Hallowed be Your Name

I do not do [ this ] for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

Ezekiel 36:22

We honor our Heavenly Father in several different ways! When we live according to His Law ( of Love ), we honor His Name; when we worship Him as our Creator, we honor His Name, and when we prove His Love, we bring honor to His Holy Name! In fact, that is just what it means to 'hallow' something; to sanctify, to set apart, to consecrate for a special use ( especially religious use )!

Why, if He, as our Heavenly Father, is the Creator, and therefore, the epitome of all that is right, good and holy, should we pray that His Name be hallowed? Why should we set apart His Name and consecrate it to special ( religious ) use?

You shall therefore be holy, for I [ am ] holy.

Leviticus 11:45b

We are, ourselves, instructed to be holy! We, as the People of God, children of our Heavenly Father, have been cleansed, sanctified, and made holy, yet we are told to BE holy, as He is holy. This is to say, that we are to show, or prove, in actuality, that we HAVE been made holy, that we have been sanctified and set apart! So with our Heavenly Father; He IS holy, but it is through our holy living, our honoring His Name, that His name is in actuality hallowed!

When we pray, therefore, that His name would be hallowed, we do two things; we first of all, keep the lines of communication open between us and our Heavenly Father, and we make supplication for the strength & will to honor Him with our lives!

'The Lord's Prayer', as given by our Jesus to His first-century disciples was, as we have noted, nothing new. It has recently been shown that this prayer was modeled, with a few notable distinctions, on the Jewish Kaddish. This prayer was based largely on the hope & promise of the Davidic dynasty, on the fact that David and his Son would for reign upon His throne!

Eschatologically, the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples petitioned that His Name, instead of being profaned, as their spiritual fathers had, would now be hallowed sanctified, and made holy! This, in the context of Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 36, was only made possible through the cleansing and renewal of the hearts of the People of God! David too, spoke of this time when he prayed, 'Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin', and 'Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me'. ( Psalm 51:2 & 10 )

Being eschatological in nature then, as it most definitely is, and thus fulfilled; should we any longer pray this prayer, and voice these concerns? If Jesus spoke these words to His first-century disciples, instructing them to pray that His name would be hallowed 'in the Land' ( Israel ) as it is in 'heaven', is it still for us to pray them?

It most definitely is! We should still, besides keeping up good communications with our Heavenly Father, seek His Strength & Will in our lives, that we may live according to His Law, in love, sanctifying His Hallowed Name!

We should pray, yes, that His Name would always be hallowed & honored in our lives, but more importantly, we should strive to honor Him in our lives, in everything that we do as well as say!

Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Sovereignty of God

Where is the promise of His coming? 
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [ they were ] from the beginning of creation!

II Peter 3:4

If Christians would just act like Christ, tax-paid abortion would have ended in 1974! ( Actually, the Supreme Court might never have handed down their fateful decision on Roe v. Wade! )

This statement, to say nothing of the statement on our latest inflammatory sign, may seem a little harsh and a lot presumptive! I daresay, with no doubt whatsoever, if Jesus encountered this problem in His day, He would not have sat idly by while babies were being murdered!  Unlike the many denominations of the Church, or church; He would have, at the very least, over-turned the tables of the money-changers and driven them from His House, and would have done His best to over-turn the Supreme Court!

Since its inception, but especially since 1973, America,  like any other biological body, has been dying a slow, painful death!

This is our Father's world, and He rules it as He wills! If American Christians think they can sit idly by, cowering in their bunkers like the Lutherans ( and many others ) during WWII, they've got another think coming! Remember the Holocaust? Whether or not you believe it was right or wrong for Hitler to massacre all those people, innocent or not, it was still murder, and if those Christians had stood up for their brethren, and against the evil that men do, the effects could have greatly been lessened, and possibly even averted!

So, in our day, with the 41st anniversary of that fateful decision ( Roe v. Wade ) on the horizon, we can easily look at American Christianity of the not-too-distant past, and see that if they had been worth their salt, they would have risen en masse, as a Body, and put a stop to the legalized murder of babies, in fact, nipping it in the bud!

The naysayers quoted in the verse above, from II Peter 3, were questioning the promise of God's judgment on His people because evil had been present from the very creation, and still, evil was present! Many Christians today, because of a misconstrued theology, might ask the very same question! Many of these same Christians stood idly by and did nothing because they're expecting Jesus to return any moment, sweep up His poor petulant church, and destroy all the evil in this world in one fell swoop!

Those who questioned His appearance in the first century ( II Peter 3:4 ) saw His Coming in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70, and the subsequent of the salvation of the followers of Christ, in their escape from that destruction!

The only way America will be saved from her destruction will be if She repents en masse of Her idolatries and especially the murder of Her unborn!

Only if we as Christians will take a Stand, and even Fight for the rights of all human beings to live, and especially the pre-born, will America return from Her destructive ways and begin to heal & prosper as a nation once more!

Stand & Fight, brethren; let this be our battle-cry, 'We do not Fear what Man Can Do!'

Amen,
Charles Haddon Shank

A Gentile Baptism, Part Two

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. 

