Musing – Is the Power of the Holy Spirit Evident in Our Churches?

 Hebraic Musing – Is the Power of the Holy Spirit Evident in Our Churches?

I was just told “If every Bible believer were empowered with the Holy Spirit, congregations would be on fire.  We are settling for much less than what Yehovah has for us.”*   And none of the Church-goers I’ve met will say that the church they attend is accomplishing anything like the first century church’s accomplishments!  What’s changed?  What’s different?

What do we know about the early church?  In Acts 2 they were all together and in “one accord” when they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.”  What does it mean to be in “One Accord”?   Wow, that’s a big topic of its own!

How important is the felt presence of the Holy Spirit?  David wrote “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:10-11 ESV (p.s. I love that as a song!)   And David spoke this desperately in the midst of his repentance for his behavior regarding Bathsheba and the killing of her husband.  

Repentance and the Holy Spirit seem to be related!  Example – In Acts 2 Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and we have record of him preaching Jesus.  “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”  Acts 2:37-38 NKJV    So it’s repent first, and then receive the gift.

And then Peter quoted the prophet Joel in order to describe this phenomenon.  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” Act 2:17 and Peter continued to quote thru verse 21 describing the requirement for salvation.  “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.”

Power!   Before leaving earth, Jesus promised power in Acts 1:8  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” NKJV  What power will the H.S. provide you with?  A. – To be witnessing witnessers.

Years ago I heard** that leaders of both the Catholic and the Lutheran church conducted a conference to settle their different views on the significance of Jesus’ mother Mary.  After much discussion back and forth they still did not agree.  However the Catholics did admit they had given too much attention to Mary; and the Lutherans acknowledged that they had not given enough recognition to Mary. 
In the same way, do we have denominations and churches that have given either too much or too little attention to the role of the Holy Spirit’s operation in our churches, and in our lives?

Point(s) to Ponder

Is the church of Jesus Christ in “one accord”?

Do we accept Jesus as our Lord and then let the Holy Spirit bring about repentance?
Or should we repent first, then the Holy Spirit brings on the Power?

Does the church preach repentance enough for people to call on the Holy Spirit?

♫ “Spirit Of The Living God, Fall Afresh On Me. Spirit Of The Living God, Fall Afresh On Me.
            Melt Me, Mold Me, Fill Me, Use Me, Spirit Of The Living God, Fall Afresh On Me.”♫ 

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          March 29, 2022

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”  at  InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com

*   Inspired by and excerpted from “The Presence of the Holy Spirit” by Johanna Shager Hocker, Oct.8, 2020

** - Source unknown   

Musing – How would you Define the Levels of Love?

 Hebraic Musing – How would you Define the Levels of Love? 

I sincerely would like to hear your perspective(s).  RSVP

The word “Love” in our daily usage has a plethora of meanings, including a wide range of examples of intimacy (some of which I do not want to share in a PG musing).  Let’s explore the definition(s) of “Love” from Biblical perspectives.  The Bible in Greek uses four different words to differentiate the types of “love.”*   Why?  There are distinctly different relationships and situations for each; and our English use of the word “love” can be downright awkward and misinterpreted!

Eros – is a passionate love that is aroused by romantic feelings; emotional and sexual love focused on one’s own gratification from an intimate relationship with little or no regard for the feeling of the other person.

Phileo – is a neighborly care and platonic relationship with those we know.  It is natural for us to desire friendly relationships with others we meet and know, i.e. Philadelphia, the “city of Brotherly Love”.

Storge – is the family love that parents naturally feel for their children and members of the family have for each other.  There is dependency on each other; herding together for protection and survival in dependent clan-like relationships.  Biblically we become related as Brothers and Sisters in the Family of God!

Agape – is an unconditional love that sees beyond the surface and accepts and cares for the other person, the recipient, regardless of whom he/she is; regardless of faults, etc.  This kind of love is all about sacrifice as well as giving and expecting nothing in return.  It is a committed, chosen and self-sacrificing love for others.

We can view the four “loves” based on the range from self-centered-ness all the way to a total focus on other(s).  I sense that the types of “Biblical Love” range from mostly selfish to totally selfless:

 Eros, is about pleasure, sometimes selfishly, to
     Phileo, desiring a friendly relationship, to
         Storge, a need for one another with willingness to share our resources, to
              Agape, a willingness to give oneself or to die for another…Christ being the ultimate example:

1 Cor. 15:3      “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”   NIV
1 Peter 3:18     “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
Rom. 5:6         “Christ died for the ungodly.”
Rom. 5:8         “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Points to ponder

What have we lost in our English bible translations by using only one word for “Love”?
For example - What is meant by the expression “making love” with someone? 

