Aiding and Abetting the Enemy

Aiding and Abetting the Enemy

2/28/14

Any military person understands the severity of this statement and how when this phrase is mentioned it serves up instant animosity within the ranks of those who are fighting under orders.  It is a phrase that means that there is a traitor amongst these people and that the security and trust of the unit has been compromised.  This phrase does not just belong to the military for it can be used from anywhere from a personal level to a national level and every type of group and organization in-between.  The Church has also come under this status and we have not recognized its effect that it has played on our lives.  It is time that we understood what we have allowed to occur and how it has rendered us dead amongst Kingdom principles and will soon cause our spiritual suicides.

There have been many examples throughout military history that give an accurate description of what happens to a unit when this phrase is used.  The term aiding and abetting the enemy is one of the most serious misgivings that anyone can ever do to their group, unit, or nation.  One of the great traitors of this country is Benedict Arnold.  Yes there are many issues that play along in this man’s life and it is well known that his actions both expanded the military’s knowledge of guerilla warfare but it also schooled our troops in the fact that at any given point in time a single person can turn against a certain cause and wreak havoc amongst their former colleagues.

Another more modern traitor that comes to mind would be the names of Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh.  These two men were the sole providers of one of the more shocking treasonous actions that have been committed on our land.  They were responsible for the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1995.  Over two hundred people were killed including children that were being kept within the building’s day care unit.  This act was a horrific event and totally caught our nation off guard, but at the same time our previous actions should have been taken into account and someone should have known that some type of event to this nature was about to draw attention.

As this trend continues to play out, the world media institutions are beginning to pick up these acts.  They are not hard to find for they are present on a daily basis and easily accessible because the technology allows us to immediately witness these events as soon as they transpire.  We hear about wars and possible conflicts with the same frequency and as of a couple of weeks ago we have another world situation that is developing that while it does not seem directly related to the Middle East, it will be some time down the road.  There is nothing more painful when a person or nation finds out that someone from their life has intentionally provided some kind of harm to their security.  It does not matter if it is a small lie about a personal detail or if major nuclear missile technology has been passed to our enemy, the fallout of the situation is devastating.

How many times have our personal actions taken the security from our own families?  All of us at one point in our lives have down-played this idea but the fact remains that we have committed this treasonous act towards our families.  So if we alone are subject to this vicious cycle what says that we will not complete this transaction on a larger scale?  For those of us who have been in the military we have been trained to keep our eyes open for any unusual signs that would point out any betrayal or treasonous actions by either the people around our posts or within the post as well.  We also have to keep in mind that our enemy is doing the exact same procedures and are always looking for any type of opening to penetrate.  This plan of action is a routine exercise in military life and it must be noted that even during a peacetime situation these factors are always in place.

A basic military fact is that while a war is ongoing everyone is at their height of anticipation or awareness.  It is expected that certain groups or organizations will carry out tactics that are unconventional or that have surprise raids that present themselves.  But on the other hand when a peace is secured most people, both civilian and military, tend to relax and lower their guard a bit so that they can find out the details of an ordinary life once again.  It is this time that an enemy becomes the most dangerous and usually infiltrates their enemy to a certain degree.  Many of these tactics are usually guaranteed with some type of security or reward for services rendered with a great profit to be made.  The Walker Spy ring is a great example of this and is still fresh in the minds of some people.

It is during the peaceful times that most of the espionage of the world national security offices becomes the most active.  Humans that have a reason to be skeptical about certain countries do so with a sense of urgency for their own protection and as we have witnessed in the past few decades certain countries even spy on their neighbors and friends also.  Whatever the case may be it is during these peaceful times that many deals are struck with certain people or groups to gain information about the other side of the coin.  This process has been played out for millennia and the world will continue to see this activity until man decides to end their struggles against each other; like that will ever stop.

One of my posts in the USAF was at Hill AFB, Utah.  I was there approximately 2 ½ years and worked in the laboratory of the hospital.  There were a small number of military personnel on the base but a huge representation of civilian contract workers.  Part of the mission of Hill AFB was to produce some of the missile technology that many fighter jets used when they were in a combat situation.  It was this type of technology that was stolen and given to the Soviet Union during the Walker Spy Ring years.  While the Walkers were directly involved in the Naval Operations usage of this technology we in the USAF were still reaping its destruction years down the road.  On occasion orders would be received that demanded the changing of the communication devices within the missile guidance systems or some other type of systems change that needed to be updated or radically modified.  All of these actions produced havoc and headaches not only for the civilians on the base but also for the military as well; for when these events occurred, the security of the base changed in some manner and everyone’s lives had to be adjusted.  It seemed silly to those who did not understand what was actually transpiring within the buildings on the base and why these measures were needed on occasion but once a person knew what had occurred in the past and how important it was that these changes were needed, it was acceptable and life continued as normal. 

For approximately two years now I have been writing articles that have dealt with warfare and how it is important that we understand that there is a war that is ongoing for control of our spiritual lives and our physical lives.  While I am considered a very small fish in the world’s ocean God has taken it upon Himself to show me some things about the human heart and then for me to share them with you.  I know that some of my writings have been funny and some have been harsh but what god is showing me to write describes the completeness of His life and His desire that we have every opportunity to understand everything that is in play.  Our lives represent a war between two kingdoms and everything that we do either pushes a kingdom forward or it allows the other kingdom to be pushed back.  Both kingdoms are alive and both respond immediately to our actions and the choices that we make.  There cannot be any mixing of the two kingdoms and there is no interplay between the two either.  It is a war of eternal ground between two immortal enemies all based upon the created existence through our lives. 

So if our enemy has his own tactics one of them would be espionage; it is a logical statement and a true fact.  Of course our enemy has a direct approach in his methods and this is a known fact but what about the subtle hints of deceit or information that we allow into our hearts that produce doubt or anger due to some other event that we may encounter?  What little options do we waiver on when it comes to situational attitudes that the world provides us?  What do we allow into our lives in order to make ourselves presentable to the world, all in the name of God.  And the most important question is what do we allow ourselves to purchase in order to maintain our sanity within the world’s setting?

Our enemy has lulled the Church asleep enough to warrant his spiritual espionage personnel an effective plan to infiltrate the interior walls of the heart of the Church.  We have been sitting back waiting for God to return and not paid attention to the world as we were commanded.  The greatest espionage tactic that we have succumbed to is by sitting within our church buildings and not going out into the world.  We have fallen for the old trick or believing that the world will come to us when they are ready and it is through this tactic that we are now seeing the spirit of the world totally overrun the Church.  When we have priests that deliberately take the innocence from young boys and girls the espionage of the enemy has gained its rule.  When the Church falls into line with worldly standards and does not take a spiritual stand against these beliefs, the enemy’ espionage groups have control over the Church.  When the Church sits back and continues to file her nails and glorify worldly challenges instead of recognizing them and shouting out the truth as to why things are occurring, our enemy’s kingdom is advancing without any restrictions from the Church.

We continue to commit this treasonous act to God’s Kingdom when we the Church refuse to understand what our mission is supposed to do and what it represents to the world.  It totally thrills our enemy if we continue to sit blindly in our pews and pretend to knit a shawl that says “God Loves Everyone” and then place it into the coffers in the church foyer.  These types of actions are pushing forward the Kingdom of God they are advancing our enemy’s kingdom because we have allowed ourselves to be compromised in our abilities as the hope of the world.  God created our minds to think and to be creative when doing so.  We have taken the Word of God to heart and have left it there.  This is a perfect treasonous state in God’s eyes and in our enemy’s eyes as well.  However, only the creator of one of these kingdoms care and it is not God!

The people who are conducting their Christian lives in this manner have made a choice to do so.  If politics, political correctness, and any other worldly issue become more important than the manifestation and advancement of God’s Kingdom to the world, then you have succumbed to a bribe from our enemy and are now in an active treasonous state according to our Creator.  This state of treason just does not fall on those who believe, but it affects everyone since everyone is subject to God, for it was God who created humans and has provided each one of us to be the temple of His message for humanity.  A ring of treason never stays the same or decreases in nature, it will always demand more and wants a continual provision of further information and so goes the exact same tactic when we allow the enemy into our lives. 

Anyone who accepts the chance to perform treasonous acts against God’ Kingdom makes that choice.  We are created equal in His eyes and have every opportunity to understand what is exactly going on around, through and in our lives.  Since each one of us are temples to God that means the entire Church is placed into this category as well and if ignored long enough, those spies will totally infiltrate our existence and overwhelm our motions in such a manner that we will eventually see no way out and be convinced that spiritual suicide is our only alternative; for blindness is a progressive disorder even with the best of worldly eyesight.

The perfect example of espionage in the Bible is that of Judas.  It was the leaders of the Synagogue that approached Judas and it was the choice of Judas to accept the challenge that they placed before him.  There was a reward and a specific reason for his mission and as soon as the deed was completed the ones who initiated the act had nothing to do with him and totally denied the blood money ever existed.  The same scenario occurred when the Walkers were exposed and the leaders of the Soviet Union who had constructed the plans totally denied their involvement even after their names had been released.  The same will occur when the controller of this world is called out by our tongues.  He will deny that he ever had anything to do with you and say to the Truth that it was our choice and not his.

Judas felt like that there was no way out for what he had done to Jesus.  Yet, it was a true fact that what he did played into the plan of God no matter that he was totally lied to by the human race and by our enemy.  Scriptures describe that Judas hung himself after his encounters with the priests and it is interesting to know that John Walker is scheduled to be released from prison in 2015 but is suffering from diabetes and stage IV throat cancer which is a terminal condition.  Both of these situations could have been avoided but it was due to their choices that forced their outcomes.  The same lies true with the Church and her condition while being in a treasonous state will catch up to her if she stays on the current course.  Espionage within the Church is alive and well also and our eyes need to be opened to this current state.

I have used the military as a large part of this article and there is a reason for this; it is because we are fighting a war and it is important that we understand that there is a force around us that wishes to destroy our lives.  He has allowed us to believe that we are at peace and have deceived us into believing that acceptance of worldly ideas is within God’s approval.  This is a lie and is a treasonous act that we are now enacting throughout the interior walls of the Church.  Accepting the world into our spiritual walls and then turning around and not shedding light upon its ways, is a treasonous act and while man may wish to abolish the punishment for treason, God cannot for God is Truth represented and created.  If the Church continues her quest for worldly acceptance then she too will commit spiritual suicide and end up in a hated eternal state.  There is still time for us to change our direction and to make the corrective choice.  The world will scream violently but our eternal Creator shall welcome you with open arms.

DLB

The True Price of Equality

The True Price of Equality

2/25/14

This concept is huge news throughout the modern lands and it is a topic that everyone wags in their opinions.  While the issue seems like a good idea its confluence within established societies can present to be a troublesome presentation.  One also has to ensure that we all remember that being equal sets a standard and then after everyone is settled then the question of where do we go from here then presents itself.  And where is God in this equation, does He have a say in this issue?  It is easy to defend freedom if one chooses to, but what about equality, that subject is a tougher position to swallow.

The topic of this article is going to be varied from the other articles that I have written.  While I will give a few examples and paragraphs concerning God and His ways the majority of my words will be of a secular nature.  The goal of this article is for a person to think about their lives and the choices that we make and how they might affect themselves, others and future generations solely based upon the progressive nature of humanity alone.  We all understand that choices are adherently vital to our individual and societal lives, and while these choices that we accept within our lives may be important we need to always consider these angles of opportunity before we put into place a standard that may prove devastating to our future generations.  Therefore the question still remains that if a standard of equality can be achieved, will it prove to be a good characteristic of humanity?

During the birth period of our country many issues were at stake.  Some of these issues were decided fairly quickly without much pain being incurred during the resolution process.  However, not every situation that our Founding Fathers addressed came out so easily.  Even as the country grew and demanded more money, territory and respect these issues rarely smoothed themselves over without any large objections.  In fact there were many recorded sessions that abruptly ended due to the arguments that the men of the assemblies conducted.  At one point even England was laughing at how these men conducted themselves in a formal setting.  It was evident that even though these issues needed to be addressed and how vital these issues were for the survival of our young country, the men elected to represent this land of ours could not unanimously agree on any issue that was presented.

The history of this country and in every other country’s history a person can look back and see that there is very few times that a unanimous decision has been made concerning a major issue between all parties involved in pursuing that issue.  Humans have a basic instinct of providing one’s own will and making it known to those who might disagree with that personal opinion.  This is a human nature trait that we love to display whether it is for spite or in all honest intentions.  How humans react to these objections can be quite humorous and in some cases quite violent, it all depends upon how serious the shared issues have become.

There have been very few occasions that the law makers of this land have been in total agreement upon and these few instances were minor in nature.  Some small resolutions, orders and procedures can be placed into this category throughout our history but in major circumstances and votes this unanimous contingency has but only one spot that serves a reference.  The only time in our history that the lawmakers and countrymen and countrywomen were ever in a unanimous compliance with each other was when George Washington was elected President of America.  This vote, while some doubts still proceeded, was the only time that a unanimous vote on a major issue was achieved in this country.  This instance happened only once for when the unanimous vote was announced, almost immediately the grumblings began about the first president; even before he took office.  We all know that George Washington was elected again for a second term but it was not even close to a unanimous vote that time around.  The honeymoon was over as the old saying goes.

Even though a unanimous vote was reached for the first president of this country that did not automatically mean that President Washington would have an easy time during his tenure.  Not every suggestion that he made was agreed upon and passed into law.  Not every decision to improve things about the ordinary life of the young country was blindly accepted.  There were many trails and errors that came into play during these early years of our existence.  These delays and struck down policies did not mean that some did not achieve their desires, but it took a little extra time and thinking in order to establish what was best for the country.  However, the question still remained for the people at that time of what would it take to happen in order for their wishes to be accepted into daily life and deemed normal for everyone else within the country.

I remember a couple of times when my parents were considered for churches and we had to travel to that specific area of the country and go through the regular routines that congregations do in order to select and then elect a pastor.  Even in some of the election settings they had a few votes against them which always raised flags within my parents’ hearts because at no time did they ever want anyone to be against the ministry that God had for the congregation.  Even though some of these “no” votes were totally in disagreement with my parents I remember some of the times these “no” votes were cast simply because those people wanted to make sure that a 100% majority would not be reached.  Whether it was done from the heart or out of spite, these votes counted and a unanimous vote was avoided.

In each of the two examples that I have presented not everyone turned out to be happy with the decisions that they had made.  As witnessed in the second presidential election of the country, not everyone electoral voter agreed with Washington and I can guarantee that Washington was not always enthused with his constituents either.  The same goes for my parents in their quest to proclaim the message that God had for the Church, for it was obvious that we did not stay in one town my entire life.  Each example had good results and bad results and the corresponding consequences went right along with each trend.  Does this make the decisions wrong?  Of course not it only reinforces that when humans are gathered into situations that chances are they will not agree upon every issue that has been deemed important.

Once equality is reached and mean truly reached the ultimate question that we all have to ask ourselves is what will be next?  What issues will be deemed necessary to address and how will we obtain these answers?  Has humanity and society accepted these new questions of equality and what further consequences might be necessary for mankind to endure while obtaining them?  It is the nature of humans to progress so this is a logical question that we must raise before we accept the equality journey.

Let us say that we obtain the perfect utopia conditions and everyone is now in agreement with the conditions of marriage equality.  We as a society have established that anyone within humanity can marry anyone that they please with gender not being an issue.  This is a hot topic right at the moment so I will use this one as my example.  Please note that I am not in any way promoting or denying any topic or issue in this article.  My only purpose in this article is for one to think about what equality means and if we really wish to pursue this eternal state.

Given the fact in our fictional state that any human can marry any other human, a pattern soon develops just as it has played out throughout the history of man.  This pattern of excitement and new ideas soon bogs down and becomes mundane just as the traditional marriage beliefs did; which started the push for new marriage acceptance practices in the first place.  Identical problems arise within these living conditions and unhappiness reigns over utopia land once again.  The stalemate of desires again pushes our boundaries and the human realizes that they are not happy with the accepted practices and that they need something new.  The progressive mind begins to work within our silent thoughts and new ideas are presented into motion.

Remembering that your parents told you that certain sexual practices would be considered immoral and that if you did a little research on the internet you could find out if some of your new ideas were even legal or not, all pop into your head once this process begins.  Being an adult and seeing that your parents are very old and all of your grandparents are no longer living you begin to justify your new stance on these ideas within your head noting that the older generation does not care or has no concept of how things are in the world anymore, so you continue your pursuance of these ideas.

These ideas continue their progression within your head and you find yourself thinking about them more often and even meditating on these ideas on a regular basis.  A point then arrives where you want to publicly express your thoughts to one of your friends and to your surprise he / she have the exact same thoughts running through their heads concerning this specific issue.  A new excitement within these two individuals arises because they now realize that a progressive state has occurred and now at least two people have the same issue needs; this can only mean one thing, to find others who have the same desires.  These two individuals become obsessed with locating other individuals that might be curious or have already initiated these beliefs into their lives and it is only a matter of time before their search lands results.

As time progresses these people who have now a formidable amount of like minds and hearts begin to call official channels and to see what type of protection or legislation can be granted in order to suspend any opposition that they have encountered while promoting their newly accepted lifestyle.  With the amount of people supporting their cause they go internationally public and find that more people outside of their country have the same feelings or beliefs as they do, so now their movement is an international cause and looks like nothing can stop their ideas from gaining further ground.  As this movement grows these people realize that not everyone is supporting their cause and some have formally approached their ideas as being wrong and inhumane and should be banned for forever and never to be considered again. The utopia state of equality has just been shattered and humanity finds itself back into an uncertain peaceful state in which its inhabitants are once again at odds with themselves.

The people that support this new type of lifestyle cannot understand why there are those that different opinions concerning this issue and even though they are gaining ground in the laws and acceptance corners of the world there are those that still adamantly protest these acts as being and becoming accepted as normal.  The groups win legislative support and a few laws are placed on the books and yet there are those that still enhance previous laws that defend the opposite views of the newly instilled laws.  The inequality between societies seems to be just as efficient as the new laws are that are created that try to enforce them, but at whose expense is this fight for true equality comes and what standards are being set for the next battleground for equality?

Time continues its progress and the legislative, judicial, executive and more importantly personal powers come to terms and accept this new practice of marriage equality to be normal and is established as a new standard in which can bring people into harmony with each other no matter what the circumstances.  While there is still some opposition present the people that have accepted the new marriage laws as the right choice know that it will not be too much longer until those who oppose these standards will die off and will no longer be heard. Progress has won out and the correct decision has been made and the narrow minded opposition has been thrown out of existence.  For we all understand that if a society promotes a keynote instruction that many accept as normal it will not be too much further that those in opposition could be thrown out of contention for promotion.

Since I have dealt with the example of marriage equality I will now tell you the specific nature of what this utopian equality quality of marriage was.  The newly formed laws that everyone was so excited about and others so opposed to be the concept of polygamy. Polygamy is a topic that was present in certain circles of culture in our nation’s past and for those of you who have not kept up with the news it is a topic that is beginning to show itself once again.  While all states currently have laws that restrict this form of living it is still played out and is becoming recognized by certain federal courts.  What if polygamy becomes an accepted law and how will people even consider it to be a possibility?  These are questions that many people have already asked and have completed the process or progression that I explained above and have brought this concept to the public arena. 

Let me give you another tie to support this progression.  When I was a kid it was my parents who taught me about the birds and the bees. I knew that for some reason that I thought about girls differently than from boys and every question relating to this matter my parents and I talked it over.  If the subject of sex would have ever came up at school the teachers and the school officials would always tell us to ask our parents and that the subject was not appropriate for them to discuss with us.  With me being in many different school districts within my schooling tenure I can honestly say that this was the policy at each one of them.

Today, the sex trend has set the stage when the topic of sex is brought to the attention of school age students.  It is highly taught and talked about within the classroom and it is highly bragged about amongst the students themselves.  The sex lives of everyone within society is openly confessed and publicly promoted as legitimate.  Do you see the progression that was set from a quiet foundation to the public stage of excitement of today?  What comes next is the logical question that one must ask ourselves and how will it be portrayed in our society? 

The sexual acceptance within western lifestyles actually promotes the concepts of polygamy.  Just go to a restaurant and listen to the conversations that are bouncing off of the walls and windows.  One can step into a church building and hear these exact same conversations as well.  Everyone talks about how many people that they have been with or want to be with and how easy it is to obtain a night with a certain person.  While there are those that still disapprove of this concept it is out there, it is alive and well and if you ask anyone about it they will agree that it is here to stay so do not suggest anything different.

So what comes after polygamy?  To answer this question properly one has to examine the foundation of the newly accepted platform and to understand that the foundations have been cured and will serve as the basis of the next wave to arrive.  Will pedophilia be accepted?  I can hear the sounds coming from some of your mouths about that suggestion but stop and think about it and take a logical approach to the reality of such a suggestion.  What about bestiality?  Could that area ever be addressed?  Of course it can and to be honest it already has since all of these states of living have been addressed within the contents of the Bible.  This means that at some point in human history, mankind has already experimented with these specifics and when given the opportunity can enact those same conditions sometime down the road.  All of these issues were made possible by a decision and choice that some person initially made and then processed those ideas to others. 

Some people might say that these two potential ideas will never come into practice, but the people that lived in Alexandria back in the year 300 did not think that humans would ever step foot on the moon either or develop a antibiotic that would cure the common abscessed tooth either.  With the human mind and heart any foundation that is laid can become the launching pad for further development.  That is the way we were created and it is the way we are supposed to progress.  But if left along and unguarded by our true source of life this progression can and will become grossly infected and lead to our demise.

It does not matter which end of the spectrum a person choose to advance, it is all possible within the realm of our mind.  I could have chosen house construction and development for my main example, or aquarium building or even bread making.  It does not matter that I chose equality in marriage, but if one wishes to be picky, then…..it was my choice to make it the foundation of this article.

The platforms of progression can be staged in any area of the world and can be harbored within any human being.  It is of the utmost importance that we understand exactly what we are doing when we make choices for equality.  While the concept of equality is a good goal to pursue we need to ensure that we understand that whatever goal we actually obtain will serve as the foundation for the next generation or group of individuals will base their progression upon. 

I realize that any choice that humans can make could make or break their lives.  It does not matter what opportunity the human has in life they will have to make choices at some point in their lives.  The results of their choices will soon be recognized and displayed for everyone to behold.  This type of setting has been played out by a countless people in history and will be witnessed by countless others in the future. The choices we make resemble the foundations for our lives and for our future generations and it is so important that we make the correct ones now so that our grandchildren will have an opportunity to live a normal and decent life.

So when a person disagrees with you about an issue please do not call them names and try to belittle them.  Try talking to them and to understand what they are thinking and why they believe in the manner that they do.  Yes, it will be a frustrating procedure and it may try your patience but it also may help our society at some point down the road when another harmful issue may arise.  It also may bring people together in such a manner that they will work together in making a better choice for our future instead of a hastily and destructive one.  The human mind is a fascinating organ which carries a tremendous burden to prove its existence and through this existence the mind has the audacity to believe that it should progress everything that surrounds its environment.  

While this function of the mind some see as a curse others see it as an opportunity to progress societal functions.  God intended our minds to function in this capacity and He wants nothing less for us to fulfill the abilities that He has created within our bodies.  But we must contend that our actions and choices may not always be concluded as for the best, and when we recognize this characteristic about our minds and hearts then it becomes imperative that we do not make quick and whimsical choices but sound well thought out decisions that truly fuel mankind into a complete state of being.

A simple truth before I end this article and it has to do with how humans perceive things.  I ask you to go to the library, bookstore or just pick up a non-fiction book that you have on a bookshelf.  Read its contents and think about what you have read.  The subject of any nonfiction book is the story of a person, group or nation that is trying to create a better life for themselves.  The book entails of their trials, tribulations and opportunities and each story has a different outcome.  Yet at the same time as one is trying to accomplish their own idea of equality it is always at the expense of someone else.  It does not matter on which level the story is being told either, some will win and others will lose.  When humans try and work things out on their own, disaster on some level is always close behind.

We also understand that mankind will continue to try and pursue this goal of equality on our own and even though we give it our best, when traveling this road we will always have to accept some certain defeat in our gains.  Have we truly considered the entire price of equality and what it will take away from mankind while it gives something else in return?  Why do we continue to do this in this manner?  There is a better option and it is guaranteed to work peacefully and completely without harm but it requires little of ourselves and a whole lot of God.  God takes the man out of the primary question and if allowed places mankind into its proper position within the primary equation. And when the equation is properly formed then the perfect solution can be obtained by everyone who is seeking equality.  Is there even a possibility of equality when humans are the only ones involved in the achievement process of this question?  From everything that we have done to each other so far, I could be safe to answer that question with a simple “no”.  Why don’t we try God and see what His ways can do for our lives instead.

DLB

God Does Give a Honk 2

God Does Give a Honk 2

2/19/14

Many moons ago I wrote an article that uses this title.  It was directed at leadership of the Church and how important it is to have steadfast leaders within the church community.  Direction, mission, unity and goals are fundamental practices that we all need to have when it comes to church standards yet we tend to fray ourselves into fragments when trying to achieve this status and end up a tangled mess of individuality that enforces our hap hazard ways.  Our enemy loves us in this state for he can use us in any way possible to destroy our vision and to keep his will intact for our destruction.

One of my first articles that I wrote dealt with how a flock of geese come together and eventually form a perfect shape in order to fly and to move towards their final destination.  In this article I referred to how at some given point the lead goose will fall out of position and hen allow another goose to take its place at the head all while maintaining the same directional flow that is needed by the entire formation. While the flock is flying in this formation their alignment is in such a manner that it forms a lift within the shape that allows the geese to have an added help while traveling.  The geese may not be all flapping their wings at the same time but while they are in their group formation it acts as one functioning unit in which every participant has benefits.

As long as the geese are flying together in one group they can perform at their best while using the least amount of energy.  Isn’t this the optimal goal that we wish to have in our lives as well?  What about our church life and the mission that we have been instructed to complete?  Ever wonder how God sees His Church and how her directional flow is going in order to complete her mission?  These are questions that some of us tend to forget and thus bury them within our doctrinal support system while we are campaigning for acceptance reform.  Those are harsh words but ones that ring loud and there is a reason why these words play such a part in our roles within the church walls.

As soon as Jesus uttered the words that He was building a Church here on earth through the teachings and people that He taught the games of division have been sought after.  We should have known this to be evident just because of the scene that was described within the New Testament when the disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who was the greatest among the group.  I understand this concept because at one time I had similar ideas concerning the denomination that I was raised in and believed that it provided the sole “right” answer.  I never took my belief to an extreme outside of my own personal walls and I thank God every day that He broke through that wall and crushed that ideology from my heart.  But my actions provided the basis for the topic of this article in that if we continue our beliefs that our individual denomination is the best that it will provide nothing but a broken foundation to which our relationship with God will stand upon and we all know what happens when a faulty foundation is laid.

As most of you know I love to watch geese.  For some reason it provides me an unusual setting for peace.  It seems kind of weird that a group of birds flying in the air could bring such a serene feeling from a person that is not involved in that group and is actually standing hundreds of feet away.  Whatever the cause for this feeling of mine I know that if I have the opportunity I will stop what I am doing and just stare up at the sky and watch the flock fly towards their destination.  I stand there and watch them for as long as I can and then I anticipate the next flock to come along. 

The other day I was walking across the parking lot and I heard several geese honking, but this time there was something different about their honks.  The honks were coming from many different directions and it sounded so unorganized.  It took me a few seconds to hone in on all of the geese and to locate them in the sky but when I did I saw that they were flying in many different directions.  This seemed very unusual to me especially since each small group would change their own direction trying to form one large group in order to fly properly. Yet as each group continued their turning none of them formed anything like a group and ended up just flying in circles.  Now even though I was on a mission I had no choice but to stop in the middle of the road and stand and watch these geese try to get their act together.  I had never witnessed anything like it before and I could not let this Kodak moment pass me by.

I could not help to but to chuckle to myself a bit because these five groups of geese were acting like they had no clue of how to form a group yet it was plain to see that they were large enough to have done the flying act before.  But at the same time to have a guy stand out in the middle of the road and for him to be staring up in the sky and turning in circles himself is a pretty comical sight, but even though it only lasted a few seconds it still would have been funny to watch I guess; I know I would be laughing at myself if I watch witnessing this scene.

After a few moments the geese finally began to get their act together and while they were still flying around in circles the numbers of geese that joined into one group increased.  The small circular flying pattern began to take a directional flow and within a few more seconds the entire group began to fly into a single direction and off they went in one large formation as they were supposed to be.  It was a beautiful formation and it was wonderful for them to see them being able to perform as one unit.  What a concept I witness that morning but God did not immediately share with me what He had for me to write about concerning this scene.  And for some reason I could not get what I saw out of my mind and every time I went outside and crossed that parking lot I would think about those groups of geese coming together as one unit.  Then God said…oh, by the way.

Each small group of geese contained two or three geese and they themselves were in perfect flying formation.  Each group was coming from a different direction and it was obvious that when one of the other small groups of geese saw another group they would turn to accept them into their flock, yet each time they turned so did all of the other small groups of geese and it ended up that none of the small groups succeeded in coming together at that moment.  These small groups represent the denominations that mankind has created in order to proclaim their ideas concerning the direction of the Church above God’s mission for the Church.  I guarantee that God did not send His son to this earth and to die for everyone’s sins just to have His embassy broken apart by a bunch of know it all humans.  Jesus said that He would build His Church.  Jesus did not say that you would build His churches.  Humans do not have the authority to represent God completely, for only God can do that.

Denominations were created for a reason and this division plan began very early within the Church.  In all truth the Church had a perfect start in that it came from nothing and then after a few years of growth was persecuted and harshly tested by fire.  This fire and torturous conditions ignited a revival that has not been witnessed ever since but while revival was ongoing our enemy began his manipulation within the minds and hearts of man to divide the Church through selfish means.  It took a while for this seed to go from being in a planted state to a sprout stage, but when it reached this level it took off and did exactly what it was supposed to do.

First came the spilt of the Church and if formed two churches, one in the west and one in the east.  All over who was the leader of the Church and what type of authority this person had.  This is exactly what the disciples were arguing about when Jesus was alive and then had the audacity to ask Jesus to settle their argument.  While this event took some time to develop and to actually occur, the thoughts, processes, arguments and meetings of Church leaders continued throughout the period of time before the actual split.  So, one could say that a split was already present even though the actual deed was not completed years down the road.

While it was plain to see that this one split literally tore the Church into two parts it also tore the spiritual aspects of the Church to shreds and it is this aspect that forms our little groups that fly around in circles and have no meaning to their beliefs what-so-ever.  These divisional thoughts continued over time and eventually another split occurred and another group was formed.  In essence a rebellion of a rebellion was created all because certain people did not like the way that things were being run.  Now we all understand that there were reasons that these groups were being formed and I also understand that some of these reasons were legitimate.  But God never said to divvy up His Church in order to get things corrected.  Divvying up anything only creates division and doubles the potential for something to go wrong. 

I am going to make a statement that some of you might not care for but God wants you to know this so take it up with Him and not me. God does not care if you are a Baptist.  He does not care if you are from the Catholic Church or apart of the Assemblies of God or if you are a member of the Lutheran Church.  God does not have a relationship with any of these denominations, He wants a relationship with you, the individual not the building or the organization.  He cannot do anything with the Episcopal Church.  He only can use the people that attend those services and those who actually believe in God and what He can do for the dying.

I have mentioned a particular singer’s name a couple of times in my articles and his name is Keith Green.  Even though Keith is not with us anymore his music still resonates through my heart and the words that God gave him to sing are still true today.  Keith liked to tell people about God and what Jesus did in his life and many times would spend a few minutes telling his audience about God before he sang a song. On one of his recordings Keith was talking in this manner and he addressed the importance of having a relationship with God and he made the statement that God cannot cash out of state checks in heaven, he needs you.  And through this statement God reinforced the need for your life and not the systemic patterns of organized denominations as His instruments of the truth.

A few days ago my father made a similar statement when he said that the Church has wrapped herself and buried herself in her Theology that she has totally forgotten how to have a relationship with God.  What an accurate and truthful statement this is, yet at the same time it is a statement that brings tears to God’s eyes for He knows that we have gone our separate ways in order to prove our own beliefs to be correct.

Many decades ago my mother was in serious condition with a back problem.  The doctors honestly believed that my mother was not going to pull through and that it was only a matter of time before she departed this world.  My parents were in the ministry then and many of the pastors around the area and region knew the condition of my mother.  Mom and dad say that many people came to visit her and to pray for her, which is exactly what we need to do.  But it was the simple prayer of a lady who did not share the same denomination as they did, that mom said as soon as she was praying that she felt a change inside of her body and that she knew that she was healed.  This did not prove anything about the lady’s denomination nor did it take away from their denomination but it joined together two small groups of geese to form a larger group of geese that exemplified a true direction.

I thank God every day for this little lady who I never met but I know that it was her desire to have a relationship with God along with my parents’ desire that healed my mother that day.  This is what God shared with me with the small groups of geese that I saw flapping around totally lost and having no direction or meaning of their mission.  By no means am I suggesting that one denomination is better than another, nor am I stating that denominations should be abolished.  However, I will state that if a person places more emphasis on their denomination than they do the mission of what Jesus commanded us to do, then the true concept of denomination is at work and should be ignored.

God cannot use a denomination simply because God is a complete God and His ways cannot recognize division.  All of us should know that the root word for denomination is “divide”.  So by this definition alone God cannot use this word or any form of the word because His Kingdom does not recognize its division.  This does not mean that God cannot use a person that goes to a certain denominational church; in contrast, God will use that person to spread His ways and to bring in those who are hurting and dying from the attacks of the world. This is exactly what Jesus wants us to do.  Not to place denominational boundaries around us and proclaim we will not do this and that because we attend this or that church.  He told us to go out into the world and to reach the lost.  Jesus did not say only go to certain neighborhoods or cities, He said to go into the entire world.

When we forget these denominational boundaries and complete what God has ordained our small little groups of geese begin to have direction once again because they systematically join together through God’s Kingdom and to form a large unified flock that sees its true direction.  Those geese may be a part of different families and groups but when they unite together their mission is clear and will be unabated as long as they listen to their true leader.  I would have never dreamt that I could have learned so much about God’ Kingdom and it operates through a group of geese.  This is more proof that God has a sense of humor even when He is trying to get His message through a hard headed person like myself.

If individuals who truly believe that God is in control of their lives and have a true heart to spread the gospel of Christ to the world then there is no way that God will deny these hearts access to His Kingdom at work.  This large and unified group of geese will follow their leader to a destination that He deems relevant for their lives.  This destination will be to the dying world and will give them the opportunity to choose God and His ways and to shed the weight of the world that has held them down.  God shall not use a denomination to accomplish this task, He will not even use more than one denomination either but He will use people within all of these denominations that have a true burden for the hurting.

Placing our stock into a denomination alone will only provide a meandering and a confused circling that will have no direction.  If we allow this ideology of denominationalism to take hold in our lives, then our denominational buildings will be filled with so much clutter and junk that we will not even be able to see the purpose in going to that building any longer.  The life will be sucked right from under our noses and the mission of Christ will eventually be lost.  God wants a unified Church that is strictly concentrated on seeking His ways and providing the truth to the dying world.  The truth is not an alternative method, for it is the foundation of all life and once the truth is divided up it is difficult to see and to understand what truth means to our lives.  We cannot afford to hide the truth from our lives any longer.  The Church needs to come together and to function as one heartbeat for God.  Repent and allow God to restore your life back to His ways so that we may once again find purpose, direction and unity within the truth of His ways.

DLB

Heart Breaking News

Heart Breaking News

2/18/14

Most of us who have read the Bible for some time know about the story entitled The Good Samaritan.  It is a great story and has many lessons that we can learn from this short passage.  It is not difficult to understand the concept of this story but have we really defined its true and deep meaning?  And have we asked ourselves if this type of scenario is playing out in our modern world?  I believe that we have forgotten to look at the entire setting for this story and what it means to our lives today.  And who is actually the enemy in this story, stick around and you will get some answers.

The story of the Good Samaritan can be approached in many different ways and from several points of view.  The point of view that I am going to be addressing is how the story unfolds and how each human’s character fits into our lives today.  One may not at first see the direction in which I am progressing but continue to read and the topic will become quite clear.  I hope that you read this article and understand that God loves you and that He has a plan for your life and you will not find your true direction until you turn your life over to Him.

The first portion of this parable deals with a lawyer asking Jesus about some of the specifics of the age old selfish question of how I will earn eternal life.  What a statement and question to begin this topic.  The lawyer sets the stage for the entire parable and when Jesus answers the question the lawyer immediately responds that Jesus answered the question correctly.  The follow up question refers to who are considered to be neighbors which Jesus then responds with a plethora of words that totally destroy the insults that might be headed His way.  Yet at the same time Jesus’ answer defines who He will be talking about when He describes the events of the parable.  And not only was He giving reference to His current examples but He was providing a picture of how things were going to be during our times.  It amazes me that Jesus when being trapped always provided an answer for everyone both in His times and for ours, for He knew that we would be asked the same type of questions while we walked the earth.

The beginning of the parable Jesus describes that a man traveled a road that led from one town to another.  Jerusalem was the beginning point of this man’s journey whether it was the place of his birth or not it does not matter but it represents a certain point in that man’s life that begins the story.  Now we all know that there were no cars, trains or any other motorized vehicles during this time so the method of travel was considerably slower than what it is today.  The common method of transportation was by foot or by some type of animal such as a horse, donkey or mule; camels being present in that area as well could have been another option.  Whichever method that the man decided to take it was slow enough that he presented to others as a potential target for robbery.  We must keep in mind that the common denominator from the times when Jesus walked the earth until the present day is the human.  For it is not the animal that saves us or harms us it is the choice of the human that sets the stage for the events to be played out.

The man left and traveled along the road that led in the direction of his destination.  The roads were made of dirt or stone and were sometimes subject to the weather or other elements.  No asphalt or concrete based highway systems present so the route was very rough on the body and / or animal.  Also one must keep in mind that a ten or twenty mile journey took all day to complete and not just a mere few minutes which heightened any possibilities of those traveling to incur adversaries.  So you have a man that is walking on a long journey that will take him to another city for a specific reason.  There is nothing that would indicate that the man had any major fears concerning this trip but I can guarantee that he did understand the risks that were in play. 

At some point during the journey the man encountered some thieves who had in mind to rob him of everything that he had on his possession.  The story also indicates that they beat him so badly that if one would see him that they might have even considered him bad enough to be dead.  The road was not responsible for this beating and thievery it was the choice of the man and the choices that the thieves made to play out this setting.  The robbery probably did not take that long to complete for when there is an advantage being played out it makes it awful difficult for the lesser number to win at anything. 

It probably took hard work for the man to obtain the possessions that he had with him no matter how much that he was carrying.  They were his and he was going to the other city for some reason and those items and money were for some specific reason as well.  The thieves did not know what the man had exactly but they did know that he was traveling alone and that the time was ripe for their plan of action against this man to take place.  Did they rob other people that day?  This was not mentioned and it really does not concern the story because Jesus was referring to each individual’s conscious at this point.  He was setting the stage for each of the people that was present to understand that this event could be played out to any one of them.  Jesus knew that the road to any city could be traveled by anyone and that this setting could be played out; and what makes this story so exciting to them was that some of them could have been in that same position or they too could have played the thieves.

The thieves beat the man senseless and left him there on the road to die.  They had taken what they wanted from him and then left the area in hast without any concern for what they had done.  We all know that medical attention and care was primitive in those days and while we do not exactly know what the overall condition of the man was in, Jesus made it clear to His listeners that the man was close to death.  We all know that the man that was robbed was hoping that his trip would be quick and smooth without any problems, yet on this particular road that he was traveling he was rudely interrupted and his life was changed forever.  What is amazing is to me is that the will of the human mind was just as active in those days as it is today; even if it is a beautiful day to travel.

The next statement from Jesus is a doozy and needs to be explained a bit.  Jesus states that a priest came by shortly after the robbery had occurred and while he was approaching he saw the man lying on the ground and there was no way that he could have not noticed the condition that the man was in.  Jericho was a priestly and holy city and had many priests that resided within its walls so it was not uncommon to see these holy men traveling up and down the public roads.  But take into consideration of their status and what they were representing at the time and one will get a better picture as to why the priest did not even stop to help.  Priests were leaders of churches (synagogues) and they had a responsibility to uphold the Jewish laws and to maintain the legitimacy of their beliefs.  They were quick to judge people and rightly condemn the ones who questioned their authority.  Yet they would like to have their temples adorned with peddlers to sell their items for a profit, with a certain price to be paid in advance as well.  Citing a common good with their fellow commoners this type of activity would be approved as long as the conditions were properly met.

The priest had a while to make his choice about the man lying on the ground, yet he continued on his way and did not stop and help at all.  There was no way that the leader of the synagogue could not have noticed that man who was in obvious need of help and there is no excuse for him to continue to walk by the man on the other side of the road.  What a slap in the face to the man to have a priest move to the other side of the road as he passed by, basically screaming out to the world that he wants nothing to do with this man and that somehow if he helped the man that it would damage his reputation if someone saw him.  What an arrogant priest and leader this was and a poor yet accurate example of how the religious community led.

Ever wonder why the priest did not want to have anything to do with this injured man?  The priest understood that the man was injured and he understood that the man needed help, this is not the problem.  The problem lies in the fact that the priest allowed the man to continue to lie in the dirt and hard surface of the earth and did not care enough to help the man recover from what ailed him.  In truth the priest allowed the man to continue to lie in pain and agony without accepting the truth of the situation.  His pride, acceptance of the present situation, not wishing to dirty his hands and not wanting to draw attention to him proved more important than doing what is right and righteous in the eyes of God.  It does not matter how a leader of a synagogue comes in contact with a wounded and hurting person, they should automatically help them with the truth.

There was nothing wrong with the side of the road that the man was lying for Jesus’ words imply that the priest had been walking on the same side of the road that the man was lying or if he was walking on the other side of the road the priest made no attempt to cross the road to help the man.  And even if there was bad weather present or muddy road conditions this would have not been any reason for how the priest chose to act.  Whichever scenario occurred and whatever direction that the priest was traveling, it is obvious he cared nothing for the condition of the man even though it states that he knew of the man’s condition.  Doesn’t it infuriate you to know that a priest actually knows what is wrong with a situation and then does absolutely nothing to change or inform about the situation?

Jesus continued by stating that another man approached the injured man that was considered to be of the friendly persuasion.  While this person may not have directly known the injured man it would have been a polite gesture and a common gesture for this person to at least stop and see what had happened to the man.  If would have been just as common for anyone else of like manner to stop and to help this man.  What is amazing is that each person who might have walked by this individual at some point thought that they could have been in the same position as that man was yet did nothing to help.  The man that Jesus described also turned and passed by on the opposite side f the road as he came upon the injured man.  This person also had no intentions of helping or even publically acknowledging that the man was injured or needed help.

Now I have not had the privilege of traveling the road from Jerusalem to Jericho during the day and age of Jesus but I can imagine that it was a commonly traveled route since mankind was in the mood for travel at this time in history.  With this type of travel it would be logical for me to believe that many people would be on the road throughout the day.  While night travel was probably discouraged there most likely would have been some that traveled by night as well.  However, from what Jesus described and the lack of argument that was put up by the ones He was addressing, that thievery was somewhat a commonality of the time. So, when the listeners also did not argue about when the priest did nothing and when the person of similar lifestyle did nothing, that would conclude that those types of settings had been talked about or witnessed before.  I guess it is not too hard for us not to understand this lack of kindness that was shown by this one person who was from the same life as the injured man, eh.  Is it possible for us to think of a setting in which both of these scenes are being played out today?

What many people focus upon in this passage is what Jesus revels next and that is that a person who is considered an enemy or a person from a hated race comes along and sees the injured man.  This should be the easy portion of the story to figure out, right?  This portrays that there is a division among the people of the community yet they live in the same area and share the same roads.  Which is not a bad thing to accomplish but it is easy to see how that philosophy still haunts us today.  One would naturally assume that the enemy of a group or nation of people would automatically turn and cross the road and ignore the injured person just as the other two people mentioned by Jesus.  Yet the man sees the injured person and then immediately goes over to him and assesses the situation.  The enemy does not harass or make fun of the person nor does he jump up and down and celebrate that he has been injured in such a graphic manner.  

The person who is considered an enemy stops and helps the injured man without any prejudice of any sort.  He helps him up and carries him to a nearby lodge and tells the keeper to take care of his injuries.  Further, the man pays for his bill and then tells the man that if there is any added expenses that he will take care of it as well.  This is a remarkable development in this story since help arrived from the one person who was expected to walk away and do nothing.  All this help given to a man who was considered to be hated or a low life that was not intelligent enough to have similar beliefs as the Jews.  Hated people are just that, hated and there is no area about their lives that even matters to the ones that have this feeling within them.  I find it incredible that Jesus uses an enemy here to describe compassion and mercy.  He implies that when the Samaritan finds the injured man that he ignores all human boundaries and cares for the individual instead of the Jew, Samaritan or Gentile.  The Samaritan recognized that the man had injuries and then was concerned enough for him to help him through his recovery period.

Even the lawyer who directed the initial question to Jesus got it right when Jesus asked the follow up question concerning who was the one in the story who showed themselves as a neighbor.  Jesus was not being social here; He was teaching these people how to live amongst themselves and to have compassion upon others especially those who come to us with evident hurts and pains that need help.  The priest knew that there was a difference between the physical and the spiritual yet ignored both when the time came to display it to the public.  The person who was of similar descent or culture did the same as the priest and walked right on by and did nothing to help the injured man who was in trouble.  The enemy of the injured man actually was the one who helped him and placed him on the path of recovery.  What lessons can we learn from this story?

Of course the easiest and one that is most familiar is to help those in need no matter who they are.  This answer is the one that is the most common one that we hear and it is a correct answer.  But Jesus always had a purpose and mission to complete, not for just the people that were alive during His time on earth but for us that are living today and for our great, great, great grandchildren who we may never know as well.  Jesus’ message to us today about the Good Samaritan story is alive and well and until now I have never heard of what God is showing us through this message before.  But this is not all what Jesus wanted us to understand about this story for there is a real connection of what Jesus illustrated and what is actually transpiring in our world today and what is so amazing and shocking is that Jesus nailed it on the head over 2000 years ago when we was speaking about a parable.

I am basically going to retell the story of the parable that Jesus told but I am going to use terms in today’s realm instead of ancient times.  Keep an open heart and follow me as I demonstrate exactly how a parable can have exact and truthful meaning within our lives and just how human history does not change that much especially when we have chosen to accept the world into our lives.  The tables are turned when this condition occurs and for the most part the Church does not know that she has been duped into accepting the kingdom of the world instead of pushing back this kingdom.

Jesus came to the earth to re-establish the relationship and communication with God and He did this through two lines.  The first line was His conception, birth, life, death and resurrection in order to ensure that the line of communication and restoration could be made whole again.  The second line was that His establishment of the Church as a symbol and carrier of God’s message to His people was also intact and complete through the human.  Well, Satan could not do much about the first line but the second line he has free reign because we have lost our focus on what our true calling is all about.  Remember that the Church was established long before the modern world yet its fruits are ever blooming ripe today and it cannot gush any juicier than what the parable of the Good Samaritan portrays.

For the last couple of years the Church has been under a microscope.  This microscope has been turned on and focused because of our own doings.  We have interjected some serious blood and soul tie that have been passed down through centuries and if you want proof of this just read the text in the Bible that contains this parable that I have been talking about for the last five pages.  And what is more resounding is that these bonds and ties are still prevalent today and are one of the major roots is allowing the Church to lose her effectiveness and drive that Jesus commanded us to do.  So as in the first part of this article I am going to begin with the priest and then continue from there.

The priest in the story represented the synagogue and was some sort of a leader within the Jewish religious community.  It is known at that time that Jericho was the home of a multitude of priests which meant it could be considered a “Mecca, Rome, Cleveland, Springfield, etc” for religious teachings.  Ever since the Church was established mankind has been doing its best to try and humanize the Church according to how they want things to be.  These misgivings and down outright lies have taken hold onto the coattails of the Church and have made themselves right at home within the doctrines of the human church.  They have grown in connectivity within the Church and have been allowed to sit right next to parishioners and church goers for centuries.

Today the Church is being bombarded by the influx of the world and the Church is continuing the pursuit of this happiness by allowing these issues to creep into their doors.  We all know that Jesus went out into the world and was with the people and this concept is the right philosophy to have, but Jesus did not stop there He taught the people about God and God’s ways and how things will turn out if we continue to follow the ways of the world.  I can guarantee that the people that lived during the days of Jesus had the exact same problems and issues to deal with as we do and I know, through the actions of the Jewish leaders that the Bible gives us, their acceptance of the world in their lives were brought to the attention of the priests who basically had the same reaction as many of the church leaders do today.

Each day we hear of another group of church leaders accepting the ways of the world into their congregations and not doing anything to help change these people’s lives.  Yes they are doing the correct thing by accepting them into their doors but to allow these people to not understand what God has for their lives and to understand that sin is sin and God cannot accept any part of the kingdom of the world into His presence is simply a lie to those people.  If the priests and pastors of today’s church have lost the ability to preach this truth then they are acting just like the priest in the story of the parable above.  As these ministers are having contact with those that are hurting, wounded and dying from what the world is providing them and then turn around and do not tell them why they are in this condition, then these ministers are seeing the injured people and crossing the street and walking right past these people without helping them with their wounds.  The first person that came upon the injured man in this parable has just come to life in the twenty first century.

Unless you attend a mega church there is a good possibility that a person who attends church regularly will know a good portion of the people within their congregation.  If the church is located in a smaller community there is a greater possibility of this atmosphere occurring and even some connecting ties might be present as well.  Even if you attend a large church you will soon get to know some of the people that attend and might even develop a friendship with them over time.  There is nothing wrong with this type of setting but I am making this point to illustrate exactly what Jesus was meaning when He gave details concerning the second person to reach the injured man on the road.

As most of you know I am a preacher’s kid and I am very proud to say that about my life.  Over the years I have had the opportunity to travel across the country and to be a part of many congregations that my parent’s proudly served.  While not every place that we lived was all roses the majority of the time everything ran pretty smoothly.  We were invited over to many houses for meals and had countless fellowship time in the halls of the church and we also had the public football, basketball and baseball games to congregate at as well.  I was common to be around people of the church and community and it was easy to become acquainted with these families.  In short our lives intertwined enough that we would be able to understand who was like us and who was a little bit different.  It did not matter because we wanted to be with as many people as possible but I must say that some close relationships did develop over the decades.

If the pastor is elected and moves to a city or town to take their role as ministers of that church that means that there were people already present within that church.  These people within the church have known each other for some time and probably some have even grown up with one another all their lives.  They too will form groups and will eventually know tin details about each other that may or may not be generally known to the other portions of the congregation.  Now, unless there is a great deal of turmoil within the church these tidbits of information will not be made public yet these people sit there in the pews each week and hide their lives to the rest of their fellow congregational members.  This makes them accessories to the things that they are hiding because they refuse to put aside their differences and to help those who are doing wrong.

In taking it upon themselves to do nothing about the adverse conditions of their fellow church goers they are effectively allowing these sins to be accepted within the church doors.  And, if the minister of said congregation is performing the same actions by not addressing these issues, then both the minister and the congregation are settling back and just letting this pass.  If this activity is allowed to continue the congregation will eventually become comfortable with what is transpiring throughout the church body and will continue to ignore what God is saying to them concerning this infiltration.  I give you Hobbs, New Mexico as an example for this type of behavior and what my family was subjected to while we were there.  There was so much accepted adultery, thievery, and many other worldly acts occurring within the church that almost each day a new scandal was told.  Yet the pastor that was there previously did nothing about it and turned a blind eye to what was transpiring.  And after six straight months of my father preaching repentance we left that city and literally shook the dust off our feet as we pulled out.

The people within a church congregation consider themselves to be one body.  This is a common theme no matter which denomination one wishes to compare.  If this is true than it is safe to say that if one person acts a certain way and it is made known to the public about this certain activity it would not be very difficult to grasp the notion that the entire congregation acts accordingly.  This is where the second person who approaches the injured man on the road comes into light.  If there are certain “goings-on” within a church body it is almost assured that people will not stand up for others due to the fact that their actions may seem to be hypocritical to others that they may know.  So it would be a natural thing to do in this circumstance to walk right on by and not help the injured person for fear of attracting attention to yourself. 

This is exactly what the congregation of the modern day church is doing when they stand up for each other by sitting on their rumps and not confronting the worldly issues that are driving a wedge right into the heart of the Church.  They are walking right on by these people who are wounded and looking for help but instead they are accepting their hurting conditions as circumstantial in which they then turn and walk right on by without helping them at all.  Here again the second person that approached the injured man on the road is being played out to the hilt by the modern day church.  In both of the above examples they have acted like complete strangers to the injured person for they do not have the heart’s desire to help those who are in need and Jesus not only gave this example in a parable but at the same time described the modern day church to a tee.

So who represents the good Samaritans on this side of the article?  I ask you to think about that question for a bit before you answer it because it may surprise you when you read what God is sharing with us today.  The picture that I have painted concerning the Church and her leaders may be a little grim but it represents the truth so when these opinions and teachings are challenged by those who do not agree with the passive acceptance of sin within the Church doors, it has been a common theme lately to isolate these people that have different opinions and consecrate them as hardliners, traditionalists, and some have adopted and used the word racist when labeling these people who disagree.  What we are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg if we all do not realize what is happening to our lives.

Am I saying that the Samaritans of today are those that are within the Church that are trying to make a point about how the Church is falling into sin?  You got it!!!  If you take a look at what the general denominations are incorporating into their walls and doors one must realize that it is only a matter of time before the gloves come off when the truth is being explained and told.  While I cannot guarantee that each method of the people that are trying to get those that have fallen into this trap inflicted is the best way possible, but it important that we recognize what is happening and what is about to come if we do not change our ways.  The Good Samaritans recognize that the people that have been widely accepted into the Church that are in need of help are exactly in that condition.  It is these people who want to address the issues that have brought the hurting people into the Church in the first place yet when they try these hurting people act like wounded animals in such a manner as to attack the helpers. 

These actions against the people who really want to help the hurting and wounded will continue and will eventually progress into a deep hatred; a further divide within the Church as attention is drawn to the true reasons why these people are in the spiritual conditions that they present themselves.  What makes this so scary is that when the Church allows this worldly aspect to become incorporated within her walls the true Church is going to be squeezed from two sides.  Soon the world will come against these Good Samaritans from two angles one from within the Church and one from the world and this is exactly what I am meaning by the modern day church acting as both the priest and the friendly passerby.  There is a good ending to this parable however.

It will not be too much longer that these labels that are placed on people’s heads will be used as an internal beacon for both the Church and the world.  The Church is on a collision course with her Groom and she is well unaware of her present conditions.  She is masquerading herself with worldly standards in order to deem herself acceptable to the social world.  She is shedding her gloves off not to help the injured but to weed out those who defy her belief in the newly adopted worldly ways.  It will not be too much longer until these worldly standards will become ingrained into the Church and she will then act upon those worldly intuitions and begin to tear apart those who wish to truly help the wounded.  We all have heard about how we should not get near a wounded animal because of the force that they will respond if they believe they are being attacked.  Guess what folks this is exactly how the Samaritan people were looked upon by the Jews and is the exact reason why Jesus chose to use them in His parable. 

Recently a popular actress who rose to fame as a child actor gave an interview and was talking about her marriage and how her and her husband live a biblical life together.  Part of her interview was conducted over how she responded to a question in which she used the phrase that she submitted to her husband.  Many people went absolutely nuts when they heard about this answer and began to rake her over the coals for even trying to suggest such a thing.  A news channel host brought on a few guests to try and explain to her why this actress would have the audacity to lay claim to this belief.  The news host did not care to listen to the explanations all she wanted to do was to berate these ladies and scorn them for agreeing with the actress.  What is wrong with wanting to be so close to a person that they wish to work together on things instead of butting heads and doing on their own? 

Jesus makes mention that when the man recovered from his injuries he went to the innkeeper and asked him what the name of the person was that helped him while he was recovering.  The innkeeper had no idea but told him that he gave specific instructions to be followed until his recovery was complete.  I can imagine that this puzzled the injured man for everyone who is self-serving wants their name to be recognized and receive glory for what they have done.  But an enemy of the injured man was humble enough to keep his name silent and focus upon the real reason of his deed and that was the hurting to be healed.  In this example Jesus also portrays what will happen to those who care about the Church enough to keep her holiness state intact by helping those who enter into her doors that are truly in need.  These people may eventually define the real Church but not be included within the doors of that congregation for a true enemy that is hated on both sides is not expected to be welcome at the church potluck.

This example brings up another topic that Jesus addressed at another time and so will I but just know that the actions that occur against what the Bible teaches is conducted through the world and its kingdom.  This worldly kingdom cannot mix with the Kingdom of God in any way and if the kingdom of the world is allowed to continually portray itself in the House of God guess which kingdom rules that roost.  Reverting back to the priest on the road to Jericho I do not know if that particular priest always conducted himself in that manner or not but it was in a public area and people could have witnessed his actions, which speak for itself.  Same conditions apply with the other person who was considered to be in the same category of friendship

I believe that Jesus stated the characters in this parable in the manner in which He did for a specific reason acknowledging the hierarchy of the Church based upon the human factors that control the desires of the human.  It was an ingenious way to make a point to His listeners and questioners and at the same time place a call into the 21^st century to the modern day Church to let them know that He already has figured out what needs to be done in order to change our situation.  Jesus understood that all of us will have a path to take, which why He chose the more common route of transportation, the road.  Jesus also understood that we all start out from a beginning and end up at our destination but until we reach our destination we have to travel along this path and that things will not always be easily walking.

There you have it folks, the example that Jesus used in ancient times to describe the actions of the modern day church setting.  I am amazed at how thoughtful Jesus was to pick a story that He understood was already in the making where it concerned the mentality of the people and the spirituality of the Church all wrapped up into a fictional story.  God is good and He loves each and every one of us.  It is His desire for us to see His Kingdom and to understand exactly what it means in our lives.  As long as we continue to tempt ourselves with worldly additives our eyesight will fall blind to what God is trying to warn us against.  It does not matter if you are Joe Blow on the street or Pope Francis I of the roman Catholic Church, it is time that we understand what we are doing to ourselves and the things that we are allowing to become administered into our spiritual veins.  This is a life or death situation and we need to know what is at stake.

I know that until God shared this article topic with me I had no idea of how this parable could have any meaning where the modern Church is concerned.  I also now understand that it must have broke Jesus’ heart to sit there and tell a story and yet proclaim a prophecy about His future bride.  If the Church does not heed this word it will truly be heart breaking news to God and to His son.

Who would have ever thought that the story of the Good Samaritan would ever be describing the Church and its congregations?  But it makes total sense when you remember that Jesus was all about establishing His Church so that He could come back for her one day.  So why wouldn’t He tell stories of the conditions that would probably plague her even before they occurred?  Some of you might not like this article and its contents but rest assured that if a person really cares about the Church and understands what the Church is trying to do with herself, then there will be no problem in understanding and believing what I have said is the truth.  Let this article serve both as a warning and as a light so that we the Church can stop and make things correct before God has to intervene.  Also, if we continue to play this worldly acceptance game this entire article and something much worse will come to pass but if we turn our eyes and ears to God’s voice and listen to Him once again, the simple parable of the Good Samaritan will play out as a lesson learned about doing good to others.

DLB