 |
| Earl Gillespie |
A Testing Of Faith
Have you been engaged in a
conversation in search of solidarity only to be reminded of an unknown 'thing
that you always do'? Not withstanding
the fact that an improbability has been
stated, the accused usually have no
knowledge of what he is being accused of.
Any attempt to engage in an enlightening discussion is cast aside as
being nothing more than, "your word against his' (hers')." If this were true, why was it brought
up? Another fallacy that amazes me is
that in the religious arena, we are often judged by how we act, "you act
like.." or we make judgments based upon what a we think, "you think you are more than anybody
else." Is it possible for a person
to know the inner thoughts of another? When Jesus alluded to a man looking at the
outer appearance, was he talking about clothes?
Possibly, as a young boy, participating in school
closing and church plays I developed a habit of speaking in an animated
fashion, relying extensively upon the use of my hands to express myself. It became a habit that many found exciting
and exhilarating as I sought to make my points in business meetings and Bible
study classes. In a conversation among
friends I was sharply criticized and hurt when it was stated, " you come
here with all that hand jive trying to act like somebody on TV and confuse
us."
Often as advised I have prayed
for God to open up a line of communication so that differences among families,
friends and members of the household of faith might be worked out. The result
of these prayers indicated that I prayed for the wrong thing or God simply, did
not hear my prayer. This conclusion
added to my test of faith. In my stupidity, I must admit I never
understood the over used cliché of, 'He might not come when you want him to come,
but he is always on time." The again,
I never understood the meaning of, "You cannot have your cake and eat it too." If I asked you for a glass of water and you
said no, did you answer my request? When
God spoke to Moses, who was he speaking to? Questions, questions designed to
make us think.
In a conversation of lies the
truth is stretched and shaped to accommodate the person who has a difference of opinions with what
is being said or done. Sadly to say, in
many instances there is nothing that can be said to resolve the differences
when we elevate our opinion above all other opinions. When I began to speak out about the
things that was happening around me that was, 'messing with my faith', the
standard reply was, we must keep our eyes on God not man. The truth be
told many times that statement is made in a self serving manners, designed to
show that you have lost your sight on
God and to further implicate you in what ever atrocious act that you have been
condemned of. If we are representatives
of God, then is it true, we must see God in those that represent him?
In a conversation about God or
listening to the Word of God go forth there is a constant use of indoctrinated phrases and cliches designed to bring about
an emotional response. In many
assemblies a lively message is filled with questions about the goodness of God.
"God is a good God", is repeated with such intensity that the
parishioners who might be dozing off
will find it impossible to go to sleep. The question of who woke you up this
morning is apt to bring on an emotional response that is equivalent to a James
Brown concert. The same as the word, 'touchdown' will evoke
an emotional response at a football game, the savvy speaker has in his
repertoire, words or phrases that will evoke the desired response.
There appears to be an ethnic diversification that has changed the
demographics within the religious community.
Emotional reactions in the church manifested itself during the days of
slavery, it can be argued that it is a part of the slave mentality, an
infectious and contagious malady. It has ingrained itself in religious worship
services and has redefined itself as the spirit of God. In many ethnic churches the preachers learned
to work the crowd. In the ancient days
the people would 'shout' and the Ushers would rush to, "hold and fan"
the emotionally overcome to keep them
from hurting themselves. In todays
setting the crowd is worked into a frenzy and those that are so inclined, get up and dance. How God response seems to be relevant to this
ethnic diversity of the congregation.
I am very much aware that I have
crossed over into a dark territory and ministers of God are declaring damnation
upon my soul. They say I have an agenda,
some will say I am being vindictive. The
truth is I am being vindictive and I do have an agenda. In my book, "My Search for The Real
God," I challenged the pious prelates to take a closer look at the lies
that are being told in the name of our Father.
In my test of faith I realize how tired I am of hearing the scripture
misquoted, misapplied and I, like many others who are walking away from the
church are tired of being lied to and lied about. To sustain that which is left of my faith, I
will speak out against those who have perverted the Word of God. The church that Jesus ordained is being
presented as a casino, "money goes in and blessings come out." Why did
Jesus condemn the church in the Book of Revelation? Questions, questions.
Do you get tired of the lies? Do
you recognize how many lies you are constantly being told? When you go to church is there truth in the
message, or is the Bible being twisted to massage someones egotistical
personality? When you engage in a
conversation, are you repeating or reacting to the lies that someone else told
you? How do you know you are not? Have you become so desensitized to lying now
that it has become such a normal part of living. Are you guilty of judging someone because of
what someone told you? Lying is the
outcome of people being right in their own eyes and stubbornly holding to their
own viewpoint, regardless of evidence to the contrary. Lies are constantly in
politics and government, and we tend to simply accept them. Rarely does anyone
address issues truthfully. And when such a rare thing does occur, many simply
do not want to hear the truth.
Politics and lying are quite
synonymous and to think that the church has become involved in politics. We are
constantly being bombarded by little lies, big lies and every kind of shading or
perversion of the truth that falls in between. In the church, talk shows,
books, advertising, and the news—what is the truth? How often do you find
genuine truth, fidelity, honesty, and faithfulness in marital relationships? Adding to the fragility of marriage alternate
lifestyles that condone all of the sins that the Bible speaks against is
becoming the accepted norm. Again, how
many lies? Over half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. Are
lies involved in such cases? Constantly! Are there lies in the workplace, in
corporations and between employers and employees? People live with lies and
deceit every day, and this very thing contributes mightily to the daily stress
of life. Lies hurt relationships and cause people to be agitated and angry at
one another. A lies will cause a person
to commit murder. Brothers cannot get
along because of lies. One tells a lie
and the other is never given a chance to defend himself. Lies, lies how much stress is added to other
areas of your life because of lies? Lies
are like photos on the internet once introduced, they become public domain and
impossible to remove.
What about relationships in families and the
home, with children and parents, and between neighbors, friends or relatives?
The list is endless, but we simply don’t stop to consider how such a thing
impacts everyday life. The consequences are enormous and far greater than
anyone can imagine. So how long has it been since you were lied to by someone?
How many minutes has it been? How long has it been since you repeated a lie
told to you by someone of a vindictive nature?
Religion Is the Worst Offender, Religion is the greatest culprit of all when
it comes to lying and deceit. You need to know why! It's about money, the selling of hope. The church teaches you to pray for all of the
worldly excesses, and many are reveling in their fairy-tale misrepresentation
of God. It is for this very reason that
this earth is about to suffer more than it has at any other time in history.
Religion has had a devastating impact on people in all nations of the world.
The clash of lying religions is about to erupt on a worldwide scale that will
affect every person on earth. Why is this, and how is such a thing possible? The Book of Revelation paints a bleak picture
of the church and the conditions of the world.
Judgment is imminent, and no amount
of praying is going to prevent God's judgment from being poured out upon the wicked.
Generations may come and go, but
the chronic problems persist. Lack of
faith or a test of faith has been around for a long time. Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus spoke a
parable that illustrated our need to have and practice a living faith. He described a widow who was having a
difficult time obtaining justice. She
persevered in her quest for righteous judgement, however, and eventually the
judge decided to help her because he grew weary of her constant pleadings (Luke
18:1-5). Jesus used this example to draw
from everyday life to illustrate God's promise to intervene on the behalf of
people of faith. Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which
cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Now I have used a segment from
the Book of Luke to demonstrate that God has promised to deliver people of
faith. This chapter these verses make
for a good Sunday morning message of, "God will deliver you." To some who is suffering from life's
situations, these verses do not provide the substance needed to grow their faith,
no matter how it is sermonized. I once asked a seasoned minister to reconcile
the statement of Jesus in Luke 18:1-5 and the events spoken of in Acts
7:58-60 and they cast him out of the
city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of
a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and
saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a
loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this,
he fell asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment