The Jesus That Kills

THE JESUS THAT KILLS

I have addressed this subject before in many posts but this one is especially applicable.

Bloodshed in His name.

 

The Roman Emperor Constantine had crosses painted on the shields of his soldiers in order to elicit God's blessings on his battles. Now we discover that the Army had Bible verses etched into the scopes on the rifles. History repeats itself. It is not enough to enjoy the fruits of violence, killing, and mayhem, but we must drag Jesus into it as well. Depravity and sacrilege reign supreme. These are the verses etched upon guns:

Jn.8: ¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

II Cor.4: ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

An article published on The Blaze, a right wing publication connected to Glenn Beck, suggested that the mandate was an attack of Judeo-Christian values. Here is a quote from that article:

“Questions surrounding purported attacks on faith in the United States military continue to abound. Over the past few years, many critics have decried perceived attempts to remove Judeo-Christian values from the ranks. A new report claiming that the Army has mandated that troops remove Bible inscriptions from their weapon scopes will likely only add to the debate.”

(source here)

Ok, we as believers must consider just how vicious and convoluted the extreme darkness of the culture and the fallen world at large is when Bible verses can be placed upon weapons in the killing fields and then we suggest that is a way to represent Christianity, the gospel, and Jesus Himself. Consider the implications of those verses. The scopes are used to line up your targets, human targets I assume, so light is what is used. So those verses about Jesus being the light openly suggest that our Savior, being the light of the world, will help soldiers be more accurate in their killing.

It is very difficult to fully expose the tremendous paradox in all of this and the profound antithetical nature of such a practice as it pertains to Jesus and His teachings. I mean it actually boggles the mind. I guess I could equate it like drawing a side of bacon on Israeli scopes, or drawing a hamburger on Hindu scopes. It is extremely shocking that this practice actually existed. To use the New Testament to support war and violence, and to use those particular verses is so disgusting, so alarming, and so viscerally distasteful that it should make all who follow Jesus physically sick. It is hard to imagine something more at odds with our faith.

But now that the government has ordered the practice to cease and the verses removed, the religious right, right on cue, rise up in religious umbrage. They suggests an attack on “Judeo-Christian values”. Let us be clear here: There are no “Judeo-Christian values”. That is a man made term designed to present some amalgam of the Old Testament and the New Testament moral tenants and it is used to describe the moral foundation for America. So in essence it is presented in defense of the culture rather than a true and principled outline of God’s ways. It is a myth but comes in handy as a nebulous moniker which elicits patriotism for a country rather than a self denying following of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So not only is it astonishing that Bible verses were used on gun scopes, and not only is it astonishing that those particular verses were used, but now the cultural sect of Christianity which follows the founding fathers more than Jesus are up in arms (pun intended) about it. Just when I thought the faith of Christ could not be any more compromised and redefined than it already has in the west, this is exposed. If Jesus is involved in helping men and women line up their gun sites and blow people away than let us at least be honest and throw away the New Testament. I mean all that love your enemies stuff is a bunch of hogwash and we need not even consider it anymore. In fact, America is now the golden calf and with a few Bible verses painted on it we can bow down and worship openly what we now worship between the lines. And we can place Bible verses on all our bombs and keep accuracy records to determine which ones hit their targets more often and use those verses in the future. It’s insane.

So that is an attack on Christianity? No, when they started placing Bible verses on guns THAT was an attack on the faith. Can there be any deeper compromise and blasphemy than that? War has now become a favorite son of the church and now we print God’s Word upon our weapons. Ok, has anyone ever heard of Constantine? His spirit still lives on today here in America. He was a Roman emperor who before a great battle saw a vision of a cross in the sky and a voice telling him that through this cross he would be successful in war. He painted that cross on all his soldier’s shields. How barbaric?

History repeats itself. We are not just satisfied with going to war preemptively, but now we drag Jesus into it openly and for all to see. Now I ask you, when some Muslim sees those verses on our guns what does he think? Of course he believes that he is fighting against Jesus and that Jesus is his enemy and that Jesus must hate him. And it isn’t just the religious pagans that support this practice. It is also a large section of professing evangelicals. Instead of spreading the light of the gospel they have embraced some wicked amalgam of violence and killing and Jesus. It is an amazing feat that takes the faith of Jesus and transforms it into a vehicle for democracy through war.

Can you just imagine a soldier peering through his scope that says that Jesus is the light of the world, and he gently pulls the trigger and his bullet races toward his target and “Wham!!” the person’s head explodes into bits of flesh and blood all over the ground. The lifeless corpse falls immediately onto the ground. And looking up and realizing what has happened, the soldier rises to his feet and loudly proclaims, “Thank you Lord Jesus!” And gazing lovingly at his rifle he once again reads the two verses etched into the scope:

Jn.8: ¹² Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

II Cor.4: ⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

And we wonder why Muslims feel that they are in a war against Jesus and that Jesus hates them. Oh when we will we as believers realize that we have nothing in common with this world and this culture, and yes, this country? When we will see souls in the light of the cross and not as earthly enemies? And make no mistake there is a connection between war and money.

