THE REAL 300

Gideon and his 300

The 300 Spartans

Read Judges 7

KEY VERSE: "And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place." (VERSE 7)

I have always admired the tale of the 300 Spartans. Against the massive Persian Army, these 300 brave warriors fought to the last man in order to fend of the invading Persian army. I studied it in our World History class, and I was amazed of what they did. When the comic book 300 by Frank Miller came out, I bought it. Miller's tale and drawings gave a more visual feel of the battle. Director Zack Snyder adapted the comic to film, magnifying my excitement. I was hooked.The success of the Spartans relied on their being a military state. Meaning they relied on military training, might and power to overpower their opponents. They also have a unique formation called the phalanx, where is is an impregnable wall of shield and spears that served as their defense and offense. 

But the bible tells of a different tale of 300 warriors. Gideon, one of the Judges of Israel, also fought with only 300 men. The only difference is that he fought not with military might, but with a greater power: The Almighty God. Yes, there are a lot of people that joined his army, but God said "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me" (VERSE 2). How wonderful is the Lord! He wants the people to know that it was him that delivered them in the hands of the Midianites and not on their own selves. By the power of the Lord, Israel was delivered in the hand of Midian,not by mere spears and swords,but by the hand of God. 

In the Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, he is one of the "men of faith" stated in Chapter 11 Verse 32. True, the Spartans perished fighting for freedom and defense of Greece, but Gideon lived and became one of the Judges of Israel, all because he believed in an all powerful God. This is the true power of the 300. May we be like Gideon, who trusted always in the Lord and overcame every struggle not by his own might, but by the might and trust of an all powerful God. We must never boast or say to him, " Mine own hand saved me !" We can overcome any trial that is before us, if we have a strong faith in an all powerful and loving God, who would never let us perish, but have life eternal.   

MAY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU,

BRIAN LUCIANO

MAY 11,2018       

THE CHRISTIANS AND THE WORLD

Read John 16

KEY VERSE: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (VERSE 33)

This particular chapter of the Book of John tells of how we Christians will be treated by the world. I have loved this chapter since it details how much Jesus has loved his disciples, that as he goes away to be offered for our sins, he tells his disciples the things that will come to pass. He says that as he goes back to the Father, he will send the Comforter to minister unto them (VERSE 7). He also told them that as the world rejoices, they will weep (VERSE 20). But there is an end to all this turmoil and tribulation, as our Lord Jesus Christ has said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (VERSE 33) 

Life is getting more complicated for Christians around the world. In countries like China, even online downloads of bibles are prohibited. There is a law in the state of California that is pro LGBT which will restrict Christians speaking out against them. Even GQ magazine placed the Holy Bible in their 21 BOOKS YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ, calling it "repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned". We are being touted as bigots and haters. They mock us, and even censor us. They still believe that we are the largest "religion in the world", thus we are still in the majority, and we face no such thing.

Is that so? Then why did Our Lord Jesus Christ say that the world know him not. if they believed in him, they why did they put him to death? So if Christ is not of the world, then so are the real Christians. Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ. The so-called majority religion is made up of man made traditions that mostly don't glorify God. The real Christians, however, rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, to live a life acceptable of God. He is separated from the world, thus the world thinks differently of him. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he can interpret the Scriptures, have fellowhip with fellow believers, and most importantly preach the Gospel of Salvation with boldness. Thus persecution and death follows. But though we will face persecutions, we have the promise from our Lord Jesus Christ that he has overcome the world, and that in these words we can find peace. The peace that he gives us is not the peace of the world, which is temporary, but the peace that comes from an all powerful God who will someday return and reclaim his kingdom.

Let us not be too attached to this world. I will always pray for all of you my brethren in the Lord to strenghten us against this world. Thank you.

MAY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU,

BRIAN LUCIANO

MAY 4,2018         

EDOM'S SIN

Read Obadiah

KEY VERSE:"For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever." (VERSE 10)

We all know the story of one of the sibling rivalries in the bible, namely Esau and Jacob, sons of Isaac and grandchildren of Abraham. We all know that by Rebekah's cunning advice that Jacob stole the blessing of Isaac and ran away to work in his uncle's place, and alos get married. His older brother Esau was furious at him. It will be years later that they will reconcile.

Years later, both brothers gave births to ancient kingdoms, namely Edom (Esau) and Israel (Jacob). Mount Seir became the dwelling place of the Edomites while the land of Canaan became the inheritance of the Israelites. Moses was even instructed by the Lord not to "Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession" (Deuteronomy 2:5). God also took care of the descendants of Esau since they are Jacob's brother. Thus Israel and Edom are brothers.

However, on that fretful day that the Kingdom of Judah fell,  the Edomites also helped the Babylonians plunder the city. Instead of helping their brother, they rejoiced, sacked, plundered and delivered those who are escaping to the enemy. The prophet Obadiah details of how Edom stood against his brother in verses 11-14. He also tells of how Edom will be judged by the Lord, and how Jacob will be restored.

As Christians, we should not behave how Esau and Edom are. We must not consent evil, neither must we be like people who kicks a man when he is down. We know that Edom is a Gentile nation, but he is still a nation blessed by God. It is sad that he chose to side with fellow Gentiles than his brother in time of need. If we do his, we will become like Edom, who was consumed by God and became just a footnote. Esau's legacy is not a lasting one, for the Lord judged his people for the wickedness they have wrought upon their brother. Let us not be like Edom.

MAY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU,

BRIAN LUCIANO

MAY 2,2018   
                   
                     

WOLVES AT THE DOOR

READ Matthew 7:15-20

KEY VERSE: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (VERSE 15)

We are already living in what we call the End Times. These are the times in which Our Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples as a precusor of his coming. There are many signs, and this is the time that we as Christians should be really awake. We must always be on guard at all times. We must also be aware of the traps that satan and his followers will set before us.

The title came from the from a 2016 movie. It recounts the murder of Sharon Tate-Polanski, wife of director Roman Polanski, at the hands of the Charles Manson Cult. She was pregnant at that time that murder was done by Tex Mason and others. It was really horrifying. But what if there was an actual wolf in front of your door? What will you do? Possibly try and prevent it from devouring you and your family, or fight it. Now, how about if it was a harmless sheep,instead of a ravening wolf, I guess it's a different story, right?

Today there are many so called false prophets that teach false doctrines and mislead the sheep astray. They may look clean cut outside, but when you analyze their teachings, they are contradicting what the bible teaches. Our Lord Jesus Christ also told us that we shall know them "by their fruits"(verse 20). We know that a good tree cannot bear forth bad fruit, otherwise a bad tree bear good fruits.Doctrines that point that Jesus is not God but just one of the prophets, you can have your mansion here on Earth, there are many ways to God, and others are just some examples of false doctrines. Also, look at the lives of some of these people. For a servant of the most high God, some of these so called preachers are filthy rich, while the members of his congregation remain poor. They amass wealth here on earth, which is contrary to what the bible says about "amassing treasures here on earth" (Matthew 6:19-21). Let us be weary of them, lest they lead us to the wide path of destruction.

The bible teaches us on how we shall avoid them. They will have their judgement for leading God's flock astray. Always pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance in your eveyday life, and read the bible, and study it always. In that way, you will keep the wolves at bay.

MAY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BLESS YOU,

BRIAN LUCIANO

MAY 2,2018