Nebuchadnezzar's Nightmare is Our Dream Come True

Daniel came into great favor with Nebuchadnezzar, King of the Babylonian empire, by interpreting a dream. With the growing anti-Christian environment we are currently experiencing, there is much we can learn from Daniel who was God's man operating in a hostile and dangerous world. There is a vital lesson hidden away within this dream that is meaningful for us today.

In King Neb's dream, recorded in Daniel 2:31-45, he sees an enormous statue, like a giant idol. The statue has a golden head, silver chest and arms with a bronze stomach and thighs. Below the knees the legs are constructed of iron with feet made of both iron and clay, like pottery. It is important to know what they represent.

1. The Golden Head

The head represents the Babylonian empire and Nebuchadnezzar himself. He was meant to realize that all Kings are expected to rule according to God's laws and ways. But like many other earthly rulers, he had become arrogant and corrupt. 

2. The Silver Chest and Arms

These represent the Medo-Persian empire which would follow Babylon. The arrogance of the Babylonian kings to persist in their pagan ways and refuse to honor only the one true God would ultimately lead to their downfall. (It would be Cyrus, King of this New empire, who would allow the Jews to return home from their exile in Babylon)

3. The Bronze Stomach and Thighs

The Greek Empire which followed after the Medo-Persian empire is represented by the bronze portion of the statue. 

4. The Iron Legs with Feet of Iron and Clay

This is the Roman Empire which overtook the Greek Empire. The Iron represents the power, strength and might of Rome. The clay represents God's people who lived inside of the empire, but were distinct and separate from it.

What Does This Mean For Us?

Because of the clay, this giant idol will not be able to stand for ever. The clay is the greatest weakness of the idol. One day it WILL fall. While the clay represented the Jews, dispersed throughout the Roman empire, this is a prophetic picture of what God's people look like now, spread throughout the world. We don't mix in. We are in the world and we are from the world, but John 17:14 teaches that we are no longer of this world. 

I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

We are different. Today, more than at any time in my life, Christians are separated from all that the world values, or at least we should be. All of the kingdoms of this world are idols. The giant idol in this dream is a representation of the dominion of darkness. Every earthly kingdom ultimately becomes corrupted, but there is an inherent weakness in that dominion, insuring that it cannot stand forever.

In the dream, there is a rock which falls without anyone pushing it, crushing the giant idol into pieces. The stone grew into a great mountain filling the whole earth. That rock is Jesus. The mountain is the Holy Mountain of God, representing HIS Kingdom. Isaiah 9:7 tells us that His kingdom will never stop growing and will never end. The rock that grows into a mountain is a picture of the Kingdom of God which is built on our rock, our chief cornerstone, Jesus.

Right now, we are like clay. In order to extract us from the world, we will have to be broken away from it's iron grip. He is the potter and we are the clay, we must be willing to be broken so that we can be remade into a great and beautiful Kingdom which will never fall.

Fortified cities were often built on mountains for protection and positions of strength that are easy to defend. Psalm 18:2 says this about our God:

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

The mountain of God is a stronghold, a place of safety, shelter and strength. We can always come to God for those things.

Ultimately, all evil will be destroyed and God's Kingdom will cover the earth. Daniel completes his interpretation for King Neb by telling him that this dream is a prophecy and that it is certain, guaranteed. These events will come to pass. And that is good news. Friends, Jesus is our rock. He is building us into his Holy city on a mountain, Jerusalem. Like Daniel, we may face trials and difficult times, but when Jesus comes back, those difficult times will end and His Mountain, His Kingdom, will fill the whole earth, just as Isaiah 11:9 promises us:

They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

Jesus Confronts Religious Leaders Who Take Advantage

The story of the widow's 2 mites is one of the saddest stories in Scripture. But the problem started centuries before. For all the great things he did, Nehemiah made one big mistake that grew and worsened over time. He forgot the widows. While he served as governor over Judah, he re-established the tithe to provide food for the priests during their times of service and for the upkeep of the temple. Tithing was good, but it was never for the upkeep of the temple, which was meant to be provided through freewill offerings. True, the tithe was to provide food for priests during their annual weeks of service in Jerusalem, but it was mainly to provide food for widows, fatherless children and foreigners living among them. In an effort to correct what he had perceived as a sin, Ezra the priest caused many men to commit an even worse sin by divorcing their foreign wives and orphaning their children. Both men turned their backs on groups of foreigners who had chosen to live among them and worship the one true God. They made no mention of providing for widows, orphans or sojourners and even ruined the lives of some of these people. They missed the whole point of tithing.

Over the centuries, the priesthood became corrupted, especially those living in Jerusalem. Many religious leaders of Jesus' day lived lavish lifestyles, clothed with expensive garments, eating scrumptious feasts and being treated like high society celebrities. Herod had monetized religion and created a system of earning great profit from the temple. In addition to collecting tithes and inflating the price of sacrifices, people were required to pay temple taxes. Most of us are familiar with Jesus driving all those conducting commerce out of the temple and turning the tables on the whole system. On another occasion he openly called out the religious leaders for their corruption, showing who they were hurting:

While all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, who love respectful greetings in the market places, the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widow's houses and say long prayers just for show.  These will receive harsher judgement. He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins (mites). Truly I tell you, he said: This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on. As some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said: These things that you see--the day will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down. (Luke 20:45-21:6)

The Title was created FOR widows, not FROM widows. It was established for the purpose of providing food for widows, but this woman's money was being used to make the temple more extravagant and to fund lifestyles of the rich and famous religious leaders. Her actions were honorable and full of faith. But these men were taking money from the very people they were supposed to be using their resources to minister to and provide for. James 1:27 tells us:

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The words look after, or visit in some translations, means to look out for. It means to seek out people in need of help, to keep a watchful eye to notice people in need. We shouldn't just sit back and wait for them to come to us asking for help. We should go to them. We should always be on the lookout for anyone who is struggling so that we can offer assistance. This verse calls for an eagerness to help and serve. 

Jesus' disciples learned from the lesson He taught in the temple that day. In Acts 6, we learn that the very first ministers ever appointed included Stephen and six others, faithful men whose purpose and function was to make sure that the widows were served fairly and faithfully in the daily distributions of food. These men were called Diakonos, the word we get our word deacon or minister from, which describes the service of waiting tables. In our day of super-wealthy celebrity Christian figures, we need to be cautious and Biblical in who we choose to follow. 1 Corinthians 9:14 tells us that The Lord has prescribed that those who preach the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel. It is proper to support our Pastors and take very good care of them. But Jesus said that those who take advantage will be harshly judged. Real leaders serve others, not themselves.

So, How Can We Help?

I am grateful for faithful churches that serve their communities through food banks, counseling, pregnancy programs, clothing closets and support. We can all help through our giving and support of these programs. But free babysitting and fixing problems around the house for a widow or single mother can be just as important. I know many wonderful Christian people who have adopted--that is true and undefiled religion right there. Jesus led into this teaching by talking about loving our neighbor as ourselves. One way we show our love of God is by showing how we love others with our time, talents, money and through meaningful, supportive, caring relationships. 

A Good Report For The New Year

I would like to start the New Year with a praise report. Last summer I wrote a series of articles about worship in which I shared my concerns about some popular trends in church music production. I expressed my distress over the widespread use of various types of enhancement tracks and audio stems to make our singers and instrumentalists sound better or to compensate for a lack of preparation or time. Little did I know that we were only weeks away from getting a new worship pastor who would take us in a direction that is totally counter cultural. I realize now that God was preparing my heart, and hopefully using my writing to begin preparing the hearts of others. In no way do I mean to disparage any of the wonderful and godly church musicians and leaders I have had the privilege to work with, nor do I wish to take anything away from the wonderful Christmas services I have been a part of through the years. I, myself, spent years not understanding what a special privilege it is to select, prepare and present a Christmas concert or program. But mature Christians can learn and grow together from our shared experiences and in that Spirit, Philippians 4:8 tells us that if there is anything true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, worthy of praise or of GOOD REPORT then we should dwell on these things. We should think on them and live our lives with the encouragement that comes from them. So Here is my good report. 

This Christmas at NRH Baptist Church, for our program "Let Their Be Light," we used ZERO enhancements. There were no audio stems, no recorded tracks of professional instrumentalists or vocalists, no canned choir or orchestra, nothing pre-recorded, no sound effects. EVERYTHING heard in that program was performed live. And I believe that God truly blessed us. Here are some ways that we were blessed:

1. Musical Growth

It has been my experience that when enhancements are being used, rehearsals lose their sense of purpose and urgency. Trouble spots are let go and the ensemble does not receive the full benefits of preparing. The first time our instrumental ensemble rehearsed our Christmas music together with the choir, I was astonished at the level of musical growth and the quality of sound production in the choir. They have always been good, but they had improved so much in just a few short months that I was, quite frankly, amazed. Likewise, the instrumental ensemble rehearsed with more of a sense of urgency and attention to detail. We are all better musicians for the experience.

2. Saved Rehearsal Time

We eliminated so much frustration and wasted rehearsal time trying to coordinate our performance with tracks and figuring them out that we were able to use that time to work out musical trouble spots, and important musical moments. 

