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Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday: The World’s Three Most Important Days

Posted on April 7, 2023April 7, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Can you imagine the pit of despair the Disciples felt on Good Friday? To them it was a hellish and confusing Friday. They were confused, they scattered, Peter even denied Jesus.

Jesus’ separation from the Father while on the cross (Matthew 27:46) is the loneliest and most poignant moment any person ever felt in the history of the universe, bar none.

But the disciples’ sudden and unexpected separation on Friday from their spiritual Father they’d been following so hopefully for three years came upon them cruelly and brutally, throwing them all into states of panic, despair, and spiritual depression. Even though Jesus had told them ahead of time, and even though they had studied the scriptures, they didn’t understand. To them, it wasn’t Good Friday. It was just bad Friday and the seeming end of the long trail of hopes and highs they’d been experiencing for three years with Jesus in discipleship to Him. They did not know as we do, Friday’s here, but Sunday’s coming!

We worship Jesus every day. We worship and praise Jesus collectively in services on Sunday. We exalt Him once a year on Resurrection Sunday. We know Him as Resurrected King triumphant over sin and death!

His ultimate moment will be His return, when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, Isaiah 45:23).

“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” (Zechariah 14:9)

Everyone will know that Jesus is MESSIAH! Not their spouse, not their work, not their own self. They will finally know the Resurrected Jesus is the only name. He is all names. He is the beginning and the end!

And it started with the cross on Friday.

theology

Prata Potpourri: Don’t be deceived; THAT photo; Irreducible complexity; On Being Boring; more

Posted on April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Spring in the south is a glorious time of year. The fresh light green of the grass, the plethora of blossoms everywhere, flowers. The bugs haven’t come out yet. The skies are studded with fluffy white clouds. Birds return. This all happens in February-March.

As we enter April, the storms come. The Lord said to Adam and Eve in the Garden that there would be harvest, but at a cost of sweat and toil and pain. Roses sprouted thorns. Childbirth pains increased. Every blessing thenceforth had a pain attached to it. And so it is with the beauty of a southern spring, with all the tornadoes and severe storms coming across the state like a train, one after another.

But if we know God, we can accept the trouble that comes with the beauty and peace. We know it all will end one day! And then only joy shall reign. What a day that will be!

Here are a few links I pray are of interest to you, edifying, or conscience provoking.

Anyone who has followed me for any period of time knows I love discernment. I love teaching it, speaking of it, urging it, and warning about its lack. Of course I am not the only woman with this concern. Many others teach it as well. Here are two of them: Amy Spreeman and Michelle Lesley with their podcast A Word Fitly Spoken and a lesson on
4 Ways to Avoid Being Deceived on March 29, 2023.

They wrote: “It’s so important that we, as Christian women, exercise discernment so that we aren’t deceived by false teachers or false doctrine. In this episode, we’ll take a look at four deceptive pop false doctrines that evangelical women are being wooed by right now, and how you can avoid being deceived by them.” Check it out.

Like most people, I’ve received cutting or insulting remarks over my lifetime. Some were intentional, and some were offhand remarks that I took as insulting. One of those was a man who said to someone else (who reported it to me, gah, gossip is bad!), that I was boring. I was about 26 at the time, newly single, and trying to discover who I was. Ouch, boring is not good.

Here is a book review from Tim Challies about a book on preaching. Why Are We Often So Boring? The author doesn’t go on to insist we entertain congregations, but muses on the fact that though some preachers pursue expositional preaching (pursuing a verse by verse explanations) in staid and grave fashion can be boring, because the preacher includes too many details he had needed to absorb but should have been left out because it bogs down the sermon. The book goes on to give a short overview of tips for effective preaching.

To be a raconteur (a person who shares stories in a skillful way) takes skill. Knowing which details to include and which to leave out is important for proper pacing. I try to remember that so I am not boring at parties. Maybe I need to pick up this book! Hopefully your preacher has this skill.

Here, The Heritage Foundation explains the history behind beloved Psalm 23. Our Great Shepherd of Comfort and Restoration. If you are feeling low, I highly recommend reading this essay and the Psalm itself!

I am not a board game player. I am not a game player of any sort. So I am unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, other than it exists. However, World reviewed the new movie Honor Among Thieves based on the game, and reviewed it positively. They said, “Honor Among Thieves is a heist movie—sort of like Oceans 11 meets Lord of the Rings. The movie is rated PG-13 for fantasy action and a few bad words intended for comic effect.”