Oh how my heart aches when I see just how mangled men have made the teachings of Jesus and instead formulated a concoction of earthly logic, manmade necessities, and humanistic philosophies of nationalism and divided allegiances. Two nations go to war and within these two nations are followers of Jesus. So are the followers of Jesus in each respective nation supposed to support their nation in this war? Are they both supposed to enlist and fight for their respective nation? And if by chance they meet on the battlefield, and assuming they are both born again believers, which follower does Jesus help to kill the other? Oh the absurdity and absolute horror of such earthly constructs. But this is what happens when we refuse to receive the teachings of Jesus in the abstract and make them applicable to our own earthly parameters. We have learned the ways of man and then taken hold of the teachings of Jesus and force fed them into all kinds of worldly situations and philosophies. And instead of the teachings of Jesus having an impact upon earthly understandings our earthly understandings remain solid while the teachings of Jesus become mercurial and easily poured into the machinations of man. In fact, we now openly suggest that Jesus will help aid us in all our ways regardless of whether they are aligned with His truth.

Bible verses on guns. Why did Jesus come and why did He leave us His Word if in fact His own church was going to change it to fit our own craftiness and carnal motivations? And now people scream about an attack on our Judeo-Christian values? What are values anyway? Values are something that have worth. But what value is there in certain moral tenants and ethics without Jesus? In fact we are called to preach Jesus to those who hold beliefs in direct opposition to the truths and values found in Jesus. Yes, they are called lost souls. But now we consider our rights and our views as values and the church willingly joins hands with unbelievers to protect those values even if it means at the end of a gun or under the power of a bomb. Oh Dear Lord, where oh where did we leave You and go a –whoring after the ways of man?

And in a stunning display of hubris and compromise, many who wholeheartedly support war and Bible verses on weapons have very little Bible in their hearts. Selah.

If Sinners Be Damned...

IF SINNERS BE DAMNED...

 

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

C. H. Spurgeon

Anyone who reads this blog knows that although I strongly believe in a free will theology my favorite preacher is Charles Spurgeon. And this quote from him should be the clarion call for Calvinist and free will alike. It sends chills up my spine since I fall very short of its exhortation. And this profound and penetrating call for evangelism comes from a Calvinist. And yet free will men like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen and Rob Bell prance all over the country selling a temporal gospel which soothes the conscience instead of bringing conviction.

In a few sentences Spurgeon has exposed the modern me/now gospel which comes in a variety of alluring flavors. Wrapped in the flag or materialism or promises of great health and prosperity, these fake gospels draw great crowds which thirst to get something rather than serve the Risen Christ. People do not flock to hear Warren and Osteen in order to light a fire in their souls for the plight of eternal souls. No, they come to be excited and blessed and to take in the atmosphere of celebrity. But do not be deceived, from the words of Spurgeon we have a template for which we must strive. Sinners must hear about Christ before it is too late. And the words of this man of God exhort us to a passion for sharing and preaching that reaches a level which substantiates the Scriptures and not our so often shallow doctrinal protestations.

When was the last time we wept in the Spirit for souls we know who are heading for an unfathomable eternity separated from Christ? Are we open to the Spirit’s leading if He would direct us to witness to someone which might cause us some discomfort or intimidation? Do not just read his words but ingest them into your spirit. Do our exertions really have teeth? So often in this moralistic climate the church castigates sinners rather than warn and pray for them. Legislation has become the gospel.

The worth of a vote has overshadowed the worth of a soul. And the church actively seeks to adjust the culture and improve our living conditions and create an atmosphere of economic prosperity, all of which does nothing for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine a missionary arrives among the people he believes God has sent him. These people are idol worshipers and have no real moral compass. They engage in some bizarre sexual practices, they murder their neighbors, and they were very little clothing. Does the missionary begin to organize a movement to address those things? Does he sit around with other missionaries and castigate those tribal sinners? Does he listen to jungle radio as a Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh wanna be’s talk incessantly about how liberal and out of the mainstream these natives are?

That would be ridiculous you say? Well that is exactly what the church is doing today only these sinners are more worldly and sophisticated, but they are just as blind and just as lost. Even though the jungle fields are different than the urban fields the message of hope is still the same, the everlasting gospel. I feel the end is very near and any serious business done for Christ must be done quickly. If we are going to pray then we must pray now. If we are going to fast then we must fast now. If we are going to witness then we must witness now. If we are going to support missionaries then we must do it now. This is surely not the time to muse about things; this is the time to sacrifice and serve.

How many of us would give everything to have some of the years back once again? I know I surely would. As I look back with a more mature and convicting view I realize that I could have done so much more for the kingdom. But now I must make haste while the day is still here because the night is coming when no man can work. All of us owe our entire lives to Christ and these last days should be a living sacrifice for Him. If you have a spouse who shares your devotion to Christ than you are surely blessed above measure and you can reignite your passion for Him together. If you do not, like me, have that kind of bond, then we must be married to Christ in a way which gives us the strength we cannot receive from a spouse. It is difficult but He is worth it.

But think on this. In fact, do not just think on this but meditate upon it and let it marinate inside your heart until your heart is changed. God died for your sinful and rebellious soul. I said God died for YOU. Oh my, how can our eyes remain dry even while reading this unfathomable words? I do not deserve God’s love much less God coming and dying in my place. I am quite undone when I pause in this fast paced life enough to allow my heart and my mind to take in that glorious truth. God died for the horrible creature they call Rick Frueh. Oh my. I am filled with all kinds of emotion. Awe and gratitude, and love and wonder and brokenness and humility and bewilderment and joy and repentance and thanksgiving and indebtedness and unworthiness and reverence and amazement and worship and a mixture of them all fill my heart.

So if God loved me enough to die in my place, oh the mystery of that, then He must feel the same way for all souls unless He is a respecter of persons which He is not. And if God loves my neighbor just as does me, then what is He asking of me when the Scriptures exhort me to walk in His love and be an imitator of God Himself? I mean how should I feel about sinners if Christ died for me when I was still a sinner and in reality His very enemy? What is the Spirit speaking to us all? How far off have we strayed with all this earthly mess when in reality we have been called to love sinners and walk in His love as the days draw down? And look, dear ones, from the mouth of a Calvinist all we who boast of our free will credentials are rebuked and laid low. Yes, I am sorely rebuked by my better.

Souls, my fellow believers, the souls of mankind. I cannot help but recall the story of the two Moravian boys who had read of a slave colony in the Caribbean. The owner would not allow any preacher to come to his island because they might cause some upset and disruption and fill the slaves with false ideas. These two young boys corresponded with the owner and sold themselves to him as slaves. The arraignment was made and the price of their enslavement would only pay for their voyage from Germany to the Caribbean. And they had heard from the Spirit and they were willing to sacrifice their entire lives so they could reach these slaves with the gospel.

Of course their family and friends could hardly believe what they were doing and they considered it almost insane. Why oh why would someone so young throw away their future with such unwise fanaticism? And yet the day came when the ship was to embark on the transatlantic voyage. The two young men boarded the ship and went together along the ship’s rail to say goodbye once more to their loved ones. There was much weeping on the dock as it was assumed their families would never see them again. But the ship was turned loose from the dock and began to drift to the sea.

But as the two boys looked at their family and friends one of them hollered these words,

“May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His sufferings!!”

Pause just one moment. Think on that. Receive those words into your spirit. There is so much there in that one sentence combined with who said it and where they were going and why. There is so much there. It is foolishness to those without the Spirit but to those who have tasted the goodness of God through Christ Jesus those words shatter our soul. These young men were sacrificing their entire lives to reach souls while the western expression of following Christ serves as a self serving pursuit to get more and keep more and still retain some semblance of a religious shell. Who exactly are we kidding?

Spurgeon did not believe Christ died for everyone and yet he exhorts us to plead and pray with a zealousness as if people’s souls depended upon us. Away with all our free will smugness since we must be the pinnacle of hypocrisy! Read his words once more and add the words of those Moravian boys and then juxtapose our lives upon the razor sharpness of their open conviction and then where is our smugness? The family right across the street is dying in their sins while we live our selfish lives inside the convenient walls of a domestic and religious clique. “Let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay,”, says the preacher. Fear and embarrassment and doctrinal contentment and a deep religious spirit have imprisoned us and made the gospel a religious relic rather than our very lives.

I hope we can all see the great need for a spiritual revival in our own hearts and lives. We need the Spirit to gives us a spirit of abandonment which walks in the desire and the atmosphere of the eternal and sees the temporal as a platform for sharing the gospel through word and deed. We need a sense of urgency once again. The suggestion that these are the last days must be more than some prophetic musings; it must be a catalyst for a devoted desperation to serve Christ in His whited fields.

Eph.5: ¹⁴ Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

¹⁵ See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
¹⁶ Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Living on the Edge of Fanaticism?

LIVING ON THE EDGE OF FANATICISM?

I am not sure anyone can truly be following Jesus in this culture without living on the very edge of fanaticism. In fact, in this day and age it may require falling off the edge. But the word fanaticism is a relative term which gets its definition from a comparison to the norm. If the normal Christian life and experience is so diluted and compromised as to be little more than a reflection of the common western lifestyle with a few religious words sprinkled on top, then any authentic discipleship which is defined through the New Testament must be considered fanatical.

The Webster’s definition of fanatical is “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion”. I would add that it also entails a profound and uncommon dedication to something. And given those definitions just how fanatical are we? Is the culture feeding us to lions? Are we being led to the gallows? Are we being incarcerated for Jesus? Are we at least being shunned? Ok, last try, are we having an impact upon the kingdom of darkness?

Now realize this fact. We are not even fanatical when compared with the people who do not know Christ. How can that be? I mean let us just read a section from Luke’s gospel.

Lk.14: ²⁵ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
²⁹ Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
³⁰ Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
³³ So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
³⁴ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
³⁵ It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Bear his cross? What cross do we bear? Forsake all? What do we forsake? We are not even distinctive much less fanatical. We blend in like camouflage. But we are afraid of the word “fanaticism” unless it applies to sports, Hollywood stars, music icons, or politicians. And one of the reasons that the word frightens us is because of the implications that may surface and that might place upon us some inconvenient demands. But what are the implications of being fully surrendered to Jesus Christ and being a fanatical disciple? Would not that person be absolutely remarkable within a culture of absolute darkness?

