I am a School Bus Driver!

I am a School Bus Driver!
My job is to transport your children safely to and from school! I am the first person your child sees each morning from the school and the last one they say good-bye to in the afternoons. I drive in sun, rain, sleet, snow and all manners of inclement weather providing it starts while we are in school.

Each child I serve is unique, each one brings a new gift to the school and the day! While they are in school learning, I am there by their side, reading with them, tutoring in math, helping them learn new and exciting things. I don't complain, I don't grumble; but if I do grumble it isn't without cause. I am trained to drive that bus; and yet I am poor compensated; matter of fact, if you looked at my pay check you'd laugh, you'd think I was an idiot to do all I do for what I make.
So the next time you complain about the way that our school district handles problems, I suggest, that you take a close look at what all I do to make sure your child is safe, to school and on their way home!
I am a school bus driver, I don't take that lightly; neither should you!

Contextualization in World Missions by A. Scott Moreau

                Upon receiving this book, I knew it would be a textbook and had the potential for being dry. As a seminary student, this book should have been an easy read and more so easier to understand. However, since my degree focus isn’t missions, I was not sure exactly what contextualization was. This being said, within the first 32 pages, Moreau does tell us what contextualization is. Thus the book became easier to understand.

                If you are looking for a text book that will show you the “map” of how to contextualize the gospel, then this book is for you. It’s definitely written for the graduate student in mind, so if you want a book that is entertaining or more “laid back” then I can’t recommend this book. One would almost have to be a scholar to understand the book.

                Truthfully, the book remains dry throughout the first part. When you get to Part 2 of the book; and you begin to look at the Initiator (missionary) as a Facilitator, Guide, Herald, Pathfinder, Prophet and finally a Restorer then you really start to understand how the Gospel is contextualized around the world. Just as everyone who is in Christ has a specific gift the missionary also has a special gift and it may not be to go out and plant churches. Rather this gift may be one of the many previously named gifts.

                So if you are a missions student that would like a deeper understanding of contextualization within World missions, then this book is definitely for you. However, if you are the lay member of your church, while this book may be beneficial to you, make sure that you definitely study missions deeper for a greater understanding held in this book.

**The author of this review received a copy of the book from Kregel Publishers in exchage for a completely objective review.**

What is Love?

What exactly is love? Hollywood has its version; the dashing hero getting the woman at the end. Perhaps, it’s like TITANIC a forbidden love ignited by human passions. The Bible tells us that love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, nor is it proud. It’s not self-seeking, rude or easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs, does not rejoice in evil but does rejoice in truth. Love protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. It NEVER fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
While Paul’s definition of love is quite accurate, it almost seems humanly impossible to do or achieve. As a matter of fact, Leviticus tells us that we are to “Love our neighbors as ourselves.” ‎The commandment to love one’s neighbor aims at an ideal to which all mankind should strive—a sincere and unbounded desire and concern for the well-being of others.[1]
So what exactly is love? In two words, I’d have to say that love is Congregation Emanuel in North Carolina. Yeah, I hear ya “So, Rachel, what or who is that?” It’s the local Jewish community in Statesville. While they are a small southern Jewish community, they are an active community that welcomes everyone with a hardy “Shalom Ya’ll!” and open arms.
Love within Congregation Emanuel doesn’t just stop at the boundaries of their community; it continues out into the community at large. Every year, I go to my mailbox and I always find a holiday card from one of the families. These friends don’t have to send me a holiday card at Christmas, just as I don’t have to send a Hanukkah card, but like clockwork every year I find a card just to let me know I’ve been thought of.
This year at the Hanukkah service, when the blessings for the children were being said, the congregation held the hands of the younger generation. Sitting in the back of the temple, an older couple turned around and said, “Rachel, give us your hands, this blessing is for you too!” That is love! How often has your minister presented a blessing to your congregation and you turn around to the visitor in your midst and say “this is for you too!”
So while love should be measured by Paul’s definition, it must also be defined by our own actions and how we reach out to the stranger among us.

