Discipleship

Disciple Math

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
A pathway leading forward, symbolizing the journey of discipleship and following Jesus

Sometimes following Jesus begins with one step—one invitation
Photo Credit: Judy Keenan

I recently realized something interesting while reading John’s account of how Jesus called His first disciples. Check it out.

  • Andrew and most likely John, the son of Zebedee, were essentially sent to Jesus by John the Baptist (John 1:35-37)
  • Simon Peter was brought to Jesus by Andrew (John 1:40-42)
  • Philip was called by Jesus (John 1:45-48)
  • Nathanael (Bartholomew) was brought to Jesus by Philip (John 1:45-48)
  • John (who had likely already met Jesus) & James, the sons of Zebedee, were officially called by Jesus (Matthew 4:22)
  • Matthew was called by Jesus (Matthew 9:9)

I’m visual and love lists, so now let’s look at how the disciples came to Jesus another way.

Sent to Jesus

  • Andrew
  • John, the son of Zebedee (probably)

Brought to Jesus by another disciple

  • Simon Peter
  • Nathanael

Called first by Jesus

  • Philip
  • James, the son of Zebedee
  • Matthew

We always refer to Jesus calling the disciples, which He obviously did. But when you look at it broken down like this you see something we tend to overlook. Two men were sent to Jesus by John the Baptist. Two others were brought to Jesus by someone who had already met Him.

Only three of the first seven disciples were first approached by Jesus Himself.

Think about that for a moment.

Of the first seven disciples, only three weren’t either sent to Jesus or brought to Jesus by someone else.

That matters.

As Christians, we tend to think of soul winning, witnessing, and sharing the Gospel as the minister’s job. As a whole, we’re pretty slow to reach out—to invite people to come to know our Jesus, to experience this miraculous relationship.

We pass the buck.

But when you look at this “disciple math,” it’s clear we’ve got it all wrong. From the very beginning, God used people to bring people. John the Baptist sent two of his own disciples to Jesus. Andrew went and found Simon. Philip sought out Nathanael.

They didn’t wait for someone else to do it.

They went to those they cared about and shared what they’d found.

We should follow that example. More than that, we should be so excited about this new life we live that we can’t wait to share it, especially with those we care about, but really with whomever God puts in our path.

But if I’m honest, we often don’t.

We know time is short. Whether it’s because all the signs say the Rapture is imminent, or because we understand that no one is guaranteed tomorrow, we know the time is short. And when I look at myself, I see a failure you may recognize in your own life.

My relationship with God is something I say I want to shout from the rooftops, but do I? Really? Not like I should.

I look at the importance of these men drawing others to Jesus and I know I’ve fallen short. Good intentions are great. Failing to follow through on good intentions is not.

It’s time to be like Andrew and find our Simons.

Oh wow. Think about that.

What would early Christianity have looked like if Andrew hadn’t gone to Simon? Would we have been without the Apostle Peter?

Maybe it starts small, with one conversation, one invitation, one name God brings to mind. But it needs to start.

Let’s get out there and find our Simons.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

God Doesn’t Want Volunteers

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

What is a Volunteer?

Jesus often used illustrations a gardener could easily understand. In looking at volunteers it seems particularly appropriate to follow His example. So, let’s imagine the life of a certain volunteer plant.

There was once a volunteer plant. Like all volunteer plants, it popped up in an unexpected location. Some animal carried a seed into a side yard and dropped it, and there it grew. When the gardener found it, he had to make some decisions.

Should he move it to the garden where it could grow as he’d intended and receive all the right care? No, the plant had set its roots firmly right where it was; it would not be shifted to a more appropriate location.

Would it be best for him to cut this plant down so that it would not hinder the growth of the plants he had selected specifically for this area? He did not like this idea at all, for it was a nice enough plant and there was some hope that it would bear decent fruit even here, where it wasn’t supposed to be.

So the gardener chose not to cut it down, but to watch and ensure that it did not too greatly hinder the growth of the plants around it. If it proved too much of a danger, if the fruit it might one day produce seemed not to be enough to outweigh the damage it could cause, he would remove it.

So it remained where it had planted itself, though the gardener was never fully happy and kept a cautious eye on it always. He watched as it grew. He watched as it flowered. He watched as it produced fruit. He watched as it died.

