THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD WORD IN THE BIBLE...

If you are like me you have been reading, "FROWARD," in the Word of God for years and just thinking it was an Old English derivation of the modern word, "FORWARD." Well, we both made a big mistake...Quite by accident a few days ago, as I was studying and looking up the etymology of some words in the OT, I decided to investigate this word...

Much to my surprise I having been living in ignorance about this word, and I guess God decided I should know better. How many times in life have we taken things for granted and learned the hard way that knowledge was incomplete or that true meaning was buried behind ignorance, feelings, laziness or just plain carelessness. I am guilty on all counts, so its time to shed some light on a very important word in the Bible.

In 1779 John Newton penned an amazing hymn that frankly makes a better poem than a hymn. Here is just the first verse:

Quiet, Lord, my froward heart,
Make me teachable and mild,
Upright, simple, free from art,
Make me as a weanèd child:
From distrust and envy free,
Pleased with all that pleases Thee.

In the Bible, froward is used several different ways, as follows:

1. Froward-21 times in 20 verses.
2. Frowardly-just once.
3. Frowardness-3 times in 3 verses.

After some research I came up with some definitions of this word that I believe reflect the true meaning. Let's start with where the derivation of the word itself:

1. In Hebrew the word is, "SHOWBAB," meaning apostate, turning away the truth, or backsliding.
2. In Isaiah 57:17 the King James Version actually translates the word, "FROWARDLY" as backsliding.
3. Found in the Old English as the word, "fra'ward." It meant to go the opposite direction.

My take on all of this is that being froward means to do an about face in your relationship with God. It certainly does not have to happen immediately, but frowardness has some obvious signs that you need to be aware of in you walk with Him. If you are beginning to turn back to your old ways, you are being froward. If you are always negative, seeing the darkside of everything, you are being froward. If you complain and whine constantly to the detriment of others, you are being froward. If the full moon is never bright enough and the stars never pure enough for you, then you are being froward.

Psalm 18:26 gives an additional slant that will hit many of us right between the eyes: "With the pure, you will show yourself pure and with the froward, you will show yourself froward." I call this a Christian Chameleon. The Book of Psalms was written at least in part by the second King of Israel, David. Under this King both pieces of the Hebrew nation became one for the first time. Somewhere approximately 3,000 years ago, he defined modern day hypocrisy in one easy sentence. Do you change color, clothes, hair, and anything else to fit in with your friends or family? Most of us like to blend into the surroundings, because it's safe and easy. God may have called us to be the exact opposite of froward in our daily lives, but He requires all believers to be loyal and righteous. You can't be either one and not stand out in a world where loyalty is traded to the highest bidder every day, while the light of righteousness gets blocked by the need to be accepted in this world. 

Dare to stand up for your God and accept the consequences. He promises to protect you in every way imaginable. Be proud of the fact that you might not fit in with all your friends and family, because you are making a difference. Without your light, they will remain in darkness...You may be the turning point in someone's life, but not if you are afraid to be loyal to God and allow your bright light to shine in a world of darkness.


The Digital Disciple

LEGALISM IN 2012...TWO THOUSAND YEARS LATER!!!

In the prior posting we discussed early legalism and its roots some 50 years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in approximately 32 AD. Back then circumcision in particular and OT law were the driving forces for division and gospel fraud, causing Paul to write that famous rebuke to the church at Galatia. Make no mistake, that Epistle was a firm, no-nonsense REBUKE from our most famous Hebrew disciple himself. Early in his life he epitomized legalism as a Pharisee, while passing judgement on all those who broke the "laws" of God. Then he believed that the path to heaven was restricted to only those righteous Jews who followed the OT formulas for sin and sacrifice. Gentiles were not part of the "chosen," so we had two chances at an eternity with God: slim and none. It took blinding him for 3 days on the road to Damascus by a visitation from an archangel, and the healing power of our Holy Spirit through Ananais to crush his arrogance and pride. Our Lord is amazing, and if you notice, He accomplished two important things with this amazing conversion.

1. An arrogant persecutor of early believers was humbled and made whole through the blood of Christ.
2. An early disciple, who would have sooner run from Paul was ordered by the same angel to heal Paul's blindness. Ananais got to witness first hand how God can take any sinner, with any background and bring him into the fold.

Modern day legalism has morphed over the last two thousand years, as scholarly men and new religions have gotten involved. Simplicity was replaced complex, complicated man-made methods of salvation and hollow piety. This surreptitious undermining of an individual's personal responsibility to God Almighty is not only alarming, but deadly...Legalism causes our focus to shift from that all-important, singular, daily relationship with God to a mountain of do's and don't's having little or nothing to do with gaining knowledge and wisdom from on high. I was taught years ago that listening to God, directly or through his Word was of prime importance in the life of a believer, not the edicts of the Pope or the rules set up in any church. The early church was set up by the disciples to assist one another, not take control of one another. 

Having been in many churches, synagogue's, and cathedrals over the years, I became more than a little dismayed with what I observed. People of all faiths entrusting their relationship with God to someone else. Some say they can forgive sin, some say that your salvation was predestinated by God long before you were even born, some say that salvation has to be re-earned every day of your life, and most say that you have to follow certain rules, certain doctrines and certain new age applications of Word of God. The true Church of God is made up of all of us who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ. Our souls have been inexorably bound together forever and, in truth, there are very few rules to live by, and they do not and will never decide your fate at the judgement seat of God. Here is what matters:

1. Commune with God all day, every day...Talk to Him like he is right beside you, because He is! Prayer does not have to be formal and on your knees, it just has to be often and kept real at all times. There is no need for platitudes and lengthy, well thought out mini-epistles, just what's in your heart. As the Bible says, the Holy Ghost will take it from there, and convert your words into a divine language that God will hear. This is the key to Christian living, and without it, you are just treading water.
2. Read God's Word every day...Every word is there for a reason. Every sentence has meaning and every verse will communicate with your eternal soul, if you let it...Cherish your Bible, not because someone told you to read or memorize it, but because it is God's words, not only to mankind, but to you personally. It's like your earthly father talking directly to you times infinity. Here you will find divine hope, here you will find divine solace, here you will find divine knowledge, and here you will find divine wisdom that will inspire true spiritual growth and development. 

As you can see my formula is quite simple, not scholarly or erudite, not approved by the papacy or any other religion. It is however, the gospel of the Apostle Paul, as written in each of this letters to the early Christian churches. He got to listen to God, before, during and after the crucifixion and resurrection. He even denied Jesus once to avoid confrontation, even though he knew Him personally!

So, do I have issues with organized religion globally? You bet I do! Any organization, group, theology, or doctrine that gets between you personally and God is a problem. The simple formula above is the foundation of a believer's life, not only in this world, but the next as well. It's all about you and God, because He is the Alpha and the Omega of our lives in Christ. 

With this foundation working on all cylinders, you will now be capable of discerning the "wheat from the chaff," whenever and wherever you are physically, emotionally or spiritually. Attend your church of choice with these simple truths in place, and you will be a better follower, a better father, a better mother, a better son, a better daughter, and most of all, a better example of a changed life that shines brightly to all those who meet you.

Remember that God ignores the outside...Some say he doesn't even see our flesh and bone! He sees your heart and soul every minute of every day, so stop obsessing and worrying about what is going on around you. God has promised to take care of everything external in your life, if you take care of what's on the inside. Fill your mind with the Words of God and talk to Him as the Divine Father that He always has been, and your "religion" will be pure, and our Heavenly Father will smile on you.

Read Proverbs 2 over and over again this week, at least once per day. Commit this to memory and you will be armed with a key piece of God's armor...

