Jeffrey Smith's Blog

Be Careful Little Eyes...

Proverbs 4:23

23             Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

    Having a family with 2 small kids (soon to be 3) it is very important to me that the content of what media we consume is not only age appropriate for my children but also edifying as well. There are plenty of shows that have an age appropriate rating that seems to be satisfactory but do not have the kind of message or spirit that we want our family to take in.

    I'd like to offer a few websites that we use to help evaluate movies. I'm recommending kids-in-mind.com and movieguide.org. They are great resources to evaluate the content of films before u see them. 

    Kids In Mind does not review the quality of the film simply the content.Here is the kids-in-mind rating explanation. It has a 3 number rating. The first number is for sex and nudity, the second is violence and gore, the third is profanity. For instance the recent Justin Beiber movie received a 2.1.1. As you can see pretty safe.

    Movieguide has similar ratings but also reviews the quality from a filmmaking AND Christian worldview (separate ratings) standpoint. Movieguide gives up to 4 stars for the quality of the film regardless of the content. There is also a content rating from -4 (the lowest rating for morality and negative content) to +4. Dr. Ted Baehr is behind Movieguide. He has been in the movie industry for over 40 years as a bold Christian, championing morality in Hollywood. Similar to Kids in Mind, Movieguide also rates the specific content of the film on a scale of 1 to 4.

    One of the things I like about Movieguide is that they typically review all films and try to fairly assess the quality of the film regardless of the content. This actually legitimizes the site more in my opinion that many Christian sites I've seen that review a movie terribly if it does not have Christian values. Movieguide isolates the various ratings to give as much information as possible.

    I love movies, I have since 1978 when my uncle took me to see Grease and I walked down the center aisle toward Olivia Newton John during "You're The One That I want" at age 6. Even though there are brilliant films that I might thoroughly enjoy, I understand the value of protecting my heart from injurious material that could damage what the Lord is trying to do in my life. I don't want to be a prude but I certainly don't want to settle for raunchy either.

    Take your time when making decisions on what you will watch or what you will allow your family to watch. Do the research. Its ok not to see a movie that everyone has seen. Hey, I've never seen The Sound of Music and I'm still ok ;) Your spirit is so much more sensitive than you realize. Let's honor the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives by guarding our hearts more than ever.

 

 

 

Word to Your Mother

We think in linear fashion. God does not. The name Alpha and Omega buries that notion. That is why Jesus is seen in the book of Revelation as a slain lamb by John and is later referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. How can He die before there was anyone to die for? I think you get the point. That is why Gods Word is to be viewed as a complete work. God did not give Moses instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words "Old Testament". God did not give Matthew instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words "New Testament".

 

John 1:1 tells us that Jesus IS the Word. Not just the New Testament, the whole thing. Some people do not hold a very high view of scripture. If someone holds a very low view of scripture, they are likely to change God’s Word, interpret its meaning so drastically wrong that it becomes invalid, or just write part of it off. God’s written Word is the single most incredible thing we possess as believers. It is a miracle. You can’t fully understand one part of the Bible without the rest of it. It is inseparable. Jesus obviously held scripture in high regard.

 

1) “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:18-19 RSV

 

2) "It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid."  (Luke 16:17 NAB)

 

3)"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.  I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place."  (Matthew 5:17 NAB)

 

So did Paul and Peter.

 

4) "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."  (2 Timothy 3:16 NAB)

 

5) "Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God." (2 Peter 20-21 NAB)

 

Jesus came to fulfill the law. He did not come to abolish it. To not make a distinction between abolishment and fulfillment is to err.

 

There are 3 main types of Old Testament law.

 1.    Ceremonial Law- This has been fulfilled in Christ and as we participate in communion we look back on what all these laws looked forward to, the victorious Messiah.

2.    Civil Law- The civil codes have lost their context now that salvation is in Christ because we all live in different countries with their own civil laws, in a spiritual kingdom, and not in Israel, a temporal nation.  They are transformed into the practical application of church discipline.

3.    Moral Law- This law reflects God’s changeless character. It remains unaltered, although in Christ we are no longer condemned by our sins against it.

 

I’ve heard it said that “passages like Deuteronomy 28, don't apply to us any more. If they did, we couldn't get the blessings without also getting the curses.”

 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

”Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… “(Galatians 3:13 NKJ)

 

He became the curse. If while redeeming us from the curse He also nullified us from the blessing, we’d all be up the creek. He fulfilled it.

 

The shadows, though dimly lit, of the Old Testament become the white-hot light of Christ that illuminates such blessing that we are literally called “co-heirs” with Him.

 

It is discouraging to see trends that seem to be occurring around Christianity where people insert and remove serious doctrinal issues of the Christian faith at will. This shows a very low regard for scripture and it is dangerous to say the least. God’s Word is a miracle. It is life, it is hope, it is salvation for those that believe and it is to be held in high regard.