Saturday, August 31, 2013

THE OLD CROSS OR THE NEW

Time with Jesus - 01 Sept 2013

Hi all,
Camden Power Station
South Africa
From the September 1961 to September 1963 I was working on the construction of West Thurrock Power Station. In those days the plant was slightly earlier than “state of the art”. As a consequence, it would be phased out and demolished in the middle of the 1990’s. It had been in service for ±30 years so the British public had already received value for their money.
Fenchurch Street Station
West Thurrock was fairly close to London. Fenchurch Street station was a little under an hour away on the train. We were also fairly close to Dagenham and the Ford Motor works. I was told that any Ford part required, could be obtained in Dagenham. 
Ford Dagenham UK
These parts were “very cheap”. These parts could be “ordered” and obtained at these excellent prices on the old, “Ask no questions” basis! Clearly they were stolen. How the thieves got them out of the Ford Plant is anyone’s guess. 
Ford Dagenham
Assembly Line
I’m not in a position to say what could and could not be obtained “very cheap” in that part of the world. What I can say is, some of the construction workers were able to supply just about anything you wanted. All you had to do was ask them and within a day or two, it would be yours.
Rolex
You could buy “Rolex” watches. A genuine Rolex cost a small fortune and was rather scarce. But you could buy one on the construction site. The real question is whether or not they were genuine. Yes, they looked like the real thing. They would run for a few months and stop. We quickly realised that although the word “Rolex” was on the dial, they were cheap imitations.
Now a Rolex watch, real or imitation, looked like the real thing. It would take an expert to say which was which.
Expert
Even then you and I, the general public, would be dependent on the integrity of the expert. Did he have an “axe to grind”? Did he have a hidden agenda? Was he taking bribes to identify something as genuine? The reason I ask this question is because we have a similar situation with our Bibles today.
Manuscript on a Scroll
Actually our Bible is not merely one big book. It’s a bit like a library. There are 66 books within its precious pages. 27 are in our New Testament and 39 in the Old, written by some 40 different people over ±1600 years. The Old Testament is mainly in Hebrew and the New, mainly Greek. Now Paul wrote to Timothy and said, 16 God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. 2 Tim 3:16 NIrV
Scribe "writing" a document
In other words, that which was originally written, the autograph, was inspired by God. Sadly, back then there were no photocopying machines and no printing presses. So if I wrote a letter to you, the only way to get a copy to someone else would be to copy the letter by hand. That’s what happened. So if you needed 50 copies, one man would write 50 copies, or 50 men would write one. 

Let’s now send a copy to 50 different destinations and start again. It would not take very long before the autograph was so dog-eared through handling that it would become illegible and perhaps thrown away. That wouldn’t matter, provided each copy made from the autograph was 100% accurate. To avoid inaccuracy, scribes would follow well defined rules to make sure every copy was identical.
KJV - Tried and Tested
Scribes could and did make mistakes. Not many, but it did happen. An added complication was that on occasions, the recipient of the scroll made “edited” copies. He would read the scroll. Then he would find that the scroll did not agree with his understanding. So he would “adjust” the text accordingly. 

The New Testament was affected this way during the early ±400 years of Christianity. Round about then, erroneous copies of the New Testament we identified and put to one side. 
“Received Text” or
the “Byzantine Text"
Others, believed at that time to be accurate, continued to circulate. These had been written or copied in Greek. Today there are now ±1800 scrolls, portions of scrolls as well as quotations by the early Church fathers which support what is called the “Received Text” or the “Byzantine Text”.
In 1481 a manuscript, Codex Vaticanus was “found” in the Vatican Library. Some think it is one of the early “corrupt” manuscripts. 
Then in 1844 a further manuscript, Codex Sinaiticus, was discovered in a waste paper basket in St Catherine’s monastery on Mt Sinai. Some think this is also one of the early erroneous manuscripts. However, they are older than the “Received Text” manuscripts. 
Codex Sinaiticus 
These “manuscripts” have become the basis for most of the translations from Greek into English which have been published since 1881. At that time, the Revised Version was published. This version was strongly influenced by Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus rather that the Received Text.
Today, you and I must decide which version of the Bible is correct; the Received Text (KJV) or the Sinaiticus/Vaticanus Text. My preference is the KJV. It’s an “old chestnut” problem that has been with us for over 100 years. 

But I’m not looking for an “imitation Rolex”. I want the genuine article. Don’t be fooled by what you read on the label of your Bible. Your and my eternal future could be jeopardised by the wrong choice.
Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 01 September 2013
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give
©
These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes
©
INTRODUCTION
DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
THE OLD CROSS OR THE NEW
For many years, Phyllida and I have been convinced that the Word of God – the Bible - is inerrant. No mistakes in it whatsoever. Of course this applies to the original version in the original language. It may be that over the centuries; scribes have made errors in copying. Although scrupulous attention was paid to detail, errors of transcription may have taken place. Furthermore, the original has been translated into a variety of languages. So what we read in the English version of our choice may not be 100% accurate. One only has to compare translations with each other to realise that there are differences. For us to establish now what was written in the original is difficult. Textual critics do not agree. We do know that the King James Version was compiled by exceptionally highly qualified Scholars based on the received text, sometimes called the Byzantine text, of which there are some 1800 ancient documents extant which roughly correspond with each other. Translations that have been made since 1881 or thereabouts have made use of older manuscripts which some regard as corrupt. (I’m one of them). My approach to these devotionals has been to look at the KJV; then find a translation which best reflects the KJV in more understandable English.
The reason I make this point is because it is essential we understand what the author intended us to understand; not something filtered through the minds of many of today’s preachers. I have found that many preachers today preach a “feel good” and “prosperity” gospel that is not in harmony with Jesus’ teaching. Luke tells us; 23 Then Jesus said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23 NLT.
This Scripture makes it very clear. To follow Jesus means to put aside your own selfish desires. Then to pick up the cross on which you will be crucified and go to your own Calvary. You are supposed to do this every day until it actually happens. I can find no evidence of Mercedes Benz, big fancy luxurious homes in the best part of town with millions in your bank account. I find the complete opposite. Historically, the genuine Christian lifestyle for some 1900 years after Jesus was crucified, was to lay aside your own life and obey Him even unto death. The early Christians did this. Satan tried everything he could do to smash the fledgling church. He failed because people would rather be tortured to death than deny Jesus. They perished in their thousands; crucified; fed to the lions; covered with pitch and used to light the gardens of the Caesar. Read Foxes Book of Martyrs. It gives the details of the suffering and death of Christians up to the middle of the 1650’s. At one time it was regarded as a “must read”. Only the Bible was more widely read.
Over the last hundred years or so, the “flavour” of Christianity has changed. The cross has been velvet padded. We have seen the influx of “cross-less Christianity” An attitude that says, “Come to Jesus” He will bless you and give you all you need to enjoy life here. A sort of heaven on earth in which you can do anything you wish, confident His grace is more than enough. Sadly, that’s a lie. To follow Him we still have to die to ourselves. Then, each day, take up our cross and make our way to our place of execution.
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland

23 Then He said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 9:23 NLT

The strangest thing has happened in the past one hundred years.
Something so deplorable, we all should be in tears.
It seems the very nature of the cross is not the same,
As that which Christians looked at, back then when Jesus came.
An instrument of torture, of agony and pain.
The instant that you picked it up, you set out to be slain.
No more opportunity to tell the folk “good bye”
It was a one way journey to the place where you would die.
The cross was unforgiving and made no compromise
When you were nailed upon it and lifted to the skies
Your life on earth was over. This was your final act;
And death in monstrous agony would soon become a fact.
It may be that you’d linger on perhaps for several days.
But death by suffocation and exhaustion were the ways,
You would be defeated and your candle be snuffed out.
The cross was going to murder you. Of that there was no doubt.
The victim picked his cross up and took it to the place,
Where all of the above was something which he had to face.
How long that it would take him before he would arrive,
Was all the time available for him to be alive.
Everybody knew this and Jesus showed the way.
That is what His followers expected every day.
They were on a journey, the cross upon their back.
Without the opportunity of finding time to pack.
They all knew the outcome; that they would surely die.
But every day they picked theirs up it didn’t matter why.
You couldn’t be His follower, unless you had agreed,
To pick your cross up daily and go where He would lead.
But this longer happens. A velvet padded cross,
Speaks about prosperity, where you won’t suffer loss.
The cross has been downgraded. It’s comfortable and clean.
Grace has been interpreted in ways God didn’t mean.
Living will be painless and God will pay your bills.
Off you go and live it up; enjoy as many thrills
You’ll find along the journey. The fact is, you’ve been saved.
Therefore it doesn’t matter how badly you’ve behaved!
But that is not the gospel and Christians are tricked.
They follow in a lifestyle which Jesus never picked.
Sadly they’re deluded. The cross has never changed.
If you think sin’s acceptable, you’re mentally deranged.
And all that you believe in, will crumble and will fall.
Instead, pick up the old cross and make Him Lord of all.
Jim Strickland
Written 1st Sept 2012

8 We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.
2 Corinthians 6:8 NLT


12 Those who try to live a godly life because they believe in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:12 GW


11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
Galatians 5:11 TNIV


10 Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.
Galatians 1:10 NLT


14 Suppose people make fun of you because you believe in Christ. Then you are blessed, because God's Spirit rests on you. He is the Spirit of glory. 15 Suppose you suffer. Then it shouldn't be because you are a murderer or a thief. It shouldn't be because you do evil things. It shouldn't be because you poke your nose into other people's business. 16 But suppose you suffer for being a Christian. Then don't be ashamed. Instead, praise God because you are known by that name.
1 Peter 4:14-16 NIrV


29 There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.
Philippians 1:29 MSG


14 Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NLT

12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us.
2 Timothy 2:12 NLT