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Idolatry - Bible Thought - WISE

Words In Scripture Explored -Idolatry

Images of Idolatry

I wonder if you are like me and when you hear the word idolatry, you imagine somebody bowing before a statue and worshipping it. Such as the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, as recorded by Moses in Exodus 32, or people bowing down to the statue of the Buddha or one of the many Hindu gods. Therefore, idolatry is worshipping statues or worshipping in other religions. However, the Bible is very clear, that idolatry is a threat to living the Christian life. How can that be, you may very well ask!

Christian Idolatry

As a Christian, you are to love God and love others. Anything that replaces your love of God as your first priority, is an idol, and therefore, is idolatry. For idolatry is not merely worshipping statues. But idolatry is transference of allegiance to something apart from God. It is worshipping created things, and not worshipping God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. And idolatry can be anything, for anything can take first place in your life! It may be your computer, your car, your books, your family, your church, a Christian leader, entertainment, celebrities and even love of yourself! These are all good things, in and of themselves, but they are not good things if they replace God from first priority in your life. These things can turn out to be idols, because they relegate your thinking of Almighty God to below first place.

Idolatry is the mind’s sin

Paul writes to the Roman church in Romans 1v22-25. In that passage of scripture, Paul links idolatry with immorality. Immorality is the outer sins and idolatry is the inward sin. Idolatry is an attitude inside you that says to God “You are not first place, this other thing is”. Somebody who commits the sin of idolatry is a slave to that something else, and is not a slave to God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So idolatry is not just worshipping in another religion and bowing down to statues. Idolatry is relegating God to second place, in both actions and attitudes. Therefore cast off anything that is blocking your relationship with Almighty God. As idolatry is primarily the sin of the mind, those depraved ideas turn to sins of lusts and idolatrous physical pleasures. Be renewed in your thinking and have a renewed mind, so that you can worship Almighty God through Jesus Christ the Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Temptation - Bible Thought - WISE

Temptation

Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is temptation. A word every human being who has ever lived, including Jesus Christ, has faced at some point in their life.

I don’t know if you have ever seen what appear to be silly safety signs such as this one that I saw on a chainsaw which said “Do not attempt to stop the chain with your hands." That would not be a temptation to me! But that’s what we are facing when we are tempted to sin and disobey God! When you are tempted to disobey God, either in action or inaction, you are not to touch it – just like you wouldn’t try to stop a chainsaw with your hands!!

Christian Disciples face constant temptation to disobey God and sin. However temptations are common experiences for all Christian Disciples. God allows temptations, but He will never let you be tempted beyond what He knows you can handle – that’s His promise. And even more, He always provides a means of escape from temptation! (1 Corinthians 10v12-13)!

Temptation it must be noted is not sin, or Jesus the sinless one would not be sinless! Rather it is the giving into temptation that is causes us to sin. By dealing with temptation at the very moment it confronts you, you show you are living a life worthy of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that as Christian Disciples we face temptation from three different angles: the world, our old nature and satan.

Here are some short guidelines to help you deal with temptation:

• Remembering the need to love God with a greater love for whatever tempts us (1 John 2:15).
• Acknowledging and remembering that sin’s power was nullified by Jesus’ death on the cross (Romans 6:11) and in living under the control of the Spirit’s power (Galatians 5:16).
• Remembering that you are as a Christian Disciple to be living a moment-by-moment dependence in faith on the Spirit’s power, and make a conscious decision by an act of your will to benefit from the Spirit’s power and assistance.
• Remember to continue to grow as a Christian Disciple and submit everything to God. If you are growing as Christian Disciples we grow more in love with God, and therefore our desire to sin and disobey Him grows less.

Remember that the Holy Spirit lives inside you, and greater is He that is in you than anything else in the world (1 John 4v4). Now that is a comforting thought, because it means we don’t face these temptations alone! So next time you are faced with temptation, pray and ask for God’s help! If you have specific sins that entangle you habitually, ask that the Holy Spirit will help you avoid the temptation! It may also mean that you are to avoid the situation or circumstance where you are being tempted.

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Sin - Bible Thought - WISE

Sin

Welcome to Partake WISE.  The word for today is sin.

Sinning!

I wonder if you have ever played tennis and went to hit the ball but missed.  Or you actually hit the ball and it went outside the court!  Or perhaps you are a golfer, and one day you went to putt the ball in the hole, and you missed! The tennis player who hit the ball out of court or the golfer who missed the hole can be both be said to have committed a sin, because they missed!  And that is what a sin, in biblical terms, is:  it is missing the mark that God has set.

Big and Little Sins

And everybody, particularly in the West, including those who would not call themselves Christians, has some idea of sin.  They generally call doing things like telling lies or speeding in the car, “little sins” because everybody does those, they say!  And of course, only a tiny minority of people commit the real big sins, such as murdering other people or robbing banks!  So to most people’s minds, there are degrees of sins, depending on how many people actually do that kind of sin.

Sin actually is...

So what actually is the biblical definition of sin?  Sin is the lack of conformity, , to the Moral Law of God, either in deeds, attitudes, or state. Do you remember Jesus saying the two greatest commands were to love God and love others? Any breakage of those two commandments is sin, whether by a lot or a little. There are two kinds of sin. Firstly there are the sins, which are active disobedience, or the sins of commission. These are where God’s commands are actively broken! Secondly there are the passive kinds, which are sins of omission. These occur when people are not doing, as they ought to do (James 4:17)!

Stop! Confess! Live!

Everybody, including Christian Disciples, sin in one of those two ways!  Of course Christian Disciples have accepted Jesus Christ and have had their sins forgiven.  But Christian Disciples, still sin!  But as a Christian Disciple, you are to take God’s view of sin! You cannot claim to be without sin, because as 1 John 1 says, you would be living in self-delusion and making God out to be a liar! So, when you realise you have sinned, be quick to confess it, so that your relationship with Jesus Christ remains at peak intimacy! For as 1 John 1v9 says, “Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus wants us to have complete fellowship with him, and by confessing sin; your fellowship with Him is made richer, more intimate and stronger.

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Meek - Bible Thought - WISE

Meek

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are-no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." (Matthew 5:5)

It must be said right from the beginning that meekness is NOT weakness. It takes a strong character to deliberately set aside their rights. For example Moses was the meekest man in all the earth (Number 12:1-3) and Moses was not a weak-willed character! Meekness is accepting God's dealings with us as good, without dispute or resistance. Meekness is effectively trusting God to be God! The meek person is somebody who claims no rights of their own, and who is willing to yield all possessions and personal rights to God. The meek person sees possessions as being loaned to them by God for His work & glory.

We see this in the example of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2v5-6) and it was also in evidence in the early church (Acts 5v12). But why should Christians give up their rights? You do so because you belong to God, through your own volition. As a Christian, "You are not your own, you were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Contradictory to this, is the way of the world, which insists that every person has rights and that they have a right to use their rights! What do you gain by handing over your own rights to God? Amongst other things you gain inner satisfaction and peace (Psalm 22:26; 37:8-11) and an increased joy in the Lord (Isaiah 29:19)

What steps can you follow which may help you be meek?

1. Firstly identify the areas, which tend to get you angry or worried. Allow your heart to be a workshop of the Holy Spirit and prayerfully think through each area and yield each one of them to Him, with no strings attached. These areas may include things like lifestyle; marriage; friendships; reputation; possessions; health; money or time. When these are yielded to God, God is then responsible for these areas of our lives and we can live on the basis of "Everything works for the good of those who love Him..." (Romans 8:28-29)

2. Expect God to test His rights. As each right is yielded, God will probably allow situations to occur which will deny you these rights. These are opportunities to see if the right was really yielded. It may be necessary once again to yield that right to Jesus Christ.

3. Finally, acknowledge you are God's possession and His responsibility (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and thank God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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Adoption - Bible Thought - WISE

Adoption

The word for today is adoption. Imagine you are an orphan left on the streets. You are hungry and thirsty. Begging for scraps of food. Your last job you were treated like a slave, so you escaped. Even your only friend, a stray dog, has abandoned you! You are friendless, lonely and miserable.

