Brian and Cathy Gray Commentary, Tennessee

Haoles in Appalachia

Low and Slow – Missionary Lessons From Hawaii

Haole (Ha-olay) pronounced How-lee today is a Hawaiian word for foreigner. In more contemporary terms it has become a pejorative for presumptuous white people with no respect for local culture. Suffice it to say, that all white people are called Haole today.

The term Haole means “without breath.” Given that the spirit is regarded by Hawaiians to be in the breath, without breath meant devoid of spirit. As the story goes, Captain Cook was the first white man to land in Hawaii. He was greeted by the chief as he came ashore. As was the custom, the chief put his nose and forehead to Captain Cook’s and breathed out Alo…Ha, “Come into my space.” Cook did nothing. So the chief proclaimed Captain Cooke Haole!

Ironically many of the lessons I needed to learn about being a missionary came as a result of my being a Haole in Hawaii for 21 years. When I first arrived a local called to me from across the parking lot at a 7-Eleven. I put my arms up at forty-five-degree angles at my sides to indicate

“I don’t understand.”

It would have been fine had I still been in New York. In Hawaii it meantย 

“I Like scrap!”

When I got to Honduras after 21 years of the Hawaiian Shaka

I found out the same gesture was a proposition for sex in Honduras.

Cathy and I left for the foreign mission field in 2016. We began with Harvest School in Mozambique then moved to Honduras for just short of six years. Now we are in Appalachia where the same lessons apply. We are missionaries wherever we go.

So whatโ€™s it like; you know, this missionary thing?

Well, Iโ€™m only one guy, and while some might disagree, Iโ€™ll give you my somewhat limited view. Here’s what I once wrote from Honduras.

Being a missionary is wanting God more than anything else. It is following the call of the one who is meek and lowly in heart Mat 11:29 It is counting the cost and laying down in faith whatever is, for what Godโ€™s word says could and should be. It is the willingness to be baptized by fire in ways you know could happen but maybe donโ€™t believe ever will. It is wrestling with choosing to trust in the words and ideas of man or God alone when the country youโ€™re in appears to be descending into civil war.

It is asking yourself if you have what it takes to give your life for the sake of the gospel if that moment of truth ever arrives.

It is waking up at 4 am to worship God alone in your secret place or hitting the road at 3 to spend fourteen hours in the back of a pickup. It is laughing with Hondurans and making jokes about pain as you are deluged for hours with inches of cold rain. It is confronting the worst poverty youโ€™ve ever seen. It is witnessing the best and worst in others. It is exposing the same in yourself. It is witnessing God doing genuine miracles and the fulfillment of โ€œgreater things than these shall you do.โ€ John 14:12-14 It is recoiling at those powered by pride, mesmerizing others with cheap grace and lies.

It is realizing that the โ€œleast of theseโ€ in Mat 25 might not be the starving child hungry for love as much as it is the charlatan you despise.

Being a missionary means seeing people joyfully come into the kingdom as they see their genuine needs. It means seeing people accept Jesus for the fiftieth time because they’ve learned that raising their hand is the PIN for the two-legged, missionary ATM. It is bringing your deepest, best, and most profound revelations, your testimony, your experience, strength, and hope to people amid the most unbearable suffering youโ€™ve ever seen. It is confronting your inadequacies as you wonder if anything you do even matters. It is walking in the tension of differentiating between my will and. His will. It is discerning the difference between overwhelming emotion and walking in the spirit.ย  It is speaking, teaching, and praying to bring healing and hope.

It is the humbling recognition that you could never endure what they do and that perhaps God placed them on earth to bring healing and correction to you.

It is accepting that different people have different giftings and theologies and not everyone believes that as much as you. It is learning the meaning of James 1:2-4.

My brethren,ย count it all joyย when you fall into various trials,ย knowing that the testing of your faith producesย patience.ย But let patience haveย itsย perfect work, that you may beย perfect and complete, lacking nothing...

It is watching God come through to weave His message from the words and testimonies of five-year-olds.

It is living without electricity and water and hot water for sure. Sometimes thereโ€™s a bucket for a shower โ€” other times just a cup. It is being sick with the same bug over and over again sometimes for weeks at a time until you finally become immune.

Being a missionary means learning over and over again that God is always true to his word which may not be synonymous with our expectations.

It is loving, praying, feeding, blessing, laughing, trusting, weeping, sometimes wanting to scream or do worse in your rage. Being a missionary is the willingness to be broken because brokenness is where the Pearl of Great Price is found.

We have found that most of these lessons continue to apply in the continental United States albeit in different ways. This is especially true in Appalachia.

Appalachia is distinct from Hawaii in some ways and very similar in others. For example, Hawaiians are by nature distrustful of outsiders yet exceedingly polite as they pride themselves on the aloha spirit. Patience, humility, and generosity are nonnegotiables for a haole to be accepted among the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians). We have found the same principles apply here.ย Hawaiians have little patience for disingenuousness or facades. Once accepted the outsider becomes Ohana.ย  Ohana means family. Family implies trust. We have found a similar spirit among locals in Greeneville.

“Low and Slow.”

Low and slow like the one who was meek and lowlyย Mat 11:29 is the driving force in missions. It implies a willingness to learn and respect the culture to which we are called. It begins with a willingness to be taught by the locals even if their aim is to be taught by us. Scripturally that looks like submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph 5:21 This carries with it the assumption that while I might have a mission to fix something, the possibility always exists that I might be the one who needs fixing. It was on the mission field that I learned thatย sometimes God uses our pride to position us. We think He needs us. In truth, He needs to conform us. Rom 8:29 Our response to the locals will always show the true condition of our hearts. The approach always determines the response. The responsibility for the approach always falls on the outsider.

Low and slow means never seeking a position or platform. We find that obscurity facilitates peace and effectiveness. Luke 6:26ย  That doesnโ€™t mean notoriety is bad by default. Our Pastor is the songwriter and lead singer for Mountain People Worship. He came to the US as a foreign exchange student from Brazil. When he arrived God told him to clean every bathroom he entered. If someone pooped on the floor, God would tell him “That one is yours.”

That’s low and slow.

All that being said, the reality within the body of Christ is that we are also missionaries to each other. This is particularly true in places like Greeneville where more and more people are arriving from all over the US and sometimes the globe. Everyone shares a similar story in that they are uniquely called by God. Still, there are profound, often unrecognized cultural differences around the US. Those differences include but are not limited to accents, hand gestures, vocal tones, personal space and touch, manners, and choice of words. For example, in Hawaii, it is customary to acknowledge anyone who enters a room even if you are engaged in a conversation. Anything else is rude. Here in Greeneville, people honor others by maintaining a laser-like focus on the one with whom they are engaged.

Sometimes cultural differences can be dangerous. Just the other day we were facilitating a group of women when a woman from the northeast became upset about the circumstances of her life. She was extremely animated in her description of what she was feeling. I was born in the same place so I understood her clearly. Meanwhile, two other women from Tennessee interpreted her behavior as aggressive and poised themselves for self-defense.ย It was a powerful teaching moment. We discussed cultural differences that became an inspiration for this post.

Another mission-killing error in any mission field is for a group of foreigners to come into a community and mostly fellowship among themselves. This is common on short-term trips where missionaries feel anxious. Familiarity is comfortable. Comfortable is a no-no in missions. Even worse is when a group unwittingly portrays themselves as superior, be it economically, intellectually, culturally, or theologically. The intent might be pure and they may in fact be humble, kind, and loving people. That is irrelevant if our cultural misunderstanding produces more misunderstanding.ย It is common for the unwitting to perceive a genuine need and jump right in to meet it only to find that their presumption was received as arrogance.

Expecting to be understood before taking the time to ensure we understand can be hazardous.

We did an outreach as part of our Harvest School in Mozambique. They sent us into a village to eat with some single mothers. I felt very uncomfortable being one of two men in the group. Naturally, I started looking for something to fix. I found a piece of rope, an old bicycle tire, and a tree and made a tire swing. The children had a blast. One child fell off the swing while we played. He got bumped on the head but otherwise was fine and immediately got back on the swing. “Boys will be boys.” I thought to myself. I was pretty proud of my newfound missionary prowess. We ate lunch and I was ready to return to the swing. But the mommas sent us on our way.ย  As we walked out of the yard I noticed the rope and tire on the ground. One of the mommas had cut it down. That’s when it dawned on me. I never asked if they wanted a swing or if they would even permit me to make it. I’d simply assumed that my perceptions and ways were right. In addition, someone later pointed out the fact that had a child been more seriously injured, there were no ambulances or emergency medical care. Even if there were, these single mothers did not have the money to pay for it. It was a huge revelation that shaped the way I perceive new cultures and environments. The same principle of low and slow applies if I move to a new country or change jobs within the same organization.

The biggest takeaway I had from being on the foreign mission field is that the first reason God places me in any position or location is for my transformation. He is God. He is not dependent on me. He is teaching me to be dependent on Him. He doesn’t need me to do things. I get to do things and learn from the experiences. Hence I never ask “Why?”. I ask “What?” “What are you doing Lord- in me, in us, in this situation…?” We would have a lot less misunderstanding and offense in the body of Christ if we would change our approach. At the end of the day, we are called to follow Jesus who is meek and lowly in heart Mat 11:29. Jesus walked with the end in mind – the wedding supper of the lamb Rev 19:6-9 The benchmark we should all be striving forย in the meantime is unity in knowledge of Jesus in love.

Andย he gave theย apostles, the prophets, theย evangelists, theย shepherdsย and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, forย building upย the body of Christ,ย until we all attain toย the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,ย to mature manhood,ย to the measure of the stature ofย the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children,ย tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness inย deceitful schemes.ย Rather,ย speaking the truth in love, we are toย grow up in every way into him who isย the head, into Christ,ย from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,ย when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Eph 4:11-16

Maranatha

Brian and Cathy Gray Rants from the Fig Tree, Red Pill Diaries

Pentecost and the Pomegranate.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… Hosea 4:6

Sunday, May 19, 2024, will be Pentecost. Pente is 50. Pentecost occurs 50 days after The Feast of First Fruits, the last Feast in the season of Passover that Jesus fulfilled when He resurrected. Pentecost comes at the end of The Feast of Weeks. Moses received the law on Pentecost. Pentecost was fulfilled when Holy Spirit was given in Acts 2.

“FULFILLED” means to give the “CORRECT INTERPRETATION”.

If you are watching mainstream and social media,ย then you have probably heard myriad attempts at separating Zionism from Judaism. The idea is that Zionism is a political force divorced from true Judaism. Theย overarching theme is that Zionists are not true Jews.ย Yet, Zion is mentioned 163 times in the Old and New Testament, beginning with

Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 2 Sam 5:7

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 Chron 5:2

A Zionist is a person who supports Israel’s spiritual heritage and right to the land. PERIOD! That said, the Bible promises a blessing or a curse, according to one’s stance on this issue. Num 24:9  Recent attempts to divorce Zionism from Judaism are just more of the same marginalization of Jews as has been done in the past with things like  Kazarian conspiracy theories and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion published in 1903 by โ€œAuthor Unknownโ€. These inspired Adolf Hitlerโ€™s Mein Kampf and the philosophical. justification for the Jewish Holocaust, 1933-45. Attempts have also been made to associate the star of David on the Israeli flag with the above conspiracy theories and others to include those associating contemporary Israel with Freemasonry and even Moloch worship.

Thid Nonsense!

I’m writing about this now because Pomegranates are traditionally eaten during the Feast of Pentecost.  Pomegranates are first mentioned in Exodus 28 regarding the construction of the priestly robe.

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die. Exodus 28:33-35

Pomegranates are one of the seven blessings of the land resulting from obedience. Deut 8:6-10

The Star of David represents the top of Pomegranate.

Also when it is cut.

“Pomegranates, unlike the Menorah, were visible to the non-priestly Israelites and were therefore associated with the glory of Godโ€™s Temple far more than the Menorah, which they were never able to look at. Nowadays, that imagery is stylistically represented in the Star of David, the Magen David, the symbol of Israel, by a people fervently hoping for the Messiah to return โ€“ it is also a symbol of faith that one day the pomegranate would again be seen by all Israelites, once more adorning a Temple upon Mt Moriah, on the Temple Mount.” The Ancient Bridge

The Pomegranate as represented on the Israeli flag symbolizes the hope of Zion which is the Nation of Israel.

Then I looked, and behold, onย Mount Zionย stood the Lamb, and with himย 144,000 whoย had his name and his Father’s name writtenย on their foreheads.ย And I heard a voice from heavenย like the roar of many waters andย like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound ofย harpists playing on their harps,ย ย and they were singingย a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.ย No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.ย It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, forย they are virgins. It is theseย who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind asย firstfruits for God and the Lamb,ย andย in their mouth no lie was found, for they areย blameless. Rev 14:1-5

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, โ€œNowย the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothersย has been thrown down,ย who accuses them day and night before our God. Rev 12:10

Once again, accuse katฤ“gorรฉล the Greek word from which the English word category is derived.ย The enemy would like to recategorize a Zionist as an evil political entity that is separate from Judaism.

Don’t Be Duped by the Enemy’s Narrative.

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.  Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Rom 11:11-12

We will continue to bless Israel this Pentecost as we await Jesusโ€™s future fulfillment of The Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles the day and hour of which no one knows.

MARANATHA!

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study, Red Pill Diaries

What is in Man

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.  But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. John 2:23-25

As the world becomes more divided in increasingly dangerous ways we are asking the Lord to reveal the roots of conflict. If there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecc 3:1, then it seems clear that we are entering a time for war. Ecc 3:8 Now more than ever believers must remain 1 Pet 4:8 sober – watchful, calm, dispassionate, and circumspect. We must be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Mat 10:16 We must have the capacity to pay attention to our internal spiritual state, as people and situations unravel around us without succumbing to offense which leads to fear and fear to hate. Having done all to stand we must stand Eph 6:14 as we watch members of the body of Christ shine more brightly than ever, Mat 25:7-9 or fall away 2 Thess 2:3.

The Leaven of Offense

If you are unfamiliar with the English Reformation then I would refer you to a previous post-Enantiodromia in Jesus’ Name You don’t need to read the whole article, just the section about the English Reformation that resulted in the denominationalism of today. That said, we may look at our own denomination and determine we are different or better than those โ€œdead legalistic churchesโ€ on one end of the proverbial pendulum swing or those โ€œunholy, heretical wackosโ€ at the other extreme. In truth, all our denominations are historically rooted in offense. It just so happens that we arenโ€™t killing each other today. Not yet anyway. Like it or not every aspect of our culture is rooted in offense. If you disagree just watch Netflix or Main Stream News for a week. So offended are we that we donโ€™t even know we are offended. We donโ€™t know we are offended because we think our position be it moral, intellectual, political, or theological is the right position.

We are by definition, self-righteous. 

We were on our way to Arkansas to minister and teach on the subject of offense as we entered into the Passover season that included the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We searched our hearts for any remaining leaven of offense as we drove the fourteen hours to Bella Vista. Having overcome the more scathing, lascivious sins that once beset us, Heb 12:1 We looked deeper within like a Jewish father in search of the last traces of leaven in his home.

Traditional celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Recently I listened to an Antiochian Orthodox podcast titled Hold Fast to the Faith. In it, Fr. John Bethencourt depicts sin as the right and left side of a boat. The left side represents the more lascivious sins e.g. lust, drunkenness, etc. The right side represents the more subtle and therefore more dangerous Pharisaical sins of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness has a way of producing Mat 7:1 judgment which is krรญnล – to condemn or damn.

The sin that is the root of all condemnation is offense.

Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but WOE unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Luke 17:1-4

The reader may note that some translations say SIN instead of OFFENSE. This is incorrect. Paul uses the Greek word skรกndalon.

SIN is hamartรญa and means to miss the mark

Offense is skรกndalon – a trap.

Bear Trap. Why would anyone put their foot there?

As I search my mind and heart for any remaining leaven of offense, I find I am more frequently tempted to take offense than I am actually offended. Trust me. That’s progress. I can usually measure the intensity of the temptation by the frequency of my sarcasm and snark. For example, just today a child called out to me. “Hey, Mr. Brian! I hope you stub your toe! Hahaha…” “Haha,” I replied. “If I had a heart I’d be hurt. HAhaha” Suffice it to say, that some days are better than others. If I do take the bait and step into full-blown offense, I am usually quick to own it, confess, and repent. The primary reason for this is that Cathy and I made a covenant with God in Honduras regarding offense. An uber-offended Western society aside, we knew we were returning to a divided America and an American bride ridden with offense. We both agreed that while we would be against sin, we would be “FOR” everyone and AGAINST no one. Suffice it to say that we continue to hold each other accountable before God. Please forgive us if at any time one of us failed to do so as we remain God’s works in progress. Rom 8:27-30

“FOR EVERYONE” means we are for God’s will. We are for the murderer, the rapist, the terrorist, the Palestinian, the Jew, etc. as much as we are for their victims. That does not mean that we support their words or actions by default. Rather correction and discipline flow from love – punishment, and retribution from offense. Taking a side and becoming offended at one party versus another is always an invitation to hate. Carried to an extreme hate results in murder as is clearly seen in places like Israel and Gaza today. That is why Jesus equated anger with murder. Mat 5:221-23

Even worse than being offended is the fearful statement by Jesus, WOE to the one through whom offenses come! This is not a call to walk on eggshells and be politically correct as many might think. We are not called to “people please”. Rather being offended is the sin. If that is confusing, consider this.  Offended people usually want to collaborate about their offenses. Quite often the desire for collaboration is presented under the guise of prayer. In truth, we feel isolated because we are grieving Holy Spirit any time we choose to remain offended. While an initial willingness to be held accountable and stand corrected might be there, the human need for sympathy, confirmation, and consensus is often all the enemy needs to turn empathy into bias and bias into offense in those with whom we commiserate.

Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own. Prov 26:17

In contemporary terms, commiseration is defined as “showing sympathy or compassion”. Yet the prefix Com means with. Miserate – is to rate or estimate incorrectly. Hence, to commiserate is to partner in the incorrect estimation of another. Furthermore, commiseration is the antithesis of compassion – to suffer with. Commiseration is perhaps most clearly defined in the saying,

“misery loves company.”

Even more, commiseration seeks alliances.  Alliances result in feuds, divorces, church splits, and wars as people choose sides and square off for self-righteousness’ sake.

Commiseration is a violation of scripture.

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that โ€˜every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.โ€™ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Mat 18:15-17

“Greasy Grace” is the opposite extreme. Some people are so afraid of offending, so concerned with political correctness and avoiding conflict that they ignore sin entirely under the guise of being loving. Instead of warning a brother or sister that they are risking eternity in hell, they turn a blind eye because, well…

love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Pet 4:8

However, this verse speaks of love that produces forgiveness for sin. It looks like the crucifixion of Jesus that resulted in our justification, not our justifications that demand tolerance for sin. Unfortunately, this verse is often used as a license to sin and then cover it up. True Love in this context means exposing sin Eph 5 then pointing people to the one who gives the gift of repentance which leads to the eternal best for ALL involved parties.

The challenge is to hate what God hates without hating the person or group that is in error.

Prepare to be the object of offense.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Tim 3:12

Prepare to not be offended.

Genuine foundational doctrinal heresies aside, when relationships including Christian relationships end, people leave churches and communities split it is usually because someone took offense and passed it on to others. Quite often the offense is rooted in the fact that sin was or wasn’t addressed, and or if biblically-based church discipline was or wasn’t applied. Before you know it team “was” is squaring off against team “wasnโ€™t“. They argue and fight or maybe ghost one another over who is right all the while ignoring that God, (who is sovereign) causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. That purpose is to conform us to the image of His son. Rom 8:28-29  That image is first and foremost Jesus on the cross praying Father forgive them for they know not what they do. How soon do we forget that WE are called as individuals to obey

 as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  Phil 2:12-15

As Cathy likes to say,

“Let go or be god.”

Jesus did NOT entrust Himself to (believe) them in John 2:23-25 because He knew all people. Neither their flattery nor their most fiery resentment represented anything genuine

The Solution

Like a gossiper being offended by gossip or an adulterous woman offended by her husband’s adultery, we all need to see the absurdity in our being offended. Once seen, the solution begins with our removing the permission we’ve given ourselves to be offended. We must be willing to look deeply within ourselves and behold our own brokenness. When we see our own reflection in another we will have the capacity to speak into the brokenness of others.

This is the essence of loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Sometimes we need to agree to disagree. So often we mistake a person’s perceptions and ideas for their identity. They are not. Our perceptions and understanding change with our stage of life.

Finally, pray for the one that offends you. Understand that emotion is not a synonym for truth. Quite often we need to obey God despite our feelings. Mat 5:43-48 Obey God and your emotions will eventually align with His will. 2 Cor 5:7.

Now that you have read this, rest assured there will be more opportunities to become offended in the coming months and years. Hence we invite you to ask yourself the question we have been asking ourselves. Are more offensive things, people, and situations coming our way? Or is God simply exposing the offense that already exists in us?

Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own. Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, โ€œI was only joking!โ€ Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts. Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart. Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts.Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them. A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Prov 26:17-28

Chew on That

Maranatha

Jesus has come. Jesus is coming.

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Creature or Creator

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Rom 1:24-25

As weโ€™ve said, every worldview is reducible to one or more empirically unprovable presuppositions. The belief in empirically unprovable presupposition is by definition,

Faith.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb 11:1

As a Christian, I subscribe to biblical presuppositionalism as the basis for my worldview. Everything in my life is based on one absolute. Jesus is Lord and His Word is inerrant and true.

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Cor 5:14-15

Most other people place their faith in a subconsciously assumed inerrancy of the media.

FAKE AI generated video. Could you tell?

Like it or not, the crossroads of righteousness and truth versus that of deception and sin is a choice. We serve God or we exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature. The word creature in Rom 1:25 is

Ktรญsis – (figuratively) building, creation, creature, ordinance.

Worship is sebรกzomai –venerate, adore,  to fear, be afraid.

We can debate the war in Israel, and Ukraine. We can obsess over left versus right. We can freak out over COVID, and climate change. We can place our hope or our greatest fear in a President or the WEF’s Great Reset. We can become a proverbial altruistic “world changer” and spend our livse building and doing things to eradicate what we see as the greatest problems in the world. We can place our hope in the greatest church or ministry or ministry idea and still spend our lives in utter futility if we do not correctly differentiate between creature and creator.

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Ecc 3:19-20

As for those who reject God and refuse to worship Him as God, the futility of their thinking is eventually made clear…

โ€œFAMOUS ATHEISTS’ LAST WORDS BEFORE DEATH:

  1. ANTON LEVEYโ€”Author of the Satanic Bible and high priest of the religion dedicated to the worship of Satan. One of his famous quotes was: โ€œThere is a beast in man that needs to be exercised, not exorcisedโ€. His dying words were: “Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong. . . there is something very wrong.โ€
  2. GANDHIโ€”At his death, he said, โ€œFor the first time in 50 years, I find myself in the slough of despond. All about me is darkness. . .I am praying for light.โ€
  3. THOMAS PAYNEโ€”The leading atheistic writer in American colonies: “Stay with me, for God’s sake; I cannot bear to be left alone , O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much? What will become of me hereafter? I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord, help me! Christ, help me! No, don’t leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one.”
  4. SIR THOMAS SCOTTโ€”Chancellor of England: “Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”
  5. VOLTAIREโ€”famous anti-christian atheist: “I have swallowed nothing but smoke. I have intoxicated myself with the incense that turned my head. I am abandoned by God and man.โ€ He said to his physician, Dr. Fochin: โ€œI will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months of life.” When he was told this was not possible, he said โ€œThen I shall die and go to hell!” His nurse said: โ€œFor all the money in Europe I wouldnโ€™t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness.โ€
  6. ROBERT INGERSOLLโ€”American writer and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought: “O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul!” Some say it was said this way: “Oh God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul, from hell, if there be a hell!
  7. DAVID HUMEโ€”Atheist philosopher famous for his philosophy of empiricism and skepticism of religion: He cried loud on his death bed “I am in flames!” It is said his desperation was a horrible scene.
  8. NAPOLEON BONAPARTEโ€”French emperor who, like Adolf Hitler, brought death to millions to satisfy his greedy, power-mad, selfish ambitions for world conquest: “I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ!โ€
  9. SIR FRANCIS NEWPORTโ€”Head of an English Atheist club, to those gathered around his deathbed: “You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one, and that I am in his presence! You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever! Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell! Oh, that I could lie for a thousand years upon the fire that is never quenched, to purchase the favor of God and be united to Him again. But it is a fruitless wish. Millions and millions of years will bring me no nearer the end of my torments than one poor hour. Oh, eternity, eternity forever and forever! Oh, the insufferable pangs of Hell!โ€
  10. CHARLES IXโ€”The French king. Urged on by his mother, he gave the order for the massacre of the French Huguenots, in which 15,000 souls were slaughtered in Paris alone and 100,000 in other sections of France, for no other reason than that they loved Christ. The guilty king suffered miserably for years after that event. He finally died, bathed in blood bursting from his veins. To his physicians, he said in his last hours: “Asleep or awake, I see the mangled forms of the Huguenots passing before me. They drop with blood. They point at their open wounds. Oh! That I had spared at least the little infants at the bosom! What blood! I know not where I am. How will all this end? What shall I do? I am lost forever! I know it. Oh, I have done wrong.”
  11. DAVID STRAUSSโ€”Leading representative of German rationalism, after spending a lifetime erasing belief in God from the minds of others: “My philosophy leaves me utterly forlorn! I feel like one caught in the merciless jaws of an automatic machine, not knowing at what time one of its great hammers may crush me!”
  12. JOSEPH STALINโ€”Soviet Georgian revolutionary and politician. In a Newsweek interview with Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin, she told of her father’s death: “My father died a difficult and terrible death. . .God grants an easy death only to the just. At what seemed the very last moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane or perhaps angry. His left hand was raised, as though he were pointing to something above and bringing down a curse on us all. The gesture was full of menace. . .the next moment he was dead.”
  13. CAESAR BORGIAโ€”Italian nobleman, politician, and cardinal: “While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprepared to die.”
  14. THOMAS HOBBSโ€”Political philosopher: “I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark.”

Years ago I worked as a nursing assistant on a hospital medical oncology floor. I watched scores of people die. One thing that I was told during my training and later found to be true is that,

people die the way they have lived.

While I was not a Christian at the time, I invariably watched those who died in Christ go with a peaceful quiet exhale. Those who had rejected him died in fear, agony, tears and sometimes screaming. 

Compare the last words from atheists, with these last words, from these saints of God:

THE APOSTLE PAUL: โ€œO death, where is thy sting?โ€

KING DAVID: โ€œYea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no Evil.โ€

AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE TOPLADY (1710-1778): Toplady will ever be famous as the author of one of the most evangelical hymns of the eighteenth century, “Rock of Ages,” which was first published in 1776.
During the final illness, Toplady was greatly supported by the consolations of the gospel: “The consolations of God, to so unworthy a wretch, are so abundant that he leaves me nothing to pray for but their continuance.”
Near his last, awaking from a sleep, he said: “Oh, what delights! Who can fathom the joy of the third heaven? The sky is clear, there is no cloud; come Lord Jesus, come quickly!” He died saying:”No mortal man can live after the glories which God has manifested to my soul.”

Lastly, Jesus said:

โ€œI Am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.โ€ John 11:25

The fool says in his heart, โ€œThere is no God.โ€They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. Psalm 14:1

MARANATHA

Jesus has come. Jesus is coming.

Brian and Cathy Gray Commentary, Rants from the Fig Tree, Red Pill Diaries

Israel and Palestine

What do you prefer?

While secularism exists on a continuum from hardcore Marxist Ideology on the extreme left to hardcore Fascist Ideology on the extreme right, all secular worldviews are Godless. Here in the West, they despise Christianity more than anything because it opposes secular idols like abortion and the ever-growing alphabet of gender. Secularism on all sides is ripe with conspiracy theories and propaganda. See Those Dern Zionists for a few examples. At the end of the day, the only point upon which radical secularists agree is that God does not exist – at least not the Judeo-Christian God. Quite often they are more than happy to leverage any offense that might advance their worldview. We see this quite clearly in the ongoing controversy in Israel versus Palestine.

US Police brutally attack peaceful protesters at UCLA. Several arrests reported. ุงู„ุดุฑุทุฉ ุงู„ุฃู…ุฑูŠูƒูŠุฉ ุชุนุชุฏูŠ ุจูˆุญุดูŠุฉ ุนู„ู‰ ุงู„ุทู„ุงุจ ุงู„ู…ุนุชุตู…ูŠู† ููŠ ุฌุงู…ุนุฉ ูƒุงู„ูŠููˆุฑู†ูŠุง ู„ู„ู…ุทุงู„ุจุฉ ุจูˆู‚ู ุญุฑุจ ุงู„ุฅุจุงุฏุฉ ุงู„ุฌู…ุงุนูŠุฉ ููŠ ู‚ุทุงุน ุบุฒุฉ

I wonder if the world would be protesting as strongly if the roles were reversed. What if Israel killed over a thousand Palestinians and kidnapped hundreds more? Would students protest Palestine bombing Israel to dust?

I think not…

Make no mistake. The extreme left and the right have always hated the Jews.  

Incidentally, that includes the current synagogue of Satan.

Jews, and are not, but do lie

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Rev 3:9

While the number of dead Israelis on Oct 7th is beginning to pale in comparison with the number of dead Palestinians, I have yet to hear a single anti-Zionist explain what Israel should do differently. When pressed they only say what they would not do.

Others assume that because I am for Israel that I am by default for the genocide of Palestinians. When someone asks me if my preferred solution to the war between Israel and Hamas is to bomb innocents in Gaza my answer is this.

Just Stop!

As a Christian, my personal preference would be that no one be harmed anywhere- ever. PERIOD!  I would prefer that the spirit of Haman, (see the book of Esther) the same spirit that is operative in Israelโ€™s enemies today never arose in 760 BC.

I would have preferred that Hamas never launched rockets from hospitals and schoolyards into Israel for years. I would have preferred not to have slept in a bomb shelter when we visited the Negev because of the constant threat of missile attacks.

I would prefer that the genocide of six million Jews during the Nazi Holocaust did not simply represent the 20th-century peak in 2700 years of extermination.

For the record; the population of Jews compared with those murdered during the Holocaust:

Lithuania 150,000
murdered: 135,000

Estonia 5,000
murdered: 4,500

Latvia 95,000
murdered: 85,000

Poland 3,500,000
murdered: 3,000,000

Czechoslovakia 355,000
murdered: 300,000

Germany 210,000
murdered: 170,000

Greece 75,000
murdered: 60,000

Holland 150,000
murdered: 105,000

Yugoslavia 80,000
murdered: 55,000

Soviet Union 2,100,000
murdered: 1,400,000 (in territories occupied by the Nazis)

Austria 60,000
murdered: 40,000

Romania 850,000
murdered :425,000

Hungary 404,000
murdered: 204,000

Belgium 90,000
murdered: 40,000

France 210,000
murdered: 90,000

Italy 57,000
murdered: 15,000

Bulgaria 50,000
murdered: 7,000

*Pre-war total about 8,546,000 Jews of which about 6,140,500 were murdered*

I would prefer that no one in Palestine, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Libya Qatar, etc. ever called for the genocide of contemporary Jews today. I would prefer that generational trauma from the Holocaust wasnโ€™t real and that Jews everywhere had no reason to take today’s calls for their extermination seriously. 

I would prefer that there was no history of collaboration between Palestinians and Hitler in WWII.

The Fuhrer would carry on the battle to the total destruction of the Judeo-Communist empire in Europe. The German armies would eventually reach the southern exit from Caucasia. At that point, the Fuhrer would give the Arab world the assurance that its hour of liberation had arrived. Germanyโ€™s sole objective would then be the destruction of the Jewish element residing in the Arab sphere under the protection of British power. In that hour, the Mufti would be the most authoritative spokesman for the Arab world. It would be his responsibility to set off the Arab operations, which he had secretly prepared.

I would prefer that modern-day Palestinians never aligned with that same Nazi Ideology today.

I would prefer that American university student ingrates werenโ€™t so easily hacked and made pawns by a radical and antisemitic left.

I would prefer that Hamas, several of whom worked for Main Stream Media and UNRWA never tortured, raped, and murdered Jewish innocents on Oct 7.

I would prefer that Palestinians didnโ€™t radicalize elementary school children to aspire to grow up to kill Jews.

Palestinian children are being encouraged to kill Jews.

I would prefer that Hamas did not use Palestinian people as human shields and embellished casualty counts as a weapon.

Sadly now there is war. Total war. While Israel is taking unprecedented measures to prevent the deaths of innocents, the unfortunate truth is that innocents die in every war.

Israeli victims on Oct 7
Gaza victims today.

In the words of Sun Tzu, 

โ€œBetter never begin. Once begin, better finishโ€. 

Once begun, the only solution in any war is to win. Those who think differently are naive, dumb, or both. What I find ironic is that the US nuked Japan and killed over 200,000 people in minutes. No one in America protested or accused the US government of genocide. But then this is not really about genocide. This is about Hackable Animals being used as pawns to advance the extermination of Jews.

As the saying goes,

โ€œNo Jews, No news!โ€

We have friends in both Israel and Palestine and pray for all sides of Abraham’s dysfunctional feuding family. Still, I know that Israel, a piece of land the size of New Jersey belongs to the Jews for as long as the stars and planets exist. Jer 31:35-36  God loves His chosen albeit rebellious people. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem because the Bible upon which my worldview is based, tells me to do so. I bless Israel. Yet I do so filled with a hope of reconciliation, the ministry that Jesus assigned all believers. 2 Cor 5:16-25  Not because I align with one side over the other and pray that one side triumphs in war. I do so out of love for, and obedience to God. While I will not be engaging in violence toward anyone, and instead pray for everyone I will never accept an alternative presupposition that is contrary to God’s word. I am for Israel because God’s word requires it. I know this age-old battle between Israel and her enemies will continue till the end of time when Jesus has His great reset. His plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth Eph 1:1-10 At the end of the day, the Apostle Paul summed up the reality of God and His plan,

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Cor 5:14-15

As for those who continue to ask “How could a loving God____?” My answer is found in the conclusion of one of the most beautiful, hope-inspiring, albeit confusing chapters in the entire bible.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

 โ€œFor who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?โ€
 โ€œOr who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?โ€

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Rom 11:33-36

What do I prefer? I Prefer Jesus. I prefer peace. I prefer that every knee bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. I prefer the lion and lamb to lie down together. I prefer on earth as it is in heaven.

Maranatha!

Jesus has come. Jesus is coming.

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Wise Fools

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Rom 1:21-25

Honor is doxรกzล to glorify, or magnify.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! Psalm 34:1-3

In this context, I prefer the word Magnify. We honor and glorify what we magnify in our minds and lives. What we magnify sets the course or the trajectory of our lives here on earth.

I often explain the concept of “trajectory” to the adolescents with whom I work at Holston Home for Children. Thoughts drive behavior. Behavior is a good predictor of how their day will pan out. If they are hyperactive or irritated I tell them I can predict they will be grounded before the end of the day. Grounded means they can’t talk to other children and must sit alone at a table where they are permitted to read, write, color, or draw. “Change your trajectory and prove me wrong,” I say. Sometimes they do. More often they self-sabotage and get grounded. I ask them why they insist on digging themselves deeper while piling dirt on their heads. I’m not being mean. We’ve all been there.

It’s a symptom of the Fall

Adam and Eve went from magnifying God to magnifying themselves when they realized they were naked in Genesis 3. The trajectory of all mankind was set.

It’s not hard to look out into the world today and see the abundance of foolishness unless of course your own heart has been darkened. In that case, the Bible says you are a fool. Fools are often spoiled, entitled children in need of discipline. Heb 12:5-8

Recently, my son pointed out that it was an old people’s clichรฉ to call student protestors at Columbia University “spoiled entitled children”. They are demanding humanitarian aid while they persecute Jewish students and violate the rights of everyone else on campus. In any case, I stood corrected. Demand political correctness and accommodate willful sin if you must. In my mind these are

“Stupid Babies”

Paul explains this is because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. Their trajectory was set the moment they refused to magnify God and magnified themselves in His place. Every single problem that we have in this world flows from this. It is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Ecc 1:9 Man senses truth exists and thinks he understands. But he hasn’t a clue. Ecc 311, Isa 55 Nothing will change until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord Phil 2:10-11 In the meantime, the trajectory into darkness remains unchanged Isaiah 60:2-3 Shame, calamity, and dishonor await those who magnify themselves against me! Says the Lord Psalm 35:26

But


The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:15

Don’t be a stupid baby.

Adjust your trajectory.

Magnify the Lord!

It’s that simple.

MARANATHA