3. Musical Nuance

There is not, nor will there ever be found on this earth, a replacement for a good conductor. When you aren't trying to play along with a track, there is time to develop musical subtlety and nuance. At important tempo changes, song endings and meaningful moments, our drummer cut out the metronome clicking in our ears so that our skillful conductor could work his magic, and it was wonderful. With the time we saved in rehearsal we were able to focus our attention on dynamics and musicality. Without tracks to worry about, our director was free to create meaningful musical moments and to take charge of the performance to ensure that it went smoothly. Each time we presented the program, it became more beautiful and nuanced. We were able to express more emotion to better portray the meaning of the text. 

4. Comradery

Working together with a sense of purpose and mission is the best team building exercise I know. It is important for a group like a band or choir to feel a sense of accomplishment. Enhancements always make me feel guilty and ashamed and throw a wet blanket on the experience, but working together with other believers to present an authentic offering of worship is a great feeling. There was a noticeable improvement in the dynamics and friendliness of the worship department from the bonding that occurred throughout our months of preparation. Work is a good and God-ordained institution. Ephesians 4:2-3 teach us to be humble, patient, and gentle as we bear with one another in love and to carry on being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Working together with integrity is one way to do this. 

5. Musical Excellence

Everything is bigger in Texas. It was quite an extraordinary risk to take, with a Texas congregation and their Texas sized expectations, to go cold turkey, throw away the crutches and cut all enhancements. The result was that we sounded tremendously better.

Technical Note: It is difficult to tune instruments to a track because they are altered and often full of effects which are sometimes pitched, but non-musical. Tracks are also mean tuned and good instrumentalists and vocalists use just intonation. (For example, we slightly raise the 7th scale degree in melodic lines because it is the leading tone). Intonation is always much tighter when we rely on either the natural abilities of the human ear, good training or both. There is give and take with the rhythm section of course. But what it boils down to is that our human ears are more sensitive and capable of making subtle adjustments that a computer cannot and a programmed track will not. Chords can be more carefully balanced and adjustments can be made to fit the natural acoustics of the hall or venue. 

The choir was so much easier to hear without all of the tracks muddying up the soundscape. A sound system can only handle so much and like soundwaves cancel each other out--so recordings can actually cover up the sound of a live choir. Every part of the performance was cleaner, better balanced and inherently more beautiful. It was better prepared, better performed and more enjoyable without the tracks.

6. JOY

It was so much more fun, less stressful and genuinely a pleasure to present this worship offering

7. Blessing

There was no Santa, no Frosty, no Rudolph, no Olaf or any other fictional characters in our church Christmas production. This was another big risk with an audience in an area that is accustomed to big celebrations that include both secular and sacred (worldly and religious) entertainment and traditions. But it was well-received. The standing ovation began before the last piece was even concluded and I truly felt in that moment that it was more of an affirmation of the content in the message than of anything else. It felt more like a hearty Amen than an applause. The most special moment was when the children and youth choirs sang 2 songs that were the center point of the evening, Beautiful Savior and We Have a Savior. In a culture that trends to assign children to sing secular songs from Christmas cartoons, there is nothing more precious than children singing all about Jesus. It was wonderful for choirs of all ages to join their voices and sing part of the program together. It was a heart warming and special evening.

8. The Good News

Because we didn't use tracks and relied on our conductor, we were able to perform the program outdoors at NRH city hall for a few hundred people gathered to hear the Gospel message. The performance went off without a hitch, even without a metronome click or any helps. I have never felt more confident or excited about presenting the good news of Jesus. I would have felt silly singing about Santa, but there was nothing awkward about playing for Jesus. It was such an honor and I was overjoyed and glad to be there. The message was clear and beautiful on a rare cold Texas evening and no one left early. The gathered crowd stayed until the end and received the message with enthusiasm. It was one of my all time favorite Christmas performances. Though, at this point, I should call it what it really was: A Worship Event. 

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Here are the links to some of the other articles in this series that I mentioned above. The 1st is an article on the ethics of using tracks and enhancements. Tracks are ok to practice with and fine to use as necessary accompaniment. Tracks should not be used to deceive, only to assist. What is ok and what is not? The 2nd is on the use of secular Christmas music and characters in church. What is appropriate and what is not?:
http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/07/milli-vanilli-worship-thoughts-on.html

http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/06/christmas-planning-in-july.html

Redeemed

Imagine you were lured away from the safety of your parent's home by the promises of a good-looking, smooth talking charmer, only to end up being kidnapped. What if your parents never wanted you  in the first place and abandoned you as an infant, but instead of being rescued by a benevolent family, you were picked up by dishonorable men who raised you with no education, giving you just enough food and shelter to survive until you were old enough to sell for a profit. Maybe your own father, who was supposed to love and protect you, sold you instead to a creditor to pay off his debts? Perhaps your husband fell on the battlefield and you were brutalized and violated by enemy soldiers. Now you find yourself on the auction block, stripped naked, humiliated, treated as less than a human being while men wave money and the auctioneer sells you off to the highest bidder.

