First in Line

First in Line

2/11/16

It is not difficult to witness this type of attitude flourishing within the confines of our nation and modern societies today.  It is also not difficult to look at where this attitude began and to watch it progress to the next step in its progressive mannerisms. Yet, we really do not care to stop challenging this issue and instead just allowing it to advance unabated, all the while crying out for help in resolving the matter.  This matter of having to be noticed and now being right will not stop or even subside until we truly and completely allow God back into our lives and begin to live according to His principles again.  Church, this means you as well since you are some of the most hypocritical beings that walk this planet.  It is time that we open our eyes to the truth and start again to walk and talk the gospel that we supposedly want others to hear.

Is it bad of me to read some of the Christian posts on social media and literally laugh at some of the responses that are posted from those who call themselves Christians?  I sit in amazement and wonder why they even want to address some of the issues that are concerning to the Church today for if one just opens the content and immediately looks at the conversations that are ongoing, most of the time one cannot figure out who is on which side of the topic being discussed.  Talk about hypocritical and annoying, no wonder people dislike Christians and are totally rejecting God for their own behalves.  The behavior of those ones who call themselves Christians in these social sites and web pages speak in terms that would have gotten me grounded to my room for a month and thus have fallen into the trap of our enemy.

When this current administration came into office it stated that one of the goals would be to equal this nation onto the other nations statuses, in other words, lower our standing within the world’ communities to the plane of other nations making us no better or having greater standards than other countries around the world.  This view shocked many people when the plan was implemented but for the most part, is now being readily accepted by the masses.  The ones who object to this lowering of our national standards are being thrown under the proverbial bus and condemned as outsiders and radicals that must be silenced at all costs.  But what I find so sad and frightening is that the ones who are crying the loudest about this state of opposition pursue the exact same luxurious status that this nation has done its best to create and establish.

Prime example, the Super Bowl occurred this last weekend and of course, the halftime show cannot be completed these days without some type of controversy.  One of the performers that participated performed her new song that had been written a short time ago.  The lyrics contained words that defaced the meaning of the police and cried out for justice concerning a teenager who had been killed by the police some point in the near past.  It was a clear slap to the police and the way the justice system operates.  Now, I understand that justice slips through the cracks sometimes and things seem like they are dealt with correctly, but the process is completed and decisions are made that some or many may not agree with; this occurs and it shall continue to occur as long as this system is in place.

What bugs me about this performer is that when she gets up in front of maybe a billion people around the world and makes her political statement in her music, all we ask is that she be consistent with her words and life.  If she is so upset with the police and the system in which they have to operate, then she should not ask for police escorts and protection coming and going from the stadium in which she was performing.  Be consistent.  It is through this type of behavior that the world sees and then mocks us because of the hypocrisy that we demonstrate each and every second of the day.  What is dangerous about this type of behavior is that it portrays a higher status of life to others but in truth lives a life-long lie of existence.  It is this type of “high class” attitude that we need to rid ourselves of, not the state of dominion that has been divinely given to us.  Does this type of activity represent the correct version of being first in line?

How does this translate into the Church setting?  Very simple, it is the same type of attitudes that are being portrayed from our lives (Christians) as they are being portrayed by those who do not have any association with God.  It does not matter what type of hypocrisy is being portrayed from our lives, the truth is that it is there, period.  One thing we must remember about the law of man is that any law that is proclaimed by the world’s order does not reflect badly upon those who support such order, it is only when those who balk at the order, or represent any establishment or belief that goes against such worldly order, that matters and is thrown out of contention as a radical or an out of touch responder.  This should elevate our concerns over the true separation of Church and State instead of the inclusion of the Church within the State, and where it stands in our beliefs.

The biggest worldly advice column proclaims that love is all we need and that love shall endure all situations and love this and love that.  They have been portraying that God is love and have ran with this concept over and over till these promoters are blue in the face.  They scream hatred to those who do not agree with this setting and are relentless in their discrimination towards them as well.  They recognize that the opposite of love is hate and readily throw out this term as much as possible, but fail to admit or to recognize that if someone disagrees with a position that does not automatically mean that they hate the issue at hand.  But if confronted with shouting matches, name calling, and labels we cannot help but to divide ourselves even further over these issues.  And from the looks of the bating and biting conversations on these web pages and social sites, this division is growing by the second.

If the Church does not wake up and understand that her actions are sending out mixed signals to those who actually want to know God and to learn His ways, they too will depart from their hopes of a peaceful existence and a true found life in Christ.  God has shared this point with us many times over the past few years but He is not done trying to get it through our hearts that as the Church and His beloved we need to separate ourselves from the world and stop incorporating worldly ideas and concepts into our hearts.  There will always be people who wish to violently challenge our beliefs but their hearts are only there to argue and to stir up the emotions of others.  These people are hard to reach but still need the true love of God in their lives.  If they are truly seeking the divine love that they say they need, then they must understand that obedience to God’s ways is the only way that they will ever find true and divine love from God.

Last weekend my parents and I had a wonderful conversation concerning the Church and the positions that she has taken over the past few decades.  Many of these positions totally frustrate me and scare me beyond words, but at the same time these settings are proving the Word of God to be true, and most of these groups, people, churches, and denominations do not even have a clue that they are part of this fulfilling of Scriptures, just as the High Priests and their cronies did during Jesus’ time here on earth.  When the Church becomes focused on their own ways they lose the true focus on the true mission of Christ which is the eternal salvation of people.

God demonstrated this covering of eternity first in the Garden of Eden when mankind was pure and spotless.  He then extended this covering and the importance of us being under the covering through the establishment of Covenant.  He then sent His son to reaffirm and to eternally include all people in this Covenant.  All the bases were covered to ensure that we had every opportunity to choose Him over the law of man.  Jesus provided this prime example of how to overcome the ways and choices of the worldly man and to provide eternal existence at the same time.  THIS is the command that He gave to the Church when He said to go into the entire world and to preach the gospel.  Jesus did divide and as God has shared with us His word shall cut, but the sword is the Word of God, the ENTIRE Word of God and it is our responsibility to know God’s Word as much as possible, through His understanding and not ours, this is the true example of being first in line.

It tears God apart to know that His Church and His people do not understand His Word well enough to cut through the argumentative garbage that our enemy throws out in order to effectively teach those who are lost the truth.  The reason for this lack of understanding is the elitism status that humans believe they have when they are granted a good status within the world. All of the civilizations creations reek of this concept and has cost countless empires, nations and dominions to fall, all because the laws of man supersede and overrule God’s eternal laws.  The Church has the perfect opportunity to provide the necessary ingredients to heal the sick, feed the poor, cast out demons and wash the feet of servants all while sharing the gospel of Christ at the same time.  Yet, we leave out the salvation part and the need to rid ourselves of worldly pleasures and the sin it brings with them and proclaim love, love, love, love and more love.

As the Bible proclaims without faith it is impossible to understand God so it is to proclaim God’s love without obeying His commands.  This nation is systematically destroying every continuity of God within its borders and it has the Church as its major backer while doing it.  As Isaiah spoke to Hezekiah on his death bed, the message from God is that we need to make our house right with Him once again because we are about to die.  The participants within the above Bible story are just as the ones today, human, and we need to understand that if we do not turn our hearts back to God today life as we know it is just about over.  God wishes for His Church to study His Word thoroughly and without human provocations.  It is through knowledge and wisdom that God works through His people and it is the combination of those two ingredients, along with a humble and pure heart before God that will turn our nation and societies around.

It is not our job to swing Jesus’ sword and do the cutting, it is our job to spread the gospel of Christ to the dying world by showing the world that we are not hypocrites and that God is real and that He loves us and that the only way possible for us to know His true love is to keep and to obey willingly His laws.  Throughout Church history and human history for that matter, mankind has proven that as long as we continue to live by the law of man we deserve nothing but death.  I despise to say this but the Church is the greatest offender of this statement and God says enough is enough and to start doing what He intended for us to do in the first place.  Church, stop arguing with those who do not care to listen, respect them and keep the doors open at all times.  Share the gospel to those who wish to have it in their lives.  Pray! Pray for the people in the world that they may truly know God.  Pray for the Church that she may return to God and be restored into His holy and pure Covenant again, and pray that when we study God’s Word that He shows us the truth in every letter mentioned in the Bible so that we may adequately teach those who need Christ.

Church, do not be caught using hypocritical standards by picking and choosing Scripture verses for your own good.  Know the entire passage and book that you are referring to when giving examples to those around you, this is the correct position of being first in line.  Use those examples in your everyday life so that when looked upon by the world they understand that you are different than others.  Will this truth cost you?  You bet! For we must remember that if you stand against the world it shall come after you which means you are doing something right through the light you are shining.  This truthful lifestyle will automatically disqualify your status as being correct on a worldly accord.

Time is growing shorter by the minute and things are about to change if we do not exhibit a change of heart within this country and in the Church.  The 14 million dollar question is why do we have to wait to do this until something catastrophic occurs? Well, in our passion to be an example to the world and through our attitudes according to this self-standard we have designated as our own, God will set an example where we are concerned and bring us to our knees at the same time.  However, one thing needs to be remembered, as Adam and Eve lost their dominion that God gave them so too will we lose our dominion as well, and the world shall follow us just as the world has followed Adam and Eve that fateful day.  I guess the question now lies with us in that: is it really that important to be humanly correct and all of the dominion benefits that we refuse to understand?

DLB