Who, then, do you say that you are?

Some Very Hard Questions for 'Christian America'

By pastor Paul J. Bern

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The United States has always had a time-honored tradition of being a Christian nation founded by Christians for Christians. This tradition was only recently brought into question by none other than former president Obama, who said back in 2010 that “America is no longer a Christian nation”. Contrary to what our President thought, our great country was in actuality founded on religious freedom by the early Pilgrims, who were Protestants escaping religious persecution by the church of England, not to mention the Vatican. Ever since then, the tradition of Christianity (regardless of whether you belong to a church denomination or not) has been passed down through the generations until modern times. Within the last generation or so, particularly within the last 10 or 20 years, there has been a noticeable drop in church attendance throughout North America and much of Europe. People have been turning away from their faith in droves. Protestant churches are losing members at about the same rate in which they are gaining new ones, the Catholic church is doing even worse, with the end result being what amounts to a revolving door of membership and participation. I have been aware of this for some time and, speaking as a minister, this has really been bothering me lately. So, I have been contemplating the reasons for this diminishing of faith and commitment, within the church and without, in order to try to change them.

A journalist once asked Mahatma Gandhi what he thought of Western civilization and Christianity. He answered: "It's a good idea. They ought to try it". Similarly, we might urge followers of world religions: "Those are some nice moral principles. You ought to live by them." Reliable polls tell us that America is the most religious nation in the industrialized world. More that 90 percent of our population say they believe in God, and that they pray regularly. In his New Testament Epistle, James expressed the Christian view that "faith without works is dead." Similarly, Judaism calls for "mitzvah's" -- good deeds. And Islam also requires acts of charity. How do these sentiments translate into action? Let's look at our national religious behavior report card for a reality check.

