Paradox...the website
Now, announcing the new Paradox WEBSITE! No longer will this blog be happening, but please direct your viewing to the website. Everything is on there, from pictures to events, and much more.
The address is:
Thank you for visiting this blog, I pray that it was encouraging and helpful. God Bless! We will see you at the website.
jesus the fraud?...
Mark 3:22-30 "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul,' and 'by the prince of demons He casts out the demons.' And He called them to Him an said to them in parables. 'How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
"'Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin' - for they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit.'"
This week we looked at the scribes and their attitude of CRITICISM towards Jesus. These men had witnessed Jesus' claims and his casting out of demons from people and they could not rationalize it. And the claim that Jesus made that He did it by the power of God did not make sense to the scribes. Therefore, they criticized Him and in their criticism called Jesus a liar. This is what many people today do. They witness the miracles of Jesus and yet can't make sense of it and therefore criticize Jesus and claim that what He said and who He was is false. BUT WE KNOW THAT TO BE WRONG.
Their criticism consisted of the accusation that Jesus was casting out these demons by the power of Satan and the possession of the demon Beelzebul. However, Jesus comes back and addresses their claims by speaking in parables. He first points out that if a kingdom is divided against itself, it wouldn't stand. Therefore saying if Satan is divided against himself, he won't last. And then says that He is stronger than Satan in the parable of a man coming and plundering the strong man's house. Jesus is infinitely stronger than Satan and has the power to cast out the demons.
Therefore, their critic of Jesus, that He was a liar, doesn't hold true.
Historian Philip Schaff says this:
"How in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an impostor - that is deceitful, selfish, and a depraved man - have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to the end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could He have conceived and successfully carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and sacrificed His own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of His people and age?"
However, Jesus also points out the danger in holding this critical attitude toward Him. He brings up the doctrine of the "Unforgivable Sin", which is the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit. The blaspheme of the Holy Spirit is the continual, ongoing rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to the divinity and saviorhood of Christ. And that is what the scribes were doing here. They knew the Scriptures, they knew the claims, they knew the miracles, and yet they were in danger of rejecting the evidence and the convictions of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And when we do that, we committing the unforgivable sin. Now, if this is something that is troubling to you, the mere fact that it is troubling, means that you are not committing this, so be encouraged. So, there is danger in criticism and having a heart that is full of rejection.
So, I leave you with the question that Jesus asked to Peter, "WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?" Who do you say Jesus is in your life? God Bless!
the lunatic and His followers...
Mark 3:20-21 "The He went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when His family heard it, they went out to seize Him, for they were saying, 'He is out of His mind.'"
When people are faced with the reality of Jesus Christ, there are three, amongst many, different attitudes that we could take. Those three are: an attitude of Skepticism, an attitude of Criticism, and an attitude of Belief. These next couple of weeks, we will take a look at these three different attitudes. This week we took a look at those who displayed the attitude of Skepticism. Those people were His family.
Skepticism means "an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object" also, "the method of suspended judgment, or systematic doubt." Basically, skepticism is when you have the facts in front of you, you have witnessed the actions and evidence of particular things, and yet you still have an attitude of doubt towards that object and therefore suspend judgment over it. And in this case, it was Him. Today, this takes the form of relativism.
This attitude was exemplified in His family. They had experienced Jesus from day one. They saw Him from an early age grow up to be a man. And yet amidst it all, they still thought, "This man is crazy." C.S. Lewis is quoted in saying this, "Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma. It is inexorable." What He is saying is that there are three conclusions about Jesus you can draw when you are presented Him. You can say either He is a LUNATIC, A LIAR, OR LORD. Those are the only three conclusions. Jesus' family thought He was a lunatic, BUT WHY?
Three reasons:
- They thought that His religious fervor was going to ruin His health.
- They thought He was crazy for sacrificing a great life of comfort and security for a life of uncertainty and instability.
- They thought that His religious zeal was too much.
