Beard or No Beard

If you have kept up with me in the past you know that I was a member of the United Pentecostal Church International for over 17 years. I mention this because in all my 17 years of attending the UPCI I was taught that men should not have beards, mustaches, or any kind of facial hair. It was strictly forbidden. If you ever were found with facial hair you would be called aside and told you must shave. I personally seen this happen several times. So you can imagine my amazement to learn that the Old Testament actually teaches NOT to shave.

I didn’t go looking for the scripture I am going to talk about today it kind of found me. I was listening to the radio the other day when someone mentioned there was a scripture in the old testament that said you were not supposed to shave or trim your beard. My ears perked up when I heard this because I had never heard of such a scripture.

Leviticus 19:27 “Don’t cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard.” – The Message

I find the teachings of the UPCI very odd on this subject and with no biblical foundation. There are many other issues in which the UPCI explicitly uses Old Testament law to back up their doctrines but it seems they have chosen to ignore the Old Testament law when it comes to mens facial hair. This is just another false teaching from this group who continues to try and mandate following Old Testament laws in order to obtain salvation.

I stand with Paul on this issue. If you decide to live by one piece of the law then you have to follow after ALL the law. You cannot pick and choose which laws you will follow. Also, if you choose to live by the law then Christ will not benefit you at all. Here is what Paul had to say to the Galatians on this subject.

Galatians 3:11-12
The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: “The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that’s the real life.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.” – The Message

If you only like the King James version then here it is:

Galatians 3:11-12
¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
¹²And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Galatians 5:2-3
²Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. – NIV

I find the UPCI teachings on facial hair very odd and with no biblical foundation. Their teaching on this subject actually contradicts the Bible. This should set off a red flag for anyone considering such beliefs.

Here is a link to the UPCI website which talks about a few of their beliefs.
http://www.upci.org/doctrine.asp

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

Beard or No Beard
By: Raymond Brady

Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

A Calling Away From Self-Criticism

I was reading some C.S. Lewis the other night and stumbled upon an amazing concept that I had not realized was in the bible. I don’t guess I have ever heard it taught about so I thought it would be good to write about. So what is this great amazing concept? It is simply how to deal with your own self-criticism. All of us deal with a certain amount of self-criticism but some people deal with an unhealthy amount of the stuff. Well, today I am going to tell you how to get rid of it, or at least bring it to a healthy level.

Martin Luther is known as a great leader and the father of the Protestant Reformation. He single handedly took on the Catholic Church and changed history forever. But if you study his life you will learn that he dealt with a great deal psychologically. His guilt before God drove him to become a monk after the Augustinian Order and his devotions as a monk nearly took his life. Living a life of Monasticism and constant confessions seemed to never be enough for Luther.

In 1511 Luther was assigned to the University of Wittenberg in Germany under a wise monk named Johann van Staupitz who understood how to help Luther. Staupitz was determined to release this younger monk from his cycle of despair and made Luther the Professor of Bible Studies at the university. Luther would be assigned to teach the bible to other young monks, thus taking his mind off of himself. If Luther was going to teach the Bible to others then Luther himself realized he must understand what he was teaching. 

Luther was simply doing what was taught in 1 John chapter three by practicing real love. By loving and serving others we are released from self-criticism. Not by just saying you love them but by showing, or proving, your love for them. First John 3:18-20 explains that by showing love through practicing real love we actually shut down self-criticism. 

1 John 3:18-20 (The Message)
My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

This period of study and teaching in Martin Luther’s life released him from self-criticism and led him to understand that salvation can only be achieved by faith in Jesus Christ. No amount of monkery or dedication would ever be enough to save a person. Luther’s teachings would ultimately undo generations of Catholic teaching and change our world forever.

Another beautiful thing about the teaching in 1 John 3:18-20 is that it works even when you deserve the self-criticism. Wow, what a thought. Self-criticism which we rightfully deserve can even be removed by simply practicing real love toward others.

If you deal with a load of self-criticism and struggle with how to get out from under all of it, simply start loving others around you. Not with words but with deeds. Do something nice for your neighbor. Give a friend of yours some financial help by paying their utility bill this month. Love those around you with all your heart, even your enemies, and the load of self-criticism will suddenly be shut down.

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If you would like to use this article on your website, blog, or in another form you may do so as long as you include the text below:

A Calling Away From Self-Criticism
By: Raymond Brady
Article Source: www.BuildYourHouseOnTheRock.org

Just a Branch?

John 15:4 - Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)

Have you ever noticed braches on a fruit tree? The braches are where the fruit is produced. You will not find a fruit tree that grows fruit on it’s trunk. The branches must first grow and become mature enough to produce fruit. This maturity process involves nutrients being fed to the branch from the trunk. In fact a branch is created by the trunk.

