Silence Is Golden

While this ancient expression is not scripture the sentiment can certainly be found in Proverbs 13:3

“He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”

As a young man I was very good at keeping my mouth shut. I was ignorant of the world at large and knew it. The older I grow the more vocal I am. This outspoken vocalization has cost me dearly over the years. It’s extremely difficult for me to keep my mouth shut when I see injustice or hear lies. When I reflect upon my early years as a Christian I recall that people were more apt to entertain what I had to say because I was not quick to offer my viewpoint rather I was more reflective and introspective. I have often prayed Proverb 13:3 when I am disturbed about something but I admit that it is not a practice I have mastered.
My enthusiasm for the Gospel of Jesus Christ has sometimes been counter-productive for the Kingdom, at least from this mortal perspective. God in His amazing sovereignty can take our faults and failures and make triumphs from them. His word is unfailing. I must rest in His Sovereign grace.

There are many things that Christ said that are truly mysterious and sometimes very uncomfortable. The truth can be and often is painful. In this politically correct world of hyper-sensitivity Jesus is no doubt considered a bigot and racist by many though they may not verbalize this. Today's snowflakes would be running for their "safe spaces" if Jesus were publicly preaching today. He preached more about hell and punishment of the wicked than anything else. I’m surprised the SPLC has not listed Jesus Christ as a hater. Consider the following verse;

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” Matthew 7:6

Our Lord equates certain people to “dogs” and others to “hogs”. The swine reference is equating people to the lowest perceived form of life on the planet, an unclean animal. Apparently, there are people who cannot accept the Gospel. My Arminian friends may have a difficult time with that statement but that’s OK. I don’t wear any theological labels. God is sovereign and can do as He pleases.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

I have seen the power of God’s word melt people and I have been the recipient of this two edged sword on many occasions. The word of God can move mountains, heal the sick, free the demon possessed and literally transform the wicked into saints. I have seen it happen. Yet Christ spoke in parables for a reason.

“10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” Matthew 13:10-17

Some may suggest that this statement applies only to the apostles but I see this to be still in effect today. “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed”. No other time in the history of this world can this statement be more true than this present age. Just look around you and witness the chaos, mayhem dissension and compromise that exists in and out of the church.

In Matthew 11:25 Jesus said, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

I have, on more than one occasion, cast the pearl of the Gospel at the feet of swine in defense of the innocent and for this I seek God’s forgiveness. I have learned that the Gospel can be my motivation for helping the innocent but it should not be a weapon to attack the guilty. I have shared the word of God with those who are hostile to it and they trampled it under foot and attacked me just as Christ stated. The word of God must be treated like a loaded weapon. Don't point it at anyone without intent to use it. And when you use it you better be prepared to defend why you used it. I Peter 3:15 If you are going to use the word of God you better know it well and how to use it lest you bring shame upon yourself. The same is true with a loaded gun. Sometimes it's just better to keep our mouth shut. Silence is golden.

Are You Worldly?

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."I Jn.2:15-17

The only way we can love the world is to have an unbiblical perception of the world. What we think of the world, as John describes, must be fashioned by the Word of God and not the world itself. Unfortunately, the professors of Christ today have allowed their concepts of what is, "worldly" to be narrowed down to simply ones attitude about sensitive issues. Or they may simply equate "worldliness" with hedonism, greed or materialism. While worldliness may encompass all of these it goes much deeper than these superficial/tangible aspects of life.

Worldliness is how we think and move through life.
Accepting what is socially acceptable today is worldliness. Satan was defeated by an empty tomb nearly 2,000 years ago but he has not yet been deposed from his throne. "He is still the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of the darkness of this world" Ephesians 6:12 and an angel of light deceiving most people on earth. II Cor. 11

What influences you in your perceptions of what is happening in the world? Do you "go with the flow"? Governments are the source of nearly all public information that shapes the ideas and actions of its citizens. This country does not have a free press. It has not had a free press for over 160 years. If the government feels threatened by what you print or say they will discredit you, assassinate your character and ultimately throw you into prison. Never forget that the government of this country officially rejected God publicly in 1960. The official stance of this government is denial of and hatred of Holy God. Can you really trust a government that denounces God. The counter-culture revolution of the 60's was an anti-God movement and yet some of you reading this think the 60's were a wonderful time. Woodstock was nothing but the devils playground where the participants shook a defiant fist in the face of Holy God.

What is popular is not of God. That which is Godly is not popular.

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." II Cor. 6:14-18

This passage is often quoted interpreted to mean that Christians should not marry an unbeliever. While this is true that is NOT the meaning of the text. We are not to have fellowship with unbelievers in any respect. Its one thing to be friendly to a sinner and another thing to be a friend with sinners. When you associate yourself with unbelievers and engage in the same activities with them you cannot insulate yourself from their influence. "Be ye separate and I will receive you". When we are bonded with the lost we are disconnected from God.

Satan is the father of lies, Jn. 8:44. All that Satan does is motivated by a lie. The worlds governments, news sources, media and the entertainment world are all firmly in the grasp of Satan with a diabolical motive to take as many created beings to hell with him as possible. Nothing is as it seems. Stop believing things at face value and question every narrative that comes down the road.

This post today is inspired by an article I saw regarding Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews attacking a female Israeli soldier. We have been led to believe that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitic. This is a lie. Zionists make this claim to discredit anyone who opposes them. The staunchest modest radical opponent of Zionism is orthodox Jews. Can an ultra-orthodox Jew be an anti-Semite? See the article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5001110/Israeli-soldier-karate-kicks-violent-crowd-bay.html
And learn more about the Ultra Orthodox Jewish opposition to the state of Israel here: http://www.nkusa.org/

Caution: do not think that either Zionists or Anti-Zionist Kosher Jews are "friends" of Christians. Jesus told the Pharisees, "if you knew the Father you would have known me" Jn. 8:19. The ultra orthodox Jews are practicing the same cultic religion of the Pharisees.

The media has led us to believe a narrative about Zionism that is NOT true. One can be anti-Zionist but that does not make them Anti-Semitic.

This same method of misleading public perception to advance a diabolical agenda has crippled the United States for over 160 years. The notion that slavery in this country equated to racism is an outright lie. And the narrative that slavery is "evil" is a lie as well considering that slavery has always existed since the beginning of time and is quite prevalent in the U.S. today. I have never heard a preacher or theologian give any biblical argument against the institution of slavery. Please someone show me from scripture that slavery is evil.

The 1860 census of the United States revealed that 250,000 free blacks lived in the Southern states. Of those free blacks 11% owned slaves. Less than 9% of whites owned slaves. The people who owned the largest number of slaves in South Carolina and Louisiana were black men. Stop believing the lie that slavery is racist. This lie persists to advance an evil agenda.

The commonly accepted most popular notions of slavery and Zionism in our society today are not biblical and thus they are not from God. For you to accept these lies is to be a friend of the world. Popular societal notions must be filtered through Gods word. We must consume Gods word until it consumes us and gives us the ability to detect the lies of the enemy. Christians must not adopt the popular narratives of any issues but "be ye separate saith the Lord".

Ethnicity or Kingdom?

"3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24

In this discourse on the end times Jesus makes a distinction between nations and kingdoms. Americans, in particular, have little understanding of the nature of a nation. Most Americans think the U.S.A is a nation. I believe this confusion began during the U.S. period of reconstruction after the War Between the States in an attempt to create unity but instead it has created confusion.

In verse 7 above the word nation comes from the Greek word ethne from which the modern word "ethnicity" is derived. A kingdom would be more closely related to a country or system of governance and not a people. We can literally read the text as thus," For ethnicity shall rise against ethnicity..."

I have never read or heard of any concept of "race" in antiquity. People of the same race can have different ethnic backgrounds. Native Americans identify themselves more by their nation than their race,i.e. the Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation, Sioux Nation, etc. During the American War Between the States the North and South were not divided just politically but ethnically. They were peoples of 2 separate nations and these distinctions are still evident today in customs, language and traditions. The British subjects who settled New England came from different social class and different regions of Great Britain than those who settled in the Southern colonies. Same race different cultures.

It is my personal belief that the idea of "race" is not of God. God divided the people in the earth more specifically by ethnicity. Wherever we find the words, "nation" and "gentile" in the New Testament they both are the Greek word, "ethne". It is my contention that God's will is that ethnicity's remain unmingled as defined in the table of nations in Genesis 10 and Paul's sermon on Mars hill in Acts 17 where he states, "And hath made of one blood all nations(ethnicity's) of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. " Nimrod was the first globalist attempting to break down these God ordained borders and the globalists today are doing the same thing. Politically correct globalism is radically hell bent on creating an ethnically neutral person. Pay attention to marketing and advertising and you will see more and more models whose ethnicity is unidentifiable. This is precisely what Nimrod was attempting to create and God confused their language at the tower of Babel. Language alone is proof that God never intended for ethnicity's to mix.

Christian, never forget that the ways of the world are not the ways of God. Popular culture and the globalist elite agenda of social engineering is NOT of God but invites the wrath of God even upon people who may be well intended. The path of good intentions can lead straight to hell. We must be ever vigilant in prayer and discerning of the age we live in lest we fall prey to deception.