The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #7

  The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

Should A Woman Preach?

As I listen to several Bible students discuss whether a woman should teach in the church or not became an eye opening experience. The consensus ran from a "flat no", "some things are acceptable" to a full yes".  For many years, this has been a hot topic because in most denominations, women were delegated to the position of "bench-warmers" when it came to the affairs of worship. In some churches, women were allowed to hold the position of missionaries. Missionaries were equivalent to a preacher, but not equal to a preacher, they were to be ruled over by the preacher and they were allowed to bring 'messages' (sermons) as long as they stayed out of the pulpit area. 

The doctrine of women submission is based upon 1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. As one preacher who said he spoke under the direction of God, "God said it and that's what he meant, no discussion on the matter."  Yet, in todays church culture women are beginning to demand their place as an active member of the church and in many cases co-pastors or church leaders.  

I, (a colloquial expression) grew up in the church during the period of women submission. Women were required to be silent and the church, yet they taught Sunday School and took part in worship service activities. They did everything from the floor and never from the pulpit. They could teach, but they were not allowed to whoop and howl, to do this would be acting like a man. For me as well as many other people this became a lesson in confusion.  Paul had explicitly stated that a woman should be silent in the church or had he?

Another group emerged, where their women were forced to wear head coverings when they entered the sanctuary. It was shameful and unholy for a woman to expose anything that reflected her beauty when in the House of God. For women, even open toe shoes were a 'no no'. Women were subjected to extreme dress codes when entering the church, but this is another discussion.  

1 Timothy 2:9-13  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;  But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

After listening to the discussion by the learned men of the 'Word', on whether or not a woman could preach, I concluded that Paul must have been suffering from a mental breakdown when he wrote to Timothy or there is something in his message we are overlooking. Needless to say, no one was impressed by my supposition that Paul may have suffered a mental breakdown, I was not even asked to defend my position. To read Paul's statement and apply it to the church is another lesson in confusion. 

My reasons for making such a crass statement was that Paul used women in his ministry, and often spoke of them.  Now I am not going to use tunnel vision and quote a 'bucket full of scriptures' to convince you onr way or the other, but I will give you enough evidence to make you want to study this subject so that you will be able to rightly divide the Word of truth. Understanding the Word of God requires that you preform according to 2 Timothy 2:15,  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  Indoctrination has no place in "Understanding the Word of God".   Also, we must remember that to truly understand God Word we must not surgical remove a word or idea from a verse and make it the basis of our dissertation.  Perspective and context is important to understanding the message.  To gain the proper perspective and context, let's look at the "Works" of Paul  and lastly the "Works" of God.  

Phoebe is officially recommended and endorsed in the position of "deacon" or "minister"  by Paul.  The word used is in the masculine form and is the same word used in 1 Cor. 3:5 when the Apostle Paul speaks of himself and of Apollos, and in 1 Tim. 4:6 of Timothy. There are no grounds, then to distinguish between her and the male ministers. She was a minister in the church of Cenchreae. Paul asked the Christians at Rome to welcome her as a minister, which indicates that her ministry extended beyond her own congregation. She is described as being a help to many, therefore, her ministry was fruitful. Paul states that she was of great assistance to him. It is likely that she was carrying Paul's letter to the Romans.  

Prisca or Priscilla (Romans16:3-5) was in ministry along with her husband Aquila. They are called fellow-workers, a term of equality elsewhere used of Paul and Apollos (1Cor. 3:9). When the couple is mentioned in writing, the Priscilla's name is listed first, indicating that she may have been the leader of the two.

Other women mentioned in Romans 16 who served as co-laborers in Paul's ministry were Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus, Persis, Julia, and the sister of Nereus. The Acts of the Apostles records the ministries of Dorcas, Lydia, and the four daughters of Phillip who prophesied or preached. The Apostle Paul clearly utilized women's God-given leadership skills and gifts for ministry.   The apostolic church was very relevant to the women in that it gave them unparalleled freedom and released them from centuries of cultural oppression. That is why women were so extensively and intensively involved in the life of the apostolic church. 

With the examples of women who served with Paul in leading the developing churches, why would he say that he did not permit women to teach or have authority over men in 1 Timothy 2? Or, how could the same person who wrote words of gratitude to eight or nine women in his Roman's letter, say so emphatically in the letter to the Corinthian church that women were to be silent in the churches and were not allowed to speak (1 Cor. 14:34)? Either Paul was the victim of a personality disorder or there is more than meets the eye in these several short verses of biblical text.  That is the key to understanding this scripture.

My learned colleague based his sermon upon the fact that Mirian acted under the leadership of Moses and Aaron in the Old Testiment.  Yet, when God appointed judges to lead his children, he chose Deborah.  She ranks among the most famous women of the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament. Not only known for her wisdom, Deborah was also known for her courage. She even led the Children of Israel during a successful military engagement.  She is the only woman of the Hebrew Bible who gained renown on her own merit, not because of her relationship to a man.   Who was Deborah?

Deborah was one of the rulers of the Israelites prior to the monarchy period that began with Saul (circa 1047 B.C.). These rulers were called "judges," an office that traced back to a time when Moses appointed assistants to help him resolve disputes among the Hebrews (Exodus 18). Their practice was to seek guidance from God through prayer and meditation before making a ruling. Therefore, many of the judges also were considered prophets who spoke "a word from the Lord."

Now why would Paul make a statement that seems to be contradictory to his actions?  Maybe he didn't, maybe it is how we are looking at what he said.  Context is important to understanding what is said in any message.  The answer lies in, Who was talking, Who was he talking to, and what was the issue he was addressing.  

Consider the facts, if there was a particular problem in this church, and this is the way he chose to get things under control. How do we without understanding the problem that was being addressed come to terms with a statement such as this?  Romans 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  When we consider the lifestyle  of people Paul was addressing the message become clear, but if we apply that same message to the church today we create a confusing situation.  

We should not take an isolated social issue, use a few proof texts and make them say what we wants them to say, disregarding all previous principles, works and moral imperatives that have already been laid down. Psalm 119:160 declares, "The sum of Thy word is truth." As it relates to our issue, all biblical teaching in the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles tell of woman's place before and after the Fall. They show how God accepted, released, and anointed women, thereby reaffirming His plan for equality. To isolate and interpret Paul's writings for what they appear to be saying would negate all that the Scriptures have shown and taught previously which we simply do not have the liberty to do.

I Don't Go To Church Like I Should.

Why I Don't Go To Church Like I Should.

Revelation 2:14-15  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

The Bible itself does not define Nicolaitanism.  Revelation 2:6  declares, "But this you [the Ephesian church] have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Jesus later says to the Pergamos church, "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (verse 15). While these verses provide no definition, they tell us three things:

1. Nicolaitanism is a belief system, like a religion or a philosophy.

2. Nicolaitanism results in ungodly behavior.

3. Christ hates it vehemently.

What is this thing about the church that Jesus issued such a strong indictment?  There were no words of love poured out, he simply said, "...I hate."  If Jesus hated this doctrine we ought to explore the deeds of the Nicolaitans to see what role (it) they play in the church today. 

In this age of the Internet and Google, it is easy to research the meaning and the philosophy of the Nicolaitans.  Yet, there are those who wish to uphold their indoctrinated views of Christianity will maintain that there is a difference in the scripture meaning of the word hate and the dictionary meaning of the word.  This is like saying there is a difference in day rain and the night rain.  There are those who will defend these practices  and there will be those who are appalled.  The consensus of Christianity and religion seems to be that you lay aside all values of common sense and accept whatever you are being told.  

Nicolaitanism can be defined as the belief and practice of hierarchical government, the scapegoat for all the church's problems, with an emphasis on tithing and using a paid ministry. This definition derives from the meaning of the word Nicholas from Greek: "conqueror of the people" (Balaam in Hebrew has a similar meaning). Since Jesus named things what they are, the title "Nicolaitan" must therefore refer to a practice of abusive and dictatorial government and administration, which they assumed to be hierarchical, and Jesus said,"I hate that thing."  Many new churches are formed with the intent of passing them on to the pastor's son or members of his family.

To condemn a church as Jesus did in the Book of Revelation would bring about strong condemnation under Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged.  In todays politically correct society true ministers of God must refrain from delivering the message as Jesus did, or they will be guilty of spreading hate.  Imagine a preacher in the pulpit of the church screaming, “O ye generation of vipers, I am warning you.”  The reaction of the church would be based upon the denomination of the church, the members would either leave or shut the preacher down.  

Think of the church in its truest form, not as a building, but as a member of the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, a body that consists of many members all working together.  Now remove the rose colored blinders and take a look at the church of today.  What do you see?  If you are honest with yourself and not looking through indoctrinated and blinded eyes, you  might be shocked at what you see.   A mass of people struggling for positions the same as James and John, when their mother encouraged them approach Jesus.   

The churches, or God's people through excessive greed and manipulation has allowed themselves to become the platform of many useless and senseless arguments. Worship services have been transformed into self-serving acts and platitudes.  Pious and vague acclimations are made as to what God can do or what God is doing as if this is a definitive act of God.   God is now working things out in our favor and Heaven is that place where we sprout angel wings and fly off to when we die.  We have bought into the TV version, a sellable form of God and MLM is seeing its finest hour.   Is any of this scriptural?  This world is not getting any better.  Our young people are killing each other and the pious few claim God is directing the show.  The message should not be about prosperity, the message should be about judgment. 

Often heard in the church and over the internet, "You can't judge me, only God can judge me, the Bible says, Judge not." The thought presented in Matthew 7:1 must remain in the context of the entire paragraph.  To surgically dissect the Holy Scripture to form a message for the purpose of constructing a cute sound bite is destructive to the intended message.  Yet another scripture is overlooked because  it provides the basis for us to render judgment, John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.  Try reading both of those verses together under todays interpretations, under several different garden varieties of Christian beliefs and your thought process will  become a muddled, convoluted and polluted mess.   The question remains, what did the Bible say, did it say don't judge anybody or did it say judge righteous judgment?

I just don't go to church like I should. To make the statement that way indicates that it worries me somewhat. What worries me most is what once was sacred has now been turned into a "game" of some sort. The pretentious nature that is alluring from the pulpit and radiates throughout the congregations often leaves the faith of those who are searching for a true relationship with my God in doubt. The proliferation of the Word of God, the play acting, the Hollywood scripted messages and the cute cliches is not drawing people closer to God. God once was an unchangeable God and preaching and worship services represented a close encounter with God. Now it is more about play acting, performing, indoctrination and getting together to achieve an emotional high or get our praise on.   Church is about getting people to come to church the same as we do for football games and nightclubs.  Bringing the nightclub atmosphere into the church is supposed to be the new wave method of attracting young people into the church.  To survive, todays churches must increase the bottom line by drawing more people into their organization. 

The question we should be asking ourselves is, what is all of this doing to advance the Christian relationship?  What are we doing that will make us better fitted for the Kingdom of God?  The provincial gate has been left open and wolves have come in among the flock. Wolves as depicted in the Bible do not search the scripture and study, they are looking for what they can get.  As with the children of Israel at the base of the Holy Mountain we are so busy talking about what God has done, is doing, and dancing a prancing, that we have overlooked an important part of God word.  They began to claim the golden calf had delivered them. Money has become our golden calf,  more money is promised, we pray God's blessings upon our money, we even ask God for more money.  We marry for money and we kill for money.  Some even throw money at the feet of the preacher the same as done in the strip joints, in search of special favor from the dancer.  No thought is given to Exodus 20:3,  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  The entertainment stars want money, the preachers want money, then in today's society, everything is about power, entertainment, and  money.  God is a reference and not the driving force of many churches.  The bible say, "...leaders have caused my people to err."  

My first encounter with a man of the cloth was at the impressionable age of sixteen, he led me down a path of strong drinks and prostitutes. Not to say I didn't enjoy the trip, but when I once tried to say something about it, the Bible was used to suppress my guilt. I was led to believe that if I said something about this abnormal behavior of a preacher,  God would strike me down. (I Samuel 26:11). Even today too many of those that claim to have the calling of God on their lives are getting away with crimes against the people of God while they hide behind a cloak of righteousness perpetrate by a rock star mentality, shaping the scripture and lying on God.

1 John 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  Speak out against an evil thing and you are judging. Speak out against the evilness of a preacher and you are told, the Bibles says, "touch not my anointed."   We ought to be careful not to shape the scripture to justify our own shortcomings. Much of what, "the bible says", the bible did not say. Now, It is wrong for me to say 'you are wrong' because to do so I would be judging you.  No thought is given to John 7:24, Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.  It is wrong for me to say respect me in my own house or leave, because I would be guilty of kicking you out of my house.  It is wrong to have an agenda, because everyone is entitled to their own belief.  If we open our eyes to the true Word of God, it would become easy to see how we have turned this world and the bible into a polluted mess and I am no more comfortable blaming the mess we have created on the God.  

The atmosphere of the church has changed, the proliferation of the Word of God has allowed for the emergence of rulers not shepherds, being placed over God’s people.   This was a thing that Jesus said he hated.  If one tries to justify living a saved life without going to the local church, a message of condemnation is issued based upon Paul’s message to the apostate Jewish congregation.  Romans 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?   But, what are we to do when the church became a victim of its own deceit, and began to engage in an apostate and false religion?  What are we to do when a mortal man becomes the focus of our worship?  Jesus’s final message was not to the church or the leaders of the church, but to any man (woman), the overcomer.  Revelation 3:20-22  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him (not them) that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.  ( I delivered this message to the churches, but it is up to every man to hear this message and repent.)

Even today God is speaking to the churches, not that fancy building that styles itself as the house of God, but God is speaking to that Church that dwells within our spirit.  If Jesus was coming back to claim that church down the street, imagine the confusion that would erupt when the Baptist and the Catholics, separated for hundreds of years were merged together.   The church needs to be regenerated within our hearts as we go out into the world, and we need to take the church to church. 

Religious Indoctrination

Religious Indoctrination

Vs

Bible Study

A common expression that seems to have taken the church by storm is the phrase, "touch your neighbor and tell them".  What usually follows is a word or phrase that the speaker wish to plant in the subconscious of the listener.   This is defined as indoctrination in its most subtle form.

Bible study is to acquire knowledge on a subject. To fix the mind closely upon a subject; to dwell upon the subject in thought; to muse; to ponder.  No knowledge is implanted during the indoctrination process only an idea or concept  whose fruition is brought about by the hearer's desire to achieve the promised results. Indoctrination is effective in the military, especially when the desired effect is to get individuals to think and work together as a common group.   Part of the indoctrination process of soldiers is they are trained not to think as individuals, but to think as a group.

The technique of indoctrination has come full circle within the church, it has become an integral part of delivering an effective message.   In today's society, religious bodies and destructive cults use countless techniques to get its members to stay, commit themselves and take part in activities. The sum of these techniques constitutes what some people call "mind control." In the church it is known as "thought reform".   "Brainwashing" and "coercive persuasion" also comes into play and it involves the systematic breakdown of a person's will and replacing it with that of the speaker, group or organization.

Bible study allows a reader to ponder and search for answers, seeking outside direction and formulating an answer or a conclusion within his own mind based upon the knowledge ascertained.  This is the will of God.

The original concept of religious indoctrination referred to a process of imparting doctrine in an authoritative way, as in catechism. Most religious groups would instruct new members in the principles of the religion; that was based upon an overall view of the Bible.  The freedom of choice was not mitigated.  These instructions were not usually referred to as indoctrination by the religions themselves, in part because of the negative connotations the word had acquired. 

Religious indoctrination is not based upon scripture beliefs, nor does it requires a degree of faith. Indoctrination works because of a person's desire to be a part of a group or process.   Indoctrination has its place within a secular society and is an effective tool when used by motivational speakers.  When used in a spiritual setting indoctrination is destructive to the faith in God.  One of the earlier forms of indoctrination in the church was to preface the message with, "God said", or "God spoke to me."  The next step is to offer something Once you have established yourself as the messenger of God, no God fearing church member was going to stand up and say, "God didn't say that." This ploy has been used to separate many financial handicapped people from their last dollar because they believed they were acting according to God's will.   The ploy that never ceases to amaze the struggling Christian is when the preacher or missionary under the suppose anointing of God prophesies, "there is somebody in here that have a backache or headache and the Lord say come up here and get your healing."  Even in a crowd of a few this has proven to be an impressive act that even a drunk could pull of.  These acts are self-serving and is the root cause many people 'run' from the church.

Religious indoctrination is successful because it plays upon the gullibility of the religious mentality.  It is hard for a Christian to believe that a person would lie, especially in the church and concerning matters of God. Yet it is true, and some of the greatest lies are told in the church.  

Last Sunday a powerful message from God was delivered, according to the speaker.  The Bible verse was Deuteronomy 11:14,  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.  The verse was read with deliberate pauses and reflections, and at the end of the reading the congregation was instructed to look at your neighbor and tell them, "This is my season."  No consideration was given to, who was talking, who was being talked to and what was the situation being addressed.  The indoctrination is effective if the listener can believe that good things are about to happen to them.  It was in the Bible and the congregation was asked to look at somebody and tell them, "This is your season."  They then was instructed to look up to Heaven and tell God, "Lord, send on the rain."

 The next verse that was read was Psalms 119:58  I entreated thy favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.  The indoctrination catechism was repeated for the key word "favor"  Now an emotional high engulf the listener, for this is their season of favor. Common sense, walked out of the door as the price of God's favors was outlined.

A young lady operating in her season of favor went to a car dealer and successful negotiated a high interest car loan and testified of the favors of God, while a person that we will refer to as a sinner was able to negotiate a loan at a very low interest rate.

To spiritualize and personalize the Word of God and attempt to apply it to all of life's situations is a blatant act of trivializing the Word of God and making it non-effect.

The Bible opens with the words, "In the beginning..." and ends with the book of Revelation which details God's promise of judgment.  The Bible depicts God's interaction with his creation.  The Bible tells what has happened, what is happening and what is going to happen.  

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1 Corinthians 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

A Forsaken Church

A Forsaken Church.

Revelation 3:14-22

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:

If we truly believed in the Bible, we would accept the Book of Revelation as the testimony of Jesus Christ, a message to the churches. This is a profound statement in itself because many religious groups no longer include the Book of Revelation in their Bible study. One reason being, this book does not present a picture of smiling masses, "dancing and prancing in the sunshine" and enjoying the sellable attributes of blessing and favor of God. The Book of Revelation depicts a time of great turmoil and Judgment It does not present the fodder for a motivational and spiritual uplifting message filled with earthly blessing that so many of us are in search.   The Book of Revelation addresses a church or organism in its final state of apathy.  The church of the Laodiceans as depicted in the Book of Revelation possessed no spiritual value, it was a church that gloried in its earthly possessions.  

Usually when I attempt to deliver a lecture on the fallibility of the church there is an attempt to dilute the message by one group that says, the church is not an organization, it is an organism.  Now the stage is set for one group to say, "He knows what he is talking about", and another group to say, "He don't know what he is talking about."   The church as defined in the Greek language is an assembly that makes up the Body or Bride of Jesus Christ.  The English interpretation provided the latitude to convert an organism into an organization.  As we well know an organization can have many different independent branches, but a body or organism cannot survive with independent branches.   The major question we should be asking is the church has morphed into an organization, how will all of this be reconciled with the Kingdom of God?

The emergence of new doctrines based upon sculptured biblical verses, surgically removed from the context in which they were spoken has allowed for the proliferation of the word of God at an alarming rate.  This type of broad interpretation allows for ministers to contradict each while each claiming to have a fresh new message from God.   There is a definite question that the indoctrinated few need to address.  As long as this question is not addressed and the knowledge of good and evil continue to increase, Christianity will find itself to be a victim of its own irrationality acts.

When asked about the Book of Revelation, the religious elite will quickly respond that it is a dated Book and John was writing to the churches that existed in his lifetime. Some even have the audacity to question the veracity of the Book, indicating that it should not have been included in the Holy Scripture.   Yet, to the simplest mind, Revelation is Jesus message to the churches and it gives us a chronological view of the church from conception to its final moments here on earth.   The acceptance of the symbolic and simple message of Revelation is often contradictive to the amplified view of man's perceived purpose and his idea of the final conclusion of things.  Revelation presents a view of Heaven that is different from many excepted ideas of Heaven.  

In the beginning of the Book of Revelation, Jesus addressed his message to the seven churches. The English word is church, in the Greek it reference a group or assembly.  Here again, we can spend a great amount of time to no avail debating the relevancy of the use of the word, "church".  It is easy to disregard these letters based upon the fact that these churches no longer exist. If we apply the symbology of the Bible, seven being God's number of completion, we would readily see that the seven churches represent the churches throughout the church age. The question that we should seek to answer through Bible Study, is what church age are we living in today?

Careful documentation has shown the progression of the church as an organism, the body of Christ, down through the ages.  The most adherent students of the Bible will conclude that the church as a body has split into many different organizations.  What was documented in the Greek has been amplified in the English forming many different organizations that lack the possibility of forming a cohesive body in Heaven or on Earth.  Thus the church as we know it today is a contradiction in its self.  Many religious scholars have concluded that we are living in the age of the church of the Laodiceans., the seventh church age. 

Revelation 3:14-22 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 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: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

At this juncture, I like it invoke the story of, "The Emperor's New Clothes". it is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"   It was not because they were blind that they allowed themselves to be deceived.  They were more concern about being looked upon favorably by their peers.  It was their desire to be a part of the organization.  Those that were close to the Emperor did not want to appear unfit for their position.  Too often, in the church we are willing to go along with anything as long as someone says, "God said it."

In the news, natural disasters are raging, fires, storms, mudslides and even the seas are casting it did upon the beaches worldwide.  Our national leaders have instituted programs that are leading the world down a path of moral decay.  Mass murder and suicide are a steady diet in the news media.   New churches are being built, new ministers are coming forward and more people are said to be praying than ever before, and God is not answering these prayers.  Like the little boy said about the emperor, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"   Like Jesus said to the church, "... and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: "

The foundation of the church and the Bible is becoming more and more divided. The foundation of most  ministries is how to get stuff from God.   The foundation of the Bible is the preparation for the return of Jesus and the establishment of his Kingdom.  The individual church as an organization attempt to establish itself as a sacred institution of God, yet it fails to adhere to the rules and regulations set by God.  One person in set up as the supreme ruler of God's people, a thing Jesus frown upon is the preferred order.  Men setting themselves up as rulers of God people is a travesty.  Revelation 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Often there are organizations within a church organization whose sole purpose is to collect money for another group higher up the pyramid.  The blessing and favors, the tools of indoctrination are used and no one dare question it.   How many people have the gall to openly state, "I ask God for a car and he didn't give it to me?"  In a pyramid scheme the individual that fail to reap the promises of the group will often blame themselves.

In a pyramid scheme, an organization or church compels individuals to make a payment and join. In exchange, the organization promises its new members a return on its money through favors and blessings. The directors of the organization or the head of the churches (those at the top of the pyramid) also receive a share of these payments. For the directors, the scheme is potentially lucrative -- whether or not they do any work, the organization's membership has a strong incentive to continue recruiting and funneling money to the top of the pyramid.  This is defined as the blessing of God.

Such organizations seldom involve sales of products or services with real value. Without creating any goods or services, the only ways for a pyramid scheme to generate revenue are to recruit more members or solicit more money from current members. Eventually, recruiting is no longer possible and the plurality of members is unable to profit from the scheme, thus the organization collapses.

My God, My God Have You Forsaken Us

Earl Gillespie

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Us

There have been times when I have prayed and prayed for God to do something for me, I have cried and cried, God will you just speak to me.  In the midst of my struggle, in the midst of my pain it seems as if God was silent.  I went to my brother, I asked my mother, I read the Holy scripture, I was assured that God was always there, but to me God was silent.  The message from the pulpit was, "God love you."  Knowing all of this did nothing to alleviate my condition of anxiety, nor did it address any of the issues that I was facing.

 There are moments when the storm is raging I am compelled to cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me".  I wonder if there is anybody who can relate to what I am talking about.   But when the storm has all but subsided and in the midst of death and destruction there is always the testimonies  of those who survived will proclaim that God has not forsaken us yet.   Somehow, sometime it is a little hard for me to reach out and wrap my mortal sense of thinking around that concept.

Yet, to be forsaken by God is an idea or a concept that we as Christians do not wish to entertain, but when Jesus was hanging on the cross, he was reported by Matthew and Mark as quoting from Psalm 22:1.  My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  A simple statement, Jesus, nor David said, "I feel like you have forsaken me."  Modern Thelogicians interpret this as a moment of weakness of the flesh that caused Jesus to ask why had God forsaken him thus to many it become explainable in the context of the frailty of the natural man.  The question was first asked by David and later asked by Jesus himself seems to indicate that it is possible in the context of Job that God will forsake us for a reason and a season.  

To acknowledge the feeling of being forsaken by God is not acceptable in today's religious arena.  We are indoctrinated to feel that God is always working with us every step of our journey.  To those that escaped the storm God worked a miracle, but to those that are close to those who perished the consolation is, God knew what he was doing.  Following this line of indoctrination  has caused many to become frustrated  and run from the established religious order.   Cute cliches will no longer sustain the faith.  We might be better off looking at examples of our faith, Jesus Christ, the apostles,  Stephen, Paul and many others.  They all preached the Gospel of the Cross, of Jesus suffering and dying, of his resurrection and ascension.  All of these men, according to the scripture was full of faith, and did great miracles among the people.

Dottie Peoples rendition of, When God is silent", a song that was shunned by some religious entities, served as a pillow of support when I was struggling, she said, when God is silent, he is giving us more time to pray. This did not settle my questions and problems, but it was a start in the right direction.  In the words of the song, it was an acknowledgment that God was silent.  If we look closely at the scripture, there are many periods of time when God was silent.  According to my learned friend there is a four hundred year period of time between the prophecies of the Old testament prophecies and the fulfillment of the prophecies when God was silent.  Yes, he was silent, but he was listening.

 If we step backward in time, Exodus 12:40  Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.  During the time of their sequester they prayed for deliverance.   No stretch of the imagination is required to know that during that time there were false messages going out, each one claiming to have a fresh new message from God.  Stepping forward to Jesus time, he warned his followers to be aware of the false prophets.

The Gospel of the Church has superseded the Gospel of the Cross.  The Gospel of the Church caters to a person in search of instant gratification.  We go to the supermarket to get our groceries, we go to church to get our blessings, in each instant we want to get what we came for and get on our way.  Fast food restaurants are doing a booming business,  we are not conditioned or indoctrinated to standing in line, at best we  prefer to drive up to the window and have it our way.  Now imagine the children of Isreal, God's chosen people begging and pleading in the slime pits of Egypt, "Lord send a deliverance".  Four hundred and thirty years passed before God honored his promise to Joseph concerning his chosen people.

Now lets look at the forty years they spent wandering in the wilderness, God was speaking but he was not delivering.  They were wandering or (lost) because they had sinned.  It is interesting to note that only two of the original cast finally entered into the promise land.  The rest  (forsaken by God) died waiting for the fulfillment of the promise.

The progress of Christianity has introduced what is known as a "God culture", God is hanging around to hand out blessings. Preachers preach all you got to do is step up and claim your blessings.  There is a constant clamor to claim a blessing from God.  Some even become belligerent and demand, "I want my blessing." There are those who are selling the concept that everything that happen God has some ulterior motive or purpose.   This is a sellable attribute of the church.   There is possible much truth in this, but we must acknowledge that much of our suffering is caused by our own action and it is not the design of God.  It was not the design of God for the child of Israel to wander in the wilderness forty years, it was the result of sinning against God.   If you can tell me how to get something for nothing, then I am interested, we will pay money for that information. 

On any given Sunday there are thousands of messages emulating from the pulpit, many claim to be a fresh word from God and many of these messages are conflicting with the true Word of God.  These messages promise wealth and happiness and in return they ask for a financial donation.  New churches are being built and  the so-called word of God is spreading.  According to the social media more people are praying and God is speaking more than he has ever done in any generation.  The masses are even paying good money to hear the Word of God.

In my struggle to hear God speak, I realized that to reap the benefits of knowing God, I do not need to hear God speak, he has already spoken.  To see God, why should I pray for a vision when all I have to do is open my eyes and see him all around me.  When the Stephen was being stoned to death God.  Wouldn't it have been nice if he had gotten a message from God saying they will not be able to lift their hands or stand against you?   Maybe our desire to hear God speak has more to do with our faith in God, rather than receiving a new message from God.  Maybe there is no fresh or new message from God, maybe God is just waiting and everything is proceeding according to the Book of Revelation.  The time of Judgment is at hand.

Election, Predestination and Salvation, Part #2

Earl Gillespie

The Election of God
Doctrine Freedom of the Will
Part #2

The "Doctrine of Election" is taught in the Scriptures, and that it applies not only to "service," but to "salvation."  The Doctrine of Election  means that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be lost, yet this is not acceptable to many as they teach that the Scriptures clearly state that all men are lost. "For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Roman 3:22-23.  Does the use of this verse and the above statement present an accurate representation of the truth or does this present an irreconcilable difference in the interpretation of the scripture? Paul says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  He did not say, we all are lost.  Moses and David were elected by God to serve a particular purpose in the establishment of his Kingdom, yet they sinned.  

Based upon a particular and pointed interpretation, there are  many irreconcilable differences in the scripture, such as the age of the earth, the creation of the different races, or even what day of the week Jesus was crucified, just to name a few.   During the season of Easter the question is often revisited,  "If Jesus was buried on Friday and resurrected on Sunday, how is that three days?"   The increase in the knowledge of good and evil causes man to question, even his creation.  Many are able to base their beliefs upon one segment of the scripture which is a contradiction in itself, then there are Bible students who have stepped away from the indoctrinated views and are seeking to find a deeper understanding of God and his Word. 

It is undeniable, The Election of God is seen all through the Scriptures. God chose Abel instead of Cain, Shem instead of Ham and Japheth, Abraham rather than Nahor, Jacob, the trickster rather than Esau the generous-hearted, Ephraim the younger is preferred before Manasseh the elder, and so all down through the Old Testament we see the selecting hand of God, not only in the choice of individuals but of kings and nations. As proof texts we have "For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Romans 9:15-16. "Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth." Romans 9:18. As a young child in Bible Study  I was well aware that Pharoah was ready to give up the fight, but God said to Moses, "I will harden his heart."  "Hash not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" Romans 9:21. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." John 15:16.   

