Changing Perspectives - The Ultimate Hurdle

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

THE ULTIMATE HURDLE

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

Col.3: 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

II Cor.4: 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

This is the greatest hurdle to overcome, and it is the colossal obstacle which keeps believers from walking in the Spirit. And this is no easy adjustment. This is no tweaking of the mind. This is no surface alteration. This is transformational in essence, formidable in process, and daily in practice. The concept has been abandoned by the church and is no longer a challenge, much less a tenant. Even when read these and other verses in Scripture, the interpretation and application is so shallow and so culturally imprisoned that it lacks altogether the power and sacrifice that must dictate such an exhortation. And when such a surpassing principle is presented with so little personal cost or sacrifice, then we can be assured the truth is absent.

But we as believing followers of the Lord Jesus are called to live in and serve in a kingdom that is not of this world. Somehow the church has been able to create some kind of disfigured amalgam that only appears religious when compared to the most extreme dimensions of the fallen culture. So when compared to the godless revelations of the most demonstrative sinners among us, we appear moral and religious. And if moral and religious is our goal, then we have achieved it. But that is a man made goal that has significantly and conveniently lowered the bar to accommodate our own sin and spiritual laziness, as well as provide us with our own ladle by which we can dip into what cultural and material amenities minister to our flesh.

But let us come out from behind the doctrinal curtain and let the light of the Spirit search us and try us. We who claim to believe the Bible to be God’s Word. We who hold to its infallibility. We who state emphatically in the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Let us stand in the light of that revelation and see if it justifies or indicts us. And without the comfort of a cultural buffer zone, or the baggage of how we were raised, or even our ecclesiastical tenants, let us take a vulnerable journey which allows the Spirit to be the Guide and not our preconceived ideas or applications, or any interpretations borrowed from the dead or living.

Let us begin with this all consuming and penetrating question: “Are all of your affections on things above and things not seen?” Think about that. Do not think you can hide behind what others do or what has become acceptable within the local church you love. Step forward and speak the truth. Are your affections centered upon things above and not on things of this earth? This means much more than looking forward to heaven. This is the great divide between being of this world as opposed to just being in this world. These are two diametrically opposed perspectives. One is life, and the other is death. One is Spirit and one is flesh. One is Christ and one is you.

What are the things which invest your emotions and passions? What things arouse your lusts? What things are most important to you? What consumes most of your time? What occupies most of your thoughts? Those questions unveil a disturbing revelation that runs rampant throughout the church. None of us can claim perfection in any of these areas, but my point is that the church no longer even challenges us. And since our leaders are fully compromised and invested in the culture, how can we expect to hear from God’s Spirit through them? The western church walks according to the dictates of this world and in order to appear moral and religious we create straw men like abortion and homosexuality and social justice in order to knock them down and pose for pictures. And patting ourselves upon our own backs, we convince ourselves that we doing God’s will when all the time we are just engaging the world on their own turf.

But the hurdle remains. Are we going to fully admit that God’s Word teaches us that we should live in an eternal perspective, or are we going to minimize and compromise its directives so as to make them more palatable and attainable to our surrounding culture? How can we claim to be following Jesus, and have God’s Spirit living in our very beings, and still be so unremarkable within the culture of darkness? In order for us to suggest we are following Jesus with so little difference we must alter the Word through our interpretation and application. And that is exactly what the western church has done.

Before we can even begin a journey so deep and so profound we must first admit that we have strayed off the Scriptural path. But like the father who gets lost but refuses to stop for directions, the church is so invested in its structure, and the ecclesiastical beast is so demanding, that the church will not even stop to consider its ways. But we are supposed to be children of God who reject the very foundations of this world and walk in the light and power of eternity. And that kind of power cannot come from the things of this world. That kind of divine power comes through sacrifice, self denial, and a relentless desire to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Gal.2:20 - 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

All of us are well acquainted with that verse and those words. But if we actually meditate on their meaning and significance, we should see that they call us to a life that is not our own. That is a profound paradox, and if pursued and desired, must test our spiritual mettle. The life that follows Jesus is very demanding as well as rewarding. It is far from being politically active or teaching a Sunday School class or, yes, even being a pastor. But since that concept has been lost to the church in practice as well as Scriptural revelation, we must begin with a clean slate. And when we wipe the slate clean we become vulnerable and uncomfortable. We would much rather have a railing on which to steady ourselves. Without some well used ramparts we grow uneasy, thinking we may discover some truth or exhortation that just may revolutionize our thinking and destroy some sand castles around which we have become familiar.

It is a dangerous undertaking to open the “settled law” books and take another look. It is daunting and unnerving, and our flesh warns us against going into extremism. I mean come on, let’s be real. But pragmatism is usually the enemy of discipleship. It is most difficult to interpret Scripture in a cultural vacuum. Most difficult. And it is impossible if our desire is not insatiable and our hearts are not broken. The familiar and safe, wars against the uncharted and precarious. But like Jason, we must close our ears to the sirens of the world, the flesh, and the devil and carefully sail through the channel and head for the waters of the Spirit.

Consider the implications of dwelling upon the eternal. Think about what that does to worry. Think about what that does to the pursuit of wealth or earthly happiness. Consider the implications of the reality of your prayer life. What would that do to fear and uncertainty? How could you complain when your mind and heart were fixed upon the sacred things of the unseen kingdom? When all these things are juxtaposed against what the western church believes, teaches, and practices the evidence is overwhelming. We no longer believe the Bible.

And let us go even further. We do not even care about the Bible anymore. The fallen teachings and practices of the culture, either secular or ecclesiastical, have enveloped any genuine examination of what the Scriptures command and teach. Believers loudly insist that the Ten Commandments be hung on public places and schools, and yet those same people exhibit little of the teachings and spirit of Jesus. Morality issues have replaced redemption. Even financial issues have muscled out humility and the gospel. Eternal things are for a later date while we grapple with the here and now on fallen battlegrounds. As I have said before, just a surface reading of the Sermon on the Mount reveals a painful ignorance of its teachings. But we can use the beatitudes like a group of comforting sayings, and we can paste Scripture verses on our refrigerators.

But if we truly believed in the eternal, and if those things were the all consuming passion of our lives, then just how would it alter our lives, to say nothing of the church at large? Would we borrow money for buildings? Would we pay exorbitant staff salary packages? Would the church be dark night after night except for meetings and activities? Would we pray without ceasing? Would we be so well informed about carnal television programs and Hollywood movies? Would we fast? Would we worry about ourselves? Would we ever participate in the world’s fallen religions of politics, war, and hedonism?

So without a drastic change in perspective we will still practice a religion that is at odds with the Book we so often adorn with flowery words of feigned praise and lip service obedience. The founding fathers will be our gods, the capitalist system will be our provider, the lost people will be our enemies, the Muslims must be killed, the president will be either a savior or the antichrist, the local church will be a family club, and Jesus will be little more than a ticket to heaven. If that is what we want, we have arrived. If not, then we must take a long and hard look at the Scriptures once again and let their power capture our lives and turn our hearts and our eyes toward Christ and all things eternal.

That is the hurdle which leads to the spiritual finish line.

But if we refuse the challenge of this hurdle the race is already over.

Social Justice

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Social justice must be the fruits of those who have believed the gospel and not the gospel itself. It must be a path to open hearts to the gospel and, again, never the gospel itself.

The Scandal of Christian Conferences

THE SCANDAL OF

CHRISTIAN CONFERENCES

The 1960s saw an explosion of Christian conferences. From charismatic to independent Baptists to reformed and most every other genre offered a conference designed to accommodate your particular affiliation. Basically it was an opportunity to excite your base and many times to excoriate your doctrinal opponents. And it also was a vehicle to sell books and tapes which later became books and Cds. And it made many a preaching hero as well. People would flock to hear John Rice or Robert Shuller or other pastors and preachers.

But during the last 40 years it has expanded exponentially and has become a sophisticated way to spread whatever doctrine or lack thereof you desire. And these conferences are a medium that elevates personalities and ministries, and provides an atmosphere of man worship and preaching to the choir. They have become slick presentations that are well advertised with men’s names attached as drawing cards. And make no mistake, this is a phenomenon which bleeds across all doctrinal camps from orthodox to liberal to emergent and everywhere in between. Basically, they are a revelation of the humanistic culture and a disgrace to the body of Christ.

People spend all kind of money to travel to these events, and when they are national in scope, airline fairs and motel accommodations are a must. And although they number in the tens of thousands, the spiritual climate of the western evangelical church sees no spiritual revival and in fact continues to see a decline in all the ecclesiastical venues. But let us lift up the veil and expose the unpleasant underbelly of what takes place in these gatherings.

What draws people to these events? Is it that the men and women are coming with some new doctrine or some Biblical insight that they could not share via the internet? Are these speakers anointed with a knowledge of Christ that can only be communicated and transferred by in person messages? Let us be honest here, people go because they hold whoever is headlining in high esteem, and they look forward to messages that scratch where they already scratch themselves. They realize that these speakers will say what they already believe and that just their in person delivery will give them spiritual goosebumps.

But look even deeper. Many of the speakers are already pastors and not only will they receive their normal salary at their home church, but they will reap handsomely the financial benefits of this event. They do not usually come for free. And along with that financial remuneration, they often sell books and preaching Cds as well as Cds from the music leaders. If that does not accurately reflect the atmosphere when Jesus overturned the money changers I do not know what does, except maybe the Roman Catholic indulgences. They are little more than a mirror of a multi-level marketing convention.

And the church growth conferences throw out church growth red meat, and the Calvinist conferences throw out Calvinist red meat, and the emergent conferences throw out emergent red meat, and the purpose driven conferences throw out purpose driven red meat, and everyone dines sumptuously on the meal they already knew they would receive and already desired. The convention centers love them, the motels love them, Kinko’s loves them, the restaurants love them, the speakers love them, but God has no use for them.

But they are symptomatic of a church gone far astray and yet attempts to keep the excitement through spectacular events modeled after the secular and pagan culture. Does not the popularity of such events give us pause to evaluate their essence? Men and women profit greatly, not only directly through the event, but by the word of mouth when the attendees return back to their church and relate how much they were blessed. However nothing changes.

But what do they offer that the local church could not? If you desire better music you can still buy Cds. If you want to hear sermons from certain men they are offered over the internet or by request to their church or ministry. Here is a pastor who is a Calvinist (as an example) who shells out hundreds for a plane ticket to attend the annual Shepherd’s Conference put on by John McArthur. He pays the fee and secures a motel room near the event. Sometimes he rents a car and uses a credit card for his meals at nearby restaurants. And what does he hear typically? As in the 2007 conference he hears the main message, “Why I am a Calvinist”. So let me get this straight. The Calvinists come to hear another Calvinist speak on Why I am a Calvinist? Talk about your preaching to the choir! And I would assume that copies of that ground breaking message sold like doctrinal hot cakes. And for what reason?

Shouldn’t the local church be a continuing “conference” of who is Jesus and a penetrating challenge on following and emulating Him? Why do we have to travel great distances and spend great amounts of money to hear what all true churches should be preaching consistently? And these conferences are not evangelistic. They are meant to excite the base and also elicit funds and a pervasive followship of men and women. They do not exhort a crucifixion of the flesh, in fact they excite the flesh. They do not spend days on their faces before God beseeching Him to move in their own lives and in the lives of their churches. Most pastors and preachers arrive with a confidence that their lives and ministries and churches could use some advise but overall they fall within acceptable parameters.

The advertisement, the glossy pamphlets, the communications through the mail, the detailed maps, the motel listings, and the entire scope of these events mirrors a rock concert or an insurance convention. It engenders pride and is at odds with Biblical humility. It elicits unnecessary funds that might be used for other more Biblical endeavors. It makes rock stars of different speakers and expands the popularity of certain men and their ministries and their protected labels. And many times it exposes compromises that had remained clandestine until certain speakers were surprisingly asked to come. Oh yes, many times you would be shocked at the array of speakers from all kinds of doctrinal persuasions.

Ray Comfort (Way of the Master) spoke at a health and wealth conference, Rick Warren spoke at John Piper’s Desiring God conference, and T. D. Jakes is a common speaker at conferences mainly held by Southern Baptist persuasions. Strange bedfellows with the common denominator to attract people, cover the expenses, and spread influence. These conferences are fleshly outlets for religious entertainment which were learned directly from the heathen. The money that is spent is obscene, the excitement that is raised is fleeting, the amount of prayer is paltry, and the entire construct should be completely unnecessary if the local churches were following Jesus and His Word.

And many times the preacher takes a week long paid vacation and his church pays for his expenses to attend this conference. And I have personally known preachers who attend the three day conference, line up a Sunday morning preaching engagement for which they are well recompensed, and also receive their more than moderate church salary. And that is supposed to be Christianity? And some arrange for their families to be with them. In short, it is a scam.

Where are the advertisements in the Book of Acts? "Come hear the Apostle Paul!" Come and see people healed by Peter's shadow! But paul calls himself the chiefest among sinners and the offscouring of the earth. Not much of a drawing card and in fact his letters seemed more powerful than his personal appearance. And when paul or Peter or the other apostles preached, it was usually at the peril of their very lives. Quite different than a sumptuous meal and an air conditioned motel room. And HERE is a discription of what used to represent a "Christian" cruise. Yes, we've come along way.

And with all the conferences, and all the books, and all the singers, and all the preachers, and all the sermons, and all the famous men and women in Christian leadership, the fallen culture continues to be a more effective evangelist than all them put together. If we have ears to hear, that should speak volumes.

We Are Blessed

WE ARE BLESSED!!!

Eph.1: 1-6 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We as believers are blessed by God without measure. Even when we take time to assess what our Father has bestowed upon us through Christ we still cannot fully comprehend the length and breadth and height and depth of His unfathomable blessings. Here are but a few.

* We can speak with our Heavenly Father.

* We have been given earthly life.

* We can ask the Father for our needs.

* We have been given the written Word of God.

* We have been given great and exceeding promises.

* We have been given the Spirit of God as our Comforter.

* We have been adopted as sons of God.

* We are partakers of God’s grace.

* We have been given the spirit of faith.

* We have been called as servants of God.

* We have been made into new creatures in Christ.

* All our needs have been met by His riches in glory.

* We have been called to suffer for His name’s sake.

* We have been given abundant like in Christ.

* We have an inheritance reserved for us in heaven.

* We have been given life everlasting.

* We now know Jesus Christ.

* We have been translated from darkness into light.

* We no longer have to worry.

* We have nothing to fear.

* We now know what true love is.

* We have joy in the Holy Spirit through Christ.

* We have been made partakers of His sacrifice at Calvary.

But what happens if Mitt Romney is elected? But what happens if President Obama is re-elected? What happens? I refer you to the list above. If you are invested in the upcoming election than you still have no idea what you have in Jesus Christ which does not change. Reject the fallen machinations of men and rejoice! You are in Christ and Christ is in you and that cannot be compared with anything here. But what about the 16 trillion dollars of national debt?

16 trillion years from today we will still be worshiping the Risen Christ in all His glory and it will seem like we just arrived. That, my friends, is the eternal perspective we must have in all things!! We are so blessed, but even those words seem so inadequate when we consider who we serve and who we love and who we worship. Away with all this earthly nonsense that attempts to capture our hearts and minds and steer us away from considering Him!