• America is the world's richest nation. Yet the U.S. Census Bureau reports that 54 million Americans live in poverty. That includes one in four children. If another country was doing this to ourselves and our children, we'd be at war. Why aren't we doing more to help out the weak, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, and the weary? Why do so many prosperous people keep it all to themselves?
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The U.S. poverty rate is the absolute worst among developed nations according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Demographers say that the poverty rate will rise this year from 21 percent to 27 percent, which will be the highest percentage since the government began calculating poverty figures in 1959. Fifty four million Americans are on food stamps (the highest ever) and the number is expected to rise above fifty six million by the end of 2019.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: According to the Census Bureau, 19 million people lived in working-poor families in 2008. The 2010 census showed a much higher figure approaching 24%. As of 2016, the last year demographics are available, that number is approaching one third. Things are close to becoming exponentially worse! The Feeding America Network reports that only 36 percent of their client households have one or more adults working. These are people who want to work but can't find jobs, or who can't feed their kids or themselves because they only make minimum wage. For this to happen in the richest country in the world is inexcusable!!
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless on any given night in America. Here in Atlanta where I reside, estimates of the homeless population on any given night range from 3,000-10,000 people. Also, a new class has emerged in America: the working homeless. The current minimum wage of $7.25 hourly here in Georgia and elsewhere (primarily “right to work” states like Georgia) is pitifully insufficient income for a single person to rent an apartment, let alone a family.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The elderly, the poor and others on fixed incomes are often forced to choose between food and medicine. Speaking as a retired technology professional and an Internet pastor who worked for 35 years in the professional world, this is a social outrage and an economic injustice that I have personally experienced. Speak up for the less fortunate, because you have a better than even chance you may wind up that way yourself some day!
• We are a religious nation, and yet: 56 million Americans, including 26 million children, experienced hunger or the risk of hunger in 2016. That's more than a fourth of all households. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hunger in American households has nearly doubled in the last five years. As I write this in early 2018, this number has swelled to at least 54 million, and the number of underfed American kids is approaching 28%. In the richest country in the world, this is simply inexcusable! We have to do something, and by writing this I'm trying to help accomplish exactly that.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: American restaurants throw away more than 6,000 tons of food every day and grocery stores discard an estimated thirty million pounds of food daily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Loss Project estimates that Americans throw out 25.9 million tons of food each year. More disturbing: a University of Arizona study reports that 40 to 50 percent of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten. America's wastefulness is downright sinful in the sight of the Lord; there is no better way to describe it.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide very low cost health care for all its citizens. So-called “Obamacare” promised to correct much of that, but it is nowhere near enough. All the president and Congress had to do was to put the whole country on Medicare. Doing so would eliminate the need for Medicaid, saving over half a billion dollars annually, and if Obamacare were to be merged together with Medicare, the extra expenditures for Obamacare would be eliminated as well. And, we would have one health care system for the entire country.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: We have the best medical technology and treatment capability in the world. Yet the United States ranks 37th for health care system performance by the World Health Organization. Why is this so?
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The latest report on life expectancy shows a slight drop in the United States that will place us even lower than the current ranking of 49th among nations of the world – a lower life expectancy than many less developed countries. A Columbia University study attributes our decline from 11th place in 1950 to the much lower present ranking to our inadequate profit-driven health care system.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The current US minimum wage of $7.25 hourly for roughly two thirds of the country, which was raised from $5.15 four years prior to that, still keeps families stuck at or below the poverty line. France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, England, the Isle of Man, and many other nations – particularly Australia – have a much higher minimum wage than we do.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The latest census figures show the gap between rich and poor widening to the largest margin ever. The top 20 percent of workers earning more than $100,000 a year received 49.4.percent of all income compared with the 3.4 percent earned by the bottom 20 percent. The richest 1 percent pockets more than 30 percent of total income which is greater than the total amount earned by the bottom 50 percent combined. Economic inequality – not just in the US but globally – is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, and when it does, the greed-based capitalist economic system we are currently stuck with will have to submit to a complete make-over or face extinction.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: The wealthiest segment of the population is fighting tooth and nail for lower tax rates and other tax breaks while joblessness, poverty, crime, homelessness and hunger are rampant in America.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: In 1994 a million innocents were slaughtered in Rwanda. We watched and did nothing. Similarly, we did little to stop the genocide in Darfur. Further slaughter is now ongoing in Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Yemen while the world watches and does nothing. Will U.S. “leadership” intervene on humanitarian grounds? History does not suggest a positive answer. Nor do the Scriptures, where regarding such people it is written, “Let the blood of our sins be on ourselves and our children!” (Matthew 27: 25) And so it is, unless God starts seeing some major changes of heart among us all.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: There are at least 59 Holocaust museums in the United States dedicated to raising awareness of the Nazi genocide and to help prevent similar horrors from ever happening again. Add to that the numerous holocaust museums and memorials around the world. Yet genocides, mass murders, school shootings and other atrocities such as child sex slave trafficking persist. Who are the customers for these pimps? Who is supplying the weapons to these mass shooters?Who is taking decisive action, who is pretending, and who is doing nothing except complaining? Some of us need to put our Christian money where our mouths are.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: Americans make up 5 percent of the world's population, and yet our country produces 25 percent of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, which are raising the earth's temperature ("greenhouse effect") to dangerous levels. How is it that we are trashing the planet God created for each of us, while continuing to profess our love for its Maker?
• We are a religious nation, and yet: Fossil fuel consumption is destroying the planet, but we refuse to develop a "Manhattan Project" for alternative energy, nor do we have one for battery technology so we can park the majority of our gas and diesel burning cars and trucks, something that is sorely needed.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: Scientists warn that the environmental doomsday clock is ticking. The icebergs are breaking away and melting before our eyes, revealing islands we never saw before. We watch and debate but do too little to preserve the environment for ourselves and future generations. In our hubris we forget that we are guests on a tiny rock floating – in an infinite universe of rocks – that uniquely supports life in a delicate balance of natural and mysterious forces.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: Smoking continues to compromise the health of more than 20 percent of our population. The Surgeon General tells us that cigarette, pipe and cigar smoking, in addition to contributing to a number of cancers, increases the risk of almost every known disease. The American Lung Association reports that each day nearly 6,000 teens under 18 years of age start smoking. But we refuse to put an end to tobacco use. At the same time, medical and recreational marijuana is still illegal at the federal level while having been proved to be not only harmless, but with significant medical uses and benefits. In so doing, we have criminalized a creation of Almighty God's (see Genesis 1: 11) that does no harm, while allowing the use of one that does!
• We are a religious nation, and yet: Leaders of some of our biggest corporations and privately held firms, as well as prominent investment advisers (men and women of "faith"), have cheated, deceived and destroyed their companies and clients, ruining the lives and futures of untold numbers of individuals and families for their own profit.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: We have the largest prison population in the world. Currently more than 3 million people are incarcerated, 1 in every 18 adults is in prison, on parole or probation adding up to a total of over 10 million. One out of every eight Americans you see on the street or in traffic has a criminal conviction in their background. The U.S has a greater prison population (in percentage of population) than many countries that we consider to be in violation of human rights.
• We are a religious nation, and yet: According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, world military spending for 2012 reached $1.531 trillion, a six percent increase over 2008 and a forty-nine percent increase over the year 2000. The United States accounted for forty-six percent of the total world military expenditure ($661 billion). China was a distant second accounting for 6.6. percent followed by France's 4.2 percent, the UK's 3.8 percent and Russia's 3.5 percent. The proposed U.S. military budget for 2018 is $886 billion. Nice job, Washington!

What is religion? Organized religion is a multi-billion-dollar business disguised as a honeycomb of non-profits (actually, more like a hornet's nest). On the other hand, followers of Jesus – who Himself was crucified mainly because he preached against organized government and organized religion – exercise the very essence of true Spirituality by showing love, caring, serving, giving, sharing, oneness, brotherhood and sisterhood, compassion, empathy and selflessness. Summed up: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." I'm so glad that we are a religious nation. If only we were all Christian too....

The Beatitudes 2.0

The 'Flip Side' of the Teachings of Christ Jesus

by pastor Paul J. Bern

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For this week's commentary I will, once again but from a different angle, demonstrate that the teachings and presence of the Lord in Spirit and in Truth are more relevant today than ever before. I'm not talking religion and I'm not talking about doctrine, I'm just writing today about Jesus Christ and what he taught, because people everywhere seem to be hungry and thirsty for real truth and authenticity. So today I am once again putting Jesus up on a pedestal where he belongs. My topic is what we now call the Beatitudes of Christ, or just 'the Beatitudes' for short. I'm going to give you 2 different sets of quotes, the first from the apostle Matthew's gospel and the second from Luke's. These are very powerful instructions from our Lord and Savior, so let's examine what happens when we obey them, followed by what can happen if we don't. So let me begin with Matthew chapter 5 and verse 2.

