Paying The Devil His Due: In The Red, Part II

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. ~Proverbs 11:1

For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. ~Deuteronomy 15:6

It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. ~Ecclesiastes 5:5

Robbing Peter To Pay Paul

The obvious question to all this spending is clear, “Where does all the money come from? Where do we continue to borrow all this money from ad infinitum ad absurdum?” Today the governments modus operandi is also obvious. Their immediate answer is to borrow from Peter to pay Paul. Most of our debt was borrowed from the taxpayers in advance. The Government can also sell bonds (which are now next to worthless).We eat October’s crops in May as China has recently commented about the USA. As the debt mounts we continue to borrow from other nations like China and European Union. In the end the buck stops with the American or citizen taxpayer. The debt as we all know is astronomical and in excess of 14 Trillion dollars and rapidly climbing. At one time debt was an embarrassment…it has now become the American way. America’s way is reprobate. We saw Nixon admit to being Keynesian  and made the absurd statement, "We're all Keynesian now" around 1970 (speak for yourself Mr Nixon). From approximately that point onward in American history our national debt as increased exponentially. Since Nixon, no president has done anything to eradicate the debt, only add to it. All of them from Nixon to Obama unless you want to consider the balancing of the budget done by Clinton in 1996-1997 which in reality is a fudging of the math and government massaging the numbers.

A crisis now looms and it will sink the United States. The staggering debt of the federal government is quickly approaching the event horizon and will soon breach the $15 trillion dollar mark. It will continue to rise. In addition to the federal debt, the government also as other financial obligations including civil service retirement, Social Security payments, and others as they come due. These too are promises that stem from the Roosevelt years or subsequent administrations. At some point the chickens come home to roost and there will be no money to pay anyone. With family sizes getting smaller and a disproportionately larger amount of people from the baby boomer generation retiring and collecting from the government, the governments near non-existent pile of cash will be quickly depleted leaving seniors high and dry.

The final thing that we must consider is the global nature of modern economics. In some way we are all now related to and tied into the world economy. Decisions made in other countries now have a direct impact on us here in America. The days of pre-World War II isolationism are a thing of the past. Nations pushed so that they could become masters of their own destiny (minus God). Multinational organizations have now been formed and a World Banking system has been created. If everyone is dependent on the same monetary system they are effectively the same entity. We henceforth saw the push for trans-nationalism and international cooperation and international incorporation. If we all are one, there are no borders. If therre are no borders and individual sovereignty…there is effective no conventional form of large-scale mechenized warfare that plagued Europe for centuries (only isolated cells of terrorism by dissidents). That was the stated theory anyway. Today this theory put forward by leaders, rulers and bankers looks more like a front than the truth. We now have a centralized world banking system...and wars all over the globe. Wars that are primarily finances by debtor nations. Nations financed by who? They are financed by other nations and the world banking system.

Godless Government & The Peter Principle

Governments used to be the referee, now they are the coach and the quarterback and the game has gone global. Not only is the government playing the game, they are also calling the downs and moving the down markers. Now that government has become God (or nanny). The entire football field gets tilted and the scores are rigged. The game is entirely staged. The fix is in and the those that hold the money holds the reins. In this situation even a star player cannot be assured of a winning situation. The most brilliant and most moral people are being crushed by this new world system. In their place we see the bureaucrats and bankers of the world. If the people inhabiting the chambers of Congress, government and financial institutions were actually moral and competent I probably wouldn’t even have a problem with that. But they are not and we only need to turn on our evening news to see a multitude of them at all levels of leadership mired in sleazy situations worthy only of print in tabloid journals. We now have mostly godless immoral men and women who have been accidentally escalated to positions of undeserved power. They have been elevated to their highest positions of incompetence (Peter Principle). There is just no other way to explain staggering debt, huge deficits, lost wars, and costly senseless immoral scandals. Anyone or anything that increases what they control while simultaneously decreasing their ability to control it morally and properly...create chaos and anarchy. Disorder and chaos is not of God...it is of the Devil. The world is the Devil's playground.

Keynesian economics are now facing the “writing on the wall” crisis. All the governments that have adhered to Keynesian economic philosophy including US, Greece, Spain, United Kingdom, etc., etc. have now proven beyond a doubt that they are unable to reduce its spending and debt. A temporary fix turned into a permanent one and the system in the US is now propped up with toothpicks. The only thing left to do is to suck blood from a stone. To tax an already burdened infrastructure of taxpayers. This can only end in disaster, either economically or socially. We are already seeing the kickback in the form of voters jettisoning incumbent politicians that either appear clueless or have backed this iniquitous system of debt. Our government has bitten off more than it could chew and time has come to pay the devil his due...unfortunately we have nothing to pay him. We already sold him our collective soul decades ago by allowing ourselves to be signed on to this damnable pact. Government should’ve never been appointed to the position of a god. When a government puts itself in the position of God…it is satanic and can only continue to become more satanic in the absence of God’s Holy and purifying presence. The economy and economic system that we currently live within is the type of system we sould expect to have in the absence of God. A system that continues to incur a debt it cannot payback. A continually expanding burden that will eventually crush us under the weight. A godless and ungodly economy.

The money that now keeps the United States afloat comes from distant points on the globe. For the Keynesian philosophy of borrowing and debt to be possible it’s become necessary for industrialized nations to join together in a odious economic network-The World Bank. It is a transnational group necessary to keep afloat a financial institution of this magnitude. The United States has now become so unwieldy and out of control that we realistically cannot support our own debt anymore. To avoid collapsing under our own weight of obscene debt…we need to spread it around (as have other Keynesian based economies). We turned to international markets in our insatiable greed and gluttony. Why do you suppose that when the USA has problems it has a ripple effect all the way around the world? You didn’t think it was because we are that important anymore did you? You didn’t think it was because people cared about our greed do you? We are now only safe as long as people have faith in us to repay our debt at some future date that is quickly approaching. When do our present economic “friends” become enemies and come to collect our debt? Rest assured, when the dollar looses its status as the Reserve currency, the debt collectors will come and they will come in force.

Think China people. Keynes succeeded in uniting the world through a financally or materially interdependant network where centuries of wars failed-- NAFTA, EFTA, APEC, OPEC, etc. We now are heading towards one huge unified economic network to manage world finances because of our greed and uncontrollable spending…because of our gluttony, greed, covetousness and piggish consumption of material goods. One massive unified economic system…a World Government that will need to control a World Financial System. Regardless of what you think is possible, this idea is no longer part of the fringe conspiracy element of the Internet folks. It is easily discernable from the news and knowledge readily available to the public. It isn't even hard to find. You'd have to be blind to miss it. China has become thee creditor nation for the world. The United States has become thee debtor nation on a monstrous scale far outpacing all the other countries combined. The balance of power has begun to shift in a monolithic manner from West to East. The only reason we are still having our debt propped up is because there are many nations that do not want to get sucked down the toilet when the US economy fails. People are waiting for the East to create a stable basis and system to replace the US dollar and Wall Street. A transfer of power this large takes time, mountains are not moved in a day. The seeds of our demise were planted in the very foundation of this new economy. When these seeds come to full bloom there will be no one to help and the foundations will crumble.

In A Country of The Blind, One-Eyed Men Are Kings

What is amazing to me is there are many in academia that are followers and advocates of the Keynesian philosophy and sadly, they have the ears of the people in power. A system that was meant to be a temporary fix is now advocated as a permanent fix by so-called experts. These people usually come in three flavors: Marxist in general, Socialist, and in some extreme cases communist. The people in power (politicians and the uber-rich) may not necessarily adhere the these philosophies but they are being advised and steered by them since those who are from academia who are considered the experts. They advocate this insanity because they have an agenda of social re-engineering to level the playing field for all. Many in the halls of power are economically ignorant and eat it hook-line-and-sinker.

It isn’t Keynes fault this is happening. It is the product of mindless adherents of flawed ideologies. When we replaced God with government and men thought they had the answers we laid the groundwork for apostasy and a drift away from commonsense and biblical principles of being frugal and sensibly thrifty. I do not find it surprising that these economic flaws entered the system at about the very same time that God began to be rejected from the system and our society. In the first half of the 20th century we saw and explosion of anti-biblical philosophies like separation of Church and State and included removing prayer from schools. All these philosophies stemmed from the godless Darwinistic and Marxist/Socialist philosophies of the late 19th century Europe. Philosophies which had their roots in the Enlightenment that goes back centuries. The Enlightenment whose impetus came from the desire to rely solely on human reason and was fallout from the abuses of both Churches and State centers of power. The desire to push God out of humanity. A theory that said the power of government derives from the power of its subjects rather than the will of God (Hobbes). We still live under this today. We also now live under God's judgment. We are a nation that is under judgment for turning its back on God, just like its predecessor and primary parent...Europe.

In terms of economics and moral rectitude the United States has made a deal with the Devil assuming it would always benefit from perpetual prosperity, abounding affluence and self-sufficiency. Now man is self-sufficient. Without God man is a reprobate sinner dead in his sin. Now the tide is turning and now that it is coming back in it threatens to inundate even the most frugal and Biblically disciplined. The Devil is coming to collect his due in this Faustian pact. When you make a deal with the Devil you preclude God, the results of the pact with the Devil are their own punishment for having turned your back on God and having apostatized (drifted away).

And you can take that last statement to the bank (sarcasm and pun intended). It isn't just the economy that tells me that we are under the judgment of God, it is also the rampant sexual immorality, the obscene wholesale slaughter of the unborn through abortions, the senseless violence, and the non-sensical and unbiblical decision-making that permeates our society and culture at every level of secular and often religious leadership.

Its time to pay up folks...and we are now financially and morally destitute (repobate). If we do not turn back to God and plead vehemently for forgiveness with a contrite heart, the enemies of the USA will win without ever having fired a shot. I fear it is too late already.

Paying The Devil His Due: In The Red - Part I

“The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.” ~Psalm 37:21

"Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. ~Proverbs 22:26-27

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. ~Proverbs 22:7

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ~Romans 13:8

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty. ~Proverbs 21:5

Nowadays too many folks are poorly informed on what is going on in the economy. This causes fear and apprehension. Once you are done reading this post you will more than likely have even more of a reason to be anxiety ridden but it will not be because of lack of knowledge. I will not go into specific detail of every little nuance of this debacle called the economy but I will glean from the edges so that the reader has a comprehensive understanding of the current state of affairs nationally and globally. Please understand I support no political party in this and have no agenda other than to educate people about a broken system. What I am tired of is this: People being misled by the godless immoral monstrosity of transnationalism and economics being pushed to the forefront by a majority of those in power. I truly believe many are being controlled by fear of the unknown. How many times have we heard this in the last few years, “We have to dump billions or trillions into the economy or it will end in Armageddon!!!” The people in government saying this are no more wise than the average man on the street and are being used like by the academic elite and international power brokers in a massive form of social engineering that may or may not have its root in humanity. I believe no man could've orchestrated such a massive endeavour on the scale that we see today in the world. This seems otherworldy in its scope. So I present the information as I understand it. Enough is enough of the scare tactics used by pseudo-intellectuals and tools of Satan.
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The Roots of America's Faustian Bargain

The Great Depression that started in Fall of 1929 is often listed as having ended by the start-up of World War II due to the massive industrialization of America to put it on a war footing. If we look closely at the facts we will see that Roosevelt's Administration just extended the Depression through the thirties and probably postponed it for decades because of the economics of one very influential man that came to the attention of the Roosevelt administration. The US had been struggling to try and get out of the Great Depression for years and contrary to popular revisionist history the radical things that had been done during the New Deal and the years subsequent probably only contributed to prolonging the Great Depression not ending it.

Enter John Maynard Keynes. I will attempt to explain how the Great Depression and one man’s ideas: John Maynard Keynes' economic theory shaped the world of finance and created the crisis we now live in today in 2011. I will also show how the very fabric of the American (and majority of the Northern hemisphere including Europe) economy now have embedded directly within it the seeds of its own destruction. We are already seeing Europe’s economies imploding. I will do my best not to bore people. I will be giving a 30,000ft flyover from 1929 to 2011. People need to understand how making a government(s) God is its own punishment. How reprobate minds allowed to rule a nation are indeed their own downfall.

Keynes, through Roosevelt, became the economist most decisive in American economic thinking after the Great Depression and WWII and thereby gained in America the influence he already had on the European continent. To understand where I am going in this post we need to understand the economic theory Keynes promulgated. Once we understand this we will see how a British man that has been dead since 1946 still holds the USA and much of Europe in a cast iron death grip...and has the Chinese laughing all the way to the bank.

The concept of economics before Keynes was one akin to a roller coaster of extremes. Massive swings in the economy between inflation and depression were inevitable. It was believed that there were, built into the economy on a somewhat intermittent basis, the factors that could pull an economy upward from depression and ease it downward from an inflationary peak (inflation). The experts said that, during periods of depression, savings would rise and interest rates would fall, making money available for industrial expansion. It was automatically assumed that industry would invest the money and then expand. This in turn was suppose to increase employment and cause the economy to rise, thereby producing further investment. As we can see even in today’s environment this is a dubious assumption at best. Interest rates would supposedly then rise, reducing savings and causing a downturn in the economy. This is why we now see in 2011 that banks are charging people that are not spending or withdrawing money from their savings and only socking it away. The cycle it was assumed, would continue with dependable safety switches built in at the top and the bottom of the business cycle.

That was the view of the way the economic cycle worked according to conventional economists. Keynes, however, believed that there was a flaw in the view. The theory didn’t work during the Great Depression. The standard view did not guarantee the economy would go up again, stimulated simply by the businesses motivation. Keynes asserted that the missing element in the theory was at the bottom of the business cycle there would be no money in savings to reduce interest rates and the rebound from the bottom would never take place. In this situation Keynes said a stimulant or as we understand it today a stimulus was necessary to cause an economy to move upward toward prosperity from a recession/depression and that stimulus was not business investment (since business could not expand forever) but rather was elaborated upon in Keynes’ book The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money.

The Government As God

In a single sentence it will suffice to say that an economy always lives in the shadow of collapse. In another sentence it would suffice to say Keynes believed that there had to be another input brought to assure a smooth sailing economy. Something to assure the economy a kickstart to get it moving again. Keynes believed the New Deal sort of showed his point but he believed they did not spend nearly enough money to fix the problem of the Depression. Keynes believed that the government itself through social and fiscal legislation was the shot in the arm needed to get the economy moving again (i.e.: government investment, nanny state government, financial stimulus...socialism). Keynes believed that a government infusion of cash or cash rich schemes were the answer. He said it was the moral responsibility of government to create full employment (not business) even if it had to borrow the money. This philosophy is dangerously akin to socialism (Marxism) as to be indistinguishable from it. As a matter of fact it could be considered a form of Socialist Democracy or Democratic Socialism.

The borrowing aforementioned automatically assumed mounting debt because of the sheer enormous amounts of cash involved. If business would not invest, Keynes insisted it had to be government to avoid the inevitable collapse of the market(s). He had also recommended a similar course of action to other nations (Europe). In Keynes defense I will say that he probably did not intend this “solution” to avoid economic disaster to be permanent but that is exactly what it has become. It has become a permanent condition whereby government borrowing and deficit spending would become the expected and eventually the recommended course of action for the America and other nations. It is not surprising to see that because of the heavy-handed approach from government in Keynesain economics it is actually considered social liberalism or is a methodology of the social progressives that they hoped would lead to pure socialism.

In hindsight we see that the New Deal in the 1930s in America was a costly non-answer (and costly failure) to the problems of unemployment and poverty. The enormous expenditure of money by the government in the New Deal can now be shown as an unwise course that extend the Depression through the entire decade of the 1930’s. If WWII didn’t come along, history may have been quite different economically. Because of the war, the bill that need to be paid by Roosevelt’s spending got pushed off…into the future.

What we see in hindsight is the businesses did not trust the government in doing this and we see this even today. Companies have money to invest right now in 2011 but they are sitting on it because of the hostility by the government, their legislation and general public sentiment that has been stirred up by anti-corporate and anti-business rhetoric, much of it unfounded. Business questioned the role of government in the economy. This played directly into how government affected things like unions and questionable guarantees to financial institution through things like the FDIC. These concerns have been legitimated today now that governments faces billions of dollars of guarantees that are virtually unpayable to social reform programs such as Medicare and programs that still stem from the New Deal and things like LBJ's great society. The government has also incurred unbelievable debt from repeated market failures it never could've imagined.

Keynes philosophy gave birth to the recently coined “Nanny State” or "Government is the answer". Keynes proved government intervention would move the economy…he just never intended for it to be permanent. Keynesian economics fraudulently taught that government is the final end-all answer to financial woes. Government can do anything or whatever it wanted…government had become God. It was the idealization of the Marxist ideal of “The Party” in the utopian society. Today we know better...don’t we?

“Government can do all” was the concept behind Keynesian economics. After this “solution” was put into place it is reported that someone asked Keynes, “This appears to work in the short term, what about long-term consequences?"

Keynes's infamous answer was, "In the long term, we are all dead."

Lovely

[more in the next post...]

Hard Sayings XI: Jus Talionis: Turn The Other Cheek

"But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." Matthew 5:39

So what is Jesus telling us to do here, become human doormats? No he is not. On the eternal scale of things, the truth is this:

If God is for us who can be against us?" ~Romans 8:31

What makes this hard is what it is asking us to do in the face of outright hostility. What is more is that this verse mentions the right cheek. Hitting someone in the right cheek with the back of one's right hand was a greater insult as it was hitting or attacking a persons side or hand of power, therefore it was more insulting.

What we see here is along the lines of forgiving your brother seventy times seven times. In the world an unprovoked attack usually is responded to in kind with equal hostility or at least an equal measure of resentment. Christians are of the Kingdom and the demands on us are greater and more restricted in their response in these situations. The idea of lex talionis (limited retaliation) is mentioned previous in this context to this which was an eye for and eye, tooth for tooth. Even this Law from Moses' time was to limit retaliation to an equal response not one-upmanship in hostility and violence (Exodus 21:23-25). Usually this mentality had not been adhered to and petty squabbles between individuals would often lead to bloody feuds between families or even tribes.

What do we see Christ say here though? Not only does he say to turn the other cheek in this passage, he also says to go the extra mile (milion or thousand paces) when forced to go one. He is telling us to go above and beyond what is the accepted or expected norm of society in terms of graceful and forgiving behavior. What ever we do we are to do as exemplary because we are Christians. This includes even the stuff we do not want to do such as physical hardship. The extra mile? In the time of Christ Roman soldiers could requisition commoners or plebians to carry things like their gear such as shield, armor. They were required to carry it a minimum of a thousand paces or one milion (with one "L") . This was translated from the Greek word  μίλιον / milion or what was considered the "Roman mile" (5820.9 feet). Jesus tells his listeners to double the distance even if it means hardship to themselves. At the end of the first mile you are a free man but if you voluntarily decide to carry it an additional mile for the soldier, the entire face of this situation changes. The initiative becomes yours and the chances that the soldiers perception of you might change for the better is high. Not only are you being friendly and throwing the person off their guard, you are reflecting an act of grace. Undeserved grace (what other kind is there?) but Godly and Christlike at its core. Non-retaliation after being struck is even more profound in its contrast.

The same principle applies to being struck. No one wants to be hit, it is painful, an inconvenience and a hardship. Jesus says to bear it. It appears to be telling us to not even retaliate. To require one to do this you are also requiring that they suppress their sinful nature to resent and get even. Here again as in other commands from Jesus we see the impetus to not only stop the action but to actually change the thought processes and habitual responses that lead to the inevitable violent or hostile reaction. If we train ourselves to respond non-violently in these situations non-violence becomes a second nature. Does it make us a doormat? No, it makes us an example of the Kingdom.

The purposes of God are higher than that of man and when we see that Jesus came to bring the Kingdom we understand why. It shows grace. When someone's actions or words undermine God's word it his in this situation that we need to do what Jesus said here. Forgive and move on. In the end it is God that is the final Judge of man's actions. In these situations Christians are called to something different than lex talionis which seeks to put an upper limit on retaliation. It could be referred to as jus talionis and we rarely ever hear of this type of thing anymore because we live in a culture and world where revenge is the preferred and sought after result. Jus talionis or "justice of kind" as opposed to lex talionis "law of kind". A idea of jus talionis is simple, it does not condone revenge but rather a compensation of fair value or to give the value of equal measure in compensation. Jesus in this verse tells His listeners to forego revenge completely. Instead of exacting revenge or a repayment for damages (as in a lawsuit), Jesus actually tells us to give to him who asks of you.

If someone actually wrongs you...challenge them with kindness in return. Is this being a doormat? If God Almighty is the final judge of things, do you think you will be a doormat in the final measure of things? If you end up in Heaven for obedience will it even matter to you then? We need to think in the full scale and measure of things and stop letting our anger or tempers get the better of us in the present. We need to stop living soley nd selfishly for ourselves in the "now" and start living for God and others for eternity.

So, these are two examples from 1st century Judea. How can we apply them today? Of course we could be hit back-handed in the face but there are laws now that prohibit this and legal recourse that generally prevent intelligent people from inexplicably and impulsively hitting you. How else can it be applied? Right now I am thinking in places like jury duty and other social requirements that inconvenience us but usually serve the greater good. Go proudly and joyously to something like jury duty which is vastly easier than carrying a soldiers armor one (or two) miles. When confronted by hostilities, walking away is always an option. Sure it will wound your pride but that is what the Devil is hoping will trigger you--your pride. Exploding in anger is easy and a sign of immaturity and mental weakness.

Jesus asks us to expend nearly every effort to avoid the conflict but what He does not ask us to forsake is our minds. In particular the admonition to turn the other cheek is given to Jesus' disciples or those that seek to follow closely in the footsteps of their Master. The exceptions to the non-retaliation rule has to be when one becomes a civil leader and the decision to stop criminal actions or intent with pronounced punishment that ends up being perceived as violent or actually is violent. If a leader does not impose a deterrent to violent criminals society could easily be overrun with criminals intent on violence and anarchy. In these situations it is also the civil authorities that would need to arbitrate a non-violent outcome between the differences of the two parties in question in this verse...the one hitting and the one getting hit.

Again, in the end God is the only true Judge and it will be who compensates with reward or punishment on the eternal scale of things in the end. We need to leave the justice and vengence to theonly one true Judge and the Avenger.

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19

“It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.” Psalm 18:47

"Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly." ~Deuteronomy 32:35

Battle Fatigue

I am not necessarily sure why I chose to actually advertise this but it seems somewhat appropriate for now. It’s almost as if I feel compelled to fire back at the powers and principalities that are tormenting and provoking. Frankly I must be nuts because I probably am inviting more attacks in the form of snarky comments and mockery. So be it.

I sense that we are barking up a tree that the “powers and principalities” do not like. We am encountering nothing but resistance lately. I also believe simultaneously that the Lord is trying to have me learn something from it all too as He is Sovereign. The obvious assaults have surfaced ever since we started the giving more of our time to ministry, occasional preaching , teaching studies and ironically, started posting some of the "Hard Sayings" on Souljournlaer (i.e.:progress in the ministry). My family and I are literally in a spiritual and physical version of chess with hand grenades. Every time my wife or I make a move we are being hammered as if someone or something heads us off at the pass. When we run into these obstacles it literally is explosive. At the risk of sounding paranoid…I will continue.

People that should probably not be able to do the things they are doing and know the things they are knowing are working wittingly or unwittingly against us. Some are close enough to know inside (personal) information about us and use it to work against us. It is as if they are being fed the ammunition belts of information and spiritual mortar to rattle our foundations. The emotional shrapnel is beginning to impede each and every step we try to take. The drain is actually becoming physical. We often feel run down at the end of some of these days that are the equivalent of a meat grinder. Our response has been the same, forge ahead and no retreat. Lean into the obstacle head down, grunt and head-butt if necessary to get through. We have no choice, we know the repercussions of disobedience.

It has gotten to the point that even those that believe they are helping sometimes cause more damage than they fix. I realize many believe they are doing things with the best intentions but even people with good intentions can cause harm. Through no fault of their own, the motives or actions of others have become suspect. It is a nasty situation when you cannot be sure who or where the enemy fire will come from next time. It is really really hard to discern whether or not what looks like help or the hand of grace today will become an impact from the fist of wickedness tomorrow (or a knife in the back). Until we work through the individuals one-by-one on a case-by-case basis, my wife and I have hunkered down. Life is has become a lonely and isolated place. Luckily we were warned that when we make any progress in the ministry it will be a hard won battle with casualties. We have pulled in our friends and circled the wagons so to speak but stray projectiles are getting through and causing damage.

This is spiritual…and it is war right now. [insert mental images and mental audio of battle here]

Edification from others is turning to condescension. INCOMING!!!
Exhortation is turning into put-downs or demands. MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN!!!
Advance-Retreat-Advance-Retreat-HIT THE DECK!! DIG IN!!!

If it appears I have exaggerated it is because the help and hell are so blurred right now that some of these things are indistinguishable from one another. To some extent we have resorted to reading into things as an act of self-preservation and it has made relationships strained. We don’t like trying to read and discern people and would rather take them at their word but I do not believe that is not possible right now and still be able to play it safe. We run the risk of reading people incorrectly when discerning whether they are friend of foe.

I personally would compare it to spiritual blindsiding. Many times these things come at us in a series of events or with a staccato frequency (like machine gun fire). It is a literal crossfire that is often a mix of hostile and friendly fire. At times it feels as if we just need to duck or sprint for cover because we cannot tell if the snipes are coming from in front or from behind us since there are too many to tell them apart at times.

This stinks. (not the word I wanted to use but this is a Christian web site)

We expected the attacks from the outside and to some extent we even expected them from within. The ones from within though are coming from sources we did not expect and are coming from all quarters in a criss-crossing pattern. We/I feel confused because we/I cannot tell which fire is coming from where - friendly or hostile. It feels like we are waltzing through a mind field with clown shoes on right now while copper and lead whizzes past our heads.The only assurance of clarity, peace of mind and truth is in the Bible and prayer right now. Everything else is suspicious until its source and motive has been discerned. I sense the battle lines are drawn and every inch of ground that is now taken for the Gospel will be met with dogged resistance. We now need to figure out whether it is time to go on an offensive or fall back to defensive position and dig in our heels. We’re opting for the latter. It’s starting to feel like we need to plant our pike in the ground and challange whatever it is to charge us.

My issues mostly stem from spiritual sources, of this I am convinced but although these are the sources the end results are manifesting in financial areas and others. Like I said we are under siege and bulwarks are buckling. I need prayer from you folks.

I personally pray (alone and with my wife) until I've broken a sweat (literally) and the only words that continue to pop into my head is "sin" and "Bible". The rest has been left to us to figure out...so I give the information to others I trust so they can decrypt it and the best answer that has come up is.... that we personally need to teach others of the gravity their sin so the Spirit can convict them. This in turn will urge them to the only answer they have available to them...the Holy Writ...the Bible. It as if God is giving us/me bits and pieces and then telling us to "go figure it out". All the while we’re trying to discern if this is God, our sin haunting us, or Satan's brood (vipers).

I realize there are others like us that have it as bad if not worse and we pray for them too. They are brothers and sisters in arms. All of a sudden the spiritual realm that I have barely acknowledged in the past or treated in a passe manner is wreaking havoc and  inflicting real damage in our lives and we are a little bewildered by it all. We are often figuratively fighting the darkness to assure whatever is there does not come forward...but if it does... 

This spiritual warfare stuff is mean and nasty especially when you’ve thrown a rock into a nest and stirred them up like hornets. This war is very real and yeah, it has been quite bad. This is not some mystical acid trip fairytale thing. Its REAL.

Please pray for my family so I have time to spiritually reload. It is all becoming a little much and fatigue (battle) is setting it as this is all extremely stressful. We end each day with a 1000 yard stare. When we’re down the evil of this world seems to kick us in the face and knock our teeth out adding insult to injury. We are praying for fresh “reinforcements” in prayer. We are also praying for “supplies”. I know that we serve a Sovereign God and King and are loyal to Him. I know in the end He will overcome all. Unfortunately, right now we live in a Kingdom that is in rebellion against our King and therefore we are hated for honoring Him. We see glimmers of promise in this and know things are going be alright but right now life is giving us a real attitude and I worry about my wife and children over the long haul as this does not appear to be easily resolved.

Writing about this has helped me be more "at ease". Thank you in advance folks.

Hard Sayings X: The Hate Parade

Hamas Suicide Bombers

The Inability to Forgive and Live Peaceably With One's Neighbor

You know the parable of The Unmerciful Servant. It ends like this:

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” ~Matthew 18:32-35

Jesus is talking to Peter here. Jesus over the course of His ministry has tried to drive home the amazing importance of forgiveness not only to His disciples but others also. What does Jesus say before this passage in Matthew 18:21-22?

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

So this means on the 491st time we can poke someone in the eye and stop forgiving them right? Wrong. I have heard this one explained this way: If you forgive someone that many times Jesus is figuratively saying that you should continue to forgive them forever or ad infinitum. Eh, perhaps, but not necessarily. Abundance of forgiveness is definitely called for in most if not all situations. But what about deliberate mistruths that lead people astray from God, even after the person has been warned what they are doing is wrong? They change for a little while and then revert back to bad habits. This then calls for a rebuke not continued forgiveness. If they repent, then yes, forgive. That being said, I believe there is something more going on here.

Let me ask this question. If you ever wanted to get really good as something like hitting a baseball or learning how to write, what did you do? You practiced...over and over and over. In some sports like football, wrestling and basketball they call it drilling. When I say drilling I literally mean the dictionary definition of: "a disciplined, repetitious exercise as a means of teaching and perfecting a skill or procedure." The reason you drill like this is to make the actions become second nature so that a person's action is automatic in a given situation. It allows for their cognizance to be more intensely focused in a broader scope to do other tasks for the Lord, just like an outfielder in baseball is attempting to catch a pop-up to centerfield while he is simultaneously aware of where the runners are infield base. Why? So he knows what to do with the ball once it hits his glove. Does he throw home to stop a runner from scoring or throw to second to get a forced out?

But then again...this might just be a reference to Lamech's boast in Genesis 4:23-24

‘Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

Lamech descended from Cain who had been under God's protection in Genesis 4:15’s, “If anyone slays Cain…” God said vengeance would be taken on that person sevenfold.' Lamech eight verse later makes a war song as this is poetry in the original Hebrew claiming no one would be able to injure him and not suffer a reprisal or, “If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

The story of Lamech would’ve been well-known to Jewish men since they had to learn Torah. Jesus knowing this could’ve used the seventy times seven as a point of contrast in the absolute opposite direction morally. Instead of the basis for revenge, Jesus makes it the basis for forgiveness?

We must never forget that message of the Bible is a message of forgiveness. Forgiveness of man's sins. Forgiveness of wrongs against us and a study in how to have proper relationships with believers and non-believers alike. God is a holy and forgiving God full of grace and mercy. We as believers are called to be like God, therefore holy, forgiving and full of grace. It would be expected that one who clings tightly to a benevolent and forgiving God should “go and do likewise” to others. If we truly want to be like Jesus Christ we therefore need to have this attitude amongst ourselves as Christians or as the Bible implies, we are to be the People of Christ: Christians. If we of all people do not extend this forgiveness to other people, what happens?

We are told unequivocally in the parable. If we are pardoned our debts by Christ and claim to be Christ, yet we do not extend this exact grace to others…then we couldn’t possibly be of Christ as much as we say we are, could we? COULD WE?!? Better look more closely in that mirror folks. Are you holding grudges? Is there a person you just can’t stand? Does even the very idea of speaking or dealing with them is absolutely repulsive to you? Does it initiate a vomit reflex? A neighbor? A co-worker? A relative?

If we do not give grace and mercy to others, the King, our King who did and does give this grace and mercy will have our heads for it. God said He will deal with us in a similar manner. Since this can be understood as possibly losing one’s salvation I will state that I believe this passage can be understood this way. The unmerciful servant got punished because he never had a true change of heart and was behaving with a double standard. He had never changed. In our case it would be a person that said or appeared to have been saved and repented, but his actions clearly spoke otherwise. Christian in word only does not a real Christian make. [Go read that again]. A simple prayer to accept Jesus into you life and then no subsequent action or change of behavior after the "conversion" is dubious at best. Better to discern that you are actually in the faith. This unmerciful servant showed that he had not change by his behavior to someone else after he himself had been forgiven a debt. God forgave us we are obligated to forgive others. OBLIGATED as true Christians. Otherwise...we are not true Christians are we?

What we are seeing here is a case of "what’s good for me is not necessarily good for you". We are talking about hypocrisy here or a hypocritical heart. God forgave us because we truly repent. This unmerciful dude did not. A man that is not truly forgiving and subsequently repentant is not a adherent to the King in the truest sense, therefore condemned or as the parable tells us tortured until he could repay the debt. For a Christian that is just not possible without the work of Christ. If a person has truly accepted the work of Christ and they have internalized the teachings of Christ…there will be forgiveness. If no forgiveness, they are not as Christian as they claim to me and that is a dangerous place for anyone to be. You must check to assure you are truly in the faith.

"And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16

It’s about having grace towards others just as God has towards us. A true response in love will manifest itself in forgiveness. Those that do not respond in love will exhibit minimal or no forgiveness. Those that do not extend grace and forgiveness towards others better look more closely at whether God extended it towards them and if He's not they should ask themselves why? This ain't brain surgery folks. At the other end of the spectrum taken to its absolute extreme we have unforgiveness, hostility and genuine hate (not the "hate" the media uses to attack its foes). Which do you suppose God wants? How could revenge or hostility caused as a product of unforgiveness ever produce anything of value?

Hard Sayings IX: Loving People You Can't Stand

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." ~Matthew 5:44

Who hasn't been wronged by someone and then had the insuppressible urge to retaliate or at least give them the "how-to" and the "what-for"? I have and sometimes still do. Its the urges and desires getting the upper hand in the battle for sanctification. The flesh (σάρξ) takes over. Things like this are what stand in our way of becoming more holy. It is the "loving your enemies" that makes being a true Christian so hard. Get over it. No  one said this life was easy. If you're gonna be a pansy about this you'd better rethink your situation. If you cannot handle this and have not been abiding in this truth...the term Christian may not be the classification or description that you reside under. I am not saying you should go right now and bake cookies and buy flowers for people you consider your enemy but at the same time, you had better not hate them.

You should also be trying to figure out how to make inroads to repairing the relationship if you haven't tried before. Although you might not love them right now, God does and these "enemies" of yours are still God's creation created in His image...no matter how flawed they appear to you...they still need to be loved. To hate them is to hate God's creation thereby hating something in His image (by proxy). Sometimes the fact that these "enemies" are enemies and are so hard to get along with stems from the fact that few or no one has tried to love them in the past anyway. Isn't this exactly what we as Christian are called to do specifically? Love the unlovable. Eat dinner with the sinners and tax-collectors? We are called to patiently endure and help bear other's burden. Yet I hear it often, "Ehhh, that is gonna be really hard...love my enemy? Really?"

Do you think it was easy for Jesus to bear a cross to His death on a scourged back to right the relationship between you and your enemy? To create a point of reconciliation in His death so that people diametrically opposed can meet and get along? Please. Stop the "woe is me" mindset when asked to right a relationship with an enemy. No one knew more woe than the Man of sorrows Himself: Jesus. He endured the pain to right the imbalance after the Fall and to bring salvation to those that accept His work on the cross. The Fall which has a direct hand in the enmity and animosity between you and your "enemy".

Before I am accused of being hypocritical and told, "Why should we, if you can't?", I will state the following. Because of the conciliatory power of Christ...I have loved my enemies on quite a few occasions. My only regret is that I have not been able to right all bad relationships (but not by my choice). Relationships with mortal enemies have in some cases become friendships. I have made those phone calls and built or rebuilt some of those bridges where the reconciling process did not cause more damage. Was it easy? Of course not, wasn't meant to be.

If you have not started sensing a pattern in the Hard Sayings posts, you should now. We need to look at the context of the passage. What did Jesus say immediately before this? "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you..." Jesus is referencing the Old Testament and again He is raising the bar very high for Christian behavior.

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." ~Leviticus 19:18

This is also spoken of elsewhere as the second of the two greatest commandments. The primary obviously being Deuteronomy 6:5's "You shall love the Lord your God ...". So if we only have to love God and our neighbor, we're free to hate everyone else right?

Jesus is very clear in Matthew 22:36-40 in relation to these types of social relationships.

"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So Jesus in Matthew 5:44 ups the ante. We are to love our enemies. What does this love mean? When Jesus says love it is a practical type of love for interaction with other beings, God or people. We are not to pay lip-service we are to embody the love towards another.

"Let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth" ~1 John 3:18.

We cannot just love and walk away. If we love someone we stay and we help them, interact with them or to have a relationship with them..love is an action, a verb, not just a noun. So Jesus tells us to commit to an action and put it to good effect. What does He tell us to do after telling us to love our enemies?

"...pray for those who persecute you [abuse you]"

Why? As the mind leads, the body follows. As we pray for our enemy a change is instituted in us also as the initiator of  prayer. God can do the work in the heart of the "enemy" as I can personally attest to but as you are praying the prayer and Spirit is doing a work in you too. The best way to destroy an enemy (which is all a sinful person wants to do anyway) is to make them a friend. You see, praying for your enemy doesn't always necessarily mean that the entirety of God's grace is directed at that person...sometimes it's direct at you too. What does Proverbs tell us about helping an enemy?

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you." ~Proverbs 25:21-22

The burning coals in the passage refer to shame. Shame is a reaction to one's actions when they know they are wrong. Generally, this reaction produces a heart of contriteness and repentance. Thereby it changes the person from the inside out. This works a lot better than walking up to somebody and smacking them in the head.

If you do something good in addition to the shame a normal human would feel in the presence of a good deed it aids in the lasting effect of changing the person's presuppositions about you. You haven't just said good things about your enemy you have actually produced fruit that shows a truthful heartfelt intent. This often times ends with our adversary realizing... "Oh, maybe he wasn't the jerk I perceived him as the last ten years. Perhaps it was me all along or a little of both, perhaps I should go talk to him?"

I hold this especially close to heart as I know for a fact it works as it has worked for me. As my heart turned towards God and I began to pray that God repair my life and relationships in my life, He laid it on my heart to talk to people I would've otherwise continued to avoid and ignore in animosity. As I prayed and talked the Spirit chipped away at years of misunderstanding, assumptions and presuppositions until it revealed the real people underneath not the ones I thought I was seeing. In the process it chipped away the enemies both in their lives and in my mind to reveal friends. Sometimes the precious diamonds reside within the ugliest rocks of our own making.

Hard Sayings VIII: No Swearing! Why Not? God Does.

"But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. ~Matthew 5:34-37

This isn't that hard of a saying. It nearly explains itself. Perjury was in the Law of Moses

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Exodus 20:7

To swear an oath falsely against God's name was not just a sin against His name it was a sin against God's very being or person. Many versions of this passage including the KJV say swearing "in vain". It is a conditional commandment. You can swear an oath...just not in vain. In the end the Jews thought it so dangerous to misuse God's name they stopped using it all together and referred to Him as Yahweh or the Tetragrammatons’ YHWH. The Ineffable Name, to pronounce it became forbidden and now its true pronunciation is most likely lost to history. That being said, I believe perjury was in view when man was issued this commandment. We see similar admonitions to the same ends in Deuteronomy, they are just stated differently:

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Deuteronomy 19:16-21

To lessen the severity of the punishment in the event someone swearing was not sure of the truth people would avoid swearing directly to God. In the event that it was dark and truth was hard to discern when a crime had been committed or they purposely lying, swearing to God changed to swearing to heaven or other things. This lessened the possiblity of severe punishment. This way and accidental mistruth or slight deviation from the actual events would be pardonable without a flogging or even possible death.

In some siutations it was better to do away with the vow completely than to make it and not fulfill it. The safest bet is no bet.

"When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it." ~Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

But as we will see in many of Jesus' "You have heard it said...but I say" statements/commands, He raises the bar to the upmost level where it was originally intended. The highest moral regard for God's true intent not some watered-down version created by crooked men.

Jesus said, "Don't swear at all"

I hear it all the time from Christians on jury duty and I want to hammer my head against a wall everytime I hear it, "I can't swear on the Bible, it’s against my religion! It would be considered a sin!"

Ehhh...not exactly.

In fact the Bible says quite the contrary when it comes to certain types of oath taking and it has something to say about the heart condition behind oaths. As a matter of fact God Himself made solemn oaths. The most prominent I can think of is in Hebrews:

"And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. ~Hebrews 7:20-22

In Exodus it is actually command to be done by God:

"If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, then an oath of the LORD shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good." ~Exodus 22:10-11

The proper way to apply and oath in accordance with the Bible is actually outlined in the Westminster Confession of Faith as follows:

Chapter 22: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows


SECTION I: A lawful oath is a part of religious worship,[1] wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth, or promiseth, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth.[2]


Scripture References:
1. Deut. 10:20; Isa. 45:23; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10-11
2. Exod. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; Rom. 1:9; II Cor. 1:23; 11:31; Gal. 1:20; II Chr. 6:22-23


SECTION II: The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence.[3] Therefore, to swear vainly, or rashly, by that glorious and dreadful Name; or, to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred.[4] Yet, as in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the new testament as well as under the old;[5] so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken.[6]


Scripture References:


3. Deut. 6:12; Josh. 23:7
4. Exod. 20:7; Jer. 5:7; Matt. 5:33-37; James 5:12
5. Heb. 6:16; II Cor. 1:23; Isa. 65:16
6. I Kings 8:31; Neh. 13:25; Ezra 10:5


The rest can be read here: Chapter 22 Of Lawful Oaths and Vows

Here's the rub. Jesus was saying that His disciples, people of the Kingdom...Christians absolutely needed to be people of their word. In a word, they need to have: integrity. Their character need to be based in honesty and forthrightness. We are to have a thorough and conscientious regard for truth. We are to have so much credibility and standing with believers and non-believers alike than people would not even think to question our statements with or without and oath. As we all know, this sadly has become anything but the truth in our society today and this is exactly what Jesus' statement hoped to avoid. Many high-profile and not-so-high-profile Christians have been some of the most deceptive, back-biting and duplicitous people that one will ever meet (this alone makes me question their Christian standing).

Jesus then follows-up with: "anything beyond this comes from the evil one." What's He mean? It’s simple really. If a person can only be trusted to tell a truth under oath...means that (1) the person being asked to swear either has not reputation or is of ill-repute (2) this means the one asking the person to take the oath is already of a mistrusting and suspicious nature. Both sides of this unstable situation is a unbalanced equation heading towards disaster. We have a potential liar and a cynic/skeptic. As we can expect from something Jesus says, His statements are often multi-layered and address more than one issue. In this case Jesus is addressing the individual's relationship with God and trying to assure a proper reverence for Him, not some passé attitude or an attitude that takes God too lightly. We also see something else. Since swearing is something that is done between two or more people we see a social or societal element. He is addressing relationships not just between people but also between Christians. There is no room for cynicism, distrust and a need for swearing between the individuals of the Body of Christ. That would be like asking one eye to move in conjunction with the other eye to be able to see correctly. It just doesn't work that way. If there is an inherent distrust between brethren there is a dysfunctional body. A weakening of the mutual relationship ensures and confidence is weakened then subsequently the entire body where this distrust and hostility is present. People begin to take sides and then....division.

No one would ever demand an oath from another that he trusts and that is what Jesus is getting at here. It’s not the oath itself that is the sin, it is the dysfunctional relationship or broken mind that an oath implies. If you absolutely need to make an oath to get the truth out of you, then there is clearly something more severe going on than a simple case of lying. You can say whatever you want...your behaviors and actions will reveal you every time. You will either produce good fruit or rotten fruit. No amount of swearing will change that.

We've concluded that swearing is the product of a relationship between two or more. We also know we have a God that is immutable and unquestionably trustworthy as He is truth itself. So why does God make oaths? The truth is God swears not because He has to or needs to be trusted but because of who God is making His oath to. Man.

Think about that one for a second...if God is ultimately trust worthy and perfect and He is one side of the relationship, what does that say about the other side? What does it say about you and your true nature as human?

Figure it out yet?

Here's the good news though. God keeps all of His promises, all of His vows and loves unconditionally. So much so that He sent His only Son to stand in the place of your sin.

Hard Sayings VII: You Want Me To Do WHAT???

 

Content Notice: Metaphorical/literal sexual topics and sexual innuendo and material.

For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." ~Matthew 19:12

Whaaaa? Say what? Its as if someone just bumped the record player and knocked the needle across the record....vrrrrrvrrrrrrrrrrpppp....or someone just pulled the plug on the TV just as the psycho killer opens the door.....**POOOOF**. The TV screen disappears into a glowing pinpoint of light in the center. Arrgghhhh. Then it pops back on as a test pattern.

I can imagine every man having read this is currently cringing. Relax! We'll get things cleared up rather quickly. I can state unequivocally that Jesus did not require followers to emasculate themselves. Again, we must look at the immediate literary context of the passage and what surrounds it. Right before this passage what do we see? A passage referring to Moses allowing divorce from marriage because of hardened hearts and stiff necked peoples. When Jesus told them they couldn't get rid of their wives by divorce, the disciples suggested that, in that case, it was better not to marry. Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given' (Matt. 19:11).

This means that the only men who can successfully live a celibate life are those who have received the gift of celibacy. This obvious is contrary to priestly vows of celibacy in some denominations. To assume all spiritual leaders will be celibate is absurd. To impose it on men that need to be men (sexually active) will spell absolute disaster and goad otherwise decent spiritual leaders to seek sinful desires or outlets. They may even seek it in perverted and abomindable ways as we unfortunately read about in the paper and hear in the news.

This understanding then frames the verse in question. The verse is separated into two sentences the first containing 3 clauses.

(1) "For some are eunuchs because they were born that way
(2) others were made that way by men
(3) and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven.

(4) The one who can accept this should accept it."

The first two clauses present no problem. Some men are born eunuchs, and as for being 'made eunuchs by men', that was not an unfamiliar practice in the ancient Near East. The hard saying is the third clause of the first sentence. What is meant by making oneself a eunuch "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven"? Frankly, it sounds pretty gnarly to me until I/we pick apart the passage. Sadly, Origen of Alexandria (A.D. 185-254) took this passage literally in his youth and didn't need to. Even he, realizing his mistake said in the interpretation of the words, acknowledged later in life that these words should be understood spiritually and not...

"according to the flesh and the letter". (Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History 6.8.2)

Jewish culture taught marriage was the accepted norm of religious/spiritual leadership and later came to be enjoyed in many parts of the Church post-Reformation. People such as John the Baptist that denied themselves comforts of marriage and family may well have aroused suspicions as he was not the norm. Even as a prophet we know that some of the Old Testament prophets which John the Baptist was a type of were married....such as Isaiah. The truth remains that some men and women have abstained from marriage (and supposedly sexual relations, in order to devote themselves totally to the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven.) There is nothing wrong with this but they need to assure they have this spiritual gift. If not their minds become the Devil's playground because eventually the flesh will get the better of the mind (Romans 7). The man who marries brings upon himself special responsibilities that will otherwise make full and absolute dedication to God impossible since he is responsible to his family as they are dependants and therefore his first church. A man if he is married has the responsibility of being a husband. A man who is a father has the responsibility of being a parent. This makes him the pastor and provider for His home spiritually and materially.

What then did Jesus mean? These words are no more to be taken literally than his words about cutting off the hand or foot or plucking out the eye that leads one into sin.

Jesus also makes it clear that celibacy is only for the "one who could accept it". He said "one."..which means a very small percentage. Not everyone that would be called. Obviously, for the rest, marriage would be the norm. This blows the idea of celibacy for all sky-high. It not only is not expected...it is not realistic...therefore this mandate for church leadership is unbibical as a requirement for discipleship or ministry. A few decades later Paul (although he practiced what amounted to celebacy) would repeat these same ideas, further expounded on the idea that forcing people into celibacy would be inevitably catastrophic. He stated:

"But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. ~1 Corinthians 7:2-7

So it is clear (to me) those that would be required to become celibate would be bestowed this "gift" from God directly. Happy (*ahem* or sad) to say this is not one of my gifts and it probably ain't yours either (but there is a slim chance it might be). So everyone can just chill out and calm down now and get back to your regularly scheduled Saturday Matinee or restart your Keith Green LP...

♫ "Oh no matter whatever the cost, I’m gonna count all things lost. Well I pledge my son, I pledge my wife, I pledge my head to heaven, I pledge my son, I pledge my wife, I pledge my head to heaven, for the gospel."♫