Tomorrow will take care of itself, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!!!!

The Institutional Church is Not Coming back

THE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH

IS NOT COMING BACK

Sometimes an individual believer strays so far and goes so deep into sin that only a miracle could bring him back. Perhaps we all have seen such miracles so they are not out of the question. But in those cases the individual knows he is in sin and either likes it or cannot seem to extricate himself. But when a church collectively systematically slides into sin via doctrine and practice, it takes on a completely different kind of deception. The individual is deceived by the deceitfulness of sin, while the church’s deception is multilayered.

The major difference in the prodigal son and the prodigal church is that the church is unaware of its sin, and in fact embraces its condition. The visible and institutional church in America has been blinded by prosperity, church growth, and a general atmosphere of narcissism. Heaven is now here on earth and hell is little more than an archaic doctrine expressed seldom with lips and that in reality has long since vacated hearts. The church continues to slide, but since it is tethered to and measures itself by the culture, it is blind to the slide.

The extent to which the western church has fallen away from Christ and the gospel is climactic and so deep, that it is almost beyond belief that the church at large could or would ever come back to following Christ. And Scripture itself predicts such a falling away.

II Tim.4: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Instead of preaching the Word, the western church has created humanistic doctrines which scratch the ears and soothe the conscience. Millions of unregenerate sinners march into evangelical sanctuaries every Sunday and leave still lost but joyful and content. They have been lulled by “how to” messages, hopes of divine prosperity, patriotic lullabies, and all kinds of earthly advice camouflaged as God’s Word. Jesus and His gospel are asides and sometimes find a shallow cameo at the end of these self help sermons.

How can you describe the color red to a blind man? How can you share Mozart with a deaf man? So how can you reason with people caught in deception and the demonic powers of the enemy?

Matt.13: 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

There are three ways in principle that snatch away the Word of God and they are the direct influence of the enemy, the allurement of riches, and the superfluous way in which it is received.

THE ENEMY

How does Satan steal the Word of God from the hearts of people? Sometimes the church does not even spread good seed. Sometimes people allow it to fall all around them without even a mild consideration. Many times in this culture that is saturated with a mixture of good and bad seed people get confused and remain careless and uninterested. And because of the unremarkable lives of professing believers, even the good seed has no value in the eyes of those who have been insulated by the poor testimony of those who profess Christ.

THE RICHES

The allurement of the hedonistic culture has shipwrecked the church. In fact the American evangelical church has incorporated that same culture within their practice. Millions of professing believers file into evangelical pews after having lived a life saturated in the culture and without so much as a shred of spiritual evidence. Millions have spoken words of hatred, millions have unforgiveness in their hearts, millions have lusted after the things of this world, millions have not prayed, millions have been self righteous, and yet in they come and out they go with a weekly redundancy that is religiously robotic. And millions dream of personal prosperity and financial gain because they have been told that is God’s will. The riches of this world have choked out God’s Word.

SHALLOWNESS

Perhaps no generation has so diluted God’s Word as to make it work for you instead of work in you. God has been made a servant to man and not the Lord over His people. Much of what is preached is situational ethics, good advice, and a Judeo-Christian morality that is lifted up higher than following Jesus. If you do not commit adultery you are the noblest of creatures and if you do you can quickly change marriage partners then all is right once again. And with that new partner you can be a church leader and even a pastor. The Word no longer cuts away the flesh, it soothes the flesh.

So the power of the Word has been systematically removed and what is left is only some bits and pieces of Scripture carefully sown together as a path to earthly happiness, contentment, and success. And that is why people can go and come to church with nary a change much less any deep and penetrating conviction that results in repentance and a sacrificial journey to seek and follow Jesus. The western institutional church has become a religious system of outward structure but with an inward void. In fact, it is no longer Christian in practice and only very little Christian in Word. The church no longer believes or practices the Word.

So how can a system so entrenched and so blind and so wrapped within the cares of this culture ever return to Christ and His teachings? And when the shepherds and teachers are leading the flock further and further away from Christ and His righteousness, how is it that the flock is able to see? The church has so lifted up man that the flock treats them as celebrities and receives their words as coming from God. And with a multiplicity of Bibles in almost every home, the Word of God is still rare. The evangelical church in the west has become a cultural leviathan with tentacles which reach almost every area of the modern culture but without having roots which live and grow within Christ. Its appetite is insatiable, its upkeep is costly, and its power is of this world.

So I exhort you, my friends, do not expect the institutional church to come back. And those of you who still attend a local church, please be light to that fellowship but be keenly aware that even that fellowship has strayed. Be humble, be loving, and be gracious. But also be vigilant and always growing in the Person and power of the Lord Jesus.

We Cannot Allow Adultery to Derail Us

WE CANNOT ALLOW ADULTERY
TO DERAIL OUR MISSION

The man’s name is Dinesh D’Souza. He is a professing Christian, a multi-book author, a political activist, a conservative, and until recently the president of a Christian college. But instead of being a light which reflects Jesus, his words and views always took a more virulent tone and were used as a scorched earth policy toward liberals, gays, Muslims, and exposed a certain racist aroma concerning blacks, even though he himself is from Indian ethnicity. He was raised a Roman Catholic, but because of his virulent and caustic conservative views he was embraced by evangelicals across the country. In recent days he would describe himself as a “nondenominational” Christian, especially when addressing audiences like those at Liberty University, Saddleback Church, and the like.

But just a cursory examination of his views and of his communication of those views revealed in no uncertain terms what he believed and how he felt about those who disagreed with him. He was known for his mocking of how African Americans spoke and once offered a parody of blacks at Dartmouth College entitled “This Sho Ain’t No Jive Bro”. He helped found the Dartmouth Review which often referred to gays as “Sodomites” and he once outed a gay student by intercepting his private correspondence. His hatred for President Obama knew no bounds and he wrote a book called “Obama’s America” which was later offered as a movie.

In his book and movie D’Souza suggested Obama’s mother was a whore who had little time for her son. He showed complete disdain for Obama’s father and complained that he rejected colonialism in Kenya. It was D’Souza’s contention that colonialism, otherwise known as imperialism, was good for Africa and should have lasted longer. The book and the movie, a big hit with patriotic conservatives including evangelicals, is a treatise on unchristian views and rhetoric.

But Mr. D’Souza had been married for twenty years to the same woman. However just recently he and a woman who was not his wife spent the night together while he was at a speaking engagement. As the lies and deceit unraveled, Mr. D’Souza was forced to resign as president of King’s College. But a much larger question hangs in the balance.

When did the church begin to embrace hatred, racism, and any kind of unkind and virulent rhetoric? Are we to believe that the hateful and mocking speech was embraced by the church but because he was caught in the appearance of evil he must step down? So, sadly, adultery has derailed what was a perfectly effective pipeline for hatred and bigotry and self righteous strutting. How could D’Souza do such a thing and disappoint all his frothing followers? How could he interrupt what was such a coordinated stream of bigotry and self righteous loathing toward a varied cast of characters? And when you receive upwards of $10,000 for a speech, how could you be so careless and jeopardize such an effective cash cow?

And although there are those who can match your offensive language, we still need all the bigotry and hatred we can get. The soul of America is at stake, and we need men and women with enough courage to call the president’s mother a slut. No words are too judgmental or vile, and no speech is too offensive or over the top. Civility is for the weak, and if we show the slightest sign of humility we might as well hand the country over to the infidels. This is war and everything is on the table.

But read the statement put out by the interum president of King's College:
"God has a mighty future for Dinesh, but there are some things he has to go through first," said Andy Mills, who will serve as interim president for the third time. "Christianity is about truth, but it's also about mercy. The love and care and attention of the board for Dinesh is amazing."
See, already we are showing signs of weakness and leaving the principles that Mr. D'Souza so eloquently put forward.

We as evangelicals must place Jesus and His teachings temporarily on the shelf. Those kinds of “do unto others” or "showing mercy" examples are for a more moderate and accommodating time. But we are at war and the carnal weapons we once rejected must be dusted off, oiled up, and used with utter abandon. Yes, the devil is still an enemy, but right now people are our enemy. Liberals and sodomites and Muslims and atheists and all the hordes of American infidels must be met with language befitting their unpatriotic venture. We must fight fallen fire with fallen fire. This is no time to show forbearance or forgiveness or, God forbid, love. Those are recipes for the destruction of the land we love and the land the founding fathers envisioned. Hopefully there will come a time when we can once again try and emulate Jesus, but now our attention must be to our patriotic duty.

But we will miss Mr. D’Souza. The caustic rhetoric, the standing ovations, the entertaining slights against our enemies, all of which will be sorely missed. Who will excite the conservative masses like he did? Who will excoriate Barak Hussein like he did? Who will present all kinds of disparaging facts, regardless of their veracity, about Obama’s family? Who will unashamedly throw out red meat words like “sodomites” and watch us go into a shark-like frenzy? Ah, those were the days. The atmosphere was electric and hatred became the energy that fueled our allegiance.

How could you, Mr. D’Souza, place that in such jeopardy? Could you not have at least waited until after the election? I mean adultery is probably a sin, but you were such a stalwart of divine retribution so perhaps you could have been a little more discreet. This adultery thing has derailed many a conservative voice, but could you not have followed the excellent leadership of Newt Gingrich? Here is a leader of men who not only practiced multiple adulteries, but found ways to press on even while having his mistresses at his side. You see, being clandestine with your affairs just invites trouble. Bring them out in the open, recite new vows in church, and carry on with your rancor and unrelenting scorched earth policy toward these liberal miscreants. We need more General Sherman’s in our camp.

Well now its over, I guess. But as I have suggested, give Newt a call and allow him to help you navigate through some rough waters. Perhaps you can feed some good speeches and pejoratives to others while you await your restoration. Use God’s forgiveness as leverage as you make your way back to evangelical prominence. Remember, God’s forgiveness is for conservative patriots and never for those who seek the destruction of the Judeo-Christian ethic.

And as for the church, well, I hope we have learned a valuable lesson. If we wish to continue our vile verbiage and our self righteous moral platitudes, we are going to have to be much more intelligent about our personal lives. If we wish to continue our demeaning attacks and verbal incendiaries’ then we must realize they come with a price. We cannot expect to enjoy the fruits of our vitriolic efforts and our corrosive divisiveness if we are not going to at least show some decorum in our personal failures. And just in case we are uncovered, have a dose of God’s forgiveness tucked neatly in your pocket ready to be pulled out when necessary. That is wisdom. Please do not pull it out ahead of time since others may get the wrong idea about the scope of God’s offer of redemption.

As I said, there will come a time to believe and obey the teachings of Jesus, but now is not the time to turn back. We continue to make much progress toward a return to the utopian vision of our founding fathers. And if we press on, stepping over the inconveniences of marital infidelity, we just may look forward to a culture free from abortion, free from homosexuality, free from liberalism, free from Sharia law, and where we can live and raise our children in peace, prosperity, and with a return to the original vision of owning slaves. But this time, having a more enlightened view of Christianity, we will allow our slaves to worship in our churches, but of course in a designated pew in the back. George Washington would want it that way.

American Sponsered Terrorism

AMERICAN SPONSORED TERRORISM

Yesterday and Today

It is en vogue for Americans to decry terrorism and to mark such dates as September 11, 2001. We are constantly warned about terrorist organizations which seek to do us harm and the government spends billions upon billions to protect America from terrorist attacks. Cargo going through ports are checked, people must walk through metal detectors in airports and government buildings, and immigration now has much more serious scrutiny. American officials are dispatched to many different parts of the world in search of terrorist activity especially aimed at the United States.

The deaths by the hands of terrorists in America number less than ten thousand with 9/11 being the most prominent and the Oklahoma bombing being second, Pearl harbor, as is usually classified, was an act of war aimed at military vessels and not citizens. But in recent days Islamic extremists are what has the attention of the world and the United States. There are, to be sure, radical groups who seek to kill civilians including women and children. It does seem that since 9/11 due to greater vigilance the scope of these groups is less organized, but they remain active nonetheless, albeit on a more local level.

But we have very conveniently forgotten that America has been in the past a world wide sponsor of terrorism and exported as well as imported such terror. During the 1700s and the early 1800s millions upon millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes and brought to North America and sold as slaves. This was no small enterprise; this was human trafficking on a colossal scale. Tens of millions of slaves were shipped to North America and at its height there were approximately four million slaves living in America. Many millions died en route, and many more millions died after having been captured and placed in slave holding camps along western Africa while they awaited slave vessels which would carry them to their new “home”.

I know that most white people in America would rather forget what happened here, and if that is you than you may well stop reading. But make no mistake, we have been inoculated by a somewhat sterilized historical account that is more matter of fact than it is a volatile and excruciating account. And do not think that a callous and self serving view of slavery has disappeared from American thought either overtly or subliminally. Just this year two elected representatives voiced an opinion that perhaps slavery was Biblical and after all we did the Africans a favor by bringing them over here. Oh yes, the Neanderthal mindset lives on!

But allow me to penetrate our well fortified defenses and reveal the offensive underbelly which is never taught in schools or in churches. We tell fairy tales about the deep Christian commitments of the founding fathers and our history books and Christian schools have portrayed them as pioneers of the Christian faith. Of course many of them had very questionable Christian credentials and many had some questionable moral character. But it makes for a good story as well as puffs us up, which is what we continually seek anyway.

But while these “patriarchs of the faith” met to organize a country and a war, the slave trade was flourishing. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were slave owners themselves. And even while profiting personally from human chattel which were kept and maintained as a lower species, they had the audacity to write these words,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

And yes, having been raised in that era and environment you and I might well have seen nothing wrong with slavery or the incongruity of these words. But that cannot excuse or diminish the treachery of the entire spectacle nor the terror that was inherent in the capturing and transit of these human beings. And while we cry out against the terrorism that threatens us, let us be mindful of our own terror filled history which was used to greatly enhance the American economy for almost one hundred years.

But leaving the overarching scene, let us walk into the finer points of the slave trade. When white men stepped foot on the west coast of Africa in search of human beings, they came with chains and whips and guns and mobile stockades. And when they made themselves known to a village, terror gripped the Africans. Many had never seen a white man before, and these Africans would soon be the victims of unspeakable savagery and violence. Millions were murdered before they ever left the village because they fought back, but eventually overwhelming force and modern weaponry seized the day. The screaming and confusion can not be fully described on paper.

After they were subdued they were marched to the coast which may have taken days. The largest men were fitted with neck braces in a ladder like implement that tethered them to each other as they were made to walk. Women and children wept and were filled with inconceivable fear and terror, and they had to witness their men being beaten and treated like animals. For miles they marched with little concern for their thirst or hunger and sometimes they had to accomplish their bodily functions while walking. The white men whipped those who would straggle and anyone who cause a major problem was killed.

When they arrived at slave camps scattered along the west coast they sat down and waited for their turn to board a ship. Many died while waiting but all were malnourished and were thirsty and hungry. The children remained close to their mothers although constantly filled with uncertain terror. While the negroes were treated like animals the white men ate and drank from their provisions. Most times the white men joked about the smell and the primitive ways of these Africans, and they looked upon them with disdain and as a subhuman species. Millions of Africans died before ever boarding a ship and their bodies were separated from the living so as to avoid the spread of disease which would cost the slave traders more slaves. They were discarded with no more care than road kill.

