Monthly Archives: June 2023

Death and Resurrection

The Widow of Nain-Hope in Death

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Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He compassionately said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he, who was dead, sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Luke 7: 11-17

More Than A Prophet

Jesus had left Capernaum earlier in the day and walked 20 miles to the little village of Nain. His disciples, and many others, had followed Him after witnessing the healing of the Centurion’s servant.

Jesus never actually met the Centurion. The powerful ranking officer of the Roman army felt so unworthy that he sent messengers to Jesus, expressing his great faith, unlike the chosen of Israel, in Jesus’ power to heal by simply saying the word. Jesus didn’t need to come to the Centurion’s house to perform the miracle. Jesus marveled at his faith and said,

“Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 8: 10-12

Such a contrast between the faith and destiny of an “unchosen” (A Gentile) and the “chosen!” (Abraham’s descendants). The unchosen’s faith saved him for eternity. The Chosen’s faith and religiosity, absent of faith in Christ, would lead to outer darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

The people, too, marveled at the words of Jesus that went contrary to the arrogant religious leaders’ self-serving theology. It left many wondering about the mission of Jesus.

An only son brought back to life.

As the crowd walked toward Nain, the thoughts of Jesus’ miracle of healing the Centurnion’s servant still lingered in each person’s mind. Was He the promised Messiah described by all the prophets of Israel? Hope was in the heart of many who saw Jesus perform miracles, and doubt in the minds of others who saw it as trickery.

On Nain’s outskirts, Jesus and followers came upon a slow-moving and mournful funeral procession. Following the open casket was the bereaved mother whose only son lay lifeless on the raised carrier of his body. This young man was her only son and the only support left in the widow’s life. Her weeping was painful and pitiful. In the heart of Jesus awoke sympathy and sadness for the widow.

Because of her downcast posture and eyes full of tears, she didn’t see Jesus at first, but He came close to her and said,

“Weep not.”

“When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her.” (Luke 7:13) As she moved on blindly, weping, noting not His presence, He came close beside her, and gently said, “Weep not.” Jesus was about to change her grief to joy, het He could not forbear the expression of tender sympathy.”

Desire of Ages, p. 318

In the moment of her deepest despair, not knowing of Jesus’ presence, her pain was to turn into pure joy! Likewise, even when we cannot sense the presence of God, He feels our grief and anguish! Let us look up, in faith, from our troubles into the eyes of Jesus!

“He came and touched the open coffin.” The crowd stopped and grew silent in anticipation of Jesus’ next words. They were not to be disappointed.

“Young man, I say to you, arise.”

That voice pierces the ears of the dead. The young man opens his eyes.

But much more…

“So he, who was dead, sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.“

“Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” 

But Jesus is more than a prophet! He has the keys to the grave and death (Revelation 1:18). He can unlock those bound by death and let them go!

“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18

Real Death

The young man was returned to life on this earth but would die again someday, awaiting another resurrection. One that would last forever. There is no indication of how long the widow’s son had been dead. The mourning and preparations likely took a few days.

The Bible records others who were raised back to life. Lazarus had been dead for four days. Long enough to give off the stench of rotting flesh.

“Lord, by this time, there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

John 11: 39

Another raised from the dead was Jarius’ daughter. While Jesus was on his way to help the young girl, she died.

He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” Jesus went with him.

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

Mark 5: 23-24, 35

Unlike Lazarius (dead four days) and the widow’s son (dead approximately the same time as Lazarius), the little girl died that day.

Some commentators forget that Jesus raised more than three people. Many in the graves came forth when Jesus died and was resurrected. Their time in death must have been even longer than Lazarus, the widow’s son, and Jarius’ daughter. It could have been weeks, perhaps even years.

Why is the length of time of death significant? For a few reasons:

1.) Their coming back to life was not a few moments or even minutes on an operating table or elsewhere. It was to the point of decay! This is why I cannot put much confidence in the modern stories of those who “died” and came back to life. They are unbiblical delusional accounts. and often motivated by fame and fortune in book sales.

2.) Of all those that Jesus resurrected, they are no stories of them seeing heaven. No books of the Bible are written by them describing paradise’s beauties. So where were they? Simply put, they were dead and in their graves awaiting the resurrection. Jesus described their condition as like sleep (unconscious of time or space).

Of Lazarus, He said,

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”….Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

Luke 11:10, 14

To the mourners of Jarius’ daughter, Jesus said,

The child is not dead but sleeping.”

Mark 5: 39

3.) The best comfort a Christian can get at losing a loved one is not that the deceased are looking down on a sinful hateful world or are anxious about whether a loved one will join them. This cannot be heaven to them. But instead, their death is like a quick moment of sleep in the arms and mind of Jesus, who “has the keys to the grave and death.” He alone can bring back loved ones from dust to life. That dead person will feel like their death was just a moment, while it may have been hundreds, even thousands of years!

Even in the oldest book of the Bible, Job put his comfort in the fact of the resurrection by the Redeemer in the last day even though the skin would be destroyed in death.

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! Job 19: 25-27

The last-day-resurrection-of-the-saved was known in Jesus’ time. Martha knew it when she said to Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus:

“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

John 11:24

My friends find comfort in Paul’s statement to the Thessalonians. These believers were worried about those who died and did not live to see the return of Christ. He ends the encouraging description with “Comfort one another with these words.” This is where I find comfort for my mother and father, who passed away. They were “in Christ.” They sleep for a moment; then they see Jesus coming in the clouds!

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (There’s that word again!) lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. …For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1

Thessalonians 4: 13 14-18

The widow of Nain, Lazarus, Jarius’ daughter, and the many saints resurrected with Jesus after His death on the cross all testify of the power of the resurrection. This power separates Him from any other person claiming to be God. He has the keys to the grave and death!

Brother or sister, are you “in Christ”? If you are, you too will see Jesus when He gives you and all those asleep in Christ immortality at the second coming (See 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55)

Church

THE BEST SMALL GROUP MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH

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By Rudy Salazar

Note: I have edited Pastor Salazar’s article using words to make it non-denominational specific. Why? Because if we are in Christ, we are in His body of believers regardless of where we attend church.

As a pastor, I have noticed over the years that one of the main reasons people stop going to church is the lack of friends and meaningful relationships in the church. Loneliness and church should be an oxymoron.

The Church is losing members at an alarming rate. Even though the evangelism in our churches is winning people, we lose about 49 of every 100 baptized,” writes Kirk Thomas.”* We are losing many members because of the lack of meaningful connections in the church.

Recently a friend who will soon retire and move away went to a church where no one made eye contact with him. The next weekend, he went to a different church. The people were friendly. A man asked if he had plans for lunch and told him not to make other plans because he was coming with his family to eat. I call that a warm welcome!

Our present post-pandemic culture is making it harder to develop meaningful personal relationships. The shopping mall is Amazon. The movie theater is Netflix. The office is Zoom. And the church service is on the Internet.

Church as a Social Club

Some say we go to church to meet God, which should not be used as a social club. I disagree. Acts 2:45 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers (KJV).

The social aspect in our churches is bigger and deeper than we realize. In fact, this verse says that as important as doctrine is, it is not the only thing the early Christians were committed to do. They steadfastly had koinonia (Greek for “fellowship”).

Acts 2:46, 47 continues: “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

People should join the church because of the doctrines (or the truth), but they should stay because of the friends they have in the church.

After the pandemic, people are more disconnected than ever before, and some are not returning. Fut for those that do, there should be a small-group ministry they can be immediately connected to–not only for Bible study but also to socialize and have fun.

This small group should be established for more than studying theology–it should also develop deep friendships.

Weekend Bible Classes as Small Group Ministry

Several years ago, my wife, Janet, and I had just moved to Columbia, Maryland, and were looking for a church to call home. After visiting several churches, we found the one we were looking for–all because of the Bible class. They gave us a warm welcome in their class. We join their potluck; we go on weekend afternoon walks. We play table games on Saturday nights; we go camping together and celebrate special occasions together. Our class goes beyond the worship time because there is koinonia.

If every Bible class were as engaging, many of our churches would need to have a couple of services. Why? People are looking for meaningful Christian friends that go beyond a few hours at church. It should be a requirement for the local church to plug every newly baptized member into an active Bible class.

During the month of January this year, Maryland went through a wave of COVID-19 Omicron variant illness, and my wife and I got sick. Our Bible class showed their care for us by bringing us food. The best medicine against the loneliness of COVID is an active Bible class that is watching out for each other.

And for us, going to Bible class is not a duty but a delight.

*Kirk Thomas, “Nurture, Retention, Reclamation: Can you Heart Their Cry?” Ministry, April 2019 https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2019/04/Nurture-retention-reclamation

Reasons to Believe

WHAT IS A CULT?

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The average person is often amazed at the people who join a cult and wind up giving their lives for their charismatic leader and his beliefs. But this is exactly what the Christians of the early church and some in different oppressive parts of the world have done. What makes the difference? Is Jesus a cult leader? The answer to this is a resounding “No.” What makes Him different? The answer might surprise you.

Some may judge others as cultic but are in a cult and don’t even know it. The first cult leader is Satan. He is the father of lies and cultism—these questions we will explore over the next few articles.

In our search to understand Cults, let’s start with the English definitions. Webster’s Dictionary has five ways the word can be used. The second use of the term has three subsets.

1. A religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious. Spurious means “not appearing to be what it claims to be.”

A religion that doesn’t fit the mainstream or majority of religions.

2. a.)  Great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book.).

Musicians, actors, politicians, and other famous or infamous people would also fit here. A band and its members who are, in effect, worshiped and adored fiercely. They come before anything else.

b.) The object of such devotion

This appears to be non-living objects or non-philosophical, e.g., cars and activities such as travel. I am still pondering the exact meaning of this definition.

c.) A usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

The critical concept among the subsets (a, b, c) is “devotion.” From this first definition, a cult is not just the classic understanding of religious cults. A person devoted to other people, activities, or anything of great devotion can be considered a cult under this definition. That sounds like quite a few categories, not just churches.

Webster continues with the definitions:

3.  A system of religious beliefs and rituals also: its body of adherents

The key word here is “system” It is a programmed set of rules, ideas, and activities required and obeyed by its “adherents.” The Bible refers to such cults in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We will explore this later.

4.  Formal religious veneration: Worship

The key word here is “formal” and “veneration.” The act of showing great reverence and respect in a formal pastoral setting.

5. A system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator. A promulgator is a person or organization that promotes an idea to make it popular. An example would be health cults,

Summary

From these definitions, cults are all around us. While religious cults are most widely recognized, non-religious people can also fall into a cult but try to call it something else. According to these definitions, the key elements of a cult revolve around the concepts of devotion, beliefs, and rituals. This sounds like most mainstream religions of the day, including the many subsets of Protestantism, i.e., denominations.

RELIGIOUS CULTS

That is the subject of this article. What makes up a religious cult? Are they easily identified?

Can a mainline denomination be a cult and not realize it if they have unfounded devotion to their charismatic pastor, priest, etc., above Jesus? Do they depend on him or her for answers to Biblical questions or direction?

Author

Famous cults are led by strong, charismatic, deceptive, controlling, narcissistic men and women. Here are just a few that most people would recognize.

1.) The Manson Family

The infamous 1969 family of young people controlled and mesmerized by Charles Manson was persuaded to murder at least nine people in the Hollywood area of California. The followers of Manson lived communally in a movie ranch outside of Los Angeles.

The elements of a cult are here:

Charismatic, strong devotion of the adherents, deception, control, beliefs about the corruption of Hollywood people, and narcissism even though religion, per se, had nothing o do with the motivation and lifestyle of the followers.

2.) Heaven’s Gate

Founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles, they recruited adherents through the Internet. They believed that the end of the earth was near.

The followers believed they would be beamed into the “Next Level” in their living bodies into an alien spacecraft. When Bonnie Lu Nettles died of cancer in the mid-’80s, Applewhite changed his philosophy: Death would be necessary to climb to the Next Level of existence. In March of 1997, 39 cult members were found dead in their commune, all arranged in excellent order and wearing Nike running shoes. A later autopsy showed the male members had been castrated. The group had strict rules against sex.

The elements of a cult are here. First, a strong follower recruits vulnerable people to participate in a new order of belief that leads to death on the word of a charismatic leader who talks and establishes a set of beliefs with authority.

3.) David Koresh’s Branch Davidians 

Koresh claimed to be the Messiah. What he said was the law. He believed he had a special revelation from God, and God was directing him to have sex with many different women. He annulled all earthly marriages by his word alone.

He believed and taught that the world’s end was imminent and that there would be a great battle between good and evil before that time came. For the Branch Davidians, the end of the world came on February 28, 1993, when the ATF using its power of a search warrant and looking for a stockpile of weapons, gave up on negotiation and used the force of military-type weapons on its target…a home filled with women and children. Seventy-seven people, men, women, and children, died in flames or gunfire.

It could be said that there were two cults involved here. One was religious in nature, and the other was the police agencies. Strong leaders lead both with their own set of beliefs. But unfortunately, its leaders’ use of control, stubbornness, and lack of common sense led to death.

The Peoples Temple

Jim Jones, a former Methodist Minister, founded it. The church and its members had the noble goal of freeing people from racial segregation and poverty. Most of its members were black, inspired by the message of Jones.

Jones promised a utopia in Jonestown, but the rules were strict, and mock suicide drills were common. Eventually, after continued rumors of financial fraud and physical abuse in the congregation, 909 people took their lives at Jones’ command with a “Kool-Aid” mix laced with cyanide. Approximately 300 of the dead were children.

We could go on and on and discuss the many other easily recognized cults in our society,

*NXIVM, led by Keith Raniere;

*The Children of God started as Teens for Christ in Huntington Beach, California, in the late 1960s by a man named David Berg

*The Rajneeshees Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was an Indian guru with thousands of disciples who lived in a commune near Antelope, Oregon. Rajneesh lived a good life. He owned 93 Rolls Royces. He believed sex was fun, materialism was good, and Jesus was a madman.

Acceptable and Superious Cults

Webster’s forensic definition gives us a framework for understanding cults, but the cults themselves provide detailed characteristics.

The cults listed above have these 6 simple things in common.

1.) A strong charismatic leader with definite or evolving beliefs. They are narcissistic and materialistic while teaching ideals to others.

2.) Strong, charismatic leaders often benefit through sex, wives, riches, or power. The followers devote all they have, including money to their leader to the exclusion of family.

3.) The followers adhere to these beliefs, usually without a Biblical basis. They are missing something in society and have little self-worth. They exhibit naivety and lack common sense or the ability to think on their own. They find their mission and purpose for life in the group.

4.) The adherents are controlled by tough rules. If a person doesn’t pay by the rules, they are “excommunicated.”

5.) They would die for their beliefs.

6.) There are no options for choice or doubt.

There is a fine line between cultism and not, as there is between truth and error.

Next time, we will look at modern religions that have the characteristics of a cult and those that don’t. We will also explore the Bible’s warnings against following anyone other than Jesus. We will discover why Jesus is the anti-cult leader and what makes Him so.