I get involved in the strangest conversations sometimes!
Take one from from Friday ...
Now I am just happy to talk with ANYONE these days.
Yeah, my friends have all gone home and disappeared!
I Don't get it it.
Many of them seem to just disappear, if they are not working!
And I know they are home and NOT working!
So, what are they doiing?
No idea.
Now, I was thinking about stepmother, Gwen.
I really miss her!
And I was in a discussion with someone concerning the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church..
Gwen suffered at the hands of teachers she had in parochial school.
And I relayed some of her tales of the abuses she suffered at the hands of those whom NEVER should have been allowed near a vision impaired child!
Of course, it did not help that the condition came and went.
I saw her on days where she could not find the floor,
Then on others when she could spot a spaghetti sauce stain on my tie at forty feet!
(Totally freaked me out the first that happened!)
And the person I was talking with commented,
That those people had a great deal to answer for .....
But in reality,
If I read my Bible correctly,
All any of us get to answer for is:
"Did you submit, in faith, to Jesus' Lordship in your life"
Pretty simple yes or no condition!
Yet we muck it up continually with what is our pet peeve.
Method of baptism,
Or just baptism, period!
Tithing
Anything to do with the Holy Spirit.
etc, etc, etc!
Sure glad Jesus gets to sort it all out at the end!
Nobody wants me deciding their fate based on my take on their life!
I have enough problems keeping myself straight with me!
Well, just something to think on while the BBQ warms up.
Showing posts with label Apostasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apostasy. Show all posts
May 25, 2020
March 16, 2018
Lost Concepts
I was thinking about this last night ...
Like dominoes, Christianity has fallen in the western world under the guise of multi-culturalism and the charming allure of "tolerance". Tolerance means we modify our belief and thoughts to fit other's perspective but there is no expectation we are to be tolerated "as is"!
There are OVER 13,000 Christian denominations registered in the United States alone!
How many of them are, were or no longer are adherents to the Christian faith?
Almost all of them.
If any, any longer!
How can i say that?
Because Paul quite plainly, in unarguable language, lays out that all we hold true as cultural arguments against him and the first century church, are in fact, the tenants of the faith ....
(mind you, my belief set has a bit of a problem here as well!)
Females in leadership
Females whom do not cover their head
Females whom pray or worship in public
Females whom do not respect their husband
Males whom do not love their wives
Males whom harbor anger towards the brethren
Males whom abandon their family.
Males whom denigrate others.
Appearing before God with willful sin in your life.
Children whom are in rebellion to their parents.
Children in rebellion to God.
Slothful anyones!
What of the denominations?
I can not think of one which would take a real stand on any of the above.
No, culture has over ridden, what had been the classic faith.
Even my beloved Hutterites, do not accept the belief that Jesus will actually return!
And this is witnessed to by the Gospels that He said He would!
So they lose too!
No Baptists are real Christians
Methodists are out
Catholics
Episcopalians
Presbyterians
and over 13,000 other goups:
Nope!
What are real Christians to do?
The faith is pagan now
Just attending a Western Church is to know you are already in failure.
And not to attend is to violate a command!
Pray for discernment!
Pray for God to lead you to other Christian believers!
Pray for God to protect you!
Pray for God to keep you from sin!
And open your eyes, heart and mind if you are ....
Like dominoes, Christianity has fallen in the western world under the guise of multi-culturalism and the charming allure of "tolerance". Tolerance means we modify our belief and thoughts to fit other's perspective but there is no expectation we are to be tolerated "as is"!
There are OVER 13,000 Christian denominations registered in the United States alone!
How many of them are, were or no longer are adherents to the Christian faith?
Almost all of them.
If any, any longer!
How can i say that?
Because Paul quite plainly, in unarguable language, lays out that all we hold true as cultural arguments against him and the first century church, are in fact, the tenants of the faith ....
(mind you, my belief set has a bit of a problem here as well!)
Females in leadership
Females whom do not cover their head
Females whom pray or worship in public
Females whom do not respect their husband
Males whom do not love their wives
Males whom harbor anger towards the brethren
Males whom abandon their family.
Males whom denigrate others.
Appearing before God with willful sin in your life.
Children whom are in rebellion to their parents.
Children in rebellion to God.
Slothful anyones!
What of the denominations?
I can not think of one which would take a real stand on any of the above.
No, culture has over ridden, what had been the classic faith.
Even my beloved Hutterites, do not accept the belief that Jesus will actually return!
And this is witnessed to by the Gospels that He said He would!
So they lose too!
No Baptists are real Christians
Methodists are out
Catholics
Episcopalians
Presbyterians
and over 13,000 other goups:
Nope!
What are real Christians to do?
The faith is pagan now
Just attending a Western Church is to know you are already in failure.
And not to attend is to violate a command!
Pray for discernment!
Pray for God to lead you to other Christian believers!
Pray for God to protect you!
Pray for God to keep you from sin!
And open your eyes, heart and mind if you are ....
November 10, 2017
How Dare He!
So I was able to get a ride to church on Saturday night. I like the Saturday service as there are fewer people - and I like avoiding crowds - however well intentioned!
I was surprised when they announced the senior pastor was not to give the message, but one of my God-children was! I settled back to see what he had to say. About a third of the group got up and walked out during the opening prayer - including some good friends. So, I had to ask ...
"he has no business in pulpit!"
"he is not a pastor!"
"I don't believe his testimony!"
etc ...
These quotations were repeated by a close friend as well, whom has probably given 100 sermons through the years and has NO ministry background at all, but is gifted. Very hypocritical!
I did not want a fight so I kept my mouth shut.
Thanks to the organized church aka Roman Catholic Church, we have a completely skewed view of what a pastor is! The pastor is the ordained one. Even in the Reformation Churches speaking was limited to the elders, usually 10 to 12 of them!
Biblically, the only qualifications for a pastor or even elder all revolve around their character and commitment. Sorry 21st century church, you never were legitimate at least if you believe the Bible. And like so much in this generation, we call upon tradition of a corrupt church to defend our beliefs.
So my God-son, gave a valuable sermon on each of our responsibilities. Solid, Biblical, people were listening - and that is what God desires of each of us, and of him that day. He did well and I encouraged him afterwards.
Whether you witness to someone, help an old lady in the grocers or preach a sermon - you are called to perform all of these tasks (as God leads your spirit). We are to be servants to all - always with an answer for the faith within us!
Break Satan's hold over your Church, get involved, serve others, your community. Study, pray, witness - be the meekest of witnesses, learning to love others more than yourself!
I was surprised when they announced the senior pastor was not to give the message, but one of my God-children was! I settled back to see what he had to say. About a third of the group got up and walked out during the opening prayer - including some good friends. So, I had to ask ...
"he has no business in pulpit!"
"he is not a pastor!"
"I don't believe his testimony!"
etc ...
These quotations were repeated by a close friend as well, whom has probably given 100 sermons through the years and has NO ministry background at all, but is gifted. Very hypocritical!
I did not want a fight so I kept my mouth shut.
Thanks to the organized church aka Roman Catholic Church, we have a completely skewed view of what a pastor is! The pastor is the ordained one. Even in the Reformation Churches speaking was limited to the elders, usually 10 to 12 of them!
Biblically, the only qualifications for a pastor or even elder all revolve around their character and commitment. Sorry 21st century church, you never were legitimate at least if you believe the Bible. And like so much in this generation, we call upon tradition of a corrupt church to defend our beliefs.
So my God-son, gave a valuable sermon on each of our responsibilities. Solid, Biblical, people were listening - and that is what God desires of each of us, and of him that day. He did well and I encouraged him afterwards.
Whether you witness to someone, help an old lady in the grocers or preach a sermon - you are called to perform all of these tasks (as God leads your spirit). We are to be servants to all - always with an answer for the faith within us!
Break Satan's hold over your Church, get involved, serve others, your community. Study, pray, witness - be the meekest of witnesses, learning to love others more than yourself!
August 31, 2017
Pluralism
I would not even go here, where it not so incredibly strange!
Pluralism, more than one or at once, in this case the convoluted affairs of being on the edges of Mormonism. Many little enclaves of the southwest still adhere to the doctrine of pluralistic marriage of the original Mormon faith ...
So, I am just kicked backed and watching.
People begin filtering into where I am.
A woman, maybe 50.
An obvious daughter with three kids.
A husband.
The husband appears to be the younger twin of the guy sitting in front of me!
They know each other.
Younger defers to older.
Obviously his father!
Older woman is the wife of the older man!
So, get this:
Older man's son, is married to the daughter of the older man and woman, via separate mothers!
AAACKKKKK!
Now. older man is also married to a younger woman and has three children with her!
And this woman is pushing her younger sister on to her bigamous husband!
Husband is reluctant of this.
But, sister is very interested!
AAACKKKKK!
One man, three wives, one more in the wings, seven observed children!
You could cut the tension in the room with dental floss!
Older woman is fit to kill.
Second present-younger wife was quite happy.
Bride in waiting was quite frustrated.
Younger husband was oblivious.
Older husband was trapped in constant quiet vocal warfasre between the women and him.
And they do this to themselves voluntarily!
I could only think of David or Solomon and what a mess they brought upon themselves ...
Pluralism, more than one or at once, in this case the convoluted affairs of being on the edges of Mormonism. Many little enclaves of the southwest still adhere to the doctrine of pluralistic marriage of the original Mormon faith ...
So, I am just kicked backed and watching.
People begin filtering into where I am.
A woman, maybe 50.
An obvious daughter with three kids.
A husband.
The husband appears to be the younger twin of the guy sitting in front of me!
They know each other.
Younger defers to older.
Obviously his father!
Older woman is the wife of the older man!
So, get this:
Older man's son, is married to the daughter of the older man and woman, via separate mothers!
AAACKKKKK!
Now. older man is also married to a younger woman and has three children with her!
And this woman is pushing her younger sister on to her bigamous husband!
Husband is reluctant of this.
But, sister is very interested!
AAACKKKKK!
One man, three wives, one more in the wings, seven observed children!
You could cut the tension in the room with dental floss!
Older woman is fit to kill.
Second present-younger wife was quite happy.
Bride in waiting was quite frustrated.
Younger husband was oblivious.
Older husband was trapped in constant quiet vocal warfasre between the women and him.
And they do this to themselves voluntarily!
I could only think of David or Solomon and what a mess they brought upon themselves ...
April 27, 2017
Enough
With too much free time, one has too much time to think ...
What does God expect of me?
What does God expect of any of us?
How much is ENOUGH?
Yeah, these past three years have been a mighty horrible.
And anyone would be a liar if they were not to wonder about what God expects of each of us ...
Of course, I am old German by upbringing - everything is viewed as being black and white.
As my father told me as a child, "There is definitely a God, and you must recognize that he exists, but he really is not nice and you really do not want to know him."
Well, as I was to understand decades later - his viewpoint was skewed as a troubled Swiss youth whom chose to join the Reich, it was the duty of every Germanic after all. His family, all strong Zwingli Christians, violently disagreed.
So, I do KNOW there is a God.
I do KNOW Him to be loving and personal.
And I have seen Him exacting His justice .....
Hence, I learned how He works ... so at least I know I am not under wrath (whew!)
But what does He expect of us?
How much are we expected to take in silence ..... ?
Well:
But through these thoughts I am reminded of the question I heard so long ago: "Which Jesus do you serve? The one of the Bible, the one of man's creation or the one in your mind?"
