Some Men Will Make Money While Some Men Will Die

SOME MEN WILL MAKE MONEY

WHILE SOME MEN WILL DIE

The United States has decided to arm the Syrian rebels. Now there is a large contingent of Islamic extremists within the rebel army. Now there is a real possibility that the ogre you remove will be replaced with a greater ogre. You may be just trading ogres. But as in all wars, some men will make money while other men will die. It is the world’s way. Christ preached self denial and humility while the world demands power. And sweeping across the Arab landscape is the excitement of the power mirage. You see democracy is nothing more than a demand for power from the lower ranks.

Look as some of the liberals and conservatives in congress who just yesterday hated each other now join hands together. And just what was the tie that binds? Yes, it is war. If you accept war as a viable part of the Spirit’s ministry then I guess you can find nobility on one side or the other. And the mayhem that finds its expression within such violence must also be part and parcel of the way of Jesus in some circumstances which seem to be more often than not in America’s interests.

This is the nature of war and violence. It chooses sides and then it decides who shall die and who shall live. It creates a great economic atmosphere and those that already have much gain more. It is a rich man’s sport indeed. It kills adults and children alike. And it seeks power and submission and land. It creates hatred. It creates orphans. It creates casualties. It creates heroes. It creates villains. It scorches the landscape and it will use anything at its disposal to win. Death rains down from the sky and arrives from the sea and hides behind trees and is planted underneath the soil.

On any given sunny and crisp morning it sends bullets racing toward human forms. It removes arms from torsos and legs from bodies and heads from necks. Listen as men scream in unspeakable agony begging for someone to do something. Smell the burned flesh mingled with gunpowder and sweat. And when the dust settles and the corpses are buried and the wounded limp home and war rests until the next time, then those who managed the horror will stand behind a podium and a flag and accept the victory applause and medals. To say it is disgusting is to almost compliment it.

But to believe Jesus accepts and endorses war in certain circumstances when American interests are at stake is to believe in a different Jesus altogether. It is to ignore the overwhelming content of His life and teachings and create a Jesus who gets involved with politics and murders millions of people and even has His hand in creating larger and deadlier and more efficient weapons. It is to believe that Jesus trains snipers and bombers and special forces and orchestrates entire campaigns that injure and wound and maim and kill tens of thousands. And by the way, when women and children happen to get killed that Jesus says “Oops”. But oh well…that’s war.

What kind of lunacy has the church perpetrated upon its members? This isn’t just a difference of opinion. This is insane. The same people who castigate men like Rob Bell and Joel Osteen for shredding the Scriptures in order to make them fit their own desires are the same people who do the very same thing. But get this: In a stunning reality Rob Bell and Joel Osteen and John McArthur and most of the orthodox crowd all join hands when it comes to the “just” war position. You see they cannot agree about what Jesus taught except that He taught war. Doctrinal insanity on parade.

War is hatred revealed. It is power displayed. It is lifestyle idolatry. It is fallen man’s way to achieve either a takeover or a protection but both by aggression. There is no passivity in war. It is utter and profound aggression.

War is the complete devaluing of human life regardless of which side takes the hill of nobility. There are only losers in war regardless of what the fallen scorecards say. But to attach the name of Jesus to war is an astounding alteration and ignoring of all He taught. If violence on such a massive scale is part of the way of Jesus then dead children must be collateral damage but included in the way of Jesus. The human reasoning is that sometimes war is necessary to combat evil. Well where is that in the words of Jesus or any of the 27 books called the New Covenant? “But what if we just do nothing?” says the western church.

So now we arrive at truth not through His words but through our own philosophical questions? If we cannot see any other way to achieve what we want then we must incorporate additional measures not laid out in Scripture? We have prayer. We have fasting. We have love. We have the gospel. We have God’s Word. And we have martyrdom as well. Those are our allotted weapons. But since we have long since abandoned them it is understandable that we must do the world’s bidding with the world’s weapons. It comes down to this: Do we believe the words of Jesus without caveat and without amelioration or must we alter them in order to be reasonable and fit within our cultural and nationalistic understandings?

I challenge any believer. Read the gospels through in one sitting and then tell me that Jesus taught and approved of war in any circumstance. In this day of national allegiance the words of Jesus carry less weight than the words of Confucius.

But all wars have something in common:

Some men will make money while some men will die.

Ecclesiastical Plantation Owners

ECCLESIASTICAL

PLANTATION OWNERS

The greatest heresies are those surrounding the Person of Jesus Christ and the essence of salvation. There are literally scores of such false teachings. There is a plethora of false guides and teachers today who sell books and Cds and rent out large auditoriums and sell all kinds of merchandise. They buy blocks of television and radio time and spread their heresies to the masses. John told us not to allow heretics into our homes neither bid them Godspeed and yet millions of professing believers invite them into their homes and their hearts. It is a phenomenon that has expanded by leaps and bounds and now permeates every corner of evangelicalism.

But I want to address another form of heresy and falsehood. Many decades ago certain preachers began what is now commonly called the “seed faith” teaching. This teaching suggests that if you give some money called a “seed” in faith that God will honor that and do something for you. God’s part is defined as anything from cars and homes and debt cancellation all the way to physical healing and the salvation of your loved ones. The promises attached to this seed are almost without parameters according to these prosperity teachers.

And if you watch the absolute circus when these television stations hold their seasonal fundraisers you will behold a spectacle beyond what your eyes can even believe. The lies and shallow emotion are shameless. The station managers call in certain celebrity preachers who specialize in being melodramatic and eliciting great sums of money through all kinds of lies and false promises and yes, even witchcraft. How can anyone who has even read the gospels be drawn into such blatant theatrics which are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus? It is demonic.

But throughout America there are preachers and pastors who oversee their own ecclesiastical plantations and now enslave the people with chains of hedonism and diabolical lying spirits. And many of these so called preachers are black and should honor the miracle of the emancipation but instead set themselves as modern masters over their people. And yes, the white prosperity hucksters are no better. This Bourgeoisie-Proletariat construct is an affront to the Spirit of God. But the thirst for money and power and pleasure is so strong that God’s truth must give way to fables and self serving snake oil salesmen. Jesus is presented as an American bell hop who operates on tips.

