Side

In the Garden of Eden Adam looked for another that was like him, essentially he needed something that only God could provide through creation. Eve was made for Adam and was his bride. Eve was taken from the side of Adam, not the foot, not the head which could indicate one person being elevated higher than the other.

Eve was taken from the side indicating that Adam and Eve were equals, they were partners. When Eve was tempted Adam shared in her fate by disobeying God and participating in a work that would glorify themselves. The serpent said that they would be like God but the deception here was that they were already made in God’s image and God was able to meet all of their needs.

Flash forward to the birth of Jesus Christ where we have a supernatural conception where Jesus is born out of the woman. God gave us his son who became a man, flesh and bone. When God created Adam’s bride Eve she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. 

By becoming like us, Jesus was able to take on the sins of the world and have his bones and flesh broken so that we can spend eternity with God in heaven. Through Jesus Christ we can get the gift of eternal life from him through no work on our part. In the garden Adam and Eve were already with God and had all they could want. But they were missing something they could not get themselves. Even though Adam looked for his mate he still did not have the savior.

In the spiritual equivalent, the body is the church, the bride and Christ is the bridegroom who will come for his bride and ultimately present the church to the Father just as the Father presented Eve to Adam and took her from his side Jesus will take the church by his side and present the church to the Father.

This is why marriage is a sacred institution to Christians. In the physical realm the bridegroom is playing a role as an earthly representation of Christ and the woman is his bride. In a traditional ceremony the Father of the bride presents the bride to the groom and the groom takes her as his bride.

The church is a gift to Jesus the son of God but at the very end Jesus will return that gift back to the Father so that he can be glorified and through that glorification the church spends eternity in heaven with God.

For now, Satan is against us but with God on our side we cannot lose. Romans 8:31

Fireproof movie

Over this past weekend I managed to take the family out to see “Fireproof” with Kirk Cameron. Right off the bat I recommend all Christians, especially married Christian couples to see this movie. It’s not hollywood quality but it is very well done. If you saw the movie “Facing the Giants” this movie is by the same people.

The movie is centered around Kirk Cameron’s character Caleb is a firefighter who is in the middle of some heavy duty marriage problems and teetering on divorce. Caleb’s father convinces his son to hold off on the divorce and read through a book he sends him called “The love dare” which is a 40 day program in which you have a set of daily tasks that will help bring you to understand love and marriage by the time you complete it.

Caleb has mixed results initially and keeps speaking to his father who is also a devout Christian whereas Caleb is a believer in God but doesn’t really have any relationship with God beyond that. Without giving much away, Caleb explores his marriage and his faith and learns how the two intertwine and what marriage really means.

We all cried during this movie including my 8 year old daughter whom I think really truly became born again during the watching of this movie. As a person who has been married for over 17 years I can tell you that this film can really help you no matter where you are in your relationship. Even those considering marriage should watch this movie to understand what marriage and love is.

The acting is fairly decent in the movie, Kirk Cameron does a great job looking like a mean jerk. There is some really good humor and this is one movie where someone says you’ll laugh and you’ll cry, is true here.

I wish the movie quality had been a little better. I felt like I was watching a TV movie on the big screen. The sound was not that great and the lips were a little off but that may have been a technical glitch of the theater I was at.

Again, I can’t say this was a great film when comparing it in a film setting, yet all the same it spoke to my faith and was a great movie without being a big budget block buster.

The Karate Kid

Hello readers it’s been a long time since my last post. I wish I could have been more active and I apologize to those that are disappointed but of course this is something I try to do with my free time and lately I haven’t had any. Also life has been very difficult as of late and I haven’t been motivated to do much of anything until this post which sort of relates to me and what God is showing me.

Let’s look at Isaiah 64:8:

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.

Since there are very few potters and clay that we see today perhaps a more modern spin through the movie “The Karate Kid” will make more sense. Lately I have been going through some trials of my own and while at first glance they do not seem to relate to being molded and brought closer to God I believe that the things we go through are for that very reason.

In the movie the Karate Kid, Daniel Laruso is a young high school kid that moves to a new place and he is immediately attacked by some neighborhood thugs who are adept at the skills of hand to hand combat and give Daniel a good beating. Ironically in their first confrontation these kids are dressed as skeletons, adding a somewhat demonic theme to the scene.

Realizing that he has to face his problems Daniel turns to an unassuming older man that is the maintenance person in his new apartment complex. He finds that this man is highly skilled in the ways of Karate and can teach him what he needs to defend himself.

However Daniel does not get what he bargained for. The older man, Mr.  Myiagi puts Daniel through a series of, what appears to be, menial household chores. Painting fences, sanding deck wood, waxing cars.

Daniel cannot understand why Mr. Myiagi is putting him through such tasks and believes Myiagi is only working from his own selfish purposes and that once he completes working on his tasks then Mr. Myiagi will begin showing him the ways of a martial artist. Daniel lashes out against Myiagi and finally realizes that all he has been doing has been getting him ready as the moves he applied to painting and sanding and waxing had him repeating a variety of Karate moves again and again.

As far as realism in the movie goes I know that the movie is far from reality in this respect but the lesson here is very clear. God deals with us in much the same way. We are the student and he is the teacher. We may not understand why certain trials are put before us but the question is, will we apply our biblical teaching in these trials and let God shape us for the next task? Sometimes God allows us to get beat down so that we will finally cry out “LORD!”.

This is what God wants from us because he knows it works to our benefit. Love isn’t just pampering or being a bystander but a perfecting love. One that allows us to be hurt but learn from and use to bring us closer to God, closer to the truth. Because what happens here on Earth isn’t as important as entering God’s kingdom.

I’ve often heard atheists grumble and complain about how the people that were wiped out in the flood of Noah were killed by an evil God who committed terrible genocide. But God showed me that in the moment of those very people gasping for their last breath they would be given that opportunity to cry out “LORD!”. Just as our trials bring us to our knees so that we can cry out to God and come to know him.

We serve an awesome God. Wax on, wax off.

Third Temple preparations begin with priestly garb

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726180915&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

On Monday, the Temple Institute started preparing to build a Third Temple on Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah, the site of the Dome of the Rock and the Aksa mosque, by inaugurating a workshop that manufactures priestly garments.

This group is very interesting as they have been attempting to push the rebuilding of the Jewish temple for a number of years and have not been successful. I also don’t think Muslims and Arabs are going to be as supportive as the article seems to suggest.

Will religion end on Mars?

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorials/Will_religion_end_on_Mars/articleshow/3169948.cms
The above linked article seems to suggest that if life is found on Mars that somehow religions will have to adapt and change their scripture to fit the new discovery. If they find life on Mars I will say the same thing about life here on Earth. “God did it.”

Obama’s seal, was it legal to use?

http://www.johnmccain.com/mccainreport/Read.aspx?guid=409a0e4d-7fc1-4636-94be-d5d43a76a2c0

Ok, it’s John MCcain’s website but it brings up a good point, was it legal for Obama to create a seal based on the presidential seal and use it to make himself appear presidential?
Read the article and decide for yourself.

The Case For Eternal Punishment

Perspective by Jack Kelley

“And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” (Isaiah 66:24)

Full article here

Ok this is a little creepy

If the throngs of fainting fans and incredible popularity of Obama makes you raise an eyebrow this news story will too.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Hanuman_idol_for_Obama/articleshow/3160730.cms

NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious.

In the faith of adversity

It’s been said that the two things you can count on in life are death and taxes. I think adversity needs to be included on that short list. Of course the one thing I know we can all count on is God to ultimately deliver us from the bondage of those other 3.

What has struck me lately though is the many people that are mentioning that they have some sort of crisis they are currently facing. As many of us speak to unbelievers and try to bring them to Christ we all need to realize that among each other we face adversity as well. How we face problems says a lot about your character and faith but what weakens you can ultimately make you stronger and wiser.

Take for example a recent sad announcement by a You Tube Christian and friend of mine who made a video saying that he was having marital problems. This person was a strong speaker for God and was passionate and dedicated to spreading the gospel message. I saw this individual take on large numbers of non believers who called him names, ridiculed etc. I admired this persons ability to not let this kind of thing bother them. A trait I could certainly use.

Although his crisis does not seem to be affecting his faith he seems conflicted that his ability to spread the gospel has now been impacted by this and being a strong proponent of family values and walking the Christian walk he will somehow now be seen by the masses as a fraud.

Sometimes we forget though that it is the very trials and tribulations that not only draw us closer to the Lord but give us a learning tool on how to help others. I could not begin to help a person who is in a divorce situation because I have not been there. I am not equipped through my own life experience.
When drug addicts seek help they generally find that they are better understood by former drug addicts as these people make excellent counselors because they have been there.

Another person on You Tube has a crisis where his wife has 2 forms of cancer. Medical issues are some of the toughest you can ever face as a Christian, especially if it involves a loved one or yourself. My wife and I have been through several health issues including one I am currently dealing with. My wife’s pregnancy and the birth of our children were very difficult due to many complications.
Each time I know God was there looking over my shoulder.

When things really would get me worried I would actually write letters to God. I know that may sound unusual and I don’t know that there is a scripture for this but I found it comforting. I would write a prayer out by hand on a piece of paper and I put it in a box on my dresser. In this way I was giving my problems to God. Once I would do this I felt good about it. I did this many times and whenever a prayer was answered I put the letters in my drawer.
One day I went to get something out of my drawer and there were all of these folded up notes in there of prayers that had all been answered. And these were all biggies too, health issues for family members etc. and I was taken aback at how many had accumulated there.

So ultimately no matter what the problem is, it helps us grow it helps us help others and brings us in a closer and right relationship with God, if we keep it in perspective. As long as it doesn’t make us angry and bitter and turn away from God but we use it to further God’s glory because in the end it will all work out that way.

The Front Lines

Often times spiritual warfare is compared to that of actual warfare. Each Christian can be involved in a variety of jobs wherever God happens to put them. Some are in support, some are in supplies, some are in leadership, and some are on ‘The Front Line”. Some may have a combination of these.

The front lines are generally considered wherever the fighting is the most fierce and where the enemy is most heavily concentrated. In China and other countries where freedom is limited some of the brethren are putting their very lives on the line by following Jesus Christ.

In the United States the front lines are not quite that harsh but fighting a spiritual battle can still take it’s toll. One place that has been suggested as being the front line is on video services such as You Tube. Because you put yourself out there and so many different people are in that community it can be an incredibly dramatic and stressful experience.

Some would have you believe that by leaving a ‘front line’ environment you are somehow weak, or wishy washy. I would argue that even troops are rotated in and out of battle to keep them fresh and morality high. As I have closed my You Tube account this week, not because of fighting non-believers but seeing other Christians lose their focus. I spent over a year on You Tube making videos and sharing my faith. Funny, I don’t remember signing a lifetime contract when I opened my account there, lol.

After removing my You Tube account it has been suggested that I am weak, a coward, spineless, lukewarm, wishy washy, you name it. I call it God rotating me out. Maybe some people have the endurance to fight the good fight for years at a time while others do not. Don’t insult your brothers and sisters for taking a break from battle, instead lift them up so that they can one day return to battle.

It’s been said that Christianity is one of the few armies that actually shoots it’s wounded. This is unfortunately a sad reality. We all struggle to serve the Lord with everything we have that we forget it is also our duty to fellowship and encourage out comrades. Don’t kick a horse when he is down. Lead him to water and let him drink and when he is ready he can get back in the race.