Thanks

I would like to thank all of you that emailed or called to say that you were enjoying my writings. I appreciate your comments and encouragement. I welcome your input and any questions you may have. I pray you will continue to read on as I journey back through our trip to Israel and try to share a small portion of the land where our Saviour was born, lived, died and was resurrected. Thanks again. Wayne

Part II-Modern Day Moneychangers

In a foregoing article I promised to depict some instances where modern day moneychangers may affect the house of God and God's people.

I hope that in my discussion of those who exploit the house of God no one draws the conclusion that I am writing about preachers. I suppose that it is possible for a preacher to be a moneychanger. And on occasion it does happen. But that is definately not the norm among God's servants. Many preachers are underpaid anyway. I would be the last to advocate that preachers and any other of God's servants who have given their lives to His service are in any way comparable to the moneychangers who take advantage of the kingdom and their position in it.

Exploitation of God's house and God's people is not new. It occured in the first century and Jesus knew what to do about it. Today there are money changers and Jesus is not here at this moment to prevent their exploitation. But Peter tells us that He still knows how to take care of this and will. Peter wrote that "...the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgement." (II Peter 2:9)

What then are some possible ways modern day moneychangers abuse the house of God?

(1) Men who are in authority and men of position are vulerable to the temptation of exploitation. Why? Because they simply can due to their statue and eminence. Their station in life can lend itself to that kind of behavior. Some can get so caught up in their on self- importance that God's will is dimished and their will becomes paramount in their dealings with other people. This condition seems to become so severe that some actually begin to think that their will is God's will. Whatever they do and whatever decision they make is God's will.

The Spirit of Christ does not allow high handed tactics in dealing with others, yet these money changers have no qualms about running over others. It is a fact that where the Spirit of Christ is, high handed tactics, egoism, and looking down the sanctimonious nose at others does not exist. Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." (Galatians 5:22-23).

Scripture gives us two explicit examples of these high-minded men of high position. The first is a man named Diotrephes. John said in 3 John 9 "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us." This word "preeminence" literally means "loving to be first." Sounds like Diotrephes had a very high idea of himself. How did he exploit the church? John inferred that basically he ran things and was in the practice of disfellowshipping from the church apparently those he did not like. John doesn't say exactly how he was going to deal with this fellow, but he was going to deal with him, for he told the church that when he went to them "...I will call to mind his deeds which he does...." (3 John 10)

The other example of high handed exploitation of God's people is Herod. If ever there was an egotistical axe wielder he was. The people knew that . So they typically gave in to his coercion as people typically give in to all present day Herods. Sometimes it is a power thing or a money thing, or a position thing that causes people to aquisce, and sometimes it is just the blantant big headedness and bull headedness of these present day moneychangers who exploit the people of God.

Acts 12 records the complete story of Herod and his mean dealings with God's people. Verse one of Acts 12 defines his role as moneychanger. "now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harrass some from the church." The KJV says "...vex certain of the church..." the interlinear reads "...to harm some of the ones from the church...". The lexicons define the word for harm or vex as "ill -treat" "plague" "injure". And it can also mean according to Zodhiatas"to put one into a bad mood against another." The word is used in Acts 14:2 this way "But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethern.

Herod was the supreme example of one who could do all the above against someone because he was simply in a position to do so. How many Herod's do we have today among us?

He was a glory hog to the max. Acts 12:2 says"...he killed James the brother of John with the sword." Verse 3 says "and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also ...". I must say I have seen men in my life who operated completely on the basis of what advantage they could claim for themselves with no consideration for the feelings of others. They might not go to the extremes Herod went and commit murder because it pleased others who would side with them and applaud them, but they certainly had no uneasiness or remose about character assassination.

Herod's demise is a lesson for all modern day moneychangers. The text says that "on a set day Herod , arrayed in royal apparel, set on his throne and gave an oration to them." "And the people kept shouting, the voice of a god and not of a man!" (Acts 12:21-22)

How he must have gloated. He had had his way with good people. He killed some. He imprisioned some. He worked his evil, he plagued folks with his behavior, he injured them, he ill treated them, he harmed them. And now he is being applauded. How good he must have felt. He might even have felt he was justified hurting others becuase he was being apploauded by some.

But out goes another moneychanger. Acts 12:23 says "then immediately an angel struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. "

Watch out moneychangers!

More to come....

Modern Day Money Changers

The last three days of our tour in Israel were spent in Jerusalem. We visited the places in the city where Jesus walked and talked and interacted with the people there. We saw Gethsemane where He prayed so earnestly for life's circumstances. We saw the location where Caiaphas, the high priest lived, and where Jesus was judged, spit upon, and slapped with the hands of His accusers. In this place we descended into a big room for below ground level. At the top of this room was a small hole where the accused were lowered by rope to the hard floor below. Our guide informed us that Jesus spent some time in solitary confinement here. We visited a place where Pilate resided. We saw the place of Jesus' flogging, a beating that disfigured a person to the point they were hardly recognizable. We walked along the winding road upon which He was forced to carry the beam for the cross. We visited the hill of Golgotha where they crucified Him and we went into the garden tomb area where He was resurrected. There we partook of the Lords' Supper and I was privileged to lead the prayer for the fruit of the vine, something I will never forget and an event I will always cherish.

All of these places we visited are testimony of a loving Saviour who died for my sins. I should have been there. I should have been judged and flogged. I should have been condemned . I should have been nailed to that piece of wood. I should have been the one who staggered down that long winding road to my death. I was guilty. He was not. He took my place. He became sin for me. And while I was yet a sinner He died for me. I deserved death. He did not. My righteousness was as filthy rags and is today. He died and imputed His righteousness to me. Paul said this happens "...if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. .." (Rom. 4:24, 25)

Our visit to Jerusalem reminded us so much about the true nature of Jesus. We walked around the walls of the city. We visited the temple grounds. It was almost as if we could feel His presence and the presence of His apostles and early disciples and the throngs of Jewish people who came to the temple. And it occured to me at least that Jesus walked and talked and interacted with people much like we are today. He saw them for what they really were even as He sees us as we really are.

On one occasion it is said that Jesus cleansed the temple. We saw the very place where the sellers of sheep, oxen, doves and the moneychangers operated. It is interesting that the actual business of these moneychangers in and of itself was not wrong. There are indeed even moneychangers in Jerusalem today who will give you Jewish money for American money or visa -versa. So what they did was not wrong. But there was something wrong with them, and Jesus knew that. He casts them out of the temple where they were plying their trade. And He said to them "...My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves..." (Matt. 21:13) Is that possible today?

Matthew Henry,the great commentator, believed that it is possible. He quotes I Timothy 6:5 and applies it to these moneychangers. This is where Paul speaks of "...men of corrupt minds..." "...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain...". And Paul tells Timothy "...from such withdraw yourself..."

Matthew Henry wrote "Great corruption comes into the church by the practice of those whose gain is godliness that is who make worldly gain the end of their godliness and counterfeit godliness their way of worldly gain."

On two occasions Jesus chased these people away from the house of God. The other occasion is spoken of by John in John 2:12-16. On this occasion Jesus said to them "take these things away! Do not make My Fathers house a house of merchandise. (John 2:16). Peter used this same word for merchandise in II Peter 2 while referring to the way some men treat the children of God. He told the Christians of his day "...they will exploit you with deceptive words..."(II Peter 2:3). Jesus was saying in effect to the moneychangers that they were exploiting the house of God and the people of God.

How did Jesus know that they were doing this? After all they were only selling animals and exchanging money. That seemed to be just taking care of business as usual and making a living. I am sure that many things could be said and conjectured about what they were doing. But let's just cut to the chase. Jesus saw their motives. Jesus looks deep within man and understands him. He was the Word of God made flesh. And the writer of Hebrews said of this word that it "...is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) I am convinced that that is the reason or at least one of the reasons He cast them out of the temple.

God knows all men. He knows me and my intent. And there is really only one other person who really knows me completely, and that is me. That is true of all men. We see that in the life of David. David was a mistake prone person for some time in his life. But God knew him when others did not. When God got enough of Saul as king and rejected him He sent Samuel to anoint David. Samuel was sent to Jesse, the father of David. And Samuel loooked at all the sons of Jesse. The very first one seemed to Samuel to be fit and Samuel said "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him!" (I Sam.16-:6) Verse 7 says "But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." So after looking at all the fine specimen, all the sons of Jesse, David a young boy was anointed. God knew him. And He knows us. And He knew those moneychangers. And He knows all present day moneychangers, because He can see their hearts and their motives.

Those moneychangers of Jesus day were adversely affecting Gods house so He cast them out. Today Jesus is not with us physically. The modern day moneychangers are. It shall be our purpose in a subsequent writing to depict some instances where modern day moneychangers may trouble God's house and God's people.

In my life I have met these people and they have from time to time burdened me, as I am sure they have affected you. Our purpose is always till the day we die not to let them deter us from serving our Creator.

Sunrise Over The Dead Sea

I just wanted to share this picture with all of you. The Dead Sea is just that, dead. But the first morning we looked out over this Dead Sea we saw the loveliest sunrise I believe I have ever seen. The Lord made sure that no matter how hopeless things may look at first appearance, that He was always there, looking out for all His children. God's Grace is sufficient, all the time. Have a great day.