As you are led away, you walk toward your hapless future, trying to avoid the leering gaze of the gathered crowd as they stare at your nakedness. You know your fate. There are no jobs for unmarried women in your culture. Without a family, you were doomed from the beginning. There is no one looking out for you. All marriages are arranged in your society and without a father around to arrange a marriage for you, your prospects are hopeless. You cannot own land or earn a living in your country. You have been sold. You will be a prostitute. Your life will be endless suffering and misery as you are used for the pleasure of men who care nothing for you.

You are handed over to the man who has just purchased your life for money. Even if you weren't too weak and starved to run, there would be no where to go, no hope of escape. You are surprised when he takes the key and releases you from your shackles and chains. He clothes you with a clean robe and quickly whisks you away from the din of the crowd and city. When you pass the city gates, he gives you a drink, gently lifts your chin, looking into your eyes as he wipes away the tears and promises you that everything is going to be alright. You ride in quiet, stopping at a peaceful oasis about half a day's journey outside the city. He prepares a simple meal for you and after you have eaten your fill, he begins to talk.

He explains that He is part of a nation with different laws and a different God than all the other nations. His God has outlawed forced slavery. His God forbids prostitution. He assures you that you will never be used as a concubine and that no man will ever touch you without your consent. He explains that He has a special covenant with His God that provides protection for you. He let's you know that you will be working alongside his own daughters and his one and only wife in his household. You will eat the same food, sleep under the same tent and be provided with the same clothing that they are. He tells you that his son and heir, saw you in the caravan as you were being hauled off toward the slave auction. He goes on to say: My son had great compassion on you and asked if I would purchase you for Him with the dowry money we had saved up to arrange for his marriage. He's a good looking young man and kind. If the two of you get along, He would very much like to marry you, IF that is agreeable to you. We want you to be part of our family. He will never be allowed to divorce or abandon you. You will have the right to his marriage bed and can have as many children as you would like to surround you and care for you in your old age. You will always be part of our family even into your old age. You will always have plenty of food,  and your portion will never be reduced. You will be kept in good clothing and have an honored place in our family which can never be taken away. If something happens to my son and he dies, our family will care for you and one of our close relatives will even marry you if that is what you desire. Your children will be valued and viewed as equals and have an inheritance among our people for all generations. Your daughters and your grand-daughters and your great-grand-daughters will never be sold as prostitutes or mis-treated as you were. Your sons will have land and an inheritance and a future among our people and will never fall into debt slavery like the boys in other nations. All generations of your family will rise up and call you blessed because of the future you secured for them by accepting this marriage covenant here today. Take this cup of wine and drink from it if you are willing to accept this covenant and I will be a father to you and these promises will belong to you forever.

This young woman's purchaser turned out to be her Rescuer. He was her Redeemer, the one who sets things right. The price to purchase her out of slavery, has become the price of her redemption. He was her Savior. She wasn't purchased to be a slave, she was ransomed, rescued to become part of a family. What I have just written is an example of how the Old Covenant was meant to work. It is intended to demonstrate the mercy, compassion and care of God for those who have been walked all over and abused by this world. Every provision I detailed in that marriage covenant the Father offered is what the Bible teaches and required of Hebrew men. I just wanted to present it in a cohesive, easy to read manner. The only way they could legally purchase a woman from another nation off the auction block was to redeem and rescue her. God's law provided protection against human trafficking and provided hope and a way out for those trapped by it, and the death penalty for the traffickers. Rahab was a prostitute who was rescued out of Jericho when it fell. She was married into the tribe of Judah and her descendants were part of the nation of Israel. Her children did have an inheritance among God's people. Her son was Boaz, one of the most stand-up guys in the Bible. Her descendants also include King David and the entire line of Kings all the way to Jesus, Himself.

And that brings us to the point. While God, the Father, never abandoned us or sold us for money, ALL of us have been lured away from our heavenly Father by a smooth talking charmer called Satan. We have all ran away, gone astray. We have all been slaves to sin. But Jesus, God's only Son and heir, saw us in our humiliation, defeat and slavery. He paid the price, the ransom for our lives. He has already paid the price to redeem us from slavery and release us from the shackles and chains of sin. Those of us who have already accepted His covenant, collectively as the church, are his bride. Just like the man in this story, or just like Hosea who rescued a woman of prostitution and took her outside of the city to speak to her softly, proposing a new covenant of marriage, Jesus calls to us, in that still small voice through His Spirit, asking us to accept His covenant. Trust in Him. Ask for forgiveness for your sins. Accept the price of redemption He has already paid for you with His own life and choose to be part of His family. Just like Rahab, future generations of your family will be blessed because of your decision.

