Is There a Problem with Paul?

Paul, an apostle-sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead- Galatians 1:1 (NIV)

I recently heard Pastor Gary Hamrick relate a conversation he had with an Orthodox Jewish acquaintance in Israel as to why the gentleman had an issue with Jesus. The man quickly countered and said, “Oh, I have no problem with Jesus. My problem is with Paul. He was a traitor. He turned against his Jewish faith and teaching.”

Paul is by far the most instrumental first century figure to preach the Gospel of Yeshua of Nazareth as Israel’s prophesied Messiah. Many love him and there are a few who heartily dislike him. Paul began as Saul, born into a Jewish family in the Roman province of Tarsus (modern south-central Turkey). In later life he joined the faction of the elite Jewish sect called the Pharisees (Philippians 3:5-6).

His journey to faith began, amazingly, with a deep-seated hatred of the people of the way (Christianity-Acts 9:2, 24:14-). He zealously persecuted the Church with arrests and even participated in one execution that we know of (Acts 7:54-8:2).

But who died and made Paul the spokesman for presenting the Gospel? Jesus did (Acts 9:15-16).

Saul, as he was first known, was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27). After his miraculous conversion he was called to take the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. In doing so he changed his name from the Jewish Saul to the Romanized Paulus to be more readily acceptable to Gentile society.

I have read many bible teachers who refer to what he preached as “Paul’s gospel.” But was it Paul’s ideas? He taught it but it was not his gospel or even his idea. He received this teaching from no other than Christ Himself. He was so cautious in misrepresenting it that he placed himself, or even any angel, under divine curse should they preach a gospel other than the one he first preached (Galatians 1:8).

Let the reader be aware in the latter reference to angelic beings bringing a false gospel. It is well to investigate the full message and meaning of any angelic announcement of a gospel and not the Gospel of biblical Scripture. If a message denies that Jesus exists within the Triune Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it is anathema, or under the Divine Curse of God. I defy anyone to show in Scripture where Paul taught such a blasphemy that denied the deity of Jesus. He always championed the full deity of Jesus Christ, for only God could be the only Perfect way to redemption.

There was never a problem with Paul. In coming to believe and follow the Way he did not betray his Jewish roots; he enhanced them through the fullness of God in the flesh (2^nd John 1:7). There is no other name given to us by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The Word of God stands firm and has never been proven wrong. 

Paul preached what he received in direct revelation from Jesus Christ Himself, and never compromised or changed it, and neither should we. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). Let us be encouraged and stand firm in that.

Ken

What Happened When That Hippie Hugged Me

“A new commandment I give to you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 12:34-35

I recently had the great delight of seeing the movie Jesus Revolution. It is Pastor Greg Laurie’s experience of coming to faith in Christ during what has become known as the “Jesus Movement.” Beginning in the late 1960s and early ‘70s thousands of young people who initially became disenchanted with the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury hippie scene found redemption and significance through faith in Jesus Christ.

The movie was of especial interest to my wife and I as we had grown up in Southern California and got to spend a lot of time attending services in Calvary’s big tent.

It was a time chockfull of “Jesus Freaks.” Most were kids that found that the promise of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, was as empty of real and lasting meaning as they thought their parent’s churches had been.

They left San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District hippie experimentation and through the ministry of people like former hippie-turned-street-preacher, Lonnie Frisbee, and the pastoral leadership of men like Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, were introduced to the reality of a real and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. It was the experience with God they were seeking. This generation found a satisfying life of grace and truth (John 1:14), not in what the world was offering but through the lifechanging power that God offered through His Son (John 3:16-18).

I grew up in a hardline Christian denomination that was heavy on judgement and light on grace. There were many prohibitions within our church’s doctrinal naughty list that smacked of rebellion against God and my church’s traditional doctrines, with dancing, and going to movies high on the sin. Card playing was in the “questionable” bracket. Dominos-OK. But the greatest sin in my church was “mixed bathing.” It was not taking baths with the opposite sex, as that would have been bad enough. Mixed bathing was where boys and girls were together in their swimsuits at pool or seashore. Oh yeah, and did I mention long hair? There was that too.

When the Beatles hit the U.S. in ’64 with their “Beatle cut” hair that tickled the tops of their ears I immediately judged them as the Four Fab Squids, rebellious English losers in need of fiery judgment, or at least to be stuffed back onto a TWA flight to Liverpool. All through high school I kept my hair cut “high and tight.”

Attending a service at the Calvary Chapel tent was a new experience for my straightlaced denominational upbringing. Guys in Nehru Jackets, Jesus tunics, tie dyed T-shirts, beards, long hair, shorts, beads, sandals and big Bibles were well…different. I remember during one worship time a guy with beautiful blond hair to his waist, raising his hands in adoration to the Lord who had given him a new life. I thought, “Are these guys for real? Looking like that? If they had really accepted Christ, they would go to the barber and stop trying to conform to the world.” It was twisted and legalistic thinking, yet I continued to hold onto my bias that anyone whose hair touched their ears was still a squid.

Then one evening, for my own good, the Lord allowed me to get ambushed. I got Hippie Hugged. I had just walked into the tent with my brother when this hippie in a baggy white shirt and hair past his shoulders, and beard to his chest, walked up to me. He opened his arms, smiled at me, and said, “Good evening, my brother, the Lord bless you!” and hugged me with the greatest show of genuine love. It was what I have come to call a golden moment of the Holy Spirit, when He imparts a beautiful truth that changes a life. He spoke to me as He had to Peter, “What God has cleansed you must not call common” (Acts 10:15).

I recommend this movie along with the book of the same name by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. We are currently seeing God redeeming the times with another spiritual awakening beginning amongst the youth of many universities within our nation and even around the world. Where Satan is determined to destroy those made in God’s image, all humanity, Christ is always faithful to raise up His banner of victory in our defense, for the Father has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

His salvation is available to everyone, longhairs, shorthairs, bearded and cleanshaven, red, and yellow, black, and white, we all are precious in His sight. No one who asks to come into fellowship with Him will be denied. I used to think His acceptance depended only on my how I looked or performed, until the time I got hugged by that hippie. 

We only need come to Him with the sacrifice of a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). All who love their brother and sister live in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble (1^st John 2:10). The Lord certainly does move in mysterious ways to see His will done in our lives, even to do so through the hug of a hippie.

Ken

When Christ Frees You from the Curse

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5

Most of us have become masters at blaming. It began in Eden when sin entered the picture, ushering in pain, suffering, and death (Genesis 3:6-7, 5:5) for before all that it was all perfect and good (Gen 1:31). Adam blamed God for giving him the woman who caused him to sin. The woman blamed the serpent who lied to her, and we have been blaming everyone and everything for our sorrows ever since. God, unfortunately, is still the number one target of our ire as the cause of it all, but God had nothing to do with it.

The curse of sin and evil on Creation was the outcome of Adam and Eve believing Satan’s lie and acting in favor of his deception (Genesis 3:4). The free choice of Earth’s original parents to rebel against God’s loving provision and this resulting disaster called human life is now the why of it. It will be played out until Christ, the eternal how of it getting fixed, fully redeems it back to its perfect creative design.

Adam and Eve had no excuse for their rebellion for they had been duly warned of the consequences of disobedience. People will say, “OK, so maybe God didn’t make it happen, but if he knows everything, then he allowed it, so that makes him a monster.” On the surface of pure emotion that seems plausible but glosses over the character of God’s true love.

We humans enjoy using the phrase “God is love” without really understanding its core truth. To first be a God of love, He must first be a God of freedom, granting us the self-determination to willingly return our love to Him.

God doesn’t do bots. He did not do so with us or even the holy angels. Would you want a robotic mate to kiss you only when you put a thumb to your remote? That would make You the controller of the “love,” and the maker of a preprogrammed response. Your ‘mate’ would have no choice of their own except to obey your command. You alone would be the giver and receiver of that kind of perceived love, but that is no love at all. To exist, love must be free to either be willingly accepted and returned in kind or refused.

God is not the cause of Earth’s misery, but He is in the process of repairing it. He will bring a complete and pristine restoration to the heavens and the earth. Jesus told John a day is coming when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain and God will live among us (Rev 21:1-4).

