John 5

“I do not accept glory from men, but I know you – that you have no love for God within you.  I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me.  If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.  How can you believe?  While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes only from God.  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.  Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me.  But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”  John 5:41- 47

I admit it. I’m not a really smart guy. I went to public school in Arkansas. But even I know that Moses is BIG for Judaism!

I have mentioned before that my wife & I go to Israel in the summers. This summer will be my 5^th trip in the past 6 years. People ask me if it ever gets old, seeing all the same sights. To be honest, there are only 2 sites that I’m excited about in Israel: The sight of people experiencing Israel for the 1^st time, and the sight of seeing Israelis understanding the gospel.

A young lady who attends our Riverside Living Room Study recently shared about a conversation she had with a Jewish schoolmate. She invited her Jewish friend to the Living Room Study, but her friend said, “You can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus.”

In essence, this girl was saying, “Moses and Jesus don’t mix.”

This is an obvious misconception that Jews have…as well as many Christians. The standard Jewish argument is that you have to be either Jewish or Christian. I could argue this point all day, but the real answer lies in Jesus’ words, not mine.

Jesus is telling Israel’s religious leaders (and us today) that the most Jewish thing they could do is believe in Him! Going further to prove His point, Jesus adds that it will be Moses who judges Jews who refuse to believe in Y’shua ha Mashiach. (aka: Jesus the Christ)

He is also saying that if Jews don’t follow Him, then not only do they not receive His atonement, but they don’t even understand Moses!

My advice to the girl in our study,( with the Jewish friend) is for her to continue sharing her faith. The most anti Semitic thing you can do is withhold Messiah from a Jew.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Genesis 31

“Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: ‘Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built his wealth from what belonged to our father.’  And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same.  Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family and I will be with you.’”  Genesis 31:1-3

6 chapters in Genesis (this one and the 5 preceding it), tell the story of Jacob’s moral downfall. Sir Walter Scott, in his oft misquoted poem, Marmion, (Generally attributed to Shakespeare) once wrote “What a tangled web we weave, when 1^st we practice to deceive.” By chapter 31, Jacob has reached the pinnacle of his decline, wrapped-up in the web of his own deceit, as it were. This where we learn that cheaters never win and winners never cheat.

After the American Civil War, when slaves were supposed to be freed, many plantation owners found new ways to cheat their former slaves of their human rights. This “legal” form of slavery was called the Company Store. Here’s how it worked. The plantation owner would set up a store on his property to supply all the dry goods his servants would need. He would not pay his “employees” with US currency. He devised a new monetary element called the “chit”. This was the only form of money accepted at the Company Store.

Since his field hands were uneducated, they had no idea they were being scammed. When the “chits” ran out, they would buy from the store on credit accounts. At the end of the month, the account was tallied and the crooked plantation owners would always found ways to keep the servants in debt. You couldn’t leave till you paid your debt…slavery.

According to ancient custom, Laban had a similar scam running on Jacob. In spite of Jacob’s completed years of service his wives and children were in the legal power of Laban, who could refuse to hand them over to Jacob. We see this in Laban’s statement in verse 43, “The daughters are my daughters and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine…”

So what does this mean to us? Satan wants to own you. Every negotiation with Satan is a compromise from God’s standard, and leads you into further bondage and indebtedness.

God will allow us to feel the sting of our sin. He allows us to feel its consequence in order to rebuke and teach us. But when He knows our lessons have been learned, He extends mercy and His grace, which leads to our repentance.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Matthew 17

“When they came to Capernaum those who collected the double-drachma tax approached Peter and said, ‘Doesn’t your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax?’  ‘Yes,’ He said.  When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, ‘What do you think, Simon?  Who do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes from?  From their sons, or from strangers?’  ‘From strangers,’ he said.  ‘Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him.  “But so we don’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and catch the first fish that comes up.  When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.  Take it and give it to them for me and you.’” Matthew 17:24-27

A “double-drachma” wasn’t a wrestling move. It was a tax established in Exodus30:11-16. The original purpose of the tax was to atone for any mortal sin that an Israelite soldier might commit in battle. The tax was completely unnecessary because Israel didn’t have an army! It was even more unnecessary that Messiah…the one who would himself atone for ALL sin, should pay the tax.

King Herod had greatly expanded the temple complex. Part of this expansion included the building of a marketplace: Herod’s version of WalMart. It has been suggested that Herod re-imposed the double drachma tax as a way of pressuring the public to pay for the construction.

