Ken Blue Ministries

By Ken Blue

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;” Mark 1:1.”Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,” Mark 1:14.

The story is told of a family who had a litter of new puppies. A sign was posted which read, “Catholic puppies for sale; $10.00 each.” A few days later, a new sign replaced the older one, it read, “Baptist puppies for sale; $20.00 each.” A man stopped and said, “Last week you called them Catholic puppies, now you call them Baptist; Why the change?” “Well,” said the owner, “This week they got their eyes open.”

When we hear a word, certain pictures come to mind. For example, when I say automobile, airplane, baptism, or gospel; you get a mental equivalent. Try it; you will see. However, your image may not match my intended use of the word. Only by understanding the context in which I use it, can you see what I mean.

For example, the word “gospel” in our text, means “good news.” But, what is the message of that good news?

I. WE KNOW THE DEATH OF CHRIST IN NOT PART OF THIS GOSPEL-

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Matthew 16:21-22.

a. Notice that Jesus began to teach His disciples that He must die. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples…” This shows that Jesus had not taught it till then, nor did anyone understand it.

b. Notice that Peter sees this teaching incompatible with their gospel. “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee”

c. Notice that they did not understand Old Testament prophecies of Messiah’s death. “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death:.” Luke 18:31-33.

d. Peter’s denial shows their ignorance of His upcoming death. “But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. Mark 14:68.

So, we know John, Jesus and the Twelve preached the gospel; we also know that it did not contain one word concerning His dying for man’s sin. That ought to be evident, But most Baptist never understand its implication.

II. WE KNOW HIS BURIAL AND RESURRECTION WAS NOT PART OF THEIR GOSPEL- Again, our text makes it clear that John, Jesus, and the Twelve preached the gospel in the four gospels.

a. Notice that His resurrection was not part of their gospel. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Matthew 16:21.

b. Notice that they had no knowledge of his upcoming death, burial and resurrection. “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” Luke 18:31-34. Notice carefully verse 34. They could not have been preaching what they did not understand or believe. Yet, they preached a gospel.

c. Notice that the preparation of His body showed that they did not believe His upcoming resurrection. “Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.” John 19:40. They would not go to the effort if they expected His resurrection. Yet, they had heard His gospel.

d. Notice that the concern of the women was who could roll the stone away from the tomb. “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. ..3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” Mark 16:1,3. If they expected His resurrection, they would not be coming to anoint His body or be concerned about the stone.

c. Notice the unbelief of the eleven when the Mary Magdalene brought news of His resurrection. “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.” Mark 16:9-11. Now, we can’t expect that the Twelve preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and then all of them changed their theology! Yet, they preached the gospel.

d. Notice that Thomas did not believe the report of the other disciples. “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:24-25. Are we to believe that Thomas preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for sin, and now he is an unbeliever?

e. Notice that Jesus rebuked sharply the eleven for their unbelief. “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”. Mark 16:14.

SUMMATION: 1. We know that no one understood or preached that Jesus must die. 2. We know that none understood or preached His resurrection. 3. We know that their reaction to His death was one of discouragement, and to His resurrection; doubt and unbelief. 4. We know from Luke 18 that He explained it and they understood none of it. Therefore, we know that none of them preached the gospel of His death, burial, and resurrection in any manner.

Now the key is in the context as used by John, Jesus, and the Twelve in the four gospels and early Acts period. Notice the text again. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;” Mark 1:1.”Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,” Mark 1:14.

The “good news” was that the King and the Kingdom was at their doorstep. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:1-2. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17. Have you ever wondered why no Baptist preacher gives this kind of invitation? The reason is clear; the kingdom is not at hand. It has been rejected by Israel and is now in abeyance.

Finally, notice the very first question by the Twelve, after Jesus resurrection. “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6. Were they wrong to expect the Kingdom? No; they had every right to expect it. He spent 40 days with them; do you think He explained to them that Israel would reject their message of the resurrected King? The answer is no. Did He explain that He would build a new thing, called the church, the body of Christ? Again, the answer is no. Did He commission them to go and start Baptist churches? Our final answer is no. He spoke only of those things concerning the coming Kingdom.

So, you see. The Word of God must be rightly divided and so must the words. The good news we preach today, is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and is alive to save all who come to Him in faith. That is GOOD NEWS! Sadly, most Christians are led to believe that the gospel in four gospels and early Acts is the same gospel preached today. It could not have been.

The Journey

By Clem Head

The end of my life journey began in July, 2008 when I was 73 years old. Before that time I had been my usual, hyper-energetic self: cutting firewood, playing music, even biking 14 miles. I went to church, and I loved my Lord Jesus, but I have to say that my relationship with Jesus sometimes took a back seat to the things I wanted to accomplish. I was admittedly proud of what I could still do at my age. Then I began to lose my energy. I got fatigued just walking around a grocery store. All I wanted to do was lie around.

I went to multiple doctors who, despite many tests, including an MRI and artery biopsy, came up with no clear diagnosis. All the while I grew weaker and weaker. I lost my voice and couldn’t sing. It saddened me to have to cancel my music shows as I hated to let my audience down.

Then, following a bout with pneumonia that sent me to the hospital, I was lying on our couch and felt a lump in my right side. More tests and another biopsy at last gave a clear diagnosis – I was dying of advanced liver cancer and given 1-3 months to live.
My wife, Diane, held my hand as we got the diagnosis. She recalls me saying “Good thing I know where I’m going. Guess I’m going to get to heaven sooner than I thought.” Since that time, I’ve discovered that knowing your time is short is a gift.

The beauty of the gift is that I’ve been able to draw much closer to God. I’m closer than I’ve ever been to my Jesus and I’m totally at peace for the first time in my life. I’ve been inundated with love and affection from our church families and friends, my former co-workers on the waterfront, people I’ve met playing music and, most of all, my family.

Not everyone is blessed with knowing their time is short. Not everyone gets to know where they are on their life’s journey, but everyone should live like their time is also short. Draw close to God and each other. It is my fervent prayer for you that you read this and accept the Gift.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Clem

December 16, 2009

NOTE: Clem Head is a dear friend of mine, and he and his family were among the first converts and members of Open Door Baptist Church. We first met in the spring of 1970. Because of Clem and Irene Head, many of their children, nieces and nephews are saved and serving the Lord. Joyce and I thank God that we were privileged to know Clem. We extend our heartfelt love to Clem and his family.

By Ken Blue

“Hadith: are narrations originating from the words and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hadith are regarded by traditional schools of jurisprudence as important tools for understanding the Quran and in matters of jurisprudence. Hadith were evaluated and gathered into large collections mostly during the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz during the 8th and 9th centuries. These works are referred to in matters of Islamic law and history to this day. The two main denominations of Islam, Shi`ism and Sunnism, have different sets of Hadith collections.” (Wikipedia Encyclopedia.) Italic mine.

When reading the Hadith or the Quran, one will be struck with the number of comments that appear to be revised stories from the Holy Bible. We have seen the same phenomena in the book of Mormon.

If the quote from the Hadith, is indeed by Muhammad; the question is, did he borrow it from the words of Jesus and ascribe them to himself, or did God reveal them to him? Remember, Muhammad lived 600 years after the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave the following parable in Matthew 20:1-14. “ For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.”

Now, read and compare the following quote from the Hadith, Volume 1, Book 10, Number 533: as Narrated Abu Musa: “The Prophet said, “The example of Muslims, Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who employed laborers to work for him from morning till night. They worked till mid-day and they said, ‘We are not in need of your reward.’ SO the man employed another batch and said to them, ‘Complete the rest of the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed (for the first batch). They worked Up till the time of the ‘Asr prayer and said, ‘Whatever we have done is for you.’ He employed another batch. They worked for the rest of the day till sunset, and they received the wages of the two former batches.”

Although Muhammad was illiterate, and could neither read nor write, it appears that he heard bits and pieces of the Old and New Testament Scriptures and then presented them to his followers as coming from himself. The above is one example; there are many more. You read and decide for yourself. Since the Old and New Testament Scriptures were complete by the time Muhammad was born, are we to believe that the Quran has replaced the Holy Bible, that Esau has replaced Isaac, that the Arabs have replaced the Jews, and that Muhammad has replaced The Lord Jesus Christ?

By Ken Blue

There is no end to the bimbos who keep coming out of the woods, (no pun intended,) claiming to have had sex with Tiger Woods. Doubtless, this is only the tip of the iceberg. However, there are several ways whereby Tiger may escape.

First, it can be blamed on his wealth. Money attracts immoral women like moths to a flame. How can we expect any man to escape when beautiful women fling themselves at him constantly? There is a way. (2 Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:12).

Some of the media have already placed the blame on the women. They argue that those women knew Tiger was a married man, and in spite of that, they made themselves available to him. So, blame the women. I assure you, if Tiger was single, the media would not have faulted him or the women for their fornication.

Another ploy that might work is to attribute his adulteries to his fame. Everyone knows that popularity is intoxicating. Men, who become famous, loose prospective, and see themselves as invincible, and they possess an attitude of entitlement. Perhaps we can blame his failings on his rise to super stardom.

Possibly, we could blame society. He is only as wealthy and famous as his promoters made him. He would have neither fame nor money, had we not bought into the hero worship; which is so prevalent in America.

Then, perhaps Tiger has an “addiction” and cannot help himself. That idea has been suggested by others. It seems like we heard something like this when Mr. Clinton was President. It is possible to become addicted to anything. But, our addictions cannot become our excuse. We become addicted, one act at a time, and each act is a conscious choice.

Finally, Tiger could claim demon possession. Some have given this excuse to escape personal responsibility. How can you fault a man, if the Devil made him do it? No doubt, the Devil is indirectly responsible for our fallen nature, and he will share his part of the blame. However, blaming the Devil did not get Eve off the hook, nor will it work for anyone else.

Like King David, Tiger has lost it all. His kingdom will continue to crumble until the end. Listen to King Solomon on this matter. “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” Proverbs 6:32.

Society may or may not forgive Tiger Woods, but he can find personal forgiveness and peace if he truly desires it. David prayed, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalms 51:1.

Personally, I feel sorry for Tiger Woods, his wife and their children. No man or woman can commit an action without it impacting the lives of others. Not only did he betray his wife and children, he betrayed every small boy or girl who looked up to him and hoped someday to be a great golfer like him.

Some may argue that it is not his fault that others looked up to him; that may be true. But, it is his responsibility to maintain behavior and an image that will not damage or destroy the lives of others.

Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin is death to relationships, happiness, health, wealth, fame, and freedom. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12.