Use the whole verse

Pet Peeves. Everybody has them. Some of them are important (Yes, we all should wash our hands before we eat). Some of them are silly (what real difference does it make which way the toilet paper sits on the dispenser?) 

Like any other human being, I have my own set of them. (Don't worry, I'm only going to get into one today). 

But, the Pet Peeve I'm going to cover today, truly does matter and can have eternal consequences. 

First of all, give me KJV or nothing else. The other versions distort, twist, and nullify huge sections of scripture. I'm only going to give one example of this before I get on to what this post is really about today. (Okay, so I'm going to cover 2 pet peeves. Think of it as a two for one deal?)

John 3:13 is an awesome verse. It contains truth that many people do not truly know:

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Here Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and tells him something amazing! Read it and see if you catch it. Did you get it? It's awesome!

Jesus told Nicodemus that he (the son of man) not only ascended to and descended from heaven, but that at that very moment- while he was speaking those sacred words to Nicodemus- HE (Jesus) was also in heaven! 

How can this be? Because there's only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and that one God is omnipresent (everywhere all at once). So, though he inhabited the body of the son of God and was speaking to Nicodemus, he was also still on the throne in heaven watching and controlling everything!

In short, he told Nicodemus, "I'm God. Do you truly understand who you are talking to right now?" 

Wow!

Now, what do a few other versions say?

NIV 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

NLT13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[a] has come down from heaven.

The Voice: 13 No one has ever journeyed to heaven above except the One who has come down from heaven—the Son of Man, who is of heaven.

I could go on and on. The NIV and NLT are bad enough. They leave off the whole phrase "which IS IN heaven." This relegates Jesus' whole existence to inside that body- totally changing the whole meaning and context of the verse.  

But, the Voice is even worse: they leave the phrase in, but change one word. IN becomes OF. Again, this totally violates the actual scripture's meaning and relegates Jesus to existing only within that body- but it does admit he came from heaven. 

There are hundreds of changes like this. So, give me KJV or give me nothing. 

Next Pet Peeve:

When you quote a verse (I mean you as in anyone), please quote the whole verse.

There are Christian catchphrases that we all like to use that are nice to hear. But, they leave off the rest of the verse (or context) and totally distort the actual meaning. Here are just a few. 

"Resist the devil and he will flee."

 This catchphrase makes it sound as if the devil comes against you, you tell him no and wave him away. And he's so afraid of us that he takes off running with his tail between his legs. 

Then why doesn't this actually work in practice? Why doesn't he just leave when we resist temptation? Why doesn't he run away when we don't blow our stack at that person that deserves it so much? 

Because it's a partial verse. Here's what it actually says:

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Read that, please. Yes, it does say that if we resist the devil he will flee from us. So, what's the problem, brother Winskie? 

The problem is that we skip the first part of the verse and think all we need to do is resist the devil. But, it says we are to "SUBMIT (OURSELVES) TO GOD first. THEN, we can resist in God's strength and authority. THIS will cause the enemy to flee! 

If we don't submit to God first, we can resist the devil all day long and he ain't going nowhere, bro. 

Do you see how leaving off part of it changes the whole meaning? 

How about this one?

"There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." 

That sounds like an absolute guarantee! Once we're born again, it's a 100% guarantee that we will never be condemned. We have a one-way ticket to glory and nothing can stop us now!! 

Wait. There's one minor detail that they left off. What does Romans 8:1 actually say?

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Did you catch the difference there? 

If, after we are born again, we choose (because we still have choices to make) to please our flesh rather than strive to please God's spirit, we can (depending on what we do) sin and bring condemnation against ourselves. It's NOT an absolute guarantee. It depends upon whether we follow our fleshly desires or the leading of God's spirit. 

Or, how about this one? 

"God will give you the desires of your heart." 

Holy Cow! What a deal! Let's make our list up right now! 

New Car.

New Truck.

Fix my spouse.

New home.

New job...

Wait. Before you go too far. Let's check out the verse where the phrase comes from.

Psalms 37:4

"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Delight (in the Hebrew) means to be soft and pliable.

Lord (in the Hebrew) means the self-existent, eternal God. 

desires (in the Hebrew) means prayer or petition

heart (in the Hebrew) means the inner man: mind, will, heart, understanding.