Jesus wouldn’t have sinned by ignoring the tax, yet He paid it. The temple was the house of the Lord, and Jesus detested what it had become. Herod’s expansions were designed to extort worshipers; now Jesus, God Son, was being asked to pay for unwanted additions to His Father’s house! Jesus had plans to take a whip and clear Herod’s merchants from the temple complex…that would be another day.

Jesus still had ministry to do around Galilee. Paying the tax kept him on the good side of the religious Jews in the area. He chose His battles wisely. He was winning souls as well as saving them. That’s a lesson for us all: Keep the main thing the main thing.

By asking Jesus and Peter to pay the double-drachma, the tax collectors prove they didn’t believe Jesus was Messiah. They treated Him as a stranger to God’s house, instead of an inheritor.

Finally, observe Jesus and Peter didn’t have money. Jesus showed Peter he would eventually be supported by a byproduct of evangelism: offerings. Fish symbolize evangelism. This system of community support is observed in Acts 2, where Christ followers committed all they owned to the community of believers, laying their belongings at the apostles’ feet.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Revelation 3

“The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Genesis of God’s creation says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of My mouth.”  Revelation 3:15-16

What a bummer to be the church of Laodicea! They are forever known as the “lukewarm” church.

I have performed over 1000 concerts around the world. Most of them were in church settings. Sadly, I have seen far too many “lukewarm” ministries.

Here’s what I mean. Let’s say a preacher moves to a city. He gathers, a group of believers and buys a building, sound equipment and advertises to the community, “Come!” But when people show up, the preacher never teaches the Bible so it could be understood in a comprehensive way, never exposes sin, warns of the coming wrath, or challenges people to believe in Jesus.

Afraid of scaring people away, that pastor chooses to only highlight the positive aspects of the gospel…love, acceptance, and peace. While this approach may draw a sizeable crowd with interesting topics, highly involved productions and activities, nobody’s life is ever “transformed”. The congregation eventually becomes more like a Bible-themed country club, without the benefit of the golf course and tennis courts.

That’s a lukewarm church. It’s not completely “Cold”, because it utilizes Biblical principles. But it’s not “Hot”, either, because it denies the power & the passion of God’s Spirit to move boldly.

While it’s fairly easy to understand why God would want people to be Hot with zeal, why would He wish anyone were Cold? I believe God would desire a person were Cold, because a Cold person is under no delusion that they are saved!

Cold people live for themselves. They’re in the world and they know it. A Cold person has a higher probability of becoming a believer, because when confronted with the gospel, they can compare it to their lives and see a marked difference. Eventually, they may hear the gospel, backed-up by the white-hot life of a passionate believer. In response, they would be more likely to trade their worldliness for God’s righteousness, through faithfully following Jesus.

“But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today …” Joshua 24:15

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

1 Corinthians 7

“Each person should remain in the life situation in which he was called.  Were you called while a slave?  It should not be a concern to you.  But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity.  For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is a freedman.  Likewise, he who is called as a free man is Messiah’s slave.  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.  Brothers, each person should remain with God in whatever situation he was called.”  1 Corinthians 7:20-24

The legalized practice of forced slavery in the United States ended with close of the American Civil War. For many years, leading-up-to, and following the Civil War, certain Southern pastors interpreted Paul’s statements to mean the Bible supported forced slavery. Of course, their assumptions were wrong. Sadly, a whole generation of naïve & undereducated congregants followed such teaching as if it were the gospel. As a consequence, America would not be fully integrated until the Civil Right’s movement of the 1960’s & 70’s.

In the days of Jesus, slavery was very different. A slave, in biblical terms, was not necessarily a spoil of war, or human cargo. People would sell themselves for a season…working for money, for a specified amount of time. Perhaps, these people were down on their luck, had made bad business decisions, found themselves in debt, or just didn’t want the pressure of running their own household. Whatever the circumstance of their voluntary enslavement, God gave strict rules for the governance and treatment of slaves. There was even a time when all slaves had to be set free, by law. Jesus proclaimed this freedom in His message to his hometown synagogue.

“He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Luke 4:18b-19

The indentured servant who heard of Jesus’ proclamation of jubilee, might be tempted to cut-out on his agreement, thus spoiling the testimony of honesty & integrity that Christians are called-to. Paul exhorted slaves to work themselves out of slavery by fulfilling their obligations. In the meantime, they were to rest in the knowledge that Jesus had set them free from their sin debt.

