One Another: Part III

Leviticus 26:14-45

"But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you."

"If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit."

"If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted."

"If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied."

"If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it."

"As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away."

"But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers—their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD."

-Interesting passage when you think about one-another-ness. Stumbling over one another... weird. But God, as it would appear, thinks that it is one for all and all for one. He punishes groups, not just individuals. Achan and his family were punished for Achan's sin. It was the whole group (Joshua 7). When David counted the fighting men after he was told to not to do that, the whole country was punished. So, it goes to reason that God wants "one-another-ness" since there is a precidence of punishment as a group, he wants the group to do well, stand together in righteousness.

That brings up a good question that my wife had mentioned sometime ago.

Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Rarely would someone die for a righteous man... but isn't righteousness what we are to strive for as a disciple?

Righteous (adj.):

• Characterized by uprightness or morality.
• Morally right or justifiable.
• Acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous.

But shines some real light on what righteousness is are the synonyms (good, honest, fair, right). That is just an added bonus, by the way. Johnny Out.

Legion of Heroes - Part 1

Matthew 8:28-34

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"

Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

-The story of Legion. Well, we assume this is the story of Legion. It is interesting that in this particular passage that they say two men, whereas in the other gospel's, they say that it is one man. Now, since in Matthew, they do not mention the guys names, it could be a different story all together. Likely? Probably not. I would naturally assume it is the same story, as would probably many others. Here is a parallel passage in Mark.

Mark 5:1-20

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Luke 8:26-39
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

-So there is a lot to consider. A lot. First, I would like to take a look at some definitions... going back to the Greek, the word two used in Matthew means two or both. So, this is pretty straight forward. It's two. In Mark 5, he says "he replied", which refers to one or oneself. So there is one person. OK, I don't know if there is one or two... but I am led to believe that this would be two different stories entirely. So, is it two stories, or is there just one actual story but the one in Matthew is told incorrectly? I am not sure. Is this a deal breaker for me spiritually? Well, there is this:

2nd Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2nd Peter 1:20-21

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

-So, scripture comes from the Holy Spirit and not man. And to question whether there was two or only one demon-possessed man, to assume that there is a mistake in the Bible, wouldn't that be questioning whether God himself made a mistake in his own doctrine? There has to be a better explanation as to why one passage says two and the other passage says that there is only one person.

There is this one truth, if one piece of the puzzle doesn't fit, then the puzzle is ruined and useless, am I correct in saying this? If God is all-powerful, if God is divine, then there wouldn't be a mistake or a type-o in his divine doctrine. That's true. And to clarify, I do believe that God is all-powerful and divine... and to be honest, God knows WAY more than I do. Who am I to say that I know even a mustard seed of knowledge compared to my Lord? So for me to not understand something, well, that would be a given on the most basic of levels.

Questions are here to bring about knowledge. we can't come up with answers, if there are no questions. So, why does one passage say two and two other passages say one? I do not know. But I will do my best to find out. Johnny Out.

Encouragement Study: Edition #22

Romans 11:11-16

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Arouse (verb):

• To stir to action or strong response; excite.
• To stimulate sexually.
• To awaken; wake up.
• To awaken from or as if from sleep.

Paul wanted to arouse the Jews, to stir them to action... maybe get them worked up in anger so that he could save some of them. What does this have to do with encouragement? Everything. Encouragement is a feeling from someone's actions. To encrouage someone is to try to get a response from that person. Am I trying to get someone to an excited state? Am I trying to wake up someone in a figurative sense?

Do you know what? I am willing that Paul's actions, to anger and get the Jews to an envious state worked on some of the Jews. I'm not saying that we should go out and try to tick off a whole bunch of people, but I am saying that maybe others should become angery at our righteousness... just a thought. Johnny Out.

Growing Pains: Part III

Galatians 6:6-10
Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

-As it is written, put yourself to the test. So, in the Spirit of testing, it is good to see what we are sowing.

Sow (verb):

• To scatter (seed) over the ground for growing.
• To spread (land, for example) with seed.
• To strew something around or over (an area); distribute something over.
• To propagate; disseminate.
• To scatter seed for growing.

Disseminate (verb):

• To scatter widely, as in sowing seed.
• To spread abroad; promulgate.
• To become diffused; spread.

Promulgate (verb):

• To make known by open declaration; publish; proclaim formally or put into operation (a law, decree of a court, etc.).
• To set forth or teach publicly (a creed, doctrine, etc.).
• To make known (a decree, for example) by public declaration; announce officially.
• To put (a law) into effect by formal public announcement.

So, this is how I understand it: if I sow a bad attitude to other people, what I get in return are bad attitudes. If I talk to people with love, kindness, and goodness... then that is what I get in return, on a general sense.

The question therein is this:

• How do people see me? What is my reputation? Am I known as a kind and loving person or am I known as a ill-tempered person?

Johnny Out.

Growing Pains: Part II

2nd Peter 3:1-18
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

-A great way to see if you are making progress as a Christian is to test yourself (Galatians 6:4). And to see if you are making progress, see if you have grown in grace and knowledge of Christ.

Ask questions like:

• Have I learned anything about God/Christ in the ten years? five years? two years? year? month? week? day?
• Am I making better decisions based on what I know between good and evil?
• Am I becoming more and more aware of the grace given to me from God?

Put yourself to the test. The hardest part is to not compare yourself to others. If you have growth, then it is growth. If you don't have any growth... well, then guess what? You don't. But don't compare yourself to someone else. Just compare yourself to yourself... that is the only way to do it. Johnny Out.