White Supremacy is a lie.

I for one am sick and tired of being labeled a racist white supremacist psychopath simply because I’m a white male.  White men who are conservative and own weapons (including AR and AK type rifles) are being grouped in with the whack job shooters of Ohio and El Paso.  

Even Christianity Today is printing articles citing “white supremacy” as the cause of the recent shootings.  https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/august/el-paso-dayton-shootings-pastors-call-out-white-supremacy.html  

Since when do the actions of one deranged psychopath speak for an entire portion of society?  How can the actions of one white male make all white males guilty?  Since when do the actions and words of the El Paso shooter determine the thinking of all white males?  The whole thing is asinine and ridiculous. 

But of course this narrative is being driven by the media who has proven over and over that they: hate conservative thinking people, support disarming the public, support socialist/communist policies of rule, and believe there is no place for the God of the Bible in society. 

The real tragedy is so many men who call themselves “Pastors” believe the white supremacy narrative being spouted by the press.  I am amazed how many of these men in influential positions in large churches do not think for themselves.

Banning what they call “assault rifles” (a deceptive misnomer) will solve absolutely nothing.  The recent push for “red flag” laws will simply give Politicians the ability to red flag anyone that disagrees with them.  It is a slippery slope my friends.    

Violence has been around since Cain and Abel and will be around until Jesus creates a new heaven and earth.  By the way Cain and Abel were brothers.  They were the same race and had the same mom and dad.  Yet Cain killed Abel and committed the first murder.

The issue is not white supremacy or any other “fill in the blank” excuse.  The issue is the evil in men’s hearts (not the muscle in the chest but the brain in the head).  I’m a white male, I was born that way.  I grew up on various Navy Bases around the country.  I had black friends, Asian friends, and any other “label” out there.  In my career as a Police Officer I worked with people of different sexual orientations than mine.   I even worked with people of different political views than mine. 

What is amazing is that we got along just fine with one another.  I know that’s hard to swallow but it’s the truth.  White supremacy is not rampant in this country.  White males are not the bane of our existence.  

Most white males I know work their tails off to support their families.  They do not have the time nor the interest to do the things they are being accused of.

It is time that people of influence (in the church and in politics) think for themselves and quit drinking the Kool aid being poured in copious amounts by the enemies of this country.  The enemy can be found in any institution that openly lies to support a Godless agenda that takes away the freedom of the individual. Look around and think for yourself.  Their evil schemes will become clear as day.

On clouds and contrails

Yesterday was a sunny breezy day in Hot Springs, AR.  It was one of those days where clouds were high up and moving along because of the wind.  Where we live there are always contrails from Jet airliners.  The contrails go east to west and vice versa.  The contrails were a stark contrast to the clouds.  The clouds were of various shapes and sizes floating with the wind. 

The contrails on the other hand were thin straight lines going in a sure and certain direction against the wind.  It struck me that what I was seeing was a picture of the spiritual walk.  The clouds float and the wind moves them and they have no say so in which direction they go.  They are at the mercy of the wind.  But the contrail cuts a trail through the sky through the clouds and against the wind. 

Here is the application.  The believer who is yielded to the Holy Spirit in his/her daily walk is like the contrail.  There is a definite way to go and a sure and certain place to be.  He/she is not swayed by the winds of life or the clouds that get in the way.  That person just keeps on moving forward no matter what. 

So next time you see a contrail on a windy day remember that if you are a believer, you are on a mission.  Don't lose sight of the goal and don't let the wind or clouds get in the way.

On vacuums

The big news today is the walk out of High School students all over the country promoting gun control.  There have been probably thousands of articles written on the topic pro and con.  There have also been thousands written for the reasons why people do the things they do; as in mass shootings etc..  

I for one think gun control is not the issue.  As I've said before I think "control" is the issue and the "gun" just happens to be the best option to achieve it.  History has proven over and over that if the masses are disarmed then some form of tyranny enters in.  

Which leads me to the point of this post which is summed up in one word "vacuum".  The vacuum I speak of is not the one that cleans the house but the one that is inside the soul of every man, woman, teenager, and child on the planet.  There is a God shaped hole in the soul of all of us and only Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness.  But when God is out of the equation other things fill that emptiness.  And anything other than Christ will never satisfy a person's soul. 

People seek all kinds of stuff to fill that vacuum in the soul.  A short list includes; other people, a career, a hobby and every kind of addiction one can think of.  And then consider that violence, anger, revenge etc.. can enter that vacuum as well.

So protesting against guns will accomplish nothing.  Creating more gun laws will accomplish nothing.  Until people figure out that the issue is the mind (soul) and the answer is Jesus Christ the violence will not stop.  It is time for people and especially men to stand up and speak the truth. No, that is not being sexist that is a call for men from a man to do what God created men to do and that is do the right thing.

1 Corinthians 16.13-14, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

On being a Police Officer

I am currently 54 years of age.  I was a cop for 18 of those years.  When I subtract 18 (the age of "adulthood") from 54 I get 36.  So for 50%, that is half my working adult life, I was a Police Officer.  It just strikes me a little odd that half my life in the work force was in a profession that changes you in ways you cannot understand unless you have done it.  

In my time I saw a lot of really bad stuff.  I saw death in many different ways, most of it violent.  Car wrecks, boat accidents, drownings, trains running over people, house fires, homicides, suicides, and death by natural causes.  I guess it kind of piled up on me for a bit and I struggled with it.  But its better now.  I learned to compartmentalize it and file it, not so much stuff it just file it to work on later.  

The mind is an amazing thing.  On occasion some of those calls come to the surface.  And I literally had forgotten about them but then they pop up sometimes.  I guess that's my way of dealing with it, kind of accessing that file.  A sight, sound, smell, or touch will trigger some event from the past.  Most of the stuff that I experienced is not very palatable to every day conversation; nor is it something I can bring up on a Sunday morning to the congregation sitting in the pews.  It would not go over well so I just don't talk about it much.  

I was never in combat nor did I have close friends dying around me.  So I guess for me and probably most Police Officers our visit with what has become known as PTSD is different.  But it is just as real it just messes with a person in different ways.  When you do the job long enough you become a little jaded and just keep things to yourself.  You come to realize that most people would not understand.  So you just smile and rock along. 

For me my faith has been the greatest weapon against the demons of my past.  My faith in Jesus Christ has made all the difference.  Stuff still comes up an bites me but I immediately go to the Lord and His Word and His peace reigns in my little world.    

I suppose what is interesting is that I would not trade that Police career for anything.  It taught me so very much about people and the human condition.  These are things that have served me well as a Pastor.

There is more I could say but then it may become too long.  

Maybe next time I give my two cents on being a Pastor.            

Another Day Closer

A couple of years ago I taught the book of Revelation www.gbchs.com . During that series of messages I mentioned the possibility that the empire of the Antichrist may be the return of an Islamic Caliphate.  Some of this information came from a book written by Joel Richardson titled "Antichrist, Islam's awaited Messiah ".  In the book he proposes the idea that the empire of the Antichrist in the tribulation will be a revival of the Ottoman Empire which ruled a large portion of the Middle East from 1453-1921.  His book presents some very good points that line up nicely with Biblical Prophecy regarding events that will take place leading up to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.  One of his proposals is that the Antichrist will come from the modern nation of Turkey.

We know from the book of Revelation that the nation of Israel will sign a 7 year contract with the Antichrist.  This 7 year period of time is known as the tribulation.  At the midpoint of the tribulation (3.5 years) the Antichrist will break his contract with the nation of Israel which will institute what the Bible calls the Great Tribulation.  In Matthew 24 Jesus said it would be a time of trouble like the world has never seen; that if He (Jesus) does not return there would be no one left alive on the earth  Matthew 24.21-22 .

Joel Richardson and I disagree about the rapture of the church.  I believe the Bible clearly teach's a pre-tribulation rapture, that the church will not endure the wrath of God on the earth (the tribulation). Joel Richardson believes that the church will go through the tribulation and have to endure the wrath of God.

This post is not meant to create disagreement about the timing of the rapture.  But it is my prayer that Christians will wake up to the realities that are taking place in our world today.

As before mentioned, if its true that the Antichrist will arise from Turkey, then it is interesting that Erdogan, the current leader of Turkey has expressed interest with normalizing ties with Israel seeking access to Israel's natural gas reserves.  See the article here.  

Also, regarding the rise of an Islamic Caliphate what ISIS is trying to do may serve as a precursor of things to come.  See Joel Richardson's article here.  

We as believer's in Jesus Christ need to wake up.  In Revelation 22.20 Jesus said, "Yes, I am coming quickly."  That was nearly 2000 years ago.  We don't know when Jesus will return for His church.  But one thing we do know is that we are one day closer then we were yesterday.

Keep your head up, your redemption draws nigh.

God in the dock.

C.S. Lewis wrote a book titled, “God in the Dock”.  A quote from that book:

“The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man, the roles are quite reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge; if God should have a reasonable defense for being the god who permits war, poverty, and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock.”

― C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Today it is true.  Many Christians have put God in the dock and have become the judge of God Himself.  When the Christian cannot resolve: poverty, disease, death, war, famine, sexual unions or any other “controversial” topic in the Bible, God gets put on trial.  If a person’s view on these matters does not fit what they think it should be they inadvertently or on purpose become the judge and enter into the realm where only God belongs.

There is a disturbing trend today in the church to re-interpret the Word of God.  This re-interpretation is present because people cannot resolve how a “God of Love” could allow war, poverty, famine, etc. to exist.  The question then becomes “How can a Loving God allow: (fill in the blank)”.  Or how can a God of Love be against a certain behavior: (again, fill in the blank)”. 

So since they cannot resolve these issues they simply begin to re-interpret and basically re-write Scripture so that it fits into their world view.  Then God is parked in the dock and they have become the judge of God.   After all, God won’t mind.  He is a God of love.  He will say, it’s ok, I still love you.  It’s all about love right???

I think believers (if they are believers in the first place) need to remember some facts:

1. There is a God in Heaven separate from His Creation and you or I are not Him.

2. There is a conflict between good and evil and it’s WAY bigger than you and me. 

3. There is more to God’s character than just love, there is also: Sovereignty, Eternal Life, Justice, Absolute Righteousness, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience, Immutability, and Veracity. 

4. If a believer does not like or agree with these other aspect’s of God’s character it does not change the face that they exist.

5. If person #1 believes what the Word of God states and then is accused by person #2 of being a bigot or old fashioned or unloving; consider that God, not person #1, is the One being accused of being a bigot or old fashioned or unloving.

6. God’s attributes are always perfect and fair and always have been. 

7. If at any time His attributes are not perfect and fair He would not be God.

8. His attributes of Justice and Righteousness work in conjunction with one another.  What the Righteousness of God demands His Justice executes. 

9. All of His attributes are based on His Divine will which is revealed in His Divine written Word.

10. Therefore those who go against His Divine Word have violated His Righteousness.  They will fall under His judgment, His justice will execute it.

11. Likewise, those who go with His Divine Word are in line with His Righteousness.  They will come under His blessing, His justice will execute it.

So if people do not like or agree with what God states in His Word about sexual unions or war or poverty or disease etc. they are in danger of condemnation from His justice.  Romans 1.18-32 makes this abundantly clear.

We would all do well to let God be God and trust His plan.    

The Fish

In the months and years after the ascension of Jesus Christ Christians became targets of persecution.  To be a follower of “the way” as it was called was to invite possible arrest, torture, and death.  Therefore believers at that time developed a system of identification to determine if those they met were for them or against them.  This system was the picture of a fish with five Greek letters in the middle.  The letters represented words which said: Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior.  

Legend states that as people met in streets or other places a person would draw one line of the fish in the sand.  If the person they met drew the other line then each knew that the other was a believer.  Today this symbol is everywhere; bumper stickers, magnets, necklaces, bracelets, business cards websites etc..

The simple phrase, “Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior” sums up the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.  He is the Son of God who became a man who died for the sins of the human race and provided salvation to any who put faith in His finished work.  Simple, concise, to the point; faith alone in Christ alone. 

And that is the message today.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that simple.  But people try to make it complicated.  Thank God that Jesus Christ has done all that is necessary for salvation.  The only response that a person can make is faith alone in Christ alone.  Faith plus nothing.  Anything added to that simple message dishonors and discredits the Word of God, the Work of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t take that on yourself.  Just believe and relax.      

Literal vs. Allegorical

I and some like me interpret the Bible literally; that is, the Bible means what it says and it says what it means.  I am discovering that a literal interpretation of the Bible is becoming rare.  In fact a literal interpretation of God’s Word is being met with ridicule, laughter, and in some cases anger.  

I am forty nine years old so I am, statistically speaking, a little over half way to being physically dead.  Yet in terms of Biblical history I am barely a grease spot on the floor.  Yet in my short time on this earth I have seen some disturbing changes in the way people view the Bible.  More and more Pastors and the congregations they teach are drifting away from a literal interpretation of the Bible.  It is disturbing to say the least.  Instead of interpreting the Bible literally (it means what it says and says what it means) there is a tendency to “allegorize” the Bible.

Allegory defined- “a story, play, poem, picture or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas, related to morals, religion or politics”  (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/allegory?q=allegory) 

Therefore, If there are things you don’t like (violence, death, bloodshed etc.) you can just arrive at those conclusions that represent your “qualities or ideas” that uphold your “morals, religion, or politics”    

This type of thinking is dangerous to say the least.  Below is an example of what I’m talking about. 

Another sign of the Great Emergence in religion bears directly on our Gospel reading today, and that is the loss of confidence in the inerrancy of Scripture. Inerrancy is a fancy way of saying that you believe that everything in the Bible is historically accurate, internally consistent, and infallible. Our congregation gives witness to this shift away from belief in Biblical inerrancy when we say to one another that we take the Bible seriously but not literally. In other words, even though we acknowledge that the Bible is littered with contradictions and is not historical in the modern sense, we still trust in its authority as a divine communication from God. But that leaves us with the question of how do we read the Bible? If not literally or as history, then how do we make sense of an inconsistent and ancient text to find God speaking to us today? It is a perplexing question which some find so hard to answer that reading the Bible on their own is no longer part of their spiritual practice. 

But Jesus gave them and us a simple reading lesson – when you are reading the Biblical text don’t make the error of looking for historical facts or trying to resolve all the inconsistencies and especially don’t turn it into an idol by insisting on its infallibility.  (http://www.ravenfoundation.org/blogs/religion/jesus-gives-a-reading-lesson/)

These are excerpts from a sermon preached in a church that calls itself Christian.  Don’t take my word for it; go read the entire article at the link above.  

The time has come to take a stand for what is right and true.

The premise of the website above is that God cannot possibly be violent.  The cross was too violent.  The O.T. is too violent.  The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is too violent.    

They cannot resolve the “violence” in the Bible “literally” so they engage in “allegory” which in turn fits their “qualities and ideas” which supports their “morals, religion, or politics”.    

Is there an answer to the “violence” question in the Bible?  Absolutely, literally there is. :)

Hebrews 4.12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Space invaders, cops, soldiers, and Jesus.

Freedom comes from God.  God designed men to be free.  Adam and Even before the fall were free to roam, love, and live in the Garden of God.  Fellowship with the Creator was the normal condition.  God made only one rule; to not eat from the tree in the center.  But He gave them the choice to obey or not to obey.  He never bothered with their freedom.  God never pushed Himself on either one of them.  He never invaded their space uninvited.

Freedom has to do with space as in the air around you.  You are free to occupy your space and anyone who enters your space without your permission has violated your freedom.  As God never invaded the space of Adam and Eve, so we are not to invade the space of one another uninvited. 

Men and women who understand this principle over time formed communities which became towns and villages.  Violators of freedom or what we can call “space invaders” were punished.  Laws were established and people were appointed to enforce these laws; today we call this profession “law enforcement”.

 As the centuries progressed, towns and villages became cities and provinces and then became nations.  But then some nations did not regard the law of freedom as ordained by God and so nations had to form groups of people to maintain national freedom.  In this country, this profession is called the U.S. Armed Forces or the Military.

Today, “space invaders”, both individuals and nations are dealt with by that means necessary to effect voluntary compliance.  From simple words of warning up to physical death, freedom is ensured. 

In a fallen world, this form of governing works.  Those men who founded this nation understood these principles and wrote them into the constitution.  When the constitution is followed freedom is maintained and the “space invaders” are kept at bay. 

I spent 18 years in the profession of law enforcement therefore it was my job to keep the “space invaders” in my periphery at bay.  Consider that when the “space invader” invades the space of someone else he or she loses his or her space privileges and they are incarcerated or worse.  The same principle applies on a national scale as well.

Guess what?  sometimes I had to get “violent” with people to effect voluntary compliance.

I am also a Christian.  I have been one since the age of 12.  Therefore, the entire time I was in law enforcement I also was a believer in Jesus Christ. 

Due to the fact that I believe in a Constitutional Representative Republic, law enforcement, and a strong military and that I am a Christian; myself and those like me are labeled war mongering, violence loving, American Imperialists.  At least this is the case sometimes.  But honestly, all any of us are trying to do is keep the space invaders at bay.

Some Christians believe that we are to live a life of peace at any cost.  To allow the space invaders to have their way and let God deal with them.  After all, Jesus Himself allowed the space invaders to nail Him to a cross.

In the Old Testament, one of the names of Jesus is “The Lord of Heaven’s Army’s” or “The Captain of the host of the Lord” which are military titles.  Long before Jesus was the suffering Servant, the humble God-man who hung on the cross, He is first of all the Captain of the Angelic Army currently billeted in Heaven. 

Jesus when He came to the earth He was on a covert mission behind enemy lines.  The ultimate space invader named Satan had won a victory in the Garden of God.  So Jesus in turn set aside His command long enough to take out the space invader at the cross and resurrection.  His mission at that time required Him to be humble and merciful so that we could have our space back.

So today, what about military, violence, law enforcement and the body of Christ?  How does it all work together?

The answer is freedom.  Law enforcement and the military (as designated in the constitution) are designed to keep the space invaders at bay.   And sometimes the space invaders choose not to comply easily so violence is required. When the space invader is kept at bay then freedom reigns.  When freedom reigns then the design of God for the human race works even in the midst of a fallen world.

By the way, when Jesus returns He will be in battle array, ready or war, and will have to use violence on a scale never before seen in human history (Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Zechariah 14, Revelation 19) to name but a few.

To end on a good note, Jesus loves the space invaders as well.  They just need to let Him invade their space :)

Freedom is precious

I am not a prophet but I do study history.  Unfortunately something I wrote back in 2008 is coming to fruition.  On September 16th, 2008 I wrote this.  And then today I see this.

 In light of that consider:

The people go from bondage to spiritual faith; 
from spiritual faith to great courage; 
from great courage to liberty; 
from liberty to abundance; 
from abundance to selfishness; 
from selfishness to complacency; 
from complacency to apathy; 
from apathy to dependence; 
from dependency back again to bondage."
The Course of Nations _ attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler,

Our consider this:

I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.  ~Author Unknown

The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.  ~Louis D. Brandeis

Nations grown corrupt
Love bondage more than liberty;
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty.
~John Milton

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.  ~Thomas Paine

 Where do you stand?