As for free men, Paul cautioned them against becoming prideful and feeling they did not need God. He challenged them to remember they had been bought with a price and are under an obligation to serve Jesus, as any indentured servant would serve a master.

Bob Dylan once sang, “It may be the Devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna’ have to serve somebody”. Jesus paid a debt I could never afford; therefore, I willingly serve Him. I am spiritually debt-free in Messiah, and yet, personally indebted for His grace & mercy!

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

John 4

“A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  ‘Give Me a drink,’ Jesus asked her, for His disciple had gone into town to buy food.  ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask fro a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ she asked Him.  For Jews don’t associate with Samaritans.  Jesus answered, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him and He would give you living water.’”  John 4:7-10

One does not have to wade very deep in scripture, to understand the Jews and Samaritans did not like each other. For one thing, Samaritans were half-breeds. That is, they were part Jewish and part Gentile.

Historically, the Kingdom of Israel had been split after the death of king Solomon. As result of the tragic apostasy of Solomon’s leadership, God removed the national unity from the tribes of Israel. Judah and Benjamin (aka: Judah) called Jerusalem their capital; and the remaining 10 tribes (aka: Israel) considered Samaria to be their capital.

The men of “Israel”, in Samaria, not only took foreign wives, but their wives also enticed them to worship pagan gods. Jeremiah writes about it.

“Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (but they were not gods!) Yet My people have exchanged their glory for useless idols.  Be horrified at this, heavens; be shocked and utterly appalled.  This is the Lord’s declaration.”  Jeremiah 2:11-12

“For My people have committed a double evil:  They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.”  Jeremiah 2:13

Jesus’ use of Jeremiah’s prophetic water imagery, was intended to remind the woman of Samaria’s sin, which caused the division of national Israel, and Israel’s separation from God. The woman’s personal sexual sin was synonymous with Israel’s national spiritual adultery.

By asking the woman for water, Jesus shows His willingness to forgive both sexual and spiritual adultery, on the basis of faith. His offer of grace & mercy comes in the form of quoting a proverb.

“A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.”  Proverbs 11:25

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Genesis 30

“Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, ‘Am I in God’s place, who has withheld children from you?’  The she said, ‘Here is my slave Bilhah.  Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.’”  Genesis 30:2-3

There was an obvious difference between the customs of the ancient Near East, and God’s design for a healthy family. It has been said that apples don’t fall far from the tree, and Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel were all from the same tree.

Had Jacob not sinned, Isaac would probably have sent a slave to retrieve a wife for him…as Abraham had done for Isaac. I believe the Lord would have led the slave directly to Rachel and he would have brought her back to Jacob. Then, Rachel would have learned from Rebekah about waiting on the Lord. But, that’s the whole problem with sin: It separates you from the Lord, and then your family, your family in Christ, friends….the list goes on. Sin separates us from healthy community so the Enemy can pick us off individually.

Take a moment to reflect on your life. When was the last time you took an inventory of the sin in your life? How does sin affect you? Doesn’t it always push you away from the Lord and from other believers? Take it from one who has been there: Leave that sin and come back home!

It may take a while to repair those bridges burned. That’s OK, because you’re going home, either your literal home or back to your “family of believers” who love you and will give you wise counsel.

We don’t have to follow those patterns of sin that we learned from the cultures we were called out from. We must simply turn from those Worldly ways and philosophies, trust in the Lord’s grace, and begin following His leading. As He proves Himself faithful, you will grow in faith. Pretty soon, you will realize He is changing your whole value system. You desire to sin less & less, and you seek to please Him more & more.

Remember: It took one day to lead Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to drive Egypt out of Israel! Have faith and keep following the Lord. He will lead you to the places He has prepared for you, both in this life and in the Kingdom to come.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Matthew 16

“An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”  Then He left them and went away.  The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread.  Then, Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:4-6

What is an adulterous generation? Spiritual adultery forsakes belief & faith for the latest sign or wonder. It is, at its core, idolatry and paganism.

Spiritual adultery may display itself as overtly as leaving the Christian culture for another religion. It may also display itself in as subtle signs as church hopping. Different from people taking their time to find the right church, chronic church hoppers think church is all about them. They crave excitement, but they don’t commit to serving beyond their comfort zone. When church becomes uncomfortable or unentertaining, they move on.

People who are not mature in their faith, i.e., aren’t grounded in the Bible, are less likely to be reliable members of church community. They are also more likely to be enticed by subtle heretical teaching.

Ask yourself: If your church were your spouse, would it say you were faithful?

