Randy Green's Blog, page 472
July 23, 2012
Church or Disney? – Part 2
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
In my days of youth I wanted nothing to do with the Lord. But He wanted me and didn’t stop wooing me until He finally won me over. It wasn’t because I was such a great catch, mind you. It all stemmed from His love, not from anything in me. It was all of grace. But I appreciate Him all the more because of it. I don’t take Him for granted or find it an onerous chore to be with Him.
When I try to communicate with my grown kids about this, they can understand what I’m saying intellectually but not from the heart. They never experienced having difficulty going to church. They never knew how not to read the Bible and pray. It shouldn’t be hard to understand from this how they potentially could miss out on really growing close to the Lord in real love for Him. It is normal not to value something as much, when we’ve always had it and know no different a life than that.
I am long past the grade school years (lo~~~ng past!), even past my born again day (my rebirthday). My current spiritual state is much more satisfactory than all that has gone before. Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needful, and her sister Mary chose it, the better part. That is where I am in my relationship with the Lord at this time of my life. I choose the better part, the one thing needful.
There are always more church services, more church functions, more trips and fellowship gatherings, more Bible studies—more social activities and events. Each and every one of them can be worthwhile and rewarding too. I’m not knocking them in the least. But they only matter if they are spiritual events and activities, not social occasions alone.
Anything spiritual grows out of the Word of God and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If I enjoy church because I am a social creature at heart and know no other existence, then my church life isn’t spiritual, it’s social. If I am naturally gregarious, my jovial personality at church can appear to be Holy Spirit fire. Looks can be deceiving, dear friends.
The church life of a naturally sociable person might and probably does appear the same as someone whose church life is spiritual, mind you. But a fly on the wall of his house will see an altogether different reality than that same fly will see in the house of the spiritual person.
“How so?” you wonder.
Well, that is a good question, and the answer is well worth the hearing. Alas, but our time is up today, so the answer will have to await the morrow. For now enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In my days of youth I wanted nothing to do with the Lord. But He wanted me and didn’t stop wooing me until He finally won me over. It wasn’t because I was such a great catch, mind you. It all stemmed from His love, not from anything in me. It was all of grace. But I appreciate Him all the more because of it. I don’t take Him for granted or find it an onerous chore to be with Him.
When I try to communicate with my grown kids about this, they can understand what I’m saying intellectually but not from the heart. They never experienced having difficulty going to church. They never knew how not to read the Bible and pray. It shouldn’t be hard to understand from this how they potentially could miss out on really growing close to the Lord in real love for Him. It is normal not to value something as much, when we’ve always had it and know no different a life than that.
I am long past the grade school years (lo~~~ng past!), even past my born again day (my rebirthday). My current spiritual state is much more satisfactory than all that has gone before. Jesus told Martha that only one thing is needful, and her sister Mary chose it, the better part. That is where I am in my relationship with the Lord at this time of my life. I choose the better part, the one thing needful.
There are always more church services, more church functions, more trips and fellowship gatherings, more Bible studies—more social activities and events. Each and every one of them can be worthwhile and rewarding too. I’m not knocking them in the least. But they only matter if they are spiritual events and activities, not social occasions alone.
Anything spiritual grows out of the Word of God and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If I enjoy church because I am a social creature at heart and know no other existence, then my church life isn’t spiritual, it’s social. If I am naturally gregarious, my jovial personality at church can appear to be Holy Spirit fire. Looks can be deceiving, dear friends.
The church life of a naturally sociable person might and probably does appear the same as someone whose church life is spiritual, mind you. But a fly on the wall of his house will see an altogether different reality than that same fly will see in the house of the spiritual person.
“How so?” you wonder.
Well, that is a good question, and the answer is well worth the hearing. Alas, but our time is up today, so the answer will have to await the morrow. For now enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 22, 2012
Church or Disney? – Part 1
But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” [Numbers 9:6-7]
When I was in grade school, Walt Disney shows came on Sunday night at the same time church services occurred. Back in the day there was no DVR or TiVo. Consequently, either I stayed home and watched Walt Disney or I went to church, but I couldn’t do both.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom did, and she chose church. To this day I think Walt Disney held all the more prominence to me back then, just because I couldn’t see it! It’s funny how things work that way, huh? We want something even more if we cannot have it.
That was just me. As a kid I didn’t have much interest in the things of God. I was closer to Esau than Jacob, though neither one were anything to write home about when they both lived with mom and dad.
It was quite different with my kids. I raised them as a pastor, and we had daily family devotions from the time they were born—actually from the time my wife and I were married, which was long before they were born. We also had our daily personal time alone with the Lord and regular Bible readings.
With the proper spiritual climate established, my two young’uns took to church like ducks take to water. They wouldn’t want to stay home to see Disney (an anachronism for them), even if I permitted them to do so. They wanted to be in church.
Though they as kids responded to church quite opposite to how I did as a kid, still things were not necessarily what they seemed to be. I mean, their social existence revolved around the church building and church services, even more than it did around school or school vacations. It was a social thing, you see. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be and often is.