Then one day a big stretch limousine pulls up beside you. You recognize the limousine. It is the one you scratched with a key because you were bored and belongs to the enemy of your former boss. The driver asks you to get in, and reluctantly you do. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The limousine drives and eventually goes through some large gates and there is a huge house on top of the hill. The owner is there to greet you. He tells you that you are now part of his family now, if you want to be. You have no need to go back to begging for scraps. You are part of his family now, with all the legal standing as one of his children.

That is adoption in the Christian sense. If you are a Christian, God has accepted you as a member of His family with all the legal standing of an heir and a true son or true daughter.

The Bible says in Galatians 4:7 "Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."

Because of adoption, we know that:

• God purchased us from slavery into a family (Ephesians 1:7)!
  
• God will supply all our needs, just as all good fathers always do!
  
• God comes to live inside us!
  
• We are reconciled with God, even though once we were His enemies (Romans 5:9)!
  
• We have transformed relationships with others and ourselves!
  
• We now seek His honour rather than our own!
  

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Holy Communion - Bible Thought - WISE

36. Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper

 

Luke writes “He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the Disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” (Luke 22v19-20)

Depending on your church, it can be called amongst other things, the Eucharist or The Lord’s Supper. Christians are commanded to participate, as Jesus said: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22v19). Some churches do it every service and others do it monthly. Whenever we participate in it, we do it regularly as a remembrance of Jesus until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11v26)! The bread symbolizes His body broken on the cross and the wine symbolizes His blood shed on the cross. Therefore before we partake of the bread and wine, we are to examine ourselves and confess any unforgiven sin (1 Corinthians 11v28-29). This is done so because it would be hypocritical to eat it while harbouring known sin in our hearts and having fellowship with Jesus and others in the church!

What does it all mean?

It symbolizes the following things:

• It also symbolizes the death of Christ for our sin (Luke 22v19)

• It symbolizes our acceptance of Christ’s death for us.

• Symbolizes our dependence on Christ for spiritual life.

Through your participation in it, you have:

• fellowship with other believers in the universal church (1 Corinthians 10v17)

• We receive the benefits of His sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10v16)

• We spiritually feed upon Christ (1 Corinthians 11v24)

It also reflects the New Covenant between God and Jesus’ Disciples – a Covenant which guarantees salvation!

Two other main views insist that it is more than just symbolic! Firstly, there is transubstantiation, which believes that the bread and wine actually become the blood and body of Jesus Christ. Secondly there is, consubstantiation, which believes that the body and blood of Christ are present in the Communion meal.

However, it must be noted, that both of these views would indicate that Jesus Christ is being re-sacrificed and Hebrews 7v27b-28 (But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.) seems to refute these views. The bread we eat and wine we drink at Holy Communion are only symbolic of Jesus' sacrifice and not a re-enactment.

Through the act of Baptism and the partaking of Communion, we remember the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our lives.

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Christ - Bible Thought - WISE

Christ

The word Christ is the New Testament word for the Old Testament word, Messiah. So we look to the Old Testament first, in order to understand what the New Testament word Christ means! It certainly means more than just a swear word. It was not Jesus' surname, although it was appended to His name in the New Testament, more as a way of expressing who He was!

So how is the word Messiah used in the Old Testament?

The word translated ‘Messiah' is found only twice (Daniel 9:25-26). The New International Version translates the word ‘Messiah' as the ‘Anointed One'. The Old Testament idea of Messiah has five principles attached to it: God's chosen and anointed man; He will bring salvation for God's people; He will judge God's enemies; He is an appointed ruler over nations; He is an active representative of God. Surprisingly, these five principles can be applied to King Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1). Cyrus, is an example of a Messiah, the anointed one of God, even though he was not one of God's people, the Israelites. This shows that the word Messiah can have a non-religious meaning behind it.

The Messiah, God's Anointed One, is pictured in several ways in the Old Testament. There is the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 40-55); the Conquering Warrior (Isaiah 56-66); the Branch - particularly of David (Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8); Son of Man (Daniel 7); and finally Anointed Prince (Daniel 9:25-27). All of the Old Testament Covenants pointed towards this future coming of the Messiah, God's Anointed One!

