Category: Bible Trekking

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.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

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.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

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.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

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.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

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?

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

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.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

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.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

Get behind me, Satan

October 30, 2023

Do you recognize this quotation from Jesus? Matthew and Mark, both tell us this story. Matthew 16:23 tells the same story Mark gives us in chapter 8 and verse 33.

The story begins with the Pharisees asking for a sign. They have seen Jesus heal hundreds of people. He has cast demons out of others. The demons have tried to announce to bystanders that Jesus is the Son of God. Others recognize that He is the Messiah or Christ. The anointed one is another prophetic name that is used for Him.

Jesus later asks the disciples who the people think He is. They list names I have stated and others. He then asks who they say that He is. Simon calls Him the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Can you get more specific than that?

This is when Jesus starts to tell them that He will be persecuted and crucified and will arise on the third day. He does not stop reminding them of this coming event. He wants them to understand that it is necessary for Him to die and be raised from the dead.

This first time Peter objects. The Apostles will not allow Jesus to die. They will give their lives for Him. That is when the Lord states, “Get behind me, Satan.” Jesus recognizes that Simon Peter does not want to lose His friend and teacher. Satan wants to convince the Savior to become a king like David.

Peter was chastised for this statement. I make comments to others that should never have left my mouth. I criticize, contradict, and constrain the faith and lives of those around me. I may give them the idea that they must agree with me or that I think less of them. It is difficult to keep these thoughts from becoming words.

How do we stop the concepts and ideas in our minds from emanating through our voices? Can we prevent the thoughts in the first place? It is difficult. It can be done. Reject these concepts as soon as they inhabit your mind. That is what Jesus did. Peter voiced Satan’s desire and he was called out on what he was really saying.

He did not wish to stop Jesus from doing what the Father had sent Him to accomplish. The disciples expected a kingdom to be established in Jerusalem. They did not realize that first, salvation for the world needed to be purchased. The death and resurrection of a sinless human was required. No one could do this but Jehovah.

We know Him as God’s son. Jesus Christ is another name and title He is known by. He is also the I Am. It is difficult for us to recognize Jesus as Yahweh. It is easier to think of the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost. He is a triune being like us. We were made in His image.

Simon Peter knew the man Jesus was the foretold Messiah. The Jews had been waiting for Him to defeat the Romans and take the throne of Israel. All twelve, as well as hundreds of others, could be mobilized to fight for Israel and their King. That was not his mission. But after He arose from the grave, He told them He would return to be their King. I’m still waiting. Are you?

©Copyright 2023 by Charles Kensinger

Good Friday?

April 8, 2023

We are celebrating the day that Jesus who is the Messiah of the Jews died over two thousand years ago. The question is why is it considered a good day? Three men were executed by the most gruesome method known to modern man. This is a day that should be considered evil.

Thursday night ended with a moving Passover meal for Christ and his twelve closest followers. Their mentor showed them how to be servants to each other. All the current traditions were observed. The wine was shared as was the bread. Prayers were given. Music was shared. It was both fellowship and worship.

Friday morning begins with a series of trials. The Sanhedrin retried our Lord until He made a statement that is considered blasphemy and the court determines that His sentence should be death by crucifixion. These educated lawmen do not realize that they have sentenced Jesus to a death that matches what the prophets recorded hundreds of years ago.

The trials continue before Pilot and Herod. The sentence is ordered to be carried out. Pilot washes his hands. Three men march out to be hung on crosses until they are dead. It will be a slow terrible death. They will tire from the efforts to pull themselves up to breathe until they suffocate.

Over the next several hours’ Christ’s companions argue with each other to decide why they will die with a man they never knew until this day. The man they called Bar Abbas has been released. The Son of the Father will live to fight another day. They will not.

One accepts the offer of the savior. The other does not. They both die agonizing deaths. They are preceded in death by my Lord and Savior. He spoke little during the trials and the crucifixion. His last words were, “It is finished.”

It is the plan of the Father to save humanity from its own sinfulness. It started with Adam and ended with Jesus. Paul calls him the second Adam.

We refer to the Friday before Resurrection Sunday as Good Friday because of the result of the weekend. The tragic incidents of passion week were worth the lamb that was slain for the sin of the world. His life for those of an entire race of people. Science Fiction is not the only book where the Earth is saved. Happy Resurrection Sunday.

©Copyright 2023 by Charles Kensinger

COSMIC FLATULENCE

January 4, 2023

The seventh and eighth-grade boys sat in the room at the church in Springfield, Missouri.  They listened as well as they could as the teacher tried to expound the love of Christ to them.  From out of nowhere it appeared.  No, you could not see it and this time it was not heard.  It was there and you knew it because of the odor that spread through the entire room.  The windows had to be opened.  Even then it took interminable minutes to dissipate.

That was the moment when this theory of the origin of the Universe was born.  It sounds odd.  Sometimes flashes of inspiration appear just like that strange smell.  Which of the times this happened was the actual trigger is not known.  The beginning of time became clear one day in this green fog.

When I was beginning college, I had doubts that the story of Jehovah creating the universe was a myth. I asked God to show himself to me. I wanted to believe. I began to see the hand of a creator in the sunset, the sunrise, the rain, the stars, and a thousand other parts of creation itself.

When my children were born, I knew that the process of procreation was named properly. Everything about our world and our universe points directly to a creator. If you can’t see that, I am sorry. I wanted to believe in Yahweh. I know that it is said that we believe what we want to.

Hebrews 11:1 in the New Testament of the Bible says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things that are not seen.” This is one of my favorite scriptures. My belief in a creator allows me to see Him and have proof in my own mind that He does in fact exist.

The main theory that contends with creation is something that is called The Big Bang Theory. This ideology states that when there was nothing it exploded. Can nothing explode? I do not think that is a scientific fact. I do not believe that anyone has been able to record a vacuum doing anything. My Cosmic Flatulence concept is the Big Bang with an explanation of where whatever banged came from.

Can this theory be proven? No, it cannot. It makes sense to me that something must have entered the nothing that was where the universe is now. Going back to that room and that cloud of smelly gas that came from nowhere, I decided that if the Big Bang was correct, God must have passed gas.

If you do not want to accept that the universe was created, then explain to me how nothing exploded or where whatever did explode came from. Just like the boy that created that cloud, you are denying the truth. Something was there. It came from somewhere. Nothing or something blew up either by accident or by some cause.

I have no problem accepting that our Universe started with a cloud of something like gas exploding. I need to know where whatever explosion came from. Do not lie to yourself and everyone else by saying that nothing can explode. If you do not want to acknowledge that something came from somewhere. Acknowledge that everything you believe in is a lie according to science.

I understand that you believe that I am believing a lie and that I am confused and stupid. I will not call you the names that you call those of us who accept a creator God. I wish that something someone says will touch you and you will stop believing the lies that have been told.

©Copyright 2023 by Charles Kensinger