Tag Archives: Church

Of Compromise and Folly

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folly

folly (Photo credit: Leo Reynolds)

This is a personal testimony regarding compromise and folly.  The issue is large.  But I will strive to limit the words.

I had been a “leader” in a Church setting once.  This Church group had a social service outreach.  And as I administered its various functions I noticed that there were many compromises with truth within it.  It was in this setting that I came to understand that there was a whole lot of power and money to be made on the backs of those who have no money and no power.

Through the guise of helping man has made a violent mockery of charity.  And I am quite aware that this is a problem that will not be fixed in this place of testing.  We wait for the True Leader of True Charity to appear.  And under the singular rule of the Son of God we will see purity.

The source of corruption within all charities is compromise.  I was told I was far too black and white in my approach to leadership in that Church group.  And it was this aspect of my mind that caused me to resign.  I can’t say if it was wise to remove myself from the grip of such an endeavour.  For every dark room needs a light to see. (I am not praising myself here as you will see.)

I make full confession here that I am a fool.  Now the reason I say that is that I am not adept at the art of social compromise as most people are.  That is why I am also a loner, or perhaps better said a social isolationist.  I cannot compete in the games the world demands we play.  So I opt out of as many of those games as I possibly can.

There are wise men who can play the games with a bend toward righteousness.  But I am not one of them.  Because of my straight forward approach to what is true I often get into arguments with almost everyone.  I will say it again so that there is no misunderstanding, “I am not a righteous man because of my approach.”  There is no one righteous, not one.  And I am not writing this to make myself into something I am not.

With that forward I will now launch into what prompted me to write this in the first place.

Though I am often put to great sadness because of my lack of wisdom in the affairs of men.  And though I am bruised within my soul for the harm I do to my fellow man with such arguments, I have found something of great value that is worthy of mention.

Compromise is the oil which keeps this world from becoming a vast blood bath.  It is impossible to look at the world and not notice that.  And men praise the one who is the most adept at this art.  Needless to say, I don’t get much praise from men.

But it is the foolish of this world who will receive the praise from God.  It is those souls who are bent on rebellion against compromise that will receive the praise of the Father in the form of salvation.  How can I say this with certainty?

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)  Those who compromise with the darkness of corruption in this world will be considered artful players here.  But what will be their case when they appear before the Most High God?  With what justification will they give account of what they have gleaned from the praise of men?

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1: 27)  For the very reason I have mentioned above, God has been eternally wise to take those who are not willing or able to “play the game”.  And for this reason alone I will find reason to boast of my folly among men.  Though I do not boast for the sake of pride.  But I boast because this is the very instrument which has brought me to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

So if I own anything worthy of praise (Ownership is a very curious way of describing that which God Himself has gifted me in this manner.  For no man has anything good that wasn’t given to him from God.) I have my folly.

I am horribly saddened that this folly results in so very many arguments with my fellow man.  And to the point of sobbing I cannot repair that aspect of my life.  For truth will naturally contradict lies.  And as much as my fellow men rely on lies to compete against one another truth will cause hardship between us.

I cannot apologize for what God has called Good.  And I cannot rightfully praise lies.  So I am forced by the wisdom of God to remain black and white in my assessment of life.  I will always be the outcast.  But this is to my advantage.  I will always be the one least invited to social gatherings.  But I am forced to appreciate that this is to my advantage.

I’m done trying to explain this now.  It is my sincere desire that this post has helped anyone who marvels at my apparent verbal violence.  I do not desire to be the outcast.  But how shall it be avoided if I desire to please the Most High God?

By His Grace.

2nd Notes From Reading “The Shepherd of Hermas”

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Stone Tower, Lynn Woods

Stone Tower, Lynn Woods (Photo credit: d4vidbruce)

The Church has not decided to include “The Shepherd of Hermas” in what we know of today as the Bible.  And I can see why such writings were not considered directly from God’s Holy Throne.  The author’s writings are much like mine.  They are not the pure revelation from God, but the interpretation of revelation.  However, let us not dismiss such work as worthless (or even worse, that of demons).  For there is great benefit to be had as men speak to one another regarding the things of God.

There is an item worth mention in his writings.  The reader of this post should do their soul good by reading the original text.  Some things such men write penetrate as deeply as a word from the Lord Himself.  And how do I know but this particular vision was not from the Lord.  By the power it is having on my heart I would consider the vision as God given.

There was a tower being built by Angels.  The stones used were so perfectly unionized that their joints were not visible.  When the Shepherd asked what was the meaning of this, he was told that the stones represented obedient Christians.  And that the tower was created entirely for God’s eternal purposes, and composed entirely of such men.  There were other stones which could not be used due to cracking, unevenness, and even rounded corners.  These other stones were not necessarily unusable.  But their use was less than glory.

I am given pause to consider that my past will come with me into my appearance before the Lord of Life.  And I confess that the vision related has left a mark on my thinking.  May God allow that the vision will not leave me till I appear before Him.

By His Grace.

Of Blessed Understanding We Join the Athletes of the Beginning.

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Eusebius of Caesarea may have continued the Li...

Eusebius of Caesarea may have continued the Liber Pontificalis into the 4th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord has blessed my heart by bringing an audio file to me.  He is more gracious than we can possibly know.  If all His people were to combine their testimony regarding the Glory of the Lord Jesus (and that to the Glory of the Father) all the melody of sound would still fall short of His eternal beauty.  So I thank you Lord Jesus for Your precious blessings that filter to us through our time in this place of testing.  May all Your people present great glories to You on the day You are revealed in Glory to all men!  Amen!

The audio file is that of Eusebius’ Church History.  The work spans the time from the beginning of the Church to about the year 350 or so.  Up to the end of his account the Church had weathered a few problems within.  But the account tells us that the Lord’s people were blessed to pretty much remain constant in their worship, brotherhood, and display of righteousness.

I suspect that as I finish this “listening” I will search out another work which deals with the subsequent years.  I fear those works that will follow, however.  For it isn’t long in Church history when we find compromise between Church and State.  The results of which attack the Lord’s people from a particularly tender perspective.

How my soul wants to encourage my brothers and sisters to regain, retain, and revitalize our purity and love for the Lord.  But I am at a loss this evening.  Perhaps the Lord will bless us all by words fitting to the surge of dedication this work of Eusebius has inspired.

Shades of persecution have come and gone.  Yet today seems the most hideous of all.  Silent compromise seeps into the very foundations of our identity as “sons of God”.  For the most part the Church has become useless and loved by the world, especially in America.  Each man and woman goes after their own tasks unscathed by physical or financial malnutrition.

One thought runs through my blood tonite, however.  A rather foreboding thought presses against my skin from the inside out.  Is the Church today ready if the impiant (as they were prone to refer to wicked men) one regains his footing against us as he did in the first 1000 years of the Church?  This question is not for me to either answer or speculate about.  It is, perhaps, for us to prove individually as what will be enters the calendar year of its own time.

One possible answer to that question is this:  Prepare in prayer, Truth, righteousness, purity, holiness, bodily control, and consumption of the Word, lest that day (if it indeed comes upon us) encamp around us from the very fringes of the woods which create our present clearing of “peace”.

Watch with all hope.  Hope with eyes that are not of man.  And stretch out the wings of “The Faith” as far as they will stretch.  Get ready to fly by the strength of the Holy Spirit, regardless the necessity.  Only then can we walk toward what comes with the great peace displayed by the millions who have worked in the heat of the day.

By His Grace.

Church History, a Reflection of Today?

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Christian fis symbol

Christian fis symbol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blogs are a direct representation of each blogger’s personality, attitude, desires, past deeds, and who is their hero.  This blog is no different.

Listening to Eusibius’ Church History (listening while I drive for hours), I am struck by the quality of men, women and children of the early Church.  They did not have central heating, electricity, cars, planes and trains.  Yet the character of men was little different from today.

Perhaps the only difference that can be perceived is social law.  I live in America.  So the social law I perceive is a burning ember of hatred for God’s things.  There are other countries where hatred for God’s things is a raging bonfire.  Since America is on the decline from relaxation of its own laws (or a proliferation of nullifying laws and regulations), I can’t believe that it is far in the future when the physical violence we see against Christians disembarks onto our shores.

With this in mind I have been considering what I know about America’s dedication to the Holiness of God.  There are striking differences between now and the age of the early Christian Church.  There are many differences.  But one difference stands out quite starkly.

The Christian Church today (this includes Catholics) is rather inclusive.  All you have to do to be counted as a Christian within their walls is speak a few words and show up on time and often.  With that you are “automatically” considered one of them.  The early Church would have considered this level of commitment to Christianity as youthful, elementary, basic and catechismic (as if the person in question is just beginning to learn the basics of the Christian faith).

This was not the case in the early Church.  Each one was required to give all they had to the service of the Lord Jesus.  They were required to repent (stop doing) from sinful ways.  They were required to pray earnestly and often.  They were required to learn the Scriptures as if their life depended on it.  And I am struck with a certain awe when I listen to the members of the early Church beg for salvation from the Lord.  They did not consider salvation to be an automatic warm fuzzy.

The Church today opens its doors to all.  And it certainly should.  But it requires very little from those who begin to profess faith in Christ Jesus.  While there is teaching regarding the Gospel there is little display of The Faith even among the more senior members.

I’m not trying to tear at the fabric of the Church today.  I’m simply pointing out a drastic difference between what we were in the first 300 years, and what we have become today.  And I will take note that there is exceedingly little persecution pressing on the members of the Church in America today.   It is possible that this can change in the blink of an eye.  Especially with the current trends of compromise between the leaders of our country and the islamics.

We will see what happens.  But I urge my brothers and sisters to dig into the history of the Church and take a look at who we were from the beginning.  What we are not is like a man who never ventures into the sunshine; pale, listless, over weight, and sullen.  Please give this serious consideration.  The time to prepare for service is not at the moment of calling.  Practise brings the servant to his toes when called.

By His Grace.

Restraint for the Sake of Christ is Better.

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Saint Paul with a Scroll and a Sword.

Saint Paul with a Scroll and a Sword. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Traveling around last night I got to listen to a Christian AM station for a while.  It was a “Bible answer man” show.  They were talking about two men who had married each other and had two children in their house.  These two men attended a Methodist Church in which the caller also was a member.  And the question was, “What should we do  with these men?”  Their presence among the congregation was beginning to cause some serious divisions.  And something was about to be brought up regarding them.

The host bantered the Scriptures which dealt with the issue of homosexuality.  And settled on the remembrance that we are commanded to love without judging.  In the end, the caller was quite sure this situation wasn’t going to end well for the congregation.  It seems that these men are quite likeable.  So there was certainly going to be a split in the congregation as the problem was dealt with.  The host mentioned that “likeable” has nothing to do with salvation from sin.

I drove for the next hour talking the issue over out loud.  And fell on the following:

One sin is not any worse than another.  Though there are severities of involvement to be considered.  A man might fall into a sin once in a while (that besetting sin).  But another might be completely immersed in that same sin.  Now there is a difference in that, obviously.  The deeper we are caught in a sin the harder it will be to wrench ourselves from it.

These men are so immersed in their sin that they have chosen to make it entirely public, even to the point of raising two boys.  Now their sin is marked on absolutely everything they are.  To break with this is going to be a horrendous problem.

That said, I came to the conclusion that these men were doing something rather different from most who practise homosexuality.  They had come to present themselves to the body of Christ as if there were nothing wrong with their chosen sin.  They expected full acceptance regardless their standing with Christ.  Everyone in the congregation would surely know that they were having sexual intercourse together.  After all, isn’t that what homosexuality means?

Now I set their situation against another sin to see what people would do.  What if I were completely immersed in porn?  What if I decided that the Church had to accept me like that and not require that I lay that sin away from me?  What if I, like those men, paraded my sin before them?  Suppose I wore a t-shirt to Church which had the faces of a number of my favorite pornstars on it.  Do you think I would be asked to cover it up, or go home and change it?  Why?  If those two men can appear in person and flaunt their sin before the entire congregation, why can’t I go there and flaunt porn?  And if I were a “likeable” sort, do you think it would make a difference?

There is a distinct difference between being caught in a sin and flaunting it.  If those men really served Christ they would at least be aware of offending others with their sins.  As it is they are a division as they walk into the midst of these people.  How is that Christ like?  It would be better for them to remain separate as they worship God.  Then they would not be the cause of such a difficult choice, as the Church comes to the point where they need to make some decision regarding their presence.

I won’t go into the Church leader’s failure to preach a fine enough line to have hindered this problem in the first place.  Now that it is a problem among them, they’re going to have to deal with it.  I conclude that the congregation will experience a horrible split as they deal with these men.

It would be better for all of them (provided the men really want to worship the Living and Holy God) if these men would stay home and study the Bible, pray, and seek the face of God.  As it is they are also guilty now of causing division in the Body of Christ.  I remembered that the Apostle Paul said that if eating meat offended his brother he would eat meat no more.  If that is how crucial Paul saw an individual’s responsibility toward unity in Christ, what of these men?

I don’t condemn them for their sins.  I simply point out that flaunting our sins in the Body of Christ is the worst thing we can do.  Obviously, these men don’t consider their “brothers” in Christ to be more important than their flaunting of sin in their faces.  Along with the aboration of homosexuality, they now count to themselves the destruction of unity in the Body of Christ.  And all this for the sake of selfish gain.

Hypocrisy and Blasphemy

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The Grand Stand

The Grand Stand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had two dreams I that kind of rattled my cage.  I had been caught in some troubles with another.  And the relationship ended up shattered.  It doesn’t matter who’s at fault.  The result is the object of both dreams.  Though these dreams reveal a rather bad experience, I hope they might be helpful to others.

hypocrisy:

I dreamt I was attending a function with a lot of people, perhaps thousands.  I and a friend sat in the upper row of the stands.  I heard some people singing as they drove along the freeway to my right.  It was a song I have been looking for with great anticipation of finding.  I jumped up and said, “I’ve been looking for that.”  My friend looked at me quite puzzled.

I ran to find the driver of the van.  And when I did find him I asked him where he got that song.  Instead of helping me understand he began to berate me for only wanting a portion of Christianity.  (The song was something to do with the Christian life.)

I looked at him with anger and disgust.  Then I walked away.  That was the end of the dream.

Blasphemy:

I saw in another dream that a leader of a Church was teaching all the truth of the Gospel.  One man was there learning with a vibrant heart.  After that student had learned enough to understand fully, he said to the leader that he was going to open his own class room.  The man didn’t wait for a response, but walked down the hall to another room and encouraged everyone to join him.

The leader watched.  Then he walked outside and called to everyone there:  “Come help me tear this building down!  If we push with unison we can topple every timber.”  As they began to push in unison, I woke.

The understanding the hypocrisy:

Sometimes we are so desirous of other’s understanding of Christianity that we push too hard against their perceptions.  We tend to forget that we too were once flailing about trying to grasp the fullness of Christ.  We often demand too much from those who can only eat the basics.  And this is the meaning of the first dream.  The driver of the van was me.  The man in the stands was the other.  The fault of the destruction of our relationship belongs to me.

As for Blasphemy:

The teacher is Jesus.  And not one student will be allowed to “muscle in” on the Lord’s role in the Church.  It would be wise of all of us to remember to sit quietly and learn.  There is a place of sending.  But it is not wise to bring division to the Lord’s Holy Temple.  The Lord will simply tear down such a building with a rather quick judgment.

I present both these dreams and their understandings for everyone to consider.  I am not any different than my brothers and sisters.  We are all redeemed sinners.  But it is my hope that there might be some value found among us at the revealing of these dreams.