A time is coming when the Bride of Christ, the Church of true believers and acceptors of His redemptive work, will be forcefully (instantaneously with power and authority) received to Himself, and in that instant the dead in Christ will be resurrected first and those of us still living will be transformed into bodies made to last for eternity (1^st Thessalonians 4:14-18). He ends with the admonition to encourage one another with these words.

Today’s picture is truly worth a thousand words. All we are, have become, or lost, will be instantaneously changed and renewed (1^st Corinthians 15:51-52). Whatever we desire to be and have will be done with such exquisite precision that it will be far beyond anything we could even ask for or imagine (1^st Corinthians 2:9). We will be fully healed in soul, body, and mind. No missing limbs, no cluttered minds, no scars, and no more emotional baggage.

Jesus puts His word on it when He tells John that He, Jesus, is making everything new and to ‘flag it,’ holding Him accountable to the written word.

Jesus says with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). That even includes rearranging the atoms of the cremated back into their bodies, or rapturing a child from a wheelchair. Remember He spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3) so why would we balk at Him rearranging molecules back into DNA, bone, and tissue? He says, “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).

We made this mess called humanity, but God sent His only Begotten Son to fix it (John 3:17-18). Let the only thing you lay at His feet be your humble thanks with grateful worship, looking forward to His glorious appearing when He will free you from the Curse.

Ken

The Sure Word of the Lord

So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day. 1^st Samuel 31:6 (NIV)

We began our journey in the book of 1st Samuel in October of last year and as it concludes we find Saul, after being grievously wounded by the Philistines, commits suicide rather than to face the humiliation of capture and torture. As God foretold through the prophet Samuel, Saul’s kingdom perished with him and his family line. The Philistines beheaded Saul’s corpse and attached his body to the wall of the city of Beth Shan as a grizzly trophy of war (31:8-10). God’s word was a long time coming to fulfillment but it, as always, surely was fulfilled.

God says through His prophets He will be true to His word and the Apostle Paul says that whoever sows to the flesh will reap its damages (Numbers 23:19, Galatians 6:8). Saul had many years to do the right thing yet stubbornly followed his own designs.

In the previous year David and his men had lived with the Philistines to escape Saul’s wrath. He and his men had fought with the Philistines against their enemies and David gained the trust and affection of their king, Achish. (1^st Sam. 29:9). Yet, the Hebrew band was rejected by the Philistine commanders to fight with them against Israel for fear they would take up the side of their countrymen against them.

Achish reluctantly sent them back to the city of Ziklag where David and his men dwelt with their families. When they arrived, they found the Amalekites had burned their city and taken their families and herds alive. They wept until no more tears could be shed. When their grief was exhausted the men in their bitterness over the losses of their families began talking of putting David to death. This greatly distressed him, yet in all that was transpiring David found strength in the LORD his God (1^st Sam 30:6).

David inquired of the LORD if they should go after the Amalekites and God said go and they would be victorious. David and his band pursued and overcame them, safely retrieving their families and all their possessions.

This was a propitious beginning for an imperfect king who was wholly committed to the God of complete perfection. David would make some huge and costly errors as king yet would always repent and fall on the mercies and forgiveness of his loving and trustworthy God. He had yet to be crowned king over all the nation, but that would come. He would rule for 40 years, in Hebron for 7 years, and over the nation of Israel for 33, dying at the age of 70. He would lead the nation into its Golden Age, being given by God the eternal throne of the Messiah, in the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-37).

Of all the lessons I have been most aware of through my study of 1st Samuel is trust in God’s faithfulness. Hannah trusted Him for a son, then trusted him to His care. Samuel trusted the LORD from childhood to old age, Israel trusted God through Samuel’s leadership. David trusted Him through 15-20 years of uncertainty after being anointed as king.

The Lord says of Himself “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all I please’” (Isaiah 46:10).  Because He is holy, all He does is perfect. If what He accomplishes is in days or years His perfection and dependability are sure and what He does is done right and for our highest good.

Peace for me is defined in trust in the character and integrity of Christ Jesus. He meets us in the tabernacle as He did Hannah or the midnight darkness of an Engedi cave as He did David. He is faithful and full of grace and truth. In the darkness of your Engedi experience He is being faithful in His word to you and will perform it as it pleases Him.