Let me share this story with you. David Livingston gave his life serving and being Jesus to lost Africans. Even after he was able to bring his wife to be with him she died not long after arriving. He was attacked and maimed by a lion and suffered many maladies. Still he remained faithful. Livingston became so disabled that he had to be carried to any village where he would minister. In fact some of his CONVERTS ministered to him and would help him walk and even get into bed. One night one of his helpers came to put him into bed but was told Livingston was praying so could he wait a while. After a long while the man crept in to find Livingston on his knees. When he gently tapped him on his shoulder Livingston slumped over. He had died on his knees.

What do you believe God thinks about these shameless hucksters of today?

What we have today is a sham and an affront to anything associated with Jesus. His name is being used and abused and instead of being the Lord of Glory He is presented as some caricature of a western superhero. This is not the faith once delivered unto the saints. This is a cartoon that uses the name of Jesus but has nothing of Him. People by the millions listen to golden throated warblers who speak enticing words of men’s wisdom designed to draw disciples after themselves as well as load up their personal coffers.

The Lord God sees the heart and He responds to faithful obedience, self denial, and worship which lifts up Jesus and not us. This is no game of barter. Imagine a group of sheep who hold a conference on how to get the shepherd to take care of them. Absurd and bizarre. The Great Shepherd has been taking care of us all along even when we have not completely followed Him. Yes, He operates in His own grace. But God will not respond to human ingenuity and greed. These dog and pony shows only bring God’s judgment not His presence and blessing. These hedonistic puppets claim that mammon can be leveraged to get our God to act not just on our behalf, but to fulfill our whims and lusts. Look at the bloody scene at Calvary and tell me that His sufferings were for cars and houses and bank accounts.

And now we are faced with a vast landscape of ecclesiastical plantation owners who buy and sell human beings with their hollow words and false promises. A mailing list is gold to these pied pipers as they lead sinners to perdition. These grandiose communicators have concocted all sorts of so called principles which are all centered upon our earthly success and their own financial advantage. They have desecrated the cross and made it of none effect. Their message is worthless and without any redemption. They are self righteous and puffed up and they live in luxury and claim it is God’s will.

These are the prophets of Baal and the voices of Balaam. Their consciences are seared with a hot iron and their tongues are guided by the serpent. And even while these clouds without water falsely prophecy rain, evangelical preachers by the thousands join hands with them. The patch quilt matrix of mutual support among preachers breaches all sorts of Biblical and doctrinal boundaries. The Word of Faith heretic shares the platform with men who reject such things. And if you bring in nationalism and patriotism there are no boundaries at all. Mormons and Word of Faith and Calvinist and orthodox and any and all doctrinal miscreants can pull up a seat together.

So here we are living not only in the midst of the kingdom of darkness, but also in darkness that calls itself “Christian” and “evangelical”. And the professing sheep love it.

Jer.5: ²⁷ As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.

²⁸ They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
²⁹ Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
³⁰ A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
³¹ The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

These verses lay out a prophetic blueprint for what is happened in the church. This is no game. This has drawn the attention of God Almighty and how can He cover His eyes? Not only do these liars teach falsehoods, but they use pictures of the downtrodden and starving children to raise their funds and support their hedonistic lifestyles. As if you could live in lavishness and throw a few morsels to the poor and that will please Jesus? And look at verse thirty-one. “…and my people love to have it so…”

Without drug users the drug dealer goes out of business. And without blind supporters these false teachers would have to get an honest job. But what continues to transpire is blasphemy at its core. Who would have thought that Christianity would be reduced to a financial scheme? What would the martyrs think? What would John the Baptist think? What would Wesley and Whitefield and Moody and Livingston and Huss think? And what does God think? He that spared not His only begotten Son but delivered Him up for us all now looks down and sees His Son presented as the golden goose. There must be a special wrath for those who promote such lies.

We are living in the end times when everything has been unraveling. Now is not the time to find something new. Now is the time to dig a well that reaches Christ and continue to quench your spiritual thirst from that Rock. He alone will one day claim His rightful throne upon this earth, and on that day those that embraced deception will howl and wail. Watch and pray. Endure to the end.

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS

Dick Proenneke moved to the wilderness of Alaska and there he spent the next thirty years living alone in the wilderness. He only visited the lower forty-eight states every several years but soon returned back to the wilderness. He filmed his life and they made two “Alone in the Wilderness” films that Dick filmed of himself and which documented his life in Alaska. He had great carpentry skills which served him well in building his living quarters.

This man lived a most Spartan like existence. He had no electricity and no company and during the winter the temperature would dip to 30 below zero. He seemed to do fine and did not get lonely like most of us would. But he had built a wonderful little cabin that kept him warm and safe from wild animals.

In the Old testament the Lord instructed His people to build a tabernacle in the wilderness as they journeyed from Egypt to the promised land. It was a place where worship was done and when they pitched their personal tents the Tabernacle was in the center of the camp. And when they moved they could see a pillar of smoke during the day over the Tabernacle and a pillar of fire at night. The Tabernacle was more than a place for ceremony. It was their very life.

The word “tabernacle” can mean a place. It can also be a verb which means “to dwell with”. The Old Testament Tabernacle was not only a place, but it was where God dwelt among His people. It was a very special and sacred place and presence.

In the Old Testament God tabernacled with His people. In the New Testament God tabernacles in His people. Yes, we are the tabernacle of God where God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit dwells. It is a miracle of redemption as well as a great mystery. And we who are the followers of Jesus dwell in the wilderness we call “the world”. When we say the world we do not just mean the physical earth. No, we mean a place that loves and operates with fallen systems and on where the demonic spirits of antichrist are actively seeking to steal, kill, and destroy the souls of men. When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus and is born again he immediately becomes a citizen of God’s kingdom and this present world becomes his enemy. Yes, that saint is now the planting of the Lord and is sent to live and share the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ which is the same gospel that brought him to faith as well.

