Allegiance

 From a favorite blog by a Canadian Christian:

"An allegiance is...our single non-negotiable. It is our only priority. It is the sole conviction and passion that controls, moderates and, if needed, displaces all loyalties. Nothing comes before it. All things must bow to it.

It is the hill we are willing to die on.

...That gets to the heart of the matter for Christ followers. Our single allegiance is Christ, the one willing to die on a hill for us and, frankly, the only one who commands our sole allegiance."

--  n  https://christianity201.wordpress.com/

"Allegiance" is probably too "controversial" a matter for American Christians to question, raised as we all are to recite "The Pledge of Allegiance" on every civic-religion occasion: our pledge that each of we individual Americans...Christian or not...will put the American flag, "and the republic for which it stands," above our every other love and loyalty.

I'm consequently having to re-think my reflexive and rote recitation of "The Pledge."

What's a Dollar Worth ?

The details aren't important, but I had to ask for a refund from a motel.

Fortunately, it was a local franchisee, and I could talk to him in person.

We paid for a week, I said, but the friend I rented for had to go to the hospital yesterday, so he wasn't in the room today.  Can we get a refund for today ?

No, said the franchisee, you rented for a week, at a special rate, so we can't refund that.

Well, I said, I can remove my friend's possessions from the room, and you would have it available for rental today.

No, he said, you rented for a week, at a special rate, so we can't do that.

Alright, I said.  How about this: my friend was in the hospital because he got sick and had to go to the emergency room, no fault of his own.  But he'll still need to be in town next week for additional medical appointments: can you add the day he wasn't actually here to the week he rented for ?

No, he said, the room was rented for a week, at a special rate, so we can't do that.

O.K., I said.  Thank you.

I was polite throughout, as was he.  But...

Our national currency used to be backed by gold-reserves, which guaranteed its value.  Since 1934 the value of a dollar betokens our trust in the government which stands behind it.

The thought occurred that a dollar can also represent our heart's desire to "do justice" and "love mercy."

Warning Against "Political Idolatry," by Andrew Strom

Andrew Strom was a New Zealander ministering in the Kansas City area when I ran across his website some years ago.  His teachings about living out Christ's teachings very often seemed to hit the nail on the head, and I began reading his website regularly.

About 10 or 15 years ago he felt like God called him back to New Zealand.  I think he currently has a church in the Auckland suburbs; and frequently travels to Africa to teach, and has a ministry to the Maori.  And he still has a heart for the American Church, often addressing spiritual issues and events in the U.S.

His e-mail teaching-letter recently reprised this warning from 2006, when I believe he was still in the U.S.  It seems even more relevant and even more critically needed today, than it was 17 years ago.  Even if what he then called "Republicanism" might now be understood as "Conservatism," his prophetic warning remains spot-on.

His characterization of this danger to the Church as "Political Idolatry" also seems to put it in exactly the right terms: worship of what mankind has created, above worship of The Creator of mankind.

Amen !!

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REPENT of POLITICAL IDOLATRY !    by Andrew Strom

Something I find a little distressing in America is that the Christians
are so often relying on POLITICS to accomplish SPIRITUAL results.
Thus they ally themselves fervently with one particular party and
treat it like "God has won" if that party wins - and "God has lost" if
it doesn't. I almost see this as a kind of BLINDNESS.

The fact is - most of America's problems today are SPIRITUAL
problems that can only be solved by a sweeping move of God's
Spirit. Yet we are relying on Politics and Politicians to accomplish
many of these things?? How bizarre!

How bizarre that we strive and strive to get the "right (worldy) guy"
elected. How bizarre that we treat the President like some kind of
mega-preacher or mega-minister. We put our "hope" in him and his
Political party for all kinds of SPIRITUAL things! What is wrong with us?

I don't know of any other country where the Christians put such
hope in worldly political parties for things that ONLY GOD CAN
DO. Is this not a kind of IDOLATRY??

Yes - there are issues of righteousness to be concerned with - and
it is good to vote. But what is with this OBSESSION with Politics
amongst the Christians? Do we not realize it is a kind of "phony
war"? Imagine if we spent all that time PRAYING instead of
STRIVING for Political victory. We might be actually having a
Revival right now!

Can Politics make America truly righteous? NO! Only GOD can do that!

I want to issue a call to all true Christians right now: "REPENT of
trusting in MAN instead of God. REPENT of trusting in Politics to
do things that only God can do. REPENT of striving and striving to
get the "right party" in power - and thinking that will solve this
country's SPIRITUAL problems. REPENT of making an IDOL out
of any party or any PRESIDENT. The Presidency does NOT equal
God's move! REPENT of putting so much energy and effort into
things that WILL NOT SOLVE the PROBLEM!

If only the Christians of this nation would PRAY instead of running
to POLITICAL ACTIVISM - everything would be different.

What if all of this is a false trust - a false hope - a false gospel?
What if our worship of Republicanism is out and out IDOLATRY??

God help us all.

Discerning Prophecy: Perhaps a Key ?

There's a lot the Bible teaches about discerning prophecy; enough that I've been quite bogged down in looking up the relevant scriptures, pondering them, and trying to perceive the outline of their inter-relationships and nuances.

I may have gotten lost in the thicket of (nonetheless-important) details, and missed what may be a "key" for discerning false prophecy, interpretation, and teaching.

It's seemed of critical importance, since God first spot-lighted it to me, that Jesus said some of His followers were "children of the devil."  He went on to say that their familial connection was manifest in their doing the deeds of their spiritual father, lies and murder (John 8:44).

Probably everyone knows what "lies" are; statements contrary to Truth (as Whom Jesus Identified Himself: John 14:6).  Statements not in words only.  We certainly see many whose attitudes, intents, methodologies, "deportment," values, or worldviews are dishonest. contrary to truth.  Anything of man's ways which can be made false can effectually be a lie.  Taken far enough, a person's life can be a lie: a false statement more profound than any we make with words.

Defining "murder" is trickier, as human law-codes show in their various attempts to differentiate "manslaughter" and "justifiable homicide" from murder, and assess degrees of criminal culpability for the latter.  Jesus' definition is more simple, and more radical: which is to say Jesus gets to the root- (Latin, radix) cause of "murder."

He would, wouldn't He ?

Jesus defined murder as hate-filled contempt for others (Matthew 5:21-22)...whether or not it manifests as killing someone.  We who believe Jesus take His definition as absolute: what He says anything is, it IS: starting with creation, and life itself (John 1:1-4).  Thus John affirmed the Lord's word about murder, writing that "everyone who hates his brother is a murderer" (I John 3:15).

By faith we understand that Jesus' characterization of "children of the devil" is definitive: and nothing's more critical than that we recognize the enemy-forces we encounter by His characterization.  The enemy-forces opposing God's children on earth today are the same as those who opposed God's Son during His earthly life.  They are manifest to those who believe Jesus as they were manifest to Him: satan's children do the works of their spiritual father, lies and murderous hatred.

Jesus affirmed...as we do each time we pray the Lord's Prayer...that "the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory" all belong Solely to God our Father, "on earth as it is in Heaven."  The enemy forces that currently hold sway on earth say otherwise: that ruling authority, its power, and its glory, belong to man.

So "politics" (especially the politics of demos -kratia, the "people rule") is always a major focus of those who oppose God's ruling authority and His power over mankind.  God says that human "authorities" owe their positions to him, and exercise His authority: He therefore commands that they be His "ministers" to do good  (Romans 13:1-5).  But we know...and regularly see...satan's children grasp for earthly authority and power so they can do their father's works.

In the past century of earth's history, we've seen landmark examples of "children of the devil," most notably Stalin and Hitler, who used politics in order to do the works of satan.

So we must soberly discern, today, that the enemy's forces still grasp for ruling authority and its power, in our country: and that politics is still their avenue to that end.  And just as in Jesus' day, we must discern that many in the American political faction which identifies itself with lies and murderous hatred claim to be Jesus' followers.

That is what Jesus warns us about in His hallmark teaching in Matthew 24 about "the end of the age" which precedes His return.  He says that "many" will come in His name to mislead His people.  He highlights among them "false prophets:" whom I strongly suggested in a previous post must include false interpreters of Biblical prophecy.

And Jesus' repeated warnings in that chapter are simple, and emphatic: "See to it that no one misleads you," "do not believe them," "do not go [with them]."

