I want to borrow from a Spurgeon Devotion to begin this article.
“The people that do know their God shall be strong.”
- Daniel 11:32
Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to “have an unction from the Holy One,” and it is the Spirit’s peculiar office to lead them into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith. Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what he has done for us, and what he is doing now, we cannot love him much; but the more we know him, the more we shall love him. Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern the glory to be revealed, and anticipate it with joyous confidence. Knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to come out of the correction which our heavenly Father sends us? Nor is there one single grace of the Christian which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the “knowledge” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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It is not enough for us to say I heard about Him in Church or Sunday School or through a friend or family member. It is not enough for us to just casually listen to sermons or teachings whether live, on tape, CD, television or our radios.
It is not enough to have a thousand scriptures memorized, ten thousand doctrines scrutinized, or a hundred million biblical education degrees. It is not enough.
Knowledge of the Lord comes by being in constant union with Him. It comes in having a relationship with Him and more than just once or twice a week as we go off to church or Sunday School.
Do you make the time to spend with Him everyday? Is He the center of your every thought on Him about Him. Probably not, neither is mine.
Yet, scripture admonishes to think on heavenly things.
Colossians Chapter Three advocates that our entire knowledge and life be centered in things that matter.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ , who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
How difficult this is for us, we are surrounded by every thing earthly. We move about and talk about everything earthly. Don't we realize what Jesus said to them then, John 3:12
12 If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven.
Don't we realize that there is only one that can bring us the knowledge we need for all that life is? There is only one that can tell us of heavenly things. Only one that has been there and is there. How can we trust other men so easily with trying to tell us about heavenly things, yet not trust Him who has been there and resides there - Jesus Christ our Lord.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not to turn us into somekind of freak show, running about doing some kind of wild works of bringing lightening out of the sky, playing healer, super apostle or none of that.
He is called the Comforter, the Counselor, the guide into all truth. Jesus only holds the truth for us, yet we give Him very little of our time or true devotion. Oh, we will get dressed up, take an hour from our week and go off and get all emotional, and kneel and pray at church when the right things are said that might speak of our own predictament.
Do we realize that He yearns to be with His people in their heart of hearts everyday and in everyway.?
Jesus didn't come to just give us another religion, another way to work our selves into heaven. Jesus came to give us life, and that life is in Him and Him alone.
It is easy in a world that is so hurried to be sucessful at whatever you do.
Jesus didnt find success in the way of the world. He powered under instead of looking for ways to power over others.
This is so in contradiction to the world's definition of success and often the church organizationally attempts the same thing. Thus, we have Mega Churches and Super Churches, and Bikers Churches and Cowboy Churches all trying and vying for the same thing to be more successful then the rest.
To have that one program no one else offers, that one group of people attending service perhaps that no one wants to know, that one group of people so we have someone to identify with.
What happened to us just identifying with Jesus and Him alone?
Why is it we aren't satisified to gain the knowledge of Him through relationship as opposed to running to and fro learning here and learning there and never coming to the truth.
We run because we run with itching ears hoping to hear what we want to hear, as opposed to truth, and the Holy Spirit being our teacher.
We look for the Dr. Feel Good, something that will placate our flesh, when all along right beside us if we know Him lies all the the answers to our problems, our predictaments and our sorrows. The answer he gives doesn't placate the flesh, matter of fact let's look at what that answer admonishes out of us further in Colossians Three verse Five
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: secual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, whih is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you one lived. Bu tnow you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken of your old self with it's practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of it's Creator."
Yes, we need knowledge, but we can never gain the knowledge He has for us about heavnely things by any other means, then to talk to the "One Man" who knows about heavenly things, He who came down from there, who has returned to there, and resides there, but yet has come to us in his resurrected self to abide in us as truth. To lead us, and guide us, into the very things our broken hearts seek and that is to know something higher, and wider, and more fantastic then any of these things on earth could ever provide. He is our knowledge and our Wisdon if we but turn to Him.
This turning to Him involves all that we just read. Notice God calls those things true about us that we don't hear. He says, "You use to walk in these ways", then He goes on to say," since you have taken of your old self and it's practices, and HAVE put on the new self". Notice God sees us as He sees us complete in Christ, he speaks in past tense. He doesnt see us as we ourselves so often do. The reason we don't is we are listening to the lies of the enemy as he whispers in our ears - "you aren't any good, you are just a lousy sinner, you are worthless." We have the enemies knowledge his words, so not knowing any escape, we listen, we act accordingly, never payng heed to the Word of God. For one we spend very little time in it ourselves. If we would but meditate on passages like the one above, there would be a transformation take place. What is true on the inside will start revealing itself on the outside. Church is indoors- in our hearts where the High Priest speaks, then the Temple outside our bodies will reflect that glory.
We need to answer the enemy in this manner, Yes, your right Satan I was ( past tense) all the things you say I am now, but No!, I am a new creation in Christ now (present tense) and all of that has been put to death with Him at the cross ( past tenses) and the only knowledge I have now, is His. I am starting this very day from this point on to think on heavenly things and since He lives for me, and is my life, anything you say about me is a lie, or no consequene, for I am dead, and my life is hidden in Christ with God. When you speak your accusations, you speak them to Him who has defeated you. Christ the Victor- who as it says in Colossians defeated you and your powers.
Soon, very soon, when He returns, what is not so obvious to you now Mr. Accuser, will be very obvious, because I will be like Him. Then you and everyone that wants to point a finger at me, will realize I am just as He is and will appear so, for the whole world to see.
Even now Mr. Accuser, I am resolved to get knowledge from this point on, to grow in His grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. My thoughts for now on will be on heavenly things and not the things of this earth. For I am going to make it my every breathing goal in life, not to know anything -but Him.
Relationship is what we need, with Him and one another. We don't need more religion the world is dying for religion right now. Almost every war going on is over religion whether it be those that call them self Christian or Muslim, or Buddahist or whatever. Religion drives the throngs of warriors to bring death. Jesus is here to bring us life, if we will but learn of Him, who is the Prince of Peace.
To Know the Lord Jesus Christ,
That is my prayer for me, for you, and for this world, this day
Dr. J.
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Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Welcome to Dialegomai
The purpose for this blog is to open discourse between Christians that by doing so, as believers we can resolve questions of scripture, doctrine and church history and more in the area of Christianity. The early church never used one man spouting out his beliefs while others sat silently. The early church teachers and elders understood the value of Christian discourse. They recalled God's call in the Old Covenant - "Come,let us reason together". The story of Job reminded them of this. Jesus never did all the talking, he often ended his parables with questions and he even allowed his worse opponents to speak that truth could come out. The Bereans are complemented by scripture for not just accepting the things Paul talked about, "they searched the scriptures, to see if these things were true." God loves questions and opinions for it is from this practice that we arrive at "His" truth.
The Father never intended for us to be silent and not question what we are told by others who may purport to be wiser, or more educated in scripture, history, theology, ecclesiology and so many of the areas, that Christians have far too long resolved themselves in allowing these to tell them what to believe. This is not New Testament Christianity and at it's worst it speaks smack of "Popery". The practices of the American churches and most churches have fallen far short of the intended purpose Jesus's serving as our High Priest, and we as the priesthood of believers.
The earliest examples of those that rebelled after the infiltration of the church of the one man rule, and the re-establisment of Judaism back into Christianity with the advent of a Bishop/Priest/Pastor one man rule system and the restoration of the temple in the form of a building built by the hands of men , were the Lollards, the AnaBaptist and some say the Cathards. Martin Luther wanted the common man to be able to read the scriptures in their own language but he couldnt break the idea as neither could Calvin of the idea of keeping their positions of power and propagating the system of clergy/laity thus their persecution of the Ana-Baptist who practiced "sitter's rights".
Since that time, thousands who have been led by the Holy Spirit to allow Christ to be their teacher as opposed to the traditions of men, have found themselves persecuted, ex-communicated, banned and even shunned by the organizational institutions of men called "church" which is a formulation of an English word "kirke".
We communicate in visual images first. Those visual images are converted to speech in words.
The very speaking of the word "church" connotates a visual in our minds of a building somewhere that people go to assemble. The church has been called " the house of God" by the traditionalist, who have long ago forgotten the idea of God dwelling in a building was the one thing Jesus came to destroy.
Jesus established himself as the true dwelling place of God, and we are that temple he is constructing that God will dwell in for eternity. In essence, the building is not "the church", Christ is and we are, being built into His Holy City, the New Jerusalem, to which He does and will dwell for eternity. The concept as taught by Paul in the letters to the "called out one's -the Ekklesia, has far too long been destroyed in our communication to believers with a pagan concept.
The temples and their priest of the "church for 1900 years, do not in anyway differ in resemblence from those of the pagans and practices that Paul preached the Gospel to and against such practices or Peter explaining to the Jews.
It is the history of our practices that has been hidden from the Ekklesia far too long that just now in these latter days once again is being revealed to His people, because He intends as He said, for us, to "come out of her".
The new house church movement and cell groups is an attempt, though a feeble one often of believers seeking to exercise their gifts that God gave them through Christ to live out this calling given to all men, and not just the select few "the clergy".
The original meaning of Ekklesia has been washed away by 1900 years of Popery, Judaism and more pagan teachings telling believers on what it means to be a Christian and a "how to practice Christianity".
Which often is nothing more then that of "works righteousness" rather than grace enacted righteousness by the indwelling Holy Spirit through the resurrected Jesus Christ. Thus we see more images of the cross and Christ on it, then we do any imgaes of His resurrection to which the "kirke" would prefer to keep Christ dead and on the cross than they would to teach Colossians - "Christ in you, the hope of glory".
This sites purpose is to give the opportunity for individuals to find the truth about Christianity, that is based not on the traditions of men, but built only on the foundation that we have which is in Christ and the Apostles.
So my intention is to see lots of comments so that others may comment to the comments. I also will invite others to write an article to initiate conversation as well. I will moderate the comments only to keep out those that would disparage believers or Christ. I have found that if you allow a complete open forum, often you will gain Atheist and people who are spiritually sick to come in and totally destroy the purpose for which this web site is established. This is a Christian site for those that already believe. It is not an evangelical site to preach the Gospel but to teach the Gospel to those that have already believed. So, I invite your "Christian" comments. This is a site for "us" to be discipled by and from our discourse that we all may come together and arrive at truths of the Gospel as taught by Christ and the Apostles.
My prayer is for many "Christians" who are searching, that have grown tired of the Western concepts of religion, grown tired of playing "church" will come here to discuss with many others Christ, the Ekklesia, Christian history and more to arrive at truth, as taught by the Holy Spirit and Scripture, so that as Christ said, "you shall know the truth and it shall set you free." So that truly we can be the Ekklesia, - "the called out ones". We are told to assemble to maintain encourgement of one another. Why does " institutional church" so often discourage believers? Or does it? I open our discussion with this question, please post your comments by clicking on the comment or answer to the link below.
Joe Black
The Father never intended for us to be silent and not question what we are told by others who may purport to be wiser, or more educated in scripture, history, theology, ecclesiology and so many of the areas, that Christians have far too long resolved themselves in allowing these to tell them what to believe. This is not New Testament Christianity and at it's worst it speaks smack of "Popery". The practices of the American churches and most churches have fallen far short of the intended purpose Jesus's serving as our High Priest, and we as the priesthood of believers.
The earliest examples of those that rebelled after the infiltration of the church of the one man rule, and the re-establisment of Judaism back into Christianity with the advent of a Bishop/Priest/Pastor one man rule system and the restoration of the temple in the form of a building built by the hands of men , were the Lollards, the AnaBaptist and some say the Cathards. Martin Luther wanted the common man to be able to read the scriptures in their own language but he couldnt break the idea as neither could Calvin of the idea of keeping their positions of power and propagating the system of clergy/laity thus their persecution of the Ana-Baptist who practiced "sitter's rights".
Since that time, thousands who have been led by the Holy Spirit to allow Christ to be their teacher as opposed to the traditions of men, have found themselves persecuted, ex-communicated, banned and even shunned by the organizational institutions of men called "church" which is a formulation of an English word "kirke".
We communicate in visual images first. Those visual images are converted to speech in words.
The very speaking of the word "church" connotates a visual in our minds of a building somewhere that people go to assemble. The church has been called " the house of God" by the traditionalist, who have long ago forgotten the idea of God dwelling in a building was the one thing Jesus came to destroy.
Jesus established himself as the true dwelling place of God, and we are that temple he is constructing that God will dwell in for eternity. In essence, the building is not "the church", Christ is and we are, being built into His Holy City, the New Jerusalem, to which He does and will dwell for eternity. The concept as taught by Paul in the letters to the "called out one's -the Ekklesia, has far too long been destroyed in our communication to believers with a pagan concept.
The temples and their priest of the "church for 1900 years, do not in anyway differ in resemblence from those of the pagans and practices that Paul preached the Gospel to and against such practices or Peter explaining to the Jews.
It is the history of our practices that has been hidden from the Ekklesia far too long that just now in these latter days once again is being revealed to His people, because He intends as He said, for us, to "come out of her".
The new house church movement and cell groups is an attempt, though a feeble one often of believers seeking to exercise their gifts that God gave them through Christ to live out this calling given to all men, and not just the select few "the clergy".
The original meaning of Ekklesia has been washed away by 1900 years of Popery, Judaism and more pagan teachings telling believers on what it means to be a Christian and a "how to practice Christianity".
Which often is nothing more then that of "works righteousness" rather than grace enacted righteousness by the indwelling Holy Spirit through the resurrected Jesus Christ. Thus we see more images of the cross and Christ on it, then we do any imgaes of His resurrection to which the "kirke" would prefer to keep Christ dead and on the cross than they would to teach Colossians - "Christ in you, the hope of glory".
This sites purpose is to give the opportunity for individuals to find the truth about Christianity, that is based not on the traditions of men, but built only on the foundation that we have which is in Christ and the Apostles.
So my intention is to see lots of comments so that others may comment to the comments. I also will invite others to write an article to initiate conversation as well. I will moderate the comments only to keep out those that would disparage believers or Christ. I have found that if you allow a complete open forum, often you will gain Atheist and people who are spiritually sick to come in and totally destroy the purpose for which this web site is established. This is a Christian site for those that already believe. It is not an evangelical site to preach the Gospel but to teach the Gospel to those that have already believed. So, I invite your "Christian" comments. This is a site for "us" to be discipled by and from our discourse that we all may come together and arrive at truths of the Gospel as taught by Christ and the Apostles.
My prayer is for many "Christians" who are searching, that have grown tired of the Western concepts of religion, grown tired of playing "church" will come here to discuss with many others Christ, the Ekklesia, Christian history and more to arrive at truth, as taught by the Holy Spirit and Scripture, so that as Christ said, "you shall know the truth and it shall set you free." So that truly we can be the Ekklesia, - "the called out ones". We are told to assemble to maintain encourgement of one another. Why does " institutional church" so often discourage believers? Or does it? I open our discussion with this question, please post your comments by clicking on the comment or answer to the link below.
Joe Black
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The Ann Coulter Philosophy- Taking God's Name in Vain
I am writing about a comment that Ann Coulter made and because I just recently read it for the first time, as it has been screenprinted on a T-Shirt that is available online to purchase.
I just recently looked up the article she wrote to verify the comment of hers. It is probably old news for the Conservatives and Liberals alike, Ann Coulter, writer for the National Review, an extremist conservative online news blog made a quote that I am compelled to write an editorial about. I read the short comment at the end of the article that clearly shows just how far and how off scripture people can get regarding hatred and war. I just wonder how many people Ann has won for Jesus with her awful off the wall comments that have nothing to do with Christianity of the Scripture but have everything to do with the Christianity of a pagan Church gone mad who spouts out a false gospel, which is no "good news" at all - Christian Nationalism. To quote her in the article this is what she said about the Muslims.
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.
We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
She was right when she said that is war - death and destruction to whomever. General Patton put it this way, "War is hell". How right he was, but he forgot to mention that is also comes from hell".
How does she differ from any man who goes to church, thinking his thoughts and speech differ any from those of the fanatical Muslims who say to others the same stupid thing - "kill them all and let Allah sort them out".
It doesn't.
The problem with Ann is she appeases the flesh of our society when she makes statements like these but most of all she "takes the name of the Lord thy God in vain". Most people Christian and sometimes non-Christian grow angry when they hear someone use the word G_ _ D_ _ _ _ because tradition has taught them this is what it means to take God's name in vain.
First of all, His name isn't God, it is I AM - the GREAT I AM- Jehovah, and revealed to us in the flesh as the Man/God- Yeshua - tranliterated into English as Jesus. Referred to by most Christians as Jesus Christ.
Ann doesnt realize her very words are words that "take the name of God in vain". For you see regardless of all the traditions of men and all the theologians , theologizing, one has a real difficult time if they do scriptural interpretation properly -that is the New Testament interprets the Old - not the other way around,to come up with an Ann Coulter's philosophy and call it Christian, when it comes to hating your enemy. There is no where in the words of anything our Lord ever spoke while on this earth or even today from heaven, anything "Christ like" in hating your enemy.
The Old Testament is full of shadows, unrevealed truth about God until God manifest Himself as man in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus when Jesus speaks he speaks with all authority and above all authority of whatever was written in the Old Testament.
He is the Lord thy God speaking God's will for men today, in a New Covenant (Testament). God is sovereign and can change anytime he wants to the ground rules for life and thus Jesus wiped out the idea of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.
So, how does Ann's words ever come out to be Christian, they don't. They are ignorant and reveal her biblical ignorance. For Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
It is Jesus who teaches us to suffer, "to not insult when insulted, not to injure when injured" and it is his teaching on the Mount of Olives found in Matthew that slaps the duct tape write over the mouths of all those so called great religionist like Augustine, who helped develop the stupidity of interpreting the New from the Old rather than the other way around. Out of his inability to understand scripture he helped propagate the concept of "Justified war". This one little theological concept that has plagued the church of Jesus Christ since, causing a scourge of liars and demons to reign on this earth in the form of warmongers in the name of Christ- the greatest example of taking God's name in vain.
Even today, the Muslims refer to us as the "Crusaders". Most people don't understand or even have the slightest knowledge of the history surrounding the Crusades, who fought them or why. Instead we as Americans have been given the romanticised ideals of the knights in shining armor saving the distressed damsel. "King Arther and his Knights of the Roundtable" do not tell the tale of the truth of the Crusades.
I quote from the book, entitled "A History of Christianity by Brian Moynahan.
*"Religion, as an ancient Arab saying went, "is a falcon with which to hunt", Christians also learned to use their "faith" as an instrument of war, finding the fierce bird too, immensely and adaptable". ..end quote.
Here are just a few facts that perhaps "Protestants" did not know.
Pope Urban, to help re-open the land route to Jerusalem that had been cut of by the Turks, wanted to motivate the "faithful" to do so by force of arms.
He begged his listeners - "I, not I, but God exhorts you- to urge the men of all ranks, knights and foot soldiers, rich and poor, to hasten to exterminate this vile race (referring to the Muslims) from our lands" (referring to the Holy lands).
His voice was frequently drowned by tremendous cries of "Deus le volt" "God wills it!"
Any who fought the pagans would enjoy remission of sins, "this I grant to all who go", he said."through the power vested in ME by God, he said.
The Pope had no imagination in obtaining a motivation amongst those who the church reminded them they were sinners. What a perfect opportunity to have your sins forgiven by simple declaration of the Pope, by simply taking up arms against these horrible people the Muslims.It appeased the flesh of men, it coincided well with the religiosity of the church and it gave the people a way out of purgatory and hell.
What churchman or woman would not take an opportunity such as this to finally assuredly have their sins forgiven for all time declared by the "only true representative of Christ on earth (Catholic teaching and Protestant practice often), by simply taking up arms against an enemy that did not share the same religion as they. To have their sins wiped clean by the shed blood of a Muslim enemy. A religion that in their opinion and most of the opinion of today is made up of pagans anyway. Forgetting that much of the Western church practices and beliefs are as pagan as well. The only thing the Protestants did was exchange the pope for a pastor or denominational president and Luther gave the bible back to the "unlearned" but still managed to keep them in ignorance with the belief one has to go off to seminary and be educated to have any authority about scripture. Only the educated and the called and ordained minister can interpret it are the Protestant belief.
What change was there? Very little and next to none. Catholics and Protestants are on the same stick just slightly at opposite ends. The difference is there is a "christian religion" and then there is "Christianity" and the two in truth are a long way apart from one another. There is no compromise between evil and good and there can be none. We are taught to hold onto that which is good and to abstain from evil. but the evil is pervading with teachings from hell and liars even today.
So, Pope Urban managed in a short speech to motivate the faithful to war. There is np difference in the same popery that goes on in many churches today, with the ideals being taught like Ann Coulters philosophy, Kill them all, then we can Christianize them.
What a farce and what a lie, for if our faith in a living God is not above their gods of violence, who shall want to come to Christ, for in that very declaration made by such important church leaders, the Christian faithful have their own declaration of "jihad", Holy War!
The willingness to die for their "faith" no matter what, guaranteeing their entrance into heaven is no different than that of a Muslim who is willing to die for his "religion".
Thus today we find many "christians", unlike myself, willing to go to war-crying "God wills it". How they do not recognize that when they do so, they take the name of Jesus in vain. They disparage the name of Jesus, their actions, their beliefs and their hatred compares none to those that we claim are our enemies.
Put your self in the shoes of the enemy, what do you as a Christian have to offer that differs from their own religion, if it is not the Christ who did not offer insult to those that insulted Him, or injury to those that injured him, then you have nothing to offer. This is what we have to offer, our Saviour and Lord who told Peter, put away your sword. The same Jesus who taught us to love your enemy. Forgetting that we were yet His enemies, when Christ died for our sins. Forgetting that He could have called ten thousand angels to defend him, and ushered in what Israel to this day still tries to lay claim to -the world.
If Christianity offers nothing more than other religions worldwide- to which ours is suppose to be love undeserved toward all mankind, than what is their to offer?
What Christianity would Ann Coulter and her followers in America offer a Muslim, who you have killed and slaughtered their children, their women and the innocent for the sake of revenge and because of fear.
Where is the "faith" that these Christian Nationalist proclaim to have. My answer, they are not Christians, and if so they have been seriously decieved by Popery once again. They have forgotten from whence they came. They forget they were enemies of God and deserved death as well, yet God loved us first.
The "church" that teaches hatred of the enemy is no church at all, it is a deception and a lie, Satan himself coming as angel of light.
Truly the last days are here as the Bible describes these people as lovers of themselves, boasters, proud, haters of good, lovers of money.
The greatest thing a Christian can do, is love your enemy, pray for them that despitefully use you. Where are the words of Jesus in the "church" today?
They aren't there, and if not, then it is no EKKLESIA at all, it is an apparition of evil disguised, wolves in sheeps clothing.
For those of you, that subscribe to the words of Ann Coulter, my only obligation is to pray for you that your eyes might be opened to truth, and you will flee from evil. The philosophy that she brings is the philosophy of a world gone mad at the hands of Satan himself. REPENT!
" You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain". There is much more meaning to that then what the average American has been taught to beleive.
For those "high priest and "pastors" that teach such garbage, your condemnation awaits in the end. For many will come saying, Lord, Lord, but He will say to them - I knew you not.
Dr. J.
I just recently looked up the article she wrote to verify the comment of hers. It is probably old news for the Conservatives and Liberals alike, Ann Coulter, writer for the National Review, an extremist conservative online news blog made a quote that I am compelled to write an editorial about. I read the short comment at the end of the article that clearly shows just how far and how off scripture people can get regarding hatred and war. I just wonder how many people Ann has won for Jesus with her awful off the wall comments that have nothing to do with Christianity of the Scripture but have everything to do with the Christianity of a pagan Church gone mad who spouts out a false gospel, which is no "good news" at all - Christian Nationalism. To quote her in the article this is what she said about the Muslims.
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.
We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
She was right when she said that is war - death and destruction to whomever. General Patton put it this way, "War is hell". How right he was, but he forgot to mention that is also comes from hell".
How does she differ from any man who goes to church, thinking his thoughts and speech differ any from those of the fanatical Muslims who say to others the same stupid thing - "kill them all and let Allah sort them out".
It doesn't.
The problem with Ann is she appeases the flesh of our society when she makes statements like these but most of all she "takes the name of the Lord thy God in vain". Most people Christian and sometimes non-Christian grow angry when they hear someone use the word G_ _ D_ _ _ _ because tradition has taught them this is what it means to take God's name in vain.
First of all, His name isn't God, it is I AM - the GREAT I AM- Jehovah, and revealed to us in the flesh as the Man/God- Yeshua - tranliterated into English as Jesus. Referred to by most Christians as Jesus Christ.
Ann doesnt realize her very words are words that "take the name of God in vain". For you see regardless of all the traditions of men and all the theologians , theologizing, one has a real difficult time if they do scriptural interpretation properly -that is the New Testament interprets the Old - not the other way around,to come up with an Ann Coulter's philosophy and call it Christian, when it comes to hating your enemy. There is no where in the words of anything our Lord ever spoke while on this earth or even today from heaven, anything "Christ like" in hating your enemy.
The Old Testament is full of shadows, unrevealed truth about God until God manifest Himself as man in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus when Jesus speaks he speaks with all authority and above all authority of whatever was written in the Old Testament.
He is the Lord thy God speaking God's will for men today, in a New Covenant (Testament). God is sovereign and can change anytime he wants to the ground rules for life and thus Jesus wiped out the idea of eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.
So, how does Ann's words ever come out to be Christian, they don't. They are ignorant and reveal her biblical ignorance. For Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
It is Jesus who teaches us to suffer, "to not insult when insulted, not to injure when injured" and it is his teaching on the Mount of Olives found in Matthew that slaps the duct tape write over the mouths of all those so called great religionist like Augustine, who helped develop the stupidity of interpreting the New from the Old rather than the other way around. Out of his inability to understand scripture he helped propagate the concept of "Justified war". This one little theological concept that has plagued the church of Jesus Christ since, causing a scourge of liars and demons to reign on this earth in the form of warmongers in the name of Christ- the greatest example of taking God's name in vain.
Even today, the Muslims refer to us as the "Crusaders". Most people don't understand or even have the slightest knowledge of the history surrounding the Crusades, who fought them or why. Instead we as Americans have been given the romanticised ideals of the knights in shining armor saving the distressed damsel. "King Arther and his Knights of the Roundtable" do not tell the tale of the truth of the Crusades.
I quote from the book, entitled "A History of Christianity by Brian Moynahan.
*"Religion, as an ancient Arab saying went, "is a falcon with which to hunt", Christians also learned to use their "faith" as an instrument of war, finding the fierce bird too, immensely and adaptable". ..end quote.
Here are just a few facts that perhaps "Protestants" did not know.
Pope Urban, to help re-open the land route to Jerusalem that had been cut of by the Turks, wanted to motivate the "faithful" to do so by force of arms.