Most Africans had never seen a ship as large as a slave ship vessel, and when they were shouted at to stand up and board this ship they were again terrorized. The slave ships were usually fitted with an extra deck underneath the top deck. The entire ship was designed to carry as many slaves as possible and the hundreds of Africans were bunched together tightly. At the beginning there were some buckets which could be used for toilets, but usually the two month voyage saw the buckets as insufficient and the people lived in unspeakable squallier. It was often joked among the white slave traders that one could smell a slave ship before they could see it.

Millions upon millions of poor slaves died en route to their final place of captivity. Their bodies were summarily thrown overboard. In the early 1800s slave trading was made illegal however slave ownership continued to be protected. Most slave owners acquired new slaves from slave births. But when a slave ship loaded with slaves saw that they were being followed by one of the few ships sent to enforce the slave trade embargo, the slaves were thrown overboard alive. The inhumanity of it all is overwhelming, and remember, American congressmen just this year suggested it was a blessing. Jon Hubbard, a representative in Arkansas, stated that slavery was a “blessing in disguise” and he and his family are members in good standing at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Arkansas. He is far from being alone in his views even though most others are more discreet.

On the voyage to the Americas the slaves were fed just enough to live on and given just enough water as well. If a slave refused to eat, usually a male, he was forced to eat through a funnel kept on board for just such an occasion. And sometimes when a slave would clenched his teeth and still refuse to eat, his teeth were broken right out of his mouth. These slaves were worth money and the slave traders desired to keep as many barely alive as possible. Dare I even broach the subject of children and infants during these kinds of voyages?

After arriving at port the slaves were herded off the ship and some were made to help clean the decks. They were summarily placed upon auction blocks usually right near the docks. White men would purchase them according to size and strength, and the younger women had birthing advantages. There was little consideration about keeping families together if by this time the families were still intact. Can you even begin to image the terror in these spectacles? These Africans had never seen so many white people and all the ships and horses and carriages were like being on another planet. But they had little time for wonder because they were completely confused and bewildered by what would be their fate. And after two months at sea they were exhausted, sick, and extremely weak. Standing upon a platform in front of hundreds of white strangers, they stood in mortal fear.

The men had been emasculated, the women were traumatized, and the children were put at risk. Yes, this was the “blessing in disguise” which lurks within some white hearts today. I could never fully reveal the horror of slavery through words. But I wanted us all to see just how self righteous we have become as it pertains to terror. We seem to suggest that terrorism is only for uneducated savages and that only Muslims would engage in such a thing. But in reality, we have quite an extensive portfolio of terror ourselves.

“OH, but that is history” some would suggest as if that erased the horror. But let me suggest some modern techniques of terror in which America still engages. When an unmanned drone drops a bomb on a village in Pakistan in hopes that some suspected terrorists will be killed, there is often collateral damage including women and children. Yes, this is the way of the world and of earthly governments. But perhaps the drones that carry out this indiscriminate bombings were made by Americans which include members of evangelical churches? Perhaps they are guided by professing believers? And perhaps preachers pray that these drones inflict as much damage as possible to keep us safe from terrorists? Can you not imagine the terror that must run through that village as they struggle to remove debris off of their loved ones while simultaneously being afraid of another bomb coming from the sky? Perhaps you can hear children screaming? Perhaps you can see husbands weeping over their dead wives? Perhaps you can hear elderly women raise their hands toward heaven and wail? Perhaps you can feel the terror that runs through that village?

Perhaps all that is a blessing in disguise as well.

But perhaps there is a better way called the way of Jesus,

which should never be confused with the way of America.

Self Denial

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO

SELF DENIAL?

Matt.16: 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Lk.14: 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

You might think that what is a core element of a life which follows Jesus would have a prominent place in the community of faith. But, sadly, even the concept, much less the practice, has been systematically ignored until little remains of what used to be an identifying feature of the lives of believers. And the result is that the church has lost its identity with Christ, and subsequently the world of darkness no longer can see our light. As the culture has changed so has the church. And these changes are not just benign technological advances, but they are part of a continuum of seeking the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Living and practicing our faith underneath a bushel of cultural conformity, we continue to observe a faith which is unremarkable within a culture of remarkable hedonism. And true sacrifice and self denial is not only past history as a practice, they are actually rejected by the modern church as either unnecessary, inconvenient, or part of a less enlightened view of the faith. The concept of self denial is basically ignored completely and only mentioned when reading certain portions of Scripture. This is not only sad, but it is outrageous to suggest that following Christ does not include such disciplines.

But since our Lord spoke these words, and since He clearly linked them to discipleship, we must either ignore them completely, dilute them to accommodate our desires, or diligently seek the Spirit’s guidance to uncover their meaning and their application. But any authentic pursuit of Scriptural teaching must be done without reservation and with more than just a pursuit of doctrinal knowledge. To invite revelation through the ministry of the Spirit we must seek the Scriptures as immutable mandates for our very lives. They must give strength and direction to our spiritual walk as well as continue to deepen our conformity to Jesus Christ. Anything less is little more than a curious assessment of an ancient literary work.

Even our own understanding must be denied.

Prov.3: 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Before we can be led into the glorious truths of God’s Word that can transform our lives we must bring our lives to the Scriptures as broken vessels in need of much more than just some good advise. What helps or what seems reasonable is many times not what is needed. We are need of a transfiguration which should deepen daily and is allowed to ransack and destroy the strongholds of our own flesh. But without the denying of self all we have done is attempted to make our flesh and the Spirit coworkers.

There are many outward things from which people deny themselves. Every lent millions give up something in order to appear pious or please God. But these outward sacrifices without the denial of self are just self congratulatory legalisms. Denying yourself is more than just denying your fleshly appetites. I have seen Buddhists deny their bodies and their appetite, but when it comes to denying yourself according to the Scriptures and in the power of the Spirit you are in a completely different place. This kind of sacrifice requires more than just denying your flesh, although that comes with it.

This self denial is a miracle of grace which puts us to death and resurrects us with His life.

Gal.2:20 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

This is a verse which is all too familiar to most believers, but how many have taken the time to meditate upon the depth of its meaning and the personal implications of its application? This is not just some Mickey Mouse Christianity that enjoys a good message with no more life changing power than a late night infomercial. This is serious spiritual business with a Redeemer and His redeemed. Everything in us recoils at such a concept and in fact many streams of so called Christianity teach a form of self love and self worth. But how can you love or hate that which is dead to you? Can a corpse take an offense? Does a corpse lust after new cars or money or the wife of a neighbor? What kind of humanism have we constructed and then pasted the name of Jesus upon it?

But after decades of ignorance and false teaching, and after decades of careless practice and living, eventually any concept will be lost or at least diluted beyond recognition. The western church does not even know what sacrifice and self denial even is anymore. It is foreign to our mindset. And since its practice has been long since put to rest, to resurrect the teachings of Jesus is not a simple reread issue. To once again wade into uncharted waters of truth requires us to abandon any preconceived perspectives or human examples we hold in high esteem. If the Spirit can strip us of our ingrained understandings and allow us to receive God’s Word in a radical and unbiased way without the alterations of of a fallen culture, then and only then can we receive God’s Word in its purest form.

Is it really possible to abandon your hopes and dreams? Is it possible we can reject our own understandings and reason? Can we really ignore the dictates of our own flesh? Can we die to ourselves here on earth? Perhaps we can ask the thousands upon thousands of martyrs who willingly gave their own lives for Christ. There are many books which might give us some insight into just what a surrendered life might look like. One I wholly recommend if you desire to take a step on this journey is “Through Gates of Splendor”. Or read the account of Blandina HERE. But let us not read them as spiritual entertainment, but as instruments of conviction by which we can draw closer to the Master through our own death. God give us the strength to deny ourselves by walking to that hill outside Jerusalem and embrace our own funeral. That, my friends, is not death...but life.

