Powerful Bride

State of the Church

I often question, as many do, why the Church doesn’t seem to have the same power that it once did?  The first century church was powerful enough that the mere shadow of Peter passing over a person could heal them.  It is people’s faith (true undoubtable belief) that makes them whole, but why was their faith SO much stronger then, than what we see now?  Let me introduce you to a couple named Ananias and Sapphira.

Here we see a couple who were disciples of Jesus.  In fact, they were a very highly esteemed couple regarded as some of the most holy examples of Jesus’ teaching.  They were among the examples of Peter and John.  One of the highest examples of servant hood was to sell all of their possessions to have funds to give to the poor.  As you remember, they DID sell their lands as an example (to the people) of their holiness.  The issue was that they didn’t do it with the right heart.  They did the act of selling their property for the elevation of status among the people and disciples and even kept some of the proceeds to protect their own financial position.  They were practicing deception and wanted their own elevation of status, and did not truly believe what the position that they were seeking represented.  IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE STATUS OF POSITION!  An example that it wasn’t about the money is the example of the ‘rich ruler’ of Luke 18.  This man didn’t sell everything or give it to the ministry of Jesus and he walked away while Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead.

What does this mean then?  Let me answer with a question.  How many pastors hold their position because of the status?  Who would preach and teach without the paycheck, the free lunches or car washes by the grateful congregation?  Who would continue to teach the difficult message even if their message gained them only scorn and ridicule by their congregation of followers?  The answer to these questions, I believe, would also answer my very first of why the church is weak.  Christian martyrs will be held at a higher position than nominal, just get in the door Christians, not because of their personal sacrifice, but because of their infallible faith.  They believe enough to not only go without a paycheck and car wash, but to sacrifice their very life to help another find salvation.  THIS is where we see the bride of Christ in her whitest robes and at her most powerful.  It is important for the leadership of the Church to check their motives, because we ARE held to a higher standard based on reality and not just appearance. 

I am constantly faced with the REALITY that non-believers (atheists and agnostics) often know more Bible literature than Christians.  It takes work to know what we are supposed to believe.  It takes effort to study and understand the message that God Himself, painstakingly took the time to create, write and even manifest simply so that we could clearly understand it.  Let’s get in the gym and become the powerful bride that God would like for us to be.

Judgment or Explanation

There are many things that people judge and call it taking a stand.  You will get no argument from me that there are times where we must take a firm stand.  When there are views that are quite obviously opposed to what is intrinsically and Biblically correct such as slavery, physical abuse, genocide, rape, etc., then there must be a contingent to protect the innocent and weaker population.  There is another perspective, however, which needs to be addressed and that is one of limited revelation.

Too often Christians will picket or make bold statements (such as burning the Qur’an) which are nothing but divisive.  Is there a way of communicating some information through explanation and enlightenment rather than finger pointing and chastisement?  My answer would be yes.

I have studied many different religions with the intent of understanding what they believe, why they believe it and how it compares to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  I have listened to and participated in many debates about whether God created anyone with the only option being that of damnation and Hell.  (This debate is founded upon a culture not having heard the Word of God and/or dying before the time of Jesus.)  Discussions with pantheists and pluralists have continually begged the question of God taking on the different personas of many religions.  Many of these religions mirror some of the traits of God as described in the Bible.  I have had very lengthy discussions, some ongoing, about God being an example of an immoral God and setting a poor example.  Many of these discussions, most by highly educated and very rational people, are very well formed with some form of merit from a superficial perspective.  So where is the truthful common ground and how should we address it?

Virtually all of the highly effective missionaries that I communicate with are non-confrontational.  In other words, they do NOT encounter a person with fingers out and a Bible prepped for attack.  They instead communicate on a very human level, a greater understanding on the truths that people already KNOW to be true. 

Rom 1:18-20 ”For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible [attributes] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” It continues but I’ll stop there.

Jesus is for everyone:

Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Rom 2:26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?

Rom 2:6-16 (I’ll only post part) “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves [their] thoughts accusing or else excusing [them] in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

Prov 24:12 “If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider [it]? He who keeps your soul, does He [not] know [it]? And will He [not] render to [each] man according to his deeds?”

