In All Things, Christ First

    In preparing for a blog post on a different topic, I happened to run across this verse and get distracted from my original thoughts. So, you'll have to wait for my previous post for a while longer, while I post on Col. 1:18 today.

    "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Col. 1:18) This is the KJV translation, the following is from my preferred NASV: "He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything."

    Both these translations reflect clearly the point I will be writing about today: the preeminence of Christ. Part of this lesson I will be borrowing from one of my favorite speakers, Dr. Jerry Benjamin, who has spoken on this topic every time I've ever heard him preach.

    One very poignant lesson that Dr. Benjamin preaches on is that of the difference between preeminence and prominence. Here's an example that I've heard him use to teach on this topic. If a man were to tell his wife that she is prominent among his affections, she would probably be offended. Why?

    Because prominent reflects the idea of one among many. Sure, the prominent person is important, but prominent over what? Obviously, there's other people there that her husband has noticed! That wouldn't be taken as a compliment. Prominence refers to a high status, but not the highest.

    However, if a husband were to tell his wife that she is preeminent in his affection, it has a whole other meaning. Preeminent reflects supremacy, to the point that others are hardly noticed. It's no contest at all, and requires no thought as to who is highest in one's affections.

    This is the word that Paul, inspired by God, chose to use in this verse to describe God's rightful due. Jesus Christ is to Himself be the preeminent one in our affections, with no one else even remotely second. Our love, our affection, and our obedience to Christ should make our relationship to any other human on earth appear to be hatred in comparison (Lk. 14:26-27).

    But Paul said something else that should catch our attention. In what is Christ to have the preeminence? In the previous verse, Paul states that by Christ, all things exist and are held together (v. 17). However, v. 18 specifically addresses Christ as head of the Body (the church) and the first-born of the dead, targeting his role as Head of the church and Head of the corner (Ps. 118:22). As such, Paul proclaims that in all things, but particularly in the matter he's addressing at the moment (the church), Christ should have the preeminence.

    So first of all, Christ is to be preeminent in all things. Every single thing we do is to have Christ intermingled throughout it, with the focus being Him, with  the glory going to Him. As I write this, I can feel all the times I've failed to do this, and all the times I have done things for the sole purpose of bringing glory and reward to myself. So, I am guilty of this more than anyone else reading this post.

    But specifically, I want to mention Christ's position of preeminence in the church. I fear that many Christians, myself included all too often, do not come to church with Christ as our single, all-consuming focus. Instead, Christ can be simply a name to bring a group of people together to church and hear a motivational speech on clean, moral living. Christ can be a slogan in the church to convince people to go out and vote. Christ can be a badge of the church to be worn to show our own superiority over the world.

    But in none of these things is Christ given the preeminence. None of these things reflect an attitude that church is supposed to reflect: that of total admiration, worship, awe, reverence, and love for Jesus Christ. Church is not a place to do my business, whether or not it is morally good, but instead a place to pursue Christ, and to allow Him to pursue me.

    Now, this could easily be interpreted to be dismissing all fellowship and healthy interaction between believers. Certainly that is not my intention! But Christ is the one that demands preeminence, not I. So, in order to try to obey Scripture, we must attempt to give Christ the preeminence He deserves, even if that is by bringing up as a topic of conversation during a ball game with your friends after a church service, or in the car on the way home.

    Jesus is not something to be talked about during a 45 minute sermon, then left at the door when we leave. He is to be constantly on our thoughts and lips, constantly shown through our actions, and constantly taught to others by our example. Christ is to be lived and breathed through every fiber of our being.

    So, this next week (and after that) try to keep Christ in our thoughts. Think of Him constantly, and serve Him as we go about our lives.

God Is Love But Love Is Not God-The Danger Of Human Thought

This right here is an awesome example of the danger of human thought.  People often think "well God could not possibly do that; its wrong" or "babies are completely innocent". -completely ignoring the fact that the Bible says we are BORN sinners. But this error of human thought has spread like a disease throughout our brains.  I hate to think of how this has affected me.  The fact that God loves us despite our imperfections is quite amazing. But I urge you, brothers in sister to remember sola scriptura(scripture alone).

We must, I repeat, MUST have scripture be our ultimate authority. Not the world, not our friends, not even us. Ours and our culture's ideals and values must not dominate Gods. 

There is something else I would like to add and that is the big mistake in the all-to-common bumper sticker "Jesus is my co-pilot". He should not be our co-pilot; but our pilot. WE should be the co-pilot.

And also,  please comment; its what keeps me going! Why write to produce good, if no one will read it and therefore it will not produce good?

Why We Should Study The Reformation

I would like to share with you guys some of my study notes, discussion questions along with my answers as well as my personal observations from my first lesson in "Reformation Profiles" which would be "Why The Reformation Matters." -(by Steven J. Nichols)  If you guys have something to add, would like more information or would simply like to discuss it-please do so! :D

1. Why do historians refer to the Middle Ages as the “Dark Ages”?

My answer: It was refereed to as the Dark Ages because death and spiritual darkness surrounded the era of the middle ages.


2. Why does history matter, particularly for the church?

My answer: There are three main reasons. The first being plainly that history matters- specifically because our faith is a historic faith. For example, if Christ had died but not risen salvation would be impossible. And secondly, the Reformation points out the center of what the church is all about. And lastly, we face similar problems in our day and having knowledge of this can help considerably; after all, history repeats itself. “What has been is what will be, and what has
been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” -Eccl. 1:9


3. How did the Reformation capture the essence of the church’s purpose? What reformation movements did Dr. Nichols describe that occurred prior to the Reformation of the sixteenth century? Did these movements succeed? Why or why not? What did the Reformers view as the primary deficiency within the Roman Catholic Church, and what remedy did they present?

My answer: There were two main movements before the Reformation of the sixteenth century: Devotio Modera and the Conciliar Movement. Devotio Modera means "new devotion". -This movement called for spiritual reform; this movement did not quite succeed but it did leave a mark on the Reformation more the the Conciliar movement. The Conciliar movement called for an administrative change from the pope to the earlier church form of bishops. An interesting note is that John Hus was part of this movement. The real problem was "the rotten theological core". -So it needed a theological cure.

4. Does the church face similar problems today as the Reformers faced in the sixteenth century? If so, what are some of these problems? How does the study of history assist the church in facing these difficulties and obstacles?

Yes, the church does face similar problems. -Infinite problems really. One of the main ones being following sola scriptura and not adding our own human philosophy to it.


Additional notes: Church history can be inspiring, tradition should not be authoritative, "If we do not train the future generation everything now is for nought", the church of Geneva took up the motto Post tenebras
lux, meaning “After darkness, light.”

"God calls His people to look back at His redemptive work on their behalf to remind them of their relationship" -(from my study guide).

"In the very midst of life, snares of death surround us. Who shall help us in this strife, lest
the foe confound us? Thou only, Lord, Thou only. In the midst of death’s dark veil, powers
of hell overtake us. Who will help when they assail? Who secure will make us? Thou
only, Lord, Thou only. In the midst of utter woe, when our sins oppress us, where shall we
for refuge go? Where for grace to bless us? To Thee, Lord Jesus, only. Thy precious blood
was shed to win, full atonement for our sin."
—from Martin Luther’s hymn, “In the Very Midst of Life”

 And also,  please comment; its what keeps me going! Why write to produce good, if no one will read it and therefore it will not produce good?

Jeremiah 9 - A Law Worth Crying For

WOW! I am REALLY liking the book of Jeremiah! I was reading chapter 9 earlier this week and it was AMAZING. 

Verse 3 says "They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me,” says the Lord." WOW! Again, we should have a hunger, love, passion and desire for the truth.

In verses 12-21 a perfect picture is painted. We are to follow God's law; and to not to follow it should bring us to tears. Jeremiah truly is the "crying prophet".  God is perfect, omnipotent-He ALONE has the perfect law and that is in His word.  What we think about what is fair, what is wrong, what is right does not matter. We should look to sola scriptura. In this day and age many do not recognise this. 

12 Who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through?
(note, We should be the wise man. Truly, sin will bring desolation.)

13 And the Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, 
(note, This is all to common in a day when independence is prized; but let us follow Him, He is truth.)

14 but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them,”
(note, we are worldly, sinful people and deserve nothing but the worst. Our hearts lead us astray-but lets conquer them!  We can learn from previous generations; but that does not mean that EVERYTHING is right-they do wrong to and that is part of what we learn from.  We should look to God and scripture alone-if meer people say otherwise, only stick to what the Bible says.)


15 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. 16 I will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.”
(note, when we follow our sinful desires we become like the world and will soon become part of the world.  We can be completely consumed in our sin. However, we also have the ability to be completely consumed in God, and His word. Is that not a better option?)

The People Mourn in Judgment

17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Consider and call for the mourning women,
That they may come;
And send for skillful wailing women,
That they may come.
(note, sinning against God and not obeying His law is truly something worth crying over.)

18 Let them make haste
And take up a wailing for us,
That our eyes may run with tears,
And our eyelids gush with water.
(Wow, this paints a perfect picture of the seriousness of sin.)

19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are plundered!
We are greatly ashamed,
Because we have forsaken the land,
Because we have been cast out of our dwellings.’”
(note, We should be truly ashamed. Our sin will cast us out of our dwellings. What kind of dwelling would this be? Think about it.)


20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
(note, let us pay attention to the very inspired word of our Lord's mouth!)

Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
(note, we are so in sin; all we should do is cry and wail. -might as well teach our children in; it is all they will see.)

21 For death has come through our windows,
Has entered our palaces,
To kill off the children— no longer to be outside!
And the young men— no longer on the streets!
(note, don't let sin overcome you; it WILL consume you. We need to set an example of future generations.)

This is not the whole chapter; but the parts that especially stood out to me.  Please remember that my "notes" are merely what I thought about when I read it; I do not believe that it is necessarily what God specifically meant when He said those words.  It is not a "modernised version" of what was previously stated; again, ONLY what I thought when I read it. Please let me know if you think there is something I should add. -or if you think I made a biblical mistake in one of my notes. Thank you!  I want to make sure I only write the TRUTH.

-and please comment; its what keeps me going! Why write to produce good, if no one will read it and therefore it will not produce good?