But what used to be a place of excitement and enjoyment suddenly becomes a vast wilderness. What just a short time ago drew his utter attention and provided him with self elevation and a vast array of things that helped him feel a real sense of belonging now seems very alien to his spirit. This feeling only grows over time and with each deeper step in his discipleship the world feels more and more like a wilderness. The things which used to attract him now repulse him. It is a tangible phenomenon and those of us who have and continue to experience it can testify to its power and reality.

But while we begin to feel increasingly alienated from this world and all that is in it we simultaneously begin to feel a tangible sense of God’s presence within us. God has come to dwell within us at the very moment we believed on Christ, but now we begin to sense His presence and fellowship within that presence. Through learning of His Word and prayer and obedience we are ushered by the Spirit into that sacred place where only committed believers can know. We realize what it means to be the tabernacle of God, and we also know what it means for God to tabernacle within us. We experience the New Testament version of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.

Let me encourage all my brothers and sisters in Jesus. Hold fast to Christ and all His truth. Do not be moved by what you see happening in the wilderness. And as you see professing followers of Jesus loving and playing in this wilderness, just keep looking to Jesus. You have a tabernacle not made with hands and God is with you and in you. Did you hear what I just said? God, the Creator of the Universe and the Redeemer of our souls, is with us and in us. What a glorious mystery! Halleluiah to His matchless name! The Lamb has triumphed and in that victory we have shared. All you need is Christ and He dwells within you. This wilderness is not our home and it was where we played in our spiritual death but now we have been given life everlasting and our eyes have been opened and what used to excite us is now our enemy.

Please do not assign this to some ethereal fantasy. This is the eternal reality for the believer. This is the faith bought with His blood. We are not just followers of Jesus but we are His incandescent tabernacles who walk as lighted pilgrims inside this dark and foreboding wilderness. How can we convey to an unbeliever the glory that dwells and manifests itself within us? He is ever with us, but sometimes He takes hold of our entire beings and we are undone and overcome with a glory and a presence this world can never know. And as we look out at this wilderness we know we look through a portal from within a divine tabernacle.

Hyperbole? There are no words that can fully express what He means to us and what has happened to our lives. Oh the unspeakable glory of knowing and walking with Jesus. The people of the wilderness wonder how we find joy and even if we have lost our minds. Yes! We have lost our minds and we now have His mind! Can you not remember when you did not know Him? I can remember vividly the days when I loved the wilderness. It was my life and I wallowed in any and all sins. It was killing me although I was already dead.

But after the Spirit opened my heart and I was born again I entered a divine process in which that same Spirit began to strip me not only of certain sins, but also of desires and attitudes and the impulses and thoughts of my heart. Little by little my new man came forth as I crucified the old man and instead of living my own life I now allowed Jesus to live His through me.

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

And if we give the deserved meditation on that verse we should realize this very fact: What could allure a dead man? What does the world have to offer a corpse? And if it is indeed Jesus living through us, and if we know that He is THE Creator of all there is, then what could ever tempt Him, especially coming from this vile wilderness? Oh the answer is obvious and full of unspeakable glory. Nothing! He who reigns from the emerald throne in all His majesty cannot be moved by anything man can do. And if you feel some lust for something here on earth it is you and not Him. But if you retreat into the shadow of His everlasting wings than you are eternally content with serving and worshiping your Redeemer.

And in all this as you live in the midst of a wilderness you can bask in the warmth of His redeeming presence. If you could fly above the atmosphere and look back you would see the earth as a whole. And covering this planet is a vast and consuming wilderness. It is spiritually dead and spiritually dark. But if you could see with the eyes of the Spirit you would see millions of lights glowing among the darkness. Tabernacles of God’s presence spotted around the world. There are tabernacles in Darfur, and in Nigeria, and in Russia, and in Brazil, and in Haiti and in France and in South Korea and in Iran and in China and in places only the Spirit knows.

And we also who seem to have and know so much must humble ourselves and join our hearts with our brothers and sisters around the world and realize that not only are we family, and not only are we kindred tabernacles, but collectively we are the body of Jesus Christ. Selah.

Babylon Continues its Party

BABYLON CONTINUES ITS PARTY

but

THE SPIRIT CALLS THOSE WHO WILL HEAR

Jam.4: ⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

This present world if filled with all sorts of alluring trinkets. Material desires and fleshly excitements as well as false avenues to make the world a better place are widespread across the face of the planet. And here, in the west, the variety of carnal enticements is dazzling. We are surrounded by the voice of earthly and even demonic sirens calling us to a life of self elevation, self satisfaction, and self fulfillment. The prospect of self denial and sacrifice has been all but relegated to some medieval concept which is seen today as ignorant and superstition. To deny oneself of almost any pleasure within your grasp is an outdated concept even it requires going into great debt to have it.

This present world has thrown a great party with no accoutrements spared. It offers us what we want. Do you desire to be praised for your looks and intellect? Do you desire to experience titillation that thrills your flesh? Do you want more and more money? A bigger house? A more luxurious car? Do you wish to experience a vicarious thrill through your children? Do you desire to feel important and be a part of the social strata? Well come on in! The world has all that and more in this party that began in Eden and has grown to immense proportions.

And the best aspect about this party is that you do not have to openly renounce your faith in Jesus. In fact, if you wish, the world will bring its party right into your church! Yes, you can have a party and openly incorporate it right into your ecclesiastical practice and even your belief system. Think about it. Jesus wants you to go for all the gusto you can. He even desires to cater your party, and He will be partying right there with you! And in the middle of this colossal celebration of the flesh is a magnificent piñata.

Watch as that piñata is broken and all its hidden treasures come bursting forth. Financial prosperity; political clout; national pride; moral hubris; and all kinds of promises about having it all spill out onto the altar and God’s professing people can quickly gather them all up. It is a sinner’s dream!

So let me come out from the metaphor and openly address what continues to be happening in the lives of believers collectively and individually. And as we weigh these things let us also never minimize the effect that the visible church has had on professing believers and what they believe and practice. And at the very heart of this influence are new and enticing and well coifed communicators who used to be called shepherds and pastors. The entire western ecclesiastical construct is now one of a constantly expanding pattern of Scriptural equivocation. It is obvious that regardless of what the Scriptures openly teach they must be forced to conform to the dictates and desires of human flesh. It is quite astounding and I am sure repulsive to the Spirit of Almighty God.

And here once again I wish to uncover what I believe to be at the heart of this spiritual rebellion. It is called “nationalism” and it entails viewing your earthly country with high esteem and even love while also viewing yourself as its patriotic citizen. I realize this is not only acceptable within the church, but it is even embraced and celebrated. And while the so called church of Jesus Christ adores the founding fathers, and promotes conservative values, and supports democracy and capitalism, and embraces America as a divine construct, the depth to which these things have imprisoned the church in idolatry remains unnoticed to the evangelical masses. I mean who can hear the spiritual warnings knocking on your door when the party is raging? But in a spiritual reality this idolatry is practiced on a scale which would embarrass the builders of the golden calf.

And even while discussing this issue called nationalism most believers view it as a different perspective and a matter of focus. In other words they assume if you keep your love for America in perspective and place Jesus first you are alright and can walk in the Spirit. That is wrong. If you have ANY allegiance to ANY country you are walking in the flesh and you have compromised the Lordship of Christ in your life and you have swung open the gates which allow a multitude of compromises. Yes, it is that serious.

The problem stems from an illusion about the true nature of any earthly country. These are fallen countries which actively work against Christ and are tools of the spirit of antichrist. All sorts of deceptions are leveraged from moral issues to social issues to freedom issues to religious issues and everywhere in between. People’s hearts are transfixed upon their own material benefits and they vote their pocketbooks. And believers do the exact same thing. And preachers by the thousands show a visceral disdain for men like President Obama and then endorse and support Mitt Romney who has given millions to spread a spirit of antichrist. We are supposed to love sinners not endorse them and promote them as our leaders.

Step back a minute and look at the kingdoms of the world. They are not working with the kingdom of God. Yes God can use anything, but never has God directed the followers of Jesus Christ to join hands with unbelievers. Never. This is a spiritual principle that is foundational to the Christian life and must be foundational to the teachings of the church. I refuse to puff out my chest and castigate sinners, but I also refuse to join hands with them and their movements regardless of where I agree with them. Hugh Hefner is against stealing and so am I. Does that mean I can join with him in a nationwide movement against stealing?

So the situation is desperate and the issue demands an inspection and spiritual evaluation that goes further than just water cooler discussion. We as the church should be fasting and praying and begging God to open our eyes to our compromise. And this is the kind of foundational compromise which affects everything. You may compromise and watch a questionable movie without dismantling your spiritual life. But nationalism is the death knell to following Christ. And dare I say that at the crux of American nationalism is money, material gain, and the system called capitalism.

The entire immigration issue is also centered upon economic issues. All of it. Most illegals enter looking for a better economy and most Americans are against open immigration in order to protect their own economic situation. Yes, there are more layered issues about immigration but the roots grow out of money. But money is at the root of most things. Prostitution, drugs, crime, entertainment, sports, all have money roots. And the number one cause of divorce is money. And in the midst of all this the church has become a big business which elicits obscene amounts of money which they lavish on buildings, staff, advertisement, and activities of all sorts. Rarely, if ever, does an American evangelical church borrow millions only to send it overseas to minister to those is desperate need. Church debt is always centered on the material and leadership needs of that same local church.

And so where do we go from here? To be honest the visible church is probably not coming back. The call to return to Zion has gone out but those who love Babylon have stopped their ears with entertainment, material things, self affirmation, and more and more money. When the Lord called His people to come out of Babylon to rebuild the walls of His temple only a handful returned. Why? Because after they had been carried away to Babylon, and after the initial sorrow had worn off, they had found prosperity in Babylon. They had formed friendships and family roots. They had given birth to children, and in those 70 years they had not only become used to Babylonian life, but they had come to enjoy it.

They had been allowed to retain some of their religious customs even though they had not celebrated the feasts and sacrifices, and they had neglected God’s Word. And when the remnant returned to Jerusalem they had found the Book of the Law and openly wept as it was read. That remnant had repented and now they had seen just how far they had strayed from serving and knowing the Lord. And so much of that scenario mirrors what is happening today. A few have heard the voice of the Spirit, and although some are unsure as to where they should go, there is a remnant which have taken up their tents and set their faces toward heaven.

And when I say the word “remnant” I do not mean a company of prideful people who think they are better than anyone else or who are self appointed prophets who seek to draw attention to themselves. No, we are sinners saved by grace who are still in the process of repenting but who can never return to the religious grave clothes from which we just came. We do not have all the answers but this one thing we do know. God has called us out from the religious system that flourishes in this modern day Babylon. We have been set free and we can never go back.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

The Capitalist Jesus

THE CAPITALIST JESUS

 

Imbedded in a capitalist society is a symbiotic as well as a parasitic relationship between the rich and the poor. And the Bourgeoisie give birth to children who are much more likely to succeed financially than are those born to the poor. This advantage can be seen in a myriad of ways. But this is EXACTLY the system against which Jesus taught and yet the American evangelical church not only embraces and enjoys it, but the church teaches it came down from God.

Now there is a real doctrinal sleight of hand when you can remove the words from the mouth of Jesus and replace them with your own and have those in the pews clap with appreciation.

Thank you!

THANK YOU!

Thank you all so much for the beautiful flowers.  I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have
received from the family of God online.  I can't thank you enough, but the Lord knows how much it has
meant to me.  This surgery has been so much harder than I anticipated, and being one who does not
regularly jump into things that are difficult, if I had known how difficult it would be, I might not have
done it.  He has been faithful, though, and has given me cause to glorify His name each and every step
of the way.  Someone told me before the surgery that the Lord will "give you exactly what you need
when you need it", and how true that is!  He met me exactly where I was and gave me the strength,
courage and perseverance to go forward.  I could not have done this without God at my side. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you...I praise God to be a part of His family; one that prays for their
brothers and sisters and reached across time and space to envelope me in an embrace that is all the more
beautiful for it having been sent from the Father.  

Your Sister in Christ,

Kim Marts

Violence and War - A Shipwrecked Faith

VIOLENCE AND WAR

A SHIPWRECKED FAITH

I Tim. 1: ¹⁸ This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

¹⁹ Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

Before I enter into the meat of my post let me say two things. First, I respect the sacrifice men and women have made in the military even while disagreeing with the entire principle of violence as it pertains to the kingdom of God. On an earthly level many have shown selfless bravery.

Secondly, I acknowledge that the Old Testament is filled with acts of violence seemingly approved and even caused by God. Honestly, I cannot completely reconcile some of those things. I just have to leave that mystery in God’s hands. However it is very clear that we live in a new and better covenant with better promises. And our faith is completely tethered to Christ Jesus and His life and teachings and His sacrifice for our sins. Our faith cannot be an amalgam of New and Old Testament teachings. God has His purposes back then but His purpose now comes through His Son.

Heb.1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Also before we proceed let me deal with one portion of Scripture which is the standard bearer for many who embrace the just war principle as a part of God’s kingdom in this age.

Lk.22: ³⁵ And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

³⁶ Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
³⁷ For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
³⁸ And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Instead of going into great detail here let me provide a link which adequately addresses this issue. Suffice to say that it is bad Scriptural interpretation to cull out a couple of verses and allow them to contradict the overwhelming New Testament teachings to the contrary. HERE is that link.

War is a repugnant business which includes people making money, the Bourgeoisie sending the Proletariat to die for them, and it is the pathway where millions of innocent lives find death. And many if not most of these deaths are not of the painless variety. Fear becomes a tangible experience on the battlefield. Through war men’s hearts become hardened and many times certain nationalities or ethnic groups are looked upon as less human and of less value than others. When men see their friends killed right in front of them they cannot help but hate and subtly and openly demand revenge. Anyone who has seen the movie Platoon has seen many aspects of war.

During war and also in preparation for war and the buildup of the military corruption looms large. I have dealt with that HERE.

But through war human life in general is devalued. We now have created a way in which a man can sit sipping a coffee while operating a joystick which can and does drop bombs on suspected terrorists as defined by the west. The hypocrisy is breathtaking. Those early Americans who hid behind trees and shot at British troops and then ran are considered heroes while those that do the same thing against American troops are terrorists. Extricating the American Indians from land the white man desired through genocide is part of American folklore and dealt with in history books with a creative and self serving sterilization.

The view that war is sometimes approved and even directed by Jesus is founded upon the view that God desires us to love America and defend her at all costs. It is no secret that many believers have a subtle and open view that America is special to God and that this country was formed as a collective that follows Jesus, or a Christian nation. As ludicrous and observably false as that is it is still proudly embraced by millions who name the name of Christ. To be fair it has been engrained in us since birth through the church as well as the secular world. It is one of the few platforms where Satanists, cultists, agnostics, atheists, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and a wide variety of others can join hands, hold their hands over their hearts, and sing together with tears welling up in their eyes. It is also the platform where they will fight together and die together.

Obviously the teachings about not being unequally yoked are overlooked when it comes to nationalism. But it is that very principle which has invited all kinds of unchristian practices into the church and has brought open idolatry right into the body of Christ. And the natural progression of such thought culminates with embracing war as an option. There are many startling aspects of this phenomenon that are most disturbing. Listen as prayers are made in the Sunday gatherings that beg God for His protection for “our” soldiers which is an open petition in Jesus’ name that we can kill more than they. And in the midst of the horror called war it takes on a competitive spirit. We rejoice as each city falls into our hands and we take great comfort in the fact we are “winning” the war. “Mission Accomplished” is our rallying cry even though many thousands have died and gone to a Christless eternity and many more will return maimed physically and emotionally. Many children are left with one parent and many spouses are now alone. But the President can put on a flight jacket, be flown to the deck of an aircraft carrier, and garner applause as he claims complete victory. It is bizarre to say the least but it is also accepted as part of the overall pageantry of war.

And what is most disturbing is that all of it is embraced fully by those who profess to follow Christ. It is very difficult to get an American Christian to even take the time to thoroughly and vulnerably delve into the subject with an eye toward the teachings and life of Jesus. If you reject violence as a believer you are looked upon as some freak who never grew out of the 1960s. The American evangelical world is so imprisoned by a patriotic spirit that the teachings of Jesus are made to conform to that spirit rather than seeing the obvious disconnect between what Jesus taught and the dictates of nationalism.

Do you doubt the strength of that deception? Well look at the overall and clear teachings of nonviolence throughout the ministry of Jesus. Could it be any clearer? And yet people will bring up those verses in Luke and use them as foundational to suggest that sometimes Jesus desires war. And why do they do that? It’s because the spirit of nationalism has been so deeply held in our psyche that we no longer even question its Scriptural authenticity. And yet Christianity at its core is forgiveness and a pervasive benevolence. Now in the light of that try and push a square doctrinal peg into that round spiritual hole. As I have said, nationalism is the only shoehorn which can force war into the teachings of Jesus.

Let me ask this question. Are we to receive the redemption of Jesus and secure a place in heaven but still live according to the teachings of Moses or the founding fathers or the conservative movement? Or is salvation an all encompassing life change that not only secures us a place in eternity with Christ but also demands that we lose our lives for His sake and live a life which is demonstrably different than our patriotic neighbor? Can we take the average life of a moral patriot, add the name of Jesus, and still live the same way? Can we just use Jesus to sanctify a life which still operates in the dictates and mores of this world?

And make no mistake this issue of war and violence and being loyal to an earthly nation is absolutely foundational as to what the faith called Christianity actually is. Yes, have we concocted a bizarre and bastardized lifestyle and called it “Christian”? And if that is a legitimate question, then do we have enough thirst for Christ to actually investigate what Jesus said and taught and lived and make any necessary adjustments to the way we think and live? Or are we comfortable, well fed, prosperous, and prone to leave well enough alone. Or in other words,

“I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”.

Searching for Jesus

SEARCHING FOR JESUS

The orthodox community is a loose collection of Christian believers who generally believe in the authority of the Scriptures with the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, and salvation by faith in Jesus alone serving as the foundational doctrines. Now to be sure there are many who claim these things and yet by their practice and teachings they reveal a very unorthodox version of the faith. But for the purposes of this article I want to address the first group which would be considered “literalists” as it pertains to the Scriptures.

It is widely assumed that if we have a Scriptural and orthodox belief system and statement of faith, and if we believe that Jesus is God, died for our sins, and resurrected from the dead, that we have found Him in all His majesty, mystery, and glory. The average evangelical lives his life content with his orthodox church and its orthodox doctrinal views and its consistent week to week practices and teachings. And like a winding river carrying thousands of logs down to the mill the evangelical community moves like an irresistible force in numbers and in practice. We are orthodox! (applause light has been turned on)

But within this colossus exists a spiritual vacuum that exists because of spiritual lethargy, cultural influence, and doctrinal fear. There is no excuse for the lethargy or allowing the culture to compromise our faith, however there is a reason to be wary of spurious teachings. There are many clever men and women today who can claim to be orthodox while teachings things from slightly off base all the way to heresy. So it is wise to have a healthy discernment concerning these kinds of people.

But that fear has led the church to fortify its positions at the expense of a life changing pursuit of the Living and Reigning Christ. We have found the doctrinal Jesus and with that we are not just content, but we are proud. Armed with easy and self serving answers to all situations and difficulties, we just bring the usual pat answers bucket to any problem and pour our stale water over it and go on about our earthly business. So when someone struggles within our community we can quickly and without much energy refer them to our statement of faith and effortlessly demand they quit whatever they are doing or quit asking questions and just come in line with the rest of us.

Deep thought and meditation as well as sacrificial prayer are at best an inconvenience to the present evangelical lifestyle. So any people with excruciating struggles many times cause believers to retreat to well worn mantras in order to not only avoid addressing uncomfortable questions, but to also avoid carrying uncomfortable burdens for others. The quick fix is the tried and true method. Building funds and conferences and men’s “prayer” breakfasts are of primary importance. I mean we have answered all the questions and solved all the conundrums decades ago so why revisit anything. And when asked “Do you know Jesus” we can all in unison boldly proclaim our doctrinal knowledge of Him as well as an historical event some time ago when we first came to faith. But is that all we are called to?

 

Is Jesus just our heavenly meal ticket or is His person so glorious and so intoxicating that we cannot help but seek Him with our whole hearts for our entire earthly lives? And when one of our fellow believers or even a fellow human being asks some uncomfortable questions that are troubling them, then it is our spiritual responsibility as well as our compassion which should drive us to seek Christ about them. It is not enough to throw out redundant answers in order to avoid any personal sacrifice and time. And to be quite clear regardless if we are dealing with any questions we should always be hungering and thirsting for more knowledge and intimacy with Christ.

Eph.1: ¹⁷ That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Matt.11: ²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

“Learn of Me” says our Savior and the Apostle Paul prays that we should be given the very spirit of revelation in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Now I ask you, why is Paul praying like this when he is speaking in context to people who already have come to faith? It’s because we are supposed to be loving and seeking intimacy with our Lord and Savior. Does that word “intimacy” scare you? Does it sound too mushy especially if you are a man? I realize than many churches present Jesus as some kind of cosmic boy friend but that is not what I mean when I say intimacy. This kind of relationship is sacred and close and growing and it brings the believer more and more of the life he has found in Christ.

How can we ignore or even run from that which brings us life and molds us into His very life? And now I present you a video which I hope provides a backdrop for what I mean when I say we should seek Christ with our whole heart and reject the packaged and apathetic and dispassionate responses that are usually the rule.

 

Now here is a woman who went to church as a little girl and participated in all the evangelical rituals and trusted Jesus but was internally confronted with attractions and thoughts which she soon identified as wrong but was unable to inoculate herself from those attractions. She probably attempted to sterilize herself and many times repented and asked God to remove them from her. That story has many thousands of central characters throughout the evangelical world. And here is another true story about a boy raised in an evangelical home and church who battled same sex attractions with such torture and who deeply desired those attractions to be taken from him. He eventually threw himself off an overpass onto a speeding tractor trailer and was killed.



 

Now let me make one thing very clear although some are so transfixed inside their self serving moral forts that they ignore these words and accuse me of promoting the gay lifestyle. I do not care what men may say. But this post is not about the gay issue but it does provide a backdrop from which I can drive home my point about seeking Jesus. This is not about being homosexual or sinful behavior. No, this post is about us. Yes, we who have notarized heterosexual credentials need to examine our own hearts and lives as it pertains to seeking Jesus in order to be redemptive conduits to be used in His service.

I am speaking openly about what it truly means to be a disciple. There are those who claim that discipleship is becoming familiar with all the regular doctrines of the church, and those are important. But being a hungry follower of Jesus goes far beyond some doctrinal test which can be fed into a computer. With all the compromises and all the scandals as well as the obvious powerlessness of the western evangelical church is it not about time we take a painful inventory about who we are and who we should be? Is God pleased with those who claim His name but spend so much time pleasing themselves and so little time pursuing Him? The well oiled and machine called the local church has already planned the year’s calendar and budget and therefore has no need to do any self evaluation to say nothing of a sweeping repentance that literally begs God to do something that significantly changes all of us. So, yes, this kind of spiritual journey falls on all of us individually.

And if you and I desire to seek Jesus in such a profound way we must avoid comparing and measuring ourselves with anyone else. Self righteousness and legalism are Siamese twins which bring death to the life in the Spirit. But make no mistake, once you have personally seen your own spiritual inertia and what treasures remain buried then you are confronted with a choice which has nothing to do with anyone else but you. How much are you willing to sacrifice to seek a sacred and tangible experience with the Risen Christ? And how much are you willing to place before God so that the Spirit can identify what needs to go and what needs to become a reality in your life? You see, it’s not about what everyone else does; it’s about what I am doing.

And here is the question about which this post deals. Am I and are you searching daily for more of the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Can He be known and experienced with a deeper prayer life and occasional fastings and personal repentance and brokenness, or is our doctrinal statement all there is?

The Progessive Movement to Human Glory

THE PROGESSIVE MOVEMENT

to

HUMAN GLORY

I Pet.5: …Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Acts 20:19 ¹⁹ Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations…

Considering the greatness of God and the weakness of man it should be an almost natural thing to be humble. And considering what man desperately needed and what God has graciously provided, humility should be a given among those who have come to eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus. And yet the reality is that not only is humility an elusive trait, but we as believers have by and large ignored it, to say nothing of earnestly seeking it. This is most unfortunate and even grievous since it strikes at the very core of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

But there is a most repulsive residual effect of rejecting a consistent pursuit of godly humility and that is that where there is no humility then human hubris and even idolatry rises in its place. As humility is the path to glorifying God, so is self righteousness the path to human glory which is little more than a sham and a mirage. Can there be anything more despicable and hollow than the pretence called human glory? The only glory man can have must be only through Christ Himself and even that reflects back to our Wonderful Redeemer! Humility is essential if we hope to worship Christ is spirit and in truth. But the western church has rejected such humility and so doing our worship is not only unacceptable in His sight, but it is repulsive arrogance. With all our elaborate music and visuals we have in large part been worshiping our worship and not the Risen and Glorified Christ.

Phil.2: If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

² Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
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.

This portion of Scripture is a mind bending profound teaching which when understood and embraced with deep meditation cannot but alter our minds, our hearts, and our entire beings. So often glossed over or used to present who Christ was and what He has done, one of the obvious teachings is overlooked or at least minimized. Do you have ears to hear and hearts to receive? Well all of us must repent on a consistent basis when we consider what the Spirit has demanded of us as it pertains to humility. Can you take undistracted time to meditate upon what Jesus has done and the humility He embraced just by coming in the likeness of sinful man?

I mean just the incarnation is a colossal exhibition of selfless humility that is far beyond us. That God would come in the likeness as one of His enemies is quite the human conundrum if we ever stop to give it the appropriate meditative understanding. I have had many times when I did not even like myself, and yet the Creator comes in my likeness when in fact He created man in His own likeness. The depth of that kind of humility cannot be plumbed by the human mind although it should be honored by those who know Jesus.

But as we honor the incarnation we are called to emulate the essence of its humility. Even that is a great and privileged calling. But we are not allowed to stop there. You see Bethlehem was just the beginning of the eternal plan of our inconceivable Savior. Before the first light shined; before the first star was formed; before the trees were made or the waters covered the earth or the dry land appeared; before the first whale or dog or lion was created or even before the dust swirled into a human being called Adam, God’s plan had already been set by His eternal decree. And hidden inside that eternal plan were aspects that were unfathomable to the natural mind. In fact that is exactly why so many reject God’s offering of redemption today.

The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit, and the thought that God would come as a man and even die such a gruesome and public death when He could have destroyed us all is foreign to the self interests of man. We desire a God of great power who is on our side and who hates those who we hate and gives us what we want. A suffering and dying Jew on a Roman cross is actually repulsive and at odds with our human imagery as to what our superhero god should look like. At the core of our fleshly desires is a god who is actually a God-like human who represents us in divine form. Yes, the natural man wants a prototype human we can call “god”. And this god will give us everything we want and be answerable to all our demands and wishes. A genie, if you will.

But of course all that is diabolical nonsense. The Creator laid aside the power of His deity for a short season, and in an act beyond all understanding, this Creator became obedient unto death, even the death of that rugged cross. Oh my…oh my. Can you not feel the goose bumps and the tears welling up? What kind of love can this be? And there must be a word that soars way beyond the word “humility” as it pertains to what Jesus suffered at the cross. But gaze deeply at the cross and that Redeemer and all that blood and gore, and as you attempt to reconcile such a scene please also remember that the abject humility you are seeing is what the Spirit uses to call us into our own humility.

The template for the believer’s humility is not just allowing a car to cut in front of you, or holding open a door for someone else, or not replying to someone’s criticism of you. Oh no, our template is this cross. I have a very difficult time imagining what that kind of humility looks like and reveals itself in an earthly life because the church has spent such an embarrassingly little time even speaking about it to say nothing of a sacrificial pursuit of it. Think about that. What must be our spiritual template finds little room in the church. And when humility is dealt with it is some shallow definitions that cost little and reflect a Gandhi-like essence and not the essence of the Suffering Redeemer.

So with all the bellicose rhetoric and the political speech and the verbal invectives leveled at sinners, where is the cross and the humility that must come with it? With all the television evangelists and their superhero status what kind of Jesus is being presented? With all the patriotic hubris and national pride where did that cross go? You see, we have taken that cross and repacked it with what makes us happy and what makes us feel superior when in fact that is completely at odds with what the cross is and what it calls us to. That is exactly why the cross is absent from Christian television because it distracts people from all the messages of prosperity and elevated self images.

But let us turn our full attention to our Redeemer and His cross. It is not enough to reprove false teachers and heretics, or even to point out the obvious compromise of the visible church. Let us submit to the Spirit and take responsibility for our own lives. I look at my own life and see so many violations of the Spirit as it pertains to the humility to which I have been called. How many of my thoughts are wrought with self righteousness? How can I allow my mind to feats upon the hubris of television and politics and American superiority and yet claim to be following Jesus? Yes, let us all take an uncomfortable inventory and set our hearts to be circumcised by the scalpel of His Word until we are once again in pursuit if His very heart. This will take more than just the obligatory head knowledge or a benign checklist. This is a sacrificial and sacred journey within an eternal realm. This is what it actually means to follow Jesus.

Now is the time to reject the continuing movement toward human glory and see it for the lie that it is. We have been granted salvation’s grace through that majestic cross. It is now time to pick up our own cross and follow Him.

The Cornerstone Continues to be Rejected

THE CORNERSTONE

CONTINUES TO BE REJECTED

Matt.21: ⁴² Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

⁴³ Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
⁴⁴ And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

It started one by one as local churches turned from Christ and unto fables. We called them liberal back then. Soon entire denominations fell into the deception. The Bible became a pleasant story but surely not God’s Word. They preached love and peace and receiving all humanity as God’s children and every religion as a path to God. Again, we called them liberals, not as political but as within the word “Christian”. We did not consider them brothers and sisters in Christ although there might have been some born again still clinging in those churches and denominations.

But then it expanded little by little into what were once orthodox churches and denominations. No, this time they did not deny the inspiration of the Scriptures nor the virgin birth nor the deity of Christ. This time the deception was much more sophisticated and clandestine. This time the deception draped itself in seemingly orthodox statements of faith. But little by little the emphasis and practices of those churches began to change into something most of us had never seen. No, it wasn’t just a more modern building or sound system. It wasn’t even that the preacher wore beach attire or looked somewhat unkempt. It was much more diabolical than that.

Even while maintaining at least a verbal conviction about the Scriptures, these churches began a journey which included more modern interpretations. And these kinds of interpretations were influenced by the surrounding culture and seemed to more and more blend in with those who did not profess Christ. These churches looked different and talked different and spent money differently than in the past and they enjoyed entertainment which only a few decades ago would have been considered unhealthy for a spiritual walk. The Sunday morning services were geared to accommodate the unsaved and it was filled with all kinds of devices usually reserved for entertainment. It was a whole new ball game.

But in the midst of all this glitz and glamour was an almost imperceptible shift which only those not caught in it could see. These churches and denominations and movements were moving relentlessly away from Christ. They were no longer Christ centered and the preaching was very relevant with all kinds of good advice and heartwarming stories but void of the person and redemption of Christ. Yes there were humanitarian efforts, and yes they had great fellowship, and yes these church attracted many unbelievers. But without Jesus being the chief cornerstone of your church you have ceased being a church. There is nothing wrong with having a large church. There is nothing wrong with having a small church. But if we move away from Christ we have left everything regardless of our size or influence.

And the gospel cause and the Spirit’s presence has now been relegated to the smaller outposts who have remained faithful to our Master. In a hedonistic culture which worships entertainment, success, and itself how can churches become burgeoned with people? Without a Holy Spirit revival in order to attract sinners the churches must resort to strategies and conform their practices to the desires of the culture. And that is exactly what has happened. And the result is a mutated form of Christianity which is not following Jesus and is not remarkable within the darkness. But yes, it will remain popular.

Let me explain it with unambiguous language that everyone can understand although most will not agree. The visible church has overwhelmingly ceased to be Christian, and the ones that are still clinging to Christ will have to deepen the stakes and lengthen the cords of their spiritual tents in order to remain faithful. It isn’t going to get better. It is going to get unbelievably worse. I believe we are just seeing the birth pangs of this end time evil age, and in the coming years the apostasy which has taken root will blossom into a worldwide explosion. The gospel message will seem antiquated and outdated, and a new gospel will be embraced by billions. Many millions embrace a new gospel even now. But this coming deception will be massive and will spare no one. And the greatest sickle for this evil harvest will be the visible church. Hyperbolic? Over the top? Overly dramatic? I believe my words are understated.

When will we openly and unambiguously embrace the truth that the kingdom of Christ is an invisible and eternal kingdom which operates completely separate from the dictates of this present world? Our blindness to that fact is exactly why prayer is so devalued and under practiced. That is why believers gather on Sunday morning to learn things, to sing, to hear announcements, and to fellowship but not to pray. How many of us can even give a testimony to being a part of an all night prayer meeting? We rail about the moral descent of the culture within and without of the church but where is the fasting and prayer? You see, we demand immediate and visible results and we have no patience for prayer that requires faith and casts our cares upon God.

The entire world is awash is demonic activity and yet we scurry around with voting report cards and hyperventilate over the latest unbiblical expression from those who do not know Christ. The battle is in the spirit world and not that which is seen.

II Cor.4: ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

¹⁸ While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The labor, the warfare, the battle is in the invisible world and our weapons are spiritual and not carnal. The visible church has become so entrenched in this world with all it fake morality and greed and self righteousness that we no longer even have any semblance of a prayer meeting. Fastings? Are you kidding? Tears before the altar? The church has led its members into the prison of the temporal and blinded them to the eternal. Have you ever had a Sunday School class called “Preparing for Eternity”?

But let us be even more honest. The church has all but lost the discipline we call prayer? If a professing believer prays while driving for ten minutes as he hurries to his career he might be considered almost fanatical. A dedicated follower of Jesus is defined as a church member who faithfully tithes as well as gives to the building program. It does not matter if he witnesses or prays or fasts or consumes God’s Word. All that matters is his devotion to his local church. And who today looks at the invisible world and devotes elongated time to being a humble warrior for Christ in that realm?

But Jesus is no longer the life and breath of the church. Jesus the patriot and Jesus the moral policeman and Jesus the monetary genie is sought but not the Risen Christ. And when Jesus is just a doctrinal necessity and not the absolute life blood of the body of Christ, than we are all just practicing our own brand of religion. Jesus will not accept being a brick or even an important brick in the household of faith. He is and must be held as the Chief Cornerstone which no man can lay otherwise.

 

Do not fret dear child of God. You may not be honored or even recognized. You may feel as if you have lost fellowship. You may battle the arrows of the evil one. But seek Christ and His kingdom with prayerful ferocity. Hold fast to Christ with meekness, humility, and with a relentlessness which manifests itself in the secret places. While the Chief Cornerstone is openly being rejected you take courage. His time is very near. Hold fast and watch in prayer. Bless His name because only by His grace have you made it thus far and only by His grace with you finish.