My Sheep Hear My Voice

Jesus' word that "My sheep hear My voice..." has always been a comfort to me, the key by which I test myself to see if I am truly following Him. But what if we hear Jesus' voice...in brother Rick Frueh's words...crying out against us ?

Rick has written about that jarring experience.


I will have been saved for forty years this March. I have seen other people saved under my witness, I have experienced God’s wonderful presence, and I have read His Word many times. But as I reread His words I cannot help but confess I am wading into convicting waters. I do not mean some slight “I am far from perfect” waters. I already knew that. But I am now faced with some unimaginable truth which when taken without compromise from His lips indicts me on so many levels...I rejoice in the Spirit’s dealings with me, but I also am partially broken as well. I do not relish being utterly and completely broken, but I desire it.

http://judahslion.blogspot.com/

Tozer on the Need for Prophets

God blessed me this week when a brother sent around, and another brother blogged, this prophetic word from Tozer. If we needed prophets 50 years ago, how much more so now !


A prophet is one who knows his times and what God is trying to say to the people of his times.

Today we need prophetic preachers; not preachers of prophecy merely, but preachers with a gift of prophecy. The word of wisdom is missing. We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. It is not ability to predict that we need, but the anointed eye, the power of spiritual penetration and interpretation, the ability to appraise the religious scene as viewed from God's position, and to tell us what is actually going on.

Where is the man who can see through the ticker tape and confetti to discover which way the parade is headed, why it started in the first place and, particularly, who is riding up front in the seat of honor?

What is needed desperately today is prophetic insight. Scholars can interpret the past; it takes prophets to interpret the present. Learning will enable a man to pass judgment on our yesterdays, but it requires a gift of clear seeing to pass sentence on our own day. One hundred years from now historians will know what was taking place religiously in this year of our Lord; but that will be too late for us. We should know right now.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many) he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the one and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.

We need to have the gifts of the Spirit restored again to the church, and it is my belief that the one gift we need most now is the gift of prophecy.

- from 'Of God and Men'.

To Stay or To Go

I've been thinking about quitting facebook. After a year or so on there, the stream of stuff "friends" send out seems just as much a spiritual sewer as ever. I see daily the same kinds of belligerent forwards from "conservative" websites about their "rights" (especially "gun rights"), the same rebellious spirit towards government, the same idolization of America's military, the same violent hatred of their faction's enemies (especially President Obama), the same kinds of lies, anger, nationalism, repeated endlessly. My "friends" grieve me every day with their eager willingness to be manipulated by the enemy's spirit.

Interspersed with all of that, my friends also daily post scriptures: how great is God's grace, how much we should love one another as Jesus loves us, etc. I can't say with certainty where anyone else's heart is: but I don't see any evidence my "friends" are aware their violent "conservative" posts are of a spirit absolutely contrary to their sentimental "Christian" posts.

The commonsense reaction to standing in a flood of sewage is to get out. I've been considering it: but there's another aspect to the matter.

Among my "friends," there seem to be few voices challenging lies, or calling "conservative" filth to scriptural account. There's a temptation to feel sorry for "poor lonely me:" but I trust that God has yet kept thousands who have not bowed their knee to this Baal of our time (I Kings 19). Indeed, there are occasional friends who will "like" some comment I make challenging a lying post on facebook.

But the question isn't whether many or few agree. That's the guiding principle of "democracy." and has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. God assured Elijah that he was not alone in serving God: and then told him to get on with it. (ibid)

So there's the operative question. Stand in the facebook sewage, or get out of it ? I feel like God is giving me assurance I'm not alone in hating the enemy spirit rampant there: so now, get on with it.

Reinforcing that decision: even if I were the only one on facebook witnessing to truth, it would be my place to continue doing so. The call on every Christian's life is to witness to Christ, "the Truth." And was there really only one witness to Truth, how extremely important it would be for that one to continue speaking out when all else was lies. I think God is telling me to stay on facebook, as distasteful as that is, at least for now.

There are certainly times and places when God calls us to flee the spiritual filth. There are certainly times and places He calls us to stay. It all comes down to discerning God's timing.

Discerning is always hard for me. It requires listening; and I'm deeply aware how flawed my listening, and my hearing, can be. So I'm deeply aware I may flat-out be wrong making this choice between staying and leaving. But I know I can trust God to correct me, if my attempts to discern and to choose come from an honest heart.

Praise Him !!

Bumper-sticker

What does a bumper-sticker prove about a car's performance or value ?

I've never heard anyone say they bought a car because of the bumper-sticker on it.

But millions of American Christians buy their worldview and operative heart-attitude from politicians...POLITICIANS !!!...because they slap a Jesus bumper-sticker on it.

God forgive us !!

"The War to End War"

The hubris of the times promoted World War I as "the war to end war." With the hindsight of a century, we know how ridiculous a claim that was. Indeed, the way human "solutions" always cause more problems, we now look back at World War I as the origin of many which followed, and the solution to none which were its causes.

With the benefit of retrospect, we recognize "the Great War" as prelude for a greater; for Hitler, who came to power on his promise to restore German pre-eminence after the "crime" of the Versailles peace-treaty. The Balkan internecine conflicts which sparked the war at Sarajevo continue to this day, and have increased. Likewise, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire gave rise to the modern Middle East, with heightened long-term tensions, and new ones.

In this centennial year, there is renewed attention to "the Great War." I've read several excellent histories recently on different aspects of the war: on Gallipoli, on the cascading diplomatic miscalculations in the weeks after Franz Ferdinand's assassination that inevitably led to war, on the flu epidemic, and on the Sarajevo assassin Gavrilo Princip. Currently I'm reading Philip Jenkins' "The Great and Holy War," on the war's religious and spiritual currents.

Most pointedly, all the western nations involved framed the war as a Christian crusade: none moreso than Germany. The coded diplomatic message that gave the go-head for the Kaiser's declaration of war was Isaiah's prophecy of Christ, "Unto us a son is born." German soldiers' standard-issue belt-buckle bore the slogan "Gott mit Uns" ("God is with us"), scripture's "Immanuel." But every other western nation also promoted the slaughter as God's Own purpose. Most European and American citizens of the time were quick, and PROUD, to buy into, and echo, their leaders' religious rhetoric: as did almost-all of the participant nations' church organizations.

There were many other resonant spiritual events, from sentimental fakelore (the purported "Angels of Mons," which morphed from an Arthur Machen short-story to an event people claimed to have witnessed) to the radical Christianity of warring soldiers' spontaneous "Christmas Truce" of 1914. More than a few people, and not just the unsophisticated, perceived the war as the Biblical "End of Days:" particularly after the outbreak of the flu epidemic completed Revelation's "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" archetype with "Plague."

But amidst the propaganda, co-opted churches, fakelore, and transitory public perceptions, there were events that seemed genuine spiritual milestones. Some I was familiar with, some not: probably because (like for most Americans) World War I was a largely-forgotten episode. For our parents, in whose perceptions my generation grew up, World War II was "The War" (and even "the Good War"), overshadowing all wars before or since. Added to that the fact that, even in their own time, military events in the east (especially for the uninvolved United States) were seen as a side-show to the great drama of the Western Front. Except for the horrors of Gallipoli and the adventures of Lawrence of Arabia, little attention was paid to what was happening beyond Europe.

Attention should be paid. The same way He changed history by sending His peasant Son in a far province of the Roman Empire, God seems to have worked His large purposes of World War I in the same distant place.

If nothing else, British General Allenby's capture of Jerusalem in December 1918 had incalculable symbolic significance. The city God claimed as His Own, after 700 years in Moslem possession, was in Christian hands again. British newspapers nationalistically hailed it as the fulfillment of Richard the Lion-Hearted's unfulfilled crusade. Catholic churches around the world were instructed to add a special "Te Deum" to their services in thanks for Jerusalem's liberation.

Approaching Jerusalem, Allenby had led Britain's troops to victory against the Turks at a village called Megiddo. In his dispatches, however, Allenby referred to the battle-site, probably with an eye to Christian audiences, as "the field of Armageddon," its Biblical name. The name captured the apocalyptic view of the war in western Christendom, and Allenby was thereafter often styled "Allenby of Armageddon."

I'd read, and been impressed, that on his entry to Jerusalem Allenby, a cavalryman, dismounted to enter the holy city on foot. Some adduce a Christian spirit of humility to the gesture, that he would not enter in military pomp the city Jesus had entered on a donkey. Jenkins presents Allenby as "quite secular," which may discount a personal Christian motivation for Allenby: but he was certainly quite aware of the symbolism of his gesture before the Christian war-audience. Jenkins points out that Allenby might also have intended a deliberate contrast to Kaiser Wilhelm's visit to Jerusalem some 20 years earlier, when the German ruler made a point of entering the city mounted in military array, as if in conquest.

Nor was Allenby unaware that Jerusalem was revered by all three great monotheistic faiths. His respectful gesture of entry could be expected to impress Moslems (both Britain's Arabian allies and Turkish enemies) and Jews, as well as Christians. Allenby's personal secretary and biographer, Raymond Savage, attempted to deny the many pious fables that had grown up around the General (for example, that he entered Jerusalem with a Bible in one hand, and a crucifix in the other). But he reports as true that Arab rulers considered Allenby's coming a signal event for Moslems, construing his name as "Allah Nabi," Arabic for "God the Prophet."

For Jews, Allenby's entry into Jerusalem on December 9th 1918 was even more heavily symbolic. The night of that very day marked the beginning of Hanukkah ("The Festival of Lights"), celebrating the Maccabean rededication of the Temple after liberating Jerusalem from the Seleucid (Syrian) Empire in 165 B.C. (Interestingly, Hannukkah is the only Jewish festival besides Passover mentioned in the Christian gospels, in John 10:22-23.) British and American Jews quickly drew the parallel between their historic liberator Judah Maccabee and General Allenby (Jenkins reproduces one such contemporary lithograph on his p. 164.)

But Allenby's campaign had more than symbolic value to Jews. So confident of victory over the Ottoman Turks was the British government that Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour in November 1918 issued to Baron Rothschild, a leader of British Jews, the famous official Declaration that "His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people..." Before it came to pass, the world would be racked by a second, greater, World War, and European Jewry would be all-but-wiped out in the Holocaust: but in the Balfour Declaration God began the restoration of Israel as a nation.

"The Great War," possibly the epitome of humankind's warring madness, was foundational to all that's happened in the world's last century. It could not be other than a spiritual sign-post: first as exemplar of man's complete inability to "solve" problems by his own wisdom and means. What impresses me most, however, is that even in that pointless slaughter, God created hope, restored His people, and advanced the appearing of His Kingdom.

Amen !

Obama-bashing

A friend posted this picture on facebook. I "liked" it, and re-posted it on my "timeline."

It's interesting: the simple statement of these facts, that Obama has done some good things, violently offends people whose entire political "principle" is he can't do a single thing right. But the hatred "conservatives" (including many "Christians") bear Obama goes beyond politics, and beyond reality.

It seems commonsense to me that Presidents are human; and like every other human being, are never all good nor all bad. That seems simple reality. Richard Nixon was probably one of the most flawed men, and one of the sleaziest politicians, who ever became President. Even so, he did some good things. However mixed his motives, he was first to have the courage against hardline conservatives to recognize communist China (after building his entire career on sharing their rabid hatred of Communism).

To deny that Nixon ever did a single thing right would be to ignore facts. It would say more about the person making such a statement, than about Nixon. It would tell me, for one thing, that person had little love for truth, and was not trying in the least to make an honest judgement.

It would also tell me that person's heart was so filled with hatred that violent lies had become his religion. It's interesting, again, that people of that spirit can only see others as they themselves are. Delusional haters can only perceive any contradictory statement of fact as violent, partisan attack.

More than a few "conservatives" in America today have worked themselves up to that level of Obama-hatred. More than a few of them call their violent delusional hatred "Christianity."

May any who can still hear the Spirit, hear Him cry "Repent !!"

Amen.

God Loves the Honest

"...[we] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (II Corinthians 4:2, KJV)

A forwarded meditation by David Wilkerson was in my e-mail today, on the above scripture. I was struck by the word "dishonesty," which I don't remember having seen in scripture previously. So I had to look it up, and check it out.

Part of the reason I'd never seen "dishonesty" before was because my favored New American Standard translation always translates the Greek word in this passage (aischune) as "shame." I rarely consult the King James' translation: but looking at the lexicons and other references, and the context, I can credit the KJV's alternative reading here of "dishonesty."

More than a particular word, however, this verse resonated for me with Jesus' characterization of Nathanael as a man "in whom there is no guile." The straightforward character this verse commends seems to be what Jesus perceived in Nathanael: a man in whom there was no hidden agenda, no craftiness, no deceitfulness: one whose straightforward truthfulness commended him to every man, and to Jesus Himself.

Incarnation

Robert Rohr, a priest who heads The Center for Action and Contemplation, sends out a daily e-mail devotion I've recently begun subscribing to. Some of his writings are a bit too self-consciously "mystical" for my tastes, but no matter: he often shares a piercing light of Christ in Truth.

His recent meditation on the eucharist highlighted such a truth, of our being the Body of Christ:

"It is not just Jesus’ own sacrifice that we are recalling, but also our agreement to participate in the same! It is not just the human incarnation in Jesus that we are remembering, but that this mystery of incarnation is continued in space, time, and the physical universe itself..."

AMEN !!

Letter to a facebook "friend"

Hi, B----:

Thanks for being open to some comments. You can understand why I wasn't sure you would.

Was hopeful after your facebook response was civil and straightforward. But we naturally associate people with their facebook (re-) posts:
an implied "I'm (whoever), and I approved this message," like the tag on politicians' ads. Isn't that what we intend to say with our facebook re-postings ?

So I was glad you didn't respond in the spirit of that post. I'm not at all implying hypocrisy: I get that you despise President Obama, and you don't ever pretend otherwise. But neither do you seem filled with raging hatred like the writer of your post.

For all I know, the writer himself may actually be a decent person, and only using violent rhetoric to make his opinions more striking. Political views these days have to be pretty extreme (as you agreed his post is) to stand out from the negative chorus we've gotten used to. He may simply be trying for some kind of notoriety among the crowd.

It's otherwise hard to understand why a decent person would choose to strike a pose so much more evil than his actual character. You and I both know the scriptures, especially Christ's teachings. We both know the admonition to "put on Christ." Isn't spewing hatred putting on the contrary spirit ?

So where are you with that ? You're obviously not filled with malevolent violence like the writer is (or at least pretends to). How does your re-posting his rantings not imply your approval: and associate your own character with the spirit his post manifests ?

Those questions are meant as hostile only to that enemy spirit, and his deceiving the Church away from its Head. Between us Christians, they are questions of purposefully "putting on Christ."

Thanks for welcoming my thoughts, and I'll very much welcome yours.

In Jesus, Steve

Partisanship

Another observation about my recent interaction with my "facebook friend."

His response seemed civil and rational, so I'd like to talk further (in more than the bumper-sticker or postcard-sized "thoughts" facebook promotes); but I'm rather hesitant to approach him. People striking belligerent poses invariably perceive any approach as hostile. Picknickers in Ukraine are well-advised these days to not stroll through fields near a military outpost, even if it's manned by "our side." Whatever ordinary or innocent purpose may be in your heart, or even if you're on the same "side," partisans can only see, and react to, everyone else in terms of their violent mania.

And it is very much "mania," the madness of sin's self-ishness, to operate as if the world entirely and actually conforms to one's personal world-view. A person who attacks others with a knife in the belief that everyone is trying to kill him, we deem criminally insane. Acting out the sin of partisanship (Galatians 5:20) is the same kind of madness: and produces the same raging spirit of murder.