Mission Faithwalk

            When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”   And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.          People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:13-20)            Just as a reminder. Abraham wait

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.   God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.   We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.   We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:9-12)           The author of Hebrews, having issued his dire warning that not all those who believe they are Christians are seems to have looked up from his writing, stared into the middle distance, collected himself and returned to the letter. His warning, he assured them was general, not personal. He wasn’t saying this about anyone specific. He wasn’t doubting their salvation. He’d seen enough to be convinced that their grafts were strong and nourishing to both branc

          It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age   and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)           Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)           Ready for a major theological slugfest? Eternal salvation versus Loss of salvation. First, we need to define terms. What does it mean to fall away? If you are saved, and you lie, does that mean t

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,   instruction about cleansing rites,   the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.   And God permitting, we will do so. (Hebrews 6:1-2)                 The book of Hebrews was written to people who had been Jews and had become followers of Jesus Christ. They would have – should have – understood the basics. It’s likely that the people reading this letter thought they knew the old scriptures. Keep in mind that the Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans all lived their religions. You didn’t walk through a door or eat a meal without at least going through the motions with regard to some god or other. The Jews were strange and obstinate, because they would only go through the motions for one God, but at least they knew the motions and they could probably tell you

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)                 “So, Melchizedek … oh, a glassy stare. Yeah, I was afraid of this. Language, the study of literature, logic, history – especially logic and history, why are we going there? You know all about Melchizedek or at least all there is to know. Like Nicodemus, the Pharisee who went to Jesus by night and couldn’t figure out what this “born again” stuff was about. Or like the guys on the road to Emmaus whose hearts burned as a stranger told them all that Jewish Scriptur

                In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”                 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him   and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek . (Hebrews 5:5-10)               Ah, Melchizedek. He’s such a cool metaphor or type. So mysterious. He’s only mentioned twice in the Old Testament, in Genesis, and in the Psalms. Chabad.org says that he was described in the Targumim (Aramaic commentary) that Melchizedek was Shem, Noah son th

                 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. (Hebrews 5:1-4)                 What would happen if we lived in a society that required animal sacrifice for sin? I toyed briefly with the question because the answer was obvious. They would rebel against the religion as being cruel to animals. It wouldn’t even cross their minds that to stop sinning. The fault, they would scream, is with the religion, not with themselves. The animals deserve life… but not at the cost of their bad behavior.                  David Horowitz pointed this out in Dark Agen

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.   Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)                 We have a high priest who has ascended into heaven. Yesterday, a meme came across my computer screen that said that Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist, Jesus wasn’t a Christian, Muhammad wasn’t an Islam. They were all teachers and they all taught love. I’ve asked for clarification but haven’t gotten it. I did a couple quick searches and found a few statements by Shakyamuni Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) that mention the word love, and I’ve read that Mohammed was loving, but I still don’t know what either of them taught

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.   Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)           Alive. Living . There are some people who say that the Constitution of the United States of America is a living document. By that, they mean that they believe the Founders intended it to be adapted (not adopted) by future generations. This is often taken to mean that the Constitution can mean whatever we want it to, and can be used to do whatever we want it to. They forget the fact that it is a legal document with a clearly stated set of procedures by which it can be changed.            The word of God is described as alive and active, meaning that is can be described as living. To some extent, we all tend to try to

          Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.   For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger,  ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”           And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: " On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”   And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”           Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a

Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?   And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?   So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:16-19)           They had come out of Egypt with Moses, proclaiming the sovereignty of God, and vowing to do all God commanded through Moses. They sang praise to the Lord Most High. After that, they not only failed, but they refused to obey – repeatedly. They turned away from God. One can't be a rebel unless one is first a follower.           We all do it, and I doubt it’s any more prevalent in our society than it’s ever been, but if feels like it is.   And those who rebelled always had what they thought was a good reason. They were too hungry, thirsty, tired, hot, afraid to think clearly. Their fo

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)           When you’ve been driving on an interstate highway for several hours (or perhaps even several minutes) and you exit onto local streets, doesn’t it feel like you’re going so slowly? Isn’t it hard to take your foot off the gas and do thirty-five instead of seventy-five? There’s a word for that. You’re velocitized. It’s a habit. Your body has gotten used to the faster speed, and slow feels like snail’s pace.            Life with another person always involves accommodating the other’s wishes, but when you’re a caregiver, or at least when I was a caregiver, that accommodation goes out the window. Eating right, exercising enough, even being disciplined about one’s thought life can be left behind because your attention is needed elsewhere. The habit of stress, the habit of being on call, of loving when it’s

          See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice,     do not harden your hearts     as you did in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:12-15)             Encouragement. Yes, that’s a term that we need to put on the table. What is it? How does one encourage? Sometimes, it seems to be as easy as an emoticon. Other times, it requires words, lots and lots of words, or a hug or a hand, or shouldering part of the burden, or spending an hour (or a day), and sometimes, a flower will do.              We’re supposed to encourage others – so, what encourages you? This isn’t an easy question for me to answer. What encourages one person in a spec