Preach the Gospel to Every Creature

On my refrigerator, nestled among family snapshots and a list of foods to avoid,  I have a clipping that reads, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." I do love it. For me, it answers the question, "Why I am here?" and acts as a 'to do' list every single morning. The quote comes from Matthew chapter 9… "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."  

Earlier in Matthew (chapter 4) we have this…"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." 

Have you ever wondered what you might have done had you been around when Jesus walked the earth? I would like to believe my answer would have been "Whatever He told me to do!"  If He told me to pray for laborers to preach the gospel to His lost sheep, I would have straightway dropped everything to do so!  Why then, should it be any different two thousand years later? Is everyone saved? I think not. If you are, then I would give my life savings on the fact that I know exactly what Jesus would tell you to do if you asked Him today…preach His gospel. This very day we can be the laborers Jesus told His twelve disciples to pray for!

If you are a believer in Christ, you have been given the authority to preach the Gospel to everyone, everywhere. The Holy Spirit has given us each our own special gift to do so. This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he explained that we are all different parts of the body of Christ, each of us as important as the other, each depending on the other. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.  -Romans chapter 12

What is your gift? Twenty-five years ago I was studying in one of the nations most prestigious art colleges. Regularly I prayed, "God, why did you give me this talent, yet not the desire to use it?" I was good at what I did, but I could hardly bear sitting down to do it. Now that I am using it for His ultimate purpose, the hours fly by.  I couldn't imagine a more well-suited gift, and am ever grateful that He has given it to me.

What if we fail to get the lost to believe? Failure is not ours to worry about, just as success is not ours to boast about. The actual act of saving was done by Jesus on the cross. We are simply planting seeds; only God can help them to grow. Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 10:  "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand….And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet….Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians conducted a national online survey called “Songs That Make a Difference.” Coming in at number two was Dan Schutte's "Here I am Lord". It has my vote. For many years this was one of those songs I simply could not sing. A funny thing happens to your throat when God tugs at your heart. The lyrics are based on Isaiah 6:8... "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."

"And he said unto them, 

Go ye into all the world, 

and preach the gospel to every creature. 

                                                                           -Mark 16:15

Not sure how to start witnessing? 

This book from Mark Cahill can help!

http://markcahill.org/resource.html

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

 

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Using God's Name in Vain...is it so wrong?

"God, you are absolutely worthless…you are NOTHING!" Would you ever say that to the great I AM? I don't even think an atheist would, as they would be admitting God's existence by speaking to Him. Yet this is precisely what people are saying when they use our Savior's name in vain. Shav, the word for vain in Hebrew means emptiness, falsehood, nothingness, worthlessness, useless. Yet blasphemy surrounds us more and more. The 2012 movie American Reunion (which I wouldn't recommend for a number of reasons) has 35 religious exclamations! God's name is abused regularly on radio, TV, out in public, and even in the back seat of my own car! I don't care how many times I hear it, the piercing feeling in my heart at the misuse of my Lord's name never wanes. 

We are all familiar with the third commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain." However, most of us are not as well-informed of the rest of the verse…"for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7) Now let's take a closer look at exactly who is going to hold us guilty for calling Him 'nothing'...

• "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8) 

• "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3)

• "The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." (1Samuel 2:6)

• "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:23&24)

This is a God I want to please. I can't even imagine using His Son's name in vain!

The modern rise of disrespect to our most Holy Heavenly Father shouldn't be a surprise to us. It has been prophesied in the Bible about the people of our time… "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy." (2 Timothy 3:2) This does not paint a pretty picture of us. Saved Christians have the right, the privilege, and the responsibility to use God’s name only in reverence and fear. Maybe the next time we catch ourselves saying, "God!" quickly follow it up with, "I love you!" 

Personally, I have never made a habit of taking my God's name in vain. Yet I do feel like I let Him down every time I say nothing to those around me who do. (Except for my family, of course!) From now on I'm going to do what a friend of mine does; he adds "Amen!" when he hears his Savior's name called out. 

Breaking the ten commandments will not keep us from going to heaven, but if God is keeping a record of our wrongs (and He is!) how many times will we have called our Lord and Savior 'worthless'?

I'm suggesting this two-step program to help repeat offenders... Go to this link on Amazon (Click on image) and download Travis Cottrell's song, "Sanctus". Then listen to it when you feel the urge to call God anything less than the King of Awesome Majesty. By the time he's finished singing "With reverence and with fear, with trembling lips, Lord, we draw near." you'll be a changed man or woman! 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my Bible study friends who proofread for me every week.

The Second Commandment of God

Man, am I ever glad that I am saved by grace and grace alone. Just the very thought of trying not to sin in any way is in a way a sin…for that would make us as God, rather than praising His sinlessness. My latest revelation is that I have been sinning simultaneous while praising him! 

In almost every room of my house I have an image of my Savior. Daily I feast my eyes on them. They remind me who I am. They keep my mind focused on Him and his ever-loving presence. They comfort me when fear slips it's sneaky self through the cracks of my faith. They inform my visitors immediately upon arrival who's in charge of my home. How could these representations of pure love possible be wrong? 

The Lord thy God clearly pronounces in His second commandment He gave to Moses, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God" (Exodus 20: 4&5) First of all, If God Himself says he's jealous, I'm going to give Him the exclusive worship He so demands, and look into this further.

At first I thought 'graven' meant having to do with the grave, or after death, so, I thought it may be ok to have a joyful, living image of our Lord. However, the word graven refers to an engraving, or inscription of an image on a surface, and has nothing to do with death at all. The Hebrew root words of 'image' translate to an outline or shape of a shadow, a resemblance and/or a carving. In addition, God states that he doesn't want any likeness of anything that is in heaven. In Acts 17:29 Paul says, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." Later on he tells the Romans that they have "become vain in their imaginations…and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man." (Romans 1)  Simply yet sadly put, it looks like absolutely no images are to be made of our God or His beautiful Son, whether it was before he died for us or after. But why?!

Maybe it is as elementary as the fact that we keep getting it wrong. Quite wrong, actually. Does anyone remember Gilda Radner's skit on Saturday Night Live where she admits to having a crush on Jesus, because He is soooo handsome. I actually laughed real hard when I saw that, because I too had a crush on Jesus.  They always paint him up to be quite the looker. Isaiah, one of the chief profits of redemption, writes, "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2) In addition I believe that Jesus of Nazareth's hair would have been black not brown, and given that he grew up under Mosaic law that his beard would have been untrimmed. "His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven." (Song of Solomon 5:11) I also doubt that God looks like an old man, or the Holy Spirit a dove.

In all seriousness, how could we mere humans possibly capture the divinity of our God.  John Owen conveyed this beautifully in 1679…

  

"The true beauty and amiableness of the person of Christ, which is the formal object and cause of divine love, is so far from being represented herein, as that the mind is thereby wholly diverted from the contemplation of it. For no more can be so pictured unto us but what may belong unto a mere man, and what is arbitrarily referred unto Christ, not by faith, but by corrupt imagination. The beauty of the person of Christ, as represented in the Scripture, consists in things invisible unto the eyes of flesh. They are such as no hand of man can represent or shadow. It is the eye of faith alone that can see this King in his beauty. Can his condescension, his love, his grace, his power, his compassion, his offices, his fitness and ability to save sinners, be deciphered on a tablet, or engraven on wood or stone? However such pictures may be adorned, however beautified and enriched, they are not that Christ which the soul of the spouse does love;­ they are not any means of representing his love unto us, or of conveying our love unto him."

I did an experiment before I wrote this post. I removed all the images of Jesus I had in my studio. (Yes, I have more than one image in several rooms in my home!) Not long after, I sat at my desk in a time of need to pray. I looked up and saw that my smiling Jesus was missing. So was my suffering Jesus. So was my hope Jesus. I closed my eyes in an attempt to see the memory of them. Instead of visualizing something that probably looked nothing like my Lord and Savior, I instantly felt God's loving presence and charity. There was no delay. It was as if I had upgraded my access speed. Interesting isn't it?

Here is how I have to look at some of God's rules: He wouldn't have made them if they weren't good for us. I often tell my kids, "You may not understand my rules now, but someday you will, and you will thank me for them." Jesus told His disciples before He left them, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7) Ah, my newfound comfort! - not a misrepresentation of my Lord, but His actual Holy Spirit inside my very being, in an instant. Try it for yourself…close your eyes, and enjoy! 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

Human Trafficking - Are we partly to blame?