So. If we allow ourselves to become pliable (easily bent, flexible- in other words moldable into any shape he cares to make us into) in the hands of almighty God, he will answer our deepest and most heartfelt prayers. Why? Because they will line up to his word and will. 

It's all about submission to God. We submit to him and let him change us. Then, when we pray, our prayers will line up with his will and he will answer them. 

It's not a blank check to get anything we may fancy. 

But, Lord, we really need a new truck. 

If he thinks we do, he'll make the way. But, just because we're a believer, doesn't mean he'll give us anything we want. If our parents won't do that, why would God?

But, the point is, when we use scripture, we must use the whole thing. 

If we shorten it into a soundbite that sounds good to people's ears, we could be setting them up for a potentially catastrophic event to their faith. This could cause the new believer to leave their faith. 

Absolutely, we should use scripture and claim the promises of God. But, when we do, we've got to use it complete and in context. 

If we do not, the results could be devastating. 

Pilate's question

I was raised in the church. Many of us in America were. Some of my earliest memories are being in church or gathered around the piano at my grandparent's home with my cousins, aunts, and uncles singing hymns out of a church hymnal. So, you could say I was well aware of Christian culture and Christian "stories." I did not become born again until I was 25-years-old, but I was well aware of the crucifixion story of Jesus from my youth. 

I'm 54-years-old now, so maybe my memory is failing me. But, in the vast majority of the times, when "the Easter Story" has been presented to me in most churches, I remember Pilate being presented as a man who was stuck in a place where he had no choice to do as he did. After all, he questioned Jesus personally and found no fault in him (John 18:38). He even went so far as to try and get Jesus off the hook by letting the people choose between him and Barabbas, a known murderer. (Matthew 27:16-26) 

But the mob was having none of it, so the poor guy had no choice to make the decision that he did. After all, Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. (Revelations 13:8) So the guy was well and truly stuck. God forced the poor man to decide to do what he did. 

If that wasn't the way it was presented to you, then this blog will not be much of a surprise to you. And, in the defense of those who presented it to me all these years, it is possible that I did not understand it in the way that they intended it to come across. Sometimes, as my wife can attest, I'm not the sharpest tack in the box. 

But, God did not force Pilate to make the choice that he did. 

How do I know? He left us a few clues in the scriptures. 

1) Jesus' ministry and arrest. John 18:1-9

18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

2 And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.

3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Jesus knew he was going to be arrested. He also knew he needed to defend his disciples. So, when the guards came to arrest him, he exercised his authority as God. When he asked them who they were seeking and they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth," he answered, "I AM" (the HE there was added by the King James translators for clarity- they thought). Upon Answering with the Old Testament name of God, power was released that knocked all these big and burly guards- trained warriors employed by the temple- onto their backsides. This, on top of all the miraculous signs and wonders Jesus had performed, was the icing on the cake for Pilate. He knew that Jesus was different and very powerful- beyond any mere mortal man.

Yes, Pilate, being who he was, knew all that had happened. People in his position are told every detail that pertains to any situation they are dealing with. 

2) Pilate's position.

John 19:9-11

9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

In mankind's view, Pilate actually had the power of granting life and/or death to his subjects. Our governors have the power to pardon in certain cases, but none of them have the authority to just order someone's death. 

Pilate did.

And he told Jesus in the strongest possible terms that he definitely had this power. You can almost hear Pilate's pleading voice. He was frustrated. Basically, in his own way, he seemed to be saying, "Work with me here, man! I'm trying to help you!" 

But, Jesus did not let him off the hook. 

He told Pilate that the only power that he had over Jesus was because it came from Heaven specifically for this situation. This, I believe, was a subtle reminder of what Pilate knew had happened during Jesus' arrest- where Jesus proved he was willingly surrendering, but definitely had the power to stop things at any time he chose to do so. 

He also told Pilate that a) those that had brought him in (the Pharisees/Sadducees) would be held accountable by God for this sin, and b) Pilate would be held accountable for his sinful part in the proceedings, as well. After all, he said the Sanhedrin (Pharisees/Sadducees) that delivered him (Jesus) had THE GREATER sin because they delivered him and called for the trial to happen- thereby rejecting their Messiah. However, He was definitely implying that Pilate himself shared a part of the sins. 

Why? 