How about 1 Jn 3:7 “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”

In summation, God the Father has presented Himself to all people.  Jesus’ sacrifice was for all who would receive the payment of the debt.  My philosophy of this is that other religions have a window of understanding of God.  (Some, however, are cults and therefore completely errant.  Satan is real and very good at his task.)  You will notice a huge amount of similarity with Biblical truth and the ‘good’ facets of other religions.  For example, you will notice that most serious Muslims love the book of John and appreciate Jesus as a great prophet.  Muslims are essentially living under the OT regulations still and do not understand or believe that Jesus played the vital role that He did.  Tao in Taoism describes the way and is often described as the ‘eternally nameless’.  I think that Paul could give example of naming and explaining the ‘eternally nameless’.   Buddhism teaches that we are to overcome the world (senses) and take our place as part of the universe.  Aren’t we called to be one with Christ?  Shinto is ‘the way’ in life and is characterized by studying nature and applying those tenants.  See Prov 6:6 and doesn’t the entire Earth testify of God?   Hell, Naraka, Angles, demons, gods, Preta, Asuras, Devas, Brahmas, Heaven,  Bhuva Loka, Jannah, Tian, Nirvanna; all words with similar concepts.  Please, realize that these terms and explanations are in no way complete and are in fact very rudimentary, but hopefully they give insight into a concept of how God has introduced himself to EVERY person.

I’m sure that you may have heard the parable of the three blind men who encounter an elephant. One touches the trunk; another touches the tail; the third touches the leg. Each believes that they have learned all that there is to know about elephants.  Later, they describe their encounters to each other. The first says that the elephant is clearly like a snake. The second is no less convinced that the elephant is like a rope. The third man thinks the first two are out of their minds. The elephant is obviously like a tree. They become embroiled in a heated argument; shouting that only their experience could possibly describe the “real” elephant.  (http://seemslikegod.org/archives/god-is-like-an-elephant) 

Christianity is quite different from other views of God in the respect that it paints a far more complete picture than any other religion.  It solves the problem, answers the questions and clarifies the enigmas left by an incomplete plan of God.  Our struggle is not to destroy the ideas of God that different groups have, but rather to further explain where their concepts are unfulfilled.  There is a very real presence which God impresses upon everyone and to attempt to make someone deny that tangible presence is a losing proposition.

I hope that I have not simplified this concept too much.  My attempt is to be concise but clear.  I would love some insight that you may have about this concept and would cherish any success stories.

WHAT'S happening in the Middle East?!

Middle East Update

It is quite apparent that our planet is in a state of change.  Is this change significant, long lasting, beneficial or even expected?  That is a complex question requiring a look at history, prophecy and current trends to see if there are any correlations. Since many to most are not familiar with world events or trends, I will try to be both brief and concise.

Lets first look at a Muslim movement considered by many as “The most influential Islamist movement in the world today”.  This group is called the Muslim Brotherhood and was founded in the 1920’s as a reform group to bring Islam to the forefront of Muslim life.  This would include politics, economy and daily familial governance.  It originated in Egypt and was ruled illegal by the dictatorship of Egypt due to it’s ideological focus instead of that of growth and the greater good of the wealth of the state (which was also of a particular family or party).  Obviously greed and selfishness often overrules theology and ideology, and often holds most of the organized power therefore it would be decades before there would be enough momentum to gain military impact.  The Muslim Brotherhood began as a militant revolutionary group, but evolved into a conservative governmental party representing approximately 60% of Muslim society.  In the 1980’s and 90’s, the Brotherhood gained a foothold in Egyptian government and in the most recent days has spawned revolution.  Current representatives of the Brotherhood proclaim peace and non-violent action even though it’s mantra is “Islam is the solution” and it’s moto is “Allah is our objective; the Qur’an is our constitution; the prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations”.  You ponder that one.  One quote by one of it’s leaders, Muhammad Ghannem, said, “After President Mubarak steps down and a provisional government is formed, there is a need to dissolve the peace treaty with Israel…The Egyptian people <should> prepare for war against Israel…The Suez Canal should be closed immediately, and the flow of gas from Egypt to Israel should cease in order to bring about the downfall of the Mubarak regime…The people should be prepared for war against Israel, and the world should understand that the Egyptian people are prepared for anything to get rid of this regime.”

Another example, which is probably better known, is that of Hezbollah.  Hezbollah is a similar group, which began as a revolutionary movement and has grown into the veto power wielding political party in Lebanon.  Hezbollah gets its support from Iran and Syria which are both (the majority class) devoted to the overthrow of Israel and the reclamation of its lands to the Muslim world.   

The Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah have called for revolution in many Muslim nations controlled by authoritarian rulers.  Mubarak has been overthrown and King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria are both being directly threatened through public protests.  Libya is in a state of civil war.  Afghanistan and Oman are in a constant state of division and even Djibouti is facing revolt and military action. 

Now does this follow historical precedent?  Yes.  Typically a country under authoritarian rule will develop an influential middle class, which wants progress and a sense of peace (typically quite legitimate and ultimately selfish goals).  Once stability is obtained, the ideologies begin to become more influential again and the country is ripe for seizure by the charismatic idealists.  With immediate needs of food, clothing and housing met, it leaves time for higher thought.  Examples would be Germany moving from the Kaiser to the Weimer Republic to finally reach the Nazi party.  The Shah of Iran was overthrown in favor of a provisional democratic government and ended up with the Ayatollah Khomeini.  Russia was ruled by the Tsars, transitioned through a provisional government of liberal rule to end up with the Bolshevik revolution resulting in communism.

How is this significant to our lives?  As a Christian, we should immediately see prophecy unfolding.  Zechariah 12, Jeremiah 49, Ezekiel 38 and 39, Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 and 19 are being enacted right before our eyes.  There will be a time of peace for Israel just before an attempted annihilation.  After this, Israel will once again obtain all of Jerusalem.  It’s not a particularly pretty time, but it is eventful.  With wars, rumors of wars and the Earth trembling, we may want to pay VERY close attention.

Mary vs Martha

Many choose the path of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus. Lu 10:39  This is a good thing but often admonish Martha for not doing the same.  Jesus even says "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."  This begs the question, should Martha stop what she is doing in favor of what Mary is doing?  Jesus didn’t invite her to.  He didn’t say that Mary has chosen the thing that everyone needed to be doing at that moment.  He said that she was doing what was good and everlasting.  Whenever two words are used in tandem such as verily, verily or Martha, Martha, it is for emphasis but not necessarily condemnation.  The scripture ends here on this subject so we don’t know what Martha decided to do.  We do have other references though.

In John 11:20, we get a picture of Martha leaving the comfort of friends and family to run to Jesus.  She then says in mature faith that she wished that Jesus had been there to prevent her brother from dying, but everything is still ok.  Jesus is pleased with her belief and trust.  Then Mary runs to Him, says virtually the same thing as Martha and Jesus is grieved because of her doubt.  Jesus groans when He sees her (and everyone else’s) tears and hears their lament.  The term used here is Embrimaomai which means to groan or admonish, but clarification comes from its root, Brimaomai which means to snort with anger.  It next explains that Jesus wept (Jn 11:35).  He wasn’t weeping because he was sympathetic or missed Lazarus!  He was weeping because the woman sitting at his feet didn’t have the full knowledge of what was happening or who He was, like her sister.  He groaned (embrimaomai) in His spirit and wept.

The point that I wish to make, is that too often people stay simple and unclear about their beliefs.  They would often tend to just sit at Jesus’ feet as reasoning to do nothing; study or commune forever and never do the dishes.  Although Martha got “caught up” in the work which needed to be done and either missed an opportunity or didn't recognize the importance of what was happening with her sister, she still knew that she was called to do the work, and by reference already had an understanding of the saving grace which Mary was just learning.  The next time you get the inclination to brag that you are more of a Mary than a Martha, read back through John 11 and recognize that Martha was the one with the mature and solid faith in Jesus.

A time of war, And a time of peace

Balance!  We all need to be able to know when to do what.  Just like when driving down the road and coming to a traffic light, safely continuing on your way is all about timing.  Driving through when the light is red is not a good idea and neither is sitting still at a green light because you may get run over.  The same goes for everything that we do.  Eccl 3:1,8 state, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.”  The questions are how do we know when the timing is right, when do we prepare and what do we prepare for?

Timing is everything!  Sometimes things seem obvious to us even though we do not have all of the information.  How do we know when and what to do; we ask God.  There is no substitute for this.  One clear example would be in 1 Samuel 30.  Allow me to paint a picture.  David and his entire mighty army return home after wanting to kick some butt only to find their city and homes destroyed and their families kidnapped as slaves.  My very first thought would be, “Don’t even dismount our horses, let’s go get our stuff back”.  They were fresh and ready!  That’s not what David did. David asked God whether he should pursue or not, even though his own men were threatening to stone him to death.  Fortunately, God told David to go after them and he would get everything back.  Was the time that it took David to ask God what to do vital in recovering all?  Speculatively yes, but the point is, he asked first.

