Church Continuity…

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In both the Old and New Testament, God took time to delineate how mankind is to act toward each other. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God had to put a government in place to keep the peace. There were judges over thousands, hundreds and tens. This system of government was put in place because Moses was being overwhelmed by petty squabbles. When that wasn’t enough, Moses had to write out God’s law in 613 laws. These laws concerned everyday life and how people are to act one to another. The High Priest and priesthood were to study the word of God and teach it to the people. When that didn’t work, there were bible teachers, pharisees, stationed in every town to teach the people. Most people don’t know that Jesus was a pharisee. Not only was He a rabbi, Jesus attained the second level of rabbi, which is Raboni. The third level was Rav, Jewish religious leaders of countries. Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, was a Rav.

Then Jesus came and began teaching. He explained the word of God so that it was simple enough to understand. Jesus took His time to explain to gospel to the disciples and anyone that would listen. Jesus spent 3 years teaching, so that people would understand the word of God. The Bible contains 66 books, 39 books in Old Testament and 27 book in New Testament. That is over 33,000 verses. God is exact in His wording. He didn’t make a mistake explaining what He requires of us.

With all of that explaining over 6000 years, why is it that mankind doesn’t follow the word of God? It is very simple. Man wants what he wants and will do whatever to obtain it. A pharisee approached Jesus and asked Him what is the greatest scriptures in the bible. Jesus replied:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37).

Jesus went on the say, the second is like the first:

Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39).

Then Jesus said, On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Why do we need 33,000 scriptures, when two explain the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes…

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I was at a friend’s house and their cat started rubbing on me. I looked down at the cat and said, what a worthless piece of fur. Immediately God spoke to me and said, My life is in that cat. I understood that the value of the cat was not only the life of God, but that God created the animal. We as mankind think of ourselves as the apex creation and are very important in our eyes. We are the apex of God’s creation and have a freewill.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Unfortunately because of the freewill, we sometimes think of ourselves as gods. We are gods without any power what so ever. Left to our own devices, we will destroy the good God put in us. Adam and Eve decided to do their own thing and sinned against God. This is where freewill came in. Because they had to power to change anything, God had to act to save their lives. He pushed them out of Paradise into the real world. God set the conditions that they and their descendants would live by.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Mankind trotted along and did his own thing. Some followed God and some didn’t. Those who didn’t follow God started wars that killed thousands of people. The destruction that follows mankind. Those who followed God build His kingdom on this earth. Many were persecuted and killed for their beliefs, because they didn’t follow mankind into destruction. Finally, God chose a people to represent Him on earth. God made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham understood who he was when he said…

Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

One of Abraham’s descendants. King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, came to the understanding of who he was in relation to God. He said…

Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Understanding who you are will put you in the right place to stand before God. It will give you the opportunity to chose God’s plan for you life. And this plan will lead you home. We were made from the dust of the earth and our bodies will return to the dust when we die. We have that choice to made in our life. Even if we don’t decide one way or the other, we still have made a choice. From dust we came and we will return to dust in the end.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Word of God…

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In the whole Bible there are 33,000 verses of scripture. There are 66 books of the Bible being considered the Canon of the Bible. They are what we consider the Old and New Testament. Yet the entire Bible was written by Jewish men of God. The word of God is to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. We are as Gentiles, non Jewish people, called Christians were grafted into the God’s family. I have heard many times that the Old Testament isn’t relative to the Christian life. And just the opposite, that the New Testament isn’t relative to Jewish life. It’s a lie from the pits of hell. The Bible is one book. It is the picture of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He responded…

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,Master, which is the great commandment in the law?Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-39.

The scripture, to love God with all your heart, is Deuteronomy 6:4-5. And the second scripture, to love your neighbour as yourself, is Leviticus 19:18. Jesus was teaching people as a whole what God requires from us. That means that the Old Testament is as important as the New Testament. When Paul was traveling preaching the gospel, what Bible was he using to teach from. He certainly didn’t have a pocket New Testament to preach from. Paul went into the local synagogue to use the Old Testament.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus came not to teach something new. He came to fulfill what was already written. The new and living way that Jesus taught, was the fulfillment of the promise that God gave to Abraham. He is called the Father of many nations. The Bible is one book, spoken by one person, Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is to teach us the way back home to God. Jesus kept saying the kingdom of God is at hand. And with His death and resurrection the kingdom of God has come. The Word of God is one book meant to show us one person, Jesus Christ.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit…

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In the bible, when the Holy Spirit comes upon someone there is an immediate change that takes place. In 1 Samuel 19, King Saul was chasing David to try to kill him. King Saul went to Ramah expecting to find David. Instead amongst the prophets, the Holy Spirit came upon Saul. He took off his clothes, fell on his face and began to speak in tongues. The Prophets said, Is Saul also among the prophets? Although this wasn’t a permanent thing, Saul stayed on his face before God for a day and a night.

