Monday, September 08,
2014, 8:23 a.m. – When I woke up this morning, the song “Think,” from the game show Jeopardy, was playing in my mind. That
was weird, since I don’t have a TV, and I have not watched that show in a very
long while. Yet, I knew that the Lord Jesus must have a purpose in it, and that
it would go with where I am reading in scripture this morning. So, I prayed, “Speak,
Lord, for your servant is listening,” and then I read Acts 18:1-8 (NIV).
On Their Heads
After
this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and
because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every
Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
When
Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to
preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they
opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said
to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I
will go to the Gentiles.”
Then
Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a
worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household
believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and
were baptized. ~ 18:1-8
For those of us who did not grow up Jewish, or in the
culture of Paul’s day, or in the Middle East, we may have difficulty
understanding some of their customs. Yet, I believe we can get the idea of what
took place here without even knowing the customs of that time and place.
Paul was called of God (of Jesus) to be a minister of the
gospel of Jesus Christ to both Jew and Gentile. He was sent to them “to open
their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to
God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who
are sanctified by faith in me” (See Ac. 26:16-18; cf. Eph. 4:17-24).
There were many who believed the gospel message and who
accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord, but there were also many who
strongly and even vehemently opposed both the gospel of Christ and its
messengers. Paul used to be one of those strong opponents before his
conversion.
Paul’s and the gospel’s strongest enemies at this time were
not the people of the world, though, but they were the Jews, formerly God’s
chosen people; and they were the Jewish leaders. Institutional religion thus stood
as the fiercest and the most convincing adversary of the Christian faith and
practice.
Nonetheless, the Jews had been God’s chosen people for a
very long time, and Jesus Christ had come from among the Jewish people, and God
had chosen to take his message of salvation first of all to the Jews, but he
always planned to take it to the Gentiles (non-Jews), as well. So, Paul was a
faithful minister of the gospel to the Jews. Yet, when they became abusive, and
they opposed Paul, he protested their behavior toward him. And, he let them
know that he was finished with them, and that they would be held responsible
before God for their refusal to believe in Jesus Christ and in his gospel of
salvation.
Final Jeopardy
I wanted to understand this morning what the song was that
was being played on this game show Jeopardy,
and how it connected to this passage of scripture, so I began to do some
research. I discovered that the song title is “Think,” and it is played during the final round of Jeopardy, which
is called “Final Jeopardy.” The song “Think” is played while the contestants
write their responses, i.e. their questions which correlate to the answers they
have been given. So, they have to think, but they are also timed, and the time
is very short.
I also wanted to understand the meaning of the word, “Jeopardy,” so I looked it up. It means:
“danger, risk, threat, peril, hazard, difficulty or trouble” (MS Word). As
well, it means: “the risk of loss, harm, death, or destruction,” or “the risk
of being convicted when put on trial for a crime” (Encarta). It also involves
the danger of being punished. “Final,” of course, means “last” or “occurring at
the end of something” and carries with it the idea that no further discussion
follows. It can also relate to the final examinations which take place at the
end of a course of study (Encarta).
When I was reading this passage of scripture this morning,
the Lord Jesus stopped me where Paul told the Jews that their blood was now on
their own heads, and that he was clear of his responsibility to share the
gospel with them. Their blood on their own heads could have referenced more
than just the final judgment at the end of time, though, when they will be
condemned to eternal torment for refusal to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus had
told them that judgment was coming upon them, and it did. Jerusalem and the
temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. And, that destruction was preceded and
followed by a period of time of severe persecution of the followers of Christ.
Think
What I am seeing this morning, which I believe is a message
from the Lord at this time in our history, is that the institutional church of
today, particularly here in America, is being given a similar message as Paul
gave to these Jews who not only refused to believe in Jesus, but who were strongly
opposed to the gospel and were abusive. I believe the Lord Jesus is telling the
institutional church of today, in particular those who have forsaken the Lord
to follow after the teachings of humans, and who have rejected the truths of
scripture, and who have rejected and cast aside the Lord’s messengers, that he
is done with them, though not completely. I think he is saying he is done
giving warnings and calling for repentance and warning of impending judgment if
they do not repent. I believe he is saying that judgment now is declared, and
the blood that will be shed will be on their heads, i.e. they will bear the
responsibility for the judgment that will certainly come on this nation.
I also believe that “Final Jeopardy” is a picture of the time
of final examination (tests) to come upon the earth at the end of time in which
people will be given time to think and time to come up with the correct
response to the answer, which is Jesus Christ. I believe very much so that
scripture teaches that the adulterous and idolatrous church of this generation
will be judged by God during this time (See Rev. 2-3; the book of Isaiah, et
al). And, that is why God has been warning her for a long while now to turn
from her sins, to return to him, and to follow his ways. I know he has called
me to give out these messages for the past 10 years (as of November of this
year), but nearly daily since June 2006. And, yet, so much of the church goes
on in her idolatry and her spiritual adultery, paying little heed to these
warnings of judgment and these calls for repentance and renewed faith.
The Purpose
I believe the purpose of this coming judgment on the
adulterous church of today is to refine and to purify her before the return of
Christ. God’s intention is not to destroy her, but to revive her. And, I also
believe that out from the revived church will go the true gospel message to the
ends of the earth, and then our Lord will return. Amen! I do not look forward
to judgment coming, but I must admit that I long to see the church revived. The
Lord has been giving me so many messages lately about a time of severe testing
to come. He even took me through a series of physical examinations to check for
cancer and to check on the condition of my heart. My heart was healthy and
there were no signs of cancer. Amen!
I have a sense that this period of final examination to come
upon the earth will also be to check for cancer (sin) in our hearts, and to
test to see if our hearts are healthy or not, and that the purpose at the end
of the time of testing will be healing. When I had completed my last test,
immediately healing began to take place in my body without human intervention
at all. The symptoms I was experiencing before having the tests are all but
gone. Amen!
I remember the Lord also telling me to not fear the tests,
but that he would be with me. I believe he has the same message for us. We are
going to go through a time of trouble and hardship, but we should not be
afraid, for our Lord will not leave us, and he will give us all we need to go
through this time. The church and the world needs this time of testing and
trial to get ready for Jesus’ return. It will be hard, but oh, what good will
come forth from it in healing, revival, renewal, the gospel going forth and the
church on fire for Jesus Christ.
Seek
the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off
Isaiah 55
“Come
to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen
to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And
your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give
ear to Me, and you will live.
I
have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash
in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek
the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let
the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let
him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely,
God pardons him.
“For
My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor
are your ways My ways,”
declares
the Lord, our God.
“My
word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It
will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My
word will accomplish all that I desire,
And
achieve the goal I intend.
You
will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.
The
mountains will burst into song… before you,
And
all of the trees clap their hands.”
No comments:
Post a Comment