Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
THE CROSS
https://youtu.be/pNQPQXvK3PU
The Cross
https://youtu.be/1FiOQ0GVPA0 Fix it
https://youtu.be/Ag22VN7G2IU
Hayden case
https://youtu.be/AbKv3FxqiEs
Simple man
https://youtu.be/hnGmk0Lr32I Devil went in
ON VIDEOS-
Note- I’ve commented on the Hayden case the last few weeks.
At the end of this post I pasted some of the articles that were published in
our local media.
The many videos on this post deal with the ongoing- open-
crimes that the authorities in Corpus Christi commit.
Crimes- that in other cities- the cops/prosecutors would go
to prison for [false testimony- pressuring medical experts to change their
opinion. Withholding evidence from the defense- on and on].
This week- our local D.A. and others [Jenny Dorsey] admitted
to actual crimes they committed- in court.
This has been going on for years in this city- hopefully
they will finally deal with it.
.Thomas Jefferson
.Continental congress
.Monticello
.Lexington- Concord
.Stamp act
.Our rights?
.D.A.- admits- in court- to crimes!
.Caller times telling the truth.
.KRIS 6 is lying to you
NEW STUFF [past posts- verses below]
I have taught in the past how some of our Founding Fathers
were influenced- heavily- by Enlightenment thinking.
Thomas Jefferson is the best example.
Why is this important?
On my previous post [Plymouth Rock] I tried to show the role
that religion played in the founding of our country.
Yet- at the time of the Continental congress [The first
meeting was in 1774- the 2nd was in 75. The Declaration was approved
in 1776] some of our founding fathers were leaning towards Deism [Ben Franklin-
etc.] and the wording of the Declaration of Independence [below] was written
more along the lines of Enlightenment thinking [also strong influence from the
writing of John Locke].
The phrase ‘we hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT’ was
indeed a contrast from the traditional view of the church.
Believers do indeed believe in ‘self-evident’ truths
[Romans1-2] but in context- this term challenged the historic thinkers of the
church.
I add this to simply show that Thomas Jefferson [who wrote
the Declaration- at the young age of 33] added language that was in a sense- a
‘compromise’.
John Adams- Jefferson’s colleague in the congress- would
later be challenged in a presidential run by Jefferson.
The accusations flew- and Adams supporters said the beliefs
of Jefferson would be the downfall of Christianity in America!
Why did they make this accusation?
Because the Enlightenment thinkers were indeed challenging
some of the core beliefs of Christianity in the 18th century.
Jefferson spent 5 years in France- right at the time of the
French Revolution [remember the post I did recently on it?].
The French Revolution was indeed a ‘revolution’ against the
church in a way.
Many Americans in the colonies were shocked by the bloodshed
of the French Revolution.
Yet Jefferson sided with it- and even wrote in support of
some American merchants who were rebelling against paying their debts here in
America.
This outraged John Adams.
Eventually Jefferson would serve on the cabinet under
President Washington- and he would conflict with Alexander Hamilton over the
direction of our New Republic.
Jefferson felt that Hamilton wanted to give too much power
to the Federal govt. [Federalism]
Eventually Adams and Jefferson would be on opposing sides-
of just about everything!
Adams was a good friend of Jefferson during the continental
congress in Philadelphia.
Jefferson was the representative from Virginia- he was not
an eloquent speaker- but he gained the respect of the other representatives.
He was seen to be a hard worker-
When the drafting of the Declaration came up- Benjamin
Franklin turned down the job- and it was given to Adams and Jefferson.
Jefferson wanted Adams to do it- yet Adams [Jefferson’s
senior] recognized the great skills of his younger colleague-
And Jefferson went to work.
Yet their friendship was strained over the years- and at the
end of their lives they became friends again.
Jefferson would become the 3rd president of the
U.S.
And his legacy remains with us today.
It has been said that our country is founded upon a Creed-
We- as Americans- give our assent to a creed.
And that creed- was penned By Thomas Jefferson.
A preacher stopped at a tavern [Inn] In Virginia for the
night.
The story goes that he spoke with a stranger while there-
they talked about mechanics- and the minister thought the man was an engineer.
They then spoke on various subjects- and the preacher saw
the stranger was knowledgeable in many fields.
They finally spoke about religion- and the minister thought
‘he must be a preacher too’.
The next day he asked who the man was- it was Thomas
Jefferson.
How did Jefferson gain all this knowledge?
At the age of 6- he was reading the books from his father’s
library.
He learned Latin and Greek- on his own.
His dad died when Jefferson was 14.
He eventually went to the college of William and Mary- and
became a dedicated student.
It was said that 15 hours out of every 24- he was
reading/studying.
Jefferson kept this up throughout his life.
He had a large library at Monticello- his home on a mountain
in Virginia.
One of his slaves [yes- slaves] said whenever someone had
some question- Jefferson was well able to answer the question- and refer to one
of his many books.
Jefferson was the 2nd largest slave holder in his
county- owning more than 200 hundred slaves at one time.
Yet- he tried to enact legislation to outlaw slavery.
He even added some language at the continental congress
about it.
The other representatives from the 13 colonies rejected it.
He also tried to pass laws in Virginia against slavery.
Yet he himself had them- how could this be?
It even violated his own words in the Declaration ‘All men
are created equal’.
Many historians differ on why/how this could be.
In the end- Jefferson was like all of us- he was able to
articulate noble ideas- yet he himself struggled to fully live up to them.
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence.
PAST POSTS [verses below]-
. 1st, 2nd
CORINTHIANS
(942)1st CORINTHIANS
INTRODUCTION- Out of all of Paul’s letters, this one is ‘the most verified’ as
being his. Of course we know this because Paul says so in the letter! But for all
those intellectual higher critics, this helps. Corinth
was a city of great influence and trade, many land and sea routes converged at Corinth and her port. The
city was also known for her philosophers and ‘preachers of wisdom’ [Rhetoric].