Would you believe the number of lives sold into slavery today is greater than at any other time in history? There are at any given time 2.4 million victims, 80 percent of which are exploited for sexual slavery. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, criminals conduct $32 billion in business annually.  It is the fastest growing and second largest criminal industry in the world today, second only to drug trafficking and tied with illegal arms.

These statistics are indeed alarming, and human suffering abounds, but what can we do about it? Perhaps it's not what we can do, rather, what we must stop doing. 

Many assume that viewing pornography is harmless, that these websites will undeniably exist whether we invisibly visit them or not. Maybe it is time we look at how the industry works. Be very clear that every time we visit a site it counts as a view. Advertisers tally these views and yes, the porn industry thrives. Now, let's not fool ourselves with the notion that these girls (and guys) on the sites are there by choice and are being well-paid. If they are not there by force, they are there by demand…ours. Nor can you deny that the porn industry does not feed the prostitution industry and vice versa. Furthermore, not viewing pornography ourselves but turning a blind eye to our spouse or children's use holds us just as accountable.   

Doing the right thing is almost always choosing the less traveled and rocky path. Prepare for fierce resistance. Not allowing your teenager to have a phone with internet is not popular, nor is putting a filter on your spouse's computer. Make a stand and start the fight against human trafficking in your own home today, and be ever mindful that you have the God-given strength to do so!

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. - Phillipians 4:13 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Romans 12:2

Abstain from all appearance of evil. - 1 Thessalonians 5:22

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  - Galations 5:16

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. - John 13:34

P.S. As a saved child of God, no sin will keep us out of heaven. They just show up on our resume when we are applying for our job there!

This is a great resource for internet safety, by Donna Rice Hughes

Resource book for Men

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

What is the Kingdom of God?

If someone asked you, "What is the kingdom of God?", what would your response be? As a child I would have said that it was a place far, far away; not only was I was quite familiar with the Lord's Prayer, but in addition my mom often expressed that my toys were scattered "from here to kingdom come!" I later came to believe that God's kingdom is within my spirit, and it is where I will go when I die…it is heaven. Now that I have been studying God's Holy Bible, (Which I can't believe I used to think was boring!) I am learning that there is much more to His kingdom than I could have imagined.

The kingdom that I was talking about within my spirit is referred to as the spiritual kingdom. Jesus tells us in John 3:3-6 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." I was right that the kingdom of God is within me, but it was only after I truly accepted Him as my Savior. 

Now as for the physical kingdom of God…all I can say is, "Wow!" Would you believe that God is actually going to set up His kingdom of heaven right here on Earth for a thousand years?!!  If you take every word of the Bible as literal, that's what it says.  Since Jesus told Satan in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." I am going to do just that.

Following are a few passages from Scripture that make me a believer in the fact that while we live in a cursed world right now, soon God will restore His kingdom right here on His planet earth.

• God promised Abraham that he would inherit all the land of the earth. This has not happened yet, and He has NEVER broken a promise. "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever."  (Genesis 13:14-15)

• God told Daniel that after the world ended in catastrophe, He would set up His Messianic kingdom. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)

• Jesus taught mankind a prayer that includes asking God to have His kingdom come, since we didn't accept it at the time of fulfillment, when we could have. (We crucified Him instead.) "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-13) 

• Jesus' reply to Pilate when he asked Him if He was the King of the Jews was, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36) Does this not tell us that His kingdom is not here yet? 

• Who is the ruler or out world, then? Most unfortunately, it is not our Christ! God gave Satan power over the unbelievers of this world. "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corrinthians 4:4) "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."(Ephesians 6:12) One doesn't have to spend much time looking around to realize that this is very true.  

• God gave His apostle John the revelation of how He would bring in His covenanted kingdom for a thousand years. (It's a little scary, but ends well for those who love Him!) "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  (Revelation 20)   (After reading that part in Revelation I like to read this…"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10) )  

I absolutely delight in the promise of Christ's return, when He will set up His Father's kingdom and have absolute sovereign reign over all of creation. He will rule an age free from sin, sickness and suffering. There will be no more anger or hate or war. There will be no more anguish or shame. There won't even be any more weeds! How can God's kingdom on Earth not excite you? I'm so fired up about it I could unfurl my excitement all the way to kingdom come!

