Bible Trekking – Page 2 – Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Why we won’t laugh when Jesus tells a joke

June 27, 2025

When someone tells a joke, you have two choices. You can laugh at the joke or not. The or not is the one that can help or hinder a storyteller. If you at least smile, then they are encouraged to keep trying. If you frown, we know we missed your funny threshold. When you rudely escort us to the door, we know we really blew it.

Some people do not realize how often Jesus got a laugh from His disciples and others around Him when he spoke. One classic is the “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into Heaven.” What is funny about this statement, you may ask?

Imagine Jesus walking down the road surrounded by his followers, with many Pharisees and Sadducees with them. He is talking about who will go to see His Heavenly Father. “It is easier.” He says, holding His arms out. This is a sign of a word directly from God. “For a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” As He brings his arms together and the two fingers on His right hand are just separated. “Than for a rich man to enter Heaven.”

“But, Lord, who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus replies that what is impossible for man is not for God. You don’t get the joke either. His followers did, and they laughed at the rich Pharisees who were there. They thought being Jews would get them into Heaven. Being a Baptist won’t do it either. No wonder we won’t laugh.

Our Lord was not making fun of His opponents. As He was hung on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.” He was not just referring to the Roman soldiers. The Jewish Sanhedrin that condemned Him to death did not know what they were doing, either.

They wanted the conquering ruler to free their country. They did not know that the suffering servant had to die first. That sacrifice had to come back to life to conquer death, not just the Romans.

Israel is still in danger of being exterminated by those who have hated them for thousands of years because Jehovah loves them, and other nations do not. Iran, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria are a few examples.

The individuals needed salvation before the corporate group was set free to rule themselves again. Just as we Gentiles need to make a personal choice to accept the Messiah or the Christ and build a relationship with Him, the Jews are required to make a private decision. Have you done that yet?

What does “Seven Brief Lessons on Physics” teach us?

June 20, 2025

In his book Carlo Rovelli tells us about Loop Quantum Gravity and how this theory relates to our world including the universe around us. He also speculates on the theory of time. His is an attempt to join the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. These two ideas seem to be fitting on opposite sides of the hypothesis that all matter, energy, and time are a random accident. Both seek to eliminate the creator from the story.

Think about it for a minute. Matter, energy, and time were all created by Jehovah God. It does not depend on whether you believe me or not. God says He did it and if you want to argue it, you will have your chance. When the world ends, or your life does. Whichever comes first. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

It is your choice. No one else can make this decision for you. There is no hurry. You have until you die. Just do not wait one second too long. Then it will be too late.

Did you know that it does not matter how sincere you are, you may just be sincerely wrong. And I may be as well. If there is no God that created the universe(s) and when we die, we cease to exist, what have I lost? Nothing. I am happy and secure in my belief.

If I am correct and Jesus is not your savior and Lord, you have lost eternity. You will spend it in terrible agony away from God and everyone. Jesus described it in the story about Lazarus and the rich man. (Luke 16:19-31)

I know many of you have come to believe that it is the religious that are deceived. You’ve heard the saying that religion is the oppiate of the people. I agree with that statement. I am not talking to you about religion. There is a book entitled “Jesus is > (greater than) religion”.

Jesus challenged the Jewish religious leaders of His day. They asked Him if he was their Messiah. They expected a conquering ruler. He was not that. He had not come to free them from the oppression of the Romans. He came to release them from the slavery to sin and false beliefs which they followed.

They thought their Judaism would save them. He informed them that they were wrong. Killing sheep, goats, and bulls was doing no good. A sinless sacrifice was needed and that was what He had come to do. Think about it. Who better than God himself to become a human being and live for thirty or so years and die despite the fact He had broken no laws. Not even the religious leaders’ laws.

I know that if you believe nothing blew up without any help and started a chain reaction that caused our world and all the universe(s) including energy, matter, and time to begin you can understand that a being existed before anything else and decided He wanted people to exist.

You say you have difficulty believing in Heaven and Hell. I cannot believe in what is called the big bang theory. Something came from nowhere and exploded. I call that the Cosmic Flatulence Theory. You just do not want to believe that the eternal creator passed gas. That is a very rude beginning, and I understand why you would not want to accept this kind of creation. I don’t like to explain it this way. However you want to describe the beginning of everything, God did it.

Barnabas

May 4, 2025

In a previous column I began a discussion of Joseph who was called Bar-Nabas which means the son of encouragement. I spoke of him as being my selection as the one who may have written the book we call Hebrews. It does not read like a letter and yet it sounds a great deal like the apostle Paul’s teachings. My question is why?

The simple answer seems to be that some of Paul’s theology came from those in the church who influenced him over the years. Barnabas was the one that first accepted this new convert to The Way and brought him to the apostles. (Acts 9:26-27) A risky move on his part.

Here we lose track of Barnabas and Saul is sent away because the Jewish leaders do not like the man that was so vehement about attacking these believers in the Messiah becoming one of them. The disciples heard that they were going to kill Saul and sent him home to Tarsus. (Acts 9:30)

The book of Acts, written by Dr. Luke, continues with the actions of Peter and others until they need someone to go to Antioch to find out what is happening there with the Gentiles or non-Jewish believers. (Acts 11:22-25) As you read here you see that Saul is brought to Antioch to help with this work.

You may ask why Barnabas went to Saul after all this time. When he first brought him to the other disciples in Jerusalem, I am sure that he first vetted his conversion experience. We call this giving your testimony. This included Jesus’ call for him to go to the Gentiles with the gospel. (Acts 9:15) There was no one else that Barnabas knew who was called to this ministry.

Now you see why Joseph is called the son of encouragement. (Acts 4:36-37) Joseph was a common name in Hebrew families. Jesus pronounced He-sus, which is common among Hispanics and other cultures. I am sure you can think of other Josephs from the Bible, both Old and New Testament.

Remember Jacob’s son that was sold s a slave by his brothers and sent to Egypt ahead of the family? A Joseph is mentioned in Nehemiah 12:14 as being one of the priests at that time. Another is mentioned in Ezra at that same time in chapter 10 verse 42. We all should know that Jesus’ earthly father was named Joseph.

In the New Testament Luke tells us that Jesus had two ancestors named Joseph in Luke 3:24 and 30, These were in Joseph of Nazareth’s lineage. We also have a Joseph in Matthew 27:56 that was the son of Mary, Jesus’ mother. (Also Mark 6:3, 15:40, 47) He is probably the next oldest brother and was named after his father.

Then we have Joseph from Arimathea that asked for Jesus’ body and put it in his own new tomb. (Matthew 27:57-59, Mark 15:43, 45-46, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42). After the resurrection the eleven decided to allow God to select a twelfth Apostle to replace Judas. Two men were nominated. Joseph called Barsabbas and Mathias to decide who would be chosen by lots.

I have another thought about Barnabas that I will share with you in another column. Stay tuned.

Faith

April 23, 2025

This sounds like a good topic to talk about after Resurrection Weekend. What do I mean by this term? The secular world knows it as Easter. Most Christians do not know the origin of this holiday. When the early church was accepted by the Roman government, they changed the established holidays to be accepted by the followers of Christ.

The spring festival that honored the renewal of life during this season was changed to fall on resurrection day. The name remained the same. It recognized the Roman God responsible for life. It was thought to be appropriate because Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us new life when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

The problem I have is that my God does not want me to worship anyone except Him. That is why I refer to the holiday as Resurrection Day. The U.S. government recognizes our separation of church and state and records it as Easter which is considered a secular holiday. It is my faith that requires that I acknowledge it as a Christian celebration.

The book of Hebrews tells us in chapter eleven; verse one what faith is. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” My faith allows me to flip on a light switch to turn on lights in my house. When my grandparents were children, they could not do this. Their homes did not have electricity in them.

Today your faith lets you turn on your lights, television, phone, computer, car, and many other things they did not know about. You believe these devices will work and that is a substance that you use daily. That faith is your proof that those things will start when you need them. We were all disappointed when they failed to work.

Jehovah God has never failed me. I hope you can say the same. Life is frustrating enough without those we depend on failing us. But that is life. Jesus is also life. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) You can accept this on faith as I have.

Let’s talk more about this book in the Bible called Hebrews. Bible scholars have asked who the author was for years. In college, it was dealt with in a separate class. When I took the class on Paul’s letters the instructor added Hebrews as another class, he taught that was also probably written by the apostle Paul. Some theologians do not agree with this.

I am not a scholar. I am merely a student of Jesus and God’s word to us. I ask Him a lot of questions. Eventually He gives me those answers. Recently I learned that some believe Barnabas, the son of encouragement that was one of Paul’s early Christian friends may have been the author of this letter.

It sounds a lot like what Paul said in his other books. He did not use the style we are used to reading because he did not say that it was from him. This writer does not tell us who this letter is for. It does not read like a letter as others in the New Testament do. It is more expository in nature and begins by pointing out that Jesus was how God chose to speak to us at this time.

These are some of the reasons I believe Joseph called the son of encouragement or Barnabas wrote it. We will continue with more about him and who he was in the church. I think that you will find it interesting and you may learn some things that God has not shared with you before. See you next time.

God Said it. I Believe it. That Settles it.

March 18, 2025

On the dashboard of my 1966 Chevy Impala Super Sport, there was a magnet that said, “God Said it. I Believe it. That Settles it.” I put that magnet there in 1974 when the Lord called me to full-time Gospel Ministry. I still believe it.

As I began to start studying the Bible at Southwest Baptist College, I made some decisions about what my world view was. At the time I did not know what a “world view” was. I formed in my head what I believed about God. Then I tried to put it into words. I literally found it in His Word.

I decided that He was the creator of everything. I decided that He and Jesus were the same being and they shared a spirit. I later learned they are a triune being. My grammar check wants me to change that to read triune beings. Grammarly is wrong. There is only one being.

Triune literally means three in one. It is different from a trinity. Trinity is three that become one. Many of the religions of the world that worship multiple gods have a trinity that makes three of their gods into a godhead. This is a syndicate. Kind of like a tribunal of gods. Jehovah God is one entity. The deceiver wants you to believe otherwise.

Jehovah is the only creator of the universe. The concept of multiple universes and different realities is as old as time. That is another lie that we can fall for. The creator of all things made chronological time as well. That is what He said in Genesis. “In the beginning God.”

He designed and executed the existence of everything around us. In that book of beginnings, you see that He said, “Let us make mankind in our own image.” And He did. We are also a triune being. We have a soul, a body, and a spirit like He does.

We call Him Father because His bodily form referred to Him as His Father. We are called crazy when we talk to ourselves, but Jesus showed us it is acceptable to communicate with your soul. You must recognize that you have one. We also need to acknowledge our spirit. He told Nicodemus that he must be born again. That is very confusing. There is a physical birth, but Jesus introduced us to a spiritual birth. Satan was wrong when he told Adam and Eve they would not die. One-third of us is dead when we are born.

Accepting the son of God as our Lord and Savior brings us into His family as His children. We become like God in every sense except we cannot create something from nothing. He teaches us how to recreate ourselves into the image of Him that He wants us to show to the world.

Most of the time I mess that up. I keep trying with each new day that He gives to me. Do you? Are you more like Him than you were yesterday? If not, let’s work on it again tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Jehovah created tomorrows as well. The future, the present, and the past are all part of His creation. Isn’t it wonderful? Every morning you are able to begin again.

My dream

February 15, 2025

Unlike Martin Luther King whose dream is known to thousands, I also had a dream last night. My dream is literally one I had in my sleep. I was in church. Not Hamlin where I have attended with my wife for over forty years. It was at Immanuel where I was raised and called to the ministry.

Cindy’s name was in the bulletin to sing that Sunday. She was unable to sing. I went to the pulpit. I did not sing for her. I was not called to sing. That church knew that. I read to the church from First Corinthians chapter thirteen.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

This is not the human love that we celebrated yesterday on Valentine’s Day. It is not a feeling. It is not sex. It is action. It is the things we should do but do not. This is what I read to that church in my dream. Standing in their pulpit in my pajamas with no hint of embarrassment or fear.

I ended my song with the last verse of this chapter. ^“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I asked them to join me at the altar and I would introduce them to my Jesus who helps me to love this way.

A perfect love casts out fear we read. I had no fear in my dream as I do when I speak. I did not worry about what this church thought of me. I looked at them with the love of God and asked them to join me in pursuing Him and His love, I know I fail at that often. I keep trying, again, and again, and again.

Can you join me in this pursuit? To be patient and kind. We must put aside everything that makes us human and strive to be more like Jesus. To love the way, He loves and gave His life for us. It isn’t hard. Just ask Him to forgive you as I do, again, and again, and again. It is a daily pursuit. Join me.

What is in a name?

September 19, 2024

William Shakespeare wrote in “Romeo and Juliet”, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” We do not know where the name Rose came from. I do know where my mother took the name Charles for me. It came from a character in the soap opera “As The World Turns.”

That is what she told me all my life. While researching this column I discovered that this TV show appeared after I was born. Another myth is busted. Now I am wondering where my name came from. An old boyfriend? Charlie Tuna? 1961 was his debut. Charles De Gaulle? I hope not. One of his middle names is Marie. Prince Charles? That would be cool since he is now Charles III king of Great Britain. He was just a kid when I was born.

Names are very important. Mom called where I worked and asked for Charles. She was told that no one by that name worked there. The guy who said that was a new hire and did not know that Chuck is a nickname for Charles. She read him the riot act. She once told our pastor that my name was not Chuck. She had given me the name Charles.

I adopted the name Chuck in college. I thought Chuck Kensinger reporting from London would sound better. I use Chuck for all my friends and for my fiction. All my non-fiction is under my given name. When we meet, call me Chuck.

God had a problem with Moses when he first called him to lead the Israelites from Egypt. He asked who he should say sent him. Jehovah or Yahweh is translated as “I am that I am.” In Hebrew, it literally means “I am, I was, and I will always be.” Pretty specific, right.

He has other names given in the Bible as well. Jehovah Jirah, El Shaddai, Jesus Christ, and many others. Don’t worry, He will answer no matter what you call Him because He knows when you are talking to Him. I start my prayers with precious Jesus. It works for me.

The important thing is to talk to Him whenever you want to. I think He listens to everyone. That’s kind of His thing. Give Him a call. Don’t forget to listen with your spirit. That is how He communicates with us. If you’ve accepted His son Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will have a better connection. Try Him, you’ll like Him.

Jesus took your place

September 5, 2024

The man Jesus of Nazareth lived in what we call the first century A.D. If you do not believe this, research the writings from that time. More references to him exist than for other historical figures. If He never existed, why was the calendar changed?

Most of the Jews did not believe that He was the Christ. That was part of the plan. He had to be rejected and executed on a cross. Many of the predictions that he fulfilled were not even recognized as messianic prophecies until they happened to this poor carpenter. One was His death.

If you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, you are one of those that He died for. The first was a man named Bar-Abbas. You may have read his name as Barabbas. Most do not know that he was an insurrectionist that was scheduled to be crucified with two of his followers.

They are referred to as thieves. The Romans did not execute robbers by this method. Crucifixion was designed for those who tried to thwart the will of the Roman Emperor. Bar- Abbas was an insurrectionist. The two men that died with Jesus were probably the only two of his men who were not killed or did not escape.

This period is immediately following what is known as the Maccabean era in Jewish history. The Maccabees were a family that ruled Judea shortly before the Romans invaded and began to control most of the known world. Prophets had predicted this Messiah for centuries.

Scriptures tell us that the Messiah would come to set the Jews free. What happened was that He came to die for the sins of the entire world. Jehovah knew what we needed, not what one country wanted. Forgiveness for all humanity trumps temporary freedom for a nation that thought they were better than everyone else.

Christ is not His last name. It is the Greek translation for Messiah. The Christ was sent from God to complete what had been started by Moses. The law could not save us. Someone had to die for us and return from the dead. That is why He came.

We could never please the Father by ourselves. We have all sinned and fallen short. None of us is righteous. Not even one. You will be given the grace of God, if you accept the gift that He came to give all of us. He took my place and yours. Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior?

Pride before the fall

August 19, 2024

What does it mean when someone says, “Pride goes before a fall?” You may have heard it in a movie or TV show. Some of you may think that it is in the Bible. Warnings against pride fill the scriptures but these are not words that appear there.

Pride is the emotion that makes us think that we are better than others. Pride lifts us up above who we really are. Belittling others is one of those things that does not make you better. It makes you less.

Jesus told us to take the lower place at feasts. Let others move us to a better seat. We need to humble ourselves. When we think of those around us as being equal or better than us, we become a friend, a loving companion, and a confidant. When we think we are better than others, we become a bully, a braggart, a loud mouth.

Jesus told a story of two men who were praying. One was a Jewish leader, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee thanked Jehovah that he wasn’t a sinner like the other guy. The IRS man fell on his face and asked for forgiveness. Jesus said the second man was the one who was justified by his prayer.

Another problem that came up for Christ was the hypocrisy of those who rejected Him. They wanted a sign from Him to prove He was sent by God. Healing people by His touch, raising the dead, and walking on water, was not enough for them. Satan wanted Him to turn stones into bread or jump off the temple roof. He refused to perform stunts for the entertainment of the crowd.

The Sanhedrin expected to become the rulers when Messiah drove the Romans out. That was not what the prophecy said. That was the second step of the process. We need to follow the steps in our lives. One at a time. Lose the things that clutter our time and keep moving.

We all know someone who is puffed up with themselves. We see this in businesspeople and politicians of all parties. A bully is someone trying to prove he is smarter, richer, or stronger than you. They use names, insults, or physical violence to make us think they are better than we are.

A lot of people have fallen because of their pride. The saddest scenario is when they continue failing repeatedly without learning this time-worn saying. Success is not measured by making money, building structures, or winning elections. Others will support you when you treat them kindly. A loser does not know that he can gain the whole world and lose his soul. Jesus said that, too.

Good Friday?

March 29, 2024

Sunday is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus whom we call The Christ. Today is Friday. Why do Christians call it good. Around two thousand years ago the savior of the world was executed by the Romans. What is good about that?

Jesus said that there is none good but God. (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19) He had just been called a Good Teacher. He was not arguing with this young man. He was trying to educate him. We call people good. They are not. We are not. Good is a word that we use easily. Jesus wanted to point out that in His definition of good, no one qualifies except Jehovah.

Can a particular day in history be considered good? Will the day you die be good or bad? Personally, the day I leave this body will be a good day for me. I will be with God. That includes Jesus. He said He would come back and take me to be where He is. (John 14:3) Why would that be bad?

If anyone had a bad day, the day we are remembering would be bad for Our Lord. He was arrested the night before. He was charged with blasphemy. That is making himself equal to Yahweh. He could not argue against that charge. He is equal. He said it. “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

The Sanhedrin took Him to Pilate. (Matthew 27:2) They changed the charge. “He claims to be the King of the Jews.” (Matthew 27:11) Jesus did not deny that charge. Why would He do that? Did He want to die? No. He had to. To save me from my sins He required it. He is God. (John 1:1-5)

The previous evening the sacrifice asked if there was a way to prevent Him going through crucifixion. (Matthew 26:39) There was no other way. If He did not do it, you and I would be punished for our sins. He had to perish for the entire human race.

That was not all He must do. That is what we will celebrate this Sunday. It is not Easter. That is a holiday named for a pagan god that the Romans worshiped. The emperor took that festival of debauchery and tried to change it to honor Jesus the Christ. The name stuck. I prefer to call it Resurrection Day. We need to forget the chicks, eggs, and bunnies. It is the day of the empty tomb. Mary saw Him alive. (Matthew 28:9) The Roman soldiers were like dead men. (Matthew 28:4) Over five hundred witnessed Him in His resurrected body. Why don’t you believe it?

He came. He died on that Friday. He arose on Sunday. Friday is good because He came back to life and made it possible for all of us to live in His presence. That is yesterday, today, and after we die. Honor Him by remembering what He did for us.

Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Walk With a Servant

Category: Bible Trekking