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[b]

John - Matthew 3:11

Why do some people feel that it is necessary to continue to baptize in water, even when it was promised that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire? Speaking off a baptism by fire, it is widely accepted that when John said this of Jesus ( though 'with fire' is questionably a later addition ), he simply meant that it would be through trials & tribulations that His people would be purified. Jesus' 'baptism by fire' ( 'But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!'-Luke 12:50 ) is a perfect example of this baptism, as He was referring to His crucifixion & death!

To baptize, as we have seen, is simply 'to whelm'. People can be, and often are, overwhelmed by many different things; life itself, with its many twists & turns, speed-bumps and illusions ( or should that be 'allusions'? ) is often overwhelming! One can be overwhelmed by a multitude of problems, issues, or even by too much of a good thing!

We have seen that the practice of water baptism was itself eschatological in nature. It began under the so-called Old Covenant, was carried on into the transition period by John, and finally revealed in its significance by Paul & the apostles. It really was, during that transitional period, anyway, a sign to the Gentiles that they too, had become part of the Body of Israel, or Christ!

In the church today, and maybe in particular, the evangelical church, Christians are thought to be ( and even called ) Gentiles, unless they are of course, physical Jews ( you'd be very hard-pressed, I believe, to find one of those anymore! ). This however, conflicts with Scripture, which says in several different places & ways, 'For there is no difference' ( Romans 3:22 ). Paul actually comes right out and plainly says 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' ( Galatians 3:28 )

( 'Greek' & 'Gentile' are translated from the same Greek word, 'Hellēn' )

In some circles, those who do not necessarily view the practice as 'necessary', nevertheless still hold on to the practice as an identification with Israel. It most surely is that, an outward sign of identification with the Story that we read in the pages of Scripture, but we might ask the question here, for those of the Reformed persuasion in particular ( I was brought up in this tradition ); 'do we need to administer this outward sign in order for the inward Reality to be made manifest?' Will the outward sign guarantee the inward Reality? 

Obviously not, though some of my stauncher Reformed brethren might beg to differ!

Admittedly, one could well make the argument that when the unbeliever is awakened from his ( or her ) sleep and realizes the gravity & blessedness of right relationship with their Father in Heaven, receiving the outward sign of water baptism is a beautiful way to picture the Reality of their becoming One with the Body of Christ! Here though, we run into the same problems as we've already discussed! If one ( unbeliever ) claims to have become a believer, and so receives that outward sign, and later, for what ever reason, falls away, what good has his water baptism & confession done him? Nothing but harm!


However, as truly now as back then ( Luke 23:43, baptism by fire?), when one turns their life around, and begins to live in some sort of communion with the Body, it becomes fairly obvious that person has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is the True Baptism promised by our Father in Heaven!

Should we refrain then, from baptizing with water?

I, though I do not practice it myself, leave it up to the individual, but, for the very reasons enumerated above, advise ( seriously ) anyone reviewing the issue in their own mind, to realize the gravity & significance of either continuing the practice or not!

Charles Haddon Shank

Our Father in Heaven

How often do we almost thoughtlessly and mindlessly recite this opening phrase of what is known as 'The Lord's Prayer'? Do we truly realize what it means to call our Creator our Father, or that we are children of the One who set the universe in motion?

One thing that I believe many people miss is the context of Jesus' words!

When Jesus spoke these words, He was answering a question that had just been posed to Him by His disciples. His disciples asked Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.' Jesus' answer to them was 'When you pray, say, Our Father in heaven..............'.

Traditionally, these words are the beginning of what might also be called 'The Model Prayer'. Over the centuries, and probably even millenia, the exact words that Jesus taught His disciples to say have been taught to adults and children alike as The Lord's Prayer.

There a few things that we must understand about Jesus' words here. First, He was speaking directly to His disciples, the ones who were standing there at that time. This is not to say that we should not use these same words, though we must understand that there was an eschatological impetus to them!

As we continue to study this "Model Prayer', we will see more and more clearly the eschatological nature of these words.

As their Brother, Jesus wanted them to be clear that His Father was their Father. The relationship between a father & son is more precious than gold or silver! One reason for this is that the son will eventually, if all goes as planned, carry on his father's name, even his father's work, his legacy. What the father does, the son will one day do. Our fathers often seem harsh and brusque! They seem to be harder on us than anyone else. The main reason for this is that, one day, we will take their place; one day, we will have to fill their shoes!

Our Heavenly Father is definitely and infinitely  different, and so, our relationship with Him takes a different attitude as well. We dwell with Him, as we dwell with our human, natural fathers, but with a huge difference; our human fathers are finite, limited to being in one place at a time. It is possible to go any number of places to escape his notice ( trust me, been there, done that )! Not so our Heavenly Father; David wrote ( Psalm 139:8 ), 'If I ascend into heaven, You [ are ] there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You [ are there ].' He realized that there is no escape from the Presence of our Heavenly Father! Not only is He infinite in His knowledge and being, as well as all encompassing; He knows our very thoughts, and our most secret desires!

As such then, it is infinitely amazing and overwhelmingly gracious of Him that He would deem, not only to preempt to have a relationship with us, but that He would make us, His People, His Temple, His Dwelling!

Matthew's record of Jesus' instruction to His disciples is a bit more clearly eschatological! First, He instructs them, 'when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites'. He is clearly speaking against the elements of apopstate Judaism that was prevalent in His day, those who 'seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God' (Romans 10:3 )! We do have hypocrites, actors today, those who think that 'they will be heard for their many words',  but these hypocrites were the main focus of Jesus' indignation, their cup of wrath the one that spelled the end of the eschaton, fulfilling God's wrath!

Another thing we must understand about this 'model prayer' is that it was a reminder to His disciples, who were true Israelites, of their history! As we work our way through the The Lord's Prayer in these subsequent & sequential studies, we will see how this history unfolds.

In opening this model of prayer with 'Our Father in Heaven', Jesus made clear to His disciples that, although they were praying to their Father, He was not some human, finite Father! This was the Creator of heaven & earth, the One who dwelt in the heavens, who made the clouds His chariot, Who rode upon the wings of the wind! This is the One who claimed that 'Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool'!

David references throughout his many Psalms that Yahweh dwelt in the 'heavens'! It has been argued, quite successfully I believe, in certain circles, that these 'heavens' ( Hebrew-shamayim, Greek-ouranos, both of which mean, simply 'sky' ) referred, qualitatively and prophetically to His people, in whose midst He significantly dwelt ( Tabernacle /Temple ), rather than quantitatively to the 'place' where Yahweh dwells, apart from His People, often viewed as some 'pie in the sky' dream where His People will finally be ushered into His Presence upon their physical demise!

'Heaven' though, is more than just the dwelling-place of God, it is where He dwells with His People! In essence, you could well say; 'heaven is His people'! We ARE His throne, for it is through us, through His faithful ( and unfaithful ) people that He rules and reigns on this earth! 

Finally, we must understand that this is  'a model for prayer'! Jesus was not ( necessarily ) giving His disciples an exact blueprint of what words they must use when they prayed. In Luke's record of this 'prayer', Jesus told His disciples 'When you pray, say', but in Matthew's record, 'in this manner, therefore, pray', and so this point could well be argued, but really, I believe, it is beside the point!

Whether Jesus meant for His disciples to recite His words as a 'mantra', or was just giving them a pattern for relating to His Father and theirs, it is fairly clear that this prayer is eschatological in nature. Although it IS eschatological in nature, there is no harm in using it for our prayers too, for it is really almost as applicable today as it was back then! The same God that the disciples prayed to in the first century is still our Father, we still seek our daily sustenance in Him, and although His Kingdom has been made apparent on earth as it is in heaven, we still do not see it evidenced in all His People, though throughout all the earth!

'Our Father in Heaven' perfectly expressed the hope of Israel that their Creator was truly their Father who dwelt with them and would rule through them! The time would come when their prayer would become reality, and His Kingdom would be united, on earth, as it is in heaven!

Charles Haddon Shank

Share the Love, Spread the Love

In this day and age, love seems to have taken several different forms, but are all these forms truly love, or are they simply just man's weak representation of that grand allusion?

Since the dawn of time, love has taken many different forms, some more clearly love than others, but all made clear in action. Beyond what Scripture has to say on the subject, it is clear that love must be shown or proven through action, or it is only words, or mere feelings. Not to be too repetitive, but 'love is an action, not a feeling'; you can tell someone 'I love you' till you're blue in the face, but unless you show them that you do, in action, how can they believe you?

Traditionally, Scripture tells us that fornication, or sex before marriage, and adultery, or cheating on your spouse, are both wrong, and condemnable offenses!

Common sense tells us that the latter of these two, especially, is not a good idea, and can bring condemnation, and possibly death. Fornication, which can include all sorts of sexual immorality, common sense tells us, is also dangerously condemnable, especially with the rash of STDs, not to mention angry fathers, brothers, uncles or aunts!

Although the act of love most definitely should include sexual intercourse, it is widely accepted, among Christians anyway, that this sort of intercourse should only occur when the two involved are married to each other. Among most unbelievers, and even some who call themselves Christians, a general consensus and individual commitment is enough to cement the relationship!

With the advent of birth control pills and devices, and especially the condom, the risks involved with casual sex, whether with your spouse or with some random ( yet chosen ) partner, are greatly lessened. Physically speaking, it could almost be likened to masturbation, though, in most cases, anyway, there is an intimacy involved in even 'safe sex' which is simply not there in masturbation.

There are some today who might question the validity of these ancient laws, those which seem to say 'no sex outside marriage', and even 'no sex with anyone but your spouse'. Admittedly, I have even thought, once or twice, of the impact of fulfilled eschatology concerning these issues! As might be guessed, I have come  to the conclusion that though these laws were fulfilled through Jesus' ministry, they are being fulfilled in us; we carry on His ministry!

How then do we share His Love, or spread His Love to a world that seems to think that we can have sexual relations without the ties that bind? How are we to answer those Christians who seem to think that, since the Law has been fulfilled, and 'we are no longer under Law, but under Grace', those laws concerning fornication, adultery, and even sin itself are no longer binding, or in force?

