Baptist – 11:3 Restoration

Brick v Stone as a Building Material

A couple of days ago, I was delivering some metalwork to a customer in the upstate of South Carolina. While in the area, I called a good friend and brother, Jeff, to see if we could meet-up for lunch. What a blessed time of fellowship, open Bibles in the restaurant and animated discussion of the Word!

During our conversation he began talking about the difference in building with bricks and stones as an illustration in the context of Exodus 20:24-25. Let’s read,

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

I could immediately identify with his illustration as I had written a related article almost a year ago. His angle was slightly different, but the points are inextricably connected. Continue reading “Brick v Stone as a Building Material”

R U N the 1%?

If Jesus came into your church, would you recognize Him? While my guess is completely subjective, I would guess that fewer than 1% would recognize the Messiah, King of Israel, if He walked into your church building.

No, He likely won’t come dressed as a homeless guy, though we should receive the homeless with love and concern.

He won’t be in a long robe and probably won’t have longish hair. He will have a beard.

In fact, 99% of the images and ideas we have of Him are wrong based on simple reading of Scripture.

You won’t know based on a ‘gut feeling.’ Your emotions will fail you EVERY time.

You MUST be able to tell based on facts that are verifiable. Scars? May or may not work…

How then will you KNOW without a shadow of a doubt who He is and that He is the REAL deal?

Scripture tells us exactly Continue reading “R U N the 1%?”

Which ordinance of God is “unrighteous?”

I carry my Bible practically everywhere I go. (ALWAYS ready to make a defense for the Truth of our Messiah and His Torah…) In my Bible case, I keep a little yellow note pad to jot ideas or thoughts to pursue, or comment on, or write about. Maybe a book, a thought, a verse, etc… Some days, like today, are particularly fertile and I wind up adding four or five new ideas or thoughts to develop for this blog or for personal study.

Recently, I posted one of the most popular posts I’ve written. It was short, to the point and something I thought I was the only one who had overlooked… But, something connected. Well, this goes very well with that post…

We enjoyed the day in the company of some Messianic friends and, as I love to do, I cruised a few of the books they had laying around. I found a little gem Continue reading “Which ordinance of God is “unrighteous?””

By what standard?? Pray tell!

… I can tell you what is NOT the standard!!

The Westminster Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church are NOT the standard!!
The Confessions of the Lutheran Church are NOT the standard!! ….

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that Messiah Y’shua was without sin. By what standard was this determination made?

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I John 2:3-6

The Apostle John tells us that if we abide in the Messiah, then we will ‘walk as He walked.’ We will ‘do as He did.’ By what standard did He walk/do?