“....He began to teach them, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who came before you.'” (Matthew 5, verses 3-12)

“Poor in spirit” could mean a couple of things. Besides those who are dispirited and disenfranchised, it could also mean people who are mentally depressed, and so by extension Jesus could have been taking about the mentally ill or mentally challenged individuals. Most likely it's all of the above. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Most often this verse is associated with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, particularly a spouse or a child. But this can also mean those who have suffered catastrophic losses, like the survivors of hurricanes and wildfires who have nothing but the clothes they're wearing. They too will be comforted, because they will regain much of what they have lost. Moreover, those who have lost loved ones will see them again, and maybe sooner than we all think.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Why? Because at some point in the fairly near future, all the warlike people will kill each other off because of their addiction to fighting and conflict. They thrive on it, so let it consume them. The meek, mild, compassionate, loving and gentle people will be the only ones left. Let those whose only motivations are anger and rage roast in hell! “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Notice that it reads, “for they will be filled”. That means those who get filled with righteousness will derive theirs from God, through his only Son Jesus Christ. Those whose righteousness is self-generated – this is, generated by the human ego instead relying on the Holy Spirit – is egocentric by nature and is derived from human emotions. So we can conclude that righteousness that is received from above is from God, but self-righteousness is of Satan and is Luciferian in nature. So the two are totally incompatible.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Be forgiving and merciful towards others, and you will get the same in return. Likewise, when we show mercy and kindness towards God's creations – other people – we can expect the same from God. Conversely, mean people – particularly those with violent tempers and those who seem to be always angry – and those who commit violent crimes such as murder (like school shootings!!) and forcible rape, should expect no mercy from God whatsoever unless they repent of their ways once and for good! “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Since we all have a sinful nature that we must work hard to control (see Romans 3, verses 9-18), people who are “pure in heart” are those who don't partake in the corrupt nature of the world in which we live. That is, it is not possible for any human being to keep his/her heart pure while they allow themselves to be surrounded by the gross impurities of this world. Greed, malice, hate and prejudice, wall-to-wall sex all the time, pornography, every kind of addiction you can imagine, subliminal messaging and imagery designed to program the human mind are just a sampling of what's out there. All you “Christians” who look at porn, party at clubs all night, use dangerous drugs like heroin and meth and so-called “spice” (“artificial marijuana” that is neither), you had better take a step or two away from what you're doing, and from the person you have become, and take a good long look at yourselves. You don't have much time left to get yourselves right with God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.” While this needs no explanation, it also says, 'Cursed are the mercenaries who kill for profit, the politicians who send our sons and daughters off to fight and die in wars that benefit only a few people and their families. Cursed are those who pollute the earth that God created and divert its resources exclusively for themselves, causing hardship and starvation for hundreds of millions. Cursed are they who deny electricity and clean drinking water to 25% of the planet so they can keep it all for themselves. Cursed are they, for they will be called the sons of the devil! “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” All the Christians who have died or who will die for their faith, fall into this category. So do all whistle-blowers within government and industry, all of whom see, to die mysterious deaths under equally mysterious circumstances. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., presidents Kennedy and Lincoln, as well as Malcolm X all fall into this category.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” If you have ever been cussed out, threatened, or physically attacked by Christian haters, you know exactly what I mean. What's the flip side of this one? Simple – if one has never had to defend one's faith, the depth of one's belief is directly proportional to the vigor with which one is compelled to defend one's faith. Conversely, if we never talk to anyone about our faith and what Christ has done in your life, our faith lacks depth, which limits how we interact with the Risen Spirit of Christ the Lord. Never be afraid to talk to others about your faith, because you never know when you can help someone. You could even help lead a soul to their Savior, of whom they were previously unaware. Jesus has already saved your soul, hasn't he (but if not PLEASE ask him now!!)? So go and pay it forward, that's your job! And now let me briefly quote from Luke's gospel.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6, verses 24-26) So there you go, that sums things up rather nicely, exactly what God's Word is saying to us, spoken through his Son Jesus (or 'Yeshua' in Hebrew, the native language of Christ). There are two sides to every teaching of Jesus, and sometimes more than that. This is just one of dozens of examples throughout the Bible where God's Word can mean more than one thing and still be consistent. In the meantime, and in closing, everyone please continue to pray for peace in our nation's schools, as well as in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula. Shalom....

This week's ongoing Bible study will be part 4 of Luke chapter 22

From Blessed Savior to Accused Perpetrator

[Luke chapter 22, verses 54-71]

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Last week as we left off at verse 53, Judas' betrayal of Christ the Lord had just been completed. A crowd of people, led by Judas Iscariot and accompanied by various authorities, had come to arrest Jesus and take him away. One of the apostles, probably either Peter or Simon the Zealot, seeing that Judas was the traitor Jesus mentioned during the Last Supper only a few hours before, drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the high priest's servants. This brings to mind something Jesus told the apostles at the Last Supper about the acquisition of a few weapons for defensive purposes: “...if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one...”, Jesus told them. But when the servant's ear was cut off, Jesus said to the man who wielded that sword, “Enough of this!” So the Lord was admonishing the apostles as well as ourselves that it's OK to keep “a sword”, but we are charged by God with the responsibilities that go with sword ownership, and by extension gun ownership. This week as we continue with part 4 of Luke 22, Jesus is taken away while Peter later denies knowing Jesus 3 consecutive times. So let's start at verse 54.