He begged his listeners - "I, not I, but God exhorts you- to urge the men of all ranks, knights and foot soldiers, rich and poor, to hasten to exterminate this vile race (referring to the Muslims) from our lands" (referring to the Holy lands).
His voice was frequently drowned by tremendous cries of "Deus le volt" "God wills it!"
Any who fought the pagans would enjoy remission of sins, "this I grant to all who go", he said."through the power vested in ME by God, he said.
The Pope had no imagination in obtaining a motivation amongst those who the church reminded them they were sinners. What a perfect opportunity to have your sins forgiven by simple declaration of the Pope, by simply taking up arms against these horrible people the Muslims.It appeased the flesh of men, it coincided well with the religiosity of the church and it gave the people a way out of purgatory and hell.
What churchman or woman would not take an opportunity such as this to finally assuredly have their sins forgiven for all time declared by the "only true representative of Christ on earth (Catholic teaching and Protestant practice often), by simply taking up arms against an enemy that did not share the same religion as they. To have their sins wiped clean by the shed blood of a Muslim enemy. A religion that in their opinion and most of the opinion of today is made up of pagans anyway. Forgetting that much of the Western church practices and beliefs are as pagan as well. The only thing the Protestants did was exchange the pope for a pastor or denominational president and Luther gave the bible back to the "unlearned" but still managed to keep them in ignorance with the belief one has to go off to seminary and be educated to have any authority about scripture. Only the educated and the called and ordained minister can interpret it are the Protestant belief.
What change was there? Very little and next to none. Catholics and Protestants are on the same stick just slightly at opposite ends. The difference is there is a "christian religion" and then there is "Christianity" and the two in truth are a long way apart from one another. There is no compromise between evil and good and there can be none. We are taught to hold onto that which is good and to abstain from evil. but the evil is pervading with teachings from hell and liars even today.
So, Pope Urban managed in a short speech to motivate the faithful to war. There is np difference in the same popery that goes on in many churches today, with the ideals being taught like Ann Coulters philosophy, Kill them all, then we can Christianize them.
What a farce and what a lie, for if our faith in a living God is not above their gods of violence, who shall want to come to Christ, for in that very declaration made by such important church leaders, the Christian faithful have their own declaration of "jihad", Holy War!
The willingness to die for their "faith" no matter what, guaranteeing their entrance into heaven is no different than that of a Muslim who is willing to die for his "religion".
Thus today we find many "christians", unlike myself, willing to go to war-crying "God wills it". How they do not recognize that when they do so, they take the name of Jesus in vain. They disparage the name of Jesus, their actions, their beliefs and their hatred compares none to those that we claim are our enemies.
Put your self in the shoes of the enemy, what do you as a Christian have to offer that differs from their own religion, if it is not the Christ who did not offer insult to those that insulted Him, or injury to those that injured him, then you have nothing to offer. This is what we have to offer, our Saviour and Lord who told Peter, put away your sword. The same Jesus who taught us to love your enemy. Forgetting that we were yet His enemies, when Christ died for our sins. Forgetting that He could have called ten thousand angels to defend him, and ushered in what Israel to this day still tries to lay claim to -the world.
If Christianity offers nothing more than other religions worldwide- to which ours is suppose to be love undeserved toward all mankind, than what is their to offer?
What Christianity would Ann Coulter and her followers in America offer a Muslim, who you have killed and slaughtered their children, their women and the innocent for the sake of revenge and because of fear.
Where is the "faith" that these Christian Nationalist proclaim to have. My answer, they are not Christians, and if so they have been seriously decieved by Popery once again. They have forgotten from whence they came. They forget they were enemies of God and deserved death as well, yet God loved us first.
The "church" that teaches hatred of the enemy is no church at all, it is a deception and a lie, Satan himself coming as angel of light.
Truly the last days are here as the Bible describes these people as lovers of themselves, boasters, proud, haters of good, lovers of money.
The greatest thing a Christian can do, is love your enemy, pray for them that despitefully use you. Where are the words of Jesus in the "church" today?
They aren't there, and if not, then it is no EKKLESIA at all, it is an apparition of evil disguised, wolves in sheeps clothing.
For those of you, that subscribe to the words of Ann Coulter, my only obligation is to pray for you that your eyes might be opened to truth, and you will flee from evil. The philosophy that she brings is the philosophy of a world gone mad at the hands of Satan himself. REPENT!
" You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain". There is much more meaning to that then what the average American has been taught to beleive.
For those "high priest and "pastors" that teach such garbage, your condemnation awaits in the end. For many will come saying, Lord, Lord, but He will say to them - I knew you not.
Dr. J.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Our Intellect and Purpose Founded in Christ
I have recently noted that my readership has increased worldwide, literally. I take this information, weighing even more a greater responsibility for my readers to gain truth and enlightment in all areas of importance to us. I believe it is my duty, to expel the darkness with the light of truth whereever I may. Thus the purpose of this news blog is to do just that. To cause people, to wake up, and think for themselves for once and begin to examine all of life outside of their tunnel vision, their rose colored glasses and most of all to follow the admonition of God's Word, which says to have a transformation of the mind. To no longer think as the unsaved, and heathen do. This often requires you to let go of everything you were ever taught or heard, to be open to the Holy Spirit, to hear the small still voice of God, that gives you the ability to discern good (His good) from evil ( this Babylonian system of lies conjured up by Satan and loved by the flesh).
Truth does matter!
Even Pilate wanted to know the truth, for he asked Jesus, "what is truth?".
The truth stood right there in front of his eyes, yet because he held the tunnel vision of power, greed and supremacy, and because of his own fleshly desires,he could not see it.
We as Christians should NEVER accept anything at face value. We need to always question, and question some more, until God opens our eyes to see Jesus, and the truth about matters in this life and the life to come.
I believe Christians should be the most wise people in the world. For if they have prayed and sought God, they will be provided His wisdom. This wisdom applies to everyday life and decisions, and if we hear Him and act accordingly we can live our lives in His will, with His guidance and His direction, and His truth. This doesn't mean though they are to be the most properous, healthy, etc, that the propagaters of that lie teach. It means that even in poverty, or sickness, we will have an understanding and peace of mind, that is beyond understanding.
I seek truth in prayer and in hearing God everyday. His truth often so goes against the grain of the average persons thinking, that it makes them angry, at me. It often even shocks my senses and flesh, and I have to look to God to explain, I have to explore, I have to question and seek Him again, to reason with me.
Didn't Jesus say, if they persecuted me they will persecute you?
I believe as carriers of the truth, bearers of the torch of light, we must speak out, and must be willing to accept the hatred of others for doing so.
I believe that in all matters of life, whether it be history, politics, theology, or any other OLOGY that man wants to come up with, we should be those that hold truth to the highest level. We should not have tunnel vision, wear rose colored glasses and be moved by every little whim and doctrine of men. I believe at some point if we are growing as a beleiver, we will come to a settled place in our acceptance of Christ and His teachings and we should no longer be fooled by the lies of the enemy, our flesh, or the world. I believe that often we will stand in direct contradiction of the most popular opinion on any matter, because we have been taught by the Creator, the one who holds all the history of men in His hands, whether it be, history past or history to come. He already knows it and He is allowing it to transpire so that in the end, every tongue shall confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord".
We often have questions as we start out as Christians, we often wonder about things.
I say to you new Christian, that is fine, God wants and intends for you to reason with Him, but He also wants to enlighten your reasoning processes, so you can see Him. In the book of Job, we see this, and we see finally Job exclaiming, I have heard of you, but today, my eyes have seen the Lord. Job had a paradigm shift of thinking but it came as a result of reasoning with God, who showed himself to Job, with questions that were really statements of God's sovereignty. God is sovereign and there will be things in your life, that you will have to leave in his hand of sovereignty. I have been in a learning process of that for the last 6 years, for see, I lost my first wife, in a tragic but strange accident. We would have been married 27 years come that January 2002, when she was killed 2 days before Thanksgiving in 2001 by a horse that stepped into the path of our car on an Interstate highway. I have had a million questions why? I have cried, and questioned and I can only come to one conclusion- God's sovereign will, who am I that He has to give me an answer on that one, other than He is God and for me to trust Him. I admit, I still have struggles with this and have had nightmares, anxiety attacks, flashbacks and more to that day.
It was horrible and tragic, and slowly but surely I will recoup, but it still hurts to lose someone you love so dearly and not to question the Father, with Why?
Was it not the Father himself, who said, "Come let us reason together"? I believe more than emotion, or popular opinion, we should use the intellect to which God gave us, to reason things out with Him. Our intellect is what God gave us, that separates us from all other animals. Now, I admit that intellect has been deeply darkened, and is lost in the shadows of sin. It fell, when Adam fell.
However, when the Father gives us the new birth as new creations, something should be stirring within us, that makes us, ask questions, never asked before, and God intends this. He wants us to question our pre-birth thought structure, beliefs, customs and way of life. He desires we obtain the mind of Christ. We can, as we spend time in relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit, the Written Word of God, and the experiences He provides us after our new birth acquire TRUTH.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life.
How often we forget, he came to radically change us, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. However, it begins spiritually, then proceeds mentally then to balance our souls emotionally.
