Marketplace Evangelism Today

Be Kind: But Are We?

Most recently, my neighborhood Facebook Page had some controversy pertaining to children who were seen in a pavilion area. Accusations were made by older adults that the children were vandalizing the ceiling fan in the pavilion by throwing rocks at the motor and hanging off the fan blades! Older adults took pictures and it is alleged that they posted those pictures on the Facebook Community Page without the parent’s permission. It is also alleged that public shaming ensued from the older adults. I never saw the post as it was removed by the Administrator of the page.

Wow! That is a lot of drama for our little community! At the same time, the “Be Kind” movement is all around our town with families and businesses hanging “Be Kind” signs on their front porches as well as in their businesses. I personally have one of those signs on my front porch as well as in my office. I love them and it is a constant reminder to me of The Great Commandment as written in Matthew 22:34-40:

^“34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Notice, Jesus commanded us to love God first, and then love our neighbors. This means to “Be Kind” to our neighbors.

It also reminds me of this verse, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). This of course is known as The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you” (Luke 6:31). In other words, “Be Kind.”

Getting back to the neighborhood drama. I tried to add some advice about being kind and I wrote the following: “Why not try love? Why not try to love your neighbor’s as you love yourself? Just my opinion. But I would highly recommend that you try to show love to fellow neighbors.” Then, I followed up with one last thought. “Anyone can have a “Be Kind” sign on the front porch. I have one. But that sign doesn’t change the heart condition of people. The only thing that can change the heart is God Almighty! Only through Him can one truly love another person.”

Shortly after that, one resident accused me of proselytizing! As a Christian Minister of the Gospel, I will always speak the truth and will not compromise my stand to cower to the politically correct. The “Be Kind Movement” is grounded in Biblical roots.

Hearts cannot be changed just because one places a sign on the home or in their business. We were all born into sin, have a sinful nature, and we all deserve death because of our carnal nature. But the one person, the one power that can transform hearts into being a loving person is God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, the Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Savior, Deliverer, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Good Shepherd, Great Physician, our Creator, the Maker of Heaven and Earth; Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Only through Christ Jesus can one be saved, and his or her heart transformed, so that one can love their fellow human beings who share this Earth.

Be Kind means that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Be Kind means that we want the best for others and will do what we can to help them. If one truly can “Be Kind” to their neighbor, then most likely they love God with all their soul, with all their heart, and with all their mind. This is what “Be Kind” really means. We as men and women do not have the power in our own selves to overcome the carnal nature and hatred, but only through Christ Jesus.

Unfortunately, I do not think there will be any forgiveness or resolution unless people are willing to allow God to change their hearts. As I mentioned before, the condition of the heart causes men and women to hate and not be kind. We should all be praying that God will change hearts and transform them into loving men and women. I also pray that people will come to Christ Jesus and repent from their sins.

I will end with this last verse. 1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When you pray to God, do you call Him Abba Father?

My wife Diane and I are doing a new Bible study on prayer. We are using a book called 28 Days to Powerful Prayer by Dave Earley. This book is geared to teach a new Believer or a seasoned Christian how to pray and pray with power.

My wife and I just finished reading Day 4, “Connecting with Your Heavenly Father.” One of the things that Earley teaches is when praying, call out to the Father as if you are calling out to your Dad or Daddy. God is a loving Father who wants to hear from us, not only daily, but throughout the day.

Earley wrote, “Prayer to your heavenly Father isn’t that complicated or difficult. In fact, it is easy when you realize that He:

Really loves you: ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!’ (1 John 3:1).
Deeply cares for you: “As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.’ (Psalm 103:13).
Is very near when you are hurting: ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’”[1]

One of the points from this chapter that stood out to me the most was the intimacy that a Believer can have with God, calling Him Abba Father. According to Earley, “the word Abba is an Aramaic term. First-century Jews spoke Hebrew at the temple and in school. They spoke Greek in the marketplace, but they spoke Aramaic at home and with the family. Abba is the most intimate term available in Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic to express a child’s tender relationship with his father, and as such only children used the word. It could be translated as ‘Father’ or ‘Daddy’ or ‘Papa.”[2]

Earley also wrote, “The term Abba describes the unique relationship Jesus shared with His Heavenly Father.”[3]

If you recall, the night that Jesus was arrested, He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and was in earnest prayer with His Heavenly Father. Jesus prayed, “Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).

As Followers of Jesus Christ, we can have that intimate relationship with Abba Father. He is our Father, who is in heaven. When we pray, we can pour out our hearts to Him, just as if we were talking to our earthly Daddy’s or Papa’s.