The gardener had managed to minimize the damage this volunteer plant did to its companions. He had also harvested the fruit it produced, though this fruit was disappointing when compared to the fruit of similar plants that flourished in the other part of his garden. The gardener was sad as he disposed of its dead remains and considered what this plant could have been, what fruit it would have produced and how much better off both sections of his yard would have been, if it had only put its roots down where it belonged.

The gardener, of course, is God. The volunteer plant is the Christian who is a mere volunteer, one who does not understand the call of God, one who chooses where he will go and how he will serve instead of letting God plant him in the proper spot and serving as God calls him.

A mere volunteer goes where he wishes to go, offers only such assistance as he is inclined to offer, and remains only as long as he wants to stay. He may choose to plant himself in the very place God would have put him, but if his heart is not right or if his chosen place of service is not what God has planned for him, there will be problems. He may be of some benefit in this area where he chooses to plant himself, but he will never be all God wants him to be.

The Christian who plants himself in a location other than the one God has chosen for him will have, and cause, special problems because he is not where God wants him to be—in that place set aside for him where he can do the special work God has already prepared for him to do. (Ephesians 4:16, KJV, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.)

He cannot help this alternate location as well as one who is called to it, and it is entirely possible that his presence will eventually prove harmful—to himself, to those around him, perhaps to both. He may manage to live the entirety of his days in this one, wrong spot and he may be happy, but he will never be fulfilled because he will never become all God has ordained him to be. Worse, the body will never be all it is supposed to be, because he is out of place.

When you consider plants, there is really only one difference between a volunteer plant and a weed. The volunteer plant is a cultured plant, one that is designed to serve a purpose. God obviously doesn’t want weeds in His garden. He also doesn’t want His cultivated plants putting their roots down in places not of His choosing.

A volunteer, according to the dictionary, is one who enters into an activity of his own free will. A mere volunteer not only enters of his own free will, but retains the right to free will, the right to say, “You can’t expect me to do that; I’m only a volunteer!” He will work only as hard as he pleases, do only the jobs he chooses to do and stay only as long as it suits him. He persists in thinking that it’s all about him, when in reality it’s all about HIM.

What DOES God Want?

Ephesians 4:16
Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Under his direction
These first three words are the key. We must submit to Him as part of His body, completely under His direction. If we won’t be under HIS direction, totally submitted to HIM, why do we call ourselves Christians? To be called a Christian is to be called Christ Like, and Jesus Christ was so completely submitted to His heavenly father that He willingly took the unimaginably horrendous path to the cross.

So, as we are under His direction…

the whole body
the whole body, every part of it, is “fitted together perfectly.”

is fitted together
“is fitted”
This phrase is in the passive voice, which shows that it isn’t the body that is doing the fitting together. The “fitting together” is being done to the body by God. (I Corinthians 12:18, KJV But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.)

When we are under His direction, allowing Him to fit us together—letting Him put us where He wants us instead of insisting on putting ourselves where we want to be—we will be fitted together perfectly.

as each part does
Every part of the body has work to do. If a part of the human body refuses to work, the whole body suffers. The same is true of Christ’s body. We are not just here to be. We are here to do. (Ephesians 2:10, KJV, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.)

its own special work
God gives each of us work to do and we can either do that work or not do it. If we choose to do our work, we are free to choose whether to do it well or poorly. If we choose not to do our work, we are free to choose whether to do nothing or to do someone else’s work instead.

We’ve a world of choices and only one is acceptable—to do that special work that God has set aside specifically for us. To do anything else is to fail Him, the body, and ourselves.

This even holds true when we decide to do ‘extra’ work. While being faithful to our own special work, we might still have enough time that we choose to go help another part of the body as well. This can be a wonderful thing, but if we move against His direction, stepping out on our own accord, the whole body will suffer.

This is not to say a man cannot be active in more than one ministry. If God directs him to serve in multiple areas, God will also orchestrate his service. If, however, he chooses to serve in multiple ministries against God’s direction, he is asking for trouble to visit not only him, but every ministry he touches.

We each have our own special work to do and He expects us to do it and do it with excellence!

it helps the other parts grow
What a gift! Can anything greater be said of a man than that he helps others grow? No. Here is a promise, a result, worth working toward!

