Being Dangerous

Being Dangerous

11/13/17

Have you ever considered yourself to be dangerous on any level, whether it be you performing an act or standing up for a certain cause?  Many of us would say no to this question but at the same time forget exactly what our nation and desires represent to many others.  This type of labeling has been used ever since humans became in control of groups, nations, and empires and we use it to keep our advantage over those who may influence other ways of believing.  Christians, do you understand that if you are living as you should that you would be considered dangerous to the societal standards?  We need to take a serious look at our habits and lives and see if we really pose a threat to the worldly governments or not for if we do not then we need to reevaluate our relationship with God because the world cannot have any place with God, so neither should we.

Every community has a few people that would be locally labeled as a conspirator or a conspiracy theorist, or in common terms a nut or some other derogatory name.  But should we consider these types of people who go against the common threads of society weird or harmful to our communities?  On many occasions they have been thoroughly questioned by government officials, taken into custody and had their possessions searched or just flat left alone but whatever the case they have been labeled as troublemakers and that category and stigma follow them every day.  Even our little community in western Colorado has a few people that are considered dangerous in this category and many people shy away from them when they are out in public.  But the question still remains as to why these people believe such efforts for there must be some type of evidence for this accusation against the establishment?  We always have to regenerate our possessive characteristics when we include the human mind, for all possibilities can be used when the human thinks.

A conspiracy theorist is a person who believes that some type of governing body holds certain ideological aspects of rule over the heads of the common inhabitant without their knowledge.  These ideas as stated above can become vocal enough to provoke some type of reaction from the governing body which further demonstrates that person’s or group’s beliefs about such a conspiracy.  It does not matter what those objectionable thoughts might be either or on what level for these beliefs could stem from the local dog catcher to the President of the nation.  It does not matter, whatever the level of thought it may be this person or group will make accusations or even present truth to the ruling establishment in order for others to see for themselves.  Is this a concern for others?  It should be for whenever some type of odd occurrence is completed it usually makes the news or at least the scuttlebutt around the area.

History has recorded many people and groups that would fit into this “being dangerous” category yet not all of the people are really dangerous.  What they would be considered dangerous towards would be the establishment that has been indoctrinated and over a period of time referred to as being the “norm”.  It is this type of condition and setting that is going to be referred to in this article even though both aspects can be used to identify such a belief.  If we look at history we can see that every society had its problems and every society also had those who opposed such legal settings.  Many of these people including kings and queens lost their lives due to this difference in opinions and while we are talking about this type of capital punishment, we cannot leave out the Church for she has committed some of the most gruesome acts of revenge in the name of God.  We must understand that the people who defend this establishment mean to do so for it is what they only know to be true.  It reflects the spirit that drives them and wishes to align with, so it is a natural response to respond according to which ruler one believes.  And as God has shown us many times over, it is this establishment that defines the kingdom that we operate and believe in as well.  It is for this reason alone that this process is a dangerous one and each one of us is in this placement whether we know it or not.

Do we really understand that living the life of Christ and with Christ automatically places us in this being dangerous category?  In order for us to figure this status out, we must know our place in this world and what and what not to do according to such separation.  When God created mankind He did so in a separate location, established by Him and thus made in accordance with His Ways.  There were no flaws present nor was there any sin known to His prized creations, yet it was our choice to disrupt such perfection by allowing our own self-wills rule thus changing the establishment of the world and conditions that we lived within.  Ever since that time we allowed the world to take over, we have been fighting an establishment that seeks only one thing and that is our demise on an eternal level.  It is this eternal placement that is most vital to our understanding and one that we need to keep in the forefront of our hearts at all times.  Even back in the biblical times being dangerous had its consequences and labeling effects and when one studies the Bible they should grasp the truth that anyone who differs from the world according to God’s Ways shall be very popular but not in a friendly manner.

We have a couple of examples of church dealings that we will be discussing here and while Jesus recognized both types of existences He did not teach to encourage either of them but taught to recognize these worldly associations instead.  Our problem is that we have failed to understand this truth about Jesus’ teachings and have taken it upon ourselves to be a worldly governing body instead.  Most of us have heard of the Westboro Baptist Church and some of the tactics that they have used recently in order to promote their stance on many issues.  While their stance is noble and just in many ways the militant activities and the harshness by which they conduct these activities are totally incorrect and set a bad example for others who are watching.  Many of their protests and demonstrations simply reflect the hatred that the world has for Christians and yet are being unknowingly redirected towards those who need Christ instead.  If Christ would have approved of the militant Church status or wanted us to understand that He represented such behavior He would not have reattached the ear of the man that Peter tried to hack off, think about that entire setting for a moment and marvel at its truth.

Secondly, Jesus taught His disciples and those who came to listen to His words that they should be different from the world and not do what the world authorizes.  Yes, we should give to what we owe the government but also give to God what is His.  When we analyze this truth we can no longer justify living with world standards for what God offers and what the world offers are two separate and opposite entities and neither one can mix with the other.  So to the church divisions that teaches that it is ok to accept the world through the love of God you are teaching a lie and should immediately reverse your course, repent of your wrong teachings, and line your hearts back up with the Word of God.  If Jesus wanted us to be incorporated into the world then He would have never overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple.  Stop and think about what God refers to us as in His Word and then make the correlation as to why we should be separate even down to the lent in our pockets.

There is a truth here that we need to understand and that is when God’s people turn from their wicked ways the world will react accordingly.  Joseph saved Egypt in many ways and through his listening to God allowed Egypt to become a great empire.  But Egypt forgot her greatnesses origins and salvation then acted according to their selfish desires when they saw a potential threat to their establishment.  Look at what occurred, God called Moses and Aaron to lead His people from Egypt’s midst and after some tough spiritual battles and physical lameness Egypt lost their entire army due to a hardened and prideful heart.  Also, take for example what happened to the children of Israel when they did not obey God and the long amount of time they had to stay wandering as the reasons were not noticed.

The list could go on and on including some prophets that took their time in decorating the truth inside of a whale’s belly instead of following what he knew was to be done, but I want to turn our attention to Jesus and what His presence and words mean in accordance to this topic at hand.  Here is the foundation that we need to keep in mind when we think about how separated we need to be from the world.  In the gospels of the New Testament, each one states that Jesus was the son of Mary and that an angel spoke to Mary and told her that she was going to conceive a son that would be directly from God and not from a physical man.  It is this bloodline that Jesus was originated, a holy one that had no spots or blemishes which mean that He was pure just as the creation of Adam yet had the ability to be compatible with mankind – an entirely different and amazing category that will follow down the road.  This means that Jesus was God on earth and yet represented mankind at the same time.  This also means that Jesus had only 1 mission while He walked this earth and it was NOT to have or to establish ANY OTHER BLOODLINE but to teach about the Kingdom of God and how it related to our relationship with His Father and us. 

Here we go again with all of the conspiracy theories about Jesus and God which receive plenty of worldly airtime, so much so that many of these theories are believed as truth.  If we are to believe that God the Father is just that to Jesus then that means Jesus has to follow the exact same pattern as God did back when He gave instructions in the Old Testament.  This must be the case or Jesus proves Himself to be a fraud and thus the entire New Testament and its words a lie.  In no such example of Jesus’ life do we find Him living with worldly standards, we find Him living on the earth and seeing the world for what it is but never accepting the standards of the world.  Jesus taught us that God does love us but in order for us to understand this love of His we must first turn our hearts over to Him and obey His commands.  In order for us to do this adequately we must understand God and what He has to say about our lives and the only way to achieve this is to study and then apply His Word to our lives and live through His Word every day.  Are you beginning to see a pattern here?

What happened to Jesus?  One would think that anyone who brought an area together and taught that there was a way to be free and happy would receive all joys and blessings from everyone around.  Yet, His presence brought hardships to those who were in positions of leadership both in the religious sector and secular sector.  It is this aspect that should bring our hearts to light for it is both sides of our lives that represent our different effects.  The amazing fact about Jesus’ presence on earth is that while He witnessed to the people that were around Him He never once fell for the lies that the world presented to Him.  Jesus understood that the enemy had his own kingdom and that it was the enemy who threw his kingdom’s lies in His face; plus, He understood what was going on around Him spiritually and He knew how to combat such activities when they arose.  It is this detail that we have failed to recognize or just flat out ignore and that is what is from the world and what is from God and it is this knowledge that we need in order to know the difference and to be different.

Jesus did not attack the people around Him He just taught them how to be different and by doing such He supplied them with the perfect examples of how to separate themselves from such governmental establishment patterns that would eventually separate them from God if they were allowed to continue in their beliefs.  As stated above we see this pattern from Jesus in the Temple overturning the tables and we see it when He heals the man that Peter decided to cut off an ear from, it is for this consistent act of Jesus that branded Him to be a conspirator and a person who was out to destroy the establishment that was in place.  We do not have to tear down the establishment if we allow it to be changed and turned into an entity for God but the world shall never allow this to occur because its kingdom would shatter and fall proving God correct.  The Cold War words of the establishment seemed to win in the eyes of the world when the establishment put Jesus to death but in truth, God wins because it fulfills His eternal plan for His children.  How much does it cost us when we buck the establishment?  According to our Savior, it shall cost us our life and if we understand God’s Word this should not come as any surprise.

It is easy for us to say that we understand that the world has its agenda and how it operates on a daily basis, but do we really comprehend what the origins of this establishment are and how they operate?  We have become used to the status quo and are comfortable with allowing certain agenda items play out when they surface but take offense to issues that seem to attack the undersurfaces of our establishment that is not an understanding that is an acceptance.  The fatal flaw in this type of establishment is just that, fatal and unless we recognize that the establishment is not from God and has no plans on turning back to God any attempt to chip away at the nerve center of the establishment shall come with a huge price.  We must never forget that when the establishment is attacked physically the internal will of the establishment shall respond in like mind as well which means there is a spiritual content that must be accounted for, one that is being attacked at the same time.

Each prophet we study about in God’s Word presented themselves as a dangerous person to the establishment that was present around the nation of Israel.  There may have been a few family members of the prophets that did not adhere to God’s calling but as long as they drew breath they and their families posed a direct threat to the establishment.  Jesus did the exact same thing when He walked this earth and what He gave to us still has an eternal and profound effect on people’s lives today.  It is this effect that we should be promoting to a dying world and thus promoting our dangerous status.  I read a highlighted topic line the other day of a pastor who stated that he is being attacked from the “religious right and the religious left” about his views concerning abortion and how he answered a specific question directed towards him a while back.  Really?  Do we actually think that God places any more care upon those who “identify” themselves to be “right” or “left” than proclaiming the Word of God?  God does not recognize the human political systems of the world as a basis for judgment, nor as the definition of His Love for us.  God looks at the heart of the person and understands that cry alone, for God is an individual God and a steady God that does not change at any time.  Anytime a pastor, Christian, secular believing person, or atheist defines a person by their political views their focus is skewed and will concentrate on the world first.  If God accepted “left or right” as a truth then what about the center, the left-leaning, right-leaning, etc. could God’s Word according to Matthew 6:24 be therefore disproved?

Is it not clear to us that when people are placed into the category of being dangerous to a cause that they are being projected as a threat to that cause or in this case establishment?  When we place others in this category we are drawing battle lines and borders that we intend to defend, a process that can be dealt with quickly or drawn out for a considerable amount of time.  Jesus’ ministry did not last but for about three and a half years but when he accomplished when He walked this earth ripped to shreds the established religious communities that had its gold over the people.  Christians do not even recognize these lines and understand what they mean which is the exact reason why we see the Church being confused or weak on certain areas on worldly establishment because we do not have an effective fighting force in our hearts.  We can never forget that when we make a statement or come against a portion of the establishment that the world has taken in it shall react accordingly.  How we respond to this initial reaction deals the cards of how the battle will proceed and right at the moment it does not look too good of a setting for the Church.

For those who are Christians, this article should be one that stirs us to allow God to dig a bit deeper into our hearts to see if there be any wickedness in our lives.  Our lives prove each day whether or not we are being considered dangerous to the worldly establishment or not and it is our responsibility to be dangerous yet holy at the same time.  We dare not be combative in our arguments against the world but be bold in the truth that we proclaim.  Look around us, is your life crumbling or is it flourishing according to your standards and beliefs?  Many of the industries that drive our societies are being exposed and falling one by one, and yet we still stand for such activities as our foundations.  Why do we choose this lie, and why do we choose Jezebel?  Sadly, we must be dangerous in the eyes of some of those who say they love God for they have accepted the false teaching of the world instead of holding onto the eternal Truth.  So, be diligent in our spiritual guidance for it may be necessary to teach those who say they are followers, this is where the sword that Jesus says will divide, divides.

God’s Word says that we cannot serve two masters and it is for this reason alone that we automatically become dangerous to the world when we choose God.  Church it is time we become dangerous again, not for the acts that are found out through our dirty dealings, but to the kingdom that provides only death and destruction.  If we do not become dangerous to the kingdom of this world, God will have no choice but to grab our attention in such a manner that we cannot deny His presence and His holy hand through what our eyes shall witness.  Yes, many will choose to repent but just as many or even more shall not and once again we will have the opportunity to change the hearts of nations before further devastation occurs.  Wake up, people of God and take back control of the advancement of the Kingdom of God and once again become dangerous to this world.  How will you be known as a dangerous person to this world?  If you walk in wisdom and have truthful answers as to why the world is falling apart when it occurs, and you are calm as the walls fall on their stage.  Is this a description of you?

DLB