Wednesday, August 24, 2005
"Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You"
Explanations, I feel, are in order for why we left the church. Not excuses, facts. We are directed to maintain the Church’s purity.
…Do you think we’ll ever be done? Picture this…we’re all bleary-eyed staring at our computer screens…and the next hair-split second, we see Jesus! Amen? Amen.
“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babbleThe Church is to stay the course (I’ve always wanted to say that, since The Patriot!) So am I a quitter, leaving the church? Well, many have told me we need the church and some remind me that the church needs us. Usually they are very unconvincing. They use the Hebrews directive but my commentary gives us an out on that whole notion of “not forsaking the gathering”. There is no doubt the church needs followers but the key would be to find a shepherd taking his flock to pastures green with grass, rather than weeds. I am not an expert on church purity. I have had no formal theology courses (thanks be to God!)…Music majors were excused from university requirements because of the massive workload for music degrees…so I even escaped the one Bible class I could have succumbed to. I have no idea where the imbalance (heavy on the grace, sin lite sermons) and false teaching comes from but it is easy to point finger at…um…seminaries? Or maybe education in general. My son is at a Christian college but after all, professors must come from somewhere besides Heaven, unfortunately. So there are things like PC history---lots on women, slaves, and Indians---good, fun American white man hating! “None of the gospels were written by eye-witnesses” quote found in a humanities textbook; Jefferson, the deist lecture. This is worse, profoundly lethal, coming from real bona fide Christian teachers. Does anybody see why? Well, the teachers didn’t when I confronted them. Ya know I have to let off “steam”. It is not my purpose to trash Christian institutions. And this isn’t catharsis for the sake of my sanity. (Although, I confess, it’s a bit therapeutic.) I want it to be fixed! This is wholly purpose driven. I am imploring any and all fellow purists to bury themselves in the Word, pray feverishly, and blog like you have never done!
and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it
some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.” ~1Timothy: 6:20-21
…Do you think we’ll ever be done? Picture this…we’re all bleary-eyed staring at our computer screens…and the next hair-split second, we see Jesus! Amen? Amen.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Scripture for Israel
While Israel's heart-rending eviction continues, these verses have been given in my regular reading of the Word. I did not seek them out. God seeks out His Chosen. My jaw dropped, literally:
“Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people declares the Lord God.” ~Ezekiel 45:9
Reading on for the same day in the One Year Bible ESV, I checked my commentary because the words “exiles of the dispersion” alerted my heart for the Jews. The conclusion is that Peter speaks to the Gentiles, and that may be so, yet God’s Word is living and timeless. Hear these verses going out to Israel today:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perished though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (Present tense 'believe in Him' referring to a belief in His coming.)
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” ~1Peter 1-21
Skipping ahead to verses 9 & 10 of chapter 2: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
This is not to disregard the meaning of Christ’s Church, the Gentiles having been brought in to the fold, but think in current terms, the turning around of these truths. NOW, it is Israel who is being and will be brought into the fold of the Church, “in the last times.” Hallelujah!
Verses pertaining to my recent posts on the importance of God’s authority through His Holy Word in the church:
“My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to Your Word!” ~Psalm 119:25
“If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” ~Proverbs 28:9, 10
“Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people declares the Lord God.” ~Ezekiel 45:9
Reading on for the same day in the One Year Bible ESV, I checked my commentary because the words “exiles of the dispersion” alerted my heart for the Jews. The conclusion is that Peter speaks to the Gentiles, and that may be so, yet God’s Word is living and timeless. Hear these verses going out to Israel today:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope though the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perished though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (Present tense 'believe in Him' referring to a belief in His coming.)
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” ~1Peter 1-21
Skipping ahead to verses 9 & 10 of chapter 2: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
This is not to disregard the meaning of Christ’s Church, the Gentiles having been brought in to the fold, but think in current terms, the turning around of these truths. NOW, it is Israel who is being and will be brought into the fold of the Church, “in the last times.” Hallelujah!
Verses pertaining to my recent posts on the importance of God’s authority through His Holy Word in the church:
“My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to Your Word!” ~Psalm 119:25
“If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” ~Proverbs 28:9, 10
Sunday, August 21, 2005
How Firm a Foundation?
Sermon for the churched and unchurched Church...
Recently, when I spoke of the church foundation in Lest Ye Be Judged and Biblical interpretation in Sermon for the…Church, I was referring to these basic beliefs that were being wrestled with in my church: Miracles, obedience, sin and the dependability of the Bible as a source of Truth in general. Except for miracles, these were all things my unbelieving friend has openly rejected. As for the miracles, there was a funky book about a healer she had read that didn’t mention prayer to God at these healings. I expressed my concern about that to her, so that’s as far as miracles went. To the point, the only difference between my friends in the church and this friend is the walls separating them. Ouch! Big ouch! I do not judge my friend. There is no need for that. Can you see the need for some shaping up (and maybe even shipping out) in what I am ashamed to call the church?! We’re talking the body of Christ, at least in profession, in confessions said every Sunday!
So, so many (all but one author I have ever read) push people toward the rotting structure with hardly a word on the dangers. Even Pope Benedict XVI reluctantly joined the Youth Party in Nazi Germany. Blessed with wisdom beyond his fourteen years, he thought better of it and escaped Hitler’s satanic clutches. The dictators of relativism disguised in the pulpits and Christian college classrooms are far more dangerous than the Hitlers and Stalins, Castros and Jung Ils. These political leaders didn’t pretend to be godly…they openly worshiped the State. The false teachers of today take people to their eternal deaths, something power mongers could not do. Oh death, where is thy sting? It is in tolerant churches!
So do we join the Youth Party because we are told we must? As for me and my house? We left the Party…I mean the church’s satanic clutches. Obviously, I’m not playing politics here. There is no couth in church bashing. I am not recommending leaving the church necessarily. I will say it is easier now than ever to continue growing, possibly faster, due to the information explosion through modern Christian media. If you're hungry like me, you probably won't have trouble getting your daily fill. Filtering it is an issue not to be taken lightly. The Word and listening for God’s affirmation are the life raft, the plumb line, the map and compass. Do not leave church without them, and for that matter, don’t enter church either, without God’s revelation lighting your path.
My 9-11 turning point was a prayer group in a tolerant church. It was before 9-11 so that any further turning in 2001 went unnoticed. I mean, this was a drastic wake-up call for me! The prayers were so mushy, watered down; I doubt they made it past the ceiling. Oh, God heard ‘em all right---and wept.
Recently, when I spoke of the church foundation in Lest Ye Be Judged and Biblical interpretation in Sermon for the…Church, I was referring to these basic beliefs that were being wrestled with in my church: Miracles, obedience, sin and the dependability of the Bible as a source of Truth in general. Except for miracles, these were all things my unbelieving friend has openly rejected. As for the miracles, there was a funky book about a healer she had read that didn’t mention prayer to God at these healings. I expressed my concern about that to her, so that’s as far as miracles went. To the point, the only difference between my friends in the church and this friend is the walls separating them. Ouch! Big ouch! I do not judge my friend. There is no need for that. Can you see the need for some shaping up (and maybe even shipping out) in what I am ashamed to call the church?! We’re talking the body of Christ, at least in profession, in confessions said every Sunday!
So, so many (all but one author I have ever read) push people toward the rotting structure with hardly a word on the dangers. Even Pope Benedict XVI reluctantly joined the Youth Party in Nazi Germany. Blessed with wisdom beyond his fourteen years, he thought better of it and escaped Hitler’s satanic clutches. The dictators of relativism disguised in the pulpits and Christian college classrooms are far more dangerous than the Hitlers and Stalins, Castros and Jung Ils. These political leaders didn’t pretend to be godly…they openly worshiped the State. The false teachers of today take people to their eternal deaths, something power mongers could not do. Oh death, where is thy sting? It is in tolerant churches!
So do we join the Youth Party because we are told we must? As for me and my house? We left the Party…I mean the church’s satanic clutches. Obviously, I’m not playing politics here. There is no couth in church bashing. I am not recommending leaving the church necessarily. I will say it is easier now than ever to continue growing, possibly faster, due to the information explosion through modern Christian media. If you're hungry like me, you probably won't have trouble getting your daily fill. Filtering it is an issue not to be taken lightly. The Word and listening for God’s affirmation are the life raft, the plumb line, the map and compass. Do not leave church without them, and for that matter, don’t enter church either, without God’s revelation lighting your path.
My 9-11 turning point was a prayer group in a tolerant church. It was before 9-11 so that any further turning in 2001 went unnoticed. I mean, this was a drastic wake-up call for me! The prayers were so mushy, watered down; I doubt they made it past the ceiling. Oh, God heard ‘em all right---and wept.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
A Comma or a Semicolon?
History for mommies, daddies, and other true Americans.
Chief Justice John Marshall responds to a Timothy Pickering in 1828:
Chief Justice John Marshall responds to a Timothy Pickering in 1828:
My Dear Sirs,
I have always supposed that there ought to be a comma instead of a semicolon after the word excises. I have never believed that the words, "to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States" were to be considered as a substantive grant of power...
I have no doubt of the correctness of our opinion that a general power to make internal improvements would not have been granted by the American people..."
John Marshall (Timothy Pickering Papers; Mass. Historical Society)
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution being dissected down to the last jot and tittle, as to what the "general welfare" clause could possibly be inferring. The shame of it is revealed in our sorry Welfare States of America.
Joseph Story and John Marshall were contemporaries. The point is best made by James McClellan in Joseph Story. The suffering over law and intent was never more clear. "[Story] combined traditional natural law and the Constitution into a barrier against the rise of tyranny, injustice, and the wholesale alteration of American liberties; but at the same time, he inadvertently prepared the way for the leviathan state through a liberal interpretation of the Constitution. Joseph Story thus bequeathed to America a set of conflicting precedents which are at once friendly and hostile towards limited government." ((P 312, emphases mine)
In Story's Commentaries on the Constitution, the issue of the welfare clause is totally muddled as he recalled "the framers' principle of a government based upon limited powers" and in the next stroke of the pen, denied that the words "to provide for the common defense and general welfare" were words of limitation on taxing power! In other words, he did not agree with the Chief Justice, John Marshall.And so, you wonder why this man has been a difficult study : ( But I refuse to throw out all of Story's knowledge for some failed insights. As a Unitarian, Joseph Story revealed his faith in God's wisdom and guidance but as Mr. McClellan intuitively cites what I see as the problem: "Law was his religion, and he loved the American Constitution because it was to him a conservative Constitution. The Commentaries on the Constitution was his memorial to that divinely decreed covenant between God and man, and he worshipped at its altar with a religious inspiration." (p 312)
A brilliant man, with his head in the right place more often than not, it is heartbreaking that the intellect, as so often happens, overrode the heart, where he would have found the Source of his strength. A great respecter of civilization who helped found Harvard Law School, Joseph Story sought and gave allegiance to Divine Law but forgot the Author. The very Builder and Pillar of civilization was the Giver of Justice Story's wisdom but if McClellan is right, the devotion was not mutual. God carried our nation on the back of Joseph Story, through a difficult era. If only Mr. Story had let God help him...the first story (pun intended) might not have been so shakey. And we wobble and tremble still. Startin with the foundation is sounding better every day. Christian Exodus is putting words into action and they haven't forgotten the Rock!
"All nations that forget God shall be turned into hell." ~Psalm 9:17
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." ~Romans 13:1
Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;...
In all three copies I own, the semicolon is now a comma. It seems it didn't matter. It has been made to mean whatever government porkers want it to mean. I say, add an exclamation point--"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes!" As Marshall said, "A general power...would not have been granted by the American people." Really? Maybe not, if they were awake!
Monday, August 15, 2005
The Joseph Story Story
History for Mommies, Daddies, and other true Americans...
