Tag: awakening

The Cross is Truly the Beginning

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“The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise Godfearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Galatians 6 4

Matt Barber, on 19 Oct, wrote, “Islam and Liberalism: Twin ‘Beasts of the Apocalypse’” as a headline to an article.  He also writes, “The battle lines are drawn, not so much between conservative vs. liberal, as many presume, but rather, between biblical vs. unbiblical, truth vs. deception.  In its most distilled form, the culture war signifies the worldly manifestation of an otherworldly spiritual battle between good and evil.”

Follow Jesus

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Jesus only

Sorry, Oprah.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Correction or Judgment?

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biblical truth

“Don’t judge me” is the constant cry of the marginal Christian.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Gospel – Salt or Sugar?

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salt not sugar

Sugar-coat the Gospel and you are preaching “another gospel” and we know, or should know, what the Scripture clearly says about that.

You want to pursue that path?  Go for it, just make sure you are aware that you are pursuing temporary gains at the sacrifice of the eternal.  Never forget, we are eternal beings living a temporary human existence.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Jesus calls bad people to join in the journey to Heaven

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Injil Markus 2:13  And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

2:14  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

As He was walking by the lakeside He was teaching.  This was a common way for the Jewish Rabbis to teach.  As they walked the roads from one place to another their disciples grouped around them and walked with them and listened as they talked.  Therefore Jesus was doing what any Rabbi might have done.

The tax collector’s booth where Jesus found Levi was on the major international road that went from Damascus through Capernaum to the Mediterranean coast on to Egypt.

It was a saying that “Judea is on the way to nowhere; Galilee is on the way to everywhere.”  The great Road of the Sea led from Damascus, by way of Galilee, through Capernaum, down past Carmel, along the Plain of Sharon, through Gaza and on to Egypt.  Another road led from Acre on the coast across the Jordan out to Arabia (Petra not Mecca) and the frontiers of the empire, a road that was travelled by the regiments and caravans.

Capernaum was by its very nature a frontier town; because of that it was a customs center and the import and export taxes were collected there.  That is where Levi worked.  While it is true that he was not like Zacchaeus, working directly in the service of the Romans; he was working for Herod Antipas, and therefore he was a hated tax-collector, also referred to as a publican.

Levi was not a good person or he would not have been a tax-gatherer.  Still the Messiah choose to call this person to be part of His core group.  This does serve to demonstrate to us that Jesus can change the character of anyone if they will only commit themselves to Him in following and obeying.  The Scripture also tells us about another person who was also chosen by Jesus but who offered excuses for waiting until a more convenient time and therefore he lost out on his unique opportunity.  Levi did not risk the chance of having the offer pass him by to become a disciple of Jesus but responded immediately, wholeheartedly, and without reservation.

2:15  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

In 1st Kings 19:21 Elisha gave a farewell feast for his friends when he went to follow Elijah.

Of all the disciples Matthew is the one who gave up the most at the very outset in his making the commitment to follow Jesus.  Matthew in giving a farewell feast for all his friends shows thereby that with cheerfulness and thankfulness to God he has committed himself completely, and without reservation, to Christ.

Andrew and Simon and James and John could easily go back to their boats but Matthew had burned his bridges behind him as far as his livelihood was concerned and could never go back.  He left everything but his pen.  He obviously did try to invite his friends to join him in the journey and maybe some of them did later on but probably not at that particular point in time.  Some of Matthew’s friends may have been among those converted at Pentecost; we won’t know until after our own arrival in heaven.  His friends were no doubt curious and some of them would have tried to talk him out of this move even as they may have themselves wondered whether there were any hope for them and Jesus’ presence and demeanor at the feast no doubt gave them a glimmer of hope that they also were eligible to be included in God’s forever family.

2:16  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Not all the teachers of the law were Pharisees and not all of the Pharisees were hypocritical even though it sort of seems that the majority of those whom Jesus came into contact with were that way when we read the Scripture.

2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus calmly responds directly to the Scribes and Pharisees.  A self-righteous (self-justified) person does not recognize his need for a savior.  There are many sin-sick souls who have no clue regarding their actual situation.  We find the self-righteous everywhere but the one place we rarely find them is in a Christian Church.  An admitted sinner does tend to recognize his need for a cure.  Part of truly living righteously does include showing mercy to others who seek righteousness.  Although we followers of Christ do need to be very careful in how we keep company with ungodly men lest we become re-corrupted.  We do need to show and have love for their souls while attempting to convince them they also need to join us in the journey of following Messiah Jesus.  Our good Physician had the power of healing in Himself and was in no danger of contracting the disease of sin.  However, we need to keep in close contact with Him to avoid sin.

For unfortunately there is more hope for a fool than for one who is wise in his own conceit (see Proverbs 26:12)  Even when such a one is on the side of truth he remains as fickle as the children of falsehood.

Follow Jesus who is the truth and the way and the life because he is the holy one of God.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

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2:23  And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

2:24  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

Deuteronomy 23:25 allowed the disciples and the people to do this.  Tradition established by that time and the Mishnah said they could not do this on the Sabbath as though their tradition were greater than the Law given to them by Moses.  This is quite similar to claiming the Hadith is greater than the Koran by certain Muslim teaching for if it is then, the Quran, is diminished in value beyond measure and perhaps an admission that the present day Koran has been corrupted.

The Pharisees had quickly pounced and pointed out the multiple transgressions they believed the disciples had committed.  It was obvious they expected Jesus to reprimand His disciples and command them to stop.  Instead He spoke to these “Imams” in their own language and chastised them in His own way which may be a wee bit hard for us to see because we are, fortunately, not under their traditions and rules although we must remember that we are not at liberty to do as we please because we ought to obey the one who is Lord of the Sabbath which is the kalimat Allah, Isa.  The one true God made the day of prayer to make our lives better and fuller.

2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2:28  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Religious tradition had so multiplied and twisted the restrictions, rules, and requirements for keeping the Sabbath that the burden became almost unbearable.  However living a holy life is not simply the keeping of requirements but the seeking of the One who set the requirements in order that He might be found.  The requirements set forth in the first covenant were not intended to drive us from Him but to make us understand our need for Him.  Likewise the first six chapters of Romans in the New Covenant are intended for the same purpose.

3:1  And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

3:2  And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3:3  And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

3:4  And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

3:5  And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

3:6  And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

This, 3:1-6, is a demonstration of the truth proclaimed in 2:28.  The Pharisees were plotting evil against Jesus while Jesus was ready to do good, therefore it is obvious who was guilty of breaking the Sabbath although the people probably did not realize it at the time because of the erroneous teaching they had long listened to.  (What if Abu Bakr did not teach accurately?)  What if the one who compiled and created the Quran was a friend of the djinn and was sent to deceive and empower himself under the guise of preserving truth?  We are told he faithfully re-produced the accurate words but where is the proof?  Why is there more than one version, in Arabic, of the Koran?

 3:7  But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,

3:8  And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

The geographical list shows that people were traveling great distances, for that day and age, to see and hear the holy one from God.  Will that generation rise up and condemn this generation at the last day for its lack of effort to seek out and learn Isa’s teaching?  Many Muslims claim they respect and honor Isa but they are actually guilty of insulting Isa because they do not read or pay any attention to what he taught when he was healing and teaching the people.  Mohammad said the Injil is not corrupt.  The Quran says the Injil is not corrupt.  Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas said the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) is not corrupt.  Muhammad Abduh Sayyid Ahmad Khan (died 1905) said “As far as the text of the [Holy] Bible is concerned, it has not been altered.”  Furthermore, Muhammad Abduh said the “charge of corruption of the Biblical texts makes no sense at all.”  The problem with “the Al-kitab (Holy Bible) has been corrupted” argument is that those who make that claim are ignorant of first century history and/or the whole text of the Injil (New Testament portion of the Holy Bible).

It is not wise to insult Isa.  He has the words of life from the one true God.  It is true that many who claim to be his followers (Christians) are corrupted but that is only because they do not truly follow his teaching as revealed in the Holy Bible but that is no excuse, it does not excuse you, for not knowing and studying the words of Isa as preserved in the Injil.

The reason some of those who call themselves “Christian” do not seem to know much about the Holy Bible or genuine Christianity is because they actually are not Christians as is proven by their lives.  As a Muslim, almost all of what you have been told by the Imams about Christianity is taqiyya.  But do not be angry at your Imam, because they lied to him to.  Even among those who actually regularly attend a Bible-believing Church one must look carefully to see how their life matches up to the teachings of Isa in the Injil.  So how can one know?  First pray to the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then become familiar with the New Testament portion of the Holy Bible and then request, in prayer, to the one true God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for assistance in knowing the truth; this is not done by simply using a memorized prayer.  He’s listening because He does care about you.  Because God cares about you the Injil is not corrupt, it may be hard to understand, at first, but ask Him to help you and to direct you.  Ask the one true God to help you find real followers of Jesus.

Know Jesus, Know Heaven

No Jesus, no Heaven

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Know Jesus and Know Heaven …

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Whenever He was in Capernaum, Jesus probably routinely resided at Peter’s house.

Having completed His preaching tour of the Galilean Synagogues Jesus now returns to Capernaum and probably to the house of Peter.  The news of His return spread quickly so that in practically no time at all a crowd had filled the house to capacity and spilled out into the street.

To the western mindset this thing about digging through the roof sounds like major vandalism to the house but in all actuality it wasn’t.  The house had a flat roof and there was a stairway leading up to the roof.  A family could relax up there in the cool of the evening.  After the four had let their friend down through the hole they had made and Jesus had done His thing the five probably repaired the roof, perhaps leaving it in better shape than before their arrival.  The four friends had encountered a major obstacle and could have given up and said, “Well we’ll try again another day,” but they didn’t let the problems overwhelm them, they looked for and found a solution.

Injil Markus 2:2  And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

2:3  And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

2:4  And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

2:5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

2:6  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

2:7  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God only?

In Jewish theology even the Messiah could not forgive sins and therefore they were sure that Jesus was committing shirk.  However if He really is who He claimed to be then disbelieving in Messiah Jesus is the worst type of shirk of all.  Al-Masihu-Isa (Jesus) is kalimat Allah and wadjih (worthy of esteem in this world and the next) according to the Quran.

2:8  And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

2:9  Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

Since they believed and were quite certain that a person’s sins had to be forgiven before they could be healed Jesus has chosen to force them to engage their brains.  One of the purposes of the miracles Jesus did was to prove to the people precisely who this holy one of God, Jesus, truly is.  He is the promised Messiah.  There is no other like Him.

2:10  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

2:11  “I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”

2:12  And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Jesus saw their faith, He may have smiled as he looked at a faith strong enough to overcome the obstacles and then He looked at the Scribes – the ones who should have had faith and He couldn’t help but be annoyed by those Scribes.  Now, in part, these fellows were doing their job; they were scrutinizing this itinerant Rabbi to make sure his teaching was okay.  But these were sitting there watching for what they considered to be the slightest mistake so they could blow it all out of proportion rather than allowing themselves to be moved by the working of God which they were privileged to see happening right before their very eyes.

The religious leadership made a connection between sin and disease, not entirely unfounded, but they were a bit misguided.  To them a sick man was a man who had sinned.  They had already heard Jesus preach; they had already seen Jesus heal.  Still they seemed quite unmoved by all that they had seen and heard.  Now, understand this, Jesus won’t allow anyone to remain neutral towards Him.  You will be either for Him or against Him, your choice.  If you choose wrongly, you will ultimately pay dearly for your choice.  Know Jesus, Know Heaven.

He has decided to up the ante, therefore he said, “Child your sins are forgiven.”  He has just challenged them head on with that phrase.  They were of the belief that the sin had to be forgiven before one could be healed.  But anyone is capable of saying “your sins are forgiven” and how can it be proven whether the statement was effective or not?  Now on the other hand, to tell the man to get up and walk would demonstrate then and there the authority, effectiveness, and reliability of His word.  Therefore in the tenth verse Jesus lets them know they have to make a choice to either believe in Him or disbelieve.  He has hoisted these experts in the law on their own petard.  It is on their own traditions and stated beliefs this man could not be cured unless he was forgiven.

In effect Jesus has said, “you say I have no right to forgive sins?  You believe that if this man is sick, he is a sinner and cannot be cured until he is forgiven?  Okay, then, watch this!”  Jesus spoke the word and the man was cured, therefore he must be forgiven and Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sin must be true.  And a lot of eyewitnesses were there who couldn’t help but to laugh at their dilemma and to praise the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He loves you and wants you to know who He is, and He asks you to live for Him.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Jesus did Miracles, Muhammad could not

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Injil Markus 1:40  And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

1:41  And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

1:42  And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

1:43  And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

1:44  And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

The sacrifices were to be evidence that the cure was real and that Jesus had respect for the law, the real law of God as opposed to the man-made traditions which were really a corruption to God’s law.  The healing was also a testimony to Jesus’ divine power, since the religious leadership believed that only God could cure leprosy (see 2nd Kings 5:1-14)

1:45  But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

In the Injil (New Testament) there is no disease regarded with more terror and pity than leprosy.  When Jesus sent out the Twelve he commanded them “Heal the sick, cleanse lepers.”  Thereby he demonstrates that God has compassion on men and women.  (Matt 18:8)  The fate of the leper in that day was truly hard.  There were some other skin diseases which were mistakenly classified as leprosy such as ringworm or psoriasis and when they went away there was a prescribed ritual to go through to be declared “clean.”

The leprous person could not come closer than a stone’s throw to a non-leprous person and if they did people would typically react in fear and drive them back with stones.  From Peter’s recorded perspective it appears the leper came closer than allowed but it is also likely he actually did not, only coming as close as he could before falling to his knees and making his plea.  Whether he came closer than allowed by law or stopped short isn’t important; what is important is that Jesus cared enough to reach out and tenderly touch the untouchable one as well as completely cure.  It was a demonstration of the one true God’s compassion; if we will only approach and humbly request He will bridge the remaining gap because He longs to establish/restore the fellowship that has been broken by the barrier of sin between an unholy being and the thrice Holy God.

Many a man on the face of this planet ignorantly and arrogantly thinks he will be able to approach God and plead the case that he himself is not so bad as some of his fellows and for that reason alone he must be allowed into heaven.  Many a man thinks that so long as his good deeds outweigh his bad deeds then he must be accepted but that also is a corrupt teaching from sinful man.  Sadly, he will be met with justice rather than mercy because he has chosen to act in pride rather than humility.  It is only those who by faith apply to Christ Jesus for mercy and grace who will find that He is quite willing and capable of providing the mercy and grace they need and seek and he will bring them into the presence of the one true God.

Jesus then sent the man to go fulfill the prescribed ritual.  We need not see this man as failing to obey, for he probably completed the task assigned except that he simply could not keep silent for the joy of deliverance.  How can a sin-sick soul that comprehends the cure which has been effected by the power of such a gracious, loving God (yes, the one true God really does have compassion on us) be silent regarding the cure?

–Pastor Ward Clinton

The Answer to the World’s Problems

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The Answer

–Pastor Ward Clinton