Hopefully being rated PG-13 means there will be few things in the movie that curl my hair and distress my spirit. I love a good caper movie. I loved The Sting when it came out, and Oceans 11 and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and others like them. I have not seen the movie Honor Among Thieves, but here is World’s review. In theaters now.

PS: Warning, the link reviews two movies, the other is His Only Son, the scene between God and Abraham when God said to sacrifice Isaac. It is produced by Angel Studios, the same people that made The Chosen, which means Mormon and therefore not edifying.

Davis Huffstutler at G3Ministries wrote about our common salvation in Jude. I enjoyed this unearthing of truths from Jude. Jude is a book I love, and its main thrust is usually discernment. But Jude wrote that he wanted to talk about our common salvation (but due to circumstances Jude chose discernment instead.) But what IS our common salvation? How does it inform our everyday experience as a Christian? Read on to find out!

Because biology is much in the news today, here is an article from the Biblical Science Institute on Irreducible Complexity (AKA evolution is false). They explain it simply and understandably.

There are people out and about in life and on social media who want to cancel John MacArthur. They do everything they can to do so, including bearing tales and slandering. In one recent case, a gaggle of women with an axe to grind, who hate John MacArthur, circulated a photo of him, Joni Eareckson Tada, and disgraced pastor/leader Bill Gothard, and attempted to make a tie between Gothard and MacArthur with innuendo, slander, and lies.

This investigation provides a story of how an elder and who is someone in the know, investigated because he sensed the connection the women were trying to make was not true. His results provide context and debunking in grand fashion. It’s a good story and worth reading to see how battle-axes slander and how they try to make a photo tell a different story than the one the photo actually tells.

https://midwestoutreach.org/2023/04/06/inquiring-minds-want-to-know-the-mystery-photo/

I love vintage, maybe that is because I’m getting old and I remember the stuff from the first time around! Here is a neat essay on vintage postcards. The photographer visited the places today and compared them in “Then & Now” fashion. When I was publishing a newspaper, the Then & Now was the most popular feature. I think everyone loves a good Then & Now!

Photographer Finds Locations Of 1960s Postcards To See How They Look Today, And The Difference Is Unbelievable

surrender

Surrender to Christ

Posted on April 5, 2023April 5, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Be subject therefore to God. James 4:7a LSB
Submit therefore to God. James 4:7a NAS

Adrian Rogers said that there is a difference between saying “I commit to Jesus” and “I surrender to Jesus”. The commitment is a personal choice, and we are still in control. Surrender is an acknowledgement that we are Jesus’s and it is HIS will be done. HE is in control.

Should not the creature be submissive to the Creator, to whom it owes its existence, without whom it had never been, and without whose continuous good pleasure it would at once cease to be?
Charles Spurgeon, sermon “Unconditional Surrender“

John MacArthur had a good sermon on the theme a while ago: “Slaves of Christ“, reminding us that when we read the word bondservant or servant in the bible, that the Greek word is actually doulos, meaning slave. We are slaves. Our will is not what’s best for us, it is HIS will that is best for us.

The understanding that He knows best means we have to trust Him. In cases where sight may be faulty or circumstances may be hidden, God is in it, behind it, and supports it, and He knows what is best. We can’t tell, and we don’t know. We see through a glass darkly. Trust Him. Surrender.

Being a Christian isn’t just about a single moment when we surrender to God. It’s an ongoing process of daily surrender and obedience!
Alistair Begg, “Surrender to Christ“

Spurgeon said, “When we come to the end of self we come to the beginning of Christ.”

Surrender is not a popular concept for American Christians, particularly. We were raised to believe we are exceptional. We are imbued with a sense of purpose and self-sufficiency and git ‘er done mentality. That is counter to the kind of relationship God demands, where He and He alone is the boss. But to have a proper understanding of His position as the Most High, and us as (forgiven) sinners of the most low, we become His slaves. And He will raise us up on the last day, (John 6:40) to offer us our inheritance and to begin the relationship of co-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). Until then, brethren, we are His slaves. The question especially for this week (Holy Week) is, do we act like it?