Little known, hardly taught, life of Joseph Story and his relentless writing was made known to me by Alan E. Sears, President, CEO and General Counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund. Mr. Sears quoted Story in a speech I was honored to hear. I was determined to learn more about Story’s brilliance. A search at Barnes and Noble while in Williamsburg, VA brought up one book, by James P. McClellan, whose credentials are none too shabby either. Years later, I have never quite finished the book but as a resource, it is invaluable. I don’t know law so the reading was a challenge. The philosophical content and goal of the book was what kept me going and was achieved in this reader. If you think the judicial branch of government has only recently developed problems in perpetuating our Constitution, here is what McClellan writes, “Thus, in 1835, Story found himself stranded and alone. ‘The last of an old race of judges’, [Story] said he was the last of a once mighty and dominant class of men who formulated their judicial precepts upon the teachings of the Federalist [papers], or so they thought, anyway But Story was labeled ‘the most dangerous man in America’ by Andrew Jackson.” (p 55, McClellan; Joseph Story and the American Constitution)
Justice Story wrote to his wife in 1829, that he had seen “the reign of King ‘Mob’…triumphant”…at Jackson’s first inaugural and in his presidency. “Though we live under the form of a republic,” Story lamented, “we are in fact under the absolute rule of a single man…I seem almost, while I write, to be in a dream, and to be called back to the last days of the Roman republic, when the people shouted for Caesar, and liberty itself expired with the dark but prophetic words of Cicero.” (quoted, p. 56)
That was back when learned men were aware of history’s lessons. Joseph Story never got to the Chief Justice position… “nearly every member of the Court was against him in 1837.” (p. 57)
Who could argue against history’s repetitive course? Who knew the Supreme Court was worse off in 1837 than it is today? Closer to an even split, we hold onto hope by a thread.
There is much to be learned even though homeschoolers may be the lone teachers. Parents, you are responsible for learning and teaching the children of America. Schools have failed, even the best of them, to get across the structural supports for our Republic. It would appear this failure goes way back.
Joseph Story wrote, Commentaries on the Constitution, and obscure writing on Natural Law, reprinted for the first time in McClellan’s book, and Law, Legislation, and Codes, reprinted by Francis Lieber in Encyclopedia Americana.
For starters: In Natural Law, Story wrote, “The obligatory force of the law of nature upon man is derived from its presumed coincidence with the will of his Creator. God has fashioned man according to His own good pleasure, and has fixed the laws of his Being. --He has the Supreme Right to prescribe the rules, to which man shall regulate his conduce. He has given to man the power of discerning between good and evil [through His written Word and Holy Spirit], and a liberty of choice in the use of those means, which lead to happiness or misery. The whole duty of man therefore consists in two things; first in making constant effort to ascertain what is the Will of God; and secondly, in obedience to that Will when ascertained.”
Joseph Story devoted his whole life to these ends.
“Righteousness exalteth a nation.” ~Proverb 14:34
Zell Miller’s Deficit of Decency quotes “Seek His will in all you do and He will direct your paths.” ~Proverb 3:6
Amendment VII: “In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law.”
Little known, hardly taught, life of Joseph Story and his relentless writing was made known to me by Alan E. Sears, President, CEO and General Counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund. Mr. Sears quoted Story in a speech I was honored to hear. I was determined to learn more about Story’s brilliance. A search at Barnes and Noble while in Williamsburg, VA brought up one book, by James P. McClellan, whose credentials are none too shabby either. Years later, I have never quite finished the book but as a resource, it is invaluable. I don’t know law so the reading was a challenge. The philosophical content and goal of the book was what kept me going and was achieved in this reader. If you think the judicial branch of government has only recently developed problems in perpetuating our Constitution, here is what McClellan writes, “Thus, in 1835, Story found himself stranded and alone. ‘The last of an old race of judges’, [Story] said he was the last of a once mighty and dominant class of men who formulated their judicial precepts upon the teachings of the Federalist [papers], or so they thought, anyway But Story was labeled ‘the most dangerous man in America’ by Andrew Jackson.” (p 55, McClellan; Joseph Story and the American Constitution)
Justice Story wrote to his wife in 1829, that he had seen “the reign of King ‘Mob’…triumphant”…at Jackson’s first inaugural and in his presidency. “Though we live under the form of a republic,” Story lamented, “we are in fact under the absolute rule of a single man…I seem almost, while I write, to be in a dream, and to be called back to the last days of the Roman republic, when the people shouted for Caesar, and liberty itself expired with the dark but prophetic words of Cicero.” (quoted, p. 56)
That was back when learned men were aware of history’s lessons. Joseph Story never got to the Chief Justice position… “nearly every member of the Court was against him in 1837.” (p. 57)
Who could argue against history’s repetitive course? Who knew the Supreme Court was worse off in 1837 than it is today? Closer to an even split, we hold onto hope by a thread.
There is much to be learned even though homeschoolers may be the lone teachers. Parents, you are responsible for learning and teaching the children of America. Schools have failed, even the best of them, to get across the structural supports for our Republic. It would appear this failure goes way back.
Joseph Story wrote, Commentaries on the Constitution, and obscure writing on Natural Law, reprinted for the first time in McClellan’s book, and Law, Legislation, and Codes, reprinted by Francis Lieber in Encyclopedia Americana.
For starters: In Natural Law, Story wrote, “The obligatory force of the law of nature upon man is derived from its presumed coincidence with the will of his Creator. God has fashioned man according to His own good pleasure, and has fixed the laws of his Being. --He has the Supreme Right to prescribe the rules, to which man shall regulate his conduce. He has given to man the power of discerning between good and evil [through His written Word and Holy Spirit], and a liberty of choice in the use of those means, which lead to happiness or misery. The whole duty of man therefore consists in two things; first in making constant effort to ascertain what is the Will of God; and secondly, in obedience to that Will when ascertained.”
Joseph Story devoted his whole life to these ends.
“Righteousness exalteth a nation.” ~Proverb 14:34
Zell Miller’s Deficit of Decency quotes “Seek His will in all you do and He will direct your paths.” ~Proverb 3:6
Amendment VII: “In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law.”
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Lest Ye Be Judged, Part 2
Sorry, two-morrows later. Previously, I asked fellow bloggers to correct, rebuke and otherwise encourage wise blogging here. What if no one corrects my false witness and God judges me harshly as is promised. Judgment is not always a bad thing. We should all long for it, along with persecution…if neither come, there is probably something horribly wrong. There are only two possibilities. We are either pleasing the enemy in which case we had better hear from our brothers and sisters, hopefully before our Father has a Hand in it, OR we are pleasing God which is supposed to arouse some lively Christian bashing. It is clearly the preachers and teachers who are most accountable for the purity of the Bride; no whoring around…try out Ezekiel if you think I’m being foul.
This does not let the parishioners off the hook. The leader is responsible for the fate of his flock in many ways but the people have the Holy Spirit and the Word for “correcting and rebuking”. Supposing a remnant had gone to Aaron. Might have their humble imputation bumped Aaron back on track? Sparing Moses and ultimately everyone from the whole ugly ordeal?
I have an unbelieving friend who revealed her wisdom to me, a few years back. I was in a relativistic church at the time and I told her, “Many people in my church “think” the same way you do and you would probably fit in just fine!” I really wanted her to try “church”. Her answer? “They sound hypocritical.” Wow. I didn’t see that one coming. She didn’t believe and was honest about who she was…even if I hated her unbelief! The tolerant faithful in my church were simply fooling themselves, or maybe just the observer, that they were believers at all! Ghastly impurities seeping into the foundation so that one could hardly tell the “church” from my friend’s house in the woods.
This does not let the parishioners off the hook. The leader is responsible for the fate of his flock in many ways but the people have the Holy Spirit and the Word for “correcting and rebuking”. Supposing a remnant had gone to Aaron. Might have their humble imputation bumped Aaron back on track? Sparing Moses and ultimately everyone from the whole ugly ordeal?
I have an unbelieving friend who revealed her wisdom to me, a few years back. I was in a relativistic church at the time and I told her, “Many people in my church “think” the same way you do and you would probably fit in just fine!” I really wanted her to try “church”. Her answer? “They sound hypocritical.” Wow. I didn’t see that one coming. She didn’t believe and was honest about who she was…even if I hated her unbelief! The tolerant faithful in my church were simply fooling themselves, or maybe just the observer, that they were believers at all! Ghastly impurities seeping into the foundation so that one could hardly tell the “church” from my friend’s house in the woods.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Lest Ye Be Judged
Tolerant Christians have fallen for a trap…Satan’s, I dare say. Edith Schaeffer exposes Aaron, the priest and brother of Moses as a type. The hoards are at the base of Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to return from high upon the mountain. God is at that moment delivering His Gift to His children…the road map, their guide for a long, happy life together. (More on this delivery later) The people of Israel (Jacob) unabashedly beg for an image to worship…okay, so their faith is weak. Who am I to judge their fickleness? Don’t we all turn to some idol in our lives, every day? We are weak, but He is strong! But Aaron “who knew so thoroughly the power of God and who He was”, the leader, surrenders to the will of the people and promotes the establishment of a false religion, a fake god with no blood, the golden calf. Mrs. Schaeffer puts it like this: “The ‘name of God’ was placed on [the calf].” “These be thy gods, Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” ~Exodus 32:4 Ergo the worship ceremony! “And Aaron is leading it as an outstanding example of all the false religious leaders who would say words with twisted meaning, who would take God’s Word, or the words and put them in a different context.” P 71 What seems to be truth but in a different light. The deceiver can put a lovely lighted veil on his dirty deeds. How else would he convince Godly men like Aaron to play his game? Leaders, teachers, preachers will be judged.
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” ~James 3:1
I am putting my soul on the line, every time my words hit the page. I am setting myself up to be judged. Tolerating impurities in Church teachings could very well mean the downfall of church as we know it. Just as Israel, Jerusalem and the temple itself were condemned in the time of the prophets, God will not endure false teachings forever. Here is a time and place for judgments. God’s Proverbs nudge us toward critical intolerance by providing a plumb line for righteousness and wisdom.
Fellow Christian bloggers, I am begging you to keep me, and each other in line, according to God’s Divine Truth. I am asking ye bloggers to “judge, lest ye be judged.” (continued in the morrow)
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” ~James 3:1
I am putting my soul on the line, every time my words hit the page. I am setting myself up to be judged. Tolerating impurities in Church teachings could very well mean the downfall of church as we know it. Just as Israel, Jerusalem and the temple itself were condemned in the time of the prophets, God will not endure false teachings forever. Here is a time and place for judgments. God’s Proverbs nudge us toward critical intolerance by providing a plumb line for righteousness and wisdom.
Fellow Christian bloggers, I am begging you to keep me, and each other in line, according to God’s Divine Truth. I am asking ye bloggers to “judge, lest ye be judged.” (continued in the morrow)
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
With Justice For All
History for Mommies, Daddies, and other true Americans...
Ezekiel 34:16—“[Declares the Lord God,] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice.”
“The primitive notion that humans can make law has become ingrained in our culture.” ~Richard J. Maybury; Whatever Happened to Justice; p 115
“One terrible result of this idea that law can be made is complete instability in the law. We don’t know who is responsible for what.” Maybury; p 116
How and when did this breakdown occur? Terry Eastland (Justice Dept., January 10, 1986 Wall Street Journal) is quoted by Maybury:
“By the 1930’s, the idea of the judge as an interpreter of established law had been almost totally rejected. As a result of the work of the Legal Realists and others, a new perspective developed—that the law is not found by judges, but is made by their interpretations of constitutions and statutes.”
There is a contradiction within the quote. “Interpreter of the established law” and “law made by their interpretations of constitutions and statutes” are approached from opposite ends of the argument. The former is meant to sound good, the latter as a downfall of our justice system. But what is established law?
Hang with me while I quote yet another distinguished thinker. Justice Stephen Markman, Michigan Supreme Court, offers these ideas on the Constitution in August’s Imprimis:
1) The Constitution limits the abuse of governmental power.