God has a really stringent requirement that you know whom He is and what He stands for.
He is the creator of all we can comprehend. He demands we place nothing in front of our worship of Him. I need go no further.
Intellectually, we discount God asthe creator, we question the why and the how of creation, we go out of our way to destroy His creation! We create laws to outlaw conflicting thought - we mock those whom we declare unenlightened. We have so many false gods it is almost an endless list which encompasses all of us! Just think of sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, our jobs, our families ...... our mostly pagan churches calling upon culture rather than Biblical values in their teachings and judgements! Accepting sin as normal or excusing it!
No, we never will have perfect anything! Not you, not me, not my friends, not my church. But it is possible to at least know and be able to discern where we fail - and repent our failure ..... and not repeat it!
So where does that leave me, in my frustration?
God is testing, God is teaching, it is the only way in which to view these many years.
So ya just gotta keep on, keeping on .....
What does God expect of me?
What does God expect of any of us?
How much is ENOUGH?
Yeah, these past three years have been a mighty horrible.
And anyone would be a liar if they were not to wonder about what God expects of each of us ...
Of course, I am old German by upbringing - everything is viewed as being black and white.
As my father told me as a child, "There is definitely a God, and you must recognize that he exists, but he really is not nice and you really do not want to know him."
Well, as I was to understand decades later - his viewpoint was skewed as a troubled Swiss youth whom chose to join the Reich, it was the duty of every Germanic after all. His family, all strong Zwingli Christians, violently disagreed.
So, I do KNOW there is a God.
I do KNOW Him to be loving and personal.
And I have seen Him exacting His justice .....
Hence, I learned how He works ... so at least I know I am not under wrath (whew!)
But what does He expect of us?
How much are we expected to take in silence ..... ?
Well:
- God exists (whether you acknowledge Him or not!)
- God is sovereign over your life (whether you like it or not!)
- God is molding you for your eternal life (whether you want it or not!)
- God will push you to your limits (until you submit to His Will!)
- God will sustain you through your shaping process
But through these thoughts I am reminded of the question I heard so long ago: "Which Jesus do you serve? The one of the Bible, the one of man's creation or the one in your mind?"
God has a really stringent requirement that you know whom He is and what He stands for.
He is the creator of all we can comprehend. He demands we place nothing in front of our worship of Him. I need go no further.
Intellectually, we discount God asthe creator, we question the why and the how of creation, we go out of our way to destroy His creation! We create laws to outlaw conflicting thought - we mock those whom we declare unenlightened. We have so many false gods it is almost an endless list which encompasses all of us! Just think of sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, our jobs, our families ...... our mostly pagan churches calling upon culture rather than Biblical values in their teachings and judgements! Accepting sin as normal or excusing it!
No, we never will have perfect anything! Not you, not me, not my friends, not my church. But it is possible to at least know and be able to discern where we fail - and repent our failure ..... and not repeat it!
So where does that leave me, in my frustration?
God is testing, God is teaching, it is the only way in which to view these many years.
So ya just gotta keep on, keeping on .....
April 21, 2017
Powered By
As mind is forced to relive 1967 in excruciating detail, over and over again!, I at least am finding answers to situations I have long questioned.
I have long wondered about the disparity anyone can see in the church. Power hungry ministers, manipulative workers, questionable ministry efforts. It made no sense!
The answer is that in God's realm of desire is that we do all by and through His empowerment via the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, that does not happen enough - much less within the realm of "ministry". WE, you and I, are called to live by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, not our wits! And yet it can be observed over and over again - defeated Christians not understanding how everything could have gone "so wrong" and ministries that started strong and now flail to stay on "top". We fail be cause we walk by the flesh, not by His Spirit. And it happens so slowly, we can not perceive the change and end up shaking our heads over how wrong it all went. And the worse - the super powerful, successful ministries that are just too good to be true ...
To the extent that we do not humble ourselves before God, there will be no power of the Holy Spirit our lives. God's work, done God's way, in the power of the Holy Spirit - with no hint of flesh ... is what He expects.
It does not matter your denominational leanings, the Church always seems to default to doing God's work though the power of the flesh - not the Spirit! The BIG failing here is always EGO. If we have the world's ( f the flesh) mentality of wanting to be first, the biggest, the best, putting on the splashiest show, etc - we are no longer qualified for Christian leadership, much less to be a Christian witness!
Let that sink in .....
And to the extent that we seek power - we are then walking in the flesh and not by the Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit will not have anything to do with us. It is only by our walking in faith and constant confession that we can hope to achieve the humility God seeks inside of us.
I have long wondered about the disparity anyone can see in the church. Power hungry ministers, manipulative workers, questionable ministry efforts. It made no sense!
The answer is that in God's realm of desire is that we do all by and through His empowerment via the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, that does not happen enough - much less within the realm of "ministry". WE, you and I, are called to live by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, not our wits! And yet it can be observed over and over again - defeated Christians not understanding how everything could have gone "so wrong" and ministries that started strong and now flail to stay on "top". We fail be cause we walk by the flesh, not by His Spirit. And it happens so slowly, we can not perceive the change and end up shaking our heads over how wrong it all went. And the worse - the super powerful, successful ministries that are just too good to be true ...
To the extent that we do not humble ourselves before God, there will be no power of the Holy Spirit our lives. God's work, done God's way, in the power of the Holy Spirit - with no hint of flesh ... is what He expects.
It does not matter your denominational leanings, the Church always seems to default to doing God's work though the power of the flesh - not the Spirit! The BIG failing here is always EGO. If we have the world's ( f the flesh) mentality of wanting to be first, the biggest, the best, putting on the splashiest show, etc - we are no longer qualified for Christian leadership, much less to be a Christian witness!
Let that sink in .....
And to the extent that we seek power - we are then walking in the flesh and not by the Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit will not have anything to do with us. It is only by our walking in faith and constant confession that we can hope to achieve the humility God seeks inside of us.
February 13, 2017
Two Kingdoms
As I mentioned, I had an epiphany of sorts last week. I have struggled for years with what has been my greatest failure in life. I have even been able to find the flaw in me which allowed failure to exist - a pragmatic upbringing, a pragmatic discipleship, a pragmatic Church. Even though I have suspected for decades that pragmatism is the road to Hell - I had nothing to work with in my mind on this topic.
For as long as I have been a Christian, I have found the conflicting dual nature of Christianity to be both frustrating and confusing. My mentors both in and out of the Hutterite group I was associated with had nothing to offer as to how to answer the question. Their ultimate answer was Pragmatism. But, there was an answer that the once Christian church of the West went with in my lifetime - and I was appalled but I could not say why. I could see the symptoms - I just had no idea as to why the church had gone sideways so far, so fast.
And you even know almost everything I am going to say but the perspective may not be the same ...
Kingdom of the World
It is where we live.
You work a job.
You manage your resources (hopefully wisely).
You establish your family.
You do what we all do on a daily basis.
God's Kingdom
It is a place where we live - only we do not live like it!
Everything in this physical existence is only temporary.
What has any value is what God defines.
So two conflicting views: one from a physical world perspective and the other from God's. But, only one is valid. No, the World is not the answer, nor does it offer any eternal answers. Sorry 20th century theology, which sold our God for the pleasures of this world, got it wrong.
How are we reconcile this?
It involves your choices.
If you what you choose is for yourself - you are choosing the World.
If your choice serves others - you maybe choosing God.
If your goal is to advance yourself in this world, you have your answer.
If your goal is to advance yourself in the eyes of others, you still fail.
If money, sex, power, etc are the goal, you fail again.
If building that all important nest egg is the goal, you fail as well.
There is nothing you can do in this world which will bring you success in God's Kingdom.
Like many, I thought - "If I could be best man I can be, The best friend I can be, The best brother, The best son, The best youth teacher, The best computer nerd for my clients ....." - I will have achieved what is needed to please and prepare for what God has next for me ..... And I worked very hard to be the best ... at everything. Of course that is a recipe for failure, and failure frustrates me - sigh ...
And I am very trusting. I am easy to lie to because I will trust those whom appear to be truthful - and - I have found this nature to be my biggest stumbling stone! And, I hate failure ...
I have always desired to serve God and God alone. Somewhere in there I became too concerned about the World and its values and its systems. So where should my eyes have been?
Certainly God does not need the world's best computer nerd, though He certainly gave me my abilities (and rewarded with me patents!). God does perhaps want me to be the best at interpersonal skills and dealing with others, because His Kingdom is about others, not me.
In fact, there is very little you can do in this life which is going to be of any eternal value - with the sole exception of investing your time and resources in others. Everything else you do, every other choice is part of the wasted resources God has given you - to be held against you!
Well, working in 15 minute spurts, it has taken three days to type this! And now, I really must sleep .......
For as long as I have been a Christian, I have found the conflicting dual nature of Christianity to be both frustrating and confusing. My mentors both in and out of the Hutterite group I was associated with had nothing to offer as to how to answer the question. Their ultimate answer was Pragmatism. But, there was an answer that the once Christian church of the West went with in my lifetime - and I was appalled but I could not say why. I could see the symptoms - I just had no idea as to why the church had gone sideways so far, so fast.
And you even know almost everything I am going to say but the perspective may not be the same ...
Kingdom of the World
It is where we live.
You work a job.
You manage your resources (hopefully wisely).
You establish your family.
You do what we all do on a daily basis.
God's Kingdom
It is a place where we live - only we do not live like it!
Everything in this physical existence is only temporary.
What has any value is what God defines.
So two conflicting views: one from a physical world perspective and the other from God's. But, only one is valid. No, the World is not the answer, nor does it offer any eternal answers. Sorry 20th century theology, which sold our God for the pleasures of this world, got it wrong.
How are we reconcile this?
It involves your choices.
If you what you choose is for yourself - you are choosing the World.
If your choice serves others - you maybe choosing God.
If your goal is to advance yourself in this world, you have your answer.
If your goal is to advance yourself in the eyes of others, you still fail.
If money, sex, power, etc are the goal, you fail again.
If building that all important nest egg is the goal, you fail as well.
There is nothing you can do in this world which will bring you success in God's Kingdom.
Like many, I thought - "If I could be best man I can be, The best friend I can be, The best brother, The best son, The best youth teacher, The best computer nerd for my clients ....." - I will have achieved what is needed to please and prepare for what God has next for me ..... And I worked very hard to be the best ... at everything. Of course that is a recipe for failure, and failure frustrates me - sigh ...
And I am very trusting. I am easy to lie to because I will trust those whom appear to be truthful - and - I have found this nature to be my biggest stumbling stone! And, I hate failure ...
I have always desired to serve God and God alone. Somewhere in there I became too concerned about the World and its values and its systems. So where should my eyes have been?
Certainly God does not need the world's best computer nerd, though He certainly gave me my abilities (and rewarded with me patents!). God does perhaps want me to be the best at interpersonal skills and dealing with others, because His Kingdom is about others, not me.
In fact, there is very little you can do in this life which is going to be of any eternal value - with the sole exception of investing your time and resources in others. Everything else you do, every other choice is part of the wasted resources God has given you - to be held against you!
Well, working in 15 minute spurts, it has taken three days to type this! And now, I really must sleep .......
October 14, 2016
Party Killer
In my extended family is a woman by the name of - "Bobbette".
Bobbette is the same age as my youngest daughter and they have been best friends for about a decade now. Are both very similar - bear no attractiveness to any guy, being terribly introverted does not help either.
So, Saturday was my grandson's birthday party. He and all of the other kids there were having a blast - so much energy!
About two hours after the party started, Bobbette arrived. And what better way to start off your arrival at a party than to walk in and announce you are gay .....
Her parents were there and now traumatized. Her sisters and brothers were also there and stunned. And I sat back and thought .... uhm, this is my daughters best friend .... uhm ......
So time to pick up the Book of Roman and reread chapter 1, I remembered the reference, just not the content ...
Romans 1:18-32
No I am not going to walk you through those verses, Paul wrote something completely understandable - without explanation.
Paul is more than just a mite harsh with what he is writing to the Church of Rome. He tells them that God will judge the conclusion of man's unrighteousness.
In fact, that is the entire point of Romans 1:
God will judge
Man is unrighteous
And so, I went back and read again. What can this passage tell me about Bobbette?
Does not honor God
Does not thank God
Heart is darkened
Has idols they can see, rather than God
Homosexuality
Unrightous
Evil
Covetousness
Malice
Envy
Murder
Strife
Deceit
Malice
Gossip
Slander
Insolent
Boastful
Evil
Disobedient
Faithless
Heartless
Ruthless
Deserving of death
All things I could never say concerning my youngest daughter. Judgemental would be her big negative. Gossip and slander not far behind.
And it crushes my soul to even think that her spirit may have crossed the line.
And unlike Bobbette, at least she has a father whom does love her.
Like all things in life, I can only pray for God's protection over my daughter's spirit and innocence. I am not sure how to counsel her at this point. Certainly, I have had many "gay" friends, but their choices were not my choices and we could remain friends. It still makes me laugh to think of how many times I was the straight guy in the crowd. And, yes, two of them did come to me about idea of salvation. One I know did choose wisely, the other I suspect did but I was not with him towards his end, to know for sure ...
For Bobbette, yeah, lots of prayer.
For her parents, lots of prayer.
For her siblings, lots of prayer.
For my daughter, lots of prayer and gentleness.
And for me, faith that God will protect her ... and wisdom.
Bobbette is the same age as my youngest daughter and they have been best friends for about a decade now. Are both very similar - bear no attractiveness to any guy, being terribly introverted does not help either.
So, Saturday was my grandson's birthday party. He and all of the other kids there were having a blast - so much energy!
About two hours after the party started, Bobbette arrived. And what better way to start off your arrival at a party than to walk in and announce you are gay .....
Her parents were there and now traumatized. Her sisters and brothers were also there and stunned. And I sat back and thought .... uhm, this is my daughters best friend .... uhm ......
So time to pick up the Book of Roman and reread chapter 1, I remembered the reference, just not the content ...
Romans 1:18-32
No I am not going to walk you through those verses, Paul wrote something completely understandable - without explanation.
Paul is more than just a mite harsh with what he is writing to the Church of Rome. He tells them that God will judge the conclusion of man's unrighteousness.
In fact, that is the entire point of Romans 1:
God will judge
Man is unrighteous
And so, I went back and read again. What can this passage tell me about Bobbette?
Does not honor God
Does not thank God
Heart is darkened
Has idols they can see, rather than God
Homosexuality
Unrightous
Evil
Covetousness
Malice
Envy
Murder
Strife
Deceit
Malice
Gossip
Slander
Insolent
Boastful
Evil
Disobedient
Faithless
Heartless
Ruthless
Deserving of death
All things I could never say concerning my youngest daughter. Judgemental would be her big negative. Gossip and slander not far behind.
And it crushes my soul to even think that her spirit may have crossed the line.
And unlike Bobbette, at least she has a father whom does love her.
Like all things in life, I can only pray for God's protection over my daughter's spirit and innocence. I am not sure how to counsel her at this point. Certainly, I have had many "gay" friends, but their choices were not my choices and we could remain friends. It still makes me laugh to think of how many times I was the straight guy in the crowd. And, yes, two of them did come to me about idea of salvation. One I know did choose wisely, the other I suspect did but I was not with him towards his end, to know for sure ...
For Bobbette, yeah, lots of prayer.
For her parents, lots of prayer.
For her siblings, lots of prayer.
For my daughter, lots of prayer and gentleness.
And for me, faith that God will protect her ... and wisdom.
October 7, 2016
Compromised Christianity
Last night I had a very long conversation with one of the guys in the church I attend. He started off on the Hilary-Trump, what a bunch of loonies, argument. Yeah, I honestly do not know anyone whom is actually voting for someone - everyone is voting against people! So you vote for Hilary, no matter your actual feelings concerning her politics and past, because you do not want Trump in office! Admittedly, I have often voted against people, choosing the lesser of the evils. This time there is no lesser ...
It was quite a balanced and lively discussion. LOL :)
And shortly, you as a Christian, will be asked to compromise you Christian faith to put into power a candidate with a solid non-Christian track! There are no lesser choices this time, you will be to choose between slime - slime - and - slime!
Sigh ...
Which brought to mind Revelation 2:12-17, a church with compromised believers.
Surrender
You will experience struggles, major and minor.
They must be surrendered to God, in complete faith.
Only then will you be freed from what you face.
Consider Colossians 3:5
Stay True
You have access to a Bible, God's written word to you.
You have to read it, not about it!
You need to know what it says!
Do not place your desire above God's Word!
Consider:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Psalms 119:105
2 Peter 1:3
Integrity
The key word of your Christian walk in good times, or bad.
Remember you can fool yourself
You can fool for fellow mankind
But, no one can fool God!
God knows your heart and motivations!
Consider Hebrews 4:13
The Christian Church is failing because wolves have completely taken over the Church! From false prophets and pastors in our churches to a complete lack of discernment amongst the members of the faith!
The rot is complete from top to bottom!
Trapped sporadically throughout the body are the faithful, growing rarer it seems.
Know your Bible, stick as close to what it tells you as you can.
Separate yourself from the influences of the world as possible!
And watch out for those quiet little idols in your life ....
It was quite a balanced and lively discussion. LOL :)
And shortly, you as a Christian, will be asked to compromise you Christian faith to put into power a candidate with a solid non-Christian track! There are no lesser choices this time, you will be to choose between slime - slime - and - slime!
Sigh ...
Which brought to mind Revelation 2:12-17, a church with compromised believers.
Surrender
You will experience struggles, major and minor.
They must be surrendered to God, in complete faith.
Only then will you be freed from what you face.
Consider Colossians 3:5
Stay True
You have access to a Bible, God's written word to you.
You have to read it, not about it!
You need to know what it says!
Do not place your desire above God's Word!
Consider:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Psalms 119:105
2 Peter 1:3
Integrity
The key word of your Christian walk in good times, or bad.
Remember you can fool yourself
You can fool for fellow mankind
But, no one can fool God!
God knows your heart and motivations!
Consider Hebrews 4:13
The Christian Church is failing because wolves have completely taken over the Church! From false prophets and pastors in our churches to a complete lack of discernment amongst the members of the faith!
The rot is complete from top to bottom!
Trapped sporadically throughout the body are the faithful, growing rarer it seems.
Know your Bible, stick as close to what it tells you as you can.
Separate yourself from the influences of the world as possible!
And watch out for those quiet little idols in your life ....
August 31, 2016
Discernment
“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong.
It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”
— Charles Spurgeon
It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”
— Charles Spurgeon
There’s a whole lot of almost right out there. And, boy, is it frustrating.
The only thing more frustrating is the number of professing Christians who line up to support an almost right idea with little or no thought.
The semi-truths are everywhere, our culture is riddled with it — politics, social debates, business — but they are particularly maddening in churches. This is especially important for Christians because, in a spiritual context, being almost right is often the same as being totally wrong. You are even warned about this in your Bible you never read!
But identifying almost right can be tricky.
You see, almost right sounds really good. It sounds so close to the truth that it can be easy to mistake it for the truth. It might even come packaged with Bible verses and sincere sermons or in speeches from the pulpit. It tickles your ears because it sounds Christian. And when it comes from a person in authority, such as a pastor or professor, it’s not questioned because, “Hey, he studies the Bible a lot more than I do.”
To be blunt: There are a lot of bad churches, places that are houses of worship in name only. They worship a god of their making, no the Creator God of the universe!
To be more blunt: Bad churches don’t care about the Bible. Sure, they all say they care, but really they only care about the parts that make them feel good, or that make them feel successful, or that make them feel superior to others. Actual study of the Bible is nonexistent. These churches preach love without truth and they preach truth without love. In either case, it’s ultimately a man-centered gospel, not the Jesus-centered Gospel.
And that’s bad news for people like you seeking truth (I hope!).
As Christians, we must acknowledge that Scripture is the only source of absolute truth. That truth may clash with your feelings.
It may clash with our friends.
It may clash with our upbringing.
It may even clash with what you hear from the pulpit every Sunday!
What does almost right look like in practice? It can take various forms. Here are a few examples you might find in churches today:
“Salvation comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then doing your best to live out Christ’s teachings.” Almost right. (Read Ephesians 2:8-9)
“God blesses those He loves and wants us to be happy.” Almost right. (Read Matthew 5:10-12)
“As Christians, our priority is to fight for the oppressed and oppose injustice wherever we see it.” Almost right. (Read: Matthew 22:36-38; Matthew 28:19)
See? They sure sound nice, but ultimately they are spiritually dangerous half-truths.
How to spot a bad church, even yours - they:
— De-emphasize the sinful nature of man and the need for repentance and salvation.
— Preach salvation through works.
— Preach salvation through a combination of faith and works.
— Rarely preach salvation at all.
— Focus more on the social gospel than the actual Gospel.
— Share pastor’s personal stories and motivational speeches, with a sprinkling of the Bible.
— Use secular music during worship services.
— Emphasize feeling or experience over teaching the Word.
— Emphasize feeling or experience over teaching the Word.
That’s not an all-inclusive list, which is part of the reason why discernment is so important.
But discernment does not end when we leave church. We must keep it at the ready all day, every day. This extends to our dealings with friends and family. It also extends to the political candidates, issues and causes we support. There’s really nowhere it doesn’t exist for a Christian.
So the lesson here is simple:
— Be careful about from whom and from where you seek advice or guidance on spiritual matters.
— Be careful whose words you trust.
— Pastors, friends and family members are all fallible.
— The Bible teaches that there are many false gospels out there.
— They aren’t always obvious because many of them are, almost right.
So what do you do?
Test every claim about God, about salvation, about the Christian life through the lens of the entire Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is not meant to be selectively read. This can not be overstated. It should not matter whether we otherwise trust someone, or whether they have been right in the past. Test everything, always!
Don’t seek out verses to confirm a particular viewpoint, but consider everything God has revealed about the matter. Sometimes this requires more than a cursory perusal of Scripture.
You will never acquire discernment without study of the Bible and knowing what it has laid out as right and wrong. And yes, there is a spiritual gift of discernment, where the Holy Spirit is telling you something is right or wrong, but if you do not know the Scriptures you will never be able to know what or which it is!
Theologically speaking, an inch from the truth might as well be a million miles.
August 30, 2016
Listen Up Young Men!
It has been a few years since I have had to say this ... but, every four years or so, this topic pops up!
On the internet, when you arrive at a site for whatever reason, lots of data is associated with your arrival and departure:
The address of where you were last
The address of where you are going to
User names, user ids
etc ...
So, when you decide to visit my Blog, any Blog, any site - even your bank!, they instantly find out where you were last - and where you are going to go when you leave!
Now young men the problem ...
Many of you are visiting pornography sites on the internet. Sigh ... :(
Please consider this:
All of those pretty bodies you are drooling over are someone's daughter, sister, mother. They are real people whom have obviously been damaged by someone in their past for their lives to be now the willing (and often drugged) object of internet pages.
Objectifying anyone, for the purposes of sexual desire, cheapens human life, warps your perspective on womanhood, sex and the almost dead concept of love.
You damage yourself ...
Twice two of my friends daughters, were drugged and unwilling objects of use, it shattered those young women - and with help they could recover. With the FBI they could know that no one was ever going to again see those photos and videos ...
Think! young women! Watch where you are, whom you are with, literally trust no one with you drinks! Nor be caught alone with Mr Hottie ... One of them was in junior high and was not even safe in school! Watch you are not the single female with a group of males, as one of my high school girls learned in French class! Fifteen guys raped her before the teacher returned! And the school district tried to hush it up! GRRRRRRR!
As for the other, more willing victims, yeah something broke them at some point in their lives as well. I could use my last god daughter as an example. Smooth talking guy, lots of free drugs, and she is now splattered across the internet! The first six guys to do this to her went to Federal Prison, then she turned 16 and the Feds no longer cared. She didn't either, just as along as the drugs kept coming along ... Now at 21, she is trying to get a normal life together ... but guess what! She is too well known to get a normal job! Too broken for normal relationships. It will be years of therapy ... Go figure.
So do not assume any woman in the world is going to be like what you should not be seeing. As a man, you are visual, as a man you have a requirement to hold yourself above the experiences of any dog ... There are things like integrity, honor and purity which are worth seeking to possess and become.
Yeah, let your real wife be your first kiss and your first experiences. Note I said, WIFE!
You will owe her that much ...
One day.
On the internet, when you arrive at a site for whatever reason, lots of data is associated with your arrival and departure:
The address of where you were last
The address of where you are going to
User names, user ids
etc ...
So, when you decide to visit my Blog, any Blog, any site - even your bank!, they instantly find out where you were last - and where you are going to go when you leave!
Now young men the problem ...
Many of you are visiting pornography sites on the internet. Sigh ... :(
Please consider this:
All of those pretty bodies you are drooling over are someone's daughter, sister, mother. They are real people whom have obviously been damaged by someone in their past for their lives to be now the willing (and often drugged) object of internet pages.
Objectifying anyone, for the purposes of sexual desire, cheapens human life, warps your perspective on womanhood, sex and the almost dead concept of love.
You damage yourself ...
Twice two of my friends daughters, were drugged and unwilling objects of use, it shattered those young women - and with help they could recover. With the FBI they could know that no one was ever going to again see those photos and videos ...
Think! young women! Watch where you are, whom you are with, literally trust no one with you drinks! Nor be caught alone with Mr Hottie ... One of them was in junior high and was not even safe in school! Watch you are not the single female with a group of males, as one of my high school girls learned in French class! Fifteen guys raped her before the teacher returned! And the school district tried to hush it up! GRRRRRRR!
As for the other, more willing victims, yeah something broke them at some point in their lives as well. I could use my last god daughter as an example. Smooth talking guy, lots of free drugs, and she is now splattered across the internet! The first six guys to do this to her went to Federal Prison, then she turned 16 and the Feds no longer cared. She didn't either, just as along as the drugs kept coming along ... Now at 21, she is trying to get a normal life together ... but guess what! She is too well known to get a normal job! Too broken for normal relationships. It will be years of therapy ... Go figure.
So do not assume any woman in the world is going to be like what you should not be seeing. As a man, you are visual, as a man you have a requirement to hold yourself above the experiences of any dog ... There are things like integrity, honor and purity which are worth seeking to possess and become.
Yeah, let your real wife be your first kiss and your first experiences. Note I said, WIFE!
You will owe her that much ...
One day.
July 19, 2016
You Didn't Really Say ...
eMails, oh you better believe I get eMails!, especially when I stomp on dearly cherished beliefs of this Pagan Western Culture! So, if you like the culture you live in, sold out to God-less-ness, no worries - you will write me off as a whack-o. But, if you have read your Bible and wondered at some of those odd passages - and my comments as of late ... read on! I have summarized those questions to reply to below - there is no hope I could answer each and every eMail on this subject! And the subject is the tension between God and His desire, and your life - failures and successes. It is my desire we all live as close to God as we can, but the more sin you shovel under the carpet, the greater you distance will be from God ...
You believe in capital punishment?
Easy question to answer, God believed in it.
You have to use man's logic to say He no longer does, because he asked that those involved in sexual sin be executed, those involved in paganism be executed, murder, etc, etc, etc!
It becomes easier to understand when your loved ones suffer rape, victimized by murder, kidnapped and used by the porn industry, or just plain driven crazy by those dedicated to sin and making your life miserable - yeah it is real easy to understand that capital punish is too light of a sentence!
But, you need to experience victimization to understand the price of justice in this life.
No, I believe that God's grace extends to everyone - and only when someone has demonstrated beyond all possible doubt that they can not live in a civilized society - well, they have sadly made their choice.
The excesses of this society killing anyone and everyone, under the pretext of "justice", has led to a situation where no one is actually held accountable - outside of incarceration these days! Sorry, but that is not justice, nor was it ever God's will that we live in an amoral society occupied by criminals allowed to victimize over and over again!
Many Should Be Executed?
There are lots of excuses for killing people. As I said just earlier, there are many deserving of death, I do not KNOW that they should be killed. I am a pacifist, I believe that all men are redeemable before God and should be allowed that opportunity for redemption! Whether you are Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy, you must get your best shot at understanding what you have done - and the price you need to pay for the blood you have shed. The choice to die was made when you murdered, the choice for eternal life needs to be made before you go to face God.
I can remember back about the time of Ted Bundy's rampage in the USA and the body count is ticking away, I was asked for my feelings in a random on the street interview about capital punishment, this unknown killer and justice for the victim's families. I needless to say really put my foot in it! I commented that I had been counseling at the local prison and the more I learned about these men and their lives, the more I became aware that the real problems began with their grandparents whom were not caught and executed for their crimes! Yeah, that one really opened a can of worms, but was a true enough observation. Just a generalization, not 100% true since evil can appear in a child of even God-ly parents, but something in that environment did trigger that child to make the wrong choices! And whomever that trigger was, probably would not have had an impact - if they had paid for their problems earlier on.
Luckily, I am not God, because only He can identify the root causes of evil and act accordingly, when we let Him.
Abandonment is exactly what?
You abandon your marriage vow and sink into the cesspool of porn.
You play house with someone else.
You decide your spouse needs punished and cease marital relations.
You co-habit, for the sake of the children only or dogs or whatever.
You put yourself before your spouse in the relationship.
Lots of ways to abandon someone in this day and age!
God's remedy has always been, abandonment = divorce because of the hardness of someone's heart.
And before that hardness of heart, came sin, which is the underlying problem throughout this discussion.
Marriage is not what we know marriage to be?
Until the Roman Catholic Church came along and corrupted marriage, it had been something setup between families and generally there was a purpose for the marriage (business related, political, whatever). We think ourselves more civilized since we now base marriage on hormones or the fickleness of "love". I think history shows this culture is mislead.
In the class I mentioned on Friday, where we took on this idea of what is marriage? One of the guys realized that the woman he had lived with for a decade before marrying someone else and "settling down", probably was his wife in God's eyes. He was devastated. It seems that all was not well in his marriage, it had been based on drug usage and pleasure and both were wearing thin - hence, he was remembering the one whom drop kicked his butt out the door for the drugs. Now he understood that he had it coming and his position was none to stable before God.
This whole idea of a playing house - "spiritual unions" - common law marriage - whatever you want to call it, is viewed as marriage before God. That is why He is so adamant on the subject of - you stick with it until either abandoned by your spouse, death or divorce!
But, if you believe going to the government for permission to marry, then either to another government agency or church to marry you - is the definition of marriage, okay - but it is your commitment to your spouse and to God that is the real basis of your marriage. And, when that marriage has been broken, what are you to do? Probably try again and start off a great deal smarter!
***
In thinking through these answers, I thought of so much more I could say, but to what avail?
In the end, what must stand out in your mind is that we are to live a life trapped between the culture we are born into and Heaven or Hell. Little we can do is going to be "right", but by God's grace He sees His Son and not our sin. He knows our heart and forgives us our stumbles when we are His.
Life can be utter frustration outside of our control or desire but God will see us through to His end, for His goals and for His desire. If your life does not spell His witness, through you - reaching out and healing those around you with His Love - well, the problem is not going to be God's. Because that is the entire goal in this life.
As Corrie Ten Boom told me over forty years ago:
"When there is less of you and more of Him, then He can move in your life ..."
... and, move He will, when we allow Him to.
Just so we understand that His desires may well not be our own.
And, He will allow us the choice to do His will or not.
Corrie was a smart woman and I never forgot those words, which is impressive, since if you are a long time reader you know that I lost virtually all of my memories in October 2015. Yeah, they have not returned, but it seems that if they were important - or God would restore them ...
You believe in capital punishment?
Easy question to answer, God believed in it.
You have to use man's logic to say He no longer does, because he asked that those involved in sexual sin be executed, those involved in paganism be executed, murder, etc, etc, etc!
It becomes easier to understand when your loved ones suffer rape, victimized by murder, kidnapped and used by the porn industry, or just plain driven crazy by those dedicated to sin and making your life miserable - yeah it is real easy to understand that capital punish is too light of a sentence!
But, you need to experience victimization to understand the price of justice in this life.
No, I believe that God's grace extends to everyone - and only when someone has demonstrated beyond all possible doubt that they can not live in a civilized society - well, they have sadly made their choice.
The excesses of this society killing anyone and everyone, under the pretext of "justice", has led to a situation where no one is actually held accountable - outside of incarceration these days! Sorry, but that is not justice, nor was it ever God's will that we live in an amoral society occupied by criminals allowed to victimize over and over again!
Many Should Be Executed?
There are lots of excuses for killing people. As I said just earlier, there are many deserving of death, I do not KNOW that they should be killed. I am a pacifist, I believe that all men are redeemable before God and should be allowed that opportunity for redemption! Whether you are Adolf Hitler or Ted Bundy, you must get your best shot at understanding what you have done - and the price you need to pay for the blood you have shed. The choice to die was made when you murdered, the choice for eternal life needs to be made before you go to face God.
I can remember back about the time of Ted Bundy's rampage in the USA and the body count is ticking away, I was asked for my feelings in a random on the street interview about capital punishment, this unknown killer and justice for the victim's families. I needless to say really put my foot in it! I commented that I had been counseling at the local prison and the more I learned about these men and their lives, the more I became aware that the real problems began with their grandparents whom were not caught and executed for their crimes! Yeah, that one really opened a can of worms, but was a true enough observation. Just a generalization, not 100% true since evil can appear in a child of even God-ly parents, but something in that environment did trigger that child to make the wrong choices! And whomever that trigger was, probably would not have had an impact - if they had paid for their problems earlier on.
Luckily, I am not God, because only He can identify the root causes of evil and act accordingly, when we let Him.
Abandonment is exactly what?
You abandon your marriage vow and sink into the cesspool of porn.
You play house with someone else.
You decide your spouse needs punished and cease marital relations.
You co-habit, for the sake of the children only or dogs or whatever.
You put yourself before your spouse in the relationship.
Lots of ways to abandon someone in this day and age!
God's remedy has always been, abandonment = divorce because of the hardness of someone's heart.
And before that hardness of heart, came sin, which is the underlying problem throughout this discussion.
Marriage is not what we know marriage to be?
Until the Roman Catholic Church came along and corrupted marriage, it had been something setup between families and generally there was a purpose for the marriage (business related, political, whatever). We think ourselves more civilized since we now base marriage on hormones or the fickleness of "love". I think history shows this culture is mislead.
In the class I mentioned on Friday, where we took on this idea of what is marriage? One of the guys realized that the woman he had lived with for a decade before marrying someone else and "settling down", probably was his wife in God's eyes. He was devastated. It seems that all was not well in his marriage, it had been based on drug usage and pleasure and both were wearing thin - hence, he was remembering the one whom drop kicked his butt out the door for the drugs. Now he understood that he had it coming and his position was none to stable before God.
This whole idea of a playing house - "spiritual unions" - common law marriage - whatever you want to call it, is viewed as marriage before God. That is why He is so adamant on the subject of - you stick with it until either abandoned by your spouse, death or divorce!
But, if you believe going to the government for permission to marry, then either to another government agency or church to marry you - is the definition of marriage, okay - but it is your commitment to your spouse and to God that is the real basis of your marriage. And, when that marriage has been broken, what are you to do? Probably try again and start off a great deal smarter!
***
In thinking through these answers, I thought of so much more I could say, but to what avail?
In the end, what must stand out in your mind is that we are to live a life trapped between the culture we are born into and Heaven or Hell. Little we can do is going to be "right", but by God's grace He sees His Son and not our sin. He knows our heart and forgives us our stumbles when we are His.
Life can be utter frustration outside of our control or desire but God will see us through to His end, for His goals and for His desire. If your life does not spell His witness, through you - reaching out and healing those around you with His Love - well, the problem is not going to be God's. Because that is the entire goal in this life.
As Corrie Ten Boom told me over forty years ago:
"When there is less of you and more of Him, then He can move in your life ..."
... and, move He will, when we allow Him to.
Just so we understand that His desires may well not be our own.
And, He will allow us the choice to do His will or not.
Corrie was a smart woman and I never forgot those words, which is impressive, since if you are a long time reader you know that I lost virtually all of my memories in October 2015. Yeah, they have not returned, but it seems that if they were important - or God would restore them ...
July 12, 2016
Death of a Sermon
In spite of the fact that I do enjoy a good train wreck - I shudder when I witness one from the pulpit! And as I paw through my notes from my Colorado trip, I am again reminded of the first such I have had the discomfort to sit through in very many years!
Aaaaaargh!
The pastor is hardly to blame, he paced, he stuttered, he threw in dramatic pauses - he just was not Adrian Rogers, whom he was desperately trying to mimic ... as if success in ministry is approach and not the content. (one of my real issues with seminaries anymore!) The best part was that as he reached the point where a wrap up might have occurred - he said, "Oh man! I am ten minutes over ... Guess that is it. Your dismissed." I felt so very sorry for him. It was so apparent that he was called by his parents to the ministry, well educated and apparently several years in the pulpit. Yet ... he knew the problem ... God needs to call you, not your parents checkbook.
But, I am not here to bash him, I kind of liked him and would love to help him find a solid career test! Actually, with his energy, youth ministry screams to have him! But, there are no youth ministry rock stars, everyone wants to be the senior pastor rock star - sigh .
So, what was he going for?
2 Samuel 4:4
2 Samuel 9
Two obscure references and an equally obscure man named Mephibosheth.
People looked confused, who the heck was this guy and what the heck did the pastor have to say about him?!?!?!!?
And believe it, or not, I knew exactly whom he was! Remember those pills I was taking in May and early June that was supposed to trigger memory? Well, it did and as I had been driving to this random church (I always go to church on Sunday no matter where in the world I am, not because I have to, but because I enjoy searching for that real church ... the one that wants me.) - I had been thinking about Mephibosheth and how oh so very similar he is to me!
He was born handicapped, I would guess some sort of foot, ankle or knee issue. He was further handicapped when a nurse dropped him. He could not stand, he could not walk, and in his culture he had no basis for hope ... I was born club footed as are most of the Spencer family, it was surgically corrected. I lost my knees at 16 in a horrible skiing accident, surgically corrected. And then, lost a leg ... Like Mephibosheth, life seems to have few options now and be over. Yeah, stark reality there.
Now, Mephibosheth had one thing going for him, he was the son of Israel's future King David's best friend, who was the son of the current King of Israel. So, King of Israel marches off to an ill conceived war, takes his son Nathan along with him and both are butchered in the ensuing blood bath. And what is to become of Mephibosheth? Their is no one to protect him, no one to provide for him and the royal line is always cleansed to take care of any future embarrassments like usurping the throne.
King David remembers his best friend's death and wonders how he can honor his memory ... ? And has the crippled son brought to him and vows his care of the man for life ...
Well, if you have read your history of Israel, you know that David's Kingdom was an absolute zoo as far as peace or stability were concerned. Everyone betrayed everyone, even David betrayed God on multiple occasions. And in his last appearance in history, Mephibosheth, is in a plot, turns on David - whom had saved him!
So, what is there to learn from this?
David did the right thing by honoring his friend's memory.
But it would appear that Mephibosheth was not cut of the same cloth as David and Nathan had been.
David's failure with God, led to failure of his kingdom and rule.
It cost him his family, the lives of his children.
It cost him his home for many years.
It cost him losing God's Spirit.
And suddenly he realized what he had done and not done!
If you are a Mephibosheth, learn, remember and cherish gratitude.
For anything, everything you have is because the generosity of others ... and God.
For me it means placing myself below all others, with or without my leg attached.
I cherish each day, no matter how empty it is.
If you are a Nathan, cherish your friendships, they are only good for life - yours!
Build up and not tear down others around you.
Trust others as they trust in you.
And if you are a David ...
You did well to remember your friend from troubled times.
You will well to offer life to someone all others would executed.
You kept your promises.
Now earnestly remember your God .... when times are easy ...
With the recent death of the man whom has been a role model in making whatever I am today, I am forced to think how can I honor him?
God will provide that answer in due time I imagine ...
Aaaaaargh!
The pastor is hardly to blame, he paced, he stuttered, he threw in dramatic pauses - he just was not Adrian Rogers, whom he was desperately trying to mimic ... as if success in ministry is approach and not the content. (one of my real issues with seminaries anymore!) The best part was that as he reached the point where a wrap up might have occurred - he said, "Oh man! I am ten minutes over ... Guess that is it. Your dismissed." I felt so very sorry for him. It was so apparent that he was called by his parents to the ministry, well educated and apparently several years in the pulpit. Yet ... he knew the problem ... God needs to call you, not your parents checkbook.
But, I am not here to bash him, I kind of liked him and would love to help him find a solid career test! Actually, with his energy, youth ministry screams to have him! But, there are no youth ministry rock stars, everyone wants to be the senior pastor rock star - sigh .
So, what was he going for?
2 Samuel 4:4
2 Samuel 9
Two obscure references and an equally obscure man named Mephibosheth.
People looked confused, who the heck was this guy and what the heck did the pastor have to say about him?!?!?!!?
And believe it, or not, I knew exactly whom he was! Remember those pills I was taking in May and early June that was supposed to trigger memory? Well, it did and as I had been driving to this random church (I always go to church on Sunday no matter where in the world I am, not because I have to, but because I enjoy searching for that real church ... the one that wants me.) - I had been thinking about Mephibosheth and how oh so very similar he is to me!
He was born handicapped, I would guess some sort of foot, ankle or knee issue. He was further handicapped when a nurse dropped him. He could not stand, he could not walk, and in his culture he had no basis for hope ... I was born club footed as are most of the Spencer family, it was surgically corrected. I lost my knees at 16 in a horrible skiing accident, surgically corrected. And then, lost a leg ... Like Mephibosheth, life seems to have few options now and be over. Yeah, stark reality there.
Now, Mephibosheth had one thing going for him, he was the son of Israel's future King David's best friend, who was the son of the current King of Israel. So, King of Israel marches off to an ill conceived war, takes his son Nathan along with him and both are butchered in the ensuing blood bath. And what is to become of Mephibosheth? Their is no one to protect him, no one to provide for him and the royal line is always cleansed to take care of any future embarrassments like usurping the throne.
King David remembers his best friend's death and wonders how he can honor his memory ... ? And has the crippled son brought to him and vows his care of the man for life ...
Well, if you have read your history of Israel, you know that David's Kingdom was an absolute zoo as far as peace or stability were concerned. Everyone betrayed everyone, even David betrayed God on multiple occasions. And in his last appearance in history, Mephibosheth, is in a plot, turns on David - whom had saved him!
So, what is there to learn from this?
David did the right thing by honoring his friend's memory.
But it would appear that Mephibosheth was not cut of the same cloth as David and Nathan had been.
David's failure with God, led to failure of his kingdom and rule.
It cost him his family, the lives of his children.
It cost him his home for many years.
It cost him losing God's Spirit.
And suddenly he realized what he had done and not done!
If you are a Mephibosheth, learn, remember and cherish gratitude.
For anything, everything you have is because the generosity of others ... and God.
For me it means placing myself below all others, with or without my leg attached.
I cherish each day, no matter how empty it is.
If you are a Nathan, cherish your friendships, they are only good for life - yours!
Build up and not tear down others around you.
Trust others as they trust in you.
And if you are a David ...
You did well to remember your friend from troubled times.
You will well to offer life to someone all others would executed.
You kept your promises.
Now earnestly remember your God .... when times are easy ...
With the recent death of the man whom has been a role model in making whatever I am today, I am forced to think how can I honor him?
God will provide that answer in due time I imagine ...
July 11, 2016
Standing Firm
It was a hard Thursday night. The garbage cans had to moved to the street for collection, but I was the only one home ... So, I went out and struggled on one leg to move three cans to the road, in the rain. In all it took me just over one hour to accomplish this. Rabbits would have died of laughter watching me hopping around!
Back inside, trying to warm up with some tea, my stump up in the air to try to continue to reduce the swelling, and I switched on the news ... just in time to catch a live feed from Dallas and the tragedy unfolding.
A culture, a society, a country set upon self destruction by sowing hatred and greed - suddenly stunned by the whirlwind it has reaped. No, not a first harvest, the warnings have long been there - but no one listens, prejudice and envy, contrasting to show both sides of the same problem. And I feel trapped. I could be in Switzerland where this behavior is at least decades still away at best. But no, I now live in the heart of humanism ...
There was this church in Turkey, a town called Smyrna. A part of the Roman Empire, in a culture dedicated to immorality and violence, where the thought of anyone believing in just one God was to ridiculed, if not the basis for execution. The scene had been set for a whirlwind of violence to descend upon an entire empire ...
Revelation 2:8-11
Remain Faithful In The Good
Good times are easy to survive.
No real cost for living your faith.
No one really cares what you do.
It is no sweat to call your easy life a "witness".
But, you have to not let your guard down!
Consider 1 Peter 5:8.
Remain Faithful In The Bad
Bad times come for us individually, collectively and culturally.
Now it costs something to live your faith.
Others will assail you with claims of there being no God.
People will be watching to see what your witness really is.
You will be tempted to focus on the hardships!
Consider James 1:2-4.
Remain Faithful In The Ugly
And though we life in a time where most have not seen the ugly of life:
Warfare comes
Civil unrest comes
Families explode or implode
Cultures rise and fall
Change is inevitable and usually perceived as evil.
Remember to not blame God for all of the bad news!
Consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Though of little human comfort is the idea that God is indeed in control.
If He is, why then ...
The answer is unfortunate:
When you throw God out of your culture/society, well what do you expect?
When your politics spew hate and class unrest, well what do you expect?
When you raise up God-less generation after generation, well what do you expect?
And one could go on without end as to why God will not be there for a people whom have rejected Him!
But, for me, I have to hold course with God at the center.
For my children, I have to teach them where they should be.
For those around me, I have to show them who God is.
I have to be vulnerable and transparent in times when no one else is.
I have to show love when no one else will.
And if all is against me, I have to remember that all were against Him long ago, and I get to share in His witness of what real LOVE is.
Back inside, trying to warm up with some tea, my stump up in the air to try to continue to reduce the swelling, and I switched on the news ... just in time to catch a live feed from Dallas and the tragedy unfolding.
A culture, a society, a country set upon self destruction by sowing hatred and greed - suddenly stunned by the whirlwind it has reaped. No, not a first harvest, the warnings have long been there - but no one listens, prejudice and envy, contrasting to show both sides of the same problem. And I feel trapped. I could be in Switzerland where this behavior is at least decades still away at best. But no, I now live in the heart of humanism ...
There was this church in Turkey, a town called Smyrna. A part of the Roman Empire, in a culture dedicated to immorality and violence, where the thought of anyone believing in just one God was to ridiculed, if not the basis for execution. The scene had been set for a whirlwind of violence to descend upon an entire empire ...
Revelation 2:8-11
Remain Faithful In The Good
Good times are easy to survive.
No real cost for living your faith.
No one really cares what you do.
It is no sweat to call your easy life a "witness".
But, you have to not let your guard down!
Consider 1 Peter 5:8.
Remain Faithful In The Bad
Bad times come for us individually, collectively and culturally.
Now it costs something to live your faith.
Others will assail you with claims of there being no God.
People will be watching to see what your witness really is.
You will be tempted to focus on the hardships!
Consider James 1:2-4.
Remain Faithful In The Ugly
And though we life in a time where most have not seen the ugly of life:
Warfare comes
Civil unrest comes
Families explode or implode
Cultures rise and fall
Change is inevitable and usually perceived as evil.
Remember to not blame God for all of the bad news!
Consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Though of little human comfort is the idea that God is indeed in control.
If He is, why then ...
The answer is unfortunate:
When you throw God out of your culture/society, well what do you expect?
When your politics spew hate and class unrest, well what do you expect?
When you raise up God-less generation after generation, well what do you expect?
And one could go on without end as to why God will not be there for a people whom have rejected Him!
But, for me, I have to hold course with God at the center.
For my children, I have to teach them where they should be.
For those around me, I have to show them who God is.
I have to be vulnerable and transparent in times when no one else is.
I have to show love when no one else will.
And if all is against me, I have to remember that all were against Him long ago, and I get to share in His witness of what real LOVE is.
July 8, 2016
Rip Tide
Dutchman's oldest brother does quite well financially. Early on in life he developed some sort of small electrical generator now quite popular with third world nations. And success brings money and what are you going to spend your money on when you are a graduate student? Yup, a boat.
Now Dutchman and I love to fish, so when brother headed back home, we hitched up the boat and hauled it out to Westpost, on the Washington coast. It was salmon season, we had an available boat, so why not????? :)
We drove forever to get to the coast and the boat launched! Loaded up the boat, stored everything and motored out of the harbor. The flat calmness of the harbor was replaced by the rhythmical rise and fall of the boast crossing the rollers as we headed out to sea. Once free of the traffic around the breakwater and harbor entrance, Dutchman opened that little engine up! We were screaming across the rollers! I was guessing we were doing about 60!
And suddenly, we were airborne! The engine wound up! You could hear the propeller singing as it self destructed! Dutchman slammed the throttle all of the way back, shifted into neutral. Everything right, there was just no time to accomplish the task before this brand new boat had destroyed itself!
We hit the water and took a heck of a jolt! While Dutchman was trying to figure out where we were, I popped open the engine compartment and the engine was seized. Luckily there were no leaks! When I popped my head back up, a heavy fog had appeared from nowhere and there was utter silence.
Between Dutchman and I, we figured our run time at 23 minutes out of the harbor. Using the fishing pole, I had us in 180 feet of water and west by northwest of Westport. Dutchman called us in to the Coastguard.
And for the next five hours we drifted. I fashioned a sea anchor and this snapped our bow into the waves, so a little more stable. But, we had no idea where we were drifting to ... spun as we were in a rip-tide.
In the same way as Dutchman and I found ourselves at the mercy of a rip tide current of the sea, we are all in Western Culture at the mercy of the currents which surround us, bouncing us from side to side, at times tossing us up or threatening to drown us, pulling and dragging us to where we oft least times wish to go. And those currents are rather easy to identify ...
Immorality
Is rampant in this culture!
Sexuality - of any description, anytime, anywhere, by any means!
Sex is just a physical act, it has no meaning!
Marriage has no meaning!
Family has no meaning!
Life is about me and my pleasure alone!
Financial
We are under slavery to credit institutions.
We are bound by corrupt laws they rule us by.
When is that last time you got a credit application?
If not ten in the same day!
How many years are you in debt for?
Political
In the midst of the most appalling presidental cycle in US history -
do I really need to spell this one out?!?!?!
We have gone so far astray that we are now faced with candidate with NO character!
No standards or behavior exist.
The more outrageous, the better!
Liberalism
Most do not believe there is an absolute.
Most do not preach the truth.
Most do not want to listen.
We are not safe.
Our children are not safe.
Our families are not safe.
What has happened!?!
There is a standard, God's Way.
There is a path to failure the, World's Way.
Only through repentance can God's Way be found.
Only through repentance can the World's Way be avoided.
Only through repentance can any of us have any hope ...
As it turned out, a sheer pin had failed in the outdrive of the boat's drive train. And someone confessed to having taken the boat out the day before us and hitting a log at high speed. So, the pin failed on us, which flipped the boat up in the air, the engine over rev'ed and then seized! Whew! At least we did not do it! There was no way Dutchman and I could have afforded the $10,000 repair costs back in 1974!
Now Dutchman and I love to fish, so when brother headed back home, we hitched up the boat and hauled it out to Westpost, on the Washington coast. It was salmon season, we had an available boat, so why not????? :)
We drove forever to get to the coast and the boat launched! Loaded up the boat, stored everything and motored out of the harbor. The flat calmness of the harbor was replaced by the rhythmical rise and fall of the boast crossing the rollers as we headed out to sea. Once free of the traffic around the breakwater and harbor entrance, Dutchman opened that little engine up! We were screaming across the rollers! I was guessing we were doing about 60!
And suddenly, we were airborne! The engine wound up! You could hear the propeller singing as it self destructed! Dutchman slammed the throttle all of the way back, shifted into neutral. Everything right, there was just no time to accomplish the task before this brand new boat had destroyed itself!
We hit the water and took a heck of a jolt! While Dutchman was trying to figure out where we were, I popped open the engine compartment and the engine was seized. Luckily there were no leaks! When I popped my head back up, a heavy fog had appeared from nowhere and there was utter silence.
Between Dutchman and I, we figured our run time at 23 minutes out of the harbor. Using the fishing pole, I had us in 180 feet of water and west by northwest of Westport. Dutchman called us in to the Coastguard.
And for the next five hours we drifted. I fashioned a sea anchor and this snapped our bow into the waves, so a little more stable. But, we had no idea where we were drifting to ... spun as we were in a rip-tide.
In the same way as Dutchman and I found ourselves at the mercy of a rip tide current of the sea, we are all in Western Culture at the mercy of the currents which surround us, bouncing us from side to side, at times tossing us up or threatening to drown us, pulling and dragging us to where we oft least times wish to go. And those currents are rather easy to identify ...
Immorality
Is rampant in this culture!
Sexuality - of any description, anytime, anywhere, by any means!
Sex is just a physical act, it has no meaning!
Marriage has no meaning!
Family has no meaning!
Life is about me and my pleasure alone!
Financial
We are under slavery to credit institutions.
We are bound by corrupt laws they rule us by.
When is that last time you got a credit application?
If not ten in the same day!
How many years are you in debt for?
Political
In the midst of the most appalling presidental cycle in US history -
do I really need to spell this one out?!?!?!
We have gone so far astray that we are now faced with candidate with NO character!
No standards or behavior exist.
The more outrageous, the better!
Liberalism
Most do not believe there is an absolute.
Most do not preach the truth.
Most do not want to listen.
We are not safe.
Our children are not safe.
Our families are not safe.
What has happened!?!
There is a standard, God's Way.
There is a path to failure the, World's Way.
Only through repentance can God's Way be found.
Only through repentance can the World's Way be avoided.
Only through repentance can any of us have any hope ...
As it turned out, a sheer pin had failed in the outdrive of the boat's drive train. And someone confessed to having taken the boat out the day before us and hitting a log at high speed. So, the pin failed on us, which flipped the boat up in the air, the engine over rev'ed and then seized! Whew! At least we did not do it! There was no way Dutchman and I could have afforded the $10,000 repair costs back in 1974!
July 1, 2016
God Apart
While I was on vacation, I had little time to do much Bible study since I was driving the rental's wheels off - from one end of Colorado to the other! So, I read about King Josiah ...
2 Kings 22:11 and chapter 23
There was a King by the name of Manasseh, he was not a very Godly king.
Under his rule the Phoenician practice of sacrificing your children came into vogue.
After-all, it is an important part of appeasing the goddess of bounty and harvest, to assure wealth.
(Since this is a family blog, I will just avoid what really went one ...)
Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became King.
As he became a man, in other words old enough to know better, a scroll was found and brought to him.
It was a Torah, the first five books of the Bible, found in the Temple.
It was read to Josiah.
He understood what was read to him and went into mourning.
He cleansed the Temple of the pagan idol and practices.
Removed the Asherah poles from Jerusalem.
Josiah understood that God is who He says He is, not whom we want Him to be.
Israel's customs had evolved to leaving God and following false gods or the Phoenicians.
Under Manasseh, God was reduced to being the god of "have it your way".
But, God is who God is, not what you like to think you want.
Romans 1:22-32
Where have you redefined God into being you god?
Did you choose poorly and become a fool by listening to the wrong god?
A depraved mind, finding new ways of doing evil, approve of those whom do evil, wading in sin!
And God is love.
He seeks the objects of His love - you!
He is holy, opposed to what would destroy the objects of His love.
To love, is to hate what can destroy the object of your love.
Something not understood in this day and age.
How I wish real Christians would awake and stop trying to appease Satan.
Oppose the sin of this culture.
Oppose those whom lead away from God.
Support those whom do oppose, whom do lead, take a stand for Jesus!
2 Kings 22:11 and chapter 23
There was a King by the name of Manasseh, he was not a very Godly king.
Under his rule the Phoenician practice of sacrificing your children came into vogue.
After-all, it is an important part of appeasing the goddess of bounty and harvest, to assure wealth.
(Since this is a family blog, I will just avoid what really went one ...)
Now, Josiah was eight years old when he became King.
As he became a man, in other words old enough to know better, a scroll was found and brought to him.
It was a Torah, the first five books of the Bible, found in the Temple.
It was read to Josiah.
He understood what was read to him and went into mourning.
He cleansed the Temple of the pagan idol and practices.
Removed the Asherah poles from Jerusalem.
Josiah understood that God is who He says He is, not whom we want Him to be.
Israel's customs had evolved to leaving God and following false gods or the Phoenicians.
Under Manasseh, God was reduced to being the god of "have it your way".
But, God is who God is, not what you like to think you want.
Romans 1:22-32
Where have you redefined God into being you god?
Did you choose poorly and become a fool by listening to the wrong god?
A depraved mind, finding new ways of doing evil, approve of those whom do evil, wading in sin!
And God is love.
He seeks the objects of His love - you!
He is holy, opposed to what would destroy the objects of His love.
To love, is to hate what can destroy the object of your love.
Something not understood in this day and age.
How I wish real Christians would awake and stop trying to appease Satan.
Oppose the sin of this culture.
Oppose those whom lead away from God.
Support those whom do oppose, whom do lead, take a stand for Jesus!
June 17, 2016
The Apostate German Church
Cardinal Woelki, is the Archbishop of Cologne, Germany. A country racked by rioting almost to the point of civil war. The Muslim masses are rioting, raping, murdering lone Germans and burning their camps. The Germans are rioting, beating the tar out of any Muslim they find in retaliation. The German government is trapped between the opinion of its people and the politics of the world and wealth they are being given to host these immigrants. Chancellor Merkel has got to be feeling the stress!
And Woelki gives a speech, yards from where hundreds of German girls were raped by the Muslims on New Years Eve and calls for tolerance for these immigrants.
And in a twisted allegory, Woelki compares Jesus call for us to care for one another, to that of the refugees plight.
There is an argument there. If you spiritualize Jesus' teachings, we are to care for the world, but that was never said nor asked by Jesus. We are to care for one another, even the dogs of the faith, remembering that they are our brothers and sisters. We are to house, feed, clothe, and witness to them. Jesus never asked a Jew to do that for a Roman or a Scythian ..... Interesting.
That is the difference between knowing your Scripture and seeing it twisted for an end goal.
End goal?
Yeah, you had better believe he and/or Cologne are being subsidized by the UNHCR - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which oversees the rescue and settlement in host countries of refugees. And these days no one is going to take 10,000 refugees without some Deutsche Marks attached to the deal .... Which by the way, more than likely came from your tax money paid to your government.
What follows is a translation of the address, read it - consider how reasonable it sounds - then put it into context and see how damning this propaganda piece really is.
*****
Transcript:
And Woelki gives a speech, yards from where hundreds of German girls were raped by the Muslims on New Years Eve and calls for tolerance for these immigrants.
And in a twisted allegory, Woelki compares Jesus call for us to care for one another, to that of the refugees plight.
There is an argument there. If you spiritualize Jesus' teachings, we are to care for the world, but that was never said nor asked by Jesus. We are to care for one another, even the dogs of the faith, remembering that they are our brothers and sisters. We are to house, feed, clothe, and witness to them. Jesus never asked a Jew to do that for a Roman or a Scythian ..... Interesting.
That is the difference between knowing your Scripture and seeing it twisted for an end goal.
End goal?
Yeah, you had better believe he and/or Cologne are being subsidized by the UNHCR - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which oversees the rescue and settlement in host countries of refugees. And these days no one is going to take 10,000 refugees without some Deutsche Marks attached to the deal .... Which by the way, more than likely came from your tax money paid to your government.
What follows is a translation of the address, read it - consider how reasonable it sounds - then put it into context and see how damning this propaganda piece really is.
*****
Transcript:
| 00:02 | In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. | |
| 00:09 | Amen. May peace be with you. — And with your Spirit. | |
| 00:19 | Dear sisters, dear brothers, I wholeheartedly welcome you | |
| 00:23 | to the celebration of our Feast of Corpus Christi here in the Roncalli Square. | |
| 00:30 | A boat, a refugee boat from the Mediterranean sea. | |
| 00:37 | What business is that supposed to have with Corpus Christi? | |
| 00:41 | Both, monstrance and this boat, they have carried Christ. | |
| 00:51 | The monstrance carried Christ in the form of the Eucharist bread. | |
| 00:59 | The boat carried Christ in the form of the poor. | |
| 01:05 | That is why it is dear to me that this boat today is our altar. | |
| 01:11 | This boat, with hundreds of refugees, with women and children, and elderly people, | |
| 01:19 | that was drifting in the Mediterranean sea, until it was detected, and the people were saved. | |
| 01:25 | “Did you recognize me?”, Christ will ask us one day. | |
| 01:30 | “Did you recognize me in the form of the transformed bread; | |
| 01:35 | did you recognize me when I was a refugee and came to your country?” | |
| 01:50 | Dear sisters, dear brothers. | |
| 01:55 | Nothing unusual for a town by the Rhine, such a ship. | |
| 02:02 | For 737 years now in our town the feast of Corpus Christi has been observed with special festivity. | |
| 02:14 | In this long history, the procession of 1945 is unforgotten, | |
| 02:25 | Which paraded through the ruins of our inner city, almost completely destroyed by war. | |
| 02:32 | Trusting that God’s love outlasts all vicissitudes of history, and human distress, | |
| 02:41 | the citizens of Cologne back then professed their belief in the steady presence of Jesus Christ | |
| 02:50 | in the sacrament of the Holy Communion. | |
| 02:54 | The misery and the loss of loved ones were impossible to overlook. | |
| 03:00 | The consequences of the catastrophe of the Nazi dictatorship were impossible to overlook, | |
| 03:06 | and with it the consequences of the war. | |
| 03:10 | In this hour such, or similar, catastrophes take place. | |
| 03:19 | These days it is easier for us than back then, after the war, to distance ourselves. | |
| 03:28 | Today, one can simply close the newspaper. | |
| 03:35 | One can simply skip over reading certain things. | |
| 03:39 | One can switch off the TV, not open the social media. | |
| 03:46 | See nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. | |
| 03:52 | Therefore, dear sisters and brothers, we must be careful at our Feast of Corpus Christi today | |
| 04:00 | at the gold, the beauty, and the dignity of the monstrance, | |
| 04:06 | not to close our eyes to what it is truly about. | |
| 04:12 | So when we carry the Lord through the streets of the city now, | |
| 04:16 | then, dear sisters and brothers, we must — in the monstrance, | |
| 04:22 | in the Eucharistic form of the bread — | |
| 04:26 | recognize and heed his maltreated body, his maltreated face, his wounds, | |
| 04:36 | in the faces and in the bodies of the people of today. | |
| 04:44 | And we must act accordingly! | |
| 04:47 | We will not let ourselves be prohibited from speaking! | |
| 04:50 | It is nearly a year ago that on this wonderful square, in the shadow of our cathedral, | |
| 04:57 | in pouring rain, we remembered with 23,000 bell tolls the dead | |
| 05:04 | who have since the year 2000 lost their lives on their flight across the Mediterranean Sea. | |
| 05:12 | 3,327 deaths have since been added to that, according to the refugee relief organization UNHCR. | |
| 05:25 | Drowned and murdered. | |
| 05:28 | Whose hopes, whose sorrow, whose dreams and grief, | |
| 05:33 | whose families and stories God alone knows. | |
| 05:39 | The waves of the Mediterranean Sea have closed over them. | |
| 05:43 | 3,327 people have perished in boats like this! | |
| 05:54 | The pictures that you can now see in newspapers and on TV, | |
| 06:00 | overcrowded and keeling over, they strike right into the center of the heart. | |
| 06:06 | They must strike the heart | |
| 06:09 | of European society, dedicated to peace and human rights. | |
| 06:17 | The people who were in this boat, hardly conceivable, a hundred of them, | |
| 06:27 | who set out across the sea, they were found and saved, a coincidence, a blessing. | |
| 06:39 | This boat becomes our altar today. | |
| 06:44 | The altar is an allegory, a symbol, of the Lord himself. | |
| 06:51 | He is right there in this boat! | |
| 06:54 | In this boat that trafficked people, young and old, women and men, across the Mediterranean sea. | |
| 07:01 | So when, in a few moments, we carry the body of the Lord, that was sacrificed on the cross, | |
| 07:08 | in the monstrance through the streets of our town, | |
| 07:12 | then it is the same body | |
| 07:17 | that we meet in the streets, in the poor, in the torrents of the sea, | |
| 07:24 | in the unaccompanied minor refugees, | |
| 07:27 | in the terminally ill, in the traumatised children from regions of civil war, | |
| 07:35 | in their desperate mothers, and abducted fathers, | |
| 07:39 | in every woman, in every man, in every child that hopes for a future. | |
| 07:46 | Their cry for justice, their cry for dignity, their cry for freedom. | |
| 07:55 | It is God’s cry! | |
| 07:58 | Let us hear it! | |
| 08:01 | Because, dear sisters and brothers, whoever lets people drown in the Mediterranean sea, lets God drown. | |
| 08:09 | A hundred times, a thousand times! | |
| 08:12 | Whoever tortures people to death in camps, tortures God to death! | |
| 08:17 | A thousand and a many thousand times! | |
| 08:21 | Every death, a death of God! | |
| 08:25 | That is why one day, Christ will ask us: | |
| 08:28 | “Did you recognize me? Did you truly recognize me? | |
| 08:33 | In the body of the transformed bread.” | |
| 08:37 | “Did you recognize me? Truly recognize me? When I was a refugee and came to your town, your country.” | |
| 08:45 | “Did you recognize me? Truly recognize me? When I needed your help as I was drowning in the sea.” | |
| 08:53 | And, dear sisters and dear brothers, when we do this, then the Evangel will become alive, today. | |
| 09:02 | And what happened back then, happens today, too: | |
| 09:07 | “They all ate and were satisfied.” | |
| 09:12 | Amen. |
May 13, 2016
Which Is More Important
The local church is in the midst of trying to define its "brand" - oh, so important in this day and age you know! (that was sarcasm!) A brand for the church? How about Jesus, and Him crucified, and Him resurrect from the grave, and His LOVE - our love to all peoples!!!!! Oh, how insensitive of me to pick an image so politically incorrect. This leadership of this church is solid, until they are gathered together and then stupidity such as worry about public brand image becomes a concern!
The church has been doing well. They attribute this to God and His blessing on the church.
Conversely, Joel Osteen does quite well and I do not for a minute believe that he represents the God I know! eepah!
The church is doing well enough that the question arises, "can we give the elders of the church discretion over say, $25,000 without prior approval by the congregation?"
Why?
"Well, it is not that much money in today's culture and barely a fraction of what we take in."
My eyebrows go up ....
For example?
"Well, a tree falls on the building or the youth pastor needs a big/better/newer car ...."
Well, we have insurance for the first problem and if the staff can not afford a vehicle then we ought to adjust their salary, accordingly, not buy them a car!
"You know what we mean, why can't we spend without prior approval?"
Why?
What is so important that you can not wait to get the approval of the trustees?
"But, but, but, the trustees do not meet that often! We have immediate needs (that were not in the budget apparently) and we can not wait even weeks much less months!"
For example?
"Starting up of a new ministry opportunity or getting a much needed assistant pastor ..."
And there we have it.
The pastor is back on his I want an assistant campaign. No he does not need an assistant, there is no need for this, he wants it because his mentor, Rick Warren, continues to tell him he needs this to be successful. Too bad our church is not Rick Warren's, our ministry is not Rick Warren's, we are to be what God moves us to be - not Rick Warren. But, just try and get that through the pastor's head! You can't.
Quietly I commented that God told us not to go into debt, and if we did, then to get out of debt as fast as possible - not to hire more staff, not to start more ministries, etc ... get out of debt!
Utter silence filled the room, and then -
"Okay, now back to expenditure approval for items not on the budget ...... "
Welcome to the new paganism of the Western Theological Church, where God does not reign, man does. The best of intentions, without God, is nothing but pure evil ...
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The church has been doing well. They attribute this to God and His blessing on the church.
Conversely, Joel Osteen does quite well and I do not for a minute believe that he represents the God I know! eepah!
The church is doing well enough that the question arises, "can we give the elders of the church discretion over say, $25,000 without prior approval by the congregation?"
Why?
"Well, it is not that much money in today's culture and barely a fraction of what we take in."
My eyebrows go up ....
For example?
"Well, a tree falls on the building or the youth pastor needs a big/better/newer car ...."
Well, we have insurance for the first problem and if the staff can not afford a vehicle then we ought to adjust their salary, accordingly, not buy them a car!
"You know what we mean, why can't we spend without prior approval?"
Why?
What is so important that you can not wait to get the approval of the trustees?
"But, but, but, the trustees do not meet that often! We have immediate needs (that were not in the budget apparently) and we can not wait even weeks much less months!"
For example?
"Starting up of a new ministry opportunity or getting a much needed assistant pastor ..."
And there we have it.
The pastor is back on his I want an assistant campaign. No he does not need an assistant, there is no need for this, he wants it because his mentor, Rick Warren, continues to tell him he needs this to be successful. Too bad our church is not Rick Warren's, our ministry is not Rick Warren's, we are to be what God moves us to be - not Rick Warren. But, just try and get that through the pastor's head! You can't.
Quietly I commented that God told us not to go into debt, and if we did, then to get out of debt as fast as possible - not to hire more staff, not to start more ministries, etc ... get out of debt!
Utter silence filled the room, and then -
"Okay, now back to expenditure approval for items not on the budget ...... "
Welcome to the new paganism of the Western Theological Church, where God does not reign, man does. The best of intentions, without God, is nothing but pure evil ...
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
May 4, 2016
John's Letters On The Apostasy
As Christians, especially in this day and age, we are blasted from all sides by influences and media - mostly non-Christian in nature, presenting us with cultural values so superior, to follow, to lead us astray from the path established by Jesus and well worn by our predecessors. But, we are not unique in that regard, from Christianity's earliest moments apostasy has been attempting to lull believers away from The Way, to an accommodating life of being led by lies and man. In fact, there was a point in early Christian history when it was eclipsed by those whom sought other ways to God, than the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus.
And in what is today's Turkey, poor Turkey, Christianity only survived because the Apostle John had taken up residence there! Even at that, every attempt was made to kill him by the Romans - grueling work in the mines of Patmos (a sure death sentence! but we got the Book of Revelation from that one!) to being boiled alive in oil! Well, he kept on surviving. And as he aged, he lost the ability to travel to visit his churches and so had to be carried on a litter by volunteers - no we are not talking about paved roads, think goat trails here and an old frail man in a chair with two poles, being held aloft by perhaps six volunteers for mile after mile after mile! Yeah, he probably talked a lot, so a great chance to learn from the mouth of the last one whom had been there and walked those miles with Jesus, had cared for Jesus mother Mary, etc.
So, in John's Second Letter, we find barely a note. To one of his churches, a church were love was encouraged to abound but did deceivers as well. Deceivers whom are not representing Jesus, nor the Church's best interests, but their own. And so John warns his children not to listen to these men whom are not teaching the Gospel but a message which is foreign. Do not even think of supporting these people, John warns!
Today, we call these men Gnostics, they sought to confuse the church with "hidden" knowledge. Salvation by Jesus' death and resurrection was not enough - you needed to be circumcised, you needed to follow the Law of Moses, you needed something else - the "hidden" knowledge only they could share with you! Not so unlike many church movements even to this day!
In John's third letter, again barely a note, an encouragement for supporting missionaries. But, even in a Church that seems to be getting it right, a man named Diotrephes had risen to power and was on an ego trip. Heck we can see that daily in many churches or on TV - men driven by power, riches, the limelight, whatever - but not God, nor glorifying God. More interestingly, not recognizing that John is the authority over THE Church! And perhaps worse of all: he throws those out of the church whom would support missionaries! Wow, talk about a power trip!
I wonder if your church has problems with Gnosticism? Does it believe that salvation is more than just confession and baptism? Forms of baptism are an issue? Magic words in the confession? Special classes required? Evidence of the Holy Spirit (tongues) been added to the salvation formula? Are there dietary restrictions? Behavioral (not within reason!) expectations? Is there hidden knowledge on what will get you that car or beautiful home? Special baptisms for "levels" within the faith? Is there anyone between you and Jesus that you must go to in order to reach God? If any of this is true - and oh so many more variations - welcome to Gnosticism!
And Gnosticism ultimately destroyed the early church in Turkey.
As I write this, Turkey has again began another extermination of the Armenian believers in Turkey and what used to Armenia. These are Christian believers being killed, their churches flattened, their homes and property seized or destroyed! And yes, there is still snow on the ground - so these people are hard pressed to survive.
Lift up these people in prayer and for the end of Ottoman repression against Christians. Pray for Turkey to find once again its Christian roots. Pray for the end of Gnosticism in Turkey and in the Christian Church and in your own church! I certainly pray constantly against the rise of this my own church! It rears its ugly head all of the time but the faithful are blind and do not see that best of intentions are not what God wants ...
And in what is today's Turkey, poor Turkey, Christianity only survived because the Apostle John had taken up residence there! Even at that, every attempt was made to kill him by the Romans - grueling work in the mines of Patmos (a sure death sentence! but we got the Book of Revelation from that one!) to being boiled alive in oil! Well, he kept on surviving. And as he aged, he lost the ability to travel to visit his churches and so had to be carried on a litter by volunteers - no we are not talking about paved roads, think goat trails here and an old frail man in a chair with two poles, being held aloft by perhaps six volunteers for mile after mile after mile! Yeah, he probably talked a lot, so a great chance to learn from the mouth of the last one whom had been there and walked those miles with Jesus, had cared for Jesus mother Mary, etc.
So, in John's Second Letter, we find barely a note. To one of his churches, a church were love was encouraged to abound but did deceivers as well. Deceivers whom are not representing Jesus, nor the Church's best interests, but their own. And so John warns his children not to listen to these men whom are not teaching the Gospel but a message which is foreign. Do not even think of supporting these people, John warns!
Today, we call these men Gnostics, they sought to confuse the church with "hidden" knowledge. Salvation by Jesus' death and resurrection was not enough - you needed to be circumcised, you needed to follow the Law of Moses, you needed something else - the "hidden" knowledge only they could share with you! Not so unlike many church movements even to this day!
In John's third letter, again barely a note, an encouragement for supporting missionaries. But, even in a Church that seems to be getting it right, a man named Diotrephes had risen to power and was on an ego trip. Heck we can see that daily in many churches or on TV - men driven by power, riches, the limelight, whatever - but not God, nor glorifying God. More interestingly, not recognizing that John is the authority over THE Church! And perhaps worse of all: he throws those out of the church whom would support missionaries! Wow, talk about a power trip!
I wonder if your church has problems with Gnosticism? Does it believe that salvation is more than just confession and baptism? Forms of baptism are an issue? Magic words in the confession? Special classes required? Evidence of the Holy Spirit (tongues) been added to the salvation formula? Are there dietary restrictions? Behavioral (not within reason!) expectations? Is there hidden knowledge on what will get you that car or beautiful home? Special baptisms for "levels" within the faith? Is there anyone between you and Jesus that you must go to in order to reach God? If any of this is true - and oh so many more variations - welcome to Gnosticism!
And Gnosticism ultimately destroyed the early church in Turkey.
As I write this, Turkey has again began another extermination of the Armenian believers in Turkey and what used to Armenia. These are Christian believers being killed, their churches flattened, their homes and property seized or destroyed! And yes, there is still snow on the ground - so these people are hard pressed to survive.
Lift up these people in prayer and for the end of Ottoman repression against Christians. Pray for Turkey to find once again its Christian roots. Pray for the end of Gnosticism in Turkey and in the Christian Church and in your own church! I certainly pray constantly against the rise of this my own church! It rears its ugly head all of the time but the faithful are blind and do not see that best of intentions are not what God wants ...
January 22, 2016
Those Whom Have Not Heard
And so went the question from one of my professors when I was working on my degree in Apologetics. If people do not know, then will God condemn them to Hell? Could this be justice?
It is an honest question, if those whom have not heard can still make it to Heaven, then why on Earth would we want to bring them under judgement?
That Indian in the Amazon jungle, those trapped behind the politics of their country and not allowed to know about God. Why tell them at all if God judges intent, or "inner voice", or knows that what you think is God can correlate to Him and you are just fine ...
Except Jesus thought it important. The Jews had turned to apostasy and no longer knew whom God was, they no longer knew what their Scriptures said. Sure they had a few brilliant Rabbis to figure things out for them, but even when Jesus showed up - there was but a few whom expected, much less recognized him ...
The argument raged across my class, Old Testament, New Testament, popular opinion all were shared - and honestly, I thought a fist fight was going to breakout! Yeah, it got a little heated.
Then the teacher turn on me - "Kris, what do you think?"
Yeah, he knew I was a Hutterite searching for a far more solid truth than just tradition to hold on it - I wanted that TRUTH in my heart, in my mind - I had to know - to find the TRUTH!
So, there is only one answer - God will judge you based upon your knowledge of Him, He has revealed to you. But since man does not seek to know the real God, well, not too many are going to be judged well in the outcome. Think about this: you are an Amazon Indian, you are by all rights a pagan - but there are innate aspects of society and culture which transcend peoples and locations. Marriage, taboos against murder, that empty spot in each of us - what do you fill it with? Easy enough to judge: were you faithful to your mate? did you kill anyone? did you seek Him?
Romans 1 tells us that creation, which surrounds each of us, testifies to the reality of God. Yeah, and no one sees it because they do not want to. There are easier more politically correct reasons for what exists other than the answer - God. So, Paul tells us - NO one is without excuse for not finding God. Ouch!
Why go and tell what you know? Because no one else will, because they need to know if they are to have any hope facing God...
And amazingly, in this the most prolific of Bible owning country - I do run into people whom have not heard, whom have not read about God, Jesus or salvation. All they know is hearsay from people whom do hate God and do not believe He has any right to judge them ...
The Pride of Man, one of the sins as well ...
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