Tag: change

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The Faithful God

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The Rock of Gibraltar from the 1880s
Artist Unknown
Image in the Public Domain

The Faithful God

Have you ever heard said of someone, “That guy is steady as a rock”? Perhaps you know someone like that. Maybe someone has said it about you. He’s as “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar”. That’s a well-known saying; isn’t it? It’s a compliment we give to people who can be counted on because we view the Rock of Gibraltar as the very emblem of unshakable reliability. In fact, a very old and very well-known insurance company decided to use the Rock of Gibraltar as their corporate symbol. According to their website, in 1896 this company adopted the marketing slogan, “The Prudential has the strength of Gibraltar”. If you’re in the insurance business you want your customers to know you’ll be around awhile; right? You want the insured to know you can be counted on; don’t you? To this very day, you will see the Rock of Gibraltar in the Prudential Insurance corporate logo.

Corporate Logo for Prudential Insurance

There are a few more interesting points I want to make about this famous natural landmark that have some relevance to today’s lesson. The Rock of Gibraltar, known in antiquity as one of the pillars of Hercules…no doubt adding to its legendary mystique of power and invincibility, was formed during the Jurassic Period according to a paper published by Earlham College. It was, most likely made when shells of sea creatures accumulated eventually forming a large limestone promontory. However, what we see today is NOTHING like it was millions of years ago. Here is the relevant point; the point that I want to make that relates to our podcast for today. One of the characteristics of limestone, the rock that forms “The Rock” (Gibraltar, not the actor) is that it is made up of calcite and calcite dissolves…albeit sometimes quite slowly, in water. The Rock of Gibraltar is now actually at the tip of a peninsula. You know what a peninsula is; don’t you. A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded, on three sides, by water and, over the many millennia, this surrounding water has significantly CHANGED this mighty formation that ironically stands as a symbol of permanence. Some have suggested that what now sits on one side of the Strait of Gibraltar may have, at one time, stretched all the way across it, cutting the Mediterranean Sea off from the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, one of the more popular features of the Rock of Gibraltar that draws so many tourists, year after year, are the many caves that crisscross its interior. Well, these caves have only appeared relatively recently (geologically speaking, of course). In other words, there were no caves in the Rock of Gibraltar when it was first formed. Slowly the inside AND the outside of the Rock of Gibraltar have changed, significantly. If you and I were around 4.5 million years ago and we decided to visit the Rock of Gibraltar, it would look very different than it does now.

“What’s your point?” The Rock of Gibraltar, that paragon of permanence, that shrine of stability, that rock-hewn chapel of unchangingness is, in fact, in a constant state of changing. Yes, the change is slow but it is changing. Time, wind and waves are slowly but steadily transforming this wonder of nature that we seem to think is immutable. I suppose we could even say that this momentous natural structure will eventually return to the sediment from whence it came. It’s just another example of the inevitable truth of the statement of the so-called “weeping prophet”, Heraclitus. He famously observed that “Nothing endures like change”. All created things change and, what’s worse is most of that change, is, in fact, deterioration. Everything changes. Everything eventually breaks down (see 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). Of all the things I have said to you over the years you must agree this is the least controversial. No one could argue with me on that point…except perhaps a Darwinist but, let’s leave that for another day. Everything changes, even the Rock of Gibraltar. Change is inevitable and inescapable for all things…except One. In all the Universe there is only one unchangeable entity, God. Only the created changes, never the Creator. That is where today’s lesson picks up.

But, of course, before you begin this or any Biblical study, take a few moments to pray that God will guide you through His Word so that you may receive it as He had intended it to be received. Ask God to give you the understanding that will allow you to apply His Word to your life and for His Glory.

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Discern (with Communion)

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The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper with St. Peter and St. Paul.
” The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper with St. Peter and St. Paul” Mid-16th century”
Latin Inscription reads, “For this is my body. For this is the chalice of my blood of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of the faith which shall be shed for you and for many for the remission of sins.”
Image in the Public Domain

Discern (with Communion)

One of the most commonly known church rituals is the taking of Communion. In fact, that’s really one of the biggest problems in all of Christianity. We have become so used to the Communion that it’s lost any semblance of sacredness. Most of us could go through the rituals with our eyes closed. Most of us are so familiar with the way the Communion is celebrated we’ve long ago stopped thinking about it. The Table of the Lord has become just another routine in a world of full of routines. We put no more thought into it than we do making our coffee in the morning. AND YET, Paul says not thinking about it when we partake will bring judgment on us. (1 Corinthians 11:29) But the greatest tragedy of this is the fact that Jesus Himself said, “…do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) The unfortunate truth, however, is that Jesus is the LAST thing most remember when they take communion. The one thing Jesus asked us to do with regard to the Table, we neglect to do. In this ministry, we are trying to regain the dignity of this beautiful, little ceremony. We spend a great deal of time teaching about how important the Table of the Lord is and we try to instill in you a deeper respect for this Jesus-given sacrament. In this lesson we concentrate on Paul’s warning about discernment. We also celebrate the Table of the Lord in this episode so be sure you listen closely to the first section of the podcast so that you can be prepared if you decide to join in. BUT, before you do any of that, before you start to listen to this podcast make sure you take a moment to pray. It is always best to prepare your heart and mind so that God’s Spirit can effectively share with you the Truth of God’s Word.

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The Word

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Fragment of the Gospel of John Chapter 2:11-22, 4th Century
4th Century Fragment of the Gospel of John-
Image in the Public Domain

The Word

We may find it difficult, at times, to talk to our friends about Jesus. Many of us want to spread the Gospel but we, very often, meet with resistance, but can you imagine what it must have been like in the beginning? When those original apostles and disciples set out to evangelize the world as Jesus commanded them to there was more than resistance; there was ignorance. Outside of Palestine no one had EVER heard of Jesus for that first few decades. Those that had been sent to convert the Gentiles had a very difficult task indeed. Of course, the apostles tasked with trying to convert the Jews didn’t have it all that easy but, at least, there was some common ground in Scripture. The Jews…including those outside of what we today call the Holy Land…the Jews of the diaspora as they’re called…may not have been easy to convince that Jesus was the Messiah but, at least, they knew what a Messiah was. The problem for the rest of the apostles was that the cultural influence of the Jews was very narrow. At that time, if you weren’t Jew by birth then most likely you had no familiarity with the Jewish religion whatsoever and you just as likely didn’t know anyone who did. The dominant cultural and religious mindset of the day in most of the known world was decidedly Greek…thanks to Alexander the Great. Not only did the famous Macedonian general conquer lands, he conquered minds. Before his rather untimely death, Alexander set out to spread Greek thinking throughout the world. And he did a pretty good job, I must say. I’m sure John the Evangelist would agree. You see, John, the writer of one of the Gospels, a few epistles and the Book of Revelation was among those apostles whose mission field was among the Gentiles. Tradition tells us that John lived in one of the MOST Gentile cities on earth, at the time: Ephesus. This was a very, Greek, VERY pagan city. In fact, Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis, also sometimes referred to as the Temple of Diana, one of the holiest sites in the Greek pagan religion. Trying to convince his neighbors of the Gospel of Jesus was not going to be an easy task, even for this giant of the early church; a man who knew the Messiah personally. But “For God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) Difficult, yes. Impossible NEVER. Tune into to today’s lesson to get a glimpse into the immeasurable wisdom of our Father. The opening verses of the Gospel of John demonstrate that God has been in control from the beginning. The genius of the those first few statements is remarkable. Please join us as we take a focused look at one of history’s most incredible literary treasures. BUT, as always, before you begin, take a moment to pray for God’s Help in understanding the wonders of His Word.