It sort of bummed me out yesterday, remembering the failure of the Western Church to grow - while being crippled by wolves in sheep's clothing!
No surprise.
This culture does not understand that this life is not an end-all.
Merely a stepping stone to something far grander with our Creator!
Many of those on yesterday's list, I personally approached with my concerns.
To say they paid any heed would be laughable!
I am no one,
Never will be anyone,
Because I early on understood John's writings -
This Earth, is not our home!
So, stop living like it is!
And no one ever listens ....
Well, truth be known, it is the oddest people whom do listen.
A lady I met in a card game on Mt. Rainer.
She had totally warped her faith to force God to behave as she desired.
She was appalled that I "knew''!
I think I have mentioned this before that for what ever reason,
I can look at someone - anyone,
And know what seperates them from God.
No not a delightful gift.
Actually, quite painful.
I am not sure I ever saw her again,
But, I did hear of her,
And why she needed correction.
Only in Heaven would anyone else understand!
It is enough for me to marvel at what her change had cost her!
I think of men in my lifetime I have known:
Billy Graham
Brother Andrew
Brother David
Lanson Ross
An Apostle named John
Gibb Martin
James Packer
Those whose names are lost to my damaged mind:
Guy from Campus Crusade
Guy from Young Life
A guy whom might have been named Eric Weddle?
Peter of South Africa, though in Holland
A pastor with the last name of Shaw
All wonderfully solid men of God.
I have been blessed to know many of them.
So it makes it so hard to sit and be quiet when corruption rears its ugly head!
Especially when NO one listens!
I have known a plethora of Godly women.
But, I am just writing about Dudes here.
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
June 11, 2019
April 3, 2019
Thinking
As I have often mentioned, I like Tony Hillerman's, Navajo mystery books.
So, as I was working by way through the Thurlo offerings in the same vein, I got to thinking ....
The Thurlo's tell the better story,
But Hillerman seems to have a real grasp on human nature and peoples of an animistic belief system!
Seeing forces behind every flickering leaf is unavoidable, when you do not recognize God.
How could one reasonably respond otherwise?
So how does God deal with man, when he is hard to find if you are trapped in blindness?
It is well and good to quote, "No man comes to God apart from me ...."
But, the view means ALL are lost and remain lost.
At least until someone reaches out to them.
Who is that to be in a post-Christian age?
You could say, "you and me".
But in the face of the billions to be reached,
That number of us to reach out is quite small indeed!
No, we need revival!
But, more so, God based evangelists.
And they are scarcer than hens teeth .....
Yes, hens do have something like teeth!
The point is,
We need to be diligently in prayer for the lost to reached.
To general for you?
How about your family members, co-workers, friends, etc ...
We all know many we should be in prayer for.
Of course, the danger is that, we might end up being "the one" to reach out to them!
Good luck.
Be prepared to get vulnerable ...
So, as I was working by way through the Thurlo offerings in the same vein, I got to thinking ....
The Thurlo's tell the better story,
But Hillerman seems to have a real grasp on human nature and peoples of an animistic belief system!
Seeing forces behind every flickering leaf is unavoidable, when you do not recognize God.
How could one reasonably respond otherwise?
So how does God deal with man, when he is hard to find if you are trapped in blindness?
It is well and good to quote, "No man comes to God apart from me ...."
But, the view means ALL are lost and remain lost.
At least until someone reaches out to them.
Who is that to be in a post-Christian age?
You could say, "you and me".
But in the face of the billions to be reached,
That number of us to reach out is quite small indeed!
No, we need revival!
But, more so, God based evangelists.
And they are scarcer than hens teeth .....
Yes, hens do have something like teeth!
The point is,
We need to be diligently in prayer for the lost to reached.
To general for you?
How about your family members, co-workers, friends, etc ...
We all know many we should be in prayer for.
Of course, the danger is that, we might end up being "the one" to reach out to them!
Good luck.
Be prepared to get vulnerable ...
March 21, 2019
Worry vs Faith
The Bible has lots to say about worry!
Yet we fall into worry so terribly easily.
As Debby Kramer told in my Christian youth,
"Worry is you telling God you do not trust Him."
Yeah, she had a way of speaking plainly!
Psalm 27
God Will Help
Light equates to Truth!
Are you up for it?
The Lord says:
"Hear my voice,
"Be merciful,
"Answer me!"
Seek, See, Connect with God!
"I Will Wait"
"I am confident,
"I will see goodness!"
So even when you can not see any evidence of Him in your life -
He is still there!
Often we are too impatient,
We are too distracted by the world,
We are not actually seeking answer,
We are not actually listening,
We are not open to any answer other than our own.
Any many, many more reasons which block His success in reaching us!
And often we just do not see His best as being our best!
My friend Bruce was crippled at the age of 20.
He definitely did not see this in a positive light!
And yet God smothered him in miracles,
He just was looking in the wrong places to see his prayers being answered!
Oh yeah, he is still disabled and life is not what he would prefer.
But, he has learned to live a far different life than he ever envisioned!
And in my struggles he has been a witness to me in how to face adversity!
Yet we fall into worry so terribly easily.
As Debby Kramer told in my Christian youth,
"Worry is you telling God you do not trust Him."
Yeah, she had a way of speaking plainly!
Psalm 27
God Will Help
Light equates to Truth!
Are you up for it?
The Lord says:
"Hear my voice,
"Be merciful,
"Answer me!"
Seek, See, Connect with God!
"I Will Wait"
"I am confident,
"I will see goodness!"
So even when you can not see any evidence of Him in your life -
He is still there!
Often we are too impatient,
We are too distracted by the world,
We are not actually seeking answer,
We are not actually listening,
We are not open to any answer other than our own.
Any many, many more reasons which block His success in reaching us!
And often we just do not see His best as being our best!
My friend Bruce was crippled at the age of 20.
He definitely did not see this in a positive light!
And yet God smothered him in miracles,
He just was looking in the wrong places to see his prayers being answered!
Oh yeah, he is still disabled and life is not what he would prefer.
But, he has learned to live a far different life than he ever envisioned!
And in my struggles he has been a witness to me in how to face adversity!
June 25, 2018
The Way
I am just sick!
After stewing for days, over the insult handed an acquaintance back home on Mother's Day, I am at my wits end with religion!
So many masquerading as Christian, and yet virtually none reflect even the slightest essence of the Gospel!
We really need to start over!
Only one characteristic stood the Christian apart from anyone else in the Roman Empire, love.
A complete lack of self interest!, because people understood that God had changed them internally.
And that was costly love.
You stood to lose your family, your income, your friends by coming to Jesus for forgiveness.
They were slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands!
This early church was called The Way.
