As the reality of loss from Hurricane Helene begins to settle in and among those directly affected, we are still learning from our own similar experience in Honduras.
Those who know us are aware that Cathy and I survived a landslide caused by Cat 5 Hurricane Iota on November 20th, 2020. It came just ten days after Cat 4 Eta.
Cathy barely dodged this.
The photo above was the first landslide that happened at 3:30 pm. Cathy had just opened the gate and narrowly escaped being buried alive. The effects on the Honduran survivors were beyond what most people can imagine. Landslides were the number one cause of death during both storms.
I wrote about the revelations gleaned from wrestling with God’s isolation during COVID-19, the loss of everything but our lives, followed by suddenly becoming homeless in a third-world country. The first was that God had miraculously preserved both our lives.
The large stone is were my head would have been in our bed. The smaller one represents Cathy’s.
The second revelation is that preservation is often attended by a stripping.
The story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32 has always been one of my favorites. It was during our morning devotions the other day that the word โpreservedโ emerged again in verse 30. Iโd never really noticed it before. We looked it up and found the original Hebrew word is โNatsalโ – to โdeliver, rescue and save.โNatsalโ also means to “plunder” and “strip”.
We had been stripped of all our worldly possessions and memorabilia.
And yet a strange supernatural peace enveloped us as well as an even stronger bond between us as husband and wife. That bond and peace remainwith us now.
We felt instantly closer and more intimate with the Lord than at any other point in our walk with the Him. Meanwhile, the people in our village descended on the ruins, digging out whatever they could find.
A group of women washed the mud out of Cathy’s clothes. It was a genuine act of love from the people whom we had come to love and serve and live among. We were so very grateful.
“How do I tell them?” Cathy asked?
“Tell them what?” I inquired.
“I don’t want any of it.” She replied.
Something had happened within us individually and as a couple. Granted, we’d surrendered a lot when we left for the mission field. Only now did we truly recognize the proverbial ball, and chain of materialism that drags so many of us down, and the freedom of having it removed. That included twenty thousand dollars worth of photography and video equipment that supported my path and passion for the mission field. In a moment God whispered,
“You’re done!”
Long story short, Cathy gave all her clothes to the village women.
Cathy’s birthday came two days after the landslide. I had nothing to give her so I wrote The Most Incredible Woman and reflected on what a gift from God she was and is to me. This amazing woman never batted an eyelash as we continued our mission.
The featured image in the title of this post is from the before and after video God is Good Testimony. It is a reminder of how precious she is to me and how precarious and short-lived is our existence on earth. At least one hundred people died that day in a country about the size of Tennessee. Only the Lord knows how many just lost their lives in similar circumstances here in Tennessee and North Carolina.
Many more have lost property and generations’ worth of history and family heirlooms. Lots of people have come to dig and rescue homes and possessions from mud and mold. Still, I think God, who is sovereign, omnipotent, and omniscient, is doing something different than many realize. I think He is asking questions that expose the true condition of our hearts. What really matters? Where is our treasure truly laid up? Are we dependent upon Him or the contemporary Golden Calf known as materialism?
To whom do we assign the most power in our minds? Do we believe that “if God is with us, then who can be against us”? Rom 8:31-39 Or do we believe the devil is so powerful that he can override the will of God? Do we believe the word of God? Or do we think that God thinks, feels, and acts like us? Isaiah 55:8-9
We are doing what the Lord calls us to do amid the current earthly crisis. Hopefully, those reading this are doing the same. Those called to dig in the mud should dig in the mud. Those called to clean mud from memorabilia should clean. Those called sit with victims and listen should listen. Those managing and transporting donations should continue until the Lord says otherwise. Just don’t assume that you know why He has called you to do it. Consider the possibility that He might be highlighting our proverbial golden calves – the fragility, vanity, and utter futility of all that is carnal.
It’s been ten years since we produced the video above. As time went on we found ways to get people out of the dump. We had opportunities for jobs, housing and school for thier children. Not one ever accepted the offer. They were too attached to thier recyclable bottles and metal and whatever else they thought they had and could not part with. That’s when the Lord said,
“that’s you son!”
At some point in eternity even the wealthiest believer among us will see thier money, mansions and jewelry and cars for what they were.
It’s just my opinion and maybe my interpretation of scripture, but I think there are going to be a lot more opportunities to reflect on what I have written here. A lot of circumstances will require a paradigm shift, especially in areas where we have taken things for granted. I think a lot of us are going to realize that much of what we once considered indispensable amounted to junk in the dump. Sometimes the greatest blessings are only found in brokenness.
That being said, this is an Ezekiel 33:1-6 alarm. This storm is but a trailer of what is to come. Roll your eyes if you will. Ten years ago we would have rolled our eyes as well. Our perspective has changed with experience. We have found so many of the things that we once prayed against were in fact, the testing of our faith that we finally learned to count as joy. James 1:2-4 Consider this as a seed – a call to prepare our hearts and minds. As for these tents of flesh in which we currently reside, understand the difference between wants and needs. The stripping must come with our eternal preservation. Be sure you know that through it all Jesus is still on the throne. He has already won.
The word of the Lord came to me: โSon of man, speak to your people and say to them…Ezekiel 33:1-6
As it turns out, September is National Preparedness Month. I thought now might be a good time to post a Watchman on the Wall blog. I hope that it sparks a discussion, not a freakout.
Suffering’s Source
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirsโheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.Rom 8:16-17
I posted the video above about a year ago in another blog. It’s a conglomeration of clips from our time on the mission field. Far more people in the world live like this than in the material comfort and prosperity that we enjoy in the West. These people were more open to genuine surrender to Jesus. One reason is that they have no hope for a material or political remedy to their situation.
The people whom we served overseas needed to be rescued from suffering imposed upon them by external circumstances. The people we serve today need to be rescued from the suffering they insist on imposing upon themselves. Does God view these two groups differently?
For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure?
So many of the prayers I hear today are pleas for God to heal, fix, or change crises according to individual desires. “My will be done in Jesusโs name.” I have observed that people tend to become wiser or more prophetic in their own eyes in defiance of Prov 3:5-8 anytime a crisis is averted or delayed. We ignore or rationalize negative outcomes to prayer.ย We Glorify postive outcomes always assumingย that our continued comfort testifies that God is pleased with us. We ignore that the first act of worship wasn’t David on his harp but Abraham prepared to slay Issac on Mount Moriah. Gen 22 We proclaim ourselves to be friends of God and heirs with Christ all the while ignoring His recurring mandate.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
How easy it is to cherry-pick feel-good verses and ignore the hard ones in their midst.ย The Spirit does help us in our weaknesses.ย God does cause all things to work together for good... But the idolatry of prosperity leads us to redact verses that declare God’s use of suffering, affliction, and tribulation (pressure) to conform us to the image of His son. We allow platforms to define maturity, anointing, and Holiness, all the while forgetting Jesus’s definition of greatness. Mat 18:4ย It seems that we have become so idolatrous, so narcissistic over the generations that we have nothing to compare it to. God tested Abraham. He also tests us.ย Count it all joy when you face various trials because the testing of our faith produces endurance… When was the last time you heard anyone pray for the wisdom, courage, and strength to endure testing? Even more, when was the last time you saw anyone rejoice in the testing of their faith? James1:2-4 Most people equate discomfort with an attack from the enemy – never of the fruit of disobedience. Gal 6:7-8
It seems like almost every day, another character-deficient golden calf, pop star prophet, preacher, or worship leader is exposed and their celebrity pulpits implode. The church cries out for their restoration before they have even confessed, let alone shown any fruit of repentance.
Are we now so narcissistic that we can not fathom God’s judgment? 1 Peter 4:17, Heb 12:28-29 I challenge anyone to refute that as a nation, we have far more in common with the Biblical Mystery Babylon than a repentant Israel reaping God’s Jeremiah 29:11 promises. I am baffled when I hear prophetic declarations that God is about to bestow healing,ย comfort, and prosperity upon the United States as ifDeuteronomy 28,ย upon which our pilgrim ancestors made a covenant with God, no longer applies. It all sounds like cognitive dissonance perpetrated by
“Cognitive Dissidents”.