People like to be in control. We like to make commitments, but the true word is surrender. Jesus is Lord. You don’t say, “Lord, I’m committing myself to build a great church, to more Bible study, more this or that. Instead, “I surrender. I am yours, Lord.” Adrian Rogers
Adrian Rogers, devotional “Do you Commit or do you Surrender?”

theology

Gallio- a biography

Posted on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Have you ever read a Bible passage and a name is mentioned and you wonder, ‘Who was that guy? I’d like to know more about him!’ I do. I find it helps to delve into the background of things mentioned in the Bible. How do they make linen from rushes? What is winnowing? What did their wine taste like and why did Paul suggest it for Timothy’s stomach? How many mollusks did they need to make purple dye? Like that.

When you read the Bible, ask question of it. And then search for the answer.

I was reading Acts and the name ‘Gallio’ is mentioned three times. We read of him in Acts 18:12, Acts 18:14, and Acts 18:17. Before we get to a bio of the man, let’s look at what happened, what happened according to the Bible.

Paul had been in Achaia about 18 months, and the Jews had had enough because many were converting to Christianity. So the leader of the local synagogue in Corinth, Sosthenes, hauled Paul before proconsul Gallio.

But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, (Acts 18:12).

Paul appeared before Gallio, the local authority. Their claim was, “This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to the law.” (v. 13.)

But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; (Acts 18:14).

But they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things. (Acts 18:17).

Gallio was not indifferent, he determined that it was not a major dispute under his authority, but simply an internal Jewish matter. More on that in a moment.

The first question we ask is, what is a proconsul?

Encyclopedia Brinannica:

Under the empire (after 27 BC), governors of senatorial provinces were called proconsuls.

A Consul’s term was only 1 year. With the Empire expanding and so many wars, it became necessary to extend the term, so a proconsul was a former consul whose term had been extended.

The difference between a consul and a proconsul is that a consul was one of the two top-most leaders of the Roman Republic, and a proconsul was the governor of a specific province of the Republic (and thus answered to the consuls). However, in order to become a proconsul, one must have already served a term as consul of the Republic. (Source)

A proconsul had all the authority of a governor who was given the specific region to govern.

In Gallio’s case he had been given Achaia to govern. Right click to see map larger. Achaia is to the right of Italy’s heel and down a bit. When Rome conquered Greece, they split the area into two regions, Macedonia to the north and Achaia to the south. The city of Corinth was in Achaia.

Roman Empire 125 AD.
CC BY-SA 3.0 Andrei N. (Wikipedia Commons user Andrein)

Did you know that Gallio was the famous philosopher Seneca’s brother? Seneca was in the Stoic camp of philosophy. Stoicism -“It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asserting that the practice of virtue is both necessary and sufficient to achieve eudaimonia (happiness, lit. ’good spiritedness’): one flourishes by living an ethical life. The Stoics identified the path to eudaimonia with a life spent practicing virtue and living in accordance with nature” says Wikipedia. I mention this because when Paul was in Athens, a group of Stoics began debating him (Acts 17:18). Anyway…rabbit trail over-

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains Acts 18:12-

And Gallio – After the Romans had conquered Greece they reduced it to two provinces, Macedonia and Achaia, which were each governed by a proconsul. Gallio was the brother of the celebrated philosopher Seneca, and was made proconsul of Achaia in 53 AD. His proper name was Marcus Annaeus Novatus, but, having been adopted into the family of Gallio assumed the name Gallio after his adoption by the senator Junius Gallio, a rhetorician.

One of the reasons we can pinpoint Paul’s journey to Achaia and his stay there was due to the fact that Roman records pinpoint Gallio’s term so definitely.

Barnes’ Notes again – He is mentioned by ancient writers as having been of a remarkably mild and amiable disposition. His brother Seneca (“Praef. Quest.” Nat. 4) describes him as being of the most lovely temper: “No mortal,” says he, “was ever so mild to anyone as he was to all: and in him there was such a natural power of goodness, that there was no semblance of art or dissimulation.”

