F is for FALL

[This is the MILLERWRITES contribution to the 2012 Blogging A to Z April Challenge  Here is my INTRODUCTION to this particular series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically aligned weird words I will comment on this month.  THANK YOU for stopping by!]

Or should I say FELL?  Either way, past or present, this is our reality.  The Bible says we live in a 'FALLEN' world.  Yes it's generally good to put a positive spin on the other side of the face of the coin and fill the glass on the other hand half full...or something like that.  But even a look at only one statistic settles the matter.  The death rate among humans is 100%.  The only reason our bodies die is that they are ruined by the FALL.

Given this true state of things, I am actually thankful that we do die! In my 50s now and starting to notice my joints more and more often, and fully realizing that I can not do everything I want to do as well or as often as I used to, it is more apparent that this downhill slide will only continue.  I would not want to stay on this deepening trail for any more than another 50 years at the most!

But beyond that decline, I have noticed that the attitude and the character a person settles into in their early years hardly ever changes for the better, but generally gets worse!  A profane young man becomes an absolute (and unaware) foul mouthed nightmare.  An early smoker seldom overcomes the addiction but readily becomes a chain smoker.  Being immersed young in pornography ends grossly with that dirty old man in the home who all the nurses despise and avoid.  And the angry complainer finally just will not quit 'bitchin' because she can never recognize any good thing even right in her lap.  What little habit might you have now, that if it grows over time will become a monster?

One of the tenets of the Gospel is that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  And this is the hinge point where most people turn away from the salvation offered by God ANYWAY.  It is this resistance to acknowledging the personal sinfulness which is part and parcel of that long ago FALL of man, that keeps people on the downhill spiral.

Without admitting the truth, usually by ascribing to some form of humanity-acclaiming philosophy based on other unproven humanity-excusing concepts, there is no redemptive hope.  Look at your newspaper or listen to the news, and tell me that we who were indeed made in God's image and still show vestiges of His nature, are not more bad than good; that, without His intervention, we are not more likely to keep digging ourselves into a deeper and deeper hole.

Around the world, there is always one more form of desperate trouble after another growing and threatening and reaching into your world.  But it really started with you and me anyway.  We individuals are the FALLEN, and individually, we must repent before God.  Paul tells us in Romans 12 that God has provided a way of escape!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment  (2,3)

E is for EVANGELICAL

[This is the MILLERWRITES contribution to the 2012 Blogging A to Z April Challenge  Here is my INTRODUCTION to this particular series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically aligned weird words I will comment on this month.  THANK YOU for stopping by!]

I think everyone should get 2 points every time they use a 5 syllable word!  E-VAN-GEL-I-CAL.  And make that 5 points if you know what the word means.

This word is not in the Bible, but the noun this adjective describes is found in its pages.  An EVANGELICAL Christian is a Christian doing the work of an evangelist, and this seemingly modern newsy type word is used several times to label various workers in the early Church.

In Ephesians 4:11,12 Paul tells us...
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

This list differentiates between a few of the key component members of the Church.

An apostle was well defined and limited to a small number of people because one of the factors demanded that the person "had seen the Lord".

A prophet is someone who speaks for God.  The idea that a prophet always foretells the future is mistaken.  If a person speaks exactly what God wants him to say, he is a prophet whether there is a predictive element or not.  However, if a 'prophet' does speak of future events, he must prove to be absolutely 100% accurate to be recognized as speaking for God.  A man who claimed to be a prophet, but failed this test was to be stoned.  (This test tended to limit the number of those who might want to play around pretending.)

A pastor is kind of the CEO of a group of believers.  He is called to serve the flock and protect it is as a shepherd does his sheep.  Usually a pastor is also the teacher, but not always.

A teacher in the church, like a prophet, carries a heavy responsibility.  His job is to 'interpret' the scriptures, much like the duties of a professional guide in a museum or a national forest who is called an interpreter.  But the hired data handler in a museum does not work under such a threat as the one Jesus gave in Luke 17:1-3, 

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.

Should I get to the word of the day now, or keep piling on these bonus words that I could be using later in the month?  Oh well.

An EVANGELIST is a 'publisher of glad tidings'!  He has no official place in the Church.  No singular qualifications, no calling (other than the Great Commission from Mathew 28 that we read under D is for Disciple), and no heavy warnings hanging over his head (until he dares to teach!).

When you inform your friends of a great pizza place, it might be said that you are acting like an EVANGELIST, so please do not resent the approach of someone who wants to share with you, some very glad insight that he has discovered about the forgiveness of his sin, or a newborn eternal hope, or a life changing spring of joy!  These things are even BETTER than PIZZA!

The world could certainly use more publishers of glad tidings, no?  Maybe I should change my blog title to MILLERPUBLISHESGLADTIDINGS!?  Naa.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: What Does a Non-Rolling Stone Gather?

D is for DISCIPLE!

[This is the MILLERWRITES contribution to the 2012 Blogging A to Z April Challenge  Here is my INTRODUCTION to this particular series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically aligned weird words I will comment on this month.  THANK YOU for stopping by!]

DISCIPLE may only be a 'weird word' to you if you try to pronounce it as it is written; dis-kippel, or disc-i-plea.  The word is used fairly often in our national discussions about the various leaders we honor with our followership.  (My spell check is balking at that last word.  Maybe that's why we have discipleship in our vocabulary.)  Anybody that a group of folks respect and would choose to emulate can call that group his disciples.  Louis Farrakhan has disciples and Leanord Nimoy has disciples and Richard Petty has disciples.  It seems everyone has disciples except me!  I do have a nice group of followers, but I guess they know enough to keep it at that.

Interestingly, Jesus Christ never told His followers (His disciples, I should say) to go out and make everyone a Christian!  That word simply means 'Christ one' and is not a very definitive, meaningful term.  (I often joke with my non churchgoing Christian friend when he tells me about something he's doing on a Sunday morning, that "Oh yeah, I'M a Christian, so I'll be in church.."  As if going to church makes one a Christian the same way going to McDonalds makes one a hamburger!  Oh, I guess it does, in the same way.)

Antioch, a city in Turkey (which my son lived in for two weeks last year!) is famous for this little bit of Bible trivia:
Acts 11:26
and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

I have always thought that was pretty cool, but I've long been into nicknames.  I took this passage to mean that the group there at Antioch had a meeting and a discussion to go over a list of possible titles some committee had recommended, and then voted and finally settled on "Christian".  It turns out that the term was given, nay, thrown, at them by outsiders as a pejorative!  As in; "Look, there go them Christ-ones to church, instead of going to McDonalds with us!

The Christians called themselves a host of more positive and heartening names including;  "brethren," "the faithful," "elect," "saints," and "believers."  Jesus may have used some of these words to refer to his devoted followers once in a while, but in the end He never said to go and make 'saints' out of anybody.  He didn't demand that much from the likes of His apostles.  He didn't call for us to be 'believers' because that is way too little.  In fact, James said that even the demons 'believe, and shudder!'. (James 2:19)  There is a title more realistic than our pridefully claiming to be perfectly 'faithful', and better than simply being 'brethren'.  Jesus wants all of us, well all of us who have ever lived in a nation, to be His DISCIPLES!  In His last words before He was ascended back into heaven...

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  (Mathew 28)

He wants people everywhere to study His ways, to adopt His kind of love for God and man, to sacrifice all for the sake of others; in short, to enjoy a life spanning relationship with Him and the satisfaction of practicing His DISCIPLINES.

C is For Confession

[My contribution to the 2012 Blogging A to Z April Challenge  Here is my INTRODUCTION to this series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically aligned weird words I will comment on this month.]


CONFESSION may not seem like a very strange word.  We hear it every day on any one of a multitude of cop shows; 

     "Did you get a CONFESSION out of that perp yet?"  says good cop.

     "Not yet, but we will after we get some coffee." promises bad cop.

But in Bible verses like 1John 1:9 we see one of its derivatives, exhibiting its most common meaning.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

IF we simply admit... that we are undoubtedly enslaved... by a complete sinfulness, THEN God does all that needs to be done.  This is a both a great challenge (for we don't want to admit anything!), and a great promise.  God demands no good works from us, except the 'good (and passive) work' of CONFESSION!

There is another important meaning of the word CONFESSION that bears discussing.

It also means to testify to a conviction as Paul uses it in his second letter to the Corinthians here; 

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your CONFESSION of the gospel of Christ  (9:13)  

and as he wrote to Timothy here;

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good CONFESSION in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)

Remarkably, the 'good' CONFESSION that Paul here attributes to Tim, was modeled by Jesus Himself when He was on trial.

In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good CONFESSION... (1 Timothy 6:13)

They both made the same good CONFESSION:  Timothy confessed, or proclaimed, of his faith in Christ as the truth bearer, and Jesus confessed, or declared, that He IS the truth!

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.  (John 18)

Read through the end of this dialogue with Pilate to see an absolutely fascinating picture of one who saw the truth plainly, but was too politically mortgaged to make the good CONFESSION we all need to make.

B is for BLASPHEMY!

[This is the MILLERWRITES contribution to the 2012 Blogging A to Z April Challenge  Here is my INTRODUCTION to this particular series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically aligned weird words I will comment on this month.  THANK YOU for stopping by!]

While it is true that saying almost anything contemptuous or irreverent about God fits into the first dictionary definition of BLASPHEMY, I prefer the harder, more specific, and easier to pin down second definition:  Claiming to be God.  Satan was kicked out of heaven after he sought to be treated equally with God.  His pride led him to crave the same honor which only God deserves.  Over time many others have suffered under similarly grand delusions and claimed to be God.  Jesus even warned that many would come claiming to be the Messiah, and we have seen that prophesy fulfilled even in our day.

If anyone was ever outright guilty of BLASPHEMY, it was Jesus Christ!  Here we see that in each of the Gospels, Jesus' claim to BE God was recognized by the religious leaders of the time, as BLASPHEMY.


Matthew 26:65
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

Mark 14:64
“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death.

Luke 5:21
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

John 10:33
“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

(Quotes taken from Biblegateway.com)

And to think that some argue Jesus was just a good man!  No, because a good man would not claim to be God.  Others suggest that Jesus must then have been somewhat insane to make such a claim, as we discern in most of our modern BLASPHEMOUS messiahs; but the recorded words of wisdom and super-human references Jesus revealed to us were not capable of anyone but the ultra sane!

The word BLASPHEMY is thrown about more readily than it should be today.  Yes, there are some who go so far as to claim to be God, and we easily recognize that....they are not, but we should be careful.  In the first dictionary sense, a regular day to day BLASPHEMER who simply refers to all things Godly in a contemptuous manner may actually be crossing the line and "claiming to be God" because he has set his opinion of God above God's opinion of him.

As far as Jesus being 'guilty' of BLASPHEMY goes; the definition should be tweaked a bit.  A BLASPHEMER is someone claiming to be God, unless he actually IS God.  In that case, we should allow Him to make His truth claim freely, and worship Him.

By the way; here is my introduction to this series, and an opportunity for you to influence which alphabetically  aligned weird words I comment on this month.

A is For AMEN! Amen? Amen!

And so it begins!  Welcome to the MILLERWRITES go at the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge!  This month I will be commenting on 26 weird words from the Word of God; that is, words that may have become a part of our common lexicon, but have meanings other than what you might expect, or words that are used so freely even though nobody really knows what they mean!  Here is my introductory post on the subject where you can peruse my list of possible words to examine, and then leave a suggestion for me in the comment section.

And the word for today, appropriately, is AMEN!  A commonly used word that we all know means:  And so it begins.  This word is used at the very beginning of prayers, before strongly stated agreeable claims, and to affirm, predicatively, what one is about to say.

Oh, wait a minute.  Today happens to be April Fools day, so maybe we all know that AMEN means just the opposite of what I just said!  (Gotcha!)

Actually.....
AMEN is said, or proclaimed after a prayer spoken by another as a means of declaring total ascent and agreement with what was just prayed.  AMEN may also be shouted out, or quietly whispered  as a form of declaring partnership or oneness with the speaker of any declaration.

Some have claimed that the original word came from the name of an Egyptian god, Amun, but this has never been academically verified.  It seems to have originated with the Hebrews, but has since transferred virtually unchanged into Aramaic, Greek and all the way down the line to modern English.  Jews, Muslims and Christians use the same word in the same way; as a statement of affirmative support for what was just said or prayed.

Only Jesus Christ (as was his wont) introduced a brand new usage of the phrase.  You may have heard a verse or two that begins "verily, verily....".  Well that translation is given for times when Jesus broke the mold by using AMEN before He said something especially vital, as a way of affirming and emphasizing the import of His OWN, about to be spoken, words!  This use had no precedent in Jewish history.  But then, neither did Jesus!



Some information here was gleaned from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen#Etymology