July 2012 – Auriesville Tubthumper

Round up the Strays

This post is about one of my long time pet peeves with the church. It is about the faces I see or have seen in the seats and pews that I no longer see. It is my concern for the sheep that have gone astray. I am often thinking about what is done to follow up with people and find out why they are not with us. Some like to call them lost. There is a piece of scripture that talks about the lost sheep. I prefer to call them strays. I call them strays because sheep just don’t get lost. They usually have a pen and they usually have a shepherd or some method of keeping them where they are supposed to be. If a sheep is not in the pen it is because it wandered off or strayed away to find something more exiting outside its pen.

So why am I talking about sheep anyway? I talk about sheep because we humans are like sheep in many ways. I know it is not very flattering to be compared to sheep but I didn’t design it, God did. The Bible actually compares us believers to sheep in the Gospel of John. It also describes Jesus Christ as the “Good Shepherd”. It is unfortunate that us sheep are disobedient and want to check out other pens. When a sheep wanders out and moves to another pen, away from the shepherd, the evil wolves wait to devour them.

In Jesus’ parable in Luke 15 we see that every sheep is important to the shepherd. Every person is important to Jesus. Whatever your situation in life, however bad you are, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, “lays down His life for you.” He says, “Take My hand.” If you will turn your life over to Jesus Christ He will give you pardon, peace, purpose, power, and a permanent relationship with God.

When I look around and don’t see someone that once was present I want to find out where they wandered off to and what pen they are in. Sometimes I feel as though my concern is not shared. I even heard once that Jesus never followed up with anyone and there is no evidence in the Bible that he did so. I can’t argue the issue of no proof that Jesus followed up with anyone. But do we need to argue it? Who thinks Jesus needs to physically follow up with someone to know where they are? C’mon, we are talking about the great “I AM, I AM” here. He knows each and every hair on your head. He created all. He was here before here was here. He is omnipotent and sovereign. He doesn’t need to follow up because he knows. He knows your name and he knows where you are, what you are thinking and where your heart is.

There is evidence in the Bible that God does want us to follow up with people. There is plenty of evidence.

Let me start with a passage in the Old Testament: “The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” (Ezekiel 34:4). God was not happy with the shepherds of Israel. They did not seek after the strays. They were out of favor because they didn’t work hard enough to save the lost sheep.

John Chrysostom said, “…if a human being wanders away from the right faith, great exertion, perseverance and patience are required; for he cannot be dragged back by force, nor constrained by fear, but must be led back by persuasion to the truth from which he originally swerved. The pastor therefore ought to be of a noble spirit, so as not to despond, or to despair of the salvation of wanderers from the fold, but continually to reason with himself and say, ‘Peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.” Don’t be swayed by the reference to pastor in that passage because it pertains to all of us brethren. If we are saints in His kingdom we are all lay ministers and need to follow up with our fellow brothers and sisters in the kingdom.

Now I bring attention to what I call the “one another’s” in the Bible. There are many but we really only need to look at one. “Love one another”. That one is actually a commandment. Now I ask you this, “How can you love one another without following up with one another?” You can’t. Need I say more? If the Lord commands us to love one another he also is commanding us to follow up with one another.

I place before you a list of 22 of the fantastic ‘one another’ verses in the Bible. As you read through them ask yourself how many of them you can do without seeking the lost among us, finding the strays or following up.

1. ‘Do not deceive one another’ – Leviticus 19:11

2. ‘Show Mercy and Compassion to one another’ – Zechariah 7:9

3. ‘Love one another’ – John 13:34,35

4. ‘Be devoted to one another’ – Romans 12:10

5. ‘Live in Harmony with one another’ – Romans 12:16, 1 Peter 3:8

6. ‘Accept one another’ – Romans 15:7

7. ‘Instruct one another’ – Romans 15:14

8. ‘Agree with one another’ – 1 Corinthians 1:10

9. ‘Greet one another with a holy kiss’ – 2 Corinthians 13:12

10. ‘Serve one another in love’ – Galatians 5:13

11. ‘Bearing with one another in love’ – Ephesians 4:2

12. ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another’ – Ephesians 4:32

13. ‘Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ – Ephesians 5:19

14. ‘Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ’ – Ephesians 5:21

15. ‘Admonish one another’ – Colossians 3:16

16. ‘Encourage one another’ – 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25

17. ‘Spur one another on toward love and good deeds’ – Hebrews 10:24

18. ‘Do not slander one another’ – James 4:11

19. ‘Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling’ – 1 Peter 4:9

20. ‘Love one another deeply’ – 1 Peter 1:22

21. ‘Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another’ – 1 Peter 5:5

22. ‘Have fellowship with one another’ – 1 John 1:7

We are instructed to worship steadfastly (think about that word) and to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together but to exhort one another. (Hebrews 10:25)

So can you think of someone who hasn’t been to church in a long time? Did they leave without even an explanation or a good-bye? What about people in our communities and neighborhoods that just plain don’t go to church. Where’s the love?

Anyone that considers themselves a Christian and also considers themselves a leader should be taking a lead in showing genuine concern for the strays or for the lost. We should be seeking them with a “noble spirit” and as a patient servant.

We should be rounding up those strays.

It amazes me how fast I can fill a post with words…

God bless you all,

“The Tubthumper”

It’s a miracle, a free gift!

It is Justification. In my opinion justification is a miracle. It is a miraculous gift given to all of us who believe upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is provided by Christ’s death on the cross and given to us at no cost through His grace.

The doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone is extremely important and central to the Christian faith.

In spite of the importance attributed to it in the Bible and the critical role it played in the Protestant Reformation, most professing believers today do not understand it. We live in a time when most people are woefully ignorant of basic Bible doctrines. An obsession with entertainment and emotionalism has replaced a concern for theology. How many sermons or classes have you seen dealing with the doctrine of God, or the atonement, or justification? Little to none I’ll bet. Why isn’t doctrine taught today? Did you know that Paul made it completely clear that a mistake regarding justification can send you to the lake of fire? We need preachers and teachers committed to expound on the doctrine of justification.

The doctrine of Justification by faith and the death of Christ at Calvary go together and Justification is based on the blood of the Lamb.

A study of Scripture proves that justification is not subjective or a process, but is a legal declaration by God the Father in the heavenly court.

Some points of clarity between justification and sanctification: Justification is objective. It takes place outside of the sinner in the heavenly court. Justification does not directly change the believer’s inner life. On the other hand, sanctification is subjective. It takes place in the sinner and renders the sinner more holy over time.

Justification is an act of God the Father. God renders a verdict regarding the one who believes in Christ. “It is God who justifies” (Rom. 8:33). Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). Justification is instantaneous. God declares the believing sinner righteous in a moment of time. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (Jn. 5:24; Lk. 18:14; Rom. 5:1). Justification is not a process, nor is it piecemeal. It takes place only once, and then it is complete. “There is no such thing as being more and more justified. There are no degrees of acceptance with God. To be justified is to be wholly justified.” A “man is either fully justified, or he is not justified at all.” Sanctification is a continuous process. The Christian grows in holiness and more and more conforms to the character of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies God’s word to his heart. “The old sin nature is progressively subdued, but never entirely abolished in this life.” Sanctification is progressive, imperfect, and not completed until death.

Justification removes the guilt of sin and clothes the believer with Christ’s perfect righteousness, thus entitling him to eternal life in God’s own family. Sanctification progressively removes the pollution of sin; subdues the power of sin, and increasingly enables the believer to live in conformity with the word of God.

Justification is an act of God obtained by or through faith. “There is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith” (Rom. 3:30). Faith is not the ground or cause of justification but the instrument by which the believer receives justification. Faith is the gift of God which lays hold of and receives what Christ has accomplished. The believer’s salvation and justification are totally a work of God.

Justification is the manner in which God considers righteous those sinners who, by faith in Jesus Christ, receive Devine forgiveness and reconciliation. Justification is a legal or forensic term and is used in Scripture to denote the acceptance of any one as righteous in the sight of God.

“Salvation includes that which is given, freely and finally, by God (JUSTIFICATION); that which is continually imparted (sanctification); and that still to be attained (glorification).”

Justification is by faith alone and not works. We were given a free gift of grace and justification did not occur by anything we did or anything within us, but occurred because of what Christ did for us. Hence it is called a gift, a free gift, a gift by grace, and believers are described as those who receive this gift of righteousness (Rom. 5.17). We are never said to be justified by anything done by us or wrought in us, but by what Christ has done for us. We are justified through the redemption that is in him (Rom. 3.24). We are justified by his blood (Rom. 5.9) We are justified by his obedience (Rom. 5.19). We are justified by him from all things (Acts 13.39). He is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1.30). We are made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5.21). We are justified in his name (1 Cor. 6.11). There is no condemnation to those who are in him (Rom. 8.1). Justification is, therefore, by faith in Christ, because faith is receiving and trusting to him as our Savior, as having done all that is required to secure our acceptance before God.

Justification is God’s response to the problem of estrangement from the only true God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul conveyed the message that God did not consider sin lightly. Sin created a massive gulf between God and people. This gulf required a bridge to bring all of humanity into a right relationship with God. Theologians call God’s bridge building “reconciliation.” Reconciliation functions to bring humans “justification.” The main character who effected this divine plan was Jesus Christ. Uniquely, His death on the cross made it possible for God and people to be reconciled (Romans 5:10) and thus for humans to be justified.

Through the Gospel, God unleashes a power to change people, and at the crucial point: in their relationship with him. When people respond in faith to the message of the good news, God “justifies” them; that is, he declares them innocent before him, removing the barrier that exists between all human beings in their natural state and God. Everything else in the Christian life flows from this marvelous experience.

Yet many people do not hear this good news, and many Christians do not understand what has happened to them.

I see a good example of justification from the Old Testament. We can take a look at David. In Psalms 51 we find the prayer of repentance from David, “restore unto me the joy of thy salvation”. David had no chance under the Law. There could be no sacrifice offered because an adulterer was to be stoned to death under the Law. He had a broken and contrite heart and was asking for forgiveness. He threw himself to the mercy of the Lord and the Lord provided by grace to have David justified apart from the Law. He bypassed the Law of Moses and by grace he was forgiven. The judge died for the defendant!

When God justifies a man, he declares him to be righteous. Just as Adam’s transgressions resulted in condemnation and death, Christ’s ‘free gift’ brought justification and life (Rom. 5:16). In this affirmation, Paul presupposes the resurrection of Christ and its distribution: those who receive the ‘gift of righteousness’ will rule in life through the one, Jesus Christ (verse 17). His single act of righteousness has brought ‘the justification which issues in life (dikaiosis zoes) for all humanity (verse 18). The ‘gift of righteousness’ (verse 17) is nothing other than Christ’s ‘act of righteousness’ (verse 18) in its saving significance for all who believe. Our justification has been accomplished outside of us, in Christ incarnate, crucified and risen.”

There are three major imputations in the Bible. They are Adam’s sin imputed to the human race, Man’s sin (mine and yours) imputed upon Christ, and last but most certainly not least is God’s righteousness imputed to all believers. And justification is an act of God. It is a legal declaration whereby God declares a vile sinner to be righteous.”

The cross of Calvary makes it possible for God to be both just and the Justifier. (II Cor. 5:21)

Justification, however, is only for “him which believeth in Jesus.” This cannot be overemphasized. God justifies only those who believe in Jesus. The only belief that counts with God is belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a comfort to know that through Christ’s redeeming work our Justification is connected indissolubly with the glory of God.

We now can look at the word “Grace”. Grace is unmerited favor. It is getting something we do not deserve. All we deserve from God is His eternal punishment for our continued rebellion; but instead He offers us salvation through His Son at the infinite cost of Calvary. So we are “justified freely by His grace”.

It is based on a redemptive price, for Paul goes on to speak of “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood”. (Romans 3: 24, 25) Remember those words, “redemption, propitiation, faith and blood”. The four steps leading to Justification: 1) You are lost, 2) You cannot save yourself, 3) You realize only Christ can save you, and 4) You must ask Christ to save you.

Justification by faith is the doctrine we need expounded on more today. Justification is free. God does not charge us anything. He does not charge for saving us either.

I will end with these words, “In the brief, but clear and comprehensive words of the Westminster Divines: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, –Wherein He pardoneth all our sins,– and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, — only for the righteousness of Christ, –imputed to us,– and received by faith alone.”

The peace of God can be enjoyed by all and because of justification we have hope.

By His grace I am saved,

“The Tubthumper”

For more details you can read the full document by clicking here.

Practice polygamy? Why not, King David did it.

After conquering Jerusalem, David took more wives and concubines. Why did he do this? Does this mean it is ok to practice polygamy? How do we explain such passages in the Bible?

Why did he do this? Well, he is a man. Why does any man want more power, control and many women on his arm? That’s basic in sin 101. Lust of the flesh. We won’t review his son Solomon in this post but Solomon had over 700 wives and concubines. I believe the polygamy issue was born all out of sin and never was condoned by God. I also know that most, if not all the great men of the Bible were destroyed by that very issue. We can name them from David and Solomon to Samson and others. The lust for women and power destroyed them. When it comes to women we (men) are weak minded and easily led.

We are not sure the exact number of wives and concubines David had in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The Bible names the sons born to him because of his actions. “David took more wives and concubines in Jerusalem”, 2 Samuel 5:13-15. From what I see regarding his time in Jerusalem David had 8 wives and at least 10 concubines. Again, I believe David was disobedient to the Lord. Like many men he became obsessed with power and wealth and it caused him to stray from his spiritual life. When we do this we end up in falling into apostasy.

God revealed His will for monogamy right in the beginning. God created one woman for one man. We read in Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25 that this is true. In Deuteronomy 17:17 it says, “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” This verse was referenced in relation to David’s son King Solomon but applies to all when we look at God’s word. Please take note too that David realized his sin and was riddled with guilt and shame. He repented for that sin of polygamy.

As is the case with most instances of sin his actions followed him and caused much pain in his life. As we read on we find that David’s desire for those women led to much trouble down the road. We saw one half-sibling defiling another half-sibling, one sibling murdering another and we see the breakup of the Davidic Kingdom. Anywhere we see this polygamy situation in the Bible it always led to big trouble down the road. See for yourself and read about Solomon, Jacob and others.

God didn’t sanction or condone polygamy. God forbade it. He also punished those who did it. Just because instances of plural wives were seen in the Old Testament a lot of people assume it is ok. Assumptions are not always a good policy. I admit that it is true that polygamy became a worldly custom during those times and it was common for kings and men of wealth to take on many wives. We all know that one of the symbols of royalty and power was the size of the king’s harem.

I have not seen any evidence in the Bible anywhere that would allow me to believe God approved, let alone make lawful, more than one wife for any man. The actual truth is that He forbade it and He forbade it to the Kings of Israel and he forbade it for is. It is written!

We all reap what we sow; therefore, these lessons should be heeded by any man. Even though God forgives our sins when we repent there still is a cost to pay.

After David committed the sin of taking Bathsheba and then having her husband murdered, he repented. David had a real heartfelt and wrenching repentance and there was never any further evidence of him committing that sin again. That is an important fact.

Let us look at 2 Samuel 12: 9-12, “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. (See here, David despised God. He despised the person of God! He despised God by taking her as his wife and thus the sword was never to depart from his house. What was his house like at that time? It was all of those plural wives along with his children. God was doling out some major punishment here for some major sin committed by David. Take notice!) Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. (God has just announced that the sword will now come down on his house and on his family. God said it would be done in the sight of this sun. In other words it will be done in daylight for all to see.) For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (God is saying to David, “you did this thing secretly but I will do this before all of Israel in broad daylight”) And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (You can see the repentance here. You can read of David’s prayer to God in the 51^st Psalm which was a prayer of a true broken and contrite heart. You can see that it was true repentance and that David turned away from polygamy at that point. You will also see in the next verse the cost of that sin to David that was to be sadly borne out.) Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

God dished out a tremendous punishment to David. He took away all of his wives leaving only Bathsheba and we see later that when David returned to Jerusalem all the concubines were put into widowhood until they died. No more polygamy for him and no more concubines. He had truly repented. David died with his heart fully to God. He was a “man after God’s own heart,” because his heart was in the right place. His heart was in the love of Christ.

So, yes there was polygamy in Israel and yes, polygamy was a sin. God never sanctioned it and he never condoned it. He condemned it! And “they reaped what they sowed!” Remember, God made one wife for Adam he did not give him a harem. God started out the family as he meant it to be. He created a family of one man and one wife. That is what I would say to a new believer that has questions about polygamy. If we look to the New Testament we see that one of the qualifications to be a Minister in God’s Church is that he have only one wife. 1 Timothy 3:2 says, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach”. Let’s also look at 1 Timothy 3:12, “Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” So we see you cannot even be a deacon if you have more than one wife. So once and for all, Polygamy is and always was a sin!

I think I will conclude by mentioning God’s view of women. Frank Viola recently published a great article about this in one the Christian magazines. Back in ancient Israel the Jews had a very dim view of women. Jewish women were not allowed to receive an education and were expected to raise the kids and keep the house. The women could not even worship God. The women had to stay in the “women’s court” which was below the men’s court and nearer to the gentiles. The men were given the worshipping privileges. Basically women were regarded as inferior to men and treated as property like cattle and slaves were treated. The daily prayer of thanksgiving each Jewish man prayed showed how poorly the Jews looked on women. This is how the prayer is done, “Praise be to God. He has not created me a Gentile. Praise be to God. He has not created me a woman. Praise be to God. He has not created me an ignorant man.” So this was the view of women and it was not much different in other cultures. Ever since the fall of humanity women have been treated as inferior.

But then Jesus came!

Then we can see God’s view of women. All throughout the New Testament we see God’s viewing of women and how beautiful they are n His eyes. The most important thing is that He chose a woman to depict that which He came to earth for, “His very bride”. And He certainly is not ashamed of that!

As Frank Viola said, “So sisters, take your high place… this is God’s view of you. You are fellow heirs in the Kingdom of God. You are fellow priests in the church of god. You are honored. You are cherished. You are valuable. You are needed.”[1]

Now, I want you to remember that Christ will never have but the ONE WIFE! And if you are to marry, you are to be the wife of one husband. Amen!

“The Tubthumper”

[1] Frank Viola in an article published in Christianity magazine. Unknown date (Read online on Crossroads website newsletter in March of 2012)

Protect your Birthright

Doing things to protect our birthright should be a no-brainer. Most individuals have a “birthright”. I have a birthright due to the fact that I am the firstborn to my mother and father. My “birthright” allows me to be included in my parent’s will and share in any estate they have built over their lifetime. Along with the “birthright” I have comes some responsibility. Because of my birthright I am the one looked to when leadership is needed and decisions need to be made. Along the way those of us with a “birthright” wouldn’t want to do anything stupid. Lest we not be included any longer in the will and removed from all “birthright” privileges because of an action not acceptable to the one providing the birthright. (In this case, Mom and Dad)

Being a financial professional I have seen many stupid things done regarding birthright over the years.

Because I have been “born again” and I am child of Christ’s I have another “birthright”. This “birthright” is more precious than the one my biological parents provided for me. A great example is given to us in the book of Genesis. Genesis is the place where all beginnings are. It is important to see and note the beginning lineage and who has the “birthright” privileges and who does not. One of the greatest examples of this “birthright” is when Esau very stupidly gave up his right. I will come back to Esau but want to provide a good definition for you here in blue text:

“BIRTHRIGHT-burth’-rit (bekhorah, from bekhor, “firstborn”; prototokia): Birthright is the right which naturally belonged to the firstborn son. Where there were more wives than one, the firstborn was the son who in point of time was born before the others, apparently whether his mother was a wife or a concubine. Sarah protests against Ishmael being heir along with Isaac, but it is possible that the bestowal of the rights of the firstborn on Isaac was not due to any law, but rather to the influence of a favorite wife (Gen 21:10). The birthright of the firstborn consisted in the first place of a double portion of what his father had to leave. This probably means that he had a double share of such property as could be divided. We have no certain knowledge of the manner in which property was inherited in the patriarchal age, but it seems probable that the lands and flocks which were the possession of the family as a whole, remained so after the death of the father. The firstborn became head of the family and thus succeeded to the charge of the family property, becoming responsible for the maintenance of the younger sons, the widow or widows, and the unmarried daughters. He also, as head, succeeded to a considerable amount of authority over the other members. Further, he generally received the blessing, which placed him in close and favored covenant-relationship with Yahweh. According to the accounts which have come down to us, all these gifts and privileges could be diverted from the firstborn son. This could happen with his own consent, as in the case of Esau, who sold his birthright to Jacob (Gen 25:29-34), or by the decision of the father, as in the case of Reuben (Gen 48:22; 49:3,4; 1 Ch 5:1,2) and of Shimri (1 Ch 26:10). In the Deuteronomic version of the law, a provision is made, prohibiting the father from making the younger son the possessor of the birthright, just because his mother was specially beloved (Dt 21:15-17). The blessing also could be diverted from the eldest son. This was done when Jacob blessed the children of Joseph, and deliberately put the younger before the elder (Gen 48:13,14,17-19); even when the blessing was obtained by the younger son in a fraudulent manner, it could not be recalled (Gen 27). Jacob does not appear to have inherited any of the property of his father, although he had obtained both the birthright and the blessing. In the New Testament “birthright,” prototokia, is mentioned only once (Heb 12:16), where the reference is to Esau. In various passages where our Lord is spoken of as the firstborn, as in Col 1:15-19; Heb 1:2, the association of ideas with the Old Testament conception of birthright is easy to trace.”

Let us now take a look at what Esau did with his birthright. Please go and read this story for yourself as I only have room for a summary. Actually Esau had a double sided “birthright”. He had the birthright of being the eldest son or favored son. He was to inherit the family name, title and big share of his father’s estate. He also stood to become the head of the entire clan. The second side of his birthright was spiritual in nature. He would be next to receive the covenant blessings.

“Esau’s brother Jacob always wanted the birthright even from the womb.” It say’s in Gen 25: 26, “After that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel”. The name Jacob actually means “heal-catcher”. God actually chose Jacob for the “birthright” while the two were still in the womb. We see in Gen 25:23 “And the Lord said, the elder shall serve the younger”.

And so the story goes from Genesis 25: Esau and Jacob were brothers. Sad but true there was some favoritism going on between the two parents and the two sons. Esau was the favorite of dad and Jacob was the favorite of mom. Esau was known as a great hunter as well as worldlier and his father loved it when Esau brought him venison. Jacob on the other hand was quiet and stayed around the home. Jacob was known to be a good cook and made a great red soup. Actually I found that many of the commentaries I read looked at Jacob as being as perfect as Job. Well, one day Esau was out hunting all day and he was exhausted and extremely hungry. Jacob became an opportunist and looked to jump at his chance to grab the “birthright”. (I believe this was all predestined by God) So Jacob made a deal with Esau. He talked his brother into giving up his birthright for a nice hot meal. Esau was hungry, tired, irresponsible and impulsive. He told Jacob he could have his birthright if he just would give him some of that food to satisfy his hunger. He made an oath to Jacob. So Jacob gave Esau the food and Esau wolfed it down like he had never eaten before and left.

The next morning when Esau woke up and realized what he had done he was ashamed of himself and realized what a mistake he made. But it was too late… for in those days an oath was a forever commitment. If we look at this we can see that Esau failed to appreciate his birthright a long time before he lost it. He despised his birthright and he was immoral and sought things of the flesh. If he was truly a man of God he would never have gotten close to leaving his birthright. He would have died first. He gave up the covenant for a one time meal to satisfy the lust of the flesh. He had a natural heart.

“The natural heart places no value on the things of God. To the natural heart, God’s promise is a vague, valueless, powerless thing, simply because God is not known. Hence it is that present things carry such weight and influence in man’s estimation. Anything that man can see he values, because he is governed by sight, and not by faith. To him the present is everything: the future is a mere uninfluential thing,- a matter of the merest uncertainty. Thus it was with Esau.

Hear his fallacious reasoning: “Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” Gen 25: 32. What strange reasoning!

The present is slipping from beneath my feet: I will therefore despise and entirely let go the future. Time is fading from my view, I will therefore abandon all interest in eternity!

“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Esau has given us all a wonderful lesson in “birthright”, keeping our faith and not going down the wide road toward the world. He has taught us that we should never compromise our values and stay on the narrow road of our Christian and moral principles. What we have from Christ is the most valuable possession we could have obtained.

I know Jesus; therefore, I have a magnificent birthright! Just like Esau had a birthright, I also have one and likely you have too. I have the love and grace of Jesus Christ inside of me. I will take care of my birthright! We are heirs of the covenant and like Esau and Jacob. Our birthright is covenant blessings, covenant fellowship with Christ and we are the future owners of the Promised Land. “The Mansion on the Hilltop”! We became “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ”

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:17.

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Gal 4: 6-7.

Satan will do all he can to wrestle it away from you and turn you from God. Gird your loins for the battle. It has only just begun. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” 2 Tim 1: 12-14. (Guard what was entrusted to you with the help of the Holy Spirit.)

We have an awesome privilege along with a frightening responsibility! As I said in the beginning, we need to be very careful not to do something foolish with our “birthright”.

The church, the people of God through the one-another’s and worship together will help us to keep our sacred possession.

God Bless and Keep you all. Amen.

“The Tubthumper”

Can you define the “Kingdom of God”?

Part 1 of 2 parts.

Recently I was asked to explain the “Kingdom of God” in a page or so of writing. Let me start by saying this subject is certain to illicit much more than a page of comment. This is a subject we all are concentrating on and is the very basis for why we are here and why we believe. I hope all of us are part of the “Kingdom of God”. I will purposefully try to keep this on the simple reasoning and avoid getting into eschatological reasoning.

Because I have been saved by grace for more than 40 years I have been referring to the Kingdom of God for almost as many. In the Old Testament God is the King of the Universe and He is referenced as the King of Israel in Exodus 19: 4-6 and Deuteronomy 33:4, 5. During that period his kingdom took on a present tense relationship with His people. After the birth of Jesus and the crowning of our human king the relationship became a future tense and no longer was a matter of the present. The future tense kingdom was described as “the supernatural, universal, everlasting reign of the God of heaven which will overthrow and replace the great world monarchies”.

The phrase, “the kingdom of God,” is found in all four of the Gospels. The phrase is also in found in Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy. The kingdom of heaven is used in Matthew and from what I know most biblical scholars agree that these phrases can be used synonymously. Heaven is looked at as God’s abode in the way we look at earth as our abode. We are all to aspire to join our king in his kingdom which is in heaven through discipleship.

“The primary imagery which biblical writers used for God was that of a divine King (e.g. 1 Sam 8:7). Alongside the basic conviction that God is the supreme King is the belief that he reigns over creation as his kingdom (Pss 47:1-9; 83:18; Dan 4:25-26; 5:21). In this general sense then, God has always been the sovereign reigning King who rules in heaven over all things (Pss 103:19; 113:5; Matt 5:34; Eph 1:20; Col 1:16; Heb 12:2; Rev 7:15).”

I found this to be descriptive as we work to unravel the mystery of the kingdom, “Our Lord repeatedly speaks of the kingdom as a state of things lying altogether above the sphere of earthly and natural life, being so different from the natural conditions that it could not be evolved from the latter by any gradual process (cf. Matt. 8:11, 13:43; Mark 14:25; Luke 13:20, 29, 22:16, 29, 30). According to Luke 17:20, He declared that the kingdom does not come with observation, but is among or within men. And Luke 16:16 makes the kingdom begin from the days of John the Baptist and immediately succeed the law and the prophets as the comprehensive name for the Old Testament dispensation. Both the present reality and the organic-spiritual character of the kingdom are most clearly taught in the great kingdom parables (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8).

If we are saved by the grace of God and while we are still alive and here on earth we can enjoy the kingdom of grace, (spiritually) however, it is after our physical death and the world death that we will enjoy the kingdom of glory. Here it is spelled out by another bible scholar, “The entire language which Jesus employs in regard to it presupposes that it will bring blessings transcending those of the present stage of the kingdom. All imperfections will be done away with, all enemies vanquished, the wheat and the tares will no longer be permitted to intermingle, the full satisfaction with righteousness and the beatific vision of God will be enjoyed. It is true, our Lord always emphasizes that the heart and essence of the kingdom may be possessed in the present life. But it is plain that He could not have spoken so absolutely of the eschatological crisis as the coming of the kingdom, had not the thought been in his mind that, after all, only the end of the world can bring the full and adequate possession of even those spiritual blessings in which the kernel of the kingdom consists.”

This concept of the “Kingdom of God” is clearly an important one. The Lord clearly made this a central theme of His teaching, therefore, we should conclude that he meant it to be observed as a profound significance.

Continued, Click here to go to Part 2

“The Tubthumper”

Can you define the “Kingdom of God”? Part 2

Defining the “Kingdom of God”…

Although I believe in the importance and relevancy of the kingdom, I can tell you there is no definition of the kingdom found in the Gospels. There are descriptions but no definitions. I found the reasoning for this in this passage, “Our Lord’s teaching is not clothed in the forms of an abstract presentation of truth. His method is not the philosophical one of framing conceptions, but the parabolic one of illustrating the realities of the spiritual world in their various manifestations and embodiments. Hence we never find Him defining, but always describing the kingdom. He handles it throughout as a complex reality of which now one side, then another, is turned toward His disciples that the light of revelation may be concentrated upon it. On the other hand, it is easy to perceive that in the midst of the multiformity of concrete statements resulting from this method, a certain order and system are not entirely lacking. Our Lord’s descriptions never lose themselves in the single details, nor do they indiscriminately throw together what is fundamental and what is secondary. Notwithstanding the great variety of illustration, there are certain aspects which constantly recur, which by the prominence they receive force us to recognize in them fundamental aspects of the kingdom, and which for this very reason may be expected to give us the answer to our question, why the complex organism to which they belong is called the kingdom of God.”

Take a look at the closing words of the Lord’s prayer:

“Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” The kingdom is totally centered in and around God Himself and His glory and the Lord indicates that it should be the objective for us to obtain. As a disciple we are to seek first the kingdom of the heavenly Father and His righteousness. We are to turn from the pagan frame of mind and not seek after the things of this world.

“One other thought brought out is that our Lord’s teaching shows us that the new order of things is called a kingdom because it is the sphere in which God manifests His supreme, royal power.”[1] The kingdom of God is a kingdom of conquest. The kingdom of Satan must be conquered and the kingdom of God must reign supreme. Involved in this battle between the kingdoms is the fact that humans as created by God have been given the ability to choose and often rebel and refuse to acknowledge God as King, and evil kingdoms rise up to oppose God’s Kingdom. The king is also the judge and so we as disciples must constantly strive after righteousness. This is confirmed by Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” What we see here is that the standard for which we strive is the righteousness of God himself. (Which of course we can never fully attain.) God alone reigns supreme in His own Holiness. Another reason for the naming of the kingdom of God is that all blessings come from the kingdom. The king bestows his blessing and gifts to all his subjects. All this thought and information around the designation of “The Kingdom of God” rests completely on the concept of the Devine rule exercised and carried out through the work of salvation.

“The hope that Scripture presents from cover to cover is that this disparity between the heavenly throne room and earth will be eliminated one day (1 Chr 16:31). God will judge the wicked and bring redeemed humanity into a new creation (Isa 65; Zech 14). When this transformation takes place, only God’s kingdom will stand and voluntary obedience to him will extend to the ends of the earth as it does in heaven (1 Chr 16:31; Ps 97:1-2). The New Testament teaches that this final worldwide stage of the kingdom of God began with the incarnation of Christ. He and John the Baptist announced the good news that the Kingdom was at hand (Matt 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). But contrary to common Jewish expectations, Jesus and his apostles explained that the worldwide reign of God on earth would not come immediately in all of its fullness. Instead, Christ inaugurated this final stage of the kingdom in his earthly ministry (Matt 2:2; 4:23; 9:35; 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 16:16; 23:3; John 18:37). It continues today in the church (Matt 24:14; Rom 14:16-17; 1 Cor 4:19-20; Col 4:11), but it will reach its ultimate end when Christ returns in glory (1 Cor 15:50-58; Rev 11:5). When that day finally comes, the will of God will be done throughout the earth just as it is done in heaven.”[2]

In conclusion it brings me to the thoughts of when I came into the kingdom. I was very young and didn’t know much as I sat during a fire and brimstone sermon one hot August night. I was made aware of this battle between the evil kingdom and the kingdom of God. I got the description that was necessary. I decided then and there I wanted to be in the kingdom of God. By my faith in Jesus Christ I am saved from the wrath of God and the gates of hell. I look forward to someday being able to clearly define the “Kingdom of God” and/or the “Kingdom of Heaven”.

God Bless you all and I hope to see you in the kingdom. The Kingdom of God,

“The Tubthumper”

[1] “The Kingdom of God”, The Bible Student 1:282-289, 328-335. [1900] taken from The American Journal of Biblical theology at www.biblicaltheology .com and page http://www.biblicaltheology.org/kg.pdf.

[2] WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? by Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. at http://www.thirdmill.org/newfiles/ric_pratt/TH.Pratt.kingdom.of.god.html

Kids in the Pulpit?

This post is a little lengthy but I think you will enjoy it and it might get you thinking.

Is it that I am getting older or maybe just now noticing? I see the pastors of all these churches across the nation and they are getting younger and younger. At least it seems that way to me. As I was growing up I was involved in church for as long as I can remember. Every Pastor I had was much older than I, although admittedly it’s getting tougher and tougher to accomplish each year. After all, I am growing a little long in the tooth.

I mention the pastors I had because I was always able to look up to them as examples. Not every pastor in my past was a good example but I can honestly say the majority were.

I know for myself I would find it hard to join a church where the leadership is too young. I have seen some churches where the ages of all elders added together nets out younger than me. The congregations must be comprised of mostly college students or young folks in the community. This makes me uncomfortable. Something is not resonating just right with this. I know there are exceptions to all general rules and I know the great Charles H. Spurgeon took the helm of the Park Street Pulpit at the age of 11. Sure, every once in a while, God creates a genius that can work for him. That isn’t me, and you can count them all on one hand.

The other thing I know is that young leaders are rough around the edges and need to get their wisdom through making mistakes as they grow. I watch out to see that those mistakes arent made on me.

So when I look for a church to join I look for a Pastor that can shepherd because he has been around the block. He has gotten past the point in his life where we all get the ‘sowing of the oats’ out of our system. He is settled and has his life fully under control. He is learned. I truly want someone I can respect, look up to and follow. A mentor, so to speak.

I noticed a church in Texas that was started just 5 years ago and is already approaching the very large attendance ranks and is doing multiple services per Sunday. Growing like crazy. Here is the Lead Pastor’s picture…

If you are anywhere at middle age or after this has got to look a little young to you. I checked out all the elders of the same church and all but one looks similar in age or younger. This church may be doing some great things for the work of the Lord but it would take some doing to get me to follow. Please don’t misunderstand me regarding the people involved. I respect this young pastor and I am sure he is a very sharp dude. I also do not question his calling. I just believe in an order (which I think God’s word backs up) and think one should look into associate pastor work or some type of mentor situation until the time is right. Don’t ask me what time is right though. I don’t have that answer.

A pastor is much the same as a Bishop and this is what God’s word says, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach”, I Timothy 3:2.

And then when I thought I had seen the youngest I would see in the pulpit I ran across the story of Ezekiel Stoddard. When Ezekiel Stoddard was ordained as a minister at the Fullness of Time Church in Capitol Heights, Maryland, it was a unique celebration — one that turned heads and raised questions. Why? Because Ezekiel is just 11 years old. According to “Good Morning America,” the son of two pastors decided to become a minister at this very young age when God spoke to him in a dream. Here is Ezekiel…

Now let’s see… What kind of teaching or counseling can Ezekiel do for a 60 year old that is struggling with things in his life? What can he do to help a couple that is having marital trouble? What can he do to teach a teenager that is a little older than he is about what it means to be a man? How can someone so young be the shepherd of a flock? Lastly, how can he espound on the scriptures with studied knowledge. This is all very uncomfortable to me.

We need to look at some more qualifications from the scriptures. See 1 Timothy 3: 1-13, “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus”.

We cannot go forward without also looking one more place. “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers”, Titus 1;5-9. I recommend the entire book of Titus for more requirements.

I know the bible is speaking toward spriritual age more than physical age. As to the title “elder”, I think age is definitely involved here, but I don’t know what age because that’s like asking “how high is up?” I do believe it doesn’t mean youth or young. I believe it speaks to mature. Those are the qualifications I have in mind for my pastor, elders, deacons or other lay leaders. Those are the qualifications under which I would evaluate myself for such positions.

I bring your attention now to an ancient document. (2nd-4th centuries).

The Apostolic Constitutions (or Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, lat. Constitutiones Apostolorum) is a Christian collection of eight treatises which belongs to the Church Orders. The work can be dated from 375 to 380 AD. The Apostolic Constitutions contain eight treatises on Early Christian discipline, worship, and doctrine, intended to serve as a manual of guidance for the clergy, and to some extent for the laity. It purports to be the work of the Twelve Apostles, whose instructions, whether given by them as individuals or as a body.

“…a pastor who is to be ordained a bishop for the churches in every parish, must be unblameable, unreprovable, free from all kinds of wickedness common among men, not under fifty years of age; for such a one is in good part past youthful disorders, and the slanders of the heathen, as well as the reproaches which are sometimes cast upon many persons by some false brethren…”

Wow! There it is… look at that…, “Not under 50 years of age”. I am just now getting old enough to be a pastor.

The Apostolic Constitutions of the fourth century give us many useful insights to pastoral leadership during that era of heretical combat and ecclesiastical “settling-in.” Bishops (“overseers”) were selected by city and region for the purpose of overseeing the work of all the churches, ministering to pastors, and helping with certain situations in individual churches. Though they could be younger than 50 years of age, the requirements were stricter for those who had not yet achieved that age and whose reputations were thus not as widely known. The bishop had to be the kind of person every pastor and every believer should be. Pastors today should aspire to the same lofty objective.

Pastors must have a system in place for advisors and confidants to help them to stay on course for holiness and a blameless walk with the Lord? To be accountable.

I guess I can’t close without offering up a picture of my pastor.

Now see…

Doesn’t that resonate with some more comfort than the two above?

So there you go. You know what I think. Where do you stand on this issue and why?

“The Tubthumper”

Yo, Christian, You’ve got a hit out on you!

I was out at a local eatery a few days ago when somehow our conversation turned to the Muslim Brotherhood, Muslims and Islam. My friend said, “Why do they come here, they don’t like anything about the US or us? My reply was quick and easy. “They are here because they are on a mission”. This mission they are on is not a secret. From as far back as I remember Muslims have always hated the Christians. It has always been death to the Christians. Turn to Islam or die.

When I hear of all that is going on around us regarding the Muslim Community it gets my guard up. My guard is up because I am a Christian and I know there is a hit out on me. There is also a hit out on you, if you love and worship Christ. (And you, and you, and you… all of us.) It doesn’t stop with us, all other religions are on their target too and most importantly the Jews. The goal for them is to have Islam be the only remaining people. I know it won’t happen. In the end they will get theirs. It’s only the interim I get concerned about.

There are a number of very prominent and well know ministers of the protestant faiths that are promoting an insane idea that you can integrate the Muslims into our worship services treating them with love. While I do subscribe to the bible’s teaching of love your neighbor I know what is dangerous and what isn’t. It is clearly dangerous stupidity to think that Muslims will be converted or will come to our way of thinking. If they accept an invitation in it will be for one reason only. Their goal would be to gain more ammunition and positioning to accomplish their mission. I was born with a lot of common sense too. And it aint rocket science here brother!

That brings me to one of the news items of our day.

Islam: Religion Of Peace Wants To Wipe Christianity From Face Of The Earth!

This very point was made publicly by a leading Muslim cleric recently. This piece of news clearly backs up what I have known all along. I hope all those Pastors and Preachers from the watered down Christianity of today are listening. Heads up boys! It’s war!

There is available a 23 page declaration recently produced by Sheik Farook Al-Mohammedi of the United Muslim Nations International. This booklet very clearly spells out their goal to Islamize western civilization and set up the Islamic Caliphate as the global religion and government. I think I should send one to each of the mega-church pastors I am thinking of now. Here you can see a small sample of what Sheik Farook Al-Mohammedi has published in this little gem of a booklet:

“Christianity should be destroyed and wiped from the face of the earth. It is an evil demonic and Anti-Christ system, all Christians are in complete Ignorance.”

“Islamic Power has returned upon the face of the earth and the Revived Global Caliphate has set eyes on the West to once and for all rid the world of Christianity and there is nothing you can do about it. I have pledged and made a firm promise to the Caliphate of the United Muslim Nations International organization that I will do my utmost to Islamize all of the West within a short period of time…”

“Firstly we will deal with the matter of the Global Islamic Civilization, its honored status, the unrivaled Universal Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Muslim Ummah. Islam the only true religion enjoins upon mankind Total Submission to the will of Allah, which means that you are to live a life that is Totally Devoted to the Almighty Allah by serving Him in the manner which He has prescribed for us through the example of the Holy Prophet Mohammed Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam…”

“Today as I breathe the air of our newly found Islamic State of America before my trip this week to Eurabia I leave behind me an Internationalist Islamic Ideology which will be the future of America and Europe Inshallah.”

“None will resist, you will submit! Islam will conquer the hearts of all christiandom, this is a definite reality. Every government has surrendered to the Revived Global Caliphate and those nations who resist will be placed under a police state within their realm.”

The Islamic community tries to paint a picture that it is a religion of peace. This is not true. They are only peaceful among their own. Take a look at the incident recently where a group of Muslims turned violent toward some Christian protestors. Islam is a religion of absolute power and domination. They worship Allah, a false prophet, according to the Holy Bible, which is my guide. I heard the other day that this false prophet was actually a black stone but I need to look more into that one.

The Islamic world once was in a distant land and only a few were around. This is no longer true. In fact, they are multiplying like rabbits. They have infiltrated out capital and our government by way of duping the weak minded and easily led politicians running our country now. The Muslims are right next door, they are your neighbors.

The migration of millions of Muslims into the West and the terrorists that came with them is one of the most serious threats we face today. Wake up Christian America, there is a hit out on you. And we didn’t go looking for trouble, but this trouble has come looking for us as they promised.

Eventually, Islam will be destroyed. The Bible prophesies that God will pour out judgment upon the Arab nations in the end times for their hostility towards the Jews and their attempt to claim the Jewish homeland as their own.

In almost every OT book, there’s End Time prophecy of some nations getting judged. They are always the same ones.. all of them Muslim. Here we have a sort example: Babylon (Iraq/Arabia) Isaiah 13, Assyria and Philistine Isaiah 14, Moab Isaiah 15, Damascus Isaiah 17, Cush (Somalia) Isaiah 18. Egypt Isaiah 19, Egypt and Cust Isaiah 20, Babylon Edom Isaiah 21 Tyre (Lebanon) Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 28-32 Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Turkey, Arabia, Iraq, Iran; Psalms 83: Edom (Jodan/Arabia) Moab (Jordan), Gebal (Lebanon), Tyre (Lebanon), Philistia, Ishmaelites Hagarites (Arabs) Assyria (Iraq, Syria), Amalek (Jordan); Ezekiel 38 Gog Magog (Turkey), Meshech (Turkey), Tubal (Turkey), Gomer (Turkey), Beth Togarmah (Turkey), Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan/Somalia), Put (Libya).

As I said, “In the end they are doomed”. There is no partiality with God. He chose the Jews not to be a repository of His blessings, but to be a vehicle through which He would bless all the nations of the world, including the Arabs. But, the fundamental requirement to receive God’s blessings for both, Jew and Arab as well as all people is to accept God’s gift of love in Jesus by receiving Him as Messiah.

The Tribulation will settle things folks. But what happens between now and then. How much must we endure? We need to take bakc our land. They will destroy us along their path if we let them. I mentioned in a previous post that it is time we as Christians need to stand up and fight for our Christian faith and come back to “In God We Trust”.

Get out this fall and vote for Christian leaders. Pray and vote your mind. Remember that God is still in control and is not finished. All the leaders placed in office are of His will or they are allowed by Him for His purpose.

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers”, John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Watch your back!
“The Tubthumper”

ObamaCare + Abortion = Repeal

ObamaCare + Abortion = Repeal

This coming Wednesday, July 11, the House of Representatives will be voting on a bill to repeal the recently enacted ObamaCare and turn back the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. The bill which is titled the Repeal of ObamaCare Act – repeals the entirety of President Obama’s massive pro-abortion tax hike on the American people.

We all need to write or call our representatives and let our voice be heard. I did that just a few minutes ago.

When the Supreme Court, or shall we say, “Chief Justice Roberts” upheld the ObamaCare or what I will prefer to call the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, it represents a massive pro-abortion tax increase on the American people. I can see why he is out of the country right now hiding on an island.

The act is known in Congress as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to me that is better than constantly tacking Obama on the name. (I have my own reasons.)

It violates our religious liberty and is bad policy for America. There is evidence that a majority of Americans believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should not be the law of the land. Write your congressman and legislature and urge them to vote on July 11th to repeal pro-abortion ObamaCare (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became the new health law of the land last week, it can still be repealed. To achieve that, it is up to us Americans to take action. The majority of Americans continue to oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and want its repeal. It is up to that majority to effectuate their will at the ballot box this November and to continue to apply political pressure to ensure that their elected officials do what they were elected to do: repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The justices actually rewrote the act in order to pass it. The majority’s rewriting of the individual mandate as a tax did not escape the attention of the four dissenting Justices. Those four Justices had determined that the entire Act should be invalidated. They correctly explained that “to say that the Individual Mandate merely imposes a tax is not to interpret the statute but to rewrite it, they decided to save a statute Congress did not write.” By upholding the Affordable Care Act the majority has allowed one of the biggest tax increases in American history to stand. The Act includes twenty new or higher taxes on families and small businesses. This tax increase will take place despite the fact that President Obama pledged that he would not raise taxes on any American making less than $250,000, which is most Americans, and assured Americans that the individual mandate was not a tax.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act increases taxpayer funding for abortion, violates religious liberty with an abortion-pill mandate, and imposes an abortion surcharge on insurance plans.

While President Obama promised that nothing in the law would fund elective abortion, the law expands the role of the Federal Government in funding and facilitating abortion and plans that cover abortion. The law appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion, and it provides Federal subsidies for health plans covering elective abortions. Moreover, the law effectively forces millions of individuals to personally pay a separate abortion premium in violation of their sincerely held religious, ethical, or moral beliefs.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, violates our religious liberty, forcing employers and insurance companies to cover abortion-pills against their religious beliefs.

Please write to your legislature and get as many people as you can to watch this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs&noredirect=1

The Act is rife with problems and impossibilities which would eventually lead us to the same socialized health care as in Europe which would be disastrous to the United States.

We must repeal this Act before it’s too late!

“The Tubthumper”

Man Jailed for holding Bible Studies, Part 2

As you can see this bothered me…

You can see his sign and the cross clearly…

Mr. Salman should be responding to the civil charges with submission and moving to file the proper forms and doing what is necessary to comply with the zoning laws. He should also be holding prayer meetings to pray for the officials in Phoenix. The Christian’s responsibility does not end with mere obedience to government authority. Paul actually tells us to pray for those in authority—and includes a specific reason. He states, “I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (I Tim. 2:1-2).

The bible is very clear on this issue. The apostles were beaten many times for obeying God before the civil law. But they accepted the civil law, took the punishment. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore and went back to God’s work with respect for the rulers.

Look what it says in God’s word. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”, Romans 13:1-7

There is a lot there to be considering when you decide to go against the government that God has placed or allowed to rule. The scriptures leave no question that all people (“every soul”)—including Christians—are subject to the “higher powers,” because they are “ordained of God.” To resist them, God says, is to “resist…God.” This is pretty serious isn’t it? It looks to me like this man in Phoenix could be resisting God! At the very least he is rebellious and not showing himself separate from the world as a member of God’s Kingdom.

When Christ was on trial for His life before Pontius Pilate, He clarified the real source of Pilate’s authority over the outcome of the trial. Notice: “Then said Pilate unto Him, Speak You not unto me? Know You not that I have power to crucify You, and have power to release You? Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against Me, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered Me unto you has the greater sin” (John 19:10-11).

Men or women seem to come into power in lots of different ways, including nepotism, bribery, revolution, deceit, or possibly murder. If they have obtained the office then God has allowed them to hold the power for His will and His overall plan for the universe. His plan includes you and me.

The bible say’s more as to how we are to treat them. “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. Titus 3:1-2. Peter also gave important instruction about what God expects of Christians in their responsibility toward civil governments. He wrote, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with welldoing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (I Pet. 2:13-15, 17).

So there we have it! “Submit yourselves”—this is what we should do. This is what the preacher in Arizona should do. The term, “for the Lord’s sake,” clarifies that it is God who wishes us to submit to “every ordinance” of men’s governments. Therefore Mr. Salman should submit to the government and be a good Christian in order to let his light shine.

We all need to submit ourselves to all of the ordinances of men as though we were directly obeying God Himself—because that is exactly what we are doing when we obey men’s laws. We should not be breaking men’s laws and then trying to assert that you are in some way actually serving God and are discriminated against.

Also, when courts make final rulings, on any matter, they are to be obeyed. To defy them is sin—and either a civil or criminal offense! No one should ever let their mind or emotions fool you into endless excuses for why it is not really wrong!

Ok, unless I find out something different regarding this issue, you know where I stand.

“The Tubthumper”

Man Jailed for holding Bible Studies, right or wrong?

This is all over the news lately.

Father of six faces 60 days behind bars for hosting Bible study in his OWN home against city rules.

If you have been following my blog you know I am a professed Christian. Just for the record right up front, I think this preacher is wrong. He is seriously wrong. While the entire world is increasing in acts of rebellion and anger at authority I believe a man of God should be setting an example for the world. Romans 13 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God.”

I especially believe one who claims to be a preacher which comes with a high level responsibility outlined by the Lord should be submitting to authority and showing the world how a Christian lives differently.

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of man; and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”, Benjamin Franklin.

To all my fellow Christians, be careful, the world is watching us.

Read the news release and then I will continue:

A Phoenix man who held weekly Bible studies at his home has had the book thrown at him over the religious gatherings. Michael Salman (pictured at right) has been sentenced to two months in jail and more than $12,000 in fines because the group sessions at his home were against the city’s building code, Fox News Radio reported.

“They’re cracking down on religious activities and religious use,” Salman told Fox News Radio. “They’re attacking what I as a Christian do in the privacy of my home.”

Vicki Hill, Phoenix’s chief assistant city prosecutor, said religious freedom had nothing to do with it and that it was a matter of public safety.

“Any time you are holding a gathering of people continuously, as he does – we have concerns about people being able to exit the facility properly in case there is a fire,” Hill told Fox News Radio. “It came down to zoning and proper permitting.”

Since 2007, The Salman family has fought to say the building in their backyard is for private worship, but Phoenix officials say its run as a church, and not up to code.

The battle between Salman and the city of Phoenix is a longstanding feud. Hill said that Salman’s neighbors complained of the gatherings back in 2007 because they were causing too much traffic congestion. Originally, about 15 people would attend the Bible studies, Fox News Radio reported.

But that number began to grow, and that’s when Phoenix officials sent Salman a letter saying that his living room gatherings were in violation of the city’s building codes.

When he didn’t stop hosting the groups, the Phoenix Fire Department broke up a Good Friday gathering Salman was hosting at his home in 2008 in which there were as many as 20 people in the backyard.

Salman then decided to construct a 2,000-square-foot building in his backyard and move the gatherings there. He said that he applied for and was granted the appropriate permits for the building. Hill, however, said that the permits Salman received were for converting his garage into a game room.

Finally, in 2009, a dozen cops raided Salman’s home and charged him with 67 code violations for hosting the gatherings. Since then, the courts have sided with the city, saying that Salman was using the building as a church and, therefore, was subject to city zoning laws. “He built a structure that he said wasn’t a church that is, in fact, a church,” Hill told Fox News Radio.

“The state is not saying that the Salmans can’t run a church or have worship services at the location,” read a Jan. 4, 2010, Arizona court ruling. “But the state is saying that if they do so, they must do it properly and in accord with fire and zoning laws.”

Salman doesn’t buy the court’s argument and has claimed that Phoenix officials are discriminating against him for his religious beliefs.

“If I had people coming to my home on a regular basis for poker night or Monday Night Football, it would be permitted,” he told Fox News Radio. “But when someone says to us we are not allowed to gather because of religious purposes – that is when you have discrimination.

Salman’s attorney is appealing the ruling and Salman’s sentencing, but unless a federal court intervenes, Salman will begin serving his sentence on July 9. End of news release.

Ok, so this man and his followers have garnered the attention of the entire United States. I wonder if he is proud of the scene he is making. The officials said publicly they didn’t care if Mr. Salman ran a church there as long he goes through the proper channels.

Christ said that Christians are to be the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13-16). They are always to shine as outstanding examples to the world. This includes a humble willingness to cheerfully obey all civil governments under which they find themselves. I have reviewed enough of this case to know that this preacher is holding regular and consistent meetings to preach and study the word of God and to fellowship together. (Sounds like a church) I reviewed photos of his property and there is a cross in front marking the property clearly for all to see and there is a pulpit in the meeting room. (Looks like a church) I usually say if it looks like duck, walks like duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. I have no idea why this man is rebelling against the city ordinances and crying discrimination but it looks to me as though he is wrong. Besides, didn’t anyone tell him that once you become a child of God the persecution would begin?

Continued… Click here to read part 2.

“The Tubthumper”

Meaning of Man, Part 3

part 3 of 3. Final post in this series.

Mature Male: The next Hebrew term on our list is one that separates the men from the boys. Here we see the male that rules over his own spirit. The Hebrew word ‘ish is reflecting a man as the ruler of his own soul. He is living independent of the outside influences of his surroundings. This is the guy who is his own man. This guy knows exactly who he really is and what he is all about. This guy stands alone but in essence is not alone. Now men, understand this, a man cannot become the ruler of his own soul until he has experienced some wounding. It is the wounded man that can begin to rule with some acquired wisdom and not reach to the voices enticing him to do something contrary. The phallic male and the warrior are prone to error but the mature male due to a process of wounding has a new perspective on life. The mature male begins to listen to God and hear Him more clearly. The mature male can also lean more on his internal values and his conscience. This man has no more fear of going against the grain to do what he wants to do and what he thinks God wants him to do. He is becoming more integrated with his core values. Guys, this is a very important part of our male experience. Some males get here and some males do not. For the guys that don’t make it here life is stagnant and souls are dead. Life only gets more exciting for the males that move into the “mature male” season. This will lead to your greatest achievements and contributions to society.

Sage Male: This is the last stop on the journey where we look at the Hebrew word for elder. The word is zaken and is the word in the Proverbs used earlier. The word means, “gray headed” but its usage will normally reflect the wise mentor or sage. This man is connected totally to life and making his finest contributions to his community. This is a man that is imparting his wisdom to the younger men. To sit in a circle of sages should be the lifelong endeavor of the young men. It is unfortunate that our society has reduced the sages of today to old men in hiding because they have been scorned or miss treated. The image of the elderly male today is the guy sitting in the nursing home waiting to die. The gray hair is not for covering up with Grecian Formula and should be worn in honor by all men. It is an important part of the journey. It is the final destination! It’s where we complete our trip and it’s where the celebration should begin.

Many men live in several of these positions at the same time. It is almost impossible to be a sage without experiencing war and some wounds. Wisdom is always the byproduct of experiencing life and as a general rule that experience that builds wisdom is usually negative.

We will always remain somewhat creational. That is what we feel as our bodies begin to age and the aches and pains come along with deterioration. The phallus does not go away with age, use, or non-use. I am in my late 50’s and I can tell you with all certainty that I am still very phallic. Not like I was at 20 but still very phallic. I still dream like a warrior at times and yes I have been wounded. I have been wounded a lot. I have been wounded by churches and my most trusted friends. I have been wounded by broken promises and by institutions along the road of life. I hope my wisdom has increased because of it all.

This has been an overview of what I learned from Dr. Hick’s book. I hope doing this blog entry helps more men understand their feelings and where they are in life’s journey across the landscape and why. I hope my fellow men realize that wounding is a normal process of manhood and will help us to gain wisdom. This is the last post of this introductory series on this topic. I desire going into more detail on each of these six stops on the road to manhood. It is likely I will do a series of posts on each one. Look down the road for the first set which will be on “The Creational Male”.

For now, carry on men… The Creational Male is actually The Noble Savage and is ready. You can link to it by clicking here. Go to The Noble Savage. Stage one.

God bless you all,

“The Tubthumper”

Meaning of Man, Part 2

Part 2 of 3 posts.

Ok men, here we go on the journey overview. We will look at six stages and will begin with ‘adam.

Creational Male: The very first experience a man has is the only one that we share with females. The foundational Hebrew word for man is ‘adam, which can refer to either male or female. It reflects a generic idea of mankind. For us men it tells us we are first and foremost (creational) beings. We ultimately reflect our Creator. We are flesh and blood, good ole red-blooded male material beings who someday will return to what we are, which is materially dust. Because we are creational we have capabilities that are divine and honorable. We also came with a caveat, in that we are also capable of using the talents we were created with for evil purposes and no good. We can never forget who and what we are as men. We are beings that are capable of fantastic and glorious benevolence and at the same time we are beings capable of horrible and destructive evil. We are capable of being rotten to the core and some, as you are aware, become evil beings.

Phallic Male: The second Hebrew word describes maleness in a basic and fundamental anatomical way. The Hebrew word zakar is the word for “male” in the phrase “God created man ‘adam, male zakar and female”, Genesis 1:27. If you check the Hebrew lexicons you will see they list the root of this term as “the male protrusion or male phallus”. According to Dr. Hicks, “This word reflects the phallic male in his most distinct sexual aspect”. We at our most primal level are sexual beings. The Bible is clear on this and does not pretend we are anything other than stated. To be a male means you are a phallic kind of guy and you do not have a need to apologize for being that way. You should never, ever allow it to be denigrated by women or by some crazy or crass individuals calling themselves men.

Warrior Male: I guess it is fact that there is a lack of true warriors in our society today. The Hebrew word gibbor describes a male in his warring strength. We know how it is right? We war often to be the best, the biggest, the toughest, richest, smartest, etc, etc… We kill our competition. We do away with any opposing viewpoints. We kill our declared enemies, and sometimes we end up killing our own marriages and families in the wake of things. This warrior and competitive warring is all part of being a normal man, however, the warrior has been de-valued in our contemporary society. Because of the feminine influence and the sissification of men the warrior has become a nasty killer that is violent, stupid, careless and abusive. Warriors are important to any society when they are fighting for the right things. A nation without its warriors will be in very serious trouble when a situation arises that calls for war. Strength, power, combativeness and competition are true masculine traits and unless we rediscover them and value them will lead our society into serious trouble. There is another reality to a warrior. The reality of combat is serious as warriors do get wounded and many die young.

Wounded Male: The next Hebrew word describes man in his weakness and frailty. The fourth Hebrew word for man is enosh, the wounded warrior or the wounded male. The contemporary male has been wounded by many things. Our fellow men have been wounded by abusive fathers, absent fathers, domineering mothers, bad teachers and poor educational systems, toxic business takeovers, layoffs, failures, success, alcoholism, divorce, poverty and even wealth. Men in our society are wounded and bleeding and are in need and don’t even know it. Sometimes the wounded male recovers and sometimes they never do. They become lost in the black hole of woundedness along the journey. Men can remain wounded for the rest of life pretty easily. Woundedness is a very important part of the normal male experience. Wounds are predictable but very few men are prepared to deal with them. The wounds are survivable and survivors can move along to some other gratifying male experiences. Before you think I am portraying men as victims I want to point out that most men are to blame for a good percentage of our wounds. We give up our place at times and we make mistakes. All is not our fault as noted above but some is. No matter what though, we need to man-up and get through it.

Ok men… we have reviewed the first 4 stages of the masculine journey. Now come with me and let’s take a look at the last 2 stages.

Click here to go to part 3

“The Tubthumper”

Meaning of Man, Part 1

Part 1 of a series of 3 posts.

This series of posts will be an overview of the six stages of masculinity from “The Masculine Journey”.

What does it mean to be a man? What is manliness or masculinity? Both men and women want to know the answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a man?” Does anyone have a clue? I suppose most men would hesitate before throwing out an answer and would have a fear of getting swallowed by feminist equalitarianism when answering that question.

You men that have reached the mature or sage stage of your life might want to pass some of these posts on to your young men in the creational or phallic stages to help them to not get lost or stuck along the way to where you are. Oh, now you ask what is a “creational stage and what is a phallic stage”? Stay with me on these posts and learn. For you men that are looking for what has been lost I hope it shows up here.

The model that Jesus gives us in the gospel should provide a good visual image for man. You must, however, study His life without any of the modern interpretations or miss-representations that I see so often. You must read the word for what it is and let it speak for itself. Jesus modeled both strength and sensitivity which change as men grow older. Manhood will look differently as you move through your adult life cycle.

Remember men that your life is a journey and on any journey the landscape changes as you travel. Some of you might say, “c’mon man”, there is nothing that is normal anymore when it comes to the subject of gender”. To a certain extent I am inclined to agree with you if we’re only talking about our warped cultural and social mindset these days. Make note, however, there are very critical differences between male and female in just about every area we can think of. Because a high percentage of males born today do not have the presence of a father and we have a dominant force of feminine expectations about men, it is not “politically correct” or “socially correct” to be talking about “the normal male”.

As you men travel your journey you will leave and arrive at a new place at times. You need to be aware when this happens that you will have a separation from the past, with an introduction to the new place and this will cause you some confusion to work through.

I don’t know that I will address marriage much here but when a man gets married he throws himself right smack dab in the middle of chaos and change. I remember when I got married. I did not give a second thought to the adjustment and change that would be required. If all men would get in touch with the adjustment needed most would wait and some might be scared out of it. Maybe, I say maybe, because I was young, blinded and just married her. I was heavily bound in the phallic stage which will be explained later. Now if you were to combine another event to cause adjustment such as a young man losing his job in the first year of marriage the adjustment, chaos, confusion and transition is longer and harder. When those kinds of things happen it will feel like your lesson is inappropriate for the season of life you are in and much too harsh. These experiences are actually normal. Don’t let anyone tell you they are not. These are rich experiences that will cause you to learn more about yourself and your manhood than any book or lecture could provide. Survive them and move to the next stop on your journey.

“The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head”, Proverbs 20:29. In other words, “young men are defined by their warrior strength and old men are defined by their wisdom” says Dr. Hicks.[1] What a man is greatly depends on what season in life he is in. These different seasons of life also provide different spiritual challenges and issues relating to faith. Children need to know that sins are forgiven; younger men need to overcome the tendency to do evil; and older men need to hang in there and value the spiritual persistence. As it is written, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one”,1 John 2:12-14.

In Dr. Hick’s writings he plotted out six Hebrew words that represent the male journey.

Follow along with me in part 2 as I provide a quick overview of each stage of the masculine journey by working through the meaning of these six Hebrew words from Scripture.

Click here to go to Part 2

“The Tubthumper”

[1] The Masculine Journey, understanding the six stages of manhood, by Robert Hicks, page 23.

The Masculine Experience

Many years ago I read a book that I enjoyed. Back then it was far less apropos than it is now. It went into defining manhood and the many stages of getting there. I am lead to reflect on that book for a few posts and share some of the things I enjoyed. We will also consult the main instruction manual which is God and His word.

All men start life at the same place when exiting the womb but where we end up is all up to each of us.

So what defines manhood? Is it possible to define? Can we all come to an understanding of what it means to be male? Is it possible? Yes, it is. We have many, many years of research into men’s issues to look at and the Scriptures contain a wealth of information and God’s design for us as men. The instruction book is available. We just need to read. The best thing a Christian man can do is read God’s word. I have found that whatever issue major issue we have the answer is in there.

We know that life is not static and the author of the book addressed that as the basis for his writing. By the way, the name of the book is “The Masculine Journey” by Robert Hicks. Mr. Hicks wrote about how as we grow and move through life our journey has a changing landscape. If you are a man in your twenties you will be much different than a man in his forties. If we observe well we can see the difference in each stage and based on the research from the past along with God’s word we can know what is appropriate during each stage we enter. I believe it is important to understand what stage we are in and the appropriate way we are to live and that’s why I am pondering all those things I learned man years ago. The one thing that really stayed with me is the learning that some men get stuck in one stage and never get out or advance to the next stage. You all know what I am talking about. Have you ever seen a 60 year old guy that still acts and thinks like he is 20? (Or how about 16?) When a man gets stuck in one stage of his life and does not mature and move on with some wisdom he becomes unable to deal with the realities of life. These are the guys that become a sad excuse for men. Over the years I have been able to pinpoint what stage men are in that live around me. I have also been able to pinpoint what stage I am in. Because of the many years that have passed since I learned this material I have been able to see myself change from one stage to the next and know where I am in this journey.

So what are the stages we are referring to? There are six. The first stage we enter is the “The Creational Male”. We were all created by God for a purpose and when we were born we each were given unique abilities and characteristics to lead is along the way and help us develop to our greatest potential as men.

Stage two you men can relate with easily. This is where we become or for some reading this became “The Phallic Male”. In a previous post I mentioned how society and our culture here in the U.S. have handled male sexuality. I believe I referred to it as the “sissification” of men. Our culture can deny, denigrate and pervert male sexuality all they want but listen up. We as males remain sexual beings from our most primary level. God designed it that way. Sometimes I think God had an interesting sense of humor. If you read your Bible you will learn that God doesn’t expect us to be any other way. Even though we go through this stage and it is designed by God there is a critical message for you. We are not to fixate on this phallic thing! We are to learn how to channel our sexual energy constructively. That in itself is an interesting subject. I once read about how to do that in the business world with a process called sexual mutation. I cannot get into that now though. So have you ever known a man that got stuck in the “Phallic Stage”? I have known many. I have known enough to draw my own conclusion that leads me to think this is the stage most dangerous for men to get stuck in.

Stage three, if you can move beyond the phallic stage is “The Warrior”. This is where we channel our strength, our fighting spirit, our natural competiveness (that God instills) where needed during our continual development as men. Once again this fighting spirit is not always directed and exercised appropriately.

Now on to stage four which really works some deep inner development and is called “The Wounded Male”. When we pass through the warrior stage getting wounded is all part of the process. There consequences and casualties when in war. It is from this wounding that we learn to understand the needs of others around us. I guess I could call it my school of hard knocks.

Stage five brings me to my fellow men that are not afraid to go against the grain to do what is right. This stage is called “The Mature Male”. A mature man is very purposeful. He possesses a high regard for the dignity of other human beings and the mature man has balance in his life and an understanding of the truth. This man is not afraid to go against the grain to pursue what is right. The mature man’s life is an exciting time of growth that gets more enjoyable as each day passes. If you get stuck, or have gotten stuck in a previous stage and have not reached this stage at the appropriate time in your life then you are stagnate and certainly not handling the realities of life well.

The last stage in our life as a male is “The Sage”. In this last stage we become wise and mature. This is where the real men make the finest contributions to our family, to our church and community. We will as the complete man be in command of our soul with the help of the Lord. We have arrived.

Can you see yourself in any of these stages? Can you identify?

I want to explore this much further and much deeper in future posts. It may develop into several different series. I’ll see how it goes.

I hope I have peaked your interest. Watch for more on the journey.

“The Tubthumper”

Freedom or slavery; citizens or subjects?

Part of celebrating Independence Day is remembering why our forefathers fought and what they accomplished. Thanks to them, we live in the greatest country in the world.

Two hundred thirty-six years ago this Fourth of July, 57 men signed the document that created the American republic. They represented a people of about 3 million grouped in a series of 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard of the United States. They were all sought by the commander of the British forces in North America for sedition and treason. It was a group of wanted men. The commander had behind him the resources of the greatest military power on earth. The wanted men had behind them the beginnings of a government from scratch, they had no army to speak of, but they had something mighty in the way of a dream for freedom and independence.

There was no way for them to know they were beginning the greatest constitutional republic in history. The republic they began has influence around the world like none other. The constitution this republic designed provides freedom to its citizens like nothing created before and for all those years has continued to do so. There is nothing that has ever matched it and nothing ever will.

What is common among us now is a denial of what made our country the great rock that it is. Our current President has been since he was elected in denial of the Constitution of the United States and has stuck to his assertion that the US Constitution is open to change. He says, “It allowed for protests, movements, and the assimilation of new ideas that would repeatedly, decade after decade, change the world—a constant forward movement that continues to this day.” He believes there is neither form nor firmness in the constitution. He believes all is fluid. Our current standing President takes the position that this liberates us to do whatever we will. He has deliberately broken the constitution many times and our great country is guilty of “willful blindness”.

We as a country have slid a long way down the greased slide toward hell. We have allowed some to erase the major advancement we have enjoyed in the past. Our current government, under our current leadership is growing so fast and furious that we are almost to the point where our government will have more resources than those it governs. Once it reaches that point it may well never be possible to reverse it. It will also be a defeat of democracy, freedom and independence.

Please look at your rights. When they are denied to you, and if the United States continues on its current path, they will and you will feel the oppression quickly. The original principles of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution put every man and woman that has been deprived of their rights in the same place as the Founders on July 4, 1776. Please, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are precious and need to be protected. They are the principles of the United States. Much blood was spilled to obtain them. They are now in jeopardy.

Pray for the healing of our land. Pray for the leadership of our country. Take a stand for what you believe. Be active by voting and supporting the ideals of your choice. I hope freedom is your choice. It is mine. Never in our nation’s rich history have we seen a President who so completely and blatantly disregards our constitution and the laws set in place. If this recklessness is allowed to continue, we will fundamentally lose our nation. Our rights as individuals will be overwhelmed by statism — with every last action being dictated by federal mandates and taxes. And our states will simply become part of federal authority to carry out its desires.

We have an election in just four months. It’s time WE THE PEOPLE take a stand! If we sit by silently in the face of this latest direct assault on the rights of the people we will lose all we have and end up with a “Soviet” style government with unlimited power to take away our rights.

Please pray for our nation. Pray that we get back to what began this great land. It began with a desire to have religious freedom and to worship God our own way. It is very unfortuneate for us that mainstream America has forgotten about God. Yes, we as a nation have forgotten God. Paul tells us in Romans 13:1, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Please wake up and remember God.

Here is a prayer done in the senate on the 4th of July 1861. I truly wish we could have a prayer like this today. Review it and ponder just awhile on how far we have fallen away from God.

The following prayer was offered by Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D. on July 4, 1861 before the opening session of the U.S. Senate. Almighty and everlasting God, be not angry with us for our sins, which we only confess and deplore; but pardon our offenses and extend to us Thy favor. We thank Thee for Thy goodness on this anniversary of the nation a day tenfold more precious by reason of our present troubles, and sacred to the heart for the ever memorable Declaration of our fathers, in which Thou didst begin more openly to give us a name among the nations of the earth. We thank Thee for all Thy manifold and abundant mercies hitherto to make our nation exceedingly great and glorious; but now disasters have befallen us and darkness broods in the land. And now we ask Thy mercy as the Senate is convening at a most momentous crisis of our history. Give to Thy servants all needed help. Add to their deliberations wisdom and unanimity, and profit and speed to their conclusion. Bless Thy servant, the President of the United States, our veteran Commander-in-Chief, and all that have functions in the civil and military power. May the angel of Thy presence walk in the Cabinet and in the Congress and in the camp, to go before, to purify, and to direct the now greatly and universally-awakened love of country. And we beseech Thee to guide us, to overrule and order all things, and so to cause that nothing shall fail, that the disorders of the land may be speedily healed, that peace and concord may prevail, that truth and righteousness may be established, and that Thy Church and Kingdom may flourish in a larger peace and prosperity, for Thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. (Source: Congressional Globe, 37th Congress, first session, new series, 1, 4 July 1861.) (Contributor: American.edu)

Do you see what I mean?

I have placed three good websites below should you want to educate yourself on our history.

1) http://www.ouramericanrevolution.org/

2) http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html

3) http://constitutionus.com/

Heal Our Land, O God.

“The Tubthumper”

Remembering His Saints

In October of this year Auriesville will be a very busy place when just within walking distance my neighbors at The Auriesville Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, which is a National Roman Catholic shrine right here in Auriesville, New York will host a major event for Catholics. We should be preparing for Roman Catholics to arrive from all around the world for an event that does not happen very often. They will be canonizing Kateri Tekakwitha as a saint.

To canonize a saint is (as I understand it) to declare (a deceased person) to be a saint and entitled to be fully honored as such. The term “saint” is often used to describe a person of exceptional holiness, formally recognized by the Christian Church, especially by canonization. Canonization is a solemn declaration by the pope in which a deceased member of the faithful is proposed as a model and intercessor to the Christian faithful and venerated as a saint on the basis of having lived a life of heroic virtue or having remained faithful to God through martyrdom.

The photo to the left is the only known portrait from the life of Catherine Tekakwitha, circa 1690 by Father Chauchetière. Sometime during the year 1656 she was born within the Ossernenon, Iroquois Confederacy (New France until 1763, modern Auriesville, New York).

Kateri Tekakwitha (pronounced [ˈgaderi degaˈgwita] in Mohawk), originally known as Catherine Tekakwitha informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680) was an Algonquin and Iroquois Native American religious lay woman from New France and an early convert to Roman Catholicism. Consequently, she was shunned and exiled by her tribe. She died at the age of 24 after professing her vows of virginity. Known for her chastity and corporal mortification of the flesh, she is the first Native American woman to be venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. Tekakwitha was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1980. On February 18, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced at Saint Peter’s Basilica that Tekakwitha will be canonized on October 21, 2012 So that is what is happening regarding “saints” in our local Roman Catholic activities. I wonder if they will allow a “Tubthumper” to attend.

In the Bible, the word “saints” refers to holy people — holy, however, not primarily in the moral sense, but in the sense of being specially marked out as God’s people.

Many of the letters of the apostle Paul (see Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians) begin with a greeting that includes the word “saints” such as, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia.” In such statements, Paul includes all believers in Christ. The saints are God’s possession (Acts 9.13) and God’s beloved (Romans 1.7). They are saints because God has called them: they owe their status to no one but God.

It is in and through Jesus Christ that God has “sanctified” them (1 Corinthians 6.11), or “made them holy,” or “made them saints” (Ephesians 1.1; Philippians 4.21).

Saints are characterized by faithfulness to their Lord (Ephesians 1.1; Colossians 1.2); they are called to endurance in their faith (Revelation 13.10; 14.12). To them has been revealed the mystery of the Gospel of Christ (Colossians 1:26). They are called to conform their lives to God’s holy character; i.e., to live a life that is consistent with their status as saints (Ephesians 5.3). God ministers to the saints (Romans 8.27) and intends that they minister to one another’s needs (Romans 12.13; 2 Corinthians 8.4 and 9.1; Ephesians 1.15, 4.12 and 6.18; Colossians 1.4; 1 Timothy 5.10). The saints will receive a glorious inheritance at Christ’s return (Ephesians 1.18; Colossians 1.12; 1 Thessalonians 3.13; 2 Thessalonians 1.10).

All believers are saints because of the sanctifying work of Jesus Christ. Usually in the New Testament “saints” refers to the corporate church. While the term “saints” designates the Christians living in a certain city or town (as addressed in the greeting of Paul’s letters), most often the term designates all Christians in the entire world (Romans 8.27; 1 Corinthians 6.2, 14.33; Ephesians 1.15, 18).

In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ (i.e., a professing Christian) is a ‘saint’ because of their relationship with Christ Jesus.

Within some Protestant traditions, “saint” is also used to refer to any born-again Christian. It is this definition that I prefer and do consider myself a “saint” do to the fact that I am a “born again” Christian. Just call me “Saint Tubthumper” or “Saint Frank”.

Many emphasize the traditional New Testament meaning of the word, preferring to write “saint” to refer to any believer, in continuity with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.

All that rhetoric above simply leads me to my point on this post. I was finishing up my reading at the end of the Old Testament earlier today in the book of Malachi and I noticed a verse that was profound.

The love of God is being shown through His remembering His own saints: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Malachi 3:16-17).

Wow! A book of remembrance, it is that point that caused my eyebrows to rise. A book of remembrance was written. “This book of remembrance can be looked at as the most glorious record ever kept. God is keeping a “divine diary” that contains all those words of affection to the lord spoken by believers.

What about “when I make up my jewels”? What do you think of that? The Hebrew translation for “jewels” is sebullah, and it means “special, peculiar treasure.”

Isn’t it fantastic to know that God “remembers” His people, His saints, His jewels and all the words of affection we utter? Praise His Holy name!

SING PRAISE TO GOD WHO REIGNS ABOVE!

Let all who name Christ’s holy name give God all praise and glory;

Let all who own His power, proclaim aloud the wondrous story!

Cast each false idol from its throne, for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:

To God all praise and glory.

“Saint Tubthumper”

Hell, you don’t have to go there!

Part 3 of 3 part series:

God is real. His word is real. His love is real. His working in the world is real. He is real. God is near to any who would have Him. Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

He wants to offer you a relationship not possible with any person. Only God! No one else can offer you forgiveness of sins and eternal life. No one else can offer you a personal relationship with the divine Creator; only the Creator can do that. No one else can offer to touch you at the deepest level of your being and bring healing from heartache and despair. No one else can offer you the unconditional love we all crave. Reach out. He’s waiting for you.

I want to invite you to make Christ your Lord and Savior by repenting of your sins and calling on Him for forgiveness and eternal life, believing that He died for you and rose from the grave. The Bible says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. That is very good news. Act on the words of God, will you?

The path to Heaven

1. God loves you and wants a personal relationship with you.

God has a wonderful plan for your life now and forever. The central theme of the Bible is God’s love for you and all people. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

God’s plan: Jesus said, ” The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10; 17:3).

2. We are all sinful and separated from God.

Because of sin we cannot know God personally or experience His love and plan for our lives. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”, (Romans 3:23). Man (Adam) was created to have a relationship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

We are all separated from God because of sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). Heaven and Hell are real destinations and the ultimate choice is ours. There is a hell…but the good news is we don’t have to go there!

The diagram above illustrates that God is Holy and we are sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows show that man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as living a good life, doing good deeds, following philosophies, religions, cults etc. The next point explains the only way to bridge this gulf.

3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin.

Through Jesus Christ alone we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. “, (Romans 5:8).

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep” (I Corinthians 15:3-6).

Jesus Christ is the only way to God. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know the above information. The next point is the most important.

4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

We must receive Jesus Christ by faith (i.e. by trusting or believing) so we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We experience a new spiritual birth when we receive Jesus Christ. “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:1-8).

We can receive Jesus Christ by personal invitation. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Jesus Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Jesus to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of people He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We must receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of will.

The two circles below represent two kinds of lives, the self-directed life and the Christ-directed life:

Which circle best represents your life? Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

5. How you can receive Jesus Christ right now by prayer and faith:

Prayer is talking with God. God knows your heart and is not concerned with your words. He is looking at the attitude of your heart.

The following is a suggested prayer. It is only an example for you. Dear God/Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned. I believe You sent Jesus Christ to save me. I believe Jesus was crucified on the cross, he was buried, raised from the dead, and He ascended into heaven and sat down at Your right hand. I thank You Jesus for taking away my sins forever. I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I am now born again and will have eternal life. Take control of my life and make me the person You want me to be. Thank You God, for forgiving me and giving me everlasting life. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray one like it right now. It need not be the same and should be your own words. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10:9). If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrong doing (1 John 1:9). Jesus said, ” I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

6. How you can grow as a new member of God’s Kingdom.

Talk to God in prayer daily. Matthew 21:22,”And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive”. Mark 11:24,”Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Attend church regularly. Hebrews 10:25,”Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Psalm 122:1,”I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Read God’s Word, the Bible, often. 2 Timothy 3:16,17,”All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Obey God always. John 14:21,”He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Be a good witness and live for God by your life and words. John 15:8,”Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

Trust God for every detail of your life. 1 Peter 5:7,”Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Trust the Holy Spirit to help you daily. Romans 8:14, ”For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

*The illustrations were not created by me. Thanks go out to the artist whom I am unable to identify.

God bless you,

“The Tubthumper”