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

How to Choose a Bible

What is a Catholic girl like me doing in a place like the King James Bible? I tried to use my old one, but once I dusted it off I realized it wouldn't work anymore. I now need larger print. Thinking that most Bibles were basically the same, I set out to find the one that represented Christianity's earliest, most widely used and easy to read Bible. 

The more I learned on my quest, the less I knew. I cannot tell you which books were added to or eliminated from one Bible to the next, or why. One seems to need a degree in Biblical studies to get that right. I'm also quickly finding out that I know very little of what the different Christian denominations believe in, and the huge disparity in how each one interprets God's word. 

I did find one trend that almost every Bible seems to be in accordance with. It has to do with their revised editions, and it's actually quite disturbing. In order to get the copyright needed for a new version, significant changes have to be made. Thousands of ever-important words, verses and doctrines are being lost in translation.  

For example, Luke 4:4 in the King James Version (KJV) states: And Jesus answered him , saying , It is written , That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. The same verse in the New International Version (NIV) has been revised to: Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' ". Given that I had only previously heard the latter, my take on this was that God is more important to us than our human needs, which is good. However, with the verse intact, it looks as if He is strongly encouraging us to study His word, the food of life.  

It gets much worse. Some Bible translators, whether directly or indirectly, have even had the audacity to interchange  Jesus with Lucifer, and God with Allah! Below are excerpts from charts used with permission from G.A. Riplinger's book "New Age Bible Versions". They give much more chilling examples of the eroding tide. Keep in mind that 'new age' in this case involves all the new versions, not excluding the new version of the King James. 

As we enter into this season of Lent, and forevermore, let us all be mindful that we must never let mankind forget who died on the cross for us and why. I consider myself lucky. At worst, learning from a revised edition may have kept me from years of Bible study. Imagine if the part that I was tripped up on was my salvation!

"New Age Bible Versions" 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, do some digging for yourself. I promise you this: You won't get bored!

What Does the Bible Say About Divorce?

Over 1 million couples will file as married on this year's tax form, for the last time. That is, until they get married again, and risk an even greater rate of divorce. More people file for divorce the day after the federal tax deadline than any other day of the year, when the couple's monetary worth is revealed. What is the true measure of a couple's worth? Let's go to the Bible to find out, since after all, marriage is a covenant that we made with our spouse and God.  

The first Bible search word that came to my mind regarding marriage was 'long-suffering'. (Tee hee hee - I couldn't help myself!) Actually, in Ephesians 4 it says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love".  This is the measure of your patience, and the real test of patience is not in the waiting, but in how one acts while he or she is waiting. 

I know I can wait quite patiently when I distract myself by stewing a plan of vengeance. Obviously, this is not good idea. These verses in Romans 12 remind us that God will take care of repaying wrongs… "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." I imagine God's disappointment and punishment can far outweigh mine. 'Tis best to just forgive.

How do we measure up in the forgiveness department? In Colossians 3 it says, "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." 

The next verse goes on the say, "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Hmm…charity; the highest form of love from God, far surpassing erotic and emotional love. This is unconditional love at it's finest, and must be what they are talking about when they say you must love your spouse even when you don't like them. 

Let's say it goes way beyond not liking your spouse. Let's say we don't even want to breath the same air as they are. Let's say, as the Bible says, we want to "put them away". Can we? This is what the Pharisees asked Jesus, and our Lord's response was,  "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matthew 19) That last sentence always gets me. 

If one is really searching, there are two (and only two) reasons a divorce is tolerated by our God.  The first reason Jesus reveals in later in Matthew 19, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Therefore, if your partner has been unfaithful, you are pardoned. And the second reason, as told by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, is if your spouse is not a believer in Christ as his or her Savior, and leaves you. (You cannot, however, leave them if they wish to stay.) 

As always, it is best if we follow God's own example. He 'married' us when we came to believe in His Son, as we are the Church, the bride of Christ.  There is absolutely nothing we could possibly do that would cause Him to leave us. How blessed are we?!

Divorce, as very hard as it is, is actually the easy way out. Staying married is much harder work, yet this endeavor is what God wants of us. If pleasing God is not enough motivation for us to bear through it, maybe not pleasing Satan is. One of the prince of lies' most successful plans to win souls has been the break-up of the family unit. United we stand against him. What it looks like we really need to do is to take to heart Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's quote: “The worst reconciliation is better than the best divorce”  Since our marriage reflects our relationship with God, there is nothing we should want more than for it to be overflowing with charity. 