“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, 'This man was with them.' But he denied it. 'Woman, I don't know him,' he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, 'You also are one of them.' 'Man, I am not!', Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, 'Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.' Peter replied, 'Man, I don't know what you're talking about!' Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: 'Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22, verses 54-62)

So Jesus has been arrested and taken to the house of the high priest, presumably the same one whose servant had his ear cut off only for Jesus to heal it again. This would be the last miracle of Jesus' ministry prior to his ultimate miracle – his resurrection from the dead. Presumably Jesus had been taken there first because the high priest wanted to press charges against our Lord and Savior. The fact that Jesus had just healed his servant's ear only minutes before evidently made no difference to him. While this was going on, Peter sat back and watched what was happening from a discreet distance, but it was apparently not quite discreet enough. As we just read, Peter denied knowing Jesus or being his disciple in the span of no more than 90 minutes, and possibly much less than that. As we also saw, when Jesus looked directly at Peter – that is, when they made direct eye contact – the conviction in Peter's heart overwhelmed him with tremendous sorrow to the point of uncontrollable sobbing.

There is an important lesson to be learned right here, and that lesson is the forgiveness of sin combined with the unfathomable mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Peter denied knowing Christ 3 times consecutively. As we will see in a later study, Peter repented completely of this sin – meaning, he never did that again. That's all repentance is, it needs no long and flowery definitions like I've seen in so many churches through the years. I would compare it to breaking a bad habit. Despite the fact that Peter disowned Jesus three times in the same night, apparently within earshot of the Lord, he died nailed to a cross upside down at his own request when given a death sentence by a Roman court a decade or two later. Peter died a martyr for Christ, and all his sins were already forgiven before then. If Peter, a man who disowned Christ loud enough for Jesus to hear even though he was probably 25 or 35 feet away, can be forgiven for such a sin as this, how much more will those who worship Jesus as the risen Savior be forgiven for their sins? Forgiveness for our sins – our faults, character flaws, personality defects and everything else – is freely available to all who turn away from the darkness and come into the light. All one has to do is ask Jesus for it. If anyone reading this has not yet done so, now is a perfect time! And now let's move on to part 2 of this week's study.

“The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, 'Prophesy! Who hit you?' And they said many other insulting things to him. At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 'If you are the Christ,' they said, 'tell us.' Jesus answered, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.' They all asked, 'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied, 'You are right in saying I am.' Then they said, 'Why do we have need of any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.'” (Luke 22, verses 63-71)

What we have in the first 2 verses is the equivalent to modern-day police brutality. The men who guarded Jesus did so much more than just mock him and call him bad names. They gave our Lord and Savior a good working over. Jesus was punched, kicked, jabbed, slapped, elbowed and stomped on once he was down on the ground from the beating he was taking. OK, so let's put this into a more modern perspective. Suppose you got arrested based on someone else's false testimony against you, and because you had been betrayed by a close friend. The cops take you to the police station, and bring you into an enclosed area in the basement where they lock you in a room and begin to interrogate you. They blindfold you, and then start to work you over physically and psychologically, and it just keeps getting worse and worse. That's very close to what Jesus went through, and his beating was a severe one! That beating he took was for all our sins. Without Jesus, that's what we would deserve for all our sins, but Jesus voluntarily took our place. Also, in verses 70-71 where Jesus is compelled to incriminate himself, this is the origin of our Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits any defendant in a court of law from being forced to incriminate themselves.

“'If you are the Christ,' they said, 'tell us.' Jesus answered, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer.'” Jesus failed to appreciate the one-sided nature of his captors' line of questioning and plainly told them so. 'If I asked you whether you thought I was the Christ (or Messiah)', Jesus retorted, 'You would refuse to answer.' Jesus' captors were acting at the behest of the temple priests, scribes and teachers of the Law. It is pretty clear that they had been warned in advance not to engage Jesus in any debates. These 'religious leaders' still clearly remembered being outfoxed by our Lord and Savior at every turn when they had questioned him as a way to entrap him in a contradiction or an inconsistency in Jesus' teaching, as we have previously seen. They failed miserably every time they tried, as I'm sure you'll recall from our previous studies of Luke's gospel. So now they had come for Jesus to put him on trial for the sole express purpose of administering the death penalty.

“They all asked, 'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied, 'You are right in saying I am.'” During his entire 33 ½ years on this earth, Jesus never once publicly proclaimed himself to be the promised Messiah, or 'the anointed one' in its original Hebrew context. This was the first and only instance where Christ did so publicly, during his “interrogation” just before his trial. “Why do we have need of any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” Jesus sealed his own fate, and he did so of his own free will. Next week we'll start on chapter 23, where Jesus goes before Pilate to be judged, and all at the loud insistence of the Jewish ruling elite and teachers of the Law, the equivalent to our seminary professors of today. Until then, keep praying for peace in Korea and the Middle East. We are dangerously close to war in both places as I write this. Pray for peace in the morning, at noon and in the evening through the end of the year next month, and I'll be doing the same. Shalom....

