I would like to apologize to all my readers who left comments and did not see them published for a very long time. I am extremely new to Blogger, and I thought that I would be notified of comments awaiting moderation (yes, I have started reading comments before I approve them, just to be safe :D ) with an email. Alas, that is not the case. I did not notice the little phrase right below the manage blogs section telling me I had five comments waiting. Now that i know, your comments should be posted quite a bit quicker.
Your Brother in Christ,
Joe Anderson
"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Rev 12:11
"Testimony is just a fancy word for heaven touched earth right where I'm standing and I am different as a result." Kristen Williams
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Misused Verse #5
This verse really, really, really shouldn't have made it into this list, but anything is possible with liberal Bible Twisters, so I shouldn't be surprised. The verse I am referring too is Joshua 10:12-13 "At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies."
You may be thinking "What is so dangerous about misusing this verse, and how on Earth could this be misused?" I too, at one point, didn't think twice of this verse, and only thought of it as a very interesting story of how the LORD listened to Joshua's prayer. Unfortunately, some liberal tele-evangelists looked at this verse and applied it to themselves and to all of their audience. Paraphrasing, they said: "the weather world-wide has reached biblical proportions, and we believe that this is a result of our sins. Christians in every country must therefore pray a sun stand still prayer and take authority over the weather." I don't know about you, but I think if I went to Minnesota and tried to take authority over a tornado, I would probably get sucked up and thrown very far. The reason I believe Christians can't take "authority" over the weather is that Paul was shipwrecked three times, and if he prayed a "sun stand still prayer" then I'm guessing it didn't take much effect, or else he probably wouldn't have been shipwrecked. And if Paul couldn't take authority over the weather, I highly doubt I could, or any other Christian for that matter.
You may be wondering why I even included this misused verse, and what the danger is in misusing that verse in such a way as this. The problem with this misuse of the verse is that it paints our God as totally powerless until we pray a special prayer, being sure to say all the correct words. And when the weather doesn't change the way we want it to (and we're sucked into the physical/metaphoric tornado), people can look at our failure and say: "Hmm, their God didn't help them like they thought he would, so he must either be powerless or non-existent." The result is Christianity being a laughing stock to all of the world (not that I care what the world thinks, but it's hard to be a light to the world when they view us as ridiculous).
If there are any verses that apply to Christians and suggests that we can take authority over the weather, please let me know, so I can alert the guy who alerted me to this misuse, and so I could put forward a retraction. Or so we can debate possible interpretations to the verses and try and find out if this is possible (because if it is, we could get careers praying before football or rugby games so it doesn't rain... jk)
Hope this post was informative and thought-provoking. Let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Joe Anderson
All Authority in Heaven and on Earth was given to JESUS the CHRIST, not Joe Shmoe the common Christian
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies."
You may be thinking "What is so dangerous about misusing this verse, and how on Earth could this be misused?" I too, at one point, didn't think twice of this verse, and only thought of it as a very interesting story of how the LORD listened to Joshua's prayer. Unfortunately, some liberal tele-evangelists looked at this verse and applied it to themselves and to all of their audience. Paraphrasing, they said: "the weather world-wide has reached biblical proportions, and we believe that this is a result of our sins. Christians in every country must therefore pray a sun stand still prayer and take authority over the weather." I don't know about you, but I think if I went to Minnesota and tried to take authority over a tornado, I would probably get sucked up and thrown very far. The reason I believe Christians can't take "authority" over the weather is that Paul was shipwrecked three times, and if he prayed a "sun stand still prayer" then I'm guessing it didn't take much effect, or else he probably wouldn't have been shipwrecked. And if Paul couldn't take authority over the weather, I highly doubt I could, or any other Christian for that matter.
You may be wondering why I even included this misused verse, and what the danger is in misusing that verse in such a way as this. The problem with this misuse of the verse is that it paints our God as totally powerless until we pray a special prayer, being sure to say all the correct words. And when the weather doesn't change the way we want it to (and we're sucked into the physical/metaphoric tornado), people can look at our failure and say: "Hmm, their God didn't help them like they thought he would, so he must either be powerless or non-existent." The result is Christianity being a laughing stock to all of the world (not that I care what the world thinks, but it's hard to be a light to the world when they view us as ridiculous).