Hold fast to Him and be patient as you wait. He is answering you even now. All those in the narrative of 1^st Samuel that waited in faith found God was faithful to work for their good and His ultimate glory. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD (Psalm 27:14).

Ken

No Fences Required

But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?” 1^st Samuel 26:9 (NKJV)

The narrative of Saul tells us of Samuel’s sorrow over the king’s failures. He mourned to such a point the LORD finally reproached the prophet saying, “How long will you mourn over Saul?” then sent him to anoint David as king (1^st Samuel 16:1). The LORD still protected Saul from harm as he had been in David’s power to kill him twice (1^st Samuel 24:3-4, 26:1-12). Both times David withheld his hand from touching Saul in respect to God’s anointing him as the king of Israel. He trusted God to judge Saul rightly.

After Samuel’s death Saul’s wrath and disobedience increased. As he withdrew his obedience the LORD withdrew His help, leaving the man desperate to hear from Him and desperate people do desperate and dangerous things.

The king went against the commandment of the LORD to have nothing to do with soothsayers, diviners, mediums, those that consult the spirits of the dead, or use witchcraft (white or black magic). Ones engaging in these practices were worthy of death (Leviticus 20:27). As there was an imminent battle with the Philistines brewing, and God was silent, Saul was frantic for some leading from the LORD and went to a witch in the village of En Dor, a medium, to call up Samuel from the dead.

The woman did not know it was Saul and asked, “Who shall I bring up for you?” Saul said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” (1 Sam 28:11-12). When the witch saw it was Samuel she screamed and knew it was Saul and that she faced punishment. As Scripture is clear that it is appointed for us once to die and then the judgment (2^nd Corinthians 5:8, Luke 16:24) the only “spirits” anyone can be in contact with are satanic beings masquerading as humans to lead the gullible into error. So, who appeared to Saul? Was it actually Samuel, or a demonic being sent to deceive?

The debate still revolves around this issue, and it remains split. My late brother and I strongly disagreed on this. He believed this was a demonic being acting as Samuel. I believe the evidence is more in favor that it was Samuel as nowhere in Scripture does it correct the reader to believe otherwise in something God strictly forbade.

I believe God allowed this as a onetime judgment against Saul. Whether it was or was not Samuel is a matter of personal conjecture. After weighing the evidence, disagreement does not affect our salvation, nor should it separate us in our fellowship with one another. It is one of those gray areas of biblical exegesis. We will know the truth one day.

We must be warned, though, that even today anything that involves occultic practices, spiritism, fortune telling, Ouija boards, tarot cards, or dealing with ‘souls of the dead’ is to be shunned and not touched in any way. These occultic practices can open the door to demonic intrusion into our lives and households and are an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:12). Trust in Him alone.

Samuel was angry he had been disturbed. Saul did get the word he was hoping for from the Lord, and the word he got was not to his liking. Samuel told him by the same time the next day Saul would be dead.

He had a kingdom given to him with the chance to be blessed and prospered by obedience to God. He had it all and could have bequeathed his legacy to his children. Instead, it was taken from him and given to another. Consistent disobedience brings consistent distress, and to the believer, the Father’s love brings discipline, correction and reconciliation.

Jesus says for us to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first and the rest will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Obedience brings peace and rest, peace of mind in a conscience at ease and peace and rest in body and soul, and spirit.

Saul paid the piper as king, but always danced on the fence. We must remember 98% obedience to God is 100% disobedience. When we obey, the only dancing we can do is with joy. When we seek His kingdom and righteousness first, He brings us His peace, love, and joy like an ocean. No fences needed.

Ken

Waiting While the War Rages

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward. 1^st Samuel 18:8-9 (NKJV)

Even as God had rejected Saul, the man doggedly held onto power and declared war on God’s newly anointed king in the young shepherd, David.

It is estimated at the time of his confrontation with Goliath David may have been between 15-17 years old. He would not ascend to full kingship over the nation until age 30, around 993 BC. In the intervening years David and those loyal to him remained on the run from Saul’s fury, hiding and living in caves throughout the wilderness.

Saul was brutal in his hatred of David. After the priest Ahimelek gave David and his followers permission to eat the tabernacle’s consecrated bread of the Presence (1 Sam 21:6, Luke 6:3-4), Saul ordered 85 Levitical priests executed, destroying their town of Nob, putting to death everyone, including children and infants, slaughtering even their livestock (Sam. 22:19).

David patiently waited for God to perform His word while war raged around him. During those years there were moments of fear, terror, and comfort in his faith. Read through his psalms and it is evident. Yet he knew the Lord’s love always protected, was always trustworthy, always offered hope, and always persevered (1^st Corinthians 13:7).

If you are waiting while your war rages, be encouraged. It might be roaring around you and you may be on the verge of folding but take heart. Remember how David patiently waited and trusted the true Word of God through those many years between His promises. David had that Word through Samuel, and in Christ we have His Word made flesh, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

David’s psalms record his high points and low. Not every day was a victory, nor every day a defeat. Through many days of uncertainty and nights of despair, he always recounted God’s faithfulness.  

If you are in a war that has no ending, I can only encourage you to wait, trust, and be patient as did David and his men. Your battle may have been ignited by another or even circumstances beyond your control, yet the battle belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ. Even when it seems battles are lost, His power is holding the enemy at bay, keeping him from doing greater damage. He will always finish the fight and in any battles lost, win every war (2^nd Corinthians 10:4, 1^st Corinthians 15:57).

Remember the Lord’s greeting to a frightened Gideon, hiding from his enemies, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). The battle belongs to the Lord. Let this be your comfort and peace as the war rages while you wait. The Lord is with you mighty warrior. Grace and peace to you through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Eternally Triumphant.

Ken

A Giant Loss

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 1^st Samuel 17:50 (NKJV)

We all know the story of David and Goliath. David, as a young Hebrew warrior and future king, is cheered for his bravery and trust in God, but have you ever wondered who mourned for Goliath? The story of David’s stand against the giant Philistine warrior of Gath (9’9” tall) has been vigorously portrayed in both secular and religious versions.

Goliath’s scaled armor of bronze weighed five thousand shekels (125 pounds/58 kilograms). The handle of his spear was like a weaver’s beam (2” -- 2.5” diameter), with an iron tip of six hundred shekels weight (15 pounds/6.9 kilograms, vv 17:4-7). Secular media will use the account to illustrate how an underdog defeats a giant corporation, and I have heard many sermons on how a small stone shut a big mouth.

The loss of this man was more catastrophic in the eyes of God than it was to the Philistines. When anyone dies outside of God’s grace and forgiveness it is a disaster.

In today’s world of instant online and televised violence and death it seems our acceptance of it leaves us mostly numbed to its impact. It can be too easily overlooked when the wicked get what is coming to them. More is the pity that any person, man, or woman, dies outside of God’s grace, and a ‘’good riddance” attitude of satisfaction is our response. Was Christ’s blood shed on the cross for only the worthy? That goes against everything He lived and died to redeem. It was for all (2^nd Corinthians 5:14), especially the overtly evil and wicked. Jesus said, “There is rejoicing before the angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

It is in our fallen natures to cling to harsh views of others with whom we disagree. We can hold onto a vicious win at all costs rationale, followed by a smug attitude when anyone we dislike goes down in defeat, including, yes, even politicians and celebrities. This attitude makes our hearts hard, compassionless and without grace.

Scripture teaches we ought to fight against the kingdom of darkness, for it constantly wars to destroy us. However, there is nothing in it that teaches a doctrine of cheering or gloating over the death of another, unrighteous or even righteous. This should not be so, for Christ has demonstrated a perfect way and called us to a higher standard and action of faith (1^st John 4:7, Galatians 6:10).

Let us pray for those who mistreat us, or do not share our values and convictions, blessing those who curse us, as our Lord commanded (Luke 6:28). They are unregenerated persons. How else would the unregenerate act except wickedly? Jesus can give them a new life, and a new hope too. When was the last time you prayed for them? It is not an easy thing to do. I struggle in this, too.

God will bring the victory and as Goliath, all who defy the Lord will all too soon come to an end not of their liking. Who will mourn for them? Are we mourning for them even now? Are we doing all we can to reach out to them now? Despite their size, their demise would be counted a giant loss.

Ken