Through all these Covenants we see a God who is willing to interact with His creation and bless it. When first century Christians such as Paul, Peter and John checked all the events surrounding the life of Jesus, they searched their Scriptures, our Old Testament. It was as the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds, that they wrote down and passed on the whole gamut of Old Testament promise which was fulfilled in God's Messiah and the world's hope: Jesus Christ and Him alone. Jesus Christ is all five of those principles referred to in the Old Testament Messiah.

Investigate the New Testament for yourself to find how, why and where! For example 2 Samuel 7v12 predicts the birth of Solomon as David's successor to the throne with his role being to establish David's throne forever (2 Samuel 7v13). We see this link to Jesus Christ, though the genealogies to both Joseph: a legal right to David's throne (Matthew 1v1-17) and to Mary: a blood right to David's throne (Luke 3v23-38). Or the Mosaic Covenant, or Law of Moses, was given that they could realize the helplessness of their own efforts, and their need of God's help. Galatians 3v22-24 explains that the Law was only a protective fence, until through the promised Messiah, humanity "could be made right with God through faith." All of history pointed to the coming of this Messiah, this Christ, if you will. This was all part of Paul's reasoning from Scripture with the Jews he came in contact with.

Of course for Paul, as for us, the Messiah is Jesus Christ. All of history, points to this Jesus Christ, coming back again. Coming back, not as a baby next time, but as a King in glory!

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Forgiveness - Bible Thought - WISE

Forgiveness

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What is forgiveness?

CS Lewis once said that "forgiveness is a beautiful word - until you have something or somebody to forgive." And he was right! True forgiveness is not just saying sorry!! Forgiveness is to include penitence and also a desire never to do that same thing again. Forgiveness of course is a major part of Christianity, both in the way that God forgives when approached in penitence and repentance, but also in the way Christians forgive others and themselves! In both giving and receiving forgiveness, consider Jesus Christ and the enormity of His forgiveness.

Paul writes in Colossians 3v12-14 that forgiveness is part of the being in God’s family of Christians! If God forgave you for all that you have done wrong, then you also should forgive others, regardless of how difficult that might be to do. Nobody said it would always be easy though! Forgiveness enables you to have the same openness toward the person after they offend you, as you did before the event – if not more! When you truly forgive the person who has wronged you, any hurt you have will diminish.

Receiving and Giving Forgiveness

But why do we need to both receive and give forgiveness? Apart from being commanded to, a vast number of emotional and psychological problems are caused by failure to either give or to receive forgiveness.

• There is a failure to receive forgiveness. Many people try to pay for their sin by trying to punish themselves for they're past sins. These people should let go, because God has forgiven them, just as they asked!
• There is a failure to give forgiveness. When forgiveness is not offered to a person who has done you wrong, bitterness, resentment and anger may spring up in your life. There are parents who hurt; siblings who fail; and close friends who betray and reject. Yet forgive is the command, and it can only be done as the Holy Spirit and His power is relied upon.

By receiving and giving forgiveness, you will find an ability to love God more and love others more openly. Don’t let bitter unforgiveness destroy you and others, but rather let love & forgiveness build and strengthen.

God and Forgiveness

God’s ultimate concern is your holiness and not just your happiness, as you are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ! God is concerned not just about what is happening to you, but also what you are learning and how you are responding in His workshop of life, as you are being transformed. This involves both giving and receiving forgiveness. Tests to see if there is someone I need to forgive

• Resentment test - Is there anyone you resent?
• Responsibility test - Do you find yourself thinking, "If only this other person or persons had done this, things would have been different!" and therefore blaming others?
• Reminder/reaction test - Do you find yourself reacting negatively against a person because they remind you of someone else?

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Perseverance - Bible Thought - WISE

Words In Scripture Explored

Perseverance

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Perseverance in relation to God and His work is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in your life as a believer. It is a work of divine grace that is begun in your heart, which is continued and brought to completion.

• As a Christian, you will never perish, and nobody or nothing can snatch them out of His hand (John 10v27-29)
• You have eternal life and you will not be condemned, passed from death to life. (John 5v24)
• God, who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1v6)
• You are shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1v15)
• Nothing can separate you from God/Christ’s love. (Romans 8v38-39)
• The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2v19)
• Eternal life never depends on our feeble grip on Christ, but rather on His firm grip on us.

God’s whole purpose for you is to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ. His purpose for you is to make you holy. This is where perseverance for you as a Christian comes in.

Perseverance of the Christian

You are to keep your eyes focussed on Jesus Christ, carry your cross daily and be willing to obey God. But as a Christian, you are sometimes entangled by sin (Hebrews 12v1). God who wholly loves, must discipline His children in order to teach them willing obedience to Himself. God disciplines His children and “It is painful.” (Hebrews 12v11) Therefore as a Christian, and you sin whilst remaining unrepentant and habitually addicted to that sin, God will discipline (Hebrews 12v10). If you sin and are not disciplined, you are not His child (Hebrews 12v8).

The Practice of Sin - Habitual Sin

As a Christian, you cannot continue to sin habitually, willingly maintaining a sinful practice or attitude. That is why you are warned against falling away.

• We share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end. (Hebrews 3v13-14)
• It is possible to experience much of what God offers and not be a Christian e.g. The Pharisees (Hebrews 6v4-6)

Deliberate sinning after receiving the truth reveals a rejection of truth. However, God is merciful and will forgive if repentance is asked for! As a Christian, persevere in your relationship with God. Obey Him and follow Him. Ask questions humbly of Him and expect Him to answer, particularly if you don’t understand something. Persevere in your prayers, your relationships with God and with other people. God will persevere with you, turning you gradually into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. God will not abandon you, but you are free to abandon Him. If you did abandon Him, He would still continue to call you back to Himself.

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Resurrection - Bible Thought - WISE

Resurrection

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Resurrection means rising or raising up.  It certainly means more than coming back to life as some people think.  Jesus raised three people from the dead, but that was more a resuscitation than a resurrection - those three people would die again! So lets start by looking at Jesus' resurrection.

Jesus' Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1v22; Acts 4v33, Acts 17v18).  But what significance is there in Jesus' resurrection? Jesus' resurrection proves and vindicates all of His teaching.  It certifies His claims to be the suffering Servant, just as it attests to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53v10-12; Acts 2v36; Acts 3v13-15; Romans 1v4). God's approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises is declared through the resurrection.  The result of which, is forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ.

In the early church this was the prime motive for evangelism (Acts 2v32, Romans 4v24-25) As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us.  More than that, He has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow Him (Romans 5v10; Hebrews 6v20, 1 Peter 1v21).

These facts remain for Jesus' resurrection, despite what some people say including Islam and other detractors of historical Christianity. The changed attitude of the disciples after seeing the risen Jesus.  The disciples changed from defeated, cowardly people into victorious, brave and bold people. Nobody who could have produced the dead body of Jesus did so.  This led to the survival and inordinate growth and impact of the early church.  If there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus' would people really have risked persecution and death for a known lie?

Finally, there were multiple appearances of Jesus! These appearances were to various numbers of individuals and groups of people, at various times of the day and in differing circumstances. Jesus' resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all those who believe and trust in Him during their earthly life!  This should give you a new attitude to death and the transforming of hopes (1 Corinthians 15v12-58, Romans 8v10, 2 Corinthians 4v14; 1 Peter 1v3 & 21)

Believers Resurrection

The bodily resurrection of the dead, those who are saved and those who are unsaved, is clearly taught in Bible (John 5v28-29; Acts 24v15). Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15v20-22) Christian Disciples resurrected body will be:

• Like Christ's glorious body (1 Corinthians 15v49; Philippians 3v21; 1 John 3v2)
• Not flesh and blood (1 Corinthians 15v50ff)
• Not partly spiritual (Luke 24v39; 1 Corinthians 15v42, 53)

Those who are or were non-believers will be resurrected (John 5v28-29), but not entered into heaven but rather they cast into the lake of fire.  It makes the work of evangelism for all Christian Disciples, all the more imperative.  Go tell somebody today, the good news about what Jesus resurrection means to them.

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