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, (who happens to be divorced and remarried) not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my Bible study friends who proofread for me every week.

Heaven or Hell...choose now and choose wisely!

SON: Mom, your chart's messed up.

MOTHER: Why's that, hun?

SON: You're telling people they're dead.

MOTHER: I'm just trying to make a point that the decision of whether they want to go to Heaven or Hell is theirs to make right now. 

SON: Not everyone's going to die today, Mom.

MOTHER: Some will, and if they don't know where they are going, they will end up somewhere they don't want to be. 

SON: I know, I know…only people who believe in Jesus and His dying and rising for our sins get to go to heaven. That's harsh, Mom. Like I said, your chart's messed up.

Ten years later… 

MOTHER: Son! You're here! Why didn't you tell me you accepted Jesus? 

SON: My friend was saying the same stuff about Him that you had always said. I started to think you might be right. We were driving home to tell you the good news the night our car went over the bridge. The other kid in the car with us thought I was nuts when I came to believe in Jesus as my Savior. Mom, he's not here! I wouldn't be either had you not nagged me all my life to believe. Heaven's awesome, Mom! Oh, and mom...thanks. 

•   •   •

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells us a much more descriptive story of our eternal decision. It is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. (This is a different Lazarus than the one He raised from the dead.) Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell. The rich man begged to be released, even just to warn others of the torment of hell, but could not. Jesus then emphasizes that the gap between heaven and hell is so great that it is uncrossable and permanent. 

Oh I do wish there was a 'grace period' after death that would give us one last chance to repent. If there was, instead of sitting here at my computer trying to spread the Good News of the Gospel, outing myself as the Jesus freak that I am,  I would be sitting on a beach somewhere, blissfully contemplating whether to have a margarita or a pina colada.

Luke 16:19-31

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored! Many thanks to my Bible study friend Renee Driscoll, who helps me keep Bible Bait Biblically correct.

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

What's with the Lamb cake? Where's the Easter Bunny? Wait, Bunnies don't lay eggs…Could the real Easter symbol please stand up? 

Pascha, the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, now Easter, is celebrated on the 1st Sunday following the 1st full moon of Spring, at least for Western Christians. This is about the same time as the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Pagan celebration of the spring equinox. The Seder meal served at Passover includes a hard boiled egg which represents the holiday offering brought in the days of the Holy Temple. Eggs as well as hares are also used by the Pagans, as symbols of new life and fertility.  This explains the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs, which are lovely and all, but they don't hold a candle to the meaning behind the Lamb! 

Let's go back in time, to when a wiry mountain man wearing animal skins for clothes, boisterously obsessed with one thing, rants on about a Messiah that is coming to save the world. People would travel for weeks just to get a glimpse of this guy. You are standing alongside the Jordan River to be passionately Baptized by him, to ready yourself for this Savior he speaks of. Then walks into the scene, Jesus. "Behold!" John the Baptist bellows, "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) John must have been crazy ecstatic to see Jesus, and positively honored to announce His presence. What I would give to have an audio of that moment.

Now let's take a look at what being called 'The Lamb of God' really meant. Before Jesus, the only way to approach God was through the blood of an animal sacrifice.  In the time of Moses, under Mosaic law, a male yearling without blemish, innocent, pure and gentle had to be sacrificed to redeem humans, to make atonement for their sins, and receive purification from ritual uncleanliness. It wasn't as easy, and they had to do it over and over. A lamb was sacrificed every morning and evening (Exodus 29:39). They were never truly finished.  Not until God sent us all His final sacrifice, without blemish, innocent, pure, and gentle…His Son! (1 Pet 1:19) Jesus said it Himself as His blood flowed out for us, in His final words, "It is Finished" (John 19:30) The debt of all of our sins past present and future has been paid through the sacrifice of God's own Lamb.

Suddenly I'm feeling rather foolish that I celebrate my Salvation with an egg. From now on, I'm going to make it known that I am a believer in Jesus, the Lamb of God and Savior of the world, by celebrating appropriately.  As far as my Easter table goes, it's going to be as easy as cake.


Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored!
Many thanks to my Bible study friends who proofread for me every week.