You came to understand your fallen nature.
You came to understand what real life was.
You came to understand that nothing of this world matters in the slightest, save for people.
And their relationship with God, at that!
The hatred shown my past acquaintance, shows just how far a once solid church can slide.
Is does not matter whom can stand on Mother's Day, or not.
But in asking one not to stand means they are not the same as others.
It means putting yourself before others.
It means you are special and no one else is.
Welcome to George Orwells,Animal Farm!
Where: all animals are equal,
Only some are more equal than others .....
That is why God is no longer to be found there.
Indeed, this is type of situation is true of most churches!
Jesus died for me, not you.
God blesses me, not you.
To bad for you ...
Sounds bad, but that is what these people are saying by their behavior!
So we need a new return to The Way.
The loving church where we are family and not strangers to one another.
The family where self sacrifice and improvement are the goal.
I am envious of that environment.
I experienced that type of community twice.
My life with the Hutterite's showed me all of this,
Were it not for their non-Biblical beliefs, I would still be 'plain'.
And the Jesus People Movement.
Good times.
if people are involved, and push God out,
He will leave and we will be left to create our own mess.
Yet, He still stands by the side, watching and I imagine grieving.
He sacrificed so much, for so long, so that we can insult our members by telling them they are not good enough to be recognized for being a parent!
As if the 'haters' are 'good enough' !
Such a smack down these people are in for, from God, if not one else .....
And yet, they are completely able to repent and look to God and not themselves.
Will they?
Maybe, if we are willing to pray for their hardness of heart to be broken ...
And ours as well.
After stewing for days, over the insult handed an acquaintance back home on Mother's Day, I am at my wits end with religion!
So many masquerading as Christian, and yet virtually none reflect even the slightest essence of the Gospel!
We really need to start over!
Only one characteristic stood the Christian apart from anyone else in the Roman Empire, love.
A complete lack of self interest!, because people understood that God had changed them internally.
And that was costly love.
You stood to lose your family, your income, your friends by coming to Jesus for forgiveness.
They were slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands!
This early church was called The Way.
You came to understand your fallen nature.
You came to understand what real life was.
You came to understand that nothing of this world matters in the slightest, save for people.
And their relationship with God, at that!
The hatred shown my past acquaintance, shows just how far a once solid church can slide.
Is does not matter whom can stand on Mother's Day, or not.
But in asking one not to stand means they are not the same as others.
It means putting yourself before others.
It means you are special and no one else is.
Welcome to George Orwells,Animal Farm!
Where: all animals are equal,
Only some are more equal than others .....
That is why God is no longer to be found there.
Indeed, this is type of situation is true of most churches!
Jesus died for me, not you.
God blesses me, not you.
To bad for you ...
Sounds bad, but that is what these people are saying by their behavior!
So we need a new return to The Way.
The loving church where we are family and not strangers to one another.
The family where self sacrifice and improvement are the goal.
I am envious of that environment.
I experienced that type of community twice.
My life with the Hutterite's showed me all of this,
Were it not for their non-Biblical beliefs, I would still be 'plain'.
And the Jesus People Movement.
Good times.
if people are involved, and push God out,
He will leave and we will be left to create our own mess.
Yet, He still stands by the side, watching and I imagine grieving.
He sacrificed so much, for so long, so that we can insult our members by telling them they are not good enough to be recognized for being a parent!
As if the 'haters' are 'good enough' !
Such a smack down these people are in for, from God, if not one else .....
And yet, they are completely able to repent and look to God and not themselves.
Will they?
Maybe, if we are willing to pray for their hardness of heart to be broken ...
And ours as well.
April 19, 2018
Free To Live
I wrote this across many days and tears last month.
I might live,
I might not.
No way to predict,
Only it will be way sooner than i expected ...
Galatians 5:1-6
We are free to live,
In the Kingdom of God,
Only if we remember to:
Stand Free
We are intended for FREEDOM,
Not slavery to the Law of Moses.
Freedom does not lead to lawlessness.
Your are NOT a slave,
Yet you are a voluntary slave!
His yoke (teaching) gives rest to our soul.
Teaching brings life!
Trust Grace
Faith vs Rule Keeping
Frees us - Rules bind us
Faith is to live as if something is so.
To fall from grace is to fall into legalism.
We want a checklist - God wants more than the list from us
Life by grace is to depend on God for all things.
Life Without Lack
Only God can offer us hope.
Think of Psalm 23.
Follow close to the shepherd.
Trust God, it is your choice, and He will not force to!
It is our hope - we are assured of the Holy Spirit.
- we bget to live with Him in His righteousness.
We must respond to His Word/Message.
Consider reading the whole of John's Gospel and his Letters as well ........
I might live,
I might not.
No way to predict,
Only it will be way sooner than i expected ...
Galatians 5:1-6
We are free to live,
In the Kingdom of God,
Only if we remember to:
Stand Free
We are intended for FREEDOM,
Not slavery to the Law of Moses.
Freedom does not lead to lawlessness.
Your are NOT a slave,
Yet you are a voluntary slave!
His yoke (teaching) gives rest to our soul.
Teaching brings life!
Trust Grace
Faith vs Rule Keeping
Frees us - Rules bind us
Faith is to live as if something is so.
To fall from grace is to fall into legalism.
We want a checklist - God wants more than the list from us
Life by grace is to depend on God for all things.
Life Without Lack
Only God can offer us hope.
Think of Psalm 23.
Follow close to the shepherd.
Trust God, it is your choice, and He will not force to!
It is our hope - we are assured of the Holy Spirit.
- we bget to live with Him in His righteousness.
We must respond to His Word/Message.
Consider reading the whole of John's Gospel and his Letters as well ........
April 5, 2018
Success!
So my court appearance went well.
The short of it:
The judge was the same one as who told me to appeal last time!
He sat down, looked at me with slight recognition.
The prosecutor stood up and said the state was withdrawing charges.
His gavel banged down and I was told to leave!
Really?????
Well, Praise The Lord!!!!!
So no $575 ticket!
Much less having a ticket on my record!
So still a clean record officially.
Today, I start to get my license reinstated.
Hopefully not too involved.
So, it was stressful and worrisome but with good results for me.
The short of it:
The judge was the same one as who told me to appeal last time!
He sat down, looked at me with slight recognition.
The prosecutor stood up and said the state was withdrawing charges.
His gavel banged down and I was told to leave!
Really?????
Well, Praise The Lord!!!!!
So no $575 ticket!
Much less having a ticket on my record!
So still a clean record officially.
Today, I start to get my license reinstated.
Hopefully not too involved.
So, it was stressful and worrisome but with good results for me.
January 25, 2018
How To Walk
I use three concepts quite a bit:
Following after Jesus
Following Scripture
Being an Example
And folllowing a "Huh?"
Came the "How?"
Yeah, I do not necessarily think that way.
So, given some time to think ...
Revelation 3:7-13
Walk In the Light
Isaisah 22:22
Romans 2:28-29
James 1:2
1 Thesselonians 4:16-17
Revelation 21:2
Walk in Love
John 143:15
1 John 4:7-8
1 Cori8nthians 16:14
Walk in Liberty
Romans 3:23-24
Galathians 5:13
2 Timothy 1:7
Following after Jesus
Following Scripture
Being an Example
And folllowing a "Huh?"
Came the "How?"
Yeah, I do not necessarily think that way.
So, given some time to think ...
Revelation 3:7-13
Walk In the Light
Isaisah 22:22
Romans 2:28-29
James 1:2
1 Thesselonians 4:16-17
Revelation 21:2
Walk in Love
John 143:15
1 John 4:7-8
1 Cori8nthians 16:14
Walk in Liberty
Romans 3:23-24
Galathians 5:13
2 Timothy 1:7
January 17, 2018
Times of Trouble
Have you ever reached your end?
You know, there is nothing left you can do.
Nowhere you can go.
No one you can count on.
It may even seem God is no longer there!
Psalm 137:1-4
Embrace Your Call
Grasp your present reality!
Live in your pain!
Hope is in God's promises!
Remember whom you are!
Pray for vindication!
Find comfort in what can not be changed!
God's Love is our standard!
Change Your Approach
Study suffering in Psalm 6
Know that when you can not praise, pray, sing -
God's Spirit will intervene and do this for you -
in you pain, in your grief, in your blackness.....
You know, there is nothing left you can do.
Nowhere you can go.
No one you can count on.
It may even seem God is no longer there!
Psalm 137:1-4
Embrace Your Call
Grasp your present reality!
Live in your pain!
Hope is in God's promises!
Remember whom you are!
Pray for vindication!
Find comfort in what can not be changed!
God's Love is our standard!
Change Your Approach
Study suffering in Psalm 6
Know that when you can not praise, pray, sing -
God's Spirit will intervene and do this for you -
in you pain, in your grief, in your blackness.....
July 11, 2017
My Kids
I did a post earlier this year about how we look at life incorrectly.
Because we see life and its immediate impact, we react and repeat - maybe we figure out we got it all wrong.
Life is not about us.
What goes on around us, is not about us either.
So what is?
Not much.
Our perfection of our relationship with our Creator is important.
Such a struggle!
Mostly because we face life corrupted by man's fall from grace and Satan's fall to Earth.
sigh
The more we foul up, the further we drag ourselves away from God.
Yeah, it is easy enough to try to turn around - if we are at all allowed the opportunity.
Remember, life gets in the way though.
And opportunities are not always available ...
Like everyone, I struggle.
I forget where I need to be.
I forget what happened yesterday.
I forget what I am supposed to be doing today ....
But all is made sharp when I am made aware of one of "my kids" fouling up!
Protective pseudo-papa reacts.
I want "my kids" to pass through life easily ......
I want them in the afterlife with me!
So on Monday, yeah I was made aware ...
It was all so unexpected.
It hit too close to home.
And then I had to be reminded of things I no longer know.
Then Satan struck.
And Kris went down in flames.
And the heart gave out yet again.
Then lots of needles ...
Bad day.
But I would not be deterred from prayer in their behalf.
No, there is no resolution for this person.
They learned to skate by in life.
They see no reason to change.
And God?
Well, he gets lip service, but he would NEVER hold them responsible.
(And when he does - he is the one at fault! Not them!)
I do not know how they will be called back to God.
It is never pleasant, nor pain free.
I just hope when that day comes they remember to let me know.
If I can help, I will.
After all, they are one of my kids ...
Because we see life and its immediate impact, we react and repeat - maybe we figure out we got it all wrong.
Life is not about us.
What goes on around us, is not about us either.
So what is?
Not much.
Our perfection of our relationship with our Creator is important.
Such a struggle!
Mostly because we face life corrupted by man's fall from grace and Satan's fall to Earth.
sigh
The more we foul up, the further we drag ourselves away from God.
Yeah, it is easy enough to try to turn around - if we are at all allowed the opportunity.
Remember, life gets in the way though.
And opportunities are not always available ...
Like everyone, I struggle.
I forget where I need to be.
I forget what happened yesterday.
I forget what I am supposed to be doing today ....
But all is made sharp when I am made aware of one of "my kids" fouling up!
Protective pseudo-papa reacts.
I want "my kids" to pass through life easily ......
I want them in the afterlife with me!
So on Monday, yeah I was made aware ...
It was all so unexpected.
It hit too close to home.
And then I had to be reminded of things I no longer know.
Then Satan struck.
And Kris went down in flames.
And the heart gave out yet again.
Then lots of needles ...
Bad day.
But I would not be deterred from prayer in their behalf.
No, there is no resolution for this person.
They learned to skate by in life.
They see no reason to change.
And God?
Well, he gets lip service, but he would NEVER hold them responsible.
(And when he does - he is the one at fault! Not them!)
I do not know how they will be called back to God.
It is never pleasant, nor pain free.
I just hope when that day comes they remember to let me know.
If I can help, I will.
After all, they are one of my kids ...
June 26, 2017
From Bad To Worse
It never ceased to amaze me at how something I am thinking on - I end up in a conversation with someone at just the right time, or hear a sermon on. It is sort of freaky, the way it works!
So for about two weeks I have been thinking upon generational failure - how someone makes the wrong choice and everyone downstream from them gets to suffer the coincidences. Which led to the idea that even when yopu do it all right - things still can get complicated!
Exodus 5:1-6:12
Your Life Gets Harder
If God is with us, not not mean the road will be easy to travel.
It can get a whole lot harder!
Can you endure?
The Hebrews blamed Moses for the burden they now were forced to bear!
Understand - your life gets Harder to live.
Your road harder to travel.
Your companions fewer!
Enough Already!
Pharaoh was addicted to cheap labor.
So much so, he made slaves of the Hebrews.
Slaves to build cities to his greatness!
We are no different today:
child labor
foreign child labor
sex trade
outright slavery
Cheap products we do not really need.
And only you can break the cycle!
Celebrate!
God is faithful - always.
His will, will be accomplished .....
He used Moses in spite of his protests!
He used, ultimately destroyed Pharaoh.
The Hebrews were freed.
So for about two weeks I have been thinking upon generational failure - how someone makes the wrong choice and everyone downstream from them gets to suffer the coincidences. Which led to the idea that even when yopu do it all right - things still can get complicated!
Exodus 5:1-6:12
Your Life Gets Harder
If God is with us, not not mean the road will be easy to travel.
It can get a whole lot harder!
Can you endure?
The Hebrews blamed Moses for the burden they now were forced to bear!
Understand - your life gets Harder to live.
Your road harder to travel.
Your companions fewer!
Enough Already!
Pharaoh was addicted to cheap labor.
So much so, he made slaves of the Hebrews.
Slaves to build cities to his greatness!
We are no different today:
child labor
foreign child labor
sex trade
outright slavery
Cheap products we do not really need.
And only you can break the cycle!
Celebrate!
God is faithful - always.
His will, will be accomplished .....
He used Moses in spite of his protests!
He used, ultimately destroyed Pharaoh.
The Hebrews were freed.
May 9, 2017
Burden
There are no re-do's in life, no reset, no restart - life is a continual progression.
But seemingly, I was given a restart - having my brain erased really does take everything. But, memories, however hazy may trickle back. And my brain was to be wiped three more times this year! Were I a disk drive, I would be unrecoverable ... Were it not for my writings, I would know nothing about me at all!
So, a mind filled with only stories and I can "fake" it in daily life - yeah it is still irritating to those whom expect something of me ... sigh ...
But, for about two weeks my spirit has been troubled - it is as much troubling to have a weird idea as to the source! And I am not one to abruptly approach someone, I no longer know, and blindly go for the "what have you done" discussion! At least, I don't think I am that kind of a person!
I have no idea.
So, I was reading in Colossians 3 last night and thinking on this burden - and it struck me, what is it that you do really know Kris?
I Am A Child of God
Discipleship begins with me.
Be dead to sin.
I have a new identity in Jesus.
Jesus is to become my life.
Transform my mind/life.
Put to death that which is worldly.
The Holy Spirit Dwells In Me
Discipleship requires my meeting in community with the local chyurch.
The local church, warts and all.
The local church, mature or immature.
Fellowship is one form of witness to the world around us.
"Love" is the key to community, fellowship and witness.
I live In God's Unshakable Kingdom
Discipleship is to be lived out in the everyday relationships events.
Husband and wife.
Parent and child.
Work for God, not man.
And like all of us, I need to be darn careful whom I disciple under! There are way too many wolves out there ...
But seemingly, I was given a restart - having my brain erased really does take everything. But, memories, however hazy may trickle back. And my brain was to be wiped three more times this year! Were I a disk drive, I would be unrecoverable ... Were it not for my writings, I would know nothing about me at all!
So, a mind filled with only stories and I can "fake" it in daily life - yeah it is still irritating to those whom expect something of me ... sigh ...
But, for about two weeks my spirit has been troubled - it is as much troubling to have a weird idea as to the source! And I am not one to abruptly approach someone, I no longer know, and blindly go for the "what have you done" discussion! At least, I don't think I am that kind of a person!
I have no idea.
So, I was reading in Colossians 3 last night and thinking on this burden - and it struck me, what is it that you do really know Kris?
I Am A Child of God
Discipleship begins with me.
Be dead to sin.
I have a new identity in Jesus.
Jesus is to become my life.
Transform my mind/life.
Put to death that which is worldly.
The Holy Spirit Dwells In Me
Discipleship requires my meeting in community with the local chyurch.
The local church, warts and all.
The local church, mature or immature.
Fellowship is one form of witness to the world around us.
"Love" is the key to community, fellowship and witness.
I live In God's Unshakable Kingdom
Discipleship is to be lived out in the everyday relationships events.
Husband and wife.
Parent and child.
Work for God, not man.
And like all of us, I need to be darn careful whom I disciple under! There are way too many wolves out there ...
May 3, 2017
Good Samaritan
Even those whom have not read the Bible know the story of the Good Samaritan, we have laws in this country to protect those whom render assistance!
Refresh your memory at Luke 10:25-37
Now Jesus is asked who are our neighbors ... after-all We are Jews. Whom could be the neighbor, save for another Jew? I am a righteous Jew, who could be my neighbor except another righteous Jew (in my opinion after-all!)? I am from Jerusalem, whom is my equal before God? Just typical arguments for anything which will make us feel better about ourselves, if not superior!
And Jesus brings up the Samaritans, those pagan, idol worshiping half-breeds! Samaritans really were the scum of the Earth!, unless we are talking about Romans,Scythians - or anyone else whom is not a Jew!
Unfortunately for those listening that day, the Samaritan is the hero - the one doing God's work ...
Move Your Faith
From your head to your heart.
Loving God leads to loving people.
Else we are hypocrites, deserving of being ignored by the world!
This is calle3d faith in action.
Live your faith, incur the wrath of the evil one...
Admit Your Desire
Is the walk on the opposite side of the street from whgre you need to be.
Getting involved exposes you to unwanted risk.
Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.
Put Love Into Action
Find practical ways.
To another's good.
At your cost.
See Your Neighbors Everywhere
Who can you be a neighbor to?
Who repulses you ?
Who offends you?
Yup, God does not make it easy to be His follower ....
Refresh your memory at Luke 10:25-37
Now Jesus is asked who are our neighbors ... after-all We are Jews. Whom could be the neighbor, save for another Jew? I am a righteous Jew, who could be my neighbor except another righteous Jew (in my opinion after-all!)? I am from Jerusalem, whom is my equal before God? Just typical arguments for anything which will make us feel better about ourselves, if not superior!
And Jesus brings up the Samaritans, those pagan, idol worshiping half-breeds! Samaritans really were the scum of the Earth!, unless we are talking about Romans,Scythians - or anyone else whom is not a Jew!
Unfortunately for those listening that day, the Samaritan is the hero - the one doing God's work ...
Move Your Faith
From your head to your heart.
Loving God leads to loving people.
Else we are hypocrites, deserving of being ignored by the world!
This is calle3d faith in action.
Live your faith, incur the wrath of the evil one...
Admit Your Desire
Is the walk on the opposite side of the street from whgre you need to be.
Getting involved exposes you to unwanted risk.
Remember, no good deed goes unpunished.
Put Love Into Action
Find practical ways.
To another's good.
At your cost.
See Your Neighbors Everywhere
Who can you be a neighbor to?
Who repulses you ?
Who offends you?
Yup, God does not make it easy to be His follower ....
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 19, 2017
As Useful As A Stick
So, remember that my mind is stuck in 1967, every night dreams - remembering something from that year! As I have figured out - it is decision points which are replaying over and over again - decisions which mapped out directions I unknowingly chose which brought me to other decisions later in life (which currently I have no memory of but I imagine that I will be cursed with in many, many more dreams ...
In "Thoughts From The Little Apple" I related one time about meeting Francis Schaeffer and a very long talk we had, in 1967. I was unchurched so his discussion was at best wasted on this very unhappy youth that day. And I think my utter ignorance on anything he wanted discuss amazed him! And he talked about a stick .....
Think about Moses, a normal kind of guy, nothing really special about him other than he grew up as the brother of a future Pharaoh of Egypt. He murders a soldier for beating a Hebrew slave and runs away to hide in the wilderness. He herds sheep, I have no doubt he was very much a broken man - that fear in the3 back of his mind he had murdered a man, a soldier, he must have been wanted. No hope, no future because of one rash act .....
He comes upon a bush which appears to be burning and meets God.
Now shepherds use sticks or what is known as crooks to motivate sheep to do as desired., it could have been anywhere from three to six feet long. How tall was Moses? Maybe that tall. And God wanted to talk to the Hebrew slaves and eventually Pharaoh. What proof was there that God had talked to Moses? That stick of wood .....
And called upon Moses to use that stick fo initiate each of the plagues which hit Egypt. The parting of the Sea waters. To produce fresh water from rock in the desert - twice. To turn the tide of battle. It was no longer just a stick - it was now God's stick.....
As useful as a stump, as my father would say. As useful as a stick it would seem. It is not the value we place upon something - it is God's use of that object which matters! did God need to use a long dead piewce of wood to make a point to Pharaoh? Or the Hebrews? Or a faithless Miriam? Of course not!
It was to support Moses and his authority before Pharaoh, before the slaves, in Miriam's face. It forced the hard of heart to do what God wanted! But it never was the stick - it was all God displaying His power.
And so, early this morning, this memory rolling around in my mind, can I be a stick for God? Yeah when ever my body allows a life restart ..... I desire to be used and definitely with no objections this time .....
In "Thoughts From The Little Apple" I related one time about meeting Francis Schaeffer and a very long talk we had, in 1967. I was unchurched so his discussion was at best wasted on this very unhappy youth that day. And I think my utter ignorance on anything he wanted discuss amazed him! And he talked about a stick .....
Think about Moses, a normal kind of guy, nothing really special about him other than he grew up as the brother of a future Pharaoh of Egypt. He murders a soldier for beating a Hebrew slave and runs away to hide in the wilderness. He herds sheep, I have no doubt he was very much a broken man - that fear in the3 back of his mind he had murdered a man, a soldier, he must have been wanted. No hope, no future because of one rash act .....
He comes upon a bush which appears to be burning and meets God.
Now shepherds use sticks or what is known as crooks to motivate sheep to do as desired., it could have been anywhere from three to six feet long. How tall was Moses? Maybe that tall. And God wanted to talk to the Hebrew slaves and eventually Pharaoh. What proof was there that God had talked to Moses? That stick of wood .....
And called upon Moses to use that stick fo initiate each of the plagues which hit Egypt. The parting of the Sea waters. To produce fresh water from rock in the desert - twice. To turn the tide of battle. It was no longer just a stick - it was now God's stick.....
As useful as a stump, as my father would say. As useful as a stick it would seem. It is not the value we place upon something - it is God's use of that object which matters! did God need to use a long dead piewce of wood to make a point to Pharaoh? Or the Hebrews? Or a faithless Miriam? Of course not!
It was to support Moses and his authority before Pharaoh, before the slaves, in Miriam's face. It forced the hard of heart to do what God wanted! But it never was the stick - it was all God displaying His power.
And so, early this morning, this memory rolling around in my mind, can I be a stick for God? Yeah when ever my body allows a life restart ..... I desire to be used and definitely with no objections this time .....
April 17, 2017
House on theRocks
Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49
everything you surround yourself with
IS the building of your life!
Continually build on a solid foundation!
Know there will be storms in your life, weather them!
And remember that the Rock is a person - Jesus, not principles!
- You are the construction worker
- Take responsibilityk for your life
- Choose your foundation carefully
- Your will suffer storms
- Prepare for them
- You lay that foundation on the rock!
everything you surround yourself with
IS the building of your life!
Continually build on a solid foundation!
Know there will be storms in your life, weather them!
And remember that the Rock is a person - Jesus, not principles!
April 14, 2017
God Is In The Valley
So now final thoughts on the Book of Lamentations, so read through chapter 5.
Lamentations is written as a song but chapter 5 does not follow the rules of oriental song meter. It is unbalanced with no closure. Do not ask me, I am not a music person. I like to listen but could tell you nothing about I am listening to! So we will just go with what the experts say ...
Learn To Accept Lows
We are just fine when everything is going our way.
But God could not care less about "your" way.
He wants you to find Him in the valleys of life and lean on Him!
Ask For Help
Lift yourself, your brothers and sisters up in prayer!
Ask God to remember us in times of trouble.
See our need!
Bring us back to Himself.
We are powerless, only He can restore us!
Embrace Answers
Remember your Biblical history:
God did not meet their expectations
Not everyone has returned
The temple was not as grand
Jerusalem not restored as before
And then came the unexpected: Jesus!
Lamentations is written as a song but chapter 5 does not follow the rules of oriental song meter. It is unbalanced with no closure. Do not ask me, I am not a music person. I like to listen but could tell you nothing about I am listening to! So we will just go with what the experts say ...
Learn To Accept Lows
We are just fine when everything is going our way.
But God could not care less about "your" way.
He wants you to find Him in the valleys of life and lean on Him!
Ask For Help
Lift yourself, your brothers and sisters up in prayer!
Ask God to remember us in times of trouble.
See our need!
Bring us back to Himself.
We are powerless, only He can restore us!
Embrace Answers
Remember your Biblical history:
God did not meet their expectations
Not everyone has returned
The temple was not as grand
Jerusalem not restored as before
And then came the unexpected: Jesus!
Under Judgement
Yesterday, we took a minimalistic look at the book of Lamentations and how I wish I could work in stents longer than 15 minutes and actually reconquer typing! sigh ...
Certainly there is nothing worse than ending upon the wrong side of God's wrath. In the Bible many managed the feat of wearing out God's patience, to their doom and in the case of Jeremiah, he found himself leaving under God's condemnation because the rulers, priests and people had become corrupt! Yes everyone suffered under God's wrath, though Jeremiah's faithfulness saved his hide in the end!
Today it is easy see where God's patience has ended and wrath has descended upon the people, the nation, etc ....
I am German by birth, so I will pick on Germany first ... What you say? A prosperous, progressive country! That is the kind of wrath to live under! But, look and see the dead Christian Church and the paganism of the culture and youth. No, God is not there nor blessing them.
And as a corporate entity, most nations fall under God's judgement and under his wrath to the extent of His patience at that point in time. As believers, we struggle in churches more pagan than Christian because God is allowing us to discover Hsa lack of blessings and correct our behavior. But we lack wisdom and finding those with discernment is mighty rare! So, we like Jeremiah, get to struggle against the world's invasion of our faith ... well downsatream from where this began.
Read Lamentations 4
Understand he Pain
Everyone around you walks under judgement by God.
Everyone is lacking God's blessings, to varied extents.
See the problems, they abound!
Step In It
Size up what stands between you and God.
FIX it - it is that simple, but horrible to overcomje!
Pray, real prayer!
Change Your Values
Read your Bible
Learn what it is that God values
Make those your values!
Then help others to understand why those values are important!
Certainly there is nothing worse than ending upon the wrong side of God's wrath. In the Bible many managed the feat of wearing out God's patience, to their doom and in the case of Jeremiah, he found himself leaving under God's condemnation because the rulers, priests and people had become corrupt! Yes everyone suffered under God's wrath, though Jeremiah's faithfulness saved his hide in the end!
Today it is easy see where God's patience has ended and wrath has descended upon the people, the nation, etc ....
I am German by birth, so I will pick on Germany first ... What you say? A prosperous, progressive country! That is the kind of wrath to live under! But, look and see the dead Christian Church and the paganism of the culture and youth. No, God is not there nor blessing them.
And as a corporate entity, most nations fall under God's judgement and under his wrath to the extent of His patience at that point in time. As believers, we struggle in churches more pagan than Christian because God is allowing us to discover Hsa lack of blessings and correct our behavior. But we lack wisdom and finding those with discernment is mighty rare! So, we like Jeremiah, get to struggle against the world's invasion of our faith ... well downsatream from where this began.
Read Lamentations 4
Understand he Pain
Everyone around you walks under judgement by God.
Everyone is lacking God's blessings, to varied extents.
See the problems, they abound!
Step In It
Size up what stands between you and God.
FIX it - it is that simple, but horrible to overcomje!
Pray, real prayer!
Change Your Values
Read your Bible
Learn what it is that God values
Make those your values!
Then help others to understand why those values are important!
November 16, 2016
Seeking God's Will
Paul is on his second journey.
He is traveling from Lystra to Troas.
Today, they are in ruins.
Acts 16:6-10
Be A Flexible Follower
You need to have a servant's heart.
Your desires are your master's.
Your desires are not for yourself.
You have to listen to the Holy Spirit.
(Which means you have to learn how to hear it!)
Be Okay With God Saying NO!
You have to accept the Holy Spirit's lead.
God's direction.
You are the follower, not the leader!
This is where most Christian trainwrecks occur!
Don't Confuse Need With Call
Just because you can identify a need, does not mean you are called to anything!
When you identify a need, meet it!
Don't make a ministry of it!
Do not expect comfort.
Do not expect satisfaction.
Do not expect applause.
You must have DISCERNMENT!
Focus On What God Is Revealing
Avoid superstition.
Test, prayer, discern, listen to counsel.
Trust God.
Don't run.
Acknowledge Him in all ways.
Find God In The Ordinary
Consider Colossians 3:17
Find Him where you are.
Find Him in what you are doing.
Do your best for God.
God does not need you playing tourist,
Being a witness to jet set,
Or any of the other sicknesses with circle the Faith.
He wants you where you are,
Doing what you do,
Witnessing to those around you,
Living your testimony ....
He is traveling from Lystra to Troas.
Today, they are in ruins.
Acts 16:6-10
Be A Flexible Follower
You need to have a servant's heart.
Your desires are your master's.
Your desires are not for yourself.
You have to listen to the Holy Spirit.
(Which means you have to learn how to hear it!)
Be Okay With God Saying NO!
You have to accept the Holy Spirit's lead.
God's direction.
You are the follower, not the leader!
This is where most Christian trainwrecks occur!
Don't Confuse Need With Call
Just because you can identify a need, does not mean you are called to anything!
When you identify a need, meet it!
Don't make a ministry of it!
Do not expect comfort.
Do not expect satisfaction.
Do not expect applause.
You must have DISCERNMENT!
Focus On What God Is Revealing
Avoid superstition.
Test, prayer, discern, listen to counsel.
Trust God.
Don't run.
Acknowledge Him in all ways.
Find God In The Ordinary
Consider Colossians 3:17
Find Him where you are.
Find Him in what you are doing.
Do your best for God.
God does not need you playing tourist,
Being a witness to jet set,
Or any of the other sicknesses with circle the Faith.
He wants you where you are,
Doing what you do,
Witnessing to those around you,
Living your testimony ....
October 25, 2016
Brother Andrew
Over Sixty years ago, God spoke to a young Dutch missionary with the words,
"Strengthen what remains and is on the point of death" (Revelation 3:2).
From that very day in 1955, Brother Andrew believed that no doors could
be closed. No borders, no barriers, no armies could withstand the
power of prayer ... and no power on earth could ever stop God's Word.
Brother Andrew was born on May 11, 1928 in Alkmaar, a town in northwest Holland. He was raised in a Protestant home in the nearby small village of St. Pancras. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a devout "prayer warrior."
At the age of eleven, Andrew's formal education was cut short by World War II and the occupation of the Netherlands. The horrible deprivation and persecution of war seen at this early age shaped Andrew's young life. After the war ended, Brother Andrew enlisted as a volunteer soldier and was sent to Indonesia where he was wounded by a bullet in 1949. Seriously injured and facing a lengthy convalescence, Andrew discovered that the greatest battle he faced was the one raging within his soul. The kind smile and personal testimony of Christ's love from one of the hospital sisters led him to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior shortly thereafter.
Andrew studied the Bible voraciously, prayed continually, and finally traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, where he attended the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade's Missionary Training Center for three years. Returning to the Netherlands in 1953, Andrew led Bible studies and worked at Ringer's Chocolate Factory where he met his future wife, Corry Van Dam.
Inspiration for his life's work began on a package tour of Poland, he was astounded by the zeal and organization of young Communists. His heart ached for these teenagers so desperately seeking purpose and meaning. At that time there were no missionaries working in Eastern Europe, Churches had been closed, Bibles had been banned, Communism and atheism were the only alternatives offered to young men and women with empty souls.
More trips followed in his now famous little blue Volkswagen to nearly every country in the Communist bloc: Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria...then finally into Russia itself, the center of the Soviet union and the very stronghold of atheism. At a time when pastors were being arrested and tortured, and Communist leaders were intent on eradicating every sign of God and Christianity, Brother Andrew quietly continued his work. He smuggled in more and more Bibles to more and more countries, and encouraged the persecuted believers that remained behind the Iron Curtain.
Often Brother Andrew's trips were miraculously guided and protected. As one ruthless border guard looked over the boxes of Bibles in his car, Andrew prayed, "Father, You have made blind eyes to see -- now I ask you to make seeing eyes blind." The guard then simply waved Andrew through the border crossing as if he had seen nothing! "I'm not brave. I'm often scared stiff. I drive my car to the Iron Curtain border in the past and I have not the guts to go on. So I pull back ten miles, find a small hotel, I begin to pray and fast until I have the courage, or the liberty or the boldness to go in and that always works. But I would not go if my heart is beating with fear."
Then in 1965 Brother Andrew made his first trip behind the Bamboo Curtain to deliver Bibles and supplies to Chinese believers. He found the situation to be horrendous. Mao's fanaticism had attempted to crush Christianity out of existence. Andrew's efforts expanded in China and eventually into Vietnam and other restricted parts of Asia. Brother Andrew soon began to visit Africa, Cuba, and Central and South America, providing Bibles, training, and prayer support for persecuted Christians in over 60 countries.
God's Smuggler, the account of these early years, was published in 1967, selling over ten million copies in over 30 languages. For the first time, Western Christians became aware of the struggles and suffering of their fellow believers. Many felt called to the ministry or mission field after reading of Brother Andrew's experiences. Still others found salvation after hearing about God's faithfulness on his travels.
Through God's Smuggler, Brother Andrew's small Dutch mission became an international ministry with offices in 20 countries, 200 full-time workers, and thousands of volunteers. Millions of Bibles have been taken into countries where Christianity is still either prohibited or severely sanctioned. Several years ago, one million Bibles were smuggled into China in a single night on a custom-built barge carrying 232 tons of the Word of God!
By the year 2000, over 80 percent of the world's population will live in areas where the Gospel is forbidden or restricted. For this reason, Brother Andrew has traveled extensively to the Middle East since 1985 and is gravely concerned about the conditions of Christians living under Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world. In some Muslim countries, it is illegal to own a Bible, pray aloud, or to wear a cross, and punishment may range from flogging to imprisonment to execution.
And so, sixty years later, the need is greater than ever. Because open Doors is an "end time" ministry, Brother Andrew feels that it is imperative to get involved with the Middle Eastern countries that will figure so prominently in the last days. Until the Great Commission is fulfilled, Brother Andrew has every intention to continue being "God's Smuggler."
Brother Andrew was born on May 11, 1928 in Alkmaar, a town in northwest Holland. He was raised in a Protestant home in the nearby small village of St. Pancras. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a devout "prayer warrior."
At the age of eleven, Andrew's formal education was cut short by World War II and the occupation of the Netherlands. The horrible deprivation and persecution of war seen at this early age shaped Andrew's young life. After the war ended, Brother Andrew enlisted as a volunteer soldier and was sent to Indonesia where he was wounded by a bullet in 1949. Seriously injured and facing a lengthy convalescence, Andrew discovered that the greatest battle he faced was the one raging within his soul. The kind smile and personal testimony of Christ's love from one of the hospital sisters led him to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior shortly thereafter.
Andrew studied the Bible voraciously, prayed continually, and finally traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, where he attended the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade's Missionary Training Center for three years. Returning to the Netherlands in 1953, Andrew led Bible studies and worked at Ringer's Chocolate Factory where he met his future wife, Corry Van Dam.
Inspiration for his life's work began on a package tour of Poland, he was astounded by the zeal and organization of young Communists. His heart ached for these teenagers so desperately seeking purpose and meaning. At that time there were no missionaries working in Eastern Europe, Churches had been closed, Bibles had been banned, Communism and atheism were the only alternatives offered to young men and women with empty souls.
More trips followed in his now famous little blue Volkswagen to nearly every country in the Communist bloc: Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria...then finally into Russia itself, the center of the Soviet union and the very stronghold of atheism. At a time when pastors were being arrested and tortured, and Communist leaders were intent on eradicating every sign of God and Christianity, Brother Andrew quietly continued his work. He smuggled in more and more Bibles to more and more countries, and encouraged the persecuted believers that remained behind the Iron Curtain.
Often Brother Andrew's trips were miraculously guided and protected. As one ruthless border guard looked over the boxes of Bibles in his car, Andrew prayed, "Father, You have made blind eyes to see -- now I ask you to make seeing eyes blind." The guard then simply waved Andrew through the border crossing as if he had seen nothing! "I'm not brave. I'm often scared stiff. I drive my car to the Iron Curtain border in the past and I have not the guts to go on. So I pull back ten miles, find a small hotel, I begin to pray and fast until I have the courage, or the liberty or the boldness to go in and that always works. But I would not go if my heart is beating with fear."
Then in 1965 Brother Andrew made his first trip behind the Bamboo Curtain to deliver Bibles and supplies to Chinese believers. He found the situation to be horrendous. Mao's fanaticism had attempted to crush Christianity out of existence. Andrew's efforts expanded in China and eventually into Vietnam and other restricted parts of Asia. Brother Andrew soon began to visit Africa, Cuba, and Central and South America, providing Bibles, training, and prayer support for persecuted Christians in over 60 countries.
God's Smuggler, the account of these early years, was published in 1967, selling over ten million copies in over 30 languages. For the first time, Western Christians became aware of the struggles and suffering of their fellow believers. Many felt called to the ministry or mission field after reading of Brother Andrew's experiences. Still others found salvation after hearing about God's faithfulness on his travels.
Through God's Smuggler, Brother Andrew's small Dutch mission became an international ministry with offices in 20 countries, 200 full-time workers, and thousands of volunteers. Millions of Bibles have been taken into countries where Christianity is still either prohibited or severely sanctioned. Several years ago, one million Bibles were smuggled into China in a single night on a custom-built barge carrying 232 tons of the Word of God!
By the year 2000, over 80 percent of the world's population will live in areas where the Gospel is forbidden or restricted. For this reason, Brother Andrew has traveled extensively to the Middle East since 1985 and is gravely concerned about the conditions of Christians living under Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world. In some Muslim countries, it is illegal to own a Bible, pray aloud, or to wear a cross, and punishment may range from flogging to imprisonment to execution.
And so, sixty years later, the need is greater than ever. Because open Doors is an "end time" ministry, Brother Andrew feels that it is imperative to get involved with the Middle Eastern countries that will figure so prominently in the last days. Until the Great Commission is fulfilled, Brother Andrew has every intention to continue being "God's Smuggler."
October 24, 2016
Boris Kornfeld
(I wrote this back in 2002, near as I can date it. This was a part of my very first blog - destroyed by hackers and apparently, I never re-posted it! Very surprising to have run across and then discovered I had not re-blogged. I only learned about it via an old email from a publishing company wanting to use this as one of their devotionals! Wow, someone liked something I wrote! I think the original title was, You Can Change The World, back then. I re-titled it Boris Kornfeld in the second blog, which was also destroyed, and the follow four! This was part of a long conversation I had with Francis Schaeffer, on a Lucerne, Switzerland bridge - perhaps during spring of 1967? His story moved me so much, I wrote it down that afternoon back at the hotel! Hope you like the memory ...)
-----
Whether you realize it or not, your faith in Christ is not
without cost to you.
Unfortunately, you
live in a country where, if you live the typical American dream, about the
worst thing that can happen is someone might make fun of you at school for
being a Christian – assuming anyone even knows or cares. But, this has not been true throughout the
past two thousand years – to hold fast to your faith in Christ does come with a
price and often that price is your life, the love of your family, fellowship
with your friends and/or financial freedom.
We have a God who promises “…all things will work for (HIS)
good…”. What good can possibly come from
the loss of your life, family, friends and/or possessions? Well, just ten years ago, the world changed mightily,
though you may have been too young to care.
And, that change can be directly traced back to the workings of God
during the winter of 1956, in the lives of three men.
Our story takes place in the old Soviet Union, in order to
rebuild their country destroyed during the war, they were in need of massive
amounts of wood. To gather the
incredible amount of wood needed, required millions of men to build railroads,
river barges, terminals, sawmills and ships, plus the cutting of wood and
getting it to a river or railhead. Along
the way, gold and platinum were found in great amounts throughout Siberia and
even more men were needed to mine these precious metals – conquering the world
is expensive business!
So, let us see exactly how God used this situation and the
lives of three men to change the world:
Boris Kornfeld, was a Russian medical doctor who ran a foul
of the post war Soviet government and was exiled to a Siberian wood cutting
camp for an unspecified political crime.
Siberia was more than a land of slave labor camps, it was a land of
death camps – to be condemned to Siberia was to be condemned to death. The hard work and danger of cutting timber,
combined with a poor diet and lack of warmth, guaranteed few survivors and no
successful escapes.
Unlike most of the prisoners, Kornfeld was a Jew – and not a
very religious one at that. With a name
like Kornfeld, he was probably also of German extraction, perhaps a Volga
German, exiled by Stalin by the millions to Siberia following the war. Of the estimated 50 million Russians Stalin
exiled to Siberian camps, about 32 million were Christian’s - sent in order to
purify the land of their influence.
Kornfeld, across time, came to understand Christianity and,
under the influence of a devoted Christian in his barracks, accepted Christ as
his savior. This Christian friend and
him were deeply troubled by the treatment of prisoners by the guards and began
reporting beatings, thefts of foods, etc. which they witnessed daily. First, they complained to the camp commander
and then the International Red Cross workers who would come for an
inspection. His Christian friend was not
to live much longer and died from an accident with a mallet in the camp wood shop one night.
Fearing for his own life, Kornfeld moved into the camp
hospital, in hopes that the guards would not be so brazen as to kill him in the
hospital with 24 hour witnesses present.
He understood he was a marked man and that he could die at any time –
and having accepted this as fact, he found the freedom to take a stand for
Christ in that camp. He continued to
report on the inhumanity he observed in the camp and to witness for Christ –
not only to other prisoners but also to the guards.
One night, a young prisoner was brought in from another
camp, who had been operated on for stomach cancer. As he cared for this unknown man, Kornfeld
began to talk with him, during those times when the young man was awake. All through the night he shared the story of
his life, what Christ had done for him and the freedom he had now found. The young man, also a Jew and also with a
doctorate education, could not believe what he was hearing. But, he continued to question and discuss
throughout the pain filled night, the story Kornfeld shared with him. Eventually, the young man was to drift off
into a deep sleep.
The following day, once he was awake, he asked an intern to
speak with the doctor whom had been with him throughout the previous night,
only to learn that his caregiver had an accident with a large mallet during the
night and was now missing a part of his head.
As he lay confined to his bed, he thought long on the
discussions he had with Boris Kornfeld during that long and fateful night. “Of what value was life, if a man could
comfort him and yet the next second be obviously murdered beside his bed?” The question haunted him until the night he
too made the decision to accept Christ as his savior.
That man, who was to come to Christ, was Alexander
Solzhenitsyn - Nobel Peace laureate, a major player in the creation of the
first Soviet hydrogen bomb and future author of the “Gulag Archipelago” - the
book smuggled out of Russia, a few pages at a time, by Swedish Red Cross
workers.
It wasn’t until 1969 that a sufficient number of pages had
been assembled in Sweden so that the book could finally be published in
1970. Prior to this work, the world only
saw the Soviet Union as a country of tremendous military and scientific achievement. No one knew of the horrors
of the Soviet Gulag system – not about the 8.5 million Christian dead, nor the
estimated 32 million killed without “due process of law”, nor of the 18 million
barely surviving in Siberian camps, nor that there ever was an insignificant
Jewish doctor named Boris Kornfeld – whose legacy was to change map the world. And, this book told the entire world for the
very first time the shameful secrets of the Soviet system.
People were in disbelief - the story could not possibly be
true. Numerous governments and the UN
began investigations to find out exactly what was true. But by 1973, the truth was fully known. Not only had satellites mapped the locations
of thousands of camps in Siberia, but a botched attempt to expand Soviet
influence into the middle east, by wiping out Israel, had left Soviet military
might in question. It still took 19 more
years and millions of lives more before the Soviet Union finally
collapsed. The country that had once
banned God, burned Bibles, leveled church buildings and killed more believers
than had died in all of history’s persecutions combined, was now itself dead -
as were many of its leaders.
Today the threat of communism is mostly gone. But, the price paid by the Russian believers
trapped under the dictates of their government was high. Where will those opposed to Christ raise their
banner next? Russia still struggles –
torn between those who still believe in the old system of godlessness and those
who are pushing for religious liberty in their land. The lesson they have learned is that
government can not be trusted to protect your right of religious worship. But, they also have seen that God will call
into account those who oppose Him. And,
now they struggle to live in a country that is under God’s judgement – life is
no easier for the Christian than it is for the atheist.
If one man could be pointed to, as being solely responsible
for the downfall of the Soviet state, it was Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Yes, the western countries, lead by the US
economy and military innovations, forced the Soviet Union into bankruptcy
through excessive military expenditures, but the “Gulag Archipelago” showed the
world that the Communist hierarchy was morally bankrupt as well. And, with this bankruptcy, God raised up a
tiny army of people willing to put their lives on the line to bring Christ to
this atheistic country and comfort to the persecuted believers.
But, that will be another tale - for me to share another
time.
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