But another problem is that the church does not see the culture for what it is. We define evil in extreme terms. We all loudly proclaim that the acts of 9/11 were evil and so they were. But did we realize that most of what was transpiring on a daily basis inside the Twin Towers was evil as well? You see the entire wicked mess called the world lies in the wicked one and all that is in the world is fallen and evil. But if you say that in mixed company, or even share it with most believers, you will be seen as, yes, fanatical. You see, in order to understand what it means to be a fanatical disciple we must also understand how God sees this present evil world. But so many have made peace with this world and even joined hands with the kingdom of darkness in order to address this issue or that issue. And after you have walked with evil for a while it begins to seem not so evil and eventually it may seem friendly and a little misunderstood. And even though you might maintain what seems to be a safe distance from evil, it begins to have an effect upon your heart and mind and most grievous of all upon the way you see your faith.

That kind of life not only cannot be labeled as fanatical, but it cannot even be called Christian. But look at verse 33 where our Lord speaks of forsaking all. How easily those words flow from our tongues and how easily we can gloss over them and actually ignore them while reading or listening to them. That kind of deception has not only taken hold of us all, but it is practiced and embraced in the church. If we took just Jn.3:16 and Lk.14:33 and made them our template for life just what would that mean? I know, if we even took those words in a partial literal sense it would demand a level of fanaticism unwelcomed in this present evangelical climate.

This entire subject should not be easily dismissed or seen as something about which to just ponder. This cuts at the very fabric of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The word “Christian” has been so bandied about that it no longer has any teeth. It is an innocuous religious term which is a collective for everyone and anyone who isn’t of some other religion or even considers themselves a “Christian” simply by default. And if you stretch out your arms and gather together any church that calls themselves Christian and gather them all in one place, that is what people believe is Christianity. The word itself has become a deception.

And people consider Muslims and white supremacists and Hasidic Jews and North Koreans as “fanatics” while they consider Christians as a multi-sected religion which fits in nicely within the culture with a few morality obsessed exceptions. But even the moralists glady join hands with non-Jesus moralists. And just a cursory reading of the Book of Acts reveals just how far the church has drifted. Paul is brought before Agrippa and instead of invoking his Constitutional rights and demanding counsel he gives his personal testimony. And when Paul was sent to prison with Silas instead of contacting Fox News to protest his treatment he and Silas pray and sing praises to God. Yes, there were fanatics in those days.

And do we think the secular culture has improved in these days? Do we believe the culture has moved closer to Christ or that the church has moved closer to the culture? And like Samson the church does not even realize, much less care, that our power is gone. No salt, no light, no city on a hill. Fanatical? Who could even pretend to lie like that?

So where do we go from here? I mean we have become so adept at minimizing the problem and setting forth the journey with no real sacrifice or self denial, so how can we even stop to address that which we cannot see and which we deny? Well each individual must allow the Spirit to take an inventory of his own life and reveal to him a substantive, albeit painful, progress report. Now we should not seek to be immobilized and retreat into a spiritual depression, but we should desire the most clear and comprehensive conviction about what is truth and what we have come to believe as truth.

And if we are honest about the teachings of Jesus and the entire teaching scope of the New Testament then we must admit that they are radical in nature and in substance. They are incompatible with the present culture and with anything that demands our earthly rights or incorporates greed or violence. And if we understand the depth of these radical teachings then we are faced with this proposition: To seek to obey them and live by them can be nothing short of fanatical. And to be honest you would not only be looked upon as fanatical by the world, but within the church as well.        

So the choice is oh so clear. We can remain within acceptable parameters in our faith which requires very little and raises no eyebrows and is generally compatible with the rest of the community of faith, or we can become aware that something is very wrong. And if and when we come to that enlightenment, then the journey has once again taken on a more significant challenge than we have previously thought. At that point we may realize that we have been processed through the wringer of a culturalized Christianity which through a system of clandestine demands has molded us into a narcissistic discipleship which enjoys all the fruit of Eden’s forbidden tree while rejecting the fruit of Golgotha. And like men in a police lineup, we all pretty much look the same. The sirens have sung and we have heard and sailed right into the rocks. However these rocks are comfortable and offer an expression of the faith which has just enough Biblical verbiage to provide a shallow defense but not enough to be considered fanatical. Instead of praying to extricate ourselves from these rocks we just placed a steeple among them, took up an offering, and called them church.

Yes, sit back and enjoy the show and do not worry. We need not call for help, and we don’t need a guide since we are nowhere near the edge of fanaticism. We have found warmth and safety within the rocks. And just remember, when Jesus said we must forsake all He was engaging in some religious hyperbole which makes for some great reading but about which no one should attempt to live.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Yea, right.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The End Justifies the Means Theology

THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS THEOLOGY

Let us lay a foundation here before I make a case that the western church and believers en masse have followed a path of least resistance and even employed unscriptural means to achieve a desired end. First, nowhere in the New Testament does it teach that we can use any method to achieve something that we deem as right. In other words, if we see something that is wrong, or if we see something that should be changed, we do not have the liberty to engage that wrong with another wrong. In essence we must walk in the Spirit and not the flesh.

Gal.5: ¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

There is no wiggle room here, and we must then assess everything through the unvarnished prism of God’s Word regardless of how absurd it seems. In fact, even when obeying God’s Word and walking in the Spirit seems like it will not accomplish what we believe needs to be done, we are still debtors to the Word and not our strategies. Sometimes this seems easy, but there are times where it requires a complete and illogical surrender to God’s Word even though our minds cannot understand how that can be effective. And in these last days those scenarios will become more and more prevalent.

But we must live upon this foundation: The end results are God’s business and not ours. That is a very difficult concept to grasp much less live. We as humans and especially in this culture of human effort and achievement are not only prone to depending completely upon our own plans and energies, but we have come to the place where we even think that is God’s will. And the real conundrum is that when we do achieve some desired results through our own schemes and power, then we learn to make them our template. And it does not take too long before we are walking in the religious flesh attempting to do good for God by the arm of the flesh.

And with so little time devoted to prayer it only adds to the necessity of operating in the flesh. We make a plan, use all kinds of worldly methods to achieve it, and then we ask God to bless it. Instead of praying and waiting on the Lord we set out on our own doing what things we think God wants. And the western church operates almost without exception within that scenario. We as westerners have been taught from birth to see something and go after it with all our might. We who were active in sports learned that principle and then we have brought it into the church.

But that principle is correct. The problem is that what we see needs to be completely through the vision if God’s Word and “going after it” requires prayer and love and humility and self denial and everything that follows and imitates Christ. You see? The principles that works in the world must never be dragged into the church. God ways are not our ways, and when we rely on our own excitement and energy and visions we quickly surrender the power of the Spirit for the power of the flesh.

The difference between the flesh and the Spirit is the difference between following Jesus and following ourselves. But make no mistake, the flesh is very crafty and can morph into all kinds of things including presenting itself as good and moral and even spiritual. But the flesh is the energy of death. And when we walk in the flesh we walk in death even though we might be saved. But the church has seen how the world operates and we have believed a lie.

We now believe things will change by the power of legislation and the democratic process and even war. And when we seek change through earthly vehicles we lend our minds and hearts to that which is perishing. And without realizing it our eyes become fixated upon the temporal and the things that are eternal become doctrinal resource material and not the exclusive power in our lives. We seek to change the culture which has never been our spiritual calling. And we think God doesn’t see what is happening or that He needs us to fix things? God forbid we walk in that delusion. By our words and actions we impugn the sovereignty of God and make the gospel of no effect. While we correctly reprove men like Joel Osteen for their worldly messages, we ourselves are caught up with politics and nationalism and all sorts of mindless conspiracy theories. The voting booths are full and the prayer closets are empty.

So let us view this through the Spirit but also in practical terms. We must start with what do our eyes see, and our ears hear, and what do our hearts desire? We are told several times to keep our eyes upon Jesus, and the moment we look at earthly issues and the constant machinations of man then we will soon be caught in its undertow. The Spirit urges and beckons and leads, while the world shouts and pushes and bullies. We must see with the eyes of faith the kingdom of God. We must look through eternity rather than the ever changing temporal issues. It is a discipline of the Spirit and it cannot be done by a partial surrender to the flesh.

Just what is the “end” for a believer? Our primary calling is twofold: To preach the gospel to every creature and to be transformed into the image of Christ. That is some heavy lifting, my dear brethren. And when you take that in thoroughly, then hopefully you can see that only spiritual ways can achieve spiritual results which please our Father. And the way of the Spirit can never include violence, greed, idolatry, self promotion, or earthly allegiances. It is a very curious thing about the life in the Spirit. The means are always in the Spirit, and the end belongs to God. And therein lies the peace which passes all understanding which keeps our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus our Lord.

Phil.4: ⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Has Anyone Heard of Jesus Lately?

HAS ANYONE HEARD OF JESUS LATELY?

Could I tell you a story?

“Is it a true story?” you ask.

Oh very much so. In fact it is a story which reveals the truth which shall decide the eternal destiny of every human being. Now you may think that this story is archaic and little difficult to believe, but I assure you this story has changed lives for thousands of years. This is actually much more than a story although it is a story. But this story has the power to reach out and capture a soul and make that soul part of this very story. It is the miracle of all miracles. And it does not matter what men think or how they alter this story, the true story will live on throughout eternity. Yes, it is that transcendent.

But this glorious story begins in an ignominious and humble way. Even though the story revealed some peeks and shadows for thousands of years, and even though this story began before the first atom came into existence, the story itself actually began in a tangible way in a seemingly obscure town just west of the Sea of Galilee. It was called Nazareth. Could there be any more insignificant place for this miraculous story to begin? There would be no worldwide fanfare and no streets lined with worshipers. This story began with a very young virgin from the loins of Judah and the angel Gabriel.

Mary was a sinner like all of us, but God had chosen her to be the servant through which He would birth this story. And although Mary would play a most prominent role in this story, it would not be about her at all. She was the handmaiden of the Lord and was blessed by God in a sacred and astounding way, but it still would not be about her. In fact, after many years in which God had let the story unfold without much revelation, we see Mary at a wedding feast. And her words were not about herself, no, she opens her mouth and says, “Whatever He says, do it.” In fact, those words describe Mary’s ministry completely.

But back to Nazareth. The angel Gabriel informs Mary that she will be pregnant through the miraculous visitation of God’s Spirit. See, who can even comprehend such a thing? I mean how does that work? Mary was a virgin and she reminded Gabriel of that fact. And yet this frightened and probably confused girl bows before this diving messenger and says, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Do not exalt Mary for she is a servant and not a lord in this story, but do not ignore her breathtaking example of servanthood.

And in just nine months the main figure of this story comes forth through Mary. It is not hyperbole to say that this baby is really not the main figure in this story, but He IS the story. And God does not give much detail about this birth except to say “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Yes, the Holy Spirit delicately draws a sacred veil over the human details of the event and moves forward with the real story.

This baby looked like any other baby however many things about His birth had prophetic significance that presented His birth as something very special. To be honest at this point only some shepherds and Mary herself had any inkling that something was happening and that some divine story had taken flight. But the Author of this story had four thousand years of prophetic rehearsal and now He was gently but determinatively revealing a story that would change all of eternity. This baby came forth upon the prophetic foundation already laid by God’s own mouth. But even the prophets who were used to foretell this story did not know the glorious particulars inherent in this story. Even the angels only knew a part.

But God this story would move on for decades, and with the one exception of being in the Temple, the story shifts to when this baby called Jesus is now a man, or more accurately, a God man. You see, I told you that this story is unlike any other. God has come as a man. Just that truth would be enough to boggle the mind, but there is more. Much more. And this Jesus reveals Himself initially at that same marriage feast where His mother bowed to His Word. Jesus performs His first miracle by turning water into wine. Many today have claimed that they can do what Jesus has done and they present some cured headache or backache as evidence. But we all await someone turning water into wine. But this will never be done because Jesus is not part of our story; we are part of His. We are not called to showcase our own spiritual prowess; we are called to continually point to Him and attempt to replicate His story through our lips and lives.

Now Jesus performed many miracles in three years, so much so that many of them had to be cut out of the final historical script. But after many miracles and many miraculous teachings Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on Passover week when He is in His early thirties. Now if you haven’t been paying attention this is the time to open your eyes and ears. This week will be like no other week and in reality the entire story has been told up until now just to get to this part. Buckle your seat belts because there will be some unsettling images, some unexplained hatred, and two scenes that defy human understanding. And everything will not be enhanced by visual effects or enhanced stage lighting or screen writer’s hyperbolic license. This will be raw and visceral and challenging and true.

The entire world was imprisoned by sin which is the direct disobedience and rebellion toward the Creator God. But God had instituted some observances and sacrifices that would provide a temporary covering for sin. Some could be sacrificed daily while one was to be observed on one day in the year. This system had been observed generally for almost three thousand years. But as Jesus entered Jerusalem all of that would change. At the end of the week all of what had been practiced by the Jews because of God’s Word through Moses would be abolished through a better and eternal sacrifice. No one knew. No one even suspected. The earthly Passover lamb would give way for the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. To the natural understanding this is about to get wonderfully strange.

Through a string of self serving events based upon fear Jesus is arrested and brought to trial. After He was interrogated by Pontius Pilate He was sent to be scourged, or in other words, tortured. Here is where it gets an R rating for violence. He was beaten unmercilessly. They lashed His back with a whip made with sharp pieces of stone or iron. Over and over and over again they lashed His back until it appeared as bloody raw meat. He was made to wear a crown of thorns pressed down upon His brow. It was painful in the extreme. He was blindfolded and punched in the face while they mocked Him. Covered in blood and swelling all over, His beard was plucked from His face. His face began to swell which only added to the repulsive spectacle. He stood there at the beginning stages of death. As they placed a robe upon Him they continued to mock Him holding back nothing.

“Now wait a minute” you protest. “Wasn’t this the Son of God?” Yes, it was. He was God in the flesh and the incarnate Creator of all that was, and is, and is to come. “So why then”, you ask, “is He being beaten and tortured and why is He allowing such a thing?”

Ok, now I have your attention. This is the part of the story where you must rely on the Spirit’s cliff notes. You might be persuaded that this is a story about a martyr and you would be wrong. You might think that this is a story about how any good deed doesn’t go unpunished and you would be wrong. You might believe this is a story about how wrong things can go and you would be wrong. Let’s go a little further and see how it all unfolds. Remember this is a story unlike any other story ever told and there are profound implications that penetrate much deeper than some principle or some moral to the story. In fact we have entered the part of the story which can only be fully understood through the ministry of the Spirit who told the story.

Those that have tortured Him make Him carry His own cross to the place called Golgotha. A black man is enlisted to help Him. The Romans nail His hands and feet to that Roman cross. Many men were tied to these kinds of crosses since spikes were expensive and the Romans crucified tens of thousands, but the Scriptures had foretold the wounds in His extremities so the Romans used spikes although they were unaware of any prophetic fulfillment. God has His ways. They lift Him upon that cross and with a thump they allow it to find the hole in the earth which will stand it up. And there He hangs, struggling to breathe and beaten beyond recognition. But His pain has only begun.

And here is where we must push the pause button and receive divine illumination. There have been literally tens of thousands of crucifixions at the hands of the Romans, so why is this one any different? This one is so unique and unlike any other that to use the word “different” is doing it an injustice. The word “unique”, although appropriate, still falls far short of awarding this event, this cross, with the hallowed and sacred essence it deserves. This man, this God, this Jesus is dying an excruciating death and with each struggling breath He draws closer and closer to His last. But look again. He is not just suffering within His own body. His pain is not just emanating from His own nerve endings. These sufferings belong to the whole world, and here He is willingly receiving the unfathomable punishment meant for us all in His own human frame. He does not deserve it but yet He has embraced this suffering before the worlds were spoken into existence.

This is where the story leaves the understanding of the three dimensional and wanders into a realm unknown to anyone heretofore. This battered frame, already worn out and bloodied beyond measure, is taking upon itself the sins of the world. And although the Passover lamb under Moses stood as a one year reprieve, this Lamb is paying for the entire portfolio of man’s sins from Adam to the last sin which will ever be committed. Anyone who genuinely wishes to understand this mystery quickly understands his own limitations of complete understanding. Yes, we can understand the words but to understand the depth, the eternity, the sacrifice, the sufferings, and the glory of this redemption is beyond the scope of complete human comprehension. And when a sinner, redeemed by this sacrifice, suddenly realizes he cannot comprehend the magnitude of this crimson event, well it is exactly that realization which drapes us with God’s glory.

What a story! From the innocence of the baby in Bethlehem’s manger to the open massacre of that same person disturbs our sensibilities. I mean what kind of a story is being told here?? What once was a wonderful story of celebration and humanitarian deeds and the performing of the miraculous, has now take a turn of violence and the macabre. This story has become very, very dark. But that is where you would be deeply in error. This Creator, this God, this Savior has now revealed the core of the story! It is this cross to which the story had always pointed even though we could only interpret the story in a finite and even self serving way. This torture, these wounds, this blood, this cross, this death has always been God’s story to us regardless of how ignorant we wish to remain. And the word “story” is now painfully insufficient as a description for what we have witnessed. A narrative? A report? A novel? A chronicle? No, God Himself has given His own story a word which he desires us to use. The word is “gospel”. Yes, this is the gospel. Amidst all the suffering and blood and gore and sweat this is good news! This is the everlasting gospel which is to be preached to every creature. But there is one chapter which also must be included.

Jesus died. God died. Just accept it since it is beyond us all. And add on top of it all that Jesus died for you and me. Receive it and believe it as if it were the gospel truth for indeed it is. But Jesus did not stay dead. Death could never relax with the final victory and present a dead corpse indefinitely. After three days death was vanquished and life came once again into that dead frame and Jesus resurrected from the dead. I said Jesus resurrected from the dead!!!!! Oh please do not let it be said that we have grown so accustomed to those words that they are now stale and contemptibly familiar. Oh please child of God, please rekindle the fire within you and rejoice! Jesus has risen from the dead!! Oh halleluiah forevermore! Death has been defeated and the Lord of Glory has crushed the serpent’s head! This is not just a dusty old doctrine we pull out of a drawer once a year at “Easter”. This is our joy our salvation and our life! At the cross we found life through His death and at the resurrection we die through His life.

This is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you heard of Jesus lately? Among all the many “issues” which consume us and all the temporal worries that so often imprison us…have you heard about Jesus lately? Well if you haven’t then take hold of your heart and mind and walk once again into His story and wade into the waters of the gospel until they wash you once again. You see, the gospel has been stretched across the expanse of time altogether

I Pet.1: ²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

²⁵ But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Amen and amen.

Terror in the Spirit World

TERROR IN THE SPIRIT WORLD

Have you ever stepped back and watched the ant farm called the human race and seen the horror of it all? The Scriptures clearly tell us that things will get worse and that violence of all kinds will grow. There are many vicious forms of violence that take place around the world every single day. The ones which elicit most attention from us impact us and are usually parochial in nature or affect our own secure existence. It is human nature.

And along with these episodes of violence comes fear; pungent and raw and heartfelt fear. Fear is an incredibly strong emotion which can elicit all kinds of actions.  Fear will make people go insane. Fear will make people hate. Fear will make people kill. Fear can literally make people obsessive about many things and many people. Fear is the opposite of faith and when it roams the halls of the church it removes all spiritual power and redirects the church into earthly remedies.

But with the first “Fear not!” spoken by Bethlehem’s messengers there came a long list of exhortations that told us not to fear. God has not given us the spirit of fear. We cannot, we must not allow fear to become our motivation for anything. It is diametrically opposed to the gospel and the Spirit filled life. We must fear God and Him alone.

Matt.10: ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And herein lies a truth which is so easily discarded in favor of earthly views and the machinations of men. The church is always horrified by these senseless acts of violence which take human lives, but are we horrified by the spiritual terrorism which is openly displayed every single day on all sorts of mediums? We watch people dead and alive being carried on gurneys amidst all the carnage, but we do not see the spiritual carnage being strewn across the world by false teachers and well known heretics.

But our Lord warned us not to fear man who can kill the body but we must fear God. And in these last days do not believe the evil one cannot use creative things to deceive the church. And when we as believers see these acts of terrorism all across the world we will be tempted to concentrate on the temporal and the obvious and thereby we will miss the true warfare in the spirit. The devil wants us to strive to protect the flesh while he damns the soul. It is quite a feat because it is so wily and clever.

These last days will be astonishing by the scope of sin in every area. The church has already compromised to the point of apostasy and the world has made sin an art form. We do not realize how much violence occurs around the world every single day. I am referring to guns and bombs and the like. But how many rapes and child abuse goes on? It is mind boggling even to think of such things. There is violence of all kinds on ever day. A child can be walking along and from the sky, without warning, a drone can drop a bomb and end his life. And this drone can be guided by a man sitting comfortably thousands of miles away in an air conditioned room while sipping on hot coffee. It is surreal.

But there is another form of terrorism that is taking place throughout the evangelical world. And just like these horrific events in Boston we can watch it on television and listen to it on the radio. It is called spiritual terrorism and souls are being metaphorically carried off on gurneys from hell as they breathe their last. People’s hearts and minds are being obliterated in the bloodless carnage. It is practiced openly and legally and in plain sight. And millions upon millions are walking toward it rather than running from it. And instead of church buildings being hospitals for the spiritually wounded many of them have become staging areas for the terror in the spirit.

Yes, I am using metaphorical language but make no mistake; the metaphors do not completely reveal the extent of this spiritual genocide. The weapons are false words and the power is evil. But since this terror comes with many smiles, and since it is employed with many wonderful promises, this kind of terror invites people inside its chamber of death. And once inside this aura of spiritual destruction the victims find good food and good fellowship and a continuing stream of great promises and self affirming words that lift the spirit. You see, even while being spiritually annihilated these victims seem to enjoy it and resist any attempts by others to warn them of their dire situation.

Evil spirits that present themselves as angels of light speak great and swelling words and by them deceive the hearts of many and imprison them into a religious system which has no redemption. And while they promise them all kinds of freedom they are placing them in spiritual bondage and bringing them into a captivity which will cost them their souls. This is no game of dungeons and dragons. This is no church argument over some silly doctrine. This is no envy or ministry jealousy. These are heresies and falsehoods that are designed to bring damnation to souls and keep them from knowing the only truth that can save them. And as I said, the clever and diabolical nature of this spiritual holocaust is that it is accomplished with smiles and songs and radiant faces and financial success and with the promise of a better earthly life.

The leaders of this terrorism do not make videos with black masks and threatening words of hatred. In fact their outreach cannot be more affable and congenial, and their faces glow with care and expectancy. They do not move under the radar and in caves and inconspicuous dwelling places. They travel in private jets and expensive cars and are adorned with the finest clothing. And instead of hiding, they rent huge athletic stadiums or local bar rooms or they even speak at inauguration festivities. Instead of shunning the limelight they invite and orchestrate it!

How can you convince a person that such carnage is being strewn throughout the world when he cannot see it? How can people who are reveling in their own spiritual destruction understand their perilous situation? How can you convince someone who is happy in their earthly success and achievement that what they believe to be a blessing is actually an albatross from hell? And how can you inform a person that the man or woman who they have come to adore is actually a spiritual wolf who is feeding off their eternal souls? The answer is that unless the Spirit enlightens their hearts they both cannot know nor do they desire to know.

But that does not mean we are not to warn them and expose the works of darkness. In fact some of us have been gloriously set free from some of those awful systems. And should we just keep the truth to ourselves? God forbid! Does a man who escapes a fire in his apartment building not turn and try and help others escape? Does he not pull the fire alarm and warn others? Does he not call the fire department? Well how much more are we called by God and a divine duty to lovingly and forcefully and even passionately warn those who are still trapped inside a fire that will one day consume them?

As followers of the Lord Jesus we are still in the world but we are not of the world. We see the carnage around the world and the vicious acts of terrorism and we mourn with those victims. But we also must be aware that there is a massive terrorist effort taking place right now in the spirit realm. Millions of professing believers still do not see it, even many who do not follow these false teachers and blind guides. We will be criticized for what some brethren call ugly and unchristian and unloving. I understand. I understand that they do not understand. We must walk in forgiveness without leaving our post. We must preach the truth in love and we must not allow these heretics to consume us. Christ must consume us and be our daily passion.

But while we hold fast to the cross and walk in His resurrection, we must also speak words of correction and light to all those who are still walking in a pleasant spiritual darkness. Sometimes we do not like it. Sometimes we grow weary. Sometimes we get discouraged. But we cannot, we will not ever deny the truth. And it is His truth from which we  must draw our strength. And the Lord is using His truth to reach some and deliver then out of the hands of the wicked one, and in that we rejoice!

We may not always agree, and we may have different theological perspectives. Some are Calvinists and reformed while others come from a free will perspective, and we may quarrel among ourselves. But make no mistake in this war about which I write we are all brothers in arms against this ever growing spiritual plague. And when one insignificant soul is set free from the clutches of spiritual evil we all rejoice as one! The time is short and the days are evil. Let us pray and speak as if someone’s life depended upon it. It does.

Jesus is the only way to eternal life and His true path is not littered with earthy success and material accoutrements.

Following the true Jesus will cost us.

And if someone says he or she speaks for Jesus and says He will make you rich or healthy or successful on the earth then you must do one of two things.

You either run from that person or die with them.