Because I wasn’t all gung-ho for church as a kid, later in life when I truly met the Lord the experience was much more real and deeper seated. Again, when we can’t have something we want, we value it all the more. My background led me to not want church. When I finally realized what I was missing, I couldn’t just flip on a wall switch and become all gung-ho for church.
I took the Lord to flip the switch. He expended much effort to woo me to Him because I was quite resistant to His advances. When He finally won out by wearing me out, I was so glad He did and appreciated my new life with Him all the more.
And I still do! But we are out of time today. I’ll continue this saga in our next study. Jesus calls us. Let’s not keep Him waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was in grade school, Walt Disney shows came on Sunday night at the same time church services occurred. Back in the day there was no DVR or TiVo. Consequently, either I stayed home and watched Walt Disney or I went to church, but I couldn’t do both.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom did, and she chose church. To this day I think Walt Disney held all the more prominence to me back then, just because I couldn’t see it! It’s funny how things work that way, huh? We want something even more if we cannot have it.
That was just me. As a kid I didn’t have much interest in the things of God. I was closer to Esau than Jacob, though neither one were anything to write home about when they both lived with mom and dad.
It was quite different with my kids. I raised them as a pastor, and we had daily family devotions from the time they were born—actually from the time my wife and I were married, which was long before they were born. We also had our daily personal time alone with the Lord and regular Bible readings.
With the proper spiritual climate established, my two young’uns took to church like ducks take to water. They wouldn’t want to stay home to see Disney (an anachronism for them), even if I permitted them to do so. They wanted to be in church.
Though they as kids responded to church quite opposite to how I did as a kid, still things were not necessarily what they seemed to be. I mean, their social existence revolved around the church building and church services, even more than it did around school or school vacations. It was a social thing, you see. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be and often is.
Because I wasn’t all gung-ho for church as a kid, later in life when I truly met the Lord the experience was much more real and deeper seated. Again, when we can’t have something we want, we value it all the more. My background led me to not want church. When I finally realized what I was missing, I couldn’t just flip on a wall switch and become all gung-ho for church.
I took the Lord to flip the switch. He expended much effort to woo me to Him because I was quite resistant to His advances. When He finally won out by wearing me out, I was so glad He did and appreciated my new life with Him all the more.
And I still do! But we are out of time today. I’ll continue this saga in our next study. Jesus calls us. Let’s not keep Him waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 21, 2012
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 5
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Christians were persecuted for refusing to worship all the pagan gods along with Jesus. So financial times were hard for them. The churches established a list of their needy members, and they tried to aid them with food and other necessities.
Paul told them not to include certain widows on the list. If the widow had adult children or other relatives around, they should take care of her. That was simple Christian love in action. If the widow was still young, she was not a candidate for the list either.
“Huh?” someone is flummoxed. “How’d that get in here? Why would Paul not want a widow to be helped just because she was young? Age discrimination ‘tis!”
Uh, that would be a no, dear brother. Paul didn’t make the rule up. The Holy Spirit inspired him to write it, so God is responsible. Listen to the various clauses in Paul’s explanation:
1. they feel sensual desires (i.e., youth)
2. this is in disregard of Christ
3. so they want to remarry
4. they incur condemnation by remarrying
5. they are condemned for breaking their pledge
A careful reading of those five points teaches us how the list functioned. Those on the list pledged themselves to Christ and the work of the church. Otherwise they sought their livelihood on a regular job or in a marriage. Or they moved back in with dear old dad or another relative.
They committed themselves to this arrangement, when they accepted their name on the list of the needy. They gave themselves to the church and were cared for by the church. This was a mutual pledge.
Since they were still young, their biological clock ticked increasingly louder as time went by, and they sooner or later wanted to remarry. To remarry they had to renege on their pledge to Christ and His church, in order to pledge themselves to their husband.
Keeping our word is an absolute must for Christians! The Lord cannot tolerate us breaking our oaths, whether we call them oaths or promises or pledges or whatever. The Lord never breaks His Word, and His kids must emulate Him.
Paul’s teaching reveals the principle that we Christians must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus said so and Paul taught it too. We mustn’t let guilt lead us. “Leading us” is in the job description of the Bible, not in the job description of guilt.
We must accept responsibility for our actions, including the act of giving charity. Don’t be a participant in the sins of Christian freeloaders. Don’t encourage them to continue their lives as leaches on the Body of Christ. Be wise, intelligent, sagacious in giving aid to folks.
We don’t want to be afraid to help. We just mustn’t be too lazy to be sure we are helping the needy, rather than enabling the freeloaders. After all, it is Christ’s money we are spending…or wasting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Christians were persecuted for refusing to worship all the pagan gods along with Jesus. So financial times were hard for them. The churches established a list of their needy members, and they tried to aid them with food and other necessities.
Paul told them not to include certain widows on the list. If the widow had adult children or other relatives around, they should take care of her. That was simple Christian love in action. If the widow was still young, she was not a candidate for the list either.
“Huh?” someone is flummoxed. “How’d that get in here? Why would Paul not want a widow to be helped just because she was young? Age discrimination ‘tis!”