For the unbelieving world, all that we can tell them is the Truth, that Love is the fulfilling ( keeping ) of the Law ( the Law of Love, not the Mosaic Law, or Code )! It is by fulfilling the Law toward our neighbor, be he/she friend or foe, that we show Love.  To the modern Christian who has a mistaken view of fulfillment, we simply remind them that a contract, when it is fulfilled, necessarily ends, but not so a covenant! A covenant, when it is fulfilled, is simply 'filled up' or kept. A contract is a temporal agreement, but, especially in the case of Our Heavenly Father's, a Covenant is eternal!

The marriage vow traditionally ends with 'till death do us part'!

It is possible to share and spread the Love without committing either fornication or adultery, even to share a form of intimacy without succumbing to sexual desires, though experience and common sense would tell you that the two are not far separated, so be warned: do not seek the one, if you cannot afford the other!

In the Father's Love,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Freedom & Responsibility of Man, Versus State Licensing

The issue of State Licensure is very widespread! From the operation of a simple lemonade stand ( in some states ), to getting the state's permission to wed, from having to receive license to drive a vehicle to buy a permit ( license ) in order to make improvements on your own home, not to mention the property tax, which could be a whole other issue itself!

The most obvious reason for this licensure, like all other forms of taxation,  is of course the generation of revenue. It could be argued that this revenue is of the utmost necessity for keeping the wheels of the Federal or State Government running like a well-oiled machine. This is somewhat true, the money must come from somewhere; the revenue generated from this and other forms of taxation is necessary to pay all the State & Federal employees. But even here though, the question might be asked; 'are all these Federal & State Government employees necessary?'

Let's look, for a minute, at the issue of the Driver's License; is it really necessary? There is no doubt that it helps, at least that's the idea, to 'weed out' those who may not have the maturity to properly operate a motor vehicle on the road, much less on a major highway at high speeds, and along with other drivers who may or may not have the necessary skills, licensing, and insurance ( there's a whole other issue )! That, along with the revenues that must be generated for the necessary up-keep of the Highway System and other important considerations could give plenty of pause to most who might balk at these issues!

Freedom is a gift from God! It is a natural aspect of man's creation, of his very being! With freedom, though, comes responsibility, and so the greater the freedom exercised, the greater must be the responsibility shown. When freedom is taken or exercised without the necessary responsibility being shown, then not only is the freedom of the individual put in harm's way, the freedom and safety of all those around him is put in jeopardy, especially concerning driving without the necessary skills on major highways!

It is a sad fact of modern life that many people do not exercise the necessary responsibility that comes with freedom, so therefore, we find that the State & Federal Governments have taken this responsibility upon themselves! It's been said that if one does not govern himself, someone else will do it for him ( or her ), and this, unfortunately, is what has happened all too often! Most Americans are more than comfortable allowing the State & Federal Government to exercise their responsibility for them, while these Governments are more than happy to take this responsibility from them!. They realize, unlike too many comfortable Americans, that if they take the responsibility, they can also take the freedom!

There is no true freedom without responsibility!

Because then, for instance with the Driver's License, many Americans do no show the necessary responsibility to exercise freely the right to transport themselves and others, it may well be viewed as necessary for the individual to be tested for and obtain a permit from the Government before they can validly do so. Here, I believe, is one area in which the Church has failed! This is a long-running problem, and so it would be difficult to pin-point exactly where we went wrong, but because the Church has alienated so many people over the ages, many people have lost, not only their responsibility, but their respectability as well!

Americans, especially Christians, have been told by the Church for so long that 'you're not good enough', that it has become a fact, and so it is better that someone else govern them. This again is a sad fact, but a fact that need not be, and in some cases is becoming less and less of a fact!

Over the past few years especially, the American people, the younger generation in particular, and thanks in large part to the efforts of people like Ron Paul, have begun to wake up to this sad fact! In large part, this Great Awakening has not advanced very far beyond the 'disgruntled stage', and because much of this Revolution is not altogether based on True Freedom, it will likely end badly for some! If the Church will take Her part though, and begin to teach and show responsibility, instead of ceding Her God-given Dominion to the State & Federal Governments, we will begin to see Christians take a greater hand in their own responsibilities and learn to exercise True Freedom!

Listening to the ( relatively ) old folk ballad, 'Alice's Restaurant, by Arlo Guthrie, we are reminded how, not only must one have a permit ( license ) at times, to do something as simple as dumping garbage, this song also reminds us of the irresponsibility of many Americans, 'because, 'if they did it, why can't we'! It is this attitude that has pervaded Americana, and so we have what we have today; the Federal & State Governments making statutes saying, 'you can't do this, and you can't do that'!

Right is right, and wrong is wrong! People are free to do what they wish, but unless they exercise responsibility ( ie, love for neighbor ( and enemy ) along with that freedom, it is not True Freedom!

When men and women begin to take responsibility for their own actions, and love their neighbor ( enemy too ) as themselves, then we will see the exercise of True Freedom! As the Law of Love permeates the Church, and begins to flow even more freely throughout the society & culture in which we live, we will begin to see more and more self government, and less and less of the corrupt State & Federal Governments!

As go the people, so go the politics!

May it ever be,
Charles Haddon Shank

Living Without Fear

We've discussed this before; it is very easy to become despondent, even somewhat depressed when faced with the harsh reality of what, not only Obama, but generations of American presidents have done to this country! Because God, not Obama, or any other corrupt politician is in charge, we worry needlessly!

Will the worst happen? All the horror stories that we hear about Obamacare, internment camps, and other such atrocities, will they have their intended ( and unintended ) effect? Not much doubt there; they most likely will, especially if this nation and its leaders remain on the same wide and destructive path that they are on now!

Scripture shows us that God has, in the past, used even foreign powers to bring His people to their knees. All things serve His Purpose, and when we understand that, even though we may chafe at the methods that He uses, it becomes evident that, as the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Church at Rome, 'all things work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose' ( Romans 8:28 )! If we act according to His Law, the Law of Love, we can be sure that, no matter what the Obamas or even Bushes of this world do, they can do no harm to us!

Eschatological arguments and implications aside, we can find the greatest comfort & assurance in these and other such passages, for we are God's people, as was Israel of old, and the words, though given specifically to those Christians in the first century, carry as much weight for Christians today!

You might be wondering how in God's Name we are supposed to just ignore all the evil that is going on around us, to trust God's purpose, and to live our lives as if nothing is wrong. I never said that we should ignore all that is going wrong around us! Yes, God is using even what seems very wrong to us to chastise His people, and to bring His wayward children back into family relationship, but wrong is wrong, no matter if God is using it for His purposes. You've heard it said, that 'two wrongs don't make a right'! Just because God uses evil people or occurrences to accomplish His purposes doesn't make the culprit guiltless. The wrongdoer bears the responsibility for his own wrongdoing!

Since God is using Obamacare and these other necessary evils for His own Purpose, and for our good, does that mean that we should just lay down and die, without a fight? Should we just cave in, bow the knee and do what this evil government says? Hell no! If all God's people did this, they would be just as complicit & guilty as those who instigated the evil in the first place!

Part of the problem, and really, a very large part of the problem in this country, is that, largely due to a false eschatology, God's people have been doing this for years!

It's not too late: if Christians can forget their fear, and begin to live their lives in a way that honors God, and not some national idol, then and only then will we be non-complicit and guiltless of the many atrocities ( evils ) that are rampant in this nation! It is true that it is largely through politics we will accomplish this, but it will never be politics as we know it! Politics as we know it is largely where this nation has gone off-track!

The blame for much, if not all of what has gone wrong in this country can be settled squarely on the shoulders and laid at the feet of the Church, but more to the point, it is the citizens of this great nation that must cry mea culpa, for it is the Body Politic ( where we get the term 'politics' ) that determines the course of government, humanly speaking!

Largely, the blame for the politics of the American people can be attributed to fear; fear, for example that if we don't vote for the lesser of two evils, the greater of two evils may get into office. Fear that if we don't vote for the candidate who has a better chance of winning, even though he may not quite measure up to God's Law, our choices down the road may become increasingly more evil! Fear that if we don't obey the government in every respect, we could loose our livelihood, our families, or worse yet, our very lives!

Why all this fear? Well, to begin with, Americans, even American Christians, seem to have abandoned the Scriptural truth of 'heaven on earth', and the Presence of God! Because these Christians do not acknowledge the Rule & Presence of our Heavenly Father in all of Life, the evils that surround us and beset us on every side have become more of a reality than these Spiritual Truths!

How can we deal with all the evils in this world without either ignoring them or fearing the outcome of the atrocities being perpetrated on a daily and even hourly basis? How are we to live our lives to the Glory of God in the midst of all this turmoil? For starters, we can acknowledge the current Rule & Presence of our Heavenly Father, and live our lives accordingly, knowing that it is His Purpose, not theirs, that will stand the test of time; it is His will that is being done! Remember, Yahweh told the Pharaoh ( king ) of Egypt, 'for this Purpose, I have raised you up.....' ( Exodus 9:16 )!

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as [ it is ] in heaven.

Jesus-Matthew 6:10

Has this prayer been realized? Is it, as promised, a current reality?

Then let us live without fear!

Charles Haddon Shank

2014; The Year Without Fear

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, 

and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Jesus-John 14:23

For me especially, 2013 was a tough year, emotionally, financially, and physically speaking, and it doesn't look to be getting any easier anytime soon, but I am SO blessed I could almost burst ( in fact, sometimes I do! )! This past year, in particular has been one of turmoil and hardship for many of us here at Covenant Community Church! In spite of all these trials & tribulations, or more precisely, probably, because of them, I believe we are the stronger together for it!

It is together that we must face our difficulties, for that is where our Strength lies! Yes, we may be strong individually, and here some are stronger than others, for our Heavenly Father is a personal God, and relates to each of His children individually, but His people ( corporately ) are His Temple, so it is within this Temple that He dwells and blesses His People with His Loving & most Comforting Presence!

When we dwell within His Temple then, we may face any trial or tribulation without fear, knowing, as the apostle Paul wrote, 'all things work together for good, to those who love Him, who are the called, according to His Purpose' ( Romans 8:28 )!

With the shape of events in recent years, and even in just this last year, and now in the coming year, with the very real threat of Obamacare, heightened government involvement in almost every aspect of our lives,, not to mention interference, and just the uncertainty of life in these united ( though dysfunctional ) states; it is only natural to worry about all these and more, but because of the Promises that our Father has bequeathed to us, those that we have inherited, we can face any difficulty we are presented with!

Because of the Rest that we now have, we are free to live our Lives according to His Word and without fear, because we know that His promises are fulfilled in His Son, whose Body we are!

May we truly Live this year in the knowledge that He kept His Promise to make His Dwelling with His People! May we continually fulfill and preserve, through our actions, the Promise to His People today, to spread His Love & Knowledge throughout His Kingdom on earth!

May we eternally live in community with each other, strengthening each other in this coming new year, as we serve Him & our neighbor without fear!

Shalom!

Charlom Haddon Shank

The Creator of Heaven & Earth

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;

And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 32:1

For thus says the Lord,

Who created the heavens,

Who is God,

Who formed the earth and made it,

Who has established it,

Who did not create it in vain,

Who formed it to be inhabited:

“I [ am ] the Lord, and [ there is ] no other.

Isaiah 45:18

Having recently had a conversation with a brother, concerning the pitfalls of Full Preterism, and in particular, the 'damnable heresy' of Covenant Creation, I figured it was high time to offer yet another apology for the 'doctrine'!

This particular brother argued that 'by claiming that Genesis 1 is only talking about a spiritual creation, they wind up denying that the physical world was ever created' ( apparently, this is the logical conclusion of this view )!

Admittedly, one could reach this conclusion based on the fact that Genesis 1 DOES only speak of a spiritual, or covenant creation, but as we have discovered recently, no matter what theological path one takes, they will reach whatever 'logical conclusion' they want! ( this is not to discount the working of the Holy Spirit )

As far as we can tell, a belief in Covenant Creation has not logically led anyone to conclude that the physical world was not created, or even to debate whether God created it! The Scriptures alone are clear enough in places other than Genesis 1 that Yahweh is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, even the physical universe, but aside from that Revelation, there is the natural revelation of our Creator to show us that 'these things didn't and don't just happen'!

Most, if not all Scriptures which contain the term 'heaven and earth' refer to this covenant creation! There are, however, some Scriptures that are a bit clearer than others, for example; in Deuteronomy 4:26, 30:19, and 31:28, Moses calls for 'heaven and earth' to witness the covenant that has been established. Other examples, where the phrase is separated, are Deuteronomy 32:1, Job 20:27, Isaiah 13:13, 49:13, 51:6 & 16, Jeremiah 4:23, 51:48, and Lamentations 2:1. These are but a few of the references to the 'heavens and earth' that are pretty obviously referring to something other than what we, in our Western mind-set, are used to thinking of when we hear the phrase.

To be honest, ANY or most of these Scriptures could be explained away; for example, one could say 'I beheld the earth, and indeed [ it was ] without form, and void; and the heavens, they [ had ] no light.' ( Jeremiah 4:23 ) is a reference to the original creation. You might hear that 'Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and all its fullness' ( Psalm 96:11 ) is actually eliciting an almost human response from inanimate objects!

There are plenty of references that say very plainly that God DID create, or make the heavens and the earth. 'Our help [ is ] in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.' ( Psalm 124:8 ) the Psalms, especially toward the end of the Book, are full of references to this fact! It is mentioned as well throughout the Scriptures, that He is the One who formed them for His abode!

Most if not all of these references though, take on a whole new meaning when one realizes that the language of creation in Genesis 1 and subsequently Jeremiah 4:23 is pointing primarily to a covenant creation, the introduction of God to His Creation, where He began to 'step in' and interact with His people!

This, plus the fact that the Ancient Near Eastern writers were wont to use a very poetic and often flowery sort of prose, very often using a chiastic structure in their descriptions of things, and in the statements they made!

The Hebrew word translated 'created' in Genesis 1, et al, literally means 'to cut' ( as in a covenant ). According to Genesius' Hebrew/Chaldee Lexicon, the Hebrew 'bä·rä'' means 'to cut, to carve out, to form by cutting', giving us the picture of the cutting of a covenant, such as in Exodus 34:10 and Jeremiah 31:22. This explains why, for instance, in Genesis 1, the Light is revealed on Day One, though the Sun is not formed until Day Four!

That the physical heavens ( literally, 'sky' ) and earth ('terra firma' ), 'and all that in them is', were designed and are upheld by some Intelligence infinitely far beyond ours is without doubt! As Christians, we believe faithfully that this Intelligence is better known as Yahweh, the Only Living God, the God of Israel!

We know that the Scriptures are a Book of Covenant; it is full of direct and indirect references to covenant throughout, so it only makes sense that, as Israel, or the people with whom God first cut His Covenant are about the only peoples ( as well as those in the vicinity ) mentioned in Scripture, that the account of the beginning of Creation would have reference to their beginning.

The Covenant Creation model does indeed assign a 'spiritual meaning' to the creation account in Genesis 1 & 2, but does not deny, whether logically or illogically that our Heavenly Father is the Creator of the physical heavens, earth, sea, and all they contain!

To imply ( or outright say ) that the logical conclusion of Covenant Creation it a denial of the creative work of our Heavenly Father is not only ignorant; it is to deny the plain teachings of Scripture!

Charles Haddon Shank

Necessarily Evil?

'For good to exist, evil must of necessity exist as well.'

In some form or another many of you are probably at least somewhat familiar with this phrase. The idea that evil exists to show the blessedness of good is even a notion that we can see in the pages of Scripture itself! The apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Rome ( 7:13 ), 'Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful'. In context, maybe, a bit off-topic, but the principle seems to fit. Evil occurs, or happens, that good might be shown to be good! Another way to put it is that, you cannot see the light, unless you are surrounded by darkness!

Yes & No!

One could well argue that light can exist without the darkness, good can exist ( or does ) without evil, and so forth, and this is true in the greatest sense. For example, God does not need an Adversary in order to exist; light does not need darkness in order to exist, but in order for us to appreciate the goodness of our good Father, we must experience the bad, and in order for us to appreciate the blessing of light, we must first experience the lack of it, or darkness.

While it is undeniably true that, for instance, God does not need an Adversary in order to exist, the way that He has set the world in motion is on the principle most famously popularized by Yin & Yang. We read in Jeremiah 32:23, for example, that God, because His people would not obey His Word, 'caused all this calamity to come upon them'. In the discipline of His errant children, Isaiah 45:7 records that our Heavenly Father said 'I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these'. In traditional poetic for, the prophet Amos ( 3:6 ) wrote 'I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these'

Our Heavenly Father uses evil ( the absence of good ) in order to show us, His children the right, good, and acceptable way! If we did wrongly, and yet received good for it, how would we know that it was wrong? On the other side of the coin, one might argue, if we do right, and yet receive evil for it ( Why do bad things happen to good people?' ), how then do we know that what we do is good, right, and just?

Thhe Scriptures tell us that 'He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you,but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?' I we do these, we can be assured that what we do is right, good and acceptable; if we do not do this things with all our heart, mind soul and strength, you may be assured that evil, in whatever form, will come of it!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Real Christmas Story

The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
    light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
    you expanded its joy.
Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration,
    sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—
    all their whips and cudgels and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance
    as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops,
    along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned,
    a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God, Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He’ll rule from the historic David throne
    over that promised kingdom.
He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing
    and keep it going with fair dealing and right living,
    beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will do all this.

Isaiah 9:2-7 ( Message )

The above, of course, has already transpired, been fulfilled, and we can now take comfort from passages such as this, knowing that God now rules over all!

During this time of year, it is traditional to celebrate the birth of Jesus who was the Christ, and to present each other with gifts in His Name, as He gave us the greatest Gift ever; Freedom from sin and death!

While we remember the birth of our Savior this year, we would do well to remember that this Advent merely heralded His Judgment of Sin & Death; it was not His first appearance that brought Salvation to His people, it was His final Parousia, or Presence! 

According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, insurrection is simply 'an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government'. Not only was Mary's questionable pregnancy in defiance of age-old tradition of the day, the Son that she birthed set the established political and religious world on it's ear! Not only did Jesus, the Very Image of God in Man free His people from the chains of their ancient adversaries; He changed the course of world events from that Day forward!

John's vision in Revelation 12 recounts what might be called 'the not-so-nice Christmas Story', the Story that Reveals the covenant context and gory details of how Salvation was won for the People of God!

The Insurrection that was engendered through Mary had the outcome of providing a Resurrection for Israel! 

Resurrection for Israel meant Resurrection for all the People of God, for we became One in Him ( Ephesians 1:10, 2:15 ). As Jesus' earthly mother boldly took a stand against the traditions of her day, so that birth enabled the People of God to stand again in defiance of the sin & the death which had held them in bondage for so long!

As we celebrate the birth of our Resurrection ( John 11:26 ) this year, let us ponder the question 'how shall we then live?' Should we not live our lives in honor and praise of what He did, not hoping for another outcome more appropriate to our vain imaginations, but reveling, living our lives in that blessed assurance that He HAS defeated death, that He IS ruling NOW, and that His Kingdom will have no end!

The answer to our question is, 'triumphantly'!

Having disarmed principalities and powers, 

He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

Thusly, we should live triumphantly, knowing that through Him we have been given the power to triumph over all our adversaries, and having done all, to stand!

Standing in Him,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Day With the Lord

When the apostle Peter comforted his readers, saying, 'one day with the Lord is as a thousand years', is it possible that he was not giving them a statement about the length of time that it could be until their Lord's return on the clouds?

We have seen previously that the term 'thousand', whether it be 'a thousand', 'one thousand', or 'the thousand', is a very significant term indeed! Throughout Scripture, it can be seen that, even when it is a physically literal number, it most often has a greater spiritual significance, or referent. Although there are various ideas about what Peter actually meant by this statement, it is widely accepted as a time statement by people on both sides of the 'aisle'. Some might use this to say something like, 'see, in God's timing, it hasn't even been two years', or, on the other side, one might ask the question ( jokingly, of course ), 'does that mean that Jesus' millenial reign only lasted one day?'

What if Peter wasn't giving his readers a time statement, as much as he was comforting them with the fact that they soon would be with their Lord?

Near the end of his first letter to the Thessalonian Church, in I Thessalonians 4:17, the apostle Paul comforted his readers with similar words, telling the that they would thus be 'always with the Lord'! Might Peter have simply been echoing his brother's words of comfort, reminding his readers that they would be 'with the Lord', no matter how different from their selfish yearnings God's own timing was? As we've noted in several like passages before, most notably I Corinthians 15:33 & 34, sometimes there is a short passage ( a verse or two ) which almost totally changes the perspective of the larger passage ( usually a chapter ), and even the context, smack dab in the middle ( or thereabouts )! Maybe verse 8 of II Peter 3 is such a passage!

Now, in context, II Peter 3:8 is undoubtedly a 'time statement', but really, it is so much more than that! Sure, on the face of it, interpreted in a woodenly literalistic way, and without the context of Scripture, this 'text' can be used ( and IS used ) to 'prove' that just because Jesus hasn't shown His face for 2,000 years, it doesn't mean He's not coming; obversely, it can also be used to prove that 'the thousand year reign' in Revelation 20 could have occurred ( or will occur ) in a single day; both concepts are rather ridiculous and quite beside the point!

The whole of prophetic Scripture points to a day when God dwells once more with His people, 'walking and talking' with them as He did with Adam in the Garden! The apostle Peter, as did the apostle Paul, is simply reminding his readers of this amazing fact, and comforting them with the thought that the Day is very near, 'even at the doors!'

The words 'one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day' is more likely a reference to the fact that, as they follow the pattern of patience that God set for them, the reward would be eternal; whether it was a day or a thousand years, they would be with their Lord!

Isn't that a wonderful relief? To understand that Peter was comforting his readers with the fact that they would soon be 'with the Lord', rather than telling them that the Parousia Jesus had promised 'that generation' might not occur for thousands of years! What an understanding and a relief that must have been; 'God is not a slackard or a liar!' 'Those men of God who have been telling us that the Day is near were right; we will be 'with the Lord' in His good and most excellent timing!'

Rejoicing in His Presence,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Abdication of Stewardship, Revisited

The fact that the parents are responsible for the education of their own children may be questioned by some, but it really only makes good sense that any good parent, especially a Christian, would want to educate and train their own children!

If you, as a Christian parent, ship your child off on the prison bus to a government, or public school for 8 to 10 hours of every weekday, how much time of the day do you have them yourself to teach them in 'the way they ought to go'? How much of that time do you have to spend in countering the indoctrination they are receiving in the public schools?

Most, if not all Christian parents would object to the idea that by sending their children to public school, they are 'giving' their children to the government. You would probably hear a host of reasons for this objection, anything from 'they are acting as missionaries', to 'what indoctrination?' For those who ask the latter question, or something like it, have we got news for you! There is a video available now, put out by a former public school teacher, called 'IndoctriNation'; in this video, John Taylor Gatto reveals the insidious nature of the public schooling curriculum and institution itself. If you believe that your children, Christian or not, are not being harmed by their exposure to this dangerous creature, then you need to watch this video!

The issue of self-government plays a big part in any discussion! We want to be able to choose our own healthcare, etc, but when it comes to taking the responsibility to spiritually nourish and educate our own children, most of us will lazily and willingly give them over to whatever form of government is willing and eager to snatch them from our cold, dead grasp! Sometimes, unfortunately, it turns out that they do physically remove them ( our children ) from our custody, because we figure out, too late, that we have given our children over to them, whether it be the State or Federal government!

It's true; if you give the government an inch, they'll take a mile!

You really shouldn't complain about government-controlled healthcare, or really, any other form of control, when you willingly give them control of your children for 8-10 hours a day! When you don't take the responsibility for your own life choices, whether it be the children God has entrusted to our stewardship, or the brand of cereal you eat for breakfast ( or whether you have bacon or eggs ), someone else will gladly make that choice for you, and you'll have to live with it, or pay the consequences!

The consequences for the abdication of our stewardship are rampant in this nation, evidenced in anything from high crime rates in the inner cities ( even outer cities ), abortion and pornography! The 'evils' that most Christians complain about on a daily basis can be directly linked to this failure, but the sad part is that those who have abdicate their throne do not even realize it, or at least or willingly ignorant of this horrifying fact!

This seems like an almost hopeless situation, like many Christians believe, that Jesus must return soon to 'rapture' us out of this mess we've made! When you sit back and thing about the gravity of the situation, how long it's been going on and how far it has progressed ( or regressed, actually ), things look very grim indeed!

We must take great care, though, lest we digress here, for the very hope that these same Christians have is largely what got us to this point in the first place! This is the hope, the notion that someone else will rescue us from ourselves, from the mess that we have created!

God, through the Revelation of His Son, and the salvation of His people from their sin, has renewed within His people both the ability and responsibility, not only to remedy ( redeem ) their own messes, but to skip those messes entirely, to not even make them in the first place!

The Key to solving every problem is Within us ( the People of God ), and it begins with good self-government: if we can learn to govern ourselves well, we will govern our families well, and from there, this good governance will have an effect, no matter how small it may seem at first, on all other forms of government!

Charles Haddon Shank