PBM May 2013

PHISH BOWL MINISTRIES

Chummin’ for saints…until the nets are full

Matthew 4:19

May 2013

My beloved fellow believers thank you so much for all of the kind thoughts and prayers.  Prison  is slowly getting back into a routine which is good for the guards and for us.   There is a delicate ecosystem in prison that makes this machine run.  Not anything like our walk with Father.  With Him, we don’t have to fear doing the wrong thing and then BANG, now Father is mad and going to call down curses on us.  No, my friends, Father loves us so much, and knows we are going to fall short.  Even Jesus, with great compassion said: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”.

To my second thank-you:  My hand is healing slowly.  I will not lie.  It isn’t doing all that well.  I am waiting to see the doctor to discuss some of the recovery issues.   Please keep this in your prayers.

I also want to thank Barb for one awesome Phish Bowl last month (To God Be the Glory!).  So many guys have stopped me and said how much they enjoyed her insight.  The best part about P.B., is that it isn’t about just one person, it’s a co-equal ministry and I thank Father for that!

Before moving on in our study of Acts, I do have a prayer request.  My case manager gave me the application papers for Community Corrections (a half-way house).  The papers will go in May 8^th!  Pray for Father’s will that I am where I can do the best for Him, His church and His children.  Thank you.  (Many of us are praying for him to be released to Larimer County as this is where his support system is.)

As we move on, let’s do a quick recap.  Acts 1:8 seems to be an outline for the entire book.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. NIV.  I will once again borrow from J. Vernon McGee since I love how he looked at this passage in light of us today.
               First:  In Jerusalem is equivalent to our homes.
               Second:  In all of Judea is equivalent to our community.
               Third:  To Samaria which is equivalent to the other side of the tracks, the people                with     whom we don’t associate.
               Fourth:  The earth.  Although we may not meet with all parts and all kinds of people                in this world, there are still many ways we can support others who do God’s work.     My only note here is the wording; “And you will be my witnesses”.  Sorry, this is not         an option if you are a believer.  No, I’m not really sorry.  I am honored to do His                bidding in this world.

Chapters 1-7 describe the gospel being preached in Jerusalem.  Chapter 8 shows believers, under threat of persecution taking the good news of Jesus to Judea and Samaria.  Now in Chapter 9, Luke records one of the top 10 events in all of the Bible and the Church’s history; The conversion of Saul of Tarsus.  Saul, later known as Paul, would be God’s apostle to the Gentiles (see Galatians 2:8 and Ephesians 3:8).  He would lead the Church in spreading Christianity “to the ends of the earth”.  And no one was a better fit for the job.  He was a “real Jew is there ever was one” (Philippians 3:5).  He was a native of Tarsus and thoroughly knowledgeable in and with the Greek culture (Acts 17:22-31), a citizen of Rome (Acts 16:37), trained in a trade so that he could support himself (Acts 18:3).

Before Christ could use this highly qualified man, He first had to transform him.  Today, we are only going to look at what happened on the road to Damascus.  Here are three words which I am going to borrow:  theological, psychological and philosophical.  For a deeper look at Paul in these areas, I personally suggest a study in the book of Philippians.

Acts 9:1-2 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the

Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”

The first time we saw Saul, he was at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58-8:1).  He was so zealous for his Jewish belief system, that he began a campaign against anyone who believed in Jesus the Christ, all who were followers of the Way (see Philippians 3:6). The name implied “the way of the Lord” or “the way to salvation”.  Christ had earlier claimed to be the “the way” (John 14:6).  This claim is found a number of times in Acts.

Acts 19:9  “But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.”

19:23 “ And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way”

22:4  “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women”

24:14  “Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.”

24:22  “And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”

16:17  “This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “these men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”

18:25-26  “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.  So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Aquila and Priscilla hear him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

Acts 9:3 “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.”

