I learned yesterday that one of my children had resumed going to church, though I do not know his reasons for doing so. It may be for networking, or for a desire to provide some training for his children. I do not know. Even the level of Biblical teaching or what the theology of the place is, is unknown to me. The denomination is sometimes full of liberal theology which downplays the gospel, or reinterprets it. However, there are some locations wherein the gospel is preached.
What I do know is that they maintain some of the traditions of the Church-things that have been used in worship for centuries, and longer. The Gloria Patri, the Apostles' Creed, responsive readings. These hold the essence of the gospel. See below for the content of that creed.
Now I had been concerned for this child, man though he is. But when you do not eat, you should not complain of weakness. If you encounter an emaciated woman who starves herself, even if you respond with compassion, you must require her to eat if she is to recover. Though you have to trickle nourishment intravenously at first, you should not expect that without nutrition, your body will miraculously continue to function as if you fed it. Go for years and parts will start to fail, muscles deteriorate, and fatal events will rise.
In the same way, if you do not read the Bible to feed your spirit, as the bread of life, as milk and honey to your soul, as the meat you need to function, your faith will fade. Your strength will decline, your assurance disappear. Without prayer to maintain the communication, how do you think you will continue? The Bible tells us we need to wash our minds with the Word in order to cleanse us from the filth of the world, not to mention to renew our own minds which tend to the fleshful thoughts without the help.
So even if he sits and hears empty words from the sermon instead of wisdom, he will still hear the Bible verses read. He will hear the summary of orthodox theology in the creed, he will hear some worship in the Gloria Patri and in the hymns. And the complexity and simplicity of faith and a life walking with the Lord is thoroughly conveyed in the hymns of Charles Wesley. So, son, I leave you in the hands of the Apostles and Charles Wesley, not to mention of the Lord, firmly convinced you will finally have obtained some feedings. These will gradually increase your spiritual strength for having eaten.
The Apostles' Creed- roughly a version of the earlier creed known by the earliest church fathers and used for teaching. From memory, might have missed a part, haven't said it in a while.
I believe in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only son, our Lord. Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. On the third day he rose from the dead, (descended into hell-some parts include this), ascended into heaven and from thence shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the holy catholic (small c = means universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everylasting. Amen.
Though the Nicene and Nicene/Constantinoplen creeds are even more detailed, they get too long for repetition. The Athansian creed is also good, and expresses theology Athanasius would agree with (who attended the Nicene council and a few years thereafter became bishop of Alexandria.) Though in and out of persecutions, he was exiled five times, he continued to defend orthodoxy against the Arians. The files that provided copies of these said it was unlikely to have been composed by Athanasius himself. Gennadius, a later scholar, actually named Georgius Scholarius I think, anyway he had a creed that was said to be used to answer Muslims. (Though the file said it really was more like the training used to help new believers before they could be baptized.) But that really may not help any one. Google creeds, the first three creeds (Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian) sufficiently convey Christian doctrine that is Biblical.
The Gloria Patri.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, amen.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Promised first part of Psalm 32
1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered;
2 Blessed is the man whose sin The Lord does not count against him,
And in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
Through the groaning of my spirit all day long.
4 For day and night the hand of the Lord was upon me
My strength sagged as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sins to you,
I did not cover up my iniquity
I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let the godly man pray in the day He may be found.
Surely in the mighty waters, he will not be reached.
(Another version says my strength was sapped....)
Recently I felt led to read this and memorize it. It had not yet really hit me, but I reread it several times. Hardly could I keep my mind on what I was doing for I worried about other stuff. But the next day I returned to it, determined to be obedient. I had at least gotten the first couple of lines, agreeing with the magnanimity of the Lord’s grace. And admitting the awesomeness of having a clean, undefiled spirit. Especially to oneself.
Sometimes I get so puffed up, that not only is it insufferable, but I am sure foul-smelling to others. But a clean one is important. Jesus said no one would reach heaven without a child-like, honest spirit. And the Bible records that David was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote these psalms. And though he wasn’t sinless, he was at least honest enough to admit it, to seek forgiveness. For the one who says, “I thank you that I am not like the others, that I am better, that I am righteous,” will not be forgiven. Jesus told us that.