If there are any verses that apply to Christians and suggests that we can take authority over the weather, please let me know, so I can alert the guy who alerted me to this misuse, and so I could put forward a retraction. Or so we can debate possible interpretations to the verses and try and find out if this is possible (because if it is, we could get careers praying before football or rugby games so it doesn't rain... jk)
Hope this post was informative and thought-provoking. Let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Joe Anderson
All Authority in Heaven and on Earth was given to JESUS the CHRIST, not Joe Shmoe the common Christian
Friday, October 21, 2011
It's the End of the World as we Know It
That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane -
Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height. Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for
hire and a combat site. Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the furies
breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered
crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population,
common group, but it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its
own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
light, feeling pretty psyched.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
Those are the lyrics to a very interesting song... But the fact of the matter is, TODAY IS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least, according to Harold Camping ::Cough:: HERETIC ::Cough::
Unless I am in extreme denial (ha!) and my brain is refusing to register what my eyes are telling me (Ha!) and so I am not seeing/feeling (my body is in denial too) the giant earthquake and the earth's crust breaking apart and sinking into it's own core of molten rock (HA!!!), then the world is not ending.
Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn -
world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock,
speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height,
down height. Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for
hire and a combat site. Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the furies
breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered
crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population,
common group, but it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its
own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the
reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright
light, feeling pretty psyched.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
Those are the lyrics to a very interesting song... But the fact of the matter is, TODAY IS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least, according to Harold Camping ::Cough:: HERETIC ::Cough::
Unless I am in extreme denial (ha!) and my brain is refusing to register what my eyes are telling me (Ha!) and so I am not seeing/feeling (my body is in denial too) the giant earthquake and the earth's crust breaking apart and sinking into it's own core of molten rock (HA!!!), then the world is not ending.
According to the LORD Jesus Christ, NO MAN may know the day or the hour of the second coming of Christ (or the end of the world) (not even Christ himself), see Matt. 24:36.
Well, see you tomorrow!
Sincerely, Joe Anderson
"And many false prophets shall arise and lead many people away." Matt. 24:11 See that no one leads YOU astray.
Well, see you tomorrow!
Sincerely, Joe Anderson
"And many false prophets shall arise and lead many people away." Matt. 24:11 See that no one leads YOU astray.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Misused Verse #4
This verse is misused/misquoted so often it's not even funny. Just like the last verse, the misuse of this verse isn't extremely dangerous, but when overused it posts an obstacle to our understanding of prayer and the presence of God. The verse that i am referring to is Matthew 18:20. If you have your Bible, open it and take a look, if not, here is the verse: "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." My friends from New Zealand, my church (the one in Oregon AND the one in Hawai'i), and myself, have all misused this verse at some point in our lifetimes. You may be wondering how this verse could be misused, it is a wonderful picture of how the LORD is present in all of our church gatherings. No, it is not. Remember the first rule of Biblical interpretation?
::cough:: context ::cough:: You guessed it, context!
Starting at verse 15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."
As you can see here, this chapter of Matthew is not about prayer, but about church discipline. If the misused version of this verse WERE true, we would have to hunt down one or two people just to feel the presence of God during our prayers. We know this is not true (I used to feel more of the presence of God while riding the lawn mower and singing worship songs at the top of my lungs than most any other time). On top of our own personal experiences, there are several verses that tell us the same thing. See: Matthew 28:20.
In essence, God is with us ALWAYS, even when there are less than two or three.
If this verse is misused, it could provide ammunition for those who argue against the unanimity of the gospel, and it could have drastic affects against young Christians who do not quite know how to defend themselves against the lies of the Enemy. If it takes two or three to summon the presence of the LORD, then why would Christ say he is with us ALWAYS?
Sincerely,
Joe Anderson
"Jesus isn't cool. He's God. Cool changes, God doesn't" ~ Kristen Williams
::cough:: context ::cough:: You guessed it, context!
Starting at verse 15: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."
As you can see here, this chapter of Matthew is not about prayer, but about church discipline. If the misused version of this verse WERE true, we would have to hunt down one or two people just to feel the presence of God during our prayers. We know this is not true (I used to feel more of the presence of God while riding the lawn mower and singing worship songs at the top of my lungs than most any other time). On top of our own personal experiences, there are several verses that tell us the same thing. See: Matthew 28:20.
In essence, God is with us ALWAYS, even when there are less than two or three.
If this verse is misused, it could provide ammunition for those who argue against the unanimity of the gospel, and it could have drastic affects against young Christians who do not quite know how to defend themselves against the lies of the Enemy. If it takes two or three to summon the presence of the LORD, then why would Christ say he is with us ALWAYS?
Sincerely,
Joe Anderson
"Jesus isn't cool. He's God. Cool changes, God doesn't" ~ Kristen Williams
Sunday, October 16, 2011
A Brief Respite
I am taking a brief break from critiquing misused verses, just for this post that I felt I had to share with you. I just got back home from Approaching Thunder at Victorious Faith Church. I felt the Lord as I never had before! And I just thought I should share one quote from the conference with y'all.
"If you think Christianity is boring, you're doing it wrong!" Kristen Williams.
If Christianity is boring to you, you're probably treating it like a religion, not a relationship.
Christianity is not the most popular religion in the world, it is the only true relationship that exists. Unfortunately, too many people treat it as a religion, and churches are empty places where people go and wish they were at home watching football. Well, not everyone, and not all the churches.
We NEED a revival.
Sincerely, Joe Anderson
"Too many people got to church."
"If you think Christianity is boring, you're doing it wrong!" Kristen Williams.
If Christianity is boring to you, you're probably treating it like a religion, not a relationship.
Christianity is not the most popular religion in the world, it is the only true relationship that exists. Unfortunately, too many people treat it as a religion, and churches are empty places where people go and wish they were at home watching football. Well, not everyone, and not all the churches.
We NEED a revival.
Sincerely, Joe Anderson
"Too many people got to church."
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Misused Verse #3
This misused verse is not a bad misuse, as long as it is used within limits, but I expect it could be a little controversial to discuss, due to the fact that so many pastors (mine included) use it. Generally, this verse is ok to use, as long as it is used within a spiritual context. But, if it is applied to every aspect of our lives, then it can be very misleading to non-believers. The verse that I am referring to is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." [a] Also peace.
Like I said previously, this verse is often interpreted to mean Christians will be prosperous in every thing they do in this life. I believe this is an incorrect assumption. First, because of context.
Most passages in the Bible, including this one, have an address label. Jeremiah 29:1-2 outlines this "1These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem." This not only gives us an address, but also a time. Not to be rude, but unless you can trace you ancestry back to the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem after King Jeconiah and the others listed there, then this verse doesn't really apply to you, sorry.
Secondly, there are other verses that we Christians can look to that apply specifically to us, that promise better things than a good life now. See: Matthew 25:14-30, 25:31-40; Mark 9:35-37; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; 2 Cor. 4:14 & 16-18; and 1 Pet. 5:4. Among countless others. Note that these verses almost all warn that this body is temporary, and that our reward is eternal glory, not riches in this life.
Finally, I want to reinstate that I am not condemning the use of this verse, as long as it is used as applying to our spiritual peace and prosperity. That being said, It should still be used with caution, even while it is being used in a spiritual context.
I am extremely sorry for the long wait for this new blog post, and I will try to be a little better about posting in the next few months, but no guarantees, college started for me. Although the Word of God takes priority over college, blogging about it does not.
Like I said previously, this verse is often interpreted to mean Christians will be prosperous in every thing they do in this life. I believe this is an incorrect assumption. First, because of context.
Most passages in the Bible, including this one, have an address label. Jeremiah 29:1-2 outlines this "1These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem." This not only gives us an address, but also a time. Not to be rude, but unless you can trace you ancestry back to the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem after King Jeconiah and the others listed there, then this verse doesn't really apply to you, sorry.
Secondly, there are other verses that we Christians can look to that apply specifically to us, that promise better things than a good life now. See: Matthew 25:14-30, 25:31-40; Mark 9:35-37; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; 2 Cor. 4:14 & 16-18; and 1 Pet. 5:4. Among countless others. Note that these verses almost all warn that this body is temporary, and that our reward is eternal glory, not riches in this life.
Finally, I want to reinstate that I am not condemning the use of this verse, as long as it is used as applying to our spiritual peace and prosperity. That being said, It should still be used with caution, even while it is being used in a spiritual context.
I am extremely sorry for the long wait for this new blog post, and I will try to be a little better about posting in the next few months, but no guarantees, college started for me. Although the Word of God takes priority over college, blogging about it does not.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Misused Verse #2
Hello Reader!
Today we will be taking a look at Matt. 5:38-39 From the ESV it reads as such: "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil, but if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
So first we take a look at the immediate context: Jesus is in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached (If you don't believe me, read the sermon in Matthew 5 and then compare it to any and every one of your pastor's sermons (no offense to your pastor, but he ain't Jesus)), covering issues from blessing to sin, and how he came to fulfill the law. And finally he comes to the issue of retaliation in verse 38. At first glance, many people make the same mistake: Christians are to be pacifists, not striking anyone, and always loving their enemies (see v. 43-48). Now, do not get me wrong, not all of this is a mistake. As Christians we are called to love our enemies and do good to those who hurt us, but I believe these particular verses (38-39) are speaking only of revenge, not self-defense as many think. Taking a look at the surrounding context, we can now move on to historical context. Back in the day, a right handed person would slap another man with the back of his hand, on the receiving person's right cheek. This was a bad insult. Instead of replying with another insult, and escalating the situation, the person receiving the slap on the cheek should turn and offer the other cheek, causing the man to use the palm of his right hand which was not as bad of an insult. So instead of escalating the situation, the situation would diminish. Very interesting. Also, going partly off of other verses in the Bible and partly off of historical context, we know that Jesus was addressing three verses in the Old Testament that were often misinterpreted: Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. In all three of these verses, God is commanding the Israeli authorities to make the punishment fit the crime (eye for eye, tooth for tooth, fracture for fracture), and is thus both preventing the Hebrew judges from over-punishing a crime (stone him for knocking the tooth out), and under-punishing (apologize for breaking that man's leg) (neither of those examples are found in the Bible, I was just trying to think of a way to explain them.). Those OT passages were often misinterpreted to mean that it was open season for anyone wanting to take revenge, so instead of it being used only in the hands of the judges and other authorities, but now it was used by the people, apart from the law. So, by viewing the historical context, we can conclude that Jesus was addressing that issue, not banning self defense (Luke 22:36-38) or fleeing from evil (Luke 4:29-30; John 8:59, 10:39; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Also, sometimes the best way to love your enemies is to stop them from further attacking and injuring others ,thus bringing more charges against themselves in a court of law. Although there is no specific Bible verse that I can find where Jesus specifically states self-defense is ok, I hope that the verse in Luke where he tells people to buy swords is enough to convince you otherwise.
So, your thoughts?
Sincerely,
Joe
Today we will be taking a look at Matt. 5:38-39 From the ESV it reads as such: "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil, but if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
So first we take a look at the immediate context: Jesus is in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached (If you don't believe me, read the sermon in Matthew 5 and then compare it to any and every one of your pastor's sermons (no offense to your pastor, but he ain't Jesus)), covering issues from blessing to sin, and how he came to fulfill the law. And finally he comes to the issue of retaliation in verse 38. At first glance, many people make the same mistake: Christians are to be pacifists, not striking anyone, and always loving their enemies (see v. 43-48). Now, do not get me wrong, not all of this is a mistake. As Christians we are called to love our enemies and do good to those who hurt us, but I believe these particular verses (38-39) are speaking only of revenge, not self-defense as many think. Taking a look at the surrounding context, we can now move on to historical context. Back in the day, a right handed person would slap another man with the back of his hand, on the receiving person's right cheek. This was a bad insult. Instead of replying with another insult, and escalating the situation, the person receiving the slap on the cheek should turn and offer the other cheek, causing the man to use the palm of his right hand which was not as bad of an insult. So instead of escalating the situation, the situation would diminish. Very interesting. Also, going partly off of other verses in the Bible and partly off of historical context, we know that Jesus was addressing three verses in the Old Testament that were often misinterpreted: Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. In all three of these verses, God is commanding the Israeli authorities to make the punishment fit the crime (eye for eye, tooth for tooth, fracture for fracture), and is thus both preventing the Hebrew judges from over-punishing a crime (stone him for knocking the tooth out), and under-punishing (apologize for breaking that man's leg) (neither of those examples are found in the Bible, I was just trying to think of a way to explain them.). Those OT passages were often misinterpreted to mean that it was open season for anyone wanting to take revenge, so instead of it being used only in the hands of the judges and other authorities, but now it was used by the people, apart from the law. So, by viewing the historical context, we can conclude that Jesus was addressing that issue, not banning self defense (Luke 22:36-38) or fleeing from evil (Luke 4:29-30; John 8:59, 10:39; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33). Also, sometimes the best way to love your enemies is to stop them from further attacking and injuring others ,thus bringing more charges against themselves in a court of law. Although there is no specific Bible verse that I can find where Jesus specifically states self-defense is ok, I hope that the verse in Luke where he tells people to buy swords is enough to convince you otherwise.
So, your thoughts?
Sincerely,
Joe
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