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The coastal bend of South Texas has been under a historic drought for about the past three years. We didn’t have a Spring… everything was dead and dry. The reservoirs got as low as 8% total capacity and Corpus Christi was under severe water restrictions.
Of course as Christians we prayed for relief… for local rain and rain in our watershed which feeds our reservoirs.
Of course there was no answer to our prayers and for me personally I just kind of gave up on the prayers. I would still mention the need for rain in my prayers but after a while futility and disappointment set in and it didn’t seem too much like God cared about it one way or the other.
Finally we got some local rains and it greened up and the flowers bloomed and the birds started singing and we began seeing butterflies again. Hope started stirring in my heart but the reservoirs were still almost empty and we couldn’t water our plants because of the water restrictions.
And then something crazy happened we started getting historic rains. Where? Right where we needed it, in our watershed. The Frio river caused Lake Choke Canyon to to raise to about 25%. The Nueces river looks like it is going to fill Lake Corpus Christi to 100%.
We almost never see that kind of rain in our watershed. My personal opinion is that this rain was from the hand of God.
Things to learn; trust in God, his actions might not fit our timetable but he is all we have. Satan sure isn’t going to help us. Keep praying no matter what. God always answers the needs of his people.
I’m reminded of the old joke told in West Texas that when God flooded the earth West Texas only got four inches.
I’m also reminded of when our daughter moved to Houston and worked in a corporate office and a thunderstorm brewed up and she walked to the window to watch it. Her co-workers asked her what she was doing. She said you don’t understand where I’m from. When it rains we stop and watch God’s wonderful blessed gift.
Deep South Texas has spells of drought and always will but God can break a drought. Just pray.
The word “spirit” occurs 388 times in the Old Testament. Out of a total of 592,000 words it occurs 0.12% of the time.
The word “spirit” occurs 379 times in the New Testament. Out of a total of 176,000 words it occurs 0.28% of the time… over twice as much.
Obviously the New Testament emphasizes “spirit” more than The Old Testament does.
That was fun and revealing but lets check another word. The phrase “eternal life” only occurs one time in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:2).
The same phrase occurs 42 times in the New Testament.
Colossians 2:16-17…
"Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ”
Let me suggest that in the Old Testament we were introduced (foreshadowed) to and learned some things about the Holy Spirit. However, in the New Testament the concept of the Holy Spirit was more fully developed (substantiated) and especially his role in our eternal destiny.
The concept of eternal salvation for all of mankind was almost completely a foreign concept in the Old Testament. Imagine the surprise of God’s people Israel when they learned that all people of faith could share in God’s Holy Spirit and His free gift of eternal salvation.
Brothers in Christ,
My name is Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. I have devoted my life to shepherding the Church and preserving the faith that has been handed down to us by the apostles. I never imagined that one of the greatest threats to that faith would come from one of my own presbyters.
Arius was an intelligent and persuasive teacher. I respected him and hoped he would become a faithful servant of Christ. But when he began teaching that there was a time when the Son of God did not exist—that Jesus was the first and greatest of God's creatures—I knew the Church faced a danger greater than persecution. False doctrine has a way of quietly dividing the Church from within.
I did not immediately condemn Arius. As his bishop, I met with him and pleaded with him to reconsider his teaching in light of the Scriptures and the faith the Church has always confessed. I wanted reconciliation, not division. But when he refused to repent and continued spreading his doctrine, I had no choice. Together with the bishops of Egypt, I excommunicated him—not because I hated him, but because I loved Christ, His Church, and the truth. A shepherd must protect the flock.
Unfortunately, the matter did not end there. Arius found influential bishops willing to support him, and the controversy spread throughout the empire. That is why we have gathered here at Nicaea.
As I speak with each of you, I am not asking you to follow Alexander. I am asking you to follow the testimony of Scripture.
John begins his Gospel by declaring, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He then tells us that all things were created through Him. If all things were created through Christ, then Christ Himself cannot be a created being.
Thomas worshiped Him, saying, "My Lord and my God." Paul teaches that in Christ all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. The writer of Hebrews calls Him the exact representation of the Father's nature. These are not descriptions of the highest creature. They are descriptions of God Himself.
But allow me to ask a question.
If Jesus is not truly God, then what makes His sacrifice different from any other man who has ever lived?
For centuries our Jewish fathers faithfully offered the blood of bulls and goats upon the altar. Yet the Scriptures teach us those sacrifices could never truly take away sins. They pointed us toward something greater.
Now Arius tells us that Christ is merely another created being.
If that is true, then what has really changed? We have simply replaced the blood of animals with the blood of another creature. How can one created life accomplish what countless sacrifices under the Law never could?
No, brothers. The New Covenant is greater because the One who established it is greater. The value of Christ's sacrifice is not merely that He died. Many righteous men have died. The value of His sacrifice is found in who He is. He is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh and offered Himself for us.
Only God can fully reveal God. Only God can reconcile mankind to God. If Christ is not truly God, then I fear we have no better sacrifice than those who still await the Messiah. But if Christ is God in the flesh, then God Himself has provided the perfect and final sacrifice for sin.
That is why this controversy matters. It is not about pride. It is not about politics. It is not about winning an argument. It is about preserving the very foundation of our hope.
Please understand my heart. I do not seek to embarrass Arius. I seek the unity of Christ's Church. But unity without truth cannot endure.
Brothers, I desire peace as much as any man in this room.
But peace purchased at the price of truth is no peace at all—it is merely pretense.
Truth first.
Then unity.
Then peace.
That is the faith I received.
That is the faith I have preached.
That is the faith for which I excommunicated Arius.
And by the grace of God, that is the faith I will defend.
Our modern Bibles (New Testament) translate the Koine Greek word “Pneuma” into three different English words… “spirit”, “wind” or “breath” The original writers of the New Testament just used the word “Pneuma”
For instance today we read John 3:5-10,
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
However the original text would read like this,
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the pneuma. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the pneuma gives birth to pneuma. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The pneuma blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the pneuma.”
So why would the original writers not differentiate between “spirit”, “wind” and “breath”?
Here’s my answer and it seems obvious… they thought they were all the same thing.
They thought the wind was the breath of God. The thought the new born babe breathing his first breath was God putting spirit and life into the babe.
The archaic mind did not understand meteorology and certainly did not understand human physiology. God communicated to them in language they could understand. It was not his purpose to teach weather patterns and oxygenation of blood.
It is important to the Bible student of today because sometimes translators get it wrong. They do like all humans have their predjudices. It’s also important to understand the Holy Scriptures through the lens of ancient and semi ancient peoples.
When we read spirit, breath or wind we should be thinking pneuma.
By the way the element Oxygen was not discovered until 1774 and the exchange of Oxygen from the lungs into the blood about 1780.
Cats are natural carnivores. They are designed in nature to eat rats, birds, snakes and things like grasshoppers. We had a professor in Veterinary school who said the best diet for a cat would be to put a bunch of rats in the food processor and feed that mix… muscles, bones, intestinal contents, skin and fur.
We see a lot of cats with metabolic conditions… obesity, pancreatitis, diabetes and urinary crystal formation. All of these conditions are cause by feeding un-natural cat foods. Usually dry foods with grain based carbohydrates.
So why would we feed an un-natural diet verses a natural one? Because dry cat foods are cheap and most cats do okay on them. Emphasis on “cheap”
Christians have a lot of spiritual ailments caused by eating a diet of man made and smooth and popular and polarizing doctrines instead of those simple and understandable doctrines shared by God for his people.
I’ve never seen a “barn” cat who suffered from obesity and all the metabolic issues that I see in “house” cats. They have different diets… one is healthy and natural and the other is unhealthy and un-natural. I make my living on unhealthy pets and business is good.
Maybe just maybe if we are having moral and spiritual problems in our lives the problem is what we are “eating”
If you went to a diet center and no one ever lost weight but stayed obese you would look for help in another direction wouldn’t you?
Similarly, if you visit a church and no one has been married very long and the children are out of control or the prayers are shallow and the singing is on life support or the preacher never quotes from the Bible…
Maybe just maybe you should question the spiritual diet that is being offered. It might be an "okay" diet but it could be stunting or even killing you.
I found out a friend of mine had, had a heart attack and was in treatment for it. He didn’t tell me… his wife brought the subject up. I told the wife to be careful to not look or smell too good because her husbands heart might not be able to take it. Lol.
I observed that my friend still smoked. I mentioned that smoking makes the blood hyper-coagulable and he could stroke out. He said… I take an Aspirin every day to prevent that.
I asked him if he had changed his diet any. He said he had a little bit but his wife said he had not. Sheepishly he said the heart medications took care of that for him.
This typifies a common notion that is going around among many. They don’t want to put in the work to be healthy and to have true health they want to rely on medicine and doctors to manage their unhealthy life style.
That’s kind of like the guy who decides to become a Christian and has all his nasty sins washed away but then does nothing to grow. Just relies on “God’s grace” and “prayer” and wears those things like a Badge of Honor. Never truly maturing in Christ. Never trying to develop the image of Christ in their lives and never equipping oneself with the full Christian armor.
To truly have good health, both physical and spiritual, requires some effort.
We might need to put down the spoon and step away from the table and start feeding and nurturing others. Just like Jesus did. Do that and you can live forever.
God designated some animals to be clean and others to be unclean.
A hog for instance would be one example of an “unclean” animal. Sheep would be an example of a “clean” animal.
God’s people could only sacrifice and eat “clean” animals. For God’s people to sacrifice a hog on an altar would be totally unacceptable.
In addition, God wanted a “clean” people so they could only eat “clean” animals. It was part of their “cleanness”. I can tell you with absolute certainty that Jesus our Lord and Savior never ate Pork. To do so would have made him “unclean” and he wasn’t “unclean”… he was perfect.
Maybe clean and unclean animals foreshadow God’s creation under his new covenant. There are “clean” and “unclean” humans.
Those who have been baptized and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ have become “clean” and pure like the “clean” Sheep. Those who are not are “unclean” like the filthy swine. Totally unacceptable to God and unacceptable to live with Him in the Heavenly places.
The good news for us is that although we once were all “unclean” Hogs we didn’t have to stay that way we could choose through God’s grace to become “clean".
Remember… there won’t be any Hogs in Heaven or even Hogs who have had a bath and are outwardly clean. Yopu can bathe a hog and put a ring in its nose but its still a hog. Only the transformed “clean” will be in Heaven.
When Julie and I moved to Corpus Christi in 1982 the congregation had two Elders… Jack Young and Carl Miller. Who they might have had before that if any I am not aware. Later Joe Henderson was made an Elder but then he moved off and then I think Jack moved and the congregation was without Elders.
July 20, 1997 - David Smitherman and Rob Perkins were appointed as Elders.
June 18, 2000 - Gus Cargile and Bill Chambers were added as Elders.
July 3, 2016 - Ricardo Baca added as an Elder.
June 21, 2026 - Shane Torno and Larry White added as Elders.
Our current Elders are Gus Cargile, Ricardo Baca, Rob Perkins, Larry White and Shane Torno.
I was talking to a former member who moved away several years ago and as we were catching up I asked how the church was doing where they attended.
Among other things he said he and his wife are often thanked for what they do in the congregation.
He said he responds to them… “several years ago an Elder kept encouraging me to be more involved and eventually I did”
God has sheep all over the world. They are under one great Shepherd… Jesus Christ. They are one great big flock of sheep who Jesus shepherds through his written word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The whole flock of sheep the world over assemble every Sunday as small flocks of sheep shepherded by earthly Shepherds in their various communities. They also are shepherded by the written word and by prayer.
The earthly Shepherds only answer to the great heavenly Shepherd Jesus Christ and to no one else.
The sheep in these local flocks only answer to two shepherds… the great Shepherd Jesus Christ and to their local Shepherds.
As a business owning Veterinarian who would you rather hire? An experienced Veterinarian with sky high productivity or a fresh new Veterinarian with outstanding book knowledge but no experience or the confidence that comes with experience?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
I have been a Veterinarian for over 45 years. I never see anything new anymore… vomiting dog, dog with diarrhea, dog with organ failure, dog with cancer, dog with neurologic disorders, etc., etc., etc. I can walk into a room with a panicked client and calmly make a diagnosis and and offer treatment and usually I don’t have to run a bunch of expensive diagnostics to do so.
Let’s talk about Elders in a congregation and who is best qualified to lead the congregation.
What if a young man went to a Bible college and graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned a bunch of letters after his name and could answer any question based on the Bible? And all his friends were scholars of the Bible? Would he make a good Elder?
What about an older man who never went to college who worked with his hands but studied his Bible every day and raised godly children and godly grandchildren. A man who worked among common people and was exposed to every kind of problem that comes with living and working with ungodly people. Would he make a good Elder?
You can have all the great teachers in the world but the greatest teacher is experience and that only comes with age. They say it takes 12 months to get a years experience. There are no short cuts.
God chose to have older experienced men to lead his congregations. Men who have experienced marriage and everything life has to throw at you.
I appreciate young inexperienced Veterinarians because after all that’s what I used to be.
I also appreciate young men who dedicate themselves to the study of God’s word. With age and experience they will make great leaders one day. It just takes time.
Placing membership in a local congregation is kind of a funny thing. We have people in regular attendance who may attend services three times a week but they don’t want to be officially known as members.
Of course as Elders/Pastors/Shepherds in a congregation we want attendees to “place membership” Why? Because by doing so they let the leadership and the congregation know that they are putting themselves under the leadership of the congregation to help them grow and mature spiritually as Christians which is what God expects of them.
Consider the congregation as a flock of sheep under a shepherd. What if some stray sheep wander in and start feeding and associating with the flock. After a period of time the rest of the flock thinks of them as members. They feel like members and act like members. Do they become part of the flock just by continual association?
Does the Shepherd ignore them because they are not “officially” recognized as part of the flock or does the Shepherd care for them like all the others in the flock of sheep? Does he let that visiting sheep wander off to be consumed by a wolf and do nothing about it and feel no remorse because he didn’t have that sheep listed in his official tally of the flock? Or does he act to protect?
And what would the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, do in that situation? I think I know.
My guess is that some don’t want to place membership because they don’t want to be held accountable when they stray and follow after sin. Maybe they don’t want people calling them when they miss services.
For example they may want to occasionally party and get drunk and be sexually active (outside of marriage) and sleep in on Sunday mornings but, you can’t touch me because I’m not a member of the church (officially).
What a nice little game that is played by both sides. Elders who play the “wild card” of inaction and attendees who counter with the “wild card” of I’m free to do what I want because I’m not a member.
Ridiculous. Remember God will not be “mocked” and trifled with.
Some of the worst clients i’ve had to deal with at our Veterinary Clinic have been members of our congregation.
I had one church member who threw a fit in an exam room. I can’t even remember what they were upset about. When they had run out of gas, I asked my exam room technician to leave and shut the door. Then I calmly said… you’re not going to act like that in my clinic. If you can’t control yourself you can find another Veterinary clinic. I didn’t get an apology.
Another church member was not happy with one of my associates and complained to me about it. I told them to talk to my practice manager. They did. My practice manager said my Veterinary associate and staff acted appropriately. The church member went on to trash us on social media and stopped payment on a check.
My practice manager asked me if I wanted her to wave the charges since the client went to our church and I said absolutely not. Treat them like anyone else.
You see, I love all my employees and I am doing my best to convert them to Christ. Imagine the hypocrisy my employees would see in me if I rewarded poor behavior.
It’s embarrassing to me when an employee in disbelief says… “Dr. Perkins, that person goes to your church?”
There are Christians and there are Sunday Morning Christians. Be the right kind.
The first part of the letter to the churches in Galatia speaks to the different Gospel that Christians from a jewish back ground were trying to impose on Christians from a Greek or non-jewish background… namely circumcision.
In other words the Greeks would be baptized then there would be a knife and a minor surgical procedure waiting to be performed on them.
Then there seems to be a transition to the “works of the flesh” and the “fruits of the Spirit” Is it really a transition or is it a continuation of the same subject?
Let me suggest that the “works of the flesh” actually describes the works of the judaizing Christian teachers. The purveyors of circumcision.
Note the parallel beginning in Galatians 5: 16… the desires of the Spirit vs. the desires of the Flesh and if “led by the Spirit” not “under the Law”
It shifts from Flesh to Law and then defines the works of the flesh (implied Law)
Keep in mind under the Mosaic Law all those “works of the flesh” could be solved by merely sacrificing an animal. That would not be the case under the New Law. The New Law required and requires spiritual perfection because of the superiority of God’s perfect sacrifice… Jesus Christ. It starts in the mind and the heart.
If judaizing Christian teachers could require circumcision then as the holy text explains they would be logically obligated to practice the whole of the Mosaic Law and could continue to practice the “works of the flesh” claiming that the blood of Jesus Christ allowed it just like the blood of animal sacrifices did.
The Galatian letter has a reference to the “fruits of the spirit” I asked my High School class if they saw a tree with oranges on it what kind of tree would that be? They correctly said… an Orange Tree.
Then I asked them if they saw a tree whose fruit was love, joy, peace, etc. what kind of tree would that be?
Conversely if they observed a tree whose fruit was sorcery, immorality, anger, etc. What kind of tree would that be?
Here’s a tough one. What if they saw a tree with mixed fruit… love, joy, peace but also anger and strife and trouble making?
That tree might be a newborn Christian in the faith who still has some work to do in the fruit department but is making progress.
Or it might be a mature tree that has become stunted and is not growing nor is it fulfilling the spiritual directive to become full, complete, blameless and pure… the very spiritual image of Jesus Christ himself.
From time to time we need to take a critical look at ourselves and see ourselves as others see us. Lets be one of the prettiest and most productive trees in God’s garden because… He deserves it.
The phrase “In heavenly places” only occurs six times in the entirety of the New Testament and all those occurrences are in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Probably significant.
In fact, the epistle starts with “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” and ends with a war against “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” That is super significant.
First, what are the spiritual blessings in heavenly places? They are iterated in the Holy text as… being chosen, being pre-destined for adoption, being redeemed and forgiven, having God’s mysteries made known, inheriting an inheritance and finally and dramatically being “sealed” with the Holy Spirit.
Contrast “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” with “physical blessings in earthly places. We have both from God… good health, prosperity, families and Christian fellowship (to name a few)… all earthly and physical.
What are the differences between spiritual blessings and earthly blessings? Earthly blessings are temporary while spiritual blessings are permanent.
Why would Paul lead this letter talking about spiritual blessings? Because knowing and understanding those blessings are the first step in preparing us to be Christian warriors in the great battle against cosmic powers.
Have you ever heard the phrase, its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog? Imagine a confident Chihuahua backing down a German Shepherd… it happens.
Understanding the permanent, unshakeable gifts God has given us builds confidence in our Faith and with even a little bit of faith (and no doubt) we can move mountains, we can walk on water and we can defeat the greatest of enemies.
Remember David and Goliath.
The Ephesian letter has seven references to “mystery”. More than any other New Testament letter.
The first use of the mystery is identified in Ephesians 3… the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the Church and share in the promises of the grace of God.
That would certainly be a mystery to most Jews who thought that they would forever be God’s chosen people and nation and that the non-Jews (Gentiles) would be nothing better than step-children of God.
This mystery was also mysterious to the “rulers and authorities in heavenly places” and if they weren't already mystified when God became flesh and allowed himself to be crucified this new mystery certainly added to their astomishment.
Another revealed “mystery” was how God’s church was in fact the wife of Jesus and how He was “One flesh” with her. Similar but not the same as the “one flesh” between a husband and wife.
In fact, this “mystery” is called a “great mystery” A greater mystery presumably than the mystery of the Jews and Gentiles becoming one.
It makes sense that the Jews and Gentiles had to become one people in Christ, because Jesus couldn’t have two wives… a jewish wife and a gentile wife.
Paul prays (Ephesians 3:18-19) that we the church (as a wife) would be able to know and comprehend the love of Jesus offers (as a husband). Presumably because that kind of love and the understanding of it is transformative and we become better wives. Just as an earthly husband's love through “nourishment and cherishment” transforms his wife.
Thanks you Paul for explaining that to us.
The Ephesian letter begins with Paul high lighting the gifts or blessings that God has given them. And if that were not enough Paul tells them some specific gifts/blessings that he personally asked God to give them.
Paul does does this presumably to stimulate their gratitude and encourage them on to spiritual maturity and “oneness” There was a problem with Jewish and Gentile Christians not fully assimilating with each other… a divided church.
Paul uses three figures to help their understanding of what they must do and be.
First (chapter two) he identifies them as each being a building and the buildings (Jew and Gentile) are assembled together to make a Holy Temple that God through the Holy Spirit can live in. God can’t live in a partially built or divided Temple... it would not be worthy of Him.
Secondly (chapter four) he tells them that they need to grow into the “stature and fullness” of Jesus Christ. That is accomplished by the “work of ministry” and “speaking truth in love” That work builds up each of them individually and collectively as Christ’s body… the church.
Thirdly (chapter six) Christians are supposed to strap on the armor and equipment of a soldier because we are in a war with Satan. We armor ourselves by following the preceding instructions on how to live our lives… eliminating sin and replacing sin with righteousness. Once that is done we are fully equipped to battle and conquer Satan.
The text is also heavy on the the attributes and work of the Holy Spirit and growing into the fullness of deity.
“His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue” John 9:22
The occasion of this verse was Jesus returning the sight of a fellow who was blind from birth. The Jewish leaders were doing everything they could do including questioning the parents to take this miracle away from Jesus.
The parents were afraid to give the credit where it truly belonged because the consequences were they would be kicked out of the Synagogue. Shame on them.
The Synagogue is roughly equivalent to our assemblies… the Church. Yes you can get kicked out of Church (the magnificent and beautiful bride of Jesus Christ) but you have to try really hard to do that. Usually some obvious sin that you don’t want to give up. It happens.
In the Church today the threat of being kicked out carries little weight for some because they just don’t care. If they want to they can find another church and just hop from church to church to church. Or just watch church on the Livestream.
Like spiritually handicapped little children. Content to continually nurse on the breast of superfical Christianity.
But for some it would be heart wrenching. You see for some the church and the relationships developed among the faithful at church are some of the most precious relationships we have.
It is imperative that churches help build those relationships.
Those things are usually accomplished by wonderful worship, breathtaking Bible study and remarkable resilient relationships.
In fact, if you are not feeling those things at the church you attend, there may be a problem and frequently we can see the problem when we look in the mirror.
Treasure and value the Beautiful bride of Jesus Christ and all she has to offer.
Jesus of course instituted the Lord’s Supper and represented himself as the lamb chosen by God to be sacrificed for the sins of the world… sins past, sins present and sins future. In so doing he represents himself as weak and humble allowing himself to be abused by creatures lessor than himself. Jesus the Lamb of God.
Jesus is represented in an entirely different manner in the Revelation… eyes like a flame of fire, a roaring voice, a sword coming out of his mouth. Jesus the Lion of God.
At the end of time we’ll see Jesus the warrior King coming back to earth and on that day it will be the last time that we participate in the Lords Supper and eat the bread which represents the broken body of the Lamb of God.
Until then we faithfully assemble and humbly eat the bread that represents Christ’s body and drink the cup which is his blood.