This week's Biblical teaching will be part one of Luke chapter 22

Judas and the Last Supper

[Luke chapter 22, verses 1-19]

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Last week when we concluded chapter 21 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus had said all he was going to say to the Twelve – and to ourselves, the readers and students of Christ – regarding the signs of Christ's 2nd coming and of the “end of the age”. Let's not forget that we are living at or near the “end of the age” as Jesus described it, and we all have a responsibility to remain faithful to Jesus as we await his arrival to take us home. Chapter 21 ends with that discussion being over and done with, as Jesus had since returned to the Temple at Jerusalem where he taught daily. Notice that our Lord and Savior had de-emphasized the “end of the age” and had gone back to teaching and preaching, which was his main focus. Certain modern era churches would be wise to emulate our Lord's example. Some are placing more emphasis on Jesus' impending return than they are on saving souls and bringing them back to Christ where we all belong. In this week's lesson, we will begin an analysis of the Last Supper and the betrayal of our soon-to-be-risen Savior and Kinsman Redeemer. So let's get going here, starting at verse one.

“Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the Temple Guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted, and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.” (Luke 22, verses 1-6)

It was the week leading up to the Passover feast, a major Jewish holiday, and those who opposed Jesus who were in positions of leadership had hatched a plot to make Jesus the Passover sacrifice in order to make an example out of him. All they needed was a way to carry it out. Judas, whose intentions were never pure to begin with, undoubtedly sensed this perverse need and saw it as a way to turn a quick profit for himself. For the entire history of humanity, ever since Cain killed Abel, there have been people like Judas, lurking in the shadows for a chance to strike on behalf of the highest bidder. And, there have always been governments, powerful corporations and covert military forces willing to hire these opportunistic mercenaries. Judas never took a shot at Jesus, or even raised his fist to his face, but he was still Satan's mercenary by necessity and a traitor by nature. People who play both sides of any given situation or set of circumstances can never be trusted. Period, end of story. Moreover, this is what happens when governments and ruling bodies get too much power. They will resort to any extreme, including all kinds of murder and mayhem, to get what they want. May God have mercy on anyone who gets in their way, because they will act unmercifully towards any perceived threat, up to and including the Son of God. Let's continue at verse 7.

“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare for it?', they asked. He replied, 'As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, 'Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'. He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there'. They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.” (Luke 22, verses 7-13)

It is evident to all right here that this is still another confirmation to us all from the apostle Luke that Jesus was really the Son of God. There is simply no other way Christ could have known all those little details that far in advance. Those who claim clairvoyance or say they have 'extra-sensory perception' could not possibly imitate what Jesus did. Another thing that has been evident all along is that Jesus and the apostles were all Jewish men – all except for Luke, who was a Gentile doctor. This comprises the uniqueness of Luke's gospel, in that it was the only one written by a Gentile. The apostle Paul mentions Luke briefly a few times in his epistles, and in the Book of Colossians refers to him as a physician (from Greek for 'one who heals'); thus he is known to have been both a physician and a disciple of Jesus Christ, and later of Paul. So that's how the Passover feast preparations occurred – effortlessly. Notice that had Peter and John tried to do things any other way than what the Lord had told them, they would have failed miserably in their mission! So we can all take a lesson from this. We are to trust God even when it doesn't seem right. Let's not try and second-guess Christ or we'll make ourselves look foolish. God has a habit of making things come out right, even when we least expect it. Now let's move on to the third and final part of today's teaching, starting at verse 14.

“When the hour came, Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table. And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.' After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes.' And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'” (Luke 22, verses 14-19)

“'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.'” Jesus made no secret of the fact that our Redeemer had been really looking forward to this final act of celebration with his apostles. Although the apostles – excluding Judas even though he was still there at this point – could not have known that this was their final Passover with the Lord, Jesus surely must have known that it was. But there will be another Passover for the remaining eleven, plus the apostle Paul, along with Steven from Acts chapters 6 and 7, Barnabas, Timothy and all the rest, with Christ the Lord in heaven! We can all be absolutely sure about that! And not only that, but all the rest of us as well – all who contributed to the expansion of God's kingdom with their works and contributions, and especially for those who are winners of souls for the Lord.

So, Christ stated to his apostles that he would not eat, nor would he drink any man-made wine or other fermented beverage, while still on earth. We can all be sure he has kept and is still keeping that vow to this day. “And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'” This single line of scripture is the basis for Holy Communion in both the Protestant and Catholic churches, as well as the Passover celebration in synagogues and multitudes of Jewish households all over the world, but particularly in the United States and Israel. Next week, we'll move on to part 2 of Luke 22 as we 'finish eating' the Last Supper with Jesus and the Twelve, whose number was about to be reduced to eleven. Until then, keep Jesus in your hearts and minds, because there will be times when you'll be glad He's there.