It couldn't be clearer, then, that Jesus requires us to discern which prophets, interpreters, and teachers speak God's word, and which do not.  It is His command that we not believe or follow every prophet, interpreter, or teacher who claims to speak "in My, Jesus', name."

His characterization of "children of the devil" as liars and murderous haters is absolute, and easily understood: recognizing those works of satan is likewise easy.  The key discernment I missed may be just as evident.

The scriptural principle is that "...no prophecy is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (I Peter 1:20).  The take-away is that only the Spirit can truthfully interpret His word of prophecy.

The simple key to discernment is that "children of the devil" never speak from the Holy Spirit.

They may claim to be Jesus' followers.  They may cloak their lies in half-truths to deceive the unwary.

But this is certain: the Spirit of Christ never prophecies, interprets, or teaches a political answer to a spiritual problem.  The Spirit of Truth will never vouchsafe a political (or any other) lie.  God's Spirit will never incite murderous hatred of others for political (or any other) purposes.

Those are of course the regular prophecies, interpretations, and teachings of the "Christians" who follow  America's "children of the devil" faction.

Jesus' command is clear: none who love Him will believe them or go with them.

Amen !

Practical Theology

It's far from the first time I've heard it: often enough that I usually don't pay much attention to it anymore.  At our last Bible-study the teacher, a retired minister, mentioned some recent event he'd heard about.  Can't remember how CNN came into it: either he knew it wasn't on CNN, or he apologized that he had heard it on CNN: but in either case he said he doesn't listen to CNN because "they're too liberal."

Like I say, I've heard similar remarks from "conservatives" for years, and usually don't pay much attention to it.

This time it caught my attention: in the context of Bible-study, where we come to hear what God says, the teacher's criteria seemed bizarre; and I had to think "I wonder what God's criteria is for CNN ?"

I've been too seized by Jesus' self-identification in John 14:6, for 'way too long, to come up with any better answer to that question than "Truth."  God desires truth in man's innermost parts (Psalms 51:6): I have to believe He desires not a whit less truth in man's network news.

Fortunately truth is also the standard journalism sets for itself, in a secular manifestation, "accuracy."  Honest journalists' criteria is to tell events as they verifiably happened, quote newsmakers' words accurately and in their true context, and clearly label their personal interpretations as "commentary."

Honest journalists make mistakes: some may even at times give in to the temptation to mix personal opinion with verifiable fact.  Don't we all fall short of our own standards, much less absolute Truth ?  But "falling short" of truth is meaningless unless our criteria is truth.  As it is for journalists...and even more for Christians.

The world...Christians and all other human beings...cannot live without Truth.  Try to imagine a society where scientists are honored for faking their data: where witnesses in court take an oath to lie: where news-media reliably report as fact the opposite of what happened.

We all know there have been such societies: and we know that they never endure.  Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are two examples.  It cannot escape our notice that in both societies honest science, justice and journalism were falsified to conform with the dominant politics of those nations.

Indeed, politics seems the only human "institution" where lies have any history of (albeit short-term, and disastrous) "success."  Needless to say, politics has long been a favorite venue of "the father of lies," and one in which he has perpetrated destruction and untold death, through deceived men.

So it struck me that the Bible-study leader's criteria for CNN was a political one: not the criteria of truth that CNN's journalists' set for themselves, in which Christians concur.

It seems a widespread perversion of the faith among so-called "conservative Christians" that politics is their sovereign criteria, in all things.  The name they've chosen for themselves tells where their priority lies, and their voting-record over the last 40 years confirms it.  Could anything more delight the "father of lies" ?

Jesus said He IS The Truth.  It seems then the practical theology of every Christian...the way we practice our belief in Jesus...must be loving Truth, following Truth, and measuring all things else by Truth.  Down to an including what news-media we favor, or disfavor.

May God lead His people in Truth, by the Spirit of Truth, to all Truth.  May every follower of Jesus desire as God does "truth in the innermost parts."

Amen !!

Discerning Prophecy II: Principle

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."        -- II Peter 1:20,21

The Holy Spirit authored the Bible's prophecies, and is the only One Who can tell us God's meaning in them.  The take-away is that we have to ask, and listen to, The Spirit to discern God's meaning in His words. This is the whole principle of interpreting Biblical prophecy: and it's impossible to fault its logic, for "...no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God" (Isaiah 40:13, quoted in Romans 11:34 and I Corinthians 2:16).

Our "own interpretation" is completely disallowed by this principle, and rightly so. In our moments of honesty, with God and with ourselves, we would each have to confess that we can, and do, often persuade ourselves we're hearing The Spirit, when we are not.  Confess too that (not only in hearing God's word) we can, and do, hear what we want to hear.  Taken to its ultimate length, self-deceiving "human will" is at the root of false prophecy, and false interpretation of prophecy. 

If we sincerely desire to hear God's meaning in Biblical prophecy, we must set our minds to rigorously  discern, test, scrutinize (as Jesus commanded the crowds in Luke 12:56) every interpretation of prophecy: our own first, and anyone else's.  And we must re-examine our conclusions: possibly more than once.  If we take from prophecy any meaning except the one God intends, we not only miss His life-giving word; we mislead ourselves, and delight satan.

A primary test of prophetic interpretation, often determinative by itself, is who it glorifies.  God will not share His glory (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11: also translated "honor" or "praise") with another.  We can consequently be certain that The Spirit will never offer an interpretation of prophecy which glorifies man or his works.  It's an absolute marker of "own interpretations" if the interpreter glorifies any man (often himself), or any of man's works.

God makes the lines unmistakably clear: but we know that man's heart is "...deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Evaluating the motives of "interpreters of prophecy" is therefore where we most need to seek The Spirit's penetrating discernment, for Jesus affirmed that God Alone fully knows men's hearts. (Luke 16:15).

With the caveat that I may get the Spirit's discernment wrong, as any of us can, I've found pride a good indicator of "prophetic interpretation" intended to glorify man.  As mentioned above, I think there are times we can sense that an interpreter (to some degree) prides himself on his ability to "solve the puzzle" of Biblical prophecies.  I think we're on solid scriptural ground to reject prophetic interpretations by such "teachers."

But very noticeable in today's "prophetic teaching" is what I'd call factional pride: "prophetic interpretation" by which man prides himself as identifying with (for example) a nation, denomination, philosophy, political party, theology, economic theory, etc..  And because more prevalent, it may be the enemy's greatest weapon against the Church today that Christians eagerly follow false "prophetic interpretations" which echo and flatter their own opinions.

Galatians 5:19-21 is explicit that "factions" (Strong's glosses the Greek word as "self-chosen opinions") are a "deed of the flesh," and that "...those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  Nothing could be more certain than that The Spirit is not Author of any "deed of the flesh."  Nor of the divisiveness which is their raison d'etre.  Nor of the pride in which factions are rooted; nor of the "...enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions" (also on Galatians' list of "deeds of the flesh"), and hatred for others which they engender.

Just as the Spirit of God never shares His Glory with any individual, it's safe to say that the Spirit's interpretations of prophecy will never be to the praise, honor, glory or endorsement of any of the proud works of man's flesh: not human factions, no "nation of men," and none of man's ideologies.  All "Interpretations" of Biblical prophecy which do so unmistakably manifest a spirit other than God's.

Because many American Christians have unwisely identified with the "conservative" political faction, its "talking-points" often predominate in today's false "prophetic interpretation."  A previous blog-post here highlights one recent example I've read, the book "Letter to the American Church" by "conservative" media-personality Eric Metaxas.

The way a good friend put it to me (and stunned me to silence) several years ago sticks with me.  Not a stupid man, not a Q-Anon crazy, not a superficial Christian, he flatly said "I don't believe you can be a Christian unless you're a conservative."  I think that concept of Christianity has become more prevalent and increasingly violent in recent years: probably many who believe as my friend does are today convinced that anyone not in their faction are "enemies," thereby consciously serving satan, and should be destroyed.

No one can miss that politics has been the primary element dividing our country the last few years, and is variety of the "deed of the flesh" Galatians calls "factions:" a "self-chosen opinion."  And clearly politics has become the criteria by which many deceived "Christians" measure even the faith and its teachings, as well as other Christians.

In these days when Jesus' repeated warning in Matthew 24 against being "misled" puts the highest premium on Christians' ability to discern false teaching and false prophecy:

in this day when much of "Christian" teaching, prophecy, and interpretation of prophecy is blatantly political:

it may be that the most relevant principle of discerning The Spirit's call to the Church today may simply be that The Spirit will never proffer a political "solution" to any spiritual problem.

The Kingdom of God Again

The one form of government God endorses is His Own, over all that He's created.  So we say, on God's authority, that He rules over all things.

Jesus called that fact "The Kingdom of God," and it was His whole focus: so much so that Luke 8:1 sums up his ministry at one point by saying without elaboration, "He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God."

Not teaching and proclaiming only.  The gospels detail the many incidents in which Jesus manifested God's rule of all "real world" things.

He rebuked the storm, and it became still.  Not just the forces of nature, but its "laws," when He called Peter to walk across the water to Him.  Rule over time itself, when he turned water into wine at His word, bypassing the processes of plant growth, fruit production, and fermentation. God's rule as well over disease in His many healings.

Jesus manifested God's rule over the enemy spiritual forces and powers intruding on His creation when he commanded demons to come out of men, and they obeyed Him.  God's rule over death at Lazarus' tomb: God's rule even moreso when He submitted Himself to death in faith that God's power would raise Him from the grave: and it was, and is, so.

God's rule in "the real world" is even recognized in man's catalog of "political" theories, in the name "theocracy."  "Real world" theocracies have been attempted by Christians (John Calvin's Geneva), and others (today's "Islamic Republic" of Iran).

Which rather puts God's Kingdom on man's playing-field of political theories.  It is not.  Every idea man has ever had about the best kind of government puts man at the top.  Each of man's political theories ultimately plays out again Eve's buying satan's lie that she would "be as God" if she set aside God's authority, and chose her own way.  I'm told that decision had disastrous consequences.

Men incessantly debate, and attempt to enact, what they deem the "best" form of government.  Which debate usually ignores that the fact that one form of human government can only ever, at best, be relatively better than another.  Winston Churchill (who certainly knew something about the practice of governing) referenced that fact in a 1947 speech: "...it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government, except for all those other[s]..."

Cold War preaching and "prophesying" frequently left The Kingdom of God, which should be the Church' whole message as it was Jesus', out of consideration in its debate about forms of  government.  Often the Church' message was more focused on proclaiming that democracy (especially American democracy) was a vastly better form of government than Soviet Communism.  (Officially-atheist Soviet Communism, of course: which gave American Christians an "in" to argue our form of democracy was therefore somehow "Godly:" betokened by officially making "In God We Trust" the national motto, and adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, during the Col War years.)

The Church' message was true, as far as that goes; as it was true in the preceding years that American democracy was a vastly better, because more humane, form of government than Nazism or Japanese militarism.  But American democracy is simply not the message of The Kingdom that Jesus commanded His followers to preach and live.

Its worth noting that, in man's catalog of forms of government, the one most opposite to "theocracy" (the rule of God) is the theory that "the people rule" (demos-kratia).  It could be that Christians preaching democracy may be more than negligent toward Jesus' command and message, and verge on preaching a "gospel" contrary to Jesus'.

With the Church' unholy 40-year alliance with "conservatives," I'm seeing a resurgence of Cold War-style political preaching, almost entirely tailored to that political faction's message.  For one example, I recently read a "Letter to the American Church" by a "conservative" media-star and author that called the Church to repent its passively accomodation with Marxism, which he purports is rife in American public life (I'm skeptical).  His call largely seems to be that the Church repent other people's sins (a purported trans- and homosexual "agenda," for example, and abortion).  I think honest Christians know that's no repentance at all, and doesn't fool God.

(In a blog-post a couple weeks ago I also reviewed that book's egregious historical fabrications, on which the author bases his "prophetic" proposition, and pretensions.)

Similarly, the ministry of a media-star "conservative" preacher was fulsomely recommended to our Bible-study by our teacher last week.  That recommendation strongly emphasized and lauded the preacher's attacks on "Marxism."  I wasn't familiar with the man's teaching, and am disinclined to hear it.  Why would any Christian ?  Does preaching for or against any human political theory build up God's Kingdom ?

Not every wisdom can be reduced to an aphorism, but maybe this one can.  A Christian's politics will always manifest his faith: but a faith that manifests man's politics is never Christianity.