more fire

In Christianity it is contended that every person is born with original sin. In fact, it is even held that the entire creation was corrupted when Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden. When Satan, who is anti-Christ, anti-creation and anti-God, entered the Garden his intent was to subvert the authority of God and reign in His stead. Many people deny that Adam’s sin was passed onto his offspring (i.e. all of humanity) and atheists adamantly deny the existence of God thereby attempting to refute the presence of sin in creation.

“…as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—” Romans 5:12.

Aside from environmental pollution, wars and famine, it is evident that sin pervades even that which we hold to be most innocent in our culture–babies. Every one of us entered this hostile world in tears and confusion and from the start children bite, lie, steal, fight and cry. They are greatly frustrated and prove the brokenness of humanity. Whether or not one believes in the doctrine of original sin, it is evident that we are all born into a condition of suffering and pain.

“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:9.

The cause of our sin and frustration is linked to the very fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When Adam exalted his judgment over God’s and ate the fruit from the tree that was forbidden to him he chose to obey Satan and thus forfeited his relationship with God. At the moment he submitted to the will of Satan he became Satan’s slave and, because a slave’s children belong to the master, all of Adam’s descendants became slaves.

“But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” Romans 5:15.

It is through the Lord Jesus Christ that broken people, broken families and a broken creation is being reconciled unto God. And it is through Jesus Christ that all things are being restored to the glory of God. Each of us must choose whether we will continue to slave for Satan or whether we will ask Jesus Christ to heal us and make us whole so that we might have a restored relationship with God.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-3.

Fun Fact: The Pilgrims were radical non-conformists who, unlike the Puritans who maintained their membership to the Church of England, believed worship should be organized independently of the trappings, traditions and organization of a central state church. The above picture is of Pilgrim leader John Carver and Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy, sharing a peace pipe.

Thanksgiving: This Thanksgiving I give thanks and praise to God for his mercy, grace and faithfulness. I give Him thanks and praise for my wife, family, Church, work and community. I give Him thanks and praise for food, health and ample resources. I give Him thanks and praise for the blood of the Lamb that makes us clean and for the risen Christ that gives us complete victory. Praise Him.

What are you especially thankful this Thanksgiving?

Today there are many self-proclaimed prophets and prophetesses. One can merely walk down any church-lined street in Brooklyn and see signs that read: “Founded by Prophet Malachi Jones” or “Pastor: Prophetess Zena Smith.”

So, we must ask:

1. Are we to believe that these people are actually prophets?
2. Do prophets exist today?
3. And, if so, what is the role of the modern prophet?

To answer the first question I must admit that I have never attended an alleged prophet’s church and thus cannot attest to the actuality of their gift. As to the second question, I adamantly affirm that prophets do exist today, but to more clearly explain my reasoning the role of the prophet must first be defined.

The point and purpose of prophecy is to speak forth the Word of God. The prophet is to stand in the stead of God. Thus, a prophet employs both foretelling and telling forth. The Lord speaks to the prophet in dreams and visions, he speaks to the prophet’s heart and reveals the Word through his Spirit. A prophet can be man or woman, young or old, slave or master. In fact, Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

Yet we must beware of false prophets. Christ warns, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” The Lord said to Moses: “I will put my words in [the prophet's] mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”

A prophecy is always to be checked against the scriptures and will never be in opposition to that which is written in the Bible. The most common themes emphasized throughout the writings of the major and minor prophets are justice and mercy. The prophets cry, “Repent!” They say, “Change your ways. Follow the way of the Lord.” Jeremiah wrote, “If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever.” Prophets emphasize peace, godliness, justice for the oppressed and mercy to the disenfranchised.

The best example of a modern prophet, that comes to my mind, is Martin Luther King Jr. Although he was a Baptist preacher and perhaps the most notable Civil Rights leader in the twentieth century, his role, defined by God, was clearly that of prophet. He was a prophet of peace and justice and spoke powerfully in the name of a holy God. Among his many mighty sayings he declared, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.“

Not only did he call a nation to repentance, he also spoke of dreams and visions. His most famous speech is entitled “I Have a Dream.” MLK, like every prophet in the scriptures and every person who ever lived (except our Lord Jesus Christ), was a flawed person. When we look at the lives of the prophets it is almost shocking to see the types of lowly, broken men he used to broadcast his holy message. Hosea married a whore, Elijah begged for death and Jonah was outraged that God didn’t consume Nineveh with his wrath. And yet these men were used by God for the advancement of his kingdom and for the glory of his namesake.

Ultimately, God uses who he will to advance his kingdom and bring glory to his name. I wholeheartedly believe that prophets do exist today, but they surely are not a common commodity. Rather than assuming titles, they pursue the glory of God’s name. They stay close to the Lord and yield before his mighty throne. They wait and listen and speak that which the Lord wills.

I recently moved the More Fire blogroll to Bloglines. It’s easier to keep up to date with all of your amazing blogs over there. If I’ve forgotten anyone’s blog, please let me know so I can add it to the list.

Racism is Satanic and anti-Christ. It is a poison that causes division in the body of Christ and limits the Holy Spirit’s power in the believer. As followers of Christ we are called to uplift the poor, free the captives, break down hell’s gates, visit the widow and fatherless, and protect immigrants. When people who confess Christ purposefully persecute another people they estrange themselves from service to the Most High and become slaves to Satan.

As Christians we are called to live under the sovereignty of God and to further establish his kingdom on earth for Christ’s sake. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to love our enemies, but how seldom do Christians pray for the salvation of those they hate.

Let me make it clear that hate is not inherently wicked. On the contrary, it is wicked not to hate the things that God hates. Throughout scriptures the Lord expresses hatred toward worshiping other gods, arrogance, those who love violence, divorce, and other such things abominable to the holiness of God. Although God hates, ultimately he is love and has expressed great mercy toward the inhabitants of his creation. Those who fail to repent of their unbelief and continue in blatant disregard for the sovereignty of God deserve to suffer everlasting contempt and yet the Father, with awesome compassion toward a fallen humanity, offered his Son, Jesus Christ, so that all might be saved.

God’s hate is holy and justified whereas worldly hate is unholy, unjust and Satanic. Racism is an expression of worldly hatred and racists, in an effort to exalt their own bigotry over the living Word of God, often pervert the scriptures in an attempt to justify their sin. They incorrectly quote Nehemiah, who told post-exilic Jews in Jerusalem to separate from their pagan spouses, in an effort to justify their belief that interracial marriage is a sin. Nehemiah did not have his people divorce from their spouses because they had a different skin color, but because their faith was not in the one true God. As followers of Christ we are not to be “unequally yoked” to spouses who are godless, pagan or followers of other religions. We are to marry other followers of Christ.

Throughout history factions of the church, deceived by Satan and polluted with sin, have abused and persecuted peoples, nations and whole segments of society. Pope Pius XI blessed Mussolini’s bombs before they descended on Ethiopian cities. Nazis quoted the unfortunate antisemitic rants of Martin Luther to propagate their hatred of the Jews. And racist white American Christians have used scriptures to justify their enslavement, oppression and hatred of black people.

Those who continue to harbor hatred toward another person or people because of their skin color, ethnicity or national origin must repent if they are to abide in the will of God. There must be an acknowledgment of past wrongs and a genuine move toward reconciliation. As with God there must be repentance before there can be reconciliation.

There are various traditions and customs within the body of Christ (i.e. the Church). So, I was wondering what are some of the ways people spend their devotional time. Is it structured, loose, do you use incense or music?

Personally, my devotions are rather loose. I do start my day in prayer and, dependent on how much time I have before I start work, I either read scripture at home or on the train. Sometimes, instead of reading scripture in the morning, I’ll listen to a sermon (via podcast) on my iPod or, like today, I will simply delight in the presence of God and do nothing other than dwell in him. If I don’t read scripture in the morning I sometimes do during my lunch break.

At night, I meditate on a specific passage of scripture. I’ve been spending the last few days meditating on Psalm 37. Then, just before bed, I pray with my wife. We use this time to intercede for others, bathe each other in prayer and worship the Lord. This is the basic way I devote my day to the Lord.

How do you spend your devotional time?