The Digital Disciple

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

LEGALISM IN 50 AD...THE BOOK OF GALATIONS

Ancient Galatia is in Turkey today. In fact its capital was "Ancrya" and located right where modern day Ankara, the capitol of Turkey is today. Flanked by mountains to the south, east and west, it is no wonder that in 300 BC that Celts migrated and stayed their for many years. During most of that time they were until Roman rule, but the Celtic people proved to be all that the Romans could handle. It was a long journey for the Apostle Paul, and he must have gone through the southern mountains to get there.  The Book of Acts records the time Paul spent there ministering to the blended population about his first hand experiences with Jesus Christ. Hearing his words and actual stories about how he was brought to God in the first place, had to be profoundly moving. Many turned to the one and only Holy God during his trip to Galatia. Imagine and audience filled with locals, Celts, and Jews all having the privilege of hearing his words, hand picked by the Holy Spirit that filled his soul.

I can't pinpoint the exact year that he visited Galatia, but scholars believe this Epistle (letter) was written between 50 and 60 AD, so it's now approximately 20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. This means that Paul had to be between 50 and 60 years old. He cannot make it back to see Galatia, so he sits down and with the help of the Holy Spirit, he creates Galatians. When Paul left Galatia, the Christian Church that he helped establish was firmly founded on the basic truths of Christianity.

Imagine Paul's surprise when he heard that his converts from Galatia had been had been led away a "false gospel." It seems that many of the Jewish and Gentile converts were deciding that a new belief system based on "works" and Mosaic Law was the way to obtain Salvation. The young church was becoming a hybrid of Judeo-Christian legalistic values that basically renounced not only the teachings of Paul, but also, Jesus himself. Hard to imaging that being in the same generation as our Lord and Savior, that OT law could sneak back in as a means of securing a place in the "new Jerusalem." If you recall the Hebrew nation, and how many times they turned their back on God, one could almost believe that with the advent of Christ, that this time the handcuffs of the ancient "law," would have been gladly forgotten. But not so, you see, the evil one has the power to confuse new Christians and old Christians alike. We live and they lived in a world where you received only that which you had worked for...So logically, with the assistance and persistence of the evil one, himself, you get people liking the idea of having to work for their Salvation.

Additionally, circumcision, believe it or not divided people, religious groups and geography. It reminds me of my straight laced Christian education. Bible Community Church and then Bob Jones University remain about as legalistic as you can get! We did not separate over circumcision, but we sure did over things like the following:

1. Length of Hair
2. Length of Skirt
3. Facial Hair
4. Sideburns
5. Evangelism
6. Predestination

Some of this still causes rifts in Christianity, just like it did back in 50 AD. Rather than take God at His Word, man has to put something into the mix to desecrate the simplicity of the New Covenant by creating rules and regulations. It was called Mosaic Law, prior to Jesus Christ, and within a short 20 years the true gospel message has Man's fingerprints all over it. How do we have the audacity to try and improve on God's plan? Mankind, and Christianity in particular, has proven throughout history

that it cannot stand still, listen and accept, "the still small voice" in each of us. We have to take the horse and make it a camel every time. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ canceled the need for Mosaic Law completely. He abolished keeping track of every sin, and its requisite sacrifice, to become the FINAL SACRIFICE for all that will believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ. As Paul says all through Galatians, there is only one gospel, only one God, and only one one simple belief system that must not be tampered with, changed or added to by anyone here on earth. Any adulteration of salvation by faith alone is fake. Doesn't mean that there can't be good, but misguided people in various religious sects and/or groups, but if they have missed the simplicity of salvation, they missed the point. If they preach that the way to Heaven is paved with man made rules and regulation, they have missed the simple beauty and divine lovingkindness of God's plan. I say, stick with His plan and no other. Tell that to your family and friends. Tell that to your children. Tell that to the non-believers and the Holy Spirit will step in and take it from there. The purity of this precious gift does not need to be helped by us. All we do is make its brilliance lose some of the luster, as we try to morph the ultimate sacrifice into something different.

Take God at His word, and you will never regret it. There is deception and deviation everywhere. It started in 50 AD, so we have 20 centuries of changes and scholarly opinion. All you need is to read The Word of God on your own and ask the Holy Spirit for divine wisdom and understanding. This simple approach will open your eyes wide and give you new-found strength and determination to live for Him now and for eternity.

May God add his blessing to all who find the time to read...

The Digital Disciple