In the sixth chapter of the Book of Acts we have the account of the earliest “division of ministries” among the Christian believers; a plan is developed following a dispute among one faction of the Jews with the others, creating a situation that is simply too messy and time-consuming for the leadership of the new sect to involve themselves with a second time.
Those twelve in leadership come to this conclusion: “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. . . But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
Bad move. See for yourself. Those original twelve who “devoted themselves to prayer” remain relatively obscure in the Lord’s work from that time forward; instead, those designated to the servant position end up being the catalyst for the growth of Christianity.
Stephen is one of them. He is a reliable, confidence-winning young man, perhaps a likely candidate in future years to take a seat among The Twelve. But see what else The Bible says of this earnest but otherwise undistinguished Christian: He was “full of grace and power, performing great wonders and signs among the people.”
Of course all Stephen’s attributes only serve to get him killed, and this mainly from the urging of the greatest hell-raiser of the time, Saul the Pharisee. However it is from this particular tragedy onward that the Christians are threatened, persecuted, dispersed, and hunted. . . and as a result Christianity spreads in every direction. Within just one generation the message of the word traveled east and south as far as the tip of India, west and north to Rome and parts beyond.
What of those who remained headquartered in Jerusalem? Later we hear from some of them (Peter, James, John); by this time they are old men, steeped in wisdom and humility, urging their readers to pursue simple lives that are pleasing to God, or disclosing magnificent visions and prophecies bestowed upon them by their inestimable Lord. You don’t hear any of them advocating to anyone to “go out and start a ministry”! That is only a conception of the apostate church.
Don’t be beguiled by the holy men who have “set themselves aside” for prayer. These are a large part of the apostasy that exists in the church, both historically and in the present. Idle hands make mischief, and it is obvious that the idle nature of these “set aside” have brought strife, compromise, and corruption to religious duty. With all the extra time given them to follow their sordid pleasures, what have they got to pray about except that they don’t fall into temptation?
Apostasy in the church will continue to exist until Christ’s return, perhaps even longer. There’s not much I or anyone else can do about that. I can’t do much about it, but I don’t have to play along; show me where it says I have to play along.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
conservatives don't associate with losers
The Conservatives in America don’t represent Christian values. Let’s not kid ourselves here. For one thing, Christ is way too big of a loser for the Conservatives to embrace.
Look at Christ. He didn’t own a house or a car, nor did he hold steady work, or pay into Workmen’s Comp. He wasn’t able to get any tax exemptions or unemployment insurance for himself or anybody else. All he had was a rag-tag group of followers that ditched him when he needed them the most.
Now he sits at the right hand of The Father; but what good does that do anybody while they’re trying to maintain upbeat home mortgage investments, accessible loan markets, and the opportunity for a bright future?
Conservatives want their shock and awe, their closed borders, the way of life that Christ intended for them. After all, if all Christ ended up with was a scourging and death on the cross, why shouldn’t those who believe in him get some of the rewards due him? To give up their little piece of Heaven here on Earth would surely be a travesty, and therefore every ounce of our strength should be expended to ensure that Conservatives maintain a status befitting that of the Sons of God.
For all their talk of fiscal responsibility, financial viability, etc., Conservatives were strangely silent when the home mortgage crisis hit and sent its tremors around the globe. When Conservatives had the chance to live up to their so-called lasses-faire manifesto, they grimaced and shuffled their feet just to show how much they hated to do this, but essentially said “Some of these fellers are too big to fail, and if we let ‘em, they’re gonna take everybody down with ‘em.”
Conservatives basically poise themselves at the center of the Pro-Life stance in order to manipulate their voting base and their PAC status. Beyond that they hold little respect for life or Christian doctrine.
Any redeemed-by-the-blood Conservative should be able to tell you that Christ once said that whatsoever a person asked for and believed on him, that thing he would do. I’m just curious as to what kind of prayers God is hearing these days from the Conservatives.
Look at Christ. He didn’t own a house or a car, nor did he hold steady work, or pay into Workmen’s Comp. He wasn’t able to get any tax exemptions or unemployment insurance for himself or anybody else. All he had was a rag-tag group of followers that ditched him when he needed them the most.
Now he sits at the right hand of The Father; but what good does that do anybody while they’re trying to maintain upbeat home mortgage investments, accessible loan markets, and the opportunity for a bright future?
Conservatives want their shock and awe, their closed borders, the way of life that Christ intended for them. After all, if all Christ ended up with was a scourging and death on the cross, why shouldn’t those who believe in him get some of the rewards due him? To give up their little piece of Heaven here on Earth would surely be a travesty, and therefore every ounce of our strength should be expended to ensure that Conservatives maintain a status befitting that of the Sons of God.
For all their talk of fiscal responsibility, financial viability, etc., Conservatives were strangely silent when the home mortgage crisis hit and sent its tremors around the globe. When Conservatives had the chance to live up to their so-called lasses-faire manifesto, they grimaced and shuffled their feet just to show how much they hated to do this, but essentially said “Some of these fellers are too big to fail, and if we let ‘em, they’re gonna take everybody down with ‘em.”
Conservatives basically poise themselves at the center of the Pro-Life stance in order to manipulate their voting base and their PAC status. Beyond that they hold little respect for life or Christian doctrine.
Any redeemed-by-the-blood Conservative should be able to tell you that Christ once said that whatsoever a person asked for and believed on him, that thing he would do. I’m just curious as to what kind of prayers God is hearing these days from the Conservatives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)