As the branch is fed by the trunk it grows stronger each day. Once it has grown enough to support fruit it will begin to produce fruit in the right season. Jesus said we are the branches and if we want to bear fruit we must remain in Him.

The branch has an interesting job. It has a unique ability to create fruit for people to eat yet it cannot create this fruit on it’s own. It has to stay connected to the trunk in order for it to fulfil it’s purpose. If it becomes disconnected from the trunk it cannot create fruit.

The branch also does not have to work to be part of the trunk because it is already connected. The branch also does not have to strive to produce the fruit. What this means is that the branch does not do any real work at all in producing the fruit. It simply acts as a conduit to take the nutrients given by the truck  and transfer them out of itself. As these nutrients are pressed out an amazing transformation takes place and fruit is created.

Our job is simply to remain in Him. This simply means to rest in Him. He is everything we need and He will supply all that we need. How do we remain in Him? Simply by keeping our faith in Him. Verse 5 tells us that if we remain connected to Him we will produce alot of fruit and Jesus also reminds us that we cannot do anything on our own.

We have a purpose and we can produce an amazing amout of fruit as long as we stay connected to Christ. It is Him that does the work through us and not ourselves therefore we must remain in Him. We remain in Christ simply the same way we came to Him, by trusting Him and placing our faith in Him alone.

Colossians 2:6-7 -So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Seeing God in 3D

My wife and I were at a zoo several years ago and we were watching an ape play around in his cage. Well, he was actually eating his own feces but I won’t get into that too much.

While we watched the ape an older couple standing next to us started to talk about how amazing our ancestors were and how much we had evolved. My wife and I chuckled toward each other after hearing them talk. We don’t believe that humans evolved from monkeys so we thought it was kind of humorous as we all watched the feces eating ape play around in his cage.

A while back I wrote about how two are better than one. I referenced a study where it was proven that having two nostrils allow your sense of smell to perform some amazing things. It is also true of your eyesight and I want to relate all this to how we should be studying the scriptures.

YOUR PHYSICAL EYESIGHT

Each of your eyes are like a mini super-high resolution video camera. Each eye takes full motion video footage in sync with the other eye and feeds it into your computer, a.k.a. your brain. Each eye has a unique angle that it takes in footage. In your brain the images from each camera/eye are meshed together to create stunning 3D “real-time” video footage. Using this footage your brain can judge height, width, depth, and a host of other attributes about the objects that you are looking at.

Now take away one of your eyes by covering it up. You lose the 3D image and your senses are affected by the lack of information from the closed eye. Try to walk around with only one eye or better yet try to drive your car with only one eye. It suddenly becomes hard to operate without the complete 3D images being fed to your brain.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says that “Two are better than one”. We can see this principle everywhere we look. Two eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs of two as well. So, we can come to the conclusion that our eyesight is extremely enhanced when both eyes are fully operational and functioning in sync with one another.

YOUR SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT

When we study the scriptures we need to remember this principle as well. It is easy to read one scripture and form an opinion about what it is telling us. But we cannot see the object in full “3D” unless we look at it from all sides. So, we have to look at other scriptures that deal with the same subject/object.

When we put each of these “views” of the scripture together we will begin to see a 3D object take shape. We will begin to understand the depth, width, and height of the Word of God. As all these scriptures begin to mesh together we will begin to see a beautiful vivid picture and behold the beauty of God through His Word.

It’s easy to ignore scriptures that we do not understand or that do not fit into our “image” of what we think God should look like. I believe this could fall into a form of idolatry if we are not careful. God is who He is and we cannot form or fashion Him into what we think He should look like. Rather we should carefully examine all the scripture making sure that harmony is achieved in all things.

My wife played the flute in the High School band. I think the flute is a pretty sounding instrument even when played all by itself. However, there are some instruments that when played alone create nothing but irritating noises. When these instruments are joined with the entire orchestra beautiful music is created. So are some scriptures. If you proclaim them alone they will not be of any use to anyone except for irritation. We must strive to harmonize all the scriptures together. After all we as Christians believe that there are no contradictions in the Bible, right?

CONCLUSION

If we understand a scripture to mean one thing and our “view” contradicts with other scriptures then WE have created the contradiction and must change our “view” in order to see properly what God wants us to see. We have one eye covered and cannot/will not see completely.

Pride tends to distort our vision since we as people do not like to be wrong. Because of this we will hold to a contradicting opinion as if it were truth. The whole while God is trying to bring us to see the beautiful 3D image of His Word. We only do this by using both of our eyes.

Make it a point when you study the scripture to abandon all your own pre-conceived ideas. Open both eyes widely and allow all the scriptures to present you with a beautiful 3D image of the Word of God.

God’s Master Craftsman

This morning I was studying Proverbs chapter 8. This chapter brings out some amazing imagery about wisdom. In verse 22 Solomon tells us that wisdom was one of Gods first creations, even before the very creation of the earth.

Then verses 30-31 tell how wisdom was like a craftsman at Gods side during creation. Using this ‘wisdom’ that God created He created all things as we know it. Wow, what a thought. I am thinking about Isaiah 55:9.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Our age has seen a tremendous increase in knowledge and wisdom yet this type of wisdom (earthly) is only a word out of the mouth of God. We can’t even begin to imagine the true wisdom of God.

Through reading this chapter we can conclude that the principles of wisdom are built into the very structure of the creation. Solomon had a unique way of teaching wisdom. One way he did this was using animals that God created like the ant. He looked at creation as being full of wisdom.

In high school I took wood shop for a few years and learned to make furniture. To this day when I am looking at furniture I always look at how it was made. I can understand a lot about the craftsmen that made a particular piece of furniture just by looking at his/her work. I am only a novice at woodworking but I can still understand things about the craftsman.

We can also learn about wisdom simply by looking at Gods creation, because it was made using a craftsman created by God called wisdom.

Increasing Your Attention Span

If you have kids then you can really understand the human attention span. How many times a day do you have to remind your kids to pay attention and listen to you? If you want to increase your attention span and be more attentive to God this article will help point you in the right direction.

I have been studying the book of Proverbs for a while now, and have learned many things. I wanted to blog about what I studied today.

Being attentive to God and His Word is like a springboard to gaining wisdom. The most common command in the first nine chapters of Proverbs is a call to pay attention. Being attentive to God is crucial to gaining wisdom.

If we listen to human reasoning or philosophy them we will end up with earthly wisdom, so let us listen all the more to God so that we may end up with heavenly wisdom.

Here are five practical steps to attentiveness:

1. “Make your ear attentive” – Proverbs 2:2 NASB, Matt 13:9-15

Choose to listen actively and receptively.

2. “Incline your ear” – Proverbs 4:20; 5:1 NASB

When we want to be sure and hear someone we will lean forward and turn position ourselves so we hear every word.

3. “incline your heart” – Proverbs 2:2 NASB

Lean forward mentally as well as physically. Placing much value on the words being spoken or read.

4. “treasure” – Proverbs 2:1; 7:1 NASB

Place a high value on it and make it a point to retain what you have learned.

5. “do not forget” – Proverbs 3:1; 4:5; cp. 3:21; 4:21

Wisdom is so valuable that a sensible person wants it to be a permanent part of their life.

How to Plow in Cold Weather – Part 2

Proverbs 14:4 (The Message)

No cattle, no crops; a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow.

King Solomon is telling us that without a strong ox to help us work the farm there will not be a good harvest.

In many ways we are blessed in our day by the advancement of technology. Where people used to depend on animals to do heavy labor we now depend on machines. This fact shows us that when we are reading the scriptures that we cannot always take the literal word-for-word meaning to heart. If that were the case then this Proverb is false.

I am not really a farmer even though I worked on a farm when I was young. However, judging by the massive fields I have seen in my travels around the central United States I feel safe to say that our generation is bringing in bumper crops compared to the ages before us. All of this is happening without any oxen or cattle to pull a plow.

Cattle in this proverb is looked upon as a tool. An ox was a very valuable tool to the farmer because it gave him the ability to do more work than one person could ever do by himself. Try getting a shovel and hand plowing even just a small patch of ground. You will quickly be looking for a better way of breaking up the ground.

Can we look at this Proverb in a spiritual point of view? You bet. Jesus talked about the different types of ground in a persons heart.

1. Some fell on the road

2. Some fell among the rocks

3. Some fell among the weeds

4. Some fell on good ground

We know that the good ground got in the “good” shape it was in because the farmer plowed the ground ahead of time. The diligent farmer is always watching his fields to make sure they are in good shape.

I have seen fields that have been completly ignored for a long time. They were overgrown with weeds to the point where nothing good would grow in that field. This type of field needs much work before it can grow a good crop.

What is the state of your “ground”? Have you been working your ground to keep it in “good” shape?

When we work the field of our life we have to work smart. Going out by ourself with shovel in hand to till the gound will wear us out very quickly. We need to learn some valuable lessons from the good farmer here.

1. What tools can you use to work your ground into good shape?

2. There are 4 seasons. Each one requires us to work in differnet ways. Plowing, Planting, Nurturing, and Harvesting. What season is your life in?

3. The four grounds are: Hard Packed, Rocky, Full of Weeds, and Good for growing. What shape is your ground right now?

How to Plow in the Cold Weather

To start this out I am going to reference Proverbs 20:4 in two different translations. Each brings it’s own unique view on this scripture.

The Message:

A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall.

King James:

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

I grew up working on a farm during the summer and I wasn’t around the farm during the spring planting season. There was one time that I do remember helping my Grandpa plow up his garden so he could plant. I really don’t remember the exact time of year, but I do remember the lesson he taught me.

We had all the modern equipment that any farm had during the early 80’s: Tractors, combines, etc. and we used these all the time. But, there was an old antique plow that had been on the farm for ages. It had metal wheels and a seat in the very back. It was designed to be pulled by horses, mules, oxen, or whatever animal you had.

My grandpa decided to use it to plow his garden since the field plow was too large. It was a small garden and this old plow was the only one that would really do the job. So, he modified the plow and it could be pulled behind a small tractor.

The only problem was that it would take two people to operate this newly rigged piece of equipment. One driving the tractor and another operating the plow. It was my lucky day, I guess, so I got stuck running the plow.

We practiced working the plow/tractor rigging for a while before actually working on the garden. The plow was controlled by several levers, and it had to be steered by the seat. It’s quite funny to imagine me as a twelve or thirteen year old boy trying to steer this plow with my seat, and operate the controls. I learned to appreciate modern farm equipment very quickly that day.

Proverbs 20:4 speaks to us about a lazy farmer who does not want to plow his field. The King James version tells us that his reasoning was the cold weather, The Message says during spring.

As I walked out of my house today the spring temperature was a very cold 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Not exactly my idea of nice spring weather. I think I can safely say that most people would want to be indoors on a day like this.

However, there was a time in history when we could not let the cold weather keep us inside. If it was the time to be planting your crops you could not let the cold weather stop you. You would get on the old plow and get to work.

Laziness will easily take up residence in our life if we let it. When this happens we will have nothing to provide for our needs when the time comes. The bank account will eventually run dry leaving you scrambling to make ends meet.

I remember many mornings that I really did not want to wake up before dawn and go to work on the farm. I had to because I was a kid and didn’t have a choice. My grandpa on the other hand was a mature adult and knew that there were many things that needed to be done before the harvest season came.

There are days in my life when I really do not want to get up and go plow the hard cold ground in my life. I would much rather be sleeping in a nice warm bed. But reality tells me that if I don’t get up and plow I will end up empty handed in the end.

Our spiritual life requires a Solomon definition of diligence to make it through those cold times. Dedication, prayers, fasting, and study during cold seasons in our life are a requirement if we want Gods word to be planted in the good ground of our life.

Good ground isn’t a naturally occurring element as some would think. The ground was actually cursed because of Adams sin. The ground has to be made good through much labor and effort.

When we have made our ground good then Gods word can fall into place at the right season and eventually bring forth a crop. Don’t get discouraged and lazy during the cold spring mornings of your life. Get up and get to work plowing up the fields. The rains will soon come. If your fields are prepared then you can bring fourth a bumper crop.

Contending For The Faith

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Jude Chapter 1 Verse 3

Faith is the very foundation of Christianity and faith in Jesus Christ as the one and only son of God is the very root of our relationship with God. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) so we know that faith is one of the core foundations our spiritual house must be built on.

Jesus taught a story about a wise man and a foolish man. Each man built a house. The wise man built his house on the rock and the foolish man built his house on the sand. We know this story very well because of the little song we sang in Sunday school as kids. I am singing it in my head now as I even write this. But we have to somehow translate this cute little song in our head to real life actions that have an end result of a strong solid life.

I am reminded of when Peter and John were walking up to the temple to pray and found a lame man sitting at the gate. We get a brief glimpse of how deep there faith went in this moment in time. The Bible tells us that Peter grabbed the man by the right hand, pulled him up, and immediately the mans feet and ankles became strong.

I don’t know if you believe in healing and miracles or not but this teaches us so much about the faith that we should strive to achieve and hope to have. There was no question in Peters mind about whether God would or wouldn’t heal this man. It’s as if Peter knew that God was going to heal the man. Peter took immediate action and did not question anything. God performed a wonderful miracle using the faith that Peter expressed.

It was only a short while before this that Peter himself struggled with his faith while having more faith than you and I may ever have. It was on the choppy waves of the sea that Peter jumped ship to walk on the water with Jesus. No one today would even attempt such a thing but Peter did not hesitate until he took a few steps and the waves began to crash into him. Then he began to sink. Peter eventually came to a realization of his faith in God and his faith did not waiver when he reached down and picked up the crippled man.

So… Dear friends, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. Let us go forth with our feet planted on a solid rock, our faith in Jesus Christ.

Jude Chapter 1 Verse 3