Uh, that would be a no, dear brother. Paul didn’t make the rule up. The Holy Spirit inspired him to write it, so God is responsible. Listen to the various clauses in Paul’s explanation:
1. they feel sensual desires (i.e., youth)
2. this is in disregard of Christ
3. so they want to remarry
4. they incur condemnation by remarrying
5. they are condemned for breaking their pledge
A careful reading of those five points teaches us how the list functioned. Those on the list pledged themselves to Christ and the work of the church. Otherwise they sought their livelihood on a regular job or in a marriage. Or they moved back in with dear old dad or another relative.
They committed themselves to this arrangement, when they accepted their name on the list of the needy. They gave themselves to the church and were cared for by the church. This was a mutual pledge.
Since they were still young, their biological clock ticked increasingly louder as time went by, and they sooner or later wanted to remarry. To remarry they had to renege on their pledge to Christ and His church, in order to pledge themselves to their husband.
Keeping our word is an absolute must for Christians! The Lord cannot tolerate us breaking our oaths, whether we call them oaths or promises or pledges or whatever. The Lord never breaks His Word, and His kids must emulate Him.
Paul’s teaching reveals the principle that we Christians must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus said so and Paul taught it too. We mustn’t let guilt lead us. “Leading us” is in the job description of the Bible, not in the job description of guilt.
We must accept responsibility for our actions, including the act of giving charity. Don’t be a participant in the sins of Christian freeloaders. Don’t encourage them to continue their lives as leaches on the Body of Christ. Be wise, intelligent, sagacious in giving aid to folks.
We don’t want to be afraid to help. We just mustn’t be too lazy to be sure we are helping the needy, rather than enabling the freeloaders. After all, it is Christ’s money we are spending…or wasting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 20, 2012
Of Churches and Truck Stops - Part 4
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Similar sorts of predicaments faced the churches back in the times of the Apostle Paul. He makes reference to this in the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Allow me to present the context for your benefit.
Originally the Christians were all Jewish. The Jewish authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, so they persecuted the Christians. After all, being a Jewish Christian meant that the believer received Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
In consequence the Jewish Christians were ostracized. They were not welcomed at the temple or synagogue. They were not hired for jobs and were fired from the ones they had. Aside from their fellow Christians—who also had no jobs or influence with the authorities—their friends were few and far between. No one wanted to be persecuted along with the Christians, you see.
When Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish peoples), he started churches in various cities throughout the Roman world. The Roman world was pagan through-and-through, veritable card-carrying heathens. The motto of heathenism is that there are gods for everything and every city, and all gods are real and to be worshiped.
Well, this didn’t fly with Judaism or Christianity. The foundation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that there is one and only one true God, and His name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). For Christianity this one true God reveals Himself as three Persons at the same time, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son.
So how do you think the relationship fared between Christians and heathens? Would you believe it didn’t! The heathens wanted the Christians to incorporate their God YHWH into the pantheon of all the heathen gods, and worship them all. The Christians refused and worshiped only Jesus.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the Christians also taught the heathens that they should turn from the false gods they worshiped and commit to Jesus alone. The nerve of some people, huh? So the heathen Gentiles denounced this upstart God named Jesus and persecuted His followers, the Christians. In consequence the Gentile Christians also often faced financial straights from unemployment.
Paul didn’t write about that general situation in 1 Timothy 5 though. He addressed a specific case arising from the general situation. Because the Gentile Christians faced social and financial handicaps, widows were hit especially hard. So the churches found it critical to create a list of needy folks, and then they did what they could to aid the needy folks.
We’ll conclude our examination in the next study. For the while we would be blessed to worship in the presence of our blessed Lord.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Similar sorts of predicaments faced the churches back in the times of the Apostle Paul. He makes reference to this in the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Allow me to present the context for your benefit.
Originally the Christians were all Jewish. The Jewish authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, so they persecuted the Christians. After all, being a Jewish Christian meant that the believer received Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
In consequence the Jewish Christians were ostracized. They were not welcomed at the temple or synagogue. They were not hired for jobs and were fired from the ones they had. Aside from their fellow Christians—who also had no jobs or influence with the authorities—their friends were few and far between. No one wanted to be persecuted along with the Christians, you see.
When Paul took the Gospel to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish peoples), he started churches in various cities throughout the Roman world. The Roman world was pagan through-and-through, veritable card-carrying heathens. The motto of heathenism is that there are gods for everything and every city, and all gods are real and to be worshiped.
Well, this didn’t fly with Judaism or Christianity. The foundation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is that there is one and only one true God, and His name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). For Christianity this one true God reveals Himself as three Persons at the same time, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son.
So how do you think the relationship fared between Christians and heathens? Would you believe it didn’t! The heathens wanted the Christians to incorporate their God YHWH into the pantheon of all the heathen gods, and worship them all. The Christians refused and worshiped only Jesus.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the Christians also taught the heathens that they should turn from the false gods they worshiped and commit to Jesus alone. The nerve of some people, huh? So the heathen Gentiles denounced this upstart God named Jesus and persecuted His followers, the Christians. In consequence the Gentile Christians also often faced financial straights from unemployment.