Hanukkah in Jerusalem, The Lighted City On A Hill

Jerusalem must have been a spectacular sight during the festival of lights, breathtaking to behold. I can only imagine what the city must have looked like during the Feast of Dedication--the highest city for miles around, situated on a hill, with each window having a Menorah burning away in it at night. When I see beautiful Christmas lights, I often think of Hanukkah and of the beauty of this city on a hill. Jesus said: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The church, spiritually IS Jerusalem. We are meant to shine like lights in the windows, illuminating the darkness all around.

Jesus, Himself was present for this special festival celebrating the cleansing and rededication of the temple and it is specifically mentioned in Scripture. 

Then the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews surrounded him and asked "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them "I did tell you and you don't believe." -John 10:22-25

Many Jews look at Judah Maccabee, "the Hammer," as a type of savior for taking control of Judea from the Seleucid empire and cleansing the temple. They expected the Messiah to be a warrior like this who would free them from Roman rule, but Jesus' said His Kingdom is not of this current world. He compared Himself to a humble Shepherd in this incidence. I think it no coincidence that in the passage from John 10, the only time this festival is mentioned in Holy Scripture, Jesus asserts that HE is the Messiah, HE is the ultimate and final Savior, and they rejected Him and picked up rocks to try to stone Him to death. The truth is, we are all very lucky that Jesus did not come as a warrior. There will come a day when He will return in all of His glory to utterly and completely destroy his enemies, but we were ALL once one of those enemies.  The message the angels brought to the Shepherds on the night Jesus was born was a mission statement for the type of Messiah He would be:

Do not be afraid, for behold, I proclaim to you GOOD news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the city of David, a savior is born who is Christ (Messiah) the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Suddenly their was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth, Peace, GOOD will toward men. 

When God came to us in the form of a humble man, He chose to exercise grace. He had compassion on us and came offering salvation and to make us part of his heavenly kingdom. He did not come to save the Jews from Roman rule. He came to save all of us from our sins. He did not come as the savior they wanted, He came as the savior we all needed. If you have never accepted God's grace and welcomed Jesus as your Savior, I would encourage you to make that decision.

The fact that this festival celebrates the rededication of the temple after it had been desecrated is significant to me. Antiochus IV Epiphanes had set up an alter to Zeus, sacrificed pigs in the temple and made the temple vessels filthy and unclean. When they took control back and purified the vessels and cleansed the temple, there was only enough oil to light the sacred Menorah (a golden lampstand in the temple with 7 lamps) for one night, but it miraculously burned for 8 nights, giving them time to find more oil. This is why Jews now light the Menorah, though they light a 9 candle Menorah, instead of a 7  lamp Menorah. We, as Christians, are now God's Holy temple. He has cleansed us and rededicated us for His holy purposes. Now we are the vessels Jesus has made clean and fit for service. Have you been made clean?

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. -2 Timothy 2:21 

The lampstand in the temple held 7 lamps like the one pictured below. The oil which keeps them lit up represents the Holy Spirit. Our lights burn bright because He shines through us and is at work within us, with a never-ending supply of His Spirit. I like to think that part of our Christmas light tradition comes from Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. As we enter into this season, let us remember that we are meant to be the city on a hill. We are the lamps burning brightly with a supply of oil that never runs out. We are Jerusalem, the Teaching of Peace, the City of Peace, ruled by the Prince of Peace, Jesus. 

The Tree, The Branches, The Fruit

I have come to really appreciate the growing tradition of people placing "Jesse Tree" ornaments on their family Christmas tree. They place ornaments with pictures, paintings or depictions of important Biblical people and events leading up to the advent of Christ. The beautiful evergreen trees that adorn our homes during the Holidays can be a wonderful reminder of the vital Biblical symbolism involving trees and what this teaches us about the birth of Jesus. Isaiah spoke this prophecy about the birth of our Lord:

Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. -Isaiah 11:1

David, the great King of Israel, was the son of Jesse. Because of Israel's sins, the people were sent into exile and the line of Kings descended from David's family tree was cut off--this is the stump being spoken of. But in this passage, Isaiah promises that there is hope for restoration. Job had also prophesied this hope:

For there is hope for a tree, When it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its shoots will not cease. Though its roots grow old in the earth and it's stump dies in the dry soil, at the scent of water it will bud/flourish and put forth branches like a young plant -Job 14:7

Jesus, the Son of David, was the new tree that grew. He is the King of Kings. But here is the cool part. WE, as Christians are part of His family tree. The branch from his roots that will bear fruit is US. Jesus said:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. -John 15:5

Vine is a word for a young tree or shoot. Jesus did die and was put in the earth, Yet He rose again and Christians are the branches that are growing everywhere and cannot be stopped. When I was home for Thanksgiving I was looking at a couple of rapidly growing Peach trees at my parent's house. Those trees are absolutely covered with buds where new branches have started to form and then been pruned. The picture of the Church is like a fruit tree that cannot be stopped as it constantly sprouts new branches and each branch sprouts more young branches and all of them produce fruit. The family tree of God is an unstoppable and rapidly growing tree. When Job's prophecy said that it's shoots will not cease, this gives a picture of endless growth and promised flourishing of God's church and it demonstrates that the spread of His kingdom will be like a tree, endlessly sprouting new branches. Jesus has taken up David's throne and established it as His own. As Isaiah 9:7 tells us:

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

One of the fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven is bringing others into the family tree by sharing the good news about Jesus:

1. He was born, like a new tree, from the remnant, or stump of the family of Jesse

2. He lived and walked among us producing fruit in the form of good works, teaching, miracles and making disciples

3. He died and was in the ground, like the stump from Job's prophecy

4. He Came Back to Life, like the tree from the prophecy.

5. He is growing the branches of His family tree, and Believers are those branches. 

6. Like a branch can be grafted onto a tree and become a part of it, anyone who believes can be grafted into Jesus' family tree and be part of the family of God.

7. The water that brings the stump back to life is like the Holy Spirit, who revives and refreshes our souls. God brings our souls to life on this earth and he will ultimately raise us from the dead into eternal life.

When Jesus said that we could do nothing apart from Him, to an unbeliever that sounds like a threat, but to a Believer it is a Promise. He is always with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. Like the water that brings a stump back to life, when we have the living water of God's Holy Spirit in our lives, we will produce fruit in the form of good works, sharing our faith and living a godly life. We will also exhibit the fruits of this water, listed in Galatians 5:22

The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control.  

I hope you are well watered and refreshed throughout this Advent Season as we celebrate the Birth of Jesus. 

REFORMATION: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Martin Luther's Views on Jews

Imagine, for a moment, that your phone and devices suddenly started blowing up with notifications of news that a religious hate group had poisoned your town's water system. Imagine your social media was plastered with claims that the same religious group had placed Doctors in your local hospital who were purposefully poisoning patients and deliberately botching surgeries to cause the deaths of Christians. Imagine that the dead and dismembered bodies of children had been found in neighboring towns in what appeared to be ritual sacrifices conducted by this same group of religious zealots...

Now imagine that you had been advocating for religious liberty for these people, reaching out to them, ministering to them...Welcome to Martin Luther's shoes. These 3 RUMORS are what he was told about the Jews--that they had poisoned Protestant water wells, their Doctors were killing Christians and that they had kidnapped, murdered and dismembered children. These accusations were unproven and unfounded, but the RUMORS persisted. Luther was furious and he penned one of the most controversial works of the Reformation: "The Jews and Their Lies."

The devil that Martin Luther fought against is the same devil we wrestle with today, pitting brother against brother and preventing the spread of the Gospel any which way he can. The Jewish leaders of Luther's time had the same type of stronghold the Catholic leaders had, keeping the true Gospel away from the people. Martin Luther had turned his heart toward the Jewish people and sought to include them in the Reformation for most of his life, but his attitude drastically changed when he judged all Jews based on the rumored actions of a few.

Luther dealt with the same types of divisive lies, false teachings, racial tensions and sneaky rumors that we face today and we can learn as much from his mistakes as we can from his successes. He wrote some angry and disturbing words in his book. He also revealed much about the false teachings that were being used by Pharisaical leaders to keep Jews from coming to Christ and if we look carefully, we can learn more about how to minister effectively to Abraham's prodigal children, our long lost brothers and sisters the Jews, and how to combat the false religious teachers of our own day. 

Martin Luther highlights specific types of false teaching that were occurring in the Jewish synagogues. Let's take an objective look at what we can learn from his observations--both good and bad: 

The Prosperity Gospel:
According to Martin Luther, the Rabbi's of his day were teaching a type of Prosperity Gospel which claimed that the Messiah would come and take away the gold and silver of non-Jews and give it to people of Abrahamic descent. Luther was incensed because he felt the Jews of his day were committing usury by taking advantage of non-Jews and twisting Scripture (Deut. 23:19-20) to do it. He spoke and wrote against such usury with the same passion, intensity and anger with which he wrote against the abuses of Catholic Church leaders who had been taking advantage of others. He was wrong to stereotype all Jewish people as greedy users and should have focused his critique on the teaching itself and the leaders who perpetuated it. But he was right to preach against this false prosperity gospel and we should follow his example today because this is one of the primary tools Satan is using to ruin the teaching of the church and cause would-be-believers to mistrust and fall away. 

Blasphemy:
Luther reported that the Rabbi's of his day called Jesus tola, which means a hanged malefactor. They lied about Jesus and Mary, referring to Jesus as the bastard son of a whore, the offspring of a smith with whom Mary had intercourse. LIES! One rabbi called her Haria instead of Maria, which means "a heap of mud." Not only was there outrageous and blatant disrespect which is blasphemous, but they were committing outright heresy by claiming that Jesus was not the Son of God. Martin Luther was right to be angry. If those words don't bother you, you probably aren't a Christian. As we will learn, some of Luther's responses were offensive and incendiary, but they were heavily provoked and much more about religion than race. All believers should be zealous for God and for His name. But we should also be wise about the manner in which WE represent that name and carefully guarded in our reactions. 

Racist Theology
Luther believed that the Jewish leaders were teaching a type of racist theology similar to what alt-right white supremacist cults teach in America today. According to Luther, they claimed to be God's only people and to be of "high, noble blood, birth and descent" from Abraham and that all other people were less than human, regarded as worms and unworthy of salvation, including Gentiles, whom they called Goyim. According to Luther, they denied the image of God in all people and the truth of Scripture which declares: Understand, then, that those who have faith are the sons of Abraham. They refused to acknowledge that: There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And they failed to believe the prophecy given to Abraham: And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command. (Galatians 3:7, Galatians 3:28, Genesis 22:18) 

Martin Luther got overheated in his response. I think that most of us have written something in the heat of the moment and later realized that our words could have been more "gracious," "seasoned with salt" and "wise toward outsiders," the way the Bible says they should be. But opposing these false teachings was correct, appropriate and necessary. It is unfortunate that in correcting them for their failure to recognize the image of God in all people and to honor the value of all people, he devalues and degrades the Jews with his own words. 

The real trouble is revealed within Luther's advice to the government which I have organized into 6 disturbing points:

1. Incendiary Intentions Toward Synagogues and Jewish schools.

I have seen many online sources that claim Luther called for synagogues and Jewish schools to be burned down. The book translation I read simply calls for them to be avoided, but He does say that he believes Moses would have burned them down which seems to have been taken by many as an endorsement and instigation of such an action. In the Old Testament, it was appropriate and required that God's people tear down pagan altars, remove Asherah poles and destroy the "high places" of Ba'al worship. This does not apply to synagogues at all and I strongly disagree with Luther on Biblical grounds. 

The disciples and apostles regularly taught in synagogues. In fact, these meeting places were one of the primary venues where early Christianity was taught. Acts 17:1-2 records that Paul and his traveling companions came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures. He journeyed on to teach in the synagogues of Berea (Acts 17:10), Athens (verses 16-17), Corinth (Acts 18:4), and Ephesus (18:19). Apollos was also received and taught in the synagogue (Acts 18:26) and then Paul returned on a different trip to the synagogue in Ephesus (19:8). The synagogue was a place where the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was worshipped and early Christianity was proclaimed directly inside its doors. When a synagogue turned them away, they would teach in a different location, but the synagogue was usually the first stop. 

It is also worth mentioning, that in addition to the synagogue in Athens, Paul also taught at the Aereopagus, or Mars Hill, in Athens. This was a place where multiple altars and monuments were erected in honor of numerous false gods. Paul's method was reason and Biblical teaching. Paul did not tear down the physical monuments because He was much more concerned with breaking down the walls and idols people had constructed in their hearts. This is the same attitude and position we should take as believers. It would have been appropriate for Martin Luther to walk right into those synagogues and share the good news about Messiah Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) just like the early disciples did, and then if they told lies about The Way, AVOID the synagogue and teach somewhere nearby, as Paul did (Acts 19:8-9). 

Respectful dialogue and patient teaching are thy way we share and spread our faith. The Old Testament tearing down of pagan places of worship was a type and a picture of the spiritual battle we fight now. When Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, verses 10:4-5 about tearing down strongholds with God's word, he wasn't talking about demolishing buildings, but rather breaking down the walls and lies that keep people from coming to God. 

2. He asked that Jews not be allowed to own houses. 

This makes me sick to my stomach. This type of speech is inexcusable and absolutely horrifying. He has judged all Jews by the alleged actions of a few and there is no justification for this to be found anywhere within the pages of Scripture. He was wrong. 

