Aren't You Glad You Can Eat Bacon?

I like bacon! I am so glad Jesus “declared all foods clean.” (Mark 7:19)

Do you think that was God’s expected response, “Yippee! I like bacon!”?

(Probably not.)

The laws about food in the Law of Moses can seem puzzling, especially since Christians are not restricted in their eating choices, at least, not restricted morally or religiously.

Pages and pages have been devoted to explanations of God’s imposed food restrictions on the Israelites. Some have explained the health benefits associated with God’s laws of cleanliness. One scholar, reasoning that pork is the finest of all meats, suggested that it was a test that God devised to see if Israel could refrain from such a delicacy. He failed to recognize that pork was not the only prohibited food. Not only that, not everyone would agree with his subjective assessment about pork. 

It is really about food???

Perhaps we’ve missed something.

In many ways the Law of Moses seems to have been behavior-oriented while the teachings of Jesus were different. Yet...I wonder...

When Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount He would say, “You have heard it said...but I say to you….” Many people today have mistakenly thought that Jesus was teaching something new. That is not the case. He had just said…

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 
—Matthew 5:18

He went on to say that the righteousness that God expected was not like the teachings of the Pharisees. They were so exacting in the literal obedience to the Law of Moses they created more restrictive laws that were precise and incredibly demanding. They had missed the point.

Paraphrasing, Jesus then taught: You have been taught, ‘Do not commit murder,’ but I tell you that whoever is angry with his brother is guilty. 

Jesus was not creating a new ‘anger law’ in place of the old commandment about murder. Rather, He was teaching the people that anger was the root of murder in the first place. Had they stopped and pondered the command, “Thou shalt not murder,” they would have reasoned that to avoid murder they must first deal with the anger of the heart. Murder is the conclusion of something that began in the heart: anger. Deal with the problem of anger and you’ve solved the murder problem.

The same path of thought applies to the other laws that Jesus addressed in Matthew 5:21-47.

• Adultery: Begins in the heart as lust. It is a desire in the heart that treats a person as a mere object of sexual satisfaction with little or no consideration for his/her humanity.
• Divorce: Begins in the heart with an unwillingness to sacrifice. It is a desire in the heart that makes selfish demands without consideration for commitment and relationship.
• Lying: Begins in a heart that fears or hates truth. It is a desire to manipulate circumstances by creating a false sense of reality. Lying is never sacrificial. Even when it protects another person, it is a purely selfish means of satisfying oneself.
• Vengeance: Begins in a heart refusing forgiveness. It is a desire to exact justice, yet ultimately justice on one's own terms. It fails to consider others as souls in needs of a Savior. It fails to consider God's justice.
• Hate your enemies: Begins in a heart of arrogant selective love. It is a desire to keep others out of one's own circle of acceptance. It fails to consider God's boundless (boundary-less) love.

Israel should have looked at the laws of God and found the core issue that made these things offensive to God, a heart in opposition to the very character of God. 

How do I know this?
Jesus taught that whatever comes out of the heart condemns a person. Go ahead and look it up. It is in Mark 7:20-23. It is right after Jesus “declared all foods clean.”

So, what about all the food laws and laws about cleanliness? God was teaching Israel about His own purity. 

To have a relationship with God, a person must be pure, just as God is pure in His divine character. And purity begins in the heart.

When you read the Bible, do you see God, or do you see rules...or just bacon???

Mark Stinnett

February 23, 2020

Would You Like to Rejoice!?

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
--Proverbs 29:2

Those who are righteous are the people in this world who are in pursuit of God. Righteousness is ultimately defined by the character of God. And to sum up God's character, we might simply say, "God is good."

Doing what is right is doing good.

Doing good is being like God.

God stands for peace, offers assistance to those in need, treats people fairly, gives people a second chance. God walks in uncompromising justice, perfect purity, complete honesty, unending kindness, and boundless love.

Many people misunderstand the righteousness of God. They twist the love of God into a license to sin thinking that righteousness is restrictive. Yet, the increase of righteousness marks the increase of the influence of the character of God...and that is truly good for all people. What if people possessed the character of God. Imagine how that would change the world. How would you feel? What would you do???

Rejoice!

The wicked man lives by his own wisdom. Please do not politicize this proverb and assume the wise man was thinking about the presidential candidate for whom you did not vote. After all, if a nation no longer reveres God, then what is the virtue of a democracy where 'people rule'?

The wicked man's best quality is defined within himself because he has no regard for God. His standard is himself. Ultimately, he does not look out for the good of others, but only himself, even if he seems to be philanthropic or benevolent or just. Ultimately no one benefits under the rule of the wicked ruler unless he first receives a benefit. The wicked man uses people and abuses people. And that makes us...

Groan!!!

The righteous increase in number because there are people who choose the path of righteousness. Even though good laws can be enacted, the heart of man cannot be legislated. So, we must each individually do our part to increase righteousness in our land.

Stand up for good.

Stand up for right.

Stand for God.

Mark Stinnett
February 16, 2020

What is an Acceptable Offering of Worship?

God was quite specific when He told ancient Israel how He should be worshiped. He said:

You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. 
—Exodus 20:23

God did not accept any kind of man-made representation of Himself. He is not from this world, so there is nothing around here that properly represents Him...not even a silver cross worn ‘round the neck. Today, the only acceptable physical symbol to be found in the worship assembly are the bread and the cup which represent the body and blood of Jesus.

God also told Israel:

You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.
—Exodus 20:24-25

The word ‘profane’ means, to make common or vulgar. God is holy and insists that His created beings treat Him as holy. So, an altar made of rocks that God had created was acceptable. Yet, an altar made of ‘cut’ stones was unacceptable. Cut stones bore the markings of man’s tools and God did not accept an altar that bore the imprint of man.

And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.' 
—Exodus 20:26

This instruction is related to the previous. Not only did God restrict the people from putting their own handiwork on an altar, He insured that the worshiper would not be distracted through accidental indecency. In short, God did not want anything pertaining specifically to man to crowd in and distract the pure devotion and worship that belonged to Him.

The Israelites had received very specific instructions regarding the construction of the original tabernacle. Special craftsmen were set apart by God to perform the actual work on the tabernacle and its furnishings. They were filled with the Holy Spirit in order to do the work exactly as God desired. Their work was not their own. It was acceptable to God because the Holy Spirit performed through these men. (Exodus 31:1-11)

When people see the artistry and craftsmanship of the things produced by man, they admire the artist; the craftsman. In great contrast, any man who laid eyes on the craftsmanship of the tabernacle and its furnishings must have seen an ‘other-worldly’ level of craftsmanship. It must have inspired a sense of awe toward God.

I believe there is a simple principle at work:
When we come together as the body of Christ to worship God, He does not want worship that bears the imprint of man, but worship that bears the imprint of God.

It is God’s desire that we worship with our minds and our hearts. He desires worship that emerges from man's inner being with genuine intent.

If our songs are so cleverly written that we are distracted from God, man has become the attraction. When our teaching is ‘coffee shop’ and preaching dissolves into clever oratory, storytelling and humor man is the attraction. If we bring in objects of remembrance other than the bread and the cup, will we not profane the worship?

We must simply worship in spirit and in truth.

Mark Stinnett

February 9, 2020

I Can...and I Will!

I saw an ad for a soft drink; I think the company has a new campaign slogan: “Because I can.” I’m sure it will be successful because it taps into the general mindset of America. Among other things, “I am going to drink this soft drink...because I can.”

I suppose that’s fine for a marketing campaign, or as positive motivation for success or overcoming obstacles in one’s life. But do you think it is a healthy attitude for a Christian?

It is the kind of attitude that says, “I am doing or saying [something] because I can…”

• ...And you can’t tell me I can’t.
• ...And you can’t stop me.
• ...I have the right/freedom/liberty!
• ...I don’t need any help.
• ...I am self sufficient.

Someone might read this and take issue thinking there is a positive side to “I can.” It expresses a person’s will power in overcoming obstacles. Yes, I understand and can appreciate that.

However, you might have heard of the Old Testament prophet Balaam. He had an ‘I can’ attitude when he came up to an obstacle in the road. Oddly, the obstacle was an angel sent from God. Balaam was acting foolishly and had not listened to God. The point is that God can put an obstacle in our way for our own good.

In the New Testament there are several ‘I can’ passages. (The count varies by translation.) Many of the ‘I can’ passages are actually ‘I may.’ The ‘I may’ passages are more about permission or authority, while the ‘I can’ passages are about ability or strength.

I was a little surprised to find almost as many ‘I cannot’ passages as ‘I can’ passages. For example, Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own initiative” (John 5:30). He expressed His focus on God’s will.

Just before He was arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed to God and basically asked if there was another way. He said to God, “If this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

Perhaps the most well-known ‘I can’ verse for Christians is found in Philippians 4:13, which says:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

To be clear, this verse has nothing to do with soft drink marketing, American liberties, Christian liberties or individual willpower.

Do you know why the Apostle Paul wrote it?

Prompted by the concern of the Christians in Philippi, he had just made a statement about his physical welfare. They had been generous in sending aid. He was happy that they were helping, not because he needed it, but “for the profit which increases to your account.” In other words, he knew that it pleased God and as a result was more for their benefit than his.

So, what did he say about himself?

He said that he had learned how to get along in poverty and in prosperity. He had learned the secret of going hungry and being full, of suffering need and having abundance.

What was his secret? What had he learned?
Answer: To Be Content; not ‘how’ to be content, but simply, to be content.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” is about contentment, not success or willpower!

Paul’s laser-focused attention was on the will of God. 

What about you???

Have you adopted a popular attitude of our society or are you focused on the will of God?

Mark Stinnett

February 2, 2020