The Doorway of Hell

Our guided journey through northern Israel brought us to the ruins of Dan, the majestic Mt. Hermon and an ancient city in the foothills of the mountain called Caesarea Philippi. It was also called Banias or Panias in honor of a Greek god Pan. It was here that people were thrown to their death into a deep hole in the side of the mountain. They were thus sacrificed to Pan. One of the sons of Herod the Great, Phillip, built the city and called it Caesarea Philippi in honor of Caeser and himself. This city became a vacation resort for the citizenry with all the amenities that satisfied the sinful nature of the citizenry.

It is here or near this spot that honored paganism and egotistical men that Jesus clarified things with the simple question to His disciples "...who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?..." (Matt. 16:14). Differing opinions were given as to who men said Jesus was. And Jesus said to them "...but who do you say that I am?..." (Matt. 16:15). Peter answered "...You are the Christ, the Son of the living God..." (Matt. 16:16). The inhabitants of the area where Jesus was might have given a different answer, for indeed they were in every real sense flesh and blood. Their forefathers might have called him an imposter. For indeed they worshipped Pan, Baal, a golden calf, horned looking goats, and Caesar looking men. Even today in that area of the country there are thousands who pay homage to diluded dreamers and physical gods.

Jesus told Peter of his confession "...flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven...".

There have been imposters before and there have been imposters since and no one will ever take the place of this anointed one.

As I stood and looked into the deep hole in the ground at the foot of Mt Hermon in Caesarea Philippi near the borders of the countries of Syria, Lebanon and Israel I realized that what Jesus said here should be so significant to all three of these countries. I literally shook as I heard our guide say that the name of this hole is the gates of hell. And the realization that Jesus might have been using this hole in the ground to represent Hades became so shockingly vivid. For Jesus said of Himself and His Church, "...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it..."(Matt. 16:18).

We worship a risen Saviour, Hades or Hell could not hold Him. The golden calves are gone, the city of Caesarea is in ruins, the contrivances of men to their personal honor have and will crumble and fail, but the risen Saviour, Jesus Christ, is eternal.

Paul said of Him, that He was "...declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead..." a(Rom. 1:4)

Would you find life in Him? Listen to Him. He prayed to His Father "...and this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent..."(John 17:3) Thanks be to God He said "...I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me though he may die, he shall live..."(John 11:25).

Would you believe in Him and live eternally?

Jereboam's Folly

As we made our way from Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, up the Jordan River and were guided to Tel Dan, we came to the ruins of the ancient city of Dan. That was so very impressive and the history of it as told by our guide was spell binding. But near the edge of the ruins was another ruin that captivated our attention. Here we saw the high place, the altar of Dan, built around 900 years before Christ by the diluded and idolatrous potentate of the Northern Kingdom, Jereboam. It was a well constructed and massive piece of workmanship. And one can imagine Jereboam and his invalid priests sacrificing to their god. This place in the mountains north of the Sea of Galilee is testimony to what the improvisations and machinations of proud and self-centered men can accomplish.

Jereboam was king of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. The place God had designated for worship by His people was Jerusalem. Jereboam's fear was that the people would worship God in Jerusalem, leave the Northern Kingdom and migrate to the Southern Kingdom. So to promote his selfish causes he set up two altars, one at Dan and one at Bethel and informed the people of Israel about those golden calves, "...Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!.." (I Kgs. 12:28)

God sent a prophet to warn him that this was sin and his false priests not from the tribe of Levi was sin. Ultimately Jereboam lost his kingship and his selfishness brought about the beginnings of the ultimate loss of the Northern Kingdom into captivity in 722 B.C.

God told Jereboam "...you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have made yourself other gods...." "...and have cast me behind your back..." "...I will bring disaster on the house of Jereboam..." "...the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water...""...He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers and will scatter them beyond the River...(I Kgs. 14:7-15).

As one looks upon this giganic altar and views out over the edge of the highplace down into the valley one cannot help but reflect upon the disaster that this one proud man brought to those thousands of people.

And is there any application? It is so vividly clear. The self-serving can be detrimental to the lives of others. Any time anyone stands between another person or persons and God and dictates to them the way they MUST go, that person becomes a modern day Jereboam.

This attitude was also prevalent when Jesus walked this land over 900 years later. The self-appointed masters of Israel still existed. They had comprised through the years over 600 new laws and traditions and when Jesus came they stood between the people and Messiah who came
to "...save His people from their sins...." (Mt. 1-21).