2) It does not replace the representative processes of government.
In other words, public policy might run amiss (and has), by stepping on limits set by our constitution but the founding document is not a decider of good vs bad law. Justice Markman sees “we the people” as the ultimate check and balance through “democratic debate and at the ballot box, not through judicial correction.” If this sounds different it is because it is. Markman is trying to dissuade myths. I have understood the Constitution to be a check on each law for its goodness, rightness, or wisdom. Rather, it checks the powerfulness of the law in restraining our freedom, as opposed to preserving it. Furthermore, he argues the fact that the Constitution actually was written for the people, the final checking place, and NOT for lawyers and judges.
This gets us back to “the instability in the law.” Not only are we floundering as to who does get the final say…the tyrannical judges, the renegade representatives? Maybe the dictator president? OR the Leviathan mob!...the ruler of the week unabashedly makes it up as they go!
None, not one of these options sound good to me. Maybury gets to the bottom of it in his book from 1993. He attacks political law, man made law, and says it was exposed in 1946 for the barbaric system it is! He uses the Nuremberg trials where Nazi murderers used the defense of “following orders.” The prosecution proposed the existence of a higher order, a “higher duty” than anything our governments can impose on us. The judges found the defendant guilty on the grounds that obedience to the civil government "shall not free him from responsibility.” (Marbury; p 118)
Contrast this ruling with today’s “right to life” decisions. “The right to life [is not being] regarded as given, not as a gift from the Creator”, but as a gift from [legislators, judges, or even] the voters…[all of which] can change their mind.” (Marbury; p 119)
I would disagree with Judge Markman to his face. Ask Thomas Hobbes if the people should be trusted for just laws. The people never stopped voting, there is plenty of political debate, and look where we are now…on the cusp of embryonic stem cell research and cloning. There are millions of tiny lives aborted annually, and living breathing—not intelligent enough, whatever that means, ---human beings being terminated.
There is not one human to be trusted. No, not one. Not the many. None. Genesis explains why for those of you I have lost. They wrote our Constitution with that fact in mind, to inhibit all law “making”. Nobody but God is our Check and Balance, Above all, Our Lawmaker.
Amendment VI: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherin the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.”
“Lastly, our ancestors established their system of government on morality and religious sentiment. Moral habits, they believed, cannot safely be on any other foundation than religious principle, nor any government be secure which is not supported by moral habits.”
~Daniel Webster
“Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.” ~Edmund Burke
Ezekiel 34:16—“[Declares the Lord God,] I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice.”
“The primitive notion that humans can make law has become ingrained in our culture.” ~Richard J. Maybury; Whatever Happened to Justice; p 115
“One terrible result of this idea that law can be made is complete instability in the law. We don’t know who is responsible for what.” Maybury; p 116
How and when did this breakdown occur? Terry Eastland (Justice Dept., January 10, 1986 Wall Street Journal) is quoted by Maybury:
“By the 1930’s, the idea of the judge as an interpreter of established law had been almost totally rejected. As a result of the work of the Legal Realists and others, a new perspective developed—that the law is not found by judges, but is made by their interpretations of constitutions and statutes.”
There is a contradiction within the quote. “Interpreter of the established law” and “law made by their interpretations of constitutions and statutes” are approached from opposite ends of the argument. The former is meant to sound good, the latter as a downfall of our justice system. But what is established law?
Hang with me while I quote yet another distinguished thinker. Justice Stephen Markman, Michigan Supreme Court, offers these ideas on the Constitution in August’s Imprimis:
1) The Constitution limits the abuse of governmental power.
2) It does not replace the representative processes of government.
In other words, public policy might run amiss (and has), by stepping on limits set by our constitution but the founding document is not a decider of good vs bad law. Justice Markman sees “we the people” as the ultimate check and balance through “democratic debate and at the ballot box, not through judicial correction.” If this sounds different it is because it is. Markman is trying to dissuade myths. I have understood the Constitution to be a check on each law for its goodness, rightness, or wisdom. Rather, it checks the powerfulness of the law in restraining our freedom, as opposed to preserving it. Furthermore, he argues the fact that the Constitution actually was written for the people, the final checking place, and NOT for lawyers and judges.
This gets us back to “the instability in the law.” Not only are we floundering as to who does get the final say…the tyrannical judges, the renegade representatives? Maybe the dictator president? OR the Leviathan mob!...the ruler of the week unabashedly makes it up as they go!
None, not one of these options sound good to me. Maybury gets to the bottom of it in his book from 1993. He attacks political law, man made law, and says it was exposed in 1946 for the barbaric system it is! He uses the Nuremberg trials where Nazi murderers used the defense of “following orders.” The prosecution proposed the existence of a higher order, a “higher duty” than anything our governments can impose on us. The judges found the defendant guilty on the grounds that obedience to the civil government "shall not free him from responsibility.” (Marbury; p 118)
Contrast this ruling with today’s “right to life” decisions. “The right to life [is not being] regarded as given, not as a gift from the Creator”, but as a gift from [legislators, judges, or even] the voters…[all of which] can change their mind.” (Marbury; p 119)
I would disagree with Judge Markman to his face. Ask Thomas Hobbes if the people should be trusted for just laws. The people never stopped voting, there is plenty of political debate, and look where we are now…on the cusp of embryonic stem cell research and cloning. There are millions of tiny lives aborted annually, and living breathing—not intelligent enough, whatever that means, ---human beings being terminated.
There is not one human to be trusted. No, not one. Not the many. None. Genesis explains why for those of you I have lost. They wrote our Constitution with that fact in mind, to inhibit all law “making”. Nobody but God is our Check and Balance, Above all, Our Lawmaker.
Amendment VI: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherin the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.”
“Lastly, our ancestors established their system of government on morality and religious sentiment. Moral habits, they believed, cannot safely be on any other foundation than religious principle, nor any government be secure which is not supported by moral habits.”