And, to consider this from the other side, if this member of Christ’s body chooses not to be under His direction, not to fit in his assigned spot perfectly, not to do the special work God has assigned specifically to him, then he will inevitably hinder the other parts in their growth.

How much better it is to do what we know to do and do it in the way God intends!

so that the whole body is healthy
This is one third of what should be our goal, and is God’s goal, for the body of Christ—that we as the body be healthy and growing and full of love.

Unfortunately, though many individual churches are healthy, this cannot be said of the church as a whole, at least not here in the United States. Many churches have experienced splits and too often church members are not surprised when they learn of other members’ immorality. One can also find church buildings for sale in this nation that are available for purchase not because the churches have grown too large for them, but rather because they’ve died.

and growing
Obviously, if the church as a whole is not healthy, it is also not growing. I was somewhat surprised at one point, though I wasn’t too very shocked, to hear my pastor say in a sermon that the church in the U.S. has not grown since the 1970s. If this is true, something is obviously wrong.

and full of love
This, perhaps, is the saddest thing of all. God is love; you would think that His church would necessarily be full of love, but in how many churches will you find no gossip, nomurmuring, no backbiting, no complaining… If a church is truly full of love, there is no room for these things.

So we, the body, fail the test. We are not fitted together perfectly, with each part doing its own special work. Why?

Because too many of us have never learned the difference between being a volunteer and being a called out, chosen one—the difference between one who casually offers, “I’ll do it,” knowing he has the option of quitting later, and the one who answers the call of his Lord, fully prepared to do anything and everything he is told to do. If the church is to be healthy, to grow and to be full of love, we as individuals must grow up first, moving beyond “I’m only a volunteer!” and into “I am a called out child of God who will fulfill my destiny!”

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We have been created anew in Christ Jesus to do good things. Other translations say “good works.”

When being encouraged to do good works, some people answer by quoting Ephesians 2:8-9. (KJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.) Yes, we are saved by grace, through faith and not by our works; salvation is a gift. Now, if those who quote verses 8 and 9 would only continue to verse 10, they would see why God gave us the gift— “to do the good things he planned for us long ago”. God doesn’t give useless gifts; He gives gifts with a purpose. Knowing this, we realize we are responsible to find out what His plans for us are and to follow through and do what He expects us to do. As Ephesians 5:17 puts it, “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

God prepared these works in advance, expecting us to do them. How much clearer can it get? God had a plan in mind, works lined out for each one of us, even before we accepted His gift of salvation. Now it’s our turn. Now it’s time for us to learn what those works are, pull ourselves together, and go get them done.

This is not merely something we can do; it is something we must do if we are to be pleasing to Him. After all, His Word says repeatedly that faith without works is dead. (James 2:17, 20, 26; KJV; Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead… But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?… For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.) Too, without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6, KJV, But without faith it is impossible to please Him…)

Ephesians 4:1
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

The question is not, “Am I called?” but rather, “What is my calling?” Speaking specifically in the realm of the church, we must ask, “To which local church has God called me? To which ministry or ministries within that church has God called me?” We are to seek the answers to these questions and, having found them, lead lives worthy of His calling.

The Word is specific here as it refers to “your calling.” So first we are called with a specific calling. No man should walk in another man’s calling; God expects each man to walk in his own. A man’s flesh may declare that it wants to work in one ministry, but if God has called him to work elsewhere he would be walking in disobedience if he chose to follow his flesh’s lead—this would certainly not be an act of a life that was being lived worthily.

And we must consider carefully what it is to lead a life worthy of one who is called by HIM.

If one were called by the President—that is, if the President of the United States were to call on a man to do something—one assumes that he would not only do it, but do it to the very best of his ability. Who in their right mind would consider giving the President of the United States anything less than work of the highest quality? But we are not called by the President. We are not called by any mere man. Rather, we are called by GOD.

How is it, then, that we too often offer Him second or even third best…or nothing at all? Do we consider Him to be less important than the President? Do we subconsciously take advantage of His quickness to forgive? Do we find that, since we can’t see Him with our physical eyes, it is easier to ignore the fact that He is there and waiting for us to move, waiting for us to do (and do well) what He has called us to do?

When God calls us to a local church, He expects us to be active in that church. (Hebrews 10:25, KJV, …not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.) When He calls us to a specific ministry, He expects us to serve actively in that ministry—being where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there and doing all we are supposed to do to the best of our ability, with the right heart.

He has given us the great honor of calling us; it is also our honor to live lives worthy of this calling.

What Does God Want?

            God wants children who love Him above all else, children who obey Him completely, children who walk with Him—following His lead instead of choosing their own paths and expecting Him to bless them anyway—children who not only know Jesus as Savior, but also as Lord.

God wants children who understand the truth of the words spoken to King Saul, that obedience is better than sacrifice, that He will not condone us doing things our way even if our way does look good in man’s eyes and seems to result in great things for the church.

God wants children who follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the One who did and said, and only did and said, what the Father wanted, who obeyed all the way to the cross and beyond when His Father called.

God wants children who don’t say, “I have decided I want to…,” but say instead, “I have decided to do what God wants me to do.”

God wants
sons and daughters
who understand what it means to be CALLED.

Scriptures Referenced
I Corinthians 12:18
Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 4:1
Ephesians 4:16
Ephesians 5:17
Hebrews 10:25
Hebrews 11:6
James 2:17, 20, 26

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

(Initially published in booklet format, then as a series of 5 blog posts in 2015.)

When the Next Generation Leads: UNPLUG60 and My Heart

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Cadence (Cady) Cardwell

Every once in a while, God lets you see His special touch across generations.

There are many satisfying things in this world, but catching your grandchild following in your footsteps (Whether she intended it or not) is extra special. My heart…it is singing.

Meet my granddaughter, Cady Cardwell. She’s one of the leaders of the UNPLUG60 movement. What’s UNPLUG60? I’m glad you asked! Here’s a snippet from their website.

Unplug 60 is a movement led by teens in Chambers County. It’s a simple idea: pick one hour each day to step away from screens and devices. That means putting down phones, closing laptops, turning off notifications—just unplugging. During this hour, you’re encouraged to spend time doing something real: talking to a friend, reading for fun, going for a walk, playing music, drawing, or just thinking.

This movement isn’t about rejecting technology altogether—it’s about finding space to breathe, connect, and recharge without constant digital distractions.

What I didn’t know, until her mom, Sheree, filled me in, is that Cady’s also apparently the primary author of their blog. I had no idea what she was up to until Sheree shared Sleep vs. Screens: How Late-Night Scrolling Hurts Your Rest, and I was all but shouting as I read it. It speaks straight up truth that applies not only to the teens she’s addressing, but adults as well. Our addiction to screens takes a terrible toll on most Americans, regardless of our age, and it affects us spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Reading her words reminds me that the next generation is already here and, in many cases, is better prepared to step out and touch the world than we realize. Seeing my own grandchild display such maturity and wisdom does this Granna’s heart great good.

If you’ve got a minute, I suggest you check out UNPLUG60 for yourself. You may be surprised by just how much you’re challenged and inspired!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy Cardwell

The Bondservant’s Choice: A Deeper Look at Commitment to Christ

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Many years ago, when it first became fashionable for men to get ear piercings, I was told it was an ungodly practice because, “In the Bible, only slaves got their ears pierced.” I don’t remember having had an opinion one way or the other at that point, but once the Bible had been brought into the conversation so definitely, I decided to check it out for myself. What I found was truly fascinating.

This person was correct about the piercing of the ear marking someone as a slave, but their surface level interpretation was lacking. In Exodus 21:2-6 we learn what it meant to become a permanent slave or bondservant. One who had worked his full six years as a slave would be set free in the seventh year. However, if this man loved his master and wanted to continue serving him permanently, he could choose to do so. When he did, he was taken before the judges to testify to his wish and then his ear was pierced as a permanent mark of his freewill choice.

So yes, his ear was pierced to mark him as a slave or bondservant, but it was by choice and a decision made out of love for someone he wanted to devote his life to. This all reminded me of New Testament authors referring to themselves as slaves or bondservants of Jesus Christ. Thinking back to the person’s statement, I had to laugh because, by their reasoning, every man who has genuinely committed to serve Jesus should be required to get his ear pierced.

No, I did not seek them out to correct their wrong assumption. It seemed pointless.

So fast forward to today, or recently when I began reading from Rick Renner’s new offering, the Renner Interpretive Version: James & Jude. If you’re unfamiliar with Renner and this first step towards a complete Renner Interpretive Version of the New Testament, know that this man has a firm grasp not only on the Koine Greek, but on the cultural significance and application of the original language. Where I could technically look up the Greek word and its literal meaning, Rick Renner’s knowledge goes deeper, into how the original reader would have received the words.

So let’s look at the first part of James 1:1.
In the King James, it reads, “James, a servant of God…” But in the RIV we get…

I am James, first, foremost, and forever a completely committed, lifelong servant of God. As is the case with all such servants, this means my life is dedicated exclusively to doing His will and to faithfully carrying out any assignment He will ever entrust to me.

I only thought I understood what it meant to be a bondservant when I read Exodus 21 all those years ago. I mean, I did understand it in a sense. Everything James says here is included in what I had learned intellectually. I knew it was the servant’s choice. I knew it was a lifelong commitment. I also knew such a servant had one primary purpose in life, and that was to fulfill the will of his master. Seeing it expressed in such a new way, however, and from James, who didn’t believe his brother’s claims until after the Resurrection, hit me firmly in the heart. Can I say the same? Could I honestly speak the words James penned?

I’ve maintained for years that for a man to call himself a Christian while living a life that is not truly dedicated to Christ is a violation of the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Looking at Christianity in light of the way this version presents this verse makes my conviction even stronger. Let’s break it down.

first, foremost, and forever

Is my commitment to God, to Jesus, the first thing I think about? Is it always foremost in my mind, and what inspires all my actions? Is it unconditionally forever? Absolutely yes to the last question; I’m in this for eternity! However, I must really examine myself when it comes to “first and foremost.” I say God is my #1 and He is, but I would be lying if I implied that my flesh doesn’t rise up on occasion, that self never demands to be first in line. Unfortunately, I’m not perfect and I battle self on an ongoing basis. When I lose the battle what do I do? Repent, and determine to do better next time.

a completely committed, lifelong servant of God

I am committed. I am completely committed to squash self and the flesh. I sometimes fail, but the commitment is there, and it is eternal. As we’ve already established, my heart is set to serve God throughout this life and forever.

Next he goes deeper. “As is the case with all such servants,” he says, “this means…”

my life is dedicated exclusively to doing His will

Here we go. All bondservants choose in advance to dedicate their lives to doing the will of their master and only the will of their master. There is no picking and choosing. I can’t say, “God, that other thing you told me to do? I am all in on that, but please don’t expect me to do this!” Well, I can say it. In fact, I have said it during some of our honest and occasionally gut-wrenching conversations. It’s at times like this that I truly appreciate the fatherhood of God, because He has an ability to be loving and merciful while also being decisive and firm that earthly fathers could really learn from. Generally, He sets me right and, when I obey, I see joy in that obedience. When I don’t obey, that’s when He calls me to repentance and, occasionally, gives me an opportunity to make things right. (At other times, I have to face the natural consequences of my disobedience, but that’s a topic for another day.)

and to faithfully carrying out any assignment He will ever entrust to me

I really appreciate the way this is phrased, because it reiterates the fact that I made the decision in advance when I chose to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. As my Lord, He has the right to give me any assignment, to tell me to do anything. As one who has, of my own free will, accepted His lordship, I have the responsibility to do anything He ever asks of me at any point today or in the future. In thinking about this, I’m reminded of Abraham’s reaction when God told him to go to the mountain and offer Isaac up as a sacrifice. Talk about a stomach-churning command! But Abraham had already established his relationship with God and wasn’t about to disobey. God, of course, provided the substitute sacrifice once Abraham demonstrated his commitment – and this proved to be a foreshadowing of what would transpire later at Calvary. What would have happened if Abraham had refused?

So yes, I too am a servant of God, a bondservant of Jesus Christ. An imperfect servant? Oh yeah, but I strive to keep my heart right at all times and I look forward to an eternity of carrying out any assignment He will ever entrust to me.

What about you?

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

You may wish to read my review of the Renner Interpretive Version: James & Jude.

Review: Renner Interpretive Version: James & Jude 

Like a Bride

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

A friend’s recent Facebook post reminded me of a conversation I had with God some time back. She had been talking to God about the Rapture, and what He told her was so close to what He said to me that I had to come share, or share again if by some chance I’ve posted on the topic before.

I am excitedly looking forward to the Rapture! I watch as evil and deception grow more prevalent in the world, natural disasters become mind-numbingly common, and we seem to be nearing World War III and, though it pains me on the one hand, on the other hand I know it’s just more indication that Jesus is coming back very soon.

So why was I talking to God about this particular topic? Well, yet another person had said something to imply my focus was on the wrong thing. (Yes, I’m referring to the old slam about being “so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good.”) Keeping my focus on God and doing all He asks me to do is vitally important to me, so I went to Him with the question just to make sure I’m still on track. And do you know what He told me?

It would be unnatural
for a bride not
to look forward excitedly
to being united with her groom.

Needless to say, I stopped being worried about what others thought. I am excited, and I am excited for good reason, but my excitement doesn’t distract me from one of my primary purposes on this earth – telling people about Jesus and helping them grow closer to God. Rather, it drives me forward, especially as I see so many in the church, so many pastors even, completely ignoring the import of the book of Revelation.

Of course, you know my stance on the importance of reading and studying the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. At least you do if you’ve read much of my work. I wrote Experiencing the Bible: A Guide and Journal specifically to help Christians who don’t know how to “get into the Word” come to a greater understanding of the Scriptures and a closer relationship with God. It’s obviously great for more mature Christians too, but the bottom line is that my focus is on expanding the Kingdom of God, which is right where it belongs.

And since I am not unnatural,
my excitement is right in line.

The Bride of Christ, the Church, is destined to be united with Jesus Himself and be with Him forever. This is HUGE! Yet it seems to me that the vast majority of Christians don’t even think about Eternity, much less the glaring neon signs all around us that indicate the church will be taken out of here very soon!

Ok, maybe you don’t know what I’m talking about. A quick web search will probably give you more information on the Rapture (including criticism) than you could imagine, but here’s a super condensed synopsis. In these Last Days, a day will come when those who are in Christ will be taken off the earth. We call it the Rapture. Rapture isn’t a word you’ll find in the Bible, but if you go back to original texts you’ll find the word “harpazo,” which means…

  1. to seize, carry off by force
  2. to seize on, claim for one’s self eagerly
  3. to snatch out or away

It has also been translated as “to rapture.”

If you do know this, then you probably also know Matthew 24:36 (NET): “But as for that day and hour no one knows it–not even the angels in heaven–except the Father alone.” This verse is another reason people like to avoid thinking about The Rapture. After all, if you can’t know the day or the hour, what’s the use?

The thing is, you CAN know the season, and we are in it.

In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus tells His disciples the parable of the fig tree. Throughout the Old Testament, the fig tree represents Israel as a nation, so we know this parable is about the nation of Israel. Jerusalem was devastated in 70AD and Israel was ripped apart by invaders, ceasing to be the nation the Jews had always known. The Jews were then scattered throughout the world (which had been prophesied) and Israel became a wasteland that no one wanted because she had nothing to offer.

It wasn’t until May of 1948 that Israel was, in essence, recreated as a nation/state by countries that determined reparation had to be made for the Holocaust, that the Jews must have a home. Last year, Israel celebrated 75 years as a nation. So let’s go back to Matthew 24.

“Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Matthew 24:32-35

No, no man can know the day or the hour; God hadn’t even told Jesus at that point. We can know this, however. My father’s generation saw the budding of the fig tree, the rebirth of the nation of Israel, and right here Jesus says that generation will not pass away. There are various opinions on just how long a generation is. I believe it’s 70 to 80 years, because that’s pretty much the average life span, but at the outside it could only be 70 to 100 years. Go out 100 years from 1948 and you have 2048, which is only 24 years away.

No matter how you look at it that’s not long, and every pre-rapture prophecy has been fulfilled, so the only thing holding Jesus back is The Father. God has a specific plan in mind and will fulfill it in His time. While we wait, we need to be getting ready for the wedding. It’s past time to get excited!

If you want an inexpensive and quick read
that will help you better understand what
I’ve shared today, grab a copy of
Amir Tsarfati’s little book, Any Day Now.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Hitting the Hard Stuff

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

“Tammy, what are you doing? You know this is a topic best avoided.”

Perhaps, but drinking alcohol is a subject that comes up often among Christians, one I occasionally get asked about, which means fellow believers are honestly wondering where I stand. I’m not afraid to answer the question.

The Bible contains numerous, obvious warnings against drinking to excess, so let’s take that off the table entirely. Yes, I firmly believe that drinking to excess is wrong on many levels and is, indeed, sin. Having lived with alcoholics (and an abusive alcoholic at that), I had strong feelings on this topic long before I found confirmation in the Bible.

So today we’re talking about casual drinking, occasional drinking, social drinking.

And my simple answer is this: I’m not your Holy Ghost. If you are honestly and sincerely seeking God and a deeper relationship with Him, if you are asking the Holy Spirit for guidance with a heart that beats to please your Lord, you will get your answer straight from the Source. This is true about anything; you can take all things to God and get answers from Him. 

The fact is that God meets each of us as individuals, giving us many instructions about things to do and not to do that may or may not be clearly indicated in the Bible. Sometimes there is a concrete reason, like God telling me to back off the sodas because the addiction was harming my body. Yes, I said addiction, and giving in to addictions is a huge mistake: If you obey an addiction over God’s instruction, you are making the addiction an idol. Idol worship is sin.

Sometimes God instructs us to do, or not do, things simply so that we can practice obedience. I have literally had a conversation with God in which He asked me, “Will you give up ____?” It took me a minute, but I said, “Yes, if You want me to I will.” He then told me I didn’t need to, that He was asking to find out where my heart really was, and so that I could see where my heart really was.

Again, anything that is more important to us than God is an idol, and where there are idols there is sin.

I know, a lot of words for a simple answer.

So, here’s my personal response.

Alcohol has never been a real draw for me, even on those rare occasions when I did drink. However, I’ve sought God on the topic a lot since I actively started serving Him, because I know it is a major issue for many others. I have God-loving Christian friends who think drinking is of the devil, and equally God-loving Christian friends who see no problem with it at all as long as it’s not to excess, as long as they’re not giving control over to the alcohol. (Yes, that’s a fine line to draw since you often do not recognize the point at which you lose control.)

For years, I’ve considered it best not to drink simply because I don’t want to set an example that causes anyone else to stumble. Jesus and Paul were both pretty firm on this point, a fact that was enough for me to choose not to drink just in case there was anyone watching who would be hurt. Then I saw something else several years ago while reading the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 10:9-10, God commanded Aaron to ensure that none of the priests drank wine or strong drink when going into the Tabernacle.

There was no place for wine or strong drink, or one who was being influenced by such things, in the Tabernacle. Yes, that’s Old Testament; I get it. But here’s this.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT – NOTE: New Testament

There it is: The connection. Tabernacle…temple…essentially the same thing.

You can look at this two ways. The first way I saw it was that I am essentially a priest who, 24/7, ministers in the temple that is my body. In that case, I have no business bringing wine or strong drink into the temple. Then there is the fact that my body IS the temple and, whether or not you think of me as a priest ministering in the temple, I have no business bringing alcohol inside.

Again, to make myself abundantly clear, I am not your Holy Ghost. I am merely sharing what God has shown me. I’m not judging anyone. Shoot, when I was visiting a friend’s church and accidently took communion from the cup that held real wine, I didn’t feel like I had done wrong and needed to repent. (It felt more like making a sacrifice, actually. To my tastebuds there is no good wine.)

 And yes, the tabernacle/temple analogy holds true in a lot of ways. I have great responsibility to take care of my body specifically because it is the temple of the Holy Ghost. That’s why I hardly drink any sodas anymore and have cut way back on sugar yet again.

“Yet again?” you ask? Right: Addiction is real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given up sodas, how many times I’ve cut back on sugar. I have to regulate my intake carefully because it’s far too easy to slip right back into that addiction. This is actually why I recently wrote my post entitled “Thankful for the Hard Things.” I am genuinely thankful that now, when those temptations arise, I can remind myself that I’ve already had a TIA and don’t want to do anything that might lead to another. I’ve had my wake up call. I will heed it.

So there it is. I’ve dared tackle one of the most controversial issues in Christianity. Feel free to disagree with me; many do.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C