The Sanhedrin had brought the charges, Pilate was governor. Didn't Pilate have a legal obligation to handle the case? 

No. 

As Pilate had said, if he had wanted to, he could've ignored the Sanhedrins power play altogether and dismissed the charges. It was within his power and authority to do so. In fact, This very thing happened in favor of Paul in Acts 18:12-16 by a deputy- a man with far less power than a Governor. 

But, the Jews were whipped to a frenzy and threatening riots, didn't Pilate have an obligation to try and quell them? 

Yes.

But, he did not have to do so by giving in to their demands. He had the most powerful military in the world at that time-Roman legions- at his command. He could have set Jesus free and forced the Jews to comply with his decision. 

But, the Jews threatened to tell Emperor Caesar (after they would have rioted) that Pilate was the one who could have stopped the chaos, but he didn't do what they wanted and this caused all the trouble. (John 19:12-13) 

Note: Doesn't this sound much like our situations today? Mobs are rioting and politicians who have the authority to quell the violence are refusing to do so. They are all playing politics and God will hold them accountable for it.

Indeed, Pilate tried on several occasions to release Jesus. (John 19, Luke 23). He even went so far as to have Jesus scourged with the cat of nine tails whip and present him before the Jews, hoping that this action would placate the Jews (John 19, Luke 23). Of course, Pilate had no way of knowing that his actions were prophesied centuries before they happened (by his stripes we are healed- Isaiah 53:5). 

Jesus, as God, knew Pilate would try and release him. So why did Jesus say Pilate was in sin by his actions? Didn't Pilate try and release him? He had no choice, right? 

As we've already pointed out, Pilate had the authority to release Jesus, no matter what the Jews did. But, Jesus said Pilate's hands, in spite of his own protestations to the contrary, were not clean of Jesus' blood. Why? 

3) The warning

Because Pilate had received a warning before he ever sat down to bring judgment on Jesus- a warning from God! 

Matthew 27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

God had spoken to Pilate through a nightmare he had given Pilate's closest advisor- his wife. It was a warning to him that he had a choice in the matter. Pilate did not have to choose to crucify Jesus. Things did not have to play out the way that they did. 

Yes, Jesus would be crucified. It was God's plan from the very beginning of time. (Revelations 13:8) 

But, Pilate had a choice on whether or not to be the man to order it. Yes, things could've gone badly for him after that. Yes, riots could have occurred. Yes, the Jews could have brought the circumstances to the attention of Caesar and Pilate could have lost his position (and possibly his life) by not crucifying Jesus. But, God had given him a choice. 

Interestingly enough, it was the same question Pilate had given the Jews: 

Matthew 27:22

Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

Pilate and the Jews had to choose what they would do with Jesus. Worship him? 

Or hate him? Believe and follow him? Ignore and/or vilify him?  

They rejected their Savior. They rejected their very creator. They made the wrong choice.

What choice will you make today about Jesus, my friend?

Don't be like Pilate. 

Please make the right choice.

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day

Luke6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

My earthly Dad, I'm proud to say, is Edwin B Winskie. Most folks call him Butch. At present, he is 76 years old. That's an amazing thing, considering that he raised me and my sister. We put him through quite a lot. 

And Dad had an abundance of mercy. The fact that I'm still alive and breathing after all I did as a child is a strong testimony to that fact. 

My Dad worked hard for his family. When I was a young boy, he worked 2 jobs to try and sustain us. Then, he was hired by Delta Airlines during the height of the airline boom. We had to move, but it was a blessing. Many of the boys I was hanging out with were already into smoking. Later, many of them would get into drugs. Moving was good for me because I had to change crowds.

I never drank or did drugs. And that's because of my Dad. 

You see, my Dad- back then- was an alcoholic. The first prayer I prayed after I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost was for God to free my Dad from Alcohol. 

I was in the Army at that time. I went to the Gulf war as a newborn baby in Christ. I was still praying for Dad's deliverance.  

Don't take me wrong. My Dad was not a drunk. He didn't stagger around the house. He didn't beat us. He didn't meander from deadbeat job to deadbeat job trying to hold things together while he drank himself into oblivion. 

My Dad was a functional alcoholic. He could drink enough vodka to floor your average person and just keep right on going. But, when he did without it- usually for his family to have what we needed- he'd go through DT's. He'd shake and sweat, etc. 

One day, Dad was slightly tipsy, when he burst into my room and grabbed me. He hugged me close and begged me to forgive him. Then he said, "Son, don't ever drink. It's the only thing that's ever beat me."

This had a huge effect on me.  My Dad is one of the strongest willed people I have ever known. He is mentally tough as nails. So, when he said Alcohol was the only thing to ever beat him, I knew I'd never touch the stuff. 

I'm not nearly as tough as Dad. I had friends in high school and college that drank and partied a bit. I never got into that crowd. Every time I was tempted, I remembered what my Dad had said and it gave me the strength to say, "NO!" 

Then I married and joined the Army. There was lots of partying going on there. But, not by me. I remembered what my Dad had said. I knew if he couldn't handle it, It would destroy me!

I broke down and cried when I got his letter in 1991, I believe. Dad had realized he had a drinking problem and Delta Airlines- to their credit- was paying for him to go through rehab to be free from that addiction that had tormented him for years. I fell to my knees and cried thank you to my heavenly Father, for freeing my earthly father from one of Satan's traps. 

So, Dad, I just want to say thank you for always providing for us. Thank you for doing the best you knew how to raise us. Thank you for not killing me. And thank you for teaching me the value of hard work and personal sacrifice in taking care of a family.  

And thanks to my heavenly Father for giving me the Dad that you did. You knew what you were doing. And thanks for becoming a son and paying the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for my sins.  

So happy Father's day, Jesus. And happy Father's day, Edwin B. Winskie

I'll love you both for eternity!     (That's Dad on the left.)

The living parable of the ladybug

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Yesterday, we went to Sams Club. On our way back, somehow a ladybug had managed to get into the cab of our truck. Not being a super violent man, I didn't wish to just kill it outright. But, I had a problem. The little thing, after it got over its initial fright, decided it did not need to wait where it was. It needed to start moving and try and find out where it needed to go. 

This caused a problem because we never got stopped by a red light on the way home. The whole 25-minute trip home was actual movement. So, the little ladybug was moving the whole time! It would not sit still and trust that I would let it out safely when we got home. Rather, it was constantly moving. So, when it got to one side of my hand, I would have to place my other hand there in front of it. It would see that and change hands. Occasionally, it would try and force it's way between my fingers, which of course it could not do. But, for the most part, it kept traveling up and around my hands the whole trip. I was going somewhere, but the little bug truly was just walking around in circles in mostly a straight line up and down my hands.  When we reached home, I handed the little bug off to my 6-year-old granddaughter, Ella, who ended up depositing the now happy little thing onto a nearby bush. 

But, the thought hit me. How like that little lady-bug are we humans, especially me. 

God has promised to take care of us if we will just trust him. I know I am safe in his hands. But, rather than just rest there in the middle of his hand, I start moving. I want to see where I'm going so I can know what's going on and maybe make plans. I start moving this way and that in a vain effort to see what God is doing. 

It's not a lack of trust.

I truly know I'm safe in his hands. It's just that I want to KNOW what he's doing and where he's taking me.   

Nevermind that I know he's got this. Never mind that I know he's working all things out for my good and his glory. Nevermind that I know he has an amazing future planned out for me and my family. 

I just want to see and try and do my part in the preparation.

But, sometimes, I can wear myself out trying to see and figure things out. I can tire my family with my efforts and lack of rest (and sometimes sleep) in trying to be prepared. 

His word says that If I wait on him, I will renew my strength. Why? Because you can't charge your batteries if you don't sit on the charging hand of God and wait. And if I do wait, he says I will fly, run without weariness and walk without fainting. What a promise! 

So Lord, Please help me to simply rest in the palm of your hand on my journey and wait on the beautiful plan you've made for us to unfold in your good time. 

For truly, you do all things well.   

The whole truth about speaking in tongues, the sign and the gift.

Growing up Baptist, I had never actually heard anyone speak in tongues.  It was a  

subject that both terrified me and excited me. What would it be like? What did it 

feel like? 

But then, there were some people that told me that tongues had ceased being used 

by God when the Bible as a complete book was put together. Furthermore, they 

said, if it did happen now, it was of the devil. So, then I'd think, "well, I don't want 

to go to hell." 

