Tuesday, June 20, 2006
They Are All Mute Dogs!
Me? Offended? The anonymous comments from the previous post makes personal attacks on my education. My friend from Jezreel’s Journey rebuked this person with Biblical truth and I thank Jez for coming to my defense. I am pretty thick-skinned. After all, I had a big brother growing up! A disturbing observation of recent years is, when I do become offended by heretics and blasphemers within the Church, the long-predicted false prophets, I am quickly accused of divisiveness and (shudder) intolerance!
There is some valid teaching in John Bevere’s The Bait of Satan: Living Free From the Deadly Trap of Offense. The battle in the spiritual realm must be fought with perseverance in fervent prayer. Pray without ceasing! And I appreciate the leaders’ acknowledgement of Matthew 18 confrontation toward sin. But why is it, when offense toward leadership of the Church is the subject, an intervention of the physical kind is off-limits? Therefore, our current situation is one of dictatorship and tyranny of the clergy. I would not mind if by some miracle, their dictator was God! Unfortunately, these untouchables should not be booted out at every turn; the Word of God is offensive. Godly men would surely come under attack. Truth hurts and people do get heated---lol, I should know! Offense by itself is not the true measure. So perhaps a counsel or jury of pastors could maintain a more objective review. I liked this idea my friend had. On the other hand, it could be dangerous at least in my town! A majority of the pastors are mainline, and by assumption liberal relativists and very probable humanists. I’m just not sure there is an answer. Do it by denomination and you will never cure the false prophet pandemic in the Church!
There is an abundance of denial and cover-up. Blankly, blindly and I say sinfully, leaders send the sheep to their deaths by pushing churchianity: “Church, the only way to grow.” “Church, the only way to be Christian.” What kind of church? “A Bible-teaching church!” But the teaching in far too many circles is from their rendition of the Bible. I would go so far as to say Bevere has managed to offer an incomplete study on offense and forgiveness by dissuading us from the Scripture on discernment of good and evil, judgment, rebuking, expelling an immoral brother and general accountability. Pure tolerance is what you have left. Half-truth and in Bevere’s own words, “incorrect division of God’s Word”!
Because the Body called the Church righteously reveres impatience with judgmental intolerance and accountability, even when the target is Satan himself and those who would be used by him, I have become the one under rebuke and correction, more than once. Do not “stir up dissension among brothers.” It is an abomination to God! (Proverbs 6:16-19) But shredding God’s Word to pieces? Aaah, don’t worry about it! Quoting page 40, “When we repeat something with the intention of separating or damaging relationships or reputations—even though it is true—it is still an affront to God.”
The twist is uncanny. I speak Truth and defend God’s honor and authority through His Living Word…yet I am ostracized while the liars and deceivers will remain a protected class with forked tongues. It is not a war to be fought only on bended knee (I stress the essential reliance on God). Words, and when necessary, actions, are this Christian worldview warrior’s line of offense. My friend reminded me of one of those childhood lessons that stuck with me, though you won’t find it in the Bible: “God helps those who help themselves.”
Two justified occasions for judgment are spelled out in the William MacDonald Bible Believer’s Commentary:
1) to preserve God’s honor
2) to protect others
I am not easily offended but don’t go after my God or my loved ones. Jez, I love your spunk and spirit. You are right to judge for the sake of His glory. Thank you, sister!
“Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge;
They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark;
They lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding;
They all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.” ~Isaiah 56:10-11
There is some valid teaching in John Bevere’s The Bait of Satan: Living Free From the Deadly Trap of Offense. The battle in the spiritual realm must be fought with perseverance in fervent prayer. Pray without ceasing! And I appreciate the leaders’ acknowledgement of Matthew 18 confrontation toward sin. But why is it, when offense toward leadership of the Church is the subject, an intervention of the physical kind is off-limits? Therefore, our current situation is one of dictatorship and tyranny of the clergy. I would not mind if by some miracle, their dictator was God! Unfortunately, these untouchables should not be booted out at every turn; the Word of God is offensive. Godly men would surely come under attack. Truth hurts and people do get heated---lol, I should know! Offense by itself is not the true measure. So perhaps a counsel or jury of pastors could maintain a more objective review. I liked this idea my friend had. On the other hand, it could be dangerous at least in my town! A majority of the pastors are mainline, and by assumption liberal relativists and very probable humanists. I’m just not sure there is an answer. Do it by denomination and you will never cure the false prophet pandemic in the Church!
There is an abundance of denial and cover-up. Blankly, blindly and I say sinfully, leaders send the sheep to their deaths by pushing churchianity: “Church, the only way to grow.” “Church, the only way to be Christian.” What kind of church? “A Bible-teaching church!” But the teaching in far too many circles is from their rendition of the Bible. I would go so far as to say Bevere has managed to offer an incomplete study on offense and forgiveness by dissuading us from the Scripture on discernment of good and evil, judgment, rebuking, expelling an immoral brother and general accountability. Pure tolerance is what you have left. Half-truth and in Bevere’s own words, “incorrect division of God’s Word”!
Because the Body called the Church righteously reveres impatience with judgmental intolerance and accountability, even when the target is Satan himself and those who would be used by him, I have become the one under rebuke and correction, more than once. Do not “stir up dissension among brothers.” It is an abomination to God! (Proverbs 6:16-19) But shredding God’s Word to pieces? Aaah, don’t worry about it! Quoting page 40, “When we repeat something with the intention of separating or damaging relationships or reputations—even though it is true—it is still an affront to God.”
The twist is uncanny. I speak Truth and defend God’s honor and authority through His Living Word…yet I am ostracized while the liars and deceivers will remain a protected class with forked tongues. It is not a war to be fought only on bended knee (I stress the essential reliance on God). Words, and when necessary, actions, are this Christian worldview warrior’s line of offense. My friend reminded me of one of those childhood lessons that stuck with me, though you won’t find it in the Bible: “God helps those who help themselves.”
Two justified occasions for judgment are spelled out in the William MacDonald Bible Believer’s Commentary:
1) to preserve God’s honor
2) to protect others
I am not easily offended but don’t go after my God or my loved ones. Jez, I love your spunk and spirit. You are right to judge for the sake of His glory. Thank you, sister!
“Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge;
They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark;
They lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding;
They all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.” ~Isaiah 56:10-11
Friday, June 09, 2006
Necessary Ingredient
“The joy of the Lord is our strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10
Not good works (legalism) but the Way we come to God (Jesus made THE CLAIM in clear terms) has always been the “necessary ingredient”. (p 110, Christianity Is Jewish)
The Old Testament prophets had never heard Jesus speak yet they had an understanding of close relationship with their Maker. In the process, there was a heart thing going on—not sacrifice of bulls so much as humility and sincere meltdown of a person’s own will. Belief in the truth; complete trust that what God made clear in His spoken or written Word was true truth!
Jesus IS the Way; our necessary ingredient is the kind of trust a child places in their loving parent because of a certain awareness of their own fragile, dependent weakness. They are weak, but He is strong. Since before Christ, from the very beginning, faith has not been some elusive, ungraspable “fog”. Mrs. Schaeffer reminds us with Scripture:
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing cometh by the word of God.” She elaborates, “You have to hear something you can think about in your mind and conclude to be true, in order to believe it.” But to hear it, I would add, the condition of the heart is of consequence.
Faith, commitment, and personal growth in my journey have all turned around since my decision to take God at His Word. This came about largely because of the book, this blog’s namesake, by Edith Schaeffer. An in-depth study of the Westminster Confession, the footnoted doctrine, which involved Bible searches by chapter and verse (as found in David Quine’s World Views of the Western World, a curriculum guide) was how “faith came by hearing”.
Which finally brings us to Jonah. God sent His Word to be heard in Nineveh, which can be seen as a sure indication that this gentile city had some sincere, God-seeking hearts living there. God keeps His promises, and He said, “If with all your heart you truly seek Me, you shall surely find Me.”
These seekers must have held no reservations like, “Well, we’ll see what God has to say and if we like it…” or “What kind of god would do such a thing!” No, somehow God knew (duh, He’s God!) they were ready to hear His Truth! Are you? Oh, and for the record, they were NOT behaving themselves! So, God WAS looking at the heart. Maybe, deep down, they were sick of the mayhem.