Gallio’s temperament is important here. His mildness and ‘sweetness’ is mentioned consistently in many different writings of the time. Though modern writers since then have charged Gallio with indifference to religion, or indifference to justice, this was not so. It was not a reproach to say “he cared not for these things” but a statement of commendation or at least, neutrality. Some have interpreted it as Gallio was calm enough to see through the Jews’ machinations. Others such as Barnes, have said-

“That he did not deem it to be his duty, or a part of his office, to settle questions of a theological nature that were started among the Jews.
2) that he was unwilling to make this subject a matter of legal discussion and investigation.
(3) that he would not interfere, either on one side or the other, in the question about proselytes either to or from Judaism. So far, certainly, his conduct was exemplary and proper.” end Barnes

Interestingly the legal implications would have been far-reaching. We read in MacArthur’s Commentary in Acts,

“This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” Judaism was officially tolerated by the Romans, who at this early date viewed Christianity as nothing more than a sect of Judaism. Their charge challenged that conventional wisdom by saying that since Paul’s Christian teaching was outside the bounds of Judaism, Christianity should not receive the tolerance from the Romans that Judaism did. Had Gallio ruled in the Jews’ favor Christianity could have been banned not only in Corinth but also throughout the Empire. Gallio however was not to be easily duped.” –End MacArthur

Gallio would not allow Paul even to speak, he issued what we say today is a ‘summary judgment,’ and dismissed the case. In other words, he saw through the Jews right away.

As for doing nothing about Sosthenes’ beating, perhaps Gallio thought justice was being done. They had wrongly brought Paul before him, beaten and unjustly accused, and now Sosthenes was receiving the same treatment.

Gallio was an intelligent man from a strong Roman family. He was of even temperament, amiable, gentle and kind.

Gallio’s brother, Seneca, described him as a person exempt from vices, and who particularly disliked flattery, which could not sway him. He wrote of his character in his famous book Naturales Quaestiones, and dedicated it to his brother Gallio. (source)

How Providential God is to install just such a leader at just such a time as Paul would need him, at a critical moment in Christian history. You never knew there was so much about Gallio for context in just those 3 short verses, did you? Me either. This is why it pays to study God’s word deeply. It’s an amazing book, and thoroughly interesting!!

theology

Have we lost a sense of mystery?

Posted on April 3, 2023April 3, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I was expecting a delivery. UPS. They have that tracker thing so you can see around what time the item will arrive. When it gets real close, they provide a map with a little icon of a truck, and you can actually follow his stops. The map shifts as he makes progress to your house. I get a huge charge out of that. The things they come up with these days!

But then I got to thinking. Where’s the mystery? It used to be … in my day, lol…you paid for an item and hoped it show up sometime and then you’d be surprised. Surprise! Your package came. Oh, boy!

I thought about other surprises that we’ve lost because of tracking type technology. Caller ID shows you exactly who is calling. You can even knowingly decline the call. It used to be, the phone rang, you picked it up, and you dealt with whoever or whatever was on the other end.

This is how we blocked calls in the old days:

In the 1974-1980 show The Rockford Files, about a down & out PI named Jim Rockford, the telephone message machine was a prominent part of the opening. In a few funny lines you’d know all you needed to know about Jim. They always featured some message alerting him to something urgent, but funny. Overdue library book, bookie wants his money, stray girlfriend, check bounced, pick up your halibut,… The machine was new then, a new technology. The idea of capturing a message and playing it later, so you didn’t miss anything! Wow!

Jim Rockford’s 1974 answering machine. Source

Of interest: What the Rockford Files can Teach us about the History of Answering Machines

You can see news in real time instead of waiting for the newspaper to come out the next day. I remember years ago there was an earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand. I turned to Youtube and saw the quake as it finished quaking, the dust hadn’t even settled. Imagine, seeing news unfold in real time from across the world!! I was flabbergasted.

There’s pros and cons with instant news. Hot takes aren’t always good, and thoughtful reflection usually is.

One of the only true surprises one can blessedly have is the sex of your baby. Ultrasounds give pregnant moms the option of discovering if it’s a boy or girl. In my day, the 1960s, none of the three of my mother’s children’s sex was known before birth. It was a mystery that lasted 9 months.

Employers can see everything a prospective employee has posted. Instant replays take the mystery out of a sports call. CCTV tracks everyone. Of course it is a good thing that we can know and predict tornadoes and storms, so as to save lives.

Instant access to what you want to find out about is a good thing. But I wonder…in some ways we have experienced a loss. With everything being plainly seen and known, do we lose some mystery? I believe we do lose a sense of mystery. And with that, lost a sense of majesty…wonder…awe.

I know that the ancients, when they saw the Northern Lights, likely attributed them to gods waving a blanket. We know now that they are caused by a geomagnetic storm sending ions hurled from the sun in a solar wind to interact with the earth’s magnetic field.

But though we know the cause, we should still ponder the mystery of their beauty. God didn’t have to make them beautiful colors. He didn’t have to make them wave so charmingly over the northern (and southern) poles. Knowing the cause takes some mystery out of them, but we can admire their majesty.

How much have we lost a sense of majesty…transcendence…mystery? Do we really have to know about every single little detail, so much so that it takes the mystery out of things? I’m not saying we should be ignorant of important items. But if we see something as magical as the Northern Lights, do we explain to onlookers the ions and solar wind, or do we bow down and utter a reverent prayer to the one true God?

Let mystery and majesty and transcendence play a part in your life. Look up from the phone once in a while, at the mystery of blossoms appearing every spring, at how the birds are fed and cheerful, at clouds so puffy they look like cotton candy, at how a non-aerodynamic bee, can fly.

A great mystery is how a Christian will die, but then be raised to new life. One of the greatest mysteries is how God, being Spirit but also existing as a separate person as Jesus in the Godhead, was also incarnated as Man and lived on earth fully man and fully God. The Trinity is a mystery. The conception of Mary.

We should use the word transcendent, bask in the mystery of the Trinity, praise majesty (quality or state which inspires awe or reverence; grandeur; exalted dignity, whether proceeding from rank, character, or bearing; imposing loftiness; stateliness; — usually applied to the rank and dignity of sovereigns.)

Not everything has to be known. Not all has to be explained. We can experience events without having to explain them. We can settle into a mystery without having predicted its imminent occurrence.

Philosophers have been grappling with this question for millennia. People who know God understand mystery, majesty, transcendent splendor of the Holy One of Israel. But secular philosophers write things like this in essays called “The Mystery of Life Cannot Be Explained“:

I can theorize about perception and cognition. I can do experiments to test those theories. But even if I gave you an account of what every nerve cell in your brain at every nanosecond was doing, it would still not be experience. It would be nothing more than a list of words and numbers. Your actual and direct experience of the world — of the tart taste of an apple or of looking into the eyes of someone you love — would always overflow the list. There would always be more.

Today’s technology makes us think we can resolve all the answers we seek, know all the things we want to know. To a great extent with today’s technology, that’s true, but not completely.

That ‘more’ is God. Bask in Him today, explore the things that cannot be explained. This grows trust in our hearts, even as our mind is charmed by the things even Christians cannot know.

encouragement, theology

Grace IS Amazing

Posted on April 2, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

My favorite doctrines are Grace, followed by Providence.

Grace that is extended by our loving God is shocking and amazing and wonderful. I was saved later in life and I remember what it felt like to live a sinful life in rebellion against God. It was confusing and upsetting, most of the time.

I read a lot, and enjoyed historical books and the world’s myths. As I read books, all the world’s made-up gods were capricious or unloving or dismissive of humans. That seemed right to me. Even when I read of the Founding Fathers and learned about their deism, that god also seemed right to me. The deist god created everything – including humans – but then retreated from humankind’s affairs and let us wind down of our own accord. I could accept that. (As long as any god left ME alone!)

Grace given by a loving God was foreign to me and unthinkable. Because that would mean He was involved with humans, lovingly.

But that and only that God is the one true God.

He pre-existed since forever, but at the appointed time set by the Father, He came in the form of a baby who grew to be a man-God, teaching and loving and performing miracles. He died for our sins and absorbed the wrath of God on our behalf.

Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound
It was not a sweet sound to me then, but it is now.

That saved a wretch like me
I used to close my mouth if I happened to be at a Church service, like at Christmas, and this hymn came on. I wasn’t a wretch!, I’d utter. And close my mouth, refusing to say the lyrics.

I once was lost, but now am found
I didn’t know I was lost and I didn’t know I needed to be found.

Was blind but now I see
I didn’t know I was blind. Revelation 3:17 may apply here:
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

That the Lord of All would stoop to save a wretch like me, covered in mud and dwelling with the pigs, like the Prodigal, is amazing. That He would walk into Jerusalem, knowing the cries of Hosannah! would turn bloody and hateful a week later. That He went toward his kangaroo trials, his scourging, and his death, even death upon a cross, to save filthy sinners, is amazing. What grace!

Thank you Lord, for your grace!! How wonderful that even when we’ve been there 10,000 years, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. An eternity praising You is not enough, but what grace that I am able to do so in the first place.

