While Amanda’s birthday was in April she opted for delayed gratification so that Tina and I could give her a night of Ireland. So last Saturday, after our September artist’s gathering, the three of us headed off to Boston for that evening of celtic wonder.
We started with dinner just off Government Center, at Kinsale’s Irish Pub. After the Fenian Pasta, a huge piece of chocolate guiness cake and a strong cup of Irish Joe (to refresh me after the early morning and a busy day with artists and musicians), we headed up Tremont Street to see Celtic Thunder perform their one night in the city! I am a die-hard Thunderhead. It turns out so is the dean of student life at my daughter’s college. The dean ended up standing next to us in line as we waited for our section to open up!…Small world! Amanda was really glad she was in dress code. 🙂
“In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.” Jude 1:8
We have spent the last several posts talking about the signals that indicate a “secret-slipper-inner” has taken up residence in a church. Those signals are reiterated here in verse 8. If you missed the discussion, it can be found here:
What I want to talk about today is not what behavior typifies the “secret-slipper-inner” but how they managed to become a danger to the church in the first place.
The Bible in Jude 1:8 calls the “secret-slipper-inner” a dreamer or according to the KJV a “filthy dreamer”. The Greek expression is “houtos kai enypniazomai-” roughly translated that is “the men who are beguiled by their sensual dreams.”
Do you remember this song?
This is a perfect example of “houtos kai enypniazomai-“.
Sometimes when we think of “filthy dreams” we think of those dreams we wake up from saying “Wow I am glad that I really didn’t do that.” But Jude isn’t talking about some dream we have because we haven’t guarded our hearts properly or because we ate crazy before bed (how could he be our night time dreams are not generally under our control and these filthy dreamers are very clearly making conscious choices). When Jude speaks of filthy dreamers he is talking about people who have chosen a mindset that leads to unbelief, rebellion and sexual promiscuity because it disregards God altogether. Paul identified it when he wrote: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” Romans 1:21-24 NIV
Our culture is rife with the idea that all religions are equal…all roads lead to Heaven…there are many paths one destination…that we should
What we have to realize is that this is not a God dream. God is not for freedom of religion. Jesus did not create many paths to Heaven. God is not discovered in all gods. Heaven is only open to those who will repent of their sin and accept Jesus as the only son of God crucified and raised back to life on the third day!
Now, to some “tolerant” ears this message may sound harsh and rather unloving or un- good- newsish; But then it’s not our good news. It’s God’s good news.
The good news was never meant to be that “all roads lead to Heaven.”
It was always “Hey I’ve made A ROAD! TAKE IT!”
I suppose in the days ahead we are going to hear a lot more of the “all roads” jargon. I imagine we will even be pushed to accept it. All who press us in this direction are “houtos kai enypniazomai-“.
was in April she opted for delayed gratification so that Tina and I could give her a night of Ireland. So last Saturday, after our September artist’s gathering, the three of us headed off to Boston for that evening of celtic wonder.
After the Fenian Pasta, a huge piece of chocolate guiness cake and a strong cup of Irish Joe (to refresh me after the early morning and a busy day with artists and musicians), we headed up Tremont Street to see Celtic Thunder perform their one night in the city! I am a die-hard Thunderhead. It turns out so is the dean of student life at my daughter’s college. The dean ended up
standing next to us in line as we waited for our section to open up!…Small world! Amanda was really glad she was in dress code. 🙂
Reinventing the We'll 