A Pleasant Aroma

My youngest son was in trouble. Again. I had walked in on the finishing touches of what was one humdinger of a scolding from his mother. Apparently the little guy had been caught "pretending" to take a bath and, judging by the level of odor, this ruse had been going on for quite some time.

I sat the little guy down in my home office in an attempt to have a 'father-son' moment in which I could impart the wisdom of the ages into an eager young mind. Instead, I got a series of questions:

"Dad, are skunks embarrassed by their smell?"  I replied, "No, son. I don't think so."

"Is Hansen [our dog] embarrassed when he smells like dog poop?" "No, I don't think so"

"Then Dad, why are humans embarrassed for how they smell?"

I'll be honest. As one who has two master's degrees and the beginnings of a Ph.D program I immediately felt unable to answer the question. The little guy's logic was impeccable, albeit from the perspective of an elementary-age boy.

Of course, the real answer is that it all depends on who does the smelling. Perhaps to another school age boy smelling like a gym-locker sock has a certain appeal, but one's mother generally has a less than favorable impression of that same odor. 

Throughout the book of Leviticus, the Lord refers to how things "smell" over 25x.  In Leviticus 1:9, after giving instructions for the Burnt Offering, the Lord says, "it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." There was an odor coming Israel which was offensive to God. It was the 'odor' of sin. Like little boys that don't like to bath, the "smell" of our own sin doesn't seem to bother us too much, but it bothers God a lot. But there was another odor which was pleasing to God, obedience! 

Through Christ, our lives can be something that God finds pleasing and fragrant. We are to be, as Paul calls us in 2 Cor 2:14, "the aroma of Christ" to the world around us. What do you 'smell' like? 

For God, the Best, the Greatest

The ancient Romans had a saying, Iovi Optimo Maximo, which meant "Jove, the best, the greatest". Jove is another name for Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. Since they considered him the king of all gods, this was their way as saying that there was no one greater in heaven above or earth below.

But the Greeks and the Romans understood they might be wrong. What if another god existed? What if this other god was greater than even Jupiter/Zeus? The apostle Paul saw this first hand when he traveled through Athens. In that city the citizens erected an altar dedicated "To the Unknown God" (Acts 17:23), being ever fearful that they may have overlooked a god. It is one thing to offend a fellow being, it is an other thing entirely to offend an all powerful Deity! Minutius Felix (a Christian writer in the 2nd century) confirms such altars existed throughout the Roman empire. 

In the centuries following Christ's resurrection, more and more people in the Roman empire came to believe in the truth of the Gospel. So much so, that the old Roman myth religions began to die out and churches began popping up everywhere. Historians tell us that it was around this time that a new Latin phrase began to appear: Deo Optimo Maximo (God, the best, the greatest). They had come to realize there was one far greater than Zeus.

Today, set some time aside to praise and worship God the Father. "For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, as he is to be held in awe above all gods" (1 Chronicles 16:25).

A Prayer for President Obama

Father,

Today I pray for our President. Give him the resolve to protect the citizens of this country from any evil abroad that seeks their harm. I praise you that he cares deeply about the health and safety of my fellow citizens. Father, I pray you give him the same conviction for the unborn.

I praise you that our chosen leader is remarkably intelligent, and one that many would gladly follow. I pray that you give him the wisdom to see you as the true Sovereign, and they he would lead this nation back to your merciful throne.

My concerns and fears regarding our President I lay before that same throne, realizing only you are the true King of my soul and my world.

Protect our President, guard his family, keep his marriage strong.

Amen.

Why I have endorsed Mitt Romney

I urge all my fellow Christians to go to the polls tomorrow and caste a vote for Mitt Romney...particularly those in the all-important Buckeye State. I am saddened and concerned when I hear my fellow believers say they refuse to vote for a Mormon, opting instead to vote for a third party candidate, a write-in candidate, or refusing to vote at all. Remember, we are not voting for a Pastor-in-Chief but rather a Commander-in-Chief. For my part I would much rather vote for a non-Christian who is capable of leading our nation forward in a positive way than a Christian who is incapable of doing so [or, as is currently the case of Romney's opponent, a non-Christian who is incapable].

Over the last several months I have spent much time studying Mitt Romney and the positions he holds. Without any reservation, I believe he is the candidate who can best lead our country forward.

1. He is the most qualified to lead our country economically. The radical social engineering that has occurred over the last four years has broken the back of our economy. Instead of bringing relief to job creators, and thus ushering in a wave of job creation and economic growth, the current administration has used the weakened economy to take the country down a decidedly socialist path. Regulation and taxation have ruled the day and decimated the middle class. Mitt Romney understands business and the global market in a way that no prior presidential candidate ever has.

2. He has proven himself loyal and respectful of our allies. Our current president has shown open disdain to some of our countries closest allies, including Israel and Great Britain. Mitt Romney has close ties to Israel, has openly championed our mutual friendship, and has pledged commitment to their right to defend themselves from terrorist attack or foreign aggression. 

