Archive for April 19th, 2009

Hermeneutics Audio Now Available

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

My class on Hermeneutics is now available online.  Click here to listen to a 5 minute preview, and then decided if you want to download the audio files.

As always, the download is free of charge.  But a $15 donation to At God’s Table is suggested and welcomed.

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Prayer Requests

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

Please read the following prayer request.  And if you have any requests, please post them as a comment on here.  (Patrick put a link from the homepage to this page so you can easily get back to it.)  Also, if you haven’t listened to The Hebrew View of Prayer you should. -Skip

Skip, will you ask your supporters to pray with us? We are asking believers everywhere to pray for the release of our 32 year-old daughter from the occult. She recently re-established contact with our family after refusing to have any connection with us for almost 3 years.  She knows Christ but is caught up in much psychic-babble and is all but denying Christ.  We know that we are not warring against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in this dark world.  Please pray with us for Tracy’s release from the darkness of the tomb where Satan has led her and into the light of the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. We are praying that she will one day simply cry out the name of Jesus.  When she does we know that He will meet her where she is and bring her back to Him.  All for His glory and for our good, in the mighty name of Jesus.  Thank you so very much for praying with us.

Gary and Lou Lewis

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The Perfect Enemy: A call for contributions

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

In another week, I will be finished traveling for about 2 months (except for the Genesis class in Houston on May).  Those 2 months will be dedicated to writing the book, The Perfect Enemy, a book about the role of the ‘ezer in the world today.  It will cover in detail the Genesis account and the issues found in the New Testament.  But the purpose of this book is not a scholarly exposition of the text.  The purpose is the practical application of changes that occur when we start to live in marriages according to the original plan.  So, I would like this book to have REAL stories – of struggle, triumph, new understanding, etc. with regard to the biblical idea of ‘ezer.

THIS MEANS THAT I NEED YOU.  If you have listened to the audio file on ‘ezer, or attended a class, or read the pieces that I have published, if you have seen some light, I want to hear from you.  Send me your story – good or bad – so that it might be included in the book.  I will keep you anonymous if you wish.  Just tell it like it is, what you learned and what difference it makes.

AND I WILL THANK YOU for helping all of us see a little more of God’s wonderful design.

Skip

Category: Articles  | 3 Comments

Día 5 – Propaganda Teológica

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

Por medio de Moisés hemos recibido la Ley, pero la gracia y verdad por medio de Jesucristo Juan 1:17

Pero – No encontraras la palabra griega para esta traducción en el indice de La Palabra de Hoy porque no existe palabra griega en el texto original. Esta traducción agrega la palabra “pero” a la oración. Esta pequeña añadidura lo cambia todo. No es un desliz. Es deliberado. ¡Es propaganda deliberada!

Hace como un mes recibí una carta de Boaz Michael. El mencionó este versículo en su carta, señalando que la adición de “pero” creó una tragedia terrible para los creyentes. Es la tragedia de pensar que la ley y la gracia se oponen el uno al otro; que Moisés y Jesús no decían lo mismo. Cuando los traductores añaden el “pero” a la oración, añadieron la implicación que los cristianos y los judíos poseen evangelios diferentes. Separaron a los creyentes en dos campamentos; los que vivían bajo el código mosaico y los que vivían bajo el evangelio de la gracia gratuita. ¡que desastre para todos nosotros! Es difícil imaginar que hubo hombres que tomara tales pasos para partir la Palabra de Dios en dos, pero lo hicieron. Deseaban una brecha infranqueable entre el Antiguo Testamento y el testamento más nuevo, y por cientos de años han tenido éxito, convenciendo a millones de seguidores temerosos de Dios que Jesús no enseñó lo que le fue dado a Moisés Todos esos seguidores han luchado por encontrar un camino claro hacia la obediencia. Algunos han tenido éxito. Mucho no lo han tenido. Dios siempre utiliza lo que somos capaces de dar, pero nosotros ciertamente hemos hecho esto más difícil al creer lo que nos dijeron los “profesionales” en vez de dedicarnos a buscar con nuestros propios ojos. Ejecutaron asesinato teológico – y nosotros se los hemos permitido.

El primer principio de la interpretación bíblica es este: Dios no se contradice a Si mismo. Si El le dijo a Moisés que habían ciertos pasos a tomar en obediencia que asegurará nuestra máxima utilidad en Sus propósitos, puedes estar seguro que Jesús no dijo algo diferente. Esto es mas evidente cuando comprendemos y profesamos que Jesús es Dios. En lo referente a la salvación, Dios no ha cambiado de parecer. La salvación es por gracia y solo por gracia. Lo que era cierto para Moisés es cierto para todos nosotros. Eso es exactamente lo que enseño Jesús Pero la utilidad viene por medio de la obediencia y la obediencia se determina por un código de conducta revelado a Moisés y avalado por Jesús Esto siempre ha sido cierto. No permitas que ningún traductor te engañe en cuanto a esto. Tu no sirves a dos dioses. Tu sirves al único Dios singular y El es mismo de ayer, hoy y mañana.

Yo se que muchos de nosotros luchamos con esta verdad. Hemos escuchado el evangelio de la gracia y sobre las ataduras de la Ley por tanto tiempo que estamos convencidos que Jesús fue un revisionista radical. Por favor lee nuevamente. No pierdes nada al preguntarte a ti mismo que fue exactamente lo que enseño Jesús sobre el código de conducta mosaico, pero tienes mucho que perder si solo sigues pensando que la “Ley” no es aplicable a ti. No te conviertas un hombre que esta de acuerdo con todo eso solo porque tu traducción favorita agrega una palabra aquí y otra por allá Insiste en la verdad. Exige que los que la conocen te digan cuales son las verdaderas palabras en el texto y cuales palabras no lo son. Ora para que Dios te guíe a alguien que te ayudara a conocer lo que dijo. Dios escucha esa clase de oración Yo lo se porque yo mismo estaba cierto antes que El escuchara mi clamor. Este es un peregrinaje y viajamos juntos. Solo afèrrate a quien vaya delante de ti y haz muchas preguntas.

Category: La Palabra de Hoy  | Tags: , ,  | Comments off

James in the Psalms

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author:

You have said to YHWH, “You are my Lord, I have no goodness except in You.”  Psalm 16:2    

Said – The Hebrew verb amar is fairly common.  It is used in all kinds of situations where the next phrase is a quotation.  Since Hebrew has no punctuation, it’s a useful little verb, showing us who said what.  But that isn’t the only thing that amar does.  The second implication of amar is particularly important in this context.  Amar not only introduces a quotation, it also implies that the speaker’s words are followed by actions.  This is James’ letter found in the Psalms.  What you say is what you do.  If you claim to have faith, your life must demonstrate that claim in actions.  In Hebrew, the only people who say something but do not do it are liars.

“You are my Lord.”  Adonai atah.  The phrase is not simply a declaration of belief.  It is an obligation to action.  If YHWH is my Lord, I am obligated to follow His direction.  I do not live according to my own rules.  I do not make it up as I go along.  For YHWH to be my Lord, I must be His servant.  I wait on His instructions, follow His commands and live according to His decisions. 

While we don’t give it much thought today, in other ancient cultures such a declaration would have been considered repugnant, insulting and unconscionable.  Nothing was more humiliating than to be a servant (slave) of someone else.  Outside Israel, freedom from dominion by another was considered absolutely essential to human existence.  The Greeks would have vomited at the thought that the path to spirituality was through servitude.  If we really think about it, we probably find the same revulsion in our society.  When governments and politicians extol the virtues of freedom, they are not expressing the Hebrew point of view.  They are endorsing Greek values . . . freedom at any cost.  They do not realize or understand that freedom at any cost is destruction, both to society and individuals.  There is no freedom in this world.  Jesus’ insight into the necessity of serving one master or the other does not find much credence in contemporary worldviews, but He is right.  Believers are never called to freedom.  They are called to slavery – to acknowledge that “You are my Lord.”  Unless we preach slavery, we will never know comfort, security and fulfillment.  We will be like the false prophets who cried, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace.  We cry “Freedom, forgiveness and fortune instead of “Adonai atah.”

David appeals to God for preservation.  He may do so only because YHWH is his Lord and Master.  A Master takes care of a slave.  No such obligation exists between a Master and an employee, much less a stranger.  The role the Master plays is contingent on the submission and fidelity of the slave.  Too many times we hear “Christians” cry “Lord, Lord,” but they do not do what the Lord says.  They are not His slaves.  They do not use the Hebrew verb amar because their words are not followed with actions.  And from a Hebrew point of view, they are not confused or carnal.  They are simply liars.

Topical Index:  amar, slave, freedom, Lord, Psalm 16:2

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , ,  | 17 Comments