A New Creature. . . an Apostolic Pentecostal blog

On the first reading the title of this article is a silly phrase, appearing redundant. . .We can think of other similar phrases: wet water, hot fire, dark darkness, sweet sugar. Any adjective added to unique emphasizing uncommonness, is repetitive and superfluous. Very unique. . . extremely unique. . .possibly found in the conversation of those who do not love precision of language. Unique means to be alone in its characteristics. If alone, then to be very alone or extremely alone, adds little meaning and the addition of adjectives to ‘unique’ dilutes and distracts from the true meaning of what it is to be unique. But uniqueness is a function of vision. The closer the inspection, the sharper the vision, items appearing to be the same, are resolved to become in fact unique. Precision ball bearing, are manufactured to astoundingly close tolerances. The ultimate goal is for them to be strictly identical. Smoothness of operation, rotational concentricity, and long life of the mecha...

After church today I ran a few errands. I went to Menards and bought some required handy man items for the house, then I went to Meijers did some grocery shopping, and finally to the pet store where I was pleasantly surprised to find the dog food we feed on sale, so I bought 3 bags vs the 2 I had been planning on. Somehow carrying home 20 cans of tuna, 12 rolls of toilet paper, a couple of large bottles of dish soap, 4 tubes of tooth paste, and a large supply of dog food makes me feel rich. It's silly, but our dogs are our kids equivalent. . . and seeing their needs taken care of for a couple of months gives me comfort. Seeing a couple dozen cans of tuna, and toilet paper, and tooth paste on our pantry shelf give the illusion of preparedness in a small way. We don't know what the future holds. We attended my grandson Jakub's 10th birthday party late yesterday afternoon, and several family members independently spoke to me through the evening about the end of the Mayan c...

Jackie and I had a very nice time at Life Tabernacle's Christmas party last night. Fellowship one with another in the body is very important. Being a part of a church must be more than merely showing up for service, sitting on a pew and listening to a sermon once or twice a week. We are to be brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and the members of a body are in continual contact one with another. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (26) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. By the same measure that there is separation between us, our unity. . . our power and effectiveness is diminished. A body cannot be effective and graceful with a fracture in the leg. . .or a dislocated shoulder or a compressed disc in the back, it is th...

Continuing this morning to meditate upon the following verse: Luke 1:30-31 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  (31)  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. . . and then the angel goes on in a very few words to completely overturn Mary’s life.  I know that I cannot in my bones understand the impact these words must have had upon Mary.   It must have rocked her on several different levels. Judicially, it was the equivalent of the angel telling someone today, that they had committed a multiple premeditated murder. . . for being pregnant out of wedlock, was potentially a capital crime. . . an offence punishable by stoning. Morally, her friends, her family. . . her mother, and her sisters would have every reason to think that she had fallen from sexual purity.  The word would spread through her...

Things the Bible says there is no end of: Psalms 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.  [Psalmist speaking of God's years] Ecclesiastes 4:8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. [Speaking of a lonely person having no end to his toil.  He will be ground down by his aloneness, and lack of joy because of his lonesomeness.] Ecclesiastes 4:15-16 I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit. [The author of Ecclesiastes, the king speaking as a king. . .the people a...

Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. One of the keys of successful selling, is belief in your product. . . Not only belief in the item being sold, but, the person selling must have confidence that others will be benefited by the item. A salesman who hangs his head, and timidly makes his sales pitch, expecting to be rejected stands little chance of making the sale.  It sounds crass, but in the most fundamental terms we are selling the message of Christ.  Our attitude is everything.  Rejection damages our self-confidence, but evangelism must not have anything to do with confidence in self, and everything to do with faith and confidence in Him. Pity is only reason I will buy something from a beggar.  I don’t care about what he is selling.  I will buy something fro...

The stereotypical image of heaven. . . multitudes of beautiful people robed in white, eternally strumming little lyres, must be of the devil.  As an atheist I thought and as a Christian I still think, “If that is heaven, I want no part of it.”  Such a life to me would quickly. . . in a matter of hours or days, turn into a hell of boredom. But the Bible tells us: 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. In my imagination, as an eternal resident of heaven, the entire universe becomes my playground. . .Surrounded by beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. . . hopefully surrounded by family members, a thought takes me to majestic panoramas such as this picture. . . .endlessly able to explore strange moons of exotic planets. . . or simpler sequences as I will, of golden afternoons in a quiet forest glade. . . walking cool dim paths al...

Here is every verse in the Bible which speaks of 'Thanks giving', and the 'Giving of thanks': (Leviticus 7:12) If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. (Leviticus 7:13) Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. (Leviticus 7:15) And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. (Leviticus 22:29) And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will. (2 Samuel 22:50) Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. (1 Chronicles 16:8) Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, m...