When we tell someone “I love you”, what do we really mean?
Which of the four levels?

Are we capable of Agape Love this side of Heaven?   Why try?    RSVP

♫ What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of.
         No not just for some but for everyone.. ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                         March 22, 2022  

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”  Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      insightsbyyosef.blogspot.com

*  The definitions of the Greek words are my interpretations from numerous wordy sources.  Here are condensed examples from the overly wordy Merriam Webster definitions as a noun:
(1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties,
(2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers
(3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
(4) : an assurance of affection  i.e. give her my love
(5) : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
(6)  : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
(7)  : a beloved person : DARLING —often used as a term of endearment
(8)  : unselfish loyal and benevolent (see BENEVOLENT sense  or 1a) :concern for the good of another: such as
     (a) the fatherly concern of God for humankind  (b) brotherly concern for others  (c) a person's adoration of God     
(9)  : an amorous episode : LOVE AFFAIR

Musing – Did the Bible Predict Growing Popularity of Psychedelic Drugs Use?

 

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Hebraic Musing – Did the Bible Predict Growing Popularity of Psychedelic Drugs Use?

The stock market jumped* and headline gave the reason – “Psychedelic Drugs (PD) Market Projected to Reach $6.85 Billion by 2027”   The stock market increase was due to anticipated growth in PD companies. 

Another article says “We can no longer ignore the potential of psychedelic drugs to treat depression.”  And we all recognize that the Covid lockdown has had a significant impact on mental health, depression and anxiety (in my own case, stir-craziness).  Pharmaceutical funds have been in focus ever since the Covid-19 pandemic caused a global lockdown.  Why?  PD are used for treatment of anxiety, depression and addiction, a re-emerging therapeutic paradigm. 

What is the Biblical perspective?  Revelation 18:23 describes the finality of Babylon's Fall.  “The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.”  NKJV   The Greek word “Pharmakeia” is translated to “Sorceries” 6 times in NKJV.  If you substitute the Gr. “pharmakeia” for the word “sorceries”, verse 23 reads “For by thy pharmakeia were ALL nations deceived”   BTW - “Pharmakeia” is where we get our English word “pharmacy”!

Are PD being promoted?  A quick, but unreliable, Google search reveals many articles claiming psychedelic stimulants are beneficial and even Biblically justified!  For example, articles explain “Moses encountered God 'because he was stoned - again.”  And they contend that Moses’ “Burning Bush” was an hallucination.  Many Bible accounts are explained away as visions and quotes resulted from PD influence.  So use of PD is now being justified as Biblical (by and for those who need to rely on Googled internet articles to justify their behavior).

Pharmaceutical companies are a well-organized and professionalized system benefiting from the large profits dependent in great part on sales of PD.  The Bible reveals that Babylon will deceive all nations by the use of pharmaceuticals that are connected to “magical arts” and idolatry; both have deep roots in witchcraft and the occult world.  

We don’t have to do a deep Bible study to know that Satan is directly behind the magical arts and mind alterations.  God’s people should have nothing to do with it.  Some professing but deceived Christians today use “magical arts” under the disguise of contemplative prayer, “Christian humanism”, meditation, yoga, etc.  These involve sorcery, witchcraft, and magic and rely on use of “magic” potions to “heal”, deceive, poison, control, or kill someone.  

BTW – An interesting Wikipedia comment – “Many Christian denominations disapprove of the use of most illicit drugs.  However many permit the moderate use of socially and legally acceptable drugs like alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.  And some denominations permit smoking tobacco, while others disapprove of it.”

So let’s ask the original question: Did the Bible Predict Growing Popularity of Psychedelic Drugs Use?
            (And you can peruse more Bible quotes to consider at the end of this musing.)

Points to ponder

What is the long-term cost of using PD for the immediate gratification?

What did Peter mean in 1 Peter 5:8 when he told us “Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

♫ “Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me.
            Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me.. ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      March 15, 2022
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”  Weekly “Hebraic Musings”   insightsbyyosef.blogspot.com/

*  News Headline on February 26. 2021.

 

 

More Bible references to consider

Old Testament:

Leviticus 10:9   “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.” ESV

Isaiah 5:11   “Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.” NIV

Isa 47:9    “But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood.  They shall come upon you in their fullness because of the multitude of your sorceries, (Pharmakeia) for the great abundance of your enchantments.”   NKJV

Isa  47:12   “Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth—Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail…. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you.”  NKJV

Proverbs 20:1   “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”  NIV

Proverbs 23:29-35   “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?  Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.  Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!  In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.   Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things.  You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.  “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”  NIV

Proverbs 25:28   “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”  NIV

Micah 5:12   “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.”   NKJV

Nahum 3:4   “Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries.” NKJV

New Testament:

Acts 8:11 (Dealing with a deceiver)  “And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.” NKJV

Galatians 5:19-21  “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  NKJV .