It wasn't until later in life, after I was born again, that the Lord began to show me 

some things. 

1) Everyone that is born of the spirit will speak in tongues at least once in their 

lives. This is called "the sign of tongues."

Mark 16:

 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

According to Jesus in this passage, everyone who Biblically believes in him will speak with new tongues. It's a sign of being born of the spirit. This doesn't mean we learn a different language than your own. It means to supernaturally speak in a language that you've never learned before. It is God speaking through you. 

This is further proven by what Jesus said in John 3:

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Some have tried to say that this is saying it is the changed life of a Christian that others will see when we're born again. While, Philosophically, this is true, that is not what Jesus said here.  He said when a person is born of the spirit, there will be an accompanying sound. 

When people were born of the spirit in scripture, the only sound that is commonly referred to- after they are born of the spirit/baptized with the Holy Ghost is that they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 10:44-46, Acts 19:1-7). 

In Acts 8 there are two instances where people are spiritually born again, but it doesn't say they spoke in tongues. In the first instance, verses 14-19, the warlock had already seen miraculous healings and demons cast out of people (verses 5-13). Yet, he hadn't offered money to be able to do it. But, when he witnessed the spiritual births of these people, he saw and heard something that impressed him enough that he was willing to pay to be able to do cause what was happening. When he heard these people that he'd known for years begin to speak in languages that he knew they did not know, it blew his mind! 

This is what happened on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). There were at least 17 different languages being spoken that day (verses 9-11), if not more by these 120 uneducated Galileans. The crowd knew that they didn't have the education required to know all these foreign tongues. It got their attention. 

The second instance (verses 26-40) was Philip meeting the Ethiopian Eunuch. The Eunuch would be baptized in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost. Again, it doesn't say that the Eunuch spoke in tongues, but if there was enough power of God there to catch Philip away to a completely new location miles away, and it happened all the other times someone received the spirit in scripture, then it must have happened to the Eunuch, as well.  After all, in the mouth of two or three witnesses,(Deuteronomy 19:15) God's word is confirmed. There are at least three definite instances of tongues accompanying the new birth. Why should we not believe it happened the other times? 

2) There are two types of tongues: Angelic and Human languages. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels... (1 Corinthians 13: 1)

This means that when a person speaks in tongues it can be one of the hundreds of languages in the world, or it can be an angelic language. If this were not so, then Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, would not have written this verse in that way.

3) There is a difference in the Gift of Tongues and the sign (or evidence) of tongues. 

1 Corinthians 12 explains that there are different gifts of the spirit, but the same Lord who gives them out severally (as He wills to whom He wills). It is in this context that Paul asks the often misused question,"Do all speak with tongues?" (Verse 30). He is discussing spiritual gifts and we do not all have the same spiritual gifts, so naturally, the answer to Paul's question is no. 

But, this in no way negates Jesus' proclamation that these SIGNS shall follow them that believe (tongues included) and that there would be a sound accompanying everyone's spiritual birth- and that the scriptural example of that is tongues. 

Yes, when someone is born again they will speak in tongues. But, they may or may not ever speak in tongues again. It depends upon what gift of the spirit the Lord wants to use them in at any given time. And, for you Bible scholars, it can be we are used in different gifts in different places depending upon what the Lord needs to be done within any given body of believers.

4) Tongues are also used as a prayer language.  

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

There are times when we are in prayer (for ourselves or for others) when our own languages just aren't enough to express how we feel or what we are trying to say. Times when the spirit of God within us will just take over our prayer and pray for us in a language we do not know. Even if that language sounds to us like nothing more than groaning or gibberish. 

5) A little explanation about 1 Corinthians 14. 

A) This section is referring to what happens in a service corporately. 

B) The 120 did not have interpreters on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). They were all speaking in tongues and not one of them stopped to give an interpretation. It was the crowd that was standing there that heard their own languages being spoken that gave the interpretations to those around them. There was no interpreter in Acts 8, 10, or 19 either. Does this mean that one of the Apostles should've stopped the move of God? No!

C) If you've ever been in service when the gift of tongues and interpretation is operating, you'll understand that there's a difference between this and normal speaking in tongues. You see, normal speaking in tongues is us (through the spirit) praising, praying, and worshipping God. When tongues and interpretations happen it is the total opposite- it is God speaking to us as a church body! 

What I call a "holy hush" comes over the congregation. Simultaneously, or shortly thereafter, someone will begin to speak in tongues loudly and with unnatural authority. You can feel the presence of God in a much more powerful way. When they finish, either they or (usually) someone else, will begin giving the interpretation of the tongues. This interpretation edify's the whole church (what Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 14).  

D)At any time in a church service, any or all of these things may be happening. At the altar or in the pew, someone may be speaking in tongues as they receive the Holy Ghost. Someone else may be praying in tongues. Some praise or even sing in tongues as a form of worship to Jesus. All of these are individual experiences between the person and God and require no interpretation for the larger body of Christ to hear. None of it is out of order or breaks 1 Corinthians 14. 

Paul was not saying that any of this was out of order. The Corinthian church simply had a lot of people who were trying to operate in tongues and interpretation at the same time. It also had people who were trying to speak in tongues as a way to be seen by others (of course these were not real tongues). Paul was correcting these errors in 1 Corinthians 14. But, he also said: 

39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:39-40)

So, those who try to say tongues have ceased are wrong. Those who say that a service with tongues that are not interpreted is unscriptural are wrong. 

There is a sign of tongues. All will speak in tongues that are born of the spirit. 

There is a gift of tongues. This is used in personal praise to God, personal worship of God, and personal prayer with God. And sometimes in a service, tongues go forth from God with an interpretation to the whole body of believers.  

I pray this helps you to understand what's happening in folks who speak in tongues at home and at church. 

The heat on the rock

9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:9-10)

Many times in life, following God can become frustrating. 

Now don't stop reading. I'm not putting the Lord down in any way. I'm talking about from our human perspective. 

You see, we are excited. We receive an unction from the Lord about something and start to obey whatever he has told us to do. In our minds, we picture having a huge impact on people for the kingdom of God. We believe millions will experience closer walks with God, or new walks with God, as a result of our obedience to the Lord's direction. And, who knows? This may eventually happen.

Zerubbabel had received a word from the Lord and a grant from the king to rebuild the house of the Lord. And for a while, everything seemed to go well. They finished the foundation of the house of God pretty quickly. Everyone was excited. 

But, then came the trouble. The enemy found out about what was going on and began mocking and trying to stop the building. When that didn't work, they petitioned the new King to try and stop the work of God. When that didn't work, they began trying to physically attack them.

Ever feel like everything that can go wrong, is going wrong when you're trying to live for God- especially when you're trying to do a work of some kind for God? You look up at heaven and say, "But, Lord, I'm doing what you said. Why is this happening? 

Zerubbabel and the others grew weary. At one point in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:10), it says that the people grew tired of the work because of the attacks of the enemy and the lack of building supplies. They had developed a case of "this is hopeless, why are we trying?" So, God sent a prophet to encourage them. 

He told them that the same man that began the work would finish the work. The enemy's attacks would come to nothing. No matter what the enemy would try, God's work would be finished. It's a promise from God written in stone. 

And here's where I wanted to get to today. That stone. 

Do you want to know why things are happening when all you're trying to do is obey God? Do you want to know why God allows it to happen? Doesn't he know how frustrating it is to you? Doesn't he care how upset these attacks make you? I'm tired and I have nearly nothing to work with, Lord!

He sees and he knows.

But, he sees what you cannot see. 

The word plummet comes from two Hebrew words. The first means "Stone." 

Don't lose heart! Because the same rock (stone) you began working with is the same rock (Jesus) that you will work with through the whole process of doing what God's called you to do! In fact, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:!" (Philippians 1:6)

Take heart, if Jesus has given you a mission, he will help you to complete it! 

Now, the second Hebrew word that comes from "plummet" means, "alloy found in ore, mixed with silver which is separated from it by means of fire." You see, a little heat applied to the rock begins to separate the treasure and metal from the rock. 

Scripture says it this way:

 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Stay in the fight! The end of the process will be glorious to God and you'll be a part of it.

The reason that the Lord allows us to suffer is that the heat of trouble begins to work in our lives. 