Simply put, the “elect of God” are those whom God has predestined to salvation. They are called the “elect” because that word denotes the concept of choosing.  From these scriptures we see that God has "elected"  a group of people even before the foundation of the world. Some were selected for salvation and some were cast aside.  This concept does not set well within the church and it very well shouldn't as we will attempt to explain later.  The concept of God's chosen people is first found in the Old Testament. God chose Israel as His special people. "And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power" (Deuteronomy 4:37). "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6 // Deuteronomy 14:2).  Now for a point to ponder, Paul was not chosen because he was actively seeking repentance for the deeds he was doing, he was elected to be a spokesperson for Jesus.   If we rephrase the statement made in the opening of this paragraph to say the elect of God is those whom God are predestined to fulfill a specific purpose in the  in the Kingdom, a window of illumination should appear.   In the makeup of a Kingdom there are many different positions, some are selected, some elected and some are filled based upon a person's desire to be of service to the Kingdom.  

Now, on the other hand, we have the "Doctrine Freedom of the Will" as taught by the church.  "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." John 5:40. The last call of the Bible is a general call. "And the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the bride (the Church) say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.  Jesus final message to the church in the Book of Revelation was, “whosoever will let him come.  

How are we to reconcile these seemly apparently contradictory statements of Scripture?  First lets establish a few guidelines, without these guidelines our dissertation will digress into nothing more than an overworked fairy tale. There are many different groups mention within the Bible, angels and demons, the Jews, the Gentiles and the church.  Of these groups, some are earthly bodies and some are spiritual bodies, the church is a spiritual body.  Problems have arisen because the existing church as a spiritual body on a natural plateau became overly possessive and began to claim the blessings of Abraham.  The blessings of Abraham are earthly blessings never intended for the church. If the church, the bride of Christ is a spiritual body, then it blessing are of a spiritual nature.  Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:32  teaches us that we should, "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:" These three groups are mention in one statement or verse, indicating that they are separate entities and each having their own special makeup, they must remain separate, one does not supersede the other.   The church is the 'Bride of Christ', the Jews will forever remain the 'Bride of the Father', who for the present he has divorced.

What would happen if we began to shape the scripture so that the directives that applied to the children of Israel applied to the church, or even the gentiles?  We would have a polluted and non-sustainable gospel.   In the beginning of Jesus ministry, the disciples were cautioned not to go into the way of the Gentiles.  As with the teaching in parables, he was being selective in his message.  Prior to the formation of the church, the message of the Kingdom was to the Jews only.  The church, the bride of Christ, did not replace the Jews.  The church, or the 'Saints of God' have a special mission as the Holy angels of God.  


The second step to reconciling the perceived difference in the scripture is that we must be aware of the difference between ages and dispensations within the Holy Scripture.  We also  must be conscious of who is talking, what is being talked about and who is being spoken to. Whether it is a message to the Jews, a message to the Gentiles, or a message to the Jews and the Gentiles which make up the church.  In most instances the message is different.  In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul admonition is, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."   To claim the message to Moses is a message to the church the scripture is quoted, Matthew 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.   It is easy for the pious elite to preach that this mean we must do everything that is written in the Bible, yet even the presentation is a contradiction and violation of the established order set forth by God in the Old Testament.  Paul explained it this way in 2 Timothy 3:16,  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The third step is understanding the concept of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven or just plain simple Heaven.  To simplify I will just use the word Kingdom, Jesus often spoke of the Kingdom, indicating that it was his intent to establish his Father's Kingdom here on earth.  The watered down concept of Jesus coming back is,”I just want to be ready when he come” does not speak to the makeup of the Kingdom.  The watered down version of Heaven is a cloud hopping, sprouting angel wings, sitting on a cloud concept that has regressed to the beliveability of a good fairy tale.   It is the place that we want to go, but life here on earth is so much better. 

Remember James and John come to Jesus with a special request?  Mark 10:36-40  And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?  They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory (Kingdom). But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.  Those that it was predestinated even before the world began.  

The kingdom of God does not appear as a peripheral topic in Scripture.  Both testaments speak of God’s kingdom. Students of Scripture must be taught and understand the kingdom in order to properly apply its truths and understand its implications. Too often the readers of Scripture, and many churches in  particular, tend to limit the topic of the kingdom of God into a discussion merely of the earthly Messianic kingdom of one thousand years duration. In the same fashion, the discussion, too often addresses the matter of the future land of Israel alone. On the other hand, many pastors and church members automatically assume that the kingdom of God refers only to greater spiritual realities with reference to salvation and either ignores or deny outright the reality of a literal and an earthly kingdom being established here on earth.  

Next

Part #3

Doctrine Freedom of the Will and  Foreknowledge'

Election, Predestination and Salvation, Part #1

Earl Gillespie

A Study of Election, Free Will, Predestination and Salvation
Part #1
Introduction

My mother was a great encouragement to me to study and restudy the word of God.  I remember one morning at the breakfast table, she asked me, " Why did Jesus often speak in parables?"  I quickly responded with a cliche that I had heard from my youth. "Jesus spoke in parables to make his message so plain that even a farmer could understand it." "That's what I thought and taught for many years", she said.  She suggested I read Matthew 13:10-13  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  

I then read Mark 4:11-12,   And he said to them, To you is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to them who are without, all things are done in parables, that beholding they may behold and not see, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest it may be, they should be converted and they should be forgiven.  What began to come clear was some was selected to hear and understand the parable and some was not.

Such has been the dispensation of divine truth in all ages of the world, that the higher spiritualities of religion, though accessible to all who really seek them, are covered by a veil from the open gaze of the profane. It is so down to the present hour. Many listen to the preaching of the gospel all their life, to whose minds any actual conception of the nature of redemption from sin, by the Son of God, never penetrates. Divine Providence seems designedly so to arrange the dispensation of truth, that, seeing, sinners may, if they choose, not see, and hearing, not hear.  Thus, it seems as if some were selected to hear and some are not.

In Luke 8:10  And he said, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

That seeing they might not see, that is, that while enough is exhibited to them to invite their attention, they may still be left at liberty to shut their eyes to the truth, if they choose. There is nothing more striking in the government of God, than the reserve in the communication of religious truth, which seems to have marked the divine administration in all ages of the world. The higher spiritualities of religion are not forced upon the attention of unwilling minds; there is a veil which conceals the sacred interior from all, excepting those who find in their hearts an honest desire to know and do the will of God, which leads them in.

One of the things that stood out clearly was that Jesus was not using parables to open up their understanding, he was teaching in such a manner that, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given..."   And interesting context should be applied here, was Jesus promoting the message or was he cloaking the message?   Validating the subject of this blog, it seems as if some was selected or "elected" to hear, see and understand and some were not. Considering both possibilities allowed for my mother and I to hold many spirited discussions. 

In her final days her mind would sometimes play tricks with her, in the middle of her conversation she would begin quoting segments of Matthew 7:13-14  Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.  She would conclude by saying, "I just want to make it in."

Let us take a closer look at her favorite verses; Verse 13. Enter ye in at the strait gate. Christ here compares the way to life to an entrance through a gate. The words straight, and strait, have very different meanings. The former means not crooked; the latter pent up, narrow, difficult to be entered. This is the word used here, and it means that the way to heaven is pent up, narrow, close, and not obviously entered. The way to death is open, broad, and thronged. The Saviour here referred probably to ancient cities. They were surrounded with walls, and entered through gates. Some of those, connected with the great avenues to the city, were broad, and admitted a throng. Others, for more private purposes, were narrow, and few would be seen entering them. So says Christ, is the path to heaven. It is narrow. It is not the great highway that men tread. Few go there. Here and there one may be seen  travelling in solitude and singularity. The way to death, on the other hand, is broad. Multitudes are in it. It is the great highway in which men go. They fall into it easily, and without effort, and go without thought. If they wish to leave that, and go by a narrow gate to the city, it would require effort and thought. So, says Christ, diligence is needed to enter into life. See Lu 13:24. None go of course. All must strive to obtain it; and so narrow, unfrequented, and solitary is it, that few find it. 

The religious community should spend more time teaching us how to die rather than teaching us to get stuff.   The educational institutions are doing a great job teaching those who apply themselves how to survive.  I would much rather employ my faith in God expecting and preparing for the hereafter rather than trying to get stuff from God here on earth when all I have to do is use my God given skills to make my own way. 

This truth is contrary to what many teach.

This brings us to the first word of our subject, "Election".  As we have illustrated in the above verses Jesus spent many precious moments explaining to those who had, "ears to hear", the concept of the Kingdom of God.  There were those who was elected to hear and understand and there were those who just didn't get it  The lack of understanding when it comes to the Holy scripture is that many does not understand  the concept or the reality of 'Kingdom of God'.  There is a somewhat childish concept of Heaven that has permeated down through the ages.  Heaven is a beautiful place, when I get to Heaven I won't have nothing to do but walk around Heaven all day.  There is the one that says we will sprout wings and fly around the throne of God shouting Holy, Holy all day long.  The social media has created a Heaven where we are assigned a cloud to sit on and watch over our love ones.  It most definitely would seem as if Heaven was a disorderly and boring place without a purpose, just a place where we live forever.  

To help set the stage for part #2 of this discussion, I refer to the question asked by the Sunday School student concerning election and predestination.,  I later realized I stumbled badly trying to answer her question and the pastor did nothing to help me out.  She wanted to know, "If God knew in advance who was going to be saved through a process of election and predestination, then there is nothing could be done about it, what is the point of trying to live a save life?" The question in Bible context, "does the election mean that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be lost?"  

Matthew 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

There is no question but that the "Doctrine of Election" is taught in the Scriptures, and that it applies not only to "service," but to "salvation." It is equally true that the "Doctrine of the Freedom of the Will" under certain conditions is also taught. We may not be able to reconcile the "Sovereign Will of God," with the "Freewill of Man," but that is no proof that they are not reconcilable. They are the corresponding halves of the Doctrine of Salvation, "Election" is the Godward side, and "freewill" the manward side. The perversion of the "Doctrine of Election" leads to the "Doctrine of Inability" or Fatalism, which denies the freedom of man's choice, and therefore his accountability or responsibility for his salvation.

Ephesians 1:4-5  According as he hath chosen us (elect)  in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

To be Continued in

Part #2

Election and Freewill

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