Hearts do have to be prepared, after all. Call it softened, broken, opened, child-like…Satan uses the insanely myth-like stories to blur our perception unless we are ready to hear. Mrs. Schaeffer is so right! We half-heartedly read Creation, won’t even let it back in the schools, when it’s central truth as to the human condition is essential to the rest of our hearing God’s story! No fall? Then no redemption!
And again, we are thrown from our sensibilities by this man swallowed by a whale, whole…alive. Um. This is hard! Let’s face it. Satan, of course, takes full advantage of our prideful condescension toward a child-like story requiring an innocence of faith. So swallow that man-sized pride! We’re gonna be learning about Jonah, next.
Not good works (legalism) but the Way we come to God (Jesus made THE CLAIM in clear terms) has always been the “necessary ingredient”. (p 110, Christianity Is Jewish)
The Old Testament prophets had never heard Jesus speak yet they had an understanding of close relationship with their Maker. In the process, there was a heart thing going on—not sacrifice of bulls so much as humility and sincere meltdown of a person’s own will. Belief in the truth; complete trust that what God made clear in His spoken or written Word was true truth!
Jesus IS the Way; our necessary ingredient is the kind of trust a child places in their loving parent because of a certain awareness of their own fragile, dependent weakness. They are weak, but He is strong. Since before Christ, from the very beginning, faith has not been some elusive, ungraspable “fog”. Mrs. Schaeffer reminds us with Scripture:
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing cometh by the word of God.” She elaborates, “You have to hear something you can think about in your mind and conclude to be true, in order to believe it.” But to hear it, I would add, the condition of the heart is of consequence.
Faith, commitment, and personal growth in my journey have all turned around since my decision to take God at His Word. This came about largely because of the book, this blog’s namesake, by Edith Schaeffer. An in-depth study of the Westminster Confession, the footnoted doctrine, which involved Bible searches by chapter and verse (as found in David Quine’s World Views of the Western World, a curriculum guide) was how “faith came by hearing”.
Which finally brings us to Jonah. God sent His Word to be heard in Nineveh, which can be seen as a sure indication that this gentile city had some sincere, God-seeking hearts living there. God keeps His promises, and He said, “If with all your heart you truly seek Me, you shall surely find Me.”
These seekers must have held no reservations like, “Well, we’ll see what God has to say and if we like it…” or “What kind of god would do such a thing!” No, somehow God knew (duh, He’s God!) they were ready to hear His Truth! Are you? Oh, and for the record, they were NOT behaving themselves! So, God WAS looking at the heart. Maybe, deep down, they were sick of the mayhem.
Hearts do have to be prepared, after all. Call it softened, broken, opened, child-like…Satan uses the insanely myth-like stories to blur our perception unless we are ready to hear. Mrs. Schaeffer is so right! We half-heartedly read Creation, won’t even let it back in the schools, when it’s central truth as to the human condition is essential to the rest of our hearing God’s story! No fall? Then no redemption!
And again, we are thrown from our sensibilities by this man swallowed by a whale, whole…alive. Um. This is hard! Let’s face it. Satan, of course, takes full advantage of our prideful condescension toward a child-like story requiring an innocence of faith. So swallow that man-sized pride! We’re gonna be learning about Jonah, next.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Men In Black
The world had become lawless. Illegals were permitted to pour into the sovereign country…and then stay…forgiven. The judges—the Supreme judges—ruled it permissive to acquire land, someone else’s land, if the thief simply had a big enough dream to bring in some money for Uncle. Death had become a friend for the inconvenienced masses…and the State. Crosses and crèches were being torn down along with the original ten laws…written in stone.
And I said to myself, isn’t it strange that no one has conceived of a declaration? I could certainly spew out a few usurpations of power! But the Church was bursting with such a glorious strength when the Declaration came forth. Men were men then. Truth was truth then. Now, men watch and talk instead of lead. At first, I thought talk was a good thing…but no one listens, except the choir. The leaders then were clergy. They were the men in black…the black brigade.
Heard the caller on Rush, speaking about her pro-amnesty pastor. No surprise there! Rush made a brave attempt at explaining it with the relativism creep in society. It is most definitely everywhere: Church, schools, courtrooms, university, politics (THERE’S an understatement!), and around the water cooler! Only a few good men have the conviction and knowledge for affecting the disconnected non-answer, meaningless robotic irrelevance of liberal-speak.
