A 2023 Update

It's hard to believe that it has been over a year since i made an entry here. 

Because of hardware and other logistical issues i shifted to public facebook posts in 2023. 

I would like collect and edit some of those and put them here or in some other place where readers can find them. 

Perhaps that is something i can begin to do in 2024. We will see... 

Your Friend in Christ, 

P Allan Leitner

Moving from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 into chapter 13

1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV - "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed."

Today I'm taking a deep dive into this chapter and using it to 'interpret' 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen (known as the love chapter).

That first verse really is fitting. The chapter does explain 'spiritual gifts' in a unique way. There is so much here. The body parts listed... perception (ear, eye, the sense of smell)... action (hand and foot)... Head (is high up, deciding and perceiving)... every proposed dynamic is a real potential dynamic that gets addressed in chapter thirteen in some way.

1 Corinthians 12:15 ESV - "If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body."

One kind of role seemingly 'lower down' could and might envy the one 'higher up' with a different kind of tangible 'output'.

"And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body." - 1 Corinthians 12:16 ESV

A person may want to perceive things the way another person does and feels left out. An eye sees light.

Also, there is the dual nature of eyes, ears, hands and feet. We have two. The 'hearing' group might be tempted to envy the 'seeing' group or feel 'less than'.

"The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." - 1 Corinthians 12:21 ESV

Perception without application. Administration without implementation.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV

The body theme is continued... love resolves the differences.

Perception needs Love

Action must be based in Love

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-12 ESV

We only see our 'place' dimly. We see glimpses of what other people contribute but later we will see more. Unity with diversity.

We love 'by faith' not understanding or seeing it all now... but later we will see more.

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The Only Other Choice

We think we are choosing between Christ and our own moral value system...

.. or Christ and Buddhism

.. or Christ and academia as the ultimate solution

.. or Christ and the evolution of man into a higher state

but we are not... It is Jesus or Barabbas

Mark 15:6-7 ESV — Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.

Barnabas was dangerous. He was a wild man. Society wanted him locked up and for good reason.

Mark 15:9-13 ESV — And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.”

Those were not the choices they wanted but that is the real choice.

Barabbas is let loose and chaos ensues. If we don't want God. If we don't the want the truth contained in the scriptures. In particular, if we don't want Jesus to mess up our convenient little system... Barabbas... a person we know should be locked up... gets let loose.

Antichrist will be a Barabbas. It might be us. If we shake off the shackles of truth we might just become the thing we hate.

People blame God because the world isn't what it should be but humanity has chosen the wild man again and again.

Choose Jesus today. Not everyone else is or will but your choice makes a difference.

1 John 4:2-4 ESV — By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

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Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious

This phrase was stuck in my head today 'Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt'... it sounds like a command to me... 'be gracious'... but it isn't... the Greek is actually really interesting.

There are many times in the Bible where 'be gracious' is used like a command or better yet a prayer. Man is often asking God to 'be gracious'... that happens over 20 times in the Hebrew scriptures... but the scriptures don't show us people commanding other people in this way. In fact Paul seems very careful in how he phases this and even asks for prayer about how to communicates to people... Here is the context:

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison - that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." - Colossians 4:2-4 ESV

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." - Colossians 4:5 NASB20, 4:6 ESV

That, 'Let your...' is so important.

You can't command graciousness.

Still, graciousness is the wise way to deal with outsiders. Seeing your communication as an opportunity (which is how a person interested in evangelism thinks) is also wise.

How do you answer each person? Graciously, that is how.

What is the gracious answer? It involves the mystery of Christ. That a believer is hidden in Christ and that the Holy Spirit is indwelling the believer... somehow and in some way what is said can reveal God if it is said the right way and has the right content.

Wow!

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:2 ESV

Ok. Knowing that...

'Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt'

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Great Parking Spaces

I get good parking spaces. Not all the time but often. People in my car tease me about it because it is shocking sometimes.

At one point in my life I was a passenger in the car with a man of God i respected at the time... and still respect. He told me that he often prayed for a good parking space and then just drove up the area where he wanted to park. As a passenger I saw this man get great parking spaces right in front of where we were going.

I remember sitting there and making a decision. That provision was not just for him. It was for me also. I started doing it. I dealt with it like it was an adventure. It was an opportunity to see God do something. It was a game we could play together. It is a time I can concentrate on Him.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:31-32 ESV

"... but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." - Hebrews 4:2b KJV

Years later I drove with that same man of God. This time i was driving and I told him what I did with parking and he said something like, 'Wow, I should start doing that again.'

At some point He had stopped believing God in that area of his life. He had stopped mixing faith with 'God is for me' in regards to parking. He had stopped driving to the area he wanted to be and just started settling for where he thought it would be 'practical' for him to find a space.

I don't think less of this person. He is a giant as far as I'm concerned and I'm not worthy to untie his shoelaces but It says something to me about the nature of grace and promises. They are mystical. They can slip through our fingers. We can forget because it isn't what we are seeing day to day in the world. We can neglect the favor that God wants to give us.

I apply this principle (pray then drive to the front) in some areas of my life but not all areas. Parking spaces are 'low stakes' things. It isn't going to cost me money... just some time. I won't lose my life if that day I have to park somewhere else. Still because i live this way there are the moments when I do seem to 'walk on water' in high stakes areas. Not on a stormy lake but in life.

This last week I prayed and drove to NYC to visit a few relatives and God met me there. He really did.

I saw a man of God park his car and it changed my life. He did it as a believer and I became one in a moment. I already was a believer in Christ but I suddenly became one for something new. I became one in practice.

I pray God would use us as a catalyst for someone's faith this week. I pray God would use us... weak but willing... faith mixers... believers.

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Fallen But Filling In The Gaps Ourselves

Lies. I'm thinking about lies. Why we lie. How often we lie. Who do we lie to. All of it.

As you may have guessed I believe mankind is fallen. I didn't always believe that but I do now because the Bible states it and proves it. Anthropology also brings this out.

Lies, to me, are an evidence of the fall.

I know... people who believe in evolution or some other scenario where man is 'progressing' also have an explanation for lies and lying but 'wow'... the fall just puts it right into perspective for me.

Fallen people have gaps in knowledge and they try to fill them in ways that are beneficial. We do it to survive and to dodge guilt and shame but the thing is... we all do it. Some just make it into a lifestyle.

'Gaps' are a result of the fall.

I see three things that are just part of the human experience but to me they provide evidence that mankind is fallen and needs Heavenly intervention.
- The fact that we lie (gaps in knowledge)
- The reality that people age, get sick and then die (gaps in our biology)
- That we kill each other (gaps in love... we see the need to remove a person who would just die anyway later because it benefits us in some way)

Jesus came to deal with all of these things and He has.

The 'progression' folks have strange convoluted answers for all three of these things but just look at them. They are cracks in our existence that we all suffer from. They are downward cycles with no escape.

The liar needs a savior.

Go ahead and tell a liar that their children's, children's children are going to outgrow lies and hatred. Not only is that a lie but it is no comfort to them.

We all need a perfect person who sees us just as we are and loves us just as we are. Some one who won't lie. Some one with no gaps. Some one to give us hope.

Jesus loved His lying disciples. He embraced murderous humanity as we killed Him. He carries those who grow old and die into His bosom and makes them young again.

Jesus is the solution but many still don't want Him. His way is a narrow way. For some it will take them realizing He isn't 'a' solution. He is the only solution. Still others would rather die lying to themselves and hold on to that false control of perception until it is too late.

I love the term 'believer' to describe someone who has trusted Jesus because a believer is someone who doesn't just settle for things as they are now 'by sight'. They trust in a higher better way and you can see glimpses of that higher better way in their lives. They touch the Holy One and light shines from that Holy One into a dark world.

"But that is not the way you learned Christ! - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:20-32 ESV

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Jesus Spoke About Hell

This is our gentle savior speaking in this next passage about future events. He speaks about a place of eternal joy and one of eternal punishment.

" 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.' " - Matthew 25:31-46 ESV

There is no way to get around it. Hell is a place. People are going there. It is spoken of as a permanent place. People need to know this.

Jesus is loving beyond what you or i can understand. That is why He told people that this place exists.

The Bible says some things that are hard to hear and understand. It show us things we want to see like love, mercy and hope but it also shows us things we may not want to see. Hell is one of those things. We are afraid of that kind of thing and with good reason. The way to deal with fear is face it... not run from it or hide it.

Jesus speaks more about Hell than He does about Heaven.

I don't speak about this all the time. I don't bring it up with everyone but I do talk about it and I don't avoid the subject. People need to know about this. They need to know that the train they are on is going to crash and that there are only a few stops left where they can get off before that happens.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Revelation 3:20-22 ESV

Answering that knock on the door is the only way. Jesus is the only way off the train we are on as fallen people.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " - John 14:6 ESV

Answer the door. Talk to Him. Believe in Him. He wants to be your lifeline.

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