Misunderstood Scriptures. Part Four.

Last week, we looked at misunderstood scriptures concerning the kingdom of God. We started with a teaching from Matthew 13:44-46, where Jesus told His disciples that the kingdom of God is like a man who found a treasure in a field and then sold all he possessed in order to buy it. In the next verse, He offered a similarly short parable about a man who sold all he possessed the buy a pearl of great value. In other words, possessing the kingdom of God has so much value that one should be willing to give up everything to obtain it.

Misunderstood Scriptures. Part Three.

In this series of articles, we are investigating scriptures which many of us Christians have misunderstood, passed over, or just simply ignored. Perhaps this is not true of you, but it is sadly true of me.

Misunderstood Scriptures. Part Two.

I traveled too long down the road with Jesus in biblical illiteracy. On that road, I preached. I taught. My heart was right. I wasn’t trying to mislead people. And not everything I taught was illiterate. But because of that history, I have found over the last few years how difficult it has been to shove certain verses back into their contexts because I heard them for so many years taken out of context. I honestly can’t recall if I ever taught on these out-of-context passages, but I believed them, nonetheless. I regret this. However, the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. I can only hope some of what I write here, with His help, will open a small window of understanding for those who are stuck in the same ignorance I was.

Misunderstood Scriptures. Part One

I read the Bible every day. Commendable, right?

Not so much. Almost every time, I find myself daydreaming, sideswiped by a random thought that pops up and the trail of which I follow. Suddenly I “awake” and go back to re-read the part I had read but hadn’t read. I continue, pressing on.

And find myself daydreaming again.

There’s a Bathroom on the Right

In 1969, Credence Clearwater Revival’s song, Bad Moon Rising, reached number two on Billboard’s top hits. Despite its title, people heard the line, “There’s a bad moon on the rise,” as “There’s a bathroom on the right.” The entire song is about bad events on the horizon. The title is Bad Moon Rising. In spite of the title and context of the song, people heard, “There’s a bathroom on the right.”

My Woe-Is-Me-I-Don’t-Belong-In-The-Traditional-Or-Whatever-You-Call-It-Church Rant

Well, woe is me.

Or maybe not.

Apparently, I don’t belong within any traditional church denominational-organizational-thing anymore. What’s a bit weird is that, looking back, I never did.

I just didn’t know it.

Do You Keep Your Promises? Yeah. Right.

Do you keep your promises? Your answer to this question should be, “Sometimes.” Oh, I have little doubt some of the readers are scrupulously honest and honor verbal agreements they have made. I’m sure many of you have kept your marriage vows and not cheated on your spouses. You have kept promises made to friends to meet them somewhere, give them something, or help them. However, when compared to biblical standards, not meaning to be harsh, you are not a promise keeper.

You are a promise breaker.

Please hear me out.

Oh, Prophets! When You Speak It Gets Messy

Prophecy is messy.

Uncomfortable.

Often hard to hear.

But good and loving.

We’ll learn about this truth in a brief account of Paul’s trip to Rome. He was going there as a prisoner to be judged for his crime: preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Troubled by the Church? Yeah. I Get That.

Have you ever been concerned about the state of the Church?

I have, especially in the last twenty years or so.

However, let’s consider the existence of an obedient, God-loving group of people, who, experiencing tremendous struggle at times, determinately remained faithful.

Below is a very abbreviated account of this reality.

Pontius Pilate and Me

After all these years, I may have finally discovered some of what was going on in Pilate’s heart and head when he asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Not that that was ever some kind of goal for me. Not at all. After all, Pilate gave the final charge to crucify Jesus. Who cares what he was thinking? But part of the understanding of Pilate’s question is that he was waist-deep in the politics of his day. And I can’t help but wonder if his response to Jesus’ statement about truth was in some way related to the political maelstrom that was always present in the Roman governmental hierarchy.