They actually had a custom at Corinth
in which you could ‘hire’ your own ‘preacher of wisdom’. These were the
traveling teachers who made a living at speaking. This also might be why Paul
specifically said ‘when I was with you I did not take money from you’. The
custom of the traveling preachers was you could pay a one time honorarium for a
single speech, or you could actually hire a regular speaker and have him ‘on
salary’. Paul did not want the Corinthians to think that he was their hired
preacher! How much influence this type of trade would have on the later
development of the ‘hired clergy’ is unknown, but the similarities are
striking. The famous 5th century bishop of Hippo, North Africa, Saint Augustine , made his
living as one of these traveling teachers of philosophy before becoming a
Christian. It’s believed that Paul wrote a 3rd letter to the church
at Corinth , so
what we know as 1st, 2nd Corinthians might actually be
letters 2 and 3. I personally think Corinthians holds special value for the
church today. The 21st century believer is being challenged on her
Ecclesiology, the whole idea of what the church is. In Corinthians we see a
specific picture of what the church is and on how she should meet. Paul will
not address ‘the Pastor’ [there was none in the modern sense of the office] but
he will speak directly to the brothers at Corinth
and give them some heavy responsibilities to carry out [like committing a
brother to satan for the destruction of his flesh! Ouch]. Paul went to Corinth on his 2nd
missionary journey and spent 18 months with them [Acts 18] one of the longest
stays at any church. Because of the pagan background of the city Paul will
address specific issues related to believers and certain practices of idol
worship. Eating meat offered to idols and stuff like that. Corinth
also practiced a form of idolatry that included prostitution, so he will deal
severely with the loose sexual morals of the people at Corinth . Well we have a lot to cover in the
next few weeks, try and read Corinthians on your own as we plunge into this
study, it will help a lot.
(943)1ST CORINTHIANS
1:1-17 Paul greets them as an apostle called by God, he affirms his authority
and ‘fathering ability’ as coming from God. He tells them he thanks God all the
time for the fruit that he sees in their lives, the thing that made Paul
rejoice was the work God was doing in the communities he was establishing as an
apostle. Today ministers have a tendency to ‘rejoice’ over the Christian
enterprise that we oversee. Whether its’ how well the budget went this year and
stuff like that. Paul’s joy wasn’t in the fact that God called him to some
great personal ministry where he would find self fulfillment. His joy was in
the actual growth and freedom that ‘his churches’ [communities of people] were
experiencing. He also defines them as ‘those that call upon the name of the
Lord like all the others’. Remember what we said when studying Romans chapter
10? One of the signs of the believer is ‘they call upon Jesus name’. They are
believing communities of ‘Christ callers’. Not so much a one time evangelical
altar call, but a lifestyle. Jesus said we are ‘a house of prayer’. A spiritual
community/house who intercedes for all nations. It’s in our very DNA! Paul also
commends them as being enriched by God in all ‘knowledge and utterance’
[speech]. It seems funny that he would say they were blessed and enriched in
speech. Paul will give some of his strongest rebukes over speaking gifts
[tongues, prophesy] to this community. Yet he does not approach it from the
strong anti charismatic view. He doesn’t say ‘your speech is demonic’ he says
it is enriched by God! We will deal with the gifts later on. Now for the first
real rebuke. Paul says he has heard reports that there are divisions and
strivings among them. They are already dividing up into various sects. Some
follow Paul, others follow Cephas, some say ‘we are the true Christ followers’.
Paul rebukes them sharply over these divisions, he does not want the early
church to identify with individual personalities and gifts at the expense of
true unity. Was this the early development of denominationalism? To a degree
yes. But I also don’t think we should view the various Christian denominations
as deceived or ‘lost’. The modern church has become what we are thru many struggles
and difficulties over a 2 thousand year history. My personal view is we should
strive for unity, not by trying to dissolve all the various ‘tribes’ that exist
in Christ’s church, but by growing into a more mature view of all who name the
name of Christ as being fellow believers who partake of a common grace. I
applaud all the efforts being made by various Christian churches today to come
to a greater outward unity [for example the Catholic and Orthodox dialogue] but
I also believe as we see each other as fellow believers and learn to appreciate
our different emphasis, that this approach can also lead to greater unity among
believers today. Paul saw the beginnings of division in the early Corinthian
community, he did his best to quell the coming storm.
(944)1ST CORINTHIANS
1:18-31 Paul declares the actual preaching of the Cross to be the power of God.
The Jews sought for a sign [remember the sign of Jonas?] and the Greeks prided
themselves in wisdom. Paul declares that Jesus IS the wisdom and power of God.
In Christ is contained all the wisdom and power [signs] in the universe! Paul
says God destroyed the wisdom of unregenerate man and that Gods foolishness is
wiser than men’s greatest achievements apart from God. Wow, what an indictment
on enlightenment philosophy. Man goes thru stages of learning and knowledge
[renaissance, enlightenment. Industrial, scientific revolution] these are not
bad achievements in and of themselves. Many of the greatest scientists and
scientific discoveries were made by men of faith [Newton, Pascal, Faraday, etc]
the problem arises when men think that sheer humanistic reasoning, apart from
God, is the answer. Right now there is a movement [11-08] going on where some
atheists bought ad space on the sides of buses that say ‘why believe in a god?
Do good for goodness sake’. So they had both sides [Christian /Atheist] debate
it. The simple fact is, sheer humanism cannot even define ‘what good is’.
‘Good’ becomes a matter of what serves me best at the time of my decision.
Without God and special revelation [scripture-10 commandments] good can be
defined by Hitler’s regime as exterminating one class of society for the
benefit of the whole. Only Christian [or Deist, Jewish, Muslim] beliefs place
special value and dignity on human life. It is a common misconception to think
that all the enlightenment philosophers were atheists; this was not the case at
all. Locke, Hume and others simply believed that thru human logic and reason
people could arrive at a sort of naturalistic belief in God. This would form
the basis of Deism, the system of belief in God but a rejection of classic
Christian theology. Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers of our country
were influenced by this style of belief. Now, getting back to the Greeks. Paul
says ‘God destroyed the wisdom of this world’. What wisdom is Paul talking
about? The enlightenment philosophers of
the 18th century had nothing on the Greek philosophers going all the
way back to a few centuries B.C. Plato, the Greek wrestler turned philosopher,
had one of the most famous schools of Greek philosophy. At the entrance of the
school the words were written ‘let none but geometers enter here’. Kind of
strange. Geometry simply meant ‘form’ in this use. Most of the great
theoretical physicists were also great mathematicians [Einstein]. The Greek
philosophers were seeking a sort of ‘unified theory’ that would explain all
other theories and bring all learning together under one intellectual ‘roof’.
Sort of like Einstein's last great obsession. The Greeks actually referred to
this great unknown future ‘unifier’ as ‘the Logos’. Now, some atheists will use
this truth to undercut the New Testament. They will take the common use of
these words ‘The Logos’ and say that Johns writings [Gospel, letters] were
simply stolen ideas from Greek philosophy. This is why believers need to have a
better understanding of the inspiration of scripture. John’s writings were no
doubt inspired, he of course calls Jesus the ‘Logos’ [word] of God. But he was
simply saying to the Greek/Gnostic mind ‘look, you guys have been waiting for
centuries for the one special ‘Word/Logos’ that would be the answer to all
learning, I declare unto you that Jesus is this Logos’! So eventually you would
have ‘the wisdom of the world’ [both Greek and enlightenment and all other
types] falling short of the ultimate answer. They could only go so far in their
journey for truth, and ultimately they either wind up at the foot of the Cross
[the wisdom of God] or the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’. God said
this ‘tree’ [sources of wisdom and knowledge apart from God] would ultimately
lead to death if not submitted to ‘the tree of life’ [the Cross]. You would
have some of the enlightenment philosophers eat from this tree all the way to
the ‘death of God’ movement. Man in his wisdom would come to the conclusion
that ‘God is dead’. If this is true, then the slaughter of millions of Jews is
no moral dilemma. If God is dead then man is not created in his image, he is
just this piece of flesh that you can dispose of at will. To all you
intellectual types, it’s Okay to have a mind, but you must love God with it. If
all your doing is feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you
will surely die.
ROMANS 11-13
[note- there’s much more on the video than the post]
.ROMANS 11
.ROMANS 12
.ROMANS 13
END NOTES-
.What effect did the Renaissance have on the Reformation?
.How did Erasmus differ from Luther?
.Do Catholics exalt Tradition over Scripture?
.Renaissance artists.
.Do Catholics believe in Justification by Faith?
.Catholic teaching on Civil Authorities [Romans 13].
.What does ‘AdFontes’ mean- and how does it relate to the
Renaissance/Reformation?
Romans 11
.Was Paul a full time preacher- paid?
.Is he teaching universalism here?
.Elijah was not alone.
(861)Romans 11:13- ‘For I speak
to you Gentiles, in as much as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my
office’. Let me just make a few comments today. How is Paul 'exercising’ his
apostolic authority over the Gentiles in Rome? We know he hasn’t been there yet
[since becoming a follower of Jesus]. He did not have some type of relationship
with them where they contributed to him. He was holding no ‘church services’.
He exercised it by speaking into their lives and caring for their welfare. He
did this by WRITING THIS LETTER! Recently there has been some discussion on
‘Gods government’ and the apostles ‘bringing things into alignment’ [dealing
with the mistakes at Lakeland]. Lots of talk that I am familiar with. What is
Gods government? In the world we have 2 competing ‘world views’- systems or
modes of operation. You have God’s kingdom, and then the worlds system. When
the apostle John said ‘love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world’ he was referring to this system of lies and pride and sin. In Gods
kingdom you operate under his laws ‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…
and your neighbor as yourself’. In this family [children of God] you have
different types of ‘gifts’. Some are apostles, others prophets, etc. All these
gifted ones are given for the singular purpose of building you up so you can
have a mature faith grounded in Christ and be the ‘glorious temple’ of God in
the earth. Paul was playing his part by communicating Jesus to these Roman
Gentiles. He did not have some type of a corporate relationship with them where
he said ‘commit to my authority over you. Either I will be your ‘covering’ or
someone else!’ These are mans ideas. Now, we often say ‘Paul didn’t receive
money from the Corinthians, but he did from the other churches’. I have said
this myself. Paul did receive support from the Philippians, but that was
support for his traveling ministry. To get him to the next place. If you read
carefully you will see Paul telling the Thessalonians ‘when I was with you I
did not eat, or take stuff for free. My hands ministered to both me and those
that were with me’ I think he even said he worked night and day. When he spoke
to the Ephesians elders in the book of Acts, he also said ‘I labored when I was
with you, I did not take support from you when I was there. I did this to leave
you ELDERS an example’. Now, the point I want to make is it seems as if Paul
did not take money when he was actually living among the saints. It seems he
took it only for traveling expenses [and of course for his ministry to the poor
saints at Jerusalem]. Now, I believe and teach that it is scriptural to meet
the needs, financially, of laboring elders. The reason I mention this is to
show you that being an ‘apostle’ or any other gifted minister in the church
simply means you bear extra responsibility to bring Gods people to maturity. It
was not some type of office where you were a ‘professional minister’. When I
hear all the talk of ‘Gods apostles are bringing Gods government back into
alignment’ for the most part these are men’s ideas being applied to an American
corporate 501c3 ministry. Gods ‘government’ operates along different lines. So
in this example Paul said ‘I magnify my office’ he was simply imparting some
truth to them for the purpose of their own edification. Paul did not see them
coming under ‘his covering’.
(862)ROMANS 11- let me make a
note on the previous entry. Over the last few years, as well as many years of
experience with ‘ministry/church’, I have seen how easy it is to fall into the
well meaning mindset of ‘I am going into the ministry, this is my career
choice. My responsibility is to do ‘Christian stuff’ and the people’s role is
to support me’[ I am not taking a shot at well meaning Pastors, I am basically
speaking of the many friends I have met over the years who seemed to think
ministry was a way to get financial support]. In the previous entry I mentioned
how Paul seemed to have a mode of operation that said ‘when I am residing with
a community of believers, I refuse to allow them to support me. I will work
with my own hands to give them an example, not only to the general saints, but
also to the elders. I am showing you that leadership is not a means to get
gain’. It does seem ‘strange’ for us to see this. Of course we know Paul also
taught the churches that it was proper and right to support those who ‘labor
among you’. I have taught all this in the past and I don’t want to ‘re-teach’
it all again. The point I want to make is we ‘in ministry’ really need to
rethink what we do. How many web-sites have I gone to that actually have icons
that say ‘pay me here’. The average person going to these sites must think ‘pay
you for what’? Paul did not teach the mindset of ‘pay me here, now’. Also in
this letter to the Romans we are reading Paul’s correspondence to the believers
at Rome. He often used this mode of ‘authority’ [writing letters] to exercise
his apostolic office. Of course he also traveled to these areas [Acts] and
spent time with them. And as I just showed you he supported himself on purpose
when he was with the saints. Basically Paul is carrying out the single most effective
apostolic ministry of all time [except for Jesus] and he is doing it without
all the modern techniques of getting paid. He actually is doing all this
writing and laboring at his own expense. He told the Corinthians ‘the fathers
[apostles] spend for the children, not the children for the fathers’. So in
todays talk on ‘apostles’ being restored. God ‘bringing back into alignment
apostolic government’ we need to tone down all the quoting of verses [even the
things Paul said!] that seem to say to the average saint ‘how do you expect us
to reach the world if you do not ‘bring all the tithes into the storehouse’!
When we put this guilt trip on the people of God we are violating very
fundamental principles of scripture. Now, let’s try and finish up chapter 11.
Paul is basically telling Israel and the Gentiles that God’s dealings are
beyond our understanding [last few verses]. God is using the ‘unbelief’ of
Israel as an open door to the Gentiles. He is also using the mercy that he is
showing to the Gentiles as an ‘open door’ to Israel! He will ‘provoke them to
jealousy’. There are a few difficult verses that would be unfair for me to skip
over. ‘All Israel shall be saved’. Paul uses this to show that God’s dealings
with natural Israel as a nation are not finished. Who are ‘all Israel’? Some
say ‘the Israel of God’ [the church]. I don’t think this fits the text. Some
say ‘all Israel that will be alive at the second coming’ I think this is
closer. To be honest I think this can simply mean ‘all Israel’ all those who
are alive and also raised at the return of the Lord. Now, this would be a form
of universalism [all people eventually being saved]. I am not a Universalist,
but I don’t want any ‘preconceived’ mindset [even my own!] to taint the text. I
think God has the ability to reveal himself to the whole nation of Israel in
such a way that ‘they all will be saved’. If I were a Jewish person I wouldn’t
wait for this to happen! Just like the Calvinists argument of ‘why witness’?
Because God commands it. So even though you can make an argument here for a
type of universal redemption at Christ’s revealing of himself to Israel at the
second coming [which is in keeping with this chapter, as well as other areas in
scripture; ‘they will look upon him whom they have pierced’ ‘God will pour out
the spirit of mourning and supplication on Israel at his appearing’. Which by
the way would fit in with ‘whoever calls on the Lord will be saved’ which I
taught in chapter 10. This is a futurist text implying a time of future
judgment and wrath’]. So God’s dealings with Israel are not finished. Paul also
warns the Gentiles ‘don’t boast, if God cut out the true branches [Israel] to
graft you in. He can just as quickly cut you out too’! It would be dishonest
for me [a Calvinist] to simply not comment on this. You certainly can take this
verse in an Arminian way. Or you can see Paul speaking in a ‘nationalistic
sense’. Sort of like saying ‘if Germany walks away from the faith, they will be
‘cut out’. [France would have been a better example! Speaking of the so called
‘enlightenment’ and the French Revolution]. In essence ‘you Gentiles, don’t
think “wow, look at us. God left Israel and we are now special!”’ Paul is
saying ‘you Gentiles [as a whole group] stand by faith. God could just as quickly
‘cut you out’ and replace you with another group’. I also think the Arminians
could use this type of argument for the previous predestination chapter [9].
But to be honest I needed to give you my view. One more thing, Paul quotes
Elijah ‘lord, I am the only one left’. He uses this in context of God having a
remnant from Israel who remained faithful to the true God. God told Elijah
‘there are 7 thousand that have not bowed the knee to baal’. Paul uses this to
show that even in his day there were a remnant Of Jews [himself included] who
received the Messiah. An interesting side note. The prophetic ministry [Elijah]
seems to function at a ‘popular level’. Now, I don’t mean ‘fame’, but Elijah
was giving voice to a large undercurrent that was running thru the nation. If
you read the story of Elijah you would have never known that there were ‘7
thousand’ who never bowed the knee! Often times God will use prophetic people
to ‘give voice’ or popularize a general truth that is presently existing in the
‘underground church’ at large. Sort of like if Elijah had a web site, the 7
thousand would have been secretly reading it and saying ‘right on brother,
that’s exactly what we believe too’!
ROMANS 12
.ARE SOME GIFTS BETTER THAN
OTHERS?
.HOW SHOULD THEY FUNCTION IN THE
‘BODY’?
. HOW SHOUD WE GIVE OFFERINGS-
DID PAUL TEAHC TITHING?
.HOT COALS ON THEIR HEADS- HUH?
(864)ROMANS 12:1-8 ‘I beseech you by the mercies of God to
present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service [spiritual worship]’. Most times we see ‘by the
mercies of God’ as a recap of all that Paul has taught from chapters 1 thru 12.
This is true to a degree. I think Paul is honing in on the previous chapters
that dealt with the purpose of God specifically seen in the resurrection of the
body. As we read earlier ‘for we are saved by hope’ [the hope of the
resurrection]. Basically I see Paul saying ‘because of what I showed you
concerning Gods redemptive purpose for your body, therefore present your body now,
in anticipation of it’s future glorious purpose, as a living sacrifice ‘holy
and acceptable unto God’. Why? Because you are going to have that thing [body]
forever! [in a new glorified state] Paul
exhorts us to be changed by the renewing of our mind, the way we think. I have
mentioned in the past that this renewing is not some type of legalistic
function of ‘memorizing, muttering the do’s and don’ts all day long’. But a
reorganizing of our thoughts according to this new covenant of grace. Seeing
things thru this ‘new world’ perspective. A kingdom view based upon grace and
the
[parts]
VERSES-
Ezekiel 36:1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of
Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:
Ezekiel 36:2 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said
against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:
Ezekiel 36:3 Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye
might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in
the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people:
Ezekiel 36:4 Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of
the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to
the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that
are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen
that are round about;
Ezekiel 36:5 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire
of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against
all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of
all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
Ezekiel 36:6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and
say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury,
because ye have borne the shame of the heathen:
Ezekiel 36:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up
mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
Ezekiel 36:8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth
your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at
hand to come.
Ezekiel 36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you,
and ye shall be tilled and sown:
Ezekiel 36:10 And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of
Israel, even all of it: an of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the
wastes shall be builded:
Ezekiel 36:11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they
shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates,
and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am
the LORD.
Ezekiel 36:12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my
people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their
inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.
Ezekiel 36:13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you,
Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations:
Ezekiel 36:14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither
bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 36:15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame
of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any
more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord
GOD.
Ezekiel 36:16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 36:17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their
own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was
before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.
Ezekiel 36:18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood
that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had
polluted it:
Ezekiel 36:19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they
were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to
their doings I judged them.
Ezekiel 36:20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they
went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people
of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
Ezekiel 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house
of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith
the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine
holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
Ezekiel 36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was
profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and
the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be
sanctified in you before their eyes.
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye
shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I
cleanse you.
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh,
and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your
fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses:
and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
Ezekiel 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the
increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among
the heathen.
Ezekiel 36:31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your
doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for
your iniquities and for your abominations.
Ezekiel 36:32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be
it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of
Israel.
Ezekiel 36:33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall
have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in
the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
Ezekiel 36:34 And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it
lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
Ezekiel 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is
become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities
are become fenced, and are inhabited.
Ezekiel 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall
know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate:
I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.
Ezekiel 36:37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be
enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them
with men like a flock.
Ezekiel 36:38 As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her
solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they
shall know that I am the LORD.
