WOMEN IN GREECEWilliam Barclay, Daily Study Bible, Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, Westminster, 1976
In the Greek world, the situation was more drastic, Prostitution was an essential part of Greek life. Demosthenes said, “We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately, and for having a faithful guardian for all our household affairs.”
The Greek expected his wife to run his home, to care for his children; but he found his pleasure and companionship elsewhere.
THE TABERNACLE
Being outside of Christ is like being outside of the tabernacle in the wilderness - from outside it looks like a black tent (badgers skin) with no beauty. Inside is blue and purple, gold, embroidery, and beauty everywhere. People that are outside looking in are missing it...
Isa.53:2 " For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."
The following New Testament facts remind us of our continuing responsibility to the local church. Circle “T” for True or “F” for False in front of each question, the check your answers.
T F 1. Worshiping God in nature is a good substitute for going to church.
T F 2. In the first century, believers met on Sunday.
T F 3. Although the Bible teaches giving, it does not specifically refer to the taking of a collection.
T F 4. Loving discipline of its members is the responsibility of every local church.
T F 5. Pentecost marks the birthday of the church.
T F 6. The only reason for going to church is to hear the preaching of the Word.
T F 7. Problems arose in the Corinthian church because of too much emphasis on the personality of its leaders.
T F 8. Elder and deacon were offices in New Testament churches.
T F 9. The chief cornerstone of the church is Christ.
T F 10. The first century church had a commissioning service for missionaries.
Answers:
1. False (Hebrews 10:25)
2. True (Acts 20:7)
3. False (1 Cor. 16:1,2)
4. True (1 Cor. 5:1-13)
5. True (Acts 2:1-4)
6. False (Acts 2:42)
7. True (1 Cor. 3:3,4)
8. True (Titus 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:8-12)
9. True (Eph. 2:20) 10. True (Acts 13:1-3)
Scoring: Ten points per question; 80 to 100 - Excellent; 60 to 70 - Good; 40 to 50 - Average; 20 or 30 - Better ask your preacher some questions! 0 or 10 - Been sleeping in church?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA STYLE
People here in Texas and Oklahoma have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in the 10 Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language: Ten Commandments, cowboy Style. The Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.
Now that's kinda plain an' simple don't ya think? Y'all have a good Day.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
God helps those who help themselves
Confession is good for the soul
We are as prone to sin as sparks fly upward
Money is the root of all evil
Honesty is the best policy
(All of the above)
He was one of the greatest rulers in African history and the creator of modern Ethiopia. Born in 1844, he was captured during an enemy raid and held prisoner for 10 years. Escaping, Menekil II declared himself head of the province of Shewa. He began conquering neighboring kingdoms and developed them into modern Ethiopia with himself as emperor. When Italy tried to take over Ethiopia Menekil’s army met and crushed the Italians at the Battle of Aduwa. This victory, as well as his efforts to modernize Ethiopia (schools, telephones, railroads), make Menekil world-famous. The emperor had one little known eccentricity. Whenever he was feeling ill, he would eat a few pages of the Bible, insisting that this always restored his health. One day in December, 1913, recovering from a stroke and feeling extremely ill, he had the entire book of Kings torn from an Egyptian edition of the Bible, ate every page of it—and died.
Translation Errors
CAMELS BIBLE In 1832 an edition had Rebekah leaving her tent to meet Isaac with a group of - not damsels - but camels.
WIFE-HATER BIBLE An 1810 version read, “If any man come to me, and hate not … his own wife (instead of “life”), he cannot be my disciple.”
“SIN ON” BIBLE. The first English-language Bible to be printed in Ireland, in 1716, encouraged its readers to “sin on more” rather than “sin no more.”
A similar error in 1653 had declared: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God?”
THE WICKED BIBLE of 1631 reported the Seventh Commandment as “Thou shalt commit adultery,” a mistake that infuriated King Charles. He ordered all copies destroyed and fined all printers whose hands had touched the edition.
MURDERER’S BIBLE. This 19th-century faux pas had Mark 7:27 as “Let the children be killed” instead of “filled.”
PLACEMAKER BIBLE. a 16th Century printer had Jesus blessing the “place-makers” instead of “peacemakers.”
An American printer later substituted the “Parable of the Vinegar” for the “Vineyard.”
PRINTERS BIBLE. Perhaps King David was on target in a 1702 edition, which quoted him as saying “Printers (instead of “princes”) have persecuted me without cause.
QUOTE: Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.
QUOTE: The Bible is a window in this prison-world, through which we may look into eternity. - Timothy Dwight
QUOTE: The inspiration of the Bible depends on the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it. - R. G. Ingersoll
QUOTE: The New Testament is the very best book that was or ever will be known in the world. - Charles Dickens
QUOTE: Never let good books take the place of the Bible. Drink from the Well, not from the streams that flow from the Well .- Amy Carmichael
QUOTE: Why is it that children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?
QUOTE: Jerry Vines: "An unread Bible is like food uneaten, a love letter never read, a buried sword, a road map unstudied, gold never mined" Practical Guide to Sermon Preparation, p.69.
X MARKS THE SPOT George Faull
Once upon a time an honest boat captain had discovered a large vein of gold on an island. Since he so firmly believed in the 12 sailors on his boat, he took them ashore and showed them the treasure. Each man made a treasure map. He then gave them instructions tot take some gold dust with them to show people what a treasure they had found. He told the: "You know there is more here than we could all spend in a lifetime. Feel free to show your maps to people and tell them to come to met their need. Make copies of the map and give them tot your family and friends, for there is sufficient here for all."
They returned to the mainland and let their friends copy their maps, and for years men went and found treasure and their needs were met. Centuries passed and none of the original maps could be found, but there were a few of the copies that remained. Many compared the maps and the travelers found the vein of gold there for the taking and meeting of their needs. And deepest desires in spite of little differences in the maps.
However, some mocked the maps because they were not originals. The words on the maps differed in spelling, and incidentals were left uncopied. The grammar differed. The maps were inconsistent because the copyists who had made them erred in some of their copying. In fact, there was only 1/4 of 1% difference (.0025) difference in all the maps from the map the majority had used. These skeptics would not go and mocked those who did. They could only see the discrepancies, not the harmony, of the 5,000 maps that existed. New maps were constantly being found that dated back to within a few years of the captain himself. These new found maps showed the location of the treasure and differed very little from the one everyone had been using for years.
They would not seek, so they would not find. Some denied the captain and his 12 men ever lived. So, in unbelief, these poor souls labored for their own wealth while those who believed the map sought and found the wealth the world could never yield by the toil of their own hands.
The map is called the Bible. Even though you do not have the original you can find joy unspeakable and peace that passes all understanding. Let the skeptic delight in finding alleged discrepancies while you go find the gold.
REAGAN'S FAITH IN SCRIPTURE Ronald Wilson Reagan, January 31, 1983, At The Annual Convention Of The National Religious Broadcasters: "When American reach out for values of faith, family, and caring for the needy, they're saying, 'We want the Word of God. We want to face the future with the Bible.' We're blessed to have its words of strength, comfort, and truth. I'm accused of being simplistic at times with some of the problems that confront us. But I've often wondered: Within the covers of that single Book are all the answers to all the problems that face us today, if we'd only look there. 'The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever.'"
SCHOLAR SAYS HE'S FOUND JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CAVE Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Posted: 1252 GMT (2052 HKT)
KIBBUTZ TZUBA, Israel (AP) -- Archaeologists said Monday they have excavated a cave where John the Baptist baptized many of his followers -- basing their theory on tens of thousands of shards from small ritual jugs, a stone used for foot cleansing and wall carvings that tell the story of the contemporary of Jesus.
Only few artifacts linked to New Testament figures have ever been found in the Holy Land, and the cave is potentially a major discovery in biblical archaeology.
"John the Baptist, who was just a figure from the Gospels, now comes to life," British archaeologist Shimon Gibson said during an exclusive tour of the cave given to The Associated Press.
Some scholars said that short of an inscription with John's name in the cave, there could never be conclusive proof of his presence there, and that Gibson's finds are still too incomplete to support his contentions.
John, six months older than Jesus and a distant relative -- their mothers were kin, according to the Bible -- was a fiery preacher with a message of repentance and a considerable following.
Tradition says he was born in the village of Ein Kerem, today part of Jerusalem. Just 2.5 miles (four kilometers) away, on the land of Kibbutz Tzuba, a communal farm, the cave lies hidden in a limestone hill -- 24 meters (yards) long, four meters deep and four meters wide.
It was carved by the Israelites in the Iron Age, sometime between 800 and 500 B.C. It apparently was used from the start as a ritual immersion pool, preceding the Jewish tradition of the ritual bath.
Over the centuries, the cave filled with mud and sediment, leaving only a tiny opening that was hidden by trees and bushes. Yet in recent years, it had occasional visitors -- led by Reuven Kalifon, an immigrant from Cleveland, Ohio, and a Hebrew teacher at the kibbutz who would take his students spelunking.
They'd crawl through the narrow slit at the mouth of the cave, all the way to the back wall, though they'd see nothing but soil and walls.
In December 1999, Kalifon asked his friend Gibson to take a closer look. Gibson, who has excavated in the Holy Land for more than 30 years, moved a few boulders near the walls, and laid bare the crude carving of a head.
Excited by that find, Gibson organized a full-fledged excavation.
Over the next five years, Gibson and his team, including volunteers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, cleared out the layers of soil, picking up about 250,000 shards from small jugs apparently used in purification rituals.
The explorers laid bare 28 steps leading to the bottom of the cave. On the right, a niche was carved into the wall -- typical of those used in Jewish ritual baths for discarding the clothes before immersion. Near the end of the stairs, the team uncovered an oval stone with a foot-shaped indentation -- about a shoesize 45 ( U.S. size 11). Just above, a soapdish-like niche was carved into the stone, apparently for ritual oil that would flow through a small channel onto the believer's right foot.
On the water-covered floor of the cave, stones and boulders had been moved aside by the worshippers and a middle path had been filled with gravel, apparently to protect those wading from stubbing their toes, said Egon Lass, an archaeological consultant at Wheaton College, near Chicago, Illinois, who also worked on the dig.
Crude images had been carved on the walls, near the ceiling, and Gibson said they tell the story of John's life.
One is the figure of the man Gibson had spotted on his first visit to the cave. The man appears to have an unruly head of hair and wears a tunic with dots, apparently meant to suggest an animal hide. He grasps a staff and holds up his other hand in a gesture of proclamation.
James Tabor, a Bible scholar from the University of North Carolina, said there is little doubt this is John himself. The Gospels say John was a member of the Nazarites, a sect whose followers didn't cut their hair, and that he adopted the dress of the ancient prophets, including a garment woven of camel's hair.
On the opposite wall is a carving of a face that could be meant to symbolize John's severed head; the preacher had his head cut off by Herod Antipas after he dared to take the ruler of the Holy Land to task over an illicit affair.
Other carvings include crosses, and a picture of a hand, apparently a depiction of a famous relic of John.
The images are from the Byzantine era, apparently carved by monks who associated the site with John, following local folklore, Gibson and Tabor said.
Gibson, who heads the Jerusalem Archaeological Field Unit, a private research group, said the finds, taken together with the proximity of John's hometown, constituted strong evidence that the cave was used by the preacher.
"All these elements are coming together and fill in the picture of the life and times of John the Baptist," said Gibson, who has written a book about the dig, entitled "The Cave of John the Baptist," to be published later this week.
Gibson said pottery shards found in soil layers from top to bottom also show that the site was used for water purification rituals from the time of John through the 11the century, when the Crusaders burst onto the scene and began a new tradition -- designating a site associated with the Baptist in a neighboring valley.
Tabor said that no one could ever say for certain that John the Baptist used the cave. However, he said the cave could help bring to life an important part of the New Testament. "We actually have a geographical location near Ein Kerem now at which water purification rites were conducted that go back to the first century and connects them to the traditions of John the Baptist," he said.
Stephen Pfann, a Bible scholar and president of the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, said that Gibson has provided a sensible explanation for the unusual finds, but that exploration must continue. "It is inviting more scholars to come in and give alternative explanations, if they can," he said.
Gibson has provided for just such a possibility, leaving about one third of the cave untouched to enable colleagues to dig further in the future.
WARNING LABELS www.wackywarnings.com March, 2004
Frivolous lawsuits are great for devious lawyers and warning label writers. The Warning Label contest, conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, celebrates both parties. This year's winners:
PRECEPTS AND PRINCIPLES Charles Swindoll The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart
God's Word gives clear instruction in both precepts and principles. Examples of a precept would be: no sexual immorality, do not repay evil for evil, pray without ceasing, in all things give thanks.
Principles are judgment calls. The Bible doesn't mention cards, makeup, movies, or tobacco. The more you know about God's Word, the better judgment calls or decisions you can make.
Another example of a precept is a sign that says "35 MPH." There's no give or take in that. "Drive carefully," however, is a principle since it can vary with road or traffic conditions.
QUOTE: The Old Covenant is revealed in the New, and the New Covenant is veiled in the Old. - Augustine.
QUOTE: The New is in the Old contained, and Old is in the New explained. - Graham Scroggie
BIBLE CHANGES MUTINEERS Keith Miller, Edge of Adventure
The Bounty was a British ship which set sail from England in 1787, bound for the South Seas. The idea was that those on board would spend some time among the islands, transplanting fruit-bearing and food-bearing trees, and doing other things to make some of the islands more habitable. After 10 months of voyage, the Bounty arrived safely at its destination, and for 6 months the officers and crew gave themselves to the duties placed upon them by their government.
When the special task was completed, however, and the order came to embark again the sailors rebelled. They had formed strong attachments for the native girls, and the climate and the ease of the South Sea island life was much to their liking. The result was mutiny on the Bounty and the sailors placed Captain Bligh and a few loyal men adrift in an open boat. Captain Bligh, in an almost miraculous fashion, survived the ordeal, was rescued, and eventually arrived home in London to tell his story. An expedition was launched to punish the mutineers, and in due time 14 of them were captured and paid the penalty under British law.
But 9 of the men had gone to another distant island. There they formed a colony. Perhaps there has never been a more degraded and debauched social life than that of that colony. They learned to distill whiskey from a native plant, and the whiskey, as usual, along with other habits, led to their ruin. Disease and murder took the lives of all the native men and all but one of the white men named Alexander Smith. He found himself the only man on an island, surrounded by a crowd of women and half-breed children. Alexander Smith found a Bible among the possessions of a dead sailor. The Book was new to him. He had never read it before. He sat down and read it through. He believed it and he began to appropriate it. He wanted others to share in the benefits of this book, so he taught classes to the women and the children, as he read to them and taught them the Scriptures.
It was 20 years before a ship ever found that island, and when it did, a miniature Utopia was discovered. The people were living in decency, prosperity, harmony and peace. There was nothing of crime, disease, immorality, insanity, or illiteracy. How was it accomplished? By the reading, the believing, and the appropriating of the truth of God.
THE NUMBER THREE Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance by E.W. Bullinger
THE TEMPLE is marked by three, as the Tabernacle is by five. The Holy of Holies in each was a cube; in the Tabernacle a cube of ten cubits; in the Temple a cube of twenty cubits. Each consisted of three parts:--The Court, the Holy Place, and the Sanctuary. The Temple had three chambers round about. The Brazen Sea or Laver held three thousand baths; and was compassed by a line of thirty cubits on which were 300 knops (1 Kings 7:24). It was supported by twelve oxen (3x4); three looking north, three looking west, three looking south, and three looking east. This order in naming the points of the compass occurs nowhere else. It is the same in both accounts of Kings and Chronicles (see 1 Kings 7:25; 2 Chron 4:4,5). Why is this? Is it because this was the order in which the Gospel was to be afterwards preached throughout the world? Whether this was the reason or not, the fact remains that the Gospel was preached first in the north ( Samaria, Damascus, Antioch); then in the west ( Caesarea, Joppa, Cyprus, Corinth, Rome); then in the south ( Alexandria and Egypt); then in the east ( Mesopotamia, Babylon, Persia, India).
THE GREAT FEASTS were three; Unleavened Bread, Weeks, Tabernacles (Deut 16:16).
THE SHEET let down three times to Peter was the fullness of the testimony as to the admission of the Gentiles into the Church (Acts 10:16).
THE OLD TESTAMENT testimony was complete and perfect in its three-fold division--Law, Prophets, and Psalms (Luke 24:44). The same three divisions mark its character to the present day.
"TWO OR THREE" As three marks completeness and perfection of testimony, so it marks the number of spiritual worshippers; and intimates that true spiritual worshippers would always be few.
COMPLETENESS OF PEOPLE
Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
Saul, David, and Solomon.
Noah, Daniel, and Job.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Peter, James, and John, etc.
COMPLETENESS OF APOSTASY (Jude 11)
"The way of Cain."
"The error of Balaam."
"The gainsaying of Korah."
COMPLETENESS OF DIVINE JUDGMENT (Daniel 6:25-28).
Mene. God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.
Tekel. Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting.
Peres. Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
THE THREE GIFTS OF GRACE:
Faith, Hope, and Love, five times repeated.
THE THREE-FOLD NATURE OF MAN: Spirit, and Soul, and Body, the man consisting of neither separately, but of the whole three together.
THE THREE-FOLD NATURE OF TEMPTATION (1 John 2:16)
"The lust of the flesh."
"The lust of the eyes."
"The pride of life."
These seen in our first parents when Eve saw (Gen 3:6) that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was--
"Good for food,"
"Pleasant to the eyes,"
"To be desired to make one wise."
THE THREE-FOLD CORRUPTION OF GOD'S WORD
By taking from, adding to, and altering.
This led up to the first sin.
God had said, "of every tree in the garden thou mayest FREELY eat" (Gen 2:16). In repeating this, Eve omitted the word "freely" (3:2), making God less bountiful than He was.
God had said, "But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat of it" (Gen 2:17). In repeating this Eve added the words, "NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT" (3:3), making God more severe than He was.
THE FIRST OCCURRENCE of the number is in Genesis 1:13. "The third day" was the day on which the earth was caused to rise up out of the water, symbolical of that resurrection life which we have in Christ, and in which alone we can worship, or serve, or do any "good works."
Hence three is a number of RESURRECTION, for it was on the third day that Jesus rose again from the dead. This was Divine in operation, and Divine in its prophetic foreshowing in the person of Jonah (Matt 12:39,40; Luke 11:29; Jonah 1:17). It was the third day on which Jesus was "perfected" (Luke 13:32). It was at the third hour He was crucified; and it was for three hours (from the 6th to the 9th) that darkness shrouded the Divine Sufferer and Redeemer. The "loud voice" at the end of those twice three hours, when, "about the ninth hour," He cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me" (Matt 27:46), shows completely that nothing of nature, nothing of the light or intelligence of this world, could give help in that hour of darkness. Does not this show us our impotence in the matter? Does it not prove our incapacity to aid in delivering ourselves from our natural condition?
He raised three persons from the dead.
GOD'S ATTRIBUTES ARE THREE: omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.
There are three great divisions completing time--past, present, and future.
Three persons, in grammar, express and include all the relationships of mankind.
Thought, word, and deed, complete the sum of human capability.
Three degrees of comparison complete our knowledge of qualities.
The simplest proposition requires three things to complete it; viz., the subject, the predicate, and the copula.
Three propositions are necessary to complete the simplest form of argument--the major premiss, the minor, and the conclusion.
Three kingdoms embrace our ideas of matter--mineral, vegetable, and animal.
IRAQ -- VERY INTERESTING -- DID YOU KNOW??????
* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14
* Adam & Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8
* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6
* Nimrod established Babylon & Tower of Babel was built in Iraq-- Genesis 10:8-97 & 11:1-4
* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq--Genesis 11:5-11
* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4
* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4 & 10
* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38
* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2 &2:36-38
* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3
* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther
* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq--Nahum
* The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq--Revelation 17 & 18
No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq
JEPHTHAH'S RASH VOW
1. Literal "burnt offerings" HAD TO BE male (Lev 22.18-19). Jephthah's daughter obviously wasn't.
2. Human sacrifice was STRICTLY forbidden (Dt. 12.31) and we have NO record of it being practiced (even in horrible Judges-period Israel ) by mainstream Israel during this period.
3. The lament for the daughter is about 'not marrying' NOT about 'not living'--it makes me wonder if some kind of religious celibacy is not in view. (Maybe the women at the Entrance to the Tent were celibate--Ex 38.8--living as widows in Israel later did on Temple payrolls.)
4. Verse 39 calls his action a 'vow'. Lev 27.28 (coupled with 27.21) allowed people to be given over the Lord, who became servants of the Priests. As devoted to the Lord's service, some of them probably did NOT marry (cf. the Nazarite vow, in its restriction on becoming 'unclean' for family members (Num 6.7) omits the words 'husband' or 'wife'...perhaps it was sometimes involving celibacy. The only Nazarites we know, though, were married--Samuel and Samson)
5. As the only child, and if given to the priest in this fashion, Jephthah's entire estate would go to someone else.
6. We have the VERY parallel case of Hannah and Samuel. She takes a vow, and offers her son to the Lord for all his life. (I Sam 1-2), and such vows did NOT allow the person to be redeemed with money (Lev 27.28-29).
7. Burnt offerings were ALWAYS associated with condemnation/evil--not thanksgiving and vows. Even the one non-literal use of it in Dt 13.16 (in which a town is offered as a burnt offering) involves abject judgment/condemnation--NOT at all in view in the Jephthah passage.
8. He would have had to offer her at some cultic site, which would have had a priest. I cannot imagine a priest (even those as lax as elsewhere in the book of Judges) that would have agreed to perform a human sacrifice!
FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE George Faull
10 COMMANDMENTS & JUDGE MOORE Dahlia Lithwick is a Slate senior editor
The Constitution itself codifies two conflicting impulses. The First Amendment guarantees simultaneously that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" and that Congress won't "prohibit ... the free exercise thereof." Which one is it? How can Congress avoid promoting religion, while also encouraging its free exercise? One answer is that the "Establishment Clause" was not intended by the framers to erect an unbreachable "wall between church and state." Thomas Jefferson himself, who coined that phrase, had no compunction about holding church services in the chambers of the Supreme Court. One possible view is that the Establishment Clause was intended only to ensure that there was no official adoption of a state religion.
Suffice to say that in recent decades, the Supreme Court has asked whether the religious aid has some "secular legislative purpose," "neither advances nor inhibits religion," and does not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion." Whatever. The test is disastrous, allowing, as Justice Scalia has observed, the court to reach the result it wants every time. Justices O'Connor, Kennedy, and Thomas have each made up new Establishment Clause tests in recent years, signaling that Lemon may be law, but it's stupid law.
Using these new tests, the court has eroded the wall between church and state to some extent. Religious claimants now have the same rights as the nonreligious in terms of school facilities, resources, and access. Last year's vouchers decision lowered the wall further. But outside the public school context, the test is essentially whether the state appears to be endorsing a particular religion (or religion in general over atheism). If the answer is yes, the display or prayer is impermissible. Recall that these cases concern public spaces, public schools, and public moneys. No one (except perhaps the neighbors) can stop Justice Moore from putting a 200,000-pound Decalogue in his driveway.
Yes, he pays lip service to the commandments as the "foundation of Western Law" (although at last count only two are legally binding on the states). But what Moore and other Decalogists seek to do is inspire religious zeal, restore religious practice, and stop the godless young hooligans and abortion seekers in their tracks. In short, he wants to proselytize, and he's been open about that project from the start.
THEY PREFERRED READING TO HEARING SERMONS John Rigle
In 1539, another translation, called the Great Bible, made its appearance. Edited by Coverdale, it was the first of the English Bibles authorized to be read in the churches. This authorization was given by King Henry VIII, who wanted to have this version of the Bible spread among the people. Tyndale's dying plea to "open the King of England's eyes" was now granted.
Soon every church building in England was furnished with a copy of the Great Bible. This early engraving shows how people flocked eagerly to the churches to see the Bibles. At times, the preachers complained because the people chose rather to read the Bible than hear their sermons.
TYNDALE'S TRANSLATION AND WITNESS John Rigle
One of these scholars was William Tyndale. Educated at Oxford and at Cambridge, Tyndale's chief ambition in life was to give to the people a translation in English based on the original languages. He once said to one of his opponents: "If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow shall know more of the Scripture than thou doest." In order to achieve his objective, and due to fierce opposition, Tyndale had to leave his native England. After a year of great stress, often fleeing from city to city, he was able to complete his translation of the New Testament in 1525.
Tyndale's translation of the New Testament was the first ever to be printed in English. Also, it was the first English translation to be based, not on Jerome's Latin version, but on the Greek text itself. Early in 1526, the first copies of Tyndale's translation were smuggled into England. Many church leaders spoke out condemning it. They obtained copies of the translation and burned them in public ceremony. But all of this concentrated opposition could not wipe out a movement which was making itself felt around the world.
Tyndale's translation was indeed for the "plough boy." Instead of "church," he used "congregation"; for "penance," he used "repentance"; for "grace," he used "favor"; for "charity," "love," and so forth. These were terms that the common man could understand.
Many Biblical words, familiar to us today, were coined by Tyndale - such words as "peacemaker," "passover," "scapegoat," and "Iongsuffering." This is why Tyndale is often called the father of the English Bible.
Tyndale next turned to translating the Old Testament from Hebrew. Within a few years, he had translated several books of the Old Testament and also had issued two other editions of his New Testament. His translations were bought and read enthusiastically. But in 1535, Tyndale was betrayed and thrown in prison near Brussels in Belgium. While imprisoned, shortly before the last winter of his life, he wrote a letter to a person in authority. Tyndale asked that he might be granted the kindness of a "warmer cap" and "a warmer coat also."
His letter continues: "My overcoat is worn out; my shirts are also worn out. . . And I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening; it is indeed wearisome sitting alone in the dark. But most of all, I beg and beseech. . . that he will kindly permit me to have the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew grammar, and Hebrew dictionary, that I may pass the time in that study." After spending months in prison, Tyndale was found guilty of heresy and was sentenced to death. He was strangled and burned at the stake, crying aloud, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." Had Tyndale escaped his enemies a few more years, he surely would have finished his translation of the whole Bible.
A COWBOY'S 10 COMMANDMENTS
THE CUP OF TEA
Consider the difference between a strong and a weak cup of tea. The same ingredients water and tea are used for both. The difference is that the strong cup of tea results from the tea leaves’ immersion in the water longer, allowing the water more time to get into the tea and the tea into the water. The longer the steeping process, the stronger the cup of tea. In the same way, the length of time we spend in God’s Word determines how deeply we get into it and it gets into us. Just like the tea, the longer we are in the Word, the "stronger" we become.
QUOTE: Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery?"
CHAPTER 11
When the preacher’s car broke down on a country road, he walked to a nearby roadhouse to use the phone. After calling for a tow truck, he spotted his old friend, Frank, drunk and shabbily dressed at the bar. "What happened to you, Frank?" asked the preacher. "You used to be rich."
Frank told a sad tale of bad investments that had led to his downfall. "Go home," the preacher said. "Open your Bible at random, stick your finger on the page and there will be God’s answer." Some time later, the preacher bumped into Frank, who was wearing a Gucci suit, sporting a Rolex watch and had just stepped our of a Mercedes.
"Frank." said the preacher, "I am glad to see things really turned around for you." "Yes, preacher, and I owe it all to you," said Frank. "I opened my Bible, put my finger down on the page and there was the answer -- Chapter 11."
POWERFUL PAGES Contributed by: Lewis Petrie
Peter V. Deison, in his book The Priority of Knowing God, tells about Ramad, a man of India who was a member of a gang of robbers. On one occasion, while burglarizing a house, Ramad noticed a small black book containing very thin pages just right for making cigarettes. So he took it.
Each evening he tore out a page, rolled it around some tobacco and had a smoke. Noticing that the small words on the pages were in his language, he began to read them before rolling his cigarettes. One evening after reading a page, he knelt on the ground and asked the Lord Jesus to forgive his sins and to save him. He then turned himself in to the police, much to their amazement. Ramad the bandit became a follower of Jesus Christ. And in the prison where he served his sentence for his crimes, he led many others to the Savior. The Word of God became to Ramad "the power of God to salvation." Romans 1:17-18
REFINED AS SILVER
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver
was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."
TOP SELLERS Keith Todd sermonfodder.com 6/11/02
If we exclude the Bible from the top of the best sellers list, the top selling books in the country are cookbooks. Diet books are number two. What's wrong with this picture?
THE ROMAN DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
For decades before and after the birth of Jesus the atmosphere in the land of Israel was tense with the spirit of rebellion against Rome. The Jewish people chafed under this godless power, and dreamed of deliverance. In September A. D. 66, Florus, the Roman governor of Judea, provoked the Jews by raiding the Temple treasury and taking what he thought the Jews were withholding in taxes.
This provoked a riot, and he ruthlessly crucified some of the citizens and allowed his troops to plunder part of the city. This enraged the people. Eleazar, the Jewish Captain of the Temple, persuaded the priests no longer to offer daily sacrifices for the welfare of the Roman emperor. This was an ominous sign of open revolt against Rome by a tiny vassal nation.
In a surge of courage and folly, the Jewish forces stormed the fortress of Antonius in the city and took it and wiped out the Roman soldiers. So the die was cast, and there was no turning back. Vespasian, the Roman general, came to put down the revolt in 67 and took all of Israel except Jerusalem. He returned to Rome to become emperor and left the finishing of the work to his son, the general Titus. After a five-month siege, he broke through and burned the Temple to the ground in August of 70. A few Jewish groups held out for a while, but all eventually collapsed, including the force at Masada, who committed mass suicide in 73 rather than be handed over as captives.
The End of Judaism as it Was
That was the end of Judaism as it had been known for hundreds of years. The priesthood was at an end. The animal sacrifices were at an end. The worship life that centered on Jerusalem and the Temple was at an end. And it has never been restored to our own day. Judaism as we know it today in Minneapolis and New York and Tel Aviv is not the same way of life practiced before AD 70.
What is the meaning of this cataclysmic event for Judaism? It was a witness to the truth of Christianity. Jesus predicted it. And it came to pass. Christians did not fight against Israel in this revolt. In fact, Christians suffered in Jerusalemwith Israel because of the revolt. As far as Rome was concerned Judaism was the tree and Christianity was the branch. If they could destroy the tree of Judaism, they could wipe out Christianity as well. Jews and Christians suffered together in AD 70.
So the destruction of AD 70 was not an act of anti-Semitism. Rather it was an act of divine judgment. That is what Jesus says in Luke 19:43-44: these things happened“ because you did not recognize the time of your visitation,” -- that is, you did not recognize the coming of the Messiah. It was God’s testimony that the coming of Jesus was in fact what the book of Hebrews says it was -- the replacement of shadows with Reality -- Christ himself.
THE PASSOVER SEDERThe Southeast Outlook 4/4/02 Section B
The eating of bitter herbs dipped in salt water reminds Seder celebrants of the bitterness of Israel's slavery in Egypt. During the meal a roast egg reminds participants of the cycle of the seasons and the desire for a fruitful spring. A full cup signifies Israel's joy in deliverance from bondage. The dipping of the little finger in the full cup - 10 times (once for each of the 10 plagues God pronounced on Egypt) - and placing each of the 10 drops on a plate or on a piece of matzo (unleavened) bread reminds celebrants to forego vengeance.
Charoset and horseradish - the sweet and the bitter - are eaten on matzo as a reminder of God's mercy. The sweet charoset is eaten immediately after the bitter horseradish to remind people that God's mercy toward them followed years of slavery.
QUOTE: "I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all this book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a better person." -A. Lincoln
COMPULSIVEBODYBUILDINGSunday Soundbytes 3/29/01
The estimated number of men in the United States who suffer from "compulsive body building" is 669,000. Paul wrote to Timothy that physical training is of some value -- not compulsive physical training -- but physical training. But then he added, "Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present and the life to come." Let us purposely exercise our souls as together we wrestle with the truths in God's Word to which we now turn
THE POWER OF SCRIPTURE TO TRANSFORM
John Dilulio, a tenured professor at Princeton, works in the field of criminology. He notes youth who have done prison time are 66% less likely to be rearrested within a year of their release if they attended Prison Fellowship Bible studies. (Tim Stafford, “The criminologist who discovered the church,” Christianity Today, June 14, 1999)
WRITTEN ON STONE Timothy P. Buchanan Christian Standard 9/2/01
The Ten Commandments were written on stone, not in metal, clay, or mud which can be melted, shaped or molded. None of the commandments, like the tablets on which they were originally carved, is malleable. Each can be broken, but not altered.
THE B.I.B.L.E.
A father was approached by his small son, who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!"
His father smiled and replied, "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means?"
The son replied, "I do know!"
"Okay," said his father. "So, Son, what does the Bible mean?"
"That's easy, Daddy. It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.’”
"…AND IF NOT" Charles Colson BreakPoint October 2001
June 1940: Hitler's armies are poised to destroy the cornered British army, stranded on the beaches at Dunkirk. As the British people anxiously await word of their fate, a three word message is transmitted from the besieged army: "And if not…"
The British public instantly recognizes the message: "It's a reference to the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego standing before King Nebuchadnezzer's fiery furnace. "Our god is able to save us… and if not, we will remain faithful to Him anyway."
The message galvanized the British people, and thousands crossed the English Channel in small boats to rescue their army.
Fast forward 61 years to Jan. 22, 2001: President George W. Bush delivers his inaugural address. Afterward, Dick Meyer of CBS News confesses, "There were a few phrases in the speech I just didn't get. One was, 'When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass on the other side.'"
"I hope there's not a quiz," Meyer concluded.
What a difference a generation makes. For centuries, Biblical references were the common coinage of Western speech. As Dunkirk demonstrates, people were so steeped in the Scriptures they immediately recognized a cryptic biblical allusion. But today that memory has been erased.
WHAT DOES IT REALLY SAY? copyright 2000 by Teresa W. Carrigan
It was Advent, and the homework for a Sunday school class was to read Isaiah 9. The teacher asked the class how many had remembered to read the chapter. Every hand went up. 'Wonderful!' she thought, 'we can have a great discussion!'
"Do you remember the first verse?" Silence, while a few of the youngsters paged furiously through their Bibles trying to find Isaiah.
"I'll give you a bit of help. 'The people who walked in darkness...'"
Still no answer. "I have a candy bar for the first one who can complete the verse."
Instantly she was besieged by answers!
"Use less electricity!"
"Stub their toes a lot!"
"Spend most of the time sleeping"
"Are usually burglars"
"Could really use a flashlight!"
And about that time someone finally found Isaiah 9 and just read it.
IT’S BEEN WRITTEN DOWN Wall Street Journal week of June 4 th, 2001
Around 196 B.C., a council of ancient Egyptian priests inscribed a decree on a granite slab affirming the rule of 13 year old Ptolemy V and providing 3 translations, including one in a form of ancient Greek. After Napoleon’s troops in Egypt recovered the slab, the Rosetta Stone, in 1799, linguists used the Greek to unlock the Egyptian hieroglyphics, whose meaning had been lost for centuries.
Now, a small San Francisco foundation is leading an effort to create a modern Rosetta Stone, a collection of 1000 translations of the 1 st three chapters of the book of Genesis into languages from Abkhaz to Zulu. The foundations far thinking backers hope the project will help decoders in the distant future, recover languages of our own day, many of which will certainly be lost.
“If it’s good with 3, not with 1000?” asks Steward Brand, best known as the founder of the Whole Earth Catalog and now a board member of the Long Now Foundation, which is coordinating the Rosetta Project.
When the collection is completed next year, roughly 30,000 pages of linguistic submissions will be inscribed by ion beams in tiny text onto 3 inch nickel disks and encased in glass balls. The technology provider, Norsam Technologies of Hillsboro, Ore., says tests show the disks will last at least 1000 years, withstanding salt water, sunlight and nuclear radiation using the technology developed at the Los Alamos nuclear labs. The foundation will distribute 1000 disks to libraries and museums and sell them to individuals around the world, all under the archival principle, “Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe.”
The hope is that at least some of the disks will survive and prove useful to future archaeologists. The glass balls encasing the disks are rudimentary magnifying glasses. Larger text in 8 languages spirals around the edge of the disk as a kind of hint to discoverers to magnify the disks further. The Rosetta Project backers assume future generations will at least have a 1000 power microscope to enlarge the tiny type. They won’t need what will surely be long lost technology: the personal computer, a Windows operating system or even electricity. The information will be presented in plain text, not digital bits.
With modest funding - $165,000 over 2 years, from the Lazy Eight Foundation, of Denver, Colo. – the project is attracting submissions by linguists from around the world. No single expert could possibly check every submission, so the Rosetta Project relies on a network of linguists to correct each others’ work.
Mr. Mason began by collecting nearly 1000 translations of the world’s most widely translated text, Genesis, mainly from Bible societies. The decision to use a biblical text generated a heated debate within the foundation over its religious associations, but Mr. Mason says the availability of translations made it the only practical choice. The next most translated text, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into about 300 languages.
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK
When Rembrandt's famous painting, The Night Watch, was restored and returned to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the curators performed a simple, yet remarkable experiment. They asked visitors to submit questions about the painting. The curators then prepared answers to over 50 questions, ranking the questions according to popularity.
Some of these questions focused on issues which curators usually don't like to include:
How much does the painting cost? Has this painting ever been forged? Are there mistakes in the painting? Other questions focused on traditional artistic issues: Why did Rembrandt paint the subject? Who were the people in the painting? What techniques did Rembrandt pioneer in the particular work?
In a room next to the gallery which held the painting, the curators papered the walls with these questions (and answers). Visitors had to pass through this room before entering the gallery.
The curious outcome was that the average length of time people spent viewing the painting increased from six minutes to over half an hour. Visitors alternated between reading questions and answers and examining the painting. They said that the questions encouraged them to look longer, to look closer, and to remember more. The questions helped them create richer ideas about the painting and to see the painting in new ways. (Source: Bits and Pieces)
SETTING THE STANDARD
At entrance of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna , a set of standards are permanently part of the wall. The first is the length of a yard. The second is a round circle for the standard size of a loaf of bread. Each of these two standards, one embedded and one carved, were place there to assure the people of that day that they were not being cheated by others. These were standards they could use to check and compare. A yard meant a yard, and the standard was a steel rod embedded in the wall. A round loaf of bread had to be a certain size, or it wasn't a full loaf of bread. If the street vendors and merchants didn't have standards, at least the Church would display standards that no one could dispute.
CAN YOU FIND THESE IN THE BIBLE???
Questions
Answers
TEN LAWS WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF PRISON
There is a woman who is very active in prison ministry who is much loved by the inmates. An inmate tells her, "Grandma do you know that Texas has over 100 laws that will send to prison?" She replied, " there are 10 that will keep you out."
NOAH'S FLOOD IN TEXAS
A visitor to Texas once asked, "Does it ever rain out here?"
A rancher quickly answered, "Yes, it does."
"When?" asked the visitor.
"Do you remember that part in the Bible where it rained for 40 days and 40 nights?"
The visitor replied, "Yes, I'm familiar with Noah's flood."
"Well," the rancher drawled, "we got about half an inch of that."
JEWELS FOR THE JOURNEY Dr. Calvin Evans from the book "Jewels For The Journey" published by Evangelistic Outreach Ministries.
No other book has survived the centuries unaltered as has the Bible. It has been hated and hounded as no other book down through the ages. It has successfully withstood the attacks of atheism, skepticism, rationalism, pantheism, modernism and its many other enemies.
Voltaire once said, "The Bible will be a short-lived book." The years proved Voltaire to be wrong and the very house in which he lived was used to store Bibles.
The Communist dictionary issued by the Soviet State Publishing house describes the Bible as a "Collection of fantastic legends without scientific support." Lenin once declared, "I expect to live long enough to attend the funeral of all religion." Lenin has long since been dead, the Bible and religion has never been more alive.
Thomas Paine once stated, "Within 50 years the Bible will be a forgotten Book." But years later, the very press he used to print this statement was being used to print Bibles.
Bob Ingersoll once boasted, "I am going to put the Bible out of business." But the years proved Ingersoll wrong and his very desk was later used to prepare Bible lessons. Yes, the Bible has had many enemies. They have lived and died - BUT THE BOOK LIVES ON! Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
Why has the Bible stood the test of time? Charles H. Spurgeon once told of a minister who was sent to see an old lady and while he was there thought he would give her some precious promises from the Word of God. Taking her Bible and turning to one, he saw written in the margin
"P" and he asked, "What does this mean?" "That means precious, sir," she replied. Further down he saw "T and P" and he asked what those letters meant. "That," she said, "Means tried and proved, for I have tried and proved it." What about you? Have you tried and proven it?
POINT OF REFERENCE
Admiral Byrd, the famous explorer, once found himself about 100 yards away from the safety of his South Pole hut when a sudden blizzard hit. The temperature was several degrees below zero, and the snow was blinding.
There were no landmarks in the white expanse of snow and ice-covered sea that would help him get his bearings. Yet he knew that if he didn't find the comparative warmth and safety of his hut, he would freeze to death in a matter of minutes.
Admiral Byrd could not see his hut or anything else in the freezing blizzard that would guide him to safety. He knew that he would freeze to death if he didn't find the shelter of his hut quickly. He also knew that if he struck out blindly, without a central reference point for a sense of direction, he would become hopelessly lost. Refusing to panic, the admiral assessed the situation.
In his hand was a 10-foot pole that he carried with him to probe for holes in the ice as he walked. He struck the pole in the snow and tied his bright-colored scarf to it. Then he began looking for the hut, keeping the pole in sight as a central reference point, knowing that he could always return to it if necessary.
He struck out, first in one direction, then in another, always keeping the pole and scarf in sight. Three times he came back to his point of reference; on the 4th try, he found his hut. His life was saved.
Hopefully, none of us will ever find ourselves in the same situation that Admiral Byrd was in. But think about it. Are there not many times in your life when a crisis occurs; when you just don't know which way to turn? At these times, you need a point of reference; a sense of direction.
THE KINGDOM OF EBLAEddie Snipes - Sermoncentral.com
The Ebla Kingdom was unknown to history until it was discovered in 1968 by Archaeologists and Professor Paolo Matthiae of the University of Rome. In 1975 the archives of the kingdom’s history was found. 17,000 clay written tablets were found in 1975 and another 1600 the following year. Science has dated this find at 2250 BC, which is in the same time frame as Abram’s life. Critics of the Bible often argue that scripture was written later in history. Some of the more liberal scholars claim the Bible only dates back to a few centuries before Christ. They make these claims in spite of the fact that archaeological finds provide a continuous flow of support to the biblical accounts. Cities, events and people not found in any known document are described in the scriptures. When these cities are found, it gives credibility to the scripture.
Ebla had a population of 260,000 people. This would make it a major kingdom in the ancient world. These tablets found were written in two languages. Linguists say that the primary language is distinctively Semitic (Jewish) and closely resembled Hebrew. Many of the words are identical to Hebrew and the rest of it is very similar.
Critics of the Bible have discredited the Mosaic Law saying that a civilization that early could not have handled this kind of legal code. Many also claim that the time Moses predates written language, therefore the scripture could not have been written by Moses. The Ebla find predates Moses by around 1000 years. The Ebla tablets detail a legal code that includes degrees of crime. The Ebla justice system included individual rights and case law. So both writing and legal codes predated the time of Moses and there is no reasonable argument against the age of scripture.
Many names found in these tablets are also found in scripture - including the name ’Abram’.
In one text alone there was a list of 260 geographical locations. Many of these names are Old Testament cities including Salim (believed to be the city of Melchizedek), Hazor, Lachish, Megiddo, Gaza, Dor, Sinai, Ashtoroth, Joppa, Damascus, and Carchemish. Many of these biblical cities were previously unknown by any other historical document but now we have a record dating to the time of Genesis.
Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned by name. These two towns were on the route of the King’s Highway and were regularly visited in route to Damascus. The tablets mention Sodom and Gomorrah with the five cities of the Plain. The other three cities mentioned were Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar.
Almost every culture has a creation account. Critics often claim that early missionaries inspired these creation accounts after the time of Christ. However, the Ebla creation account is remarkably similar to the biblical account and dates over 4,000 years back.
The Ebla tablets tell about prophets proclaiming about God long before biblical prophets arrive on the scene. This would also support the Bible. The King of Moab sought the services of a non-Jewish prophet of God. Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of the spoil when he rescued Lot. He was called the priest to the Most High God (Genesis 14:18).
The Ebla tablets record dealings with the Hittites (at one time they were thought to be a mythological people because Hittites were only mentioned in the Bible). The Bible tells us that Abram bought the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite to bury his wife.
BIBLICAL ONE-LINERS
Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?
A Ruthless
Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A German Shepherds.
Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Q. What was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.
Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.
Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.
Q What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.
Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan. The banks were always overflowing.
Q. Who is the greatest baby-sitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.
HE'S CRAMMING FOR HIS FINALS
Johnny was going home
one day past his grandfather's house with a couple of his chums. As they passed
the house they spied the old gentleman out on his sun porch in his rocking chair
with a big black book (the bible) on his lap reading rather intently.
"What's your grandfather doing", asked one of Johnny's friends.
"Oh - grandpa - he's cramming
for the finals", Johnny replied.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S BIBLE PROWESS
A biographer of Abraham Lincoln says that Lincoln knew the Bible almost by heart. In the book, Mr. Lincoln by J.G. Randall, we read: "There was not a clergyman to be found so familiar with it as he. There is scarcely a speech or paper prepared by him from 1834 to 1865, but contains apt allusions and stirring illustrations from the sacred book." In fact, it is said that when Lincoln saw a misquotation from the Bible, he would correct it and write down the chapter and verse where the exact words could be found.
READING THE OBVIOUS
A 3 year old boy went with his father to see a litter of kittens. On returning home, he breathlessly informed his mother, "There were two boy kittens and two girl kittens."
"How did you know that?" his mother asked.
"Daddy picked them up and looked underneath," he replied. "I think it's printed on the bottom."
THE CHECK WAS IN THE BOOK
Dear Abby recorded a powerful story. A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent community for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week before graduation they found the perfect car. They boy was certain it would be in the driveway on graduation night. One the eve of his graduation, however, his father handed him a small package wrapped in colorful paper. The Father said the package contained the most valuable gift the Father could think of. It was a Bible! The boy was so angry he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again. Several year later the news of the father’s death finally brought the son home again. Following the funeral, he sat alone one evening, going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit when he came across the Bible his dad had given him. Overwhelmed by grief, he brushed away the dust and cracked it open for the first time. When he did, a cashier’s check dated the day of his high school graduation fell into his lap --in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. The gift had been there all along . . . but he had turned away.
WHAT THE BIBLE TELLS US
"The following is a
copy of a clipping that I found on the inside cover of my Grandfather's Bible
which was well worn and a 1909 Scoffield Bible." --Steve Worden, Tulsa, Oklahoma
"This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation,
the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains
light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. It is the
traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword,
and the Christian's character. Here Paradise is restored, heaven opened, and
the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand Object, our good its design,
and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and
guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of
wealth, a Paradise of glory and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life,
will be opened in the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves
the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor and will condemn
all who trifle with its sacred contents"
THE JESUS AND PETER BOAT
There was a drought in Israel in 1985. The drought, plus the pumping out of
water for irrigation lowered the level of the Lake below that for centuries.
The timbers of an old boat appeared, and it was excavated. The timbers had survived,
sunk in the mud beneath the water for centuries. They were black and waterlogged,
but still kept their shape. It is 8.2 metres long and 2.35 metres wide. Its
planks butt against each other, as did boats from the Roman era. Mortise and
tenon joints hold the planks of cedar and oak together nailed by wooden pegs.
But how to raise it? The Israeli government archaeologist, Shelley Wachsmann,
pondered.
He gathered a team of volunteers. The boat's timber was in good shape. Its long immersion saturated it to the consistency of wet cardboard, so it was too soft to move. Yet if it were allowed to dry out its entire cellular structure would collapse. They sprayed polyurethane over the exposed inner portions of the vessel, and let this harden to the boat's exact shape. Protected by an impromptu 'dry dock' of sandbags the volunteers then dug below the boat and fibreglassed it. More polyurethane created a strong, protective cocoon. It is now being restored at Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar.
Its style, and a cooking pot and a lamp found in it, point to an age of about 2,000 years. Radio carbon 14 test to the wood gave its date as 40BC to 40AD. Journalists named it the 'Jesus boat' or 'Peter's boat'. It came from their period but there is no way to prove any connection between it and Jesus and Peter
IS THE BACK SEA BLACK - AND THE RED SEA RED? Why do Cowboys wear High Heels? Jeff Rovin
Not at all. It only looks that way. The black color of the water in the Black sea comes from decomposition of vegetable matter. This is caused by bacteria that live in the water. The Black Sea also happens to be rough, gloomy and often covered with a thick fog, which is why it was originally called Pontus Axenus (Inhospitable Sea) by the ancient Greeks.
The Red Sea got its name from the reddish algae that thrive in its waters.
As for the rest of the worlds’ seas, they seem blue for the same reason the sky seems blue. Light from the sun is broken up by the water particles. Since the blue wavelengths are the shortest, they get broken up and bounced around more, making them the dominant color.
ATTITUDES OF AMERICANS
IN 2000 Source: Washington Times
Zondervan recently commissioned an independent market survey of 1,000 representative
U.S. adults. The survey found that most adults trust that the Bible got "its
facts straight" more than newspapers or even history books. But two-thirds
find a supermarket tabloid easier reading. The survey also found:
The hardest part of the Bible "to read and understand" is the creation
account in Genesis.
Adults most often say the Bible’s great value is in teaching children right
and wrong, with David and Goliath the most memorable story and the Good Samaritan
the best for moral instruction.
Eighty percent agree that Bible language can be "confusing," and welcome
modern translation. Most say that different parts of the Bible speak to different
people and needs and thus approve of specialty Bible materials.
GOOD NEWS ON THE COVER Tony Whittaker on Sermon_Fodder.com
Before most people had
telephones, let alone email, the telegram was the nearest we had to instant
communication. Few people under 30 will have ever seen one.
In the dark days of the Second World War, the sight of a "telegraph boy" bringing
a Post Office telegram up the path was feared, because so often it brought news
of a serviceman missing in action or dead.
When Eric Skelding escaped from Dunkirk (with a large part of the British Army),
he sent a telegram to his mother to say he was safe. "Some kind person in the
Post Office wrote 'Good news' in pencil on the envelope. I have always been
grateful to that unknown person," he said recently. His mother was saved from
a fearful experience.
Many people fear to open a Bible, thinking that it is full of stories about
a hard and frightening God. Or perhaps they think there is nothing significant
in it at all - an empty envelope. It is so easy to have a false image of God
- maybe one that we received at school or home, even sadly, at a church.
If this is how you feel, imagine the words "good news" written on the cover
of a Bible. For that is all that the word "gospel" means.
PROPOSED NEW COMMANDMENTS
* Honor Thy Foster Parents, Egg Donor, Adoptive Father, Daycare Provider,
Big Brother/Sister,
Probation Officer...
* Thou shalt not pray or speak in King James English outside of church services.
* Thou shalt not get to
church early just to get a seat on the back row.
* Thou shalt not wad up a bunch of small bills to place in the offering plate
to make it look like you're giving more than you actually are.
* Thou shalt not accept a post as deacon if the only time you come to church
is on Sunday Morning.
THE GREAT FLOOD UNCOVERED Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times,
10/2000
U.S. archeologist recently found the remains of a 7,500-year-old building--probably
a house--more than 300 feet below the surface of the Black Sea. Robert Ballard,
famous for discovering the Titanic, took photographs of the structure and recovered
some artifacts from the site
using a remote-controlled submersible called Argus, not much bigger than a washing
machine. The building appears to have been on the beach of the Black Sea, which
at that time consisted of fresh water.
Now we know that people were living on that surface when the Flood took place,
because we are finding evidence of human habitation," Ballard reported in a
telephone interview from his ship off the Turkish coast. Last year Ballard found
indications of an ancient coastline with tree
branches and other debris, miles out from the current Black Sea coast.
Ballard, a National Geographic Society explorer in residence, said he had studied
shells found along the ancient coastline and found two types. One group is an
extinct type of freshwater shell, while the second is from saltwater shellfish.
The saltwater shells date back 6,500 years, while the freshwater shells all
date to 7,000 years ago and older. "We know that there was a sudden and dramatic
change from a freshwater lake to a sea of saltwater 7,000 years ago," Ballard
states.
"And we know that as a result of that flood, a vast amount of land went underwater.
We also know that that land was inhabited. What we don't know is who these people
were, and how broad their settlements were." He continues his research with
Argus on the floor of the Black Sea.
This exciting archeological discovery indicates that rising waters in the Earth's
oceans caused the Mediterranean to crash through a natural earth dam blocking
what is now the Bosporous Strait (under a half a mile across at some points).
For as long as two years, water rushed
through with the flow of 200 Niagara Falls and filled an area the size of Florida.
This discovery also indicates that the concept of the Great Flood, Noah's Ark,
and God's judgment on civilization at that time, are plausible and persuasive.
The Bible is proven once again that it can be used as a credible source of information.
"This is a stunning confirmation of our thesis," said marine biologist, William
B.F. Ryan of Columbia University."
PSALM 23’S IMAGERY "Shepherds" Harper’s Bible Dictionary
Madeleine & J. Lane Miller
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" expresses man’s gratitudes for God’s mercies. The Psalmist, whatever his identity, certainly knew "the green pastures," such as exist below the terraced farms of Bethlehem. He knew how to walk at the head of the flock, leading them – not following them, as Western shepherds do. He knew the "still waters" of wells, pools, quiet rivulets, or sheltered sand bars, such as are still used by shepherds where the Dog River enters the Mediterranean.
The "paths of righteousness" were age old sheep walks. "the valley of the shadow," which called for extra shepherding, was the deep rock cleft wadi where serpents lurked. The sheep felt touch of the shepherd’s hooked staff, lifting them over perilous stones. The familiar stout, short rod "rodded" them into the stone walled fold at nightfall. The shepherd was able to "prepare tables" in safe grassy spots, in the presence of the sheep’s hereditary enemies – venomous snakes, which bit the faces of unsuspecting ones. Hence the necessity of having their injured heads "anointed with oil" or butter.
An example of the "cup" which ran over is seen today at the Wise Men’s Well on the North outskirts of Bethlehem. It is a stone trough – a round section of Pilate’s stone conduit, in this instance – placed beside the well from which the shepherd dipped water to fill the "cup." The "dwelling in the house of the Lord" reflects the return to the village after the summer grazing period, when families prepare to go up to the House of God, in mended garments and new made shoes, to thank Him for His "goodness and loving kindness" and to entreat Him to let these blessings follow the family forever.
QUOTE: "I have
wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would
have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." -Ronald
Reagan
TOP TEN SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH:
10) The Preacher announces the sermon is from Genesis ... and you check
the table of contents.
9) You think Abraham, Isaac & Jacob may have had a few hit songs during
the 60's.
8) You open to the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.
7) Your favorite Old Testament Patriarch is Hercules.
6) A small family of woodchucks has taken up residence in the Psalms of your
Bible.
5) You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the
Concordance or the
Table of Contents.
4) Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you
this stuff?"
3) You think the Minor Prophets worked in the quarries.
2) You keep falling for it every time when Preacher tells you to turn to First
Condominiums.
And the number one sign
you may not be reading your Bible enough:
1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: "Jonah
the
Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."
PSALM 23 FOR PROGRAMMERS
[from Gregory Singleton on Rehu. Based on Psalm 23.]
The Lord is my programmer, I shall not crash.
He installed His software on the hard disk of my heart,
All of His commands are user friendly,
His directory moves me to the right choices for His name's sake.
Even though I scroll through the problems of file,
I will fear no bugs, for You are my backup;
Your password protects me;
You prepare a menu before me in the presence of my enemies;
Your help is only a key away.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
And my file will be merged with His and saved forever.
GOVERNMENT VERBOSITY:
Pythagorean theorem: 24 words.
The Lord's prayer: 66 words.
Archimedes' Principle: 67 words.
The 10 Commandments: 179 words.
The Gettysburg address: 286 words.
The Declaration of Independence: 1,300 words.
U.S. Government regulations on cabbage sales: 26,911 words.
EMERGENCY BIBLE PHONE NUMBERS Choctaw Church of Christ 5/7/2000
When in sorrow……………call John 14
When men fail you…………call Psalm 27
If you want to be fruitful……call John 15
When you have sinned……..call Psalm 51
When you worry……………call Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger…….call Psalm 91
When God seems far away…..call Psalm 139
When your faith needs stirring…call Hebrews 11
When you are lonely and fearful… call Psalm 23
When you grow bittern and critical… call I Corinthians 13
For Paul’s secret to happiness…..call Colossians 3:12-17
For understanding Christianity… call II Corinthians 5:15-19
When you feel down and out….. call Romans 8:31
When you want peace and rest…. Call Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God… call Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance… call Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel… call Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish… call Psalm 67
For a great invention/ opportunity… call Isaiah 55
When you want courage for a task… call Joshua 1
For how to get along with fellow men… call Romans 12
When you think of investments & returns… call Mark 10
If you are depressed… call Psalm 27
If your pocketbook is empty… call Psalm 37
If you are losing confidence in people… call I Corinthians 13
If people seem unkind… call John 15
If discouraged about your work… call Psalm 126
If you find the world growing small and yourself great… call Psalm 19
For dealing with fear… call Psalm 34:7
For security… call Psalm 121:3
For assurance… call Mark 8:35
For reassurance… call Psalm 145:18
Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary.
All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed your faith and doubt will starve.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO
KNOW I LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK
o When you’re stressed, float a while.
o Plan ahead. It wasn't
raining when Noah built the ark.
o Noah didn't wait for his ship to come in, he built one.
o Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something
REALLY big.
o Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.
o Build on high ground.
o For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
o Two heads are better than one.
o Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the
snails.
o If you can't fight or flee -- float!
o Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.
o Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.
o Stay below deck during the storm.
o Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm
outside.
o Don't miss the boat.
o When the fertilizer gets really deep, don't sit there and complain -- shovel!!!
o If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
o No matter how bleak it looks, if God is with you, there's always a rainbow
on the other side.
HUMPTY DUMPTY: THE KING
JAMES VERSION
1. And lo, There was in the same country a wall both great and strong.
2. And the Egg sitteth on this wall, yea verily, as at other times, [even] upon
a seat on the wall, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy,
and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart: and the man arose, and didst
say:
3. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and I will
cause him to fall from his place. For if any fall, the one will lift up his
fellow: but woe to him [that is] alone when
he falleth; for [he hath] not another to help him up.
4. And he did send a blast upon him and he did fall from his place. How are
the mighty fallen. And God saw the Egg fall.
5. And the Egg was burst asunder, was shattered into pieces as numerous as the
stars, yea all the stars, that men seeth when they glance unto the heavens.
The did the Egg speak, and he did say:
6. I wot not whist I am nor whence I came. I was at ease, but he hath broken
me asunder: he hath also taken [me] by my neck, and shaken me to pieces. Behold,
who shall surely gather me together for my sake?
7. When the news of the great fall was brought unto the king he was sore troubled.
By the river of Babylon he sat down and wept. Then the king ariseth, and thus
did say:
8. I will surely assemble thee, O Egg, all of thee; I will gather thy remnants;
I will put them together as the sheep of the field, as the flock in the midst
of their fold: we shall make great noise by reason of [the multitude of] my
men.
9. And he called forth to his men saying: Arise, men of valour and strength
and gird your loins. Mount ye your horses and riden outen at my command, that
ye travel to the great wall. And there ye shall find, lying at the base, an
egg, in pieces several and ye shall grieve.
10. But I say unto you, gird your loins and seeketh every piece, yea even unto
the smallest thereof, and then remaketh whole the egg again. And whence thou
hast finished, and the egg is as it was whence it were on topoth the wall, bring
ye it to me that I may marvel at it.
11. And they came with haste, and their number was seven times seventy, to where
the Egg didst lie broken. And when they saw it they were sore afraid, for they
knew not whether `twas in their
power to assemble yon Egg as it had been in the beginning.
12. And though they girdeth
their loins, and toileth as the lily in the fields toileth not, verily the pieces
wouldst not and couldst not be brought together again.
13. When the news was brought even unto the king, the king was filled with great
wrath. And all gates trembled, and the voice of the turtle was stilled.
14. Then out went the king, and he pondered these words in his heart: What man
has rent asunder, let no god join together.
15. For, it is written:
Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
QUOTE: My Sunday School teachers didn’t mind telling the same story over and over again. And because they didn’t mind telling it, I loved to hear it. - Bob Parsons
AND THEY WALKED TOO
A young boy had just gotten
his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss
the use of the car.
His father took him to his study and said to him, "I'll make a deal with you.
You bring your grades up, study your bible a little and get your hair cut and
we'll talk about it."
After about a month the boy came back and again asked his father if they could
discuss use of the car. They again went to the father's study where his father
said, "Son, I've been real proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've
studied your bible diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut!"
The young man waited a moment and replied, "You know Dad, I've been thinking
about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long
hair, and even Jesus had long hair...."
To which his father replied, "Yes, and they WALKED every where they went, too!"
QUOTE: If you add to truth, you subtract from it. – The Talmud
QUOTE: Regular Bible reading helps fight truth decay
QUOTE: In Martin Luther’s words, just as a mother goes to the cradle only to find a baby, we go the Bible only to find Christ.
QUOTE: "Although I did my utmost to preserve an emotional detachment, I found again and again that the material under my hands was strangely alive: it spoke to my condition in the most uncanny way." J.B. Phillips describing his experience in translating the New Testament.
THE BOOK OF RUTH AND THE INFIDELS
When Benjamin Franklin was United States Ambassador to France, he occasionally attended the Infidels Club -- a group that spent most of its time searching for and reading literary masterpieces. On one occasion Franklin read the book of Ruth to the club when it was gathered together, but changed the names in it so it would not be recognized as a book of the Bible. When he finished, they were unanimous in their praise. They said it was one of the most beautiful short stories that they had ever heard, and demanded that he tell them where he had run across such a remarkable literary masterpiece. It was his great delight to tell them that it was from the Bible, which they professed to regard with scorn and derision, and in which they felt there was nothing good.
HUMAN NATURE ABOUT KNOWING THE FUTURE Michael J. Miller PC Magazine June 22, 99
I guess it’s just human nature. Everyone always wants to know what will happen next. That’s why we all get together and speculate about which team will win the next game, what will happen next on our favorite TV shows, and which politician will run in the next election. Thinking about the future is a particular pastime for those of us who observe technology. We all want to know about the next great application or the next great devise. I am no exception.
THE "REASONABLE" ATTITUDE OF HERESY South Bend Tribune 7/9/99 C1 by David Crumm Knight Ridder Newspapers
"Who is Jesus?" says Jennifer Kondak, a Presbyterian from Royal Oak, Michigan, "That’s one the burning questions in my life. I think it’s wonderful that scholars are still studying this. The people who make me angry are the folks who take every word of the Bible as true."
At the liberal end of the spectrum, Rev. Suzanne Paul of the Universalist-Unitarian Church of Farmington, Mich., tells her congregation that Jesus was an important teacher but not a deity. "Jesus is not a god to me, but he was a very powerful figure. I would go so far as to say that Jesus was a spiritually unique person, but then so was Buddha and so was Moses," says Paul. "The problem is that people have had Jesus around for 2000 years – so, at this point, people can make him into whatever they want."
Borg, a liberal scholar states: "For me to accept that god transformed the corpse of Jesus would not only violate my sense of the limits of the spectacular – but it would also privilege the Christian tradition and would be saying that God acted in Christianity in a way God has never acted in other religious traditions."
QUOTE: William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth colony of pilgrims, insisted, "Those who believe in the Holy Scriptures are bound to observe its teachings. Those who do not are bound by its consequences."
THE SUN DOESN’T REVOLVE AROUND THE EARTH? Bob Enyart: The Plot
Revisionist science historians, beginning largely with Voltaire, blame the Bible for the error that the sun orbited the earth. However, Aristotelian thought ruled the scientific world, what there was of it, for about 2,000 years. Through defective experiment, Aristotle determined that the earth was at rest, and therefore, the sun must orbit the earth and not vice-versa. Church leaders sadly, along with virtually all the western world, submitted to Aristotle on this and many other false, non-biblical ideas.
Galileo Galilei, often opposed to Aristotle, staunchly defended the Bible. On December 21, 1613 he sent a letter to Benedetto Gastelli (a Benedictine monk and a pioneer in hydrostatics). "The holy scriptures cannot err," Galileo wrote, "and the decrees therein contained are absolutely true and inviolable… Holy scripture and nature are both emanations from the divine word; the former dictated by the Holy spirit, the latter the executrix of God’s commands… I believe that the intention of holy writ was to persuade men of the truths necessary for salvation, such as neither science nor any other means could render credible, but only the voice of the Holy Spirit."
NOT HOW OFTEN YOU READ
A rabbi was walking down the street when a member of his congregation came along and boasted that he had read all the volumes of the Talmud three times.
The rabbi looked at him and said, "The important thing is not how many times you have been through the Talmud, but whether the Talmud has been through you."
MYSTERY IN THE PASSOVER SEDER The Lederer Letter April/May 1997
When God instituted the 1st Passover meal, he required that only 3 items be eaten - an unblemished lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8). Yet, if you attend a Passover seder dinner today, you'll see other items, added by rabbis, to tell the story of Passover.
Yeshua - a rabbi - celebrated Passover each year of his life. By his day, it's likely that one custom common in seders today - drinking 4 cups of the fruit of the vine - was already part of the seder. Each cup commemorates one of the "I will" promises made by God to Israel (Exodus 6:6-8). Each cup came to mean something more.
Luke writes, Then, taking a cup of wine, he (Yeshua) made the b'rakhah (blessing) and said: "Take this and share it among yourselves..." (22:17). He began his last Passover seder with the customary blessing over the kiddush cup that begins all holy days. It is the first cup of the Passover seder.
The 3rd cup in the seder, known as the "cup of redemption," is shared after the actual meal. The wine in this cup symbolized the Passover lamb's blood, shed to bring rescue to those who trusted God. The blood smeared on the doorposts of their homes caused death to pass over them.
It was this cup that Yeshua shared at his last seder: He did the same with the cup after the meal, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant, ratified by my blood, which is being poured out for you" (Luke 22:20). Like any good rabbi, he expanded the meaning of one of the traditions for his 12 Jewish guests. He wanted his followers to know that he was the ultimate Passover lamb.
Not only did he expand the meaning of the 3rd cup, he maximized the meaning of the matzah, the unleavened bread of Passover. This flat bread symbolized the haste with which Israel left the land of Egypt; there wasn't enough time for the bread to rise (Exodus 12:11).
By Yeshua's time, leaven had also become a symbol of sin. Leavened bread was not to be in the house during the Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20). Passover was the 1st day of the religious calendar. Was God telling his people to start the new year committed to live according to his word, that is, without sin?
Yeshua further expanded the meaning of the matzah as he sat among his friends and taught them. Luke writes about Yeshua's last seder: Taking a piece of matzah, he made the b'rakhah (blessing) , broke it, gave it to them and said, "This is my body, which is given for you; do this (the Passover seder) in memory of me" (22:19). He gave them another reminder so that on each subsequent Passover they would remember that he was the perfect Passover lamb.
One ceremony, still part of Passover seders, mystifies Jewish people. Its origins are unclear, possibly deliberately obscured.
Three pieces of matzah are placed in a "unity bag." Some rabbis say they represent the tri-unity of Israel's worship: the priests, the Levites, and the people. Others say they symbolize the tri-unity of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No one knows for sure what they 1st represented, nor how to explain a special ceremony that uses them.
The middle piece of matzah is removed from the bag and broken in two. One part is then wrapped in a cloth, hidden until the end of the meal to be shared among the participants. It's called the afikomen (Greek for the "the coming one").
Is it possible that this ceremony, found in all seders today, has its roots in messiah's last seder where he taught his followers that he, the sinless lamb, was to be broken, wrapped in burial clothes, buried and brought back to life? It is possible that the 3 in one bag symbolizes the tri-une nature of God? Many scholars think so.
FILTERING OUT SCRIPTURE
I once talked with a denominational preacher who claimed he rarely quoted out of the Bible because he felt it was too dangerous. He claimed that his denomination had three "spectacles" through which they viewed the Bible... Tradition (what others had said about it in the past), Experience (how the scriptures related to what they saw in their own surroundings), and Reason (Did it make sense?).
A. Tradition (the way we were raised) "In vain do they worship me teaching as doctrines
the commands of men (Matthew 15:9)
B. Experience (Pentecostals) - In Deuteronomy 13:1ff God warns:
"If a prophet or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."
C. Reason - "Lean not upon your own understanding..."
" There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death."
WHAT IS A WADI?
A wadi is flat, protected from the wind by natural barriers, packed dirt, and its soil would have been good for a nice garden. However ideal as this land may have appeared, it had one major drawback: rains rarely fall in the months of May through September, so the major source of moisture for crops is generally the dew, but when the rains do come to the mountains they average about 60 inches for the year. The waters come off the mountains in streams that form rivers and as they make their way toward the ocean they come in a wall of water, boulders, trees destroying anything in their path... their path is known as a "wadi." If you built your home on the wadi during the summer - if it rained tonight, your home would not be there in the morning.
IT'S IN THE BIBLE Most people may not know that many of the phrases they use in everyday conversation come from the Bible:
"In the twinkling of an eye" (I Cor. 15:52)
"Den of thieves" (Matthew 21:13)
"Keep the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7)
"A stone's throw" (Luke 22:41
"Old wives' tale" (1 Tim. 4:7)
"Drop in the bucket" (Isa. 40:15)
"Apple of his eye" (Deut. 32:10)
"No rest for the wicked (Isa. 48:22)
IT’S NOT IN THE BIBLE Newsletter Newsletter 1992
When Sir Francis Drake discovered the potato in Peru and brought it to Scotland, the people wouldn't use it since it was not mentioned in the Bible!
When street lamps were introduced in Boston, ministers preached against them, saying, "If God had intended this, He would have made the sun brighter and moon more brilliant."
Anesthetics were opposed by ministers who said that pain is the result of sin and ordained by God and should not be interfered with.
THE COMFORT OF JOB TO LINCOLN
Story is told of Abraham Lincoln coming home one night during the war. Observing that he is obviously distraught, his wife asked "Where have you been Father?" Dropping into the sofa, he replied "The War Dept."
"Any news?" she asked. "Yes," he answered, "plenty of news, but no good news. It is dark, dark everywhere." He put his hands over his eyes for a long time, and then he reached over to stand by the sofa and picked up his Bible and began to read. Fifteen minutes passed and Mrs. Lincoln looked up to see that Abe's appearance had changed. His dejection was gone and in its place he had a look of resolution and hope. Wondering what it was he had read, she got up & went behind the sofa, massaging his shoulders. She noted he was reading from Job. (read Job 42:1-6)
WHERE TO READ FOR...
When in sorrow, read John 14
When men fail you, Psalm 27
When you have sinned , Psalm 51
When you worry, Matthew 6:19-34
Before Church services, Psalm 84
When you are in danger, Psalm 91
When you have the blues, Psalm 34
When God seems far away, Psalm 139
When you are discouraged, Isaiah 40
If you desire to be fruitful, John 15
When doubts come upon you, John 7:17
When you are lonely or fearful, Psalm 33
When you forget your blessings, Psalm 103
For Jesus' idea of a Christian, Matthew 5
For James' idea of religion, James 1:19-27
For stirring of faith, Hebrews 11
When you feel down and out, Romans 8;31-39.
When you lack courage for your task, Joshua 1
YOU SAY YOU CAN'T BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FIND? based on AP story by David Briggs reported in Pulpit Helps 3/97 p. 22
One of the annoying aspects of higher criticism is its tacit assumption: "If it's not in the archeological records, it can't be true." One case in point is the accusation that since there is as yet no such foundation for the census taken in the days of Jesus birth, it must be a fabrication of the Gospel writer's imagination or a plot tool. Consider the following recent issues:
* An ancient stone inscription found in Tel Dan in the Golan Heights in 1993 named "the House of David" and spoke of him as "King of Israel." So shocked were some scholars that they said the stone had to be a fake, or else it was misinterpreted. But additional fragments of the same stela (monument) with more inscriptions referring to David, were found the next year. Today the consensus, even among liberal scholars, is that David was real.
* Recent expeditions at Shechem., where the Bible says Abraham built an altar to God, proved that an organized community existed there during Abraham's time, nearly 400 years ago.
* An ivory pomegranate, purchased in the international antiquities market by Israeli authorities for $550,000 in 1988, is now believed by many scholars to be the 1st relic ever found from Solomon's Temple. An inscription on the pomegranate has been translated as "Holy to the priests, belonging to the Temple of Yahweh."
* Last summer, archaeologists sifting through a 2000 year old garbage dump at Masada in southern Israel, discovered a wine jug inscribed with the name of King Herod. It was the 1st object ever found with his name on it.
* Recent excavations have found evidence of a string of ancient Egyptian forts along the Sinai's Mediterranean coast. The discovery offers a plausible explanation as to why Moses led the Children of Israel inland through the Sinai wilderness instead of taking the shorter coastal route.
THE DOCTRINES OF CALVINISM
T = Total Depravity, man is totally depraved because of Adam's sin.
U = Unconditional Election, is the choice by God of those will be saved.
L = Limited Atonement, is the concept that only those who receive faith will be saved.
I = Irresistible Grace, is the influence of God on those who would be saved.
P = Perseverance of the Saints, describes the idea of "once you are saved, you are always saved. A born again individual cannot fall from grace.
COMMENTS ON PBS SERIES ON GENESIS WITH BILL MOYERS by Anne Underwood for TIME 10/21/96
Unfortunately, Moyers's 10 part series reveals more about the participants than it does about Genesis. With a little nudging from the host, we hear about this rabbi's divorce, that minister's bout with surgery, this scholar's near suicide, that ex-nun's rejection of hell. And Oprah is nowhere in sight. Feminist rage against patriarchal religion is on full display. So are the strategies of feminist Biblical retrieval. In almost every segment there is an effort to imagine what the silent women of Genesis might have said or thought. But as one woman scholar finally complains, there is a difference between interpretation and "ventriloquism."
Conversely, too little tolerance is allowed for the insights of scholarship. Time and again, those who know and teach the Hebrew Bible plead in vain for staying with the text. Little effort is made to explain how and why the diverse stories found their particular literary forms, or how those forms shape the Biblical material and message. As one participant remarks, "Genesis is not a collection of "short stories." Moreover, Hebrew is a complex language, as Robert Alter shows in his splendid new translation. Through plays on repeated words and images, one story bleeds into another, sending echoes across the entire landscape of the Bible's first book.
Has Moyers done a public service by discussing Genesis in extended conversation? Yes: this is real adult entertainment. But he encourages too much free association and self-confession for a series that wants us to be serious about the Bible.
ABOUT THE AUTOPSY OF SCRIPTURE Michael R. Stufflebeam Fountain Square Church of Christ, Indianapolis, IN, Oct. 28, 1996
Spending much time reading commentaries and scholarly material on Scripture, I often get the impression that the Bible is something dead and modern Biblical scientists are dissecting its corpse. They, and, in turn church teachers and preachers, expound on conclusions gained by consensus. Scripture is confined to the ancient, something for archeology that only the moderns can decipher with our enlightened understanding. We poke and look, stare and find certain trivial things interesting. I see here boring Bible studies, empty and useless scholarly material, and the loss of our young and more.
But then the Hebrew writer mentions this business of the word of God being living and active? Bonhoeffer, and others, conclude that Scripture examines the student more than vis-à-vis. Along with this thought perhaps we can see that Scripture moves at its own pace, and the interested student needs to move with it. After the Student enjoys an introductory stroll, the pace picks up. It seems to me that the Body of Scripture is running at the pace of heaven, with, and in a real way, ahead of history. If so, how does one investigate this moving subject?
The student runs alongside of Scripture, never ahead of and never above. The student has no real power to command God's word to stop. And, understanding - true understanding - is not gained by looking at blurred s