Prepare ahead of time.  Note that Noah didn’t wait until it started raining to build a boat.  When it came to war, there was always a call to those who were ready; God called the prepared.  Joel 3:9-11  “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up… Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.”  This isn’t a call to start working out and get into shape.  The time was now and all of those who were fit were called into service.

We are called to do as John the Baptist did and prepare the way for Jesus and make the way straight.  Another way of describing this would be "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Understand that John was mightily prepared.  He quoted scripture AND explained it.  John proclaimed that God was coming to Earth to both save whoever will and proclaim war on the rest.  In other words, choose sides NOW and there are no innocent bystanders.  Pick a side and prepare yourselves to do what is asked of you.

Now what are you called to do and are you prepared? 

Who Made THAT Decision?

Growing up in a Christian home, Christian community and in a Christian region, it was difficult for me to prepare myself for the reality of a large world with alternate views of reality.  It may come as a shock to many, but it was so difficult, that I explored other options, like atheism, Krishna, Buddhism, Taoism, etc in College.  I had come face to face with a reasonable adversary which I didn’t even know existed.  There are many in our new age of reason who are about to turn a corner and run head on into what will turn out to be an ambush of thought and reason.  They will not be prepared or equipped to fight this battle just as I wasn’t. 

Who makes the choices which govern our current world philosophies, adventures in science and even interpretation of history?  Why is it that when we turn on the news, we see decisions which leave us scratching our head because they are so dramatically counter cultural to our own thoughts?  How did abortion become legal?  How is embryonic stem cell research allowed?

I would like to introduce you to but a few of the predominant motivators of the turn in moral thought.  Note that ALL of these examples began their life in a Christian home with Christian values.  Also note that ALL of these examples are contributors to our next decision makers in higher education.  These are some of the people who are teaching our kids and leading the fight for a different religious and moral order.

Peter Singer - is an Australian philosopher. He is the Ira W. DeCamp professor of bioethics at Princeton University, and laureate professor at the Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics(CAPPE), University of Melbourne. He specializes in applied ethics, approaching ethical issues from a secular utilitarian perspective.  He has been voted one of Australia's ten most influential public intellectuals.  His primary stance is that the continuation of life, whether human or animal (speciation), regardless of age, should be determined by its contribution to society. 
He quotes “…we should recognize that the fact that a being is human, and alive, does not in itself tell us whether it is wrong to take that being's life.”
“Get rid of religious value of life in favor of what it can offer.”  Note that he is in favor of abortion and euthanasia.

Singer argues that newborns lack the essential characteristics of personhood—"rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness" so "killing a newborn baby is never equivalent to killing a person, that is, a being who wants to go on living."

Singer argues that sexual activities between humans and animals that result in harm to the animal should remain illegal, but that "sex with animals does not always involve cruelty" and that "mutually satisfying activities" of a sexual nature are ok.

Singer, Peter. Heavy Petting, Nerve, 2001.

Taking Life: Humans, Excerpted from Practical Ethics, 2nd edition, 1993

Rethinking Life and Death 105.

Abortion 1995

Anthony Flew – was an English philosopher who lectured at Oxford  and the University of Aberdeen, accepted professorship at Keele University and then at Reading University.  He wrote “An Introduction to Western Philosophy” which is widely used in college classrooms.  Flew was born of a Methodist minister yet became an atheist at the age of 15 since there were no viable answers to questions about the amount of evil in the world.  He is best known for his books arguing against the existence of God and for atheistic principles (“God and Philosophy”, “The Presumption of Atheism” and “Atheistic Humanism”).

Flew is considered one of if not the father of modern atheistic thought and has over 35 titles he has contributed to his cause over a period of 75 years.  It was not until his last publication that he became a theist “There is a God”.  The millions of atheists that he has fostered claim that his mental faculties had diminished.

Flew Speaks Out: Professor Antony Flew reviews The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins – is a British national who was born in Africa and raised Anglican.  He was content with his Christian upbringing until doubts began to creep in at the age of 9.  By his teen years, he was a professing atheist and has gone on to become “Darwin’s Rottweiler” for his ferocious advancement of atheism as the only intelligent and educated option.  Dawkins was the professor of zoology at University of California, Berkeley and then moved to become lecturer at Oxford University and was then appointed as Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science with the understanding that he would “be expected to make important contributions to the public understanding of some scientific field”.  He currently is a huge advocate of evolutionary biology.

