TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 28th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Malachi 1-4


Today we talk a look at the final chapter in the Old Testament and in it, we hear the promise of one coming in the spirit of Elijah preparing the way for the Messiah to appear. Here again is another prophecy which was fulfilled in the life of Jesus for John the Baptist came and was that voice. 

History teaches us that John the Baptist was a real person just as Jesus was. The role he played can be seen as the forerunner of Jesus. So we come back to the question, what are you going to do with Jesus the one who fulfilled these prophecies? 

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 27th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Zechariah 11-14

Here in Zechariah 11: 12-13 is the prophecy which would foretell the selling of the Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, them being thrown down in the house of the Lord and it being used to purchase a potter's field. 

Matthew points out this prophecy in the New Testament as another sign that Jesus was the person he claimed to be. Here again is another sign that Jesus was the coming Messiah and that he would first be rejected. 

Was it chance? I don't think so. 

Jesus is the Messiah. 

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 26th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Zechariah 7-10

In Zechariah 7, the people of Israel had fasted since the time to the destruction of the temple and now they wondered with the upcoming completion of the temple if is it okay for them to stop fasting. 

God told Zechariah that the people hadn't really been fasting to the Lord but they had been serving themselves just like they were when they were eating and drinking. God wanted a fast was not a religious event to get God's favor but one in which they changed their hearts. It was one seen by helping those in need and having a change of heart.

For us, this is a reminder that spiritual disciplines and church activities do not please God if our heart and our attitude toward those in need aren't right. 


Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 25th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Zechariah 3-6

A new way to walk.

Here is Zechariah 3, Joshua the priest is set free from Satan, given new robes, and a crown is placed on his head. These show what God is going to do for this man in the role of high priest. There is a catch. Joshua has something to do. He has to follow the ways of the Lord. 

Though this is before the work of Jesus on the Cross we see that God's work in transforming man also has a place for man to do something. God expects those he saves and cleanses to now walk differently. He expects them and us to live as he would want. The wonderful thing about life in Jesus is that we have the power of God's Holy Spirit to help lead, guide, and empower us. This being said God doesn't save us to leave us where we are. He wants a better life.


Zechariah Bible Project Video -- https://youtu.be/_106IfO6Kc0


Photo by Ghiffari Haris on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 24th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Haggai 1-2 & Zechariah 1-2



Though Haggai message was to the Jews how had returned from the Exile to finish rebuilding the temple the question he asks is important for us to consider. "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

No, we may not be at a church which is in the middle of a building project but we are in a life where we can become so concerned with our own wants that we let the things of God slide to the side. It is easy, especially in a consumer-driven society, to be first concerned with our desires than with seeing God's work complete. 

The temple represented the place where man and God meet and where a man could come to God for forgiveness. The people here were living in paneled houses or they were living above basic subsistence living, yet they weren't making sure the way to God wasn't open to all. In today's world, it would be those who are raising their standard of living and ignoring God's ministry to others in word and deed.   

No God isn't against having good things, but if you have and aren't faithful in the ministry with your Time, Talents, and Treasures, then God will withhold his blessing. 

So what is your first concern? Self or God?


Haggai Bible Project Video -- https://youtu.be/juPvv_xcX-U

TCN's Biblical Journey September 21st

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Habakkuk 3 and Zephaniah 1-3



Zephaniah begins with the words that God is going to wipe out everything. This is a picture of how bad things are going to be. When God brings judgment on them it is going to seem like everything is going to be wiped out. A study of history shows this is what it might have seemed like to those living in the lands in and around Judah. 

This first chapter lays out just how bad it is going to be. 

Don't worry this isn't the end of what God is doing, thou those living through it may have thought so, which is the point. 


The Bible Project about Zephaniah: https://youtu.be/oFZknKPNvz8  

TCN's Biblical Journey September 20th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Nahum 2-3 and Habakkuk 1-2

Habakkuk begins a complaint about how bad things are and wonders what God is going to do about it. God answers but it is something that Habakkuk won't like, the destruction of the nation by the Babylonians. 

This to me is a reminder that sometimes the solution to the problems we see is not always what we want. We want God to deal with problems but usually, we want God to do it our way. The problem is God is going to use nations, people, or things which we might never want. However, as this book ends you see that God is going to deal justly with those he may use in the short term. Or to say it another way, God is going to make everything right. 


Bible Project Video for Habakkuk: https://youtu.be/OPMaRqGJPUU 

TCN's Biblical Journey September 19th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is the Micah 5-7 and Nahum 1


The book of Nahum is filled with the prophecy of Israel's greatest enemy Assyria and it's capital Nineveh. The book can be a real downer, but one of the things which really stand out is even here God gives promises to those who trust him. In verse seven of chapter one reminds us God is good and he cares for those who trust him. As in prophet after prophet, we see here that in the middle of destruction, God promises to do what is right for those that love him. 


Here is a link to a great video to understand Nahum: https://youtu.be/Y30DanA5EhU

TCN's Biblical Journey September 18th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is the Micah 1-4

Micah's prophecy isn't just for Israel or Judah but for both. Micah says the sin of these nations is their capital cities. Which can cause someone to wonder how can a city be a sin?

The answer is that these are the places where the leaders of the nation live and rule. It is from here that the corruption in these nations is celebrated and encouraged. It is like when people in the USA say that the problems in the Government come from Washington, D.C.

God holds rulers and leaders responsible for what they do. This doesn't mean that everyone else is off the hook. Each of us will answer to God for what we do in response to the rulings of those who lead us.
 

Here is a video which may help you understand Micah: https://youtu.be/MFEUEcylwLc

TCN's Biblical Journey September 17th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is the book of Jonah

What is that heading toward the guy we threw overboard?

“Jonah was a prophet, Oo-ooh! but he really never got sad but true...” sing the vegetables in the Veggie Tales movie Jonah. The story has a lot of silly stuff happening in it but this song nails it. Jonah was a prophet and he never did get it.

In the first chapter Jonah, who later confesses God was the Lord of the land and the sea tried to run from him by going on the sea. This is as smart as jumping into the ocean to escape sharks. In the defense of his thinking, it wasn’t like staying on the land was going to help him any better. However, he should have known there wasn’t anywhere he could run to.

Though Jonah was not an example of what a prophet should be, I am amazed to see God using Jonah’s actions to bring people to Him. We see at the end of chapter one, as Jonah is being swallowed by a great fish, the sailor on the boat calling out and making vows to God.

God can even use disobedience though that doesn’t save the disobedient from trouble.

Here is a great video to help you understand Jonah (sorry no singing vegetables): https://youtu.be/dLIabZc0O4c

Photo by Mihail Minkov on Unsplash  

TCN's Biblical Journey September 14th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Amos 7-9 and Obadiah

 

A village in the mountains

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. It is God’s pronouncement of judgment against Esau’s decedents the Edomites. These people were related to the Jews yet lived as their enemies.

Their first sin was pride. They were filled with pride because the mountain where they lived offered protection from attack. God was further displeased by their actions toward Israel when they were attacked. They didn’t assist them and even took advantage of the attacks to attack Judah themselves.  

Esau had been taught by Isaac about God, but he and his family chose another way. Now they were going to face the consequences of those choices.

A historical note: Four years after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, Edomites were successfully attacked. By the time Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., the Edomites ceased being a people. 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept. 13th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Amos 3-6

God is saying here in Amos 3:2 that because they have been so blessed by God, now they will be judged by God. Some may think this is unfair but once you consider the patience of God it is more than fair. The moral in Spiderman is with great power comes great responsibility. Here is the perfect example, Israel had been blessed by God they saw God’s mighty power and immeasurable blessings, but the majority chose another way to reject that responsibility.

We might understand someone who steals because they are hungry, but when they have all they need there isn’t a reason to show understanding or mercy. We are pleased when an infant crawl across the floor but are irritated when our ten-year-old does. Why? Because they can do so much more.

In Luke 12, Jesus said to whom much is given much shall be required and if we won’t use what we have we will lose it.

Just as we expect more in a math test for a high schooler than a first grader, God expects more for those he blesses. God wouldn’t be just if he allowed those who waste God’s blessings to not be held a greater standard.

To those who might think it would be better not to be blessed by God, 1 Peter 4:17-18 gives this warning: “For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"”

Photo by Joey Nicotra on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 12th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey

With Pastor Charles Areson

Today's reading is Joel 2-3 and Amos 1-2

 

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand—" Joel 2:1

There is a chorus which I sang a lot in the late 1980’s and 90’s, it was called blow the trumpet in Zion. It talked about God’s great army who was going to carry out his word. It is an upbeat song which can get you excited. After the song, we would blow our shofars, ram’s horns, and it felt great.

The scripture it was derived from was Joel 2. The problem with this scripture is it has nothing to do with Israel or the church. It has to do with the destruction coming on Israel. The blowing of the trumpet was a warning to Israel not the charge of God’s victorious army.

Does this mean I won’t sing this song again? No, it’s a cool tune and God’s army be they a band of locust or the church can do whatever God has called them to do. However, (I seem to use that word a lot) we need to realize when we hear the horn blow or whatever God uses to get our attention, we need to understand what it means for us. We need to ask, it this a warning or a call to action.  

Image by Jake Roxen

TCN's Biblical Journey September 11th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey
With Pastor Charles Areson
Today's reading is Hosea 12-14 and Joel 1

I have never appreciated the spiritual leader who gets up points their finger at everyone and declares fire and brimstone because society has done wrong. My guess is that the result of knowing they ought to be doing it first.

Also, some of the “warning signs” of judgment aren’t really warning signs they are just natural phenomenon. Yes, hurricanes actually form on their own.

All this being said, there are times when what is happening to us is a result of our sins. Sometimes, it is our chickens coming home to roost.

We don’t like these words. We don’t want to hear the words Joel is saying: “Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.” Joel 1:13-14

Yes, this can have a national message as it did in Joel’s time, however, I want us not to look out at the world around us but to look in our own lives. What are we doing? Is this my fault in some way? Do I need to confess and repent? Not just when things are going wrong, but all of the time. Ask yourself, Am I living as Jesus would have me live? If you aren’t, then repent and do what is right.

Whatever the reason, when bad things happen we do need to cry out to the Lord.

TCN's Biblical Journey September 10th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey
With Pastor Charles Areson
Today's reading is Hosea 8-11

Be careful what you sow.

"They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).

Often the consequence of sin and wrongdoing seem greater than the original action. This may seem wrong but when considered in life when one sows one seed a person gets back more than he sowed. It is the law of the harvest and when applied to doing and living right it is a wonderful thing. However, when vanity/evil/selfishness is sown the harvest it just as unpleasant. 

We may claim it isn't fair, but it is the way of life. We might not like it but pointing a finger at God and saying it isn't right is like complaining because you don't like gravity. 

The lesson to learn is what is sown grows. 

You can't sow wild oats and then pray for a crop failure. 

Photo by Dương Trí on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey September 7th- The truly blind

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey
With Pastor Charles Areson
Today's reading is Hosea 4-7

"I don't see it"

One of the saddest scriptures in Hosea is chapter 4:6 “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge.”

I have often noticed that what gets people in trouble is what they don’t want to know. They don’t want to know if they have cancer, so they die with it. Students don’t want to know a subject and find that they fail in that subject.

There seems to be a direct correlation between what we don’t want to know and how it can hurt us or lead us astray. Here as with many who have some knowledge of God, they refuse to learn more because it would mean they would have to change. Even when that knowledge could save them.

Israel had the knowledge of God but didn’t want it. Therefore, this refusal set them up to be rejected by the God who had promised to protect them. It put them in a place outside of God’s protective hand and they didn’t even know it. The reason why? They didn’t want to know.

This reminds me of the old saying which says, “No one is so blind as he that refuses to see.”

Photo by Francisco Moreno on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey September 6th (If you're reading this the end of the world hasn't happened.)

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey
With Pastor Charles Areson
Today's reading is Daniel 12 - Hosea 1-3

THE END?

 

If you're reading this the end of the world hasn't happened.

At least, it hasn’t happened here yet.

You may wonder how this observation have to do with today’s reading. A lot actually, because God told Daniel to shut up the words and to seal the book until the end of time (Daniel 12:4). There is a lot of argument over what this all means but personally I believe that the full understanding of Daniel’s prophecies can not be understood until the end of time. To give another example, it is like the end of a movie or book where in the last page you get the clue which explains it all.

One of my favorite movies, if not my favorite, is Signs. In it the reasons, the signs if you will, are understood and come together. In the end faith is made complete. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to give too many spoilers. (Note: the movie was not written for a Christian audience and does have some language which may offend some people, myself among them).

Since it isn’t the end yet, I don’t think we can fully understand everything in Daniel. Yes, some of it seems very clear. The picture of the Mede and Persian Empire, the rise of Greek and Rome are astounding, but there is some which are still a mystery. I am aware some people think they have it all figured out but Daniel 12:4 tells me we shouldn’t be too confident. God still has some surprises for us and that is okay with me.  

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TCN's Biblical Journey September 5th

Tell City Nazarene Church's Biblical Journey
With Pastor Charles Areson
Today's reading is Daniel 8-11

The Messenger

“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia” Daniel 10:12-13.

What is happening here?

Daniel’s communication with God is instantaneous. The angel was sent right away, but then it got waylaid.

What can slow down an angel?

Clearly, there is something supernatural going on. It isn’t fully explained and though we can guess we can’t know for sure.

My own idea is that somehow in the dimensions which angels and demons travel there are fights between them. How and why this is allowed and what powers demons have is a mystery. There is a lot of guesses and a huge amount of myth, but the Bible doesn’t say a lot. Perhaps this is because for us in our lives it normally doesn’t. It may be like the people who track satellites in space. Yes, the work is important but for 99.9% of the population, it doesn’t have a direct impact on the decisions they make concerning their lives. Therefore, God doesn’t say much about it in the Bible. We would make a bigger deal out of it then we need too.

One other note, the scripture here doesn’t say that Daniel fast did anything to help this messenger from God. Why do I point this out? Because there are many people who think that our prayers, fasting, and other spiritual activities give angels power. This idea is extra-Biblical, it is a Christian myth. I do believe fasting, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines are important but not so we can empower angels, they are to help change us.  

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TCN's Biblical Journey Sept. 4th Saint Nebuchadnezzar?

Today’s reading is Daniel 4-7

Saint Nebuchadnezzar?

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37). This is one of the extraordinary conversions in the Bible and amazingly little talked about. Yes, there is no indication that Nebuchadnezzar became a Jew, but the language seems to indicate at least to me that he became a believer and follower of the God of Israel.

The question might be why would God even worry about reaching this pagan king, who though used of God to bring judgment did it in such a way that God promised judgment on them? Was God playing favorites? Was God just trying to help those in power?

The answer is no. God doesn’t play favorites. There could be many reasons God specifically reached out to Nebuchadnezzar. It could have been so that God’s power would be seen even after his temple was destroyed. It could have been to prepare the kingdom for the judgment which was going to come. It could have been that God was responding to the prayers of Daniel and his friends. We may never know. What we see here is God reaches out to try and redeem those that others wouldn’t. We also see trouble is often the precursor to humility and conversion.

Why does God allow bad things to happen? Sometimes, not always, we have to hit bottom before we will look up to God. 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

TCN's Biblical Journey Sept 3st

Today's Reading is Ezekiel 48 and Daniel 1-3

(I bet you're wondering what this has to do with Ezekiel.)

Am glad to get out of Ezekiel and into Daniel but the last half of the last verse of Ezekiel grabs my attention. "And the name of the city from that time on will be: The Lord is there."

Whatever else eternity may be like for His followers the key to it all will be that God is there.

The phrase "Elvis has left the building" was said to let the audience know that Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, was no longer in the building. This meant there was no chance for an encore performance or a chance to meet him. The reason for staying there was gone. The hope was this would cause (and it did) people to leave.

In reverse, it will be God in the city and now no one will want to leave. To say it another way, at the end of time the angels will announce, "The King has entered the build, let the celebrations begin!"


Photo by Susan Mohr on Unsplash