Where exactly did we get the idea that the God who does not change Mal 3:6, the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever Heb 13:8 no longer judges nations that refuse to repent? We are not appointed to wrath. 1 Thess 5:9ย Yet I suspect that many have confused God’s Judgment- Krisis (Greek) from which the English word Crisis is derived with His wrath. Like Him, God’s judgment and discipline are always good. Hebrews 12ย We don’t see it that way because we abhor and redactย any hint of “Deny Self.” Mat 16:24.ย Even our service to God is full of self. One thing seems certain. God disciplines and shakes us until we surrender and let go.ย Shaking causes what is errant and fake to fall off. Meanwhile, everything that is true will remain. Those who pursue truth will find blessing amid the brokenness. The fake and false will fall away into a consuming fire.
I know…
Talk to the wall Brian
I usually listen politely to prophetic Seven Mountain Mandate-type declarations / rants. Other times I echo a paraphrased version of Jeremiah’s response to Hananiah.
โAmen! May theย Lordย do so; may theย Lordย make the words that you have prophesied come true… Jer 28:6-9
After all, I would prefer healing, comfort, and prosperity as much as anyone else. Sometimes I stand amazed at the tension between my own normalcy bias that wants to drive my head into the sand in conformity to the crowd and the still small voice crying,
Typologically speaking, Hananiah proclaimed that Israel would be made great again in two years. Meanwhile, Habakkuk cried out,
Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. Hab 1:3-4
Both Hananiah and Habakkuk were amazed at God’s reply.
Israel was judged by God.
Given that so many people love to cite and claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their own, especially with tattoos, I invite you read Jeremiah 28-29 and Habakkuk 1 in context. Consider why Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. Then decide which period in Israel’s history is most reflective of Western Society today.
I am also baffled by the loyal followings of contemporary soothsayers and self-labeled prophets despite their being so blatantly wrong and all too frequently morally corrupt. Entire movements founded upon extra-biblical prophetic words are imploding. One hundred-fifty prophets proclaimed Donald Trump the winner in the last Presidential election. Only a handful refused to gaslight their followers and repented. Several opened online schools of the prophets. Believers everywhere are rejoicing.ย I want to shave my head andย clothe myself with sackcloth and ashes. Meanwhile, messages from men like Dumitru Duduman and Henry Gruver remain unknown or dismissed out of hand by modern renditions of Jeremiah 14:13-22 and 23:9-40. Yes, you should read those too. “But the church is creating on earth as it is in heaven,” you say.ย
โAmen! May theย Lordย do so; may theย Lordย make the words that you have prophesied come true…
The World Economic Forumโsย Global Risks Report 2023ย uses the term, (polycrisis) to explain how, โpresent and future risks can also interact with each other to form a โpolycrisisโ โ a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each partโ.
For the record, I am not sanctioning the decidedly Marxist WEF. Crisis is the soil in which their agenda thrives most. Still, before I list reasons why we might want to prepare for the coming crises,
I’d like to preface it with reasons for hope.
Very few people alive today have endured polycrisis as did my grandparents’ generation. Two world wars, a great depression, natural disasters, famines, and a Holocaust followed by the Korean and Vietnam wars remain unmatched today. Many of those addicted to comfort and prosperity committed suicide when the unthinkable happened, in 1929. Others, like my grandparents, remained relatively untouched.
While the comfort-addicted Phil 3:19 jumped off buildings as the stock market crashed, my grandmother graduated from college and went off to be a missionary in China. My grandfather courted her by letter from home. She wasn’t interested. But he knew she was going to be his wife before she did and built her a house in faith while she was away.ย He sledgehammered the foundation out of Berkshire granite ledge. Then cut and hewed timbers for the house and barn by hand. Even in their 80s, my grandparents produced and preserved everything they needed to live. They only went to the store for incidentals like sugar and salt or medicine for their livestock. As my 90+-year-old uncle Lester said, “We never knew we were poor because we had everything we needed.” “Everyone in the community lived the same way.” That is what dependence on God looked like. COVID is the closest comparison available to most of us today.
It was marked by panic buying of toilet paper.
A Few Reasons For Sobriety
calm, dispassionate, and circumspect.
Currently, we are adding one trillion dollars to the US Debt every quarter. To give you some perspective, one trillion seconds is just over thirty-six thousand years.
Meanwhile, there is an ongoing global repudiation of the US Dollar in favor of BRICS. Most recently Turkey applied to join BRICS. Perhaps you also noticed that our current debt-to-GDP ratio is nearly 125%. Hence every US dollar you hold is effectively worth less than nothing and the entire Western economy amounts to a gigantic Ponzi scheme. Historically speaking this is the root cause of World War.
Prophetically speaking, Gaza is looking a whole lot like Zephaniah 2. Countries surrounding Israel are steadily aligning with the picture presented in Ezekiel 38. If we aren’t facing God’s simple discipline and shaking, we might be facing the approaching wrath of the dragon. Mat 24:21
Ukraine recently attacked inside Russia just 200 Miles outside Moscow using NATO weapons. The USA is currently at DEFCON 2 not seen since before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian resolve and eschatology that I wrote about in Always Faithful remains unchanged.ย The Russians are sayingย WWIII is guaranteed if Donald Trump isn’t elected. At no point in my lifetime have we been at such risk for global nuclear war. Meanwhile, the utterly insane rhetoric regarding civil war in the USA is not diminishing.
MPox
The World Health Organization is trying hard to pump out a new global pandemic narrative. It’s not working- yet. Earlier this year they attempted a treaty that would suspend our national sovereigntyย in the event of another pandemic. So far, regular Mpox is a giant nothing burger. Still, COVID gave them alot of power. They like power.
There have been multiple FBI warnings in 2024 regarding severe risks to the electrical grid. The WEF is also warning of cyber threats. Meanwhile, these same global players who war-gamed a pandemic in Event 201 just before COVID hit are doing the same regarding a cyber pandemic in Cyber Polygon 2024,ย due to begin within five days of this writing. The main player is the WEF.
I’m sure it’s a coincidence…
Former Green Beret turned Combat Correspondent Michael Yon has spent a lot of time in the Darrien Gap investigating USA, Open Society Foundation, andย UN-sponsored illegal immigration to the US. He claims that a large majority are military-age men with a military gait. While the normalcy bias of many will produce an automatic eye-roll, Yon claims the USA has already been invaded and that these men are prepositioned for future action, e.g. the destruction of infrastructure like the electrical grid. Given recent events in Aurora, CO., and Chicago, it is not unreasonable to consider the possibility of groups like Tren de Aragua being the face of pre or maybe post-election neo-Marxist violence worse than Antifa and BLM riots of 2020.ย This seems especially likely if Donald Trump is re-elected and makes good on his vow to deport illegals. Am I saying that these groups will be at your door? No. But consider what could happen to supply lines.
We just had the most absurd assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Like Habakkuk, many are screaming. Destructionย and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. I canโt help but wonder if Michael Yon has discovered God’s contemporary reply. Again, please read Habakkuk 1 if this sounds confusing.
You won’t hear it in the legacy media, but Dr. Jerome Corsi, of God’sFiveStones.com recently exposed what seems to be irrefutable evidence of what many already suspected. Namely, ongoing election rigging. Meanwhile, AG Merrick Garland just claimed they have evidence that Russia is planning to interfere in US Elections.
Here we go again.
I don’t know about you, but the evidence seems to show that we should, at the very least, be considering how we might respond if one or all of the above scenarios emerge.
Some call it fear-mongering.
I call it wisdom.
Having lived in Hawaii, where the threats of Hurricanes, Tsunamis, and floods are a simple fact of life, circumstances rarely produce anxiety in Cathy and me. Here in the continental United States, disaster preparedness almost seems to be a taboo subject. Maybe they are prepping and are afraid of being labeled a “tin foil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist”.ย I suppose it makes sense if we consider how many are so fearful that they cannot even bear to watch the evening news. Having survived hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, fires, landslides, car crashes, Amazonian headhunters, being held at gunpoint, and the threat of civil war, it is never a question of โif?โ but โwhen?โ a crisis will emerge. This is how the majority of the world lives.