My mother has osteoporosis, so I am aware of that condition and problem. Mostly I have been informed my bones are fine, but I do suffer from backaches and inability to stand for long times. So the next couple of verses struck me. When I kept silent, ie, did not confess my sins, my bones wasted away. I do not know how to describe this weakness other than to say, it feels as if your bones fail you, as if all the things you take for granted suddenly are too stressful.
During the last couple of years, especially right after my last child left the nest (happily) I just sort of collapsed for a while. No more did I have to have kids coming through my house who disregarded my values, sinned directly in front of me, or behind doors, and acted as if it did not matter. I did not have to tolerate evil or rebellion in order to give a kid time to grow up and keep him out of trouble.
What hope does a child without a high school diploma have in the world? Kicking him out after years invested raising them would destroy all the work of the previous years, and leave him with no future. So we tolerated the kids and felt defiled, ashamed. I did learn to understand the Lord saying he was weary of mankind.
I curled up and pushed out the world, seeking peace, prayer, cleansing, and sleep. Yes, I spent time usefully praying for others. Yes, I regained peace of mind and some self respect-we could control our home again. My spirit groaned all day long, as it had for the last few years built up of failure of my expectations. For years I had worked and thought I was a great parent, proud of the shaping of my children. Then, what could I say, over their teenage years, such rebellion and destruction hit them and our relationships, that it needed to be mourned. They also needed prayer, continued prayer.
They are good, sweet people. That much I knew and could console myself with. That much I had not failed in. But the directions they headed, the values they had, well, what devout parent would not have mourned? Yes, I rolled in self-pity. And literally I had no energy. Not only did I have back pain when I walked or stood up for very long, my strength was sapped.
I realize that this could easily be wrapped up and classified as depression. Many things can be, and yes it was. But it was more than that. My spirit had taken my body prisoner, and I could not function any more. Ads that spoke of adrenal fatigue caught my attention. I had already tried to address some needs through health foods and vitamins. These restored my strength so that I could at least get up and function for a few hours at a time. Even though I did not use them full strength as the weight loss medication it promised. Perhaps later. That and the later discovery of glucosamine to help with my back pain eased a lot of my mobility problems. When I am doing better, I stop taking it and then later remember my need.
It is now August and we have had a record string of 100+ temperatures. Our air conditioners in the car and house flounder, though they work well enough in the 90’s. Mostly I stay inside, but Ray comes in completely exhausted-sapped from the heat of summer! That is natural and will subside in a few weeks as September comes and goes. I am particularly aware of this, mostly for my husband’s sake, but also for yours. You do without water during your Ramadan fasts. A stupid but impressive thing.
Our fasts usually involve lack of food-a more complete lack, not having meals in the dark in the morning or evening. But a fast is whatever you agree upon with the Lord to purpose to do without that you may more fully seek Him. For instance, recently I purposed to fast with a breakfast drink in the morning and a juice or water at night, though with as much water as desired. I felt at the time when I was writing down the days not to go beyond four, but I wanted to do 30. (The breakfast drink was eliminated as it tasted disgusting, so I only had a couple of orange juices and water for four days.)
With blood sugar issues (rare instances of hypoglycemic not diabetic reactions) I was confident that I would not suffer. And it has been my experience that if I fast when directed by the Lord rather than a desire to be self-righteous that the power and freedom is there. I did not mention it to anyone, not even my mate for a couple of days. I only do so now to prove that I am not against fasting nor intimidated by others desiring to purify themselves through this purpose.
We do not have to do without water because it is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. And, as you know, we believe in the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity your book directs us to disassociate from. “My spirit thirsts for you as in a dry and weary land,” one Bible verse says. No, we must have Him and it.
Sorry for that digression, but it actually fits in. You see, without Him we have no energy, no life. And without having our sins forgiven, we have no hope. So it not only informs us that the man who has received forgiveness is blessed, it tells us how to do so, and what happens if you do not.
If you keep quiet, that is, do not admit your own sins, then you will groan, have your energy sapped, and not be able to function. The world at some point will wear you down. But if you get over yourself, your pride, your belief that you are good enough, that you can make it on your own, then that is progress.
Sins, transgression, iniquity, sin. The first two are your actions and thoughts that you have done. Iniquity is your state of evil, that which comes out of your heart resulting in actions. Sin is the same. Singular it must be forgiven, the guilt for it forgiven as well. David confessed it all. Now I was struck with the humor of this. “I acknowledged my sin before you and did not cover up my iniquity.” As if our not talking about it hides it before the Lord’s eyes! Ridiculous. He is already well aware of what we do and say, what we think and are. We are only admitting it to ourselves and humbling ourselves before Him. But we do one more thing of significance. We ask for forgiveness and seek the shame to be removed, the guilt wiped away.
Now I do not know how to convey to those who do not believe any can know their sins are forgiven, or even that they will go to heaven, as well as not thinking they can know the God who speaks to men (all men.) But one can and does. John Bunyan described it as the weight of a man carrying a burden on his back, so large and formidable that he could barely walk, trudging up to the place of forgiveness. And the burden when released rolling off his back, down the hill, and even to the place of a tomb, buried. Where would one find such a magical place with that power? Is it only in fiction? No, it is available to all. The place is the cross of Christ. True, we no longer possess the physical one, though many tried to make icons or idols of it. The wood itself was not powerful. It was the person of Christ that accomplished the work, not the tree.
All we need do is picture a cross with a man upon it, an innocent but pure man who placed himself there for one purpose, to offer you this freedom-the forgiveness of your sins. (He allowed himself to be placed there out of a love for you and knowledge it was the only way for your need to be supplied.) And if you will speak to him and say, I am a sinner who needs to be delivered from the power of my transgressions, from my own iniquity. I do not understand how exactly you would do this, but if you are real, and this is true, then I ask you to apply that sacrifice of your own blood and life to me. And if he is real and true, and alive, powerful, then he will do so. There is not another way to describe it but to say that the burden lifts and you know you have received it. You know that you know. And all the other questions will be resolved as well. But once you have this, you have all. You are at the beginning of a new life. (I do not address the fact that He was more than a man here. That has been covered in much earlier posts.)
King David rightly admonishes those who desire this relationship to hurry, not to wait. For you should seek him while he may be found. When you wait until an emergency and then call to him, why should he answer your screams of desperation? You have already shown your contempt for seeking him earlier. I will not say he will not, as he is merciful. But many have tried in desperation, when they cared not when they did not need to be rescued. Seek him because you want forgiveness. Seek him because you want the guilt to be washed away. Seek him because you cannot go on without him, not because you need things from him. Things you value more than him.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin The Lord does not count against him,
And in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
Through the groaning of my spirit all day long.
4 For day and night the hand of the Lord was upon me
My strength sagged as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sins to you,
I did not cover up my iniquity
I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let the godly man pray in the day He may be found.
Surely in the mighty waters, he will not be reached.
(Another version says my strength was sapped....)
Recently I felt led to read this and memorize it. It had not yet really hit me, but I reread it several times. Hardly could I keep my mind on what I was doing for I worried about other stuff. But the next day I returned to it, determined to be obedient. I had at least gotten the first couple of lines, agreeing with the magnanimity of the Lord’s grace. And admitting the awesomeness of having a clean, undefiled spirit. Especially to oneself.
Sometimes I get so puffed up, that not only is it insufferable, but I am sure foul-smelling to others. But a clean one is important. Jesus said no one would reach heaven without a child-like, honest spirit. And the Bible records that David was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote these psalms. And though he wasn’t sinless, he was at least honest enough to admit it, to seek forgiveness. For the one who says, “I thank you that I am not like the others, that I am better, that I am righteous,” will not be forgiven. Jesus told us that.
My mother has osteoporosis, so I am aware of that condition and problem. Mostly I have been informed my bones are fine, but I do suffer from backaches and inability to stand for long times. So the next couple of verses struck me. When I kept silent, ie, did not confess my sins, my bones wasted away. I do not know how to describe this weakness other than to say, it feels as if your bones fail you, as if all the things you take for granted suddenly are too stressful.
During the last couple of years, especially right after my last child left the nest (happily) I just sort of collapsed for a while. No more did I have to have kids coming through my house who disregarded my values, sinned directly in front of me, or behind doors, and acted as if it did not matter. I did not have to tolerate evil or rebellion in order to give a kid time to grow up and keep him out of trouble.
What hope does a child without a high school diploma have in the world? Kicking him out after years invested raising them would destroy all the work of the previous years, and leave him with no future. So we tolerated the kids and felt defiled, ashamed. I did learn to understand the Lord saying he was weary of mankind.
I curled up and pushed out the world, seeking peace, prayer, cleansing, and sleep. Yes, I spent time usefully praying for others. Yes, I regained peace of mind and some self respect-we could control our home again. My spirit groaned all day long, as it had for the last few years built up of failure of my expectations. For years I had worked and thought I was a great parent, proud of the shaping of my children. Then, what could I say, over their teenage years, such rebellion and destruction hit them and our relationships, that it needed to be mourned. They also needed prayer, continued prayer.
They are good, sweet people. That much I knew and could console myself with. That much I had not failed in. But the directions they headed, the values they had, well, what devout parent would not have mourned? Yes, I rolled in self-pity. And literally I had no energy. Not only did I have back pain when I walked or stood up for very long, my strength was sapped.
I realize that this could easily be wrapped up and classified as depression. Many things can be, and yes it was. But it was more than that. My spirit had taken my body prisoner, and I could not function any more. Ads that spoke of adrenal fatigue caught my attention. I had already tried to address some needs through health foods and vitamins. These restored my strength so that I could at least get up and function for a few hours at a time. Even though I did not use them full strength as the weight loss medication it promised. Perhaps later. That and the later discovery of glucosamine to help with my back pain eased a lot of my mobility problems. When I am doing better, I stop taking it and then later remember my need.
It is now August and we have had a record string of 100+ temperatures. Our air conditioners in the car and house flounder, though they work well enough in the 90’s. Mostly I stay inside, but Ray comes in completely exhausted-sapped from the heat of summer! That is natural and will subside in a few weeks as September comes and goes. I am particularly aware of this, mostly for my husband’s sake, but also for yours. You do without water during your Ramadan fasts. A stupid but impressive thing.
Our fasts usually involve lack of food-a more complete lack, not having meals in the dark in the morning or evening. But a fast is whatever you agree upon with the Lord to purpose to do without that you may more fully seek Him. For instance, recently I purposed to fast with a breakfast drink in the morning and a juice or water at night, though with as much water as desired. I felt at the time when I was writing down the days not to go beyond four, but I wanted to do 30. (The breakfast drink was eliminated as it tasted disgusting, so I only had a couple of orange juices and water for four days.)
With blood sugar issues (rare instances of hypoglycemic not diabetic reactions) I was confident that I would not suffer. And it has been my experience that if I fast when directed by the Lord rather than a desire to be self-righteous that the power and freedom is there. I did not mention it to anyone, not even my mate for a couple of days. I only do so now to prove that I am not against fasting nor intimidated by others desiring to purify themselves through this purpose.
We do not have to do without water because it is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. And, as you know, we believe in the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity your book directs us to disassociate from. “My spirit thirsts for you as in a dry and weary land,” one Bible verse says. No, we must have Him and it.
Sorry for that digression, but it actually fits in. You see, without Him we have no energy, no life. And without having our sins forgiven, we have no hope. So it not only informs us that the man who has received forgiveness is blessed, it tells us how to do so, and what happens if you do not.
If you keep quiet, that is, do not admit your own sins, then you will groan, have your energy sapped, and not be able to function. The world at some point will wear you down. But if you get over yourself, your pride, your belief that you are good enough, that you can make it on your own, then that is progress.
Sins, transgression, iniquity, sin. The first two are your actions and thoughts that you have done. Iniquity is your state of evil, that which comes out of your heart resulting in actions. Sin is the same. Singular it must be forgiven, the guilt for it forgiven as well. David confessed it all. Now I was struck with the humor of this. “I acknowledged my sin before you and did not cover up my iniquity.” As if our not talking about it hides it before the Lord’s eyes! Ridiculous. He is already well aware of what we do and say, what we think and are. We are only admitting it to ourselves and humbling ourselves before Him. But we do one more thing of significance. We ask for forgiveness and seek the shame to be removed, the guilt wiped away.
Now I do not know how to convey to those who do not believe any can know their sins are forgiven, or even that they will go to heaven, as well as not thinking they can know the God who speaks to men (all men.) But one can and does. John Bunyan described it as the weight of a man carrying a burden on his back, so large and formidable that he could barely walk, trudging up to the place of forgiveness. And the burden when released rolling off his back, down the hill, and even to the place of a tomb, buried. Where would one find such a magical place with that power? Is it only in fiction? No, it is available to all. The place is the cross of Christ. True, we no longer possess the physical one, though many tried to make icons or idols of it. The wood itself was not powerful. It was the person of Christ that accomplished the work, not the tree.
All we need do is picture a cross with a man upon it, an innocent but pure man who placed himself there for one purpose, to offer you this freedom-the forgiveness of your sins. (He allowed himself to be placed there out of a love for you and knowledge it was the only way for your need to be supplied.) And if you will speak to him and say, I am a sinner who needs to be delivered from the power of my transgressions, from my own iniquity. I do not understand how exactly you would do this, but if you are real, and this is true, then I ask you to apply that sacrifice of your own blood and life to me. And if he is real and true, and alive, powerful, then he will do so. There is not another way to describe it but to say that the burden lifts and you know you have received it. You know that you know. And all the other questions will be resolved as well. But once you have this, you have all. You are at the beginning of a new life. (I do not address the fact that He was more than a man here. That has been covered in much earlier posts.)
King David rightly admonishes those who desire this relationship to hurry, not to wait. For you should seek him while he may be found. When you wait until an emergency and then call to him, why should he answer your screams of desperation? You have already shown your contempt for seeking him earlier. I will not say he will not, as he is merciful. But many have tried in desperation, when they cared not when they did not need to be rescued. Seek him because you want forgiveness. Seek him because you want the guilt to be washed away. Seek him because you cannot go on without him, not because you need things from him. Things you value more than him.
I was looking through my old files for the first half of the psalm I posted about, when I found this other thing added to a file in order to save it quickly. It was of someone testifying before a schoolboard in protest of some Muslim protest trying to force shariah compliance onto our children. I do not remember the exact context, but it is still significant because it is universally true. Nothing more need be added.
Hamze before Broward County School Board
AUDIO COURTESY BROWARD SCHOOL BOARD RADIO 88.5 FM
I call beheading people "intolerant behavior."
I call gender apartheid "intolerant behavior."
I call ethnic cleansing of non-Muslims "intolerant behavior."
I call Islamic supremacism "intolerant behavior."
I called Hamas-tied CAIR's Islamic supremacist demands "intolerant behavior."
I call clitorectomies "intolerant behavior"
I call Islamic Jew hatred "intolerant behavior."
Hamze before Broward County School Board
AUDIO COURTESY BROWARD SCHOOL BOARD RADIO 88.5 FM
I call beheading people "intolerant behavior."
I call gender apartheid "intolerant behavior."
I call ethnic cleansing of non-Muslims "intolerant behavior."
I call Islamic supremacism "intolerant behavior."
I called Hamas-tied CAIR's Islamic supremacist demands "intolerant behavior."
I call clitorectomies "intolerant behavior"
I call Islamic Jew hatred "intolerant behavior."
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