The traditionalists would have none of His simple and direct testimony. Jesus told the people:
"...He who believes in the Son has everlasting life..." (Jn. 3:36). "...he who believes in Me has everlasting life...." (Jn 6:47). "...He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live..."(Jn 11:25). This was not enough for the traditionalists, they rejected Him and led the people astray.

Jesus assailed them for manipulating people to serve their intricate and complicated system and devices. He told them clearly as recorded by Matthew in Matthew 23 "...you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men...". He called them "...blind guides..."and He told them that "...they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear..." and He told them "... you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith...".

God forgive us if we have ever set up our little kingdoms and diverted souls from receiving the Lord Jesus on His terms. God forgive us if we have ever been a modern day Jereboam and set up our altars and demanded men to worhip at them. God forgive us if Jesus was not first and we stood in His way for truly He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Saviour of the world.

Sea of Galilee

Thank God for the magnamious Spirit of the Saviour of the world. He walked on this sea, He traveled on this sea, He saved the disciples from storms and Peter from drowning. He healed people on the banks of this water, He fed thousands on these shores miraculously, near here He preached the most famous sermon ever to be preached. His headquarters for His preaching and teaching were near here in the city of Capernaum. Jesus was raised in a little town of Nazareth where He lived for about 30 years. The little town had about 200 people. He had no comforts, He said himself He had no place to lay His head. He walked everywhere He went through a dusty, rugged mountainous, dry atmosphere. He did not seek riches nor honor. He had no American comforts as we have. He lived in obscurity most of His life and yet Jesus has made an impact upon history that no other single individual has ever done. Perhaps it is because He really did love us like He said He did. He died for us. Not only that, He died for all men everywhere. His commission was literally to the whole world and it remains so today. He shows no favoritism. Indeed He is the epitome of the phrase " all men are created equally". We are all sinners, and yet He loves us all and He died for us all "... while we were yet sinners...".
All of our righteousness is as filthy rags according to Isaiah and David said blessed is the man whose sins are covered and the Apostle Paul quoted David telling us that God imputes His rightoeousness to us . This Jesus who walked by the shores of the Sea of Galilee and who suffered crucifixion in the City of Jerusalem shed His Blood so that we might be made righteous. And as we stood by the Sea of Galilee to praise His glorious name because of His sacrifice, we realized the significance of His saying that if we believe in Him we will never die. Thank God for that. It occurred to us during our tour as we saw the little children , the little Muslim children, little Jewish children, Jewish Christian children that they all looked the same. Little innoncent children. Jesus said of such is the kingdom of heaven. What does He see when He sees all Christians? Does that great magnamious spirit look on us that way? I think He does. Should we not take a lesson from Him.

New Perspectives

I am 65 years old. Am I too old to learn. Absolutely not. I have so much to learn. And we, as we all know will never know it all. In my recent trip to Israel I learned that I had not appreciated America the beautiful enough. And I had not appreciated the blessings I have as an American. We have a variety of foods of all nationalities for one thing. We can pick and choose. We have no background or religion that dictates the choice of foods we can eat. So we eat Chinese foods, we eat Mexican foods. We eat Italian foods. We have numerous choices of foods. And there is no significance attached to that. We have choices of schools we attend, many choices. We can go to private schools, public schools, or we can be home schooled. We are not fearful of being attacked by our neighbors who live just across the wall from us. We do not go through check points where numerous armed soldiers stand. We don't walk down the streets and see guns everywhere. We are not surrounded by enemies. We have not been conquered and destroyed through the centuries by our enemies. As a matter of fact we have never lost a war. We are not oppressed within our own country by our enemies who have inhabited our churches and refuse to let us worship there. We are free to worship wherever we please and whenever we please. We are not hindered, or should not be hindered, by the mistakes of our forefathers. And we have been given the right to think freely and make choices about how we will worship. Israel is surely a beautiful country with beautiful people. But it is still a country that exists under pressure from every direction. We do not have that. Another thing I learned. Jesus said little children are already in the kingdom of heaven. Maybe these little ones, whoever their parents and grandparents might have beeen, will be a catalyst in bringing peace and respect for the rights of others to this beleagured part of the world. Another thing I learned was that perhaps the only thing left is to pray for those who are oppressed and have been for thousands of years...So let us pray....More later...

Return From the Holy Land

To walk where Jesus has walked is an awesome experience. There are many things I wish to share with my friends and family. So much to process in such a short length of time. Israel is a beautiful country and the jewish people are special. I would encourage all of you to pray for Israel and Jerusalem and we are told to do in the bible. I have much I want to write about and I hope to get started soon. I would appreciate any comments from any of you as I try to share this trip with all of you.