If you do not have an intimate relationship with God, you can have one through asking Jesus into your heart. Just pray to Him that you are a sinner, that you want Him to come into your life and into your heart. Confess your sins to Him, ask Him to forgive you, and go and sin no more. Jesus said that He will forgive you if you ask.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

Look what it says in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Romans 10:9-13, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

I pray that you will have a true and fulfilling relationship with our Abba Father. I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of 28 Days to Powerful Prayer by Dave Earley. It will help to change your life as well as the way you pray to our Heavenly Father.

You can purchase this study through Amazon.com.

References:

Photo Credit: Dave Earley and Barbour Books

[1] Dave Earley, 28 Days to Powerful Prayer, (Barbour Books, 2020), 27-28. (Used by permission)

[2] Ibid., Earley, 28.

[3] Ibid., Earley, 28.

Are you bold in your sins?

I am reading a Daily Reading of Scripture and commentary from Rev. J.C. Ryle from the 18th Century. Even in Ryle’s day, people faced the same type of sinful nature we face today. For February 1st, he dealt with people who proclaimed to be Followers of Christ and yet willfully sinned. After reading his commentary, I thought about what I constantly see on the internet in social media. I see posts from professing Christians who are in an affair with another person. They are not married but are posting and what they post is an “in your face” type of posting!

An example is posting about their accommodations and the fact they are sharing a bed together. They are bragging about the affair! It’s like they have no shame in it! They are unrepentant! They are not even sorry for it! If they are going to be flaunting their affair, they should just get married and make it right with God!

Don’t continue the sin and post about it! I have even heard people say, “Yes, I slept with him and Jesus still loves me!” That statement may be true, but willful sin cheapens the gospel for what Christ did for them at Calvary. Willfully sinning causes the Holy Spirit to grieve! Then posting about it comes across as bragging about your sin! It’s troubling to know that these people are doing this! We are to be repentant of our sin, meaning that we will not only be sorry for what we have done, but we must turn from it and stop doing it!

Rev. J.C. Ryle discussed Luke 13:1-5. Let’s read it and then discuss it.

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

In verse one, although Pilate was a cruel man, this passage is the only passage that records that he killed people in the act of worship. In verse two, Jesus denies that one may deduce from this horrible event that these Galileans were more sinful than others. In verses three to five, all are sinners. Jesus calls on all to repent, otherwise they will perish.

Rev. Ryle wrote, “There is a close connection between true repentance and forgiveness (v.3). The plain meaning of this expression in verse three is that John preached the necessity of being baptized in token of repentance, and that he told his hearers that unless they repented of their sin they would not be forgiven.”[1]

Ryle also wrote, “Do we ourselves repent? This, after all, is the question that most concerns us. Have we been convinced of sin by the Holy Spirit? Have we fled to Jesus for deliverance from the wrath to come? Do we know anything of a broken and contrite heart and a thorough hatred of sin? Can we say, “I repent,” as well as “I believe?” If not, let us not delude ourselves with the idea that our sins are yet forgiven. It is written that “Unless we repent, we shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

As we strive to live a life of Christ, if we are participating in willful sin, then we need to turn from this evil way and ask Jesus to forgive us from this wickedness. Unrepentance can separate us from God in that our relationship will suffer and we will grieve the Holy Spirit.

If you are involved in willful and unrepentant sin, you can change your life by admitting it to the Father, ask forgiveness for it, and pray that He will deliver you from any addictions that you may be involved with. If you are a Christian and you are in a relationship of adultery, then break in off immediately, and run to Christ. He is your only salvation.

Consider this as a reflection and meditation: “We can feel sorry for our sins without turning from them. This is remorse, but it is not repentance. Repentance forsakes sin.”[2]

References:

[1] JC Ryle, Robert Sheehan, ed., Daily Readings from all four Gospels: For Morning and Evening, (Welwyn Garden City, UK: EP Books, 2020), February 1st, Morning.

[2] Ibid., Ryle.

