News Weakly - 9/16/23

Another Gun Casualty
The governor of New Mexico suspended the right to carry firearms in Albuquerque for 30 days. While many are bemoaning the violation of the 2nd Amendment, I'm more concerned about the other assault. The problem, you see, is that people with no regard for the law are killing people in Albuquerque and the remedy is ... a law against carrying a gun? You guys can debate guns. I'm sorry to hear of the sad passing of common sense.

Well, If That Don't Beat All
Just when you thought you'd heard it all, I came across this story about a "transgender activist" -- a biological male -- who is transitioning to be a woman with the aim of getting a uterus transplant and getting pregnant ... so he can abort it. The story, of course, is so far out there that, on one hand, one has to question its veracity and, on the other hand, looking at the current social climate on both "transgender" and abortion as a good thing that it just might be true. (This character promised to become a woman and have "gay sex" with "trans women" to get pregnant, bringing up the obvious question of "Just what is 'gay sex' in terms of a trans society?")

Late to the Show
The FDA told us this week that phenylephrine, the main ingredient in a lot of decongestants, doesn't actually work. The drug was patented in 1927 and approved by the FDA in 1972. Now they tell us it doesn't work? Thanks for the protection, FDA. So ... about this COVID vaccine ...?

More Election Tampering
A judge in Georgia has cut off Trump's election tampering trial from the others which was set to begin in October, so now they'll move Trump's trial ... closer to the campaign trail. You know ... to further tamper with the election.

The A-Bee-C's of Satire
Because of the uproar over suspending the 2nd Amendment in New Mexico, the governor has suspended the 1st Amendment to silence criticism. Well ... it could happen. In California, a new law dictates that if your kid identifies as Optimus Prime, you have to put tires on him and let him run down the 405 freeway. Thank you, California. In politics, Democrats are saying that this whole Biden impeachment thing is a ploy to get around the Dems' rigged election system. Conniving Republicans. Finally, in a story way too close to the truth to be taken as mere satire, Democrats are complaining that illegal immigrants are destroying their sanctuary cities.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Sinning Boldly

In 2020 the Pew Research people wanted to know how religious affiliation affected views on sex. They found that, among those not affiliated with religion, 78% believed that casual sex was always or at least sometimes accepable. That was over against 57% of Christians. Broken down further, Evangelicals were most likely to say that casual sex without commitment was never acceptable -- 47%. Less than half. (Interestingly that was the same percentage for those who attended services monthly or more.) In contrast, atheists were at 2% and agnostics at 3%. Clearly "Evangelical" had an effect but, clearly, even Evangelicals were not in full agreement ... with God. God's Word is abundantly clear on a whole lot of things, but even unbelievers know that it is uncompromising on the topic of sex outside of marriage. Many have tried to reinterpret Scripture around many things -- homosexuality, marriage, divorce, etc. -- but no one has been able to reason around God's absolute proscription of sex outside of marriage.

I pick this particular issue because it is abundantly clear and everyone knows it, yet among Christians there are many who ignore it. People who claim to know the truth -- God's truth -- still ignore His commands. I'm not talking about occasional slips or excursions into sin followed by repentance. They go there without apology and don't much care. So it is disturbing to me to read, "For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thess 2:11-12). For what reason? They "did not receive the love of the truth" (2 Thess 2:10). It's not that they didn't know it; it's that they refuse to love it. And the result is God will further their blindness for the purposes of judgment.

John wrote, "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). The text says it is an impossibility for one truly born of God to sin without repentance. So what are we to conclude about all those self-identified Christians who do it with regularity and vigor? "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:19). It is Scripture like this that causes me to pray much for Christians I know who sin freely and think there is nothing to fear. We all sin. That cannot be denied. No true believer should be comfortable doing it. Are you?

Who Are You Going to Believe?

I frequently hear of or talk to Christians who have questions about God's faithfulness. Some are serious, angry. Others are puzzled and confused. But the question, at its core, is always the same: Why isn't God doing what I think He should be? Paul might answer, "Who are you, O man, who answers back to God?" I would try a different approach. It is, I think, not a question of God's faithfulness, but our faith.

There are two versions of "faith" out there. The best known one I don't term "faith." I call it "credulity." Credulity is believing in something without reason, and faith is believing in something for a reason. The Greek, translated "faith" in the Bible, refers to "being convinced (by argument or evidence)." "Evidence?" some might say. "Isn't faith, by definition, blind?" Not at all. My favorite illustration is the Exodus. You remember the story. Moses got a direct command to go "Set My people free." So he went to the Israelite slaves and told them. They said, "Oh, don't do that. You'll just make him mad." But Moses did it. And, in fact, he did make Pharaoh mad. But the hits just kept coming. The last, the tenth, was the pinnacle. God warned Israel to take certain measures -- pack, eat a particular meal, blood on the doorpost ... that sort of thing -- and then He sent His angel of death, and the firstborn of every household in Egypt died ... except, of course, for the Israelites'. And Pharaoh told them to leave and the Egyptians showered them with gold and God's people set out. It wasn't long before Pharaoh's advisors told him, "You know, you just released our workforce." So Pharaoh mounted up and pursued them. The Israelites found themselves standing on the shore of the Red Sea with a pillar of fire blocking Pharaoh behind. What to do? Moses prayed and God brought up a wind that pushed the sea back and cleared a dry land crossing. In the morning they were ready. So what would you do? It was impressive that the sea was standing up like that, but for how long? There is no indication that they hesitated. The people crossed. Faith. Not credulity, mind you. And not a faith they had at the beginning. A confidence in God shaped by 10 plagues that they saw but escaped. If God could do that, He could do this. Convinced by evidence.

We face difficulties here all the time. And we call out to God all the time. As we should. And we ask questions of God. Not a problem on the face of it. But there are certain things we know. We know that God works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11), and that He works all things together for good to those who love Him (Rom 8:28). We know that He will supply all our needs (Php 4:19). So if you can't hear His voice and you can't see His hand, who are you going to believe? A song I liked said, "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." Knowing what God says about Himself and knowing that He has, thus far, been faithful, why not trust Him to continue to be faithful? It's not credulity; it is based on prior evidence. It's faith.

Scary Things

Marshal Art is a regular visitor and commenter here on this blog. We generally see eye-to-eye on things. No two people think the same about everything, but we're generally in sync. But Art has this line of thinking, certainly not an uncommon one, that is troublesome. I comment here about that line of thinking and not Art. Back in 1992 and again in 1996, Pat Buchanan ran for president. Clinton took it both times. One guy from my church told me, "Clinton is not my president. Pat Buchanan is." Because, you see, people like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden and the rest of the Left are really bad for the country. And if the Right had their way, only the Right would be in charge. Without it, we can expect nothing but bad.

From a secular view, that may or may not be so. Not from a Christian view. I am stunned by the scary world in which so many genuine believers live, always on the precipice with bad people having bad influence on a bad world. I say they live there, because I don't. In my world "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will" (Pro 21:1). In my world "there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom 13:1). In my world Christ is over all authorities. Beyond that, the way I see it is "God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Php 4:19). There are no conditions that limit that.

If I understood that we need a conservative president and bad people (however you might define "bad people") saw to it that we didn't get one, it is not the fault of those bad people. It is God's failure. Conversely, if God is in charge, and God is Sovereign, and God does supply all we need, then I would have to affirm that this bad government that infests our world today is what God thinks we actually need, for whatever reason, and I would want to "rejoice in the Lord," (Php 4:4) to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess 5:18), to look for God's good hand at work and seek to join Him there. The alternative, which appears to be the view of the majority, is too frightening for me, leaving me without a reliable God who is reliably Sovereign and who cannot reliably supply my needs. To so many, a world run by evil people is a scary thing. To me, an unreliable God is moreso.

Weaponized

It doesn't take a grand conspiracy theorist to see that the current climate of the justice system et al is on a campaign to control the 2024 presidential election to make sure that Donald Trump doesn't rise again. Mind you, I'm no Trump fan, but it's quite clear. The media has beat this "insurrection" claim to death despite the fact that the Senate absolved him and the FBI determined no insurrection took place. Regardless, we all know Trump did it because ... well ... they told us so. And we'll take him to trial for it ... carefully scheduled for the critical campaign time so that, regardless of the outcome, "Trump committed insurrection" will still simmer in the minds of the public. But it's not just the Trump thing. There are sufficient reports that the government, the media, Big Tech, Big Pharma, the FBI -- the list is long -- have conspired on multiple things with false, misleading, or obstructed information to control your life and my life to arrive at their preferred outcome. And it's still going on, unaddressed.

It's called "weaponizing." You take something that is not a weapon and you turn it into one. Using the justice system to control opponents has been around for a long, long time. The media was an information outlet until it realized it could control people by controlling the information -- restricting, releasing, or even fabricating it. One popular method of weaponization uses words as weapons. You know this. If you can compare your opponent to Hitler, it no longer matters what your opponent believes; he is evil personified. "Now, hang on a second. Shouldn't we hear what he has to say?" "Why? He's evil!" So we come up with catchy terms like "homophobic" and "anti-trans", "libtard" and "right-winger". Once "racist" meant "someone who evaluated on a racial basis" and now it means "white." Once "sexist" meant "someone who preferred one sex over another" and now it means "men." Mostly (and ironically) we weaponize words to end dialog. If you can call someone a "hater," no further discussion will matter. Never mind that ad hominem is a classic logical fallacy. Never mind that the term may no longer mean what you thought it meant and may not even represent the truth. Never mind that attacking the messenger doesn't evaluate the message. We've accumulated more weaponized words than any hardcore 2nd Amendment militia has guns and use them frequently to kill conversation and ideas.

Weaponized words are the most popular method for radicalization. Build in catchphrases that will make them think they're in the right while teaching them the wrong. Weaponized words are the weapon of choice for those wishing to control your thoughts. It happens all the time. Sadly, weaponized words are largely responsible for the assault on free speech. Universities, for instance, will not allow those with "wrong ideas" to speak on their campuses precisely because the opposition has prejudiced the students with weaponized words. And you can be sure that "hateful" and "evil" and other weaponized words will be used to push Christianity out of the public eye. "No, we can't talk about it. You can believe what you want as long as you don't, you know, believe it enough to talk about it, tell us about it, live it ... that sort of thing." We are promised "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12) and we have had it way too easy for way too long. And once they engage a war with words, other weapons are sure to follow. Count on it.

Never Forget

On this date in 2001, al-Qaeda carried out the deadliest attack on American soil. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners intending to fly them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They succeeded in bringing down both towers and damaging the Pentagon. Best estimates put the death toll around 3,000. "Never forget" became the theme after that ... although, for the large part, we have. After all, it has been 22 years. The current batch of young people weren't around to remember it. But those who were old enough to remember can still recall the horror of that day.

Those of us who recall watched the whole thing unfold on that fateful morning. We saw live feeds of aircraft colliding with the twin towers, of people falling/leaping from the buildings, of smoke and flame and ultimate total collapse of both towers. We watched as brave emergency workers risked (and lost) their lives to get as many out as possible. (Estimates put up to 18,000 people in the twin towers at the time of the attack. Of those, less than 3,000 didn't make it out.) We listened to recordings of the valiant passengers who, apparently, fought back on United Flight 93, bringing that plane down before it could reach its intended target. The event spawned our "war on terror" and tighter airport security among other things. We read of rescuers who survived, but endured long-term health consequences. It was only a year ago that Biden (badly) ended the efforts of the troops in Afghanistan seeking to prevent another such attack.

What do we take away from this? Lots of people have answers for that. Mine is likely somewhat different. I would answer, like Joseph, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20). I would suggest, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). I would argue that God "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11), and what He does is always good. So, knowing God, I would maintain that 9/11 was evil and tragic and horrifying, but that God is still in control and we can still rejoice in the Lord.

Truth Decay

It has been said that "There is a worm in everything." Paul put it this way. "The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8:20-21). Everything decays. Everything is corrupted. It's the nature of ... nature.

I remember a time when the news media was our friend. Even before my memory, we considered "the freedom of the press" something worth guaranteeing rather than merely applauding. "People," they would tell us, "have the right to know." So the Walter Cronkites of my youth would tell us "That's the way it is" without bias or subtext. We never knew if he was liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, atheist or theist. He just told us what was going on. At some point, however, that all changed. Now we read stories about how the news media might be "the greatest enemy facing the American public today." And even if it isn't, they've certainly lost our trust. Hitler used it to gain power and control in Germany in the 1930s. Stalin used it to control minds in subsequent years. In our day, there are substantial allegations that the news media colluded to control the information to the public in order to affect the 2016 and 2020 elections (just as examples). At best, it's nearly impossible anymore to tell if the media (either side) is giving us the truth anymore. For instance, they literally ridiculed those who claimed that the COVID mortality rate would be less than 1% and we come to find out that it was ... less than 1%. They laughed at (and covered up) the Hunter Biden story before the election and we eventually discovered that it was real. Two "front page" examples.

This isn't about the news media. This is about what Scripture calls "corruption" or "futility" -- the decay of everything. We place our trust in our world as if it is trustworthy, and it's not. We place our trust in our favorite media source as if it is reliable and it's not. We have our human resources -- political parties, economic systems, governments, nations, etc. -- and we think we're standing on solid ground. We're not if we're standing on the world's resources because the creation was subjected to futility and the human heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). David wrote, "I hate those who regard vain idols, but I trust in the LORD" (Psa 31:6). Any substitute for God is an idol. Instead, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding" (Prov 3:5). He is a safer place to stand.

News Weakly - 9/9/23

A Man Has to Know His Limitations
The president claimed to have reduced the national budget deficit, but, in fact, most of that was due to the end of COVID spending. Worse, the budget deficit is projected to double this year. Thank you, Mr. President.

Insulting Women
According to Vogue Magazine the only sportswoman on their list of "Britain's 25 Powerhouse women" ... is not a woman. It is a transgender. "Emily Bridges" (I can't find his original name because that would be "deadnaming" which is immoral if not illegal.) was on the men's team as late as 2020. I'm quite sure that he surrendered his national junior men's record over 25 miles ... like Jenner did for all his men's Olympics awards. Oh, no, that would imply honesty.

Not Really Doing Us a Service
Now, this is news. The media is reporting that the services sector of the American economy picked up in August. I would consider that news, seeing as how it has become nearly impossible since COVID to find people willing to provide customer service. Of course, to be honest, they weren't saying that customer service has improved. But it is a nice thought.

Can You Say "Lemmings"?
After the Civil War, the Constitution was amended by the 14th Amendment to prevent those who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" from serving in office. Mind you, Trump's trial isn't scheduled until March 4 of next year. Mind you, Trump was acquitted of insurrection in 2021. Mind you, the FBI determined that no insurrection took place. These things don't bother his loud opponents. Neither does the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" anymore. In this "We declare what is or is not true and you agree or suffer the consequences" world we now inhabit, they're hoping to disqualify him from office beforehand. Because all they really care about is justice control. And all we, like lemmings, should follow the loudest voices off the cliff.

A Good Reason
VP Harris has nothing better to do, so she's on the campaign trail for 2024. She told a television interviewer that she and Biden would win in 2024 and she was ready to lead if necessary. Now, I can't think of a better reason to work hard at making sure they don't get voted in.

Coming Soon to a Nation Near You
A former Finnish government minister stood trial for "hate speech" because she quoted Scripture on Twitter. She included "male and female created He them" and, perhaps the ultimate offense, the term "sin." They weren't putting the Bible on trial, they said; just her faith. You cannot believe what you want in Finland, where certain opinions about Bible verses "are criminal." Make no mistake. The Bible is on trial; always has been. And the world won't tolerate it.

California ... Again
California has become the first state to celebrate a Transgender History Month. I'm not clear. Is that because transgender history doesn't go much past a month? According to Wikipedia, the modern concept of "transgender" "did not develop until the mid-1900s." But California says, "Our strongest defense against the anti-trans agenda is just to tell the truth" which, I'm pretty sure, will not include that little tidbit.

Privacy Matters
Currently Florida's Supreme Court is taking up the question of whether or not the state constitution protects abortion rights. Mind you, the Supreme Court of the U.S. has already ruled that the Constitution does not. But do the constitutions of the individual states? In Florida (as, originally, in Roe v Wade), Planned Parenthood and the ACLU argue that the constitution guarantees the right to privacy. That always struck me as odd. How does the right to privacy (protected or not) mean a right to kill a child? If I follow this logic down its rabbit hole, wouldn't it stand to reason that, as long as I do it in private, I should be able to, oh, I don't know, kill another person? Make drugs? Steal from the IRS? What does "privacy" have to do with it? And if it is done in a doctor's office, how can it be called "private" anymore? It's not like it's a victimless crime. Babies are getting killed. Oddly enough, the ACLU doesn't give a fig for the rights of babies -- just the right to kill them. Isn't that false advertising? Or is it okay as long as they do it in private? I'm not getting this at all.

Heat Exhaustion
The Bee itself complained this week that it was a "slow news week, but chalked it up to some conspiracy of the reptile people. So I don't have much humor this week. Not my fault. End-of-summer heat exhaustion and all that, you know?

All Glory?

Scripture carries a repeated theme. Peter asked that "in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:11). Paul commanded "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). To the Ephesians he wrote, "To [God] be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever" (Eph 3:21). Isaiah quoted God as saying, "I am YHWH, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another" (Isa 42:8). In Ephesians 1:3-14, where Paul lists some of the blessings already ours in Christ, he says three times that the blessings are for God's glory. Psalm 115 begins, "Not to us, O YHWH, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth" (Psa 115:1). It would appear, then, that God's running theme is His own glory. And it would appear that our failure to grasp this is our primary sin (Rom 3:23).

What is the glory of God? It is a reference to God's overall magnificence. It is all of His attributes together and tied in a bow of eternity -- never beginning and never ending. All that He is. So why would He get all the glory? Paul put it this way. "Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). He should get all the glory because it is all His. Some have suggested that God is a megalomaniac, desiring that everyone recognize how great He is. That would be a reasonable accusation ... if it wasn't God. Because a megalomaniac is mistaken about his own greatness. It is a delusion of grandeur. God, on the other hand, really is that great. God is no megalomaniac; He is a realist.

It bespeaks of our own very real problem. Clearly the Absolute Master of the universe should receive all the attention, but we, tiny and insignificant as we are, begrudge Him that. We deny the truth. And therein is our problem -- our suppression of truth for which God is righteously angry (Rom 1:18). In fact, if we can grasp His glory, then pursuing and demonstrating that would actually be fulfilling our purpose in life. None for us; all glory to Him.

No Fail

Who said, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am"? It's quite a startling claim. I know people who are discontented regardless of their circumstances. But Paul said he was content in whatever circumstance he found himself (Php 4:11). How is that possible? Could we learn to do it? (Most Americans would ask, "Should we learn how to do it?") To be contented regardless of circumstances seems like it would be a good thing.

Paul said he had learned how to get along with little or much (Php 4:12). Isn't that interesting? He recognized that it was just as difficult to be content with a lot as it was with a little. You and I call that "greed." How much is enough? A little bit more. But he said, "I have learned the secret." What was it? "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Php 4:13). "I gotta tell ya, Stan, that doesn't sound like an answer." I hear you, but it is, indeed, a great secret. Keep in mind that Paul is writing this from prison. Content? In "Him who strengthens me"? But you can see it earlier in his letter. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Php 4:4). There it is ... that secret. Did you see it? He doesn't say, "Don't worry; be happy." He doesn't say, "Rejoice in your circumstances." He says, "Rejoice in the Lord." And that is all the difference.

When we arrive at the place where all of our joy is found in Him, there is nothing that can disturb our contentment. When we've died with Christ and our new life is with Him, there is nothing that can take away our joy in Him. We may scrape and scratch to make a living, to get by, but when our true joy is in Him and our confidence is in His supply for all we need (Php 4:19), we cannot lose. "But," some may say, "we do." Oh, no. We give it up. Needlessly. If our joy and our strength and our confidence is in the Almighty God, there is no "fail."

The Importance of Knowing

"What you don't know can't hurt you" they tell us. It's not true, you know. "I didn't know that rattlesnake was around the corner." Silly example, but it makes the point. In fact, there are things that, if you don't know them, can worse-than-kill you.

There are lots of things that can cause grievious bodily harm or even death if you don't know about them. Harmful elements like lead paint, asbestos, polluted water, and secondhand smoke are easy examples. If you don't look both ways, that car you didn't know was coming could be devastating. Biblically, there is a worst-case scenario. Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). Not knowing about arsenic in the water can kill you; not knowing God can kill you eternally. Paul said that not knowing God makes us "slaves to those which by nature are no gods" (Gal 4:8). The solution is "to know God, or rather to be known by God" (Gal 4:9). The key component to being saved from eternal death is knowing God and Him knowing you (Matt 7:23). We are saved, in fact, because we are "foreknown" by God (Rom 8:29).

As a rationalization of hiding things from people, it's a poor excuse that really doesn't work out in the end. Still, too many cling to it in their avoidance of knowing God. He stands ready to receive each and every one, and, believing ourselves to be wise, we become fools and pursue ignorance of the God of the universe. There are things, indisputably, that, if you don't know them, can kill you. Or worse. Not knowing God is worse. And completely unnecessary.

Stirring Up Trouble

The "military industrial complex" came into being in January, 1961, in a speech by President Eisenhower. Okay, not really. He was the first to use the term. The truth is that the making of arms as a big money maker found its stride just prior to America's entry into World War II. You see, to make scads of money on the very expensive process, you needed volume. A world war served that purpose. So how is it that the thing kept going after the war? Fear. There were the Soviets and the Korean War, Vietnam and the Chinese. There was the whole fear of getting overrun by the Reds -- Communists of any flavor. So we supplied weapons to allies and built up our own in the hopes that the Cold War wouldn't turn hot. Unfortunately, those "major threats" never materialized. Unfortunately, that is, for the military industrial complex. The wall came down in the '80s, the Soviet Union is no more, and China is doing just fine taking us down with spies and economics rather than weaponry. Military spending is down, and the military industrial complex is in trouble.

That was just an example of an economic boom built on crisis. It was a big money maker. (Frankly, still is, even if it isn't as big as it used to be.) The military market may be waning, but there are so many more like it. It feels as if that's the present purpose of the news media. You see, "news" isn't everyday stuff. No one wants to hear that "130 million people went to work today and didn't die in an accident." A silly example, for sure, but you get the idea. It has to be something outside of the ordinary for it to be news. So the news will tell us that "COVID is on the rise" because, as we all know, COVID was a major crisis a few years ago. Well, at least, that's how it was reported. While the WHO and the CDC and the rest bemoaned the dangers, it turns out that almost 99% of COVID deaths were not caused by the virus. Turns out that the mortality rate of the virus was less than 1%. But the news media ridiculed that claim and the sense that everyone got from it was that we're all going to die. Meanwhile, Forbes was reporting on 40 new billionaires who got rich off fighting the virus ... including 9 new Big Pharma billionaires.

COVID is just an example. If you pay attention to the news media, they are always touting the next big crisis with the expensive ways we'll have to face it. These crises may not even be real. (Think "Cold War".) That's okay. There's money to be made on your fear and there is terror enough to go around. That's when "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Php 4:6-7) becomes vital. And it's available to believers everywhere. No charge.

What If?

What if you knew? Not thought. Not hoped. What if you knew? Would it make a difference?

What if you knew that you are loved? What if you knew that you are more deeply loved than you know? What if you knew that all the good things you enjoy are a gift? What if you knew that all the bad you've encountered are part of a plan, a bigger operation that, in the end, will be far better than if you hadn't encountered them? What if you knew every bad thing you've done is forgiven, that every good you've failed to do is accounted as completed? What if you knew that there was no reason for guilt or shame because there is no condemnation from the One who matters? What if you knew that you are watched and cared for and guarded and guided? Infallibly. What if you knew that the Master of the universe sought to adopt you as His very own child? And succeeded. What if you knew that you currently have an Omnipotent God at work in you to do that which you cannot even dream?

What if you knew? Not thought. Not even merely believed. What if you knew? Would it make a difference? Would it make a difference if you could be absolutely certain that all that and more is true ... of you?

Sunday Morning Faith

It has been said (although more recently denied) that America is a Christian nation. CNN reported in April that 64% of Americans call themselves Christians. Of course, there is a growing number of school girls that are calling themselves boys, so what are we to conclude? It depends on what you deem "Christian." If, as is the current trend, "I identify" is classified as true, then Christians are still a majority in America. But, let's be honest. "I identify" is no way to actually determine truth ... for Christians or people with gender issues. Or anything else, for that matter. So, what is a "Christian." It isn't someone who calls themselves one or someone who grew up that way or someone who lives in America because "We're all Christians, aren't we?" (I actually had someone tell me that.) No, "Christian" specifically refers to a believer in Christianity. More specifically, "Christian" refers to a follower of Christ. So when I hear people tell me "I'm a Christian" in the midst of stories of a lifestyle that is a direct denial of Christ, I'm pretty sure someone is mistaken. Jesus mentioned these types. "On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.'" (Mat 7:22-23). Apparently knowing Christ, or, rather, being known by Christ, is what is required.

I don't doubt the sincerity of many who claim Christ but don't demonstrate a relationship with Him. I don't think they're being devious or trying to mislead. I think they're confused. James wrote about "dead faith" -- a faith that is real but nonfunctional. "Faith without works," he wrote, "is dead" (James 2:17). That faith is the same kind the demons have (James 2:19). It is what one songwriter calls "Sunday morning faith." And, as Jesus pointed out, it only results in separation, not union, with God. Dead faith. I believe those people believe sincerely that they're Christians; I simply believe they're deceived. And why not? This kind of deception is going on all around us, isn't it? You can be sure.

Jesus said, "The hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matt 10:30). That means that He knows everything about you, and that the details matter. So when we are commanded to "Do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31), that would include "all." Our everyday experience should be continual prayer and thanksgiving (1 Thess 5:17-18). We should be nurturing an attitude of obedience (John 14:15). Everything we do He sees and He cares. Not just Sunday mornings. Claude missed it. You don't have to. But a Sunday morning faith is not going to make it.

News Weakly - 9/2/23

"Inclusive. You keep Using That Word..."
A woman from Benicia, CA, spoke out at a school board meeting about the nonsense of requiring school children to choose pronouns, complaining, "Teaching kids that there isn't standard or truth and that you can believe anything that you want to believe is not correct." She claims it got her fired from her job. Because you can believe what you like as long as it is not in violation of what you are allowed to believe. Because businesses will employ you as long as you don't violate society's preferred beliefs. You have been warned.

Hands-Off Parenting Used to be a Crime
It is only to be expected that California's attorney general would sue a school district that requires teachers to notify parents if their children are transgender or nonbinary. Because, as we all know, parents are only responsible for their kids if they fail to prevent them from getting a gun in today's new system. Otherwise, parents, keep your hands off the children they are hoping to indoctrinate.

A Living Wage
The argument lofted at us for these massive raises in minimum wage that has been a major contributor to our skyrocketing cost of living has been "We need to pay them a living wage." Is anyone going to reconsider, then, when they read the study that determined that single people in Hawaii need to average $112,000 a year for a "living wage"? I doubt it. "Don't bother me with facts; I know I'm right."

The Wall Cracks
And ... there it is. In New Hampshire they are now suggesting that Trump should not be included on the 2024 primary ballot because of the 14th Amendment. "Justice!" his haters will cry. To me it looks a lot more like "Guilty until proven innocent." To me it looks a lot like throwing a lot of stuff against the wall to see what sticks ... or cracks the wall. I'm no Trump fan, but to me it looks a lot like ... election tampering. Kind of like the Bee put it on a similar story: "The federal judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's trial on charges of election interference has set a trial date that will line up perfectly to interfere with the 2024 presidential election."

Don't Ask
We're told to "trust the Science." But then they don't. Worse, now they are banning the questions. A study was done to examine if the current "gender fluidity" phase -- specifically this new Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria -- is actually a product of "social contagion." Are kids identifying as transgender as a result of social influences? The paper was forced to be retracted because of their methodology and because the American Psychological Association said it couldn't be. "You can't ask the question. You can't study it to see if it's true. We have determined that it is real, so calling on science to confirm or deny it is a violation of science ... which is whatever we say it is."

When the Fight for Freedom was Slavery
A school in Colorado Springs told a 12-year-old student to remove the Gadsden flag -- "Don't tread on me" -- from his backpack due to its "origins in slavery." That did not go well for them once it came out and they had to backtrack on it. But the Bee had a lot of fun with it. There was the pre-dawn raid by the FBI to seize the offending backpack and the 6th-grader who was suspended for having a U.S. History book with an American flag on it. My favorite was this one: "The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs has released a powerful commercial demonstrating why parents should homeschool their children."

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P.S. As you may have noticed, this week I sprinkled my Babylon Bee inputs in among the stories. I hope you found them okay.

Indoctrination

The media was upset recently about Florida's public schools "indoctrinating" kids. They were less concerned in 2012 when Philadelphia students were required to watch a film titled That's a Family! that argued that gay marriage was normal. And when Maryland parents sued to be able to opt-out of "Pride Storybooks" in their kids' curriculum, the judge threw it out.

Indoctrination. That's the term. They use it when it's "the other guy" -- when it's what "those people are doing" -- but not when they are. That, of course, is because it is considered a bad thing. Mind you, indoctrination is simply defined as inculcating with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle. In fact, the second definition is "instruction especially in fundamentals or rudiments: teaching." Why is it bad? Well, one aspect of indoctrination is to teach without encouraging critical thinking or questioning. That is the bad part, they say. Mind you, teaching a kid that "2 + 2 = 4; now don't ask questions" isn't quite so objectionable. We hope to imbue them with certain beliefs on certain facts without questioning the facts. Well ... at least as long as we agree on the facts. And, for a large part, we don't. I would argue, for instance, that most of school children are taught not to think about what they're learning. Indoctrination.

The truth is both sides (pick any question) indulge in indoctrination. They want us to accept without question that "trans" is real and normal and we want them to accept without question that science doesn't agree. They want us to accept that "gay" is morally right and we want them to understand that the Bible disagrees. None of us want our kids growing up questioning the facts and values we deem absolutely necessary for a good life, and that is indoctrination. It's not always a bad thing (Prov 22:6). But in the hands of those without God -- those without a true moral compass -- it is very likely catastrophic.

Providence

We've heard the term, of course. It's often used as a euphemism for God or some other "entity" (real or imagined) that protects and/or provides. (I put "entity" in quotes because there is sometimes a distinction between "Providence" and "divine Providence," where the latter refers, obviously, to God while the former is more at "luck" or some other force.) The term was in common use a century or more ago and few batted an eye. Today, of course, not only does our secular society object, but so do Christians, indirectly if not directly. You see, the concept of Providence is premised on a Sovereign (with a capital "S") God, and Christians aren't so sure anymore about that. I mean, doesn't our Free Will take precedence over God? When Bryant Gumbel asked Anne Graham Lotz why God didn't protect us from 9/11, she told him that America kept forcing God out of the public square, so "God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life." Not so Sovereign after all.

Scripture disagrees. God "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). "He does whatever He pleases" (Psa 115:3). He "does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, 'What have you done?'" (Dan 4:35). And so many more (e.g., Prov 21:1; Isa 46:10; Prov 19:21; Psa 135:6; Job 42:2; Rom 9:18; 1 Tim 6:15; Isa 43:13 ... need I go on?) And we cringe a little because ... well ... we like to think that we have a say in God's plans. It should, however, be a comfort to know that God protects and provides regardless of our agreement, shouldn't it? It should give us no end of peace to know that He "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Eph 3:20). We should rejoice to know that God "will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Php 4:19). Ah! There it is again. Providence!

Scripture says that everything was made "from Him and through Him and to Him" (Rom 11:36). That is, everything is from, for, and about Him in the end. So any time we prefer to think of things as from, through, and to us, we err ... and fall short of His glory. We ought to embrace His Sovereignty in general and His Providence in particular ... for His glory and for our peace of mind. The diminishing of self in favor of the glorification of Him in all things can only be to our benefit.

Don't Worry

We've been told for as long as I can remember that it's a sin to worry. Why?

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Php 4:6-7)

There it is in black and white. We're told not to worry about anything, so it's a sin ... right? The Bible in Basic English says "Have no cares." The Contemporary English Version says, "Don't worry about anything." The King James says, "Be careful for nothing" (in the sense, I'm sure, of being "full of cares" rather than "cautious"). All similar ... all slightly different. Why? Because the word doesn't really translate directly (and the changing nature of the English language only makes it worse, as evidenced by the King James "careful" choice of translation). So, are we allowed to worry, or aren't we? Given the current atmosphere and culture and direction things are going on top of all the rest of life that has always been (deaths, illnesses, job loss, on and on), it might seem impossible not to worry ... or even wise not to worry.

The word itself is translated so differently because it's not straightforward. The word is μεριμνάω -- merimnaō. It means most literally the idea of "divided." The idea is more at "distracted." If you take our concept of "anxious" or "worried" and hold it up against "distracted," I think you can see how it works. But that would put a nuance on "worry," wouldn't it? I mean, if I can care about something (as opposed to "careful for nothing") without letting it distract me, is that worrying? It is, then, a matter of how distracting your worrying is. So how can we avoid being distracted by the cares of our lives? Well, Paul doesn't leave us to guess. Pray. Don't just pray; ask. What's the difference? Well, prayer is a conversation with God. We can pray without asking. "Lord, this is what I'm feeling. This is what's going on. These are my concerns." And that's good. Supplication, on the other hand, is when we place petitions before the Father. We ask Him to do something. We talk to God and we ask Him to do something. There is, however, a third aspect: thanksgiving. Interesting, isn't it? While we're bringing our concerns to Him, we're also thanking Him. That helps us to focus our attention on the God who is faithful and who is goodness personified and always does what is best. The result is peace. Not merely peace, though. It is the peace of God, a peace that passes comprehension. It isn't a logical version; it's supernatural. And that peace guards your hearts and minds.

Now, I'm sure you've seen that text before and knew most or all of that. We often miss, however, that it's not left at that. Verse 7, as it turns out, is followed by verse 8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Php 4:8)

That "finally" is in conclusion to what was just said in the previous verses -- how to deal with distracting cares. Don't get distracted. Instead, pray, ask, and thank God. Then change your thought patterns. Change how you think. Change where your mind dwells. Think about what is true and honorable, just and pure, lovely and commendable. Think about things other than your cares, things that are good and positive and godly. And we get it, right? I mean, if I were to tell you, "Don't think about giraffes. Don't picture their colors, imagine their long necks, visualize them eating in their habitat from trees", you would be unable to think about anything else. So, there are valid reasons for concern. Just don't be distracted by them. Take them to God in dialog and request, filled with thanksgiving, and then change your thoughts to the good. It's a God-given formula to keep us from being distracted by the things we care about but can't fix. And we all have a lot of those, don't we?

The First Request

Most of us know the Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) by heart. Even unbelievers have heard it. As an aside, I think "The Lord's Prayer" is probably not the best title for it. That would be found in John 17. This one is a structure Jesus offered His disciples when they asked Him to "Teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). So how should we pray? I would bet that the first words out of His mouth teaching them to pray was a shock to the disciples: "Our Father, who is in heaven." You see, Jews didn't think of God as "Father." That was too familiar, too personal. They didn't even like to use His name. So Matthew, for instance, was much more comfortable using "the kingdom of heaven" than "the kingdom of God." Referring to God as "Our Father" must have been a jolt.

Oddly enough, most Christians don't recognize the very first request that Jesus suggested to His disciples. They typically think it's "Your kingdom come ..." It's not. It's the line before that. "Hallowed be Your name." Most people think He was simply stating that the Father's name was holy. But if that was His intent, He would have said, "Hallowed is Your name." He literally said, "May Your name be regarded as holy." As a first request in a prayer intended as a pattern for His disciples to use when they pray, I would think that might be important.

Twice in Scripture God is referred to as not just "holy" or even "holy, holy," but "holy, holy, holy" (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). Repetition was the Hebraic way of underlining, italicizing, and bold-print for emphasis. There is none like God. He is, in the literal meaning of the word, "other." When God executed Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, for offering "strange fire" in the tabernacle, Moses told Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored'" (Lev 10:3), and Aaron had nothing more to say. Because God must be regarded as holy ... above all else. So, too, should we. We tend to think of Him in more personal terms, more "friendly" terms, but if Jesus's first request was that we would regard the Father as holy, perhaps we might want to spend more time and effort on doing just that in our hearts and minds and lives.

Load Bearing

Right after Paul urged the Thessalonian Christians to "esteem highly" those who labored among them (1 Thess 5:12-13), he wrote this. "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone" (1 Thess 5:14). Now, that's a packed sentence. He "urged" them, it says. That's not a command but neither is it a suggestion. The word used, in fact, is parakaleō, signifying coming alongside. "I'm begging you to do this and I'm right here with you." So, what did Paul want them to do?

There are three types of people in view here: 1) the "unruly," 2) the "fainthearted," and the "weak." Well, that's clear ... right? The "unruly" may refer to the undisciplined, the insubordinate, the "disarranged" (the literal translation of the word). So some translate it the "idle." In a very real sense these are people in the church who are getting out of hand. What are we to do with these people? Paul said to "admonish" them. It is to caution them, to warn them, to reprove them. Now, I know, we're not in favor of this kind of thing in our churches. "Just let them be; maybe they'll go away. Correct them? Oh, no, not us." But that's what he says. "So," someone might think, "what kind of mayhem do you want us to wreak on the fainthearted?" The "fainthearted" refers literally to the "small in spirit." The King James goes with "feebleminded," but that doesn't really seem right. These are people in the church who have seen loss, who have taken a beating, who are down and almost out. We don't "admonish" these; we "encourage" them. We comfort them. We relate to them and console them. Not the same thing as "admonish," is it? And how about the "weak"? The word refers to those without strength. They neither need admonishment nor consolation. They need ... help. In fact, the word translated "help" here means literally to "hold fast" to them. Hold them, support them, bear them up.

There is no "one size fits all" in our relationships with fellow believers. There is room for admonishment to those who are out of hand, for comfort for those who are fainting, for support for those who lack strength. So it's very interesting how Paul sums it up. "Be patient with everyone." The word, patient, refers literally to "a long burn." The image is to stand with them in the fire, remaining with them, bearing their burdens. If you look back, then, this is the idea in every case. To bear the burdens of the unruly, you need to correct them. To bear the burdens of the fainthearted, you need to encourage them. To bear the burdens of the weak, you need to help them. Patient with everyone. It appears, then, that we need to know what types of people we're dealing with and then deal with them with patience. Or, to put it another way, as Jesus said, "Love one another, even as I have loved you" (John 13:34).

Why Birds?

I don't have enough faith to not believe in God.

News Weakly - 8/26/23

Cry Wolf
The story is that "serious COVID cases" are "on the rise." Really? The story actually says, "They've seen a slight uptick." Still, they're considering restarting mask mandates? So, maybe I'm just a skeptic, or maybe I'm gun-shy, but just last week I read that authorities "are recommending" a new round of COVID and RSV vaccinations. This story, then, sounds like a scare tactic to get people to comply. Especially considering the apparent ineffectiveness of the first vaccinations that allowed recipients to still get the virus, spread the virus, and even die from the virus (if not the vaccine itself). Is it just me, or does this sound like Big Pharma crying wolf?

Values Clarification
A man left kittens in closed plastic bins outside a veterinary clinic and he's facing charges. Killing babies is a right women fight for, but killing kittens is a criminal offense. We get it. Kittens: Yes. Babies: Not so much.

Mindless
A 28-year-old woman randomly shoved an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach onto a Manhattan sidewalk. The coach died five days later and the young woman is now facing 8 years for manslaughter. We (rightly) deplore gun violence, but does anyone notice this odd rise in mindless violence, even in women? Like the scooter thieves who killed the father. Mindless. It's not guns; it's the increase in violent people that disturbs me.

Yawn
There was a Republican presidential debate this week. Oh, and Trump surrendered. The end.

Apology for Science
Carlos Santana felt the need to apologize for what was characterized as an "anti-trans speech" in a concert. What did he say? People are born male or female. "A woman is a woman and a man is a man." The jerk. The creep. The scientifically accurate musician. The fact that he followed it with "Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that's your business. I'm okay with that" doesn't help at all. Whatever you do, don't transgress the trans community. It's not safe. It's scientifically sound, but not safe. Transphobic science.

Golgotha Gang?
An Idaho school district has implemented a dress code that is aimed at "gang-related attire," and the ACLU is upset. It violates Latino's "freedom of expression" among other things. At first look I think, "You ACLU folk will grasp at anything," but then I read that it includes things like "Catholic rosaries." And all of the sudden it makes sense. Those dastardly Catholic gangs are roaming the schools looking for victims. Sorry. Makes no sense at all. From any angle.

Too Funny 2 Bee True
Classic. The headline: "California Drought Undeniable Evidence Of Climate Change - UPDATE: California Rain Undeniable Evidence Of Climate Change." The Bee mocks it and others simply embrace it. Of course, in the wake of Hurrican Hilary, they had to go with the story for fun, pointing out the name, like "Deaths caused by Hurricane Hilary will be labeled as suicides" and "Hilary makes landfall, destroying over 30,000 emails" -- or taunting California, like "Californians hoping Hilary will wash all the poop off the sidewalks" followed by "California's homeless begin the hard work of re-pooping the sidewalks" (which was sort of a disingenuous story after their "Check out these devastating pictures of Hilary's aftermath" story, I have to say). (And in the interest of fairness, some desert communities saw some serious damage.) Still, some funny stuff.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Fellowship of His Sufferings

Paul said he counted all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Php 3:8) Exactly what was he referring to in "knowing Christ"? He doesn't leave us to guess.

...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Php 3:10-11)

Wow! Didn't see that coming, did you?

Most of us would like to know Christ. We'd like to know that "laughing Jesus." We'd like to know that humble Christ. We'd really like to know that "friend of sinners," seeing that we are just that. We love to know the "He who is without sin cast the first stone" Jesus. Apparently Paul had a different version in mind. Well, perhaps not different as much as ... more. Paul wanted to know the power of His resurrection, and I can certainly understand that. I can use that resurrection power in my life. But Paul also wanted to know the fellowship of His sufferings. Now, I have to be honest; that's not high on my list. I don't long to know what it's like to be beaten, scorned, abused, crucified, hated, abandoned by friends ... for starters. But Paul did. And so should we. And, of course, that "being conformed to His death" sticks in most of our throats. Face it. Most of us have not arrived at "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Php 1:21). Oh, we can quote it, but most of us are a long way from grasping it with both hands. Not Paul. He wanted to be conformed to His death. Of course, there is a very real sense in which we are. Believers become saved by being baptized into Christ (not the symbol of baptism, but immersion into) and, therefore, are baptized into His death (Rom 6:3). The Christian life is death. Death to self. Death to sin. Death to the world. But the Christian life is not just death. Paul wanted to know Christ in this way so that He could attain the resurrection from the dead. Paul believed that the closer he conformed to Christ in death, the closer he got to resurrection. Like Christ.

Sometimes the Christian worldview seems turned on its head. If you want to be served, become the servant of all. If you want to save your life, lose it. If you suffer, rejoice. If you want to know new life, die to self. But if you think about it, it makes sense. The world in which we live is at odds with God -- hostile to God (Rom 8:7; Php 3:18). As such, it would stand to reason that the world's perspectives would be in direct opposition to God's version. So, really, you have to ask yourself. Which one will you pursue? God's death to self that leads to life, or the world's "live for yourself" that leads to death? It is your choice.

Surpassing Value

You're probably aware of Paul's famous, "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Php 3:8). That's an astounding statement to us in a comfort-driven, pleasure-seeking, self-centered society. "'All things', Paul? Really??" In the text he lays down everything about him that most people would classify as "good" (Php 3:4-6) -- his proper religion, his birth right, his heritage, his right doctrine, his devotion, his zeal, his right living. He had it all, but counted it all as loss. Compared to what? Simply knowing Christ. Quite a statement considering how many of us say, "Yes, I know Jesus" and proceed to demonstrate that it's had exactly no effect on who we are.

It's easy, in all of Paul's wordiness, to miss the "and." He says, "I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (Php 3:8) followed by "and may be found in Him" (Php 3:9). Oh, so it's a two-part thing -- gain Christ and be found in Him. In what sense? What does he mean? He tells us. He doesn't have his own righteousness (Remember, he just said he lost it all), so he counts on a righteousness "which is through faith in Christ," a righteousness "which come from God on the basis of faith" (Php 3:9). Why is that important? If we are counting on our own good works, our own efforts, our own lifelong struggle to be good enough, we can expect failure ... at best. But if we have the mandatory righteousness that is not our own, but is God's righteousness, we cannot fail. We can't fail because it's not ours.

Paul's longing, then, is to toss everything out in favor of gaining a righteousness beyond his own meager efforts. How? By knowing Christ. By faith in Christ. Remember, God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21). It's the only way. It's the only hope we have. And as it is not a product of our own efforts, it is foolproof. Since it's not our own, we can't mess it up. Instead, "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Php 1:6). And now "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus" makes a whole lot of sense.

Good Question

On Sunday I wrote about the purpose of church and how we should be not merely attending, but involved. Church is not for attendance; it is for participation, exercising gifts, ministering, loving our fellow believers. Commenter David said, "I don't think it helps that services are set up to encourage attendance and not participation." Good point.

Our modern church services are not built for participation. Not really. Oh, sure, we are asked to stand and sit, to sing or to sometimes even participate in the reading of Scripture, but we are not called on to fellowship. We are not asked to actually minister. Not during the service. Sometimes they tell us to "greet one another" which is a cursory, mass "hello" that ends quickly and without any real ministering going on. At best, an acknowledgment of your existence. No, in order to minister as Scripture says we should minister, it requires involvement. It requires involvement way beyond Sunday morning (or Saturday evening if you're so inclined). Most churches have dropped the Sunday evening services and the Wednesday night prayer meetings because of poor attendance. And, as I'm pointing out, services like this can only go so far in involving individuals in service to one another.

I know a new pastor whose laudable goal was to connect the older generation with the younger generation to allow the sharing of experience and wisdom. So he cut out the "traditional" service to put them all in one service. As you can imagine, the majority of older generation went elsewhere to find ministry to them. The new pastor inadvertently set up an atmosphere of "younger" as preferred. In the same way, most of us only have the option of a Sunday service (or so) without any real stimulation to participate or opportunity to involve ourselves with others. All we see is an atmosphere of "attend" and little push to participate. That requires additional effort. that requires work. It seems to me that services could be structured to at least point to ministry and involvement. And certainly personal involvement beyond a Sunday meeting should be encouraged at all times. But I still think that it is a biblical mandate, so perhaps "encouraged" is an incomplete concept, because if we are commanded to love one another and all we get is, "Well, maybe you should consider it," it seems as if we're doing our fellow believers at church a disservice.

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Postscript: Please note that this is a generalization. I know there are exceptions out there. I don't mean to suggest that there are not. Don't take this as an attack on your church, but an opportunity to think through how we might be doing this better.

Love Radically

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, you all know what He said. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matt 22:37-38). He went on to say, "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:39). Okay, that's #1 and #2. Interestingly, He concluded, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt 22:40). Scripture says similar things elsewhere. Paul wrote, "When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, you all know what He said. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matt 22:37-38). He went on to say, "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:39). Okay, that's #1 and #2. Interestingly, He concluded, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt 22:40). Scripture says similar things elsewhere. Paul wrote, "The one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law" (Rom 13:8). How? "Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom 13:10). Elsewhere he wrote, "The whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal 5:14). God's moral order, then, rests on love. But in today's world it's important to ask, "What is love?" because we're not too clear on that anymore.

John wrote, "We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down His life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians" (1 John 3:16). (Isn't it interesting that John's Gospel says that "God loved the world in this way; He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life," and that is found in John 3:16. Very similar.) You can see right away, then, that we're not talking about "in love," about romance or warm and cuddly feelings. We're not talking about affection. None of those are precluded from love, of course, but those kinds of love are not in view when Scripture says that love fulfills the law. What kind is? "Jesus laid down His life for us." The obvious conclusion? "Thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians." Jesus told His disciples, "I give you a new commandment – to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34). The "new commandment" wasn't "love one another." That was old. The new part was "as I have loved you." The new part was "emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant" (Php 2:7). The new part was "laid down His life for us."

Now that is a radical love. That is not normal. That is not usual. That is not ... human -- not in a natural human sense. It defies human nature. That's why it requires divine influence. It requires God at work in us. It requires constantly dying to self. It requires a longer look, where we can see that surrender is victory and death is life and selflessness is a treasure in the end. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). By what? Love. But what love? That love He described the verse before -- "as I have loved you." That kind of love is sacrificial and shines in a dark world that lives on "looking out for #1." We each should examine ourselves (often) to see if we're loving radically.

A Relationship, Not a Religion

Christianity stands alone in the claim that "it's a relationship, not a religion." Christianity alone claims that God the Father sent God the Son to die for sinners in order to adopt said sinners and make them His own. Other religions have gods and such, but none has God the Spirit residing in the believer's heart. This is one of the things that is unique to Christianity. However, it's not quite true that it's not a religion. So, in order to be clear, let's look at that.

As is the case with a lot of English words, "religion" has multiple uses and meanings. It can mean "a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Christianity is neither. Oh, we've built that version -- the Roman Catholics, Baptists, Evangelicals, Charismatics ... on and on. But Christianity is not defined by these things. They're all assigned, "personal," "institutions." Biblically a Christian is defined as one who has placed his or her faith in Christ for their salvation, has subsequently been born again, and now is part of the "Church" which is actually none of those institutions, but rather the whole of those who are Christians. In that sense, then, of religion as an institution, it is true that Christianity is not a religion. We've built it into one, but that's just us. Instead, Scripture says, "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:26-27). There is, then, false or "worthless" religion and there is "pure and undefiled" religion. God's opinion, not mine. Biblical religion is the observance of worship. And, interestingly enough, the dictionary also defines religion as "the service and worship of God or the supernatural." And that is an apt description of Christianity, insofar as the service and worship of God correlates to the truth.

It's easy to understand why so many have soured on "religion." So many false religions building false institutions and false belief systems. Harmful systems. But James didn't mind contrasting "worthless" religion versus "pure and undefiled" religion. If Scripture does it, so should we. Yes, absolutely, Christianity is a relationship with God that no other religion on the planet includes. But Scripture assures us that there is a pure and undefiled religion and that's a good thing. Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water.

What Are We Doing Here?

It's Sunday, the first day of the week, the day that Scripture refers to as "the Lord's Day." Traditionally it is the day we all head off to church together ... or, rather to gather. Of course, that's tradition and we're long past that. Attendance is down. Church membership is down. There are lots of Christians who don't attend church and even more that aren't a part of a church. There are large numbers of Christians who attend a church, perhaps even regularly, but only attend and don't immerse themselves in church. They don't involve themselves, don't closley connect with anyone, don't actually exercise any gifts or minister. In other words, a large section of Christendom in the 21st century is comprised of largely Lone Rangers. And that shouldn't be. Why? Because that's not what Christ or church is about. What is?

Ephesians says that the church is about the building up of the saints, about making mature believers (Eph 4:11-13). It's about taking "baby" Christians and making them into mature "adult" Christians. Now, that may involve some evangelism -- you don't get "baby" Christians without it -- but that's not the primary function of the church. Instead, it is about holding fast to a shared confession (Heb 10:23), stimulating one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24), gathering for fellowship for encouraging one another (Heb 10:25). Ultimately, of course, it is about Christ. Paul called on us to have a common mind (Php 2:2). That's not "You all need to think alike." It's "You all need to head in the same direction." What direction? Love, humility, a lifestyle in which we consider others as more important than ourselves and pursue the interest of others even over our own (Php 2:3-4). It is the emptying of self for the purpose of service that Jesus boldly and grandly demonstrated for us (Php 2:5-8). Church, then, is the gathering of believers to give us a pool of "one anothers" to love, to serve, to bear burdens with, to humble ourselves before ... you get the idea.

Many will go to church today. Good. Some will even be involved with others, especially for the purpose of ministering to them. Excellent. The fact that 20% of Christians who go to church do 80% of the work is not a positive statement for believers aiming to be like Christ. Our aim is to be concerned first and foremost with the interests of Christ (Php 2:21), not our own entertainment, comfort, or "a good, short sermon." He came to serve, not to be served. That's what we are to do. With emphasis on believers. And Sunday morning is a small but obvious opportunity to immerse ourselves in that. A good start. Let's not miss it.

News Weekly - 8/19/23

Strange Inclusivity
The pope told the World Youth Day crowd that LGBT folk are welcome in the Catholic church. He included, however, that, while "gay" is not -- should not be -- a criminal act, it is still a sin. And the crowd went wild. "If it's still a sin, we're not welcome here." I disagree with the pope on a lot of things, but, come on, people, is that really how you want to play this? "If you don't fully embrace and support me and my ideas, then you are excluding me." Really? Because I'm fairly certain that by that standard no one is included anywhere because everyone has ideas and values that others disagree with. It's like saying, "If you don't let your kids play with matches, you aren't being inclusive." No, you're being a loving parent seeking their best ... and that is inclusive.

Unclear on the Concept
This may be a revolutionary thought to some, but it appears that the desert is hot in the summer. No, I'm not kidding! It seems that Arizona Governor Hobbs wasn't aware of that. She has issued a "heat state of emergency" for Arizona ... a day after saying it wasn't necessary ... and weeks after the record-breaking 110° run of days abated. Dear Governor Hobbs, yes, we are in the desert, and, yes, it gets hot in the desert. If this constitutes a "heat state of emergency," then you simply need to make that the normal declaration every summer. (And now maybe you understand a little better how Hobbs is 3rd from last in approval rating.)

Guilty and More Guilty
Trump has his 4th indictment now. He believed that the election was rigged, so he sought to address that, which makes him a criminal. Interestingly there's hardly a person in the country that believes that Trump is innocent until proven guilty. Which only goes to show that American justice is a dying notion in America. Most troubling is the weaponization of the judicial system for political purposes. Deny it if you want, but it's not really hard to see.

About Time
Well, someone had to do it. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has issued subpoenas to the FBI and the DOJ to look into the collusion between Big Tech, the FBI, the DOJ, and, of course, their Democrat overlords in silencing unpopular speech. Now, I have little confidence in government to either do the right thing or to have the right thing be allowed to be done, so I'm not particularly optimistic, but, still, it's about time.

Waiting for the Other Shoe
A teacher in Georgia was fired for reading a children's book on "gender fluidity" to her 5th grade class against policy. The question isn't about gender fluidity. The question is about whether an individual teacher can decide to teach whatever he or she wishes without regard to school cirriculum, policies, or parental concerns. This was a "No." I don't expect that to last. Parents are becoming obsolete in our country today.

Pony Up No Longer
Addressing an egregious problem that has been eons in existence, Paris is banning pony rides for children. Activists argued that the animals weren't treated well, but "Treat those animals better" wasn't sufficient, so, apparently children are too much for the ponies to bear. I'm sure the unemployed ponies are heaving a sigh of relief. I would guess that some meat factories are interested as well.

What Do You Want To Bee?
In a less-than-funny entry from the Bee we read where a mom remembers a simpler time when she didn't have to evaluate which of her children's teachers would secretly try to gender transition her child. California has achieved the impossible by reaching a zero crime rate ... by legalizing all crime. Genius! A new study found spikes in global warming that appear to occur every year between June and September. Science is baffled. Finally, a new Christian dating app simply has a screen that says "Go to church and meet a godly spouse. Too obvious?

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Another Hard Saying

You can find lists of "hard sayings" from Scripture. You know. Things like "sell all your possessions" or "give to one who asks" or a lot of that stuff about women in church. Difficult stuff. I came across this one, and I think it should be in that list.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (Php 2:14-16)

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing"? That's not just the American way; it's the human way. We consider it a badge of honor to grumble about the stuff we don't like. I've heard it said that American's favorite pasttime is no longer baseball; it's litigation. Because we're grumbling. We're not happy about the government or the neighbors or the corporations or the church or the government. (Yeah, I know, I said that one twice. I thought it deserved it.) We don't like the Left or we don't like the Right or we don't like the people that disagree with us. And we will tell someone about it. We will complain ad nauseam. Because it's what we do. And Paul, silly Apostle that he was, is telling us we shouldn't?

It's particularly pointed, however, since the text comes after, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves" (Php 2:3) and that whole thing about being humble like Jesus was -- "emptied Himself" (Php 2:5-8). And it immediately follows "work out your salvation" and "it is God who is at work in you ..." (Php 2:12-13). I've often considered "work out your salvation" a tough line and am so grateful for the assurance that "it is God who is at work in you to will and to work His good pleasure," so I suppose the same thing should apply for "Do all things without grumbling or disputing." Especially considering that doing so in a crooked and perverse world will make us out as lights in the world that dearly needs light. So I suppose we really ought to do it, "holding fast to the word of life." Seems like the best option for anyone who calls themself a Christian.

Halls of Faith Revival Meeting

I actually wrote this years ago, but I like to trot it out again from time to time as a reminder (and because, frankly, I doubt if any of my current readers remember it).
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From Hebrews 11, “the Halls of Faith”, this special Revival Meeting is held in an imaginary tent meeting to hear the testimonials and praise the Lord ...

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“Welcome tonight to your Hall of Faith Revival Meeting,” the preacher says. “Tonight we have something special for you. I won’t be preaching tonight. Instead, we’ve invited people throughout time to testify of God’s faithful care for them.”

The congregation offers a polite applause, with a few “Praise Jesus!” calls barely audible mixed in.

“To start us off, we have Abel, the brother of Cain. Abel?”

Abel stands up. “I was a shepherd, and I offered a sacrifice in faith. God called me righteous!”

The congregation applauds, with a “Hallelujah!” and more calls of “Praise Jesus”.

“Over here we have Enoch,” the preacher says. “Enoch, can I get a testimony?”

Enoch stands up. “I put my faith in God, and he prevented me from dying.”

“From dying?”

“Yes, preacher ... from ever dying. One day He just took me into His presence.”

“Praise God! He is so good! Thank you, Enoch. Now we have Noah. Noah, tell us what God has done for you.”

“I trusted God, and He saved my family and I from a flood that killed the entire world.”

“Hallelujah! Praise God! He is marvelous! Thank you, Noah. Over here we have two people you will remember – Abraham and Sarah. Don’t they make a cute couple? Tell us what God has done for you.”

Abraham stands with his wife. “God told me to leave my home and go to a place he would show me. I did, and He took me to the Promised Land. Then, my wife was barren for nearly 100 years, but God promised us a son, and He delivered!”

The congregation applauds. Several people stand with hands raised. Some shout “Hallelujah!” and “Praise Jesus” and “Praise the Lord!”

Abraham gestures for quiet. “There’s more. When that son was older, God told me to go sacrifice him – to kill him.”

A gasp and sudden hush falls on the congregation.

“I did what He said because I believed God could raise him from the dead. But when I put him on the altar and prepared to kill him, God stopped me and provided a ram to sacrifice in his place.”

The congregation applauds. People leap to their feet and shout “Praise God!” Some are waving their hands. More shout “Praise Jesus” and “Praise the Lord!” The preacher waits for the noise to abate, then speaks again.

“Let’s skip on over to Moses, now. How about it, Moses? Tell us what God did for you.”

A man who looks nothing at all like Charlton Heston stands and speaks. “I grew up in the palace of the Pharaoh, but I knew that I couldn’t place my confidence in man. I trusted God and left the riches of the palace. Although I went to the desert, I knew God had something better for me than the wealth of Egypt.”

The congregation listens with rapt attention. Their faces betray a mixture of puzzlement and anticipation.

Moses continues. “But God used me to free His people. I celebrated that first Passover with the people and we headed out of slavery! And when we got to the Red Sea, and ol’ Pharaoh was bearing down on us, God Himself opened up that water and we walked through on dry land!”

The congregation goes wild. People are standing, shouting, stomping their feet, applauding. They are glorifying God for His greatness and faithfulness. Again, the preacher waits for the noise to subside, then speaks again.

“Now, some of you may not be as familiar with this next guest, and may I say, shame on you.” His smile diminishes the sting. “She was a prostitute in Jericho when God found her. Her name is Rahab.”

“Yes, God found me when I was deep in sin. I lived in Jericho when the people of God sent spies. I recognized them as God’s people and protected them from the people of my city. Because of my faith in God, when the walls fell and Jericho was destroyed, God saved me.”

And as the congregation begins to respond, the preacher adds, “Some of you don’t know this, but God so thoroughly saved this woman that she is in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

The congregation applauds. People leap to their feet and shout “Praise the Lord!” Some are waving their hands. More shout “Praise Jesus” and “Praise God!”.

A few other quick testimonies are given.

“Hi! I’m Joshua, and God used me to capture the entire Promised Land for Israel.”

“My name is Daniel, and I sat in a lion’s den all night, but God shut their mouths and I was saved.”

“We are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, but you probably remember us as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We trusted God, and he delivered us from the fire.”

A lone woman stands up. “You don’t know me, but my baby died suddenly. We prayed, and God raised my baby back to life!”

The congregation goes wild again. Almost everyone is on their feet shouting and applauding. They are praising God at the top of their lungs.

Another lone woman stands up. “You don’t know me, either, but I was arrested for being a Christian. They offered to release me if I rejected Christ ...”

An anticipatory hush falls on the crowd.

“... but I refused, and they left me in prison for the rest of my life.”

The congregation is quiet, stunned.

Someone else stands up. “Yes! I was arrested and beaten and chained.”

Another chimes in. “Me, too! But when they were done, they stoned me to death!”

With a rising fervor completely unmatched by the deathly silent congregation, more stand and shout their praises to God.

“I was fed to the lions for the sake of Christ!”

“I was cut in half with a saw!”

“I was stabbed to death with a sword!”

“We had nothing to eat, no decent clothing, and nowhere to live but caves in the desert!”

“I lived in a hole in the ground until I died!”

“I never received what was promised!”

Despite the jubilant-sounding tone of these last testimonies, the congregations sits soundless, bewildered.

* * * * * * *

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Heb. 11:32-40)

Is it sufficient that God has provided something better, or do we require that God do “nice things” for us, that God bless us according to our narrow definition? What would it take for us to consider it worthwhile to not receive what we ask for or expect or even see as promised?

Self-Denial

The secret of the Christian life isn't an actual secret. Christian living is found in ... you know ... following Christ. But that always seems a bit vague. So, how about an absolutely clear statement from Scripture?

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:5-8)

There, see? Not vague at all. Not acceptable, of course, to most people, including Christians, but certainly not vague. Here we read that we are suppposed to mimic Christ by having the same attitude as Christ. What attitude? "Emptied Himself." The earlier verses make this abundantly clear. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Php 2:3-4). That's the idea. Regard others as more important than you are. And, again, not vague at all. Jesus took that to an extreme. He refused to grasp the glory He shared with His Father and became a bond-servant. All the way to death ... on a cross. Have that attitude. "There, fellow Christians," the text is saying, "be like that."

It looks like the Christian life, then, is one of self-denial. "Nothing about me; all about you." And you might be forgiven for thinking such. Many avid followers have. But that would be a mistake. Notice, in that last text, it says, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests." Now, that "merely" isn't in the original, but the reason they put it there is because of the "also" in the next phrase, which is in the original. That's a hint. We don't completely deny our personal interests. But maybe Jesus said it more plainly. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt 16:24-25). Do you see it there? Yes, there is this whole "take his cross" business and "deny himself," but look at the outcome. If we do that -- deny self and take up the cross -- we will find our lives. Now, hang on a second. Isn't that a win? Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that in my best interest? Yes! Yes, it is.

Genuine followers of Christ are required precisely to deny themselves. It is fundamental to Christian living. But, that's not the end of the story. That's not the final outcome. First, "deny self" is simply a launching point in which believers shoot off in another direction. From there, we are empowered by God (Php 2:13) to participate in the work of Christ (Php 2:30). We love God and we love others. We concern ourselves with the interests of Christ (Php 2:21). It is a far better thing. And, in the end, we receive the prize. We obtain the blessing. If we pursued our own plans and desires, we would lose our lives, but if we surrender them, we win! So, as it turns out, this "self-denial" is actually in our own best interest, a better way to live. Of course, that all depends on how much you'll trust Christ, doesn't it?