14 After two
days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief
priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to
death.
2 But they
said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
3 And being
in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a
woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she
brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there
were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste
of the ointment made?
5 For it
might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to
the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus
said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7 For ye
have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but
me ye have not always.
8 She hath
done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
Mark
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Romans 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak
also. Matt.
21 When
Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22 Then the
disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
23 Now there
was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24 Simon
Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he
spake.
25 He then
lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
26 Jesus
answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when
he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after
the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do
quickly.
28 Now no
man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.
29 For some
of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy
those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give
something to the poor.
30 He then
having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
John
21 The Son
of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the
Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
22 And as
they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them,
and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
23 And he
took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all
drank of it.
24 And he
said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
25 Verily I
say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day
that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, andprepare thee; for the sword shall
devour round aboutthee.
Jer. 46:14
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit allnations. Pslams 82:8
[ Just a
few articles from our local media on some of the stuff I’ve talked about on
video]
In a case
of either murder or self-defense, District Attorney Mark Skurka said the
medical examiner's wavering opinion did not meet the criteria for information
legally required to be turned over to defense lawyers.
In a
hearing to request a new trial, defense lawyers Monday honed in on a
conversation between Skurka and prosecutor Jenny Dorsey about whether to alert
Courtney Hayden's lawyers of a deputy medical examiner's opinion about the
distance from which Anthony Macias, 33, was shot.
Dr. Adel
Shaker's initial opinion that it was a contact wound would have proved Hayden's
account that she shot in self-defense when Macias attacked her, defense lawyers
said.
A jury in
November convicted Hayden, 25, of murder in the April 30, 2014, shooting and
sentenced her to 40 years in prison.
"In
our office, sometimes we use each other as sounding boards and we kind of
talked it out, but I never tried to convince (Dorsey) one way or the other or
ordered her not to reveal it. I just said 'this doesn't sound like it reaches
that level that it needed to be revealed,'" Skurka said on the stand.
In
retrospect, Skurka said he didn't have all the information and relied on what
Dorsey told him.
About two
weeks after the trial, Dorsey met with her direct supervisor, First Assistant
Retha Cable, and they determined the information should have been relayed to
the defense team before trial. Dorsey penned a letter to the defense about the
doctor's initial opinion being the gun's muzzle was against Macias' body when
he was shot.
Dorsey
said in the letter that three days before the trial started she and second
chair prosecutor Richard Mackay met with Shaker and pointed out his opinion
differed from that of the firearms examiner. She said she asked Shaker to
reconsider his opinion and he later said in a text he could "live with
three feet," Dorsey said.
She
testified Friday that she was concerned about the doctor's opinion, but Skurka
gave her examples that led her to believe Shaker's changing opinion was a
"normal evolution."
Shaker did
not testify in the hearing because he's recovering from back surgery,
prosecutors said.
Defense
attorney John Gilmore suggested Skurka did not want Dorsey to inform defense
lawyers about the doctor's initial opinion because it didn't jibe with the
state's theory of the case.
Prosecutors
agreed to another trial for Hayden in a joint order Jan. 15 that stated the
judge should grant the new trial "in the interest of justice" without
a hearing or ruling on whether allegations about withheld evidence are true.
But 28th District Judge Nanette Hasette did not sign the agreement and instead
continued with the hearing.
Defense
lawyers argued prosecutors agreed to a new trial to cover their tracks and then
pinned all the blame on Dorsey.
"We
have a cover-up your honor and what the state is trying to do with agreeing to
a motion for a new trial is not have to tell you why," Greenberg said.
"The funny thing to me is they say they'll give us a new trial in the
interest of justice but they wont tell you what was so unjust about this
case."
On Jan. 5,
the Caller-Times requested all complaints and disciplinary action involving
Dorsey. Skurka responded the same day saying there were none. When reached late
Monday, Skurka declined comment.
"Before
we started this hearing, your honor, I said that we stipulate that evidence
that Mrs. Dorsey knew before trial wasn't turned over until after trial. While
I don't necessarily agree that it was material ... the defense asserts (with
the information) they would have done things differently ... For that reason
Ms. Hayden should get a new trial," said prosecutor Mike McCaig, who
represented the state in the hearing.
The judge
said she would consider the testimony and give a ruling at a later date. She
did not set a deadline for a final decision.
Twitter:
@CallerKMT
Testimony
is expected to continue Wednesday in the case of Courtney Hayden.
Hayden
is claiming self-defense in the fatal shooting of Anthony Macias back in April
2014. She was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison last year.
Her
attorneys, however didn't learn until after the trial that the District
Attorney had evidence from the medical examiner to support a self-defense
claim.
The
lead prosecutor in the case says her boss, District Attorney Mark Skurka told
her not to worry about disclosing the information.
Earlier
this week, Skurka testified that he thought the information from the medical
examiner was not his final conclusion.
[my
comment]
NOTE-
It’s good for you to see the progression here. Notice that initially the D.A.
agreed with the defense for a new trial. But after they testified under oath
that they felt they did not need to disclose the wavering opinion of the
medical examiner- they then reversed themselves and are now opposing a new
trial.
Why?
Because
the prosecutors might face criminal charges for withholding evidence.
So-
to defend themselves- they would prefer for Hayden to do 40 years in prison.
Why
the sudden change of opinion?
If
they stuck with their initial belief- that withholding the evidence was wrong-
then they implicate themselves.
So-
to now say ‘no- we don’t want a new trial’- has nothing to do with the fact
that they withheld the evidence. They are now opposing it to defend themselves.
Is
this just?
UPDATE-
They flip flopped- again. Now the D.A is saying ‘ok- we want a new trial again
[For Hayden] but- we do not think we did anything wrong’ [by withholding key
evidence].
Why
did they flip flop?
It’s
obvious they initially agreed to a new trial- quickly- because they did not
want the word to get out that they pressured the medical examiner to change his
opinion- and hid the fact that they did.
But-
after it was revealed in court- they figured they would fight against a new
trial- why the change?
Because
the fact that they admitted they were wrong- showed they committed a crime by
withholding evidence.
Then-
it was obvious they would prefer to deny justice to Hayden- and let her do the
40 years in prison- by fighting against a new trial- to defend themselves.
But-
it looked bad- so they then said ‘ok- we want a new trial- but there really are
no grounds for one’.
Amazing.
CORPUS CHRISTI – [news
article below]
Courtney
Hayden's legal fight to get a new trial has taken a strange turn.
She
was sentenced to 40 years in prison last month for the fatal shooting of
Anthony Macias.
After
the trial the District Attorney's office admitted it withheld evidence from the
Medical Examiner that would have helped her case.
During
a hearing earlier this week, prosecutors indicated they were okay with granting
Hayden a new trial.
But
in their final written arguments to the judge, they're now saying Hayden should
not get a new trial, claiming the withheld evidence would not have helped her
case.
A
judge will decide if Hayden will get a new trial.
facebook.com/john.chiarello.5
Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post
them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John.#
Thursday, January 28, 2016
YOUR WRONG [note-
title applies to end of video- not beginning- see if you figure it out]
https://youtu.be/97ZW34gJfGc Your wrong
Special request- Please pray for my friend Don, he’s been
sick for a while and they just found a large growth by his abdomen- they will
check if it’s cancer. Update- They think it is cancer and spreading rapidly- I
will try and comment on this on the next video. Don has been complaining of
severe pain for months on end- he noticed a growth- time and again he tried to
access the health care system [he’s on Medicaid]. They kept putting him off-
the agency that accepts Medicaid- that he has been using- did not want to have
to treat/pay if it was cancer. That’s what Don believed. They delayed for
months- refused to do x-ray/cat scan- said he had an infection. Don was right-
as soon as they gave him the cat scan- the tumor was so huge- it’s probably too
late.
ON VIDEO-
.D.A. testifies- under oath
.Hayden trial
.Marx
.Industrial Revolution
.Salvation army
.Adam Smith- Wealth of nations
.Homicides solved?
.Knives- that shoot!
.Veteran killed
.Ozzy
.Bourgeoisie
.Laissez Faire
.Das Capital
.Communist Manifesto
NEW STUFF-
[Past posts- verses
below]
In the 19th
century we had the Industrial revolution.
With the invention of the steam engine and the development
of factories- this created poor living conditions in the cities of Europe [and
later the U.S.]
Many workers were no longer living and working the land- an
agrarian society-
But were now ‘products’ of the industrial city.
Working long hours in smoke filled buildings- with very poor
working conditions.
Children being used as ‘slave labor’ for poor wages.
And the working poor had no real voice in society.
You also had the development of the Bourgeoisie- those who
had opportunity to own the factories- and make it rich.
Observers realized that the good benefits from the
Industrial Revolution- also had bad ‘side effects’.
Some asked ‘what can we do’?
The response – nothing.
We call this the Laissez-faire mindset-
Meaning the natural capitalist system- those who strive in a
free market system- will benefit at the end.
But what about those who were raised in ‘the system’- their
families owned no property [thus they had not voting rights at the time].
They followed their fathers into the same working class
conditions- never realizing the dream of one day being in the ‘ownership
class’.
The struggle for a more just system came both from within
and outside the church.
Christians like William Booth would reach out to the poor
and drunkards on the streets of London- and eventually would launch a Christian
ministry aimed at alleviating the plight of the poor.
He is the founder of the Salvation Army.
Men like Karl Marx took a more radical approach- he
published his Communist Manifesto in 1848 and later das Kapital.
He challenged the system of capitalism itself- and called
for a radical revolution of the working class.
His intentions were good- but over time his system too has
failed.
He believed the power of the rich factory owners- and those
who actually owned the tools themselves- needed to be taken from them.
And the state itself should own the equipment- the ‘engine’
that ran the Industrial revolution.
Marx was raised by Jewish/German parents- and his father
accepted Christianity only as a means to an end.
His father could not succeed in business unless he wore the
label ‘Christian’.
As a young boy Marx saw the hypocrisy of it- and eventually
saw Christianity itself as a tool to manipulate the working class and keep them
under the ruling class.
Socialism/Communism sought to empower the people- but in
effect it empowered the state.
In Adam Smiths ‘Wealth of Nations’ he taught the classic
capitalist argument- the laissez faire’ mindset- that in a free society- where
all men have the opportunity to advance-
In the end- some will attain wealth and success- and others
will not.
But Smith believed this to be the best system.
The Socialist rejects this idea- and believes in the common
sharing of goods- the natural resources of the land should not belong to the
few who had the wealth passed down to them by former generations.
Today the debate applies to corporations- should private
corporations own vast resources [some have even patented actual seeds- yes-the
seeds that people plant in the ground for food!]
There are American Indian tribes who had actual treaties
with the U.S. govt. - and the govt. has claimed their land- began charging them
for the grazing of their animals- on their own land.
And eventually brought federal charges against the Indian
family-in a case I just watched- a Grandmother!
Because the Federal govt.
would no longer recognize the ownership rights of the Indian family [
Shoshone tribe].
So we see the danger on both sides-
The state itself can become an enemy of the rights of the
people it is supposed to serve.
And a free market system can develop to the point where
following generations of families born into poverty find themselves with little
hope- or a way out.
The opportunities have passed many of them up- some do
indeed make it out- but others feel stuck.
PAST POSTS-
Was the teaching that matter was good- that God created the
material realm- so it is not inherently
evil.
But- after the fall of man [Genesis 1-3] a curse did indeed
come upon the earth [some times when the bible says ‘the world’ it is speaking
of the earth- but other times it is speaking of the fallen order- the sinful
realm of man. That’s why there is some confusion- till this day- among
Christians. They might read verses like this- and think the bible is saying the
earth itself- the planet- is wicked. Actually in those verses it is speaking
about the fallen order of sinful men. See? ‘For all that is in THE WORLD- the
lust of the flesh- the lust of the eyes and the pride of life- is not of the
father- but is of the WORLD- and the WORLD is passing away’- this is one
example from the epistle of John- here the World is not saying the planet- but
the world of sinful man- a fallen ‘world’ order.]
So- in conclusion [if I ever get there!] we- as believers-
reject the belief that all matter is evil.
No- man was created in the image of God- and God is the
creator of all things- both visible [earth- man- etc] and invisible [mentioned
in the above chapter].
The evil we see in the ‘world’ today is simply a result of
mans sin- mans choice to live in rebellion against God.
Renaissance means ‘re-birth’. It was a rebirth of the
ancient Poets and philosophers of days gone by. Men like Cicero and Aristotle
were once again brought to the fore front of many thinkers and lovers of
culture.
The catch phrase for the Renaissance was Ad Fontes- which meant
‘back to the sources’ [source- Fountain- Fontes]. In the 14th
century a famous and influential Catholic family- the Medici’s- were a catalyst
for mixing this cultural movement in with the church.
The Renaissance sort of challenged the historic view of
education- up until this time most learning was done thru the prism of the
church. In the universities of the day Theology [study of God] was called the
Queen of the sciences- and philosophy was referred to as her Handmaiden.
Well the Renaissance thinkers said they wanted to study
things for what they are- they did not want to see everything thru the lens of
the church.
Eventually the theme of the movement [back to the original
sources] would play a major role in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th
century. Men like Erasmus [the famous 16th century Catholic
Humanist] would re discover the original Greek New testament- and it was thru
the study of the Greek text that many of the Reformers made their case to get
‘back to the bible’ and eventually break from Rome.
This was also the beginning period of modern capitalism.
Recently when Libya had her ‘civil war’ and the new leaders started talking
about a new constitution- one of the interesting things that came up was they
wanted to do away with interest on loans.
Why? Well Muslims teach that interest itself is a bad thing.
‘Gee- wonder where they get that idea from John’ Oh- from a little book- called
the bible.
Yes- to the surprise of some- this is very much taught in
the Old Testament. Now- it was God’s law governing the nation of Israel- but
they were forbidden to charge interest.
‘So John- is it wrong for us today to make interest’? Not
really- Jesus used interest [usury] as an example in some of his parables- and
overall- we as believers are not under the Old Testament laws that govern
natural Israel.
But- for many centuries- the world did not see interest on
money as a legitimate way to earn a living. So during the Renaissance you also
had the rise of exploration- and explorers like Columbus would go on their
voyages with the financial backing of investors.
The normal rate for these voyages was a 75/25% cut. When the
explorer returned- the investor [Spain- or whoever] got 75% of the goods- and
the explorer kept 25.
So there were a lot of changes taking place in the world at
the time- and the rise of modern capitalism was one of them- money of course
existed way before this time- but as a commodity- this was a new way of viewing
the world.
Okay- just thought I would throw in a little history along
with the current events of the day. As we see the current turmoil in the
Italian markets [the original renaissance started in Florence- Italy] maybe
seeing money/interest as a commodity- and ‘usury’ as a major way to increase
ones wealth- well maybe that’s not such
a smart way to do things after all.
When Jon Corzine's global investment firm went bust the
other day- it was a direct result of taking a gamble on the ‘gullibility’ of
the common man.
What his firm did was they took a huge risk by investing in
European bonds- bonds from Greece that everyone knew was a terrible 'bet’. Then
why did he do it?
RENAISSANCE STUFF -
The renaissance was the
13-14th century revival of culture and learning that was lost for
centuries- It began in Florence Italy.
The catch phrase for it was ‘Ad Fontes’ meaning ‘back to the sources’- both in
philosophy- as well as in Christian learning.
This began a revival of studying the Greek New testament again
from its original language.
The Catholic Humanist- Desiderius Erasmus [15-16th
century] - re introduced the New Testament in the Greek version [He was
referred to as a Dutch renaissance Humanist- as well as a Catholic Priest and
scholar]
Now- Erasmus was a critic of the Church- like Luther- but chose a
‘middle road’- he did not join the breakaway Protestant Reformers- but chose to
stay within the fold of Rome- while speaking out against the abuses he saw.
But his first Greek translation of the New Testament did indeed
set a spark-
[parts]
A couple of years ago when we did
a short history of Philosophy- I never covered Rand.
Why?
She never came up in any of the
stuff I was reading at the time.
Rand was a Russian American who
came to the states in the early 20th century.
She saw the rise of Communism in
her homeland- and she believed that the U.S. was in danger of going down the
same road.
She lived to see the presidency
of FDR- and his creating of what we call the Entitlement society.
But Rand- like other thinkers of
her day- also rejected Faith and Religion [Marx].
She believed that Reason was
enough to establish morality- and build an adequate Ethical society.
To be honest- Ayn was wrong about
this.
But- because she angered the Left
with her capitalist thought- and the Right with her anti God ideas- well she
would alienate not just the 47% [Romney’s gaff] but both ‘47’s’.
Thus- Rand never came up on the
radar when I was studying philosophy.
I have not read the book- but
from what I picked up on line- I can see how Christians would indeed have a
hard time with Objectivism.
In scripture- we don’t see
‘statism’ per se- but we do see a sort of collective ideal.
In the books of Acts we see the
early believers selling their goods and giving to those in need.
We read many-many portions of the
bible that speak about helping the less fortunate.
Yet- the argument is ‘should the
state force man to do this’.
The state- govt. - according to
scripture- has the right to tax.
Rand’s argument [and others] is
‘fine- but don’t demean me because I am one of the producers- don’t demonize
those in society who are holding the system up’.
Rand did not teach that you
should never help another- but she rejected the govt. forcing you to do it.
In Ayn’s Utopia- the John Galt’s
of the world withdraw- they take their toys and go home.
From a biblical perspective- we
are indeed our brother’s keeper.
That does not mean we encourage
people to be non productive- to live off the wealth of others.
But we see the goal of our lives
as more than seeking happiness- more than pursuing the Dream.
No- we often give things up-
material things- in order to pursue a more just society.
In our World- Atlas doesn’t
shrug.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] -
I have posted lots.
. (1298) THEY ARE GREEDY DOGS
WHICH CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH AND THEY ARE SHEPHERDS THAT CANNOT UNDERSTAND: THEY
ALL LOOK TO THEIR OWN WAY, EVERY ONE FOR HIS GAIN… THEY SAY TOMORROW SHALL BE
MUCH MORE ABUNDANT- Isaiah 56:11-12 In the mid 18th century we had
what is commonly called ‘the industrial revolution’. In Europe there arose a
new class of people that never existed before, these were the capitalists that
were making lots of wealth and the laborer was drawn from an agrarian type
lifestyle [country/hamlet living] into the strong industrial cities like
London. These poor workers were thrust into a system of profit that consumed
their days and surrounded them with a new atmosphere of industry/factory. The
invention of the steam engine by James Watt was one of the catalysts of this
new era. Men like William Booth [founder of the Salvation Army] would see the
hopelessness of these Londoners and start a ministry to help them. Even in our
day the effects of the industrial revolution still impact us, as a boy growing
up I listened to Black Sabbath, Ozzy came from an area like this. Contrast his
songs with Kiss and you can see the difference! There was an observer of this
scene who would write a document and launch a revolution as a result of what he
saw as the encroachment of capitalism on the common person- His name was Karl
Marx, his document was called ‘the communist manifesto’. Many people resent the
western mindset because of its seeming inability to never be satisfied with
finally having enough, we are a consumerist nation. I caught a quick few
minutes of religious channel surfing the other day and of course I heard the
normal preaching on ‘this year is the year of more abundance than any other
year’. Have we ever asked ourselves when we will have enough? Seriously Isaiah
is pronouncing a judgment on ‘greedy dogs- those who are never satisfied’ one
of the condemnations in Revelation is to believers who say ‘I am rich and
increased with goods’ yet they were spiritually poor. Jesus challenged his
followers on many occasions to forsake all to follow him. Now I am not
advocating irresponsibility, but I am challenging our western mindset and our
inability to say ‘that’s enough’. We preach a message that never seems to leave
this option open; we create an insatiable desire within the church to live each
day with an obsession to gain more. The bible condemns this attitude over and
over again, yet we as westerners never seem to get it, if we ever want to truly
have peaceful relationships with the rest of the world, then we will have to
change our mindset in these areas. Many Muslim countries see our materialist
arrogance and use this as an excuse to reject ‘the Jesus of the west’ [though
he was technically from the east!] We as the people of God need to return to
our own ‘manifesto’ [the gospels] and live them out in reality, if not there
will always be a Marx waiting in the wings with his own.