In response to the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, he is quoted, “Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Revealed faith is not harmless nonsense, it can be lethally dangerous nonsense. Dangerous because it gives people unshakeable confidence in their own righteousness. Dangerous because it gives them false courage to kill themselves, which automatically removes normal barriers to killing others. Dangerous because it teaches enmity to others labeled only by a difference of inherited tradition. And dangerous because we have all bought into a weird respect, which uniquely protects religion from normal criticism. Let's now stop being so damned respectful.”

He has been a strong critic of the British organization Truth in Science, which promotes the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in state schools, and he plans, through the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, to subsidize the delivering of books, DVDs and pamphlets to schools, in order to counteract what he has described as an "educational scandal".  His latest book, “The God Delusion” is currently translated into 31 different languages.  Its success has been seen by many as indicative of a change in the spirit of the times, central to a recent rise in the popularity of atheistic literature.

Dawkins currently has 10 literary titles and 8 film documentaries to his credit, 78% of which are targeted anti-theist (Christian) and the balance are illusory.

Dawkins, Richard (1986). The Blind Watchmaker. New York: Norton. p. 6

Dawkins, Richard (15 September 2001). "Religion's misguided missiles". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4257777,00.htm

Now there are some names associated with some actions.  We pray against the powers and principalities, but do we perform our due diligence in preparing our youth to defend against the attack using logic and reason?  Who will be the next Christian youth converted to atheism because they were not armed with information?  Who will be the next Christian to champion the mindset of the atheist, humanist or pluralist?  Is there a David out there to be a champion for God and show that God is the God of mercy, the God of forgiveness, the God of peace as well as the God of reason, science and logic?  I certainly hope so.  Hosea 4:6

It has been said that “the generation that killed its children will in turn be killed by its children” referring to abortion and euthanasia.  There were 50 million deaths from all causes last year not including abortion.  There were 40 million legal abortions performed last year.

Cape Town 2010 Congress “Emerging Technologies and the Human Future”. John Wyatt and Peter Saunders

How Much Time Do We Need?

I awoke this morning with a very heavy burden.  That burden was so powerful that my hands were literally shaking.  Those who know me well understand that this is not exactly a regular occurrence for me in that I am typically a very calm and even tempered person who relishes logic and reason.  So what was this burden you ask?  I’m glad you asked and let me explain.

God has given us shadows of many things in the Bible ranging from familial makeup, personal obstacles, good and bad leadership, a God like heart, proper and improper motivation, personal growth, etc., etc.  These shadows, or examples, apply to individuals, groups and the collective whole of humanity.  They apply to individuals to show how we are to live our lives as personal example and improvement to be used as outward witness.  They apply to businesses and church groups as to how we are to work together, manage our affairs and lead people into greater growth.  They apply to the global collective in that no one is exempt and we should be a proper representative of God to the entire world as one body. 

This allows room for growth.  God’s purpose is to have us join His family and invite others to do the same.  We are not perfect and therefore make mistakes and God guides us into improvement.  What if we get lazy?  Does it matter if we need more time to go around that mountain again and again and again?  Does it matter if we because of personality and choice,we take as much time as we like?  Does it really matter if churches, organizations or people choose to segregate themselves and do their own thing?  With all of my heart and emphatically as I can say it, YES!!

The image that I was left with, which was so thoroughly disturbing, was that some of the lost have time for further personal and corporate development, BUT SOME DO NOT!  We eventually will have to account for our activities and inactivity’s.  The worst thing that I can imagine, my Hell as it were, would be to get to Heaven and have God show me the people who are not in the family of eternal life with God because I was lazy, stubborn or stuck on myself.  How many have to die before I am willing to do all that I can and get over myself enough to do the work which is worthy of God?  How many years must go by before church groups realize that there is only one church and the credit doesn’t belong to one or the other?

I know pastors in this community who have been watching, working and waiting for people to stand up in unison to claim the harvest that is there.  They weep for their community and have been for 30+ years seeing the same thing time and time again.  I was left this morning with the image of Jesus sitting on a hill weeping over His people with the vision of this day, and division going through His mind.  I was left with the vision of Jesus hanging on the cross paying for all that many today try to take credit for.  Enough with the signs and banners and competition and let’s get down to business…together!