These three reasons are why people TODAY think that Jesus is a lunatic. The fact that His life was consumed with ministry and not Himself was crazy. The fact that He walked away from His life of security and into a life of instability was crazy. And the fact that His religious zeal and His claims were over the top was crazy. Because of these three reasons people think that Jesus said things and did things that He did not know were false.
And because they think this way about Jesus, they think the same way about those who follow Him. They think that as Christians and walking the way Jesus walked is complete lunacy. But it is NOT LUNACY. Being a Christian is the most SANE thing in the world. Because Jesus is not a lunatic. The claims that He made are true. And the way that He carried Himself with peace and love, the way that He reached out to others and lived a life of humility, the way He accepted people who weren't accepted, and the way His claims came true, PROVE that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. And if following Him makes me a lunatic, I gladly accept that title, because I know that living for Him is the most secure, sane, awesome thing to do and I encourage you all to do the same. It is worth dying to yourself so that you may live for Christ. God Bless!
THE BODY...
Ephesians 4:4-6 says this, "There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Basically, we are all part of the Body of Christ. We make up the body and each person serves a great purpose and has a role in the functioning of the church. And THIS SATURDAY, April 26, there will be a meeting of "THE BODY". It is about bringing the Body that is in UCSB and IV together for a time of WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP. Jack Duckworth and Jason Lomelino will be speaking along with the Real Life Band and Dominic Balli playing worship. The admission is free and there is a canned food drive as well.
So I encourage you all to go out and support "The Body" of Christ. So, for a brief rundown,
What: "The Body"
Where: IV Theatre, UCSB
When: Saturday, April 26 @ 7:30pm
Why: Glorification of Jesus and the edification of the Body.
spring retreat wrap-up...
Well, let me tell you...if you weren't there this weekend, you MISSED it. The Spring Retreat was awesome, everything from the traffic while traveling to the smoke from the fire. It really was a great time.
I just wanted to send a shout out to ANYONE who had pictures from the weekend and ask if they could send them to me via email. And a special thanks for all those who helped out so much, I greatly appreciate it!
Until next time, keep on loving because LOVE WINS.
planting trees...
If you weren't there, you missed it! All I can say is, "What a day, what a day!" Last Saturday we went out to San Marcos High School to assist the Beautify Goleta Organization in planting trees. However, when we got there, they didn't have us plant the trees, but to irrigate them. No, I didn't say "irritate", I said, "irrigate", And if you are not from central california or from the mid-west, this concept might be as foreign as Kevin Love in China, which is very foreign. Anyway, we set up two irrigation lines that fed a total of 25 trees. It took a combined effort from people who dug trenches, shoveled mulch, hammered staples to hold the line down, covering the line, and putting in omittors to feed the trees. There was a lot that needed to be done, but we achieved our goal and had a great time doing it. A special thanks for all who made it, and for those who didn't we want you there next time! God Bless!
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...surf night
Last Tuesday night, we had a "Surf Night" down at Campus Point. It was a great time of surfing, fellowshipping, and feasting on Costco Pizza. And to top it off, we experienced a great time of worship. Next time, we want you there!
having the authority of jesus...
Mark 3:15 "...and have authority to cast out demons."
This is the last study on discipleship. And this is the last characteristic outlined here by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. And it is a characteristic that I believe many of Christians do not embrace, nor do they live in. Which results in a life that is characterized by freedom and bondage. At certain points, there is freedom from sin and a life pursuing the Lord, and then a certain points, there is a bondage to sin and living a life that is running from the Lord. So their lives are a constant battle to stay out of sin, and yet they can't. But God has promised us authority in Him. He has promised power to resist and to flee from sin and turn to pursue a holy, pure, righteous life. But it begs the question, WHY AND HOW?
The reason for the question of "why?" is easy. It says in Scripture that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of the spiritual world. And that we have an enemy, named SATAN who is a real being, whom God created. Ezekiel 28:12-15 describes him as a beautiful, powerful, holy angelic being of great power and anointing. God created Him in His sovereign and just authority with free-will. And it was this free-will, coupled with his power, that led Satan to rebel against God, desiring to rise above God and sit on the throne with ultimate authority, which God has. But God wasn't having any of this, and He cast Satan into the pit of Hell, where he set up his kingdom and exercises his power. (All of this is outlined in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-18). He exercises his power on earth as he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to kill and destroy. And his purpose is outlined perfectly in 2 Thes. 2:4 "opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God." SATAN DESIRES TO BE WORSHIPPED AND GLORIFIED. He wants the glory for himself. And I would say that he is doing a great job of this. The world today is exalting Satan in everything that it does, and that is what he wants. And in doing this, he is opposing God.
Satan will never oppose God directly. He won't win. So he opposes God through God's most prized possession, Christians. Satan opposes God, and God's plan through God's people. Satan wants to cause doubt, denial, deception, and destruction of God' people so that they will in turn worship him. And his methods haven't changed. He tempts us in the same way he tempted Eve (Genesis 3:1-6), through pleasure, possession, and power. And we give into those temptations. We give into the desire to be happy anyway we can, to get whatever we can and find worth in the possessions we have, and be as successful and powerful as possible. It is these three temptations that drive humanity today. We want to be happy, we want ownership of everything, and ultimately we want power. But when we give into these temptations, we are not happy, we really have nothing, and ultimately our power is given to Satan.
Yet, we have the AUTHORITY TO RESIST SATAN. Through Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him." (Col. 2:15) Jesus Christ defeated Satan, as it was promised from the beginning. And this ability to defeat sin and Satan has been granted to those who are in Christ Jesus. We have authority to resist temptation, and authority to choose to live righteously. BUT WHY DON'T WE DO IT?
Two reasons are found in the story of the disciples and the demon in Mark 9:14-29. The disciples were weak in two areas of their faith. The first one is FAITH. These disciples had weak faith in the authority that the Lord had given to them. Their faith rested more in themselves rather than in Jesus. And in the same way, when temptation arises and sin comes knocking, our faith rests in ourselves to flee from the sin rather than exercising the authority we have in Christ and having a strong faith in that. WE NEED TO HAVE FAITH THAT THE AUTHORITY IS REAL IF WE EVER WANT TO WALK IN IT FULLY. Secondly, these disciples were UNDISCIPLINED. Warren Wiersbe says this, "the authority that Jesus had given them was effective only if exercised by faith, but faith must be cultivated through spiritual discipline and devotion." When we are disciplined in our faith we are drawn closer into the heart of God and we become aligned with His power. In doing that we walk with Jesus' authority.
And when we walk with the authority, WE ARE EXALTING CHRIST. When we resist Satan, when we flee temptation, we are glorifying Christ. We show the world that all authority is in God, we show the world grace, love, peace, deliverance, power, and hope. We show the through Jesus Christ, Satan no longer has a hold on our lives, but we can be free. In doing that we are exalting Christ and shunning Satan.
Therefore, this authority is not only given for you, but it is given for others to see the power in the world. And for those reasons, we need to embrace the authority that we have. Exercise the power of the Holy Spirit in us to deliver us from the sin that so easily entangles and to put Christ on display as exalted and glorified and the answer to life. So I encourage you all to walk in that AUTHORITY you have in Christ! God Bless!
...LOVE WINS
More information, as promised.
where: San Clemente State Beach
when: April 18-20
cost: $75
theme: LOVE WINS.
what to bring: bible, notebook, pen or pencil, sleeping bag, pillow, clothes, beach stuff, toiletries, and anything else needed for camping.
If there are any questions, leave it on the comments, and I will answer them. If you want to sign up, you can do that at Paradox, or on the comments. Payment will be collected at Paradox or whenever you can get it to me. I hope ALL can come! See you there!
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