the gate

We’ve decided to shut down the blog. You can still find us live and in person.

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Yes, we are.

The debates some people have about the end times are just silly. They think they have to identify when Jesus is coming back, and they think they need to know when the last days will begin. But the Bible tells us clearly and repeatedly that the last days have already begun.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter said that the prophet Joel’s words were being fulfilled on that very day. “But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’” (Acts 2:16-17) Peter tells the people he is talking to in the first century, “We are living in the last days.”

The writer of Hebrews makes clear that Jesus has already ushered in the last days. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

John writes, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18) John was saying in the first century that the last hour (or times) had already begun.

Paul said that he was living during the end of the ages. “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.“ (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Peter says that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the last times had begun: “. . .but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.” (1 Peter 1:19-20)

The beginning of the last days has nothing to do with events that are currently happening, or will happen in the future, in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. The period the Bible calls “the last days” began when Jesus came to this earth as a man, and will continue until he returns.

Does any of this matter? If you would like to know what practical relevance this has for your life, please see my comments regarding 2 Peter 3:11-13 (click here).

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it is a shame that there is such a push in our country to violate the sanctity marriage.  in fact, marriage is being threatened even from within the walls of the Church, which bothers me even more.  i expect the world to push the boundaries of sin, but not the Church.  we’re supposed to defend the Scriptures, right?

marriage is an amazing and beautiful thing, and it is a union that is blessed by God Himself.  He ordained it, He stands behind it and it should not be tampered with.  furthermore, He couldn’t think of a better way to describe the relationship of Jesus to His Church than to use the relationship of marriage.

so why are there so many within the Church that are trying to harm it, supporting bogus teachings about marriage that are nothing more than lies from the devil himself.  the very foundation of the Church is being modified by these acts, not because they are heresies about God, but because we are slowly choosing to allow what we think about marriage to be shaped by the thoughts of our cullture and not by the Scriptures.

and that is why i chose to write on this subject.  it know it’s difficult and controversial, a hot item among God’s people.  and most of us know someone who is on the wrong side of the Scripture regarding marriage.  it should touch us all.

so next time you have an opportunity, stand in defense of the Scriptures and of marriage.  when someone asks you what you think about the subject, be courageous and speak the truth as told by God.  when asked what the Scripture teaches, don’t beat around the bush or make excuses for it.  just say it.

“God hates divorce”.

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God isn’t seeking our advice or opinion, but he listens to our prayers.

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Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

This guy know some good tricks. Notice that at first he fails, but he doesn’t let that stop him. God gave this guy skills.

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UPDATE 10-6-09 - Check this out
Biggest, Tallest Tree Photo Ever
_______________________________
[end update]

I took this picture on Sunday, and thought of this poem.

World’s largest Cathedral Tree, nine trees in one!
Approximately 800 to 1000 years ago a very large tree stood in the
middle of this formation. When it fell it didn’t die. The roots and burls
of the stump sprouted and these nine trees happened to grow together
in a circle around the original mother tree’s stump, which has long
since rotted away. This tree is the site of Easter services each year
and also many, many weddings.

I think I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Under whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives in rain.
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.

Alfred Joyce Kilmer
(1886-1918)

Are you joyful like the trees? “…Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth….” (Psalm 96:12,13)
“…The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” ( Isaiah 55:12-13)

For me, I know when I don’t stay focused on the wonder and truly good news of the gospel, my joy starts to wane.

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If our greatest need had been information,

God would have send us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,

God would have sent us a scientist,

If our greatest need had been money,

God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

so God sent us a Savior!

                                   -Charles R. Swindoll, The Grace Awakening

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Would you like to win a top-quality leather Bible?

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Be sure to enter now for August.

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I take great comfort and strength from this passage of scripture and I hope it does the same for you.

Romans 8:31-39 NLT

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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ok, so 1 corinthians 13:4-7 has been a mainstay in christian weddings for quite some time, and rightfully so.  it is a great thing to think about in the context of marriage.

however, to reduce this passage solely to a lovey-dovey “i should love my wife” (sniff-sniff, move on to the lighting of the unity candle) is to neglect what the point of the passage is.

this passage is permanently attached to chapter 12 and the prior verses of chapter 13. it is speaking about love as a general statement, but more specifically love in the context of the use of our spiritual gifts.

chapter 12 talks about the spiritual gifts.  it tells us that God distributes them to whoever He feels like, and we each don’t have all the gifts so that we have to rely on one another as a symbiotic organism, THE collective Church, a mosaic if you will.  ** winks **

anyways, so then God tells us that even if you speak in tongues of men and angels, can prophecy, discern or have faith to move mountains (BTW - wow), it is all meaningless without love.

love is the binding factor in following Jesus.  nothing is pure and pleasing to God without love.  we can even exercise the gifts that God has given us specifically to His displeasure if they are not done so in a loving way.

i question myself, whether all of my words and actions come from the source of love.  is everything i do based on love?

if not, how do i love more?  is that even something that i can realistically work on?  i don’t think so.  love in this context is a love born only of the Spirit of God in us.  it is not tied to emotion or circumstance.  it merely is or it is not.  either the Spirit of God has destroyed our hearts of hate and envy and pride, or He has not.  if we cannot love, then the solution is not trying to love people more, but begging God to break us.

God to you:  “without love, you’re just a 7th grade marching band“.  yeesh!

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