Opinion?


Will you help a beggar in the street?  Will you look the other way when you see a drunk?  In your opinion, what is the difference between the two?

Are not both bodies in a posture of weakness?

You praise the soldier whose pride lets him run toward the enemy, mindless of death.  And you agree with the average Joe who is proud to say he does not worry about the coming judgment.  In your opinion, what is the difference between the two?

Are not both of them bent on self reliance?  Do you think death cares?

Do you fear God?  Do you think the fear of God is a matter of opinion; as if it’s okay to let another man think he has a choice.  As if God has said he is willing to give eternal life to those who refuse to love him.  Or do you realize that that man will surely die?

All day long, everyone of us are witness to people who despise the teaching of God.  When you see them, do you realize you’re looking at a dead man?  Or do you just say to yourself, “It takes all kinds to make the world go around”?

Do you shake your head in pity when you consider what people are doing in this world?  Are you doing anything to bring the judgment of God to your fellow man?  Is shaking our heads in pity putting an end to the violence in our streets?

Do you know what the Bible says about the coming judgment?  Do you use the Gospel simply as a motivator for social righteousness?  Do you honestly believe that’s all it is? 

Challenge


I present a challenge to all.  It doesn’t matter how you perceive Christ.  Come and convince me that anything other then the full acceptance of His Gospel is truth.

Invited is the scholar.  Welcome is the agnostic.  The atheists already know they have been invited openly.  Invitation is extended to the religious.   Let the drunkard try to compel me this way is better.  Come and speak to me about finance, and how money is the end of all good things.  Let the violent receive the best of House seats.  Let the timid display the grandiose crown of their fear. 

Regardless who you are, come and convince me. 

Christ Jesus is king of heaven and earth.  By His merciful grace I am his servant.  It will not be me you challenge.  It will be the living God in me.

Let us all either “Put up or shut up”.

Why am I making this challenge, and doesn’t it seem rather absurdly stupid?  Yeah, it does.

I’m making this challenge because I am sick of watching the world decay all about me.  I am sick of watching Christian cower,  all the while the Living God promises strength.

By the looks of things around me, I surmise one of us is a liar.  Either it is Man or it is God in Christ.  You know the summation of that.

At the outset, I will admit that I know nothing about Islam, Buddhism, and whatever other religion you want to throw on the table.  All I know about them is that they are false.  I will speak of the gospel in Christ. 

Required materials: Pack a lunch.

Finally, I Speak of Divorce


Often at the completion of some writing, I have thought to myself, “This one is the best”.  But I have added these beginning words after I have written all that follows. 

This writing may not be the best for all men, but it is the most sincere gathering of words I have ever gathered together in one place.  With the greatest sincerity that any man can write, I have written.
_________________

All the evil and boastful words I hear others speak in regard to their ex husband or ex wife.  You will not find those here!  Instead I will expose self-loathing. 

“Here I will expose,

For all the world to see,

The end result

Of our stupidity.”

What follows is the picture of a Christian who knows he has done wrong, and knows he has no means to make it right.  This is not the picture of hatred that I hear so many paint; of a righteous choice to inflict pain, or gain release, called “divorce”.

This is my testimony of joining with the mindset of God.  I testify that now I agree with him in all his Holy judgments concerning divorce.  For he spoke his final word in regard to this murderous actions of men, “I hate divorce”.  Now I testify, I know why.

My sins are paid for by the inexpressible strength of my Lord Jesus.  And for that, there is peace within me.  Then what are these tears this morning?

They are tears for the sake of others.  They are not tears for the sake of the lost.  They are not tears for the sake of what men do to one another.  They are tears of realization for what I have done to so many.

As the dawn breaks and the Sun comes up, old age has slipped upon me.  The righteous man smiles with his family all about him.  But my family is called regret.

I will lay in my bed and die, perhaps with the company of one or two.  But I am given to take note of one who will die without her husband.  The joy of marriage ripped from her by the selfish sins of this man.

The tender hands of care will be absent, at the excruciating moment of her completion.  The sight rips my heart in two! 

Still I urge this enemy of mine, come and shove the dagger deep.  Let the remembrance of my sins penetrate to the very marrow of my bones!  Let my selfish heart, that was once like granite, feel the pain of my senseless stupid choices.

When my heart was cold and dead I did as I pleased.  But now I have sobriety of soul, and a heart of flesh.  With this, awareness dawns like the blazing heat of a Summer Sun on a man who has not slept well.  In a vast arid desert, he wakes alone!  And but for my Holy Lord of compassion, I could not bear this eternal pain.

I write this as a testimony.  For one, that understanding has come, and with it inexpressible surprise of horror, sadness, and pain.  And another, that those who live their lives with selfish abandon, can expect a visitation from regret; that relentless monster of remembrance.

I testify that divorce is a hideous and unholy choice.  It is Murder of the vilest kind!  While it may have appeared palatable at the time, the time will come when bitterness will cleave your tongue to the roof of your mouth.  You will despise yourself like you have never despised a man before.

Expectations of joy were dashed to pieces.  Hopes and dreams of childhood find no place of welcome.  Shame and despair will take their place.  And without the mercy of God, hopelessness will be the banner of all your future days.

Does this sound like the foolish and simplistic picture the world paints of divorce?  Does this have any resemblance to the hope of satisfaction that the court of Man does promise? 

This is not an exposé of some macabre selfish ambition; that I will display my horror as if for the sake of entertainment.  No, this is to show the end of what God plainly says he abhors.

It is an apology with tears and sincerity.  It is an expression of the hope that is in Christ, even for a man such as I!  But it is a sincere warning for those who think divorce is some pleasant place to live.  The fruit at first is sweet, but it is poison indelible for your soul.

To the sweet mother of my children, who did no wrong, I am deeply sorry.  I wrote this here so that I would not dig up old pain by bringing this to your door. 

Let this be a place where a gift is given.  Let some poor wayward soul come and understand what I have written.  Let his selfish longing for divorce be stymied by this confession of pain.  Then the turmoil and trouble, between her and I, has found some fruit of hope.  As if a man stands and warns the travelers, “A lion waits at the edge of the woods ahead”.  Indeed, let someone take heed lest his children live as orphans and his wife shed tears that did not need to fall.

Amen, amen, amen!

By His Grace

“Places Everyone!”


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Man is placed in a place remote.  For if his place were among the things of God, Man would try to dethrone Him.

This place of testing, this place of proving, this place of violence or love. 

This place of choices, this place of life or death, this place of time and decay. 

This place of anarchy, this place of treason, this place of hatred or faith.

They refuse to listen.  They despise the one who speaks.  And at every possible convenience, they turn away from knowledge. 

This place of filthy, this place of ludicrous, this place of blood and flesh.

This place of confusion, this place of pride, this place of accomplishment and humiliation.

Lest every man be utterly destroyed, God has set a place for rebellion.

This place of wondering, this hopelessness, place of vile distrust, this place of alienation and rare embrace.

Two doors exit this place.  One is wide to accommodate the masses.  The other is so narrow you cannot point it out.

One is proportioned for the violent fits which company the chaos of rebellion.  The other is only large enough for the soul.

We must all leave this place.  But we do not all arrive in the same Place. 

Every man who owns rebellion alone, will certainly find himself alone. 

But every man who has been stripped of rebellion, to a sort, that which remains cannot die.  Lessened, such men will find good company.

In all things, the endlessly spacious Place of God is utterly unlike ours.

Moment by moment, every man chooses his destiny.  But let us not think that the destiny of man is varied in context.  No!  There is either eternal inclusion, or eternal desperation.

Debate all these things, Oh wandering souls of men.  Or kneel before the Living God in faith.  Plead with him for understanding. 

All that belongs to Man is death.  All that belongs to God is Life in Christ Jesus His holy and Righteous Son.

By His Grace

God Provides the Way Out


We are not well-intentioned beings.  Even a lot of Christians believe that Man is simply misguided.  “If you explain his misbehavior to him, the wayward soul will rectify his life.”  That’s what the leaders of humanism will tell you.  That’s what the atheist would love to believe, if he had any proof.  Isn’t that the reason for the popular saying, “LIVE UNITED“?

The teaching that we are simply misguided by lack of knowledge, is simply and thoroughly untrue.  If it were true that man was simply a misguided and under educated being, there would have been many communes filled with really nice people  that still exist today.  But that’s not the case is it?

Even Christianity, that religion which is supposed to have the guidance of the Most High God’s Holy Son, is filled with turmoil and unholy behavior.  If man could be successful at establishing a beautiful populous, it would have happened within the first century after the birth of Christianity, and you would be able to find it today.

The problem is, God’s Word is true: even the best of our well-intentioned righteousness is no better than filthy rags.  We not only obey as if under duress for the threat of death or punishment, we invent wicked pleasures from our imagination.  And we do it all the time.

That is why the majority of the things I have written, by His grace, are pointed at the wickedness of Man.  God did not send his Holy Son to pat the righteous people on the back.  The Holy Father sent His only Son to mankind to deliver three messages.
1. Every man is already condemned to destruction before the Lord God Almighty.  All that’s left is to arrive on the Judgment Day to receive the condemnation.

2. The Holy Father has sent his Son as The Teacher of holiness.  He taught as many as would listen when he was here in bodily form.  And he teaches those who believe in Him through the Holy Spirit even today.

3. God caused his beautiful Son to become a Living Sacrifice for any who will claim his strength instead of their own.  For those who are willing to believe this message, God has loved us beyond words.  He has loved us to the very death of his only Holy Son.  And that at the very hands of those the Lord Jesus was sent to help.

If you can’t believe this message, your status before the Most High God does not change.  God the Father has offered up his only Son for your benefit, what more do you expect him to do?

Do you expect him to recieve you just like you are?  Well isn’t that the message I just wrote above?  Do you expect him to receive you because you are a righteous and good hearted person?  How does that stack up to what I just told you?

God has sent His Son to redeem the wicked depravity that is every single man’s filthy soul.  All you have to do is humble yourself and pray.  If you are willing to listen to him, he will transform your life from depravity to holiness.  Jesus is able and willing to offer eternal life to any who will trust him.

A man once said to me, “l don’t need Jesus.  I’ll take my chances at the judgment”.  The problem is, Sir, there is no such thing as “chances” on the Judgment Day.

By His Grace

Eternal Mechanics


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I saw I headline that asked the question, “If God is love then why is homosexuality condemned?”  I’m not going to waste my time trying to pick a part sexually immorality.  Those who are embroiled in such a sin would not listen to me anyway.  I know the power of sexual deviance.  I know the power of a rebellious heart.  I know the volatility of pride.  So I won’t waste my time trying to explain why sexual immorality does not find God’s approval.  (Yes, dear creatures, homosexuality is sin!)

But the question could be asked in regard to any sin.  The answer has no respect for any particular sin.  Lying, stealing, murder, gluttony, pride, you name it, they all fall under the heading of deviance.  Why bother to single one out?

The question simply shows a monumental misunderstanding.  The consequences of this misunderstanding are dire!  And I can’t find words to express it more strongly.  (But the strength of an expression does not necessarily lend to its viability in the readers mind.) There is absolutely no deviance in Life.  But death is full of deviance from Life.  Life lives, death dies.  A childish way to put it, but it’s true none the less.

Try to understand.  God is Pure Life.  There is not the slightest speck of deviance within him.  It is impossible.  The question above cannot be spoken by a holy creature, or even a sincere heart.  It can only be spoken by a deviant soul; that is to say, a soul which does not contain perfect Life.

Everything in creation comes in threes.  You ask a question, you get an answer, there must be a response.  Ask any good salesman and he will tell you, “No” is a legitimate response.  “No” does not provide what is desired.  But it is a legitimate response, and it is absolutely necessary to give it its proper place.

The salesman offers you an opportunity to purchase a remedy for a problem.  You have a legitimate, free will, right to say no.  That doesn’t condemn the offer.  It simply elevates your right to choose

The question that comes after the first one, has to do with condemnation.  “Will God truly destroy the sinner?”  The answer is quite simple.  The sinner destroys himself.  And God is not diminished by the sinner’s death.

God doesn’t need to take any action at all.  He doesn’t make you sin.  It’s entirely your choice.  And again, the question of destruction only comes from a mind full of destruction.

Take note that both questions have nothing to do with obedience.  They have to do with justification of deviance.  They do not come from a willing student, they come from a rebellious and proud soul.

And though such questions raise up anger in me, I cannot blame the deviant for being what they are.  Nor does God blame you for being deviant.  He will simply put you in the place built for deviants. 

It’s just a matter of eternal mechanics.  Death belongs to death, life belongs to life.  Wickedness belongs to deviance, obedience belongs to what is holy.  It’s really not that complicated.

If you see a black widow spider in the cradle of your only son, you will surely kill it.  You desire health and life for your baby.  And you will protect it with violence.  In essence: you do not hate the spider, you love the life of your child.  I can guarantee you the spider will not understand.  But it won’t matter, will it?  If you can’t grasp why God would destroy the sinner, what is it to him if you don’t understand?

Why should it be surprising that God will protect eternity?  No sin, no sinner, no deviance, no rebellion, no wicked thing or person, will be allowed entrance into eternity.  And striving to justify your sin does absolutely nothing to change the violence of God’s Holy Love.

How much does God love?  I mean to ask, what is the nature of the love of God?  He is so firm and beautiful, and full of life, that he was willing to send His Holy Son to die at the hands of his enemies; that he may become to sacrifice for them.  He sent His Son into a bowl of rebellion, so that God could have the means to change them.

But take note of this: he desires to impart the pureness of eternal life.  The sacrifice of Christ Jesus is not an open-ended credit card.  The mercy of God is extended so that we will not fear to come near him and learn.  His intent is to change us, not to accept us as we are.

Specifically, what is it we need to learn?  We need to learn to stop trying to justify our deviance.  We need to learn to recognize the nature of our rebellion against him.  And with this recognition comes some semblance of humility.  And humility is the foundation of eternal learning. 

How can a rebellious and proud student learn anything in a classroom?  The teacher is not going to change his rebellious attitude.  Its up to the child to listen and to observe.  It is impossible that a rebellious soul will learn anything from the Living God.  Such a soul does not come to him to learn.  He only comes with justification for his rebellion.

If you had a foolish employee who refused to learn, you would eventually get rid of him.  If you told him to present a written intent to change his ways, and he showed up with a list of justifications, would you be irritated?  You might make a few comments, in the interview, to draw out your desire from him.  But if blame and justification is his continual response, he will be looking for a new job.

God only asks that we have a willing heart to ask for his help.  You may question whether he is willing to help you or not.  Isn’t the testimony of Christ Jesus, as found in the Gospels, enough proof for you?

The Holy Father sent his eternal Son into a body of flesh.  When the time was right, the Lord Jesus began to speak the words of His Holy Father.  And God confirmed his Holy Son’s words by many miracles.  From the healing of a common fever, to the raising of the dead!  God proved that Jesus was His Holy Son. 

It really doesn’t matter whether you believe that or not.  That is now the nature of creation.  It did happen.  And Christianity exists because of God’s love.  Here I am, delivering the message.  There you are, reading it.  The response is up to you.

That, my friend, is all the proof he will give you.  If you are not willing to believe that, then you are not willing to let go of your rebellion.  And by our unwillingness to let go, we prove we don’t want any part of eternal life.

Now let me try to show you why this is a viable and important message.  I’ll do the best I can, but the confirmation of this message needs to be individually received from God.

It is impossible for God to entertain deviance of any kind.  God is willingly responsible for the life of every creature.  God is the very and singular source of all sustaining.  If he entertains anything unholy, he loses a certain strength of life.  Let me say as strongly as I possibly can, he will not entertain your justifications!

You do not command God.  It is God, by absolute necessity, that commands you.  Seek out His Holy Son, or die.  It’s really quite that simple.  It’s simply a matter of eternal mechanics.  And the choice is put squarely into your own hands.

You can say no.  But you will die just like you are.  There is no place in eternity for you, if indeed “No” is your answer.

But saying “Yes”, opens the door to a life you have never known.  The preparation has been made for you.  Do you have the guts to come and take it?  Or do you insist on spewing rebellious crap from your mouth?

P. S. Propriety says I should have ended this message on a positive question.  But propriety has been instrumental in silencing the message of Christianity.

Some will be repulsed at my use of the word “crap”.  You know what folks, I don’t really care.  This message is going out to deviant people who speak that kind of language.  They call the message of Christ Jesus “crap”.  I just gave them back there money.

By His Grace