A Toxic Arena of Sin

A TOXIC ARENA OF SIN

 

For those of you who still participate in this antichrist governmental system, I want to hold up a mirror and show exactly what it is you support. Just as a sidenote, I could mention how many adulterers continue to be elected to state and national office. Even Newt Gringrich, a serial adulterer garnered millions of supporters inside the Republican party which seems to pride itself on its moral stands. Yes, he was running for president and he was the same man who excoriated President Clinton for his philandering. Just this week the Republican party of South Carolina nominated former governor Mark Sanford for the United States senate. Sanford had made his adultery a soap opera while still in office, and at his acceptance rally his fiancé/mistress was there standing and smiling behind him. He introduced her to his delirious fans. Ok, I could go on and on and on and on and I could suggest that at this very moment there are national and state elected officials involved in adultery who have yet to be caught. 

Here is a list of some of the scandals involving federal officials.

 
But I want to narrow it down to one recent case which reveals the putrid nature of the beast and exposes politics for the antichrist fraud that it has always been.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonald was a staunch pro-life governor who attempted to force every abortion candidate to be subjected to a vaginal ultrasound in an effort to dissuade her form having the abortion. A noble pursuit however these are the same people who say they love the Constitution. I guess the Constitution is like Gumby, it can bend and twist when you want it to. Gov. McDonald also has pushed tough legislation designed to make it more difficult to vote, especially for poorer people.

But on his way out of office the governor has crafted a pretty clever golden parachute. To begin with, the chef who was chosen by the governor to work at the governor’s mansion had to leave because he was indicted for felony embezzlement. But in a long tradition of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” the chef and his catering company cooked for the governor’s daughter’s wedding held at the governor’s mansion. And just so there would be no hint of impropriety concerning the former chef, the governor sent his spokesman to inform the press that the family was picking up the tab.

But when questions arose, the spokesman changed his statement to say that the governor’s daughter and her fiancé had picked up the entire tab for the event. Ok…now the plot thickens. It seems by “paying for it” it means the daughter accepted the event as a gift from one of the governor’s campaign contributors. Conveniently, gifts to the family do not need to be reported. But during the eigtht months of his 2009 campaign that same contributor donated over $28,000 worth of air travel to the governor’s political action committee. (PAC) And in 2011 and 2012 the governor received almost $10,000 worth of food and lodging and entertainment from the same company.

Now the company that continues to donate so graciously to the governor produces a product called Anatabloc. It is a non FDA approved anti-inflammatory drug which contains a product produced by the tobacco plant. The company which is the producer is Star Tobacco. You know, Virginia and tobacco. The public launch for the product was held at the governor’s mansion and paid for by the governor’s PAC. Bless be the tie that binds. You inject money into my hands and I will open the mansion doors for you. It’s the American way.

Now three days before the governor’s daughter’s wedding the governor’s wife was flown down to Florida to tout the incredible benefits of using that product. It’s all so warm and fuzzy. Ok all you mothers, what were you doing three days before your daughter’s wedding? I thought so. The company in question is being investigated for transactions involving the company’s securities transactions. And in another warm and fuzzy moment the man chosen as the Republican nominee to succeed Governor McDonald is a significant share holder in that same company. He is in a little hot water for going almost a year without disclosing that he owned those shares of stock.

Are you feeling a little sticky and unclean? I mean these kinds of chummy money deals which live on the very fringe of legality and sometimes cross the line are being done across the nation.

Remember, this guy was being groomed for a possible Republican nomination for vice president and he presents himself as a proud moralist. Oh the unsavory compromises and the under the table gifts and donations and the practice of self aggrandizements flourish within the entire political system. And when these men and women leave office there awaits for them a sea of opportunities to make much more money. President Clinton, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and many, many others have become millionaires many times over just because of their “relationships” with movers and shakers. This American political structure is nothing more than a ponzi scheme self described as “public service”. Yes, the American public is that dumb. Sorry.

And allow me to add just a little more insight into this toxic waste dump.

Thirty years ago Chuck Hagel who is now the Secretary of Defense strongly suggested that the Veteran’s Administration become computerized. Thirty years later they are still not computerized. And now there are almost one million cases backlogged concerning veteran disability claims. And because of two costly wars the number has ballooned. And consider this: While hundreds of thousands of veteran’s await their case to be heard, one veteran per day commits suicide while waiting. Ok, let’s all say the Pledge of Allegiance.

And instead of going into all the diabolical scheming that goes on during war and in the military in general, I direct you to THIS.

That is only a small sampling of a fallen system that is so energetically supported by many who claim to believe in and follow Jesus. I suggest and strongly contend Jesus is not in that system and that all who claim His name should come out from among them.

Resume general swim, but do not drink the water.

Me and My Grandaughter

ME AND MY GRANDAUGHTER

 

The Homophobic Gospel

THE HOMOPHOBIC GOSPEL

Rom.3: - ²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Since the fall of Adam sin has always existed and been practiced upon the earth. There are ebbs and flows as it pertains to certain kinds of sin, but sin itself continues its long and effervescent legacy. From the killings of the Inquisition, to the death and destruction left by Alexander the Great, to the humanistic Greek philosophers, to the Holocaust of Hitler’s Germany, and now with millions upon millions of abortions every year around the world, sin leaves its mark without embarrassment. The world is literally teeming with sin in all its forms and ways.

Since Jesus spoke in the first chapter of Acts about a worldwide gospel mission, and since the Day of Pentecost fulfilled His prophetic words of a coming power from on high, the church has been commissioned to spread the good news and to live lives which substantiate our gospel witness. We are called to be active and to “GO!” rather than be reactive according to the present dictates of the fallen culture. There is a vital and unmistakable difference between those two scenarios. In fact, one negates the gospel and expends much energy attempting to clean the outside of the cultural cup while the other spreads the gospel of redemption which is the only remedy for that same culture.

We live in an informationally drenched culture which disseminates all kinds of reports and information on a moment by moment basis and through a variety of media sources. Most of it, even though it is true, is clouded and shaded by the source through words and pictures and many levels of hyperbole. What we receive through the secular media has been processed through the perspectives of the men and women who manage that particular news source. So the focus and the tenor by which it is presented is slanted toward the opinion of the source. And it is no secret that our minds are easily affected by those kinds of commercialized news reports. And when they add the insights of “experts” millions are deeply affected in the way the news source has designed it.

And, sadly, the church has fallen prey to the wiles of the ever expanding informational age and the technology which places a variety of media receptacles in every room in our homes, in our automobiles, and in the palm of our hands. In effect we are walking antennas whose ears and eyes and minds are wide open waiting for the next piece of opinionated news or even blatant gossip. And when our ears and eyes and minds receive such things, it eventually makes its way into our hearts. Yes, we have been subtly manipulated by the fallen culture. And when the weight of that manipulation and deception is multiplied by the great numbers of professing believers being deceived, the church collectively falls into that same deception.

And instead of faithful shepherds warning the flock about this present evil age, these ministers are complicit and deceived as well. And instead of passionately speaking words of deliverance derived from God’s Word, these ministers use their oratorical prowess to fortify and even build upon the deception that has captured their flocks. Yes, they are blind guides who are not content with their own personal blindness. They must speak lies to their listeners and harden their hearts even further. It is an astonishing thing to behold for us who have been rescued from such deception by God’s grace, so we can only imagine how God Himself views this unfolding horror.

And with all the media outlets I have referenced, it offers many opportunities to publicize the heresies and the spiritual blindness entrenched within the evangelical community. Which brings me to the point of my post. Let me provide a link from which I will speak about what I now refer to as the homophobic gospel. As you read it please remember that the man doing the interviewing is a vicious individual who has called President Obama a real life demon. And the man being interviewed is the President of the largest protestant denomination in the world, the Southern Baptist Convention.  

HERE is that interview.

Ok, when I read that interview I was immediately reminded of the saying “Stupid is as stupid does”. Can it get any more bizarre and ridiculous? Let me rant for a minute before I come down from the ledge and deal with a serious principle. It is astounding to me that this man represents a leader in the evangelical community. And if you google the interviewer named Rick Wiles you will see some unbelievable quotes that are even crazy in a secular setting to say nothing of a setting which supposedly follows Jesus. And Pastor Fred Luter suggested that the world needs more men like Wiles. And when Wiles suggests that the nuclear threat coming from North Korea could be God punishing America for its stand on gay marriage, Pastor Luter admitted he was not real proficient in prophecy but that could well be a possibility. (Ok, at this point my breathing has become more pronounced.)

But there is an underlying principle that openly ignores our gospel commission and makes the church a reactionary moral institution rather than a place of redemption and humility. How and where did the church buy into their own moral superiority and ignore the many sins from which we were forgiven including the ones we commit today? And how can we present our orthodox doctrine which states that unconverted sinners cannot even know Biblical truth and are dead in their sins, and then we turn around and become obsessed with their sins? Homosexual behavior is a sin, but given how scarce the New Testament deals with that specific sin, how is it we have made it the pinnacle of all sins?

And men who look at women every day with lust in their hearts can climb a self righteous pedestal and speak volatile words about men who have same sex attractions including the unsaved? And now God is so mad about it He might use nuclear weapons from a godless culture? What kind of madness is this? This is not some unsaved Baptist conversing with an unsaved Catholic over a beer in a bar. This is the so called leader of a Christian denomination speaking insanity! It wasn’t too long ago that preachers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson said that AIDs was God’s punishment for homosexuals. I guess God is still experimenting with a disease for adulterers and pedophiles.

Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, economic collapse, unexpected deaths, and the events of 9/11 have all been assigned divine design centering upon same sex attractions.

But being obsessed with homosexual behavior does provide camouflage for the rampant sins within the church. I mean divorce has become an Olympic sport among believers. Greed and avarice are considered Biblical. Prayerlessness is pervasive. And how the kingdom of darkness operates is an obsession which replaces a passionate sharing of the gospel. And now the gay thing has become a replacement for the gospel.

Mary Griffith was a devout Christian in a conservative Presbyterian church in the 1970s and into the early 1980s. One of her sons. Bobby, had a secret. He felt same sex attractions since he was a child, and since he heard how people like him were going to hell, and since he heard many derisive remarks about gay people from his family and friends, he struggled to keep his feelings to himself. He had even heard his grandmother suggest they line up all the gays and shoot them. He even dated girls. But after confiding to his sister about his issue, his secret soon became know to his family. His mother especially tried counseling and prayer and strong admonitions to have him “cured”, but to no avail.

All the while Bobby was tortured inside because of his feelings. He desperately desired to be free and the condemnation he suffered from others was unbearable. He became seriously depressed and lived daily with a self loathing that most people never dream could even be possible. One day Bobby could no longer endure himself. He walked to a highway overpass and jumped in front of an eighteen wheel tractor trailer and was killed immediately. There are many believers who strongly and ignorantly suggest that all same sex attractions are a matter of choice. In Bobby Griffith’s case that was some choice. Suicide is prevalent among gay people with a self loathing being a common component.  

But this kind of personal tragedy elicits very little sympathy or compassion from the evangelical community. It seems very clear that our heterosexual credentials mean more to us than the souls of men. Moralism, which is a form of self righteousness, has overtaken the church. Content and satisfied with our doctrine and our ecclesiastical activities and our high tech Sunday services, the church literally has become insulated from the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the message of the cross. And in an amazing display of self serving motives, the gay community has been singled out as sinners above all the rest. And to be perfectly honest it isn’t the souls of gay people which motivates the church; it’s the political perspective and the affect they might have on the already fallen culture.

And now not only does the gay community have to dodge the sling and arrows of the evangelical church, but now they better duck from the incoming North Korea nukes! I believe it’s time once again to search for Jesus. Of course He now seems to be calling the righteous and treating the unrighteous as political fodder. Correction: That is the Jesus of the church and not the Jesus as revealed by Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

Avoid this homophobic gospel and embrace the true gospel which call all sinners equally to repent and believe.

Hell Yawns Even Wider

HELL YAWNS EVEN WIDER

Is.5: ¹⁴ Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

 

In the 16^th century men like Martin Luther and John Calvin actively led a revolt against the heretical teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. That movement is called the Reformation. Recently the Roman Catholic Church has been quite successful in recruiting Protestants from all denominations to convert back to the Roman Catholic Church. It is quite astounding to see not only Baptists and Pentecostals become Roman Catholic, but preachers as well. And men like Scott Hahn and Marcus Grodi, both former Presbyterians, converted to Catholicism and now are instrumental in alluring protestants into the Roman Catholic Church.

In actuality the core of their argument is not Biblical but a suggestion that the Roman Catholic Church was the first church ordained by the Lord and headed initially by the Apostle Peter. They argue that God set up His church and that His church, the Roman Catholic Church, is the only church that can be traced unbroken back to Pentecost. Of course some Baptists and Church of Christ and others claim the very same thing. That is the foundation for their argument.

And with that supposed evidence, combined with the growing discontent within the evangelical community, many Protestants and non-Catholics are converting. There is a program on the Catholic network entitled “Coming Home” which interviews recent converts weekly. And the core elements in most of the testimonies are a searching heart and an acknowledgement that the Roman Catholic Church was the original church that continues today. Many have read the early “church fathers” and take their teachings as truth since they lived closest to the time of Jesus. Now that presents some real problems since it makes men the arbiter of church truth.

While some of these people claim the close proximity to the life of Jesus raises their spiritual insight above and beyond all others, there is another way to look at it which is equally as valid. Some of those early church fathers did not have the completed New Testament and they did not have a time tested perspective which could discard many traditions and Old Testament carry overs. But when sifted Biblically, the Roman Catholic Church has many bizarre teachings. But the most grievous teaching of all is that salvation is through a system of works. But all men including the so called "church fathers" must bow to Sacred Scripture for truth.

Having said all that I now must address something else. Although there are evangelical ministers who have not converted to the Roman Catholic faith, there are some who are diabolical bridges of spiritual treachery and who are leading masses to confusion and even destruction. Some say nothing but others endorse error and falsehoods and by their words they lead even millions astray. Rick Warren is one of the worst and is a false teacher to some extreme. The Roman Catholic Church has begun a movement called “Coming Home” which seeks to bring all people back to the “Mother Church”. And Rick Warren has openly expressed support for that effort and that movement.

HERE is the article.

Can you even believe such a thing? Here in these last days men are suggesting a reverse Reformation. And so called protestant ministers endorse such a thing? It is almost beyond belief except that we know how diabolical the evil one is. Men and women throughout church history suffered and even died at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church and yet today Rick Warren opens the door for souls to enter. This is a spiritual paradox which takes deception to a whole new level. This is deception evangelism at the hands of those who claim to know Jesus. Truth lies massacred in the streets and lost souls scurry to pick it up.

 

Hell hath enlarged itself and men are holding open the doors.

Show Me Your Testimony

SHOW ME YOUR TESTIMONY

Rev.6: ⁹ And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Rev.12: ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
¹² Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Every believer should have a testimony that both reflects his original conversion as well as reflects his present conversion. When you ask a believer to share his testimony he should have shared it many, many times already. I realize that some people get converted as young children, but their testimony should reflect how that original conversion worked its way out as they grew up and how it was confirmed in later years. But when a professing believer seems uncertain about his conversion experience it can be very troubling.

Not everyone has a Damascus Road experience, but every believer should at least be well aware of when he saw the light of the gospel and his heart was transformed. We all grow in the Lord at different rates, and most of us have struggled at times, but without a testimony we seem to be just religious people. The afore mentioned Apostle Paul gladly shared his testimony before paupers and kings. Men’s arguments dissipate when a person has had a personal encounter with the Crucified and Risen Christ. I know I am saved because of God’s Word and because I was there when it happened. Yes, I have a testimony.

I have not always lived up to my testimony to say nothing of living up to my Risen Lord in all His glory, but it always nourishes my soul to relive and retell my testimony. As the song goes, “Take me back to the time where I first met you”. And even in the midst of his correction and repentance, the Patriarch David asked God to “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation”. After all the theological arguments subside, and after all the systematic theologies have been read, there is nothing that can compare with the day God’s Spirit came to live inside a lost sinner and in that moment darkness became light.

I was baptized as an infant and raised in a mainline Lutheran church where my mother was choir director and my father went on Christmas and Easter. I went to three years of catechism and was confirmed as a member as I received my first communion. Despite all the ceremony I was lost and did not have a personal knowledge of Christ. I was a disinterested high school student and although my SATs allowed me to attend college I squandered my first year and dropped out. I quickly went into alcohol, drugs, and a promiscuous lifestyle. I became involved with drug dealing as well as violence.

I was an out of control train racing toward the cliff with no thought of tomorrow. It was all a game and survival and pleasure was the goal. In my life there were arrests and police and violence and drugs sold right into the high school. I was notorious in my community and I loved it. I was planning to rob a bank and kill the guard as we went in. I stood 6 foot 5 inches with platform shoes, a 18” afro, a red dog collar with gold studs, and I was looking for trouble. It was all planned out.

But something happened in March of 1975 that changed everything.

Jesus.

I cannot show you heaven, and I cannot show you eternal life. But what I can show you is a transformed life changed completely by the power of Christ. The man I described died in 1975, and a new man was born. I am observably imperfect and I still sin. But I can stand before you and say my testimony is this. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and to Him alone I cling. I have let Him down many times but He has always been faithful to me. I am not what I could be. I am not what I should be. But since 1975 I am not what I was.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.

That is my testimony.

Women of Impact

WOMEN OF IMPACT

 

Newsweek has come out with a list of “Women of Impact”. The list includes many women celebrities, sports figures, business figures, and of course political women. But I have my own list of women of impact. They are:

 

Mary (Bible)

Deborah (Bible)

Elizabeth (Bible)

Mary Magdalene (Bible)

Suzanna Wesley

Blandina

Harriet Tubman

Joni Ericson

Many more I have known personally.

And every mother who teaches her children of Jesus and lives a godly example before them.

There are more, but these shine bright for me. Can you add any?

A Radiant Saint

A RADIANT SAINT

Her name was Helen Ewan.

His name is Jesus.

(This post was inspired by this post.)

The Mind of Christ - Paradise Lost?

THE MIND OF CHRIST

PARADISE LOST?

Phil.2: ³ Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

When we speak about examples and templates, these verses reveal an astounding truth which is deeper than any human mind can comprehend. Just the incarnation itself is unfathomable. But to understand that God in the flesh came to die at the hands of sinful man and suffer both the indignity and the excruciation of the cross is beyond us. Yes, we can understand it theologically but we can never fully comprehend the profound nature of such a narrative. Just the fact that God is a spirit cannot be defined in human terms so how are we to come to grips with the incarnate passion?

And just when we are spellbound and overcome with unspeakable emotion concerning the sacrifice of Jesus our Lord, then we are presented with this almost insurmountable exhortation, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”. What? To understand the enormity of the condescension as God became a man and died for His enemies is one challenge, but to emulate that revelation is a seemingly unachievable journey. But still that is where the Spirit is leading. And that is a place of such sacred humility that it boggles any mind that fully comprehends what is being asked of us.

This kind of humility goes way beyond allowing a person to jump ahead of you in a grocery line, or letting someone take the last piece of cake, or thanking your teammates for your award. In fact this kind of divine humility cannot even be considered among all the earthly definitions of humility. This kind of humility must be sought diligently just to grasp the principle even in part. And when you have clearly understood the enormous nature of such a quest, then the task of practical implementation presents a challenge which is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and completely at odds with what the culture demands. And the church almost completely ignores the subject, and when it does address humility the teachings are embarrassingly self serving and tepid.

But to walk in the mind of Christ, and that being translated into actions and words, is a great mystery. But even if you desire to just explore that mystery you will have to disconnect with the institutional church. Since the institutional church has lost any sense of such hallowed spiritual ground it can only hinder any genuine pursuit of living in the power of Christ’s humble love and sacrifice. Only in a spiritual environment that is free from the pressure of the accepted and the ecclesiastical norm can we seek that which has been lost and remains fully hidden by the western evangelical construct, practice, and teachings.

Imagine the sacrifice revealed when one person gives his life for another. Then imagine that person is giving his life for his enemy. But as breathtaking as that scenario is, imagine that the person giving his life is God the Creator. No human can fully grasp what that entails, however we can seek to understand. But in today’s utilitarian atmosphere the mind of Christ is defined as being pro-life, pro traditional marriage, and fiscally conservative. That not only completely misses the point, but it is an affront to what Christ sacrificed. And it dilutes and dismantles the exhortation to all who seek to follow and be like Jesus. It is like presenting a mile run and allowing a person to take two steps and declaring it a finished race.

What place would politics find in a life which walked in such humility? What place would divorce have? Where would the self esteem gospel be when presented with the mind of Christ? The prosperity gospel? If the church sought to think and live with the mind of Christ how dramatic would it change us personally and collectively? I do not speak froma perfect personal experience for if I suggested I was acquainted with such humility I would most certainly be a liar. But what I do suggest is that there is a spiritual expanse which remains untapped and which holds the precious jewels contained in the Person and Spirit of Jesus Christ.

What I am suggesting is that the very core of the Christian life has been decimated by the designs of men who have treated the church like a business. They have used it as a political and moral force rather than a threshing floor which continually sifts the believers, removing the chaff, and sending them forth as sheaves of wheat always growing and always dying. We have lost sight of what it means to follow Jesus. Our definition of following Jesus is now earthly and encumbered with all kinds of temporal cares. Instead of being living sacrifices we now are moral and political and patriotic forces with which to be reckoned. And this is a great tragedy.

Have you died? Tell me where and when you died. I do not speak of your original conversion since that took place in the Spirit, but when and where have you laid down your desires, your cravings, your opinions, your perspectives, and your very life? Jesus comes in the form of one of His enemies and dies for them as well. Can that be said of us? Did complaints come from your lips last month? How many professing believers murmured and complained and criticized during the month of March but were heard through those same lips singing praises on “Easter” morning? It most curious this thing we call “church” is it not? We can be faithful to an organization while being unfaithful to its founder.

And so it is that a beaten and bruised figure drags His own instrument of death to His own place of execution. He is bloodied beyond recognition and although already dying He is still being mocked and cursed. He has done nothing wrong and He knows it. In fact, He is going to die for the ones who now mock Him. And all the while He has it in His power to stop this madness and destroy His enemies. But He chooses to love those who hate Him.

And therein lies the exhortation and the challenge which has so easily been dismissed as it pertains to being a disciple of Jesus. We have made discipleship an aptitude test of the Christian tenants and a doctrinal SAT exam which can be passed with paper and pen. But in reality, it is not how well you can explain the incarnation and the redemptive qualities of Golgotha’s sacrifice, but how do those eternal realities find their expression through the living prism of your being. We can impute doctrinal truths into a computer and have them printed out, but we are commanded to translate those truths into words and deeds that are mirrors of divine incandescence.

And presented with that monumental but incontrovertible exhortation do we beseech our Heavenly Father day and night for His power to accomplish His will? Are we filled with the responsibility to be Jesus in this present world? Do we hunger and thirst for more revelation about what it means to be Jesus within the intersection of the spiritual and the practical? Do we hate the flesh and all its attempts to foist itself upon us? Do we reject the sound of our own voice in favor of the voice of God? If we have been called to walk with the same mind as the crucified Christ then how can we be content with being one in a long line of Sunday morning lemmings whose lives reflect the narcissism that defines the culture?

 

Can we defend our rights and defend the Constitution and still be like Jesus? Can we spew demeaning words about sinners and still be like Jesus? Can we tout our own heterosexual righteousness and still be like Jesus? Can we press our economic rights and still be like Jesus? Can we form moral cliques and still be like Jesus? Can we make fun of people and still be like Jesus? Can we allocate our allegiance on different levels and still be like Jesus? 

Can we say we believe in Jesus and not be like Jesus? Is that enough to please God? Is that enough to reach others? If you are affirmed by your local church, is that enough and does that reflect the Scriptures? Is that what your Lord and Savior is worth? What have we done to the Christian faith when almost anyone who mumbles some profession of faith is declared saved and ready for heaven? And tens of thousands of churches view baptism and tithing and church attendance as the acceptable marks of a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, but humility, to say nothing of the humility found in Philippians chapter two, is rarely even a pulpit topic much less a pew manifestation.

Yes, the church has come a long way, but we have come a long way on our own.

A Monstrous Idol - Capitalism

A MONSTROUS IDOL

CAPITALISM

I Cor.10: ¹⁴ Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Idolatry is a sin. We often see it in the strict sense of bowing before a sculpture or a golden calf. We seldom see idolatry as it is practiced within our own culture since we do not physically bow before anything. However there are many idols among us as well as in the church regardless of how we do or do not bow before them physically. No one can worship God while he worships idols. This is a sad tale of spiritual adultery and a people who turned away from Christ in order to cling to false idols.

Some treat their homes and cars as idols. Some embrace sports teams or pets as idols. Some see their ethnicity or even their gender as idols. All of us are tempted to embrace idols in some form. But there is an idol which has not just crept into the church. It has been welcomed and celebrated. This idol has compromised almost every area of spiritual life. It has made people have divided loyalties. It has made people hate. It has made people embrace violence. It has made people self righteous. It has created sectarianism. And in many ways it has changed the nature of Christ and the nature of the gospel. The depth and seriousness of this spiritual compromise cannot be overstated.

I have watched and listened as preachers and Sunday School teachers and mature believers have fallen under the spell of this idol and have allowed it both change their views as well as change their tone. I do not know what else to do but to continue to expose this idolatry for the spiritual adultery that it is. It is commonly called nationalism and it is expressed as a love and allegiance for a certain nation. In this case it is of course America. Although I see some believers coming out of this major deception I continue to be most saddened by its continuing affect upon many more.

But I would like to peel off all the layers of this deception and expose it for what it is. The reason people love America and are willing to defend it even with war is because of the lifestyle it now provides. In essence, it is the prosperity in America which elicits affection and loyalty and even love. Yes, money itself is basically at the root of patriotism. If this were a very poor nation which offered little in the way of success it would be a somewhat different story. It was in the midst of this prosperity that the prosperity movement within the church was birthed. And most of the evangelical churches in America considers wealth to be a blessing from God without exception.

Even the moral issues take a back seat to money. It isn’t President Obama’s pro-choice stand which elicits the most fire from the church. It isn’t his stance on gay marriage either. He is called a socialist and portrayed as deconstructing the American way of life which is code for taking our property and money. People are against illegal aliens because they believe they are a strain on the American budget. The term “liberal” is a pejorative that indicates higher taxes and social programs. Everything either directly or indirectly revolves around money. “How can gay marriage revolve around money”, you ask? Watch:

 

 

And there it is unvarnished and naked for all to see. While the church contends that gay marriage is unbiblical on moral grounds many have ulterior motives. Can you actually believe such a thing? Matthew Hagee is the son of prosperity preacher John Hagee. Money and capitalism is a god to these kinds of hucksters and even gay marriage means a hit on our pocketbooks. What kind of twisted mind sees things like this economically? I will tell you. It is a mind consumed with the love of money. They see capitalism as a divine gift and a pathway to divine prosperity.

Of course I do not suggest any earthly economic structure as divine. But capitalism is basically an economic and political system which touts personal aggrandizement through industriousness and clever investment. It is seen as a ladder to personal and accumulated wealth.

So nationalism in America is completely tethered to the issue of wealth and the accumulation of such wealth. On earth there is little wrong with such a system, however how can we reconcile that with God’s Word? The New Testament is replete with warnings about seeking wealth and storing up such wealth. But it is astounding how clear Scriptural teaching has been sacrificed upon the altar of the cultural norm. When it comes to money, the lusts of men’s hearts have become the driving exegetical force. Personal wealth is the peg hole into which the cylinder of Scripture must fit.

Money is little more than the tangible revelation of extreme narcissism which is the antithesis of the Christian faith and practice. When a culture has been built, processed, and made successful upon the making and keeping of money then it can have an enormous affect on people’s thought patterns and perspectives. Anyone who seems to inhibit our path to financial gain is met with disdain and acrimony. And those who seem to be supported by our hard fought financial gain without showing an acceptable level of industriousness are often hated. Money is a pie from which everyone draws and about which many fight. I am owed my slice of that pie and I must build upon that first slice until I own my own pie.

And when a culture encourages behavior both openly and subtly to that end, then the integrity of the Christian faith is in jeopardy. There can be only two paths for our faith when we live in and among a culture such as this. Either we humbly but forcefully fight to remain separated from the philosophies of that culture, or we slowly but surely acquiesce to those philosophies. And if the church embraces those philosophies, then there is no battle at all. And eventually the church construct, the church practices, the church buildings, and even the church theology become a reflection of the culture rather than of Scripture.

And even dismissing the carnal ramblings of such men as Hagee, the western church has become a powerless organization which spends obscene amounts of money on staff and buildings and self serving activities. Sunday after Sunday millions upon millions of evangelical church members pour into debt ridden buildings for a few hours and then return to their innocuous and unremarkable lives which appear very similar to those who stayed home on Sunday. And because the church has become a willing part of the culture, words of hate, words of complaint, words of greed, words of pride, and all kinds of words in support of vain philosophies are common within the community of faith.

And woven within the entire fabric is money and a hedonistic lifestyle. The deception has become so deep and so profound that even capitalism is embraced as coming down from heaven. Any criticism of capitalism is viewed as an attack on America and vice versa. But we as believing followers of Jesus should never embrace anything except the words which proceed from God’s mouth. And if we take just the Sermon on the Mount alone as a divine template, well we must admit we have strayed far from home. That is unless we chose to defend our opinions over God’s Word. And if that is what you desire than you need not go further than the Sunday morning service.

The Wrath of God

THE WRATH OF GOD

I am a redemptive person because I believe that God is a redemptive God. HERE are my thoughts.

Jude makes it clear that some respond to the compassion contained within the gospel, while others are stirred by the fear of God. And I suggest that the church has lost any sense of the fear of God. And I am not just speaking of reverence, but I am speaking of literal fear. The church operates without a trace of the fear of God except for a few self righteous people who seem to love God’s wrath.

Rev.6: ¹⁶ And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

¹⁷ For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

As we approach the end of all things and the sure coming judgment of God upon this world, we must present a balanced view of Almighty God including the unpleasant aspects of His character. This is not to paint God as a white male with a long beard who relishes in dishing out severe punishment. But this is to present the truth that God has provided a way for redemption, but that all who will stand before Him draped in their own sins will face unfathomable justice without the mercy and grace only found through Jesus Christ. This is no fairy tale; this is no fable; this is no small issue.

I realize that such things are seen as archaic perspectives which have long since given way to a more enlightened picture of the Creator. I realize that things on this earth have become so enjoyable that even Christianity has had to adjust its divine presentations. I realize that our own minds see such things as unreasonable and out of touch with the modern realities. I realize all those things and more. But I implore you to examine your view of God juxtaposed against the revelation of Holy Scripture and with that decide to which will you surrender and pursue. You are not running toward the end. The end is racing toward you.

I was raised in a home where there was little domestic unpleasantness. My mother and father did not fight, and my father was a mild mannered man. But I can remember one day going on a visit with my mother to another home and hearing the father swear and get angry. I was afraid. Perhaps you were raised in a home where there was strife and perhaps you felt uncomfortable and even afraid sometimes. And many children cringe at the thought of an angry father or mother coming at them with anger. It happens in millions of homes.

But now pause and think of what fear we should feel if we give any credibility to the Scriptures. It is almost impossible to imagine the immensity of the wrath of the Creator God. To even bring up the subject in this modern evangelical climate is to lose your evangelical audience. But be that as it may, there are still many clear and undeniable warnings in Scripture that expose a coming judgment from Almighty God. And that fact has found so little place in this modern version of Christianity that people no longer actually believe it and the lost world is no longer confronted with it.

People today only fear death because it may bring a cessation of their personal party. They wish they could extend their earthly stay so as to continue to enjoy its fleshly fancies. And any philosophical suggestion concerning the afterlife seems reasonable and legitimate. In fact, the more pleasant the better. Any hint of judgment is rejected as religious folklore and must be erased in favor of self serving sophistry. The fallen nature of man hungers and thirst for and even demands words of comfort and encouragement even if it means you must tell lies and half truths.

It is true that God is a God of redemption. And that redemption is offered by faith alone in what God the Son has finished for us. But outside that very fine line which begins and ends with Jesus is a territory lined with justice and accountability. Yes, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. It seems so ethereal and filled with fantastic imagery. But what will you do when that which seemed so much Brother’s Grimm materializes into a reality which eclipses everything you thought was reality? What would it cost you to take a month or two and search out if these things are true?

What would it cost you if you do not search them out and you found yourself in the midst of everything you ignored with no way out and without a second chance? One day you will stand before a Holy God. On that day He will either come to you as your Savior, or He will come to you as your judge. As Jesus asked the disciples He asks you today.

“Who do you say that I am”.    

There are many, many truths presented in the Scriptures, and there are many attributes of God also presented in those same Scriptures. But as it pertains to justice, wrath, punishment, retribution, and the eternal consequences of our sin there is only one issue which can cause God to redirect those revelations of who He is and direct His mercy, grace, and life giving attributes toward those who once were pending recipients of His justice.

The issue is Jesus, His Son.

So God has offered up His own Son as a sacrifice for our sin. No human mind can fully comprehend that magnitude of that gift. But to all who refuse that gift of grace there awaits an amazing and mind boggling power called the wrath of God. If you could even get a small glimpse of such power you would immediately be convinced to run to Jesus.

Jn.3: ³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

God’s wrath is coming.

For our God is a consuming fire.

There is still time.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

Gay Marriage?

GAY MARRIAGE?

There are only two kingdoms. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. There is no gray area and no one can straddle those two kingdoms. And the only way to enter the kingdom of God is through a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the born again experience. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the key which unlocks that door. Millions upon millions have attempted to enter through other doors and millions have assumed they were successful; however upon their death they have surely found that they were deceived and ultimately they had lost their souls.

But as believing followers of Jesus Christ and citizens of the kingdom of God do we seek the approval of men? And in that same context, are we interested in what rules the kingdom of darkness uses to rule their kingdom? There is no common ground at all, and many times things that seem  common to both kingdoms are subtly and cleverly used as Trojan Horses which bring in all sorts of confusion among God’s people. And many times God’s people become so distracted about these issues that they literally leave the gospel. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. No man can serve two masters.

This week the Supreme Court of the United States is deciding the issue of gay marriage. And while this is happening millions of professing believers are not only consumed with that issue, but many are forecasting national doom if the court decides unbiblically. So what they are saying is that although millions of people are engaged in sexual sins of all kinds across the nation, but if they call what two men are doing a “marriage” that will really tick God off. Do we as believers seek the approval of men?

Many years ago it became evident that people were leaving their spouses and claiming they were never married. And so that demanded a more concrete way to make marriage official. So the culture suggested that a priest or minister officiate the ceremony and sign an official document recognized by the government. In general that is how we have arrived at the traditional marriage construct in the west. And the reason the church went along with it and still does is primarily financial. Today it revolves around taxes and the ability to receive a fair divorce settlement.

But eventually the church got married the same way as does the world. Sadly the church gets divorced the same way as the world. Let us be clear. The government does not force anyone to “get married”. You could stand in front of a company of believers and have the elders officiate your vows and pronounce you married before God without any governmental validation. But again you might relinquish some tax benefits and in the event of a divorce you would face some obstacles.

But as we walk before Jesus in the kingdom of God we have been called to be salt and light in order to let God use us to draw men to the gospel. We are in this world but not of it. So how are we as believers supposed to get involved with the rule making within the kingdom of darkness? We know that God teaches us that marriage is between a man and a woman, and more specifically between a male follower of Jesus and a female follower of Jesus. That is the New Covenant way of the family.

But within the kingdom of darkness and among those who reject Christ, does God offer some ground rules? Does God accept and ordain a marriage between two Satan worshipers? Between two Muslims? Between two atheists? I ask you, to what purpose is it that the marriage of two hell bound sinners is accepted and approved of God? How can two completely fallen enemies of God have a sanctified marriage? The answer is that in God’s sight they cannot. Everything an unredeemed sinner does is fallen and has no righteousness whatsoever. He is incapable of doing anything acceptable in the sight of God.

So the marriages that take place outside the kingdom of God are little more than part of a fallen culture. They cannot be approved of God. And in that light, we as believers must always look at the kingdom of darkness with a redemptive eye and not with an eye to modifying their behavior without Christ. And that principle is exactly where the church has made their mistake and through that mistake we have constructed a competition to the gospel. Nationalism and a desire to moralize a fallen culture has displaced the Great Commission. And in order to keep a thin layer of divinity upon that earthly mission the church has embraced and taught that America is a kind of New Testament Israel even if we refuse to put it in those terms.

And I have said all that to say this. What does it matter to the kingdom of God what the kingdom of darkness does? Gay men and women are allowed to live together and engage in whatever they desire, so why does the word “marriage” elicit such energy from believers? The world can call a “duck” a “cow” but it is still a duck. The entire realm of sin, and more specifically sexual sin, as it is believed and practiced in the world is a colossal mess. And the government’s attempt to make it more acceptable is useless before God and should be irrelevant to us who follow Jesus.

The sanctity of marriage is in shambles within and without the church. But what the world describes as morality and acceptable has no consequences for the church. Fallen is fallen. Depraved is depraved. We cannot accept the world’s definition of marriage, but neither is that our battle. Let the Supreme Court make gay marriage legal. Let the states vote to accept gay marriage. That does not change God’s Word, and it should not deter us from living and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not war against the flesh or the government. We battle against spiritual wickedness in high places whose desire is to damn the souls of men, gay or straight.

Gay marriage is coming and is already here. One of the most diabolical strategies of the evil one is to convince people that just because they are against gay marriage they are right with God and have eternal life. But in every situation and as it pertains to all these issues the answer will always be the same. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. Let us not fight useless battles, but let us go without the camp bearing His reproach and sharing the redemptive love of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Political endeavors concerning morality, regardless from which side they emanate, are not only hollow but they are enemies of the gospel.

The Sacrificing of Human Flesh

THE SACRIFICING OF HUMAN FLESH

This post emanates from a post from APOSTASY WATCH.

I must admit that I find very little wiggle room concerning the narrative of how the white man came and settled in America and how the indigenous people, the American Indians, were obliterated and provided a few token places in which to exist. I could never imagine anyone denying that the Indians were not treated fairly, and I strongly felt that no follower of Jesus could ever justify such a literal genocide. But I was wrong.

I can hardly believe how vicious and violent much of the church has become. David Barton is a well known Christian historian. HERE is his opinion concerning the massacre of the American Indians.

David Barton insists that America was God’s modern darling and that it was founded as a Christian nation unlike any other in history. He even suggests that almost all of the founding fathers were evangelical believers. He is endorsed by a wide cross section of the church including word of faith and emergent and orthodox teachers and preachers. But here he is suggesting that the American Indians were sacrificed and slaughtered by God so they would sign treaties that had only the European interests at heart. It is an astounding teaching which goes against the entirety of the New Testament while supporting the patriotic rationale.

I remain astounded at how little human life means when American interests are at stake. The same people who are against abortion and call themselves pro-life can so easily dismiss the lives of many millions of American Indians as if they are just collateral damage necessary to fulfill God’s dream. Their loyalty to America runs so deep and so strong that they not only reject the teachings of Jesus, but they feel no compassion for other human beings? And starving the Indians by wiping out the buffalo was necessary to force them to sign a treaty which in essence makes them prisoners of the white man?

How can anyone suggest that this kind of perspective is Christian? How can we endorse such violence in Jesus’ name? Did the early believers come to America to be a light to the darkness or did they come to start their own nation regardless of the human cost? There is a vast difference between those two. Is it any wonder why the kingdom of darkness sees very little difference between their views and the views of those who say they walk in light?

If Jesus endorses such human slaughter than we can assume the Scriptures are a concoction of man since they reveal teachings that go against any such notion. But if the Scriptures are breathed of God then we cannot allow earthly allegiances to be our standard. Even if what they teach seems at odds with what the majority of the evangelical community believes then let the Scriptures be true and the church be a liar.

So when pagans are ignorant and brutal they are expendable especially if they occupy a portion of land we desire? This is utter madness but it follows a logical path which is laid out by nationalism. The end justifies the means when you have something other than Jesus as your pursuit. Throughout history the church has had arguments over points of doctrine. But this places human life on the altar of nation building and it devalues the human soul and makes millions of eternal souls little more than obstructions living on land which God desires so much He is willing to let the land flow with the blood of millions of indigenous people including women and children. And that is the God called Jesus in the gospels? Please show me that revelation.

So we as believing followers of Jesus are faced with a stark reality. Are we to follow Jesus or the church? Are we to alter the gospel narratives and present a twisted version of Jesus that orchestrates genocide or are we going to present the Jesus who taught things contrary to the dictates of his and our culture? There is no common ground. One is sinking sand while the other is the Rock. Be aware, though, that the sinking sand is the well worn path that is accepted in evangelical circles while the Rock will be criticized by a man’s friends and family. One will cost you while the other will be applauded.

The Fruit of a Changed Heart

THE FRUIT

of a

CHANGED HEART

Jer.17: ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Every person born after Adam is born with a fallen nature, or in other words a fallen and sinful heart. That little baby, although innocent compared with adults, has a fallen nature which will be revealed and honed after some months and years of growth. Every child comes with a capacity to sin and every child exercises that capacity with great energy. The deception that is inherent within a human heart is so deep and so clever, that it even deceives the person it inhabits. It is an evil miracle so to speak.

The evil heart of man knows no limits and can even invent evil things. It will sin not only with impunity, but it will sin cloaked as a good deed. This kind of diabolical energy comes from the evil one and from the profound strength of sin itself. Sin builds upon sin and produces an earthly strength which imprisons the souls and reaches out to imprison others. This kind of evil can even appear as messengers of righteousness and as prophets of the Most High God when in reality they are agents of Satan himself. And all this and more emanates from within the hidden places of the human heart. The prophet rightly asks the question, “Who can know it?”

But within that fallen heart there is a knowledge of the existence of a god on some level. And all men are held accountable before God. No man can find God and the Lord Jesus without the Holy Spirit draws him. And the Spirit seeks to draw all men unto Christ, and so even a sinful man must surrender to that drawing. I do believe a sinner can seek God, but I also believe the spirits of antichrist roam the earth and deceive even some searching hearts. Yes, it is a mystery. But I unequivocally believe that Christ died for every sinner and desires that all sinners be saved. I will address that in another post, however how does God get more glory by dying for a miniscule few rather than dying for the entire race when it was in His capacity to do it? And without a free will given to man the entire redemptive narrative is a colossal game of divine solitaire with man being little more than unwilling pawns in a chess game already played.

But the problem man faces is not what religion to espouse or even how to adjust his morals to align with the will of God. In fact, man has the capacity to adjust those morals without knowing God and without being born again of the Spirit of God. That kind of metamorphosis is a strong delusion and is humanism in its most obvious form. Many people join religions and cults and have a remarkable change in their behavior which includes giving up addictions, rejecting previous immoral behaviors, and even a new sense of hope and love for people. But they have just made alterations through the power of the human will. Yes, it happens.

But only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can a sinner receive a brand new heart, which is another way of saying a new nature. Without a new heart everything is just religion and morality without redemption.

Matt.12: ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Rom.10: ⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

When a person is born again he receives a new nature, a new heart, created in the essence and likeness of Christ Jesus. Everything changes. People look different; family looks different; your job is different; the temporal things give way to the eternal. You are not perfect and many things will continue to change, but from that moment when the Spirit of God comes into your being you will never be the same. Before you were changed when people talked about Jesus you could not really understand, but now you do. Now when a person gives a testimony about how they were saved you can identify. You have been given a brand new heart and you now belong completely to God.

You hear all the arguing about politics and it seems so meaningless. You still root for sports teams, but now you realize it has only a place. You love your family but all things must bow to your love for Jesus.

II Cor.1: ²¹ Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

²² Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

II Cor.3: ³ Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

The Person of the Holy Spirit has done His work of regeneration and has implanted a new heart within your being. Oh yes there are still the ever present residual effects and temptations of the old nature, but now you are free and you are a brand new creation. This is not religion. This is a divine miracle which translates a living being from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Dear Son. It cannot be copied; it cannot be duplicated. Many have tried to simulate it by conforming their outward man to rules and regulations, and many have suggested they have pleased God because of their outward transformation.

However without faith it is impossible to please God. And unless the outward changes are the visible effects of an inward change because of a faith in Jesus Christ then the outward changes are useless and filthy rags. Attempting to regulate behavior from the outside is self righteousness and is an affront to God. Without holiness no man shall see God, and that holiness can only come through faith in Jesus Christ. The sinners around us do not need a lesson on marriage or stealing or abortion or sexual purity. What they need is a new heart.

II Cor.4: ⁵ For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

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.
⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

People around us notice a change in our speech and our behavior. But we must let them know it is because we have a new heart. Not earned and not deserved, but given by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. We are still not yet perfect, but we can never be the same. Our being pulsates with the power and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. He makes all things new.

Thank You!

THANK YOU

Thank you forall your e-mails and comments of prayers and encouragments. I am feeling a little better and I will be posting later today. Praise His name!!