O.K., I Get It Now

Our beloved brother Tim in Australia does a blog, "Onesimus Files" (https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/). His is the only blog I read almost-daily. In the comments there of Tim and others, I frequently hear something God's saying.

But it sometimes takes me a while to get what God's saying. I tend to expect that truth is complex, and I over-think things.

When God is saying something simple, I often miss it. And truth is usually simple.

That was the case with a simple comment Tim made recently, in a discussion of America's current politics: "It's not really about politics."

It took a while for that simple truth to sink in, and open to my understanding.

I finally get it. Nothing that human beings do is really only about what humans do. Humans are spiritual beings, and the things we do are . . . not "ultimately," at the end: but FIRST and ALWAYS . . . spiritual acts.

That seems to me what Jesus is saying in Luke 12:54-6, when He tells us to "analyze" appearances. "This present time" cannot be understood by those who only look at appearances.

We have a wide choice of "commentators"...political and religious...eager to explain to us what's "really" going on. We constantly hear them analyze every event in terms of all the demographic "appearances" they (and we) believe determine people's political thoughts and actions: age, sex, race, political orientation and religion (often the same thing), by region, by educational and income levels, sexual orientation, occupation.

What Jesus is saying in this time . . . has always been saying . . . is that politics is not really about politics. Politics must be, and can ONLY be, understood in spiritual terms.

President-Elect in the Garden of Eden

At the start of the Civil War, Georgia politician Howell Cobb said that only two things stood in the way of peace between the North and South: "...the landing of the Pilgrims, and Original Sin."

Those same factors will determine America's fate today. Especially the latter.

God set Adam and Eve to live in the reality He'd created. God ruled reality by one simple Law: obey God, and He will bless you; disobey Him, and you will die.

Original Sin came by human beings accepting satan's "alternative theory" of the law. Not only will you NOT die when you break the law, "the father of lies" assured Eve: breaking the law is actually the way to seize blessing for yourself...and then you'll be like God. (Genesis 3)

This is an interesting time for we who believe God's law still rules reality: who believe that doing evil can NEVER bring good results.

An interesting time for God's people, because the leader Americans have chosen for themselves promises that his harsh, arrogant, and violent ways will have good results, and "make America great again." An interesting time, in which Americans have chosen to follow the leader in testing God's law.

If America's defiance of God's law fails disastrously and quickly, it will be because God chooses to show us undeserved mercy. The sooner we learn the consequences of rebelling against the King's authority and rule, the more hearts will repent, and turn back from rebellion.

But God rules as well over time. He may choose to let our chosen leader's evil schemes succeed in "making America great again"...for a time.

The hearts of the rebellious who helped bring that leader to power...including many "Christians"... are already vested in his success. If God lets his unrighteous rule temporarily "succeed," the hearts of the rebellious will be devoted to him even more than they were in electing him: and even more blind to God's impending judgement on America.

If letting evil rule seem to "succeed" is God's choice for America, we should expect His delayed judgement will be especially harsh. God is no respecter of persons. And we know how harsh His judgement was on those whose rebel hearts were devoted to the evil rule of the leader who promised that his evil ways would "make Germany great again."

A Question for Honest Mormons

LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley made an official speech in Europe in 1998, reported in "LDS Church News." That publication bills itself as "An official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." This quote of President Hinckley's words is taken from that publication:

"In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints 'do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. He, together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.'..."

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/31188/Crown-of-gospel-is-upon-our-heads.html

Christians celebrate the two great events of Christ's life: His birth, at Christmas; and His resurrection at Easter.

Mormons also celebrate Christ's birth and ressurrection. "The Book of Mormon" refers to those events, though neither event occurs in "The Book of Mormon," in its American setting.

Both those events occurred in the Middle East, in the life of the "traditional" Christ. "The Book of Mormon" does not claim otherwise.

So why do Mormons celebrate events in the life of the Christ President Hinckley taught is not Mormons' "Christ" ?

Isn't that deceitful, to themselves and to others ?

Self-Delusion

We listened for eight years to people screaming that Obama was subverting democracy, ruling by personal fiat, trampling on our constitutional "rights," etc., etc.

Most of the screamers are now red-hot Trump partisans.

Reminds me of a joke I heard as a kid.

"The snake I saw hiding in the grass turned out to be a stick. But the stick I grabbed to kill it with, turned out to be a snake."

Moral Blindness

In interviews before the election, we heard people say, over and over, that they would vote for Trump because he would bring change.

Their thinking was "true," as far as it goes: which means it's not quite Truth. Truth embodies moral wisdom.

Those who voted for Trump because he would change America illustrate that lack of moral wisdom. People whose thoughts and operative beliefs (in the Bible's terminology, "hearts") are guided by basic honesty, and Godly commonsense, know that change is not a "good" in itself. "Change"...like all creation...is subject to the moral law God has set in place: change can be for the better...or for the worse.

There's a similar, but profoundly deeper, moral blindness among American Christians now that the election is over. Christians rejoicing in Trump's victory, as well as those horrified by it, comfort themselves in the "patriotic" faith that "God is watching over America."

That's a false faith, and morally blind, when its underlying assumption is that God watches over America, always and only, for blessing. Unfortunately, such usually is that faith's underlying assumption.

God says otherwise.

“…Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good…” (Jeremiah 44:27)

“…I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster…” (Jeremiah 31:28)

“…I will command the sword that it slay them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.” (Amos 9:4)


God promises blessing to those who love and obey Him. We know God's word is true. He promises He will destroy all rebels and evil-doers. We know God's word is true.

It's true, as far as it goes, that God is watching over America. But Truth is that He will decide to what end. We His people know that God's decision will be just, and absolutely righteous. Those who are His people, above all others, should also know that God will not bless evil deeds and unrepentant hearts.

In the meantime, God still holds out His promise of forgiveness and blessing, to all who will "turn from their wicked ways" (II Chronicles 7:14), and heed His moral wisdom.

We His people can therefore praise His mercy !! And we should therefore trust only in Him Who IS our Hope !!

God at Work in Trump's Victory

I think there's no question a Trump presidency is a disaster for America. But in Trump's victory, God is unquestionably blessing and building up His Church.

One blessing is that He's fully exposed the Big Lie that American Christians have followed for 40 years. No honest saint can believe (if they ever did) that Republicans are the "Christian party," operating in Christ's Spirit.

God's also revealed the Big Liars...or rather, He's let them reveal themselves: false "leaders" who teach Christians to believe and follow the Big Lie. They include some big names among American "evangelicals:" James Dobson, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jr., and others: and God's let us all see who they are.

As God reveals the deceit and the deceivers, honest Christians are re-thinking (which is the meaning of "repent") the political ideas they've operated by. All who love Christ will show it by obeying Him; and will "take every thought captive" to obey Him (II Corinthians 10:5)...including their thoughts about American politics.

God is working great good today, preparing His Bride. In every one of His saints who obey Him in love, who turn from following lies and liars, He is cleansing His Church of its spots and blemishes. Very many have been blinded by lies, and many made captive by deceivers: but God promises that HE will open the eyes of the blind, and set the captives FREE !!

All praise to Him !!

Billboards

My wife and I noticed a billboard that was all up and down the roads when we were traveling in Arkansas recently.

It carried a verse from scripture, slightly abridged to fit the billboard's space:

"If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)

Perhaps it was only to fit the scripture on the billboard, but I couldn't help noticing that one of God's commands to His people was omitted: that they "turn from their wicked ways."

Capital Punishment

Again from Bryan Stevenson's book "Just Mercy;"

"I told the congregation that Walter's case had taught me that the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill ?" (p. 313)

Stonecatchers

The most moving incident in a deeply moving book I've been reading, "Just Mercy," by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer:

Stevenson was working hard for the release of a man unjustly condemned to death in Alabama. He'd been asked to talk about the case at a meeting in a church in the man's community, with the man's supportive neighbors.

But he knew some neighbors were "muted" (as he writes) in their support. Although they knew the man was innocent of the crime for which he'd been convicted, some neighbors were less than enthusiastic in his defense, because he'd had an affair, and wasn't a church-goer.

Stevenson began his talk with the story of the woman taken in adultery who was brought before Jesus by the men getting ready to stone her to death. He reminded the audience that Jesus had said, "Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone." When we see people who are knocked down by the stones we throw at each other, he told the listeners, we can't join in. And we can't let that happen. We have to be stonecatchers.

Years later, he was coming from a New Orleans courthouse where a judge had released two men he'd been working to free. Both had served 50 years at the notorious Angola prison on a life sentence handed them as young teens. An older woman he'd seen several times in court was sitting on the steps, and motioned him over.

Stevenson asked if she was a friend or relative of one of the released men. But she said, no, she was just there for people who needed someone to "lean on" in their misery and pain.

She'd started coming to the court for the trial of the teenagers who had murdered her grandson, about 15 years before. They were convicted and sentenced, she said. "I thought it would make me feel better, but it actually made me feel worse. I sat in the courtroom after they were sentenced and just cried and cried."

A woman she didn't know saw her, and came and sat with her. "I think she sat with me for almost two hours. For well over an hour, we didn't neither one of us say a word. It felt good to finally have someone to lean on..."

She felt the Lord wanted her to be at the court daily, "...letting anybody lean on me who needed it...all this grief and violence...people shooting each other, hurting each other like they don't care...it's a lot of pain. I decided I was supposed to be here to catch some of the stones people cast at each other."

Stevenson thought of his own invocation of Jesus' teaching years before.

The woman told him, "I heard you in that courtroom today...I know you's a stonecatcher too."

Stevenson laughed and said, "Well, I guess I try to be."

The woman took his hands, and began to rub his palms gently. "Well, it hurts to catch all them stones people throw."

Moral Relativism

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be !" (Romans 6:1,2)

It's fashionable for Christians to condemn "moral relativism" as spiritual evil.

It's also fashionable for Christians to practice moral relativism: justifying themselves for choosing "the lesser of two evils."