The permanent thing where the Holy Spirit comes upon us and stays is when we give our hearts to Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit lives in our heart as God designed from the beginning. Jesus talked to the disciples about this very thing. He said that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and live inside. He will be our teacher, remind us of everything and pray for us as we pray in tongues. Praying in tongues is the Holy Spirit praying through us.

There are more benefits from God when we have the Holy Spirit living in us. They are called the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. God says that we receive at least one gift where He comes upon us. We aren’t limited to one gift, if we ask God for them. But each gift must be exercised for the gift to develop. You will recognize the gift that is in you. Then you can begin to use it as God planned. It will take boldness on your part to develop your gift. When you do develop your gift, it will surprise you how effective it is. The reason being is that the Holy Spirit is working through you to change the world. I encourage everyone to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit everyday to let God flow through you.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The Economy of God …

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Before God set up the earth and heavens, He had a plan. His plan was to have a family and that they would all share heaven and God’s life. He knew that this plan had to be laid out in order for it to work. God’s economy is very precise, down to the milometer. When making heaven and earth, God wanted to show how vast He is and also how close He is to us. God created order out of chaos. He is omniscient, all knowing, omnipresent, everywhere at the same time and sovereign, in charge of everything. So God knew what man was going to do before He created us. God created the path than man must take to get home, heaven. He knew that if man didn’t follow that path, it led to another place actually reversed for the devil and his cohorts.

God’s first institution was marriage. It has a structure by which a man and woman can live together. If the man or woman doesn’t follow God’s instructions, it will lead to destruction of the marriage and divorce.

God’s economy is to be under authority. We can’t be in authority unless we are under authority. God mapped this out to bring harmony in the marriage. Of course, man knows better than God. He will do what he wants to do and this has lead to the failure of 50% of all marriages. God has only one reason for divorce and that is infidelity. And unfortunately it is more common than not. People have no idea what they have done when they are unfaithful to their spouse.

Living in God’s economy is living godly, trusting and believing that God knows what He is doing and following Him all the way home. It requires submission on our part to God’s plan. And the benefits out weight anything else. God’s plan is thorough. He thought of all things necessary for us to be able to live the life and walk home. We are the ones that have to make the choice to walk the path. God said that not one comma or period will change in His word, until all of His word be fulfilled.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Unity…

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Paul wrote three letters to the Corinthian church about unity. He first explained that the division in the church had cost them the peace of unity. It took awhile for the Corinthian church to understand. Everybody has rights and no one should prevent anyone exerting their right to be right. Paul looked at this absurd idea and began speaking to the church about division. He began to explain why this idea was absurd and it took three letters to convince them of the truth.

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Corinthians” 10:23.

Jesus never forced His ideas on anyone. He offered everyone a path that seemed to be difficult, but actually was simple. The unity that Jesus offers is a way to bring peace to this world. If there is no division or conflict, there is peace. Unity produces more that just peace. It produces a way the a person can grow as a human being.

All the attributes that you see in a child, honesty, trust, loyalty, the lack of fear and love are the attributes that God want us to have as adult. I know how the world can beat all these things out you. But God can restore your soul as it is supposed to be. Then you can exhibit your true nature to the church and the world.

“Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. I Corinthians 10:32-33.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Offenses…

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“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” Matthew 18:6-7.

You look at this world and see that the attitude toward life is me first and everyone else can get in line. Even in business it is buyer beware, which means you pay your money and you take your chances. I know that this attitude has been there from the beginning time. When I was in college, I enrolled in a business class that was teaching that very principle. It is not a new idea. It just has become prevalent.

When you offend someone, there are two different paths you can take. Actually, there are three. The first path is just walk away and say they made their choice. The second path is to ask for forgiveness. Seeing that you wronged someone and try to make it right. It does not always work. Some people will give a person one chance to do right and if they do not they are cut off. The third path is seeing ahead and making the decision not offend anyone. It is the hard path, but in the long run it the better path.

Jesus was talking to the disciples about offending someone. He made it very clear what offences cost. I know of a war that starting over taking a pig from someone. That third path calls for sacrifice. This is where you defer to another person not to start a war. Everybody has rights, but it is not always convenient or right to put your rights first. Deferring to another person takes self restraint. In this Me First generation, it seems almost archaic, but it is the right decision.

The disciples ask Jesus another question about offences in Matthew 18:21-22. “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven”

Now the choice is up to you. What are you going to do? The truth is there to see. All it requires is to follow your heart. Choose wisely, for there is great reward or great consequence in your choice.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Peace…

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Conflict is the opposite of peace. We all know about conflict or turmoil. The world is full of turmoil. All you have to do is listen to the evening news channel. That is one reason I don’t listen to it. I don’t want to get caught up in the turmoil of the day. It is like people feed off this conflict to feel alive. It is not healthy to live in conflict. Peace is the only thing that will prolong life. Look at farmers, there life is peaceful as compared to people who live in cities. The only conflicts they have are squirrels, rabbits or deer that eat their crops. There are sometimes extreme conflicts such as droughts or plagues. But they are not the norm.

Peace can be obtained but our attitudes of our heart. An attitude of peace is not surrender. Sometimes we have to strive for peace. And peace isn’t situational awareness. On our own, it’s hard to obtain peace. The cares of this world consume our lives with turmoil.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrews had a blood sacrifice system to worship God and receive forgiveness from God. The first sacrifice that the Hebrews had to perform were the peace offerings. They had to make peace with God before they could do anything else. Cows, rams and lamb were the basic offerings, but there was in that economy an offering for poor people. You would never guess what it was. It was two turtledoves. When Joseph and Mary went to the temple to present Jesus before the Lord, they offered two turtledoves as a peace offering.

Peace doesn’t come through our own efforts. Peace is given by God to those who become His children. Only God can bring peace. There is an Aaronic Blessing in

Numbers 6:24-26. And I repeat this blessing for you. “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

A Choice – Free Will…

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Everything that we do in life is a choice. Even if we think that we don’t have a choice, we still do. Most choices are measured by difficulty. Some people don’t want to make waves and do what is expected. But that is a choice. On the other hand, some people don’t care how hard it is and pursue the difficult choice anyway. And some people decide not to do anything. Indecision is a choice also.

Inside everyone is a knowing of who you are and what you will become. It is intuitive in everyone. Now, we can just ignore what our heart is saying to us, but that is at your own risk. We are influenced by many things. Our parents have a large part of our decisions. Then our friends come next and finally the world around us. But that doesn’t excuse us of responsibility for our own action. Everything we do is a choice.

We have many emotions and they all come into play. The strongest emotion that we have is love. Love for ourselves and others decides many things in our lives. It is the one emotion that cause both joy and pain, sometimes at the same time. And it can cause us to make foolish decisions. Love can also bring us the greatest reward.

Despite every emotion and opinion from anyone, we have to make a choice in this world. We have to choose what we are going to be and what to say and do. And that choice is our own. It isn’t somebody else decision. We are always responsible for that choice. You can’t blame somebody else. It is all up to you to choose which way to go in life. Our choices are called free will.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Do you think God grieves?

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All of our emotions come from God. There is nothing that we have that wasn’t giving to us by God. Of course free will came through a choice that we made. But emotionally, we have that same emotions that God has. So I ask you, does God suffer grief?

Grief is a powerful emotion. It can change the way we think and act toward people and God. When my mother died, I began to grieve. My grieving lasted almost 4 years. I carried it like a banner. I was consumed with grief. I could hardly function. I went through the motions everyday. I put on a halfhearted smile on my face that lied to most people. I said I was fine but could hardly find my way in life. It was one of the most devastating times in my life. If it hadn’t been for God’s intervention into my life, it would have been a death spiral for me. I am not saying that I don’t feel pain when I think of my mother, but grief doesn’t have a death grip on me.

I found three examples of God grieving over mankind. The first is when King Saul didn’t do what God sent him to do. God sent Saul and the Israelite army to utterly destroy the Amalekites. When Saul returned, the prophet Samuel was sent to talk to him. He said, Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: (1 Samuel 15:10-11). God grieve that He had made Saul king over Israel. The second is when Jesus went to Lazarus grave. Jesus loved Martha, Mary and their brother, Lazarus. Lazarus had died and Jesus and the disciples went to the grave site. And the scriptures say that Jesus wept (John 11). The third example comes from Revelation. Revelation is about the destruction of earth and mankind. There are vial, trumpets and seals opened. Each one is more devastating than the last one. It says in Revelation 8:1, And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. God grieved over the destruction of mankind.

So to answer my question, Does God grieve? The answer is yes. God grieves just like we do. We are the image and likeness of God.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com