I often write about things, that 10 years ago, I would have never written, for I differed no more than the average person on matters, for I had not had MY thinking transformed as greatly as it has been today. I have spent since age 6, reading my Bible, asking questions, that God wanted to answer, but it wasn't until about 10 years ago I became willing to set aside my prejudics, my bias, and my traditions. Traditions -those things I had been taught by men and not by God. God couldn't get through to me, until, I laid it all down and said Jesus, you are my King - teach me, and give me a willing heart to listen, that I began to have the greatest shift of paradigm of thought that I could ever have experienced. Something that would never have happened, if I would have just continued to go along with the crowd, the majority thought, the religious traditions of men. Until you are willing to really step out in faith, and say I am willing to face persecution, and hatred by even those who you considered family and friends, you aren't yet willing to suffer with Christ. You will suffer lies made up about you, accusations, persecutions, name calling and more. Most of it coming from those that are the most "religious".
Just as Jesus suffered it, you will too. It becomes the discipline to drive you to your knees before the Father, and say, not my will, but YOUR WILL BE DONE!
It will test your flesh to the maximum, it will take every bit of the restraint of the Holy Spirit within you to keep you from relying on the flesh and wanting to strike back, injure those who injure you, insult those who insult you, get back at those who have used you.
People ask me often about different circumstances that have happened in my life, they ask the question, why didn't you do this or that to them, why didnt you sue, why didnt you hit them back, why didnt you attack them back, why didnt you return "tit for tat", why didnt you "take and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"
I have only one answer - Jesus.
Jesus within me, wouldnt allow it. The Holy Spirit restrained me, and I learned from it to rely upon my Father. He is the great judge of all men, and I leave judgement and vengeance to Him. Jesus never answered insult with insult or injury with injury, he put Himself wholeheartedly into the hands of the Father.
This doesnt mean, I have learned to do this absolutely perfectly, but I am learning. I am learning to let go and let Jesus. As Paul said, "not that I have yet reached perfection, but I press on to the goal, the prize, the high calling in Christ Jesus.
This is our purpose, to become molded into the very image and likeness of Him, we have no other purpose in life above this. God is building His eternal dwelling place and it will be eternally within His people, but he can't as long as we aren't willing to let go. While we hold onto our own traditions, prejudices, bias, and our ways of thinking, or going along with the crowd, we will remain stifled, we will be quenching the Holy Spirit in our lives. We will remain stunted babies in Christ, when it is His purpose to bring us up to full maturity in Christ. God's intention for men- is to restore His glory and image in us! To restore man to His original intention, what is called the "Image of God".
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
So, when I write often, sometimes being not perfect, my flesh might jump into the writing. This stands true of everything we read or hear from others, pastors, teachers, great evangelist, none are perfect and neither am I. Thus the word of God tells us, "to hold onto that which is good and to abstain from that which is evil". We are to discern the two, we are to use reason, given by God, to separate out that which is evil and that which is of God's goodness, not our concept of good, because it was tainted at the Garden and has been ever since, until we seek His wisdom and guidance to truly comprehend holiness, goodness as defined by the Father, not defined by men we will remain confused and our minds in darkness.
We can only be taught when we have a teachable spirit before God, and not so much before men.
This can only be done when we realize our intellect must be transformed by the reading of the Word and in time spent with the Father to teach us. Time running to and fro from church to church, teacher to teacher, pastor to pastor, Bible school to Bible school, will never give us, what the Father can do in 10 minutes of quiet time before Him and the Word.
My transformation of intellect was radically changed when I analytically sat down and used the inductive method of study and begin to read and re-read the New Testament over 100 times. I asked the questions, who, what, when, where, why, and how. I begin to dig into His word, dig into understanding, researching Jewish thought and religious practices of the times, the way of life in the times, the culture, the theology, religions and more of the times.
I begin to see God's word through the eyes of the ancient early church, to see Paul and his ministry how it was directly opposed to the religions of the time, to understand how he assimilated with the Gentiles. I begin to think with an Eastern mind instead of the Western cultural mind that is so far from even comprehending these times, and life.
Once, this begins to happen, radical paradigm shifts of thinking will take place, you will now be able to grasp how outstanding these words are written for the testimony of Jesus. The Bible isn't a book to be worshipped, it is a book inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead us "to the testimony of Christ". Yes, there are some translational errors, there are some words added and taken away, but this in no way, changes what God the Father spoke, when the Word became flesh. The LOGOS of God, walked among men, died for men, and was resurrected for men, for all ages, all times, and forever.
The only answer to life, truth and the way can be found only in Yashua ( Jesus)!
I challenge your intellect, I challenge your traditions, your culture, your religion, your history, your politics, because Jesus did! He rattled the world with His coming, His words, His life, His death and His Resurrection. He still rattles the world intellectually, emotionally and spiritually, wherever Jesus really is, there will be true controversy, there will be men disagreeing.
The reason there is no truth outside of Him, and so those that so desparately cling to their idols, will be shocked, dismayed, and angry at His presence. They will do anything to hold onto their gods, rather than recognize Jesus as Lord.
I love Steve Brown, a theology professor at the Reformed Church Seminary in Florida, he said. "You should offend someone once a week". Meaning not that we go out and purposely look for someone to say something to make them mad, but if we have Jesus and He has us...someone is going to be offended by Christ, and most often it is the most religious of men. Jesus offended the Jews, the Pharisees and Rome.
Make Jesus your purpose in life- but here I post the warning sign, if you do "be prepared to make someone mad at you, to hate you and even perhaps want to kill you".
When Jesus has you, the world, the flesh and the devil get REAL UPSET with you, because all these things are contrary to the love of the Father.
It gets worse, as you discover truths in life, that no one wants to hear. Beware, the pearls you have to offer, will often result in you and them being trampled underfoot by those that will hate your pearls of truth and hate you as well.
"Through much tribulation we enter the Kingdom of God", as Luke wrote in the book of Acts.
May your tribulations be not consequences of your own misbehavior or lack of wisdom, but may they be, because you have given your intellect and purpose for life to Christ. We will all have those consequences which the Father uses as the hand of discipline, but he also is full of mercy, grace, compassion and truth, and will never discipline His children with the intent to destroy them, for He ultimately wants you to have life, eternal life, that only begins in Christ. He loves us so much that it often leaves me sitting in awe, that He is so kind to me and loving, when I often can be just the opposite. That's just it, we can't produce holiness within ourselves, it is something that only He can do within us, through His resurrected life lived out through us. One thing to know, when He does live His way out through us, He will offend someone by the way we live our lives. Let your intellect and your purpose be transformed by His light and Truth and know, that "all things work to the good of those who love God"!
Even the history, the politics, the evil going on, God is not without knowledge or purpose in it to work out His plan. The nations will bow before Him, for He is King and none other.
Dr. J.
Truth does matter!
Even Pilate wanted to know the truth, for he asked Jesus, "what is truth?".
The truth stood right there in front of his eyes, yet because he held the tunnel vision of power, greed and supremacy, and because of his own fleshly desires,he could not see it.
We as Christians should NEVER accept anything at face value. We need to always question, and question some more, until God opens our eyes to see Jesus, and the truth about matters in this life and the life to come.
I believe Christians should be the most wise people in the world. For if they have prayed and sought God, they will be provided His wisdom. This wisdom applies to everyday life and decisions, and if we hear Him and act accordingly we can live our lives in His will, with His guidance and His direction, and His truth. This doesn't mean though they are to be the most properous, healthy, etc, that the propagaters of that lie teach. It means that even in poverty, or sickness, we will have an understanding and peace of mind, that is beyond understanding.
I seek truth in prayer and in hearing God everyday. His truth often so goes against the grain of the average persons thinking, that it makes them angry, at me. It often even shocks my senses and flesh, and I have to look to God to explain, I have to explore, I have to question and seek Him again, to reason with me.
Didn't Jesus say, if they persecuted me they will persecute you?
I believe as carriers of the truth, bearers of the torch of light, we must speak out, and must be willing to accept the hatred of others for doing so.
I believe that in all matters of life, whether it be history, politics, theology, or any other OLOGY that man wants to come up with, we should be those that hold truth to the highest level. We should not have tunnel vision, wear rose colored glasses and be moved by every little whim and doctrine of men. I believe at some point if we are growing as a beleiver, we will come to a settled place in our acceptance of Christ and His teachings and we should no longer be fooled by the lies of the enemy, our flesh, or the world. I believe that often we will stand in direct contradiction of the most popular opinion on any matter, because we have been taught by the Creator, the one who holds all the history of men in His hands, whether it be, history past or history to come. He already knows it and He is allowing it to transpire so that in the end, every tongue shall confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord".
We often have questions as we start out as Christians, we often wonder about things.
I say to you new Christian, that is fine, God wants and intends for you to reason with Him, but He also wants to enlighten your reasoning processes, so you can see Him. In the book of Job, we see this, and we see finally Job exclaiming, I have heard of you, but today, my eyes have seen the Lord. Job had a paradigm shift of thinking but it came as a result of reasoning with God, who showed himself to Job, with questions that were really statements of God's sovereignty. God is sovereign and there will be things in your life, that you will have to leave in his hand of sovereignty. I have been in a learning process of that for the last 6 years, for see, I lost my first wife, in a tragic but strange accident. We would have been married 27 years come that January 2002, when she was killed 2 days before Thanksgiving in 2001 by a horse that stepped into the path of our car on an Interstate highway. I have had a million questions why? I have cried, and questioned and I can only come to one conclusion- God's sovereign will, who am I that He has to give me an answer on that one, other than He is God and for me to trust Him. I admit, I still have struggles with this and have had nightmares, anxiety attacks, flashbacks and more to that day.
It was horrible and tragic, and slowly but surely I will recoup, but it still hurts to lose someone you love so dearly and not to question the Father, with Why?
Was it not the Father himself, who said, "Come let us reason together"? I believe more than emotion, or popular opinion, we should use the intellect to which God gave us, to reason things out with Him. Our intellect is what God gave us, that separates us from all other animals. Now, I admit that intellect has been deeply darkened, and is lost in the shadows of sin. It fell, when Adam fell.
However, when the Father gives us the new birth as new creations, something should be stirring within us, that makes us, ask questions, never asked before, and God intends this. He wants us to question our pre-birth thought structure, beliefs, customs and way of life. He desires we obtain the mind of Christ. We can, as we spend time in relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit, the Written Word of God, and the experiences He provides us after our new birth acquire TRUTH.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life.
How often we forget, he came to radically change us, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. However, it begins spiritually, then proceeds mentally then to balance our souls emotionally.
I often write about things, that 10 years ago, I would have never written, for I differed no more than the average person on matters, for I had not had MY thinking transformed as greatly as it has been today. I have spent since age 6, reading my Bible, asking questions, that God wanted to answer, but it wasn't until about 10 years ago I became willing to set aside my prejudics, my bias, and my traditions. Traditions -those things I had been taught by men and not by God. God couldn't get through to me, until, I laid it all down and said Jesus, you are my King - teach me, and give me a willing heart to listen, that I began to have the greatest shift of paradigm of thought that I could ever have experienced. Something that would never have happened, if I would have just continued to go along with the crowd, the majority thought, the religious traditions of men. Until you are willing to really step out in faith, and say I am willing to face persecution, and hatred by even those who you considered family and friends, you aren't yet willing to suffer with Christ. You will suffer lies made up about you, accusations, persecutions, name calling and more. Most of it coming from those that are the most "religious".
Just as Jesus suffered it, you will too. It becomes the discipline to drive you to your knees before the Father, and say, not my will, but YOUR WILL BE DONE!
It will test your flesh to the maximum, it will take every bit of the restraint of the Holy Spirit within you to keep you from relying on the flesh and wanting to strike back, injure those who injure you, insult those who insult you, get back at those who have used you.
People ask me often about different circumstances that have happened in my life, they ask the question, why didn't you do this or that to them, why didnt you sue, why didnt you hit them back, why didnt you attack them back, why didnt you return "tit for tat", why didnt you "take and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"
I have only one answer - Jesus.
Jesus within me, wouldnt allow it. The Holy Spirit restrained me, and I learned from it to rely upon my Father. He is the great judge of all men, and I leave judgement and vengeance to Him. Jesus never answered insult with insult or injury with injury, he put Himself wholeheartedly into the hands of the Father.
This doesnt mean, I have learned to do this absolutely perfectly, but I am learning. I am learning to let go and let Jesus. As Paul said, "not that I have yet reached perfection, but I press on to the goal, the prize, the high calling in Christ Jesus.
This is our purpose, to become molded into the very image and likeness of Him, we have no other purpose in life above this. God is building His eternal dwelling place and it will be eternally within His people, but he can't as long as we aren't willing to let go. While we hold onto our own traditions, prejudices, bias, and our ways of thinking, or going along with the crowd, we will remain stifled, we will be quenching the Holy Spirit in our lives. We will remain stunted babies in Christ, when it is His purpose to bring us up to full maturity in Christ. God's intention for men- is to restore His glory and image in us! To restore man to His original intention, what is called the "Image of God".
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
So, when I write often, sometimes being not perfect, my flesh might jump into the writing. This stands true of everything we read or hear from others, pastors, teachers, great evangelist, none are perfect and neither am I. Thus the word of God tells us, "to hold onto that which is good and to abstain from that which is evil". We are to discern the two, we are to use reason, given by God, to separate out that which is evil and that which is of God's goodness, not our concept of good, because it was tainted at the Garden and has been ever since, until we seek His wisdom and guidance to truly comprehend holiness, goodness as defined by the Father, not defined by men we will remain confused and our minds in darkness.
We can only be taught when we have a teachable spirit before God, and not so much before men.
This can only be done when we realize our intellect must be transformed by the reading of the Word and in time spent with the Father to teach us. Time running to and fro from church to church, teacher to teacher, pastor to pastor, Bible school to Bible school, will never give us, what the Father can do in 10 minutes of quiet time before Him and the Word.
My transformation of intellect was radically changed when I analytically sat down and used the inductive method of study and begin to read and re-read the New Testament over 100 times. I asked the questions, who, what, when, where, why, and how. I begin to dig into His word, dig into understanding, researching Jewish thought and religious practices of the times, the way of life in the times, the culture, the theology, religions and more of the times.
I begin to see God's word through the eyes of the ancient early church, to see Paul and his ministry how it was directly opposed to the religions of the time, to understand how he assimilated with the Gentiles. I begin to think with an Eastern mind instead of the Western cultural mind that is so far from even comprehending these times, and life.
Once, this begins to happen, radical paradigm shifts of thinking will take place, you will now be able to grasp how outstanding these words are written for the testimony of Jesus. The Bible isn't a book to be worshipped, it is a book inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead us "to the testimony of Christ". Yes, there are some translational errors, there are some words added and taken away, but this in no way, changes what God the Father spoke, when the Word became flesh. The LOGOS of God, walked among men, died for men, and was resurrected for men, for all ages, all times, and forever.
The only answer to life, truth and the way can be found only in Yashua ( Jesus)!
I challenge your intellect, I challenge your traditions, your culture, your religion, your history, your politics, because Jesus did! He rattled the world with His coming, His words, His life, His death and His Resurrection. He still rattles the world intellectually, emotionally and spiritually, wherever Jesus really is, there will be true controversy, there will be men disagreeing.
The reason there is no truth outside of Him, and so those that so desparately cling to their idols, will be shocked, dismayed, and angry at His presence. They will do anything to hold onto their gods, rather than recognize Jesus as Lord.
I love Steve Brown, a theology professor at the Reformed Church Seminary in Florida, he said. "You should offend someone once a week". Meaning not that we go out and purposely look for someone to say something to make them mad, but if we have Jesus and He has us...someone is going to be offended by Christ, and most often it is the most religious of men. Jesus offended the Jews, the Pharisees and Rome.
Make Jesus your purpose in life- but here I post the warning sign, if you do "be prepared to make someone mad at you, to hate you and even perhaps want to kill you".
When Jesus has you, the world, the flesh and the devil get REAL UPSET with you, because all these things are contrary to the love of the Father.
It gets worse, as you discover truths in life, that no one wants to hear. Beware, the pearls you have to offer, will often result in you and them being trampled underfoot by those that will hate your pearls of truth and hate you as well.
"Through much tribulation we enter the Kingdom of God", as Luke wrote in the book of Acts.
May your tribulations be not consequences of your own misbehavior or lack of wisdom, but may they be, because you have given your intellect and purpose for life to Christ. We will all have those consequences which the Father uses as the hand of discipline, but he also is full of mercy, grace, compassion and truth, and will never discipline His children with the intent to destroy them, for He ultimately wants you to have life, eternal life, that only begins in Christ. He loves us so much that it often leaves me sitting in awe, that He is so kind to me and loving, when I often can be just the opposite. That's just it, we can't produce holiness within ourselves, it is something that only He can do within us, through His resurrected life lived out through us. One thing to know, when He does live His way out through us, He will offend someone by the way we live our lives. Let your intellect and your purpose be transformed by His light and Truth and know, that "all things work to the good of those who love God"!
Even the history, the politics, the evil going on, God is not without knowledge or purpose in it to work out His plan. The nations will bow before Him, for He is King and none other.
Dr. J.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
War and Taxes - A Call to the Christian Conscience
"What would you do if someone came to your door, with a cup in hand asking for your contribution to help buy guns to kill a group of people they didn't like"?
You would either ask the questions as to who and why, as many do today, accepting the governments explanation for spending 30-40% of your income tax for the wars it is involved in, or you would say go away, I'm not giving you anything to kill anybody.
Going with the latter answer, it seems the most logical when offered no explanation for this contribution other than to buy guns and kill a group of people they didn't like.
Here is the problem of tax paying for those like myself, who do not believe in war and believe Jesus brings a Gospel of peace.
Peace and goodwill to all men was the declaration of the angels at Christ's birth.
