There is a simple fact today.  Mainly this, most Christians are not interested in the truth.  They are interested in doctrine.  Doctrine is that which separates us.  Truth is that which brings us closer to Christ.  Doctrine can puff up because it is based on knowledge and knowledge can puff up.  Truth brings us to humility because it corrects our spirits.  Doctrine can be taught by men.  Truth can only be taught by God to our spirits.  Doctrine may mislead us.  Truth, however illogical, against the grain or peer pressures of even our teachers, however against society norms and pressures, cleanses us and leads us down right paths.

Not all doctrine brings us to truth.  Sometimes it can lead us to error and darkness.  Sometimes it can lead us to lies.  Doctrine is like a container that holds water.  It can be a system of delivery for water which brings life or poison that brings death and enslavement.

Thousands go to Bible colleges each year.  Do they know whether the doctrine they are taught is true?  It may be logical.  It may make sense spiritually comparing scripture to scripture, but, is it TRUTH, God's truth?  If they were in error would they know?

Men go to seminary every year and are taught doctrines by men who hold high degrees of respect and admiration.  Men who write great books.  Do they know what they are taught is God's truth and not just man's?

God wants us to know the truth. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  Consider this, Satan has a great plan to hide the truth from us, and to distort what truth we do receive.  If we were given great lies through the instruments of doctrine would we know it?

I once had a pastor who who disagreed with me on a subject and would not open his Bible with me.  He said I knew where he stood and he wasn't going to change his mind!  How does he know he was right about it?  What if there was the possibility he was wrong?  What about the consequences he might be creating in others lives?  After all, what he believed was based on what he was taught by others. Does the Lord expect us to blindly follow pastors or teachers who are mere men and capable of error?.

Often I find these traits present in men delivering doctrine that is not true,

• The person giving the doctrine feels the need to be loud because loud is perceived by others as power of God and his anointing.  Along with this may use a trained speaking style similar to a radio personality using words that stir the emotions.
  

• They often cut you off while speaking to them or questioning them about their doctrine.  Sometimes this is accompanied by a "show" of credentials whether verbally ("I'll have you know I went to four years of seminary!") or implied ("When I was in seminary learning Greek and studied under so-and-so, etc.").  This is opposite from one who sincerely wants to listen to what you have to say and is interested not only in your welfare spiritually but also your growth in Christ.
  

• The perception of their message is that their doctrine is the only possible truth.
  

• They are esteemed by others.  People walk away talking about how great a teacher they are instead of quiet in their spirits and humbled by the truth of the spoken word.
  

• There is turmoil instead of peace, guilt instead of conviction, fear instead of faith.  They leave you upset and more confused, (unless you just give into the turmoil and accept it "as is" just to have peace in your spirit instead of seeking the Lord's mind in his word and through prayer).
  

If you are close to the Lord and living daily in his word, then you can look at the emotions the doctrine you are hearing or reading produces.  Does it produce anger, hate, restlessness, bitterness, fear?  If it stirs up these emotions then it is not of God.

James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.


Galatians 5:19-20

19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We need to remain faithful to the word of God.  The Holy Spirit will let our spirit know when things are wrong if we are remaining close to him and are more open to his leading.  This happened recently when someone posted a comment on my wife's blog implying our family needed to be more involved in all kinds of worldly things to win the lost, and defended it by saying, "we need to be in the world-not of the world". As soon as I read the statement the Holy Spirit nudged my spirit of the corruption of his word. Any distorting of God's word, even for the right reasons, corrupts it.  Here is the scripture referred to in her statement,

John 17:15   I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Christ's prayer for his disciples in the scripture above was that his father would not take them out of the world. That prayer has already been answered for the disciples and for us. We are in the world still.  She had taken a prayer "request" and turned it into a "command" implying worldliness and fellowship with the lost on their terms was ok for the gospel's sake-(Note: I am not talking about going out among unbelievers found in what is called the "great command").

Compare this with,

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and 7:1


 14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
  15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
  16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
  17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
  18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

See how easily the truth can be perverted? Let us sit at the Lord's feet to learn the word of God with a love for his truth alone.

* All verses KJV- just because I like it

The Writer.

