Scripture – Page 3 – John Markum

Do you really care?

Posted on February 1, 2017 by johnmarkum

We live in a time where it’s super easy to feel informed, and simultaneously remain completely sedentary with such information. As a result, we’ve come to the false conclusion that by sharing our opinions, we care about a particular issue.

We have confused expressing our opinion, for being active.

For example, if you say you care about homeless veterans, but the closest you’ve come to doing anything about it is sharing a meme about how “we” don’t take care of homeless veterans, you in fact, do not care for homeless veterans – You just have an opinion, about how other people, the government, churches, etc. should be caring for homeless veterans.

You don’t actually care just by saying that you care. In reality, it makes little to no difference to you, unless you’re willing to get involved. Any issue only really matters to you to the extent that you’re willing to do something about it. And just saying, sharing, posting something, or criticizing others’ actions is not the same as caring or doing something about it.

James 2 tells us that if we see someone hungry, cold, or just otherwise in need and, “…say to them, ‘Go in peace! Be warmed and filled’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use it that?” [emphasis mine]

As my father taught me growing up, A “God bless you!” never fed anyone.

The same goes for sharing our faith as Christ-followers. It isn’t enough for us to post a verse, or a cute pic of something inspirational. We have to go out and tell it. We have to live it – embody the gospel – to the world around us.

The world doesn’t need another Facebook warrior, it needs people willing to actually intervene, spend their time, money, well-being, even their very lives if necessary, to do what is right.

So, care. Do something. Get involved. Go to the needy. Serve the broken. Pour your guts out to make this world a better place. No one cares what you and I think. But they can’t ignore how we serve.

Blessings,
Pastor John

Did Jesus Go to Hell?

Posted on January 30, 2017 by johnmarkum

A friend, and member of my church recently asked this question, as he and his wife were both in some degree of uncertainty on the subject. Both of them are faithful godly people who have been in church, read the Bible, and heard the Scriptures most of their life. So this was no novice question. They’re not alone. I’ve heard many people ask this question, and theologians are even somewhat confused on the subject.

Here is my best, short-ish explanation to this curiosity question.

The only biblical basis for this question at all is found in Acts 2:27, where an Old Testament prophecy is quoted in some translations as, “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (KJV). However, “hell” here – at least, as we generally understand it – is misinterpreted. This misinterpretation is regrettably repeated in other translations, and then again in the Apostle’s Creed, which directly says that Christ, “descendit ad infernos“. Yes, infernos, in Latin always understood as the eternal burning hell. Thanks, for the confusion, fourth century church leaders…

But this verse in Acts is a direct quote from Psalm 16:10, “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol [emphasis, mine]; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” (NASB). This Psalm prophesied the death and resurrection of Jesus nearly a millennium in advance. And the original word in the original quote being understood as “hell” in Acts 2:27 was actually the Hebrew word, Sheol – “the place of the dead.” It was a general reference to the grave, the spiritual dimension, the afterlife in general, or, yes, hell – as in THE Hell… infernos, as the fourth century writer’s of the Apostle’s Creed put it.

We must utilize biblical context to understand which meaning is accurate for the original writing. This quote was written in Psalm, a Hebrew song and poetry book that consistently rhymed thoughts rather than sounds like we do in music and poetry today. So it frequently repeats a thought by rewording it. This gives the reader or listener deeper understanding by hearing the same exact thought expressed a different way. So in our verse from Acts 2/Psalm 16, we read:

“Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades [In Hebrew, Sheol],
Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

The second part of that thought-rhyme is clearly telling us that God would not allow Christ’ body to remain in the grave long enough to receive significant corpse decay. Since this was written in the format of Hebrew poetry, returning to the first part of this quote about Christ’ soul not being abandoned to “Sheol”, it’s safe to understand that as His soul being left “in the place of the dead” or “separated from His body.” Thus, being reunited with his glorified body, before decay, and not leaving His spirit in “the place of the dead.”

But what if we got it wrong… what if it meant this, but also meant THE Hell? Three thoughts…

1 Peter 3:19 makes reference to Jesus “proclaiming to the spirits who are imprisoned”. Some think this meant in Hell. But if you read in it’s context, you’ll see that this is likely referring to demonic spirits – not human ones – whom it appears that Jesus was judging after He rose again. Still, there is a vague possibility that this occurred IN Hell, but many think that’s a bit of a stretch.
In Revelation 1:18, Jesus Himself says that He possess the “keys to Hell and death.” So what? Didn’t say where or how He got them. Maybe He’s always had them. I mean, who else would have them?
If… and I do emphasize IF, Jesus went to THE Hell at all, He did not go as a prisoner. He went as the warden. On the cross, Jesus cried out “It is finished” meaning that the debt of our sin had been paid. So IF Jesus went to Hell, it was not to suffer or pay for our sins – it was to exert His rightful authority and position to stand in judgment because of who He is, and what He had just done.

There. I hope that cleared some things up or at least gave you some decent content to process as you form your own opinion. Regardless, we know He’s at the right hand of God the Father now (Hebrew 12:1-3).

Blessings,
Pastor John

Praise through the Pain

Posted on January 13, 2017January 10, 2017 by johnmarkum

You ever feel like you do the right thing, and yet bad things happen anyway?! It’s like “Karma” got drunk and punished the wrong person. No good deed goes unpunished – that was a phrase I heard growing up from other adults expressing this exact frustration.

The Apostle Paul had to know that feeling too. In Acts 16 we see this remarkable event where he and Silas were preaching the message of hope in Jesus, even performing an exorcism on a slave girl – in a city called Thyatira in modern day Turkey. For this, they were arrested, physically beaten, and thrown in jail. Well this sucks, would probably be my impulsive response to such circumstances. But what happened next was even more incredible:

²⁵But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; ²⁶and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” ²⁹And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, ³⁰and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They worshipped God – after being beat up, and thrown in jail… hardly feels like the occasion to celebrate. And while it doesn’t give us a ton of detail, it tells us that they sang hymns – those are songs of worship addressing God directly. There wasn’t anything sarcastic or halfhearted about it.

It was after this, that God literally shook the prison open, freeing them from their cell – but they didn’t leave! I mean why bother? If God could open their prison and decide they could go, there’s hardly any need to rush. The prison guard (who woke up from the earthquake) saw all the doors open and assumed the prisoners fled, was about to take his life – knowing that a far greater punishment awaited him once his centurion supervisor discovered his failure. But upon finding Paul and Silas still there, he hits his knees and asks about their hope in Jesus. Now that is a miracle…

We don’t tend to celebrate or worship God in the middle of difficulty. It’s easier and far more convenient to wallow in self-pity, anger, guilt, and resentment. But when we find within ourselves the capacity to praise God through the pain, God literally opens doors and sets us free. And often times, the outcome is not only our own deliverance, but also that of someone who’s been silently watching us, just like the prison guard. Or your children. Or coworkers.

Praise God through the pain. Find the good to acknowledge. Trust in His sovereignty, that this will somehow work together for your good and His ultimate glory. You didn’t want a comfortable, boring life anyway. You wanted a life that mattered. And nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Blessings,
Pastor John