Jesus Came to Seek and Save the Lost

Today’s reading comes from Luke 19:10. But before we get to that verse, let’s see the context in which Jesus spoke of why He came into the world. Let’s read Luke 19:1-10 (ESV):

He entered Jericho and was passing through. ²And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. ⁷And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” This is a recurring theme of the parables of the lost as well as a recurring theme of Jesus’ ministry. John 3:17 (NIV) says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

Richard Baxter wrote, “How could Jesus manifest more willingness to save or tender compassion to the souls of men than He has manifested? How tenderly did Christ deal with all sorts of sinners! He professed that He came into the world not to condemn, but to save. He wept over unbelieving people who rejected Him. Yea, He prayed for his crucifiers and cared for the others suffering crucifixion. To those that followed Him, His tenderness was unspeakable. Alas! That the Lord Jesus should come from heaven to earth, from glory to human flesh, and pass through a life of misery to a cross, and from the cross to the grave, to manifest openly to the world the abundance of His love, and the tenderness of His heart to sinners. This was the gracious and lovely nature of God. In Christ, God has come down into our nature, so that infinite goodness and mercy became incarnate. Christ has undertaken the task to seek and to save that which was lost!”[1]

Jesus came into the world to save mankind from his or her sinful nature, to turn them to God, so that there would be forgiveness and the covenant between God and His people would be restored. Jesus also came into the world to redeem the lost throughout the world. We cannot save ourselves, but only through Christ Jesus can one be saved and redeemed.

How can one be saved?

Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Acts 16:30-31, “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

No one else can save you or redeem you from your sin. Paul wrote in Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men^[a] by which we must be saved.”

John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Matthew 6:9-13, ““Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day ^[our daily bread.And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from ^[evil. ^[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Matthew 9:6-8, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, pick up your bed and go home.’ And he got up and ^[a]went home. ⁸But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.”

Romans 10:8-10, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Matthew 19:25-26, “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

We know that we cannot save ourselves. We are dead in our sin and in our transgressions. We can seek God but we have no authority or power to save ourselves. Salvation and redemption only comes through Jesus Christ is He said that “He came to seek and save the lost.” He is seeking you today. If you do not know Him as your personal Savior, you can know Him today. Just pray this simple prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I am a sinner lost without hope. I am sorry for my wrongs that I have committed in life. I am sorry for my sins and wrongs I have committed against others as well as I have committed against you. I ask that you save me from my sins, come into my life, and make me new. I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died to save me from my sins, and that you rose again. Lord Jesus, I ask that you live in my heart from this moment forward. I want to live for you and serve you all the days of my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, and meant it, Jesus has saved you. He will send His Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in your new walk with Christ. Now you must start your faith walk with Him by reading the Bible. I would suggest an English Standard Version with a good commentary. The commentary will help you understand the Scriptures as you read through the Bible. You should also get involved in a Bible believing Church. If you would like for us to help you find a good church in your area of the United States, please email us at info.MarketplaceEvangelism@gmail.com.

References:

Photo Credit: Josh Sorenson, Pexels.

[1] Richard Baxter, Practical Works, (2 vols. Ligonier: Soli Deo Gloria, 1990) II:891-892.

Looking for Salvation

I once knew of a man who stated he was looking for God but he could never seem to find Him. He struggled with how to find God and he wanted what others had. The reason he could not find God was because he was dead in his trespasses and his transgressions. He thought that he had to find God through works. Let’s see what Paul said about that.

Look and read Ephesians 2:1-10, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

We cannot save ourselves. We cannot know God without first knowing His Son, Jesus Christ. It is through the loving GRACE of Jesus that we can have a relationship with God. Look at verse 5, “by grace you have been saved.” Not by our works.

The natural state of all human beings is spiritual death. This condition is universal; both for Gentiles (v2) and Jews (v3). The natural state of all humans is that we walk in active rebellion against God. It is because of God’s great love towards His followers in which we have forgiveness only found through Jesus. Sinners who are apart from Christ are in a hopeless condition. Only faith, not works can bring acceptance with God. It is only when the sinner recognizes that he cannot save himself is when he will hopefully believe in Jesus and turn his heart and mind over to Christ. Once he or she surrenders their life to Christ, that is when grace is granted and a relationship begins with God through Christ. In verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved through grace. And this is not by your own doing; it is the gift of God.” It is through Jesus Christ that this relationship begins.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Republished and rewritten from original date of December 24, 2017. Copyright © January 23, 2020. Marketplace Evangelism Today, a publication of Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Breaking: Amazon Wants You to Pay with the Swipe of Your Palm

January 20, 2020 – I just heard on FOX News that Amazon wants to start utilizing payment through the swipe of your palm. Amazon is creating a Palm Scanning Payment System. According to FOX, Amazon will know who you are, where you were, what you bought, and how much you spend. Amazon will be collecting this data to learn more about customer habits.

Countries overseas are using WAVE Pay in China and Europe has the Chip and PIN System. In the United States, we currently use magnetic stripe technology on the back of credit cards because it is the standard payment mechanism in America. Updating that technology is very expensive.

What does this mean to us in the Christian world? The Bible speaks of when the antichrist appears in the world, that men and women will have to take the mark of the beast to be able to buy and sell goods. Look at Revelation 13:16-18 (NIV), “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

Unless one has this mark, they will be unable to purchase anything. I would not take any implant, chip, or mark in your palm to purchase goods. This was predicted Two Thousand Years ago and as Revelation 13:16 states, the mark will be placed in the right hand or forehead.

We need to wake up and see what is occurring. The Bible says that we are to keep watch as in Matthew 24:42-51 (NIV), “⁴²“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We are to stay steady in our walk with Christ. Do not take a mark in your hand. This very well could be the mark of the beast, of Satan. Why does Amazon or any other company or even the government need to know your whereabouts, what you buy, how much you spend, and your buying habits? They do not need to know.

A Prayer for Virginia & Our Nation

Please join me in prayer for the events that will be happening in our Capital of Virginia today! Please pray that this gun rally will not turn violent and that there will be peace.

Let’s start out with the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name,
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us of our trespasses,
As we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power, and the glory, forever!

Lord Jesus, we plead the Blood of the Lamb over this rally. We pray for peace! Lord, we ask you to come against the evil one who wants to destroy our Virginia and our nation. We pray that you will come against the hate groups like ANTIFA, White Nationalists, KKK, Abortionists, and those who have no value for infants lives. Lord, we ask for You to intervene, change hateful people’s hearts, and deliver those who are influenced by the evil that prevails in our land! We pray for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are taking a stand for the unborn! Deliver this nation and Virginia from the wickedness which prevails in our land! We bind and rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus and by His Blood, you are defeated! Lord, we love you and we praise your Holy Name. We pray for a revival that will sweep through Virginia and our nation, that those who are lost, will come to know you. Just as Nineveh was converted and repented and came to God (Jonah 3), we ask that you save our nation from its destruction from sin. Lord, please send your Spirit to calm the people.

Lord, please protect our law enforcement officers as they stand guard to protect the citizens of Virginia. We pray that there will be no injuries or lives lost!

May you receive all the glory!
In Jesus Holy Name,
Amen

Please Share & spread this prayer across Virginia and across our nation!

The Infinite and the Finite

I absolutely love reading some of the old works of the Puritan Era. The following was taken from the book The Valley of Vision, which are prayers and devotions of the Puritans. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I do.

Thou Great I Am,

Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thought of a Being with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. A mighty God, who, amidst the lapse of worlds, and the revolutions of empires, feels no variableness, but is glorious in immortality.

May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives; that while all creatures are broken reeds, empty cisterns, fading flowers, withering grass, He is the Rock of Ages, the Fountain of living waters.

Turn my heart from vanity, from dissatisfactions, from uncertainties of the present state, to an eternal interest in Christ. Let me remember that life is short and unforeseen, and is only an opportunity for usefulness.

Give me a holy avarice to redeem the time, to awake at every call to charity and piety, so that I may feed the hungry, clothe the naked, instruct the ignorant, reclaim the vicious, forgive the offender, diffuse the gospel, show neighborly love to all.

Let me live a life of self-distrust, dependence on thyself, mortification, crucifixion, prayer.

The above was taken from The Valley of Vision (Edinburgh, UK: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975) 190-191.

Bible Translations: Which One is Right for You?

Most of my friends know that I have a large presence on social media. I recently was scrolling through my time-line on Twitter and came across a Retweet of someone who was proclaiming that the King James Version (KJV) was the only “authorized” version of God! This person was comparing the verse Isaiah 14:12, which reads in the King James Version, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” He then compares this Scripture to the English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), International Standard Version (ISV), and the New International Version (NIV).

I could not find out how he concluded that the King James Version was the only “true authorized” translation that God has approved in the Christian faith? I know that many immature Christian’s may believe that the KJV was written in the Biblical Era, but that just isn’t true. English was not a known language in the day of Christ and of the Apostles. The spoken language at the time was Hebrew and Greek. Hebrew and Greek Texts were translated to Old English between 1604 and 1611. The textual basis was six Greek Texts for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament. It was also based on the Bishop’s Bible, the Tyndale Bible, and the Geneva Bible.

The King James Version you read today was revised by Benjamin Blayney of Oxford in 1769. The Old English used then is not used in today’s language because the English language has evolved into something quite different.

According to the Bible Translation Continuum as indicated by the picture above, there are three other translations that are closest to the literal meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew Texts. They are the Interlinear, New American Standard Bible, and the English Standard Version. The King James Version is considered fourth from the translations closest to the original texts meaning word for word. I will focus on the NASB and the ESV. The NASB is based on Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The ESV is based on same texts as the NASB and takes a literal translation philosophy. Both translations are a Word for Word translation into the English Language.

In our opinion, the King James is a beautifully written translation, but the New American Standard Bible is a better translation based on Word for Word. The English Standard Version is more accurate than the New International Version (NIV), but not as ridged as the NASB.

Now, let’s discuss 14:12. As I previously wrote, the KJV mentions Lucifer’s name in this translation. The ESV calls him “O Day Star, son of Dawn.” NASB reads, “O star of the morning, son of the dawn.” These are very different names and the other translations do not mention the name of Lucifer. Remember that the KJV is based on Greek and Hebrew texts as well as the Bishop’s Bible, the Tyndale Bible, and the Geneva Bible. Please note that Christianity was a faith prior to 1611. For the previous 1611 years, there were other Biblical works and the King James Version was written for the Church of England.

When reading Scripture, it is always best not to take a verse out of context of what the author was trying to communicate in a passage. In Isaiah 14, the chapter opens with the restoration of Jacob and then leads into Israel’s taunts of Babylon. Babylon, which was an oppressive power was broken by God and has fallen. Fallen from heaven as indicated in the ESV, “represents in an exaggerated way the fall of Babylon, with all its imperial ambitions, into destruction. O Day Star, son of Dawn refers to the planet Venus, rising in the morning and climbing to the top of the sky, only to be over taken by the sun. In the ancient world, observations of this astronomical cycle gave rise to several myths. Babylon seems to have thought of itself as fulfilling such a heavenly destiny and becoming an eternal and universal empire. But with the appearance of God in verse 22, Babylon’s light will be extinguished. Traditionally, this passage has been seen as a picture of Satan’s fall from grace.”[1] Therefore, one version interprets as Lucifer and the others as Venus based on ancient mythology. But regardless of which, the verse included is part of Israel’s taunt against Babylon, which was a fallen empire which God destroyed.

As we reflect on what the person on Twitter was saying as well as his “Followers,” to completely state that all other translations are “garbage” is blasphemy in our opinion. To say these things under the guise of Christianity pushes the lost away from the Gospel. It causes division within the Church.

When I first became a Christian, I was given a Living Bible. As I grew in my faith, I switched to the New International Version. As I deepened in my faith, I use the English Standard Version as my study Bible. Regardless of which translation you use, God can minster to you through His Holy Spirit. The things that we say to others that are of a negative nature can destroy opportunities for people to grow in Christ. Please don’t be the one who comes across with making statements that the KJV is the only “Truth!” Please don’t tell people to throw their other translations in the garbage! This is wrong and you should not be leading people away from reading God’s Word!

References:

[1] Reformation Study Bible (Reformation Trust: Orlando, FL, 2015) 1146.

New Year

This week, I will be posting paraphrased devotions and prayers from the book called “The Valley of Vision” compiled and edited by Arthur Bennett, who was a Canon at St Albans Cathedral. According to BannerofTruth.org, “Canon Bennett was sometime a Rector of Little Munden and Sacombe, Hertfordshire, and was for seventeen years a tutor in Biblical Theology and Christian Doctrine at All Nations Christian College. He died in October 1994 aged 79.”[1] Canon Bennett was highly respected all over the world for his Puritan book of prayers “The Valley of Vision” which was inspired by Isaiah 22:1. It was published by the Banner of Truth Trust in 1975 and is widely valued among theologians ever since. I will share more on Canon Bennett in a future posting.

Today’s reading is entitled “New Year” and will be paraphrased from Old English into today’s language.

Oh Lord,

Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in your presence, in your service, to your glory. Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour, that I may not be one moment apart from you, but may rely on your Spirit to supply every thought, speak in every word, direct every step, prosper every work, build up every amount of faith, and give me a desire to show praise; testify your love, advance your kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year, with you, Oh Father, as my harbor,

You, Oh Son, at my helm, You, Oh Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt, my lamp burning, my ear open to your calls, my heart full of love, my soul free.

Give me your grace to sanctify me, your comforts to cheer, your wisdom to teach, your right hand to guide, your counsel to instruct, your law to judge, your presence to stabilize.

May your fear be my awe, your triumphs my joy.[2]

This prayer and devotion to God is a beautiful way to show our Heavenly Father how much we love Him and desire to be close to Him. I pray that you will seek and receive Christ as your savior this new year.

References:

Photo Credit: Pinterest

[1] https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/arthur-bennett/ Date retrieved January 7, 2020.

[2] Arthur Bennett, ed., The Valley of Vision, (The Banner of Truth Trust: Edinburgh, 1975) 206-207.