Free book excerpt #13 from Progressive Christian author and blogger Rev Paul J Bern

"Sole Survivor" by Rev. Paul J. Bern

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  Chapter 5

Restoration by God, Driven Away by Man

I finally got out of jail on the night of December 17^th, 1999 after an agonizing 4 month wait to get my court case done and over with. The main thing I remember about that night was how incredibly cold it was. I had been arrested in early fall near the end of September, and all I had on were casual slacks and a polo shirt. After treating myself to a full sit-down dinner at an all-night restaurant across the street from the jail, I was forced to make my way on foot to the nearest place that I was sure would be open all night, which was the community hospital on the suburban east side of Atlanta about 2 or 3 miles away. So off into the freezing cold I went as I hiked over to the hospital. The two main things that motivated me to get there were the lack of outer clothing and the fact that I was already a nervous wreck from having spent those 4 months in jail without the benefit of my bipolar medication. The clinic there – and it barely qualified as such – were giving me 2 different medications that I had never heard of. They did just barely work, but they were a poor substitute for my regularly prescribed 'meds'. I recall getting to the ER about 3:30 AM that morning. To make a long story short, I spent the next 13 days at an inpatient clinic right down the street from the hospital. While I was there I got stabilized on my regular medications, and I managed to get back in touch with the district manager where I had been working when all this mess first started. I had contacted him when I was first brought to jail, trying to raise some bail money. They could not help me with that, I was told, but my job would be kept open for me until I was released. They stayed true to their word and rehired me upon my release. That Wang Global district manager's name was James Dean. God bless you, James, wherever you are.

I checked out of the hospital on a blustery Friday afternoon, and I started back to work the following Monday morning. This gives me pause with regards to God's eternal mercy, the loving way He chastises us but then restores us – but not always immediately, because His timing is always perfect. Did you ever notice that about God? His timing is always letter-perfect and never too late. Had that gone any other way, when I got out of jail I could have immediately become homeless, wandering the streets without a coat when the outside temperature was around 35 degrees, and having lost the new job I had just acquired 5 months before. Instead, and by the grace of God alone, I had landed on my feet and I was able to miraculously pick up where I had left off before all the trouble started. I give Jesus all the credit for my success, and I give him all my praise, thankfulness, and honor!

I worked that entire year, right up until Christmas time. That's when they laid us off. But it was the way it was done that bothered me the most. One day a month or two beforehand, a 15-passenger van pulled up and parked in front of the office, and these 15 technicians from the Philippines get out and enter the office conference room. The door gets shut behind them, and it isn't until the next day that the rest of us found out they were there as our replacements. The senior techs, and by this point I was one of them, were instructed to train one of them apiece. One of them said it was unfair, and he refused to train any of them, saying he could make his job last at least a week longer by not having a replacement trained and ready to go. To no one's surprise, he was fired on the spot, right where he stood, and it didn't seem to matter to him. To this day I regard this as a good example of what can and should happen to racists in the workplace.

I spent the next six months searching like crazy for a replacement job. Unfortunately, the dot-com financial crash was happening right around this time, and the computer/IT industry had pretty much came to a standstill. So I did what lots of other technical professionals like myself were doing at the time: I went back to school to get my Microsoft certification. I already had my degree, plus an A+ certification and two Dell certifications, so for me the Microsoft certification made sense (remember, this was back in 2001). But instead of making me more marketable like I thought, what few job offers I did have seemed to evaporate. All together I went for over 14 months without drawing a paycheck. My saving grace during this time was that I had substantial savings, otherwise I would surely have been homeless by that time. But homelessness escaped me when I used the small pickup truck that I owned at the time to go to work as a private contractor for a courier company. I had to take a substantial pay cut from the $35.00 per hour I had been making as a Dell service contractor, but by now my savings balance was nearly depleted. By dodging homelessness the way I had, I thought I had dodged a bullet, but I had only delayed the inevitable for a few more years. I will have more to say on that in the next chapter.

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This week's Bible study with Pastor Paul J. Bern will be part 2 of Luke chapter 20

The Parable of the Tenants (part 2)

[Luke chapter 20, verses 14-26]

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Last week when we left off at verse 13, Jesus was relating his parable of the tenants in the (hypothetical) vineyard, who had rented it from its owner, who was gone on a long journey. As you recall, the owner had sent a couple of servants to try and collect “some of the fruit of the vineyard”, as my NIV Bible puts it. My NLT Bible says the owner “sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop”. But the servants get sent away empty-handed, and with a good butt-whupping to boot. So the man decides he will send his son in the mistaken belief that he will be respected because of his status as the heir to the estate. So at this point let's take up where we last concluded last week's study, beginning at verse 14.

“But when they saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir', they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 'So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.' When the people heard this, they said, 'May this never be!' Jesus looked directly at them and asked, 'Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? (Psalm 118, verse 22) Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.' The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.” (Luke 20, verses 14-19)

One of the first things that jumps out at me from the above quote is that there are times in life when one's social or economic status is meaningless, and the owner of the vineyard failed to realize that at first. His failure to grasp the fact that he had rented his vineyard to a gang of criminals cost his son his life. It appears to me that this is a similar situation to what the American people are facing today. If the 'vineyard' were Washington, DC, then the 'tenants' would be our elected officials, and it would not be an inaccurate statement to say we have a bunch of evil tenants that have taken over the US government. But according to the Declaration of Independence, not to mention the US Constitution, it is “we the people” who are the true landowners and stockholders of this still-great country of ours. So the moral of this part of the story is that if we as a united American people fail to act preemptively against America's thoroughly corrupt and abusive government, that government, if left unchecked, will ultimately turn on us and kill us all. There are numerous examples from history of this occurring, with Hitler's Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's Red China being three examples from just the past century alone. If we don't intervene now against the rampant corruption in our government, the American people would be next on this infamous list.

Keep in mind, too, that this whole conversation got started when the Pharisees and teachers of the Law (like modern-day instructors and professors in Yeshiva's or Seminaries) had walked up to Jesus while he was teaching at the Temple at Jerusalem and demanded to know the source of his authority. They clearly failed to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. In fact, they were downright suspicious of Jesus, just to give you an idea of just how thoroughly whacked these Pharisees really were. That's why Jesus quoted the Bible in his response when he said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone'? (Psalm 118, verse 22) Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” Jesus is the capstone, or “cornerstone”, as my NLT calls it. “Broken to pieces”, I'm pretty sure, is a reference to our old selves being broken in the process of surrendering our lives to Christ when we come to recognize and embrace him as our Lord and Savior. But like a seed germinating, our old selves must die so the new self can be reborn. Although we will be “broken to pieces”, the new self God gives us in its place when we commit our lives to Christ is an immortal soul destined for eternity with Jesus in heaven. Those who refuse to believe, on the other hand, “will be crushed”.

“The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.” Isn't this exactly what the authorities do in modern times when they perceive someone as a threat? They are either arrested and jailed like what happens to street protesters and other political activists, or they are assassinated like the Kennedy brothers and Rev. Dr. King, Jr., to name just a few. This kind of deadly shenanigans has been playing out in governments for many centuries, much to the detriment of the people those governments are charged with governing. But in modern times, the ubiquitous nature of the internet is making traditional government obsolete due to the way it decentralizes everything, directly connecting people, business and organizations in a way that was never before possible. But the last sentence is something we should be taking to heart. If we want to be part of the political and economic change we seek, it's time to make the government really afraid of us, the American people. As you can see, citizen reprisal against their government is in the Bible after all, but that is a topic for another discussion entirely – so for now let's conclude this week's lesson starting at verse 20.

“Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: 'Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 'Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?' 'Caesar's', they replied. He said to them, 'Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what his God's..' They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.” (Luke 20, verses 20-26)

To use modern terminology, the Pharisees hired the equivalent of private investigators to put Jesus under surveillance, presumably because they had already tried and failed to get the governing authorities to do so. This should be regarded as a testimony to the power Jesus had over the people, who clearly recognized him as the promised Messiah while the better “educated” religious establishment did not. So much for 'religious education', which in the case of the Pharisees turns out to be an oxymoron. Yet there is one truth the Pharisees and their henchmen did recognize about our Savior, even though they did so begrudgingly; “....we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth....”. I don't know about you, but the part about not showing any partiality is the first thing I notice here. They meant 'showing partiality' like the Pharisees did, because they were known for their snobbish and arrogant behavior, as well as their openly being condescending towards those they regarded as inferior to themselves. Despite their devout religiosity, these were mean and nasty people, and I'm pretty sure that's what our Lord and Savior hated most about them.

So then the “spies”, as my NIV Bible calls them, or “secret agents pretending to be honest men”, as my NLT Bible puts it, ask Jesus what we would call a 'loaded question'. “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 'Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?'” 'Since you are from God rather than from men as you claim, aren't you exempt from taxation?', is the modern equivalent of what they were asking our Lord and Savior. Technically, since Jesus was of the clergy he would have been tax exempt by law similar to today, so an affirmative answer would have been a truthful one. But then he would have been accused of being a tax evader. Had Jesus answered negatively, on the other hand, meaning Jesus would want the taxes paid to himself and not Caesar since he claimed – though not directly – to be the promised Messiah, he would have been judged as having started an insurrection and turned over to the authorities immediately.

But Jesus' response is classic Jesus as only he could be: “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what his God's.' They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public....”. 'Give to each his due and leave me alone so I can work', is the modern equivalent to what our Lord and Savior was saying to the “secret agents”. Remember, all this had gotten started when the Pharisees, together with their hired henchmen, burst into the temple and interrupted our Lord while he was teaching there. But instead of tripping Jesus up like they thought they could (sometimes people do dumb things due to a lack of faith), Jesus turned the tables on his adversaries instead – and all in full view of Jesus' apostles and his many followers who were there with him. So a final lesson we can derive this week is that trying to fool God, let alone his Son, is always a really bad and pathetically dumb idea. Let's not forget that, like a marriage, our relationship with Christ must be based on honesty and accountability. So let's never forget to always remain transparent in our relationship with our Lord and Savior, because a rich reward awaits all those who execute this faithfully! And next week we'll move on to part 3 of Luke chapter 20.

Free book excerpt #8 from Author Rev. Paul J. Bern

“The Apostles In Plain English Vol. 1: the Apostle Paul” by Pastor Paul J. Bern

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Preparing Ourselves For the Day of the Lord

[1^st Thessalonians chapter 5]

When I closed out 1^st Thessalonians chapter four last week, you no doubt recall my interpretation that we are to be living each day of our lives as if it will be our last. I cannot overemphasize this important truth, nor is it possible to diminish its importance. God is watching everything we do and listening to everything we say, and for a man like myself being in a position of Christian leadership, I am held to a higher standard by the Lord, because what applies to church members applies to me twice as much. Plus, as our Lord's return for his Church continues to get ever closer, I fervently hope that others will follow my example and be continually readying themselves for His coming. And this, my dear readers, is a goal worth attaining at any time. It is at this point that the apostle Paul takes up where he left off, starting at the beginning of chapter five.

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we need not write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying 'Peace and Safety', destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1st Thessalonians 5, verses 1-11)

Paul paints a vivid picture of the coming of the Lord. Of course, one might ask if this is pertaining to the rapture of the church, or to the Lord's triumphant return three and a half years later (see the Book of Daniel chapter 12, etc). If you are one of those who has studied the rapture, the tribulation and the signs that we are living in the end times (never mind what you may have seen on TV or at the movies), then it is essential that we understand what Paul meant here. When he wrote, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night”, I believe this warning was meant primarily for the Church. Be ready, watch and pray that we receive purification from the Holy Spirit, so that as members of the Bride of Christ we may be found “without spot or blemish”.

“While people are saying 'Peace and Safety', destruction will come on them suddenly...”. According to prophecy, before the Antichrist can come to power, World War 3 will have to occur first (also known as the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 39 and 39). There will also have been a series of natural disasters that will have occurred by this point in time (I don't have time to explain that part in detail, so please bear with me). People will be clamoring globally to be free to live in peace, and to be safe from natural disasters; “... and they will not escape” can be translated into modern English as saying, “Total destruction will overpower them without warning, and they won't stand a chance”. Nobody knows exactly what this means since all those other events have not yet occurred, and speculation would be counterproductive. All I can tell you is that the Antichrist will be in power for a total of seven years, and that one of his first acts will be to negotiate the peace treaty that ends World War 3. All the countries involved will adhere to this peace agreement for three and a half years. At that point the Antichrist will do something that breaks that same peace deal while elevating himself to something supposedly equivalent to God, as if there were such a thing. It is at this point that the persecution of Christians will greatly increase, and this will be happening in the US as well. This will be the “acid test” for all of those who identify themselves as being Christians. Either we take the mark of the beast and worship the Antichrist as god here on earth, or we refuse and continue to worship Jesus as the Son of God in heaven. Those who do worship Jesus will find themselves being martyred by the forces of the Antichrist. A time is coming when our Christianity will cost us our life. What will you choose? To quote the prophet Jeremiah, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”. Since the Lord died on the cross for my sins, I would not have any problem returning the favor, knowing that like himself, he will raise me from the dead to eternal life. We should all be willing to do the same.

“But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” Remember who we are in Christ! We are the adopted sons and daughters of the Most High God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We were bought at a very steep price, one that no man would be willing to pay. We were adopted as sons and daughters of Jesus our Kinsman Redeemer, making all of us Jewish by adoption (see Romans 8: 15-17 or Galatians 4: 4-7, among others). We don't belong to the night and we never did, we were born for the day and for the light from our very conception. “Let's be alert and self-controlled”, Paul wrote. You won't be ready to meet the Lord at the rapture if you're in bed sleeping off a hangover, or after playing video games all night long. As I have said before, it's time for us all to get our priorities straight. Jesus first, worship him first and always give him top priority in your daily living and you'll find yourself living with an internal peace that was neither present nor possible before. I'm speaking from experience, and if God can do this for me then he can do so for you too. But we must ask Him first. Sitting around waiting for God to give any of us a hand-out will accomplish nothing, unless one considers wasting time an accomplishment. I most definitely don't!

“ God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up...”. I will sum this up in one sentence – we're not here to be on the receiving end of the tribulation that Jesus spoke about, but rather we will be protected from it if only we remain faithful to his Word. “If you love me”, Jesus said, “keep my commandments”. Jesus died so that we may have eternal life with him in heaven, a new dwelling place that we have not yet seen. Obeying His commandments is the second prerequisite, believing that he is the Son of God is the first. Having written that, let's conclude our study starting at verse twelve.

“Now we ask you brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (1^st Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 12-28)

Respect the value of hard work, Paul is saying, and especially those who do so. Dirty hands and sweat can turn an otherwise boring day into a really fun one. This is especially true of the younger men and women who are still able-bodied enough to do so (unfortunately, that is no longer the case with me). Hard physical work is dignified provided that it is done constructively. “Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Build each other up, don't tear each other down! Make the idle people either get off their butts and get to work or move on and stop standing in the way. It is written in the law of Moses, “If a man will not work he shall not eat”. Yet by the same token we are commanded to “be patient with everyone”. Give the slower people a chance to catch up. Better yet, why not donate your time and tutor a few to help them along? Now that would be in keeping with the Holy Spirit of Christ!

“ ...always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” Sometimes I think the secular world understands this better than modern churches do today. Immediately after recent natural disasters here in America, there were armies on volunteers that descended on these devastated areas and helped clean up, doing whatever needed to be done. What surprised me was when I found out that up to half of these volunteers don't bother going to church. Yet they understood the command and answered the calling that God obviously put on them. “Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” Let the Holy Spirit always be in control of everyone, every life, in every situation and in all circumstances. Check out everything you see, hear or read to determine its value, or the lack thereof. Put problem people completely out of your life if that's what it takes to get free from negative influences and all forms of evil. Hold on to the good and simply let everything else go. Such timeless wisdom!

“May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” Paul closes out by replaying that theme of being found holy and blameless before the Lord, with the understanding that this is only possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. No one can do this by themselves, but only through complete reliance on the Holy Spirit can such a noble goal as this be achieved. The key is in the last sentence, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” Total reliance on Christ will enable him to cause us to be holy, pure and blameless in the sight of God. Instead of being self-reliant as we are in most situations, we are to step aside and let Christ do the work, not for us but through us as we become willing conduits for his unequaled Spiritual power. That is the ultimate meaning of unity through Christ. Shalom!

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