3.  He advised that Jewish prayer books and the Talmud be taken away and rabbi's be forbidden from teaching.

Luther was a magisterial reformer, which means that he worked with the government. I do not agree with that type of Christian nationalism and I absolutely do not advocate or approve of censorship like this. I favor freedom of religion. The people at Ephesus voluntarily incinerated their books of witchcraft, but there is perhaps some historical information to be gleaned from the pages of the Talmud--the writings of rabbi's. The problem is that the Jewish people have always depended much too heavily on extra-biblical literature and have elevated the writings of rabbis too high. They consider books other than the bible to be Holy books and this IS wrong and dangerous. I believe it was the proliferation of extra-biblical writings that helped corrupt the Pharisees. No rabbinical writings are equal to Holy Scripture. The book of Titus bans Jewish mythology from the church and requires overseers to protect the church from them. For example the book of Enoch is full of mythical and wrongful teaching which contributed to some of the racist theology mentioned above. It is wrong to take away prayer books. While it would be absolutely right for a pastor to refuse to allow a false teacher to teach in a church or synagogue, it is dangerous and unwise to suggest that the government should have this power. 

4. He wanted to remove protection for Jews from traveling. 

This was inexcusable. Luther may have viewed the Jewish people as outsiders, but the Old Testament repeatedly admonished God's people not to harm foreigners living among them. He viewed all Jews in the same way we might view religious terrorists and I understand protective measures, but this sounds very ominous and I believe it was sinful because it puts people in danger.  

5. He advocated the seizure of property

Ending usury, the taking advantage of people, is good, but taking people's money and possessions because you SUSPECT that everything every Jew owns is stolen is absurd and absolutely ridiculous. It seems that there may have been some predatory lending or shark-like banking practices occurring and certainly this is wrong and sinful. But the Gospel calls for us to give up materialistic pursuits willingly, NEVER to take such things away from someone else. 

Concluding Thoughts

One Saturday, while in Seminary, I was cleaning a church located near an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue. We looked out the window to see an elderly couple walking through the parking lot in the blazing hot Texas sun on their way to and from synagogue, observing the Sabbath. They could not start their car, because that would be considered starting a fire, and their Pharisaical interpretation of the Law forbids starting a fire on the Sabbath day because they believe it is work. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was created for US, not the other way around. It was created to give us REST. It took tremendously more work for them to walk a mile or two to church than it would have taken to simply turn a key and drive. This illustrates the futility of their belief system and should evoke feelings of empathy on our part. As Christians, we should have compassion on our prodigal brothers and sisters, Jews who have not yet accepted Jesus as their Messiah. 

The greatest sadness of Martin Luther's tirade against the Jews is the harm it did to the cause of Christ and the influence it had on future generations. His biggest mistake was to think that God had rejected the Jewish people and forsaken them forever. It is true that God punished Israel. But even during their exile in Babylon, Jeremiah wrote to them: 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope  -Jeremiah 29:11 

JESUS was and is that plan and the hope comes through him. Jeremiah 51:5 goes on to say:

For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God. 

Isaiah 54:7 further explains: For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. God returned them to the promised land and sent the Messiah to them.

Romans 11:1 shows us that God still has His heart turned toward Israel in the same way:

Has God cast away His people? Certainly not...God has not cast away His people...

Paul then explains that we Gentiles have been grafted on to Abraham's family tree and God is more than willing to re-attach Jews who place their faith in Jesus. The book of Revelation reveals that many Jews will come to Christ. Our position toward them must always be redemptive. 

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

1. The Gospel of Greed, or Prosperity Gospel is a false gospel that leads people away from the one true God and causes them to take advantage of each other

2. Racist theology is contrary to Scripture, drives a wedge between brothers and sisters and prevents the spread of the true Gospel.

3. Satan wants to corrupt children by corrupting the teaching in churches/synagogues, schools and homes. We see this actively occurring in our society. 

4. You can't judge an entire group of people based on the actions/alleged actions of a few. Stereotyping is bad. Look at how all of our nation's police have been judged by the actions of a few the same way it seems Martin Luther judged all of the Jews, and realize how unfair it is. Look at how the media has consistently portrayed country Christians as backward bumpkins. It is sinful to judge people based on the color of their skin or where they grew up. We should also remember not to judge all Muslims based on the actions of Islamic terrorists. They are also the appropriate recipients of the good news of Jesus Christ. 

How Should We Carry On?

1. For whatever good that Martin Luther and the other Reformers did, they also made mistakes. We can respect their courage, honor and positive contributions while appreciating their work, but we must also take seriously our sacred responsibility to study the word for ourselves, catch their mistakes, and correct them. 

2. It doesn't matter how much knowledge we have, if we don't have love, it all goes to waste and we will be fruitless. 

3. Our attitude must always be redemptive and centered on the good news of Jesus

4. Our language must always be redemptive, as speaking to those created in God's image and must minister grace to those who hear it