Jews, Israelites, and King David... the Convert??

In the time of Christ, there was a high degree of prejudice against non-Jews who wanted to worship God. Gentiles were not allowed to participate in worship at the temple in the same way as the Jews and were not seen by the Jews as spiritual equals. Modern Judaism does not carry this prejudice. They maintain that "converts" have the same status as those who are born Jewish, commonly citing King David as an example of a “convert” who was righteous and did many great things in the scriptures.

But wait! David was the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah!!! (I knew all of those genealogies would come in handy someday!)  Since these men were all Israelites from the tribe of Judah, why do they say that David was a “convert?”

Bricks Without Straw

In the previous article, I explored one parallel between Pharaoh during the Israelites' coming out of Egypt and the "old man" referred to by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, who represents the part of each one of us that is being put to death as we strive to live our lives in submission to God. In particular, that article discussed the role of the magicians in Pharaoh's court as it applies to our conversion. Today, as promised, I'm going to spend some more time addressing the lessons that we can learn about the "old man" who is still trying to hold us captive in spiritual Egypt.

Bricks Without Straw
One of Pharaoh's tactics, from the time that Moses and Aaron first arrived to free their people, was to oppress the Israelites by forcing them to make bricks without straw. Straw helped the bricks to solidify faster, so taking it away would mean that it would take substantially longer to make them; however, Pharaoh additionally required that they had to continue to meet their quota of bricks in spite of this restriction. Furthermore, he had his overseers beat the Israelites and treat them harshly if they didn't keep up. The Israelites quickly turned their attention away from the salvation that God had promised through Moses and Aaron:

Do You Not Yet Know That Egypt is Destroyed?

When Moses was pleading with Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh resisted, causing his people to endure 10 terrible plagues. He allowed everyone in his kingdom to suffer because of his selfishness and pride. Even his magicians, who were able to mimic the first few plagues,  acknowledged by the 8th plague that Pharaoh had no chance of stopping God from extraditing His people:

Exodus 10:7

Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

In our personal lives, we each have a stubborn person inside of us who is unwilling to see his faults and change his behavior.

As It Was in the Days of Noah

 Luke 17:26-27

²⁶ And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Usually, when these words are read, the emphasis is on what society will be doing as the Day of the Lord approaches. The wickedness of our generation is the primary focus, but what can the Church of God learn from this story about how we should conduct ourselves?

The Salt of the Covenant

In a recent Spiritual Snack, “The Fire of the Holy Spirit,” I explained one example of how Paul wove powerful symbolism from the Old Covenant law into his letters and, no doubt even more so, his teaching. Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee and an expert in the law. That’s why the fact that Jesus is the Messiah was so powerful to him: he already knew the Law and the Prophets inside and out, so that, when God opened his understanding, he was overwhelmed by the depth and intricacy of God’s plan. Because of this, I have no doubt that Paul used the law to teach the Gentiles, since this was, in effect, how he was taught. For this reason, I believe that many references in his and other New Testament writings that appear to have a connection to the Old Covenant law are deliberate.

The aforementioned article examined how the fire of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us can be compared to the fire on the altar of the God’s temple. Today, I want to look at another reference in Paul’s writing that caught my attention in a similar way

Saved by Grace, but Judged by the Law? (Part 2)

The scripture that sparked this entire discussion for me was Ephesians 2:8-9, the first verse that I quoted in part 1 of this piece, about being “saved by grace through faith.” The very next verse says the following:

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Saved by Grace, but Judged by the Law? (Part 1)

Two central themes throughout the bible are salvation and judgment. Some mistakenly assume that salvation is being saved from judgment, but the scriptures say otherwise. On one hand, the writings of the New Testament make it very clear that salvation is a gift:           

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

On the other hand, the bible says consistently from cover-to-cover that we will be judged by our works:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Are You "in" the Church?

During the Feast of Tabernacles, for those who may not know, it is typical that hundreds of people, even thousands in some places, will be staying in the same hotel or resort for the duration of the 8 days of God's festivals. Some of these feast sites are located in the midst of a city (such as Daytona or Panama City Beach), but many are held in more secluded towns or at all-inclusive resorts. For feast sites that are more tightly knit, such as the resort that I stayed at in Jamaica last week, it is common to ask yourself a certain question whenever you see someone that you think you recognize: is that person in the church?

This turns out to be a profound question with a diverse range of interpretations and answers. First of all, let's establish what the church of God is.

Can Men Understand God?

Lately, I have found myself dwelling on 1 Corinthians 2 a lot. The subject matter of the chapter is the contrast between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man, and it reveals a key to becoming a true follower of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

There are several lessons just in this short introduction.

Tithes and Offerings: What are they, and what are they good for?

Many people mistakenly do not distinguish between tithes and offerings - I myself thought that they were the same thing for most of my life! The usual picture that people get when they hear either of these words is an "offering plate" being passed around in a church on Sunday with people putting in various amounts of cash, and the ideas of tithes and offerings are one and the same. This modern tradition is not according to biblical understanding.