This was the case with the Pharisees who were secretly communicating with the disciples. They were engaging in hushed conversations with the disciples, planting subversive thoughts. Jesus said, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees.” What was He talking about?

Yeast is a subtle heretical teaching that entices the flesh. Because it is subtle, yeast spreads undetected until it grows too big to control. In the bible, yeast is synonymous with sin because it spreads quietly, almost un-detainable until it’s too late. Yeast is more dangerous than blatant heresy. Blatant heresy can be easily spotted.

Yeast theology works hand-in-glove with an adulterous generation. When people reject sound doctrine, they end-up attending a church that doesn’t challenge them with the truth of scripture. When a pulpit is compromised, bible teaching is replaced with “bible-themed” messages. Rote volunteerism replaces kingdom building.

Sadly, years can go by before a person recognizes the emptiness of this theology. Many literally spiritually starve to death. Others just bounce from benign church, to benign church. They grow increasingly bitter of anything that convicts of sin, and they get bored unless the church production is entertaining.

Here’s a good rule: Look for a church that considers the Bible to be THE SOURCE of sound doctrine, instead of just another RESOURCE for living.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Revelation 2

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.  I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.”  Rev 2: 7

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.  The victor will never be harmed by the second death.”  Revelation 2:11

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.  I will give the victor some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.”  Rev 2: 17

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Rev 2: 29

There is an old saying, “Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once”

“Born once” means to reject the gospel and live only for this world. When such a person dies, they actually have died twice because they were dead in their sins while alive, and now are dead for all eternity, separated from God.

When a person is “Born twice”, it means they have recognized they were born, dead in sin, and have received the “new Life” offered by Christ…who died for us. That person “lives twice” because they were given life on earth, plus eternal life with the Lord in Heaven.

The apostle John is speaking of the benefits of listening to God’s Spirit and following Messiah. He is speaking of being “born twice” or as the Bible puts it, “born again”.

The believer, (called a “victor” because through Jesus they have obtained victory over death), lives forever with God. This is illustrated by eating from the “Tree of Life.” It carries the idea that whomever eats from it has life, and whomever has access to it would never cease from eating. Again, John writes the “victor” will never be harmed by “second death”. Concerning being a victor, referencing Psalm 44:22, Isaiah 53:7, and Zechariah 11:4-7, in his epistle to the Romans, Paul said:

“No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him Who loved us.” Romans 8:37

John goes on to say the victor will be given “hidden manna’, representing God’s miraculous provision.

Finally, we are to receive “a white stone” inscribed with a new name, signifying that God will remember us…not for who we were (our old name), but for who we have become through Messiah.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins

Hebrews 6

“For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed His name when you served the saints – and you will continue to serve them.  Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.”  Heb 6: 10-12

When my grandfather died, he left my mother some property in rural Arkansas. We were all excited! I recall driving down a maze of dirt roads to view her “estate”. What we found was 30 acres of dense forest, swallowing some rickety old shack. My mom just shook her head and said, “Not worth it.” We drove away. To my knowledge, nothing has ever done with that land.

Sometimes, dreams and reality collide with damaging consequences. Seldom are we told that we will have to work hard at things we’ve been given. When this reality sets-in, people often lose interest.

This was the case with Israel, after they entered the Promised Land. God had sworn to deliver them, and He was faithful in His Word. But once Israel crossed over, it was their job to “dispossess the land’s former inhabitants.” This too, God promised would be completed if Israel would boldly go-forth, trusting Him as before, to drive out their enemies. He intended to use their hard work, empowered by his Spirit, to accomplish His purposes.

Some of the tribes fought and drove out the former inhabitants. Others compromised and made their enemies slaves. Still, others cowered, so they never took hold of what God had promised.

The author of Hebrews (scholars cannot agree on its author) was drawing a parallel of the deliverance of Moses-era Israel, with salvation through Messiah, Jesus. While we are saved by grace apart from works, once we have been delivered we must bear the armor of God and dispossess the former enemies (attitudes, influences, thoughts & actions) that once controlled our lives.

Our command to fight doesn’t diminish God’s grace. The Lord still delivers us, but under the condition that we remain vigilant and diligent. Think of it this way: God gives us a limited participation in things He doesn’t need us to do, in order to accomplish His will. He simply loves us, and has chosen to show Himself faithful, through our faithfulness.

Let’s strive to be imitators of those “who inherit the promises, through faith and perseverance.” Again, we are not saved by faith & works; rather, by faith that works.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins