Wash Out

Exodus 40:29-38

 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the LORD commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys."

- I just read Exodus 40 tonight and finished the book in my daily Bible reading and prayer time with God. This is one of those chapters that some might consider "boring" because it goes into so much detail about the layout of the Tabernacle. (Spoiler alert- the last few chapters of Exodus detail A LOT of information about measurements and sewing and construction and all that was involved in setting up the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting. Mathematicians and scientists and architects and artisans of the fashion variety might particularly enjoy these chapters. :-))
    It might seem overkill at times (but just wait- Leviticus is up next! :-))- but that's really the point. As I was thinking about the precautions I'm trying to take regarding washing and cleaning upon entering my home in regards to the current virus pandemic, the Holy Spirit brought to mind the comparisons here.
Think of all the rituals Aaron and Moses and the priests went through to dare enter into The Lord's holy presence! There is a much more insidious disease to deal with besides a virus that can only kill the physical body. We are stricken with the disease of sin that kills the eternal soul!
    As we draw closer to Easter, I find it appropriate that I'm reading the Pentateuch in The Bible and being reminded of all the things the Israelites were bound to doing just so that their sins might be covered by the scapegoat. I am thankful that on the other side of the Testaments, in the A.D. era, we have the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on our behalf to take away the sins of the world! The overkill of the Old Testament system of sacrifices is over because the final Passover Lamb was killed for you and me! And thank You, Lord Jesus, that You not only were killed and buried- You were also risen by God The Father. (Romans 10:9) To quote "Godspell", "Long live God!"- eternally long! And because He has risen and lives again, we can also- if we let Him take our sins away and put our faith in the Lamb's completed work. To quote another song-  "Are you washed in the soul-cleansing blood of The Lamb?"

Isaiah 1:18- Though our sins be like scarlet, The Lord can wash them whiter than snow. :-)

Stuff Christian Culture Likes- and Stuff Christian Culture Needs to Repent From

I find it so sad to read through posts on the "Stuff Christian Culture Likes" Facebook page and see how so many people have been hurt by the Christian church and the Christianese culture that some people fall into that often does not really reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't say I always agree with all the criticism leveled, but I can certainly admit there is validity to many of the points made and it's something all Christians and churches should consider. Whether you agree with everything or not, if you're a follower of Jesus, you should listen to what people have to say and take it to heart because there are many places the church so often fails and needs to address.
     It is some of these things that make the world see Christians as hypocrites and the church as an abusive manipulator rather than the loving solace it is supposed to be- a safe harbour for all people. It is a place where sinful people who have been transformed by the amazing grace of Jesus- demonstrated through His death and Resurrection to pay for all sins and save all who put faith in Him and follow Him- can congregate and help each other and not tear each other down. (see Ephesians 4:29 and 1 Corinthians 14:26. Use your spiritual gifts to build each other up and help them pursue holiness. Yes, there is a place to lovingly and humbly confront Christian brothers and sisters about sin in their lives- Jesus spoke about that in Matthew 18:17. But He also said that we better get the plank out of our eye before we try to help get the speck out of our brother's eye. [see Matthew 7:1-6])
      And above all- while speaking The Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15), we must Love undergird all we do. "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9) (Genuine love is reiterated in 2 Corinthians 6:6 and 8:8 too) "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10) 1 Corinthians 8:1 says that love builds up. As 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, "Let all that you do be done in love." Galatians 5:13 says that through love we should serve one another. And as 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." I'm glad that God has covered me with His love and removed and forgiven my multitude of sins. As Jesus said- Freely you have received; freely give.
      When people don't see this, they can quickly become calloused with hardened hearts due to their hurts. It's easier to protect your heart than let it get broken again. I don't know the spiritual background of everyone on this site, so I'm not saying this about anyone in particular.
But I have found it to be an interesting linguistic observation that it's only one space away between an atheist and a theist. And the only way to make that space in their heart so it can be open to trusting God is through the Holy Spirit working- and He works through His children who seek to live out His love. So it's like Pete Townshend said, with a slight modification- Let Christ's Love open the door to your heart!
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxryzVVxFHI

The Ragamuffin Gospel of Grace!

" 'If we but turn to God,' said St. Augustine, 'that itself is a gift of God.' My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.....The Good News of the Gospel of grace cries out: We are all equally, privileged but unentitled beggars at the door of God's mercy!" - Brennan Manning in "The Ragamuffin Gospel"
"God loves us as we are, not as we should be, for we will never be as we should be."- Brennan Manning
As Brennan Manning preached so beautifully, God's grace is bigger than we can ever imagine and it is poured out on so freely. Why would we ever try to earn God's love by being good? We can never be good enough- we'll never be as we should be until Heaven. (As Philippians 1:6 tells us, He who began a good work in us will continue it until the day of completion in Jesus Christ.) Man looks at the outward appearance, but The Lord looks at the heart. (see 1 Samuel 16:7) "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:12-13)
As John 2:24-25 tells us, Jesus knows all people and doesn't need anyone to bear witness about man to Him because He Himself knows what is in man. And Jeremiah 17:9 tells us what is at the heart of man- deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? But God understands and knows the real human condition. In Isaiah 64:6 He tells us that we have all become like one who is unclean and the righteous deeds we think we've done are like filthy rags to Him.
         Yet through it all, God tells us that He has loved us with an everlasting love! (Jeremiah 31:3) He says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; He only wants for them to repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:23) Hosea 11 gives us a beautiful picture of God's love for us, as He leads us with cords of kindness and the bands of love. In the greatest display of love ever, God demonstrated His love in this, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) And Christ died and rose to prove He's God and to give us a living Hope. So why do we spend so much energy trying to be good and worrying about our track record and performance rates when they are worthless and unnecessary in God's economy of mercy? The price has been paid for all sin for all time! (Hebrews 10:12) Stop working yourself into a frenzy with fear and doubt, trying to do good in a vain attempt to coax God into somehow actually loving you and accepting you. God's acceptance and love calls out to you before you even try to do any good works. Just read the parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15- The Father looks down in love for us prodigals even when we are a long way off, covered in filth and pig dung. And The Father's love compels Him to run to us and sweep us up in His arms of love, with hugs and kissing, and rich jewels thrust upon our hands and new, clean clothes put upon us.
        Yes, the call of the Gospel of grace does include the repentance that the prodigal son so obviously displayed in admitting his sins and his desire to come back- but God's grace and love is lavished upon us beforehand. (To be very clear, I am not saying here that God takes us willingly back without any expectation of acknowledgement of sin and rejection of it. And be sure that rejection of His free offer of love and forgiveness will result in eternal punishment in Hell. But God desires for no one to go to that place- He wants all to come to repentance! 2 Peter 3:8-9) But I am saying that the reason for this should be starkly different from that of rote, routine religion of a pious purity and moral code that is no better than the elder brother's resume of righteousness that he presents to his father.
       Accepting God's grace means agreeing with God that we are sinners who are nothing more than ragamuffins in desperate need of His grace- who have messed up more often than we can count, who feel like a vast disappointment to God- but yet, through our tears of repentance and overwhelming wonder at God's love in spite of it all, gratefully grasp firmly God's outstretched hand of love, trusting Him to help us change into the people He wants us to be. We're not as we should be, but by God's grace alone for salvation and our faith in Him, He is making us who we should be in His time! Praise The Lord!
To paraphrase some more of Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel"-
"Thank God! I am wonderfully content with a God Who doesn't deal with me as my sins deserve. On the last day when Jesus calls me by name, 'Come, Nathan, blessed of My Father,' it will not be because Abba is just, but because His Name is mercy."
       We don't need to be good- we can't be good. There is no good in me- any good in me is Jesus. We have to taste and see that, like a doctor's medicine, Jesus IS good for us! (literally and figuratively! :-) Psalms 34:8)
Praise God for His love! :-)