Paul didn’t write about that general situation in 1 Timothy 5 though. He addressed a specific case arising from the general situation. Because the Gentile Christians faced social and financial handicaps, widows were hit especially hard. So the churches found it critical to create a list of needy folks, and then they did what they could to aid the needy folks.
We’ll conclude our examination in the next study. For the while we would be blessed to worship in the presence of our blessed Lord.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 19, 2012
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 3
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
There are Christians in the church building who would rather attend all the functions and socialize, rather than work to improve their lot in life. So they play on the guilt feelings of their fellow church members to collect aid from them.
Here’s the thing. Someone in need for the church to support should be someone who is truly in need. Because I want more doesn’t mean I am in need. If I’m one of those vagabonds who gad about from one truck stop to another, feeling sorry for myself and wanting everyone else to do so too, it doesn’t make me someone in need. My real need isn’t a $10 bill: it is to accept responsibility and get a job!
So it is with some of our church folk. They would rather socialize at all the church functions and be the life of the party, rather than do the hard work to better their social estate. Indeed, I’ve known some who have no qualms about taking trips to many places, and then return and whine because they are broke! You think I’m joking, don’t you? Would that it were true, dear friends. Would that it were true.
As Christians we are accountable to God for the things He gives us. And every good gift comes from Him, as Brother James wrote in his epistle. We need to act responsibly in giving money and gifts to “the needy”. Are they really needy? What are they doing about it to improve themselves?
When those hitchhikers came to the door of the church, I never gave them any money. It’s no telling how much money they already had in their pockets from visits to my neighbors! And who knows what they would spend it on…wine, drugs, etc.
They said they were hungry, huh? Then they received food, not money. I even banded together with other pastors in the area to share in a church food pantry. We rotated the pantry between the churches monthly.
When a poor wretch knocked on the door, he was directed to the church of the month to be fed. If we deemed him truly weak enough to need transportation to that church, we drove him there. Would you believe it wasn’t long before the knocks on the door dwindled to a rarity? Word gets around with those traveling vagrants! When the freebies dry up, they know it and stop coming.
If someone at church is in need, by all means we should help them. No strings attached either. But help should be given intelligently, dear friends. We should also keep our eyes and ears open for available job openings, for example.
When someone expresses concern about their financial condition, if we direct him to job opportunities and he is a church freeloader, he’ll soon cease and desist with the sob stories. The talk about a job will freak him out and send him to new feeding grounds to whine for sympathy. If the brother or sister is truly in need, he/she will be receptive to and appreciative of our concern for his/her welfare.
We must stop for the day and take our rest. Let’s roll what we learned today over the tongue and allow the Spirit to assimilate it into our beings. We will continue this subject on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
There are Christians in the church building who would rather attend all the functions and socialize, rather than work to improve their lot in life. So they play on the guilt feelings of their fellow church members to collect aid from them.
Here’s the thing. Someone in need for the church to support should be someone who is truly in need. Because I want more doesn’t mean I am in need. If I’m one of those vagabonds who gad about from one truck stop to another, feeling sorry for myself and wanting everyone else to do so too, it doesn’t make me someone in need. My real need isn’t a $10 bill: it is to accept responsibility and get a job!
So it is with some of our church folk. They would rather socialize at all the church functions and be the life of the party, rather than do the hard work to better their social estate. Indeed, I’ve known some who have no qualms about taking trips to many places, and then return and whine because they are broke! You think I’m joking, don’t you? Would that it were true, dear friends. Would that it were true.
As Christians we are accountable to God for the things He gives us. And every good gift comes from Him, as Brother James wrote in his epistle. We need to act responsibly in giving money and gifts to “the needy”. Are they really needy? What are they doing about it to improve themselves?
When those hitchhikers came to the door of the church, I never gave them any money. It’s no telling how much money they already had in their pockets from visits to my neighbors! And who knows what they would spend it on…wine, drugs, etc.
They said they were hungry, huh? Then they received food, not money. I even banded together with other pastors in the area to share in a church food pantry. We rotated the pantry between the churches monthly.
When a poor wretch knocked on the door, he was directed to the church of the month to be fed. If we deemed him truly weak enough to need transportation to that church, we drove him there. Would you believe it wasn’t long before the knocks on the door dwindled to a rarity? Word gets around with those traveling vagrants! When the freebies dry up, they know it and stop coming.
If someone at church is in need, by all means we should help them. No strings attached either. But help should be given intelligently, dear friends. We should also keep our eyes and ears open for available job openings, for example.
When someone expresses concern about their financial condition, if we direct him to job opportunities and he is a church freeloader, he’ll soon cease and desist with the sob stories. The talk about a job will freak him out and send him to new feeding grounds to whine for sympathy. If the brother or sister is truly in need, he/she will be receptive to and appreciative of our concern for his/her welfare.
We must stop for the day and take our rest. Let’s roll what we learned today over the tongue and allow the Spirit to assimilate it into our beings. We will continue this subject on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 18, 2012
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 2
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
Many a needy soul is needy by choice. We were discussing this in our last study. They like not having responsibilities, so they move from place to place to meet folks who don’t know they never change. If the folks knew this, they’d stop giving them handouts, you see.
So they flitter aimlessly from wherever to wherever, bumming free handouts wherever they can get them, and in general being leaches on society. In today’s climate these shameless derelicts are the ones for whom the hard-working adults of society are expected to foot the medical bills.
What we must never do is be irresponsible, as they hope we will be. They come to the door and play on our guilt trip for having the money we worked so hard for, all the while they are poor and needy. They expect us to be overcome with guilt for having so much while they have so little, you see.
Don’t give in to the guilt trip, dear people. Turn the tables and think how we have to get up and go to work and take all the…well, you know what you have to put up with at work. But they don’t have to put up with it because they don’t bother to work or even try. Shame on them, not on us!
There are other types of bums and hobos too. Most of us are not aware of them because they appear to be so respectable. Some even belong to church and frequent the establishment regularly. Indeed, they sometimes are quite active and gain the respect and appreciation of many a church member. And they do have jobs too.
Here’s the thing. Imagine a person who goes to the job, works, and collects a paycheck. Now the person doesn’t make enough to satisfy his wants, so to him he is always “poor”. You would think he’d go back to school, maybe nights, and advance his career. Or at least apply for other positions. Do something to change his financial estate.
And there is always the path of curbing his lusts so he doesn’t want so much. I know many folks cannot advance themselves, no matter how hard they try. I don’t mean this as a blanket judgment on everyone, or for that matter on anyone in particular.
Fact is though, there are folks in the church who are in a rut. They get a job they don’t particularly want, just to pay the bills. They don’t try to better their education and/or training, so they can better their salary. They prefer to go to all the church functions and have a grand old time being a model Christian. For them, socializing at church sure beats studying to change their lot in life.
So they hang around the church building, whining about how hard life is and currying favor with the church folks. They play on guilt feelings (intentionally or unintentionally), especially since it occurs in church. After all, what kind of Christians would we be, if we didn’t help our poor brother or sister out?
What kind of Christian, indeed! We’ll get into that issue tomorrow. For now let us pause and be refreshed by the presence of the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Many a needy soul is needy by choice. We were discussing this in our last study. They like not having responsibilities, so they move from place to place to meet folks who don’t know they never change. If the folks knew this, they’d stop giving them handouts, you see.
So they flitter aimlessly from wherever to wherever, bumming free handouts wherever they can get them, and in general being leaches on society. In today’s climate these shameless derelicts are the ones for whom the hard-working adults of society are expected to foot the medical bills.
What we must never do is be irresponsible, as they hope we will be. They come to the door and play on our guilt trip for having the money we worked so hard for, all the while they are poor and needy. They expect us to be overcome with guilt for having so much while they have so little, you see.
Don’t give in to the guilt trip, dear people. Turn the tables and think how we have to get up and go to work and take all the…well, you know what you have to put up with at work. But they don’t have to put up with it because they don’t bother to work or even try. Shame on them, not on us!
There are other types of bums and hobos too. Most of us are not aware of them because they appear to be so respectable. Some even belong to church and frequent the establishment regularly. Indeed, they sometimes are quite active and gain the respect and appreciation of many a church member. And they do have jobs too.
Here’s the thing. Imagine a person who goes to the job, works, and collects a paycheck. Now the person doesn’t make enough to satisfy his wants, so to him he is always “poor”. You would think he’d go back to school, maybe nights, and advance his career. Or at least apply for other positions. Do something to change his financial estate.
And there is always the path of curbing his lusts so he doesn’t want so much. I know many folks cannot advance themselves, no matter how hard they try. I don’t mean this as a blanket judgment on everyone, or for that matter on anyone in particular.
Fact is though, there are folks in the church who are in a rut. They get a job they don’t particularly want, just to pay the bills. They don’t try to better their education and/or training, so they can better their salary. They prefer to go to all the church functions and have a grand old time being a model Christian. For them, socializing at church sure beats studying to change their lot in life.
So they hang around the church building, whining about how hard life is and currying favor with the church folks. They play on guilt feelings (intentionally or unintentionally), especially since it occurs in church. After all, what kind of Christians would we be, if we didn’t help our poor brother or sister out?
What kind of Christian, indeed! We’ll get into that issue tomorrow. For now let us pause and be refreshed by the presence of the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 17, 2012
Of Churches and Truck Stops – Part 1
But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge [1 Timothy 5:11-12].
I recall one church where I pastored. It was situated near an Interstate truck stop. Most folks won’t be aware of this, so I’ll explain what happens in suchlike locales. Hitchhikers frequent them!
Now there are hitchhikers, and then there are hitchhikers. Some hitchhikers are fairly respectable, non-threatening and safe to give a ride to, but some not so much. Some have no particular scent, but others have a malodorous smell (and I’m being polite).
Many moons ago (and I do mean many) when I was a college student fresh out of high school, I hitchhiked on vacations from college to home and back. The journey required a couple of hours driving time, so I usually had to stick out the old thumb several different times on each trip.
My appearance was safe enough for motorists to stop and pick me up. And I wasn’t one of the malodorous varmints either! My apparel could have been better, but I certainly didn’t appear the tatterdemalion. I wasn’t the type of vagrant I am depicting in this study.
The type I want to note traveled without any particular destination. Such a one hitchhikes to wherever the driver drops him off, and there he seeks out freebies of whatever he can get. Most often a trucker picks him up, and he winds up at a truck stop, you see. This is why I am experienced with this situation. The church I pastored was near a truck stop.
So these poor unfortunates made it a regular practice to knock on the door of the parsonage I called home. The spiel I became familiar with went something along this line: “I haven’t eaten in four days. Can you give me $10 for some food?”
Well, you didn’t have to be a pastor of a church to feel sorry for such wretches. No one in their right mind would want to be caught up in the fate they indubitably were forced to endure, the cross they had to bear, their hapless estate.
But not so fast! Unbeknownst to most folks, these characters indeed do want to continue such an existence. The alternative for them would be to face themselves in the mirror, repent of their sins, and get a job! And I’m not joking either.
Some folks do fall on hard times and suffer beyond endurance, until they lose all hope and resign themselves to their fate. Yes, that’s true, but most of these folks don’t fit that bill. They like their scam—no responsibilities and plenty of suckers for the taking.
We must stop for today, but not to fret. We will invite the hobos back tomorrow. Enjoy time with Jesus now, and I’ll see you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall one church where I pastored. It was situated near an Interstate truck stop. Most folks won’t be aware of this, so I’ll explain what happens in suchlike locales. Hitchhikers frequent them!
Now there are hitchhikers, and then there are hitchhikers. Some hitchhikers are fairly respectable, non-threatening and safe to give a ride to, but some not so much. Some have no particular scent, but others have a malodorous smell (and I’m being polite).
Many moons ago (and I do mean many) when I was a college student fresh out of high school, I hitchhiked on vacations from college to home and back. The journey required a couple of hours driving time, so I usually had to stick out the old thumb several different times on each trip.
My appearance was safe enough for motorists to stop and pick me up. And I wasn’t one of the malodorous varmints either! My apparel could have been better, but I certainly didn’t appear the tatterdemalion. I wasn’t the type of vagrant I am depicting in this study.
The type I want to note traveled without any particular destination. Such a one hitchhikes to wherever the driver drops him off, and there he seeks out freebies of whatever he can get. Most often a trucker picks him up, and he winds up at a truck stop, you see. This is why I am experienced with this situation. The church I pastored was near a truck stop.
So these poor unfortunates made it a regular practice to knock on the door of the parsonage I called home. The spiel I became familiar with went something along this line: “I haven’t eaten in four days. Can you give me $10 for some food?”
Well, you didn’t have to be a pastor of a church to feel sorry for such wretches. No one in their right mind would want to be caught up in the fate they indubitably were forced to endure, the cross they had to bear, their hapless estate.
But not so fast! Unbeknownst to most folks, these characters indeed do want to continue such an existence. The alternative for them would be to face themselves in the mirror, repent of their sins, and get a job! And I’m not joking either.
Some folks do fall on hard times and suffer beyond endurance, until they lose all hope and resign themselves to their fate. Yes, that’s true, but most of these folks don’t fit that bill. They like their scam—no responsibilities and plenty of suckers for the taking.
We must stop for today, but not to fret. We will invite the hobos back tomorrow. Enjoy time with Jesus now, and I’ll see you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 16, 2012
Thoughts on the November Elections – Part 4
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war…And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” [Revelation 19:11, 16]
Politics is overrun with opportunism. Elected officials are mostly opportunists because that’s the only way to get elected! The electorate, you see, vote for whoever gives out the most toys. This boils down to voting for the person who promises me the most, the candidate I believe will benefit me more than the others.
But where is the principle in that approach? Ah, that puts the finger on the real issue right there, doesn’t it. Am I truly a principled person? Do I do what is right because it is right, or do machinate and wangle to seize what I think I deserve? What kind of person am I?
Do I examine the candidates and determine who I’ll cast my vote for based on their positions? Do I choose positions based on my own personal agenda, or do I choose based on the Lord’s agenda? Does the Word of God rule me come election time, or do I vote to receive personal favors?
Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, not the President of the United States. I cannot vote Him out of office if He doesn’t give me my way. There are only two choices I can make in relating to Jesus:
1. submit to Him as my King
2. rebel against His Kingship
Voting doesn’t enter the picture. It’s either His way or the highway. Either He rules my life—I mean really rules all of it 24/7—or else I rule it, in which case I am rebelling against His Kingship. If Jesus rules my life 24/7, my voting will be determined by Him.
In today’s permissive and entitlement society, this concept is not often grasped. There is a lot of church going on but not much new life. We still behave as if we get to vote on who we want to rule, and we vote for whoever gives us the most toys.
If I truly submit to Jesus as my King, I don’t want the most toys. I don’t want what I think is fun and games and easy living. I want what the Lord wants. He makes His will lucid in His Word, the Bible. I do want His will in my life, so I look forward every day to spending time alone with Jesus and the Bible.
Oh, I far too often do my own will. I much too frequently disobey His Word. But I don’t think it is okay! I turn to Him and confess my sins, asking Him to forgive me (cf., 1 John 1:9). Then with hands clean and heart pure because of His grace, I press forward toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
No, I wouldn’t want our government to be a monarchy over what it is at present. But I would love for it to be the absolute monarchy of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be during the Millennium. Until then I guess I have to play the Tweedledum and Tweedledee game a while longer.
Soon He will call me home and I won’t have to play it anymore. What a glorious future awaits the child of God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Politics is overrun with opportunism. Elected officials are mostly opportunists because that’s the only way to get elected! The electorate, you see, vote for whoever gives out the most toys. This boils down to voting for the person who promises me the most, the candidate I believe will benefit me more than the others.
But where is the principle in that approach? Ah, that puts the finger on the real issue right there, doesn’t it. Am I truly a principled person? Do I do what is right because it is right, or do machinate and wangle to seize what I think I deserve? What kind of person am I?
Do I examine the candidates and determine who I’ll cast my vote for based on their positions? Do I choose positions based on my own personal agenda, or do I choose based on the Lord’s agenda? Does the Word of God rule me come election time, or do I vote to receive personal favors?
Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, not the President of the United States. I cannot vote Him out of office if He doesn’t give me my way. There are only two choices I can make in relating to Jesus:
1. submit to Him as my King
2. rebel against His Kingship
Voting doesn’t enter the picture. It’s either His way or the highway. Either He rules my life—I mean really rules all of it 24/7—or else I rule it, in which case I am rebelling against His Kingship. If Jesus rules my life 24/7, my voting will be determined by Him.
In today’s permissive and entitlement society, this concept is not often grasped. There is a lot of church going on but not much new life. We still behave as if we get to vote on who we want to rule, and we vote for whoever gives us the most toys.
If I truly submit to Jesus as my King, I don’t want the most toys. I don’t want what I think is fun and games and easy living. I want what the Lord wants. He makes His will lucid in His Word, the Bible. I do want His will in my life, so I look forward every day to spending time alone with Jesus and the Bible.
Oh, I far too often do my own will. I much too frequently disobey His Word. But I don’t think it is okay! I turn to Him and confess my sins, asking Him to forgive me (cf., 1 John 1:9). Then with hands clean and heart pure because of His grace, I press forward toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
No, I wouldn’t want our government to be a monarchy over what it is at present. But I would love for it to be the absolute monarchy of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be during the Millennium. Until then I guess I have to play the Tweedledum and Tweedledee game a while longer.
Soon He will call me home and I won’t have to play it anymore. What a glorious future awaits the child of God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 15, 2012
Thoughts on the November Elections – Part 3
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war…And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” [Revelation 19:11, 16]
I rue the November elections because there seems to be no real choices in the candidates. I always have to vote for the “lesser evil” so-called. Why can’t I have someone with whom I really can get on board? So we considered alternatives: anarchy, republic, monarchy.
The bottom line is that God established authority to keep order, as we learned from Romans 13. But God also established His Word to teach us what is right and what is wrong. When government rule is contrary to God’s Word, then the leaders are not ruling in accordance with the purpose for which God established government. If we must choose between God and government, we must always choose God. If we can still obey God, we must obey all authority which is over us.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. In the good ol’ USA today the prevailing mindset is “I-me-mine” and “looking out for Numero Uno”. Anyone which puts a damper on what we want, well, we declare war on him and see how many folks we can persuade to side with us. The prophet Micah observed the same thing among his people back in the day:
If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people! [Micah 2:11]
I don’t mean to be harsh, really I don’t, but that is an apt depiction of my beloved country today. Even the evangelical churches are governed by affluent middle class morality, rather than by the Bible. We Christians are too busy enjoying “the good life”, that we haven’t any time left over for daily time alone with Jesus.
In the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study, the Lord Jesus is revealed to be THE KING and THE LORD. He rules as an absolute monarch. He won’t come to you or me and prophesy plenty of wine and beer. He doesn’t gives you or me our way, in order to curry our favor and stay elected. Those who behave that way are known as opportunists. Jesus is no opportunist!
We today cannot get a handle on this truth because we live in a permissive entitlement society. I have my rights, you see. I’ve forgotten what the word responsibilities means. If I don’t get what I think I deserve in anything whatsoever, then someone is doing me wrong!
This mentality has a direct bearing on government and the November elections, dear friends. Really it does. But we’re out of time again, so we’ll have to postpone learning what it is until our next study. So go worship the Lord a while and come back for the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
I rue the November elections because there seems to be no real choices in the candidates. I always have to vote for the “lesser evil” so-called. Why can’t I have someone with whom I really can get on board? So we considered alternatives: anarchy, republic, monarchy.
The bottom line is that God established authority to keep order, as we learned from Romans 13. But God also established His Word to teach us what is right and what is wrong. When government rule is contrary to God’s Word, then the leaders are not ruling in accordance with the purpose for which God established government. If we must choose between God and government, we must always choose God. If we can still obey God, we must obey all authority which is over us.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. In the good ol’ USA today the prevailing mindset is “I-me-mine” and “looking out for Numero Uno”. Anyone which puts a damper on what we want, well, we declare war on him and see how many folks we can persuade to side with us. The prophet Micah observed the same thing among his people back in the day:
If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people! [Micah 2:11]
I don’t mean to be harsh, really I don’t, but that is an apt depiction of my beloved country today. Even the evangelical churches are governed by affluent middle class morality, rather than by the Bible. We Christians are too busy enjoying “the good life”, that we haven’t any time left over for daily time alone with Jesus.
In the Bible verses quoted at the start of this study, the Lord Jesus is revealed to be THE KING and THE LORD. He rules as an absolute monarch. He won’t come to you or me and prophesy plenty of wine and beer. He doesn’t gives you or me our way, in order to curry our favor and stay elected. Those who behave that way are known as opportunists. Jesus is no opportunist!
We today cannot get a handle on this truth because we live in a permissive entitlement society. I have my rights, you see. I’ve forgotten what the word responsibilities means. If I don’t get what I think I deserve in anything whatsoever, then someone is doing me wrong!
This mentality has a direct bearing on government and the November elections, dear friends. Really it does. But we’re out of time again, so we’ll have to postpone learning what it is until our next study. So go worship the Lord a while and come back for the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
July 14, 2012
Thoughts on the November Elections – Part 2
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war…And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” [Revelation 19:11, 16]
We saw that anarchy can never cut it, when it comes to the functioning of society. So we began considering other alternatives to our present form of government. We considered a republic.
The USA began as a republic. Technically it still is. The electoral college makes the final determination of who wins the presidential elections, not the popular vote. In actual practice, though, the popular vote has correctly picked the actual winners.
The benefit of a republic over a democracy is that demagogues cannot stir up evil in the people and win control. Can anyone say “Hitler”? Another evil would be the legal oppression of minorities because the majority rules.
A still different form of government bears the epithet “monarchy”. This was the dominant form of government for most of history. In some cases the monarch was absolute, in others not so much so (e.g., a constitutional monarchy). A king is the governmental leader under monarchies. He makes the laws, determines the taxes, and sometimes oppresses everyone but at other times is benevolent to everyone.
So come November, before we wring our hands in despair over the lack of meaningful choices between the various candidates, and before we throw in the towel and boycott the elections, maybe we should decide what form of government we would prefer to see replace our current format. Remember, anarchy is out so government of one form or another is in.
Now that we’ve plodded through that thick and unpleasant bog, permit me to reveal how I got on the subject of government in the first place. In Romans 13:1-2 the Apostle Paul teaches,
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Notice that all authority—this includes but is not limited to government—but all authority comes from God. Paul’s words are often misconstrued. Folks tend to think he means that every individual governmental person was personally chosen by God for his role.
Not so! Paul didn’t say any specific individual was governing according to the Word of God. He didn’t refer to individuals at all. Notice the phrase “whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God”. God commands authority because God is not a God of disorder and confusion. He is a God of order (cf., 1 Corinthians 14:33).
Oops! Out of time again. We’ll press the Pause Button and hie off to the prayer closet to visit with Jesus now. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We saw that anarchy can never cut it, when it comes to the functioning of society. So we began considering other alternatives to our present form of government. We considered a republic.
The USA began as a republic. Technically it still is. The electoral college makes the final determination of who wins the presidential elections, not the popular vote. In actual practice, though, the popular vote has correctly picked the actual winners.
The benefit of a republic over a democracy is that demagogues cannot stir up evil in the people and win control. Can anyone say “Hitler”? Another evil would be the legal oppression of minorities because the majority rules.
A still different form of government bears the epithet “monarchy”. This was the dominant form of government for most of history. In some cases the monarch was absolute, in others not so much so (e.g., a constitutional monarchy). A king is the governmental leader under monarchies. He makes the laws, determines the taxes, and sometimes oppresses everyone but at other times is benevolent to everyone.
So come November, before we wring our hands in despair over the lack of meaningful choices between the various candidates, and before we throw in the towel and boycott the elections, maybe we should decide what form of government we would prefer to see replace our current format. Remember, anarchy is out so government of one form or another is in.
Now that we’ve plodded through that thick and unpleasant bog, permit me to reveal how I got on the subject of government in the first place. In Romans 13:1-2 the Apostle Paul teaches,
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Notice that all authority—this includes but is not limited to government—but all authority comes from God. Paul’s words are often misconstrued. Folks tend to think he means that every individual governmental person was personally chosen by God for his role.
Not so! Paul didn’t say any specific individual was governing according to the Word of God. He didn’t refer to individuals at all. Notice the phrase “whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God”. God commands authority because God is not a God of disorder and confusion. He is a God of order (cf., 1 Corinthians 14:33).
Oops! Out of time again. We’ll press the Pause Button and hie off to the prayer closet to visit with Jesus now. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