It separates the impurities out of us. Fire is a much greater purifier than water. You can clean with water, but to really get into the nooks and crannies of say, an old iron chair, you gotta put some fire to it. It'll get all the grease, paint, and rust off the iron and allow it to be remolded into a usable and strong iron chair again. God allows fire in our lives to reshape, strengthen, and remold us so we're usable for him again.

The fire brings forth the metal in us that will give us the strength to not only finish the current work he has us doing but to stand firm in the face of the enemy's attacks. And it will work as the basis for beginning other (and more difficult) works that God will ask of us later. 

Furthermore, the heat of tribulation forces us to cling to God even more. This has the effect of bringing out God's treasure in our lives- his fruit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These fruits are not our natural human state of being. God knows that unless we learn to trust him and let him live through us, we will never have the fruit he requires in our lives. So, he gives us tasks that he knows we cannot do. 

The enemy sees a weak spot (because we cannot do it) and attacks us. This "turns up the heat" on us. We cling to God even more. This produces God's fruit in our lives that we would never have had before. And God just sits back and smiles at his handiwork in our lives. It's a beautiful treasure to him. 

He sees his love in our lives where we were once selfish and self-absorbed. He sees joy in our hearts. He sees peace in our minds. What once was rough has become gentle. Where we were impatient with people and circumstances, now we're longsuffering. We were once evil in our thoughts and actions, now we become good- looking for and trying to develop goodness in ourselves and others. Once we trusted in no one but ourselves, but now we have faith in him and his people- and in ourselves. We used to be proud and high headed, now we have become meek. Once we gave in to every whim of the flesh, but now we have become temperate (self-controlled). 

This makes it much easier for people to accept a word from God when we need to give it. They look at our lives and see the fruit of the spirit within. They will take what you have to say much more easily because they will know you've been with Jesus. How? Because they see him in you. 

But, without the fire, it would never happen. 

So, follow and obey the Lord in all things. Do what he tells you to do. And don't be surprised, but be thankful, when the heat turns up in your life. It's just God growing a little fruit within you, purifying you, and making you stronger. 

Lord, heat up our rocks and form us into who you want us to be. 

Amending our lives to agree with the Amen

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. (Jeremiah 7:3)

Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. (Jeremiah 26:13)

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20)

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

My beloved wife was listening to the Bible this morning. The section that was being read was Mark 16. I've read it many times, but for the first time I noticed that it ended with the word, "Amen."

The word Amen means, "so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled," when it is used at the end of a discourse (teaching).

So, by saying Amen after this verse, the word of God says, "they went forth (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), and preached every where (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), the Lord working with them (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled), and confirming the word with signs following (so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled)."

So it is (past because it's already happened), so be it (present), may it be fulfilled (future). 

The word "Amend," means "to be or make well."

That's a mouth full in itself. But, when I looked up the word Amen in scripture and was working my way down the list of all those verses (there are many. It should tell us something about agreeing with God's word and will.), the app I was using (Bible Gateway) also listed Amend along with Amen. 

When I noticed this, it was as if the Lord whispered, "take notice, pay attention."

Our Engish word Amend literally comes from the word, Amen. 

We Christians like to throw the word repentance around a lot! When asked what repentance means, we tend to answer "to turn away from sin," which is true. However, we are leaving off 1/2 of the equation with that answer.

An alcoholic can turn away (repent) from alcohol and no longer drink, but that repentance doesn't mean he's forgiven by God.

A drug addict can turn away (repent) from drugs and stop using them, but that repentance doesn't make him right with God. 

God's word gives us all a huge clue to the other half. 

When all we do is repent and we do not replace it with God and his ways, we create a vacuum in our lives. That vacuum will be filled with something. And because of our fallen and sinful nature, it's usually not something good.

Our Engish word Amend literally comes from the word, Amen. 

Why did I restate that? 

To amend our lives we do not just make a change. Rather, we are making that change towards God and his ways. We truly are coming into agreement with God on how to live our lives. We are amending our lives to come into agreement with his Amen!

That means we change (past- because it's forgiven when we make the change towards God), and we change (present- because we intend with his help to live in God's ways right now), and we change (future- because we intend with his help to live in God's ways forevermore). 

So we do not simply repent by turning away from sin, but we amend our lives to come into allegiance with him and comply with how his word says we are to live. 

Lord, please help us to amend our lives to be pleasing to you. Help us to repent AND amend our lives to comply with your amen!