A
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.@ Matthew 22:15-21Have you ever pondered over this short observation in the midst of the story of Jesus
= birth? Mary found them worthy of pondering and so should we. Are you a ponderer?The Greek sumballo means to consider together. Like Mary, we are all confronted with the challenge of looking at all the information before us and putting the pieces together. When we realize that the pieces represent the work of our Infinite God, we should not be surprised when our finite minds have difficulty making sense out of what we see;
AFor as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.@ (Isaiah 55:9).The prophet spoke a great truth here, and yet we often rush to insist that we can make more sense out of the message than anyone else. The real truth is made evident in the stampede of believers every time something like The DaVinci Code is released. Believers and unbelievers alike rush to fill the coffers of publishers with every new release, and with every new release the former fad disappears over the horizon.
Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us,
AGod, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
@ This is a piece of information which is not to be overlooked. The ministry of Jesus was to be God=s final revelation to humankind. The author makes it clear in Chapter 2, verse 3, that anyone who ignores Jesus= message can expect no future option. God had given them many opportunities in the past, but The Christ was their last and only Hope.Admittedly, God
=s revelation was incomplete in their time because it was unfolding before their eyes. Being in the midst of the ongoing events is, surprisingly, often the most difficult vantage point from which to see and understand them. We should not be surprised they had difficulty (and we should learn that understanding what is happening around us today is difficult to understand if we are not diligent to ponder what we see). The final events of God=s revelation to us were spoken to John in The Revelation Jesus gave Him and the unfolding of those events in the first century destruction of Jerusalem.What happened then left believers with a lot to ponder and we are still pondering it today. That
=s a good thing! In spite of Mary=s personal revelation, the events which she witnessed left her with much to ponder. I suspect Joseph was doing lots of pondering as well. Still, as important as pondering is, we see a greater matter in that she Akept all these things.@ It is impossible to ponder what you do not keep.Suntereo has the idea of keeping watch over and is a reference to a military fortress. Mary did not take what God was doing in her life as something to be considered lightly. Neither should we. How carefully do we guard our memory of what God has done for us and shown us through His word? Do we casually believe we will always have access to the written page and make hiding the word in our hearts a low priority exercise?
While we certainly must make the commitment to such regular exercise, we are not alone in the effort. Our King is present with us 1) to open our eyes to understand His revelation, 2) to call it to our minds at the needed moment and 3) to empower us to live faithfully in its light.
Pondering is not a passive activity! An increasing number of Christians have been wooed into New Age (pagan) thinking and believe meditation is about emptying one
=s mind and quietly waiting for some inner voice to speak wisdom. The human tragedy which has resulted from this practice is horrendous to witness; and most of us have seen it in the lives of people we know.Our pondering is an active experience based upon what has been kept in our hearts. We rehearse what God has said and what God has done (both in history and in our personal lives). We need to be careful not to give our experience more consideration than it deserves, but we should ponder it nevertheless. Experience never trumps God
=s word!There may be times when true experience helps us to better understand God
=s revelation, but the opposite is the case more often; God=s revelation helps us to understand our experience. Much care is needed here. Hold God=s word with the highest regard. If your experience seems to suggest a problem with what is revealed, it is almost certain the problem lies with how you view your experience. Be quick to reinterpret your experience; be very slow to change historically accepted views of scripture.Changes in our understanding of scripture should arise from diligent study, not subjective reasoning through experience. Experience may reinforce truth, but it never creates it. Keep experience in its proper place by pondering it in light of God
=s word.Our tendency is to wonder why God allows certain things to come into our lives. The truth is, we may never know the why (God
=s motives) except in the most general terms of, for His purposes and glory. Our pondering should focus on what God intends for us in a particular situation and how we are to respond to it. It is our old nature to wonder why difficulties come our way, and to respond to God=s blessings as though we somehow deserve them. As we mature, our new nature is amazed that God blesses us so, and sees trials as His perfecting work in us.This is a good time of year for pondering. Reflect on how God has invaded your life. Make it a practice to guard what He has shown you as you have walked with Him. Value those things among your most precious assets, and regularly take the time to ponder them in your heart and hear anew the good news of peace on earth, good will toward men.
The Spirit and Power of Elijah
A
And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.@ Luke 1:17You should recognize the scripture above as Gabriel
=s description of John the Baptist to Zacharias. We hear the phrase Aspirit and power of Elijah@ repeated with some frequency in pulpits, but I wonder if we haven=t missed the real importance of this phrase.The Jews had been awaiting the return of Elijah for generation upon generation. Each year at Passover, a place was set for him in case God chose that special time to send him. As David Curtis has observed, the biblical and historical evidences strongly suggest John was born at least in the Passover season and credibly on the day of Passover itself. Perhaps in time that will be demonstrated conclusively.
Nevertheless, it seems to me no small matter that the very first statement we have regarding the coming Messianic kingdom, is its herald, Elijah
B not Elijah in the flesh, but in spirit. This should clue us in to the nature of the kingdom as surely as it should have spoken to the Jews. Though some understood, the masses were blind to the new reality which was emerging in their very midst. What tragic irony!Yet, there is perhaps even greater irony in our own day. Though Christians are quick to acknowledge the kingdom to be spiritual and are amazed the Jews could have missed the spiritual significance, many make the same mistake by insisting that Jesus will return physically. In spite of the scriptures clear message that the kingdom is spiritual, they insist on a physical return of Messiah to earth. Gabriel told Zacharias that John was coming to prepare the people to receive their Lord and King. John was faithful and the remnant was prepared by his ministry.
It is problematic to think they were prepared to receive their King only to witness His death and attest to His resurrection. If their hope of becoming heirs of the eternal kingdom in their generation was not realized, what possible hope do we have two thousand years later? If the very generation which scripture tells us was to witness the inauguration of the Messianic age did not see it come to fruition, on what basis do we expect to see it in our future? Their hopes would have certainly been dashed because of non-fulfillment, and our hopes would have died with them.
To the praise of Almighty God, their hope was not in vain! Though they had a hard time realizing the kingdom was
Anot of this world,@ the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem had their full attention. God emphatically removed the old covenant system and called them to a righteousness which surpassed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. Theirs was a righteousness based on the completed work of Christ, not works of the Law. The old was visible, physical, natural, earthly, etc. The new is invisible, spiritual, heavenly. The new is not observed with the eyes, but the heart and those who see it rejoice.In this season of giving, take the time read Hebrews again. Focus on the
Abetter things@ which are ours right now because AThe kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.@ Amen!A Christmas Reflection
Today (Dec. 18th) two young friends of ours will commit their lives to one another before God. It
=s an exciting time for them and their families. It is also an exciting time for us because we count them as family. Pondering what lies ahead for them has me remembering the first Christmas Sharon and I spent as husband and wife.She had graduated from nursing school the previous June and was working at the local hospital while I finished my degree. The cost of a private school was a serious drain on our budget in spite of her good income. We were living in married student housing and were blessed with other friends who struggled financially to make ends meet. We were amazed at still others who seemed to have no financial worries at all, until we learned they came from wealthy families, were on the G.I. Bill, had student loans, etc. Because of Sharon
=s labor, we finished college debt free, but it wasn=t easy. The first Christmas was particularly challenging.The coming semester would soon face us with registration costs of $35 an hour (that may seem cheap today, but at that time state schools cost only $50 per semester, regardless of the number of hours) and Christmas expenses were simply out of the question.
As we finished paying our December bills we had 95 cents, a box of crackers and some peanut butter. The next pay day we could buy groceries. I do remember parting with my stash of silver coins and a $5 silver certificate (the only one I ever managed to get) to buy a few things at face value of the stash. Yeah, that was dumb.
Christmas cards were coming in from family and friends and we taped each one to the bookcase in our small apartment. They added significant cheer to the rather austere environment of the mint-green concrete block walls, and speckled gray asphalt tile floors. Still, having nothing with which to buy one another gifts much less the rest of the family, left us with a rather empty feeling in a season where giving is so much a part of our lives.
About a week before Christmas we were going though the mail, reading cards, enjoying the handwritten notes, and putting them on display when we came across one from my parents. I can
=t tell you what the card said. All I remember is the $100 check which was enclosed!Financially, we
=ve had both lean and fat Christmases since but few hold memories more cherished than 1969. Sharon had to work Christmas day, but we were able to go home and celebrate with the family a week later. Being able to hit the after Christmas sales at local discount houses helped us to maximize our buying power, even if the selection was a bit slim.Sharon made me a tie that was so stiff it couldn
=t be tied and she got a peg board to hang all her kitchen utensils on (Cabinets? You don=t want to know!). She also got a floor mat to put in front of the kitchen sink, and a robe. I=m tempted to post the picture I took of her standing on the mat in her new robe, but I do plan to be able to write again next month. It=s a horrible picture and I love dragging it out, but I=ll refrain.Christmas is indeed a time to ponder things past and see how they bring us to the present and prepare us for the future. I
=m sure you each have your stories and I=d love to hear themMay God richly bless Curtis and Vanessa (Jackson) Williams as they begin today to write the story of their life together. Congratulations to both of you!
Something God Can
=t DoAs children, most of us probably encountered the challenge to name something God couldn
=t do. Being novices at scripture, we ignored what it clearly says He cannot do and came up with all kinds of stupid suggestions. Creative musings like jump higher than He can jump and other such nonsense come rushing from cobweb ensnared memories.When Christ explained to His disciples just how difficult it was for the wealthy to enter the kingdom, they were at a loss to understand how anyone could be saved. Christ replied,
AWith men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.@ (Matthew 19:6b)At least one state uses that proclamation for their state motto (how much longer can that last?), and most of us are very familiar with it. A casual reading of the passage gives us the idea God can do anything, yet elsewhere scripture plainly says there are things He cannot do. Can you name them? Give it some thought before reading on.
There may be others, but two immediately come to mind for me. The first is 2 Timothy 2:13,
AIf we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.@ It is possible for a human mind to be so untruthful, confused, brainwashed etc. that one would actually deny who they are. God=s attributes make it impossible for Him to do that. AI AM Who I AM@ is His word (Exodus 3:14).It is a proclamation which Paul tells Timothy accrues to their and our benefit
B because we are Christ=s, God cannot deny us. If that does not empower a person for Godly living, then their faith is in question. Realizing our position in Christ should fill us with boldness to live for Him in all arenas of life, confident that regardless of the outcome, we endure because God endures and our lives are hidden in HimThe second impossibility for God which comes to mind speaks to that confidence which is ours in Christ,
AIn the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us.@ (Hebrews 6:17-18)God made a promise to Abraham and
Ainterposed with an oath@ meaning He became the mediator of the promise. He is it=s surety. What God promised Abraham could not fail because God does not fail and He cannot lie. We would abandon the scripture tomorrow if we believed God could misrepresent Himself, or lie and deceive us. We need to realize just how much our faith hangs by the strong cord of God=s truthfulness.When we do, we grow in confidence for daily living. Failure to grow demonstrates that we doubt what he has revealed to us. God cannot act contrary to His nature. When we grow in our understanding of His attributes we realize that
Ainability@ is strength, not weakness. God cannot renege on His promises. You can take that to the bank!Those who disparage God
=s word will, in blinded ignorance, point to the passages above and declare they contradict Christ=s proclamation that all things are possible with God. If you want to waste you time trying to explain how the context of the passages actually compliment one another, be my guest. I would suggest you first confirm that they 1) seriously want to know if God exists, and 2) they are committed to seeking His will if they become persuaded He does exist.Perhaps you can find other things in scripture which God cannot do. If you find them, you can be certain you are dealing with one of His attributes. Because of one of them, His immutability, we know something else He can
=t do, change, AJesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.@ (Hebrews 13:8)In Case You Haven=t Heard
In a move which should be a huge wake-up call for Americans, Congress has approved a plan for the federal government to further usurp its authority by controlling all birth and driver
=s license records. This move is a major step toward putting private information into the hands of the federal bureaucracy. Big Brother is alive and well.While our dispensational friends will just sit back and say it is God
=s plan for the Beast to arise in the last days, I hope you know better by now. It amazed me, when I first started paying attention to what was going on, to hear people say I was working against God=s plan by working to insist our servants obey the law. They seem dead set on allowing tyranny to arise so that their eschatology becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Remaining silent and inactive will certainly bring on horrible oppression, but history will record it has nothing to do with end times themes.The choice is ours. We can be faithful stewards of the sacred trust we have received as Americans and pay the price liberty demands now, or we can leave our posterity with greater oppression and an even greater price. I pray we will choose to be faithful by opposing such tyrannical moves as we are witnessing today. If you haven
=t written your representatives on this issue, write and call. They need to know you are aware of this Hitlerian move and that you oppose it.The Apprentice
=s JournalSurprise, I
=m running late again this month. Boy, the days get by in a hurry! It seems something always arises out of the blue which causes me to adjust my deadline. This month it was a wonderful surprise.For the first time in four years, I was able to attend a National Committee meeting of The Constitution Party, thanks to the generosity of others. Having previously chaired the party in Texas, I have lots of friends around the country and I have missed seeing them. I
=m always puzzled when they make comments about my accent. THEY are the ones with an accent!In addition to party business, I was blessed to be able to hear a report from Michael Peroutka. How I wish Christians understood the sacrifices men like Michael are making to give them a Godly choice on the ballot. I consider myself richly blessed to be associated with men who have pledged themselves to restoring lawful government to America. Michael spent $450,000 out of his own pocket in the hope Christians who heard the message would be willing to take a stand for righteousness. Though it was available, neither he nor the CP would take money stolen from the taxpayer to fund the campaign. The other candidates lack such scruples.
It was also a pleasure to spend a good bit of time with Chuck Baldwin, the vice-presidential candidate. Chuck has been Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida for thirty years. He was in the first graduating class of Jerry Falwell
=s Moral Majority ministers and they had a long standing friendship. In 2000, Jerry reprinted a piece by Chuck titled, AMy Line in the Sand.@ In it, he declared he would never again support any candidate which was on the wrong side of the life, homosexual rights, 2nd Amendment, or national sovereignty issues.Though he had his doubts about Bush, he watched the first term diligently and earlier this year changed his voter registration to the CP. When he announced the change, he received a stern rebuke from his old friend, Dr. Falwell. Seemingly, it is more important to worship at the altar of the sacred pachyderm than it is to stand for upholding the law. It is always sad to lose friends when taking a stand for truth. After an email exchange in 1998, I met Chuck in 1999 for the first time. It was my pleasure to be with him again last summer when he spoke in Texas.
He was in Texas all of 16 hours but when he attempted to get his plane ticket for the return trip his credit card was rejected. Puzzled, he went to the counter and was referred to another agent. After pulling out four large volumes of names, she began scanning for his and said, AUh Oh!@ To shorten the story . . . Chuck discovered his name was on a list of potential terrorists. You see, the FBI has determined that those who would, as our founders intended, use the Constitution to bind the federal government to its delegated role are now potential terrorists. Are you numbered among them? I pretty sure I am. After some discussion, Chuck was allowed to fly, Athis time.@ If you hear the alarm ringing, don=t hit the snooze button.
This issue of The Carpenter=s Apprentice represents five years we have spent together. As I reflect on those years, it would have been hard for me to imagine at the outset where we would be today. The way my thinking has evolved on a number of issues would have been hard to believe such a short while ago. It is amazing how a commitment to truth reshapes our ideas, the way we view the world, and our place in it. I have been blessed to make new friends as the readership has doubled since the first issue went out. Your comments and questions constantly challenge me to greater diligence, and your observations open doors to matters which I need to consider. Thank you.
Some of you have faithfully supported the effort with financial gifts. Though they are not necessary, they are received with great joy for the encouragement and aid they represent. Your gifts to Sharon=s mission trips have blessed us tremendously (see her report). Ministry becomes deeper fellowship when we have it in common and we are blessed indeed to have you join hands with us as we live out God=s calling on our lives.
May the Agospel of peace@ heralded by angels long ago, bless you in this season, and always. ~ Jim