(1295) FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE
MY THOUGHTS HIGHER THAN YOUR THOUGHTS; AND MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOURS Isaiah
55:9 the other night I caught an interview of Frances Schaffer on the Rachel
Maddow show. Frances is the son of the famous Frances Schaffer senior, the
prolific author/speaker of the 20th century who dealt with Christian
worldviews. He wrote Christian Manifesto and How shall we then live, among
other titles. Frankie and his dad were key leaders in the rise of the religious
right and the moral agenda type groups. Frankie eventually converted to Eastern
Orthodoxy and is now a vehement opponent of the religious right. First I want
to commend him on his conviction of not being willing to abandon Christianity
all together; some children of famous Christian leaders have taken that route,
but Frankie [he calls himself Frances now, but for this entry I’m using the old
title] has chosen a great Christian tradition to place himself in and for this
he should be commended. But he is so vehement against the religious
[parts]
(1082) ‘For
the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his
mouth. For they are the messengers of the Lord’ Malachi 2:7. I remember a few
years back, I was listening to the various teachings that were on the radio
station that I broadcast on. Some brother out of the Fort Worth area used to buy air time and all.
One time the focus was ‘what is Gods essential character?’ if there were only
one word to describe who god is, what his essential makeup was, what would that
word be? And of course the answer was ‘abundance’ specifically ‘financial
increase’. I know of know other way to describe stuff like this, it falls under
the category of ministerial malpractice! God commands leaders/teachers to seek
the truth coming from him, we are responsible to at least get the most basic
things right! What would be the most obvious answer to the question of how to
define God in a word? Surely every preacher should know the answer. It would be
‘God is love’. While there are many attributes of God [omnipotence,
omniscience, etc.] yet the ‘one’ word definition, if you had to give one, would
be love [yes, he is Spirit too]. The last
word you should use to describe God would be ‘much money’. Paul said the false
teacher’s god is their belly; their appetites, they live to satisfy their
desires. Jesus taught us one of the greatest desires of man is acquiring great
wealth. He said you can’t serve God and money [mammon]. Why people still send
their offerings to ministries like this is beyond me. The challenge to wealth
and oppressive wealthy nations/peoples is sown all thru out human history;
Homers Iliad revealed the monster 12 centuries before Christ in his writings on
the Trojan War. Adam Smith penned his famous book ‘wealth of nations’ in 1776.
Challenges to oppressive govt's. of men who use wealth and power to come
against the poor in society are noble themes that all great prophetic voices
have hit on [Gandhi, Martin Luther King, etc.]. Who was thee singular greatest
prophetic voice who engaged in this type of polemic? Jesus Christ of Nazareth . Most know him as
the carpenter, but the actual word used to describe his trade in the Greek
means ‘hand laborer’ [or day laborer] you know, those poor brothers we see
waiting for a job on the corners of streets, going to ‘labor ready’ [a local
place to find daily work]. It is quite possible that Jesus was ‘less’ than a
carpenter/tradesmen, but more of an odd jobs worker. Willing to take any job he
could get. Well, once he entered his teaching ministry, boy did he speak to
power and wealth. If you read all the actual words of Jesus [yes, the red
ones!] and try and come up with a singular theme thru out his writings, it
could very well be his contrast of the rich and poor. The powerful oppression
of wealth and unjust govt. against the poor and weak in society. His incessant
condemnation of the wealthy and affluent, I mean you can’t possibly miss this!
Unless you are not seeking the ‘law’ [words] that actually were coming from his
MOUTH! Malachi rebuked the priests of his day, they were functioning and active
and everyone knew they were priests, yet they were not really listening to the
words of God himself, I think we need to all give heed to what the brother
said.
(1080) In keeping with our recent train of thought, lets
talk a little on who wrote the new testament, and when did they write. During
the rise of higher criticism in the universities [a type of learning that cast
serious doubt on many of the truths of scripture, though some of the elements
of higher learning were helpful; like the historic method, learning to study
scripture thru a contextual lens] you had some who dated the gospels as being
written by the end of the first century, even into the second! Today, no
serious scholar would put them anywhere near the second century. And like I
said the other day, those who attribute Paul’s writings to various unknown
sources, they also can stick the older label on Paul's stuff. Do the scriptures
themselves give us any hint at when they were written? Sure. They don’t tell us
exactly, but some good hints. The gospels contain lots of historical records in
them, who was ruling at the time. Certain census that were being taken, things
like that. Of course this doesn’t mean the writers were writing at the exact
time of the events, but it shows you their familiarity with them. Or if a
gospel writer [I think its Luke] says ‘just as others compiled stuff about
Jesus and all that he did, so I thought it good that I should do the same’.
This would show you that the writer was not as close to the actual events as
others. Or when Luke writes the book of Acts, he states that he had already
written his gospel. Luke is pretty meticulous about historic stuff in Acts; he
records the believers who were killed for the faith [Stephen, James- the
disciple, not the Lords brother who was one of the main leaders at Jerusalem , who is also
believed to be the author of the epistle]. The point being, if Luke ends Acts
with Paul living in a rented room in Rome ;
plus he never mentions the martyrdom of Paul or Peter, this would indicate that
Acts was written before their deaths. Nero killed them both in the 60’s, Nero
died a couple of years before A.D. 70. It would seem rather odd for Luke to
have left their martyrdoms out of the book! Peter and Paul are the two main
characters in the book. If Luke is recording the
[parts]
VERSES-
Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his
father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of
the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exodus
3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the
midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the
bush was not consumed.Exodus 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exodus 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exodus 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
6 Therefore
we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we
are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we
walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord.
2nd Cor. 5
If any of you lack wisdom,
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and
it shall be given him. Ja. 1:5
Wisdom hath builded her house,
she hath hewn out her seven pillars: Prvb.
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