~Daniel Webster
“Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.” ~Edmund Burke
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Sermon for the Churched and Unchurched Church
Don’t get lost in the interpretation! Have you heard the line? It goes something like, “I don’t disbelieve the Bible…I just have a different interpretation.” For anything that matters (what is sin, condemnation, salvation, obedience, etc.) you had better count on there being only one interpretation, one Way, one Truth, and one Life…because that is what Jesus said. As you have seen, if you’ve read previous entries, we can and we do get bogged down with some interpretations and they often have to do with prophecy and the future. God told us, no one is to know the time. He made it clear it’s coming and that is the extent of eschatology! It is mesmerizing to speculate but we are completely muddled on the subject—far from united. Does it matter?
Should we drink wine, grape juice or water at communion? Pretty much anything but blood…nice thought, heh? “Why not?” you vampires ask! Blood is the power of life, the power of Jesus, the power of God…sacred. (You’re gonna ask so “no, I’m not a vegetarian and I don’t eat only kosher.”) There is probably something about the wine, making the other extreme, water, not as acceptable either. Jesus’ first miracle—amazingly supreme wine from water! Offered sour wine on the cross, Jesus refused. God communicates with symbols; sorry to you concrete thinkers. Jesus and his closest followers drank wine together at their last supper together. Jesus taught communion with bread and wine…saying, “I won’t drink from this cup again until I return.” So, are we Christians separated because some prefer grape juice? Uh-uh. No. Nada. Shame on us if this was to be a divisive point. The underlying meaning and interpretation of the ritual is a whole other matter and I’m not going there. Sadly, it has divided us.
Pope Benedict XVI is bold to speak the words “relativism” and “dictatorship” as being mutually defining of our times. The argument protecting the humanist dictator goes, “It’s not about secularism vs. Christianity; it’s about allowing pluralism.” Interpret it this way, “Freedom equals pluralism and Christians are way too rigid.” How Satanically deceiving can you get?! Ya know, I might go for it if only Christianity were allowed back in the ring! But because Christians and Muslims are absolutists (the reason the two religions are equated so often now!), we shall be oppressed! ………Oh, you mean Muslims aren’t oppressed? Islam IS allowed in U.S. schools? ………Oh, that must be because they’re the religion of peace!
Here’s the thought process: Singularity>>single-minded vision>>legislated morality>>dictator. President Bush obviously doesn’t believe absolutist beliefs must ultimately develop into dictatorships. He is even hoping for pluralistic peace in the Middle East. Here’s where it gets sticky. Can Islam rid itself of condemning, “you are unclean” sorts of ideals? The similarity is that both religions DO believe in one dictator—their god or God. How is it that the Muslims want to enforce their god’s rule themselves? Mohammed believed in conversion or death…let’s get that straight once and for all. Jesus reinforced free-will choice. He taught the consequences of two eternities and made it clear, God will judge every person for his and her choices.
The mistakes of the Christian world can be narrowed to two historical events and the Crusades could be considered mere self-defense and retaliation. Spanish inquisition—a powerful church institution gone mad. I am certain, America’s first settlers made it clear from day one—the institutional church will not gain political power. That said, the Christian churches’ mistakes have been glitches. If Christianity had not influenced the development of this country’s republic of Freedom, had the Reformation teachings of John Calvin, Martin Luther and others not carried through to culmination in our founding documents,…we would not be free indeed.
In conclusion, it all depends on your interpretation….of the Bible, of church doctrine, of history. Sometimes there is only one, True interpretation and it is our singular task to find it, according to God’s purpose for man as His representative. Christians have rigid beliefs and morals for supporting a free civil society, otherwise known as civilization. We also rigidly believe in freedom of religion.
Should we drink wine, grape juice or water at communion? Pretty much anything but blood…nice thought, heh? “Why not?” you vampires ask! Blood is the power of life, the power of Jesus, the power of God…sacred. (You’re gonna ask so “no, I’m not a vegetarian and I don’t eat only kosher.”) There is probably something about the wine, making the other extreme, water, not as acceptable either. Jesus’ first miracle—amazingly supreme wine from water! Offered sour wine on the cross, Jesus refused. God communicates with symbols; sorry to you concrete thinkers. Jesus and his closest followers drank wine together at their last supper together. Jesus taught communion with bread and wine…saying, “I won’t drink from this cup again until I return.” So, are we Christians separated because some prefer grape juice? Uh-uh. No. Nada. Shame on us if this was to be a divisive point. The underlying meaning and interpretation of the ritual is a whole other matter and I’m not going there. Sadly, it has divided us.
Pope Benedict XVI is bold to speak the words “relativism” and “dictatorship” as being mutually defining of our times. The argument protecting the humanist dictator goes, “It’s not about secularism vs. Christianity; it’s about allowing pluralism.” Interpret it this way, “Freedom equals pluralism and Christians are way too rigid.” How Satanically deceiving can you get?! Ya know, I might go for it if only Christianity were allowed back in the ring! But because Christians and Muslims are absolutists (the reason the two religions are equated so often now!), we shall be oppressed! ………Oh, you mean Muslims aren’t oppressed? Islam IS allowed in U.S. schools? ………Oh, that must be because they’re the religion of peace!
Here’s the thought process: Singularity>>single-minded vision>>legislated morality>>dictator. President Bush obviously doesn’t believe absolutist beliefs must ultimately develop into dictatorships. He is even hoping for pluralistic peace in the Middle East. Here’s where it gets sticky. Can Islam rid itself of condemning, “you are unclean” sorts of ideals? The similarity is that both religions DO believe in one dictator—their god or God. How is it that the Muslims want to enforce their god’s rule themselves? Mohammed believed in conversion or death…let’s get that straight once and for all. Jesus reinforced free-will choice. He taught the consequences of two eternities and made it clear, God will judge every person for his and her choices.
The mistakes of the Christian world can be narrowed to two historical events and the Crusades could be considered mere self-defense and retaliation. Spanish inquisition—a powerful church institution gone mad. I am certain, America’s first settlers made it clear from day one—the institutional church will not gain political power. That said, the Christian churches’ mistakes have been glitches. If Christianity had not influenced the development of this country’s republic of Freedom, had the Reformation teachings of John Calvin, Martin Luther and others not carried through to culmination in our founding documents,…we would not be free indeed.
In conclusion, it all depends on your interpretation….of the Bible, of church doctrine, of history. Sometimes there is only one, True interpretation and it is our singular task to find it, according to God’s purpose for man as His representative. Christians have rigid beliefs and morals for supporting a free civil society, otherwise known as civilization. We also rigidly believe in freedom of religion.
Powerful Afterword
Found in today's Scripture reading, a miraculous follow up to yesterday's post:
"Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water." ~Psalm 114:7,8
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Biblical Drama
Words annoy me sometimes. I get tired of reading and writing with no evidence of change. Too many words. Dramatic? Extreme? Yep, I want piercing, “sharper than a double-edged sword” kinds of surprises! Well, that’s what the Israelites got when they asked for water. Mind you, they weren’t straightforward or nice about it. Supposedly they grumbled and murmured amongst themselves. Sounds like now. Have you heard the complaining? Me? Okay, I confess. Our miserable state derives from the same human reasons those poor thirsty souls didn’t just ask God or talk to Moses without the accusations. How different is this?
Dear President Bush,
I realize it has been a difficult task leading our country into conflict. Decisions have surely been torturous. We can see why Freedom must be protected. We pray you will have the wisdom to carry our military men and women through to the end. It doesn’t seem like you will be able to get them home soon enough but we hope you will do what you can, with God’s promises behind you.
But no, Moses received no such encouragement or trust that we know of. And he came through anyway. He was obedient…He struck the rock one time and the water gushed forth! How dramatic is that? Let’s burn it into memory. They did…and the story was preserved. So why didn’t the Hebrew nation resound with joy when Jesus said, “I am the water of life; he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” ~John 4:14; 7:37,38
For crying out loud, Paul got it! “I don’t want you to be ignorant, brethren, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” ~1 Cor. 10:1-4 Verse 11 continues, “Now all these things happened unto them for examples.”
Does this not strengthen your faith? Mrs. Schaeffer said these things were given to men “to experience with understanding, that they might know.” Moses struck the rock---once---as Jesus was struck---once---on the cross.
Why didn’t I get it? I feel like one of the blinded Jews. I did read my Bible for a time but it was like the seed planted on hard ground. I was taught the stories. I was never taught the Bible.
Dear President Bush,
I realize it has been a difficult task leading our country into conflict. Decisions have surely been torturous. We can see why Freedom must be protected. We pray you will have the wisdom to carry our military men and women through to the end. It doesn’t seem like you will be able to get them home soon enough but we hope you will do what you can, with God’s promises behind you.
But no, Moses received no such encouragement or trust that we know of. And he came through anyway. He was obedient…He struck the rock one time and the water gushed forth! How dramatic is that? Let’s burn it into memory. They did…and the story was preserved. So why didn’t the Hebrew nation resound with joy when Jesus said, “I am the water of life; he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” ~John 4:14; 7:37,38
For crying out loud, Paul got it! “I don’t want you to be ignorant, brethren, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” ~1 Cor. 10:1-4 Verse 11 continues, “Now all these things happened unto them for examples.”
Does this not strengthen your faith? Mrs. Schaeffer said these things were given to men “to experience with understanding, that they might know.” Moses struck the rock---once---as Jesus was struck---once---on the cross.
Why didn’t I get it? I feel like one of the blinded Jews. I did read my Bible for a time but it was like the seed planted on hard ground. I was taught the stories. I was never taught the Bible.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Sidetrip to Iraq
Derek is camera happy and badge happy! Stop by for a great tour and send off a congrats on his new attainment, if the mood strikes. He doesn't know me either. I'm just this weird old lady that stops by now and then! Even if I were young and cute, he's taken girls. One look at his portrait and you'll see why. While you're there, pray over him...and them. It is like being there, minus the searing heat and danger.
"God must get tired of these wars where everybody's praying for Him to take their side." ~a sort of quote from "Cold Mountain" I'd say God doesn't have that problem in Iraq!
"God must get tired of these wars where everybody's praying for Him to take their side." ~a sort of quote from "Cold Mountain" I'd say God doesn't have that problem in Iraq!
Back to Israel
The manna, fallen to the ground, was tasty, like coriander and like wafers sweet with honey. Real food, energy, for the survival of this new free nation. God was sure to preserve the manna for posterity, “Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations.” Moses wrote it down in words. The actual manna would be placed museum-style for those not even born yet to see as proof of God’s provision in history. This physical bread, enough for sustaining life, was what Jesus would supply for spiritual life if the people would only gather it. When Jesus spoke, “I am the bread of life,” it was to the Jews who had seen the manna and had the books Moses had written for them.