This is a quick follow-up to my last blog post.  Since I have noticed there is quite a bit of confusion on several web sites concerning I Corinthians 11:10 and Paul's use of the word "angels," I thought I might tackle it's meaning.  Here is the scripture, (KJV), in it's context,

I Corinthians 11:1-16

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

Verse 10 seems to be an obscrure verse in meaning to us today.  Let us remember that God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33a).  Not only does God not want us to not be confused but he wants us to understand his will-

Ephesians 5:17- be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is

Romans 12:2- And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

James 1:5- If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him

Ephesians 1:17-That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him

If we take God at his word and apply the simplest meaning then we have a starting point for understanding this verse and other seemingly obscure verses.

The word translated "angels" is #32 in Strongs Concordance in the Greek.  This word is used to both represent heavenly messengers as well as earthly messingers.  An example of the use as a heavenly messenger is found in Revelation 12:7 which mentions the angel Gabriel.  An example of an earthly messenger is it's use in Revelation 2:1, 8, and 12 where it mentions the "angel's," or "messengers" to the various churches. The word in it's simplest form means "bringer of tidings."

One of the things I have noticed about Paul's writings is how he qualifies his statements.  By this I mean that usually a statement that seems unclear to us is usually pointing to something else for it's meaning.  For example,

II Corinthians 6:17- Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you

The statement above is qualified by a previous statement within the same scripture found here,

II Corinthians 6:17- Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

So then, if we were to ask, "Who" he was referring to that we should "come out from among," the answer is "unbelievers."

We then can apply this same rule to I Corinthians 11:10. Since Paul does not mention another scripture as it's reference then we know it refers back to another passage contained in the previous text.  I believe in this instance it most likely refers to "the man" as being the "messenger" or angel.  This would make the most common sense of the verse and the easiest to explain.  The husband is the "messenger" most likely to be out of the home bringing the "tidings" of the gospel to others.  This is especially true in comparison to Titus 2:5 commanding women to be keepers at home.  The wife's conduct or appearance, in this case the head covering, affects his testimony and character in front of others who might be, for instance, invited to the home through a hospitality ministry.  This is my own opinion of course, but see no other reasonable reference which the verse could point to.  With scriptures that seem to be difficult I try to apply these rules:

• God talks about the simplicity of the Gospel. I try to remember God wants me to understand it so I go for the simplest meaning.  I don't try to stretch it to mean something obscure or mysterious.  There is usually enough evidence in the current text and the meaning of the word I don't understand to explain it.
  
• Ask yourself, is Paul using another scripture to verify what he is saying?  If not, then the meaning is most likely already supplied in a previous portion of the text.
• Pray about it.  It may be a simple truth God is trying to get across.  He will give the answer in his time so I don't need to be "confused," only express faith in his provision to explain it.  Also, remember the tempter's ability to confuse and distort.  Use your lack of understanding as an opportunity to express faith.
  

It is not my intention to start a debate, cause trouble, or to confuse some who are already confused by the head covering issue. It is also not my intent to force anyone to accept my beliefs. I pretty well had my mind made up that the head covering was not for today and that a woman's hair was her covering scripturally.

It wasn't until my daughter recently approached me with the question that I reconsidered the issue and began to research it further. I know that because of my research my views have changed somewhat but I believe that this is an issue that each woman or couple must decide for themselves. The text that seems to cause controversy is I Corinthians 11:1-16 which I will not list here but you can and should look up for yourselves.

Answer: What I found in my research is there are many, many cultures today who practice head covering as both a form of modesty and for religious reasons. It is least used in America, England, and other countries where fashion has become the norm.

Consider the fact that the world rules fashion. One must consider fashion in light of what the Bible says about Christian character and principles. Personally, our family tries to be like the world as little as possible. In terms of modesty, sometimes what is considered “modest” clothing sold on stores is really immodest, by Christian standards.

If it is a cultural phenomenon, then it has lasted for several thousands of years and in several cultures, not just with the nation of Israel. Historical art dating back several thousand years depicts the use of head coverings as common on women, including some societies including the Greek's and Roman's.

It has only been during the last two-hundred years or so that it has not been as widespread. There are many Jewish sects who still practice and preach head coverings, mostly for married women, based on Old Testament law along with historical writings by former Rabbi's and Jewish scholars. This discounts the fact that Paul may have only been writing about a custom of the past that was only important to the culture of the time in which he lived. All one has to do is type "head covering" in a search engine and listings of several Jewish sites will appear defending the practice of head covering.


One problem we have in understanding the purpose of head covering is that current Christianity is so far removed from the Jewish culture and there are many things they do we don't understand. Add to this the symbol of the head covering on women becomes lost among all the forces of feminism, fashion, and peer pressures.

In those cultures past and present where head covering is mentioned it predominantly symbolizes a woman's belonging to another and his authority over her. It is similar to the symbol the wedding ring gives in our society only much more. This places current views on the subject within the bounds of and is consistent with Paul's dealing with it in scripture. This truth is also confirmed by articles found in Jewish books and Jewish sites that quote past texts as well as Old Testament scripture where they defend it. I will state here that to the best of my current knowledge there are only two scriptures that deal with head covering in the Bible. One is the Old Testament verse found in Numbers 5:18. This verse summarizes what a man should do if he believes his wife has been unfaithful. The second verse is the one in question which is I Corinthians 11:1-16.

It is difficult to separate modern feminism and it's effects on our society and Christianity. Christian women of only 100 years ago would not even wear pants as men do. How much more difficult for the modern Christian man or woman in our society to understand head covering? As I read articles it was evident there is peer pressure even in Jewish culture to conform to more modern views regarding head covering and it's supposed lack of usefulness by those who hold a more modern view against it's use.

Another fact that may be overlooked in the issue of hair is it's use in advertising, modeling, and the selling of products. Consider the seductive photos in magazines of women with shiny, flowing, soft hair. Even in only what are called “head shots” there is the seductive and appealing look. This is done on purpose to manipulate people into buying products whether in the sale of magazines and hair coloring or clothing and makeup. When considering wearing head coverings for modesty reasons one should take this into account also.


Answer: The very fact Paul addresses the issue proves he dealt with the same misunderstanding in his society that we deal with today, that is, a lack of understanding by Christians in regard to head covering on women. The issue is not a new one nor as culture bound as one might think. Paul addresses the same issues as evident by the abundance of articles, books, and pamphlets available through sites on the internet, not only by Christians, but religious peoples in many societies including Jewish.


Answer: Well, yes/no. While there seems to be no direct command, Paul does state in I Corinthians 11:2 that we should follow the ordinances, meaning rules or traditions, he has delivered to us and one could take this as a command in the context of the verses following about head covering. Also, we must consider this scripture in comparison to the fact that all scripture is given to us for doctrine, reproof, and instruction but especially Paul's writings to us as gentiles should be heeded since he is the Apostle to the gentiles.


Answer: Unfortunately this question shows how in tune we are with the world and fashion. To be honest, my first thought when my daughter approached me about the head covering issue was, “aren't you going to look unattractive,”. What I found in my search was there are many beautiful head coverings available for women. It surprised me in some of the photos on the internet how attractive women could be that wore head coverings. Head coverings come in many wonderful styles and colors. I think this question is probably more the result of what the world has determined to be beautiful and what we as a society and as Christians have accepted to be beautiful.


Answer: I agree. I think that it is a matter of the heart. My daughter approached me because she is concerned with modesty and she wondered whether she should do it or not to be more modest. I think head covering will be a natural question that will eventually draw a woman who begins to seriously consider modesty for herself. In my opinion it is most importantly a matter of the heart.

I personally am encouraged by my daughter's concern for her modesty and the decisions for modesty that were made by her with the influence of other Godly women's writings or CD's that she has listened to. No one ever forced her, or her sister, to make the decisions they have made in these areas of their lives. Why wouldn't I agree with any area that will increase their protection and purity?

I want my daughter's to first of all want to obey God, and secondly obey me as a result of their submission to God and not the letter of the law. To me there is nothing worse than forcing practical results for what should be a result of spiritual change in the heart. There are times this is necessary in a family but as a whole it often doesn't work.



Answer: Good question. I don't know. One point of view is to cover the hair completely and another that it doesn't matter. I guess a woman would have to make that decision on her own. To some extent it would matter as to why you were wearing a head covering in the first place. From the point of view of it being for modesty sake you could say that even a little hair could look enticing and there is a valid reason for covering it completely. The curves and shapes of almost any part of the female body can be enticing to a man including the softer hair around the ears or neckline. It might also appear to another man that a woman who is only partially covering her hair might be doing so because she secretly hopes to entice men. If you are considering wearing a hair covering because you want to show your submission to God and your husband then you may also consider not covering it fully may be viewed as a portion of your heart that is not submitted to him.



Answer: There is nothing scripturally one way or the other. I am open to anyone who can find one. However, if you are considering wearing one, take into account that a single girl under her father's care does have someone over her, that is, her father and the Lord. Also, a single woman has the church and the Lord. You may want to consider it for modesty sake. In any case the real answer is what you are being led by the Holy Spirit to do.

My final thoughts

• Head covering can be a beautiful thing as an expression by a woman for the sake of her husband and as a symbol of her submission to Christ.

• It can be another step of modesty if done as a matter of personal faith and it is of the heart. There are many beautiful head coverings available and one may still be modest while showing inner beauty and outer beauty.

• It was not just the culture of Paul's day as there are many cultures that still practice it including many Jewish sects in and outside of Israel and in light of so many internet sites, books, as well as historical writings, paintings and sculptures across so many centuries as infallible proofs.

Some links to other sites, certainly not an exhaustive list:

http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/head-covering-history.html
http://www.bible-researcher.com/headcoverings3.html
http://www.biblicalresearchreports.com/headcoveringmyths.php
http://www.thoseheadcoverings.zoomshare.com/1.shtml
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Our_Bodies/Clothing/Hats_and_Head_Coverings.shtml

Some Clothing Links to head coverings

http://www.prayercoverings.com/
http://www.coveryourhair.com/

I have been using KeePassX for a year or so and it has become one of my favorite programs.  KeePassX is simply a program that keeps all of your passwords in one place using one strong encrypted password.  If you are using several if not hundreds of passwords like me this will be of value to you.  KeePassX is available as a Ubuntu install through synaptic or the homepage here, or for Windows here (known as just Keepass).

As I said previously, it is one of my favorite programs.  Before using it I was using a simple text file (very insecure) to store all of my passwords.  I was not happy with most of the password storage utilities I had tried for many reasons but mostly their difficulty of use and what I considered a poor graphical interface.  I also wanted something that was cross-platform.  In other words, something I could use in Linux, BSD, and Windows so that I could access the passwords no matter what operating system I was in.  By the way, this is a good reason for choosing a particular program if you use more than one operating system.  There are many such cross-platform type programs, (Gimp, Open Office, Truecrypt, etc.).

KeePassX is easy to install and it's Windows version, "Keepass," even has a portable version that installs on a USB drive so you can access your files even from a library or friends computer.

It is simple to use.  The first time you run KeePassX a window will open asking you to enter a password.  Enter it and click OK and reconfirm the password.  There is no need to enter a keyfile unless you want to.  I will not cover that here.

Next, store the one password in a safe place.  If you lose it you will never be able to access it again). If the window doesn't open, or another window opens that doesn't give you this option no problem, simply click "close" to close the window and then  click on "file" and  "New Database" to create a storage file. The database is where you will store your passwords and you can have one for each person in your family or one for work stuff and home stuff.   It will look like this:


Once you have created your database your next step is to create groups and icons for the groups.  Create groups by clicking on "Edit" and "Add New Group."  You can have separate groups for internet passwords, shopping sites, bank account, emails, etc. here is a picture of my groups:


Next, to create icons for each group just "right-click" on the group you want to add an icon to and choose "edit." A window will open and you can choose by clicking on the Icon for a  drop down list or the "greater than" symbol for a window list (sorry, the symbol won't show because of html limits).
See below.



You can add several listings to your groups by clicking the "gold key" on the toolbar or clicking "edit" and "Add New Entry."  You can see some of my items in a group listed above.

To add an icon for each entry in your groups right-click and choose "edit" and click on the "gold key" in the top right corner of the window that appears.  I hope this program will make it easier for you to save password keys in the future.

Those of you who use Ubuntu and like to install .deb files such as the ones located at "http://www.getdeb.net/" probably already know how to download a file, use a terminal to "cd" to the file location and tell ubuntu to install it, or by just double-clicking on it with your mouse.  There is a simpler way however. When you click to save the file using Firefox, instead of downloading the file, in the pop-up window choose "Open with GDebi package installer."

In a few seconds the "GDebi" package installer window will appear and you can click install to install the program and all of it's available dependencies.  Once it installs it will be deleted from your temp directory where it was stored.  Hope this makes installing some programs easier for you since you don't even have to close firefox.  You will notice the program in the picture is "keepassx" which is quickly becoming one of my favorite backup programs and I will have a review of it in my next blog.