Does popular make it important ?
LOOKING BACK – – – AT NOW
August 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment
In light of the rapid acceleration of everything destructive to America, what if we could look back (years from now) at this present time, after the history books are written (or, shall we say, after America is history) ?
Could it possibly become clear then, what we could have done to stop all this godless insanity, and restore and preserve this greatest nation in all of human existence ?
Sadly, we still seem locked into ‘same old’ answer to “What can we do?”
Get informed, vote, and run for office.
But the current circumstances with rapid development of imminent destruction, call for more ! ! !
Every leader on the ‘good guys’ side still calls for non-violence.
Just where would that have left us at our founding and the revolution ?
Looking back . . . at then—clearly we did what we had to do—we did the right thing.
Looking back . . . at now—honestly, it looks like we don’t have a clue ! ! !
Americans who experienced Cuba, Venezuela, China, Russia, etc, tell us how far down the same road we are, and plead with us to stop.
It seems we are afraid to consider the sacrifice and once again “pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’
Those men made good on their pledge, LITERALLY, and paid dearly.
– – –
And, we don’t have a leader, right now.
We can’t wait for the election next year to save us—it will be too late.
And for all those who pray for revival, “because only God can save us”—true in the American Revolution—but those same people praying and preaching picked up their guns and killed British soldiers.
That’s how we got America.
Then they gave us the first amendment so we could freely rely on God publicly, and they gave us the second amendment, so we could act on that revival and do it again, for freedom, with our guns.
“Freedom will look easy when we don’t have to die to get it.”—–George Washington
We forget that part.
No one is ready to take out evil people if we might get killed or go to prison or lose our reputation or our livelihood.
The justice system is not working to take out evil people—so who’s going to do it ?
Have we come to a point in this country where we are willing to watch these evil people destroy America, and not stop them ?
Does that cost of freedom not apply to Americans today ?
– – –
We have other things to think about . . .
“In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.”
THE PIGPEN – – – WHAT’S THAT SMELL ?
August 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Of course the pigpen smells bad—real bad, unless you’re the pig farmer.
And if you spend any time in the pigpen, you’re going to smell real bad too.
Just how do you get into the pigpen, because obviously it’s nobody’s idea of fun ?
First, you start wanting what you think you’ve got coming—and you want it now.
It doesn’t matter to you who’s standing in your way, who you have to dishonor, Who you have to disobey—you want it now.
That’s starting to smell—that stinks.
Your wish is granted, but it seriously hurts someone you’re supposed to love (a Father who loves you).
Your stinking thinking means you don’t care—you want it now.
You just want to have fun, and you’ll have money to buy lots of it.
Question: How long will it last ?
Answer: Not long.
Running out of money, and economic wipeout from famine, simultaneously—that stinks—coincidence, or arranged ?
Complete personal crash, and you’re faced with just trying to stay alive—feeding pigs, wanting to eat with pigs, stinking like pigs.
What a place to “come to yourself”, like after unconsciousness from drugs and drinking.
Well, whatever it takes.
Your attitude was stinking from the beginning—money masked the misery inside for a little while.
The truth eventually comes to light.
You were already in the pigpen, even when there were clean sheets on the bed for every night of pleasure that smelled so good.
Thank God for sending us to a stinking pigpen whenever we need to come to our senses, and return home to our Father, and plead our guilt of sin and unworthiness.
– – –
The pigpen—what’s that smell ? —stinking sin, pride, selfishness, stinking pleasures.
Repentance, acceptance, love, forgiveness—what’s that smell ? —barbecued beef—“the fatted calf” butchered for just this occasion—celebration—dead to alive—lost to found—restored to the family.
(Written on the day to remember fifty years of . . .)
DISCERN – – – AND JUDGE
August 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?“—–His Book
Discernment and judgment starts in the house of God, but it doesn’t stop there.
It’s time for Christians to . . .
– do something besides surviving.
– remember we have an offensive weapon, the Bible, besides all the defensive, protective armor.
– overcome the cultural accusation, criticism, intimidation to not judge.
– strengthen and encourage each other and pray together for faith, wisdom, and boldness to stand up, speak up, and make a difference—be different, so others will say of us, “They have been with Jesus.”
– – –
What did Jesus say besides “Judge not . . . “?’
That’s only part of what He said then, plus more specifics on addressing and fixing wrongs in others.
“Judge not, so that you will not be judged—BECAUSE the same standards for discerning [understanding right and wrong when you see it] and judging [speaking up to address specific right and wrong to specific people] also apply to you.”
That is why Jesus made such a graphic deal about a log and a speck in the eye.
“First remove the log in your own eye; then you will see clearly to remove the speck in another’s eye.”
– – –
Interesting observation—so many of Jesus’ illustrations and sayings stick with us thousands of years because they carry weight, because He carries authority.
– – –
Remove the log in our own eye, to see clearly and judge and speak up to remove what is wrong and obstructing sight in others.
It will not be easy, not fun, not popular, we may not win—but we must not hesitate, not compromise, not back away, not be silent.
PROOF OF GOD’S APPROVAL
August 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Proof of God’s approval – – – martyrdom.
Jesus, in heaven, gave Stephen a standing ovation at his stoning.
Good reason to believe He does that for all martyrs.
Daddy was vindicated by the bullet holes in his head.
GIFTED . . .
August 2, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Gifted . . .
– with a voice
– with communication
– with freedoms
– with a platform
– with an audience
– with discernment
– with truth
– with boldness
– with . . .
– – –
Now, what are you going to do ‘with’ it ?
– clearly and forcefully identify everything that’s wrong around us.
Now, what are you going to do ‘about’ it ?
– tell about Jesus and be an example.
Now, what are you doing ‘for’ the people losing their freedom and suffering for following Jesus ?
– “Remember those in bonds, as though you were suffering with them.”
– “Share in the fellowship of His suffering.”
– – –
Now, what is the bottom line following Jesus today ?
– “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood, striving against sin.”
– “We should lay down our lives for the brethren (all fellow believers).”
JONAH – – – CASTS AND CONVERTS
July 26, 2023 By Leave a Comment
When you cast something, it flies for awhile, then comes down.
Jonah thought he could cast himself far away from God’s calling to preach to Ninevah.
But he quickly started going down.
He went down to Joppa.
First down for Jonah.
He got in a boat and cast off for Tarshish—never made it, not even close.
God cast a storm in the way of Jonah’s boat (amazing, how God has His ways).
Second down for Jonah—he went down to the bottom of the ship, where he went to sleep, deep sleep—didn’t even hear the storm.
Sailors, scared to death, cast the ship’s cargo overboard.
Sailors, scared to death, cast the ship’s tack overboard.
Captain, scared to death, finds Jonah and tells Jonah to pray (don’t know if he did, yet).
Sailors, scared to death, cast lots to find who is to blame for the storm.
It’s Jonah, and he confesses, and tells the sailors to throw him overboard (suicide ? doesn’t sound like repentance, yet).
Sailors, scared to death, more, try even harder to row the boat.
Sailors, scared to death, pray to God for mercy, and cast Jonah overboard.
Third down for Jonah—into the stormy sea.
Storm ended (miracle 1), immediately (miracle 2).
Fourth down for Jonah—swallowed by the fish.
Why three days in fish ? —hmmm.
Fifth down for Jonah—‘down on his knees’ (finally).
Repentance now ? Prayer ? —yes.
Must have been for real—Jonah gets second chance, back on land, where he started, to start over.
Perhaps I’ll continue the play on words with cast and down later, but let me include Jonah’s converts now.
++The sailors were converted immediately when the storm ended after throwing Jonah overboard.
They knew Jonah’s God was the real One, and they prayed to Him—I’m sure from then on—means we’ll see them in heaven.
++Jonah was converted, got right with God again, in the fish, and preached to Ninevah.
++Ninevah was converted, repented, and was spared God’s promised destruction.
How about you and me ?
Anything we need to repent of and get right with God ?
TRUTH – – – ALL THINGS TRANS
July 26, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Report, protest, condone, decry, defend, promote all things trans.
Reporting of all things trans makes it sound like just another news item taking its turn on the front page, for now.
And the reporting makes people believe it just another news item, for now.
Just don’t talk straight about the obvious, the elephant in the room.
Actually, there are two elephants avoided in the reporting of all things trans.
ONE, the activist trans agenda is not a passing news item, temporary, for now.
The forces pushing trans, and the powers behind the reported scenes, are using it to bring down America.
TWO, the reality of human sexuality is hidden, or downplayed in the news—under-reported stories of horrible things in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, are made to sound like just another story.
If we don’t talk about what’s really going on—that is, normal male sex drives using trans to gain access to females—more people will go along with the push for endorsement of trans ‘rights’.
It’s just like hiding the horrific reality inside Planned Parenthood ‘clinics’ to keep people going along with abortion.
Our culture talks about everything else, and displays all things sexual about lgbt, in our face—except this:
How about interviews on the news with guys claiming trans and acting on it—how about them describing their fantasies, then their anticipation, then their real-life experience undressing with women, LEGALLY, and their feelings through the experience.
Legally legal, now ? how absurd ! ! !
Morally legal, never ! ! !
Desirable, yes, forever.
Honest, with the Truth.
– – –
What to do ?
CONTROL ?
RESTRICT ?
MANDATE MORALITY ?
CHUNK THAT ?
MANDATE ANARCHY ?
DONE THAT ?
That is why every healthy, stable society that has any hope of enduring, sets rules—strong rules, clearly communicated rules, rules understood by all (including those who would like to break the rules), consistently enforced rules, rules based on the Ten Commandments (whether the society knows it or not).
– – –
Where does this backbone come from for law and order for sex ?
+++You can go to the the One who made sex and wrote the rule book, and follow it, follow Him.
+++You can go to history, find what people did to make strong societies, and follow them.
– – –
If you must resist these restrictions, then you can do the opposite, with natural consequences.
+++Get rid of God and His rule book, The Bible.
+++Re-write or erase history.
Hmmm—sounds exactly like America—currently racing to write our epitaph for the history books—and we think we are so smart, so enlightened, so progressive.
BUSY – – – GOOD OR BAD ?
July 26, 2023 By Leave a Comment
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”
—–Corrie Ten Boom
HOW TO BE UNPOPULAR TODAY
July 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment
+Criticize important people.
+Get specific calling out sin.
+Preach the Bible—and practice what you preach.
+”Love the sinner, hate the sin”—tell the sinner what his sin is.
+Read about John the Baptist—and follow.
+Read about Joseph—and follow.
+Quote many things Jesus said—quote them over and over—without disclaimers, additions, or adaptations.
+Follow Daddy—he did the above, faithfully, consistently—paid the price.
So, what do we want to do—get along with everybody, or cause trouble ?
What are we supposed to do ?
Can I decide what I’m going to be like—can I decide if I’m going to be liked.
Can I decide if I’m going to confront trouble (get blamed for causing trouble)—can I decide if I’m going to avoid trouble ?
Answer is yes and no.
We cannot decide every situation we will face, or how it will turn out, or if we can steer clear of stuff we don’t want to deal with.
But we can decide what principles we will build our life on for facing everything—specifically, who we will build our life on.
The decision comes down to this—can I figure out my life myself, and count on me for all that comes—or do I need Jesus in charge of all of it ?
If I accept Jesus in charge of all my life, I can count on two things:
ONE—He will lead me where He wants me to go, and I don’t have to figure it all out.
TWO—He promised to be with me through it all.
Life is not always neat and clean and the way we want it, even for a Christian—not a buffet.
“There is something wrong with a person who gets along with everybody.”
—–Adrian Rogers
“We are not called to be nice; sometimes we are called to be confrontational.”
—–Sandy Rios
“I have not come to bring peace, but a sword, . . . and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”—-Jesus
Lots of people in history, and lots of people in the world today, find that following Jesus is not easy—not simple like going to church in America where life is good.
Yes, it may be easy to accept what Jesus did for us and ask Him to take us to heaven.
But there’s a whole lot more that He has to say about the cost of living for Him then.
Followers of Jesus in other parts of the world are not shielded from the hard parts of the Christian life, and the hard words, the straight talk in the Bible—like we are in America.
In many places today, when a person decides to become a Christian, other believers immediately explain what it may cost—in family rejection, in economic hardship, in alienation from friends, in physical attacks and beatings and injuries and brutal murder.
It’s amazing that we never tell new believers in America about the price they may have to pay for following Jesus.
So, millions of Christians know absolutely nothing about ‘the rest of the story’, that there is more, and it’s tough.
We select Bible verses that fit with living in our comfortable culture, and we totally miss or avoid the unpleasant things Jesus promised and His followers experienced throughout the Bible and through history.
We are left to conclude by default that there is something wrong with verses like the one quoted above.
It’s too much trouble to study deeper and understand why those words are there—especially to avoid how they could come true in my life.
I could add my commentary on Jesus’ words about a sword and division, along with thousands of others who may or may not be smarter than me.
But that’s not where the answers, the real secrets, are found in the Christian life.
And that’s where theologians stay on their merry-go-rounds century after century, for millennia.
I’m going to stick to the foundational principle for Bible Study—for Bible Answers.
Get your own Bible out, and dig (alone or in a group, with a leader or without).
I will continue to campaign and repeat this basic guide:
+Do not start with a statement of doctrine or theology, and then give Bible verses to back it up.
+Do start with a Bible verse, and then “search the Scriptures” to find other Bible verses that may explain or clarify or confront or challenge, to a deeper relationship with the Author.
It’s not about knowing the words of the Word, but knowing more closely the Word of the words.
Jesus is most delighted when we spend time directly with Him in the words of His Word.