Let me add to the explanation for the squishy Right. In tearing out their least favorite pages from their code (Bible), the men in black have become a one-dimensional machine. “Let us forgive! As Christ forgave, so shall we. Let the illegals stay. Amnesty! Yes, amnesty for all!” Thus, the way toward lawlessness. The forgotten dimension? This is a sin-sick world and a battle rages. Even if you have never touched a Bible, the reality hits us in the face every morning! Good verses Evil! For God’s sake, man, you have to KNOW that!
Jesus promised a big come back and then, HE WILL JUDGE. The gospel of John is where Jesus sounds confused because in one breath, He says He has not come to judge the world…in the next, He pronounces, “That very word which I spoke will condemn [the man who rejects me] at the last day.”
Acts 17:31 confirms Jesus’ appointment. “For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to ALL men by raising Him from the dead.”
The world must be judged in the meantime, or do the men in black disagree? God’s provision is a compass and rule. When righteous laws are broken, there must be consequences. Invasion, visit without permission, is unlawful. Or do all you forgiving souls leave your doors unlocked for a hearty welcome…feed, clothe, educate and pay for your intruders’ healthcare out of your wallet? Of course you do! Your holier than thou attitude isn’t costing your nonprofit. The thievery is from our pockets, pastor! The American families, struggling to eat, pay for wheels and a roof—the workingman, pastor!
God-given Law for governing ourselves, our homes, and our land is our gift, which you spit on and tear apart because you believe that is what Jesus did! Forgive the murderer, the thief, the trespasser, and the rapist. Yes you may. But let Uncle do his rightful job of protecting his children. That is love at its loveliest. Your anarchist, free-for-all is a love fest that will smother freedom’s cry…already, she’s down to a whimper.
And I said to myself, isn’t it strange that no one has conceived of a declaration? I could certainly spew out a few usurpations of power! But the Church was bursting with such a glorious strength when the Declaration came forth. Men were men then. Truth was truth then. Now, men watch and talk instead of lead. At first, I thought talk was a good thing…but no one listens, except the choir. The leaders then were clergy. They were the men in black…the black brigade.
Heard the caller on Rush, speaking about her pro-amnesty pastor. No surprise there! Rush made a brave attempt at explaining it with the relativism creep in society. It is most definitely everywhere: Church, schools, courtrooms, university, politics (THERE’S an understatement!), and around the water cooler! Only a few good men have the conviction and knowledge for affecting the disconnected non-answer, meaningless robotic irrelevance of liberal-speak.
Let me add to the explanation for the squishy Right. In tearing out their least favorite pages from their code (Bible), the men in black have become a one-dimensional machine. “Let us forgive! As Christ forgave, so shall we. Let the illegals stay. Amnesty! Yes, amnesty for all!” Thus, the way toward lawlessness. The forgotten dimension? This is a sin-sick world and a battle rages. Even if you have never touched a Bible, the reality hits us in the face every morning! Good verses Evil! For God’s sake, man, you have to KNOW that!
Jesus promised a big come back and then, HE WILL JUDGE. The gospel of John is where Jesus sounds confused because in one breath, He says He has not come to judge the world…in the next, He pronounces, “That very word which I spoke will condemn [the man who rejects me] at the last day.”
Acts 17:31 confirms Jesus’ appointment. “For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to ALL men by raising Him from the dead.”
The world must be judged in the meantime, or do the men in black disagree? God’s provision is a compass and rule. When righteous laws are broken, there must be consequences. Invasion, visit without permission, is unlawful. Or do all you forgiving souls leave your doors unlocked for a hearty welcome…feed, clothe, educate and pay for your intruders’ healthcare out of your wallet? Of course you do! Your holier than thou attitude isn’t costing your nonprofit. The thievery is from our pockets, pastor! The American families, struggling to eat, pay for wheels and a roof—the workingman, pastor!
God-given Law for governing ourselves, our homes, and our land is our gift, which you spit on and tear apart because you believe that is what Jesus did! Forgive the murderer, the thief, the trespasser, and the rapist. Yes you may. But let Uncle do his rightful job of protecting his children. That is love at its loveliest. Your anarchist, free-for-all is a love fest that will smother freedom’s cry…already, she’s down to a whimper.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Nehemiah
Nehemiah cried out to God in full-blown surrender; remember Your Promise to Your people, the Promise to bring the Hebrews to the place God had chosen to set His Name…the Promised Land. Nehemiah led the people in rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, standing ready to fight invaders, working nonstop in shifts. God was merciful then and He will be again.
When will God pour out Himself again on His Chosen? The preservation of Israel, the people, is the miraculous proof of God’s Word as Truth and reliability. Scattered over and over, persecuted, with the most horrendous annihilation attempt on one group in all world history, the nation of Jews has never dissolved, been absorbed, or crushed. God has kept His end of the bargain and He’s waiting to bring the whole mess to completion, a glorious future promised for the Jews, to which Christian gentiles have been grafted. What is our end of the bargain, or covenant? To be the faithful remnant who seeks, finds and believes, who gives the lessons of God’s history and moral judgment to their sons and their sons’ sons. To build the wall of protection around His Holy Word, ready to fight invasions of lies and distortions, working nonstop, day and night, to fortify and City as we prayerfully surrender our services to the King who is coming.
It wouldn’t be proper to finish this page without a rebuke on the religious left which grossly distorts the Christian faith by cruelly protesting the war at military funerals. And for the Church to hold back correction, as it worships peace and church unity ahead of the Truth, is to work against the wall builders by compromising God’s Law, which is to be kept intact as a fortifying power, the Bride’s protection and defense from impurities. Christ, the sure foundation, said, “If you love Me, you will obey.”
“The joy (satisfaction) of the Lord is our strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” ~Isaiah 55:6,7
Yes, the Law has condemned us, It can not save us and we cannot be pardoned through impossible perfect obedience. But be sure of this. Jesus fulfilled the Law so that only by the Lamb are we abundantly pardoned. Despite His pardoning, God’s Law abides. How do we please Him and bring joy to the Lord?
By seeking His will. What is God’s will? His Law.
Peace and unity are not God’s unqualified commands. There will be no peace, no unity, even in the church, before the return of the King when the Chosen will be fully sanctified, perfected in His glory. Every time a church leader bends the Word for the sake of appeasing the world, another brick is torn from Jerusalem's wall.
When will God pour out Himself again on His Chosen? The preservation of Israel, the people, is the miraculous proof of God’s Word as Truth and reliability. Scattered over and over, persecuted, with the most horrendous annihilation attempt on one group in all world history, the nation of Jews has never dissolved, been absorbed, or crushed. God has kept His end of the bargain and He’s waiting to bring the whole mess to completion, a glorious future promised for the Jews, to which Christian gentiles have been grafted. What is our end of the bargain, or covenant? To be the faithful remnant who seeks, finds and believes, who gives the lessons of God’s history and moral judgment to their sons and their sons’ sons. To build the wall of protection around His Holy Word, ready to fight invasions of lies and distortions, working nonstop, day and night, to fortify and City as we prayerfully surrender our services to the King who is coming.
It wouldn’t be proper to finish this page without a rebuke on the religious left which grossly distorts the Christian faith by cruelly protesting the war at military funerals. And for the Church to hold back correction, as it worships peace and church unity ahead of the Truth, is to work against the wall builders by compromising God’s Law, which is to be kept intact as a fortifying power, the Bride’s protection and defense from impurities. Christ, the sure foundation, said, “If you love Me, you will obey.”
“The joy (satisfaction) of the Lord is our strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” ~Isaiah 55:6,7
Yes, the Law has condemned us, It can not save us and we cannot be pardoned through impossible perfect obedience. But be sure of this. Jesus fulfilled the Law so that only by the Lamb are we abundantly pardoned. Despite His pardoning, God’s Law abides. How do we please Him and bring joy to the Lord?
By seeking His will. What is God’s will? His Law.
Peace and unity are not God’s unqualified commands. There will be no peace, no unity, even in the church, before the return of the King when the Chosen will be fully sanctified, perfected in His glory. Every time a church leader bends the Word for the sake of appeasing the world, another brick is torn from Jerusalem's wall.
