The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

Would it not be enjoyable to have Jesus eat dinner at your house? To have God, the Anointed One, eating at your table would be awesome. But enjoyable? Maybe not. When speaking to those who were educated in the Bible, regular temple “members,” and faithful tithers, he did not tell sweet analogies and comforting stories.

“One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?’ But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. … When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he hold them this parable: ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this man your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’” (Luke 14:1-4, 7-14 NIV)

Jesus did not end there. However, his second parable will wait until next post. But until then, think about what Jesus would say to you at the dinner table.

*-Part I and II are inspired by a sermon by Cornelius

“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21)

“The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” (Psalm 146:9)

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)

Making citizens out of immigrants has been the topic of the week in the news. This topic has become a popular debate topic. Debate is good. However, what can we learn from the Bible? As seen above, we should never mistreat or oppress the aliens amongst us. Jesus told us to “go and make disciples of all nations.” But as Christians we must never think ourselves over the law of a nation. We should also teach the aliens around us the legal rules and regulations. Now, are the laws fair? That is a different question which I do not know because of a lack of knowledge on the subject. But as a Christian I believe we should endorse that illegal immigrants return back to their native land and return legally.

“But they would return home to poverty and may not be able to support their family,” you might say. But that is a self-sustaining philosophy we would be endorsing. “The LORD watches over the alien.” “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” (Romans 13:5)

“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.” (Hebrews 12:16 NIV)

How we know Esau was godless?

1. “’Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’ … So Esau despised his birthright.” (Genesis 25:32, 34c)

What was connected to the birthright? “I [God] will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you [Abraham] and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7)

2. “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. … Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddam Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, ‘Do not marry a Canaanite woman,’ and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddam Aram. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” (Genesis 26:34,35 28:6-9)

3. Esau speaks in Genesis 25, 27, 28, 33, and 36. But to the best of my knowledge, Esau does not once mention God.

"'Was not Esau Jacob's brother?' the LORD says. 'Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.'" (Malachi 1:2-3 NIV)

Who was this man God hated? Questions to be answered in following posts!

“KABUL, Afghanistan, March 24 — Preachers used Friday Prayer services to call for the execution of an Afghan Muslim who converted to Christianity, despite growing protests in the West. The conversion of the man, Abdul Rahman, 15 years ago was brought to the attention of the authorities as part of a child custody dispute.” (The New York Times: March 25, 2006)

SOURCE 1: “And mention Ismail in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet.” (SHAKIR: Qur’an 019.054)

SOURCE 2:
“The angel of the LORD also said to her [Hagar]:
‘You are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
And everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.'” (Genesis 16:11-12 NIV)

Which source do you believe?

"Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" "An enemy did this," he replied. The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" "No," he answered, "because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."'" (Matthew 13:24-30 NIV)

I have two friends at school, J. and Y. I pray that they are wheat. Please pray that God will give me the strength to talk to J. and Y. about salvation.

There are two sermons by Dr. Voddie Baucham at Sevier Heights Baptist Church here in Knoxville, TN that are must sees. Click here and watch for yourself.

What did I learn? Well, if you want to know why I believe the Bible, because ...

“... because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eye witnesses. They claim to report super natural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies. And they claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.” (Dr. Voddie Baucham)

This is what got us started:

"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27)

What now stands on the Mountain of the LORD? Well, the Dome of the Rock. As we saw in PART III, Satan was thrown from the real Mountain of the LORD (Heaven). It does not surprise me that he has built a temple for himself on the mountain that is a picture or symbol of Heaven here on earth. But should we be bothered by this? Of course not!

“The glory of the LORD went up from within the city [Jerusalem] and stopped above the mountain east of it.” (Ezekiel 11:23)

This event was not the last time the LORD ascended from this particular mountain.

“After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.” (Acts 1:9-12)

Of all places, Jesus told his disciples of this return while sitting on the Mount of Olives (see Olivet discourse Matthew 24-25). But if they had recalled from their scriptures, this second coming had already been prophesied.

“A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. … Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. … Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.” (Zechariah 14:1, 3-5)

*By the way, the Mount of Olives stands 200 feet above the temple mount.

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" (Isaiah 40:9 KJV)

"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken." (Micah 4:1-4 or Isaiah 2:1-4 NIV)

"Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, rise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the LORD God:
You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, ...
On the day that you were created they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,
O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.'" (Ezekiel 28:11-16 ESV)

"And he [Jesus] said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" (Luke 10:18)

"The God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.'" (Genesis 22:2 NIV)

"The king [David] and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, 'You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.' They thought, 'David cannot get in here.' Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David." (2 Samuel 5:6, 7)

"Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David." (2 Chronicles 3:1)

"Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart ..." (Psalm 24:3, 4a ESV)

"Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King." (Psalm 48:1, 2)

"Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!" (Psalm 43:3)

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22,23 NIV)

I was not very ripe today.

"The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. ... Then he [Abraham] said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?' He answered, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.' Abraham said, 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?' He said, 'For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.' Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?' He answered, 'For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.' When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home." (Genesis 18:22, 30-33 NIV)

"But I [Job] desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God." (Job 13:3)

Do you have this kind of relationship with God that you can communicate with the LORD as Abraham and Job did?

"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" (Matthew 19:13,14 NIV)

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, '"My house will be called a house of prayer," but your are making it a "den of robbers."' The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, 'Hosanna to the Son of David,' they were indignant. 'Do you hear what these children are saying?' they asked him. 'Yes,' replied Jesus, 'have you never read, "from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise"?'" (Matthew 21:12-16)

Please pray for the children at Sara Moore Green Elementary. My heart is continuously burdened by what I see and hear.

"But eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Okay, I am misquoting this passage. We have just finished one of the best months of the year: February. It is great for many reasons, one of them being my birthday. I really like birthdays! The enjoyment does not really have to do with the gifts. I do not expect gifts. However, this year I raked in on the best 'toys'.

Albert Einstein Action Figure: From Dad and Mom I received this cool (and nerdy) action figure. Even though Einstein was not a nuclear scientist by the official title, he was one of the greatest nuclear pioneers ever. Cool toy.



BCD clock: This really awesome clock came from BJ and M. The lights are based on binary. 0001 0010 0011 etc Yet another cool gift.


Muppet Labs: This final gift came from Joe and Heather. I have always loved the Muppets. And who can beat Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.


This has to be one of the best gift years! Thanks, guys!

"Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
They put gall in my food and gave me vinager for my thirst." (Psalm 69:20,21 NIV)

"Then Job replied: 'I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing? I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.'" (Job 16:1-5)

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: '...Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.'" (Job 38:1, 3 NIV)

What power! He is the LORD!

ZOPHAR the NAAMATHITE
“Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? Will your idle talk reduce men to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? … Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom …” (Job 11:2, 4, 5 NIV)

versus

APOSTLE PAUL
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

BILDAD the SHUHITE
“How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind. … When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk.” (Job 8:2, 18:2 NIV)

versus

APOSTLE PAUL
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:10-13)