3. He is committed to biblical values regarding abortion and marriage. Though Mitt Romney is accused of 'flip-flopping' on this issue, in reality for the last 15-20 years he has been on a clear and consistent trajectory towards a more conservative position. While running for Senate (unsuccessfully) and Governor (successfully) of Massachusetts he did endorse a limited pro-choice position. However, while serving as Governor he was faced with signing a bill into law that would have expanded abortion services and, upon much soul-searching, he decided he could not. I am deeply concerned by my fellow believers who accuse Romney of being double-minded on this issue. Instead, we should rejoice that someone has seen the horribly truth about abortion and become an advocate for life. Romney passionately believes that abortion should be banned, the only exception being rape, incest, and the life of the mother. While many conservatives (including myself) would not want some of those exceptions, in reality this has been the standard Republican position for many decades. Regarding marriage, he has consistently and vocally opposed same-sex marriage even during his time as Governor.

5. He honors and respects our military, and is passionate about national defense. The current administration is aggressively cutting our military's budget (in order to drastically increase spending for his new social programs). Such recklessness not only puts our soldiers at risk, it seriously undermines our ability to protect ourselves and our allies. Mitt Romney supports strengthening our military.

6. He has a balanced approach to environmental issues. One of the weaknesses of the current conservative/republican movement is their failure to recognize the seriousness of the environmental crisis. Mitt Romney understands we must protect the environment, and as Governor he issued a "Climate Protection Plan" that sought to reduce environmental pollution. However, Romney also understands that radical and sweeping regulations can also negatively impact business and employment, thus hurting families (both in term of lost employment and increased energy costs). I am confident that Romney will strive to protect our environment while not sacrificing families at the altar of 'mother earth'.

7. The next president will influence the Supreme Court for decades. By all accounts, the next president will most likely appoint anywhere between 1 to 3 Supreme Court justices. We have already seen the type of justices Barack Obama will appoint. I would much rather Mitt Romney be in the position to make this decision than the current occupant of the White House.

Tomorrow, vote for Mitt Romney

Pastor Josh Gelatt

Applying 1 Cor 5:9-11

There is in all of us, even the genuine follower of Jesus, a Pharisee that continually tries to get out and take over. Pharisees were those individuals who could take the clearest and most beautiful parts of the Gospel and turn them into lifeless religious behaviors. While looking pious and holy, all the while the Pharisee is the person who totally misses what God is offering.

When I read 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, I recognize how modern day Christians (me included) quickly play the part of a Pharisee when applying this verse. It says:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11 ESV)

Most committed Christians readily understand that we must distance ourselves from the really bad sinners. Of course, we pretend this is a great act of holiness, but who really wants to hang out with a pedophile or ex-convict? Honestly, most people--even many nonbelievers--don't even want to hang out with the guy who 'cusses like a sailor'. So, by avoiding 'those kind of people', we read 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 and go our merry way being rather content with our obedience.

Nonsense. Frankly, it should be the other way around.

Most believers wouldn't dare step foot into a bar, but they will freely hang out with a professed fellow believer who gets drunk every once in a while. We shun gays and lesbians, but yet invite the sister in Christ who is having an affair over for a meal. Unfortunately, as the Church, we don’t do the best job hanging out with those who are not like us (Christians). We tell the foul-language pagan neighbor he needs Jesus, but never confront the brother in Christ who gossips and divides the Body. But when I read 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I see a passage that implies the gays, lesbians, cussing sailors, and town drunks should be warmly invited into our churches and homes. It is the professing believers who refuse to give up their sin who are to be rejected. If truth be told, we are only more comfortable around the second group because they use religious-sounding language. 

The apostle Paul is crystal clear: We are not called to avoid those who curse Christ, but rather those who claim Christ but stubbornly cling to their sin.

Any pharisee can curse a sinner. That is death-producing religiosity. The Gospel demands we embrace those 'outside' the church, but confront those 'inside' of it. I like how the New Living Translation renders 1 Corinthians 5:12, "It isn't your responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning."

What About the "Lost" Books of the Bible?

Question: I just found out that there are lost books of the Bible. Are these considered inspired, and why would God let them become lost?

Well, it is true that there are books and documents that the Bible mentions that have been lost to history, but it is not true that there are lost “books of the Bible”. The Bible, by definition, is the collection of 66 documents (some books, some letters) that we have available to us today. These have never been lost.

But the Bible does mention other documents. Some of these documents are clearly secular. For example, both the book of Esther and Nehemiah mention the “Chronicles of King Xerxes”, the Persian king who enslaved Israel for a period of time (see Esther 2:23; 6:1; 10:2; Neh 12:23). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul quotes from Greek philosophers/poets (Menander in 1 Cor 15:33; and Epimenides in Acts 17:29 & Titus 1:12-13).  The point is the Bible sometimes quotes from sources written by non-believers. Certainly these sources were never considered inspired!

Scripture also quotes or makes reference to other documents written by believers, most of which have been lost. Both Jude and 2 Peter quote the “Book of Enoch”. In 1 Corinthians 5:9 Paul refers to his “former letter”. In Colossians 4:16 he mentions a letter he wrote to the believers in Laodicea, and commands it be read to the church in Colossae. Neither letter has been preserved. In the Old Testament, there are several documents mentioned, but I will only list a few: Numbers 21:14 mentions the “Book of the Wars of the Lord”; Joshua 10:12-13 and 2 Sam 1:19-27 mentions the “Book of Jashar” (or, the ‘Book of the Upright’); 1 Kings 14:19 & 16:20 refers to the “Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” and 1 Kings 14:29 mentions a similar book for the kings of Judah (note: this can’t be referring to 1 & 2 Chronicles, as these were written later). 1 Samuel 10:25 refers to a now-lost document Samuel wrote; 1 Kings 11:41 references the “Acts of Solomon” and 1 Chronicles 27:24 speaks of “The Annals of King David”.

Just because a believer writes something doesn’t make it inspired and part of God’s inerrant word (just go to your local Christian bookstore to confirm this). Not everything Paul wrote was inspired, but everything Paul wrote in the Bible is inspired. The same is true for David, Samuel, Solomon, or any other biblical writer. The overall point is this: God has given us exactly what he wants us to have. He spoke to us through the prophets and apostles, which is the Bible we hold in our hands.

Is it biblical to pray directly to the Holy Spirit?

Question: Is it biblical to pray directly to the Holy Spirit?

Many years ago, John R. Rice was preaching at a conference when he opened his address with this prayer: "Oh Father, breathe on me. Lord Jesus, help me to preach tonight. Holy Spirit, give me power." Immediately afterwards a young preacher chastised Dr. Rice saying "You made a serious mistake when you prayed. The proper procedure is to pray to the Father through the Son and in the Spirit." Dr. Rice looked at him with a sheepish grin and replied, "Son, I've been in that family a long time. I know them all personally."

The problem with the young man's comments is that he betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of Scritpure. Notice his statement: "Pray to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. While that is a nifty use of English prepositions, it doesn't really square with the Biblical evidence. 

When we look at the biblical data, we must immediately admit we have no example or command in Scripture to pray to the Holy Spirit. Of course, there is no verse that says we cannot either. Yet we should understand that the default pattern of prayer for a New Testament believer is to address our prayers directly to the Father. Jesus even teaches us that we should pray this way (see Matt 6:9-13). But the New Testament does give many examples of believers praying directly to Jesus:

1. John tells us we can pray to Jesus:  1 John 5:11-15 – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
2. Paul prayed to Jesus, and specifically mentions having done so at least 3x regarding a specific issue (2 Cor 12:7-9).
3. Paul assumed the Corinthian believers regularly pray to Jesus: 1 Corinthians 1:2 – "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord  Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.
4. Paul commands us to sing praise (musical prayers) directly to Jesus: Ephesians 5:19 – “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart”
5. Peter urges Simon the Sorcerer to pray to Jesus (note: the KJV renders this differently, but the Greek clearly says “tou kuriou”, or "to the Lord”): “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22).
6. The apostle John ends the book of Revelation with a prayer to Jesus: “Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
7. Stephen, just before his death, prays directly to Jesus: “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”(Acts 7:57).
8. The 11 apostles prayed to regarding whom should replace Judas as the 12^th apostle: “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen” (Acts 1:24)

As Scripture allows us to pray to two members of the Trinity, many assume that it is therefore equally appropriate to pray directly to the Holy Spirit. Scripture never actually forbids prayer to the Holy Spirit, so calling it an "unbiblical" practice is essentially an argument from silence, which is not very convincing. Also, from a theological and Trinitarian point of view we must understand that the Spirit is fully God, and therefore worthy of our worship and prayer. Thus, forbidding this practice outright perhaps displays a distorted view of the Trinity. We probably even see allusions to this type of prayer in Isaiah 6:3 (cf Rev 4:8) where the angels sing "Holy, holy, holy". Most interpreters of Scripture see the three "holy's" as a reference to the Trinitarian nature of God. The prayers of believers are, ultimately, received by the Trinitarian God.

But if we take the biblical record seriously we must admit that the Spirit's divine power relating to prayer is most clearly displayed by aiding and empower our prayer life...even to the point of uttering prayers on our behalf (cf Romans 8:26). In similar fashion, Jesus' divine power is displayed by serving as the mediator between us and the Father. However, though Jesus takes us to God in prayer, we are still clearly allowed to pray to Jesus. Many apply the same argument to the Holy Spirit.

So, the greatest argument in favor of praying to the Spirit is appeal to the clear biblical witness that we can and should pray to Jesus. While not the most convincing evidence, it does suggest we go too far by openly declaring such a practice to be 'unbiblical'. We dare not forbid what God hasn't forbidden...though I would suggest caution on a spiritual practice on which Scripture is silent.

We should follow the pattern of prayer set by Jesus and the Apostles in Scripture. In general, our prayers should be directed to the Father in Jesus' name. Yet it is clearly appropriate and expected that we would also pray to our Lord Jesus. Perhaps the same is true of the Spirit.