (none of which are physical) 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

Every whit of this advice is spiritually based, founded on spiritual matters, and drawing from heaven.

The Spiritual Foundation of Believers

What about Peter? Speaking of Jesus he wrote:

1st Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, (and then speaking of believers says) 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

More spiritual applications – which is what matters. From the heart. Peter here mentions a spiritual house. Listen to Paul in Ephesians again. He has been talking about gentiles and their alienation from God’s chosen people and then he says:

Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Again, this speaks to a spiritual body of believers – which is the true body. The brick and mortar in most cases just gets in the way.

A Better Covenant

But let me end with what I believe slams the door on any appeal that suggests what people call “The Visible” is requisite today. The passages are not easy to grasp right off the bat so let me walk us through them. They’re found in Hebrews chapter 12 beginning at verse 18. In the book, the writer is constantly reminding his audience that the New Covenant is FAR better than the Old – and he supplies them with a number of examples on how.

At verse 18 of chapter 12, he appeals to the gathering of the Nation of Israel around Sinai when Moses went up to the Mount to get the Law. And He says to these New Testament believers:

Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

(EXPLAIN HERE SHAWN, THEN)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and…

The Heavenly Assembly

To an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Critique of Organized Christian Gatherings

The idea is not radical. And I’m not talking about the elimination of Christian gatherings. I’m talking about a revision of what people have allowed organized Christian gatherings to become – physical institutions that are self-sustaining and full of mularky.

Deconstruction Now!

Let’s open up the phone lines:

SPOT

CLOSE

Remember, next week, a two hour taping between Pastor Jason Wallace (with a moderator) and myself which will then air on his program. Our studio can hold 100 people so if you want to attend please go to CampusChurch.TV for directions. That’s next Tuesday night, 8-10 pm here on HOTM.

Disturbing Practices at a Camp

HOW ABOUT SOME MORE NIGHTMARES FROM THE INTERNET?

A kid was being forced to go to a Christian Camp called Straight Camp. Among the camp’s practices here are the posted rules from a blog about it:? 1. Kids in the program are not allowed to speak to anyone, not even their parents, for at least the first two days. ?2. Kids are not allowed to go anywhere unless they are accompanied by at least two other participants, one of which has to have at least 8 weeks of prior indoctrination. ?3. Kids are not allowed to keep a journal or a diary ?4. Kids are not allowed to discuss what goes on in the program with anyone, not even their parents ?5. Kids are not allowed to have contact with any family members other than parents, who also go through the program ?6. Kids are not allowed to have any physical contact with any human being other than a handshake or a pat on the shoulder, and only when authorized. ?7. Kids are not allowed outside of a small geographic area within Memphis, even if accompanied by parents, without prior written authorization ?8. Kids are not allowed to listen to any music that is not explicitly Christian (Bach and Beethoven are specifically forbidden as being non-Christian) ?9. Kids are not permitted to enter restaurants that serve alcohol ?10. Kids are not allowed to speak after 9:00 p.m. under any circumstance ?11. Kids may be placed in a state of isolation where they are not allowed to communicate with one another.?

From Newsvine – A True Story??On October 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton, a self-described Christian and Eagle Scout, murdered his friend and roommate, Larry Hooper, because Hooper didn't believe in God. ?… ?The trial began with the taped phone call Arthur Shelton placed to the Taylor police department in Taylor, Michigan, October 18, 2004, at precisely 12:44 AM. Shelton sounded calm and prideful when he told the dispatcher he had just shot "the devil himself" with a revolver and a shotgun because "he (Hooper) didn't believe in God."

Shelton told the dispatcher he was "still armed and ready to shoot again in case he moves. I want to make sure he's gone." When the dispatcher asked how many times he shot the victim Shelton replied, "hopefully enough." ??Throughout the 15 minute phone call Shelton often repeated, "I'm a Christian and an Eagle Scout and I wouldn't lie," and "don't worry about me, I'm fine, but he's the devil." The dispatcher struggled to persuade Shelton to lay down his weapon and go outdoors with his arms raised. Shelton resisted, as he feared Hooper might not be "dead enough", but eventually complied. ??Dead enough was an understatement. When the police arrived they were confronted with the grizzly scene of Hooper sitting upright on the couch with his head blown away and his brain laying on his hand.

The Challenges of Faith and Judgement

The autopsy report presented by the prosecutor was gruesome to be sure, but, for the record, Larry Hooper tested negative for all narcotics and alcohol. Testimony by the arresting officer and the officers transporting Shelton to the police station revealed that while the officers were interested in gathering details about the incident, Shelton was obsessed with talking about God, the Eagle Scouts and stating he "would not talk to anyone who didn't believe in God but that he would talk to the police because he felt they believed in God."

He stated he "was not sorry for a second that he killed Hooper." He stated, "In the eyes of the law I was wrong and will probably spend the rest of my life in prison, but in the eyes of God I have killed an evil person — the devil himself." Judge Bill invited Shelton to make a statement and after fumbling for words Shelton stated he was sorry that Larry was dead but he did a job that had to be done. He stated that he actually, "saw fire and smoke coming from Larry's eyes and knew he was the devil himself."

Even with all that behind us, December 19th, the day of sentencing, was still a horrific experience for myself, George Shiffer, Joe Milon, Lee Helms and Marty Maier. When leaving the courtroom the 'Christian' Shelton family lay in wait for us in the hallway. Their tears dried, they surrounded us shouting these comments: "The one good thing of all of this is that another Atheist is dead and the world is better off for it" and "The only good Atheist is a dead Atheist."

Personal Trials and Family Conflict

This is an actual letter from a Christian mother who learned that her daughter was a lesbian.

"My daughter Cara Louise,

"In all the years of my life, yesterday was the worst day. Not only have you turned your back on me and Dad, but you've turned your back on God. Clearly He is testing you and you have failed this test.

"I don't know what I did wrong to raise a lesbien daughter. Maybe God is puneshing me. All I know is I couldn't sleep last night and when I did for only five minutes, all I could think of was your perverted life style. I am sorry but your Dad and I cannot except you back into our house as long as you are following the deeds of the Devil. We will still love you but we cannot except you as our daughter as long as you are living your life in sin.

"I've asked Scarlet and she tells me that she knew this entire time. She has told me that she does not believe in God and I know that she can be saved. I hope that you can be saved my dear daughter but until that time I can not say that we are family. I will miss you and my heart is broken

"Your mother."

Societal Views and Raising Children

Teena wrote about Wiccans who have children: Atheism.

"Wiccans should have their kids taken away. Anyone who isn’t raising their children in a Christian home should have their children taken away, it is mental, emotional and spiritual abuse. Period. End of discussion. Case closed."

In response to an earthquake in New Zealand where dozens of people were killed the site master at Trust Him wrote: “Start looking up!!!” (note the emoticon).

Another mother reporting on the difficulty of raising children on Rapture Ready site:

Hi all. Our 5 year old son told us that he wants to buy flowers for a girl at school during valentines' day, and she likes him. We were shocked to say the least, and we never expected this. We didn't show our shock to him because we are trying to encourage him to speak to us about anything bothering him, in case he encouters some problems at school like bullying. But we don't know how to manage this. We are glad he told us, which gives us an idea of what's happening in his mind, but how do we manage this biblically? Firstly, does he break Matthew 5:28, or is it just an innocent children's stage? Secondly, will this crushes end on their own at some stage, or is it a gateway to fornication?

I just realized just how difficult it is trying to raise children for God.