Jesus Watchmen Brett Rogers

*Audio issue resolved. If you tried listening to the episode previously, please try again as the audio has been restored. Thank you!

Stephen, (died 36 CE, Jerusalem), the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin (Acts of the Apostles 7) points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his attackers (Acts of the Apostles 7:60), echo those of Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:34).

Even though Christian persecution has gone less is our faces and more digital in this new age in most modernized countries, Christian persecution is still spreading widely across the globe as more and more people are converting to Christianity. 

The West African nation – Africa’s most populous and divided roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims – has been plagued for years by rising sectarian tensions and the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, which most recently was blamed for a massacre of scores of farmers in Borno State.

Nigeria joins Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on the US Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, which names and shames governments which have “engaged in or tolerated ‘systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom.’” Those nine nations were also on the 2018 and 2019 CPC lists.

“Today, the United States, a nation founded by those fleeing religious persecution … once again took action to defend those who simply want to exercise this essential freedom,” stated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

“… And yet our work is far from complete.”

Report by Christianity Today. 


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jesuswatchmen/message

In our relationship with the Holy Spirit, how would we rate the strength and presence of the Holy Spirit in our life on a scale 0-7?

7 being you are walking arm in arm with Jesus everyday, you're in the word daily, you are praying and talking to God throughout the day, and there is a total and complete friendship with the Holy Spirit.

Now, first let me say, I know Jesus would never do what I'm about to hypothetical propose this but let's say hypothetically, Jesus came to you one day as your friend and said, "You know Sally, you haven't been tithing or giving money to the needy. You are aren't really around much for me anymore, your always busy with work and social media, and it just seems like you don't want to have time for me anymore. I think I'm just ready to move on for now."

Could you imagine if Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords actually broke up with you because you were never there for him. Can you even comprehend how devastated you would be? actually, I think the better question should be asked, would we even notice he wasn't there?

We often tell ourselves yeah I'm saved but I don't really need to make time for him, for prayer, or reading my bible. As long as i love my neighbor and love God, I'm good to go.

When you ranked your relationship with the Holy Spirit how do you think your doing now?

Going back to the hypothetical, because again this would never happen, but it makes for an interesting thought...what if your relationship you thought was a 5 is really a 0? Are you really walking with the holy spirit or are you already passed the breakup stage because you didn't even notice he was gone?

Now back to reality, no more hypothetical, I promise, today anyway.

The Holy Spirit never leaves us after we become "acceptors" of Jesus Christ and the Spirit enters our temple but the feeling of his presence can come and go.

We may already be feeling like the Spirit of God has left us. It may feel like that for a time but it is up to us to ask for forgiveness so we can continue the relationship and mend our wounded friend, the Holy Spirit.

---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jesuswatchmen/message

[OPENING PRAYER]

Sovereign Lord, you created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Have mercy on us for you are perfect and we are sinners. Your grace and mercy is unending. Holy Spirit we beg your presence in this place. Allow us the gift of clarity; that we may hear your words today and not our own. Continue to guide us along the path you have laid out before us. Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. The King of Glory, The Lord of Heavens’ Armies, Yahweh. Amen.

[INTRO]

God strategically chose David born not of favor nor status but a place of low stature and insignificance. Manual labor instead of paid labor. Somebody toughened from their personal experience in the early years of life instead of a one who might have had their commencement into life slightly less challenging, with the slightly more favorable jobs, and a lesser amount of physical labor. Not a silver spoon but a modest wooden cup...

A couple of items specifically worth touching on here in verse 11 and verse 12: Verse 11 having to do with being a shepherd and verse 12 has to do with his youth. I think we have some misconceptions about what shepherding is like, especially back at this time. Given our current American culture has gravitated towards automation and industrialization, below is an excerpt about a modern-day shepherd in a third-world country so we have a little glimpse into what a shepherd does in a day. As you read be mindful of a young boy doing all these things by himself thousands of years ago...

...I do want to emphasize, David was not first, second, third, or fourth in line. Coming in dead last in an ancient culture which looked only at the first and second-born a primary indicator through which we see evidence that God will use a “nobody” and make him or her a “somebody” for His divine purpose. Emphasizing this point further we go back to scripture, 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV), “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jesuswatchmen/message

“Don’t you see? . . . The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’—that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open.”

This is an excerpt from John Steinbeck’s, East of Eden published in 1952. 

“Lee says these words during his discussion of the Cain and Abel story with Samuel and Adam in Chapter 24. He has just revealed to the other men the outcome of the research he did on the meaning of timshel, the word that God utters to Cain when exiling him to the lands east of Eden. According to one translation of the Bible, God orders Cain to triumph over sin, while according to another, God promises Cain that he will defeat sin. Lee’s research, however, has revealed that timshel means “thou mayest,” implying that God tells Cain that he has a choice whether or not to overcome sin. Lee sees this idea of free choice over evil a token of optimism that is central to the human condition. He attempts to convince Adam and Cal of the validity of timshel and ultimately succeeds, as Adam gives Cal his blessing and Cal realizes he himself has the power to overcome his family’s legacy of evil.” - Sparknotes

Why don’t more of we, Christians, annotate our Bibles like we would read works by Steinbeck, Dickinson, Hemingway, or Shakespeare? Sitting in high school and university English class was clearly about engaging literary text in a way involving research, creative thinking, and striving to understand deeper meanings of the words in the context of the time period and culture, providing color, tone, and texture to the reading. 

We’ve been taught how to do it and why we should do it but, when it comes to reading our bibles, many of us leave blank margins within our pages. Yes, we tend to highlight and memorize verses but how often do we pause to analyze specific passages within scripture? We often gloss over the words written emphatically which cry out for deeper thinking. 

I liken this to viewing art, more specifically oil on canvas works of art from the greats. For example, the Dutch Golden Age painter, Rembrandt van Rijn’s oil on canvas painting in 1633 called “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” is a depiction of Jesus calming the sea on the Sea of Galilee out of the verses found Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41. 

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? - Mark 4:35-41 (KJV)

A layman or amateur who views this painting in a study book may say, “It’s a beautiful painting;” “It’s an incredibly difficult work;” “Only a master painter could bring such an event to life;” or say, “This is a masterpiece!” All responses are agreeable and undoubtedly accurate yet, seeing the painting simply at face value diminishes its depth and does a disservice to the painter.

When we grow in our appreciation for art, we begin to study the painter, their country of origin, historical context from their country, events in their life impacting their emotions or perspectiv

The medical industry’s eureka moment was when they realized the very food, they were serving patients and physicians in hospitals was the very same food placing patients in the hospital in the first place. “U.S. health organizations are calling for hospitals to offer plant-based food options. Two major medical groups in the U.S. are calling on hospitals to end the irony and support patient health with healthy food.

The American Medical Association House of Delegates — a group which represents more than 200,000 physicians — issued a policy statement on June 14th at its annual meeting calling on U.S. hospitals to make some changes to hospital food for patients, staff, and visitors: Increase healthful, plant-based meal options, eliminate processed meat from menus, and provide and promote healthful beverages, including getting rid of sugary drinks and sodas. 

The American College of Cardiology also recently released new guidelines urging hospitals to improve patient menus by adding healthy plant-based options and removing processed meats. The guidelines recommend that “at least one plant-based main dish” should be offered and promoted at every meal. And that processed meats — bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, and deli meats — shouldn’t be offered at hospitals at all. They also call for a variety of vegetables and fruits to be served in all hospital cafeterias and on-site restaurants” (Oberst, 2017). 

We are seeing new healthy food movements sprout out of hospitals around the country. For instance, Dr. Michael Klaper, M.D of Midland Health in Midland, Texas has begun spearheading a new program with the philosophy, “Food Is Medicine.” They have implemented a “new, lifestyle medicine program for their employees incorporating the CHIP model (Complete Health Improvement Program) … The philosophy, "Food Is Medicine" is one Midland Memorial Hospital strongly believes in. As you can tell from the videos…, adopting a plant-based diet has had such a powerful impact on our employees and we believe our community should also have the tools to be successful (Midland Health, 2016).” This medical group has believed so heavily in this program that 2018 will be the third annual Food Is Medicine seminar. They also provide the visitor with all the resources they need to adopt a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. 

Additional medical groups of note are adopting a similar strategy include UCLA Medical Center is using organic food. At its cafe, St. Louis Children’s Hospital is offering low-fat, plant-based meals made with no animal products or oils and crafted in small batches by a local company. The University of Vermont Medical Center says it aims to have the most sustainable health care food service in the country. Patients and visitors can enjoy nutritionally dense, minimally processed foods, including a variety of locally produced ingredients. They allow patients to order food when they want it, rather than delivering trays with the same meals at the same time. And the cafeteria serves fresh, organic ingredients and multiple vegetarian options. Another positive development at hospitals are either gardens or farmers’ markets. For example, Stony Brook University Hospital, in Stony Brook, N.Y., has a 2,242-square-foot organic rooftop garden that supplies vegetables and herbs for patient meals. Several Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers in California are teaching their staff about plant-powered eating to pass along information to their patients (Oberst, 2017).

According to a 2015 study published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, hospital gardens created for staff, patients, and the community could lower rates of obesity in communities they serve and reduce public health disparities by providing members of the community’s greater access to fresh, healthy, plant-based foods. “Regional distribution of gardens was relatively even, with the greatest number located in the Midwest. The South, a region

How do we justify the way we eat today based on biblical references? I’d like to take a moment and address a few of those verses and dive deeper into the original text and determine what the original texts were referring to and how the new translations of the bible have caused some confusion; as well as, has become the basis as to why most people say we should allow people to eat what they want as long as they are following God’s word.

First of all, I think it is important to know when the bible is saying we “should do” something, as opposed to when it says it is “acceptable” to do something. Christians take this as a scapegoat to say God says to do something when in fact it had to do with the old testament laws for cleanliness.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. - Romans 14:20 (KJV)

20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. - Romans 14:20 (NIV)

The original Hebrew text of Romans 14:20, arguably all of Chapter 14, refers to the Jewish tradition of not being able to eat animals declared unclean by God through the Laws of Moses. Now God is saying through the Apostle Paul, not to divide his church on this teaching; to unify the church because God has made everything “clean,” (New International Version) from the Greek, “Kathara [καθαρά],” translated to “acceptable” (New Living Translation). Romans 14 is not referring to it as being healthy or good for our body to consume these things. Therefore, with modern science and technology, we can deduce what healthy is for our bodies, even though, it is permissive or clean to eat all things under the law during the time of Paul and the Romans, written in late 55 - early 56 A.D. or late 56 - early 57 A.D.

Furthermore, we see another reference to this same scenario in Acts when Peter has a vision and it is initially unclear what it means but as the story unfolds it is made clear; which is counter to the initial assumption the reader has at the onset of the vision:

11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” 14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.[a]” 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. (Acts 10:11-16 NLT)

The meaning of the vision explained by the Holy Spirit:

17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, 18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. 19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?” 22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” (Acts 10:17-22 NLT)

There is a high likelihood Peter knew and remembered the story of the Rechabites who refused to drink the wine Jeremiah offered them according to the instructions of the Lord and how the Lord used this as a testimony against the men of Judah in Jeremiah 35:1-19. The Rechabites didn’t give in to temptation and neither does Peter. In the same way, Peter’s vision isn’t meant to be taken literally. God wasn’t cleansing unclean animals an