The Cross and the Result

I wanted a rabbi for a discussion of Biblical Prophecy and the Bible says that: “In those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all the languages of the nations shall take hold, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”

So I went to Bloomfield Hills, and I found one.
My guest today is Rabbi Jerry Weinstein of Congregation Shema Israel of Bloomfield Hills, Mi. www.Shema.com
He’s guest hosted for Bob Dutko and he was highly recommended to me as a guest.

We had an interesting discussion of Messianic beliefs and prophecies, particularly regarding the suffering Messiah.

The hour I had rabbi Jerry we mostly talked the Crucifixion.
We took some interesting calls with questions for the rabbi.

Your American Heritage with Rabbi Jerry Weinstein

Then, when my show was over, my friend Pastor Rick Deitering came in the studio and recognized Rabbi Jerry. They had gone to Bible college together!
Rick asked Jerry to stay over with us on Rick's show where we discussed the Resurrections.
I normally sit in on Rick's show after mine.

Moment of Clarity

It was God-ordained, I have no doubt.

Have a Blessed Resurrection Day!
He is risen. He is risen indeed.

The Original Redemption Center

 When I was a kid, whenever you bought groceries or gasoline, you were given a sheet of what looked like postage stamps. Trading Stamps. These were typically S&H Green Stamps, a marketing ploy of two gentlemen, Sperry and Hutchinson. Hutchinson actually lived here in Ypsilanti, Michigan (not to be confused with Ypsilanti, North Dakota, a frequent mistake) .

Hutchinson built the finest house in town (to this day I believe).
The story can be found here.
 https://fornology.blogspot.com/2016/12/ypsilantis-hutchinson-house-built-with.html
It's a fascinating story.

The stamps would be pasted in books. Typically that was the job for the children in the family (like me).
When the books were filled, they would be taken to a store called a Redemption Center, where the stamps could be redeemed for objects (think of the prizes at Chuck E Cheese) like toasters, blankets, lamps, etc.
I always wondered why they were called redemption centers. Why not trading centers?

This morning, it occurred to me that the American Populace at the time was very familiar with the term Redemption from having heard it at church. Was it marketing genius to use that word association?

Redemption in the church is where you take your relatively worthless life and trade it with God for a shiny new, better life, with an unlimited warranty. Guaranteed by the Full Faith and Credit of Jesus Christ who paid for the trade on the cross.

That makes this the original Redemption Center.

Or better yet, here:

It's a trade well worth making.

Yesterdays radio show explained  how short trading is done, how markets are manipulated and how people are manipulated. And how to overcome.

Praying for the President

I'm proud of this show. The response has been great. And all I had to do was listen to God and trust it would work. And He made it work.

Show notes for:
Your American Heritage December 5, 2020  <<<<< clickable link to show :)

Thank you, Derek Stone, Producer Extraordinaire!
Good Afternoon and welcome to Your American Heritage.  

Grab a beverage of your choice, mine is coffefve, and let’s get started.
Pray for the Republic.

Today’s show is gonna be different and I don’t know how it’s going to work out.
So let’s pray about it.

PRAYER

Five things I want to tell you.
1: President Trump issued an executive order after the previous election that would punish any foreign interests that try to influence our elections. Their assets can be blocked among other things.

2: Dominion Voting Systems was bought by Chinese interests in October. Are they eligible?

3: SCOTUS rules for churches. Twice. States can't forbid worship.

4: 43 million evangelicals voted Trump. They turned out.

5: Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself.

I could play audio clips of testimony and recite facts and figures about the attempted theft of our election victory.
You’ve probably heard them anyway. And it’s hard to have an update when national pundits I follow are having a hard time keeping up.
The thrust of this show has been altered from when we first envisioned it.
It has taken on the question of “How are we to respond to the threat to our liberty and our religious freedom?”.

I try to have good guests. Guests that bring things to you. And if you have good guests, you have less show prep to do.
Today I have a plethora of great guests.
Let’s see how we manage.

I was in Church Wednesday night and Ken, the Teacher and sheep wrangler asked for prayer requests.
I asked for prayer for our president and our nation.
Prayer requests get distributed among the attendees and Pastor Pat Steele was in attendance, and he offered to pray for my request.
As I heard him pray, the Spirit of the Lord let me know that we would have a different show today.

