Tag Archives: disciple

Inquiring Minds Want Answers

One of the most difficult tasks I have ever been assigned was trying to teach Junior High students the Bible for 5 years.  If I wrote down all the questions asked during my lectures, I could have written a thorough sex ed curriculum.  While some of my students were simply trying to waste time, others asked great questions that needed a reply.  When inquiring minds want answers, those in authority or leadership positions must feed these hungry souls.

As I started to read the Old Testament again, memories of these questions reverberated within my mind.  Once deemed foolish, I am beginning to share a similar interest into the mysteries of the Bible.  For example, why is nakedness now equated with shame, Genesis 2:25?  Did Cain marry his sister, Genesis 4:17 or did God created other females beside Eve, Genesis 5:1-2?  Does Genesis 4:10 explain the concept of ghosts, haunted houses and dead spirits which still dwell on certain properties?  Finally, does Genesis 6:1-4 refer to aliens, fallen angels or mixed marriages between giants and normal human beings?

I wish I could answer these questions with a sense of certainty and clarity, but I can’t.  Theologians vary, debating these and other topics for centuries.  All I can do is provide my best guess based upon my years of study and training.

1) Marriage is a sacred covenant that you make to another man or woman.  Once you consecrate this bond, there should be no shame among one another.

2) Based upon the time line of Leviticus 18, it appears God allowed intermarriage initially until the population of Israel was large enough.  Once written and communicated by Moses, this type of act was prohibited.

3) Since Jesus and his disciple use the term ghost throughout all 4 gospels, it appears that ghosts and spirits did exist by the first century.  Therefore, the growing accounts of paranormal activity today suggest what happened to Abel certainty does occur.

4) Before answering this final question, Genesis 6:1-4 is one of the most controversial passages in the Bible.  If you link the great pyramids of Egypt, the great wall of China and other architectural wonders of the world, some credit this advanced knowledge to either aliens or fallen angels.  However, the Tower of Babel is erected due to an one world language, making nothing impossible for mankind according to Genesis 11:3-6.  Thus, like many mysteries, you will have to wait until the after life to know for sure.

As inquiring minds send me more questions, I will try my best to answer each from a biblical perspective.  Continue to following the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, testing everything you hear or read with the Bible.

by Jay Mankus

From One Shepherd to Another

The older you get in life, your chances increase that someone close to you will die.  Thus, most people will attend a funeral at sooner or later.  One of the most common passages read during funerals is Psalm 23, often quoting the entire chapter.  When my mom’s father passed away several years ago in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, my family was at his side as he breathed his last breath.  My sister Cindy, read to him Psalm 23:1-6 over and over again to ease his pain.

According to 1 Samuel 16:11, David was a shepherd boy, tending his father’s sheep.  In Psalm 23, David uses imagery, possibly recounting his own experience as God’s Spirit inspired him to write about a heavenly shepherd.  Knowing the daily requirements of a seasoned shepherd, David pours out his heart, placing his faith in God’s hand.  Meanwhile, John, the disciple whom Jesus loved shares a similar account in chapter 10 of his gospel.  John quotes Jesus in 17 of the first 18 verses, explaining there is only one way into heaven, through the gate of the Shepherd, who know and follow his voice.

In reality, human beings are dumb creatures like sheep, like the blind leading the blind.  When things are going well, its easy to navigate through life, whether you have a GPS or not.  However, as you encounter canyons, valleys or wastelands, relying on a shepherd may be the difference between life and death.  When push comes to shove or where faith meets fire, who will you call to come to your aide?  From One shepherd to another, come back to the pen before its too late, John 10:17.  The Great Shepherd is calling you home, retreat now to be by his side, Psalm 23:6.

by Jay Mankus

Living Like A Dog

King Solomon was one of the first people to compare human beings with dogs.  In Proverbs 26:11, he uses a vivid image to prove his point; “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats their folly.”  A fool is one who is bamboozled, duped and hoodwinked over and over, not learning from previous mistakes.  Like the Israelites mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, their failures are documented as a reminder not to live like a dog.

Like a dog who is never fully potty trained, the author of Hebrews suggest some Christians don’t mature as they should in Hebrews 5:11-6:3.  Depending upon your upbringing, some people are born into un-churched homes, growing up without ever going or entering church on Christmas Day and or Easter Sunday.  Others attend a church who either does not know how to disciple others or glances over essential details young Christians do not know how to apply.  Thus, new believers often become like my 11 year old Beagle named Autumn, still dumpster diving into trash cans, regularly going to the bathroom in the house and not sure how to act and play like a normal trained dog.

When the apostle Paul first visited the Island of Crete, he was astonished by their lack of manners, people skills and social interaction with others.  Cut off to the civilized world, most of the citizens of Crete were barbaric.  Thus, Paul had to address the most basic skill in his letter, teaching their church to do what is right, Titus 3:1-11.  Paul also lays out the expectations and standards that leaders should uphold, Titus 1:6-9.  Essentially, everyone from time to time, needs to go back to obedience school, touching up on the basics of Christianity written in the Bible.  If you practice what Jesus taught in  the 4 gospels, you will put the dog days of summer behind you!

by Jay Mankus