Ephesians 5:18   “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 10:13  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” NIV   This verse has to do with temptations and addictions, the key point that addicts and loved ones of addicts should take from this verse is the last sentence: 

1 Peter 5:8   “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  NIV

Revelation 9:21  “And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries (Drugs) or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”  NKJV

Musing - What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?

 Hebraic Musing - What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?

You have probably heard that God’s Word says we should "show love to the foreigner" as a support for sanctuary cities and open borders.  Their supporting verse might be “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.  Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt….”  Lev.19:33-34 NIV   We need to address three important contextual questions before applying that Old Testament Israelite law to today’s situations:

 1.  Was there such a thing as territorial sovereignty in OT times?

 2.  What ancient Hebrew words described “stranger” or “foreigner” or “aliens”?  What do those words really mean?

 3.  What was the purpose of Sanctuary Cities or Cities of Refuge?

TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY    Even in biblical times, nations had clearly recognizable borders typically demarcated by natural features like rivers and mountains.  During biblical times, and even now, wars were fought over those boundary lines, and forts were placed at those boundaries to defend each nation’s territory.  Ancient equivalents of the modern visa were required before people could enter another sovereign territory.  After the exodus from Egypt, God’s people requested permission to pass through Edom in Numbers 20:14-21, and when that permission was denied, the Israelites were turned away.  Foreigners had to obtain a permit to enter another land.

HEBREW WORDS (Stranger, Alien, Sojourner, Foreigner) IN CONTEXT   The most significant Hebrew word is “ger” which has been frequently translated as “stranger” in KJV and as “alien” in NIV.  It typically means “to sojourn” or “to live as an alien.”  (I lived in Europe for 3 years as an alien!)   BUT problems have arisen as some modern translations began interpreting the “ger” simply as “foreigner” because in Hebrew the words “nekhar” and “zar” represent the concept of “foreigner.”  But what are the differences?   
All three are foreigners who might enter another country, but the “ger” had obtained the legal permission to enter from the appropriate authority.   For instance, when Joseph’s family traveled to Egypt in Genesis 47:3-6, they appealed to no less than the king of Egypt and were granted permission to reside in Egypt as legal residents, “gers.”  Another example is when Moses received permission to “sojourn” in the land of Midian after he fled Egypt.  Moses was accepted into the family of Jethro, marrying his eldest daughter, Zipporah, and Moses took on responsibilities caring for Jethro’s flock.  This enabled Moses to call himself a sojourner (ger) not a foreigner (nekhar) even though he lived in a foreign land. 

So the “ger” are those who follow the path of a legal immigrant while “nekhar” or “zar” are “illegal immigrants.”  God makes a distinction, in the Old Testament, and that distinction holds true today.   Important – the “ger” in Israelite society could receive social benefits such as the right to glean fields (Lev. 19:9-10), and they could receive resources from the tithes (Deut. 26:12-13).  In legal matters, the citizen and the “ger” were to be treated equally with one law applying to both (Num. 15:15-16).  In employment, the citizen and the “ger” were also to be paid alike.  In all these cases, no such provision was extended to the “nekhar” or “zar” – “illegals.”

SANCTUARY CITIES or CITIES OF REFUGE     Exodus 21:12-14 establishes the practice that if anyone kills someone accidentally, they may flee to a “Sanctuary” city where they may be safe until the case could be heard, thus protecting them from the law of retribution – an “eye …, tooth… life for a life.”  The cities of refuge were not places to avoid trial or punishment, but places to make sure that the offender had the opportunity to a fair trial.  Note – American cities that try to use biblical justification for circumventing the rule of law by creating sanctuary cities for the illegal aliens are misappropriating Scripture and corrupting laws which uphold justice and order.

The New Testament is still very clear about being kind.  “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 NIV

Points to ponder

Are we Christians sojourners/aliens in a strange land with Jesus Christ as our City of Refuge?

♫  “May we be a shining light to the nations, A shining light to the peoples of the earth,
      Till the whole world sees the glory of Your name.  May Your pure light shine through us.” ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      March 8, 2022
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”    Weekly “Hebraic Musings”     InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com/
Note – Inspired & excerpted from “What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?” Debbie Wuthnow, Pres., iVoterGuide.
            Full article available on request.