06/30/20 BIBLICAL EQUATION PUZZLE #3 —

ANSWER: Matthew 18:21-22 (CSB) Then Peter approached Him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 22  “I tell you, not as many as seven,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven.”  

INTERPRETATION: When Jesus told Peter he should be willing to forgive a fellow believer 70 Ï 7 times He did NOT mean (≠ ) 490 times (or 77 either, as some translations say), but forgiveness without any limits whatsoever! Love, Corinthians 13:5 (CSB) says “does not keep a record of wrongs.” That’s how Jesus has forgiven us already, and will continue to do so! And that’s how He expects us to forgive others also!

06/29/20 “BIBLICAL” EQUATION PUZZLE #2 — As I’ve mentioned previously, for extra credit in many college math courses I’ve taught I’ve challenged students to find the Bible passage (or famous hymn!) represented by an equation and give a meaningful interpretation. The box above contains an example.

ANSWER: It’s the last verse of Amazing Grace — “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first began.” Let D = the days we have to sing God’s praise (in heaven). After ten thousand years, the days we have left are D – 10,000 Y, where Y = 365 days/year. 

Eternity is truly “Amazing!” After we’ve “used up” 10,000 years praising God, the time we have left is NOT less than when we started; because it’s INFINITE! Praise the Lord!

06/28/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — OUR BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL: You’ll NEVER BE the Person God wants you to be; you’ll never DO what God wants you to do; your CHURCH will NEVER be the POWERFUL INFLUENCE in your community and beyond, as long as you can’t or don’t get rid of those BARRIERS! 

          Will you pray with me that together with God’s help, we will BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL — WHATEVER THEY ARE — Complacent  Participant OR Comfortable Palace OR Compromising Position OR Cruel Persecution! Then, stand back and watch God unleash His POWER in us and through us and for us! ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/27/20 ANOTHER INTERRUPTION OF “ESTHER IN 24 CPs” — In Deuteronomy 28:15 (CSB) Moses told the Hebrews, “But if you DO NOT OBEY the Lord your God by CAREFULLY FOLLOWING ALL HIS COMMANDS AND STATUTES I am giving you today, ALL THESE CURSES will come and overtake you…”

I KNOW that NONE of us is an Old Testament Hebrew. But the Bible is clear—GOD DOES NOT CHANGE! He gave US His Words, Laws, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, Judgments, Instruction, Precepts, … And He EXPECTS His People to OBEY them! NONE of these is an Option, a Suggestion, Rule of Thumb, Heuristic, an Opinion, “Another View Point,” or a “Good Idea”! Many OT and NT verses stress that OBEDIENCE is the KEY to enjoying God’s BLESSINGS for BOTH QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.

These days American preachers, Christian leaders and teachers seem to be consumed with proclaiming God’s LOVE for us and our Love for Him. But both the OT and NT make it abundantly clear—to LOVE God and Jesus is to OBEY Them; to DISOBEY them is NOT to LOVE Them. A contemporary way to say this might be, “GOD’S ONLY LOVE LANGUAGE IS OBEDIENCE!” Let’s Get With It! ( Esther: 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/26/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — OUR BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL: COMPROMISING POSITION

     Because Esther was a despised Jew, she and Mordecai had decided NOT to tell anyone YET!  But what if someone were to find out?!  Maybe we ought to “let the cat out of the bag,” “come clean,” but when and how?  A person / church / country “WHO WON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING”! 

     If you were really honest with yourself today, would you find yourself in a “compromising position”?  Maybe it’s something you’ve done or said, or something you’ve failed to do or say in the past. Is there a wrong from the past that you have neglected to right which prevents you from serving in God’s kingdom as He expects? Just CONFESS it to God (i.e. AGREE with Him—He already knows about it), ASK for and RECEIVE FORGIVENESS. Anything more you might need to do is relatively easy after that!   ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/25/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — OUR BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL

* COMFORTABLE PALACE:  (cf. Job 16:12; Psa.123:4) Even though, I suspect, each of us complains occasionally (or more often) about taxes, inflation, Social Security, insurance, etc., compared to the rest of mankind, today and in all history, we Americans have it “pretty good.”

     Old proverb: More people have been DESTROYED by AFFLUENCE than have been DEFEATED by AFFLICTION! Sometimes our COMFORT makes us UNUSABLE to God!   ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/24/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — OUR BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL

* COMPLACENT PARTICIPANT: Esther might have been thinking and saying things like, “Things are NOT perfect, but I like things pretty much just as they are! Whatever you do, don’t ask me to rock the boat! I don’t have the time or the energy or the inclination to interrupt my busy schedule—thank you very much!”

     Sounds a lot like the kinds of things most of us say!? SATISFACTION with the STATUS QUO (Rick Warren calls it, “THE MESS WE’RE IN”) often PREVENTS us from BEING IN and DOING GOD’S WILL. ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/23/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — OUR BARRIERS TO BEING GOD’S PERSON AND DOING HIS WILL

* CRUEL PERSECUTION:

     Politicians, Liberals, Special Interest Groups, Atheists, Advertisers—sometimes it seems that EVERYBODY is out to get THEIRS at the expense of what’s MINE!  If I speak up, I’ll be shunned, thrown out, black-listed, ostracized, disowned, fired, jailed and/or WORSE!

“WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH…”, WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU?!   ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/22/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — ANSWER from yesterday’s post: “5L + 2F < 5,000M, but  5L +F + JC = 5,000M + 4,000W + 12,500C + 12B” means 5 Loaves and 2 Fish were NOT (near) enough to feed 5,000 Men; but 5 Loaves and 2 Fish PLUS JESUS CHRIST WAS (more than) Enough to Feed 5,000 Men, 4,000 Women and 12,500 Children WITH 12 Baskets of Food LEFT OVER! NOW, back to Esther and the 24 CPs:

 MAIN CHARACTERS:

D. Esther (Persian), or Hadassah ≡ Myrtle (Heb.)(2:7)

   6. A COMPLACENT   PARTICIPANT  with a (2:8)

   7.   COMFORTABLE  PALACE       in a (2:8)

   8.   COMPROMISING POSITION  facing a (2:10)

   9.   CRUEL        PERSECUTION (3:5-6)

   10.  CRUX of the  PROBLEM:  Esther is right where YOU and I LIVE EVERY DAY!

Her first reaction is, “Even if you’re right, Uncle Mordecai, what do you expect ME to do about it?  I’m just one person, a young woman at that.  Besides, I can’t afford to rock the boat!  If I cause even the slightest trouble, everything we’ve worked so long and hard for could just come crashing down!” HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?!  ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/21/20 INTERRUPTION! JESUS FEEDS THE 5,000 — Today our pastor John Green preached the very BEST sermon EVER from John 6:1-15 (and Mat.8). Since most of my FB-friends will never hear it, I thought I’d just add some of my own insights about the miracle.

Philip (a nay-sayer bean-counter with analysis paralysis) said, “LET’S DO THE MATH—If 80% of the 5,000 men are married that’s ~4,000 Wives; and ~2.5 Children per family (like Americans) means ~12,500 Children. Also 1 denarius ~ 1 day’s wage; 200 denarii ~ 200 days’ wages à 5/8 of a year’s salary; if one makes $24,000 a year, 200 denarii ~ $15,000. His conclusion: IMPOSSIBLE! (Besides, how many Long John’s Silvers and Captain D’s would you have to call to order fish sandwiches for over 21,000 people?!) Unfortunately churches are FULL of Philip’s!

Andrew was diligent; he searched the crowd and evaluated their resources. His conclusion: EXTREMELY DOUBTFUL! Today, far too many believers (even pastors and church leaders) think they can function in their strength WITHOUT divine help from Jesus. Let’s DOUBT Human Strength and TRUST in God and Jesus!

For EXTRA CREDIT in college math classes I taught, I gave assignments like this: Identify the Scripture passage(s) these equations represent and interpret them: 5L + 2F < 5,000M, but  5L + 2F + JC = 5,000M + 4,000W + 12,500C + 12B !  (Answer in tomorrow’s post)

Jesus did NOT do IMPRESSIVE things; He was NOT trying to IMPRESS them. Jesus did IMPOSSIBLE things; He was trying to convince them He was God in the Flesh, the Promised Messiah! There is NO PROBLEM you will ever face that is TOO BIG for our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Scripture tells that the crowds were following Him primarily because of His healing miracles. He had satisfied their gnawing hunger. But Jesus wanted them to LEARN that their MOST PRESSING NEEDS were SPIRITUAL, NOT for PHYSICAL Health and Sustenance! And ONLY HE COULD SUPPLY IT! LET’S MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF US MAKES THE SAME MISTAKE!! REPEAT after me: There is NO PROBLEM I will ever face that is TOO BIG for our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! ( 14 MORE CPs — STAY TUNED! )

06/20/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — MAIN CHARACTERS:

A. King Ahasuerus (Heb.), or Xerxes (Persian)(1:1-3)

   1. A CARELESS      PRINCE (1:12)

      WE,too, have “Careless Prince”s! Don’t we?!

B. Mordecai (2:5,6)

   2. A COMMITTED    PATRIARCH,   and

   3. A COMMENDED   PATRIOT (2:22)

      Today WE need MORE men like him, don’t we?!

C. Haman

   4. A CUNNING       POLITICIAN (3:1) with a  

   5. A CLEVER          PLOT (3:3-7)

      WE have a (Seemingly Never-Ending) BUNCH of these!?

19 MORE—STAY TUNED!

06/19/20 THE BOOK OF ESTHER IN 24 CPs — At the suggestion of a FB friend, I searched for and was amazed to find my long-lost Esther lessons I mentioned previously. When I’ve finished sharing them here, I’ll include a link where anyone who is interested can find the documents.

In the fall of 1998 I had been a PASTOR for only SIX MONTHS! The theme for See You At The Pole that year was “For Such A Time As This” from Est.4:14. I preached two sermons about this thrilling account of God’s PROVIDENCE. This had also been my very first public sermon in 1990—about 33 points, all 2 word phrases, 1st word starting with “C”, 2nd “P” !? [Over time I seem to have “lost” a few of the (hopefully) superfluous points]

The last three books of OT History—Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther—compose A Post-Babylonian Exile Trilogy: Ezra (man, priest, returned from Babylon to Israel), Nehemiah (man, layman, stayed and returned), and Esther (woman, stayed in Persia/Babylon)—a fascinating study in CONTRASTS!

God, Worship, and Prayer are mentioned ZERO times in Esther! BUT, LOOK OUT! Just as in your life and mine, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE, busily working out His will, either THROUGH us or IN SPITE of us!

The Feast of the PURIM (lots or DICE) is still celebrated by Orthodox Jews—they cheer whenever Esther or Mordecai is mentioned, boo and hiss for Haman. STAY TUNED…

06/18/20 MISSION TRIP TO CENTRAL ASIA — In 2005 I was invited to join several other pastors on a mission trip to several countries in Central Asia. It seemed that everywhere I turned, seemingly insurmountable difficulties arose—my passport, visas, plane tickets,… You name it, nothing was working out for me!

Whenever I encountered the other pastors and shared my troubles, they mocked and taunted me: “Well, WE’re not having any problems whatsoever. Maybe God just doesn’t want YOU to go after all!” I was hurt and frustrated. One Sunday morning, just a few days before the flight departed and my visas still not yet in hand, I prayed aloud with my congregation during the a.m. worship service. I told God that He did NOT owe me anything, not a visa, plane ticket, hotel reservation… not anything! I had devoted all my time, energy and money to Him and His kingdom work. Whether or not I actually made the trip was no longer any concern of mine. However He chose to work things out was OK with me!

Things began to happen in a hurry! The evening before our scheduled departure the last piece of the puzzle fell into place: I received my final missing visa. God had worked it out—I WAS indeed going to make the trip!

And what a surprise awaited me at our stopover in London. NONE of the other pastors actually made the trip! I learned (the hard way) that Proverbs 16:9 (CSB) is true: “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” Another time I’ll probably share more blessings from that trip. Praise the Lord!

06/17/20 RACE RELATIONS — Not too long ago we had just hired a new math professor at the Baptist college in GA where I worked. She was a young black woman with 2 sons, about 6 and 10 years old. I especially enjoyed kidding around and playing with her sons. A few weeks passed; she was hospitalized for several weeks. Linda and I took her sons with us to visit her.

While Linda and the older son talked with their mother, I sat with the younger one on my lap. Suddenly he jumped off my knee, shouting, “I almost forgot—you are white and I’m black. I can’t play with you anymore—we can’t be friends!” It took a few moments for me to gather my wits. I asked him to bring me a pitcher and an ice bucket from the across the room. I held out the pitcher and my arm and asked him, “What color is this pitcher?” He said, “White.” I asked, “So, what color is my arm and rest of my skin?” He said, “Tan… uh, light brown.” Then I asked him, “What color is the bucket?” “Black,” he answered. “What color is your skin?” I asked. He smiled broadly and said something like this, “Dark brown. Hey, since we’re both brown, just different shades, we CAN be friends!” For us the issue was resolved!

Revelation 5:9 (CSB) says, “And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.” God’s love and His plan to save people of every ethnic group is ALL inclusive! Some way, somehow it’s way past time for all of us, especially followers of Christ, to get the message!