Was blind but now I see…

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

theology

The Lamb: Slain and Alive

Posted on April 1, 2023April 1, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

As we prepare enter Holy Week I’d like to share a poem I wrote a few years ago. The Lamb, He is worthy! He is majestic! Praise the Lamb of God, the Holy One of Israel, the Eternal King!

end time, prophecy

Are you a cotter pin?

Posted on March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In the body of Christ, all are important- even the seemingly small. Are you doubting your importance to Christ and His work? Don’t.

Isaiah 33:23a – “Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread“

I was reading this verse today and it reminded me of something that happened to me some years ago. We were liveaboard yachtsmen then and had sailed from Maine to the Bahamas. We were anchored a while in the Bahamas, enjoying the numerous islands, hopping from one to the other. We had made some friends and sailed with them, anchoring at night and socializing by day over scrabble and rum. On the day of the photo below, I and my husband were sailing with our chums on Sea of Abaco. It was a yacht race, and we were aboard their boat.

So me and the boat owner’s wife were sitting amidships enjoying the race, looking at the other boats, and chatting. After a few minutes, she said, “Let’s go below and get some water.” We moved to the galley and a second later we heard an enormous crash! The boat shook and rolled! We instantly thought we had run aground, even though the Sea was deep at that location. We scrambled up to the deck only to see that the mast had fallen down! It had crashed down on the spot where we had just been sitting!!

The other owner had fallen into the water and the sails and heavy ropes and rigging were ensnaring his legs, potentially dragging him under. The boat came to a dead stop in the water and we were simply in shock.

A dismasting is one of the most terrible things that can happen to a yachtsman on the water. Fortunately we were half a mile from nearly the only and the best boatbuilding and repair facility in the entire 700 mile chain of islands. The owner guy was a schmoozer and finagled parts from the States in no time and within a week they were on their way. As with any tragedy, we wanted to know why. What did the mast autopsy say?

The cotter pin was gone.

This is a cotter pin:

This is how a cotter pin is used:

A cotter pin is “a metal fastener with two tines that are bent during installation used to fasten metal together, like with a staple or rivet.” (Wikipedia)

A mast and its rigging system is complex, and it relies on the sum of its parts, plus tension, to work. “On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the top of the mast. The other end of the forestay is attached to the bow of the boat.”

And the cotter pin holds the forestay to the bow. With the cotter pin gone, the tension of the system was disrupted, and at just the right moment, the mast fell backwards.

The first thing you see on a sailing vessel is its mast and sail. It is a beautiful thing, billowing in the wind, doing important work to propel the boat. The next thing perhaps you see is the boat itself, its lines and its beauty. As Alan Jackson sang in “Boats to Build,” it has a “fair curve from a noble plan.”

The next thing you may notice is the stays and shrouds hearing them hum and sing in the wind. You hear the engine, you see the keel when heeling in a stiff breeze. You never notice the cotter pins.

Isaiah 33:23a – “Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread“

We Christians make up a body. Every body part has a function. If we’re serious about our walk with Jesus, we want to make a difference. We see great evangelists opening hearts to the Spirit and subsequent salvation. We see missionaries making great sacrifices. We listen to pastors preach as if they were on fire, and altars filled with weeping responders. We see teachers publishing book after book, with eager readers excitedly discussing new points of view.

We never notice the cotter pins. Some folks serve in quiet ways, unnoticed. In the background. But if the pin is gone, the mast falls down. It has its part in the system, and every body part is important to Jesus, the Head of the Body. If you have been feeling sad, like you’re insignificant, like you don’t make a difference, YOU DO.

1 Corinthians 12:18-31-

But now God has appointed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20But now there are many members, but one body. 21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, how much more is it that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary, 23and those members of the body which we think as less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24whereas our more presentable members have no such need. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all translate? 31But you earnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I will yet show you a more excellent way.

theology

The world is baking soda and we’re…

Posted on March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Our own limited spheres may seem calm and fine, but it’s a false calm. The world is baking soda. Once we step into the world and speak truth- whether at work or to unsaved family or in public- we’re vinegar (not the honey of the Gospel that can only be appreciated after salvation). What happens when vinegar is sprinkled on baking soda? It bubbles, foams, makes a frothy storm.

Vinegar to the world is “There’s only two genders”. Vinegar is “Transgenderism is sin”. Vinegar is “Women are biblically unqualified to preach”. Oh! Watch the foaming and the bubbling in anger when THAT vinegar truth bomb is poured onto the baking soda!

We as believers do not go around purposely stirring up the baking soda of the world, but it is a truism that speaking truth to a heretical world will stir it up. Some people avoid saying the truthful things because they fear man, or they’re tired and don’t want to deal with the fallout, or they ‘need’ the job, and so on. Being winsome and pleasant is wonderful, but if you are getting pushback because you’re speaking truth, that is all right too. It’s going to happen. You did nothing wrong and probably did everything right.

When Philip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch if he understood what he was reading, Philip received a courteous and open reply. Sometimes that happens. When Paul told the Ephesians the truth of God, they beat him almost to death. That happens sometimes too. It’s not that you’re doing something wrong if you never receive an open and calm reply. When Paul shared with the group of women at Philippi, Lydia listened and converted. But you notice it wasn’t because of persuasion or artfulness or winsomeness that Lydia converted. The Lord is the Lord of Salvation. It was He who opened her heart to receive the Good News. (Acts 16:14b).

We just don’t know who is one of the elect. We simply need to keep speaking truth to a lost and dying world. Sometimes people listen attentively. Sometimes they gnash their teeth and revile us. Sometimes they simply laugh and go their way.

Charles Spurgeon is said to have printed more words in English than anyone ever. In print he published some eighteen million words. His sermons sold over fifty-six million copies in nearly forty languages in his own lifetime, and that steady pace continues today. Today, there is available more material written by Spurgeon than by any other Christian author, living or dead. He is said to have preached to more than 10Million people.

Charles Spurgeon said,

If God would have painted a yellow stripe on the backs of the elect I would go around lifting shirts. But since He didn’t I must preach “whosoever will” and when “whatsoever” believes I know that he is one of the elect.
Charles Spurgeon

And so we continue to be the vinegar whose truth stirs up the world’s baking soda. But out of that foamy stir, emerges Spurgeons, and Bunyans, and Warfields, and MacArthurs, and Riccardis. And Joes and Sallys and Petes and Janes who turn around and preach and teach and bring ever more people into the fold. Vinegar poured on a wound of sin will sting at first. Then it turns to the sweetest honey when one believes in Jesus. Sweeter, even:

The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether. 10They are more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:9-10 LSB)

theology

Thoughts on the Christian school shooting

Posted on March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a 28 year old woman from Nashville, packed herself with two assault-style rifles, a handgun, and lots of ammunition, drove to a Christian school, parked, and exited her vehicle. She shot out the glass on the side doors to the school. Entering the hall, she looked for people to kill. And kill she did, slaying a substitute teacher, a custodian, the head of school, and three nine-year-old children.

She apparently identified as a boy. She was a biological female, but preferred to think of herself as a male. She used he/him pronouns on her now defunct social media, and gave herself the name Aiden. She also dressed as a male, including a tie.

This tells us that she was on the far end of sin. As Romans 1:18-32 describes the process of deepening sin in both an individual and a society, we see that Hale was toward the end of the sin-spectrum, having a mind so futile she couldn’t figure out her own gender.

When a person is that deep into sin, Romans 1:28-31 says,

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;“

Hale’s choice to look a 9-year old in the face and shoot her dead, along with 5 others before being killed by police herself, is evil. But sin is something that is inside each one of us.

I want us all to understand something.

In a sense, we are ALL capable (before salvation) of such evil deeds. Hitler might be seen as an anomaly but he wasn’t unusual. Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Timur, Bloody Mary, Lenin, Stalin, Idi Amin…all just as evil. History is littered with ruthless, evil leaders possessing a penchant to kill.

As for run-of-the-mill individuals, ABC News states that “There have been 131 mass shootings with four or more people wounded or killed so far in 2023.” John Wayne Gacy, Charles Manson, the Hillside Strangler, Skid Row Slasher…and I could go on with naming serial killers and murderers.

King David was a murderer. So was Saul/Paul.

We learn other things about murder in the Bible. For example, we learn that murder is a crime authored by the devil himself. John 8:44 says the devil is a murderer. And murder is basically authored by Satan.
John MacArthur, “Who is a Murderer?“

Hale’s decision to mass murder isn’t a fringe event (thanks to police’s swift action or there would have been many more victims, said the Metro Police Chief). Murder is a sin that is sadly in each one of us. The very first human-to-human crime was … murder. Cain slew Abel.

We tend to think sin is an abstract. We like to think it’s something that can be handled. We toy with it. We indulge sin, sometimes for a long season. Post-salvation, we respect the Bible’s stance on sin, but do we, really? Do we understand how strong sin as a force is?

Even Christians tend to overlook some sins. Ligonier Ministry wrote: “Have you ever found yourself so caught up and concerned with the rampant sinfulness of our culture that you forget about the subtle sins in your own heart? If so, Jerry Bridges has written a book for you. Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate (NavPress, 2007) takes aim at the sins many Christians consciously or unconsciously consider “acceptable” behavior.”

NO! Sin is powerful and a HUGE PROBLEM.

If we are saved, there is blessedly one direction we will go- and that’s toward sanctification, holiness, Christ-likeness. We resist the sin that is in us, every day, a little more. The Holy Spirit sees to that. But just as we cannot fathom how much the Lord loves us, we cannot fathom how evil sin is.

But if a person isn’t saved, the direction they will always go will be deeper in sin. That’s the other direction. Sometimes the Lord calls some of them home before they reach the level of evil murder. But remember, Jesus said that,

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. (Matthew 5:21-22).

Jesus is saying that yes, murdering a human is bad. Slaying a body is breaking the Law. But the human heart harbors such evils (Galatians 5:20-21) that we can’t even know (Jeremiah 17:9). Yet, the scope of God’s commandment not to murder isn’t restricted to solely the fleshly demise at the hands of another. The commandment not to kill encompasses more that just that. It concerns the glory of God, divine judgment, God’s holy character, and a person’s inner attitudes. John MacArthur explains the Matthew 5:21-22 verse,

And that’s why Jesus goes on in verse 22, and says this, “But I say unto you – ” Let Me tell what God really meant by that word in Exodus. Let Me give you the right interpretation. “ – whosoever is angry with his brother… “Whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” Jesus simply says, it isn’t the issue of murder alone, it’s the issue of anger and hatred in your heart. You cannot justify yourself because you don’t kill. Because if there’s hatred in your heart, you are the same as a murderer.

Allowing sin to linger causes problems for the saved person-

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; (Psalm 66:18).

Sin is evil! We are all sinners! It is heinous to think of Audrey Hale gunning down sweet little children. Our minds recoil from that. Our hearts grieve over acts like that. But do our hearts and minds mourn and recoil over the 2 biggest sins in history? Sins worse than shooting a small child? Such as: Adam’s rebellion in the Garden, and Judas’ betrayal of Jesus?

If our mind hates that sweet innocents like the 9 year olds in Covenant Christian School were killed by Hale point blank, what about life in a perfect earth, personally knowing God, dwelling in a state of innocence, yet choosing to disobey God? What about a man like Judas, living with Jesus, seeing all his miracles, absorbing all His teaching, for three years, yet selling the most perfect and beautiful person in the universe, for money? Does our mind recoil from THAT?

This is why we all need the Gospel. We all need it, pre-salvation and even after salvation. Sin is THE most pervasive and most evil force upon the earth. Not gravity, not solar flares, not magnetism, SIN.

Do.Not.Underestimate.It.

Our hearts might be angry with a mass shooter of children, but our hearts should also ache for the sins we ourselves perpetrate. The respectable ones, the subtle ones, the overt ones. All of them. Jesus came to die for us so that we might be saved from His just wrath.

Audrey Hale wrote to a friend just before she shot up the school. She said she wanted to die. She said she’d see her friend in another life. Audrey Hale did die that day. Police shot her. She died, but sadly, her pain didn’t end then. It only began.

I grieve over the unsaved living in this ever-deepening cesspool world of sin. I grieve over their death and headlong plunge into hell and torment forever. Such was I before grace came. Be grieved or even angry over evil. But aim your anger over the true culprit: sin. Such were some of us- angry, confused, emotionally disturbed. And drunkards, addicts, homosexuals, liars, filthy beasts. The Gospel is the answer.

THANK YOU Jesus for living on earth as God-Man, a perfect life, and unjustly dying and rising again. Thank you for solving the world’s worst problem- sin and our separation from You. Thank you for giving us a right worldview and hope and peace.

Share the reason for the hope that is within us. No doubt Audrey Hale had been given the Gospel. Her parents were devout. Audrey Hale rejected it. Some will reject. But some won’t. And so we persevere, sounding forth His GOOD NEWS, until the Lord comes back –

For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10)