Why shouldn’t we think and live accordingly?
Of course, some will undoubtedly equate my thinking with some clinical buzzword like “trauma response” or “trauma lens”. Fair enough. A healthy response to trauma should cause one to review their errors and weaknesses in the context of potential future risks. Trauma should also cause one to differentiate between faith and magical thinking.ย The patent refusal to use one’s miraculously created, God-given brain and apply the God-authored laws of truth and logic isn’t faith.
Having lived on the foreign mission field, we always knew that safety and survival could never be taken for granted. On any given day, we could be driving down the road, happily discussing the dayโs events. Then, the next minute, we could be staring down the barrel of a rifle, wondering if the guy in the baklava was going to pull the trigger. Preparing for potential crises was always a consideration. Not merely for the sake of selfishly saving our own skins. But rather for the sake of sustaining the mission to which we were called. Again, Iโm not talking about operating in a frantic spirit of anxiety and fear. But a rather a 1 Peter 5:8 sobriety –
calm, dispassionate, and circumspect.
How the Lord Provides
To paraphrase Mat 6:25-33, Where God guides, He provides. Seek firstย the kingdom of God and his righteousness,ย and all these things will be added to you.Take no thought, for tomorrow, is not an invitation for entitled cognitive dissidents to depend on fast food like manna from heaven. Obedience to God is what activates Mat 6:25-33. The question that follows is, what does God expect of us in the course of His provision?
Provision and Testing
During our missionary school, God put it on my heart to follow the example of the founders. They never fundraised for themselves. So neither did we. That is how we lived for nearly six years. Suffice it to say, trusting the Lord became easier as time went on. Still, there is always a test before the next lesson ensues.
It was during COVID and we were locked down in our village in the mountains of Honduras. People who followed us closely and supported us became consumed with their own crises at home. At one point, we were down to two handfuls of beans.ย I experienced a nearly overwhelming temptation to step out of trusting God. I was perfectly capable of raising money for ourselves. After all, I’d helped to raise money for other ministries. Just a few months prior we raised five thousand dollars in four hours for a Honduran friend whose legs had been run over by a tractor-trailer truck.ย “Lord, can’t I do it for us just this one time?” Man did I ever want to. But I didn’t.
At midnight we received a five thousand dollar donation.
I have come to believe that irony is God’s favorite form of humor.
On the mission field, we became well acquainted with the Lord’s miraculous provision amidst regularly occurring crises like frequent total public utility shutdowns. We embraced Jesusโs command to take no thought for tomorrow. Yet it was always in the context of first gathering our proverbial five loaves and two fish. John 6:1-14 Having food and water stored for inevitable interruptions is just wise when you live in the third world. Still, I remember the anxiety of young short-term missionaries when they lost cell service. I just listened to a conversation between boys at the children’s home where I work. They were discussing how crazy people would get if all the phones stopped working.
Our preparation on the mission field helped us to remain focused on the mission instead of our own provision when a crisis hit. That, we think, is worthy of your consideration. At the end of the day, there is a profound difference between depending on God for miracles amid your radical obedience to God versus depending on miracles from a place of complacency and entitlement.
Prepping for the unprepped
While Mat 6:25-33, and John 6:1-14 were our daily norm, there have been times when the Lord led us in the example of Joseph. Gen 41 and in the context of Acts Chapter 2.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.Acts 2:44-45
When the landslide hit in Honduras, Cathy had time to grab her Bible and a few other things while the neighbors helped carry out the remaining four hundred pounds of beans and rice that we’d stored to feed victims of the first Hurricane. We’d already distributed 7000 pounds in the previous ten days. That last four hundred pounds helped a fair number of families in our little village when the second storm hit.
The blessing is in the brokenness.
Our being able to remain focused on our mission and not on ourselves caused us to count it all joy amid the loss of everything but our lives. The recognition that we had endured the test of our faith only amplified it. As we’ve said, that particular time brought us closer to the Lord and afforded us more intimacy with God, both individually and as a couple, than any other event since or before.
Sometimes the abundant life is only apprehended in the context of suffering and loss.
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.
Again, we are almost certain that hard days are ahead, maybe very hard days. Who wins the election will only determine the flavor of the crisis. At the very least I think we should begin a conversation. What is the Lord saying to you about the days ahead? Are you reticent to speak up amidst contemporary Hananiah voices and competing agendas? Should we continue in the spirit of spiritual entitlement and a twisted understanding of Mat 6:26-34? Or is He calling us to be ready like Joseph in Gen 41?ย
What would you do if supply lines shut down for months or years? Experts from multiple government agencies have stated that 90% of the US population could die in a year if there were a catastrophic failure of the electrical grid alone. Lack of preparedness would be the primary cause.
Is God so pleased with us that He is going to further facilitate our prosperity and comfort ad infinitum? Or do we indeed meet the criteria for His judgment? Are the current risks I highlighted the product of my trauma lens such that I have become pessimistic, hypervigilant, and fear-mongering? Or should we be gathering our proverbial loaves and fish in preparation to feed the multitudes if and when the lights go out? Perhaps we should ask ourselves where we see ourselves in the context of John 6:1-14. Are we numbered among the thousands of hungry desperate hordes who barely know Jesus? Or are we numbered among His disciples who have all they need when they are summoned by Him to bring fish and bread for Him to multiply?
In the words of Oswald Chambers, We have to go the โsecond mileโ with God. Some of us get played out in the first ten yards, because God compels us to go where we cannot see the way, and we say โ โI will wait till I get nearer the big crisis.โ If we do not do the running steadily in the little ways, we shall do nothing in the crisis...To talk in this way is like trying to produce the munitions of war in the trenches โ you will be killed while you are doing it.
Maybe you are unconvinced that God’s shaking, discipline, and judgment are good and, therefore not of Him. Perhaps you haven’t grasped the purpose of tribulation (pressure), including the coming great tribulation. Rom 5:3-5,ย Dan 12:10, 1 Pet 1:3-8, Eph 5:27 Consider the conditions that always precede revival and the words Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Memphis, TN, in 1968.
“Only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars.”
These are the kinds of things that I ponder when I consider the deeper meaning and application of verses like Romans 8:16-17.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,ย and if children, thenย heirsโheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,ย provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin.
Wait a minute! After six confusing chapters that at times seem like Paul is beating a dead horse. Paul the Apostle is declaring that he can’t stop sinning. Confusion over the relationship between flesh and spirit has resulted in all manner of heresies from Gnosticism to Atheism.
Flesh is sรกrx – mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God. Today we call sรกrx the old unregenerate man in comparison with the new born again new creation.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
I can do what I want in the flesh as long as I serve the law of God with my mind?
UmmmmโฆNO!
The answer is found in the next chapter.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Praise God! But then why do I continue to fail? Why do I continue to sin? The answer is found in verse 5.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
I can only put one hundred percent of my attention on one thing at a time. If my focus is entirely on Jesus, I am in the spirit, and I do not sin. The moment my attention drifts I am in the flesh and immediately prone to sin. At the end of the day, the enemy is warring against my transformation. He doesn’t care if I am indulging in sin, striving to not sin by sheer willpower, or sitting in guilt, shame, and condemnation. All three keep me in the flesh and focused on sin. God wants me to focus on Him. We focus on Him by meditating on His word which is what Paul means when he says he serves the law with his mind.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
The law in the life of a believer is everything in God’s word.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
It becomes easier to focus on God (walk in the spirit) when we clearly hear God. We develop our ability to hear God by reading and meditating on His word.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Those who are of the flesh (unbelievers) are in permanent bondage to sin. They cannot choose to do otherwise because they do not want to choose otherwise.
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The mere fact that we desire to obey God and feel convicted when we fail is proof positive that we are not of the flesh.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
The more we focus on Him (walk in the spirit) the more we are transformed and conformed to the image of His son.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Paul just explained how what he spoke about in the previous chapters is accomplished.
Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
We charismatics tend to emphasize an emotional experience of the presence of God. We talk about loving God in the context of loving Him with all our hearts. As we will see Paul continues to emphasize the mind as the gateway to walking in the spirit.
That said, the biggest impediment to walking in the spirit for contemporary man is our inherent obsession with self. We are so self-consumed that we can not even comprehend being any other way. We speak of our identity in Christ as if it were the root and foundation of our faith. Hence the first command Jesus gives to His disciples is
Deny self counters the first fruit of the fall when Adam and Eve’s focus went from God to themselves and self-centeredness was born.
And he said, โI heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.โ He said, โWho told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?โ
When we first arrived in Greeneville a person much older than myself complained in a rather exasperated tone,
“they don’t want to listen to elders!”
He was speaking about our community. I didn’t reply, but I remember thinking,
“Well…Neither did we.”
Recently, a millennial friend explained an argument he’d heard used to refute Job 12:12. Job was younger than Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. In the end, it was Job who brought correction to his four older friends. Hence, wisdom is with the youth, and understanding is with the smartest.
Another argument is Paul told Timothy
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.1 Tim 4:12
The argument from Job violates the Law of Noncontradiction. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. Job also had a relationship with the Lord. His friends did not. The second argument from Timothy is a false dichotomy. The context of 1 Timothy 4 is a quintessential model of discipleship modeled between Paul the Elder and Timothy his disciple. Paul exhorts Timothy to be a faithful servant and not to depart from what he taught him. He exhorts Timothy to lead by example.
…Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
The false dichotomy is the belief that because Timothy was young he was wiser than his elders. Timothy had the ability and authority to transmit knowledge he had received from Paul. Still, wisdom and knowledge are not the same. Knowledge can be taught. Wisdom can be heeded, but understanding only comes through experience.
I was about ten when I took my grandfather’s steel fly rod to go trout fishing in the stream that ran through the cow pasture. “I wouldn’t go running around with that steel rod out in front of you,” he commented as I passed. “Don’t worry, Grandpa!” I’d been fishing alone for at least two years. I knew what I was doing. Later at lunch, my grandmother commented that she’d been worried when she heard my blood-curdling scream from half a mile away. “What happened?” She asked. I sheepishly explained my encounter with an electric fence.
My grandfather quietly chuckled.
For years I wondered why my grandfather said so little. It is one of the inspirations for starting this blog. The older I get, the more I equate my grandfather’s silence with the Hawaiian Pidgeon English adage,
“Bum bye you learn…”
So often – maybe too often, we watch and listen and ask ourselves, “Should we tell them it’s not going to end well?” My generation heard, “I told you so”. Today we are usually limited to saying, “I could have told you so”.
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.
Occasionally someone heeds our unsolicited “been there, done that” recommendations. Most listen politely or scroll on their phone then ignore everything we’ve said. Sometimes I’m tempted to take offense.
Then I remember the electric fence.
That Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days is because wisdom is, in part, an aspect of character. Character is a fruit of experience. Sometimes that experience necessarily involves a proverbial electric fence.
Character is dokimแธtrustiness:–experience, proof, trial, approved, tried character, a proof, a specimen of tried worth.
Marriage
So why the long introduction Brian? And what does wisdom have to do with marriage?
Alas, For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.Ecc 1:8
Honestly, I began this post in the context of wisdom amidst emerging crises. Then the Lord reiterated what he showed us when we first arrived in East Tennessee. Marriage is the foundation of the church and as well as any community. Marriages have been under attack for years. If the enemy can destroy marriages he can destroy families. Destroy families, and he can destroy communities and, eventually nations. The church has tried to reignite family values for decades. We think we need to start with Godly marriage values.
Some know that Cathy and I function as marriage counselors at our church. We are not licensed so maybe “marriage mentors” is a better term. Some of the couples with whom we work are just a few years older than our grandchildren. Most of what we have to offer is wisdom and understanding gleaned from the length of our days on earth and our electric fence encounters. Part of our understanding is rooted in having failed miserably at marriage before Christ. We know how to fail. Just short of twenty years in a very healthy and thriving marriage in Christ, affords us some wisdom and understanding regarding how to succeed. Please donโt misunderstand. We are not super Christians who have achieved some illusory spiritual level to which so many seem to aspire. Our marriage is rock solid because we follow some very basic and foundational biblical principles. Couples who are willing to do the same experience the same benefits. Most of the time, we feel like we are just along for the ride and are blessed just to see God’s miraculous response to obedience. It doesn’t matter how grievous the offense committed by one or both spouses. God heals, reconciles, and transforms marriages according to a couple’s obedience. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to obey God. This eventually results in divorce. It takes three to create a marriage, Mat 19:5-6 two to destroy one, and three to heal one. Unfortunately, when one or both parties refuse to accept personal responsibility and continue to blame the other, the situation only gets worse. Sometimes they blame the marriage counselors for failing to fix it. Let me be clear. We don’t fix anything.
God alone is the fixer.
Another potential misunderstanding is that if the marriage begins to heal, everything is healed by extension. There may be individual issues like trauma, chemical and porn addiction, etc., that need to be addressed first.
That being said, here are seven nonnegotiable must-dos for a healthy, happy, thriving marriage.
1. Your marriage is ultimately not about you. Deny self. Mat 16:24 This is the first requirement if we are to be Jesusโs disciples. This is also required to be a spouse. Both must deny themselves. If only one spouse obeys this command, it results in some form of abuse. “Deny yourself” in marriage means your spouse is your priority after God. Many people have other priorities like careers, hobbies, ministry, and even children. Some simply endure marriage in a sort of white-knuckle obedience to God. When marriage is the priority for both spouses it is a joy. Everything pleasing to God, from parenting to ministry, flows from it.
2. The proper alignment in marriage is God, Husband, Wife, Children, Job, and Ministry. Sometimes, a job and Ministry are the same. If the alignment is off, the marriage will be off and everything else will follow.
3. Your marriage is about Christ and His Church. Eph 5:22-33 Wives submit to their husbands. Husbands give themselves up for their wives. Viewed from the outside, it can be likened to a waltz so artfully performed that it is impossible to know who is leading who. What God imparts in the process of growing together as one flesh is a mystery that must be experienced, not taught. Only then will understanding come. Hence, wisdom is with age and understanding in the length of days.
4. The woman is the weaker vessel. 1 Pet 3:7 Weaker does not mean inferior. Think of the husband as a cast iron frying pan and the wife as fine China. Hence, Paul instructs husbands to honor their wives as the weaker vessels. As I tell all the husbands, “As a husband, you take the hits.” The principle applies if a prowler comes through the door trying to attack your wife. Or your wife angrily confronts you about problems in your marriage. In either case, if saving your skin, your pride, and self-esteem or just the need to be right is your first priority, you will eventually forfeit your marriage. Giving yourself up includes but is not limited to trading your significance, pride, self-esteem, and your right to be right for your wife. If you lead this way, a Godly wife will gladly submit and the Waltz will ensue. Given that wives must choose to submit, it begs the question of who submits the most.
5. The temptation to be offended will come. See that you are not offended. Luke 17 Offenceis skรกndalon a trap. We can only be offended if we have first given ourselves permission to be offended. Remove all permission to be offended.
6. Forgiveness is never an option. It is a command. Forgive or you won’t be forgiven by God. Mat 6:15 Do it before the sun goes down, Eph 4:26-27 or you may awaken offended. Unresolved offenses will always grow and eventually end in divorce. Unless, of course, you white knuckle it.
Should we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
It’s been eighteen months since we began the Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study at the Rock Church in Greeneville TN. We began with the question; What is Truth?
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17
When we first met we discussed how bible exegesis has changed over time. The last Apostle John the Revelator, discipled Polycarp at Antioch. Polycarp taught Irenaeus who wrote “Against Heresies” in the 2nd Century AD. The emphasis was on the literal interpretation of scripture. Scripture means what it says and is to be understood in its original historical, grammatical, and literary context. Hence as Acts 17:11 Bereans, we begin by asking who is the author? To whom is it addressed? What is the cultural setting? We compare English translations and dig into the deeper meaning of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words. We do so with the understanding that while the Bible was written for us,
it was not written to us.
In contrast, the allegorization of scripture began with Origen in the early 3rd century in Alexandria and continued under Augustin. Allegorization is very common today, especially in the charismatic stream. It is the search for a deeper, often personalized, and hidden meaning in the text that may or may not be there. Allegorization is one root of the gnostic heresy. Not all allegorization results in heresy. The problem arises when allegorization is the only approach to scripture.
“Why?” you ask.
Consider that all scripture is God-breathed. 2 Tim 3:16 Truth is by definition absolute. Any allegorical revelation we receive cannot contradict the literal interpretation of scripture and be true. Also, scripture never contradicts itself. Any apparent contradiction points to a problem with the readers’ understanding, not the scripture. For example, regular readers will be familiar with differences in the English word Judge. Judge not lest you be judged Mat 7:1 seems contrary to 1 Cor 2:15 A righteous person judges all things. When we delve into the Greek we find that Judge in Mat 7 isKrino to sentence or condemn based on opinion. Judge in 1 Cor 2 is Anakrรญnล to discern as in discerning good from evil. In addition to word definitions, we need to consider the context. In Mat 7 Jesus is addressing the issue of hypocrisy. In 1 Cor 5 Paul commands us to Krino in the context of church discipline.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindlerโnot even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. โPurge the evil person from among you.โ
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Is a popular quote (actually a misquote) possibly from which Steve Furtick derived โGod broke the Law for loveโ. This is bad theology known as Antinomianism. Antinomianism otherwise known as “Greasy Grace” is the idea that Christians don’t need to uphold God’s laws because we are saved by faith and His grace covers past, present, and future sin. I recently heard a local believer say that ethics do not apply to Christians because they prevent God from moving. In essence, we should sin more so grace may abound. That might make sense if the Bible ended with Romans 5. It does not.
In any case, Paul clarifies the conclusion of Romans 5 in Romans 6.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
The emphasis that is missed and or misinterpreted by contemporary Antinomianists is How can we who died to sin still live in it? One popular evangelist claims that he never sins. Yes, he does. His statement is a lie. What Paul is saying is that if indeed We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, we can not sin and live in denial of the unbearable discomfort that conviction brings.
Before I was baptized into His death I was filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness a gossip. I was a slanderer, hater of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, an inventor of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though I’d heard Godโs righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, I not only did them but gave approval to those who practice them. Rom 1:29-32 Today even a hint of bitterness or unforgiveness in my heart is unbearable and drives me to the throne of grace Heb 4:16 where I confess 1 John 1:9 and repent.
God’s promise is that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, the fullness of which will be received in eternity. In the meantime, we have Holy Spirit in us as a down payment. Eph 1:13-14
While it is true that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Cor 5:17 New creation does not mean finished creation. We are works in progress being conformed to the image of His Son. Rom 8:29For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21
While some argue that the becoming is completed at baptism, the argument is not coherent in the context of scripture or experience. The process of becoming will not be complete until we see Him face to face. 1 Cor 13:12 Hence Paul exhorts us
Therefore, my beloved, 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.Phil 2:12-13
The subject of sin can be a challenging topic to explain especially to unbelievers who view the idea of original sin as an absurdity. We can not explain our need for salvation unless we first explain sin.
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.Rom 5:12-13
Sin is hamartรญato be without a share in, to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong. I emphasize “miss the mark” because the English word “sin” is an archery term that means “to miss the mark”.
The mark is the bullseye.
How could a loving God allow man to sin? If God is omnipotent why didn’t he just fix the problem as soon as it happened? If He is all-knowing then He knew Adam and Eve would eat the forbidden fruit. Why would He set Adam and Eve up to fail?ย After all a loving father doesn’t tempt his children, he protects them. If indeed sin is the cause of all suffering then God is a sadist. Otherwise, He is not omnipotent. If He isn’t omnipotent then is he God? The Bible says sin is not imputed when there is no law. Wouldn’t a loving God simply dispense with the law?
How do you answer these?
Many simply defer to, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him… John 6:44 as a loophole for the apologetic mandate.
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,1 Pet 3:15
Still, we are commanded to explain our faith.
Consider the following analogy regarding the nature of sin. It takes 23,000 engineers to write three billion lines of computer code to run Google. In contrast, it takes 2 billion lines of code comprised of just four amino acids to run a cell weighing one billionth of a gram. There are at least 200 different types of cells in the human body. That is 400 billion lines of genetic code per person. It takes approximately thirty-seven trillion cells to make one human body. There are about 8 billion people on Earth today all with a unique genetic code (program). 37 trillion x 400 billion x 8 billion is 1.184 x 10 to the 35th power. The point here is that the numbers describing the complexity of life’s design are beyond comprehension. The hard drive (DNA) and program (Genetic Code) that form and drive life are far more complex than any computer hard drive or computer program ever created by man. And while man is still trying to mimic God’s computing system no one has pulled it off. Still, the overarching principles involved in computing remain the same for man-made computers and God’s creation. While the complexity points to intelligent design and the existence of God, it also points toย the severity and nature of sin.
The analogy is that sin coming into the world can be likened to a computer virus that corrupts a computer operating system and spreads and infects every other computer operating system on the same network. Computer viruses are like biological viruses in that they are pieces of information that left unchecked destroy the host.
There are two possible solutions. You can eradicate the host(s). Or create an anti-virus program that fixes the problem and protects from further infection.
God had the same choice at the time of the fall. He could have wiped out all of creation and gone back to the proverbial drawing board. Instead, thanks to His mercy, He chose an antivirus. ย
For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16
Consider that there can be no computer virus without a computer program. There is no biological virus without a host cell and DNA program. Similarly, there is no sin apart from the law. My analogy is not perfect but I hope most people will understand. Creation is the operating system. God’s law, is the program the enemy seeks to corrupt. Corrupt God’s law and corrupt His creation.
It’s not perfect but this is one way we might frame sin so that unbelievers understand.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.Rom 5:14
The proverbial virus that corrupted God’s program came through Adam. Hence we are dead in our trespasses and sinsEph 2:1 the moment we were born.
But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one manโs offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.Rom 5:15
Just as a computer antivirus program cleans and repairs a computer and then protects it from further infection, so does the free gift of grace reconcile and reset all creation to its original state of perfection. When a person truly surrenders to Jesus they are “sozoed”.
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said,ย โTake heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.โย And instantlythe woman was made well.Mat 9:22
Well is Sแนzล – to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, save, do well, to be or to make whole. Sozo occurs 103 times in the New Testament.
For as by one manโs disobedience many were made sinners, so also byย one Manโs obedience many will be made righteous. Moreoverย the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, graceย abounded much more,ย so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul is explaining a principle that was foreshadowed in the story of Joseph.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.Gen 50:20
Our omnipotent, omniscient Father
ย chose us in himย before the foundation of the world, that we should beย holy and blameless before him. In loveย he predestined us forย adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,ย according to the purpose of his will,ย
As we continue to study God’s word, all He did and does remains a mystery that we see in a glass darkly. Analogy is a dark glass that reveals just enough to inspire awe that drives us to worship our omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving God. Even what the enemy intends for harm is incorporated into God’s plan and assists Him in accomplishing His will.ย
…even as heย chose us in himย before the foundation of the world, that we should beย holy and blameless before him. In loveย he predestined us forย adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,ย according to the purpose of his will,ย to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us inย the Beloved.ย In him we haveย redemptionย through his blood,ย the forgiveness of our trespasses,ย according to the riches of his grace,ย which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insightย making known to us the mystery of his will,ย according to his purpose, which heย set forth in Christย as a plan forย the fullness of time,ย to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
We finished Romans 4 this week. Anyone who reads the first four chapters of Romans should have a clear understanding of Justification by faith and that faith is demonstrated by works. As we learned Pรญstis โ faith, is a noun. Pisteรบล โ belief is a verb.
Belief is faith in action!
Now we move on to Romans 5 where Paul gets into the meat of what faith looks like in practice.
Therefore,ย having been justified by faith,ย we haveย peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,ย through whom also we have access by faith into this graceย in which we stand, andย rejoice in hope of the glory of God.ย And not onlyย that,ย butย we also glory in tribulations,ย knowing that tribulation producesย perseverance;ย and perseverance,ย character; and character, hope.ย Now hope does not disappoint,ย because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.Rom 5:1-8 NKJV
Peace is eirแธnฤthe tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.
Glory is kauchรกomai to rejoice.
Tribulation is thlรฎpsisanguish, burdened, persecution, trouble, pressing together, pressure.
Do you have faith? What about peace? If so, in what do you place your faith? One thing is certain, what we elevate, we serve. Are you consumed by world events and the cares of this life such that you are prone to forgetting God? Or are you so terrified that you refuse to even look at the world? Being consumed can take the form of obsession with circumstances or the fear that drives one’s head into the sand.
The Bible tells us that people perish for two reasons; lack of knowledge and lack of vision. The correct approach is to view the signs of the times while remaining unmoved by circumstances. Mat 16:1-3 True faith is to stare reality dead in the face and remain at peace knowing that God’s purpose and plan will be fulfilled. Faith is partly produced by our history with God. Hope elpรญs is faith projected into the future. True hope says “I know God will complete what He started because I’ve seen Him complete it thus far.” False hope succumbs to absurd pipe dreams concocted by a misinformed, human imagination.
I wrote Truth or Trump in 2019 discussing how public opinion and markets are manipulated by media via our confirmation biases. I stood amazed as I watched otherwise sane friends and family or what I call the “lobotomized left” defer to a long-standing Marxist agenda whereby Jesus was reframed as a refugee oppressed by the white male patriarchy that he came to overthrow. Meanwhile, the wackified right proclaimed Donald Trump a Biblical Cyrus sent by God to Make America Great Again. Cyrus sent Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem after Israel repented in captivity. I was mocked and blocked on social media when I disputed the absurd exegesis and typology. For the record, God is not a man and can not be oppressed. The moral state of the USA has far more in common with Mystery Babylon than a repentant Israel emerging from captivity.
That said, today the wackified right and lobotomized left seem like muzzled dogs waiting for a coming fight.
Given the current global geopolitical environment and the level of insane online chatter regarding the potential for another civil war on American soil, it might be wise to have some extra beans and rice on hand.
For the record, Cathy and I are political atheists. We pick politicians like plumbers. We want the best job done for the least amount of money. At this point, we view all politics as leaven. Mark 8:15, Mat 16:1-12 The leaven of Herod is the world with its pride and lusts. The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees represents a religious spirit / political spirit.
There is no political solution to a spiritual problem.
Enter the Russians
Philosopher and Geopolitical analyst Alexander Dugin, a.k.a. “Putin’s Brain” is a former geopolitical advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. I wrote more about him in Did You Say Prepping? As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Dugin sees the ongoing conflict between Russia and NATO as the parable of the sheep and goats being played out in real time. Mat 25:31-46 While admittedly unwinnable for either side, Dugin, says a war between Russia and NATO remains inevitable. He says it will be a sovereign act of God and a final separation between the sheep and goats in which case,
Russians will go to heaven as martyrs. NATO members will go to hell.
At the time of this writing, Dimitri Medvedev has made concrete threats regarding nuclear war. The Biden administration has authorized the use of US weapons by Ukraine inside Russia. Putin has responded by positioning Russian Naval ships 70 miles off the coast of Florida. As many as eleven Russian Submarines are positioned along the East Coast of the US. He also signed a mutual defense agreement with North Korea. North Korean troops are expected to be fighting alongside Russians in Ukraine within a month. Biden just made selective service registration automatic for men between the ages of 18 and 26. While it hasn’t been implemented, the mechanism to do the same for women is being created. If all that wasn’t crazy enough, a terrorist attack using US-made, internationally banned cluster munitions just took place on a beach in Crimea. Russian news sources (see below) are claiming that the targeting could not have been completed without US intelligence support.
โOn June 23, during the great Orthodox holiday of the Holy Trinity, the US-backed Kiev regime carried out a horrific attack on civilians in the Russian city of Sevastopol in Crimea. 151 people were injured, including 27 children. 4 people died, including 2 children. All those responsible for this latest terrorist attack will be brought to justice. There is no doubt that the United States is directly involved in this crime…”
“…The US and its satellites, committed yet another heinous terrorist crime against civilians in Russia by firing missiles at Sevastopol. For their terrorist attack, they specially chose a day โ Holy Trinity Sunday โ one of the most important holidays celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Four people were killed, including a two-year-old boy, who was playing on the municipal beach, and a nine-year-old girl. 151 people applied for medical assistance; 82 โ 55 adults and 27 children โ were hospitalised, many of them in a grave condition. All patients are receiving skilled medical aid. – According to the Defence Ministry of Russia, the attackers used US ATACMS operational missiles with cluster warheads for greater kill ability. All flight data was entered by US military crews based on US reconnaissance satellite inputs. A Global Hawk US reconnaissance drone was on duty off Crimea.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has promptly started an investigation into this crime. All those implicated in this and other terrorist attacks in the territory of the Russian Federation will incur inevitable punishment.”
– Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Nebenzya, and Russian Foreign Ministry statement on the terrorist attack at Sevastopol –
The Russians do not make idol threats.
The sheer insanity of repeatedly poking the Russian bear in the eye and daring her to respond is beyond my comprehension and probably yours. Hence your confirmation biases might be telling you to dismiss all of this and return to Sports, Netflix, and video games. Do not be deceived.
The Russians are saying they are ready to fight WWIII.
Donald Trump looked like a perfectly composed genius compared to Biden in the recent debate. While I view Trump as gasoline on a match rather than a savior, his final statement guaranteeing WWIII, if Biden is reelected resonates with what Russia has promised. Just this past week Alexander Dugin wrote the following regarding the upcoming election.
Most likely, the globalists behind the weak Biden will try to remove the strong Trump from the election and prevent him from becoming president at any cost. Any methods may be employed here: assassination, imprisonment, organizing riots and protests, up to and including a coup or civil war. Or by the end of his term, Biden may start a third world war. This is also quite likely.
To be clear, the Russian goal is a decentralized multipolar world where individual nations respectfully compete with one another to find the best solutions for all. In their minds, the primary obstacle is the current unipolar world controlled by the hegemonic USA and its European globalist partners.
First and foremost, a second term for a US president with such an ideology will show that the first term was not an accident (for the globalists), but a regular occurrence. A unipolar world and the globalist project will be rejected not only by supporters of a multipolar world โ Russia, China, and Islamic countries โ but by Americans themselves. This will deal a powerful blow to the entire network of the liberal-globalist elite. And most likely, they will not recover from such a blow.
Meanwhile, Israel is prepping for war with Hezbollah as it continues to fight Hamas in Gaza. Iran says it will intervene directly if that happens. If the US and NATO intervene, Iran says it will attack NATO. Biden says he will pull all support if Israel attacks Iran. That might be because Russia says it will attack anyone who attacks Iran. The common denominator in all of this is gradual, continued escalation toward Ezekiel 38-39. That’s another conversation. Now let me ask you a question.
What is your reaction to the above?
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.Mat 24:6
Can you look soberly and realistically at the threats we currently face and remain at peace?
There are just a few reactions anytime I discuss these things with or around Christian brothers and sisters. The most common is dismissal. “God loves us. These things have always been,” 2 Pet 3:3-7 they say. “Social media just makes everything seem worse.” Others see a clear and present danger but react in the flesh. Some place their hope in Trump. Others are stocking up on guns and ammunition as if righteousness will be gained by shooting. Others remain willfully oblivious. “I don’t know what’s going on,” they say. “I don’t want to know. I canโt handle it.” Finally, there are a few who view the signs of the times and the emerging threats with 1 Peter 5:8 sobriety.
Calm, Dispassionate, and Circumspect
As Cathy and I preach, counsel, and teach it has become clear that people, including those in the body of Christ, are splitting into two groups. Those who are losing their minds or will lose their minds as their hearts fail for fear of what is coming. Luke 21:26 And those soberly preparing their hearts and minds to bring the gospel of peace into the chaos. One thing is certain. The world is not becoming saner, more moral, or stable. Could revival come? Certainly! Still, anyone who has studied the history of revival knows revivals are preceded by crisis and a renewed fear of God that compels people to repent.
The root of the matter for believers is in the question: In what is your faith? What does it look like in practice?
Semper Fi
Semper Fi short for Semper Fidelis is Latin for Always Faithful. It is the Marine Corps Motto. Given that I was a Marine itโs got me thinking about belief (faithfulness) and what it means for us in the context of the Christian walk.
The practice of Semper Fidelis is reflected in the Marine Corps Code of Conduct. HONOR, COURAGE, and COMMITMENT. The expression of Semper Fidelis in the life of an individual Marine is rooted in personal character. Every Marine understands that character is produced under pressure. It is defined by oneโs actions under pressure. Marines hope for the best by preparing for the worst.
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Rom 5:3-8
Honor, courage, and commitment in the life of a Christian do not mean we charge off to kill the people we are called to disciple. In fact, Semper Fi for believers today might mean resisting the pressure to kill those we are called to evangelize. The faithfulness of an individual Christian is produced in the transformation of one’s character. Christian character is defined by faithfulness under pressure. So often people are in search of a specific outcome that produces or extends comfort instead of endurance 2 Tim 2:3 and the ability to stand. Eph 6:10-14
If you are young you may be inclined to validate faith and belief according to the intensity of the histrionics displayed. The greater the passion, the greater the faith. Mat 7:15-20 In my experience faith in action is correlated with sobriety, not theatrics. I find that the most histrionic people are often the first to fall when the pressure comes.
I promise you, that a deeper, more sober faith will be required in the coming days. Sobriety produces a calm, dispassionate, wise, and circumspect approach to circumstances. Sober faith understands that God causes or allows circumstances for the refinement of our character. Hence, Jason Upton quotes theologian Walter Brueggemann in his song In the Silence,
โSometimes praise can be a manifestation of our doubt. God wants to silence us to get to the root of whatโs really going on.โ
Am I saying the worst-case scenario is guaranteed? Absolutely not. I am a watchman, not a prophet. I am saying that Biblically we are on a trajectory that includes enduring tribulation at some point. We are called to peace, rejoicing, and hope in the midst of it. The purpose of this post and others like it is to pose the question,
Are you spiritually prepared?
Will Romans 5 peace with God be enough if we are called into a time of crushing and breaking? Will we lose our minds and fall away 2 Thess 2:1-3 if our expectations never come to pass? Or will we embrace the transformation of our character and the hope that it brings knowing that in the pressing (tribulation) that we endure for a season, God is making new wine? We may not be faithful, but God is
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.Rom 2:29
Paul concludes his discussion concerning the religious practice of circumcision by defining it as an outward sign of an inner commitment. It is a matter of the heart not a legal loophole to escape the consequences of sin. While religious Jews mistook circumcision as an act that produces righteousness, it was from the beginning proof of agreement to uphold the covenant that God made with Abraham. Gen 17:1-14
In Romans 3 Paul ties the subject of circumcision into some of the most common apologetic arguments challenging the validity of the Gospel.
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?Rom 3:1
Paul illustrates the fact that God had to choose a people group through whom He would work out His plan of salvation, reconciliation, and restoration.ย Apart from the tested faithfulness of Abraham, Gen 15:6 we do not have a definitive answer to why He chose the Jewish people to preserve the scriptures for millennia. All we know is that He did. Paul addresses the first common anti-gospel argument with
Does the faithlessness of the Jewish people nullify the faithfulness of God?
Why should anyone believe the Gospel when even God’s chosen people don’t believe? A similar argument that we see today is, “Why would anyone want to be a Christian? I mean just look at how Christians behave!” This is a logical fallacy known as aFalse Equivalency. The validity of scripture and the resulting Christian faith is based on the life and teachings of its founder Jesus, not the failings of His followers. Hence Paul declares,
Let God be true though every one were a liar…Rom 3:4
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?โas some people slanderously charge us with saying.Rom 3:5-8
While I have read that he eventually repented, Martin Luther is credited with declaring “Love God. Sin Boldly”. This is heresy. Evil does not produce good any more than darkness produces light. Evil and darkness are not “things”. They are the absence of things namely goodness and light. God is a holy and just God. He made a way for all of those who are already condemned to be saved. Either we choose the gift of salvation or we don’t. That God’s truth shines more brightly amidst man’s darkness and lies only further proves God is who HE says He is and His word will accomplish what He intended. Isaiah 55:6-11
Charles A Beard poetically albeit unwittingly described God’s sovereign Rom 8:28 hand amidst the recurring pattern of man’s rebellion in real time.
“Whom God would destroy, he must first make mad with power. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small. The bee fertilizes the flower it robs. When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.“
We don’t pursue darkness or do evil that good may come. We pursue God and His truth because we know they will prevail.ย God will prevail with or without us and despite, anything we do. Rest assured that He will use anything and everything to further His plan of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration of His creation to its original state.
Paul says those who would slanderously accuse him of preaching this False Equivalency of evil producing good are justly condemned. That’s not to say they are condemned because they don’t understand. Rather apart from Christ, all men are justly condemned. Eph 2:1-10 There is nothing inherently good or righteous about any person or people group.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.Eph 2:8-10
Paul emphasizes our state apart from Christ in Rom 3:10-20 First of all,
โNone is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have becom worthless; no one does good, not even one.โ โTheir throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. โThe venom of asps is under their lips.โ โTheir mouth is full of curses and bitterness.โ โTheir feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.โ โThere is no fear of God before their eyes.โ
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
At the end of the day the law, (Ten Commandments / Old Covenant) is our school teacher. All of our very best attempts at being righteous and good in our own eyes only prove that we are not. Try as we may we can not fulfill the law. We are not good and if Jesus doesn’t save us we are condemned for all eternity.
Granted some of us need more time in school than others.
Paul goes on to clarify that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Rom 3:22-25
This is where Paul addresses the next common argument against God and His plan of salvation. Namely the accusation of divine child abuse. What kind of Father offers His one and only son as a blood sacrifice? A truly omnipotent God would be able to make man perfect and sin-free from the beginning. Even if He didn’t He should simply cancel the effect of sin and allow His children to live happily ever after. The very existence of evil, they say, is proof that God does not exist. If God does exist, He cannot be good. Yet Paul declares that,
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.Rom 3:26
God is both perfectly loving and perfectly just. While I could present a long abstract theological contrast of love, justice, mercy, and grace, beginning with the Garden of Eden, I have found that an African folk tale is shorter and often more effective in explaining how God could be just and our justifier.
There once was an African King who ruled over a poor kingdom as is so often the case in Africa. One day his counselors came to him and declared that there was a chicken thief in the village where they lived. Anyone who has spent time in poor nations like Mozambique knows that chickens are a matter of life and death. As one boy in Mozambique once told us in no uncertain terms,
You steal chickens, you die!
So the king made a decree.
“When the chicken thief is caught he will receive one hundred lashes with a cane!“
The next day the counselors approached the king. “King!” they began. “We have captured the thief.” “Bring him here!” Exclaimed the King. Much to his dismay, the thief was the king’s mother. “Tie her to the whipping pole and beat her!” exclaimed the King. “And if I even suspect that you are easing up or holding back I will have you executed!”
“One more thing!” Exclaimed the King.
Silently he stood up and walked to his mother. Removing his shirt he wrapped his body around her.
“Proceed!” said the king.
This is a picture of what it means to show his righteousness at present so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Like the King, God had to keep His perfect word and truth. Otherwise, He would be a liar.
I’m pretty certain you all understand.
A common error today is for believers to dispense with the law entirely. “It doesn’t matter if I sin.” They say. “I’ll just confess it afterward and be good.” They aren’t entirely wrong. Still, the root of the issue is in the heart. What would these same people say if after taking the one hundred lashes, the king’s mother immediately went back to stealing chickens? “Thank you for taking my beating son. That was nice of you. I hope you don’t die from your injuries.
Now where were those chickens?…”
Once justified we are obedient because we love Jesus.
The purpose of the law in the lives of believers is alignment with the will of God, which produces holiness. We are called to be holy as He is holy. We aren’t saved by following the law. We are saved by grace through faith. Still, Paul concludes this chapter with,
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
The law remains. Even if its purpose changes in the life of believers who are by faith in Jesus alone more righteous than the Pharisees.
Do not think that I have come to abolishย the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them butย to fulfill them.ย For truly, I say to you,ย until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.ย Therefore whoever relaxesย one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called leastย in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called greatย in the kingdom of heaven.ย For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceedsย that of the scribes and Pharisees, youย will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Mat 5:17-20
As we’ve said in previous posts. “Fulfill” Does not mean “to overthrow or do away with”. It means “to give the correct or full interpretation.”ย The law and prophets provided a proverbialย photo of Jesus. His coming in person was the fulfillment. If we read the Sermon on the Mount carefully, we soon realize that the requirements of Jesus are often more stringent than the law of Moses. Mat 5:27-28 Even so, it remains an inward journey – a matter of the heart that produces fruit. Gal 5:22-23 We can know a tree by its fruit. Mat 7:15-20
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.Rom 2:29
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Rom 2:1
Paul is addressing what modern psychology calls projection.
Projection is the process of displacing oneโs feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projectionโattributing oneโs own unacceptable urges to another.
As we discussed in What is in Man Jesus understood the nature of all mankind according to the flesh. As much as we like to talk about all human beings beings made in the image of God, that image applied universally to Adam and Eve. Everyone who came after was a corrupted mutation of that image. But to all who did receive him (Jesus)ย who believed in his name,ย he gave the rightย to becomeย children of God. John 1:12 Hence all believers are works in progress on our way to becoming fully conformed to the image of God. Rom 8:29
What Jesus knew is in Man is the culmination of Romans chapter one.
every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice, gossip, slanderer, insolence, arrogance and boasting; invented ways of doing evil; the lack of understanding, fidelity, love, and mercy (as in man). Not only do they continue to do these things but they approve of (and commiserate with) those who practice them. Rom 1:29-32
It is so very important to understand that our redemption by the blood of Jesus is not a license to sin. The law and the standard for holiness has not change.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.Mat 5:8
Many believers mistake Jesus’ last words “It is finished!”John 19:30for all is accomplished. It is finished in Greek is tetelestai from telรฉล. Perhaps the best analogous context is a business transaction where a debt is paid in full. Jesus was the final blood sacrifice that paid forall sin. All is accomplished in Revelation 19-22. All means the restoration of All God’s creation to its original status before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Victory over sin and death is just the beginning. The indwelling of Holy Spirit is a down payment toward our full inheritance. Eph 1:14ย
The main error that Paul exposes in the first three chapters of Romans is one of overvaluation of identity. The Jews saw themselves as righteous by way of their Jewish bloodline. Some gentile believers regarded their newfound born-again status, or their identity, as won and done. The fruit of this error can be seen in Martin Luther’s proclamation, “Love God, sin boldly.”Jesus died for all my sins so I don’t need to worry about sin. Right?
Wrong!
…Or do you presume onย the riches of his kindness andย forbearance andย patience,ย not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?Rom 2:4
The riches of His kindness made possible by the Cross, are what allow us to come boldly to the throne of grace.Heb 4:16 And to be forgiven provided we confess our sins. 1 John 1:9 Those who simply take the cross of Jesus for granted and minimize or justify instead of rectifying their sins and failures through confession and repentance are hypocrites.
The Jews thought they were righteous because they had the law. Apparently like today, many Jewish and gentile believers thought hearing the law, e.g. going to church and claiming to believe what they heard made them righteous. Paul made it clear that
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.Rom 2:13
While we are not exempt from doing what the law says, we do it His help.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Heb 4:14-16
At the end of the day, God is most concerned with the intentions of our hearts. Those intentions are defined by our actions.
For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.Prov 24:16-18
Paul continues to reinforce the theme of projection and resulting hypocrisy throughout the chapter with a discussion of circumcision.
For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.Rom 2:25
Similar to baptism for believers,ย circumcision was an outward expression of an inward commitment. While it might be tempting to focus on Paul’s seeming emphasis on distinctions between Jew and Gentile, it’s really not the point. Not at this point anyway. Once again, Paul is writing to the church in Rome. Hence he is speaking to both Jewish and Gentile believers. The message for contemporary believers remains the same. Pursue righteousness by doing what is written to the best of your ability with God’s help. Let us not redact scripture to fit the lifestyle we want to lead.ย Don’t be a hypocrite.
The most sobering verse in Romans 2 is
You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, โThe name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.โRom 2:23-24
We constantly hear people justify sin, be it theirs or the sins of others in the name of grace because they errantly believe that the law is irrelevant because Jesus fulfilled it. Hence
Love is the crucifixion of Jesus that resulted in our justification, not ourย justificationsย that demand tolerance for our sins. This is Paul’s point when he says ...God’s kindness is meant to lead (us) to repentance…in Rom2:4
While church leaders and especially teachers are subject stricter qualifications and standards, 1 Tim 3,ย James 3 Every believer impacts someone.
โWhoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. โWoe to the world for temptations to sin! For temptations must come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!Mat 18:5-7
The word for sin and temptation here is skรกndalon– a trap. However, the trap here includes leading by wrong example. A person consumed by sexual sin and yet claims to represent the gospel of Jesus Christ falls into the catagory of Romans 1:32.
Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
These are the ones by whom โThe name of God is blasphemed (among unbelievers)โ Rom 2:23-24
The very idea of covering up or making lite of our or another person’s blatant sin is neither righteous nor loving.
But then here is where projection can make a proverbial twist. Sometimes people errantly give what appears to be grace. We may assume their intentions are pure.ย They simply misunderstand the nature and purpose of grace. “They‘re just nice,” wesay. When in fact they are reticent to call out and expose worthless deeds of darknessEph 5:11 because they are guilty of the same sins. …You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? Rom 2:21 A contemporary twist is; if I commit adultery; do I excuse adultery because I am guilty of the same thing? In covering up the sin of another with what I term love and grace; do I hope the same sins will be covered up for me?
There is no end to how those with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom will twist God’s word to justify their behavior and the behavior of those whom they are afraid to confront. If this is how a church body or a body within a body operates the end result will at best always be but a variation of what happened at IHOPKC and multiple other ministries over the last twenty years. In the end God is blasphemed and people reject Him because of our failures.
At the end of the day, the overarching theme in Romans 2 is simple. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. If we know what is right because we got it from scripture then we’d better be doing it. People are watching and looking to justify their unbelief by our actions. When we fail as we all do at times, then we’d best be ready to immediately confess and repent. Anything else makes us hypocrites. This is one reason why Paul said, leaders must be above reproach. 1 Tim 3 And James said, not many of you should become teachers, James 3:1
If you are reading this and asking “Where is the love?”, consider the possibility that you have a deficient understanding of love. Why is Paul so hard? Because
The fear of theย Lordย is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy Oneย is understanding.Prov 9:10
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. ย For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.Ecc 12:13-14
The love of God can not be understood apart from the fear of God, His goodness apart from His severity.
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.Rom 11:22
So often any mention of the fear of God, His law, and the pursuit of holiness is dismissed as “religious”. Within the charasmatic stream, the word religion has become a pejorative. The implication is that Jesus was only hard on the religious people. We are “Spirit Filled”. For the record “religion” is from the Latinย Relegereto reread and Religareย to bind fast,ย an obligation,a bond between man and God. In a nutshell, being religious meansย are who we say we are, and we do what we are supposed to do regardless of who we are with. Being Spirit filled means we have the power to walk in integrity. Integrity is a fruit of being unspotted from the world.James 1:27 Among other things, our religion should produce integrity.
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 whatโs it like; you know, this missionary thing?
Well, Iโm only one guy, and while some might disagree, Iโll 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 Godโs word says could and should be. It is the willingness to be baptized by fire in ways you know could happen but maybe donโt believe ever will. It is wrestling with choosing to trust in the words and ideas of man or God alone when the country youโre 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 youโve 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 โgreater things than these shall you do.โJohn 14:12-14 It is recoiling at those powered by pride, mesmerizing others with cheap grace and lies.
It is realizing that the โleast 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 youโve 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 correctionto 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 thereโs 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 wordwhich 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 doesnโt 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
