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Posted By PHall on January 24, 2012
If somewhere away I went, would you be relieved?
Consider One Another.
Or in love, would empty voids begin as you grieved?
Bear with One Another.
Such must not be answered by how one is perceived;
Encourage One Another.
But by our life, upon what and Who is believed. (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 23, 2012
You’re caught up in the fun, stuffing down snacks, and then out of nowhere, with no warning or preview, you get slapped upside the head with an personalized version of John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, the whole world, everyone, anyone, that’s a lot of people, that He gave his one and only Son, His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Wow!” That’s the commercial during the Broncos-Steelers postseason football game. Why did this have such an impact? Why was there such a “Wow!” factor?
For starters, there is the unexpected timing – in the middle of a football game. Among all the Bible verses, John 3:16 is easily the most recognizable; followed closely by those who love to quote, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” You see, the words are not unknown and unexpected, but the message and timing are. That’s a good lesson for teaching – “act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time” (Col.4:5). (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 23, 2012
Perryism – Obedience to God cannot be overemphasized, but it can be wrongly emphasized by man.
Posted By PHall on January 21, 2012
The words no mother wants to hear are stammered and whispered by the doctor. The word “mother” is synonymous with selflessness. Most women would immediately and easily choose to give their life to spare their child if the doctor said, “I can only save one.”
Many mothers sacrifice not their lives, but a relationship with their child. They do this in order to give the child a better life, by giving them life through birth and then giving them a life through adoption. For all those mothers who give their children up for adoption out of love, you are a true mother.
Yet not all mothers are self-sacrificing. Selfishness in the forms of drugs, neglect, hobbies, and the most drastic form, abortion, are becoming too common. And not only is this final form of “abuse” sanctioned by law, it is even protected by attacking those who are pro-life.
Let me present a case for you. What if your child is sick; there is nothing you can do. You search for answers. The only answer is that in order for the child to live, you must give the child up. What would a good mother do?
In the Bible (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 20, 2012
I pray a prayer that makes me ill;
It hurts to pray for those loved most.
Not praise, nor thanks, but needed still;
For hurt from Heaven’s Holy Host.
Strangely, grief leads to Christ’s glories;
God’s lifted high when we are low.
Breaking stubborn backs, bending knees;
Accepting, nowhere else to go.
This is the prayer that’s hard to pray;
And harder to mean than to say: (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 20, 2012
How did they go from the wilderness to the top of the temple, and then later to a very high mountain? My answer is that Satan actually takes Jesus to Jerusalem which is what the text says, minus the word “actually.”
Matthew 4.5 (HCSB) Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
Luke 4.9 (HCSB) So he took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
Those more learned than I argue that this taking of Jesus to Jerusalem is most likely just a vision. In my naiveté, I did not know that it is objected to and argued by scholars as to whether Satan literally and physically took Jesus to the Jerusalem temple. Reasons are varied such as if this literally happens then Satan controls the very body of Jesus which is unthinkable to them. And yet if this didn’t happen, then Satan controls the very mind of Jesus – and I ask which is worse? I find Jesus allowing Satan to control His physical body no more humiliating than Jesus allowing Satan to tempt Him. Plus if this is just a vision, isn’t Satan making Jesus think it is real? Wouldn’t Jesus then be guilty of believing a lie? Let’s get real, if Jesus doesn’t think any of this is real, then where is the temptation? Sometimes I think seminary is the cemetery for simple faith.
Stop and go back to the first explanation, that Satan literally changes Jesus’ location from the wilderness to Jerusalem. Jesus is also allowing Satan to manipulate His own body, moving Him at will. Jesus, in other words, totally submits Himself to the whims of Satan. This will not be the last time that Satan has his way with Jesus’ body.
Posted By PHall on January 18, 2012
Each both Luke and Matthew, the temptation involving bread and stones is listed first. However, the second temptation in Matthew is the third in Luke. In Luke’s record, Satan’s temptation to throw Himself down to prove trust in God is listed third. Matthew is better known for grouping biographical points topically, while Luke’s record is more chronologically arranged; so is Luke’s the correct order? Or is Satan’s offering all the kingdoms to Jesus actually the third temptation as in Matthew’s record?
Looking carefully at each account, there is no ordinal language such as “second” in either. But Matthew does use sequential language such as “then” (tote) suggesting that Matthew’s account is the exact order. Luke presents the scenes more separately, almost simply what Satan did. Therefore I conclude that Matthew organizes sequentially. In favor of Matthew being structured as it chronlogically occurred, Peter Leithart shows that even though Luke is overall written “in order” (Luke 1.3), it is not without thematic structure:
“Jesus’ temptations in Luke culminate at the temple in Jerusalem, as everything does in Luke’s gospel” (Leithart.com).
Posted By PHall on January 18, 2012
Let’s begin with two questions. First, do you believe that the need and desire to believe and worship is innate? Anthropological studies reveal that the vast majority of cultures have religions. In arguing for the existence of God, this is called the Anthropological Argument , implying that God Himself put it within our created self the longing for something or someone greater than ourselves. It appears that religion is innate.
Second, is music innate? Again, a study of cultures, whether Western European, Eastern Hindi, or the African Pygmies, show that music in all its varied and distinctly different forms, is everywhere. It appears that music is innate.
Combining the two, religion and music, we should not be surprised that historically, religious movements often include an emphasis or reemphasis on music. In the Bible, we see God directing both spirituality in form and the music of that spiritual form. God has already directed how He wants to worship but it is not innate within man to know how. (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 15, 2012
Sport’s pundits love to ask, “Did they lose the game, or did the other team win?” If the favorite lost to the underdog, then either the latter “rose to the occasion” or else the projected winner “choked.” No one loves a loser (well, there are some franchises); choking means you just can’t cut it, you are mentally weak, not ready for the big stage, and so on. Losers not only don’t win, they don’t win praise and admiration. Their trophy is disdain and distrust.
Scripture pontificates that Christianity is comparable to sports; not that we are playing spiritual games, but (more…)
Posted By PHall on January 13, 2012
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” (Chinese Proverb) – Christianity is not just hearing sermons and seeing the good examples of others. It is practicing it ourselves. Only then does the humanly insane, counter-culture, Sermon on the Mount enlighten us with true, divine understanding.
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