Speaking of Jesus, the Jews inquire, “'What sign will you show us that we may see and believe you? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Then Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the True Bread from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.'” John 6:30-33
Jesus is making it clear, the intention was always for history to offer this double meaning! Isn’t it simply Divine? Should this be the lesson taught to our children? Oh, I certainly learned about the plight of the Hebrew nation in the wilderness and how God fed them. And I surely learned Jesus is the bread of life! And now I wonder why I never thought of it! But I didn’t…and no one ever taught me. Tell me, were you taught Christianity is Jewish? God constantly pointed directly to the coming of His Son. The Jews missed it! And today, I fear we miss it too. The whole story has not been given from generation to generation. There must be some who got it but oh so few have kept it alive. Edith Schaeffer’s book should have been on the NYT bestsellers for weeks, anyway! This woman was on the cutting edge but the oozing, spineless church simply closed in after the Sword of Truth passed through; or even worse, the entrances were barred so that the Sword sent sparks flying as it clanged and clattered to the ground. I write for this Truth, which can unite and can’t help but divide here, “in the desert of an abnormal world full of ugliness and death. The Bread of Life has been supplied, that people might eat, and have eternal life.” (Pg 68; C is J)
The Jews asked Jesus, “Give us this bread.” With Jesus’ usual zing, He spoke, “I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on ME, shall never thirst.” John 6:34-35
Speaking of Jesus, the Jews inquire, “'What sign will you show us that we may see and believe you? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Then Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the True Bread from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.'” John 6:30-33
Jesus is making it clear, the intention was always for history to offer this double meaning! Isn’t it simply Divine? Should this be the lesson taught to our children? Oh, I certainly learned about the plight of the Hebrew nation in the wilderness and how God fed them. And I surely learned Jesus is the bread of life! And now I wonder why I never thought of it! But I didn’t…and no one ever taught me. Tell me, were you taught Christianity is Jewish? God constantly pointed directly to the coming of His Son. The Jews missed it! And today, I fear we miss it too. The whole story has not been given from generation to generation. There must be some who got it but oh so few have kept it alive. Edith Schaeffer’s book should have been on the NYT bestsellers for weeks, anyway! This woman was on the cutting edge but the oozing, spineless church simply closed in after the Sword of Truth passed through; or even worse, the entrances were barred so that the Sword sent sparks flying as it clanged and clattered to the ground. I write for this Truth, which can unite and can’t help but divide here, “in the desert of an abnormal world full of ugliness and death. The Bread of Life has been supplied, that people might eat, and have eternal life.” (Pg 68; C is J)
The Jews asked Jesus, “Give us this bread.” With Jesus’ usual zing, He spoke, “I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on ME, shall never thirst.” John 6:34-35
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Me? A Moderate?
Since entering cyberspace, I have debated Orthodox Messianic Jews and one particular, h-hm, left-leaning Christian. In both debates, the Torah, or Law was largely the issue. How relevant is it today? The believer Jews were set on obedience to the Torah. Period. I questioned the rigidity of such thinking, perhaps legalistic approach to our faith. It brought visions of Jesus, Peter and Paul wrestling with the exact same doctrinal heresies, against each other, the Pharisees, the whole tradition of Judaism. Do they really think we need to reinstitute sacrificial atonement on an altar somewhere? Is the kosher diet a matter of salvation? The answer was, "Jesus is our salvation" but they didn't let go of the strict obedience thing either. Obedience is right and good, so I wrote to Moishe Rosen of Jews for Jesus. He was, thankfully, a moderate, like me!
Now, as I attempt to recreate how U.S. leadership was established on the foundations of the Law, I find myself on the exact opposite end of the argument. The Law is still relevant and always will be. I actually could argue its very presence in Heaven, because God is the Law. The change will be in us...we will be perfectly obedient, with all our hearts, minds, and strength. The Law of the Lord is perfect..." (Psalm 19:7a) My brother in Christ, John, doesn't see how the Old Testament can be utilized in a modern day government. It is New Testament all the way for him. My resolve is that the New Testament offered us a way to self-govern. Jesus offered us a way for our conscience to bow before God. It is a teaching of relationship between God and man. As we relate to our fellow man, we are answering to God.
The Old Testament, on the other hand, is where we are taught to answer to each other, to govern outside ourselves. The person who has no belief in God is accountable, because whether he believes it or not, God is his Creator Who provides Laws for civility. The bottom line and question I offer to you is, "How did the Founding Fathers decide which of the commandments to write as law, and which to allow freedom of conscience?" Part of the answer is in the fact, as Dr. Kennedy pointed out in an interview, ninety-nine percent plus citizens considered themselves Christians at the founding of this nation. If that seems high, you have my permission to lower it a bit. I will still argue with you, the numbers were significant enough that blasphemy laws, well established in Blackstone's common law, were not continued for long. It just wasn't an issue. We have come a long way, baby, and that's not a good thing.
So where does the moderation come in? I am not endorsing a full-fledged literal enforcement of the Torah. There is plenty to glean from, though. Sorry to be so cliche, but could we not throw the baby out with the bath water? Truly, I am ready for some detail. Which laws are relevant, how are they to be applied in a free society, and who will decide? The people? Which ones? Majority should not always win! C'mon, let's dig.
Now, as I attempt to recreate how U.S. leadership was established on the foundations of the Law, I find myself on the exact opposite end of the argument. The Law is still relevant and always will be. I actually could argue its very presence in Heaven, because God is the Law. The change will be in us...we will be perfectly obedient, with all our hearts, minds, and strength. The Law of the Lord is perfect..." (Psalm 19:7a) My brother in Christ, John, doesn't see how the Old Testament can be utilized in a modern day government. It is New Testament all the way for him. My resolve is that the New Testament offered us a way to self-govern. Jesus offered us a way for our conscience to bow before God. It is a teaching of relationship between God and man. As we relate to our fellow man, we are answering to God.
The Old Testament, on the other hand, is where we are taught to answer to each other, to govern outside ourselves. The person who has no belief in God is accountable, because whether he believes it or not, God is his Creator Who provides Laws for civility. The bottom line and question I offer to you is, "How did the Founding Fathers decide which of the commandments to write as law, and which to allow freedom of conscience?" Part of the answer is in the fact, as Dr. Kennedy pointed out in an interview, ninety-nine percent plus citizens considered themselves Christians at the founding of this nation. If that seems high, you have my permission to lower it a bit. I will still argue with you, the numbers were significant enough that blasphemy laws, well established in Blackstone's common law, were not continued for long. It just wasn't an issue. We have come a long way, baby, and that's not a good thing.
So where does the moderation come in? I am not endorsing a full-fledged literal enforcement of the Torah. There is plenty to glean from, though. Sorry to be so cliche, but could we not throw the baby out with the bath water? Truly, I am ready for some detail. Which laws are relevant, how are they to be applied in a free society, and who will decide? The people? Which ones? Majority should not always win! C'mon, let's dig.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The Blogger's Prayer
"Direct my thoughts, words, and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit...Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ." ~George Washington's Prayer Book writing; Washington's Papers; W. Herbert Burk, B.D.
---and in his own handwriting:
"Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son Jesus Christ." (Washington's Papers)
---and in his own handwriting:
"Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son Jesus Christ." (Washington's Papers)