Damascus, a key commercial city at that time was located about 175 miles away from Jerusalem, a Roman province.  Several trading routes went through or linked Damascus to other cities throughout the Roman world.  Saul may have thought that Damascus would be a good spot to stamp out Christianity; there he could stop the spread of the good news.  Now at some time during his journey, Saul found himself surrounded by an unbelievable Heavenly light.  This text does not overtly state that Saul saw Christ, it is implied, and since seeing the resurrected Lord was a requirement of New Testament apostleship (see 1 Corinthians 9:1, 15:8).  Also, the testimonies of Ananias (Acts 9:17) and Barnabas (Acts 9:27) confirm an eyewitness encounter of the heavenly kind.

Acts 9: 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “who are You, Lord?”  Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

At this point, we hear Jesus make a very powerful statement about the relationship between Christ and His church.  Anyone who persecutes believers is guilty of persecuting Jesus the Christ (also see Matthew 25:40-45). We are the body of Christ on earth.  I wonder what was going through Saul’s mind as this great Pharisee was face down in the dirt.  Could it have been “I was not serving God, but I was opposing Him?”  Anyway, at the center of this wonderful experience was Jesus the Christ.  Saul did not see a vision; he saw the risen Christ.  Saul did not “get religion” (something he already had), he found a relationship with Jesus.

6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

According to Paul’s own testimony in Acts 26:16-18, Christ gave him a brief preview of his future.
7  And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
In Acts 22:9 and 26:14, we get enlightened that those who were with Saul heard some kind of sound and saw some kind of light, but didn’t understand any of what was going on.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one.  But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Let me start here with this: The why, how and symbolism behind the “blind” has my head spinning.  Wow! to all you commentators.  And a big “really”…Let’s not over read things.  But here’s mine…God needed Saul’s full, undivided attention.  Saul had a lot to think about.  So for three days, God and Saul had spent a lot of one on one time.  During this time, Saul would have had the time to realize that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah whom the Jews were awaiting.  He had time to cover in his mind all the prophecies he had studied in his training as a Pharisee.  Suddenly, all that Saul had believed was being torn down and replaced with a new Truth.  And he did this all blind and praying (9:11).  This is Barb:  Does the fact that he was blind for three days hit anyone else right between the eyes, so to speak?  Not 5, nor 7, nor 2, but 3 days.  Don’t you love God’s consistency?

Saul’s conversion was undeniable:

               He went storming out of Jerusalem in a huff; he came stumbling into Damascus in                                         humility (9:8-9).
               He went to arrest Christians; he ended up being arrested by Christ Himself! (9:1-5).
               He began the trip determined to wipe out this message of Christ; he ended the trip                                     devoted to the cause of taking that message to the “end of the earth”. (9:19-                               22).
               He went from being a persecutor to being a persecuted one (9:23-25).

               In short, Saul’s whole mindset and belief system were turned upside down.  He realized that Jesus the Christ was not dead, but alive.  Jesus was not just a Nazarene rabble-rouser, He was the Messiah, the son of God.  Because of his great conversion, Saul turned out to be perfect for the task given to him by God.  He was thoroughly versed in Jewish theology, language and culture; a native of Tarsus means that he was equally at home in Greek culture; a citizen of Rome; trained in the secular trade of tent making, thus being able to support himself as needed.

          
This is a great picture of how Father works with His church.  It’s the snowflake principle; we’re all different.  No one else would have been suited to do what Paul did.  And, no one else can do what you can do.  No one else has your circle of friends, your abilities, your situations.  In a sense, each believer has a calling.  Father wants to send you out to use you to do something helpful in this world.  You may not play a highly visible role, but Father has a fulfilling plan for your life in the ever growing church family.  Glad you asked, OK, what is my role?  I don’t have that answer, but I can tell you this much.  If you don’t get up and do something, you will never find out.

Next month we are going to look at one man who was willing to be used by God, even if it was in a way he hadn’t planned or even if he wasn’t really understanding the way in which the Father

works

 

10  Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and
to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
This will be covered next month.

Semper fidelis!  Love your brother, Timothy.  I Corinthians 16:13-14

Phish Bowl Ministries is an outreach of
Calvary Chapel Loveland
276 E. 29^th St.
Loveland, CO  80538

 

PBM April 2013

PHISH BOWL MINISTRIES

APRIL 2013

Phishing for saints until the nets are full…

                                                       Matthew 4:19
                                             He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed

Obviously, this was written before Easter Sunday, but is delayed in getting sent to you.  PBM is a process and each person has many expectations of their time; so we ask your understanding in this delay.  It is all still pertinent.  Blessings.

As we come nearer to Easter Sunday, I want to ask, “What is Easter and why do we celebrate it?  For Christians and non-Christians alike, it is a time of new awakenings and new birth, hunting brightly colored eggs hidden by the “Easter Bunny”, bright new clothing to wear, changing from the dark and drab of winter into warm springtime.  So, here’s some background about Easter:

Origin of Easter - Its Pagan Roots

The origin of Easter dates back to ancient times, not long after the global Flood recorded in Genesis 6-9 of the Bible. Nimrod, a grandson of Noah, had turned from following his grandfather's God and had become a tyrannical ruler. According to the biblical record, as king, Nimrod created Babel, Ninevah, Asshur, Calla and other cities, all known for lifestyles that promoted unspeakable evil and perversion. When Nimrod died, his wife, Queen Semiramis, deified him as the Sun-god, or Life Giver. Later he would become known as Baal, and those who followed the religion Semiramis created in his name would be called Baal worshippers. They became associated with idolatry, demon worship, human sacrifice and other practices regarded as evil.

The origin of Easter involves the birth of Semiramis' illegitimate son, Tammuz. Somehow, Semiramis convinced the people that Tammuz was actually Nimrod reborn. Since people had been looking for the promised savior since the beginning of mankind (see Genesis 3:15), they were persuaded by Semiramis to believe that Tammuz was that savior, even that he had been supernaturally conceived. Before long, in addition to worshipping Tammuz (or Nimrod reborn), the people also worshipped Semiramis herself as the goddess of fertility. In other cultures, she has been called Ishtar, Ashtur and yes, Easter.

The origin of Easter goes back to the springtime ritual instituted by Semiramis following the death of Tammuz, who, according to tradition, was killed by a wild boar. Legend has it that through the power of his mother's tears, Tammuz was "resurrected" in the form of the new vegetation that appeared on the earth.

According to the Bible, it was in the city of Babel that the people created a tower in order to defy God. Up until that time, all the people on the earth spoke one language. The building of the tower led God, as recorded in Genesis 11:7, to confuse their tongues to keep them from being further unified in their false beliefs. As the people moved into other lands, many of them took their pagan practices with them.

Contemporary traditions such as the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg can also be traced back to the practices established by Semiramis. Because of their prolific nature, rabbits have long been associated with fertility and its goddess, Ishtar. Ancient Babylonians believed in a fable about an egg that fell into the Euphrates River from heaven and from which Queen Astarte (another name for Ishtar or Semiramis) was "hatched."

Ref:  “All About Jesus Christ”  Origin of Easter-Resurrection Day

 Have you struggled with the true meaning of Easter versus traditionalism as I did? As a child, I knew nothing more about Easter than finding brightly colored dyed eggs (the more the merrier), the basket full of candy on the table and enjoying black jelly beans and chocolate bunnies, and as with every Sunday,  we went to church.  After becoming a Christian in 2000, I found out the real meaning of Easter or Resurrection Sunday.  The week before Jesus was crucified, he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, signifying that he was a king of peace, not a king of war.  Most kings rode white horses, definitely not donkeys.  The Jews were thrilled that he was finally here and they cried out Hosanna, Hosanna (A shout of praise or adoration; an exclamation). Within that week, he had been tried for blasphemy for telling people that He is God; was ridiculed by the Pharisees; dragged before Pontius Pilate and then King Herod who dressed him in a gorgeous robe, mocking him and returned Him to Pilate for final disposition. The Jews cried out for Him to be crucified.  He was their King one week, their scapegoat the next.  The Roman soldiers, masters of torture and brutality, scourged him with a cat-of-nine tails embedded with metal and glass, grotesquely pulling out muscle, tissue, veins and parts of vital organs.  He must have lost most of His blood from all of His physical and emotional trials.  He was ridiculed as “The King of the Jews” with a crown of thorns, digging deeply into his head causing deep lacerations and more blood loss. And yet, He was still forced to carry His cross (either the entire cross or the cross bar) up a rocky hill to Golgatha (The place of skulls) where He was nailed to that cross through His hands and His feet.  Oh the agony that would have caused.  I cry “ouch” when I prick my finger!  These weren’t just small framing nails, these were thick, long, heavy nails and they pierced His hands and feet going through skin, muscles tendons and nerves!  Throughout this crucifixion process, his family grieved at the foot of the cross including Mary his mother, his Aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and John the Beloved.  After he died on that cross, he was lovingly taken down by his friends and taken to a stone hewn tomb nearby, was covered in spices of myrrh and aloes and then wrapped in linens and laid to rest, forever, they thought. No, the soldiers didn’t let him out.  No, he didn’t swoon on the cross and then awaken in the tomb.  He was dead!   However, just as was prophesied, he rose from that grave 3 days later appearing to over 500 witnesses, some who wrote accounts of this and could actually confirm what happened. 

What difference does all of this make?  Who cares?  In the Old Testament, this scene was prophesied over and over again and it all happened just as it was prophesied. Some people today will argue that the Scriptures are man’s version of fairy tales, but there is no way that man could have prophesied the events surrounding Jesus’s life and death a thousand years in advance without Divine intervention. The events are played out perfectly and in the exact order that was prophesied.  Oh, Our God is so amazing. He chose to put these events into play so that man would believe in Him and His Son Jesus.   Do you believe?  Is Jesus your Lord and Savior?  Did He hang on that cross after being brutally beaten, spilling His blood for you?  Are you like the sinner who believed in Jesus as they were hanging dying on the cross, believing that Jesus is who He said He is?  If Jesus would forgive this man’s sins on a “death bed” confession, wouldn’t it make sense that He would forgive our sins too?  There is NOTHING that we have done or will do in the future that God will not forgive through his son Jesus if we are willing to confess the sin, repent and change our ways and follow Him and accept His forgiveness.  Won’t you ask Jesus into your heart today ridding your heart of the burden that you are carrying due to your sins?  He wants you and He seeks after you, just come to Him and let Him heal you!  Amen!

 Brightly colored Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, items that are gone in a short period of time, versus Jesus who is for eternity; you choose.

This month’s Phish Bowl was written by Barb due to events out of the normal author’s control.  It is not verse by verse, but, hopefully written in the Spirit.  I am not a Bible scholar as many of you are…I know that many of you reading this have been studying the Scriptures far longer than I have and know much more than I do, but I wanted to share these events just from an everyday viewpoint.  All of this information is available in the Scriptures in the gospels: John 18-20 and Luke 22-24, and of course, throughout the entire Bible prophesies can be found.  I hope that you enjoy it and that there is something in here for everyone.

As you are all aware, Tom Clements, the director of the Colorado DOC was brutally murdered on March 20^th, 2013.  Why?  He was apparently killed because he embraced change and wanted conditions to be better in our prisons,  and because there is still evil in our world. Please continue to pray for his family and friends and for all Law Enforcement as they work to keep all of us safe, inside and outside of the walls.  “May the LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace”. Numbers 6: 24-26.

 Phish Bowl Ministries is an outreach of

Calvary Chapel Loveland,
276 E. 29^th St.,  Loveland, CO 80538