In no particular order, we have
Pastor Sean Todd, the Rockin’ Rev who has the Excellent and righteous Sunday after meeting show on Sundays, The Intersection,. 
Pastor Patrick Steele, of Ignite Church in Milan.
Pastor Jeff Noble of Four Winds Church in Northville.
Pastor Jeff Jones of God’s Family Room in Taylor.
Pastor Richard Deitering of Moment of Clarity and Newport Community Church.
Pastor Neil Mammen of Every Black Life Matters.
Pastor Matt LaFave of Calvary Baptist Church in Whitmore Lake 
Pastor Matt Postiff of Fellowship Bible Church of Ann Arbor.  

A Conversation with Neil Mammen

 Today, I had a conversation with Neil Mammen about his book Jesus Is Involved in Politics.

We talked about his new organization Every Black Life Matters as an effective counter to BLM®.

We also talked about lockdowns in churches (including his) and their response.

I highly recommend you listen to Neil. Check out his amazing bio at the end of this post.

Neil continued to Moment of Clarity where my co-host Pastor Rick continued the conversation.

Another resource from Neil is The Values Advocacy Council with a streaming event tonight featuring Charlie Kirk. There are also youtube videos there of past presentations you will find of interest.

I also mentioned “Non-Essential”, a free streamcast Sunday with Charlie Kirk, Dinesh D’Souza, Kirk Cameron, Cissie Graham Lynch, Pastor Rob McCoy, Pastor Jack Hibbs, David Harris Jr., and Dr. Dan Erickson as they examine the reality of our nation’s current circumstances and share the one and only solution that quickly and simply solves the problems facing America.

About Neil Mammen:

Neil was born in Ghana and grew up in Sudan and Yemen. He came to the U.S. for college and at 20 earned his BSEE in Computer and Electrical Engineering; at 22 he earned his MSEE in Solid State Physics and Computer Engineering. Neil has co-founded four startup companies in Silicon Valley. He has about 20 issued and pending patents in areas varying from Networking, Traffic Shaping, and Packet Processing to LED Local Dimming TV methodologies.

He is an ordained evangelical pastor, and the author of multiple books including Jesus Is Involved In Politics! Why Aren’t You? Why Isn’t Your Church? and Who is Agent X? on how to prove God exists without using the Bible. And 40 Days Towards A More Godly Nation.
Neil is the founder of NoBlindFaith.com, an apologetics, theology and evangelization ministry. Apologetics is the investigation and defense of the truth of Christianity using facts, reason, science, history, archaeology, and philosophy. Neil is a speaker at conferences around the U.S. He has been featured on: NPR debating Eric Rothschild of the ACLU and Eugenie Scott; and on over 40 radios and TV shows including the Eric Metaxas, show, the Bob Dutko Show, the Lars Larson Show, American Family Radio and on KKLA with Frank Pastore. He is on the board of the Values Advocacy Council and has spoken for the Family Research Council as well as Summit Ministries.

He can add “Has been featured on Your American Heritage” to his resume.

What Would Jesus Do?

 "Wear your mask, it's the law."

No, it isn't. It's an illegal overreach by a governor or mayor not yet checked by a judge such as happened in Pennsylvania. 

Federal Judge Rules Pennsylvania Lockdown and Business Closure Orders Violate U.S. Constitution

There was a law in Jerusalem that allowed transactions in the Temple for the financial benefit of the rulers of Jerusalem that mocked the intent of the True Source of the Law.

If you wanted to transact in the Temple (marketplace) you had to follow the rules.

Unless you were Jesus. If you were Jesus and you knew the true Source of the Law, you made a whip out of what you had handy and you attacked the oppressors. You turned over the tables and you sent the cash registers flying. You did not go along quietly.

Similarly, there is a true origin of authority in this state (Michigan) and it originates with the people and it is vested in the state legislature. And it is being ignored by the governor and mayors so that they and theirs may profit.

How do they profit? They hope to impose their power on the people more securely in a socialist state.
All socialist movements first remove the Bourgeoise, the Middle Class.
As long as there is a middle class, there is an aspiration to remove yourself from poverty by utilizing the marketplace economy. 

If you remove that path, you then encourage the masses to improve their lot by throwing in with the revolution.

As the big corporate stores were/are kept open and the small middle class shops were/are closed, the middles class disappears. The owners lose their livelihood, go broke.

Jesus saw the unjust oppression of the masses by the rulers, the obscene markups on the Temple Gold.
The cornering of the market that they used to ensure their power and profit. 

He did not abide with it. He resisted. He overturned the tables. He did not follow the phony laws and was accused for it ("Why don't your men wash their hands? " Matthew 15:2)

When we say that Jesus meekly submitted Himself to the crucifixion, it was for a specific purpose, to buy our salvation, not to submit to unjust rulers, the ones He referred to as viper's and sons of the Devil. 

Don't use Christianity as an excuse to bow to Caesar, to close your church, to empower the ungodly.

A Personal Story

 I’m an automation engineer. I program robots and computers and I design equipment.

I often improve other equipment or upgrade stuff I’ve done.

And having done it a while I have a lot of experience.

There are times I have to reach out to someone else for what they know, to understand a system I’m not familiar with, and others do that towards me.

When I find or build something that is really helpful, I will volunteer that information so that others in the organization can benefit.

See if this helps you.

I was raised in a certain Christian religion. Many members of this religion love God and profess the name of Jesus and his death on the cross for our sins.

And as great a work as that was, there was a part of me that felt He hadn’t done anything for me lately.

That there was no power in that religion. And I fell away from it, doubting the existence of God.

I ended up in a German hotel, where I had no one to turn to, no access to medical care, and an abdominal pain that was as severe as the acute appendicitis I had suffered a few years before.

Since I had the appendectomy, I doubted it had miraculously returned to go bad again.

But I remembered that it had almost killed me, and I did not want this to kill me.

I was doubled up with pain for quite a while, but I won’t lie and tell you I remember how long.

Finally, I spoke out audibly and said, “If there’s a God out there, and you can hear me, if you will heal me, I will find you and I will serve you.” .
I have since heard many a person say they had made the same cry and had similar results.

I was immediately healed of whatever it was, which to this day I can only suspect was a kidney stone, having passed one the year before, but never since.

I then realized the severity of my oath. I was trapped by my own words.

But I held up my part of the deal.

I knew there was no power in Christianity, so I began looking in Black Magic, Eastern Mysticism, hallucinogens, whatever.

One day, I was reading Moby Dick. In the opening line, the main character introduces himself by saying, “Call me Ishmael” and I wondered what that meant. I vaguely remembered that it was a Biblical name, but what it meant went right over my head. So I looked it up. No Google. 

Ishmael I discovered, was the bastard son of Abraham.

This told me that our protagonist was an illegitimate son cast out by his wealthy father with no name and no prospects, to make his own way in the world. Ishmael also had God’s promise that he would be looked out for, and our protagonist is the only survivor of the story.

I realized that most of Western Literature made references to biblical passages and if I were to understand what I was reading, to be literate, I should be more familiar with the Bible. So, I started reading it.

Well, I saw the negative results of other’s experience with magic (one was a close friend of mine from high school) and the illusion of hallucinatory drugs. And Eastern Mysticism seemed wrong somehow.
So I rejected those paths to find the one I had called out to.
And I was reading the bible merely to be informed, not conformed.

Or so I thought.

I had seen friends converted to Christianity, but I was not convinced of it’s reality, even though my best friend from High School who had turned me on to dope, was now turned on to Jesus.

People came across my path, and I attended church, but I didn’t get it. Made no sense.

I was rebuilding the motor on my scoot (in my living room) and I decided to stop smoking weed while I did that. I had made a mistake at work while stoned and my boss let me know he knew and gave me a break, so I stopped smoking before and during but hit it hard after. Now I was working on my bike and I thought I would do it straight, for the first time in a long time.

A girl I was interested in had given me a tract.
I took a break from working on the bike to read it.

This tract made no theological argument, it did not point out my sins or failures.
All it did was list the prophetic descriptions of the “Messiah” and the fulfillment of those by Jesus.

I had never seen that before, and although I was intellectually offended by the thought of the “Son of God” showing up in the dusty streets of the ancient Roman Empire in a backwater country called Judea, all of a sudden, I could not argue with it. I gave it a little thought, and realized that it was irrefutable evidence of something beyond my understanding.

I then spoke out loud again to the same one I had called out aloud to a few years before to deliver me and said, “I don’t understand it, but I recognize that you Jesus are the Master of the universe and I submit myself to you. Tell me what to do, and I will do it.” And the room seemed to swirl a little as if I had walked through the looking glass and was on the other side.

And since then, things in the Bible have been making sense to me. And when they don’t, I realize they just don’t make sense to me. But someday they will.

The ramifications are tremendous. 
If the Bible is real, if God is real,and He is active in the world, then there is around us an unseen battle raging which is reflected in the physical world we see. 

And you see it. You see it in Portland, Seattle, D.C., Austin and you see it in your own life.

Pick a side. I highly recommend the side I chose.
The Book says we win. It hasn't been wrong yet.

If you want to hear an interesting take on this battle, I suggest clicking on:

The War of the Worlds

The Tide is Turning

As you can see, the original was pulled by youtube, and yet youtube has a copy of the same video posted. There's hope that they are not as smart as they think they are. 

The Virus of Deception 

To Mask or Not To Mask, That Is The Question

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (or guvmint overrerach),
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles (or guvmint overrerach),
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep; (or overcome guvmint overrerach),

Today I hosted the second episode of my new radio show, Your American Heritage.

A talk with David Kallman of Kallman Legal Group and Senior Legal Counsel to The Great Lakes Justice Center. 

We discussed SCOTUS decisions, their ramifications, and Government overreach in the State of 
Michigan.

David represented Karl Manke, the Owosso Barber and others and has been in the fight for our rights concerning masks.

Some good advice and good news in here concerning masks.

Listen here: Your American Heritage Radio Show.

Let me know what you think.

Last week, the inaugural show was almost an unmitigated disaster.

My microphone failed just as I was to go on air. It had worked just fine with the group I was going to speak with over Skype just prior to going on air. Then after about 15 minutes, I discovered the problem (faulty USB cable) and then I couldn't hear anybody because a windows setting had defaulted/faulted.
Good recovery and a good last half hour. actually the first half was a good discussion without me, punctuated by comments like "Hey Ed! You with us?". :(

Investment

Many people invest into many things in their life.
Almost everyone invests into their homes, their retirement, their lifestyle, marriage, family, nation, community.
Many invest into their church.
I have done that repeatedly.

There is a practice in many churches wherein the pastor is addressed as "Pastor" as if that was his given name. I was, and am not, used to this practice.  The first churches I joined believed in the "five-fold" ministry. Evangelist, pastor, teacher, prophet, apostle.

There is some discussion as to what these positions entail today, particularly prophet and apostle.
The pastorate is an office, not a title.
The pastor is another member of the local body with his own gifts, but is often the ruler.

I have invested physically, financially and emotionally in the church I have been involved with for over twenty years.

Leading construction projects, installing heating systems, maintaining the A/C, plumbing.

Teaching, befriending, interacting.
I am a teacher. I have been asked after ten minutes of conversation to teach a congregation in another church, because that is my calling. And I did for a couple years. But then we returned to the church we are presently in. Or have been in.

With Covid-19, our church, along with others in the state (and nation), closed it's doors.
While this seemed reasonable at the start, it soon became apparent that this was not reasonable and an intrusion on our religious liberty.

An acquaintance of mine, Professor William Wagner, whom I believe is going to be a closer acquaintance (if not friend) soon, sued the State of Michigan, and Governess Whitchmer rescinded her restraints on houses of worship immediately.

I was elated. 

I'll be frank, our church has maintained social distancing for years. It has shrunk in size to where people sit together as families, but these groups have had 6' between them for years.

I thought for sure that our pastor, who I considered a friend, would open the doors, and I told him as much. He told me that he wasn't comfortable, that the surrounding community would think less of us for doing so. So we would wait.
I let him know that I wasn't comfortable being in a church that was afraid to meet together or would bow to the whim of the state.

I asked him if he had consulted the congregation and whether I had missed that e-mail.
When he said no, I asked him if he had consulted the board, the three deacons, of which I am not one because of my prior marriage and remarriage (something I believe is unscriptural and to which he later agreed).

He said no, but that he would.

He called me after that meeting and said that they had agreed with him to keep the doors closed a while longer, but that by this day (today) we would be meeting at church again.
I decided to be patient.

Today, "church" was held at the property. The worship team was in the building and played some songs to an empty room, which was broadcast on Facebook.
The congregation sat outside in their cars, watching (I imagine) on their phones.
The pastor then went out to the parking lot to preach, while the congregation listened on their car radios, or their phones.

I watched from my home. I would have been embarrassed to do otherwise.

I have embarrassed myself for Christ (and at other times because I'm an idiot) but this would be for neither of those reasons.

I hate to lose my investment in this church, but I have lost confidence in the "leadership" of the pastor.
He is a genuinely good guy. He is earnest and sincere.

But to sit in cars, watching a guy stand in front of their cars preach to them, at this point is ridiculous.

Jesus sent His disciples by twos to preach the good news, and to heal the sick. Presumably lepers were involved. I doubt they stood at a distance and yelled the good news to them. Or loudly called at them to be healed from six feet or more. With masks on. After applying Purex. 

Thanks for listening.

addendum:
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Dealing With Staying At Home

Learn Who The Enemy Is and Act Accordingly
I'm pretty much enraged a lot lately.
The stupidity and the malice of the perpetrators of this attack on our freedoms and prosperity make me want to lash out.

I try and modify that behavior when on line and appear gentlemanly.

But while I sit here and read and type and try to throttle back the frustration and ire, somebody I love dearly is trying to talk to me, or does or says something that I find irritating.
(Fortunately I never have that effect on others. I'd hate to think I did.)

And in that moment, or should I say, a few moments ago, it caused a problem.
Imagine that.

So we sat down to talk about it.
I realized I was very upset and offended by something she said and I was hostile to her.
I wasn't loving her. I was violating the Great Commandment.
And I did something I don't do often enough.
I prayed (inside my head) that God would love my wife through me, since I was incapable at the moment and He expected it of me.

And something amazing happened.
Very briefly, I saw the plan of attack, and it wasn't my plan, and it wasn't His.
We were under attack, and I could see one of the vectors, and when I started to formulate a response I foresaw the next thrust and I saw the answer to that.
It was like playing three moves ahead in chess. And I don't do that!

And it worked. We talked it through.
It brought tears to my eye that I have a Father who would help me when I needed it.

Tests don't come from the Lord.
Test answers do!

Mission Accomplished

There have been many rescue missions in man's history. Operation Thunderbolt - 1976 Operation Gothic Serpent - 1992 Operation Urgent Fury - 1983 Operation Red Wing - 2005 Raid at Cabanatuan - 1945 About 2000 years ago a man came on the greatest rescue mission in human history. He beat the worst foe man has ever known. Mission Accomplished!

Matthew 28

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone [a]from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

What's so Good about Good Friday?

When they take the Son of God and put Him to death, why is that considered good?

Because when He died that horrific tortured death on Calvary, He took the punishment due us for our rebellion against God.

It was good for us. Was it good for Him?

When He arose from the dead on Easter, He proved that what He said was true. He had been predicting these moments to His followers for a couple years and they did not believe Him.

Until He did it.

The Bible says, "… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 2:2).

So if Jesus came down from Glory, endured the cross, and went back to Glory, what was His net gain?

Us.
We were the joy set before Him.

We are the bride He travelled to a far land to obtain (like Jacob did, among other examples).
Granted we're not the finished product, yet, but if we cooperate with His plan, He sees something in us He wants to spend eternity with.
I'm good with that. That's good.

I want to share a cool thing with you.
If you're not a Christian, please read anyway, because it never hurts to have a little information about what those whackos around you believe.

A few people know that Psalm 22 is a description of the crucifixion of Jesus that was written hundreds of years before the event.
David saw it in a vision and it shakes him up so much that he starts out with:
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Many Christians have been taught that, as He was crucified, Jesus was crying this out to His Father in heaven, because the Father could not bear to look on Jesus, our scapegoat.
That He was separated from the Father.
That Jesus was accursed (and the Father could not be in fellowship with Jesus because it would violate His holiness) because Jesus was carrying the penalty of the sins of the world.

Give me a break.

<< 1 Corinthians 12:3 >> Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed.

Jesus and the Father had this worked out since before the universe was created, and at the last minute The All-Powerful Ruler of More than the Universe flinches?
No.
If the Father and the Son (who with the Spirit are referred to as the "Godhead" in perfect unity) ever separated, I believe the universe would crumble.

As you read the gospels, particularly John's, you see that the Pharisees (some of them, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, were good guys, by the way) were asking Jesus for a sign that he was the Messiah. He continually answered them that when they saw Him lifted up, that would be their sign.
Here He is, lifted up in front of them. He's surrounded by "strong bulls" (prison slang for guards), and the crowd is taunting Him. It's the scene predicted in Psalm 22 .
Then He quotes the first verse of Psalm 22.

This is called a "Remez". It's a teaching tool Jesus had used for 3 years.

When they hear this verse, they remember the rest of the Psalm.
The Pharisees had asked Jesus for a sign.
He said that they would have it when the Son of Man was lifted up.
(Remember that joke, "Here's your sign."?)
Can you imagine the look on their face when they get it?
This death on this cross by this man was predicted hundreds of years ago.
Here was their sign.
The ramifications are huge.

Do you get it?

These people did:
https://stream.org/did-god-abandon-jesus-on-the-cross/

As We Enter Holy Week

John 14:
1“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Jesus was talking to His disciples at the Last Supper.
He was trying to give them a heads up as to what was about to transpire.
What he was preparing for them. Where He was going.

Many people have preached (praught?) about those mansions.
Sing about them as if Jesus was talking about our heavenly dwelling:



"Mansion" in the King James came from the French word for "dwelling place".
It does not imply wealth.

It actually implies a room attached to a building like a spare bedroom.

Jesus was about to demonstrate the total irrelevancy of the Herod Temple by having it's curtain torn top to bottom during His Crucifixion.

The Temple was supposed to be the Dwelling Place of the Most High!
Where was He to dwell now on the earth?

In us.
And where were we to dwell?
In Him.

And he was going to prepare that place. The body of Christ. The "Church".

Ephesians 2
19Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

1 Peter 2
4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Why would you be satisfied with Just A Cottage Below?

And He is willing to clean up the room.
You are the room.
He is willing to clean up your life.
God knows, you can't.
You certainly couldn't do the job at it He can.

All you have to do is ask Him to.
Ask Him to get rid of that junk in your life that's killing you.

He doesn't kill you for offending Him.
That's Mercy.

He gives you stuff you could never deserve or imagine.
That's Grace.

Remember Charley In Willy Wonka? He thought he was getting a Golden Ticket, a lifetime supply of chocolate.

He repented of his "sin" and was given the kingdom!

My God is an Awesome God! Awesome!

My prayer this that you take advantage of the Life he gives.
Dwell in Him. Let Him dwell in you!

Revelation 3
'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
How can you resist?

The Original Ebeneezer Scrooge

It is 2am Wednesday morning.
I cannot sleep.
My eyes are tired, but I have a burden.
I have to teach on Luke 16:1-13 tonight, and I've never been happy with any interpretation of it I have heard.
Until now.
I did a simple thing.
I asked God to explain it to me.

The Parable of the Unjust Steward  (NKJV)
1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’
5 “So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

If you are familiar with it, consider this.

Ebeneezer Scrooge was a wealthy sinner.
He was found lacking by God.
It was Jacob Morley who informed Scrooge of this in an interesting way.
Jacob was just the messenger, but the message was "Repent!".
Who else ultimately calls us to repentance but God?

Spoiler alert! There are plot reveals ahead!

What has Scrooge been doing wrong?
He's been squandering the resources God gave him to do good with by consuming them himself, even if that is only by hoarding them.
He has not been living life large, and using God's resources entrusted to him to help others.

The Spirits of Christmas bring him to conviction and a fear for his life and eternal soul.

In repentance, he let's go of all the ill will he has been harboring, the hurts he has been cherishing and clinging to.
He forgives his nephew of not heeding his advice.
He rewards the Cratchit family financially. If you think of it, he had harbored ill will towards Bob for misusing him, stealing from him by not working the holiday (if not other claims on his loyalty). He now forgives him, and more.
He is generous to his charwoman, someone he imagines (in his dreams, only?) would steal from him.

So, what has he done after being called to account by his Master?

5 “So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred [b]measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred [c]measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

I tell you, the "Unjust Steward" is commended by his master for being shrewd. That is another word for "wise".
He used the resources of His master to resolve issues with his debtors, those who owed him.
It's true, he did it with his master's resources, but our Master fully intends for that!

The Master had "called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’"

How many master's give a shot across the bow like that when they suspect theft?

My Master does. He did. and He gave Scrooge that warning.

He gives all of us that warning.

Laying in bed, thinking about this, I realized that in the morning, I have some calls to make.
There are some debts I have not forgiven. And they are, and have been, chains around my neck.
I forged these chains. "I wear the chain I forged in life".

Well, no longer.

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

Many years ago, in a foreign land, in the service of my country, I was alone and dying.
(It was not combat related.)
I cried out in my pain, "If there is a God out there, now is a fine time to introduce Yourself. Heal me, and I will find You and serve You."
He did. Instantly.
So I did. Over a longer period of time.
This psalm reminds me of when I kept my vow.
I was finally convinced that Jesus was Who He said He was.
I turned my life over to Him. Made Him boss.
"I took up the cup of salvation."
And I am thankful for it.

Psalm 116 New King James Version (NKJV)
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

1 I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.

10 I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”

11 I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?

13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.

14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,

19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Seven Other Spirits

There are many people who deny the existence of spiritual forces in the land.
There are also those that will grant the existence of God (the Holy Spirit) and angels as his agents.
It seems there are few who will grant the existence of demonic forces.
Why must one look like a religious nut when, upon witnessing some of the worst behavior that humans exhibit, we one posit that there is more than "madness" afoot.

Last week, a kid went into a school on his 16th birthday and shot up his classmates, then turned the gun on himself.

And yesterday an incident occurred in San Diego. "Domestic Violence, Murder-Suicide".

I can contemplate suicide, and I have. But never had it occurred to me to take innocents with me.

Can you not imagine a demonic force urging the student, or the father, to "kill them all, go ahead, do it!" and then in satanic humor point out the result and then say "Look what you've done! Kill yourself!" and laugh at the result?

And the benefit for the satanic? The fuel for the anti-gun forces to disarm a free people, a righteous people, that they might not defend themselves against further predations by demonically driven politicians who would subjugate in an effort to remove God's influence on the culture.

Matthew 12:45 New King James Version (NKJV)
45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

What other explanation for the madness we witness today?

The Patience of Job

I teach a Bible study,
A few years ago I taught on Job.
I got it wrong.
This is my penance.
I read what a number of people thought Job was about and introduced it to my group.
It wasn't bad, but for the last few weeks, my buddy Mike had been teaching Sunday School with the syllabus being on Job.
It got me to thinking.
Let's recap.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

So if, you recall, Satan challenged God, saying that Job would not be so faithful if God did not bless him so much. So God gave permission to Satan to put Job to the test.
Job lost his cattle, his children, his wealth and it got so bad that his wife challenged him to "... curse God and die."

Well, let's notice that it appears that God did protect Job from harm because He had to remove that protection from Job for Satan to be able to put Job to the test.

That implies that Job did earn God's favor.

What happens next is a long series of "rebukes" of Job from his friends.
These friends assume that Job has done something wrong to merit these misfortunes, similar to assuming Job (and themselves?) had earned God's favor with their good works.
It would seem that their assumption would be an easy one to make, given that God had given Job protection based on his being a "righteous" guy.

So, did something change? If so, what?
Why was it wrong of them to make a judgment of Job based on what they saw?

Let's fast forward to John 9:1–12.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.  And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

So, if the lesson of Job (we know the end, right?) is to not judge by what you see, why was it still so prevalent a practice in Jesus' day? Why was the lesson not learned?
Was the lesson obscured by another message? One of being patient? That Job was a one time test, a special case?

In chapter 23, Job does begin to complain about God's behavior.
Perhaps he's wearying, beleaguered by his friends' chastisements?
His patience is wearing thin?
His confidence in his own righteousness causing he himself to wonder what God is up to?
Chapter 27:  ​ And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
  “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
  as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,   my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit.
  Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
  I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days..."

In chapter 32 a new character arrives, Elihu ("God of him") and begs to disagree with Job's friends.
Elihu prophesies, God speaks through him. This is not readily apparent except for the content of his words and the meaning of his name. He is standing in for God.
"For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.  
 Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent;  It is ready to burst like new wineskins.  
 I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer."

In chapter 33 he chastises Job, who needs correction, but then he says:
Verse 6: Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay.  
   Surely no fear of me will terrify you,  Nor will my hand be heavy on you."

Come on! Who is this guy? He challenges the old guys, he's new on the scene. He has a radical point of view. And after gently correcting Job, he tells him he is Job's intercessor before God!

Hebrews 8:1 "We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens..."

In chapter 38 God drops the pretense. We hear no more from Elihu. We hear from God!
He starts talking and continues on from where Elihu leaves off.
Because Elihu was HIM! ELOHIM! :)

I don't want to analyse the contents of Job or of God's monologue.
I'd be here all day, and I may be wearing on your patience already.

Let me summarize:
The Law made certain promises of reward for good behavior.
The Law was superseded by Faith in Mercy and Grace.
Job is a type of the Church.
He exhibits Faith.
His friends are the Pharisee leadership of Israel who judged by the Law and by their eyes.
His true friend is Elihu, Jesus.
The church will suffer, it won't always look like it's on the winning side.
It will suffer attacks by the religious establishment.

In the end, after God appears, or should we say reappears, God will elevate His church.
He will restore to them that that they lost.
Did you lose family? God will give you family.
Did you suffer shame? God will exalt you.

And God asks you to pray for your attackers.
Job 42:7 "After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.  Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly."

We are to be intercessors as Jesus is our intercessor.

I've been thinking about this for a while and I know I have not done it full justice.
Please feel free to comment, correct or agree.

I just think that for a long time, the real message of Job has been missed and I wanted to share what I think is meant by the book.

Thanks for reading this far.

Trump is a Vicious Racist

Trump attacks majority-black district represented by critic (Elijah Cummings)

Trump under fire for calling Cummings' district a 'disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess'

Bernie Sanders agrees with Trump:

In other news today:
Yesterday we interviewed Keith Felty, author of America the Happy.

I highly recommend this book.

Listen to the interview. One of our best.

The Drift Radio Show July 27, 2019

Calling Collusion Isn't a New Tactic

Jesus was draining the swamp as I posted earlier.

The swamp felt threatened.

Well, further on in our Wednesday night Bible Study:

Jesus was Having great effect and his popularity was rising.
His "policies" (so to speak) were working and were showing results.

The blind could see, the lame could walk, and demons were cast out of strongholds.
People were working again.

Luke 11:
14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

So it's not a new tactic.
They claimed Jesus was colluding with Satan to accomplish His goals.

If that were the case, why would He be working against Satan's interests?
That's crazy talk.
Reminds me of a certain president who has thwarted Russian interests, and yet is accused of being their puppet.

And when it comes to national defense, here's a good prescription:
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace."

And is there a neutral position?
"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

Eternal truth. Or in other words, some things never change.

Row Well and Live

In our lives, we are each given a task (or a series of tasks) to complete.
In the movie Ben Hur (the real one with Charlton Heston), Judah Ben Hur, a man of privilege (did you know that Ben Hur means "son of white?. But I digress) is unjustly sent to be a galley slave by a man he trusted as friend.
His friend was a functionary of the earthly system that oppressed mankind, the Roman Empire.

Serve the system and live.




At a point shortly after this scene, the Roman admiral, who had just admonished him, orders that in the event of the upcoming battle, Hur (#41) is to be unchained.
This is a very unexpected (to put it mildly) act of mercy that is pivotal to the story line.
If the prisoners are chained to the ship, they know that their fate is tied to that ship.
Row well and live indeed!

Spoiler alert to a story over a hundred years old:

The ship is rammed in the battle and as the ship is sinking, Hur unchained in turn releases the other slaves. We know not their fate, but Hur survives.

I awoke this morning to a sermon by J. Vernon Mcgee  speaking about the coming collapse of this world and it's judgment.
The economy is booming, we are generally safe in our beds and it's hard to imagine it all going away.

But when it does, are you chained to it? 
Will you go down with it?
Are you busy unchaining others?