How the church has turned from the heart of the Gospel to where most fundamentalist today stand is a subject I am writing on in a book I intend to title "Why The American Church is Failing",
The question of paying taxes is a question we must face as a non-resistant believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. This question I believe has been answered with suggestions of how to resist by either no payment or partial payments to the IRS and great clarity of the penalties, etc. by the Mennonites www.mcc.org and the War Resistance League. www.warresistors.org
Here are some facts you may not be aware of:
Cost of the War in Iraq
$410,451,578,221
as of 8:46 on March 22, 2007
$410,451,578,221
as of 8:46 on March 22, 2007
MORE DEATHS
• More than 34,000 Iraqi civilian deaths in 2006 — twice as many as in 2005 — and 37,000 injured 1
• More than 12,000 Iraqi security forces killed since 2003 1
• More than 3,900 U.S. military and "coalition" forces dead with more than 38,400 U.S. military and coalition forces wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 2
• Twice as many Afghani deaths in 2006 — 4,400 (including 1,000 civilians) — compared to 2005 3
• More than 12,000 Iraqi security forces killed since 2003 1
• More than 3,900 U.S. military and "coalition" forces dead with more than 38,400 U.S. military and coalition forces wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 2
• Twice as many Afghani deaths in 2006 — 4,400 (including 1,000 civilians) — compared to 2005 3
LESS SECURITY
"Rather than contributing to eventual victory in the global counterterrorism struggle, the situation in Iraq has worsened the U.S. position."4
"It's a very candid assessment . . . stating the obvious," according to
one intelligence official.
one intelligence official.
1 UN report, 1/16/2007;
2 icasualties.org;
3 Human Rights Watch report (AP, 1/30/07);
4 A key finding of the National Intelligence Estimate, a 2006 report from 16 U.S. government spy agencies ("Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight," Washington Post, 9/24/06)
FEWER FRIENDS
2 icasualties.org;
3 Human Rights Watch report (AP, 1/30/07);
4 A key finding of the National Intelligence Estimate, a 2006 report from 16 U.S. government spy agencies ("Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight," Washington Post, 9/24/06)
FEWER FRIENDS
A poll of 26,000 people in 25 countries show the global view of the U.S. role in world affairs is deteriorating.
• 73% disapprove of U.S. role in Iraq
• 68% believe that the U.S. military presence in the middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents
• 49% believe the United States plays a mainly negative role in the world
• 73% disapprove of U.S. role in Iraq
• 68% believe that the U.S. military presence in the middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents
• 49% believe the United States plays a mainly negative role in the world
source: BBC World Service poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org
Now these facts alone are not enough to make many individuals war resistors, for the truth be told, fundamental churches have bought into the teachings of Dispensationalism and the result is war mongering, and more and more they have twisted scriptures, I believe to their own destruction. When I speak of destruction, they have left their first love, Jesus, for the love of the world, self and nationalistic pride.
I am someone who understands the IRS and their power. I have since 1983 been in a struggle against their tactics of intimidation and not because I had resisted paying taxes, in most cases, it was due to employers failing to report all I have paid, or to the IRS claims somehow enough was not paid. In some cases upon filing I found out that I still owed more taxes when during the time I was working and my employer was taking out taxes, I assumed they were taking out the right amount, then would find at the end of the year, I owed and I didn't have what was owed to pay.
I have always filed and never intentionally lied on my income tax return and simply tried to pay my tax as due. Misunderstanding the scripture in context when it says, pay taxes to whom taxes are due. We forget that this continues with saying, owe no debt to anyone but the debt of love.
I have since 1985 paid near every month additional payments to the IRS just to pay them what they claim I owe. In the last 6 years that has meant paying them, $250.00 a month until I finally got them to reduce it to $50.00 per month. I was at that time going through a period of unemployment, health problems and more, which left me broke. I am still only partially employed, doing direct marketing for 20 hours per week that pays only commissions when an appointment is set for the service representative to do a demo of our product. The demo must be carried through, sale or no sale, which means most often people have second thoughts and cancel their appointments I set. To this point I have earned only $584.00 - subtract taxes, in the past 5 weeks since going back to work part-time. I am still broke. I obtain little help from outside sources, but God is my sustainer and my provider and I remain thankful to him, for all that he has done for me and is doing for me. I have been unable to find full-time work, for 6 months now, and have sent out, over 100 resumes, to find that the corporate world is just not in the market for 53 year old men regardless of their education, experience and skills. I continue to look but still no replies, or answers to applications or resumes.
The IRS during all these years, would dig up new claims of owing them taxes even going back to the tax year 1993 in the year, 2005. This is over 12 years ago, assuredly there has to be some sort of law against going back that far. They know I couldn't prove them wrong if I wanted to, as those tax records are long gone. Those records are lost to the many moves I have made, the cleaning out of my home after my wife's untimely death in a freak car accident in 2001 and just in general of not holding onto these records because I didn't think it was important to keep them beyond 7 years.
I was mislead to think they could only go back 7 years. I guess I was wrong, I have had no one tell me different.
My wife and I had filed an Offer to Compromise in July 2001, they didn't respond after the longest time period, (per their statement they had 30 days to decide), I heard nothing for 9 months, we did hear from our Taxpayer's Advocate, two months after the filing that the IRS claimed they didn't get our electric utility bills, which we know they did and the Taxpayer's Advocate, said she recalled them being in the package she helped mail.
We went through the whole process again of accumulating these records to send them. Yet, still time went by. My wife of 27 years was killed in an accident on November 21, 2001, then not until April 2002, did I hear from them after I filed my taxes for 2002, and they had rejected our plea, When I called them they told me, now that my wife was dead, I would have to file "two" Offers of Compromise one under my dead wife's name and then one under my name. Needless to say, I was exasperated. I gave an attorney $4,000 of my wife's life insurance money I had inherited to file these, being assured by him he could help reduce my tax and get them to make an offer in settlement.
Instead the lawyer took me for a ride, did nothing and kept the money, then created a fake bill for his time- which might have been a total of 2 hours that we ever talked. The State only offered a grievance form to be filled out as the only means of action to be taken against him. This "shyster" knew what he was doing, he made it impossible for me to come back and get my money back, as he wrote the contract, to say in small lettering, "he guaranteed no results and no money back guarantee".
Lawyers like him commit a crime against people everyday and walk away, without penalty or repayment to their client. This is life in America, land of the rich and the oppressed.
Land where the lawyers make laws that oppress the poor and enrich the rich.
I lost my chance to file an Offer to Compromise and I lost $4,000 which could have been paid on the taxes which would have been better than the "thieving" lawyer stealing my money. So, there I was back to square one paying money to the IRS for years back that they claim I owe and I truthfully do not know that I do owe any taxes for most of the years claimed.
I have had during all this time, two personal audit meetings with them. One in 1986 and one sometime around 1994. Neither one of these would be what I call at that time a chance to prove them wrong with records but rather a time for them to tell me what I was going to pay and when.
My battle has gone from a Congressional tax case initiated by a Senator of Texas, Phil Gramm, who assisted me in getting the Tax Payers Advocate and an opportunity to settle for less with an Offer to Compromise, to the IRS denying of my Offers to Compromise, to them requiring two new Offers of Compromise, to no offer filed because a lawyer stole my money, to paying them monthly from 2002 - 2005 - $250.00 per month to paying $50.00 per month until I finally couldn't pay them anything due to my bad health and unemployment.
I now suppose I will get the typical letters of demand - "pay or else" threats again. To be quite honest, I am not only tired of the harassment, I am tired of contributing any money period to a nation that has gone mad and spends over 31% of our income taxes for WAR!
I am tired of the threats and the harassment, I have nothing for them to take, and welcome them to take the only thing I own, a 1996 Pickup truck which has over 168,000 miles on it and is my only means of transportation. Take away my means of transportation they take away my ever having a chance to pay their taxes. Garnish my small earnings I have right now, I quit work and they get nothing.
I would say I should be declared "uncollectible". Since the rejection in 2002, I have paid what they claimed was $28,000 down to about 9,000 dollars. The remaining $9,000 is as debatable as that which they have already collected from me. You have to remember this is the Internal Revenue Service. Though I have dealt with some individuals by telephone who have been very understanding, the collections process is not. The poor men, pays by intimidation which they the IRS know works well. The rich men is very seldom harassed because he can afford large tax attorney firms that can hold collections up in court for years. They almost always can obtain an Offer to Compromise and pay little of the actual tax due. I once read a report by a former IRS collector who said this was their practice and the managers of the IRS collection department made this very clear to their collectors, to collect from those that they could intimidate, "the poor".
I am a peace lover, I am strong believer in non-resistance as Christ taught and the Apostles lived out with the practices of the earliest believers who died for their faith in the Roman Coliseums and even on a cross hung upside down as Peter did. The Great Persecution or The Great Tribulation.
Why didn't any of them resist those who persecuted them? Why didn't the early Christians including Paul take up a sword and form a group of people to fight their oppressors. Not one of them ever lifted their hand to strike out at their persecutors, all except Peter on the night at Gethsemane and then Christ told him to put down his sword and the Jesus healed the servants ear.
We must ask ourselves, if we are truly Christians, one specific question. Doesn't contribution monetarily toward a government that is bent on the deaths of many people, constitute, that we should refuse to pay either that portion of tax that goes to war or even all our taxes? This is a question I have asked myself a lot in the last 3 years especially since through time with the Lord in prayer and much biblical study, I concluded that I believe as the Mennonites do in Non-Resistance and only in the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit has confirmed this in my heart.
I know there are many arguments otherwise but there is no argument that stands against what Jesus did, and what the book of 1st John tells us, that if "we abide in Him, we will walk even as He (Jesus) walked".
Yes, Jesus showed anger and there is no where we are told that anger is wrong, as long as it doesn't lead to sin.
I am angry now, but my anger will not lead to murder or hatred of my brother.
I am angry against a organized governmental system that in no way gives us a choice to contribute or not to contribute to evils that we as Christian believers should have choice in.
I choose to love my enemy as Christ taught and to do good to them. Good is not the death and destruction this nation has become largely responsible for worldwide anymore. One cannot even apply Justified War to Iraq. The attack of 911, had nothing to do with Iraq and Afghanistan, yet now, thousands have died because in our hearts along with a lying President, we became evil and cried, Vengeance!
When the Lord, says, "Vengeance is mine", and He wasn't even talking about vengeance for the sake of countries and governments but for the persecution of those of His church. The attack on the WTC was an attack against our financial systems and economics, it wasn't an attack directed at Christianity and even if it were, God, says, "Vengeance is Mine"! We are now suffering the chastening of the Lord individually for not listening to the Spirit of God, with 3,400 men and women being sent home in body bags. Truly, if this was a battle God told us to fight the victory as an the Old Testament days would have been hands down with little or no loss of American lives. I state this because those who ascribe to justified war love to use OT scripture as their justification, as if we are a Theocracy as Israel was. This is not the Lords' Battle.
Good is not killing others for the sake of my ideas of government or other worldly concepts. Good is preaching the ministry of reconciliation to Muslim and Jew alike. Teaching the truth of salvation, when taught in truth always results in peace between all people. "Love conquers all".
I am now in the place trying to determine how best to continue paying for taxes I am not sure I owe anyway and my conscience that hates war and loves peace. It is a difficult problem for anyone facing this. In truth the biggest reason people don't want to answer their conscience in regards to this, is because refusal or even partial payment, may result in the loss of any and all material goods they have, including if they own a car or their home. The other side is they may fear going to jail. Something even I fear, as I see jail as the worst thing we can do to anyone. To take a person and lock them up for their conscience on serving or not serving war, is absolutely the greatest injustice one man can do to another. Then again, no one ever said, that man's justice is good, even David asked God to give Him His justice rather than that of men's, knowing full well that God's is tempered with love and compassion and correctiveness in mind, and the concept of sinful men's idea of justice is only in punishing individuals for their sins against society or law, while yet they are sinners themselves. God offers forgiveness, men do not. God is holy and any justice he gives us is from Him that is perfect, whereby imperfect men, subject other imperfect men to punishment for the very same sins they are guilty of. They live a lie, saying it isn't true but Jesus proved just the opposite. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Even the murderer is no more greater a sinner then he who hates his brother. Jesus made this clear, and hatred of any group, of people, culture, race, or peoples of a religion that we don't agree with is in the eyes of God, murder!
The American fundamentalist continue to feed this fire of hatred with their rhetoric against Muslim, Palestinians, homosexuals and more. We may not agree with various practices, or religions, or other, but we are not called to be judges as Christians but to minister reconciliation to these people in the form of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Beyond that we have no higher duty then to love them, pray for them and preach the Good News to them.
We cannot legislate righteousness, man is sinful, only a new creation in Christ can establish righteousness in a man, woman or child's life. Law's designed to regulate man's behavior, have proven failed throughout history. I am not calling for no law, for society itself would crumble without law because it is made up of the lawless as well as the Christian, but to remember that the law is for the lawless and a school master to Christ, and that as such it is our purpose only as Christians to seek the redemption of all violators by showing them the way to Christ.
It is not our job to punish this belongs only to the, One Lawgiver and Judge, God.
I oppose the death penalty for these reasons and I truly believe we can find better ways to correct criminals then propagating criminality through penitentiaries and putting them in a society that only promotes criminality, not only among the imprisoned but with those that imprison them. Recent events in Texas youth prisons have proven my point and the history of criminal justice has proven my point. Very few people come out corrected and very few people stay corrected from imprisonment. The few that have it is only due to the presence of Christian outreach and their conversion to Christ. Many of these in the prisons suffer, psychological and spiritual problems that could be resolved, many had no chance in life in their upbringing, and they could be made whole with a different societal approach to their correction. How can imperfect men, ever correct imperfect men, without Christ as center of that correction coming from a Spirit led and abiding Christian. This is not the case in the real world. Thus it is a spiral that continues until Jesus comes, or we as believers take more action to being a part to bringing the Kingdom of God to pass in people's lives. I thank God for people like my uncle who was a Prison Chaplain, I have seen God use his ministry to bring life to many individuals. He is not perfect but he has Christ and scripture and it is the Word that changes an individual whether them, you or me.
It is our calling to correct the body of Christ always with the thought in mind that we too may fall into sin, and to offer compassion and forgiveness. not judgment, condemnation in which punishment doesn't involve these things -correction ( being steered in a new direction) and healing ( both psychological and spiritual). Punishment only appeases men's flesh and sinful pride, especially for those doing the punishment.
We are to extend this love of God to ALL men, regardless of their religious belief or sin. We are to remember, that God so loved the "world" that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. It must always begin the same way God's love does, He loves all men, and offers them redemption.
He took care of the redemption it is our call and duty to offer this to others by the way we live our lives and the words we share with others. This love for them that is without prejudice or bias.
We are to love them not kill them, or punish them, we are but to love them. This is the hardest way, this is the narrow gate, because everything in our flesh says the opposite.
I have digressed from somewhat where I began this editorial, but all the same, it is for us to see, that war doesn't meet the call of our heavenly Father, and that we really need to ask ourselves; are we contributing to this evil by paying our taxes. In honesty, the answer has to be a loud, Yes.
Now what you do about it is up to you, and how much you may be willing to sacrifice of the "me" for the "all".
The greatest prophets and saints have always sacrificed as they stood in direct opposition to the world, their people, their culture and their society, and it's ways.
We are in the world, but scripture makes it very clear, we are not to love the things of this world and hatred is one of the big things of this world and war is it's means of exercising that hatred.
Dispensationalism, and the "Left Behind" series of fictional, non scriptural theology and exegesis has brought many to believe the big lie. This lie feeds the flesh. It is fed with justified hatred and it is very hard to escape it once one let's it become a part of themselves. Sow to the flesh, you reap the flesh.
I am really beginning to see that "war tax resistance" may be the only hope we have left of changing this country from the war mongering, blood thirsty nation we have become.
God have mercy on us for the death and destruction we have so willingly supported. We need forgiveness not only for our willingness to listen to preachers with itching ears, but our continual contribution to the war effort in our silence, and our willingness to pay for it.
I remind readers it was over a simple tax on tea, that fired up the American Revolution, it is perhaps time for a new revolution in this country that has totally failed at the ballot box to change the face of America. Taxes are the only support these politicians have - my money and your money.
Without money, they cannot continue to disregard the voice of the people.
The "moral majority tries to make us believe that it is an attack on Christianity, whether or not the Ten Commandments are in a court officials building or not. This has little to do with being a Christian especially when the very same people that fought against the removal of the Ten Commandments from a judge's court in Alabama will not resist and take action against war, especially when one of those commandments say, Thou Shalt Not Kill. I don't read FIFTY justifications written alongside of this commandment for doing other than what it says.
It was only with the passing of time, that Christians came to the idea of " justified war", and this not from scripture but from men, like Augustine.
I can truly say, Christian, "You Nullify the Commandments of God for Sake of the Traditions of Men!"
It is time for us to say, no more war, and no more support for your wars. My battle is not against flesh and blood. I am in a spiritual battle, in that battle we are called to render unto God what is God's.
The opposite of the coin. Our very lives and all that we are and have belongs to God, not to the Federal government or the State, It all belongs to Him. what will you do with it, render all that you are to Caesar or to God. There is in the scripture, unlike "justified war", taught by men, there is clearly taught in scripture and the New Testament "justified civil disobedience". "Is it better to obey God or men"?, the Apostle asked.
We know what they did, they obeyed God, and continued to proclaim His name though told it was against the law and to not do it.
This is one of the reasons, the early Christians turned the world upside down! They feared no man and only feared God. They lost all that they had to follow Jesus, who said," foxes have dens, and birds have nest, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head"
Lest we forget, we are no less called to this calling, that Jesus spoke, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men".
Peace is the only answer to war, and we as Christians, are the answer for peace in this world, if we hold fast to the traditions taught by the Word and the Apostles instead of the "traditions of men"
Neither Muslim or those that practice unlawful or immoral things, will ever be able to resist love and peace.
When we harken to His word, we truly will become "Fishers of Men" and like the Disciples, our nets will be full and our boats will be weighed down with the catch. But hear me, WE HAVE TO FIRST CAST OUR NETS!
Cast your net, stand against war and hatred, and turn to love both in word and deed.
Dr. J.
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