"Speak to the Rock"

At first glance, the above phrase sounds really weird. Why would anyone speak to a rock? But this was a command given to Moses by God. In Numbers 20, when the people of Israel complained about being thirsty, God told Moses, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock” (Num. 20:8).

The command may seem strange to us, but at least it was simple. And yet what did Moses do in response? He did gather all the people together as commanded, and yet instead of speaking to the rock, we are told that “Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod” (Num. 20:11). God said “speak to the rock” but instead, Moses “struck” it.

Here’s the question: did Moses disobey God? According to the reasoning of many religious people today, Moses did nothing wrong. After all, God never said not to strike the rock; therefore, it wasn’t wrong. This is the way so many church-going people reason. They assume that if an action isn’t condemned in the Bible, then it’s not wrong. What we need to realize is that we don’t need a “thou shalt not” to know that something is wrong. What we need is a “thou shalt” to know that it’s RIGHT. If it’s not right (authorized), then it’s wrong and we have to avoid it.

When God told Moses to “speak to the rock” He automatically ruled out everything else, including the action of striking the rock twice. What Moses did was unauthorized, and God punished him for it. We need to PROVE that what we’re doing is right by pointing to the book, chapter and verse!

Before...the Parable of the Good Samaritan

One of the most famous parables of Jesus is that of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's gospel account, in chapter 10. I love this parable for the same reason others do: it emphasizes the importance of compassion and love...even when it's difficult. These are qualities that ought to define each and every child of God. We mustn't be arrogant, self-righteous or detached; instead we need to be sacrificial and giving.

But in this short article, I'd like to discuss the verses before the parable itself. Beginning in verse 25, we read of a conversation that took place between an unnamed lawyer and Jesus. It was this conversation that ultimately motivated Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. And while I think that there are a lot of great lessons in the parable, there are some great lessons in the verses that precede it as well. As we read the story of the lawyer, we are giving a glimpse into his heart and I truly believe that the lawyer's mindset is shared by many religious people today.

In verse 25, we are told that "a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him..." He tested Jesus by asking the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This is, of course, a very important question, but only if it's backed by an honest heart. Verse 25 tells us that the lawyer wasn't honest. He didn't ask the question because he really wanted to know; he asked the question to "test" Jesus. Regretfully, I've seen this same mindset in a lot of the people I've encountered over the years. People ask questions about the Bible, and yet they are not interested in the truth. Perhaps they ask questions to stir up trouble, or to kick-start an argument. I've seen it happen in a Bible class...where someone asked a question knowing that it was a sensitive issue, knowing that it would cause a stir. Sometimes people ask questions because they want to know what you think...even though they really don't want to study. Then why ask? The point is this: it's good to ask questions, but only if we are interested in the answers...only if we are honest and willing to actually study the Bible and ultimately make the applications.

As we continue to examine the conversation that took place between Jesus and the lawyer, we see that Jesus answered the lawyer's question...with a question. "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied, "What is written in the law?" Jesus knew that the lawyer was trying to trap Him, so Jesus turned it back on the lawyer. He didn't make it personal; He made it about the law. And that's exactly what we need to do. When people ask us questions, we need to point people to the Bible, because the Bible is all that matters anyway. Not what I think, or what I feel. Not what my parents taught me, or what the majority of people believe. Only the word of God can make us complete in God's sight (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

I don't think the lawyer expected this answer. But he answered the question anyways, and he answered correctly. "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" Jesus affirms this answer. Now, it's important for us to understand that Jesus is not promoting generic love for God and neighbor. That would put most people in heaven. Rather, the love here involves obedience, service, charity, etc. In fact, these two laws are so important because they sum up the entire law of God. If we truly love God, we will obey all His commandments, and if we love our neighbor, we will treat them as we should (a lot of God's commandments center around our treatment of others).

But then notice verse 29. This gives us more insight into the lawyer's character. "But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?" It's this question that leads to the telling of the parable, but our focus is on the lawyer's desire to "justify himself."

We already saw in verse 25 that the lawyers isn't honest. Even though he's a religious guy and knows the law, and even though he has a spiritual inquiry for Jesus, he was not a spiritually-minded man; he wasn't an honest seeker of the truth. His desire to justify himself in verse 29 is reflective of that same mindset. He wasn't willing to change himself, nor was he interested in a paradigm other than his own. All he wanted was to live HIS way and to feel as good about it as possible.

Also, he tried to justify himself by casting doubt on the meaning of the law. By refusing to accept a specific definition of the term "neighbor," he thought that he was exempt from the command. After all, "who really is my neighbor?" I've seen religious people do this very thing. They try to make commands as vague and as confusing as possible; in doing this, they feel more justified in their disobedience. The command is still there, but they feel better about themselves. Of course, they could just obey the command, but that's unthinkable.

I've studied with some people over the years who are a lot like the lawyer. They pretend to be religious, and they may even feel righteous, and yet when you begin to discuss the Bible with them, it becomes very clear that they are not interested in the truth. Instead, they are primarily interested in justifying themselves. In the process of justifying themselves, they reveal their dishonesty, their close-mindedness, and ultimately, their refusal to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God!

Yes, the parable of the good Samaritan is wonderful, but I think the prologue to the parable...the conversation between Jesus and the lawyer...is of equal benefit.

Accepting God on HIS Terms

Paul, in Romans 1, discusses a mindset that is all too common among people. Even though God reveals Himself to all of us, too many people refuse to accept God as He is. Instead they change and mold God into who they want Him to be. They change “the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (vs. 23) and exchange “the truth of God for the lie, and [worship] and [serve] the creature rather than the Creator” (vs. 25). Even though the apostle is here speaking of the paganism and polytheism of the wicked Gentiles, he is really condemning all of us who morph God into who we want Him to be and refuse to accept God on HIS terms.

There are certain things that we can learn about God by examining “creation” (i.e. the natural world). The beauty that abounds in our world extols God’s love and His care for us. The violence of a thunderstorm reveals God’s power and might…even His wrath and judgment. But our perusal of the natural world can only take us so far in our journey to God. To know His will, He must reveal Himself to us. And He has! We have the BIBLE to tell us God’s will (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Both the natural world and the Bible tell us certain things about God. But in order for us to see God’s identity and know His will, we must work and study diligently to find Him. There is no audible voice or miraculous manifestation. We have to apply ourselves to seek God out. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be added to you.” James 4:8 echoes this principle: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” I like the way Paul put it in Acts 17:26-27 when preaching to the pagans of Athens: “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” These three verses tell us that God is there, waiting for each of us to seek Him. If we seek Him, we’ll find Him. But to find Him—the real Him—we have to humble ourselves to seek the real Him…not a substitute “Him” or a convenient “Him.”

Dear reader, you may be satisfied with your version of God. But it’s the real GOD that will judge you. You may be satisfied with your religion, but only “God’s religion” will free you from sin and lead you to heaven. There is “one body…one Spirit….one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God…” (Eph. 4:4-6).

Don’t settle for mama and daddy’s religion. Don’t settle for the church that is closest to your home. Don’t be deceived into thinking that because you feel saved, that you are saved. Don’t assume anything. Start over. Seek God and accept Him on His terms. Apply HIS teachings and will to your life. It’ll be hard, and it’ll require every ounce of your being, but it’s definitely worth it. Call me at (859)274-5479 if you have any questions. I’d love to study the Bible with you.

Chapter and Verse Divisions

It is obvious to anyone who has ever cracked open a Bible that the inspired text is divided into chapters and verses. Sometimes, there are even paragraph divisions with titles and subtitles. Many Bibles contain commentary, scripture references, notes from the publisher, descriptions of books, character biographies, and so on.

What is less obvious is the fact that the biblical text wasn't always divided in this manner. There was a time when the 66 books of the Bible were structured as free-flowing letters, or epistles. No big number "2" to indicate the end of chapter one and the beginning of the second chapter...there were no chapters. John 3:16...the text itself...was there, but it wasn't preceded by a number "16" and it wasn't in a "third chapter."

Chapter and verse divisions came about later in history. According to some of the research I've done, the New Testament was divided into paragraphs by the time of the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., but it wasn't until the 13th century that the actual chapter divisions emerged, thanks to the work of men like Stephen Langton, a cardinal of the Catholic Church. Regarding versification, Robert Estienne included our modern numbering system in his 1551 edition of the Greek New Testament. The Geneva Bible of 1560 was the first Bible to be fully divided into chapters and verses. Since then, various Bible publishers have probably printed hundreds of different types of Bibles, all structured differently. Again, paragraphs with heading and sub-headings, commentary, scripture references, and so on.

There's nothing wrong with many of these manmade divisions. After all, the text itself isn't altered. In fact, the chapter and verse divisions are especially helpful when it comes to memorizing scripture, studying scripture, and preaching. As a preacher, I can't imagine preaching without the chapters and verses! All I've got to do is call out "Romans 5:8" or "1 Peter 3:21 and the members of the congregation know exactly where to go.

But at the same time, these chapter and verse breaks aren't always beneficial. Sometimes, these manmade divisions break up the inspired text in such a way that we misinterpret, misunderstand and/or isolate the free-flowing words of God. Where a new chapter begins, we assume that there is a break in the apostle's thought. Instead of studying and interpreting the content of a chapter in light of the overall context of the book, we isolate the chapter and sometimes miss out some very important questions: WHY? TO WHOM? TO WHAT END?

In the four gospels and Acts, the chapter divisions may not be as harmful (although I'm sure there are instances where they are), but in the epistles, chapter breaks are especially significant. Romans is the perfect example. Almost every chapter break in Romans is incorrectly placed and hurts our reading of it. In 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14 address the same basic subject: attitudes towards miracles...and yet how many times have you heard someone quote the 13th chapter in a wedding ceremony..."Love suffers long and is kind..."? In Colossians 3, Paul gives commands to wives, husbands, children, fathers and bondservants, and then chapter 4 begins with a command for the masters of the bondservants. Why the break? And don't even get me started on Hebrews!

We run into similar problems with versification. Again, a part of me loves the convenience of the verse numbers, but another part of me is distracted by them. Inevitably, what ends up happening is we study a "verse" or memorize a "verse" and in so doing we totally remove it from its context. Galatians 2:16 is a case-in-point. So many denominational people use this verse to teach that works aren't necessary...but if they would read the surrounding verses (and be honest), they would see that Paul is not condemning obedience; rather, he is contrasting a system of works (the old law) and a system of faith (the new law). Hundreds of other examples could be cited. Literally.

Again, I'm not saying that the chapter and verse divisions are wrong. Personally, I love them because they're convenient. All I'm saying is that when we study the Bible, we need to keep these things in mind. Sometimes, we just need to do our best to ignore the manmade divisions. Trust me, it'll change the way you see the scriptures.

Try memorizing a large segment of scripture...even a book of the Bible. Or transcribe a book of the Bible WITHOUT the chapter and verse breaks. Then read it. See if you notice a difference. I believe you will.

Not that this has all been a sales pitch, but I will say that I HAVE published a book called, "The Undivided New Testament." This is an ASV New Testament with no chapter and verse divisions, no paragraphs with titles and subtitles, no commentary or scripture references...just the inspired text itself. I published this book because there's NOTHING like it on the market, and I felt that something like this needed to be available to the public. If you'd like to learn more about this book, go to http://silverfallspublishing.com/book-store.html. Currently, you can pre-order "The Undivided New Testament" for $13.00 (plus tax and s&h). The book should be in stock within 1-2 weeks, at which point the price will go up to $15.00.

If you'd like to purchase one of these books, great. Trust me, I'd love to sell one to you. But this article isn't just about boosting sales. I just want you to think about the dangers of dividing and sectioning off the inspired scriptures. I really, truly believe that there'd be less error in the religious world if we'd all read the scriptures with context in mind.

What do you think?

Dressing Up For Church

Every Sunday morning, my wife and I spend a good portion of our time dressing up for church. I usually have to iron my black pants and button-up shirt, and then I have to work to get my tie just right. My wife usually has a skirt and shirt to iron as well. We also have four kids—three of whom are girls—that need help getting into dresses and nice clothes. Literally, we spend MOST of our time Sunday morning dressing up for church.

Obviously, I’m not opposed to dressing up for church. There’s nothing wrong with wearing formal attire for worship. But I do not believe that it’s necessary; in no way does God expect us to dress up for church…contrary to popular opinion.

Where in the New Testament does God establish a dress code for worship? It’s not there! What is there is that we are to dress modestly (1 Tim. 2:9-10), but that principle applies all the time and is not limited to the assembly. There is also the principle in James 2:1-9 about NOT judging one another based on the quality of our attire. Beyond these two principles, I see no regulations regarding how we are to dress for church.

Some argue that if we’d dress up for court or to meet the president, then we should show similar respect for God by dressing up for church. But why do we dress up for court? Because that’s the custom and expectation among men. Likewise, I dress up for church because that’s the custom...and perhaps because some men have that expectation…not because God has that expectation.

I show God respect by giving Him my best in worship. I worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and offer unto Him the fruit of my lips as a sacrifice (Heb. 13:15). I’ll leave matters of dress and attire to each individual and never use it as a test of the heart.

Healing the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12)

Jesus healed and worked miracles on a number of people during his three years of ministry and thankfully, the scriptures record many of these instances. I think a lot of the time as we read these accounts, we become desensitized to the wonderment and marvel of miracles. We have the attitude, "Well, that's just another miracle that Jesus performed." We read over them and think very little about them. But this is a mistake. These accounts are in the inspired scriptures for our benefit, and I believe that we need to examine them more closely to find the hidden lessons.

In Mark 2:1-12, we read the story of Jesus healing the paralytic. Let's read the text before considering it... "And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately, many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the rood where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'--He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this.'"

What I love about this story is the fact that Jesus perfectly emphasized the importance of spiritual needs over physical needs. I'm sure the paralytic wanted to be healed physically, but Jesus knew that he needed spiritual healing first and foremost. Perhaps the man had been paralyzed as a result of sinful living. I don't know. I'd like to think that when Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven that he felt a wave of relief, rather than disappointment (having hoped for a miracle).

Regardless of the paralytic's condition or mindset, Jesus got His message across. Rather than perform the miracle (which would have undoubtedly wowed the crowd), he offered forgiveness to the paralytic, something that ought to be important to all of us.

Our prayers and our thinking need to reflect the right priorities. There's nothing wrong with praying for physical healing (for ourselves or others), but we need to be more eager to receive God's forgiveness, His compassion and mercy; we need to be more concerned about wisdom, self-control and spiritual strength. There's nothing wrong with wanting a good life, physically, but we need to be more motivated to pursue spiritual excellence before God.

Let me put it this way: if you had been the paralytic and you heard Jesus say, "Your sins are forgiven you," would you have been excited...or disappointed? Would you have thanked Him for His compassion and mercy, or would you have lived the rest of your life bitter and full of resentment, hating the Lord for having NOT removed your paralysis?

And today, would you rather the Lord heal your poverty and bless you materially with riches and prosperity, or heal you spiritually?

Jesus proved that He has the power and authority to forgive sins. By healing the paralytic, He proved that He was and is the Son of God. Indeed, God answers our prayers and there's nothing wrong with having physical desires and wishes, but if we learn anything from Mark 2:1-12, it's that spiritual prosperity ought to be our utmost concern.

"These Three Men...Job"

"Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would only deliver themselves by their righteousness" (Ezek. 14:14). These three men are given as examples of righteousness. In this article, let's consider the righteousness of Job.

It is generally assumed that Job lived during the times of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We know very little about him apart from the fact that he was a very wealthy man who lived in a place called "Uz." But these physical details of Job's life are not important; what is important is the kind of man he was spiritually. According to Job 1:1, he was "blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil." So Job was not only physically rich, he was spiritually rich.

But that's not a major accomplishment, is it? I mean, it's great that Job was righteous, but God had blessed Job all around, and so it was easy for him to be righteous. He had a personal relationship with a God who gave him everything he could ever need or want. That was Satan's point: "Does Job fear God for nothing?" (Job 1:9)

We all know the story. Job lost everything. His livestock were stolen by the Sabeans and Chaldeans (Job 1:13-15, 17), his sheep burned by fire from heaven (1:16), his servants slain (1:13-17), and his children killed in a freak accident (1:18-19). Can you imagine the sorrow that must have filled Job's heart?"

And yet the scriptures tell us that "Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped" (1:20). After being stricken with painful boils, his wife told him to curse God and die, but Job replied, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (2:9-10)

It's true that Job's attitude wasn't always perfect. Like many of the psalmists, he came to question God's judgment. God did rebuke Job, asking him, "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (38:1-2) And yet we must conclude that Job passed the test; otherwise he would not be cited as one of the three examples of righteousness! Perhaps as humans it is natural to doubt and to question, so long as we maintain our faith in God and trust that He will ultimately see us through.

If Job could patiently endure (James 5:11), certainly we can endure the day-to-day trials that come our way.