Waiting on a Bus...

Today I was waiting on the bus going downtown and written in black marker on the window of the bus shack was "Satan the churches best friend"

I thought wow the core of that statement had a ring of truth to it. Satan has divided the christian community completely. I looked at the guy standing beside me and asked; do you believe that statement and he went on a tangent about Christianity that sounded well awful.

Some points he made during his verbosity...

• It's 'big business'
• It's all about money
• Boards have replaced old fashioned values of helping ones neighbor
• Church is just a place to pretend your righteous
• It's not about God or meeting God

My youngest boy was with me and I put my hand over his head and asked the man whatever happened to the innocence of youth and our natural ability to love? Just like this little guy here he is so full of love and he is only five 'Big Dylan' who used to be 'Little Dylan' puts up his hand and says 'ya this many' I smiled.

The man then says what about when he becomes a teenager and starts doing bad stuff like all the other teenagers, were will his love be then? I countered with Sir where is your love, do you still have it? Have you nurtured it and allowed your love to grow?

Then the bus was sighted and we all proceeded to the stop with those last words echoing through eternity.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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GLUTTONY for The Judging Christian 101...

Many so-called Christian folk judge others who smoke or drink alcohol as a sin, but for some reason overindulged, excessively overweight gluttony amongst them is ignored. Anything in excess could be considered gluttony whether it be food, television, video games, alcohol, smoking, etc. However when the bible talks about gluttony it always pertains to food and drink.

Wikipedia defines gluttony as;

Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste.

Websters defines gluttony as;

excess in eating or drinking


Lets take a look at reality T.V. and how it relates to the current Christian ethos on the acceptance of gluttony and the judging of others for their perceived appearance of evil lets use smoking as an example and compare it to gluttony taken directly from scripture. Knowing is growing and what we feed our minds is what comes out. A friend of mine always says "garbage in, garbage out".

• THE BIGGEST LOSER COUPLES (NBC)
  

This series challenges and encourages overweight gluttonous folks to shed pounds in in a safe manner through exercise and diet. there is also a grand prize up for grabs of $250,000. Kudos to NBC for taking a stand against gluttony even if it is a secular stand.

How would this relate to Christianity?

Well how about a show about;

• THE BIGGEST GLUTTONOUS CHRISTIAN

The grand prize would be a long tortuous vacation in the lake of fire compliments of our Father in heaven the Almighty God.

Proverbs 23:1-3 says;

1 when you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,

2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

3 Do not crave his delicacies for that food is deceptive.

Consider also Proverbs 23:20-21, Proverbs 28:7, 2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 2 Timothy 3:1-9,

Something we should consider further is that gluttony isn't just about overeating or the appearance of an overweight person but it is in the heart. The gluttonous heart is black and full of greed it cares not for others but would like to judge others as an excuse to continue it's gluttonous way. When we judge others we open ourselves to judgment consider what Jesus said in Matthew 15:8-9;

8 " 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.' "

Consider; Matthew 7:1-6, Matthew 7;21-23, Matthew 12:33-37, Mark 7:21-23, Luke 12:1-3, John 8:31-36

Now lets look at smoking

Sorry couldn't find anything that directly relates to smoking in the bible.

So which problem should be given more attention smoking or gluttony?


May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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The Ethos of Modern Christianity

Ethos according to Websters is;

The characteristic attitudes, habits, etc, of an individual or group.

If love is not our guiding principle in our christian life then we need to examine the motives that define us as Christian. Not only for ourselves but for others who may be forming an opinion of the Christian life based on our attitudes and characteristics.

Consider Romans 12:9-21;


9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.


14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.


17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

20 Therefore


“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we are to abhor (hate) evil and cling to what is good, does that mean we should hate people we consider outside of God's grace, that perhaps we are in some way better than they are?

Or should we hate the fact that we are considered sinners too?

Consider Romans 3:9-20 when tempted to judge others;

9 What then? Are we better than they? not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

10 As it is written:

"There is none righteous, no, not one;

11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none that does good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit;
The poison of asps is under their lips;

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;

17 And the way of peace they have not known;

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes"

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.


No flesh will be justified. Another point that the bible makes is that there is only one denomination under heaven, well actually two there is the Jew and the Gentile (Greek) and we are either one or the other.

Lets go back to what ethos actually means;

The characteristic attitudes, habits, etc, of an individual or group.

As an individual you can hold attitudes and beliefs for yourself but as a group there is one understanding that Christ is the high priest for all men both Jew and Gentile and that no one comes to the Father accept through Jesus Christ.

If we are to be of the same mind to one another we need to get rid of denominational divergence and concentrate on what God wants.

And what is it that God wants from us you may ask. Well he wants us all, to love and honor Him and each other. The enigma of this is of course is we cannot love and honor God unless we first love and honor each other.

For God calls us a liar if we say we love him and do not love each other. And that means everyone people, we are to love everyone. Pray for this love to come from God for I know we cannot do it on our own. Pray that denominational divergences would become an awful thing of the past. Pray that we would stand in unity first in your neighborhood, then the world. Pray, Pray, Pray...for we cannot do it on our own

Consider 1 John 4:20-21


If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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The Emphatic Believer...

Being sure of ones salvation is always sound practice as we learn to practice our faith in a dying world. Practice they say makes perfect and being perfected in holiness is what we are to practice daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.

How we practice makes as much of a difference as to what we believe…

Understanding how to or even what to practice in demonstrating our faith is important to accomplishing through God’s infinite grace the perfecting the Bible talks about, consider Matthew 5:43-48.

Love for Enemies

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

WHO IS YOUR ENEMY?

Is it the church down the street that you are competing with for spiritual supremacy of your neighborhood?

Is it the factions within your church that you compete with for supremacy of who gets to be THE ONE or ONES that comes up with and implements all the cool and or newest outreach or ministry ideas?

Is it your family or circle of friends or certain persons within your family or circle of friends?

WHO IS YOUR PERSECUTOR?

Is it the people from the 33,000 other christian denominations that exist in this wacky world?

Is it the people in your very own chosen church?

Members of the church against non-members or adherents?

Is it family members or friends maybe co-workers that persecute you because of your belief?

No matter who your enemies and persecutors are the biblical response is to show love which can be acquainted to actual holiness. Love and holiness go together like hate and death are to sin.

For us to defeat the hate responses or anger we feel at being persecuted or hated by others. then we cannot rely on our own understanding alone, but the understanding of God as promised in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38,39). If we are to overcome hate and persecution in our domestic, personal, spiritual and working lives we need to trust God's promises to be true and already fulfilled through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the redemption of our sins.

We also need to admit that none of us are perfect see; ADVERTISING OUR IMPERFECTIONS, also consider what the bible says about us Romans 3;9-20

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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Zealousness and Christmas Religiosity

Zeal or enthusiasm are votive in our intentional pursuit of God. But where does zealousness and what does the worldly Christmas Spirit have to do with our pursuit of GOD? This is a question that many a Christian has had at Christmas time...

I have searched my bible in earnest trying to find the worldly Christmas Spirit as played out year after year since my birth into this world, my search is in vain for it is not there. No where does the bible say "and each and every year as a remembrance unto the Lord you will spend money to purchase gifts for your loved ones and go into debt to satisfy this festive and spirit of giving as a celebration of the birth of Christ". Should we not as Christians demonstrate the spirit of giving all year long in our intentional pursuit of God?

I will not bother to denounce the Christmas season here with a Bah Humbug, but simply state that rather than celebrate I participate if only to allow a time for gathering and reflecting on the previous year with my family members and close friends. I highly doubt that Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day or that all the religiosity surrounding Christmas is anything of importance to my eternal salvation. Check this website that goes into detail whether a Christian should celebrate Christmas - SHOULD A CHRISTIAN CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

Remember back in Numbers (chapters 11-12) just before the spies are sent into Canaan how the people complained about not having any meat to eat and who would provide them meat to eat. How Moses when confronted with this constant complaining ended up complaining himself to God about why he has to put up with it after all he is not their father etc.

Well the point is that our idea of leadership within the 30,000 plus Christian denominations that exist in this world today was derived from the fact that is is God that grants us his spirit and not men that bestow that privilege upon us. When the seventy elders where called to the tabernacle of meeting two did not show up namely Eldad and Medad. However they where still granted the abilities of God's spirit and they prophesied in the camp.

Joshua immediately asked Moses to forbid them, Moses response is "Oh that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!"

Christianity today rather than follow the ordination rites explained in Exodus chapters 28-29 in detail instead follow the model desired by Moses in chapter 11 of Numbers. This is a verifiable fact unlike the Christmas season that states that Christ was born on Christmas day and that we decorate a pine tree and have yuletide, mistletoe and the like as Christian rites for every Christian believer and unbeliever alike in the world.

So I leave you all with the priestly blessing that Moses imparted to Aaron and his sons and they imparted to the children of Israel...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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Spiritual Arrogance...

Spiritual arrogance what is it?

Well the standard definition for arrogance is;

offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.

When you judge another believer you are exercising spiritual arrogance, the central prohibition of the Christian faith is not to judge others, that's God's job, not ours. Judging has been a problem with humanity from the very beginning all the way back to the Genesis narrative.

Genesis three holds the clues to how it all started "the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" says the text. So the serpent asked Eve some questions which LEAD her to doubt God and then of all things judge God. The judgment that Eve rendered against God was that he was withholding something desirable by prohibiting her and Adam from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice there was never a prohibition from the tree of life until after the fall!

This is, in a sense, the original sin that was committed by man and we still participate in this base sin today, whenever we try to judge another believer by their works, words, etc. Who are we to say someone is going to go to heaven or go to hell? Are we God that we possess such power as the power over who gets into heaven and who is damned to hell?

I can think of some scripture that may get us thinking that some folks are destined to heaven and some to hell or as the text puts it some for honor and some for dishonor.

Consider Romans 9:20-21 (Amplified)

But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?

Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?

Scripture clearly teaches that whoever calls on the Lord will be saved we are not God and our finite thinking does not come close to the righteous plan of God the Father. So if you find yourself judging other believers than I suggest;

"Repenting of Religion" by Gregory A. Boyd

This book is based on the antithetical relationship between Love and judgment and how they cannot survive together.

Jesus calls men, not to a new religion, but to life.

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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THE ABOMINATION OF DENOMINATION

The abomination of the denomination, with over 33,000 plus Christian denominations out there and with at least 10,000 of them thinking they are the only way I would like to remind the reader of Jesus Christ's words. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

What happened in between the time Jesus spoke these words and now?

If we believe Jesus' words, which I highly recommend, then being of any other denomination then the way of Jesus would put us in danger of not following the one true God. Does that scare you? Because it should... Consider Matthew 7:21-23

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Are denominational differences in Christendom God's will?

Or is it the will of the enemy?

Has the enemy divided and conquered Christendom?

We who call ourselves Christian need to get back to God and walk in the victory of Christ and we need to remember the central prohibition of our faith is not to judge others for we are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God...

What denomination was Jesus?

Was he a Baptist?

Nope!

Was he a Mennonite/Anabaptist

Nope!

How about a Methodist?

Nope!

I can go on at 33,000 plus times, I am sure you get the picture. the bible teaches us to repent of our sin and denominational differences is definitely sin. Repent of religion before you stand in front of Jesus.

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar