So, You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?

 So, I just finished reading, "No Compromise." (A must read for those, like myself, whose lives have been influenced by Keith Green.) Written by his widow, Melody Green

I have loved Keith's music since I first discovered him in my teen years. The first song of his I remember hearing on the radio was, "Until Your Love Broke Through." They would play it on a late night Gospel music program I listened to. (Likely the Moody channel.)

I can't remember how, but I wound up with a mail-in form for a free copy of the album, "So, You Wanna Go Back to Egypt" (Is that a statement or a question?) Amazingly, the flyer said that I could have a copy mailed to me for free and I wouldn't even be solicited for donations. I mailed my order post haste! Sometime thereafter, I received my very own copy of this marvelous LP  in the mail.

Not only was the album great, but it included a booklet with spiritual lessons and little cartoon-like drawings directly pertaining to the songs on the album. One even included a caricature of Keith, asleep in front of his TV, for "Asleep in the Light."

This record swiftly became my favorite album. So many of the songs spoke so deeply to me about my relationship with my Savior and I eventually learned them all by heart. I fairly ran the needle through the vinyl. 

Years afterward, I bought the CD and it contained the same, best as I could tell, booklet inside. (Maybe some updates?) Yes, my album had long been gone with the wind. Too many moves; too many...moves.

Until recently, I didn't understand the cost to Keith, et al., in producing this marvelous album. As a teen I didn't understand and as an adult I just never considered. Sad, but true.

One day, a few months back, I was at work, listening to some Keith music through my cell phone speaker, when a lady walking past me suddenly stopped, backed up and asked if it was actually Keith I was listening to. I smiled and replied it was. We then had a short, but pleasant conversation about how we loved his music and what an influence on us as Christians he had been.

She inquired if I had read, "No Compromise." I replied I had not. She said that I really should. I said I would.

After finally completing this very interesting biography, I felt I knew Keith a little better. Even though I had seen at least one documentary on him, the book gave deeper and more lasting insight into the man, himself.

I have a couple or more takeaways from the book:

Keith was much as I imagined him. With a burning fire shut up in his bones. He did love Jesus and sinners. He was a real type A and tried to be the man who totally committed his life to Christ and the salvation of souls. He often struggled with his commitment and remembering to love his fellow Christians despite their commonly shared frailties. Though it sounds cliche, he was a comet! Burning bright for a moment across the sky.

I'll never forget hearing about his death. I had a cheap little transistor radio I kept in my barracks at Ft. Campbell and I was in the habit of listening to Paul Harvey during my chow time. He told that Kithe had died, along with two of his children, in the crash of a small plane. Only those details. I don't remember anything else. There was more news for Paul to cover.

Incidentally, it was years later before I understood who his children were and that his only son died with him. I also learned that an entire family of seven died with them. Horrible!

As years passed, I collected more of Keith's music, becoming thoroughly addicted to it. His music ranged from convicting to uplifting. He was always trying to teach me something. I only wish I had listened more.

I've often prayed and wondered why God would take Keith out of this world so soon. Not to mention his children and friends. I mean, he had so much potential and got so much right. I listen to hundred year old gas-bags on television who don't know the first thing about God and are dedicated only to money and themselves. Keith was sold out to God! His songs stay in my head like spiritual ear-worms. Prodding me toward righteousness. (Oh, how I have kicked against the "pricks"!

His words were personal. As someone said, "honest." They spoke to my own personal situation, trials and attitudes. In ways that much of traditional music, not all, doesn't. I often felt like he had been peeking through my window. And I was busted! Yikes! (Importantly, Melody wrote some of his best songs.)

So, why him? Why are so many out there lying and seeking to steal, kill and destroy when this young man was a sincere seeker of the truth?

I know that people of all ages die and there's often no seeming reason or rhyme. We just die. God makes the sun and the rain fall on the just and the unjust. I know all of that. But why Keith? 

I've often wondered, why am I still here? (Another blog, perhaps?)

There are no satisfactory answers to such questions. Hopefully, we learn through such tragedies to trust God. (Isn't it all about trust?) There is no other way to learn to do so. Keith even believed he should be ever ready, along with his family, to face death at any time. He most definitely pledged his head to Heaven!

In reading, I learned some very interesting facts about Keith that speak to this question. He was a child of the hippie culture. He squeaked by the draft. He was too young and they ended it before he came of age. Joining the military seemed to be something he had no interest in doing. He was only interested in his music career.

Being the California hippie that he was, frankly, he did do a lot of drugs. A lot of drugs. I mean a lot of drugs! How many people have overdosed or been at the wrong place at the wrong time and they didn't survive their poor choices? He, like the silly of his generation, was often looking for God and enlightenment through mind-altering drugs. Doesn't really seem like any of them found Him that way. Imagine that!

He spent time with many people in ways that he was to young, ignorant and "hip" to recognize as potentially very dangerous. This lifestyle brought many to an early demise. Gladly, not Keith.

This thinking brought me to the realization that we actually had Keith longer than we should have. By all rights, he should've been dead even before he found the Lord. I'm sure he often thought that God brought him out the other end for a purpose. (My father believed he was spared numerous near deaths during the war for a reason.) So many don't survive. I'm glad Keith did.

I also decided that Keith was, for some time at least, three steps away from being a cult leader. He was handsome, charismatic, talented, amiable, loquacious and brilliant. He even spent some time in the canyons of the California desert in, what amounted to, communes. Yes, they were Christians, but it was definitely strongly influenced, again, by the hippie culture of the late sixties and early seventies. (Much of this was happening when Manson was living with his "family" at Spahn Ranch in California.

Even when he gave his life to the Lord, he never unlearned many of the hippie habits he had developed. It was not uncommon for he and wife Melody to hitchhike to places or pick up hitchhikers spending the entire time talking about Jesus. (Bob Dylan, during his Christian "phase" would often do the latter.)

He took in many troubled teens, derelicts off the street, addicts, pregnant, husbandless women and more. Musician friends, et al., would stay all night making music and talking about God finally crashing on the floor or couch. He even had to rent/purchase homes to make room for those he and his wife took in to keep.

So much of that could've gone wrong. So many opportunities for sin and tragedy. Thankfully, his sincere dedication to his Savior kept the peace.

Which leads me to another observation: Keith was very involved in various ministries. He worked closely with several youth ministries and even experienced one interesting and, to me, befuddling episode at Oral Roberts University. Also, he and others set up what amounted to food pantries for Mexicans and he invested much time and money into a hospital ship operated by a missionary friend to help spread the Gospel around the world. He not only worked relentlessly in his own ministry, but with others he gave his time, energy and money.

There was a passing mention of a couple of local congregations with which he worked. Though he sung at many churches, most everything he did was with these independent ministries that functioned, so to speak, extra-congregational.

As I read, I would reflect about the many "ministries" I am familiar with who act independently. Seeking to save the world. I think to myself, "What if they worked through a local congregation?" Sadly, none of them would want to be saddled with such a, to their mind, hindrance. 

I recall the words of one wise man, or, at least a man who was once wise, or wise once, who said, tongue-in-cheek, "I'm going to start my own church with my own sound doctrine." Sadly, many have.

Had Keith survived into his, now, seventies, would we be dealing with, I don't know, "Greenites"? (We might yet.) Would he have started a college that they would've named after him? Would he have followed the path he planned that lead to international organization? Would that path had lead him away from his first love? Would it have been the ruination of him? Even Keith?

I was taken aback when Keith's ordination was mentioned in passing. While no one could question the man's brilliance and dedication and, yes, he put much living into his two and a half decades, but, honestly, he wasn't much more than a novice himself. He needed pastoring!

Keith spent much time seeking a father. His parents were Jewish heritage, but practicing "Christian Science." I don't know if they ever understood or accepted the Gospel. His "Song to My Parents" is his plea for them to truly turn to Christ. 

He had some men in his life, at least one his age, who were his mentors. Godly men who wanted to see him do what God wanted. He was fortunate for that. But their view of the Church, the Bride of Christ, was subject to the Zeit Geist of today's mal-informed Christianity. In other words, whatever you do, of your own free will and accord, is the "church." They could not see the value of God's local congregation. I suppose their dreams were, er, bigger than that?

So, they, like Keith, started their own ministries and worked tirelessly to feed and clothe the hungry, house the homeless and win the lost to Christ. Alas, as with all "personal ministries," eventually, it becomes less about the ministry and more about the minister.

Yet, through it all, he loved his Savior. He wanted to please Him in spite of his frailties. I believe that God blesses those who sincerely try to please Him, even though they may err in their way. (Me being case in point.)

In the final analysis, God used this young man and young Christian to spread the Gospel and inspire young, foolish Christians, like myself, to greater heights of glory and more personal dedication to Him. (Again, I only wish I had listened better.)

On a personal note, Keith probably would've had some strong words concerning my lifelong inconsistencies regarding my commitment to our Savior. 

But I think he would've liked my questions! 

Prodigal Christ

Was Christ the Prodigal Son?

Yeah, I know. It's kind of maybe an insane thought! Yet, it came to me recently and I'm chewing it over even now.

I am fond of saying: For a man who said He didn't talk about Himself, Jesus certainly talked a lot about Himself.

I have often told people that the Bible is about Jesus from beginning to end. Sometimes, He is, perhaps, hidden in places where we have to really look to find Him. He often would steal away, hiding himself, so to speak. Then, his disciples, or, perhaps, wanna-be disciples, would come looking for Him. He usually wanted to be alone with His Father, but, for purposes of my allegory, I'll boil it down to the fact that He was hiding. (He had been away praying when He came walking on the water to them.)

Jesus often hid Himself in His parables. He was trying to help his disciples understand Him in a way that they could comprehend. Often, to have merely said what He meant seemed to confuse them. I have no doubt that they remembered His words years later and little light-bulb, or, I suppose for the first century, an oil lamp would light over their heads and they would say with great excitement, "Oh, yeah! That's what He meant!" (They didn't understand when He told them, "Destroy this temple,"  and in three days He would raise it up.)

Christ gave us the very famous story of the Prodigal Son. This story has inspired innumerable books, sermons and even, since the film age, several movies over the years. Many have described it as a homily on jealousy, slothfulness, wastefulness, ingratitude and a myriad of other vices. Those a little closer to the truth have spoke of its depiction of the re-grafting of the wayward Gentile into the Divine Branch from which most of back-sliding Israel was cut off.

Still, as I said, I was wondering if there isn't more. If the story being told was much closer to our Lord than He could comfortably express. Was this another one of His stories that said more about Him than His followers could, at that time, receive?

Perhaps, you've never done this, but on several occasions, I've told a story about myself without divulging to the listener that my tale was about me. I would refer to someone I knew or know or heard about and not let the truth out that I was the protagonist of the narrative.

Why would I do such a thing? To say it's a privacy matter would not quite address the question fully. Well, in many respects, I didn't want the story to be about me. I thought that it would take away from the moral and/or spiritual lesson I wanted to convey. Maybe, if it was a good thing, I didn't want to brag. Perhaps it was modesty? Maybe I didn't want to admit that I was the one because it was a story about someone, me, doing something awful.  Sometimes, I was merely changing the names to protect the guilty. Maybe I feared I could never look them in the eye again if the truth were known.

How many times did our Lord heal or raise someone and tell them and their families, "Don't tell anybody it was me." Was it modesty? Maybe. Was He trying to be unpretentious? Was He trying to not be the center of attention. For Him, that was impossible. (He likely just wanted to keep the focus on His Father.)

Some of us have no ability to hide. My dad once accused me of trying to hide in the large church I was then attending. I only asked him if he thought I was the type of person who could hide anywhere. He knowingly smiled.

I can only think that, yes, He understood that His people just were not ready at that point to comprehend...Him! Years later, after much experience, study, prayer and fasting, it might've started to finally make sense. Like I hope it does with me.

Anyway, back to my question: Was Christ the Prodigal Son?

I've learned many valuable lessons from my brother Joe's sermons. One of my favorite things he's helped me with is understanding Biblical analogies.

For years I struggled with many Scripture passages. (Still do.) I knew what I was reading was meant to be a metaphor for something spiritual and I could see how things were similar in one way, but would leave off and be drastically different before the passage ended. Something would be similar, but then dissimilar. I was confused!

I don't recall him using the word, but he taught me that all metaphors, analogies and parables are more parallels than anything. Yes, they are reflections and share so many similarities, but these earthly things can never touch the Heavenly. Secular visions always fall short of the Glory of God.

Calling Christ the Prodigal is the same way. So much is there that is the same, but so much is different because the two sons were different. Still, the parallels are inescapable!

Let us compare:

Noah Webster defined "prodigal," among others, this way:

2. Profuse; lavish; expended to excess or without necessity; as prodigal expenses.
3. Very liberal; profuse. Nature is prodigal of her bounties.

The word "prodigal," strictly speaking, is not locked into a negative connotation. One might be described as prodigious and all would consider that complementary. One might be called a prodigy and that is certainly a good thing to be. The idea here is wrapped around abundance.

The Bible never calls the son "prodigal." That is a title bestowed upon him by scholars throughout the centuries. I do not say it is wrong. Only that the depth of the title hasn't fully been explored.

So, here is a brother; the younger of two. He goes to his father and tells him, "Give me what's mine!"

His inheritance would've been something he received after his father's passing. For whatever reason, though, the father acquiesced and gave to him early what should've come later.

Interestingly, the Scriptures say, "he divided unto them." Was this a legal thing? Was the dividing of the inheritance required to be divided to both to be divided early? Did the older brother see what his baby brother was doing and spring the demand that he too should receive his portion? Did he fear the old man, who had just given in to his brother, would, perhaps, not have his to give later? Did he doubt his father? Did he misjudge his father?

So many questions! But I digress.

After this, the young man took all he had, left for a foreign land, blew it on his friends, found himself living among the swine and had little more to eat than they. We all know the story.

Then, he "came to himself." One of my favorite phrases in the Bible!

He returned home, humiliated, humble, only wanting to serve.

He repented!

He had learned obedience. Albeit, the hard way. (Seems that's the only way we humans learn.)

His father's reaction was more than he could've hoped for. Not only was he welcomed back as a son, rather than a servant, but as a favored son.

He was dead; now he was alive.

I suppose I should say a few words about the older brother. Yes, it seems he too got what was coming to him a little earlier than he should've. (Thanks to his little brother.) He was a busy man. Seems he was always busy. Busy, busy, dreadfully busy! He heard noise and, not wanting to have his hard work interrupted, sent someone to enquire.

The response about the return of his useless brother only made his blood hot. He wouldn't even go to personally investigate.

His father, being the father that he was, made a special effort to invite his older son to come join them. Stubborn pride and inertia kept the man outside. His anger made him he miss out on a really great feast.

All he could manage was to complain and, frankly, lie about how his father had treated him. His father's gentle reminder what he owned was his already along with his cajoling entreaty to join the festivities fell only on unyielding ears.

Yeah, we've heard the story so, so many times! Like a host of others, we grown numb to it. We accept what we're fed, too often husks, and never come to ourselves.

Christ left Glory with all that He had. He became God in the flesh.

He traveled to a foreign land where He lived among strangers. We who knew not God.

He gave everything He had to them. His time, His love and, ultimately, His life.

When he needed them most, they abandoned Him. The crowds who cheered him ultimately, it seems, called for His crucifixion. His disciples all abandoned Him with at least one denying knowing Him.

He found Himself hungry, destitute and bereft. He was always hungry, always poor and even His friends couldn't understand Him and were easily distracted by their own concerns.

He despised the shame He endured, but, ultimately, realized it was the result of His own choices. He didn't want to suffer the cross, but knew if he had chosen otherwise, we would all be condemned to Hell.

Yes, He had been eating with pigs. He hung out with the dregs of society. Worst of all? Occasionally religious people.

He lived as a pig. He not only lived with us, but was one of us. Enduring the same mire and muck that we do. (Both literally and spiritually.)

Yes, He was "no more worthy" to called a Son, but He trusted in His Father.

He Who knew no sin had become one of the sinners. Even more so, He became sin itself!

2 Corinthians 5:21

The sins that He took upon Himself were real! His suffering was real. His separation from His father was real. Being forsaken by His Father was as real as it gets! He became the thing that God hates most. Sin!

How could a sinner be a son? He cannot! The sin must be dealt with and there is only one way to deal with sin. Kill it!

Ultimately, He knew Who His father was and only desired to offer Himself up to His service. He cried for His Father from the Cross. All He wanted to do was please Him. He didn't come as a king; He came as a servant.

Though He knew the journey would be long and tough, He also knew it was the only way Home. He walked that long, lonely road to Golgotha. Though He had surely walked hundreds of miles in His ministry, this was the longest trip He had ever made in His life. He didn't want to make the journey, but He knew, after the cross, He could go Home.

His Father was looking, watching down the road, from Heaven, for the arrival of His Son. He didn't waste a single moment in welcoming Him. At the first twinkling of daylight, the Father ran to meet him, raising up His own Son!

The Father's reaction was simply, "My Son was dead. Now, He's alive!"

The Father gave Him a robe of righteousness and a ring to say that He was His Heir. I can imagine the robe being a coat of many colors. (You, know. Like a rainbow of promise.)

I've no doubt there was such a party in Heaven! It goes on still. Christ, Who's choices, Who's actions had separated Him from His Father, was welcomed Home as a Son. The first Son!

Sin was dead! Christ was alive!

The old man was dead.  The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world is risen!

Yes, all the parallels become more obvious as I look over the Scripture. The more I think and pray on it, the more I'm convinced the Lord gave me something here. (Though, I won't blame Him if I'm wrong.)

Both men did what they did for differing reasons. Yet, their journeys were, I think, undeniably images of the other.

Christ, our Brother, left His Father, left His inheritance, gave all He had for us, was counted as one of us, was dead, now lives and is the preeminent Son of the Father. Yes, the party is for Him. But we are invited.

Many of us are so jealous at the good fortune of others, that we stand outside, pouting and angry and, worst of all, missing out on the party inside.

Won't you come inside and join the celebration? I promise, it'll be fun!







Luke 15:11-32 KJV
[11] And he said, A certain man had two sons:
[12] And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
[13] And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
[14] And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. [15] And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
[16] And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
[17] And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
[18] I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
[19] And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
[20] And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
[21] And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
[22] But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
[23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
[24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. [25] Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
[26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
[27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
[28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
[29] And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
[30] But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
[31] And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
[32] It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

To Eschatology or not to Eschatology!

I was asked a question regarding a question of eschatology on Facebook. I had to pray a lot about it and this was the best answer to a question I've been mulling over for years.

The names have been changed to protect the guilty. 

*****************************************************************************

Brother, speaking of eschatology what is your view point on that subject? My views have changed dramatically since I've been doing some research and study about it. I am prayerfully asking God to settle me on that issue. I am no longer pre-trib, mid- trib or even post-trib anymore. Could you PM me and bless me with a little of the [Aaronism] knowledge and I will share with you my Tonyism thoughts. Philippians 2:12 my brother ??

Have you ever danced with the devil in pale moonlight? Well, asking my opinion on a matter, any matter, perhaps especially eschatology, is a little like that! 

In my very young days, I thought I could speak for Christianity. I was wrong.
I was still foolish enough to try to speak for Southern Baptists. They proved me wrong.
Once upon a time, I may have even feigned to speak for the Davis family in general. Time, though, has made a change in my family.

So, I'll just talk about what I think. I'll preface this with the obvious: I don't have all the answers. Still, I know enough to generally recognize when something is wrong. Obviously, you are seeing errors in things you have heard preached for decades. To publicly say you are not "pre-trib" is anathema to Fundamentalists today. I never heard what is often called pre-millinialism preached as I was coming up, but I was fortunate enough to have my father as my pastor. I can also testify that my brother Joe, who was my pastor for several years, easily found meat from the Gospel that was fresh and neither stale nor rotten. I can further testify that my grandparents, who lived in the post-bellum South, testified to me that neither they nor their parents believed it, neither was it preached from pulpits of their churches. Further, if a preacher had tried to preach pre-millenialism back then, even up into the sixties locally, he would've been escorted by the pastor/deacons to the pew to learn or out the door. My how things have changed!

That little story is almost unimportant, but, dealing with this delicate matter, I thought it might be important to let you know where I come from. Having said all that, as my dad taught me, I had to examine these things, "work out my own salvation," for myself. Time and study has, for me, confirmed my perspective.

Now, to the point:

The Book of Revelation is, in my never to be humble opinion, one of the most read and studied and most misunderstood books of the Bible. Yet, it is one of the most beautiful!

I've sat through so many sermons, attended study courses, read books on the matter from the "pre-trib" perspective and, frankly, all I hear is a bunch of hooey! I hear no hope for the Church or salvation for the lost in the any of it.
Let me sum up:

A couple of verses, not to diminish others, in Revelation are the two keys to having any understanding of it. 

Revelation 1:1 KJV
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Christ Who was revealed to us through the man Jesus. Who revealed Himself to John in a vision on Patmos. We know so much about Him, but we understand so little. 

Preachers drone about computer banks, plastic strips on credit cards, Russia and the "state of Israel," quickly forgetting that John said, first thing, that this book is about Jesus Christ! To even hope to begin to understand that revelation, we must not lose sight that it is He we should be looking for.

Actually, there is another that we should look for in this book. Someone who, sadly, is repeatedly overlooked and passed over. Someone whose idea and image has been distorted by both ignorance and intent for nearly two millennia now. This One is the second key.

Revelation 21:9 KJV
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

"The Lamb's wife." We see the angel specifically introduce to, or "shew," John the Lamb's Wife, the Bride. The Bride of Christ!

Preachers fill their congregants' ears with talk about Heaven and streets of gold, jasper walls and gates of pearl completely ignoring that the angel is not showing John Heaven, but the most important Person in Heaven. The One that the Bridegroom gave His life to purchase, to prepare and, as any loving husband, spend an eternity with. It's like attending the wedding of strangers and when someone there points out the bride, we only see the flowers and candles, but never the pretty lady in the white dress.

We have eyes, but we don't see. Like the Bible in general, I believe more especially the Book of Revelation, this is a love letter from the greatest lover in history to His One and Only! Without this, I believe we can never even begin to grasp the love story that our God and Father is desperately trying to get us foolish souls to ever so slightly comprehend. 

We are so caught up in looking at the hands of God, we never look up to see His face or that of His Bride. We see the dragons, the plagues, the wars and the seas, but we miss the wedding party.

Tragically, I hear very few preachers talk about the "Bride of Christ." They only speak of the Church as if it's a different entity. It's all about Her identity! 

One more thing: I'll paraphrase my Uncle Ulis who, referring to the Wedding Supper spoken so much of by so many preachers, said, if there has not yet been a wedding, that makes us all bastards!

Well, I confess I am a little short on specifics here. My point is always, when asked this basic question, to try to help the questioner find a way to come closer to the truth than to continue to hobble along with those who seem to be, well, missing out on the party.

Yes, I have been long, but you did ask! ha! ha!

p.s. I'm going to tag you in a link for Youtube. It's a sermon by Mark Rutland. It's ninety-plus minutes, but well worth your time!

Back to the Shack

One day, a couple of years ago, while scrolling through a free movie weekend on HBO, I came across the movie, "The Shack." The family was asleep in bed, so I thought that this would be a fun and interesting movie to watch. I knew nothing about the movie other than it was supposed to be a Christian movie and the idea was that a man meets God in a shack. I expected something a little light-hearted and humorous that would inculcate some useful and important homily. Boy, was I mistaken!

I was not prepared for what happened. This movie was an emotional roller-coaster ride that took me places that, frankly, I didn't care to go. (Yes, I just used a cliche, but it fits so well.)

By the time I had finished this, er, movie, my theology had been, no hyperbole, shaken up. I have ever so rarely come across anything that effected me in such a manner. 

After it was over, I immediately went to Amazon and downloaded the book. Something I'd never done in response to a film before.

I've had so many discussions on-line and with people I know concerning this movie and book. (The book was pleasantly similar to the movie.) Discussions I've renewed repeatedly. I've thought about it and prayed about it and struggled over it. Why? Because, though I highly recommend it, there is something about it that didn't set quite right with me.

If, as I can't imagine, someone who hasn't seen the movie or read the book was to read my thoughts on this, it seems only fair to give fair warning. (Frankly, I cannot imagine anyone other than my immediate family even seeing this post.)

SPOILER ALERT!

Now, the things that bothered me did not necessarily include presenting God as a black woman and the Holy Ghost as an Asian woman. That was explained as, well, real, but also a vision, I suppose. Besides, I decided to treat it as metaphor and just went with it.

The thing that has really vexed me for so long, though, is what the author was trying to say about forgiveness. I understand why people claim he was pushing universal salvation. Though, I didn't really think so myself. Besides, "Papa" kept reiterating that she doesn't like slaves.

Though, a YouTube interview I saw recently with Paul Young seemed to indicate the possibility that he may actually subscribe to a form of "universalism." In short, and trying to paraphrase fairly, he said that he wouldn't be surprised if God was the kind of God who would make a way for all mankind to ultimately come to Him and share His love. 

Personally, I would think one would have to ignore a lot of verses in the Bible about Hell. That would include much preaching from our Lord. To believe that there is any possibility that all will ultimately live in the eternal bliss of Glory flies in the face of everything the Holy Scripture says about the Justice of God. And, yes, God is just!

One scripture reference here: John 3:16. Why would Christ talk about those who believe "would not perish" if, after all is said and done, none perish?

Anyway. Back to the shack!

In the end, the real, ultimate problem was that "Papa" wanted the man to forgive. Okay, but even to the point of forgiving the man who had destroyed his daughter? (Kill is not strong enough of a word.)

Now, honestly, this entire thing is very emotional for me. As a father of a daughter, or, I suppose, for a father of any child, for that matter, the idea of a man hurting my baby is more that my mind wants to ponder. Hurt me, okay. We'll deal with that. But my child? That's quite a different story.

I probably don't need to quote a bunch of Bible verses to make the point that God wants us to forgive one another. (And even ourselves.) He wants us to forgive others. Others who have hurt us. Yes, even hurt us terribly. But with no qualifications?

A year or two ago, there was a shooting at, of all things, a Texas church. Several were killed. Even the pastor's small granddaughter. It was dreadful. Horrible!

One of the most asinine reporters I've ever seen on television was asking questions of the pastor and his wife just a couple of days after the shooting. I can't remember all of his questions, but one really stood out as historically stupid. The man coldly asked, "Have your forgiven the shooter?"

The pastor feebly answered in the affirmative and the clip cut back to something else related to the story. 

Me? I only wished that that idiotic reporter could hear the things I called him!

Why, in the name of all that's holy, would he ask such a heartless question? The poor couple's granddaughter was not even in the grave yet and some jack ass is asking him about forgiveness?

I can guarantee you that if they had not been Christians, if he had not been a pastor, no one would've asked him if he had "forgiven" anyone. But since they were believers, at least with the world, it's perfectly fine to be a thoughtless cad to the recently bereaved. Sheesh!

Now, at that time, I can remember thinking, "Who said the shooter wants forgiveness?" (I can't recall, but I think he was taken alive.) Did anyone ask him if he wanted to be forgiven? Did he ask to be forgiven? Did he think he did anything wrong?

To me, it just seemed like the same old drivel I've heard time and again about "forgiveness." It's almost like the word is magical and somehow saying, "I forgive you," grants as much to whomever we consider the offender.

More later.

Back to "The Shack."

Here is a story about a man, "Mack," who lost his little girl in the worst way imaginable. And he is supposed to forgive this serial killer who doesn't think he's done anything wrong? Someone tell me how that works?

I'm not sure how much time I should spend discussing here what it means to be a reprobate. I could  ask why the Bible talks about them if there is no such thing? People seem to give the concept pretty much no thought.

More later.

I've heard story after story of people "forgiving" those who've hurt them. Those who, at least in their minds and maybe truly, have hurt them in ways that will be with them until their dying day. But, they say they've forgiven them. How?

How do you forgiven someone who thinks they've done nothing wrong. In other words, how do you grant forgiveness to the unrepentant? Can you?

I won't try to quote the number of Bible verses that explain that God's forgiveness is ready and waiting, but we must repent, admit our wrong, and ask forgiveness for the sins we've committed against Him. It's not complicated. He freely grants mercy to those who ask for it. 

What of those who don't repent? Who don't confess? Who don't, who won't, ask for forgiveness? Again, there are a lot of verses about Hell in the Bible too.

There is an almost, methinks, equally important part to this conundrum. How do we deal with the hurt, the pain, the confusion, the anguish when someone doesn't want forgiveness when they've wronged us?

Perhaps we earnestly desire to forgive them. Sometimes it's for our own desire to be relieved of the struggle of not knowing what to do. Sometimes the pain and frustration is so bad, we'll do or believe anything to relieve it. Sometimes people just fake it.

The author described the grief the family was stuck in after the disappearance of the child as the "great sadness." What an apropos name. The guilt, the shame and the loss the family endured was something to which all too many can relate. I thank God I cannot!

Firstly, bearing in mind that it's impossible for us to be unbiased and we, being human, tend to think first of ourselves and our own needs. Still, we must be sure as we can be that we are the injured party and not just suffering from our own poor choices. (This part requires much prayer and fasting.) Alas, we do tend to conflate the two.

That is one thing the author did brilliantly, he chose a hopeless scenario where there could be no doubt about who was at fault. Yes, the parents, being good parents, felt guilt for the mistakes, that they imagined, incorrectly, they made. They, no doubt, were actually, certainly the innocent, injured parties. Theirs was a hurt that they did not ask for in any way.

The awful thing the perpetrator had done had showed him as someone certainly on the road to Hell. The dichotomy between himself and the family was a clear demonstration that he was as guilty as they were innocent. He was certainly a man in need of forgiveness.

So, how do we cope when people just ain't interested in our forgiveness? They don't believe they've done wrong or they just don't care. Even with someone so lost as a sociopathic killer.

There is a question worth actually considering: What if the offender is a reprobate. Certainly, in my mind, the serial killer in the story is such. Reprobate means, simply, abandoned of God. To paraphrase that, I would  say that such people are so cold and numb to the Holy Ghost that God doesn't even trouble Himself with them. (How horrible would it be to be so depraved?)

These people would be rare, of course. Quick names like Hitler, Stalin and Mao come to mind. Still we don't have to look any farther than our own Congress to find such people. A politician who thinks it's perfectly fine to murder a defenseless baby for simple convenience and would campaign on as much betrays a diabolical lack of heart and conscience. The abortion doctor, the serial rapist and pedophile are so far in the flesh, I don't know if there is any hope for these people. 

God's mercy is deep and wide, so, occasionally, I find myself praying for them. Hope springs eternal?

We so struggle with what is often today called "closure." (I hate that term!) The word was used in the movie. 

We want to escape the pain, whoever may be at fault. So we search for any means to mollify or alleviate it. We just want it to go away. We want release. The problem is, what do we do when the pain just won't go away?

Pain is only a part of life. It is inevitable. We feel it in our tummies whenever we've missed a meal. We feel it in our bones as the years pass and we grow old and grey. We feel it in our hearts when we lose something or someone we love. Pain is just pain.

We seek our escape, but it follows us wherever we go. It's there like an old friend, or enemy, who never lets us get too far removed. It holds onto us and wakes us in the night to tell us the most unpleasant stories of days gone by. It even haunts us in our dreams. It's wherever we are. It's part of us. It just is.

We like to say we forgive those who've hurt us because we think it will give us peace. The problem is, it does not. We may live in denial, but the pain is still gnawing at us. We can't get shed of it. At least not so easily. 

Christ taught his disciples to forgive "seventy times seven." Obviously, this is not literal, but a principal. We are to be forgiving to our brother no matter how many times he hurts us.

Scripture says that, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." "Confess" being the operative word. (Yes, I did just reference a particular verse. Finally!)

The question remains: Can we forgive those who do not confess? Those who do not repent? Those who, in their own eyes, have done no wrong? Can we? 

Can God?

Entire Christian denominations are founded on the principal of what is aptly, if over-simply, called "irresistible grace." The idea is that we have no part in our salvation; we don't, can't, even choose God. He strictly and simply chooses us. We are saved because a Holy God, in His wisdom and righteousness, makes us so. We can't lose our salvation because we never claimed it. It was simply granted to us. It is irresistible.

Now, remember, Papa doesn't like slaves. ("Papa" said "prisoners." "Jesus" said "slaves." We are, in my mind, most definitely slaves if we have no choice who we love. Choices can, regrettably, be bad, but they must be ours and we must be free to make them. Otherwise, there is no such thing as free will. 

The Calvinist believes grace is irresistible. The Armenian believes, even after accepting it, grace is rejectable. Both are wrong. The former believes that we cannot love God while the latter believes God cannot love us. Love is a choice and it is everlasting or it isn't love at all. Otherwise, It's just some unpleasant thing that controls us as opposed to us controlling it.

So, again, can I forgive those who stubbornly refuse to ask? I certainly don't mean that they must come crawling to me, begging my forgiveness and that I will then condescend to grant it. No, I mean that their heart and mind must agree that they've done wrong and they must desire forgiveness with sincerity. We too must be ever ready to receive them and love them with a contrite heart and with no haughtiness or pride. We must, at the first sign, be ready to freely give the forgiveness they desperately need and we desperately need to give.

Now, can God forgive the unrepentant. The Holy Scriptures cry out, "NO!"

God's mercy is deep and wide, but if we simply refuse to drink the water, we will die of thirst. Remember the old adage about leading the horse?

Christ became our intercessor on the cross. He died that He might be the propitiation between God and man. He prayed, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." With that prayer to His Father, He granted forgiveness to every sinner who had ever breathed and those yet to draw breath. But what if we simply don't want His forgiveness? Is it possible to refuse the God of the Universe?

Studies by smarter men than me calculate that every time we inhale, we inhale a molecule of oxygen that Christ exhaled with His dying breath. Mind boggling! 

Imagine if a man simply refused, for whatever reason, to inhale. If he could somehow just stop breathing. He would die and that very quickly!

It's a simple and inadequate metaphor, but so many treat God's grace the same way. It's there for us to simply inhale, but pride, earthly desires, lusts, anger and a myriad of other devices lead men to hold their breaths like spoiled little toddlers until it's too late. They refuse to breath; so they die.

Hell is full of those who refused the offer of salvation. 

Yes, it's a heady thought, but we can actually refuse this great gift of mercy and forgiveness. We can refuse God's love. We can refuse His forgiveness. We can refuse to love God. Otherwise, it just wouldn't be love, would it?

If you believe you can forgive the unrepentant, aren't you saying you have power that God on His Throne does not? No Christian would say that God forgives without confession and repentance, so, why do we say we can? Why do people stubbornly hold onto the idea that we can forgive those who have unrepentantly wronged us? 

After years of prayer and study on the matter, I believe I've come up with an answer. It may not be THE answer, but if I had to say yes or no, I'd say it is. 

If you can forgive me without my confession and repentance, then it follows suit that God can do the same for you. No confession. No repentance. No change in attitude. Just forgiveness. Unrequested and irresistible. And very, very convenient!

Now, isn't that a way to live? No repentance and no remorse. Just go on with your life as you always have and God will just forgive and forgive and forgive. That, my friend, is the way to Hell!

Sure, no one who believes in one-sided forgiveness is going to agree with my assessment, but two plus two still equals four. If I don't need to repent, then neither do you. Anything else is illogical and denial of intent.

Papa encouraged Mack to repeat the words, "I forgive you," to the perpetrator, who wasn't even around to hear the words. He told him that he would have to say it many times until he could truly forgive, but that that was the way to begin. Ya know, as if the words are a mantra and, if oft repeated, will help you reach nirvana.

Papa even explains, in, I'll call it, the discovery scene, that "forgiveness doesn't create a relationship." Really? How can someone have a relationship with me when I've hurt them and won't admit it? In all fairness, the movie doesn't explain this hypothesis as well as the book. Still, though forgiveness is certainly the first step in a relationship, it is the most essential part of it. I cannot be an unforgiven child of God and neither will God force His forgiveness on me.

Words mean things. Or they mean nothing.

Forgive means forgive. Forgiveness is not about me; it's about the sinner. The offender. It's not about making me feel better; it's about granting pardon to a wrongdoer.

Forgive! Forgive freely, readily and quickly. 

Most of all, pray. Pray! And then pray some more. Maybe after enough prayer, you'll shut up and start listening. 

Then, when things make no sense and the pain just seems to continue, if you look around you'll see One on a cross beside you promising He'll be with you to the very end. 

And then...Paradise!

p.s. In writing something of this nature, the hardest part, perhaps, is looking inward. I try to sincerely ask myself if I'm only giving reasons in vain hope of begrudging forgiveness to those who've hurt me and mine. 

All I can do is pray and hope that I'm being open and honest. I'm only trying to point out that, for us lowly humans, forgiveness is difficult at best. And it needs to be the real deal!

Father God, on the other hand, is an expert at forgiveness. Of course, that's what makes Him special.

Yeah, if you think forgiveness was easy for Him, allow the Holy Ghost to remind you of just what it took to enable Him to forgive us pitiful sinners.

Holy Nehushtan!

We, as Christians, don't always see the forest for the trees. We are easily bewildered and habitually forgetful. We spend our lives both blessed and cursed and too often confuse the sources of both.

 "God sends rain to fall on the just and the unjust." Matthew 5.45 (paraphrased)

Yes, we even confuse cause with effect. Good things happen; bad things happen. We know we should be grateful to God for His goodness, but, historically, we haven't always thanked Him. Sometimes we give credit for our blessings to the wrong person...or thing. We forget that even though that thing is designed and/or sent by God, it is not God. Had we been paying better attention, we surely would have noticed the difference.

Most are familiar with at least some of the Old Testament stories of the Israelites sojourning with Moses in the wilderness. They always seemed to struggle with their faithfulness to God and, so to speak, keeping their eyes on the prize.

On one of the more famous occasions recorded in the book of Numbers, the children of Israel were doing what they did best: grumbling and complaining! Well, the Lord God, shall we say, got his bellyful. He went so far as to send a swarm of fiery serpents, biting their way through the midst of the camp. These vicious vipers bit many, many of them and many, many of them died.

And, as they were dying in their numbers, they, of course, despaired, crying***** out to Moses for help. I at least give them credit for having the good sense to turn to one who, in turn, turned to God. Moses then prayed for his people.

God gave Moses an interesting, even cryptically prophetic remedy. He told Moses to make a serpent of brass, one that resembled the others, but wasn't one of them, put it on a pole in the midst of the camp and tell the people that if those who were bitten would merely look at this "brazen serpent," they would live. Simple enough! Well, people being what they are,  some looked and lived, but some refused. Those who followed the Lord's command of merely looking were healed of their wounds and lived to tell the tale. The others? Well...

Incidentally, it's probably best for another blog, but much could be said about the fact that the brazen serpent on the pole was similar to the biting serpents on the ground, but was not one of them. Why did God order Moses to make a serpent of brass? Why did he not just have him choose one of the fiery serpents? Why hang it on a pole? Who made the serpent? Who made the pole? Why so many questions?

Fastforward a thousand years or so. Many leaders and kings of Israel had come and gone. Hezekiah, a particularly good king and a direct descendent of David, now sat on the throne in Jerusalem.  The Bible says there was "none like him." (II Kings 18.) He followed God faithfully and destroyed the "high places" and groves of pagan worship throughout all of Judah.  He even broke into pieces something called Nehushtan!

The Israelites, as they were wont to do, (as are we,) had long before confused the cause and effect of their miraculous deliverance from the legendary "fiery serpents." The brazen serpent, created by God's command, had become so much more than a family heirloom for Israel over the centuries. It had become a thing of reverence and awe. The people had even begun to burn incense to it.

I can only imagine the old Hebrews telling stories to their children and their children's children about how the "fiery serpents" had invaded their camp and that those who looked upon the brazen serpent were healed and lived! It must have been exciting for the young ones as they too looked upon the serpent. They were surely filled with wonderment and awe, listening to the stories grandpa told them about this snaky creation. I can easily imagine how the story might have evolved over the centuries, inflating the brass thing's power.  I'm sure it's supposed vigor would be even more exaggerated if the one relating this drama somehow managed to forget to mention that it was the Lord God who not only sent the deadly serpents into the camp, but instructed Moses to create the one which they held in such admiration.

Yes, it's a rare man indeed who can repeat an even already interesting story without embellishment, exaggeration, hyperbole or, even for some, downright lying. It's not hard to understand someone wanting to be known as the best story teller even if the story isn't exactly, shall we say, accurate. Imagine the old men falling to the siren song of the "ooh's" and "ah's" and wide-eyed attention of an enraptured audience.  Sounds like a few, a lot, of preachers I know these days.

Yes, whether on purpose or by accident, it's so easy to see how the crux of this seminal event could be lost with the waxing and waning moon over the centuries. Since they had not been heedful of God and His commands, not to mention His mercy, they had forgotten that this was done so not all stiff-necked Israel would die that day!

It's easy to see how, when looking for something to blame or thank, people often default to what they can actually see. People form entire religions out of worshiping stars, trees, mountains and any number of other observable, awe-inspiring objects of nature in their search for life's elusive meaning.

Yes, the serpent was made by God's design at God's command, but it was only an instrument made by a man that was intended for the blessing of God's people. It was not a living, breathing god itself. It was merely a brass thing!

That's why Hezekiah called it "Nehushtan." It was an insult, a term of derision and, frankly, a proper assessment.

"Nehushtan" means a thing of brass. This good king was making the point that this lifeless serpent was neither deity nor holy and was nothing that should have incense burned to it. He then proved his point by breaking it into pieces. So much for the power of Nehushtan. Oh, yes, Hezekiah was literally an iconoclast.

Fastforward to today. So much of what we have incorporated into our services, rituals, programs and more, stuff that was prayerfully intended for the good of God's people and salvation of souls, have taken on a life of their own. There is nothing inherently wrong with programs. They give us useful ways to organize and avoid the chaos into which we so easily slip. Yet, we find ourselves needing more people to run more programs to enable us to have more programs so people can run these programs so we can start new programs. I always laugh, on the rare occasion I attend a local Associational Meeting, when I hear them discussing the "Committee on Committees." It's the circle of life!

The Holy Bible, the inestimable gift of God to man, a book which contains so much that is edifying and strengthening, so much instruction for believers, a history of God's saints and the tenets of God's plan, has become, for all too many, a thing to worship. Even it has become Nehushtan!

Do you doubt me? How many times, in any given sermon, will a preacher refer to the Bible as "The Word of God"? How many times have you heard preachers, et al., say that this book "contains all we need to know about God"? How many times have you heard preachers say that this book "contains the mind of God"?

They back-peddle and side-step and talk out of both sides of their mouths claiming they don't mean it that way, (whatever way they think they mean it,) but their words speak louder than words. If they spoke of a man the same way they speak of this, albeit, holy book, they would be accused of worshiping the one in discussion.

I suppose anything, if out of order, can become Nehushtan. The Jews worshiped traditions, the Torah and Jerusalem. We worship traditions, song books, buildings and more. (Some apparently worship Nashville.) We often think we are worshiping God, when, in actuality, we are only worshiping the things that pointed us to God.

Mom & Dad were great! Those old songs were awesome. Sunday School at ten and worship at eleven are wonderful. Sunday evening service can be special. Wednesday night service can be sweet. The KJV is surely given to we English speaking people by divine intervention. Still, none of those things are the things that paid the ultimate price for our salvation. They are all Nehushtan! They are no more than things made of wood and paper and brass! Good they may be, but they are obviously not the best!

I've seen far too many habits, (I won't even say traditions,) held onto with a death grip because they were handed down to us by mom & dad. Whether it's seating arrangements, order of service or old songs. Some just don't seem to care how many lost souls burn in Hell as long as they get to sing one more rendition of, "Mansion Over the Hilltop."

Our churches and families can also very, very, very easily become our Nehushtan. Too many times has it been heard in any given congregation, "That's the way we've always done it." Or perhaps, "That's the way mom & dad did it."

Now, those things may or may not be good. Those may even be the things and people who pointed us to Christ. Yet, they are not Christ! They are never to be the object of our worship.  And, by-the-way, don't say you don't worship a thing when you revere it as holy; don't say you don't worship a thing when you fight with and abandon your friends over their objections to it; don't say you don't worship a thing when it takes pre-eminence even over the salvation of lost souls.

We remember our deceased loved ones, as we should, but we set them so high on a pedestal as to turn them, at least in our eyes, into holy things. We treat the memory of mom & dad and family members with the utmost care and reverence, remembering exactly which pew that sat in at church. Yes, sometimes there's even a bronze  plaque.

We take good care of our bodies. We feed, bathe and clothe ourselves in the finest raiment we can afford. (Some of us, yes, even go so far as to burn incense to ourselves.) And when we die, we preserve our remains as best we can, covered within the bosom of Mother Earth, having a marble monument to ourselves placed above our heads. Furthermore, we expect this body, that we frankly worshipped, to somehow reincorporate itself at the return of our Savior and rise to spend an eternity in Heaven "walking on streets of gold."

We are blessed with so much that God gives us as He seeks to lead us to His Saving Grace. Whether it be signs, books, friends, family members or buildings, none of these should be the first object of our effection. These are only the trappings of our faith.

Don't get me wrong! I love miracles! I love good music! I love good sermons! Good services! Good friends! Good feelings! Yet, all of this is Nehushtan!

I once read a very popular book and  in it, the author was continually trying to make the point that we are to seek God's face and not just His hands. Though the point was excellent, I wondered if the man had ever actually read his own book. He incessantly related anecdotes about exploding pulpits and people falling down under the influence, allegedly, of the Holy Ghost. The author seemed caught in his own trap. He couldn't seem to realize that the thing he was talking about avoiding was the very thing in which he was ensconced.

Everything the man seemed to say, every story, concerned things and events that surrounded supposedly committed believers. It was real miracle-a-day stuff. The problem? It was all just about the stuff! It was the trappings and surroundings and excitement and miracles of the Bible and Christianity. It seemed to have little to do with the Gospel and the One who died for me.

It usually works that way. We, as the Jews of old, have no intention of letting our affection slip from the One who deserves it to someone or something else. It just happens when we don't pay attention. Much like a man with wandering eyes who stops paying attention to the one he loves because another has captured his attention.

We forget that God is a jealous God and that He desires all of our attention and affections for Himself. Since He gave everything for us, it seems only fair that we would requite His love.

Even the cross is no more than wood. The nails only iron. The tomb a hollow place in a rock. All are wonderful and meaningful, but all these too are just so much stuff!

I haven't thought this entirely through. I'm treading on thin ice, but I'll keep walking out until it breaks. (I'll sink, swim or the Lord will lift me up, I suppose.) Somehow, it seems to me we even worship the man Jesus over the eternal Christ. Many make the man Holy to the point of making Him a part of the Trinity as opposed to God in the flesh of a babe born in a barn. Not a few forget that His flesh was truly flesh. Yes, He was God in the flesh, but in the final analysis, Jesus was just a man. He was like me. He sweated, thirsted, ached, grew tired and suffered from every bodily function and malady that I do. He would have been no more than any other man had He not embodied the indwelling of Jehovah. Is it possible that we can even make Jesus Nehushtan?

He was a source of worship for many, (though He always pointed to His Father,) as was Nehushtan. (John 5.30) He was broken in pieces, by a King unlike any other, as was Nehushtan. (Isaiah 53.10) He even broke the bread at the Last Supper and referred to it as His Body. (Matthew 26.6) The parallels are obvious. Alas, they are opaque and, sometimes, esoteric. It's something I'll be praying about for a long time to come.

I suppose the lesson here is that everything is Nehushtan! Everything but Christ, at least. All must be broken and torn down for the Word of God that became flesh. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

All Glory and holiness to Him!

God and the Old Cherokee

Me: Imagine, if you will, a Cherokee lives sixty years and dies in the year A.D. 1000. He closes his eyes in death and opens them before the God of the universe. Would the conversation go something like this?

Cherokee: Am I dead?

God: Yes.

Cherokee: Wow! This is not what I expected.

God: I'm sure.

Cherokee: So, who are you?

God: I am the Creator of all that exists.

Cherokee: Okay. So, what's next?

God: Well, I don't have any good new
s for you?

Cherokee: What do you mean?

God: You are going to Hell.

Cherokee: "Hell"? Is that bad?

God: Yes, it is a terrible place of darkness and torment.

Cherokee: Really? Why am I going there?

God: Because you did not accept my Son as your Savior.

Cherokee: "Son"? You have a son?

God: Of course! He was born from a virgin in Bethlehem in Judea. Just like the prophets foretold.

Cherokee: Wait! "Bethlehem"? Is that a town or something? And what's this about a "virgin"? "Prophets"? Who are these guys and what did they say?

God: The prophets had many things to say about the coming of my Son on earth. Later, the Apostles wrote Gospels about His miracles and ministry.

Cherokee: Hold on just a moment, now! You've totally lost me here. I've always believed there were things higher than me. My father and his father taught me about the spirits of the trees and the animals, but I've never heard any of this "Gospels" stuff before! No one ever said anything about any of that. Is that something I can tell from the trees, the stars or the moon?

God: Certainly not. Though the heavens declare my Glory and the firmament shows my handiwork, I Commissioned my people to spread the Gospel to all the world.

Cherokee: Yeah, I always did like the trees, the animals and the stars, but you're saying they aren't really gods or spirits?

God: Well, as is obvious now, all those things, all the gods and spirits your elders told you of were false. I am the one true, living God.

Cherokee: Oh, sure, I see that now, but why again am I going to this place called "Hell"? Isn't there somewhere else? Maybe somewhere better?

God: Yes, there is Heaven, but Heaven is only for those who gave their hearts and souls to me and trusted in My Son, Jesus.

Cherokee: Now, that's all well and good, but was His name written somewhere? I mean, not that I can read, but, like I said, I gazed at the stars many, many nights and have seen more moonrises and sunrises than I can remember, but I've never heard the name "Jesus" before. I know, you said I couldn't see His name in the trees or sky, but maybe you could've sent someone to tell me about Him? Did you?

God: Yes, I sent many missionaries, far and wide. Even into Europe and Africa.

Cherokee: "Europe" and where? I've never heard of those places either. How about over here? Did anyone come over here?

God: No, no one has actually carried the Gospel to your people yet, but in another five hundred years...

Cherokee: "Five hundred years"? I'll have been in this "Hell" a long time by then.

God: Yes, I suppose so.

Cherokee: So, let me get this straight: I'm going to a place of agony, to suffer and be punished, I guess, for never accepting a truth that I've never heard, about someone I've never heard of and none of my kinsmen will even hear about for centuries, because no one has warned me of this coming wrath.

God: That about sums it up.

Cherokee: Really? So, I'm condemned for neither accepting or rejecting your Son though I've never even been given the opportunity to do either? Is that right? Is that fair? Is that justice?

Me: Is it?

The Centurion's Faith

Once upon a time, Jesus was walking through a city by the sea when some of His kinfolk approached Him concerning an officer, a centurion, in the Roman army. Now, these kinsman wanted Jesus to heal a dear, dear servant of this Roman. They explained what a good man the centurion was and how he had done many great things for them. Why, he had even paid for their church building. [The Lord seemed to have nothing to say on the subject of this Gentile's goodness.]

Jesus, of course, went with them, but before reaching the man's home, he was met by some of his friends. They were carrying a message from the centurion that said, in essence, "Lord, don't put yourself out on my account. I'm not even good enough for you to enter my home or even for me to come to you. But if you'll just say the word, my servant will be healed.

You see, I understand your authority. I also tell my soldiers where to go and what to do and when to do it and they do it."

Now this impressed the Lord! So much so, that he turned to his kinsmen who were following him and said, "I haven't seen this much faith, even among my own people!"

Then the centurion's friends returned to his home and found the servant who had been sick now completely healed.

Luke 7:1-10 ADV

Single Mother?

I was reminded recently of an episode that occurred as a child when my father was pastoring a small country church. It was a typical little congregation, filled with saints and sinners.

One Christmas season, as we were preparing for whatever festivities that were going to be presented, arrangement was being made for the manger scene. This is where the problem began.

It so happened that a teenage girl in the congregation had recently given birth to a little boy. This is a wonderful thing, except that she hadn't bothered to marry the father. In spite of this little, shall we say, issue, the parents, more so the mother, of the girl approached my Dad with what they thought was the wonderful idea of using the little boy as Baby Jesus in the church pageant.

Now, my Dad was a Godly man who loved sinners and worked and prayed for their salvation. He was a moral man who felt that sexual activity and child births should be within a marriage. So, he tried, gently, but firmly, to explain to the parents and the young girl that he thought that that would be a really bad idea. He expressed, as best he could, that he believed that, while a child is just a child and certainly no fault lay with the child, it would set a bad example for the young ladies of the church to, (my words,) celebrate and glorify this birth and carry on as if there is actually nothing amiss in the given situation.

Needless to say, the parents and the girl did not understand nor share his views on contrition and humility. I don't recall them leaving the church, but I've known people to leave for less.

I thought of this because I recently read a post that someone placed on Face Book that shared an unnerving sentiment that I have heard expressed elsewhere. It caused me no small amount of consternation and it took what little self control I have to keep from lashing out at the poster.

The post itself, although it may have had good intent, was written by a good pro-lifer who was discussing our Christian attitudes toward women who had "unwanted" pregnancies. It went on to talk about how we need to love them and encourage them and do all we can, with compassion, to discourage them from aborting their innocent children. I was in pretty much full agreement until Mother Mary was dragged into the thesis and the author stated that even she was an "unwed mother." Sheesh!

I was incensed! As I said, I've heard this asinine argument before, but am constantly befuddled how someone of good intelligence and education can make such a statement. Even a quick study of the scriptures and a modicum of knowledge about Hebrew history tells us that, when she first became pregnant, Mary was legally betrothed to Joseph. Any honest definition of betrothal makes it clear that, for all intents and purposes, it is a legally binding marriage. Simply put, it is marriage without the benefits. The bride and bridegroom are to keep themselves pure for a the year or so until their actual marriage ceremony as, if nothing else, a sign that it was not a marriage of necessity. It would have even been necessary for Joseph to "put away," legally divorce, Mary, as it was his plan to do when he first learned of the child.

Fast forward to today's society. We live in a world where debauchery is the norm and many, too many women and men are breeders as opposed to truly being parents. For some years, I've heard a term tossed around carelessly that has become a gross misnomer and is bandied about in a most politically correct and abused manner. It is the term "single mother." I hear preachers, politicians and even people I work with using it in a fly-away fashion with no thought as to what it might truly imply.

Today, a "single mother" is defined, mostly, as a woman with a child where the father does not live with her. Now, that definition is scary at best. If a woman has a man's baby, but doesn't marry him, she is considered a "single mother." If a woman has a man's baby and lives with a different man, she is considered a "single mother." If a woman has a man's baby and is married to another man, she is considered a "single mother." One other definition might apply: If a woman has a man's child and he is deceased, she is likely considered a "single mother."

So, what's the difference? Simple enough!

If a woman is promiscuous and finds herself pregnant, if the man isn't present in her life, she will be considered a "single mother." If she marries a man, becomes pregnant, and tires of him or argues with him or whatever, if they divorce, she will be considered a "single mother." It matters little how involved or uninvolved in the child's life the man is.

I, incidentally, work with a young girl who seems desperately trying to become impregnated by the twice-her-age degenerate with whom she is keeping company. If she manages to do so, will she be considered a "single mother"? Certainly!

Politicians and talking-heads are constantly throwing this phrase around to describe women who, not so many years ago, would have been described merely as having low moral character. It would have been said that they had been better off if they had only practiced a little self control. Yet, if you say they should do so, you will be called, mean, heartless, insensitive and worse.

This entire line of reasoning has come to bother me more and more over the past few years. We have had to watch as thousands of young patriots have given their lives overseas, leaving wives and children behind who are left to struggle with the loss of a beloved husband and father. I think of Chris Kyle and his friend who were murdered by a deranged man leaving behind weeping and grieving loved ones. Many more have had similar losses over the years and we, (although the term seems to be more or less new,) refer to them as "single mothers."

The problem? Is there not a difference between a woman who finds herself in these circumstances through her own actions and woman who loses her husband in the line of duty as a soldier, fireman or policeman? Does the former really understand the situation of the latter?

Please don't misunderstand. I am glad today, when it is so easy to do otherwise, when a woman chooses life over death. Still, we have more choices than to simply praise them for their sin. We can love them in spite of their sin! We should be honest and set a moral example, making it clear that wrong is wrong and right is right, but praise the good choices while condemning the bad ones. Like my father, we should avoid elevating the sinful action without condemning the sinner.

Alas, today, political correctness and the desire for votes and viewers have declared that any woman, under any circumstances, who has a crumb-cruncher and no present father, is a "single mother." Her behavior and lack of self-control are never, ever called into question. She is given praise, acclaim and a government paycheck. All she is asked for in return, is her vote!
　

Statement of Faith

Everyone and every organization seems to have a purpose statement, a manifesto, a statement of faith, if you will. I often, very often, differ with people. I often differ even with those with whom I have affiliated myself for years. Yes, I'm fond of saying, I sometimes feel I am at war with the world and the world doesn't even know it.

The following statement is meant to be nothing more than that...a statement. It is neither an argument or an apology. I merely wish to express my particular beliefs on the following subjects. I have, for brevity and the aforementioned reason, left off many Scriptural references, (though I still found myself adding many,) that might be necessary and appropriate for a doctrinal thesis that was intended to teach, persuade and indoctrinate.

This, though, is about what I think. What I believe. For whatever reasons. My reasoning and convictions are as valuable and, likely, as fallacious as those of any one else. This is to record, for posterity, and my progency, what I believe to be the truth concerning the Holy Scriptures, our Heavenly Father and His plan for mankind.











1. The Holy Scriptures


The Holy Bible, at least the present day King James Version, is both instigated and inspired by God Almighty. It is inviolable, without scientific, historic or doctrinal error. It is useful for education and inspiration, for correction and reproof. The Holy Bible is the ultimate written authority on God and His doctrine, subordinate only to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Bible is an "it."

The Holy Bible is not the "Word of God"! It is the Holy Scripture. It is the Divinely inspired Book that God, through the Holy Ghost, enkindled mortal men to put pen to paper. It is infallible and holy, (separate from others,) but it is not Divine.

No book, no matter how glorious, no matter how marvelous and inspiring, can contain the Mind of God. David understood that no building could contain God. We should understand that neither can any book.

The Bible contains the words of prophets, apostles and sundry witnesses as inspired and lead by the Holy Ghost. It is an infallible, if not complete testament of God and His Love and Wisdom. It is words of God. It can be referred to as the "word" only in the most tortured and abstract sense.

I like to quip that Fundamentalists treat the Holy Bible as if it is the "fourth person of the Trinity." They seem to prefer to call the Bible the "Word of God" because they believe, somehow, that adds authority to what they have to say. It is not, as I've heard some preachers say, everything we need to know about God.

My dad once asked me, "If somehow, every Bible in the world were to somehow disappear, would we have anything to preach?" Innumerable congregations throughout the centuries have preached and prospered, staying true to the Gospel, without the advantage of having one single written verse among them. Obviously, until Paul, et al., had written what we refer to as the New Testament, the Disciples had only the Old Testament for written knowledge and inspiration. No one had a personal copy of the Old Scriptures. They were rare and precious to those fortunate enough to have access to them. It would behoove us to remember that, before Moses had written the Pentateuch, Abraham "believed God" and Noah was a "preacher of righteousness."

There are certainly other writings that give illumination to the Love of God and His plan of salvation. Surely these should not be cast aside, but neither should they be given the gravitas of what lies bound within the leather covers of the sacred tome I read nearly every day. Pundits and theologians will argue about the veracity of other texts, but I have found the Holy Bible, as millions before me, to be tried and true.











2. The Holy Father

God is our Father, not our mother. God is not a man; He is not flesh and bone. God is a Spirit. Though He is not a man, He is masculine. He acts as a father in His protection, providence, nativity and nurturing of His children.

3. The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, is a Person. He is not an "it"! He is the Comforter that is with God's children every minute of every day. It is perhaps fair and accurate to refer to Him as the "Third Person of the Trinity." (He certainly is one of the three of the One.) He leads us in witnessing and living and is the ultimate authority on doctrine; He will never lead us in any way that will contradict the Holy Scriptures.

4. The Christ/Word

He is a Person of the Trinity, immemorial, immortal and eternal. He appears repeatedly in the Old Testament, (the Rock and the Cloud, etc.,) and He ultimately appears in the Person of Jesus, the Man from Galilee. He is the Creator, in that all things were made by Him, and the Voice that walked in the Garden in the cool of the day, who called out, "Adam, where are you?" He is very God!

5. Baptism/ The Lord's Supper

There seem to be only two ordinances listed in the Holy Bible: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Baptism is to be done by an ordained minister, on the authority of a local congregation only, in water, by full immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Baptists have suffered contempt, derision and even persecution over the centuries for refusing to accept alien immersion, (baptism performed by other denominations,) but, over the past half century or more, in the interest of political correctness, self-consciousness, the desire to appear falsely humble, avoid conflict and, incredibly, increase donations to the SBC and its local congregations, Southern Baptists have more and more began to accept the alien immersion that had been repugnant and anathema to Baptist congregations since the Lord's time.

The Lord's Supper should never proceed Scriptural Baptism. Jesus had no disciples who were unbaptized, no one but His disciples were present and participatory at the Lord's Supper. In the Great Commission, He said to first make disciples and baptize them. He didn't even mention a meal.

I have, inconceivably, had debates with Southern Baptist pastors who feel that baptism is an unnecessary prerequisite for partaking in the Lord's Supper. I don't think any of those men would support ordaining an unbaptized man to be deacon or hold any other office, but the more important thing takes second chair to pride.

I, for some few years, grew fond of the term "communion." I've decided, though, that it is actually a way to avoid discussing to Whom this humble meal belongs and who has power to decide who sits at His table.

The meal should consist of unleavened, unbleached bread that has been broken by human hands and not cut by a machine. I suppose grape juice is functional, but red is a better choice. Sharing from the same cup, like the old-timers, seems more Scriptural to me. Would it kill us to have a sip of real wine on extreme occasion?

6. The Bride of Christ or the Church

Much talk is made by Fundamentalists today about the church, but little about the Bride. They profess, by their own argument, that salvation equals membership in the church. They will, conversely and convolutedly, argue church membership does not equal salvation.

They also speak of the "local church" and the "universal church." As if there are two "churches. One and one still equals two.

The mystery of the Bride, the Church, renders itself to no pithy formula. Still, to examine and understand the human body and the multitudinous billions, rather trillions, of cells that make but one body lends itself to, hopefully, at least a shadow of this great miraculous marital relationship.

The Church is the Congregation of God. A congregation is not a congregation if it is not congregated.

Their is one Bride. There is one Church. The Bride of Christ is washed in the Blood of Christ, prepared and presented by Him to His Father as a chaste and pure "Help Meet" for Him, drawn, like Eve, from the side of the Groom.

The Bride is both local and temporal. She is not an "it." She is the earthly Body of Christ. Her Head is Christ. Her Glory is on Her head, like the long hair of a woman and the oil that flowed down Aaron's beard. She is on this earth to be the Vicar of Christ, to represent Him, to tell the world about Him, to spread His Gospel and to be like Esther who was born for "such a time as this," to be the one who encouraged her king to provide a means of salvation to her people. (Unlike Vashti who refused to be presented as the "trophy wife.")

Members include only those who have been born again, Scripturally Baptized after having presented themselves as candidates for said membership. Membership, as it were, is only at the behest and approval of the Congregation. To be one, ask many.

Baptists for centuries considered themselves to be THE Bride of Christ. Whatever name they may have been called by, they shared a common doctrine, legacy and genealogy that lead back to Christ building of His Church before His Ascension.

7. Salvation or Regneration

Salvation is granted by God through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son. We must accept this sacrifice by faith and works of goodness and righteousness have no affect on either our salvation nor our relationship to God. If anything can effect either, we will surely lose our salvation or our relationship.

Salvation is for each person who chooses to accept Christ as Lord. (Being first drawn by the Holy Ghost.) You must be born again was an admonition given by Christ to Nicodemus for those who desire to see the Kingdom of God. Regeneration is the first moment of becoming a Child of God. Repentance and works of righteousness always, always follow salvation.

We are regenerated. Life begins again. We are a new creation in Christ.

　
8. End Times

John wrote of "things which must shortly come to pass." Pastors, preachers, theologians, et. al., all of whom have books to sell, love to talk for hours in seminars, for which you are charged admission, about the "Tribulation" and the "Millennial Reign." They grow their book sells, viewership, listening audience and popularity by regurgitating the same old nonsense that they and their pals spew across the airwaves and from the pulpits Sunday after Sunday. Yes, to quote one preacher, "It's a Jim Dandy way to sell books about end time prophecy."

9. Suffering

Suffering molds us and makes us. It is the fire that purifies and shapes. It tries us and strengthens us. It binds us and molds us. It provides opportunity to share in our Savior's suffering.

When we suffer for him, allowing ourselves to be used and persecuted by Satan and his cohorts, we begin to understand, in the smallest of ways, what Christ went through, what it cost Him, what it cost His Father to make us like Him.

Suffering also helps us identify with others who have and are suffering. We recognize the pain that we ourselves feel and we can not only sympathize, but empathize with their condition. That is why Christ came, born of a woman and lived those decades with us. So, that He could know, not just imagine, what life, and death, are for us.

It helps to remember that the word "suffering" means "to allow." We must ask ourselves, what will we allow our Master to do with us?

10. Wisdom and Knowledge

Wisdom, alas, often comes from experience and that being bad experience. Most of the the good ideas I now have are fomented by stupid ideas I have held in my past. If I am circumspect, I will learn, not only from my mistakes, but from those of others.

"The heavens declare the Glory of God." Much can be learned of our Heavenly Father by studying His creation. We "have the mind of Christ." We should use it. Faith is not the abandonment of reason.

For example, Deism, an often misunderstood and misapplied word, when properly understood and applied, connotes an idea of understanding and appreciating our Creator by empirical and rational methods. While I recommend such methods as useful and, hopefully, mind-expanding, they will always, always fall short of Divine Revelation. Of course, the ultimate revelation was when God became flesh and dwelt among us.

11. The Trinity

I consider myself a Trinitarian. The argument: Three in One or Three revelations of One. All believers have struggled with this great mystery since God first shed light on men.

Muslims call us pantheists because they claim we believe in more than one god. Fundamentalists have further obfuscated the discussion by talking about Jesus, as the Eternal Son of God, (incidentally, a Catholic concept,) a Person who pre-existed the manger in Bethlehem.

Although I have the good sense to admit my ultimate ignorance on how the Trinity might actually work, I believe the view of the Fundamentalists, et al. are far, far off base. I see this Holy Three more as three Persons in One. Not only just in name and office, but, somehow, in actuality.

A perusal of the first three verses of Genesis lays out the first appearance of these Holy Three.

1) "In the beginning God..."
2) "...and the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters.
3) "...and God said..."

12. The Unborn

The unborn are babies at every stage of development. They have gender. They have souls. Those souls will spend an eternity somewhere. Most believers will attribute hope for the salvation of these little ones to their innocence. They believe that, since they have never reached the "age of accountability," thus, they go to Heaven.

The problem is, these same people argue that salvation is only through faith in Christ. They will continue that those who have never heard the Gospel, the unevangelized, will not go to Heaven because they never accepted Christ. They make the insane argument that these will be beat with "fewer stripes," thereby also arguing for degrees of Hell and even Heaven. They see no contradictions in their argument.

I once agreed with the "innocence" argument myself. Somehow, someway, how I do not yet understand, the unborn, like the unevangelized, are received into God's Heaven through they same Blood that saves me and all of us who have given our lives to Him.

13. Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism, along with political correctness, has brought the Southern Baptist Convention to its knees and not in a good way. It is so entrenched in Fundamentalist dogma and the pursuit of monolithic, centralized control of its membership that it has forgotten the priesthood of the believer. Individual conscience has given way to thought control and lock step, lifeless, monotonous uniformity. From the control of literature and monthly and weekly promotion of sundry theme Sundays. Not only are parishioners afraid to follow the Holy Ghost, but they have been convinced themselves incapable of doing so. This approaches the kind of strangling and stifling dominance the Catholic denomination had on Europe for centuries.

The Fundamentalism that was argued to be the defender of the "Authority of the Scriptures," has come to be ever more the defender of political correctness and the oppressor of independent thought. Southern Baptists have come even to except such wild, foreign doctrines and apostasies as premillennialism, rewards, "deaconesses" female pastors, alien immersion and, perhaps worst of all, the concept of a universal church. The Bride, alas, is an anachronistic, archaistic idea that is rarely even peeped from SBC pulpits.

14. The Bridegroom

The creation of Adam and Eve, the first bride and groom, the first family, was no accident and no coincidence. God, the Creator, in his Divine Wisdom, gave us a picture, early on, of God's plan for salvation and His very own Bride. One day, like Adam, the Second Adam would have His side pierced and would, from the contents thereof, His Blood, build His Church, His Bride.

Not all those saved are members of His Bride. Salvation and Church membership are not one in the same. Those who join the Bride, who are allowed to join by the Bride and become members, (in the sense of a part of a body like the hand, foot and eye are,) are His physical Body on earth, who, like a good wife, are to do the part and work of her groom.

You don't have to be a doctor to understand that body parts cannot be transplanted from one body to another, nor can blood that is not of the same type be transfused from one body to another. Simply because a body is a body, does not make it necessarily compatible with another body.

The Church, like any self-respecting bride, knows her primary job is to give life to her husband's children. Sarah understood this; Hannah understood this; Elizabeth understood this. Those who claim to be members of the Church of Christ do not seem to understand. If the Bride of Christ is not procreating, does she really have a purpose?

Much talk is made by Fundamentalists of a future "Marriage Supper of the Lamb." They argue that, after this world's passing, all the "saved of the earth" will one day be present for this inestimable event. Frankly, though, if there has been no such "marriage supper" already, is the Bride of Christ no more than a concubine and are we, Her children, no more than bastards?

　
Much has changed today so far as our concept of marriage, the bride and groom, the husband and wife, but, Scripturally speaking, they are one and the same, they support one another, there is one head and the wife has no issue with being subservient to him, because he loves her so that he would lay down his life for her.

Christ, our Groom, did exactly that! He laid down His life for us. We are his Body. His body can be seen. It is not invisible. It is not to be ravished and raped by those who attempt to force themselves upon Her, but is protected and kept clean by the awesome power of an Almighty God, Her Husband, Her Groom. No one joins to Her, but through Her own consent. She is not a powerless waif, having no say so. She is the Queen of Heaven. God's Body here below. She deserves respect, as any queen does, and there is no help in Heaven or Hell for those who misspeak Her name, abuse or threaten Her or show disrespect to Her. For Her Husband watches over Her, loves Her, died for Her and will bring swift agony and judgment on any who think they might harm Her in any way!

15. Israel

The Bible makes it emphatically clear that the Church is Israel. Fundamentalists, though, with their own agendas and desire for power and control, have promulgated the idea of Jews being "God's People." This is pushed regardless of whether or not these individuals are even saved. Their support for the nation of Israel is based on their interpretation of Scripture and "prophecy," even to the detriment of America. Any who disagree are shunned.

16. Creation

There is no reason to not believe, scientifically or theologically, that God created all that exists in the physical realm in what we would recognize as six days. This concept is mostly held by modernists as a quaint, uninformed idea. They have found themselves swayed by political correctness, the desire to not be seen as anachronistic and what is reported as scientific fact, that is no more than unproven and unprovable theory, in order to fit in with those who consider themselves, frankly, smarter and superior to the rest of us..

An omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God is certainly able to make a universe in six days or six seconds or no seconds. If God is able to make a universe from nothing, how could we hope, with our finite understanding, to be able to honestly determine its chronological age? What we puny humans take as age, would God not see as functionality? If Einstein was right and it's all relative, it would be truthfully impossible for us to make an accurate determination from our point of view.

God created all things in His own way for His own reason. The question that should be asked is, why did He do it so?

17. Marriage and Divorce

God hates divorce. Why? For many reasons, but mostly, because, according to Jeremiah, God has been through a divorce Himself...and it was an ugly one!

　

Much argument, especially since the "women's liberation movement" and womens' sufferage took hold, about the roll of men and women in the marriage. Who is in charge of whom?

Well, I like to tell women that if they want to terrify their husbands, start doing what he says. I tell the men, if they want to terrify their wives, start listening to what she says.

18. Holiness

Completeness and separateness. "God does not need either man's works nor his own gifts." He is as far above us as the stars above earth. As Moses, hidden in the cleft of the Rock and covered by God's unchanging hand, we can only hope to catch glimpses of Him.

19. The Unevangelized

The unborn, the baby, the toddler, those who have reached chronological adulthood, but are stricken with mental retardation that harshly limits their understanding, as well as those who have never been under the preaching of the Gospel and the conviction of the Holy Spirit are all under the Blood of Christ.

While Fundamentalists make contradictory claims about children going to Heaven, but adults who never heard the Gospel going to Hell where they receive "fewer stripes," they cannot see the contradiction. They say God would never condemn the child, the retarded adult, but would condemn a man to Hell who never had opportunity to accept or reject the Gospel. They say they can see God in nature. Yes, but can they see Christ? How could they possible know that a man named Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died for our sins and will one day return for us? How can they know unless they are told. Paul said, "How can they hear unless there is a preacher? How can there be a preacher unless one is sent?" It is my job to share the Gospel. Not nature's. Not even that of the Holy Ghost. It is His job to convict the heart to repentance upon hearing the Good News.

"Will God condemn a person for not responding to evidence they've [sic] never had?"

John Lennox

　
20. Repentance

Is salvation a result of repentance or is repentance a result of salvation? Are we saved because we turn or do we turn because we are saved?

It seems evident, that if salvation is dependent solely upon the sacrificial work of Christ, even repentance cannot save us. Yet, if we are unrepentant, are we truly saved? Can the Holy Spirit move into us without effecting a change that brings about true repentance?

If we are truly indwelled by the Holy Ghost, like Mary, can there be no change? And, like Mary, we are still imperfect, but that does not prevent God from using a willing vessel. Even, sometimes, an unwilling one.

21. Sons of God

God has no daughters. Being a son of God is a matter of office, position and authority, not of gender. In Heaven, we will be neither given in marriage or taken in marriage. All will be as He is.
22. Prayer

Jesus prayed and prayed and prayed! We have only a  few instance recorded of Him reading the Holy Scriptures, although He obviously knew them and quoted them, but much is said about Him praying.

This all begs some questions, if Jesus is God, why did He need to pray? Why did He call God, His Father? These are not silly, trivial questions, but speak, I believe, to the humanity of Jesus.

The abject loneliness suffered by our Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane was testimony to his total humanity. He needed His Father! He was God, Christ, in the flesh, but He was so separate from the God of Heaven that He did not even know when He shall return to bring time, space and all creation to an end. It is a great mystery! Yet, we must examine and compare it to our very existence and intertwining with our Father and our own separation from Him while on this earth. He lives in us, but we cry out to him Abba! Father! He is us and we are Him. Like Adam and Eve, the twain have become one flesh. Yes, it is a great, great mystery!

23. Heaven and Hell

Both exist. How can there be reward without punishment? How can there be punishment without reward? Vice and virtue will be rewarded.

How good will Heaven be? That's how bad Hell will be. Can you earn your way into Heaven? Can you earn your way into Hell? Is Hell the default and Heaven the exception?

Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us and if it were not so, He would have told us. Paul said that we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.

The old Fundamentalist idea of literal streets of gold, twenty room mansions, harps and robes seems to make less and less sense as the years go by. All of that stuff seems, somehow, earthly and temporal to me these days.

I like to say, if you can draw it, it won't be there.

I do not believe we will be lost in God, like some deranged Nirvana. I believe that we will, somehow, know who we were and who we are. We'll recognize loved ones and saints of old. We'll know who God is. Yes, we'll then know! Then we shall be known as even also we are known. Mom and Dad won't exactly be Mom and Dad anymore, but that won't make them strangers to me.

Will we remember or think of loved ones who did not make it? How will we feel about them?

Will we remember the suffering we went through on earth? The sins that we were forgiven for? The sins that cost our Savior's life and blood to be forgiven?

I can't help but think that there will be some type of remembrance of years gone by and our sojourn on this earth. How else will we know what to be thankful for?

Still, perhaps our attitudes will be different? Certainly, our understanding will be greater. Will we no longer be subject to our own humors and finally, in full illumination, will find the understanding that we thought, preached and sung about for so many years down here?

I am certain that our Father knows of the souls that have been lost and that His heart breaks for them. Still, He knows He gave the ultimate sacrifice, paid the ultimate price, so they wouldn't have to be separated from Him for eternity.

There are certainly no "degrees" of Heaven or Hell. The Bible emphatically teaches us that salvation is through the unmerited grace of an Almighty God who gave Himself to save us and that we have no power in the formula other than, if it may be called a power, yielding to Him.

Many vainly hope for crowns and rewards and "outer darkness" in Heaven, so that the more faithful are somehow more rewarded while the less faithful are, well, not so rewarded? (They never do make that quite clear.)

The same will usually make the argument that the unevangelized, and sometimes the ones who do less sin, but die unsaved, will be beaten with "fewer stripes," grossly misinterpreting Scripture. They see some parts of Hell as hotter than others, I suppose.

They do not seem to understand the simplicity of Heaven and Hell: Heaven is with Jesus. Hell is without Him.

24. Questions

Too many people are afraid of asking questions! Though, I think they are less afraid of the questions than the answers they might receive. I believe God, like any good teacher, is desperate for us to ask the hard questions, because He wants to answer those questions. Satan's initial temptation to "be like gods," was not as far removed from the truth as we might think. God actually wanted us to be like Him. He wanted us, in His ultimate plan, to, one day, be like Him. One day we shall. For we shall see Him as He is.

25. Incarnation

It is one of the greatest mysteries of the Gospel how God became man. It is ordinarily explained quickly and lightly with weak theories that not only do not begin to explain this unspeakable mystery, but are actually wrong.

It would be vain to say that I think I have the answer, but I think I might have some illumination on the subject.

I ask the question: was Jesus God? If I say, no, I would be condemned by Fundamentalists and others as heretical. Still, if you recall that every man has a spirit and Jesus was a man, might His spirit have been the Holy Spirit. In my mind, the dichotomy between the manhood of Christ and the God-ness of Christ is, hoping not to fall prey to reduction, simply, (not so simply,) that, yes, He was a man, born of woman. (A man like me.)Yet when the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary, just as He did the "face of the waters," and she became with child, this Spirit indwelling the fetus within her was the spirit of very God. Ergo, God, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, became flesh and, yes, dwelt among us.

It has for years been a point of fascination and just one more reason to love my God that He, in fact, truly, totally became a man just like me. With all the feelings and growing pains that came with it.

Had God not became a man and walked on this earth, all of us sinners could stand before His Throne of Judgment, look Him in the eye and say with unfaltering self-righteousness and honesty, "You don't know what it's like down there!"

26. The Word of God

There is one Word of God. Not two! The Holy Bible, the Holy Scriptures, is not the Word of God. The Word of God is a Person. That Person is Christ. The Bible is a thing; it is an it.

27. Tithing, Giving and Fasting

Floyd Davis said, "If you don't believe in tithing, you don't believe in missions." Tough words! I wish I adhered to them. Perhaps, I make excuses and try to spiritualize the concept of these three words.

Our Lord obviously fasted on many occasions. He would become so caught up in staying close to the Father that He would simply neglect the things of this world.

God owns it all and wants it all. We can't give portions of property and time and feel we've fulfilled God's commission.

Isaiah spoke of fasting as more than just abstaining from eating. Jesus said the man who doesn't help his poor parents because he claims he's always given it to God, has "made the commandment of God of none effect."

When we become so involved and dedicated to the will of God that we have lose sight of ourselves and go without because we gave it to him without self-consciousness, when we leave all behind for Him, then we will truly be tithing and fasting as God desires us to do.

28. Guilt

It seems we may never shed all the feelings of guilt we have in this life until the next life. We are forgiven when we ask it, but it is so very hard to forgive ourselves. It is, possibly, wrong to forgive ourselves too easily. We certainly should never demand forgiveness from either God nor man. We should never feel resentful if it is never granted.

Guilt haunts us in our sleep and our waking hours. It invades our thoughts when we first arise and linger in our minds when we rest our heads. It is often unshakable and inescapable. Yet, God has promised He would forgive us when we ask. We must accept that fact on faith. The rest, we must leave in the Lord's hands.

Guilt has no true power over those who have been redeemed. Fear and shame, the bastard children of guilt, are not for those who have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb.

Remember, it is not all about us! We can become so distracted by our own guilt that all we think about is our selves and it can keep us from, not only missing the peace that He promised, but, if possible, missing out on the plan He wants us to follow.

Finally, guilt may describe a feeling, but guilt is actually a condition. We are guilty, yes, but we are also pardoned. Therefore, there can now be no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. The feelings sometimes do what feelings do, but the Holy Spirit will remind us of Whose we are, if we will only listen.

29. Peace

Peace is not just quiet. Peace is not just the absence of war or strife.

We have peace that we cannot understand. If we could understand it, it wouldn't be Godly. As much as anything, it's the ability to have faith that, whatever hell we and our loved ones may go through today, we will spend an eternity together in the presence of our Savior.

30. Witnessing

"How can they hear unless there is a preacher? How can there be a preacher unless one is sent?"

It is our job to carry the Gospel to the lost and dying. It is not nature's job. It is not even the Holy Ghost's job. It is our's.

We are to first live the Gospel. Yet, if we wait until we do all we should do, we will never go and we will never share. Jesus said, "Go."

When we live a life, by God's grace, that illustrates our sincerity, He will bless our testimony. Then, when we share the Gospel, people will be more apt to believe.

I have heard more than one funeral preached where the preacher talked about the deceased not being the type of man who talked about the Gospel, but lived it. Bologna! That would be like saying you can teach a man to work on a car by letting him watch you work on yours. You'll learn some things, but I wouldn't want you working on my brakes.

The "Heavens declare the Glory of God," but God sent His Son to literally speak the words of life to us. Yes, sometimes, many times, we must actually, literally speak.

We all must not only live the Gospel, we must speak the Gospel. The sinless Son of God didn't just walk around living the perfect life, He spoke the words that the masses needed to hear. He lived and he spoke. We should follow His example.