 

 

            *This blog entry is meant to encourage others. This is just one story; one example of how we as Christians need to start stepping up to the plate to really begin to live our calling. The reason I can define love by the standards that I do isn’t based on “oh, Rachel just stands in solidarity with the Jewish people.” It’s based on my own experiences with the community-at-large. I am proud to call Congregation Emanuel my friends and part of my religious community.

---

[1] 20th Century Jewish Religious Thought: Original Essays on Critical Concepts, Movements, and Beliefs. Edited by Cohen, Arthur A. and Paul Mendes-Flohr, p 559. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2009.

Do Christians Need Shabbat?

Do Christians Need Shabbat?

By: Rachel A.

           This question came to me recently. However, before I could or can give the reasons for Shabbat (Sabbath Observance) I have to give you the correct definition about what Shabbat actually is.

So what is Shabbat? With God it pertains to creation. It’s the seventh day, the day that God looked at His creation, and then rested. Shabbat is literally a time to “Cease or desist” whatever you are doing. It is a time that is Holy and set-apart to give us 24 uninterrupted hours to focus on the Lord. It’s the time to cease our busy-ness and examine the eternal aspects of our lives.  (Rubin 1998) Since it was created for us, the least we can do is to treat it special. As my friend Robin once said “I need this moment of “Ahhh”; this moment where I am able to separate myself from the world and worship; especially after a busy week.”

So special is the Shabbat that the Lord commanded Israel in the wilderness to collect twice as much manna on the 6^th day, because on the 7^th day there would be none to collect. (Exodus 16:22-30; 20:8-11) So the question has come up “When is Shabbat?” Since the biblical day starts in the evening, Shabbat starts on Friday evening, just after sunset, and ends the next day at Sunset. This conclusion is reached by Genesis 1:5b, “so there was evening, and there was morning.”

For whom is the Sabbath for? Well many will say the 7^th day Sabbath is just for the Jews; however, if we look honestly at the Bible we’ll see that Shabbat is for the Jews and the aliens living among the Jews. Isaiah 56:6-7a states

“^‎And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, ‎to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, ‎and to be his servants, ‎everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, ‎and make them joyful in my house of prayer”

            “The Sabbath is for all mankind-given before the Ten Commandments were issued, guarded by Israel for centuries and guaranteed in eternity to all who trust the Lord.” (Rubin 1998)

At this point, I know that many of you are scratching your heads saying “Rachel, sure whatever, but that is Old Testament, we are under a new dispensation…well again, you must take a look honestly at the proof that the Bible provides and not what you want the Bible to say.

If you can show me in the Bible where Jesus changed the Shabbat, then I’d love to see it. In all the New Testament, there isn’t one reference to people violating the Shabbat. Jesus loved the Shabbat, as did Paul. Even on his missionary journeys, Paul went to synagogue, not to evangelize, but to worship. The new testament when speaking of Paul states “As his custom was” when referencing when exactly Paul went to worship.

Sunday, as the “New Christian Sabbath” comes from the fact that the Catholic church changed it. “We observe Sunday, instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” (Rev. P. Geieman, Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, London, 1934). Others think that Sunday became the new Sabbath, because “Jesus rose from the dead on the 3^rd day.” Since the “day of First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim) began immediately after sunset on Saturday, and Paul calls Messiah “The first fruits of the resurrection.” (1 Cor. 15:20), thus according to tradition, Yom HaBikkurim is most likely the time of Jesus’ resurrection. However, the FACT remains that the New Testament tells us when the visitors to the tomb , but silent on the exact time He rose from the dead.

Sunday, the name that many of us has started to associate with the worship of God, comes from the early church’s attempt to mix “sun-worship with SON-worship.” Matter of fact, the idea of calling Sunday “the Lord’s day” was the idea of Sylvester, Bishop of Rome, who claiming “Apostalic Authority” decided to make the change. (Historia Ecclestastica, M. Ludovicum Lucium, Cent. 4, Cap. 10, pp739-740. Edition Basilea, 1642).

While this is my own views, based and written with the help of Barry and Steffi Rubin, I must note that while it will please God anytime you worship Him—I do wonder if it pleases Him that so many of His people believe that the Sabbath has changed from the 7^th day of the week to the first day of the week. In my opinion, it probably doesn’t make Him too pleased that Christians believe they can just go out and change what God ordains.

“Jesus lived as if Sabbath-keeping were important, going to synagogue regularly, first with his father, then on his own. One must wonder why Jesus, who was the agent of Creation and surely as one with the Father, participated in the development of the Law, would suddenly change the Sabbath.” I can’t make your mind up for you; however, I can state that I doubt very seriously that Jesus changed the Shabbat. It has become my hope that you will be more open to observe the true Shabbat, and receive the special blessings God has for you, when you observe the 4^th commandment.

Bibliography

Rubin, Barry and Steffi. The Sabbath: Entering God's Rest. Clarksville, MD: Lederer Books, 1998.

 

*This article was written by Rachel. It does not reflect the views of her current church. It was written from a belief that before the church can be extraordinary, it must return to its core values and beliefs.*

John Walvoord's Prophecy in the New Millennium

Are you tired of the same old end time prophecy books? John Walvoord’s Prophecy in the New Millennium gives a fresh look at prophecy. Instead of approaching with a doom and gloom mentality, Walvoord focuses his book on the rapidly changing world, with its technology affairs at the close of the 20^th century. Contained within are overviews of the major unfulfilled prophecies. This book also presents Israel in a new light; as well as the Antichrist, the Rapture, the Second Coming and the New Heaven and New Earth.

Each chapter of the book promises great intrigue and grabs the interest of the reader immediately. Prophecies fulfilled in the 20^th Century. Walvoord covers the prophecies that have been fulfilled in our day and time. He connects them to ancient prophecies and discusses how they are helping to introduce us to the true end time experience. The Rapture: With many Christians interested in life here after, Walvoord speaks about what he calls the “First prophetic event of the new millennium.

For me, the best chapter The Judgment seat of Christ. With most of Christianity convinced that they will escape judgment since they are “saved” this chapter presents the idea that “At the judgment seat of Christ, the issue isn’t not salvation, but rather if our works after we are saved were good or bad.” The United States of Europe as the New Europe: If we thought the European Union was a problem, we need to take a look at it in light of biblical prophecy. Israel in the New Millennium: We have always known that Israel had a special calling in the world, this chapter discusses it’s place within prophecy and the new millennium.

The Antichrist and the Coming World Government: With our economy and that of the world falling and failing this chapter brings to light what exactly the Antichrist will have to do to gain the trust of the world. The impending day of the Lord: This has become the cry of the church. Lord, come! Here is a fresh look at the possibility that it could be closer than we think. However, Walvoord does not try to predict when the “day of the Lord” will come. The second coming of Christ gives us a new definition of what “second coming” may actually mean. The Resurrections: a feature that is central to Christian theology. According Walvoord, there will be seven resurrections. 1)Jesus Christ 2) The token resurrection in Jerusalem 3) The Rapture 4) the two witnesses 5) the martyred dead 6)The old testament saints 7) The Wicked Dead.

The final three chapters cover popular questions especially those that deal with when the rapture will occur; what prophecies mean in the new millennium and finally what the new heaven and earth will be like.

If I had to give this book stars, I’d give it 5 out of 5. It’s a good book, the arguments strong, and information relevant.  If you are interested in a book that isn’t a doom and gloom, but rather informative and easy to understand, this is it!

*The book was provided by Kregel Academic and Professional to the author of this review free of charge for a non-biased review.