Here we are again.  I want to say thank you once again for all of the insightful comments last week about the Starbucks issue.  While important, it was also a little less intense than some of what I seem to put forth.  And don’t forget, your comments are not only appreciated but desired on all posts.

As for this week, I thought we would take a look at the election process.  Not politics per se, but just a question about whether we should look for one thing in a presidential candidate or not.  Next week the people of this country will be electing our next president.  Each individual has a certain list of things they will base their choice on.  Some of these things are strictly personal, some are based on political party affiliation, some on economic policy, some on fringe agendas, and the list could go on forever.

But I want to discuss one thing in particular. 

The president of the United States of America is the president of all, I repeat, ALL citizens of this nation.  All ethnic persuasions, all ages and sexes, and all religious groups.  The Christians, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, and even the atheists all have to rely on him to do the work he is elected to do for them, whoever they might be and no matter who they worship. 

So the question is this;

Should it matter what faith a candidate subscribes to? 

Additionally, how much does it matter to you, if you believe that it does?

Please remember to be irenic and say what you have to say as if you were discussing it with Jesus. 

What say you?

Love you all.

Tags: Election, Faith, Government, Leadership, Politics, Townhall, Vote

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone

For anyone who does not know, these are some of the lyrics from Another Brick in The Wall, Part 2, from The Wall by Pink Floyd.  Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time.  I haven’t really listened to them since I came into the Kingdom but I still can’t deny that I think this. 

Roger Waters wrote this song as an attack against a specific type of learning. The lyrics rebuke those teachers who use “thought control” and “dark sarcasm” to mold the school children into mindless drones of society. While there seems to be no specific allusion to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, there are certainly parallels between Huxley’s vision of future “education” and the rote learning of Pink’s (Waters fictional character) teachers. Huxley’s novel presents children learning largely through hypnopedia, a process of repeating fundamental lessons to each child as he or she sleeps. Although the specific lessons depend upon the child’s social status, there are certain governing “truths” that are taught which all must abide by.

The outcome is a loss of individuality and the molding of each child into identical cells in the body of society. Though the educational system Waters is speaking out against is not as subliminal as Huxley’s vision, the effects are the same, producing social clones who know the definition of an acre yet who cannot produce an original, imaginative thought throughout the majority of their lives. This is a song about reclaiming stifled individuality; it’s a criticism regarding the types of teachers and systems that ridicule an imaginative child for writing poetry, as in Pink’s case.

So what does all of this have to do with what I am talking about in this thesis on spiritual warfare and how we are to be combat ready?

In this post, I wrote that I believe our adversary uses Academics and the pursuit of knowledge as a weapon against us.  One way that I believe the enemy has corrupted theological education and knowledge is by the division of doctrinal thought to a degree that keeps us from being willing to hear another side, leading to the current state of disunity in the body of Christ concerning a lot of doctrinal issues. 

I read a lot and I read all sides.  I am not afraid to read viewpoints from Pentecostals, Catholics, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Calvinists, Armenians, atheists and even devil worshippers.  I feel a need to know what other believers believe and what non believers are doing.  Without this knowledge, how can I possibly be prepared for an assault?  Can I even recognize an assault?

Shouldn’t all knowledge and the pursuit of it lead to a better understanding of God?  Instead, in most of what I read, I do not necessarily see a pursuit as much as a presentation of what I should believe.  Those who hold to a deterministic view of God’s sovereignty will quickly declare the open theist a heretic.  A lot of tongue talking Pentecostals will not give a cessationists book a second glance.  And just let someone declare misgivings or misunderstanding concerning the trinity. 

We are never going to agree on everything but shouldn’t we be teachable and open?  Shouldn’t we be able to listen with an open heart and mind and be willing to accept that maybe, just maybe, we might be wrong? 

On another site I was in a discussion about free will when someone commented that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.  (Job 42:2) She meant it in the sense that whatever happens does so because God wants or causes it to happen. When I questioned her about evil, of course she went back to that statement taken from Job and that is where she made her stand.  I realized I was wasting my time after having that one verse thrown, like some kind of grenade, at me numerous times. It may sound harsh but I do not think she has an open mind and will probably never think on her own.  She has been “taught” a certain doctrine and is okay staying right there.  It brings her comfort but I doubt that someone who just lost a loved one from a long drawn out terminal illness, or a child to a disease, or a spouse cut down in a gangland shooting, would find her “grenade” any comfort at all.

The schools and seminary’s seem to be divided along denominational lines and it seems that almost all of those that go to reformed schools stay reformed, fundamentalists stay fundamental, and so on.  Which in any other type of learning would probably be okay. 

But if there is one Holy Spirit who is supposed to guide us into all truth and we all have that Spirit in us, then why are there so many different schools of thought, and why do we have to attach labels to everything?  If we all do not agree, then someone is wrong.  We must be willing to admit that it might just be me and hear someone else out.  And what about those educated, distinguished, esteemed teachers of the truth, (that never seem to bend or give.)?  They need to realize that in the training of the body of Christ there is no room for “thought control” and “dark sarcasm”.  We do not need any more mindless drones in the Kingdom of God.  We need thinkers.  People willing to possibly go outside the normal theological stances and see what exactly we have wrong. 

And we are wrong.  There is just too much evidence of it.  Not only the division of the body but there is the lack of empowerment and influence to even maintain current levels of Kingdom population.    

A final thought on all this takes us back to what I said in the post linked above.  In the Word of God  there are some warnings about knowledge and the pursuit of it.  (Luk 11:52, 1 Cor 8:1, 1 Cor 13:2)  If knowledge is not shared, if it brings about pride, or if it is presented with no love, it is not of God or of any good to Him.  God wants us to seek knowledge and wisdom.  But it is Godly knowledge not worldly that is to be sought.  Any other becomes a deadly weapon to be exploited by the enemy. 

Some of our most intelligent, intellectual theologians have reached a place where they are no longer teachable.  And in their arrogance they do a lot of harm to the body of Christ thru division and debate.  They have become prideful and unloving in their exposition of truth.  The more some learn about God the less they look like Him. 

Our Father asks us to “Come now, let us reason together… Isa 1:18.  I believe this reasoning with God and with each other is a necessary component of our combat readiness training.

Education and knowledge contribute to wisdom, but they are not wisdom.  You won’t get that from seminary.

So I can’t say “We don’t need no education” but I can definitely say “We don’t need no thought control”.

Love you all

Tags: AcademicsBody of Christ, Calvinism, Combat Readiness, Jesus Christ, Kingdom, SpiritualWarfare

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.

These are two words that have had a tremendous impact on me.  For the Son of God himself, to weep over something, over anything, has provided me with a lot of direction in my quest to know who He is.  To weep implies concern.  It implies compassion.  It implies true love. 

I never used to cry.  I just didn’t care enough about anyone else.  But I find myself tearing up now over some of the most unusual things.  Even though I am sometimes embarrassed and even wish this part of my growing compassion and love didn’t have to be, I am still thankful for this growth.  The ability to care for someone other than yourself hurts though.  If you don’t ever find yourself hurting for another, including even strangers, you might not be where Jesus wants you to be. 

I have been trying to figure out what exactly made Jesus weep at this point in the narrative for a while now.  I am pretty sure He weeps over quite a few of the things we do or fail to do.  But what happened in this story about Lazarus that had such an impact on Him that the Holy Spirit impressed it upon John to write this down in his gospel.

To find out why Jesus wept at this time we must look at the whole story behind it.  It started in John 11:1 when we find out that Lazarus is ill and Martha and Mary send for Jesus.  When He finds out He immediately lets everyone know that this illness will not lead to death but is to glorify God and Himself.  He waits a couple of days and then sets out to where His friends live.  The disciples are concerned and He lets them know that Lazarus has died so now it is time to go.  Why now?

Joh 11:14-15 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Note the words that Jesus spoke.  Especially note the part that says, for your sake…so that you may believe.  They start out and the disciples still don’t get it, stating they might as well go and die also. 

Martha meets them and says she knows thing could have been different if Jesus had been there.  He tells her that Lazarus will rise (Joh 11:23) and she says she knows this.  He would rise in the resurrection.  Jesus lets her know that He is the resurrection and the life (Joh 11:25-26) and asks her, “Do you believe this?”

Martha says she does and goes and gets Mary.  When Mary comes to Jesus with others He sees that they are all weeping and then she tells Him basically the same thing that Martha had.  Then look at the next verse.

Joh 11:33  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

He was greatly troubled and then he asked about the tomb and that is when He wept.  Some who saw Him thought that He must have greatly loved Lazarus and some basically thought that He should have been there to save His friend.  Then we come to the real reason Jesus wept in the following verse.

Joh 11:40  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Jesus had began by telling the disciples that this was all for Gods glory.  Did they believe and rejoice?  Then He told Martha that her brother would be resurrected.  Did she run and proclaim the good news to her sister and the others?  Then when Mary and the others came, still weeping, He realized the truth of the whole matter.  They did not believe. 

They thought they knew Him.  They thought their confession of Him was complete.  They thought they believed Him.  But their hearts said otherwise.  He wept because even after all that He had shown them, they still did not believe and receive Him for who He was. 

Another time, in Luke 19:41, He wept over Jerusalem.  Again He was weeping because of their unbelief.  The very people He had come to save did not believe Him and receive Him.

In the state of unbelief, we all make Jesus weep.  He does not just weep when the lost reject Him.  Jesus weeps when we do not accept what He says.  When we do not understand that His way is the only way.  When we do not believe He will do as He said He would do. 

If we could come to a place where we truly believe, radically believe, everything He has said, we might just start something real.  Something that would have eternity changing impact. 

No matter what, the fact that He did and probably does, weep for us all, should tell us that He truly does love us.

Jesus wept.  Do you care?  Do you believe? 

Love you all 

Tags: Belief, Believe, Compassion, Eternity, Grief, Heaven, Jesus Christ, Love, Trust, Unbelief

This is my take on the situation that I brought up in the Town Hall discussion yesterday.  I had so much to say that it turned into a post instead of a comment.    If you just found this, go here to know what I am talking about. 

First, I am extremely happy with the response this week.  I am also happy that we have a diversity of thought displayed here also.  And this is what I want, your thoughts.  It is so easy to find what some famous preacher or theologian has to say on any given situation.  Google any topic and you can find various discussions ranging from legalistic to everything goes, from way out there to just plain ridiculous.  The internet has actually allowed us all to ‘borrow’ opinions instead of come up with our own. 

But I see some evidence of thought here today.

I held back details on purpose so we could get an idea about the general attitudes about a commercial enterprise in a church.  Whether the very idea would offend God, or not.  Not you or me, but God Himself.  If it doesn’t bother Him then it sure shouldn’t bother me. 

This is what the pastor of the church had to say about what he was doing…

And I also hear that his people are workers.  They are doing something for the Kingdom up there.  And Brother Lawson must be doing something right. 

As for the objections; I, like Dee, first thought about the temple incident.  But I also see it as Jesus being upset about the manipulation of the faithful by imposing unfair exchange rates, thus profiting from the abuse of the righteous who only wanted to get closer to God.  See this post and think about what Jesus would do if He showed up at some of these ‘ministry’s’ today. 

And Chris’ thoughts are new to me; I will have to look up some on this idea about the sacrificial system being what Jesus was angry about.  I do believe God was unhappy with this system, even though he instituted it.  And He had a new program coming, that Christ knew about, that would abolish the need of the system.  But it is very interesting and I am glad to hear from you.  Keep studying and you should come back and comment some more.  I wish I could have did this ‘back when.’

Leigh brings up some valid thoughts about the distractions that I had not thought about.  Bathroom trips during services are something all churches have to deal with.  And as for those that are jittery and can’t wait for it to be over and this may sound harsh and unloving but, I say stay home.  What are they there for anyway?     Jesus wouldn’t need a Starbucks, but He would probably be hanging out in one, and not the one in church.

Sabrina brings up the idea of where does it all stop.  This is a valid observation.  We see a lot of churches that have abandoned the mission because they went too far.  But this is something we have to rely on our leaders to ascertain.  And if they do not use Godly judgment on these issues then we must bring it to their attention.   

And I am definitely in agreement with Connie about Jesus doing whatever it took.  You suggest nose piercing.  What about hands and feet?  Paul also talked about being all things to all people. 

Tammy talks about the opportunity for fellowship.  I can vouch for her and say that this has happened to and for her a number of times.  She means true fellowship, where a few meet and minister to each other, over coffee or whatever, and it turn into a meeting with the Holy Spirit.  He could show up in Starbucks to meet, comfort, guide, and instruct.  Who would keep Him out?

And I knew John would love the idea.

As for me, I am all for it.  As long as some boundaries are maintained.  And let me say that I don’t drink the stuff.  Coffee, that is.  Never have. 

If the concession closes during service, if it stays nonprofit and any proceeds are used for ministry or charity, if it increases fellowship, and brings some to church that otherwise wouldn’t come, then what is it about this that would bother God. 

Brother Lawson is offering some menu items free and all others at a reduced price.  And he is trying to get it open on weekdays. 

Just imagine that guy that comes every weekday morning to get his favorite concoction at a reduced price, and is continually served in Christlike love by that sold out to Jesus teen with the nose ring, and decides to come to a worship service and turns his life over in service to our King. 

If he is the only one that ever gets saved by doing this Starbucks thing, then those at Daystar have dealt a blow to the enemy camp.  As for me, that is what it is all about. 

Keep up the good fight, Pastor Jerry Lawson. 

Love you all 

Tags: Christlike, Church, Church Issues, Culture, Fellowship, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Kingdom, Starbucks