From Radical to Zeitgeist

FROM RADICAL TO ZEITGEIST

THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS

The word Zeitgeist generally means the climate and culture of the times in which we live. It includes the political, moral, intellectual, ethical, spiritual, and the overall cultural thoughts and practices of the present times. It is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the age”. Place yourself in any certain culture and look around. See what most people believe and practice? That is the “spirit of the age” or the ‘Zeitgeist”. It is a German term translated “time ghost” or the unseen ghost of the times. The German philosopher Hegel coined the term to apply to the way art reflects the culture in which it is created.

In essence Hegel suggested that art in many ways was a prisoner of the culture in which it was created and was in some ways an expression of that same culture. His contention was that regardless of any attempts to present art in a way that is completely free from the constraints or influences of culture, it was next to impossible. Even the most outrageous art which seemed innovative and free was in some ways impacted by the surrounding culture of that time.

So “Zeitgeist” means “the spirit of the times,” and this spirit can be seen through the aggregation of millions of search queries Google receives every day. The annual Zeitgeist report reveals what captured the world's attention in the past year—our passions, interests and defining moments as seen through search. And what intrigues the world in many different venues of study and entertainment, represents the Zeitgeist of today. Look around in America and see what interests people and what elicits people’s energy and interest and that is what is the Zeitgeist of the present day.

The music, the art, the entertainment, the philosophy, the sports, and all the many ways in which people act and think are influenced and even controlled by the spirit of the times…the Zeitgeist. How we seek financial gain, how we feel about and treat the poor, how we view entertainment, how important we view sports, what consumes our minds and speech, and many other things greatly reflect the culture in which we live. Any person who acts and speaks differently that the prevailing Zeitgeist is considered odd at best and crazy at worst. Those who do not conform to the spirit of the times must be viewed as aberrations in order to protect and insulate the overwhelming majority from self inspection, or worse, indictment.

But in the secular world there is no absolute standard and so the culture evolves in direct proportion to the dictates and desires of the people. The spirit of the times is ever changing, sometimes slowly and seemingly overnight at other times. The unseen desires of the fallen heart is the rudder which steers the cultural ship. And things that might seem absurd or shocking twenty years ago are commonplace and accepted today. It is the evolution of a fallen culture as generally outlined in the first chapter of Romans. Listen to what people talk about and how people think and what people devote their energies to and you will experience the spirit of the times. The spirit is invisible but the thoughts and practices of mankind reveal the substance of that spirit.

Everyone should be able to see just how this works and how an evolving culture lives with certain alterations over time which exhibit major and minor changes that define and redefine the overarching spirit of that present culture. Most people do not see the change until it becomes stark when compared with what used to be, but most just view it as inevitable and even as progress. And many use the term “progressive” or enlightened” to describe someone who has embraced this present Zeitgeist and even looks forward to more progressive and enlightened changes in the future. That is the spirit of the times in which we in America now live.

But somewhere along the line the church has altered her views to align with the spirit of the times. And this spirit is not just confined to offensive art or music, or outrageous behavior and immorality, or the liberal and progressive philosophies.. The Zeitgeist is also revealed through the dictates and practices of those who would self classify as “conservative” or “orthodox”. The streams within the culture that are generally and loosely called conservative have been greatly affected and infected by the present culture and its spirit. Without realizing it they now exhibit views and thoughts and practices which reflect the present Zeitgeist, even though they would deny any outside influences. They would contend they live by principle without compromise from this present godless and fallen culture. But in reality they clearly and unmistakably reflect the spirit of the times.

But just a surface examination of the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament bring into focus just how bound the church and the individual believer has become to the prevailing spirit of our times. In fact, we have taken the Word of God and made it bend to interpretations and applications which much more easily accommodate themselves to the norms of this present culture. Over the years the Word has been so diluted and so conformed to the present Zeitgeist that it is no longer radical and completely at odds with the spirit of the times. Just cull out a few pro-life principles or anti-gay sentiments and the church relaxes with a self delusional contentment that supposes it is not a part of the fallen expressions of this culture.

But although the culture has moved into a pervasive acceptance of all kinds of things that are contrary to God’s Word, the ones we seem to use as proof that we are separated from the evils of this world are not the driving force behind the culture at large. The driving force behind this present Zeitgeist is money. Money dictates almost everything and occupies most of our time and thought. And right there in the middle of it all is the western church and its congregants. The teachings of Jesus which should be radical when accurately applied are little more than Biblical Hallmark cards or sayings within Chinese fortune cookies. The patterns, thoughts, and practices of the American church are well entrenched expressions of the spirit of the times.

The driving force of most believers in the west is money. It may be nicely camouflaged as providing for your family or God’s blessings, but money is what consumes our hearts and minds. And what entertains us is usually saturated with money be it Hollywood or professional sports or expensive televisions and music technologies. Even “Christian” bookstores are designed as outlets for money from assortments of all kinds of Bibles to trinkets and jewelry to let people know you are a professing believer. And this and other “Christian” enterprises are money making constructs.

Even our retirement accounts are designed to afford us a comfortable living in our leisure years which will be hopefully filled with travel and other self benefits due to a life of wise financial planning. No longer are the children obligated to provide for their parents since the children are using their money on themselves, or at least to help pay the bank. And at the center of it all is self. How often does a believer save up money for many years only to give it to missions? How often does a local church borrow money in order to send out more missionaries? Or to buy food stuffs for the poor? Or to take care of more widows? And all this and yet the very words of Jesus teach against such practices including:

Matt.6: 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

How is it that men who stand in the robes of self righteousness and aggressively proclaim that they indeed believe in the literal 24 hour creation day, and yet these same men have enormous savings and retirement accounts? Why can they squeeze out such precise measurements from the nebulous Genesis narrative but when the words of Jesus are so clear they can so easily mold them into the accepted spirit of the times?

Matt.6: 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

These words do not speak of adulterous eyes, they speak of money. Look at the following words:

Matt.6: 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Jesus only hinted at the sin of homosexuality when He referred to Sodom and Gomorrah. But Jesus spoke often and clearly and directly about the sins of greed and avarice and the dangers of personal prosperity. And Jesus also spoke often and clearly about the poor and yet the American church disdains helping the poor through the dictates of the fallen government insisting that we all be left to help the poor voluntarily. And if we compare how much money the church and individuals spend on interest payments, entertainment, activities, travel, dog food, restaurants, sports, clothes, cars, and compare those with what we spend on helping the poor, well, we are found as hypocrites. We only say we believe the Bible is literal, but we certainly cannot substantiate that belief with lives that are remarkably surrendered to its teachings.

At the roots of nationalism and politics is money. The entire system is built upon an egregious and obscene waste of money, and the voting booths are filled with financial hopes. The poor desire financial help from the government and the rich or average person desires policies which will help his personal wealth. Either way the majority are seeking money. The democratic system is also a product of the spirit of the times. Both liberal and conservative and everyone in between embraces the system as the way to establish their own views, morally and monetarily. And there is the church at the very center of the fallen spectacle in hopes that participation in this present Zeitgeist will be the instrument of change regardless of the two facts, that those of us who are older have seen only bad changes and that the Word of God openly predicts that things will get worse. So if things get better through the democratic system God will have to change his prophetic proclamations!

But if we read the teachings of Jesus untethered to the present cultural norms and understandings, we are confronted with a radical call to faith. And this is not just in witnessing to your peers, but the teachings are extreme and revolutionary, especially when juxtaposed upon the current western lifestyles. But they are so radical and so extreme and so uncomfortable, that we have elected instead to sterilize them with the present spirit of the times. And instead of teachings that challenge us to deny ourselves and walk a blood stained path, we have made them bow to the spirit of the times.

I have no confidence that the western church will repent and take a fresh look at the entirety of what we practice and believe. They are too entrenched, too comfortable, and way too invested in this present ecclesiastical structure. But I do know that the Spirit will guide every individual believer if we are truly sincere and crucified to ourselves. I do know there is an open treasure which awaits those who would seek Christ with their whole heart. I do know that it will be extremely difficult to break free from the chains of this present Zeitgeist and leave the comfort of the known land of Ur and head to the promised land of Canaan.

And if you chose such a path be ready and aware of this: Everything you will read and understand in the Word and through the illumination of the Spirit will be radical even to the point of unreasonable. But only then will you realize you are on the path impacted with the nail scarred footprints of our Forerunner. If it does not cost you dearly, you still have miles to go before you sleep.

Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils

CHOOSING THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS

Your friend steals five pairs of sneakers from a famous sports chain. He offers you either a pair which costs $300.00 dollars or a cheap pair that only costs $75.00 dollars. Which do you choose? God never endorses the lesser of two evils principle, and in fact you are choosing evil in either case.

What does that have to do with anything in this election year? Think about it.

America - The Modern Golden Calf

AMERICA 
THE MODERN GOLDEN CALF

My heart grew heavier as I read this article. In 1975 I was born again and God had used a Billy Graham broadcast to help me see who Jesus was. I have been to several Billy Graham crusades and I have met others, including preachers and missionaries, who came to Christ through his preaching and ministry. But as I grew in the Word I began to realize that some of his associations were unbiblical and were a part of a continuing compromise. He would quote the Pope and join forces with the Roman Catholic Church, and he would endorse such heretics as Oral Roberts and Robert Schuler. At first I used to think it was in order to reach people with the gospel but later I realized that Billy really had some obvious doctrinal weaknesses. He even said he now believed a sinner on some island who never heard of Jesus could still be saved just by believing there is a god.

But Billy Graham never endorsed politicians and basically became a friend to almost everyone. Be it conservative or liberal, he was invited to the White House for prayer. Of course he would also pray for God to help America win wars, just as he did with the latest President Bush. But he began to get involved with certain moral issues such as gay rights and traditional marriage. His son, Franklin, not only was a rabid patriot but was seen publicly as being anti-Obama. Franklin would further blur the lines between following Jesus and following America. It is all so sad and not only reveals a level of Scriptural compromise, but it has led to a state of apostasy in today’s evangelical church that lives in America. As only God can, God is using the candidacy of Mitt Romney as a mirror to the church.

Today we have our cults and our branches of Christianity that have led many astray. The Emergent Church and the Purpose Driven teachings and Your Best Life Now lies continue to impact the religious culture and the visible church as a whole. Many churches who still do not espouse such movements will not warn their people about these false teachers. The entire spiritual war rages in open view and attacks the Person of Christ and His precious gospel, and yet preachers remain silent? And many of these same preachers will speak about politics and morals and marriage and prosperity but shut their lips as it pertains to this slide into apostasy.

But in the last 20 years I have also come to realize something very clandestine and clothed in what seems like earthly righteousness but what is in reality heavenly treachery. This issue of nationalism has been a Trojan Horse which has brought in damnable heresies and all kinds of deceptions regardless of how well intentioned or how “orthodox” the preacher may be. In the last 20 to 30 years its intensity and scope has taken a quantum leap and has grown exponentially within the western community of faith. It already had a stronghold within the liberal mainstream denominations, but it spread rapidly throughout evangelicalism at large.

This has now become an unspoken doctrine, and although you may not find it in a church’s statement of faith it lives with strength in its belief system and practice. Nationalism is not just your run of the mill idol worship. Idol worship comes in many forms. Some believers love cars, some love houses, some love singers, some love preachers, some love sports and sports teams, and there are many and varied expressions of idol worship in the western church. All of them compromise the spiritual life of an individual believer, and some even become departures from the faith like the prosperity movement. But what is absolutely astounding is how idolatry in the form of nationalism has found its way right into the church and is now embraced by orthodox, liberal, and cult alike.

And this kind of compromise has now taken wings and has affected almost every area of evangelical thought and practice. America has become the latter days golden calf and millions upon millions who claim to follow Jesus now bow before this idol. And they pledge allegiance to this idol, and in a stunning display of apostasy, millions pledge allegiance to this golden calf even in the sanctuary on July 4^th services. Millions of professing believers file into a place reserved to worship the Risen Christ on July 4^th and they sing songs to America as if it was a god! Blasphemy of blasphemies!! Horror of horrors!!

And tens of millions of people not only do not see anything wrong with this, but they embrace it as divinely approved! Can there be any greater deception? And with this kind of deception the church leaves its gospel calling and labor of love, and works to preserve America and return the culture to its imaginary moral roots. Do we assume that the generation of the founding fathers were sinners on a lesser scale than what exists today? Do we assume that the words of the Spirit that says God has concluded them all in unbelief and that there is none righteous, no not one do not apply to the original thirteen colonies? What kind of mental illusion have we created and why have we created it? It is obvious that we view America as an object of our love and affection and seek to crown it with all kinds of accolades regardless of there veracity.

And because we have made traditional marriage and capitalism and being anti-abortion the tenants of this new gospel, we now join hands with unbelievers to establish this new kingdom. And not just run of the mill “conservative” unbelievers, but members of cults. And not just members of cults, but with a presidential candidate who is a priest in good standing within that cult and who has given many millions to support that cult as they deceive people around the world. And there are two basic reasons for this kind of support that stem from nationalism:

A love for money and a hatred for Obama.

And armed with those practical expressions emanating from the unclean spirit of nationalism, evangelicals by the millions will flock to a voting booth which represents the fallen cesspool of politics and they will vote for Mitt Romney. That probably includes the 94 year old Billy Graham. All in order to form a “more perfect union” while at the same time besmirching the perfect kingdom to which we are exclusively called. It is an amazing feat of deception by the wiles of the kingdom of darkness. If you could sit in an air balloon hovering 20 miles above the United States on November 6th you would see over a hundred million people streaming to local places of worship called voting places which are in effect the local churches of humanism.

And sprinkled in that colossal mixed multitude will be child molesters, gay people, abortion providers, pornography sellers and producers, adulterers, thieves, murderers, drug users, wife beaters, cultists, throngs of Christ rejecters, and oh yes, millions of professing believers. And many of those believers will never witness to someone about Christ, but they will rise early to vote. Some never pray and others attend church rarely, but they will rise early and vote. Some never read the Scriptures, but they will rise early and vote. And as you watch from your balloon, do you see God in all that? If you do, then your view of God and His Christ is your own and not the revelation of Scripture.

I have said all this because the time is now to come out from among them and be separate. You must not allow people whom you respect and admire and even love to keep your from a personal Berean journey to discover whether these things are true. You must not allow anything to compromise your devotion to Christ, and you must see nationalism for what it is. This spirit has imprisoned the church and has become so strong that now men like Billy Graham will endorse cult members and remove any material from their internet sites which would be deemed offensive to that cult. Now I ask you, just how strong must a deception be for men to do something like that? And if that kind of Christ-denying compromise was around for the last two thousand years in the church, there would have been very few martyrs. This spirit of nationalism is now a full blown spirit of apostasy and is part and parcel of the end times deceptions.

Although I am a nobody, no one has accused me of being too rigid and legalistic. Read my views on the scope of redemption as it pertains to possibility of a gay person believing on Christ. I stand firmly on the side of grace. But curiously many other preachers and teachers who take serious exception to my views in that area practice nationalism and patriotism and spread falsehoods about the origins of the country and the spiritual purity of its founders. And most of them pledge allegiance to an idol. My point being that I try not to be graceless and a self absorbed legalist and heresy hunter.

But it is time to call nationalism for what it is. It is a spirit of apostasy, albeit sophisticated and multi-layered, it is apostasy none the less. By overt suggestion it teaches that God can create a nation that allows for all kinds of gods to be worshiped and He calls it “Christian”. And people who say they believe the Bible endorse that kind of open falsehood? Yes, but that just reveals the depth and scope of this widespread deception. And while we were doing sentry duty to guard against the Rob Bells and the Joel Osteens and the Rick Warrens, the enemy has come in and sown the tares of deception of nationalism that are bearing much wicked fruit within the church. And Rob Bell, Joel Osteen, and Rick Warren enthusiastically embrace this deception as well and yet we will not even stop to consider the implications of that?

We criticize Graham and others as they join forces with infidels but we join forces with Bell and Osteen and Warren in patriotic endeavors? But we cover our sin by suggesting that God suspends His Word when it comes to patriotism? The hypocrisy and duplicity are incredulous. But do not misunderstand me, I was once just as blind as the next. I sang “I’m Proud to be an American” in church. So my mission is not to hold myself or anyone else up as an example except as examples of God’s grace. And it is in that grace alone I exhort you, I beseech you, I beg you to study and pray and even fast and ask God to open your eyes in any area in which you have been blind.

I pray you will. And if you do, I know He will.

The Strong Delusion Called America

THE STRONG DELUSION

CALLED AMERICA

Centuries ago the Vikings landed in the upper part of North America which is now Canada. Many years later Columbus set foot in the Caribbean and proved that the world was not flat and that the new world could be reached. Adventurous souls would begin to visit the continent we know as North America, and Spain and Portugal were the first countries to establish small beach heads on the continent. The first imported religion was Roman Catholicism.

In the early and mid 1600s protestant believers known as Puritans came to North America in order to avoid the persecution of King Charles of England. They observed a much purer form of Christianity with a certain level of legalism. And most disturbing is that the puritans viewed the Indians as devils, and killed many in skirmishes and wars. Many captured Indians were sold into slavery and sent to the Caribbean. The Puritans were by no means gentle and they did not see the Indians as lost and in need of a Savior. This kind of history is rarely taught in American public or Christian schools. There were recorded cases where Puritans slaughtered entire Indian villages, and in fact the tribe known as the Pequots were essentially wiped out.

Many modern Christians idolize the Puritans and excuse there violence against the Indians as a necessary evil because the Indians were violent against them. It beggars the mind to understand how that kind of thinking can ever be considered aligned with the teachings of the New Testament. But when it comes to idolatry, the Old Testament Israelites had nothing on the western church. It seems the Puritans were much more interested in what people wore than in the souls of the American Indians. People were punished for the length of their hair, wearing lace, missing church, and one man returned home after a month's long journey and kissed his wife on the doorstep of his home and was placed in stocks for two days. The Puritans were more fond of the Old Testament than they were of the New, and they practiced an undiluted form of Calvinism. In many circles of Calvinism today they are heroes of the faith.

And through the years people began to flock to America. Some for religious reasons, but most to begin a new life and find fortune. It operated as an English colony. But in the 1700s business men began to complain about English tariffs or taxes. The hostility between England and America began to grow. Acts of vandalism such as the Boston Tea Party grew. In fact, that act of vandalism is now almost revered in the community of faith. I wonder again how that aligns with the teachings of Jesus. Eventually it reached a boiling point and the colonies went to war. And go ahead and find New Testament justification for going to war over taxes.

The founding fathers were an eclectic group of white men. Some claimed Christianity while some claimed deism while other claimed no faith. Many owned slaves, and George Washington himself had hundreds of slaves and was the richest American president. You can read something about that HERE. And after thousands had died, and boys and girls had lost their fathers, the country became independent and was now a pluralistic nation. Because men did not want to establish any one religion, the Constitution made sure that all religions and all gods were acceptable within this new nation. The word Jesus appears nowhere in the original documents. And in a treaty with North Africa (Tripoli), President John Adams assured the Muslims with these words,

“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Muslim men; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Islamic nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” (source)

I hope I did not burst your balloon, I hope I destroyed it. This self delusional view of America is diabolical and has been used of the devil to keep the church in bondage to a lie. And this lie has seeped into all areas of our lives including diluting and nationalizing the gospel of Christ. And even when confronted with curious facts, most professing believers refuse to even allow their minds to question their patriotism, much less do a sincere investigation, and much, much less repent of their beliefs. In fact, even broaching the subject with many believers will elicit stern warnings and unkind words directed toward you. It’s as if you are saying something about their God, and in some ways you are.

But in these last several decades there has been some shift in thinking. Some, not many, are beginning to see just how wrong we were and just how we were duped into believing a lie. For those of us who have come out of that idolatry we have found new freedom in Christ and we have found encouragement from God’s Spirit and the testimonies of others. Our challenge continues to be self righteousness and to continue to show the love of God toward those who are still blind and treat us disparagingly.

But we cannot, we must not, remain silent. Of course this issue is not the gospel but it hinders the gospel and it has thwarted spiritual growth within the church. It is astounding to see how the church can embrace things like self righteousness, boasting, greed, violence, and many other sins as long as they are hidden with nationalism and patriotism. Things that we teach our children not to do we applaud when it is in defense of America. And the teachings of Jesus, proclaimed loudly to be absolutely literal in our doctrinal statements, are rendered impotent as it pertains to nationalism.

We can now kill others while still saying we believe we should love our enemies. We can now join hands with unbelievers because they say they espouse certain moral views while still saying we believe we should not be unequally yoked. We can now murmur and complain about gas prices and government leaders while still saying we should not murmur or complain. We now can use pejoratives against liberals or gays and still say we believe in speaking words seasoned with salt. It is utterly amazing how we can go about and exhibit everything but the teachings of Christ and yet say Jesus is Lord. Hollow words indeed.

But steeped in this strong delusion called nationalism and specifically America, the church has been systematically assimilated into the culture and stripped of her holiness and profound and exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. The average western congregation can practice all sorts of hedonism, complain even when they have plenty, watch ungodly entertainment, show disdain about the lost, almost never witness personally, live an almost prayerless life, speak words of judgment and hate among each other, and yet still pretend to be following Jesus.

Imagine yourself being swept away and placed on an island with thousands of other people. And imagine your memory has been altered and you no longer remember where you were born. All you have is this life now. And now you must open God’s Word and see what it says without the prism of nationalism and without what has been programmed inside you by others. Would you pledge allegiance to trees? The ocean? Without being taught to accept what the world had constructed, perhaps you would be free to explore the freedom that is in Christ and to ponder the depths of what His Lordship means in your life.

You could be free to be a prisoner of the Lord and a bond slave to Jesus Christ. You could walk in Christ without being compromised by the trappings of national allegiance. You could be salt and light once again, and there would be no founding fathers to idolize. Your lived the teachings of Jesus and shared the glorious gospel to everyone. What an incredibly atmosphere of Christian devotion!

But perhaps one day you got together with all the rest on that island and formed a country. And perhaps you gave your heart to that country. And perhaps you allowed sacrifices for all kinds of gods. And perhaps you constructed this country so that everyone could gain many coconuts. And perhaps everyone voted and allowed the slaughter of infants they did not want. And perhaps your country approved of gay marriages. And perhaps you we prepared to kill anyone who tried to take over your country. Perhaps you made some people your slaves. And since you were among the original people, perhaps you were considered one of the founding fathers. And when you died, perhaps they would erect a monument in your honor. Yes, perhaps.

But in the pursuit of all those things, perhaps you forgot the teachings of Jesus.