The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #4

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

What is True Faith?

Part #4

Our indoctrination teaches us that it would be impossible to go from day to day without the blessing of God raining down upon us.  Messages and songs are scripted around the concept of, "waiting for the blessing", rather than, "what are you doing with your blessing." 

Throughout the acclamations of praise certain phrases are used to bring about an emotional release, such as If I believe it, I can achieve it, God is a deliverer or I know God is a healer.  Does the true concept of faith means, If I believe in Jesus I can ask for whatever I need and it will be granted?  Many will quickly answer yes, and this is the message of many churches today, but what does the evidence say?  Is there a possibility that we are misunderstanding the meaning of faith?  Paul spoke on many occasions about the virtues of faith, and he extorted others to remain in the faith.  To understand the true meaning of this faith maybe we ought to study the life of Paul.  

We know that Paul was imprisoned in a Roman jail and that imprisonment  ultimately led to his death under Nero's rule.  While imprisoned Paul wrote letters of encouragement to the newly converted follower of Christ and to those he commission to carry his work after he was gone.  

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen What did Paul hope for, deliverance, healing financial gains?  These seem to be the things that  modern Christianity is obsessed with.  If Paul's hope or faith was based upon the acquisition of these material things, then it seem as if Paul's faith was in vain, yet we know this is not to be true.  We ought to be able to conclude that the faith Paul wrote about was based upon the life he was committed to live. Therefore, based upon the evidence of Paul's life and hope, it should be unthinkable to use his messages as a means to promote financial gains.  

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I, also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,  To have faith in Jesus Christ, we must believe the conditions of his birth, his life, his death and resurrection. We must believe that he ascended to his father, and if we hold true to this faith,  then shall we reign with him."  The evidence of Paul's life and the evidence that surrounds us allows us to reach no other justifiable conclusion.

Take a closer look at Paul's final message to Tiomthy.  This is the message of a man of faith who is about to be put to death.  Where is that exhortation of praying for his deliverance?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Faith in Christianity is based on the work and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity declares not to be distinguished by faith, but by the object of its faith. Rather than being passive, faith leads to an active life aligned with the ideals and the example of the life of Jesus. It sees the mystery of God and his grace and seeks to know and become obedient to God. To a Christian, faith is not static, but causes one to learn more about God and grow, and has its origin in God. 

In Christianity, faith causes change as it seeks a greater understanding of God. Faith is not simply obedience to a set of rules or statements. Before Christians can have faith, they must understand in whom and in what they have faith. Without understanding, there cannot be true faith, and that understanding is built on the foundation of the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions and on the personal experiences of the believer. 

Faith should not be based upon God is going to get us through this situation, but faith should allow us to believe that there is a better day coming. Consider again the life and death of the disciples, Paul and others whose life exemplified the fullness of faith. There is no record of the great patriots begging God to deliver them from the affliction of the world. There was no prayer for prosperity or long life. When death came, they rejoiced in its anticipation, they were prepared and ready to go. In Philippians 1:23-24 Paul puts it this way, “ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Not for me, but for you.)

Within the last hundred years Christianity has undergone dramatic changes. There are denominations less than two hundred years old professing to be the only true religion. As a small child, I was confused at the concept of a religion more than two thousand years old being challenged by many newly formed denominations. A split or break-away can be used to purify the faith if it has become polluted, but care must be taken when taking these actions. The motive behind these actions can be nothing more than an attempt to consolidate one's power. The question now presents itself and beg for an answer is, "why does Jesus need so many different churches?" A firm belief in God and the church as the bride of Christ should be a deterrent to spurious actions, but in many instances this seems not to be the case. The formation of many churches is an individual thing; it is designed around the concept of one individual's struggle for power or recognition. Member's joined not because of the message of Jesus Christ, but because of the style or message of the of the individual. Was it the Word of God or the faith in Jesus Christ that allowed the Reverend Ike's of the ministries to fleece millions out of their money so they could retire in luxury? Was it the message of Christ that attracted millions of followers to follow Jim Jones to their death?  Is

Is it the faith that Paul spoke of that allows ministers to shape the scripture and turn the Word of God into a money making propersition?

Now I am about to enter a forbidden territory, because I am about to call out some of our preachers. The prophecy of Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed, still hold true today. My experience with too many ministers of today give credence to Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen. What am I trying to say here is that I have a problem with a preacher that will lead a young innocent man down the path of prostitution. I have a problem with a minister of God who will commit rape, then hours latter preaches a message that stirs the whole church. But most of all I have a problem with a preacher that will carry a grudge for  years, and infect others with their lies

Luke 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Next

"Do God Answer All Prayers?"

Part #5

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #3

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

When Is A Miracle a Miracle?

Part #3 of 6

Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

What Jesus is saying here is the heavenly Father provide the basic necessities of life for all of his creation, stated simply, it rains on the just as well as the unjust.  These things are decreed by God  from the beginning and they proceed according to their natural course as defined by the laws of nature.  

Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket, I was privy to several conversations going on behind me.  Two ladies were talking about the many things God was doing, they were giving God praise for the miracles that he had performed.  From car repair, money in the bank to finding a job for a daughter, God was busy handing out blessing and performing miracles.   In today's modern society, it is fashionable to reverence God in all of our conversations.  From the wine-o standing on the corner talking about how much God love him, and the drugged out rock star, honoring God for the awards that was won, all are indications of how involved God is today.  In this conversation behind me, thanks were being given for being able to walk around and even seeing another day, yet there was no mention of thanking God for salvation.  I was not inspired by the conversation, I mean is God involved in the car repair business?

Those of us whose indoctrination has become tarnished, have taken a step backward and begun to ask the serious questions.  What is a miracle and is God still performing miracles?  Were these signs Apostostic signs that was necessary during the formative years of Christianity?   Did these signs depart with the death of the Apostles?  In part #4 of this study we will attempt to provide some of the answers to the many questions we have posed.

Once a typical healing service began with, "there is somebody here that has a headache, the Lord say come up here and get your healing."  Those of us who are properly indoctrinated into the church would not dare stand up and question the statement of the speaker, because the indoctrination of the church has taught,  never question what the Lord says, and if a person has the gall to say, "God said ", who are we to say he didn't.  This naive approach opened the door to the wolves in sheep clothes (fancy suits) to come in and scatter the flock.

Walking on water has never been easy, but there are reports where some have tried to perform this miracle to no avail.   Not too many people have the ability.  Let’s see, there’s Jesus, and well, that’s about it.  One preacher tried to prove that he had the power by building an underwater plexiglass stage.  On his first attempt the stage gave away, luckily he was saved by his deacon who was a part of the conspiracy. Unfortunately for one pastor on the West Coast of Africa, his attempt to make this impossible feat a reality cost him his life.  He referenced Matthew 14:22-33, he said that he received a revelation from God which told him that with enough faith he could achieve what Jesus was able to do. He took his congregation out to the beach.  He told them that he would cross the Kombo estuary by foot, which is normally a 20 minute boat ride. Sadly by the second step into the water he found himself completely submerged.  He never returned.

A self-proclaimed Prophet claimed to be able to do what the Daniel of the bible did by walking into a den full of lions.  He was warned numerous times by zoo keepers, the Prophet thought of them as nothing more than enemies of the Word of God.  The Prophet, with a crowd of people watching, put on a long red robe and with much fanfare proceeded to enter the cage full of lions. Within seconds of opening the door, the lions ripped the Prophet from flesh to bone.

A group of church missionaries formed a prayer group for the expressed purposed of conducting house to house prayer services.  They were known as the “prayer warriors”.   Soon afterward they began to testify about how through them God was working miracles.  First, there were healing miracles, then as time progressed, they began to raise people from the dead.   The only verification of these miracles were the words of one person’s testimony.  These missionaries  created a certain level of fear in the community, they also garnered a huge amount of respect within the local churches.   The test of their faith came when a local pastor, one who helped sponsor the group, died in the pulpit.  The call for the  prayer warriors to assemble went unanswered.   As one participant of the group remarked, “God gave you five senses”, as she turned her back on the grieving family. 

During the early sixties many so-called healers got rich preformed for the cameras on live television.  With slight of hand tricks and bloody chicken parts cancer surgery was performed on stage for millions to see.   The art of laying on of the hands became the mainstay of these fakers professions.   A quick movement of the hand, forcing the believer's head back at an angle where the person must make a choice of stepping back or falling down.  To step back to regain your balance was looked upon as resisting the power of God.   It was better to fall out on the floor and kick rather being labelled stiff necked and uncircumcised. 

At this juncture, I must ask the question again, what a miracle is.  This is an important question because Jesus performed many miracles during his ministry.  Today, many are begging for and proclaiming that God has performed a miracle.   When God performed a miracle he did it in such a manner that no one or nothing could explain it other than it was the works of God.  It was done in such a manner that God and only God could get the glory.   When Jesus healed the sick, there was no gradual healing process, he did not ask the sick to plant a seed of faith, out of love he spoke the word and it was done.  The sideshow performances of many professional healers have created a fairy tail concept of God that I am sure he is no more pleased than he was with Moses when Moses struck the rock.  Many churches  have integrated healing services into their worship service and invite people to throw money on the Alter when they come up to get their healing.  Sunday after Sunday these same people stand before the Alter to get a touch from God.  Is God doing what many are claiming he is doing? Is all of this repersentive of what Jesus did?  

When asked about the works of God, the response is, “If he did it once he can do it again.”    Now really, is this an accurate portrayal  of God?   Is this just another cute sound bite?  Why are we speaking of God in such abstract terms.  God parted the Red Sea, if he did it once he can do it again.  

 After going through surgery, radiation and chemo cancer treatments, am I suppose to testify of how God heal me.  Is it a miracle that I am a cancer survivor?  Many will say yes,  Is it a miracle that the sun rises in the morning or is this something God has already ordained from the beginning of time?  

Many beautiful messages are crafted by the intelligent minds seeking to explain how to tap into the power of God.   The blessing of God has been turned into a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme, it allows those at the top level to get rich on the backs those who exist on the bottom level.  To be effective, an avenue must be provided to allow the bottom level to move up the ladder, thus titles and positions are created, and the adage, “give and you shall receive” come into full play The concept of giving becomes a marker of your faith and your support as you move up the ladder.  The media is used to distribute pleas to the faithful to sow a seed of faith as special prayer services are conducted for those who respond.  Promises of healing and miracles are made based upon the sowing of your seed.  Is there anything about all of this in the remotest sense that seems to coincide with the actions of Jesus?  If the prosperity message of today is true, why didn’t Peter, James and John open up a fish market.  With the support of Jesus, they could have amassed a fortune.   Todays revelation teaches us that, “Sinners are poor and Christians are rich”, yet in the real world this is not true.   

When attending a funeral, somewhere amidst the tears and screams of sorrow the question "why" is  often asked of God.   To accept as a conclusion that God does not make mistakes is a statement of fact and it speaks to the abstracts nature of God, it is not the answer to the question of why.  Answering questions in the abstract, often lead to negativism.  If we accept the fairy tale assessment of life and death, that God is like a man walking around with a list, scratching people name off, then it is understandable  that we would ask God, “Why”, when sinners live long and prosperous lives.   Once that door is open then is it fair to ask God why he let the young child go flying thru the windshield of  its drunken mother’s car when she crashed into the utility pole?   It seems as if we can blame God for the things that are happening around us, we sort of let ourself of the hook.   Is there any consolation for the  drunk to say, “God knew what he was doing?”   Maybe, just maybe we ought to ask God to forgive us for the things that we have unjustly blamed him for.

We want to believe that God is directing and guiding the affairs of man.  It makes us feel good knowing that God is in control.  Once we make that assessment no one  who believe in God will dare say God is not in control.  What is the meaning of God being in control?  He most definitely was in control in the Garden of Eden, yet sin entered the garden.  Maybe being in control means God set the boundaries and he allows.  If this is true, then man’s free will does not always follow the direction of God.   God is in control might just mean He can bring this madness to an end whenever he choose to do so. 

Ecclesiastes 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

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Part #4

What Is True Faith?

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #2

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

"A Multi-Level-Marketing scheme"

Part #2 of 6

 Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

It is my intend to make this a six part study and it is my intend to pose more questions than answers.  Many of the questions I pose, I hope you will supply the answers.  Little can be gained in any study if questions are not allowed to form, develop and answers sought after. This is done to prepare the mind; if the mind is not prepared then answers cannot be forthcoming.  The Holy Scripture is not hard or complicated if we would just stop and think about what we are reading.  Too many Christians are content with listening to someone else read the Bible as they look for that moment to shout “Amen”.  When we attempt to segments and spiritualize the Word of God to make it say what we want it to say, it is then we end up with a convoluted and polluted gospel.  If you believe simply because some two-legged person said, “God said it”, you are cheating yourself out of a true experience with God.   Recall a song from the past that stated that there are more questions than answers, and the more I find out, the less I know.   

Beginning with The Doctrine of Prosperity, it is an elaborate ruse, it places an enormous emphasis on blessing your pastor in order to receive a blessing from God.   It is a multi-level-marketing scheme that is purported to be scriptural, but is it really scripture or is it a misreading of the Holy Scriptures.   The prosperity gospel requires that members pay the church first even before paying their own bills. It also numbs the common sense of the members and convinces them that it’s perfectly ok for the pastor to receive all of his wealth from donations made to the church.  The members glory in their Golden Calf, my pastor is Bishop so-and-so and he drive a big car.   Glen W. Turner the grandfather of motivational and inspirational seminars built a hundred-million-dollar business empire by turning a gift for evangelism into a ministry of greed. He would jump, shout and scream, but his plan was not based upon God giving.  He just asked for the money and promised to show you how to make money.  You bought the right to sell his product to others, you started on the bottom and worked your way up. 

Prosperity preachers wrongly use the Bible to sell false hope to poor people that they will be rich if they will support their ministry by giving their hard earned money.  If multiplying their money was so easy, why do prosperity preachers have to ask poor people for their money, instead of just going to the rich for donations or spending the money to and from one another.  How much common sense does it require to realize if this was true, Christians would be rich and sinners would be poor.  Instead, we are encouraged to come to church on Sunday pay out our hard earn cash as we beg God for that blessing, while some fellow wave and scream, "your blessing is coming" and the church says "amen". We should read the Bible more and then we would not be fooled by these prosperity preachers.  Jesus did not come into the world to make us financially rich.  For emphasis I will repeat, Jesus did not come into the world to make us financially rich.  He came that we might be saved from sin and have everlasting life in the glory of God’s heavenly kingdom.  These false teachers do great damage to Gods people. First, by falsely claiming that God works like some kind of cosmic slot machine. But the real damage is in the fact that believers are robbed of the true meaning of Christ teaching.

Obedience is better than sacrifice is a phrase that is often heard within the church when the members are asked to do things that they normally would hesitate to do.  This is the scripture  that a segment is surgically removed and quoted. 1 Samuel 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD, as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.   It seems as if Samuel was reprimanding Saul for not follow the orders given to him by God.  He was suppose to kill everything, this was his excuse.  1 Samuel 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.  There is a message and a lesson in this, but it has nothing to do with a person who is asking you for money.   

The surgically dissecting the Bible into sound bites and sculptured statement do not in no way reflect the true thoughts and intent of the writer.  This type of interpretation is articulated by politician and perfected by the media; it can be used to make a person’s words say whatever the speaker wants it to say.   It is equivalent to changing the word of God.  Sound bites are what they imply, sound bites, they are not representative of a thought process, nor are they representative of the intended message.  How often have you heard Mark 16:15 and he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.   This segment of scripture is used to indicate that Jesus is talking to the masses or to the church and it is his directive for the church to go  out into the world and proclaim the Gospel.   There may be nothing wrong with this assessment of the scripture, but if we apply the rule of who is talking and who is being addressed, reading the entire paragraph will give us a different view of the conversation.  Mark 16:14-18 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Through the Word of God, we are often privy to conversations between Jesus and his disciples, the same as we are privy to conversations between God and Moses or other great leaders. In our struggle to, “live by every word of God”, we change the application and spiritualize much of the Bible, but by using that technique we are still left with the unexplainable. Many of us have problems with seeing the fruition of the explicit promises made by Jesus when he said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; (Do we have a problem casting out devils today? When Jesus cast out devils, they departed immediately. The next question would be, do we believe in devil possession? ) …They shall speak with new tongues; (Is this the incoherent mumbling that is often referred to as unknown tongues or was this the disciples' ability to speak so that all of the different tribes could understand them?) They shall take up serpents; (Mainstream Christians have denounced snake handlers as deviants and cultists. But they base their practice on the same passage that faith healer and those that speak in unknown tongues use to justify their faith. Most Biblical scholars believe the verses are a late addition to Mark. But to snake handlers, the words are as meaningful as any others in the Bible. Some churches practice this as a part of their worship service, to them it is a test of faith, other groups claim that it is being taken out of context or they spiritualize it.) and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; (Churches as a rule, refrain from this practice, but Jim Jones and his church really took it to another level) … they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (The laying on of hands is an abused practice. This was one of the first attributes of God that was exploited on live Television.)

How often have we struggled in darkness seeking to manifest our belief in God.. We pray for the healing power of God to manifest itself, only to lose our loved ones to the darkness of death? Is it because we do not believe in the power of prayer or is it because of a lack faith? How many times those with serious afflictions have stood in pray lines praying for the healing power of God to flow, only to see those with headaches and backaches testify of their healing, while those with serious diseases simply die. The common knowledge of humanity tells us that if believing in God and prayer was the answer as many proclaim, many problems we are facing today would have been resolved long ago.  

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Part #3

When Is A Miracle a Miracle?

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #1

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity
"Adrift in a sea of splits and confusion"
Part #1 of 6

2 Timothy 2:14-16, of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

There are those whom we have designated as role models, it is not always clear as to who or what criteria is used to make this designation, but there are a couple of things that stands out, role models must be about making money, they must be inaccessible to their adoring public and the media must seek them out for exposure.   When young men and women see the athletics making a profane amount of money and performing for the national media, it fueled an insatiable desire to be like Mike.  The music industry also stepped up the pace for selecting role models that tarnishes the minds of the younger generations.  Even the drug dealers and gang leaders in our crime infested neighborhoods became a role model.  The devil observing all of this with a smiling demure concluded that it would be great if he could do the same for the church.  Preachers began to learn the technique of becoming a role model.  The problem with this is, Jesus was not accepted as a role model by the population at large, he was crucified.  It would take a special person to want to follow in the footsteps of a person who was crucified.

When Christianity began to flourish during its early day it became the primary focus of the devil to destroy the church.   When the destruction of the church through persecution failed under Roman rule, the devil resorted to his old strategy, he would infiltrate the church and destroy it from within.   To achieve this, the devil would rely on the same technique he used when he infiltrated  the Garden of Eden.  Please note, he was successful then, but it proved to be unsuccessful when he tried the same trick with Jesus on the mountain.  Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  The devil’s plan to destroy the church was to offer the Christians through a message of earthly prosperity and favors all of the things he offered Jesus.  To accept the devil’s offer the church began the process of changing the Word of God.    With the evolution of these changes the churches and the pastors that Jesus ordained, became rich and adrift in a sea of splits and confusion.  In the Book of Revelation, Jesus condemns the same church that he founded through the shedding of his precious blood.  Revelation 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

When I was young, Sunday was a wonderful day, that first day of the week when we would go to church and sit in solemn repose, hearing, contemplating and meditating on the Word of God.   Our faith and our hope were simple; it was based upon John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  As the interpretation of the Bible began to evolve, we began to hear many reports of the things we were doing were wrong.  John 8:32 said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.  With the changing interpretation of the Bible, a conflict within the rank and file members of Christianity began to emerge as we were constantly reminded that the Word of God never changes.  Naturally, the question began to evolve as to what is the truth and with that evolution many came forward as the possessors of the truth.  Biblical truths began to contradict Bible truths and each truth sprouted its own denomination.  The battle of the denominations peaked with splits resulting in more splits and church shopping became a new way of finding God.  Preachers would bust up churches and members would often leave one church in search of another.  This was the age of the proliferation of the churches and the Word of God.  In my younger days the truth was simple.  Going to church was about our struggle to obtain eternal life for the spiritual soul.  It was about believing in God.  There was no promise of earthly richness and glory; these things were left to our proclivity.  The promise was simple, everlasting life, Heaven or Hell.

During the week we worked or went to school to survive or to learn how to survive in the natural world, then on Sunday we went to church to learn about the spiritual world.  Emphases were placed on the fact that we were going to leave this place, ready or not.  As Jesus indicated, there was or is a gulf that separates the two worlds and as long as we maintained that separation serving God was simple and refreshing.  To sustain our belief we believed in the natural world and we believed in the spirit world.  During the old days believing in a spiritual God was easy, we believed in God, we believed in ghost and we believed in Santa Claus.  Today our belief in ghost and Santa Claus has been cast aside and the belief in God is being tested.  Men have turned the Word of God into a corporation or big business where profits are the main goal and not salvation.

The charlatans devised schemes to fleece the sheep of God’s pasture. Rock-star preachers hiding behind the sacred cloak of the Word of God, according to Romans 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (earthly goods) more than the Creator (God and salvation), who is blessed forever. Amen”.   They came forth with messages that soothe the spirit and the God of our salvation emerged as a loving and giving God. Once the churches became contented with the Lord giving out conflicting messages every Sunday it became easy to lead the followers down the wrong path.   When the messenger of today stands before those who have been indoctrinated in the Word of God and proclaim they have a message from God, the congregation is ‘awed’ into submission.  Emotions play an important part in these messages and these emotions are defined as the spirit of God.  As the church moves into the creative entertainment phase of spiritual worship, the emotional outburst that once was common in the entertainment arena has now moved into the church.   The ‘James Brown effect’ is a viable tool that is being used to attract people into the church.   At the end of the day checks are being drawn in the name of God, and God is not honoring those checks.

I exist on the outside of the professional religious institution, that institution that I once was a part of the inner circle until I became disillusioned with the hypocrisy that I had become a part of.  It was hard for me not to wonder how all of this was going to play out in the Kingdom of God.  As we each go about establishing our own little kingdom here on earth would we be able to come together as the one body of Christ.  The church, as the bride of Christ should project the teaching of Christ, but the church as a body seems to have splintered into a disorganized body.  Was this what Jesus was referring to when he said, “in my father’s house there are many mansions?” , but if the Saints is suppose to judge the world how can we do that when we are so divided here on earth?  Will there be a special section of the Baptist, the Pentecostals or the Jehovah Witness?  It seems as if the oneness of the bride of Christ is a confusing entity.   

The people of God were drawn to the pageantry and the golden imagery of idol worship after witnessing one of the greatest acts of deliverance in the wilderness.   They had the audacity to address the golden calf as the God that delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.   There is that insatiable need to elevate and be elevated to positions of power and respect.  The football players, the rock stars, the movie star and even the preachers are elevated to positions of power and respect, not because of the life they live but because of their ability to entertain the crowds.  If it were announced in the local newspaper that Bishop Somebody was speaking at a local auditorium and tickets were on sale, imagine the turnout.   Now imagine the same scenario only replace the speaker with Minister Nobody.  Remove the ticket sale, now imagine the turnout.  There are two scriptures that come to mind, Matthew 11:7 and as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? Luke 4:24 and he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

A poster appeared on the social media page that showed a line of people marching off into a tunnel of light, the caption said, "Lord, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in."  A vision of the New Orleans street scene filled my mind, the Jazz beat with people dancing and marching down the street.   I began a mental search of the scripture hoping to find a verse that gave a certain amount of credence to that supposition that we were going to go marching into Heaven.   Unable to find one that was supportive of that idea, I was left with the message of Paul to the church at Thessalonians.  This may or may not allow for that grand march. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  

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Part #2

"A Multi-Level-Marketing scheme"

To Hate or Not To Hate

Earl Gillespie

To Hate or Not To Hate
When Hate is Not Hate

Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 

Hate is one of those emotions that many, especially Christians pretend that it is held in suppression or don't exist.  Yet, it is in the arena of Christian endeavors that hate is able to manifest itself most profusely and grow into its purest form.  That hate that emulates from the pulpit of churches and congregations can be felt through the community and from these roots it is able to travel throughout the land.  Ask any Christian about hate and they will tell you hate has no place in the heart of the righteous.  Yet, hate is present in most all forms of human endeavors, even the testimony of the saints. 

Hate is defensive, try speaking out about the sins of humanity and you are quickly labelled a hater.  It is not because you hate a group of people, it is because you are attacking the very fruits of hate and hate responds with hate. To appear to be more politically correct the church's messages must dumb-down hate and amplified love.  Hate is allowed to exist on the same level as the devil, we must pretend we can control it to the point that it no longer exist.   It has been said that the greatest trick that the devil preformed was to convince the world that he didn't exist.  

Reflecting upon memories of interactions with church members and families and comparing it to the interactions of those whom the church refer to as those of the world, there is a distinctive difference in the intensity of hate that emulate from the household of faith.  Is it because those that to whom this hatred is directed is caught off guard?  How many families and churches have been torn apart by the self righteous attitude of others?   

To sit idly by and pretend that there is no weeds growing in the vineyard allows the weeds to grow unimpeded.  We may not be able to remove the weeds, but we do not have to feed the weeds.  Jesus said, let the wheat and Taft grow together, until the day of harvest.  This does not mean we are to embrace evil or hate, we must be prepared like the true worker of the vineyard to root up and destroy everything that is vile, the only restraints should be those imposed upon us by Jesus.  According to the teaching of Jesus there is a plot of ground in the vineyard that should be free from hate, it is called the church.  It is impossible for humanity to destroy evil or sin, we must live in a sin curse world until the day of harvest when it will be destroyed.    A little understanding will open the door to a deeper understanding of God's Word.  Some will get it and some won't.

The prevailing theory is regardless of what evil we are confronted with we must find a way to express our love.   The expression of this love has progressed to the point that we must express our love for all of God creation.  How do we do that?  We separate the person from the deeds  and use a Bible verse to establish the groundwork. Revelation 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  In this verse Jesus is truly saying he hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans.   It also seems that hate is a strange attribute of God, as described in Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.   

It is not appropriate in todays society to present a message of the things God hate, we must focus on his love  Somewhere in all of this a strange dichotomy is emerging, if we love the insects but hate their ways, what happen to the insects.   The wages of sin is death, not to sin, but to the sinner.    Now somewhere in this discussion, we must conclude that God hates sin, but he judges the person (sinner).  1 Peter 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?  Once the person is contaminated by sin, he is judged as a sinner, regardless of the degree of separation.

Christian artist Natalie Grant, was nominated for two gospel Grammy Awards this year, but she became the center of a media storm when she left before the awards were presented. Tweeting that her thoughts about the show were better left unsaid. Because of her Tweets a media frenzy erupted, the mainstream (liberal) media jumped on her Tweets and ended up accusing Grant of everything from being a poor sport to intolerance, to the hating gays.  Now, as a Christian, you are not suppose to be guilty of any of those things.  Is being a Christian means you are suppose to love everything that is thrown at you?

How many Christian artists would have relished the opportunity to appear on the Grammy stage somewhere between Saint Beyonce  and the church-like mockery of a wedding ceremony that was overseen by Reverend Latifah.  I didn't watch the show because I don't like award shows, nor do I like reality shows.   There are many things in this world that I hate, but according to my spiritual mentor, I suppose, to dumb-down my feelings and never express them as hate.   There was a time in America it was your prerogative to hate.  Because of my dislike for things that I find distasteful, there are those who are ready to pounce on me and call me all sorts of names,  as if they hold a monopoly on what is correct and proper.  Is this not an expression of hate also?  I believe It is my prerogative to like and dislike whatever I please.  The formation of this country was because of a dislike or hate for the laws or rule of the British Empire.  

Matthew 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.  This verse could be used to justify Christian artist Natalie Grant's actions at the award show, but there are two words  in this biblical quote that is 'unacceptable' in today's liberal and modernist society.  The speaker resorted  to name calling.  Jesus preached a message of love, but when he saw the desecration that was taking place in his father's house, he reacted strongly.  John 2:14-16  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

The enlighten and political correct will spend many great moments explaining how we are to separate the act from the person so that we can focus on our love for the person.  Yet David asked the question in Psalms 139:21  Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?  And he provided the answer in Psalms 139:22  I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.  In Ecclesiastes 3:8, Solomon added, "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

In John's day there was a word that was used to describe the vile, the corrupt and the evil masses, in Matthew 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Jesus put things in the proper perspective when he spoke in Matthew 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?  It would be unthinkable to use these types of words today, because we would be described as haters.  

To balance the scale on the other side let us search for a scripture that says thou shall not hate.  Matthew 5:43-44  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  This is a clear indication of how we should treat those who hate us.  Now I pose the question if God is capable of love and hate is a man also capable of the same attribute?   We must remember we are dealing with the biblical definition of hate.  What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Jesus went on to say in Luke 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  

Maybe as Christians we should love God and hate evil, and not be concern about the world hating us.  Luke 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.